New Weekly Ranks / New Blogroll Widget

Hello , fellow trivia players and also a big wave to those who haven't joined yet but should. Aren't you tired of people telling you that your stupid??..Join in on Tom's Trivia Challenge and show off that brain of yours!!

Every Sunday I take a look at the Standings on the Trivia Page and pull out the Top 5 Weekly point getters. Also we had 7 new players that tried their luck in the past week. The important thing for everyone to remember is that if you play 5 - 7 times a week you too could be a weekly winner, at least in the top 5...and then you will be Immortalized in my Sunday Post. If you have a blog it will be linked to the Sunday Post as well.

Here is my breakdown for the Top 5 Point getters over the last 7 days:

Weekly Rank	Player	Total Points for week	Overall Rank
1	Operator9	79	2
2	PG	75	1
3	Tom	69	4
4	Kathlock	68	3
5	The Jackster	65	5

Operator 9 was the #1 point getter for the week and #2 overall for the month of April 2008!! A real smooth operator and certainly right on the heels of our current leader and number 2 point getter for the past week, PG from Annoyingly Boring , watch out Pat looks like you got Operator 9 on your heels. Somehow TOM has been able to hang in, earning 69 points over the week, and placing 3rd for the week 4th overall. Kathlock, our Aussie Genius and author of the Blog Blurb From the Burbs has 4th for the week and remains 3rd overall in the standings and the biggest splash in the TOP 5 rankings was The Jackster who last week place 13th out of a field of 21 players and is now both the # 5 point getter for the week and is also ranked 5th overall in a field of 28 players!! Nice Job Jackster!!

BLOG NEWS:

I have installed a new widget for my Blogroll and those on it will notice that along with their blogs is the time and title of their last update. It's a new tool from Blogger that is pretty cool. So those on my list or those who make it there in the future..The more recent your post the higher you are on the list..

If you have Blogger you can check out there latest gadgets at Blogger In Draft

OTHER NEWS:

The Red Sox beat the Yankees yesterday at Fenway Park...Manny Ramirez, my pick for 2008 MVP, was "The Man" with 3 RBI's a 2 run Double and a Monster Home Run. He also scored another run from 2nd base. That Manny he's running hard this year!! Did I mention a great catch taking a hit away from Johnny Damon...Oh Yeah..

Sox and Yankees match up tonight at 8PM... Go SOX!!

The Path Of Least Resistance (PLR)

I like to call it PLR...basically it's what I try to inspire people to do when I happen to be in the car with them.

You know those people, friends or family, that drive like they are God's gift to driving. The ones that believe they can get around any kind of traffic they happen upon by taking what they refer to as "Shortcuts"

But those shortcuts take you to places you have never seen and all the twisting and turning through back streets, the herky-jerky starts and stops , all turn you into a sort of bobble head as you sit mesmerized by the efforts of your driver to save precious seconds of time to get to where you are going.

I mean what if you are headed for the dentist? Really, they will drill you when you get there...what's the hurry??

Have you ever been to the dentist and they are on schedule???

It is the glazed look in their eye as they gun their engines, accelerating ahead of the slower drivers, that always reminds me that I should really put my seat belt on. Either that or how they hug the back bumper of someone who is only going 34 in a 35mph speed zone...

These same drivers will often be stymied by other people, who apparently haven't the need to get to the grocery store 30 seconds before everyone else. These other drivers may actually not want to risk damaging their tires on the curb by squeezing around a F-350 that's waiting to go left at a red light. They just don't see the need for speed. They also know the light will turn green...What they may not realize is that I'm in the passenger seat of a car being driven by a maniac!!

When behind those kinda drivers I will often hear my shortcut loving speed freak driver say something like

Doesn't this idiot know he can go right on RED???" or

"I could drive a bus around that truck ! What IS wrong with this Ass----!!??

So I have begun using a little psychology on these drivers, these friends or family members, who can go Jekyll and Hyde behind the wheel over the slightest impediment to our swift journey to the dump or some other time critical destination.

Actually, first I tried humor. I drove with my oldest sister one day from my house to the mall and en route my sister pointed out at least 6 IDIOTS, although she may have had harsher descriptions for a couple of them.

I tried to make light of her rising blood pressure and the crimson color of her face by laughing and saying I had no idea how many IDIOTS were out there driving these days. But rather than laughing she launched into some stories of other idiots she had encountered earlier in the week....

Humor wasn't working.

My new tact is to make a game out of getting from point A to B. I like to challenge the driver to make the fewest turns possible. What this does is cut down on the frequent use of shortcuts and lowers the strain on your neck by eliminating a lot of the twist and turns that come with them. Still we do run into a lot of MORONS!!

Unfortunately they tire quickly of the "game" and revert back to their "need for speed" driving habits...

It's PLR now. It's a state of mind rather than a way of driving. I ask the driver to just follow the road and let whatever happens along the way happen. If someone stops to let another driver pull out...don't let it bother you...just go with the flow. All this angst about getting around a bottleneck of cars or just simply getting from point A to B in record time, isn't worth it..

We will get there and everything will be OK!!

Just drive on the Path Of Least Resistance (-:

PPSD, Post Party Stress Disorder + The Red Sox

Me, The MOM, The DAD and little sister

Pictured above, we celebrate as if it's just all fun and games. Me with that big ceremonial wine glass...The DAD willfully contributing to his daughters delinquency...

Yes we had fun at my - still hard to say- 50th birthday party, but it's the next day when you are hit with this P.P.S.D. _ Post Party Stress Disorder.

It's not a hangover people, although that may be an underlying symptom.

Post Party Stress Disorder is described as a condition where a person begins to realize that they are celebrating something they would rather not even think about..

In my case, the fact that I am 50!

When I think about it I realize I am probably way past the half way point..if you know what I mean.....

At 50 you start to wonder about senior discount eligibility, instead of getting 2 for 1 drinks at the bar.

At 50 you begin to realize it's not all fun and games anymore...

Well most people do.

I am going to beat this P.P.S.D. by not being a typical 50 year old...

I am not gonna worry about a thing and whatever happens...happens.

I mean really, why start worrying now?? It's obviously too frigging late to do anything about it!!

One thing is for sure..The Boston Red Sox, after opening their season in Japan, playing some ball on the West Coast with the Oakland A's and then traveling to Canada for a very depressing series against the Blue Jays, will finally get to play their 2008 Season Home Opener against the hapless Detroit Tigers...

Let's hope they don't play like a bunch of 50 year olds!!

Batter UP!!

The BIG Five O

Get ready, April 6th is almost here:

On April 6th, last year, many reports were spreading around the web regarding an Attack that was planned on Iran named Operation Bite

It was a hoax but it was covered by all sorts of news agencies. One comment I read said "It should be obvious that it was a hoax, US Operations seem to always have 2 words...It should have been Operation "Eternal Bite" or Operation "Bite Me"

But some things really did happen on April 6th...and of course I feel the most important thing that happened was Easter Sunday on April, 6th, 1958....

! Was Born

and the world has never been the same...just ask my sisters!!

Easter, hhhmm that was the day Jesus rose to heaven wasn't it??

Everyone refers to my mother as Mary even though it's her middle name???

My dad's confirmation name is Joseph???? WAIT, There's more!!

Mormons, Jesus and Me As to the season of the year in which Christ was born, there is among the learned as great a diversity of opinion as that relating to the year itself. It is claimed by many Biblical scholars that December 25th, the day celebrated in Christendom as Christmas, cannot be the correct date. We believe April 6th to be the birthday of Jesus Christ as indicated in a revelation of the present dispensation already cited [D&C 20:1], in which that day is made without qualification the completion of the one thousand eight hundred and thirtieth year since the coming of the Lord in the flesh. This acceptance is admittedly based on faith in modern revelation, and in no wise is set forth as the result of chronological research or analysis. We believe that Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem of Judea, April 6, B.C. 1 from Mormonfortress

I was born In USA!!

Keeping it cosmic...

April 6 2000 Moon,Saturn Jupiter and Mars all lined up and there was a rare occurrence of an aurora borealis in the southern skies of the US. Keith Cooley captured this photo of the planets against a backdrop of reddish-colored Northern Lights from his backyard in Athens Alabama on April 6, 2000, at 8:30 p.m. Central Daylight Time. (Camera: Cannon AE-1; F-stop: 1.8; film: Polaroid 400 ASA; exposure time: 10-20 seconds)

on the same day we had a..

Geomagnetic Storm Event

This has something to do with the weather in Space I think and may be another name for the aurora borealis above.

With Jesus ascending or depending on your belief system, getting born, add in the planetary alignment in 2000 and throw in the earliest recorded solar eclipse and you have a pretty cosmic day!!

But what else happened on that day...

TARTAN DAY...Get out your Kilts

Tartan Day celebrates the existing and historical links between Scotland and Scottish descendants in North America. In the United States there are over 30 million people who claim Scots descent..I"m related to the Scottish Poet Robert Burns.

Tartan Day is held on April 6, the anniversary of the date on which the Declaration of Arbroath was created in 1320. The declaration claimed Scottish Independence. wiki

Other Events:

04/06/1869 1st plastic, Celluloid, patented
04/06/1906 1st animated cartoon copyrighted
04/06/1909 North Pole reached by Americans Robert Peary and Matthew Henson
04/06/1917 US declares war on Germany, enters World War I
04/06/1924 4 planes leave Seattle on 1st successful around-the-world flight
04/06/1925 1st film shown on an airplane (British Air)
04/06/1930 Hostess Twinkies invented by bakery executive James Dewar
04/06/1954 TV Dinner was 1st put on sale by Swanson and Sons

#1 Hits

(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay - Otis Redding
Young Girl - The Union Gap
La - La - Means I Love You - The Delfonics
How Long Will My Baby Be Gone - Buck Owens

Other Apr 6 babies

04/06/1806 Elizabeth Barrett-Browning, poet
04/06/1874 Harry Houdini, [Erich Weiss], Hungary, escape artist
04/06/1884 Walter Huston, actor (Maltese Falcon, Treasure of Sierra Madre)
04/06/1892 Lowell Thomas, Woodington Ohio, newscaster
04/06/1914 George Reeves, Ashland Ky, actor (Superman, Gone With the Wind)
04/06/1937 Billy Dee Williams, Harlem NYC, actor
04/06/1937 Merle Haggard, Bakersfield Calif, country singer
04/06/1944 Michelle Phillips, rocker (Mamas and The Papas)
04/06/1945 Bob Marley, reggae musician/singer (Whalers-No Woman)

I guess I'm in good company...

It's my 50th OUCH!!

1/2 Century!!

Crossroads USA

Photo from beneath Interstate 84 where it crosses the Delaware River. I took this on March 23rd, 2008. The cool thing abut the picture is that I am standing in three different states as I am taking the picture.

I am in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania at the same time.

It's quite a crossroads we have here in that Interstate 84 of course is above me, in front of me is the Delaware River swollen from the winter rain and snow melt and just behind me is the Nerversink River which is a tributary of the Delaware.

I've fished and tubed down this river in the past. Just on the other side is where my Dad was born and raised. We used to come to this spot as kids and stand on a rock with the state borders etched into it, but that stone has been replaced by a monument and it's a bit difficult to stand on.

River Facts:

The Neversink river is considered to be the birthplace of fly fishing.

There are two Delaware Rivers in the United States, This one which runs up the Atlantic Coast and then there is the Delaware River in Kansas.

Well That's it for today folks...hope you had a good Monday(-:

Tom's Trivia Winner week of 3/23-2/29, 2007

SALLY !!

Sally author of the blog, Yeah, what of it?! , was the big points earner for the past week with a weekly total of 59 Points which also gave the loyal Boston Sports Fan the overall lead in the game as well.

NICE JOB SALLY !!!

Other highlights from this weeks competition, PG, author of the blog Annoyingly Boring, which comes to us from the Hub of the Sports Universe itself...BOSTON, has moved up from 7th place overall last week to 4th overall by winning 3 of the 7 games played this week he earned 57 Points and shared 2nd in overall points earning with another New England Powerhouse the Mysterious PIXIEPANTS
Funny isn't it, top 3 point getters all from the Boston Area or at the very least Boston Fans!! Oh and then there's ME!!
earning 56 points and remaining in 2nd overall. I guess people in Massachusetts are just "Wicked Smaahht!!"

Yes Tom's Trivia Challenge saw 3 new players this week and we here at The Hideaway hope to see them come back and play some more.

There was a big buzz around the Australia Test on Thursday!! An upset of which we had never seen before. Kathlock, a native Australian, lost to Operator 9 !! AN AMERICAN!!

It's all fun, we are starting a new week and are looking for some new players all the time...Join here and countless other places on this page:

Here's the rundown on scoring for last week:

	3/23-3/29
1. Sally	59
2. PG	57
2.pixiepants	57
3. Tom	56
4. Operator9	48
4. kathlock	48
4. T-Saucey	48
5. fatback	47

Sunny Pictures for a Rainy Day

Beach Cafe/Bar in St George, Bermuda

I woke to the sound of rain this morning....It's better than snow I guess but it sure looks dreary out there today so I thought I'd post some sunny pictures to brighten the day.

Greasy Pole and Gloucester Harbor from Pavilion Beach

I used to love waking up and walking out on my porch for this view. Every day I would hear the sound of the waves against the rocks, the seagulls waking up it didn't matter the season, or the weather the ocean view was always awesome.

Me Aboard the Appledore III a 61 Foot Topsail Schooner

Well that's it for now, looking forward to warmer weather, putting away winter coats and cooking some steaks on the Barbie on hot summer days!!

Baseball in Tokyo !

This morning I watched the Boston Red Sox open their 2008 season against the Oakland A's in Tokyo, Japan of all places. The Red Sox won in 10 innings and Manny was Manny hitting in 4 runs with 2 doubles. My sister called me after Manny's second double and was lamenting the fact that Manny didn't run...Sis, even IF he had run with the hit, Manny would never make it to third safe!! Look at how happy he is playing the game and how well he's received by his teammates, Manny being Manny is what makes him so special!

But back to the game or rather, what occurred to me while watching it this morning!! I wonder if we will ever see the Red Sox play a game in Iraq??

Almost 67 years ago the Japanese Military attacked US Naval Forces in Pearl Harbor, a few years after that the USA dropped 2 nuclear bombs on the cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima...

Now we are playing baseball there and the fans, 44,628 in the stadium , are cheering for the Red Sox whose starting pitcher is from Japan!!

Since the war Japan has become a leader in the world auto and electronics fields. While we may still be competetors in the world of finance and industry the love of baseball has brought the 2 countries together.

I couldn't believe I was hearing Neil Diamond on there stadium sound system singing "Sweet Caroline" and then hearing the crowd sing along "Na NA NAaa"

It was awesome, of course where did we get the word Karaoke??
Karaoke (カラオケ, Karaoke^? from Japanese kara(空), "empty," and ōkesutora, "orchestra") (pronounced /kɑːrɑːˌoʊkɛ/; in Japanese IPA: [karaoke]; listen (help·info)) is a form of entertainment in which amateur singers sing along with recorded music using a microphone and public address system. The music is typically a well-known pop song in which the voice of the original singer is removed or reduced in volume. Lyrics are usually displayed on a video screen, along with a moving symbol or changing color, to guide the singer. In some countries, karaoke with video lyrics display capabilities is called KTV. It is very commonly pronounced /kæriːoʊkiː/, leading people to also spell it "kareoke". from wikipedia

Yes baseball has brought our two cultures together in ways business and politics just cannot. Maybe one day in Iraq we can get along at this level too. Certainly it was a long road from the destruction that was part of WWII to American Baseball being played in Tokyo, Japan..

Shortly after Saddam Husein's reign over Iraq crumbled, there were stories of the formation of the Iraqi Baseball and Softball Federation, one such article I found in the International Edition of the New York Times.

But the stories about Iraqi Baseball have dwindled . I am not sure if they are still playing ball in Iraq?? I hope so, maybe one day instead of fighting and killing each other we will be able to turn the battlefields into playing fields.

Hopefully it will be sooner than later.

Did I mention the Red Sox won??

Oh Yea!!