Free Agency Starts Friday

I'm so excited for the NFL's free agency period to begin that I can barely stand it. Football is by far my favorite sport, and I think the Eagles are in a position to make a splash in free agency and in the upcoming draft.


So with that, here's what I think are the Eagles' greatest needs:


1.) Defensive End - The Eagles have 2 unproductive DE's in Jevon Kearse and Darren Howard. Now, I love "The Freak" and I hope he returns to his awesome, speedy, commanding a double team form. Having said that, he didn't produce last year, and the Eagles need to be aware of that and have somebody waiting who can produce right away. As for Darren Howard... 2 crappy seasons. Peace out bro.


2.) Wide Receiver - The Eagles think they have a good crop of WR's, and I tend to agree, but I think they need a receiver that commands fear and respect from an opposing defense. Who's afraid of Kevin Curtis or Reggie Brown? Let alone Jason Avant, Hank Baskett and Greg Lewis. (you probably don't even know them...that's my point)


3.) Corner Back - I personally believe that the Eagles are pretty good in this position provided that everybody comes back and stays healthy. Good corners are hard to find, and when the Eagles' corners are on their game, they're up there with the best in the league.


4.) Safety - I don't actually think this needs to be addressed in free agency, but it does need to be addressed as Brian Dawkins ages.

Given those needs... here's my top free agency choices:


1.) Antwan Odom - Trent Cole is on the other side in double digit sacks commanding a double team. That will leave Odom one-on-one with a right tackle. Last year he had 8 sacks, and I think he'll make double digits as well if he comes to Philly.


2.) Justin Smith - I don't like him quite as much as Odom, but I do think that Smith could be very productive here in Philly. He's huge and pretty fast and teams will have to respect that. Last year he only had 2 sacks, but the Bengals sucked all around. The 2 years before that he posted 8 and 9 sacks on the year.


3.) Bernard Berrian - This man is FAST! He's not the #1 receiver that I want, but he certainly is a down field threat and will command respect from corners and safeties. I wouldn't want the Eagles to spend big money on him because I don't think he's worth it, but I do like him as a bargain deal. Maybe he won't be worth all he thinks he is, lasts a while on the market and then the Eagles swoop in a give him an alright deal.

4.) Bryant Johnson - This guy really could be a steal. He was not productive at all last year and in fact hasn't been productive for most of his career, but he has been behind Anquan Boldin as well. He should come considerably cheaper than Berrian, and I think he has a shot at becoming something special in the right system. I also like that he's 6'3''.


5.) Randall Gay - He's a really solid corner who comes at a much cheaper price than Asante Samuel. I think he's a huge long shot as the Patriots will likely re-sign him, but I still think the Eagles have a shot.


I'm leaving Safeties off of the list because I don't think there is a good crop in the FA market right now. However, there is a lot of Line Backers in FA. I don't think the Eagles have any immediate need for a LB right now, but it's hard not to mention that Lance Briggs, Kawika Mitchell, and Landon Johnson are all free agents. I wouldn't mind having any one of them.

Most of you are probably bored with this. Those of you that follow football... tell me what you think of my picks. Did I miss someone? Do you agree or disagree?

Ohhhh...Mexico

After being accused of leaving people out of the "trust tree", I wanted to make sure everyone is informed of my whereabouts. :)

Bright and early on Tuesday morning (well...when you get to the airport at 5am, it's more like dark and early) I leave for Cancun. Now I know I've been complaining a lot about the weather recently, so I realize how lucky I am to get a week of fun in the sun. But, before you get too jealous, I must tell you this is a work trip. So along with the occasional cerveza and sporadic dip in the pool, there will be a whole lotta hard work. My company is sponsoring all of the events at a popular spring break hotel, and my job down there is to set up our branding, and make sure everything runs smoothly. It's a pretty big task, but I'm excited to go, and hope that I can successfully "make pretty" and have a good time.

So, because I can't take you with me (my luggage is over the weight limits as it is!) I'll leave you with a quote by the fabulous James Taylor. Grab yourself a beer, close your eyes and imagine the warm breezes...

Oh, Mexico...
It sounds so simple I just got to go,
The sun’s so hot I forgot to go home,
Guess I’ll have to go now.
Oh, Mexico...
It sounds so sweet with the sun sinking low,
Moon’s so bright like to light up the night,
Make everything all right

Untangle - update

You know you're in need of blog material when you're posting about beating an online flash game.

A little while back I posted about the game Untangle. (read the post). Since then I have chipped away at its 17 levels of difficulty. So here's 2 screen shots from the game. The first is the last level. If you check out the post I wrote and try playing the game, you'll see how easy the game starts and how hard it gets in the end. The final shot is what you get when you win. You can't get the feeling of triumph that I did from the screen shot, but you can re-create it if you'd like.

Sweatin' to the Hotties

Not to be outdone by Bowden's Beastly Feats of Strength (the big, bad man deserves some more linkage!), I've been working out too. But heavy lifting isn't really my speed (well, not since my stint on my high school powerlifting team. But that is another story for another time) So I started attending a Zumba class at the local YMCA. Wikipedia, (your source for mildly accurate workout news) describes it as:

“Inspired by Latin dance and music, Zumba uses a variety of styles in its routines, including cumbia, merengue, salsa, reggaeton, mambo, rumba, flamenco, and calypso. Music selections include both fast and slow rhythms to help tone and sculpt the body.”

I describe it as: "fun!" It's a really good workout, and I'm slowly getting better at shakin' my tailfeather (not to mention mastering the running man, and the Thriller zombie dance). There are classes everywhere, so I definitely recommend you check it out! There’s a fun article with more info here, (including a Dayton, OH shout out...you know I love that!)

But, my shimmy-ing came to a halt when my class last week was canceled, so I had to go to my back up option. Treadmill? Elliptical? Nope. The Grind.

That's right, I am the proud ownder of this little beauty (received as a gift from my secreat santa at work. How well she knows me!):

If you like "sizzling MTV soundtracks" from the mid 90's (Coolio anyone?) and hot shirtless men with bad accents (the one and only Eric Nies!), then this is your tape. If you like a good workout from qualified professionals...then, you should probably go elsewhere. I learned some great moves I can "use in the club" (their promise to me!) but I don't think 'old school flava' is a good long term fitness strategy.

Sorry Eric, let's still be friends! See you at the club? I'll bring my rump-shakin' Zumba moves!

Brrr...

So, what are you up to this weekend?

Dustin and I might go on a stroll around the neighborhood...

And then maybe grab a drink at a local spot...
And then I think we’ll just relax for a while.
Oh Pittsburgh, why you gotta be so frigid?

(and for the record: No, I don't think I will ever tire of complaining about the weather. Bring on Spring!)

Pachyderm Pretty Party

Just caught a peek at the new Hermès campaign, and it is amaaaaazing. I am a sucker for an elephant!

Images From Nirali Magazine, via Love Made Visible.

As Jade would say, "That elephant is preposterous!"

Which is an excellent segue to the event of the night.....the America's Next Top Model premiere! You know what I'll be doing tonight.

Check out a preview here and check often for recaps!

It'll be fierce...

Windowpane and the Snow

While Dustin is getting swole, I'm being frozen alive. And while I love waking up to sights like this on my windows...

...Scraping my car, and wearing two pairs of socks is beginning to take its toll on my psche (not to mention my body! shall I reference the Great Cold of 08 again? Absolutely.)

The future looks bleak....

Even the weather channel admits its a lost cause. Plan your escape indeed! The countdown to Cancun officially begins; T minus 8 days...

(and for those of you wondering...the post title is an obscure reference to this album. Didn't know I was into "acid house" music did ya? Stay out of the cold...go get your "darkwave" on: here.)

210 baby!

210.

Two Hundred Ten.

Dos ciento y dos.

210 is the number of pounds I benched on Friday night! I've never broken the 200 mark. In fact, never even gotten close!

When I played football (yes I played football in high school...they didn't have cuts) I worked out all the time, but I had a hard time putting on weight which is the curse of death when you're trying to lift more pounds.

So I've been working out with Sean. He was a personal trainer in college and he kicks my butt week in and week out. It would seem like it's finally paying off.

I'm not trying to brag... ok I am a little, but I'm pretty excited to have benched that much. I weigh about 150 lbs so being able put up 210 is 1.4 times my body weight.

Maybe someday I'll look like this:

But in reality my ultimate goal is this:

Love, Belatedly

Many of you probably celebrated Valentine's Day, oh, I don't know three days ago, but with the recent plague going around our house, I didn't get my act together. (I wish I could say this was the only thing I nedglected, but the piles of laundry, dishes and general junk belie me.) I actually had planned weeks ago, and made reservations at a delicious local restaurant, but when the day came, we realized that the two of us in our snotty conditions would probably make poor dinner companions. Plus, it's a shame to waste an expensive dinner on deadened taste buds.

So it was a low key holiday, and i'm embarassed to say I didn't even present my beloved with a card. But, the healthier (and let's be honest, all around more considerate) Bowden came through in a big way. I woke on v-day to find a handmade "Declaration of Romantic Intent" The details are private, but you can fill one out for your love interest here.




He also wrote me a beautiful card, and gave me a very thoughtful gift, a necklace stand: Mine is already full (but no need to stop buying me jewelry...I'll find space!)

But before he showered me with all of this, I already knew I was the lucky one in the relationship. A friend of mine recently highlighted one of my (relatively rare) moments of wisdom, when I said that in a good relationship, each person should wake up feeling like they got the better of the deal. If both people feel that way, then it works out.

Anyone who knows Dustin and me, realizes that I got the sweeter deal by far. God has blessed me with a loving, attentive, patient and honorable husband (who also happens to be my hilarious- and hansome-best friend!). I wake up everyday knowing that I am lucky to have him. And I am very grateful, that somehow Dustin beleives that I am his better half. Hopefully he won't catch on, and we can live a long blissful life together!

Happy Valentine's Day Dus!
"To me, you are perfect"

Untangle - to kill your time

Many of you know that I like to play me some online flash games. When I was teaching, I would often take a break during lunch or my period off to play a little Boxhead More Rooms. (While writing this post I found out that there's a newer version of the game called Boxhead 2Play. I'm going to check it out!)

Anyway... the game I want to introduce you to is called Untangle. It's not like Boxhead in that you don't kill any zombies, but rather it's a thinking game. There are 17 levels and I'm on level 16. I've found that overall it's not that hard of a game, but it is fun to play and there were a few times I had to start a level over.

So in my efforts to make the blog interesting, I put the game for you to play right here and now! Enjoy!

“I’m siiiiiiiiiiiiiick.”

Sometimes when I don’t feel good, the only thing I can do is lay around and moan those words over and over again. So yesterday I did. And today I did it some more. And the plan for tomorrow looks similar. I don’t think I have anything more serious than a cold, but I still feel like crap, and complaining seems to be one of the only things that helps.

But there is another cure….and that would be: presents (you saw that coming right? Oh, you know me so well). Might I suggest this?

I’ve had my eye on this book for months, and it seems every site I see reminds me that I may be the only person in the universe that doesn’t own this yet. (Not exaggerating! I have references! Lots of them!) 

And to make matters worse, I recently visited a friend’s apartment, and he had a limited edition copy. I squealed, and ran check it out but was stopped in my tracks by his horrified gasp. His things are not for touching…they are display only. So close, yet so far away.

So, if my little pity party tugged on your heart strings, and you find yourself with a extra hundo or so lying around, feel free to stop here and brighten my day.

Hey, a (sick) girl can dream!

 

Milo Vent..i..mighgrta...lia

Writer's Block No More!!

I have the story of the day!

I'm at work and I had just gotten back from a class to teach me a program that I will use pretty much everyday for the new job. It was long and confusing... and part 2 is on Tuesday. Yea! So, I was kind of down and frustrated and tired.

My department is on the 5th floor which is the floor that ALL of the big executives of the company are located, including the CEO, CMO, CFO and some other TLA executives.

So after my meeting I walked to my cube and put my stuff down and then turned around to go get lunch. As I'm walking towards the steps two gentleman are walking towards me. They are both in nice, long winter coats and pulling suitcases with them. They were walking side by side down the hallway. The guy furthest from me I didn't recognize. The second guy, I recognized right away. It was Milo Ventimiglia!.........Milo Ventimiglia!!

What?

You don't know who he is?

Are you serious?

Well I'll educate you then. Here's his picture:

He plays the main character in the hit NBC show Heroes. The show is in it's 4th season and I haven't missed an episode yet! It proves that I am pretty big comic book loving nerd, but I'm ok with it. Milo is also dating Hayden Panettiere and been in movies like Dirty Deeds, Stay Alive and Rocky Balboa.

That's not the point of this story. You could have IMDB'd Milo and learned all of this. The story comes in my reaction.

I was completely star struck! I was close enough to touch him. I almost ran into him! After we passed each other, I did a double take and a woman I work with asked me what was wrong. I explained who it was and she was like "Oh yeah, he's been here before."

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND LADY... that's Peter Pitrelli! His power is that when he meets someone else with powers, he then has their powers too. He just keeps adding more and more powers. He's like a power sponge!"

I didn't say that of course. It's ony the second week of my job and I don't want to lose it just yet.

So from that point on, all I could think about was how I was going to somehow run into Milo again and have him sign something of mine... like my boob...or something.

So, later on I had to go to the bathroom for a little number 2. As I'm in the stall, I was thinking to myself, "Maybe Milo has to go to the bathroom, and then I'll meet him, and we'll become best friends." (I'm looking for replacements and Brian and Todd refuse to comment on my blog) Just then, soemone comes in and sits down in the stall next to me. I think, "maybe that's him." and I actually think about saying "Milo... is that you?"

Just then, this guy rips at least a 3 second fart. He probably hurt himself. It was the kind of fart that everybody has at some point in their life. It was that "I ate something bad" or "I have a disease" kind of fart. It was so awesome I almost said, "Daaamn dude."

So then I knew it couldn't be Milo, and I didn't get to see him the rest of the day. I also realized that I'm a huge tool and decided to get back to work. It was a good Friday!

Chill

I've been racking my brain trying to figure out what I'm going to post... but to no avail. I finally came up with a great idea while I was at work. It came to me while I was away from my desk and I thought to myself, "YES! That'll be great!" Then I went back to my desk, didn't write anything down and forgot all about it. Figures.

It's not that I'm pushing myself to be funny or entertaining, but I want to write about something more than just how my week has been. The reason for the lack of fodder for the blog is because Court has been working really late this week. So my muse has been gone and I guess I have writer's block.

So, to make up for my lack of material, I chose to make a little project for myself that showcases my nerdy love for technology.

I downloaded (legally) the new Jack Johnson album, and I must say that I love it! It's very chill and calming in typical JJ style. I wanted to share it with you so here's what I did.

1.) I burnt a disc of the JJ album because iTunes doesn't play well with windows.
2.) downloaded a screen video capturing software to capture the visualization from windows media player.
3.) made a video in Windows movie maker with the song and newly captured video

I'm probably breaking all kinds of copyright laws, but I think it's ok to put this on the blog because I don't think you can download it anyway.

So without further adieu... here's the video. Try to shut your eyes and just relax as you listen to the song. Let me know if you like it and maybe I'll put on more songs. Maybe you'd like music at work and bowdenisms could be your source for cool, chill music!

Angel by Jack Johnson

Catch that Wheeling Feeling

As many of you know, Dustin and I have been helping out with Young Life in our area, and this weekend was the annual Leader’s Retreat (Capital Letters! Because we're Official-like). So Friday about 30 of us headed off into the wild, icy yonder of West Virginia. We stayed at this place, (pronounced "ogle-bee"...don't ask me why!) which “offers 1700 acres of year-round recreational opportunities and excellent overnight accommodations but has retained its picturesque natural beauty.” We were a bit unsure what the weekend would entail, but we were at least familiar with the location.

Dustin and I previously had the pleasure of visiting Oglebay this past summer (we sneaked into Meredith’s Sudol Family Reunion!) and we had a blast. It reminds me of family vacations as a kid. In a way, it’s a bit like Gatlinburg, in that it would kind of suck if it wasn’t so totally awesome! The grounds are beautiful, and the pool is amazing. I sat by the side and pretended I was at my boarding school summer camp. Very Cruel Intentions...well it would be if not for all the little mountain kids running around everywhere.

Ivy league fantasies aside, I’m pretty sure the “Good Zoo” was my favorite part. If I remember correctly, it had some otters, a parrot and a racoon. It’s like they set up a fence, and anything that wandered in became an official “attraction”. Other recommendation: the planetarium. After a long day of deer and muskrat sightings, I like to unwind with a nice movie of the stars. Out of the 4 people in our party, exactly zero stayed awake for the whole film.

But, back to this trip....

There was no wildlife excursion, and no similated starry night naptime, but it was an amazing weekend all the same. It was packed with teachings, activities, some authentic river region eatin' and lots of laughs.

Chris Buda was the speaker, and he was absolutely amazing. Dustin and I had each heard him speak at YL camp years ago, so it was fun to get to hear him again. He is actually the director of our region, but I still consider him a bit of a celebrity (It was an a struggle not to ask for his autograph when chatting with him, but I resisted).

I learned a lot about what God is doing in our region, and really felt Him calling me to be part of His plans. I got to know the girls from Trinity (the school I help with) better too, which was fun. And there was square dancing, because for me, no event is a success unless there is dancing...and a theme...and costumes. Oh Young Life knows me so well.

But probably the best part was each night, when our group gathered shared our goals, our struggles, and how we are growing in our walks with Christ. It was pretty cool to hear the unique stories of so many people, and taking a step to share my heart with them as well. I know God has great blessings for Dustin and me, and I'm excited to see how He uses us to bless others.

It was a great time, and I sincerely hope this time next year, we are preparing do it all again. But next time? We'll just say no to the ham barbeque.