Tretakoff Musings
Tuesday, January 27, 2004
Just a quick update:
- Amy & I spent the weekend in Mendocino. Stayed at the John Dougherty House:
- Amy & I spent the weekend in Mendocino. Stayed at the John Dougherty House:
Yep, that's the room we stayed in. Relaxing weekend: we needed it.
- Looks like all goes well for Retail Presents: looks like funding is just about set, and we are pushing hard to deliver the prototype. That's where I've been all of this time...8 people, and a lot of work!
- bGon Enterprises has added Frontgate and Smith & Hawken to the mix! Check out our eBay auctions!
Going to sleep...
It had to happen: they gave my guru, The Sports Guy, his own Super Bowl Blog. Folks, even if you don't like sports, check out the man's writing. No one...NO ONE...captures the essence of what it was like to be raised in New England in the 1970's and 1980's. The cultural touchstones are eerie. I may look like Kevin Smith's long lost brother, but Bill Simmons and I are very close to being the same person...just he has more talent.
If ever a movie personified what era I wanted to live in, it looks to be this summer's Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. Angelina Jolie, Jude Law, and Gwynth Paltrow. Art Deco heaven. Basically, it looks to be Crimson Skies, brought to the Silver Screen. Movies like The Shadow, or The Phantom, hinted at this; Dare I hope? See for yourself!
Saturday, January 17, 2004
A little tidbit from my guru, The Sports Guy:: "I think I need to mention something about coffee here -- in honor of Mr. King -- so let's go with this one: Did you know that the closest Dunkin Donuts to Los Angeles is in Sacramento? Or as our Governor says, Sockdrahmentoe? I wish I were kidding. When I went home for the holidays, I practically started crying upon my return to D & D -- the familiar stench of coffee, unemployed locals taking up tables, angry foreigners behind the counter, insanely-hot coffee scalding my gums. It was just like old times.
Life is a little less complicated when a coffee cake muffin is involved.
(That reminds me: When you order a large coffee at Starbucks here in sunny California, and the smarmy wanna-be actor behind the counter corrects you and says 'You mean venti?' -- well, is it legal to lean over the counter and punch him in the face? Can I get a ruling on this? Sooner rather than later?)"
Thanks to Mom, I have some D&D that I'm sipping now, but it's never the same...
Life is a little less complicated when a coffee cake muffin is involved.
(That reminds me: When you order a large coffee at Starbucks here in sunny California, and the smarmy wanna-be actor behind the counter corrects you and says 'You mean venti?' -- well, is it legal to lean over the counter and punch him in the face? Can I get a ruling on this? Sooner rather than later?)"
Thanks to Mom, I have some D&D that I'm sipping now, but it's never the same...
Sunday, January 04, 2004
Cell phone news: I recently switched my cell service from Cingular to AT&T. First, the good news: I was one of the few who, when taking advantage of the new rules that let you keep your number, it worked for…too well. You see, I ordered it from AT&T's website, 2 days before my Cingular contract was set to expire. Knowing it would take a couple of days to get the phone, I knew the timing would work.
Except it didn’t.
AT&T transferred my number to the new phone in 30 minutes. Trouble was, the phone it transferred it to was in Ft. Worth, TX., awaiting shipment to me. Worse, it canceled by Cingular service immediately. That means those wonderful $300 early termination fees: early being 2 days. Luckily, between waiting on hold for both AT&T & Cingular, we got it straightened out, and 2 days later, all was fine.
The new service is actually great: much better coverage than Cingular, and no dropped calls. The mMode is actually quite usable, and MMS'ing with other AT&T folks is great. The T616 Sony Ericsson Phone is amazing: small as my T68i was, with 3x the screen, and a much better OS. I cannot recommend it enough. Bluetooth works spectacularly with it.
My bill will be ½ what it was, with ATTWS.com's promos. The mobile to mobile package makes my bill quite acceptable. And it all works perfectly with the Palm, as well! And I have to say, the built in camera is a blast,
Finally, as a fringe benefit, it means that cell@tretakoff.com is working again, so mobile emails are now back in session. :-)
Except it didn’t.
AT&T transferred my number to the new phone in 30 minutes. Trouble was, the phone it transferred it to was in Ft. Worth, TX., awaiting shipment to me. Worse, it canceled by Cingular service immediately. That means those wonderful $300 early termination fees: early being 2 days. Luckily, between waiting on hold for both AT&T & Cingular, we got it straightened out, and 2 days later, all was fine.
The new service is actually great: much better coverage than Cingular, and no dropped calls. The mMode is actually quite usable, and MMS'ing with other AT&T folks is great. The T616 Sony Ericsson Phone is amazing: small as my T68i was, with 3x the screen, and a much better OS. I cannot recommend it enough. Bluetooth works spectacularly with it.
My bill will be ½ what it was, with ATTWS.com's promos. The mobile to mobile package makes my bill quite acceptable. And it all works perfectly with the Palm, as well! And I have to say, the built in camera is a blast,
Finally, as a fringe benefit, it means that cell@tretakoff.com is working again, so mobile emails are now back in session. :-)
If you are not a football fan, pass on reading this entry.
It's January, which means that, like 3 years past, it's time for me to mourn the passing of my beloved Cowboys. Funny thing happened this year; my condolences are a week later than they used to be! My 'Boys made it to the Playoffs!
My beloved Cowboys are the 2nd casualty of the NFL Playoffs. Truth to tell, I never have liked Bill Parcells. I hated him when he was with the Giants; I especially hated him that he won the only SuperBowl I have been to, Superbowl XXV (Whitney Houston sings the anthem, Buffalo vs. The Giants, Tampa, the first Gulf War...remember?). I was still living in Boston then, and he came to coach the Patriots, and I still did not like him, despite the results. He went to the Jets, and I said good riddance.
Then he came to the Cowboys.
Now, after 3 straight 5-11 seasons of the world's greatest team, you would think I'd be happy, right? After all, a Hall Of Fame coach, with an owner who finally puts his ego aside (Al Davis, pay attention!), and a proven track record of turning teams around, takes over my beloved 'Boys. I'm happy, right?
Wrong.
I don't know what it is: Tuna bothers me. He's a great coach, no question, and the results are beyond fantastic. But this guy is a mercenary in the worst way: he will make these professional players feel like they are back in high school, failing, and will crush their ego, and build them up again around the cult of Parcells, inspiring them to overcome pain and reality to claw their way to the promised land...and he will leave them there. Whether it's a Superbowl win, or a Conference Championship, he will leave, having completed his work. And one year later, the team returns to its previous mediocrity.
Think about it: after Parcells leaves the Giants, in 10 years they get back to the Superbowl once, and lose. The Patriots lose the Superbowl, lose Parcells, and get back to it under a completely new coach years later, one who will probably lead them back again this year. The Jets? They haven’t had a whiff of championships since Parcells left.
I want a coach who will make a dynasty or die trying. I want a Jimmy Johnson, a Don Shula, a Dick Vermeil; heck, I'll settle for a Bill Cowher! But I want a coach who can make a team win, consistently, every year, for decades. I know, it’s not logical, given that I am a huge fan of the greatest NFL mercenary ever, Deion Sanders (who played his best football with the Cowboys, IMHO), but having a coach who builds a cult of personality around himself, and has a track record of leaving on the completion of a single goal just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
So, while I am happy for the overachieving Cowboys this year, and I will always be on their bandwagon, win or lose, I hope they win in spite of Parcells. Next year, they need to draft a good running back (Troy, you might be good in Madden 2004, but not in reality), they need to make a big play for a great QB, because Quincy Carter is NOT the answer, despite how he improved this year. I vote for going whole hog after Mark Brunell: he's got 2 years in him, at least, and the Jags don’t want him! Dump Chad Hutchinson, sign Doug Flutie to a 1 year deal as a backup, and keep Quincy as 3rd QB. I say with that, they get to the NFC conference, at least.
And yes…How Bout them Cowboys? :-)
It's January, which means that, like 3 years past, it's time for me to mourn the passing of my beloved Cowboys. Funny thing happened this year; my condolences are a week later than they used to be! My 'Boys made it to the Playoffs!
My beloved Cowboys are the 2nd casualty of the NFL Playoffs. Truth to tell, I never have liked Bill Parcells. I hated him when he was with the Giants; I especially hated him that he won the only SuperBowl I have been to, Superbowl XXV (Whitney Houston sings the anthem, Buffalo vs. The Giants, Tampa, the first Gulf War...remember?). I was still living in Boston then, and he came to coach the Patriots, and I still did not like him, despite the results. He went to the Jets, and I said good riddance.
Then he came to the Cowboys.
Now, after 3 straight 5-11 seasons of the world's greatest team, you would think I'd be happy, right? After all, a Hall Of Fame coach, with an owner who finally puts his ego aside (Al Davis, pay attention!), and a proven track record of turning teams around, takes over my beloved 'Boys. I'm happy, right?
Wrong.
I don't know what it is: Tuna bothers me. He's a great coach, no question, and the results are beyond fantastic. But this guy is a mercenary in the worst way: he will make these professional players feel like they are back in high school, failing, and will crush their ego, and build them up again around the cult of Parcells, inspiring them to overcome pain and reality to claw their way to the promised land...and he will leave them there. Whether it's a Superbowl win, or a Conference Championship, he will leave, having completed his work. And one year later, the team returns to its previous mediocrity.
Think about it: after Parcells leaves the Giants, in 10 years they get back to the Superbowl once, and lose. The Patriots lose the Superbowl, lose Parcells, and get back to it under a completely new coach years later, one who will probably lead them back again this year. The Jets? They haven’t had a whiff of championships since Parcells left.
I want a coach who will make a dynasty or die trying. I want a Jimmy Johnson, a Don Shula, a Dick Vermeil; heck, I'll settle for a Bill Cowher! But I want a coach who can make a team win, consistently, every year, for decades. I know, it’s not logical, given that I am a huge fan of the greatest NFL mercenary ever, Deion Sanders (who played his best football with the Cowboys, IMHO), but having a coach who builds a cult of personality around himself, and has a track record of leaving on the completion of a single goal just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
So, while I am happy for the overachieving Cowboys this year, and I will always be on their bandwagon, win or lose, I hope they win in spite of Parcells. Next year, they need to draft a good running back (Troy, you might be good in Madden 2004, but not in reality), they need to make a big play for a great QB, because Quincy Carter is NOT the answer, despite how he improved this year. I vote for going whole hog after Mark Brunell: he's got 2 years in him, at least, and the Jags don’t want him! Dump Chad Hutchinson, sign Doug Flutie to a 1 year deal as a backup, and keep Quincy as 3rd QB. I say with that, they get to the NFC conference, at least.
And yes…How Bout them Cowboys? :-)
An interesting idea: Blogging from your cell. My friend Rachel enters the new frontier...
