Archive for the 'Random/Rants' Category

It’s Been A Year…And It’s Been Awhile

It’s Been Awhile…
It’s been almost a week since I’ve posted anything. RETOX has occupied most of my time. With my “day job” not to be interrupted, the bar comes second. This week, I decided to use some of my precious vacation days to be there and get things done. Speaking of which…it’s truly amazing how quickly the day passes when you’re high-stepping it like the Enegizer Bunny.

Here are a couple of pictures of RETOX BAR to whet your palette. We open on Halloween and have so much going on that I wonder whether or not we’re going to make it. But we’re certainly hussling. Our prized piece so far is the bar. While dismantling the existing bar to its frame, we discovered alot of rot, mildew, and missing spaces. Needless to say, we replaced some of the framing and started from scratch. While the top is still incomplete (but in process as I type), you can see how beautiful the face has turned out.

The face will be finished off with some LED lighting underneath; the top with some gorgeous molding and 18-inch tiles flattened by polyurithane; and a pair of 50″ plamsa HD TVs on the back wall.

It’s Been A Year…
Just a short little FYI…October 12th was the 1-year anniversary of Derrich.com. My first post was about how my son’s first soccer experience quickly exposed my competitive spirit…in a negative manner. Now, I can look back on that and laugh. I get a kick out of watching my 4-year-old chase the ball and get distracted by a passing dragonfly or a patch of dirt.

Anyway, while my 1-year anniversary is relatively lame (no cool contests, balloons, or pinatas), I’ll make up for it when RETOX BAR open on Halloween night. Thanks to everyone that has inspired me along the way, and thanks to those of you (readers and bloggers) that have stuck around since your first day to Derrich.com.

NBA 2K8 by 2K Sports
About 2 weeks ago, a guy by the name of Michael from Rocket XL emailed me to see if I’d be interested in doing a review of 2K Sport’s NBA 2K8. I gladly accepted; however, my busy schedule has prevented me from honoring my end of the bargain. I ‘ve played it a few times, but not often enough to write a solid review. I will be sure to make it happen soon. In the meantime, here’s a little sample of what to expect.

Get a $300,000 mortgage for lower than you think!

Popularity: 12% [?]

Vick ‘Em Shirts Create A Stir In College Station

As if Michael Vick needed anymore attention…thanks to Texas Tech University student Geoffrey Candia, Vick’s gaffe becomes his gain. The shirt was created for the Red Raiders’ upcoming game against Texas A&M this Saturday. The game will be nationally-televised on ABC. As the Texas Tech Red Raiders attempt improve its 5-1 record, the last thing they need is negative attention.

The front of the shirt says “Vick ‘Em” — a play on words to the Aggies’ “Gig ‘Em” — and the back includes a silhouette of what appears to be Michael Vick (thanks to the #7 jersey) holding a dog that resembles Aggie mascot, Reveille, by her leash.

One of my friends — and Texas Tech alum — Matt, had the following reaction to the shirts:

This is disgusting on every level imaginable, and some fool is gonna make a profit on these cause college kids, teenagers many of them, are influenced to the highest level [especially in Lubbock, where there is nothing to do but drive out past the county line to get booze] by their surroundings.

I’m all for cool t-shirts to show off during the game against your arch-rivals, if you can call A&M and Texas rivals of that lowly school in Lubbock (of which I attended classes occasionally in 1990 and 1991), but show some class. In fact, I have a great one that simply states WRECK ‘EM TECH with some lyrics from the fight song on the back. No pokes at other schools or players from Va Tech.

The thing about this one though, only a small portion of kids will be donning these as the majority of fans at the game and the team won’t acknowledge it at all, but it will take away from the atmosphere if they’re shown by the ABC cameras. Hopefully the production team gets the memo on this and refuses to air a shot of the crowd with these shirts to save us all from having to hear about this after Saturday night in what should be a great game.

The game is what matters most if you’re Tech. Defeating A&M at home is what gets you noticed and moves you a step closer to the rival status you so desperately crave, but kids will be kids.

Remember, they let me into that school, too, so they’ve already got a “standards” problem going on 17 years now. Now, let’s talk about the game. I got Fran’s latest insider email and it said he needed more money to start up a new web site, pleasekeepmeeventhoughiamanidiot.com

I’ll admit…I let out a little snicker at first, but this is definitely a bad idea. What are your thoughts?

Get pre-approved and buy a home with no money down!

Popularity: 5% [?]

There’s A First Time For Everything

When it comes to cars, I’m obsessed. I notice every little thing. Well, last night I was getting gas. I filled up, pulled the pump out of the tank, and got in my car and started it. Well, as I put the car in drive, the old lady at the pump next to me waved me down. Rolled the window down.

“Excuse me, sir. You forgot to close your gas tank…no problem, I’ll close it for you.”

The last person I’d expect to notice my cap off is the first person I’d expect to see in traffic with her gas tank open. That’s the first time I’ve ever done that. I suppose there’s a first time for everything.

Click now to see how you can save an additional $40 - $90 on your 1-800 CONTACTS online order!

Popularity: 2% [?]

9th Birthday = Google Pinata

This morning, I went searching for a few things on Google. When I saw the piñata, I began to wonder if September 27th was a Mexican holiday that I’d forgotten. I mean…I do live in San Antonio where every April, we celebrate Fiesta San Antonio, which rivals Mardi Gras without the bewbies…well, for the most part anyway. It looks like Google is celebrating its 9th birthday (notice the shape of the piñata…a “9″). Happy Birthday, Google!

Piñatas are all the rage. If you don’t know what a piñata is (pronounced peen-yah-tah), the omniscient Wikipedia can elaborate. Basically its loaded up with candy, and kids take turns whacking it with a stick (and occasionally each other) followed by an all out scrum for the candy. They come in all shapes and colors…including Lightning McQueen, Spongebob, and George Bush.

Use your home equity to pay off credit card debt today!

Popularity: 5% [?]

What In The AdSense World…?

Yesterday, my leaderboard ad displayed a rare one-banger: an ad for Vitamin Water (I had to look for the link to be sure).

…and I wasn’t the only one that recently pulled a random AdSense ad.

Popularity: 3% [?]

The Mailman Delivereth

Alzheimers Memory Walk Flair & A Little Something For A Rainy Day

Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk
Only a month away, the Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk in San Antonio will raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer care, support and research. And because I have experienced the disease first-hand, I decided to become a team captain and form a team of friends and family to do our part. Last week, I received my Team Captain Kit complete with infomation and fundraising ideas, and some purple shoelaces (which I totally plan on sporting that day).

You can help us out by donating to our team, IN MEMORY OF…. And my offer still stands…I’ll match your donations up to $100; and for you bloggers, I’ll include a backlink on my site to yours with a minimum donation of $15.

Meguiar’s Ultimate Quik Detailer Ultimate Review
My review on Meguiar’s Ultimate Quik Detailer has been referenced on several car forums. Since then, many have offered up their own words of amazement…and one video where a guy compared it to 3 other products (including sprays and waxes) on the hood of his Denali. Pretty slick.

Well, the folks over at JMPR Public Relations sent me a little thank you package that included some useful Meguiar’s products: Meguiar’s Quik Wheel Detailer, Meguiar’s Gold Class Car Wash (which I had just run out of with my previous wash), and Meguiar’s NXT Generation Tech Wax. I have yet to use the wax, but if my car looks as wet as the G35 on the box, I might…well, I might get “excited”. I’m just waiting on some Hankook 19″ tires, a cordless Black & Decker drill or two, and maybe a week in a Bugatti or Bentley. But I’m not holding my breath…and beggars can’t be choosers. Thanks, JMPR and Meguiar’s!

Popularity: 2% [?]

Youth Soccer Underway. Butterflies & Loose Dirt Beware!

On Wednesday, my son started practice for the upcoming CYO Soccer season. He and one of the other 4-year-olds were moved from the 3/4 age bracket to the Kindergarten league, which is 5- and 6-year-olds. I wasn’t crazy about that at first, it was clear that he sized up better with the older kids. So be it.

My very first post on Derrich.com was about this very topic. I questioned my whole attitude toward this…would it be fun or frustration that I felt as a result of watching this every weekend? Well at first my competitive nature got the best of me. But I was quickly reminded of how I was at the tender age of 3. So, this year will be different. I’ll “coach” to a degree out of natural instinct, but I’ll be sure to remember that they’re all about having fun at this point. Allow me to show you exactly what I mean.

Here he is recovering from a fall that came as a result of some Alpha Male wrestling.

In this photo, he shows off his best Power Rangers moves.

And they actually played a little soccer.

So, regardless of what they’re doing out there, I urge parents everywhere to get your kiddos involved in youth sports. With all of the distractions (i.e. video games, television, Internet, etc), your kids will benefit from the exercise, the interaction with other kids, and be exposed to a team-oriented environment…and familiarize themselves with different species of butterflies, and discover the effects of applying the kinetic energy of a soccer cleat to a patch of dirt.

Popularity: 3% [?]

BlogRoll

• Milk Was A Bad Choice
• CrackBerry.com
• Stock Trading 101
• For The Love Of Sports
• Project Spurs
• Busted Coverage
• WallStreetFighter

Sponsors