Christmas 2012

So the Christmas holiday has past.  It went really well.  We had Christmas dinner at our house.  It took a few days of prep and went to fast but it was well worth the trouble.  Bought my wife a bike and had to put it together which was an experience.  Being as its too cold to try it a ride in the driveway confirmed it works. We'll have to see if she likes it.  

Ok the ravens finished 10-6 just as I predicted in the preseason. The starters didn't play the whole game.  Tyrod Taylor played really well for Joe Flacco.  They somehow won the AFC North and will play at home next week.  I hope they win.  

Here's some of the local holiday tradition here in Baltimore, 34th street in Hamden.  It was packed and traffic was backed up all around the decorated block.  I'll post more pictures later.
Oh and I lost the fantasy football championship game to the only team that beat me in the regular season.  I had lost confidence in my Team because so many of my players were canidates to be sat in The last few games of the season (due to them being on good teams).  The second to last game the guy i played scored the most points he hadmall season.  It was a good thing i scored the most i did all season too.  That luck couldnt last.  That's why I'm glad I arranged to split the winnings with the winner prior to the last game.  

Newtown conn. shooting

The reaction to the elementary school shooting has been typical.  Over blown media reaction and knee jerk reactions per the usual.  I do feel like this one was different and needs to lead to some action to stop these horrible incedents.  I was struggling to put together my feelings on this issue.  My natural reaction is to condem the calls for stricter guns laws and bans, but I almost feel like we should try something else.  I am a proponent of responsible gun ownership and hate calls for more regulations. I think the mental health aspect needs exploring.  These killers (recent) had contact with mental health professionals at some level.  Should the doctors stepped in and had them committed, could they even do that?  That got me thinking about in patient treatment availibility. I don't know for sure what are the options, but I have the distinct feeling that asylums aren't really an option for some reason.  Then in research of this issue I came across this article which touches on the issue and more to the point a real look at what could be done with violent or potentially violent people.  It's worth reading.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/16/i-am-adam-lanzas-mother-mental-illness-conversation_n_2311009.html

From the article:

With state-run treatment centers and hospitals shuttered, prison is now the last resort for the mentally ill—Rikers Island, the LA County Jail and Cook County Jail in Illinois housed the nation's largest treatment centers in 2011.

No one wants to send a 13-year-old genius who loves Harry Potter and his snuggle animal collection to jail. But our society, with its stigma on mental illness and its broken healthcare system, does not provide us with other options. Then another tortured soul shoots up a fast food restaurant. A mall. A kindergarten classroom. And we wring our hands and say, "Something must be done."...Me: From that I say we need to get put public safety over stigmas and health care cost analysis. Open up the asylums which are dedicated to treating these people not as a side opportunity for the jails to deal with. That's not the place to put them and with jails you have the precondition of a crime to get them in. A diagnosis and a threat should be more than enough to get a commitment.

Funny

An unamed acquaintance once did something similar with a jammed paintball gun.

December 15 or 16

So the ravens lost to Denver just as I predicted, but it was pretty bad and may have lost the team's desire.  The offense didn't have the positive reaction to the offensive coordinator change.  In fact they looked anemic as has been the usual.  If they somehow pull it together this week against the giants I will be impressed and more hopeful for the playoffs.  I say they lose again but they should be embarrassed from this week's loss and come with a better performance.

My Christmas party was Friday night.  It was really a dinner not like the parties of old.  It was ok and we went out to a spot aft ward which was cool.  Good drinks and music made for a nice time.  I don't want to get too nostalgic so I won't but I'm not sure if it was the fact the party wasn't what it once was or is it the fact the company is so different.  Either way it was disappointing.

I made stuffed shells on a whim.

Their my favorite and I never have them.  A couple of notes from the recipe.  Need more sauce like 36-40 ounces not the 24 they call for.  Use some type of tool to fill the shells would be very helpful.  I'm think like one of those frosting bag things.  It took about 1.5 hours which wasn't bad to prepare.  Also go on the long side for the baking time.

Sent from my iPad

December 8th

This week we went to a tree farm and got a tree.  It was the first time we've done that.  My thinking is the tree will last longer because it wasn't cut weeks ago like it could have been buying it from a vendor.  Learned a little something.  If you see a great tree near the entrance to the rows of trees and the ones behind have already been cut the tree isn't as great as you may have thought. The tree was a bit bent at the base but it was too tall anyway so i cut a good foot off the bottom which seemed to take out the bend.  Well that wasn't the case because as I put the tree in the stand it wouldn't level out.  It got it to stand up but the is a perceptible lean to the tree that just won't go away.  Other than that the tree is beautiful  (in its own off-balance way). Here's a shot of the tree farm; it's very picturesque:   

The Ravens lost to the Redskins. No surprise there.  the redskins have been hot and Ravens have been cold.  A dynamic offense against a suspect defense and the only way the Ravens could keep up was with a offensive performance that hasn't been there.  I will say nthe offense did a bit better than they had been with a 28 point performance, but they go silent for quarters at a time.  I mean its one thing to not score, but to not score and give up the time of possession battle is a shame.  It seemed to me we used to move the ball, keeping the defense off the field.  the issue then was not scoring TDs but settling for field goals.  Again that would be OK because we kept the ball. This week Ray Rice got the ball early and did well when he had it, but again Bernard Pierce was in for entire series (not that he didn't run well).  I can figure it out.  I concede the defense is down this year and with the loss of Webb and Lewis and Suggs out for this game we can't count on them to perform.  That's why the offense has to.  But next week is a new era because Cam Cameron is out as offense coordinator.  I didn't see that coming as I was resigned to the fact the offense would be lackluster.  I assumed my complaints fell on deaf ears.In a million years I thought the Raven's would stick stubbornly to "the system" like they always have (Brian Billick and Boller, hey that's funny: BBB).  Something needed to change was it Cam's offensive calls or John Harbaugh not dictating that something had to change? Here's the dilemma was Cam the problem, is it Joe's capability or is it the offensive personnel?  I guess we will see in these last 3 games.  We will still go 2 and 1 and end up 10-6 just like I predicted before week 1.  I just hope losing 2 more games doesn't break the will of the team.

December 3rd

OK Last week the Raven's snuck out of San Diego with a win.  The offense decided to play in the last quarter and overtime. Not a pretty win but the defense played well once again.  Now this week we played the Steelers at home.  Going into the game I thought we would win easily.  We didn't.  The offense once again played an inconsistent game.  As usual the 3rd down play calling was baffling. I said it last week it makes no sense to call a 40 yard play only needing 10 or 15.  Also its been going on since the beginning of the season, please tell me why Ray Rice is sitting out not just key downs but entire series? He is the best offensive player, why is he not out there every series during the majority of snaps?  I have so many questions with what the Ravens are doing.  I cannot stand when people say I shouldn't complain we're 9-3 or what their doing is working (because we're 9 and 3).  To me that seems to be what the coaching staff is saying, because I haven't seen any changes or to be clear I haven't seen any improvement in their play.  If you watch the games and what is happening on the field you cannot tell me there aren't problems that need to be addressed.  Just cause you won doesn't say you can't be improving.  Going into the last 4 games of the season i don't see us being better than 11-5 (2 and 2).  Since the beginning of the season I predicted we would be 10 and 6 and actually that is what I think we will be (1 and 3 down the stretch).  Why do i think we could go 1-3? Because they aren't making changes that need to be made that will improve their performance enough to beat the remaining teams.       

We went to the Borgata which is the first time I've been to Atlantic City in a few years. We also visited the new Revel which is really nice (have to stay there next). Wife at the Revel:


I won $8 after more than 3 hours at the tables.  Hey it's better than losing.  The Borgata is still as nice as it was when I went there when it was new.  We need to get back there sooner than later.  Their gym there was the real deal not a regular hotel gym joke. Here's a picture of the power rack and the dumbbell you can see is 100#:
  

This weekend I also made my chili for the first time since last winter.  I was good, not a spicy as usual but still had a good flavor.  I will post the recipe here soon.