Dobrindts dot com...again

Patti told me that over the last couple of months, several young people stopped by the house to talk to her about John Kerry and the Democratic Party. They were walking house to house in our town, a nice community south of Boston, trying to get people to vote for Kerry and Edwards. And while walking around Cambridge near my office, I see campaigners and Kerry supporters, still wearing DNC 04 shirts, trying to stop people to talk to them about Kerry and Edwards and get them to sign papers or give money or something. Because, let?s face it, if people do not read the papers, watch the news, watch the debates, or talk to others at the water cooler, I am sure they will pay attention to some tongue-ring, blue-hair colored college kid to get up to speed.

Now, I am not saying this does not happen with Republicans who support Bush. But where are they? Where are all the zealots who are trying to get people to vote Republican? Oh I know. They are at work.

And another thing. Why go through this effort when the greater Boston area is like 104% registered Democrats and Kerry is FROM THIS STATE.

A message to Kerry campaign volunteers. First, stay away from my house. Pretend it has the plague and you will get very, very sick if you preach to me about how evil Bush and Chaney are. To be fair, I feel that way about charity and religion. Great if you like something, don?t push your agenda on me. I do my own thing. Second, I am glad you have a trust fund and there is no need for this silly work thing, but if I ever interview you for a job, bring up the campaign stuff. I have a lot of sympathy for people who have had everything handed to them.

Posted by David at 01:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This message is to all Yankee fans. Please read on. For you Red Sox fans out there, go celebrate your World Series. <i>You bastards</i>. You deserve it. Actually, you do not deserve it. You deserve it as much as any NBA rookie deserves a 300K dollar car, but go celebrate anyway. It?s been a long time coming. <i>I hate you so much</i>.

As for my fellow Yankee fans, I have a few things to say.

1) This moment is like giving back the colonies to England. Things WILL be different for us. And things will be VERY different for those of us who live and work in Boston and have been mouthing off the last 10 years. I feel like the kid who teases the dog on a chain and the chain just broke. The dog is standing right in front of me smiling and thinking about the best way to kill me. Sweet madre de Dios, the Sox have won he World Series.

2) This was going to happen sooner or later. Wished it was later. As I?ve said before, as long as there is no salary cap, get used to the Yanks and Sox in the ALCS. It?s not going away.

3) I would have been torn apart if this were 98, 99 or 2000. Those were a great group of guys who deserved to win. But the Yanks of this year are easy to dislike. For all of those misleading wins this year, the big guys could not get it done when it counted. 4 times when it counted. All they needed was ONE (expletive deleted) WIN IN 4 GAMES. You want to know what, Yankee fans, they deserved to lose. Gary, a-hole. Brown, a-hole. Lofton, a-hole. ARod?? Wh..!?!? Ho??!?!. Do not get me started on that piece of work. Sure, he was a good player this year, but we needed one. Freakin. Run. In. Extra. Innings. And that bitch slap thing with Bronson Arroyo was a joke. Lower your shoulder and knock that 150 pounds pitcher to the ground. That way when they call you out, Jeter is on third. And Gordon! Good job with your part of game 5. Let me get this straight. You enter. And leave 3 train wreck batters later with a run scored, guys on first and third and no outs. Good job. But Tom, we don?t blame you. We blame the Yankee starters for not completing one game this year and making Torre over use you. You were tired in the playoffs. Poor baby. Now take your millions and rest that arm. You?ll need it pitching on ANOTHER TEAM NEXT YEAR.

So like I was saying. I do not feel bad for this group of guys going down in history as being a bunch of jerks who blew it. The folded like France in 1940.

4) I might not like the players on the Red Sox. Or the way management runs the organization. Or the owners. Or most of the Sox fans and their drunken rantings. Or the stupid gimmicks they come up with to make themselves likeable to Red Sox Nation. And the yahoos who cover them on local TV and paper. Or their stupid hair cuts (or should I say lack of). But this team?s only chance at history was to win the World Series. Most of the Yankees are super stars that have already made their place in history. They will be hall of famers, or have won before, or are just great players. But the Sox are mostly a bunch of misfits that if they do not win the World Series, they will never be remembered. So the Sox have motivation to win. The Yanks have guaranteed millions that they will get no matter what. Its different objectives for winning. Different approaches. Different outcomes. And I really think Schilling is a jerk but pitching with a scalpel sticking out of his ankle and blood pooling next to the rubber was about as gutsy as anything I have ever seen. No way Brown or any of the Yankee pitchers would have done that this year. It all goes back to this year?s team.

5) I am not going to shout ?19 more and we?re tied? or any of that nonsense. The Sox won, the Yanks lost, and that is that. They had more heart, more desire, more clutch plays, and things went their way. Tony Clark?s double, Mo blowing it with 3 outs left, Bellhorn hitting a homer, etc. These things happen in the playoffs and they happened to the Sox this year. Good for them.

6) Even though this feels bad, the pressure is now on the Sox. They are the bad guys. They are the ones who buy pitchers and expensive outfielders to win championships. They are part of the ?haves?, not part of the ?have-nots?. The good feeling that others have for the Sox will last only so long. The Yanks are now viewed as the underdog and the losers. People like to root for losers. Not sure if people will really feel bad for the Yanks, but things will change for the Sox. Bet on it.

7) I am not sure what I am going to do with this site. It was fun when I had the upper hand, but not so much fun now. I will probably keep it the same and get rid of the ?show them how it feels to win? nonsense. I am a proud person and do not want to become like all Red Sox fans and chant ?Red Sox Suck? when I know it?s not true. Sox fans have about a 5th grade education level (and I am not talking about 5th graders) and they say things like ?Yankees Suck? and really believe it. But saying that the Red Sox suck when they just won the World Series is like eating hot dogs for breakfast ? I can do it but it just doesn?t feel right.

So that is it Yankee fans. Our lives are different. Let?s hope the Sox fans do not get carried away and hurt more people with rioting, and let?s hope the Sox do not make the playoffs next year. Fortunately the first will probably be true and unfortunately the second will probably not.

Like it or not, this begins a new chapter in the Yankee-Red Sox battle

Posted by David at 08:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Congrats to the Red Sox on winning the World Series.

Posted by David at 08:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Question for anyone who has a blog style website.

For the long month or so, I have been getting mass postings to existing entries for spam type products, like online gambling, viagra, keno, online pharmacy, etc. I have the ability to delete each posted comment but sometimes I get a dozen or more of these things. Any ideas on how to stop this. My blog software doesn't have any type of spam filter (that I know if) and I don't want to restrict posting from legite readers.

Thanks

Posted by David at 08:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A couple of entries ago I gave an update on when the show as going to air. When I went to the show's website to find the local times for the show (the show's website has a function to enter your zip code and it will tell you when the show will air) to confirm what they told me, the Oct 28th time did not appear. I talked to the show's PR person and she said that the local PBS channel is having a fund raiser that day so around Boston the show will air for the first time on Sat, Oct 30. Please check your local listing. The show number is 304 I think.

Also, if you have Tivo and a DVD burner, please record the show and make me a copy.

And remember, the camera adds 10 pounds. In my case, it will probably add 20.

Another update on Monday, Oct 25 at 10PM...

...got another call from the show today. Here is the schedule.
Thursday, Oct 28, 8:30PM channel 44 (in boston area, which is pbs)
Sat, Oct 30, 5:30PM channel 2 (in boston area, which is pbs)

Posted by David at 08:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

<a href="http://www.moveyourasana.com/David/pictures/ATOH/index.htm" target=_blank>Click here</a> for pictures of the Ask This Old House work or cut and paste the following URL into your browser.

http://www.moveyourasana.com/David/pictures/ATOH/index.htm

PS. I just realized that the pictures were set up when I viewed them on my computer, where I have my screen resolution settings pretty small. For most viewers, the images will be too big for your screen and you will have to use the scroll bar. Sorry about that. I'll do it better next time.

Posted by David at 03:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Well, that?s it Yankee fans. It?s over. It?s done. Let your heads drop for a while. Lower your eyes. Stick your hands in your pockets and let out a breath of air. The Yankees have lost to the Red Sox.

Lyrics from an Elton John song come to mind.

?I'm sorry I took your time
I am the poem that doesn't rhyme
Just turn back a page, I'll waste away. ?

The song is titled ?Goodbye?. And that is what I am saying. My hat is off to the Sox organization. I might not like their style, the moron crap, long hair, goofiness, throwing each other under the bus, complaining about the manager in public, faking illness to help out a friend, the list goes on and on. But they do know how to win. This year.

Look, any Yankee fan cannot complain. The mid to late 80s and early 90s were not good, but the last 10 years were fun. Actually, the last 100 years were fun. But as long as we have no salary cap, everyone in MLB should get used to the Sox and Yankees competing in October. 99, ?03 and now ?04 featured the Yanks and Sox in the ALCS. It was a matter of odds that the Sox would beat the Yankees. I just wished it happened next year. Or the year after.

After the Sox went up 6 -0, my friend Adam sent me an instant message. He is trying to make me feel better about losing. He is consoling me. Consoling me with stuff like ?hell, they're in game 7 of the ALCS, were a swing of the bat away from taking it last night...it's not like they're sucking ass. I mean, yeah, they blew the lead but..? Sweet mother of God, I am on the other side of the fence.

Sooooooo, this is what it feels like to be a Sox fan. This is what it?s like to end up leaving the dance alone. This is what it feels like walking away one number short of the winning lottery ticket. I am a?no?a?loser. Well, my baseball team is at least. But you get the idea.

The famous W.H. Auden poem ?Funeral Blues? comes to mind as well. It might be a little melodramatic, but you get the drink.

Anyway, I am done writing for a while. The Sox winning took a little bit of wind out of my sails. It?s just not as much fun writing about the Sox when they beat the Yankees. Kind of like calling a better looking guy ?ugly?. It is a shallow insult.

Goodbye and be well. I?ll stay in touch.

- David, a humbled Yankee fan.

Posted by David at 10:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This is my final comment before the game tonight.

I refrained from saying anything about this series because most of it was obnoxious anti Red Sox stuff that the Sox so very much deserve. But in true baseball fashion of superstition I decided to not put pen to paper and wait until the Yanks won the ALCS. But as I see this ship slowly sink lower in the water I am wondering if that time will ever come. Because I can?t write about an event that has yet to take place I am not going to rip on the Sox. I am going to rip on the Yanks. Or at least one player.

I love the Yanks. I really do. Great players. Great management. Owner who doesn?t have alligator arms. Great history. But some things must be said.

First, have you ever read The Girl Who Loves Tom Gordon by Steven King? If the Yanks lose this thing then get ready to read the Angry Fan Who Hates Tom Gordon. Watching him walk out to the mound is like watching a prison riot ? no good can come from it. Hell, I would rather see Torre pitching them Gordon these days. He sucks. He gets out there to give Mo some rest and the only thing that happens is Mo has to come in a closer game with runners on base. Look, I know he pitched a lot this year and is tired, but give me a break. The Red Sox are hitting like..well?the Red Sox, and Gordon STILL can?t get them out. Ugh.

The Sunday morning after the Yankee shellacking of the Sox my friends and neighbors all walked around like they just saw their grandmothers naked. Mumbling under their breath they kept saying ?Did that really happen?? The Yanks should have put the nail in the coffin. But nope. Here we are on Wednesday hoping the Yanks can find some way to win.

Momentum is on the Sox side and if the Yanks lose tonight, there?s gonna be a lot of ah-splaining to do. Please, for the love of those ofus living in Boston but Yankee fans, let the Yanks win tonight.

Posted by David at 03:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I put some more pictures of Ethan and Emily up. <a href="http://www.moveyourasana.com/David/Ethan/Gallery-2/index.htm" target=_blank>Click here </a>or cut and paste the following URL into your browser.

http://www.moveyourasana.com/David/Ethan/Gallery-2/index.htm

Posted by David at 08:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Quick update. As some of you know, the program Ask This Old House did a segment on a project on our house. Tom Silva and I (Tom, really. I held the shop vac) cut a pass-through between our kitchen and dining room. The show was taped in May and it will finally air in a couple of weeks.

The information on when it will air was given to my by a press person from the show. From an email I got from the show. Keep in mind that based on your local programming, the times may differ.

<i>Your episode of Ask This Old House airs on WGBH 44 Thursday, October 28, 2004 at 8pm as part of The New This Old House Hour--the This Old House Carlisle project followed by Ask This Old House. It will air again on WGBH 2 Saturday, October 30, 2004 at 5pm. Please note that Ask This Old House airs in the second part of the This Old House hour so the exact times will be 8:30 and 5:30.

I have also embedded the episode description below.

Program #304 ? Thursday, October 28, 2004 at 8 pm ET (check local listings)
In the first half of The New This Old House Hour, general contractor Tom Silva brings in an excavator fitted with a hoeram to jackhammer away the ledge standing in the way of our new basement. Using a 3D model, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey explains the anatomy of a septic system, and what we'll have to do to bring our system up to code. Under the jacked up barn, master carpenter Norm Abram shows the state of the existing rubble stone foundation. For inspiration, Kevin travels to Vermont to meet Ken Epworth of "The Barn People" - a group that rescues, restores, and relocates old timber frame barns. Ken shows Kevin how the old barns come down in the field, and how they go back up as restored barns and as dramatic living spaces. In the second half of the Hour, Tom visits homeowners David and Patti Dobrindt in Milton, Massachusetts to help them cut a pass-through in their kitchen wall. Then Tom, Richard, landscape contractor Roger Cook, and Kevin ask, "What is it?" In West Roxbury, Massachusetts Rich solves the mystery of the continuously-running toilet for homeowner Peter Fay.</i>

In addition, when they were creating their press release for the upcoming season, they called me to ask for a quote. Out of all the shows, they actually used a quote from me. You can read the <a href="http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/pressroom/tv/factsheets/article/0,17172,697311,00.html" target=_blank>press release here </a> or copy and paste the following into your browser.

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/pressroom/tv/factsheets/article/0,17172,697311,00.html

Once the air shows, please direct any questions you might have to my agent. I don?t deal directly with fans.

Posted by David at 10:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Like every Thursday night, I find myself sitting in front of the TV watching Survivor. Couple of thoughts about tonight?s episode.

- When they showed the earthquake and the volcano, for one brief moment I thought my prayers would be answered and the survivors, and I use that term sarcastically, would be swallowed up by the earth and it would be the greatest TV moment ever. But that didn?t happen.

- Hey Redneck lady, of course you are more comfortable with 4 guys, YOU ARE A GUY. And let?s watch how we use the term ?lady?.

- Lisa looks like a skull painted brown.

- I know what it feels like to have a beer after doing yard work all day. I CAN NOT image how it feels like to have a beer after enduring the Survivor crap for two weeks.

- Is it me or does it seem like the challenges this year are more complicated than Boston driving directions.

- Why, why, why couldn?t the diving challenge result in bubbles coming to the surface followed by a dead body? Why? Is that really too much to ask for?

- Probst?s play by play is KILLING me. Just stop it.

Posted by David at 09:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The only thing I wanted to replay from the debate last night was this comment by Kerry.

Kerry: ?Let me come back in one moment to that, but I want to speak for a second, if I can, to what the president said about fiscal responsibility.

Being lectured by the president on fiscal responsibility is a little bit like Tony Soprano talking to me about law and order in this country.?

Dead silence from the audience.

Crickets: chirp-chirp.

Kerry: ?I said Tony Soprano.?

Dead silence and blank stares from the audience. .

Kerry: ?Soprano?law and order?haha.?

Kerry: ?Anywho, this president has taken a $5. 6 trillion surplus and turned it into deficits??

Posted by David at 01:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

On websites that make users choose a country, and provide a drop down list of countries, I think they should always put the US first, even though alphabetically it should be near the bottom. I know it sounds elitist but chances are site visitors will not be from Albania or Andorra.

Just my opinion.

Posted by David at 01:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I am almost giddy with excitement. I am not joking. I can?t wait for these games. There is so much to talk about I feel like I did when I was 6 and found my Easter basket. Do I eat the ears off the extra large bunny first or start with the marshmallow eggs.

So let me begin with my prediction. Yanks in 6. Sox in 5. Sox in 7. Yanks in 4. Sox in 2. Yanks in 9. These are all things I have said over the past 3 days. I am terrible at predicting winners. The only time I was 100% sure about something and 100% right was the magical Yankee team of 1998. I knew, KNEW, they would win the World Series and win it with ease. So while I think the Yanks should win, and my head tells me the Sox are the better team, I have no idea who will win.

I hate the Red Sox. Everyone knows that. I think Pedro is a cry baby who talks like some spoiled rich kid brat who knows his daddy, not referring to the Yankees, will buy him whatever he wants. This site has chronicled his crap for the past couple of years. Curt is pretty cool because he is a gamer but by not going to the Yankees when he had the chance he is now my enemy. Damon looks like an idiot and catches like a girl, Terry is a goober, Manny looks like he just walked into his high school prom and no one was there, Veritek needs to learn how to fight fair because if I see that image of Veritek attacking the innocent ARod one more time I am going to punch my fence, which has the same personality as Veritek, Millar is a redneck cowboy from Southern California who goes to far with the cowboy image thing when his accent sounds made up, Ortiz amazes me how he stands, let alone runs the bases, with that tremendous amount of fat on his frame. Jesus, that guy looks like a fat camp ?before? picture.

The Yanks, on the other hand, are like the IBM to some pony tail jean wearing dot com joke from 1998. The Yanks are proud and professional. The Sox do not care what other people think of them. The Yanks do that fist bump thing when they win important games. The Sox run around the field half naked with beer hats on yelling, followed by man hugs that make me uncomfortable watching from the safety of my house. The Yanks never complain about playing time and are grateful for being on a winning team. The Sox complain to the press about playing time before a game, fake illness to help out complaining buddies and walk all over Goober and show no respect at all. The one thing I do like about the Sox is that they always always do something stupid to make for a good read. The Yanks have to work hard to create controversy.

Tonight will mean nothing because if Schilling wins, he was suppose to. If the Yanks win, they still have to overcome suspect pitching. The best case scenario will be for the Yanks to win four games straight by a combined score of 46 -1 and win at Fenway to give the Fenway Faithful something to think about for another year and do a dance on the Green Monster. The sad thing is there is no worst case scenario. If the Sox win, they will be in the World Series, which fits with the average (1946 against the Cardinals, 1967 against the Cardinals, 1975 against the Reds, 1986 against the Mets) of once about every 15 or so years. If they happen to overcome their own ineptitude and win, then good for them. It will make the fighting between the fans not as much fun, but it will take about 20 more WS wins to be a fair fight.

Posted by David at 05:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Congratulations to all Red Sox fans. You have reached the ALCS, just like you did last year and in 1999, a chance at the Pennant.

Congratulations to all Yankee fans. You have reached the ALCS, just like did last year and in 2001 and in 2000 and 1999, 1998 and in 1996, a chance at the Pennant.

As someone who passively roots for the Yanks, I really wanted the Sox to win the ALDS, which is not really the division championship series because the Yanks won the AL East and the Angels had won the AL West but since both leagues went to 3 divisions in 1994 they need to have something to give extra teams a chance, especially when more NBA and NHL teams make the playoffs than DON?T make the playoffs and MLB used to only have 1, ONE, team from each conference play in the World Series. That is why the great teams won so many in a row in the past. You see the Yankee teams of old winning year after year because back then the team with the best record in each league won the pennant and went to the World Series. No playoffs. Since the Yanks started winning in 1996 they went from having to win 4 games to win the ring to having to win 11. Two rounds of playoffs. 19 games. Ugh.

Anyway, I digress. So the Sox beat the Angels which is good because Boston has the most passionate fans out of any town except maybe Chicago or NY and I would almost say Red Sox fans are more into it than NY because this is all they have in Boston. And Anaheim doesn?t deserve it because no one cares about baseball there. But more importantly I am glad the Yanks get to play the Sox because the two best teams in the American league are competing for a spot in the Series.

On Tuesday, right before the game, Joe Torre is going to walk out to a spot between second and third, squat down, grab a fistful of dirt, look around and whisper ?Unleash Hell?.

Let the games begin. Sox fans, appreciate the ALCS because it will be your last for a while.

Posted by David at 04:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Today is a great day. You have, in this sequence, the Red Sox playoff game, the Yankee playoff game, and the mother of all entertaining events ? the vice presidential debate.

The Red Sox game is something I?ll talk about in a sports column. Same with the Yankee game. They both should be good and if the Sox win the World Series I will have to move out of Boston. But the VP debate is something I need to talk about, and for good reason.

Normally the vice presidential debate has about as much buildup as the start of the WNBA season. I mean come on, last time we had Dick Cheney and Lieberman with Bernard Shaw moderating. Remember Al Gore and Jack Kemp? Yeah, me either. What about Gore, Dan Quayle and James Stockdale. I remember that one only because of Stockdale. And the only reason I remember the Quayle Lloyd Bentsen one was because they keep showing the ?You are not Jack Kennedy? thing ALL THE TIME.

Anyway, this year is different. This year we have something to watch. Not so much because I think the election is tight (I will not say who I think has it wrapped up) but because there could not be more opposing styles than Cheney and Edwards. Cheney is like the high school dean or vice principal who is dry as the desert. I think of Edwards as the high school senior who is a good athlete, good with the girls, has a swagger and self confidence. And the high school student walks into the dean?s office after getting caught mouthing off in class and he gets a lashing by the dean so bad he walks out with his shoulders slumped and tears in his eyes. Yeah, I know this is not the same because Edwards is a great trial lawyer and gets paid 20K an hour forcing HMOs to up my fee 100% each year and Cheney is involved with the Haliburton conspiracy and is a very good executive but not real personable. They each have something to offer. The great thing is that Edwards appeals to the younger voters and the ladies and Cheney appeals to the rich and corporate guys, and they could not be more different.

I thought Edwards did a great job at the DNC and I thought Cheney was boring at the RNC. I am looking forward to the debate tonight to listen to Cheney?s dry voice and sourpuss face explain to the young and inexperienced Edwards what the real world is all about. And I look forward to Edwards smoothly discussing the issues and making me want to listen to what he has to say.

I like Cheney a little bit more because I think he is a very very smart guy and I believe running a large international company makes him more qualified to run the country. I think Edwards, while smart and charismatic, is a little too slick and being a rich lawyer might not make him the best political leader. But I guess we?ll see what happens in November. Either way, tonight should be interesting.

Posted by David at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)