5-0...But No Jumping For Joy Here

The Utes did get another win Saturday against Weber State, but I'm not in the mood to jump for joy. I sat (mostly stood) in the student section with my friend Rob. Alicia was great to take the girls for the night while I got my football fix in for the week. Here's my break down...

• The Utah defense was lacking. The line could not get a rush on the QB. Our corners got beat too many times. Weber put up 303 yds passing...not good.
• Brian Johnson played a solid game with 194 yds passing and 2 td's. He threw an interception inside the 10 yard line when his arm was hit during the throw...should not have forced it. I would like to see him scramble and run more...he is being very careful lately not to get hurt.
• Sakoda continues to kick well for the Utes scoring 13 points. He is 7 for 7 inside the 40 yard line.

Thursday night we play the team that beat "the team" (USC)...Oregon State. They will be really pumped and ready for what we throw at them. Their defense played extremely well against a talented S. California...if they bring the same game this week, we could loose bad. I am glad the game is at Rice-Eccles; maybe the crowd can pump up the Utes to play all 4 quarters. We definitely have to be aggressive the entire game, not do the "conservative 2nd half" approach the coaches have been playing. In NCAA football, anybody can beat anybody. Our defensive also has to slow down their run...Oregon State has a great little running back. If we can not stop their run early, it will be a long night. So, I give us a 50% chance of beating Oregon State. Prediction...24-34 Utah.

After this win, I will have something to jump for joy...national recognition, higher ranking and 6-0!!

Oil Prices

Maybe some good news, Nymex Crude Future prices have been dropping lately. Bloomberg.com is reporting the price around $98...glad we are not closer to last summer's prices. Lately, I've been checking the price once a week. The pump in our zip code is averaging $3.60 for a gallon...still too high for me, but I keep buying. I paid $3.47 on Saturday after my $.10 discount for using my Sinclair card...yipee! Glad my commute is so short these days.

Energy Prices

Messin With Sasquatch

This is one of my favorite websites...very funny. These commercials show how good marketing can build your brand quickly, target the desired customer and create sales without even saying the word "jerky".  My favorite is the hand in warm water...amazing how old jokes never die.

Click on the link, then VIEW THE COMMERCIALS on the bottom tab.

Commercials

The Palin Effect

Governor Sarah Palin is now a common name in the American household. John McCain took an unexpected leap to choose a brand new governor, with little national exposure and even less Washington experience. The media jumped right on the story to find out who is the real Sarah Palin (most could not even pronounce her name)...yes I do believe they have a responsibility to report on her views and political experience. But of course, the small portion of the media bent on distorting a persons ideas and accomplishments, looked for the worst and let everyone know it. If they would just stick to her stand on the issues and leave personal and family attacks out, we would all be better off. Here are some of my thoughts on her in the last few weeks:

• I like the fact that she is not a typical politician...the "hockey mom" wanting to make a difference in her home town and lower property taxes, really appeals to me.
• She is not as "inexperienced" as everyone says. She won a spot on her city council in 1992 at the age of 28...very impressive. Two-term Mayor, Commissioner of the AOGC, and Governor. I know she has more local political experience than national, but maybe that is what Washington needs.
• I am not surprised that "Feminist" of the National Organization for Women are not happy with her nomination. They and Sarah are polar opposites on the "A" issue. On a side note, if you haven't read about her choice to have their 5th child...definitely worth the read. Back to the lack of support from "Feminist", I feel sorry that they are loosing the chance to throw support behind an amazing women. To accomplish so much in little time, while raising a family, is tremendous. Of course her life is not perfect and we shouldn't put her on too high a pedestal...but stick to the issues.

I guess my opinion is that I like her stand on the issues of eliminating pork spending, strong national defense, smaller federal government, stronger local government, gun control, and abortion. Yes...I am conservative on political and social issues...not a surprise there.

I don't want to speak for my wife, but after Palin's convention speech, Alicia couldn't wait to tell me how much she liked "Sarah"....that is a lot from someone that dislikes politics.

NCAA - Week 4

Week 4 was very exciting for teams in the West. Here is the run down according to me...

• Utah pulled out a "W" against Air Force in Colorado. I was in Idaho for Spud Day and did not get a chance to see the game since it was not on dish. About every 15 minutes, the broadcasters would show a quick score update and a play. From what I hear, it was a nail bitter down to the end. In the last 2 minutes, Utah ran it in to put them up 30-23. With :58 left on the clock, Utah intercepted the ball and the game was over. We are now ranked #17 in both polls...great to be in the top 25 again!
• BYU had another home shutout against Wyoming. Impressive numbers for the offense too. The team "down south" is looking very good as a contender for the MWC title. They moved up to #11 and could be the next BCS buster!
• Boise State played a very impressive 1st half against #17 Oregon. In the 2nd half, the offense started to play conservative, which gave Oregon a chance to come back in the 4th quarter. Fortunately for the Broncos, it was too little too late. Boise pulled out the upset with 37-32 in Oregon...ouch! Our friends to the north are in the national spot light again and made the polls at #20...blue field rules!
  

The Office Season 5

Last night, I caught the last 10 minutes of The Office season 4 finale. I guess NBC is gearing up for next weeks season 5 opener...1 hour of the crew of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. There are some great commercial spots to pump up the fans.

New Olympic Sport

Dwight's Centathalon

Pandora Radio

For those that haven't tried it, Pandora Radio has become one of my favorite things on the web. You basically have your own web radio where you choose the stations or genre, rate songs you hear with thumbs up or thumbs down, and it plays future songs based on your choices. It will occasionally repeat songs, but you have control on how often you hear it. You can also edit your choices, add bands or remove bands.

My favorite stations lately have been Alternative Country, Indie Rock and Alternative Rock. It is great for trying new music and bands that sound like your favorites. I got into Damien Rice a few months back and others that have a similar flare. My brother Dan introduced me to My Morning Jacket last month...Indie Rock band that is starting to get around. My Wilco/Uncle Tupelo station is always fun to try. You can also share your stations with other Pandora users.

It is free to sign up and can be accessed by any PC with a web connection. I have it up while I'm at work...very easy to sign up and start using. Let me know if you want me to share a station.

Pandora Radio

NCAA Football 2008

It is that time of year...autumn...leaves...cool air...and FOOTBALL. This is my favorite season of the year. You can just smell football in the early evening hours. I have many great memories playing little league football in Northern Virginia.

In the past few years, I have grown to enjoy the NCAA football season with all its ups and downs, excellent talent and exciting plays. There are so many great teams to follow and the style of football is so different from region to region...for example, makes it exciting when a northern school plays the west like Utah vs. Michigan a few weeks ago. I've posted the team rankings on my blog since that is what I look up every week...I know, most people could care less. The season has the promise of some great games leading up to the BCS...stay tuned.

Election 2008

Since growing up in Washington DC and the local news was always politics, I've been bread to follow it until I die...Alicia hates it when the election cycle hits because that is all I watch. I've been following this site for a few years now to see how the electoral college will turn out. This site take individual state polls and predicts the Electoral College count...it will be interesting to see how the final vote turns out.

Electoral Vote

Introduction

This blog is how I see the world. It is a collection of ideas, thoughts, beliefs, opinions, interests, and hobbies. Feel free to comment...