Roody.net Blog

Laura Diaz II: The Sequel

2010-07-02T01:57:00Z

Back in 2008 I got paired up with one of the better LPGA pros I've been paired with in the nine years I've been doing the pro-ams. Imagine my surprise when I looked at the pairings board the night before this year's pro-am and saw my name next to her's again. I always figured one of these years I'd get a repeat, and it's a good thing when the repeat is Laura Diaz.

As always, the pro-am was a good time. But this year was a little different. Laura proved once again that she "gets it". She's one of the pros who truly understands that the fans are what makes the tour go round. Now I'm not saying that the other pros don't get it either, but Laura takes it to a higher level.

My case in point. We played through 10 holes, and a storm started to roll in. The sirens went off and we had to evacuate the course for the clubhouse. Once in we quickly realized we were going to be inside for a while as we waited it out. Naturally, everybody headed for the lunch room.

As we sat down to eat, Laura, her husband Kevin, and her father all sat down with us. As we ate, I looked around the lunch room to see other groups eating as well. But one thing stood out: hardly any of the other pros came in with their amateur teams. Not to brag, but I could tell that we were the envy of the rest of the people in the room. Our pro came in and hung out with us.

We ended up being delayed for about an hour and a half. Some may look at that as a negative, but I took it as a positive. We got an extra hour and a half to hang with Laura and her family. She didn't have to do that, but she did, and she did it without hesitation. Golf and lunch with a pro. Pretty cool for a golf nut like me.

Our group shot 10-under for the day, and luckily we were able to finish the entire round. Some of the other groups were not so lucky. I've said it a couple times now, and I'll say it again. If they'd let me play with Laura every year, I'd do it and not be disappointed. She's a class act. So if any of you LPGA brass are reading this, take note.

You can check out my awesome golf shorts and some pics of Laura too by clicking here.

Exceeding Expectations Year Two

2010-06-04T02:34:00Z

So last year I ran in my first ever Chase Corporate Challenge. This year I decided to give it a try again, with two goals. Beat last year's time of 33:18, and take it one step further by doing it in less than 30 minutes.

Just like last year, it rained. People are starting to think that I'm at fault for bringing the rain to these events, because so far I'm two for two. The upside is it kept the temperature pretty reasonable for running, which may have contributed to my time. I accomplished part one of the goal by beating last year's time. However, I fell short by a measly two seconds for the second goal by posting a time of 30:01.

It took me about 11-12 seconds to reach the starting gate. So as I rounded the final turn, and saw the time on the clock, I knew what I had to beat. However, I was running on fumes, and couldn't muster up enough speed to cross the finish line in time.

The fact that I missed it by only two seconds still has me scoring this as a moral victory. And I maintained a mile pace of 8:35. All numbers to use as motivation for next year. But the second I crossed the finish line was the second I began focusing 100% on golf for the summer. More serious running will likely wait until winter again. :-)

If I Were An 80's Rock Star...

2010-02-13T21:15:00Z

I'd have awesome, big hair that would look something like this. That was the theme for this year's Info Directions anniversary party. Big hair, spandex, and headbands were not in short supply. And there was even an after-party at Debbie Gibson's place.

Of the four annivesary parties I have been to, this one was without a doubt the most fun I've had. However, I promise you that I will never head-bang like that ever again.

New Poker Table

2010-01-17T23:41:00Z

It's not often that Jodi and I stay up until almost 3 a.m., but we've done it twice since the beginning of 2010 already. First was New Year's of course, and the other was last night to break-in the brand new poker table. It was one of our best turnouts ever, and my only regret was that we couldn't fit everyone at the new table at once.

I purchased the new table from the guys at Rochester Custom Poker Tables a couple weeks ago, and was anxious to try it out. If you're looking for a new table that is nicely put-together, I'd recommend them. You can check out some pictures from the action here.

And no, I didn't win in the first game on my new table. The big winners of the inaugaral game were Andy, DJ, Chris, and Sean. Congrats to each of them. Also, thanks to Chris for taking the pictures with his iPhone.

2009 Final Stats

2009-11-14T21:57:00Z

It was a good 2009 golf season. I broke my previous all-time best of 83 with rounds of 78 (Silver Creek), 80 (Greystone - Blues), and 82 (Centerpointe). I also recorded my first eagle ever, and about 3/4 of the way into the season I carried the lowest handicap I've ever carried (10). My goal for next season is to break into the single-digits. My first hole-in-one would be nice as well ;-)

Anyways, with the season officially over, here's how I ended up:

	2008	2009
# Rounds	39	51
Avg Score	90.89	88.89
Handicap	14	11
Low 18	84 (+12) Ravenwood	78 (+7) Silver Creek
Low 9	39 (+3) Greystone	39 (+3) Greystone
Eagles	0	1
Birdies	21	24
Pars	145	200
Bogeys	245	373
D. Bogeys	133	160
T. Bogeys+	41	34
GIR	162	238
GIR%	28%	30%
FW Hit%	37%	38%
% Left	31%	32%
% Right	32%	30%
Avg Putts/Rd	35.23	35.00
One Putts	103	152
Two Putts	395	522
Three Putts+	83	114

Droid, iPhone, or Something Else?

2009-11-13T18:01:00Z

My contract with Sprint runs out in May of next year, and I'm semi-anxiously looking to ditch them. They've screwed up one too many times, and after being with them for about 9 years I think it's time for something new.

On top of that, I've had two smart phones that each have Windows Mobile 6.1 on them. The prognosis on that O.S. isn't great. It was awful on my Samsung Ace, and it's been ok on the HTC Mogul I'm currently using. I loved the hardware on the Samsung Ace, but it's rather pointless if the stupid O.S decides to put the phone in airplane mode 6 times a day without warning or prompting.

So I've been pondering what's next. Jodi has expressed a desire to upgrade to a smart phone, and is willing to go in on a family plan with me. We've both had our eye on the iPhone of course, considering its popularity. But then Verizon started blasting the airwaves with adverts for their new Motorola Droid phone. Now everyone's pegging that as a serious contender to Apple's domination. And many people I talk to seem to like their Blackberrys. I think no matter which way we go, we'll end up paying the same monthly fees. Based on readings and little or no actual physical holding of any of the mentioned devices, it seems I can conclude the following:

The iPhone GUI is better suited for the average user than the Droid
Verizon service and coverage is superior to that of AT&T (advantage Droid & Blackberry)
The Droid doubles as a GPS navigation device
The Apple App-Store is supposedly awesome, and full of every app you could ever want or need

From what I can tell, the hardware is pretty comparable. I've got a few months to decide. So I ask all three of you semi-loyal readers of my blog: what's good and what's bad about each phone/carrier? What say you?

Why Buy New?

2009-11-05T01:21:00Z

So a couple days ago my package of 36 "recycled" Bridgestone e6 golf balls arrived from Amazon.com. It's really the first time that I've purchased used golf balls in the 14 years I've been playing golf.

Naturally, I was expecting a few blemishes, but was pleasantly surprised to find not one. I mean, maybe 3 or 4 of them had visible wearing to the ink in the logo, but I honestly have to say that if you hadn't told me these were recycled golf balls I probably would think they're new. And considering the price ($28 for 36 recycled balls versus $25 for 12 new), it's a steal. Even better is I used a gift certificate given to me by my credit card company for rewards points. So technically they were free!

I don't know why I'm so pleased with this "discovery", but I am. I guess I shied away from used golf balls before because I assumed they'd be in crappier shape. I'm hoping this purchase experience is par for the course. If so, I may never buy new again.

10-Year Anniversary

2009-09-26T23:18:00Z

I recently celebrated ten years of marriage to the love of my life, and my best friend. She also happens to be my wife too. And we decided to celebrate by taking a trip to the place where we spent our honeymoon 10 years ago: Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

Day one of our trip started a little rough, at least for me. I was still getting over a head cold that made the cabin pressure of the flight less than tolerable, and the 90 degree mugginess of Orlando even more enjoyable. But I persevered, and we were able to find a good time. We hit the Magic Kingdom in the afternoon, and in the evening took in the La Nouba Cirque du Soleil show. Cirque was excellent. Jodi and I both enjoyed it very much, and would highly recommend it.

Amidst making stops at all of Disney's Theme Parks, we also got in some great dining this time. We had some delicious crab and lobster at Fulton's Crab House at Downtown Disney. The waiter was as excellent as the food, and even looked a lot like my favorite NFL quarterback Eli Manning to boot. The next evening we each had the surf n' turf at Narcoossee's in the Grand Floridian. I have to admit it was one of the most delicious meals I've had in a very long time. The next night we had another fancy dinner at Artist Point in the Wilderness Lodge, which was also excellent.

I also managed to squeeze in a couple rounds of golf. I re-visited the Magnolia course, which I hadn't played since back in 1996. Using unfamiliar clubs, I was able to shoot 15 strokes better than I did 13 years before (and this time without the use of mulligans, so it was likely at least 20 strokes better). Then Jodi and I played Osprey Ridge together, and we were randomly paired up with another couple from Rochester, NY. I mean, what are the chances of that happening?

6 days, and 5 nights of what amounted to a great time. But we were pretty tired out by the end, and glad to be home. Check out the photos we took from the trip here.

Letchworth State Park

2009-08-10T01:12:00Z

Yesterday, Jodi and I took a short trip to the scenic Letchworth State Park. Also known as the "Grand Canyon of The East", its described as one of the "most scenically magificent areas in the Eastern U.S.".

We had camped there once about 7 or 8 years ago, but we never got to experience much of what is an enormous park because it rained the entire time we were there. This time the rain held off though, and we were able to take a bunch of pictures. We both had a very good time.

Crunching The Numbers

2009-08-06T02:19:00Z

I was a little bored tonight, and as I sat here watching the Yankees beat the Blue Jays I got curious about my golf stats. So I fired up the IntelliGolf software. I took a look at the first 34 rounds of 2009, and pitted them against the first 34 rounds of 2008 to see where I stand. Of the 34 rounds, 24 of them are 18 hole rounds, and the remaining 10 are 9 hole rounds. All said, 522 holes of golf for each year.

	2008	2009	+/-
Avg Score	91.09	90.14	-0.95
Handicap	14	12	-2
Birdies	21	14	-7
Pars	122	116	-6
Bogeys	223	257	+34
D. Bogeys	116	108	-8
T. Bogeys+	40	27	-13
GIR	147	140	-7
GIR%	28%	27%	-1%
FW Hit%	38%	36%	-2%
% Left	30%	29%	-1%
% Right	32%	35%	+3%
Avg Putts/Rd	35.45	35.17	-0.28
One Putts	88	100	+12
Two Putts	353	344	-9
Three Putts+	77	77	n/c

My handicap has gone down two strokes (mostly due to some recent rounds where I shot out of my mind)., but a lot of the stats are largely similar. The only statistics that have had a large shift in my favor are one putts, and the number of double and triple bogeys. It wreaks of more consistency, which is a good thing.

Here's hoping I can finish out the season strong.

Pro-Am Day 2009

2009-06-26T00:46:00Z

Another year, another great Wegmans LPGA pro-am. This year I had the pleasure of playing with Australian Katherine Hull. Our group shot a scramble format 10-under on a very warm summer day. Katherine and the rest of the gang were fun to play with, and I'm sure that even though we didn't shoot as well as in past pro-ams, we still had a good time. The putts just weren't dropping for us to contend for the prizes.

On a personal level, I felt like I hit the ball pretty well. I had some moments of crap, but I also had some nice shots. As Matt will attest, he didn't have to go off into the woods looking for my errant golf balls much at all this year. I put a few nice drives out there, but every time I did Katherine would hit just a slightly better drive. I'm pleased with how I hit em overall though.

Check out the pics from the day here.

Culinary Class Pictures

2009-06-01T22:36:00Z

Where can you go that they'll give you a knife and let you cut things? Why a cooking class of course. This past weekend we went with the Snydermans to the NY Wine & Culinary Center for a cooking class. And while we were there we took a few pictures. Check those out here.

Exceeding Expectations

2009-05-31T15:59:00Z

In the past few days I've managed to accomplish some minor personal victories. On Thursday, I ran my first ever Chase Corporate Challenge. It's a 3 and a half mile run around the R.I.T. campus. And I picked a great </sarcasm> year to make it my first run - it down poured the entire race.

I had trained a bit in the 2-3 months leading up to the event. Mostly running on the treadmill. And I quickly discovered that running outdoors, in the elements, and on pavement is a bit tougher than running on a treadmill in a nice, wind-free, climate-controlled gym. I mostly ran my standard 2 miles on the treadmill as a warm-up for lifting weights. Though a week or so ago I decided to run a full 3.5 miles on it just to see how I'd do. I couldn't even hold a 10-minute/mile pace, finishing it in about 36 minutes.

So when I showed up for the real event, I figured I'd be happy enough just to come in under 40 minutes. I was actually kind've shocked when I saw that my final time in the event was 33:18! I had managed to run 3.5 miles and maintain a 9 and a half minute pace. It's not real-runner numbers, but I was pretty happy with it. It was an experience running in a down pour, and to beat my goal by almost 2 full minutes was a great feeling.

Following on the heels of that mini victory, I played some weekend golf yesterday and ended up shooting a personal-best 82 (+11). I was still pretty sore from the run on Thursday, so I went into the round thinking I would probably not play well. However, I quickly discovered that the sore muscles actually improved my game for the most part. It forced me to swing easier, which kept most of my drives in the fairways.

I ended up with four 3-putts on the day, so I'm figuring if I could have putted a little better (maybe convert two or three of those 3-putts into two-putts) that I could have broken 80 for the first time in my life. I'd love to do it someday, but instead of setting that as a lofty goal, I think I'm going to instead set the goal of shooting in the low 80's more often.

Using Clubs You Shouldn't

2009-05-15T16:18:00Z

The combination of this article and recent conversations with my buddy Shawn about buying new clubs got me thinking about this topic. How many golfers out there are using clubs that they shouldn't be? The first paragraph of the article I think sums it up:

Last week I was playing at my home course and noticed one of the guys using a set of muscleback blade irons. Lovely as the clubs were to look at, he is a 12-handicapper who has no business swinging such sticks. When I asked why he didn't opt for more forgiving club, he said, "They feel great. Besides, I like using what the big boys use."

Sorry, but I have to throw the B.S. flag on both of those statements.

I can't agree more. I guess some guys feel it's necessary to play what the tour players play, even if it not only doesn't improve their game, but actually makes it worse. It's likely due to a macho bullshit attitude. The same attitude I think prevails when guys insist they have to play from the tips on every course, even though they're a 20 handicapper. You're only unnecessarily lengthening the course, lengthening the time spent looking for lost balls, and increasing your overall score. Who are you trying to impress?

I made a conscious decision a couple years ago that I am going to play the whites whenever possible, and will continue to do so until my handicap drops into the single digits (if that day ever comes). Seems like many others could benefit from this mantra too.

Poker Hand Slang

2009-04-08T16:47:00Z

I found this online and I thought it was pretty cool. I already knew a small handful of the names for these various pocket hands, but this is a complete list. Now I just have to hope I can remember some of the more obscure ones so I can sound all impressive at my next poker game.

A-A – Pocket Rockets
A-K – Big Slick
A-J — Ajax
K-K – Cowboys
K-Q – Marriage
K-J – Kojak
K-9 - Canine
Q-Q –Siegfried & Roy
Q-J – Maverick
Q-7 - Computer Hand
Q-3 – A San Francisco Busboy
J-J – Hooks
J-9 – T.J. Cloutier.
J-5 – Jackson Five
10-5 – Five and dime
10-2 – Doyle Brunson. (He won two World Series of Poker titles with this hand.)
9-5 – Dolly Parton
9-9 – Meat hooks
8-8 – Snowmen
7-7 – Hockey Sticks
7-2 – The Hammer
5-5 – Nickels
5-4 – Jesse James, for his Colt .45
4-4 — Sailboats
2-2 — Ducks

"Siegfried & Roy", or QQ is a hand that I seem to lose on a majority of the time I play it.

Left 4 Dead Awesomeness

2009-03-30T16:47:00Z

I think it's safe to say that my favorite game of 2009 is Left 4 Dead. Jodi got it for me for Christmas, and I've been playing it ever since. It's got zombies, it's a first-person shooter, and it runs on Valve's Source Engine, which is the best engine I have seen to-date. All are wins in my department. I'm a huge fan of most of Valve's big games, and this was surely no exception.

Right now Left 4 Dead only has four campaign maps and a versus mode that you can play. I was excited to hear recently that they were planning on releasing new maps and game modes in the coming months. Rumor has it they're coming out with a "Survival Mode" where your group gets a few minutes to hunker down before being assailed with a massive onslaught of zombies. If it's anything like what we're doing now with the mob level hacks set to insane, it should be a blast.

I was looking for any information about the new maps, and thus far I haven't found much. I did find what appears to be a third-party map where this guy put together a pretty good replica of the Crossroads Mall from the Dawn of the Dead movie remake. But I can't seem to find the actual maps that are being released by Valve. I did, however come across a couple of fun L4D-related items in my travels. First, an advertisement for Left 4 Dead hosting that I thought was pretty funny (it's not as funny if you don't play the game). Click the image for a larger view:

And then there's this t-shirt from Ctr+Alt+Del called "Cocktail Party" which I got a good laugh out of: (as before, click the image for a larger view)

Good stuff, good stuff.

Mr. Bosco Loses An Eye

2009-03-14T13:24:00Z

It's been a fun last couple of weeks. Not.

About a week and a half ago we had to take our cat, Bosco in for surgery to remove one of his eyes. He had severe chronic glaucoma in his left eye, which not only caused him to be blind in the eye, but was also apparently causing a lot of pressure build-up which results in pain. The vet recommended we remove the eye in order to give Bosco the best chance at a longer, happier life.

I am happy to report that I think the big guy is back to his normal, happy-go-lucky self. There was a period of a few days right after the surgery where he was pretty out of it though. And as you can see by the pictures below, he's just as handsome as he was before. Even with one less eye.

Subway and Barbeque Sauce

2009-02-26T17:27:00Z

Why is it that some Subways carry barbeque sauce on their available condiments list and some do not? And why do shops that carry it for a while all of a sudden discontinue carrying it? It's a freaking basic condiment! It's like ketchup, mustard, mayo - customers might ask for it every now and then on their sandwich!

What's it cost? Two dollars a bottle? Even if it's not one of the more popular condiments, is it really that much of a problem to have it on hand?

The reason I bring this up is because today was the straw that broke the camel's back. There are three Subways within reasonable driving distance of my place of work. So we will often stop at them for lunch. I have two general sandwiches I rotate between: the chicken teriyaki and the oven-roasted chicken breast. When I get the oven-roasted, I like to have it with BBQ sauce.

The Subway in Eastview Mall was where I first encountered the "no BBQ" problem about a year or so ago. I had gone there a few times previously, and they always had BBQ sauce for my sandwich. Then one day it magically disappeared. The girl behind the counter even got kinda snotty with me about it, like it was my fault for even asking. Needless to say I haven't gone back to that one Subway since.

The other two Subways have always had it. They usually have to go under the counter to get it, but they've always had it. Today I went to the Subway in the local BJ's Wholesale Club. As usual, this Subway is woefully under-staffed, and today was no exception with only one girl behind the counter making the sandwiches and running the cash register to boot.

So she gets my sandwich made to the point of the veggies, the meat, and the bread are good to go. Now it's time for the sauce. I say "BBQ please". She's kinda new to the joint, so she gives me a blank stare and then says "we don't have BBQ". I say "you've had it in the past, they usually have to go under the counter to get it". She looks, but insists no BBQ sauce is available. She suggests "how about some hot sauce instead?".

So now I'm standing in line holding everyone behind me up because there's only one person working the whole joint. And I'm thinking to myself "Do I make her scrap the whole thing and make me a chicken teriyaki instead?". Out of consideration to others I decide to try the southwest chipotle sauce instead. As I'm cashing out I think to myself that "I'm paying for something I'm not sure I really want - isn't that the definition of an unsatisfied customer?".

Luckily the southwest chipotle wasn't all that bad, but it wasn't nearly as good as the BBQ.

Golf Ball Snobbery

2009-02-04T01:09:00Z

I know it's only February, but I'm already thinking about golf this season. Not many days go by even in the freezing cold of winter where I don't have at least a few thoughts about golf. I even went out and got a trial membership to a private country club a week ago, so I must be really looking forward to this season.

On lunch today I visited golf.com and read an article about the new Titleist Pro V1 golf balls that have just been released. Titleist recently lost a patent lawsuit to Callaway regarding some technology that they used on their Pro V line of golf balls. Therefore they had to remove the infringing technology and release a new version of their flagship golf ball.

I admit, I'm a golf ball snob. I play mostly Pro V's, Callaway's, and Nike One's. I also mix in some of the golf balls I find at the course, or some that I win in tournaments, but when I buy new it seems to be those brands. But over the past couple of years I've tried a few cheaper golf balls, and I think there are a couple that stand out to me: Srixon and Titleist NXT.

I bought a box of Srixon's last year and I remember liking the feel of them. They felt like they sprung off the end of the club, and for some reason I seemed to play well with them. The same can generally be said for the Titleist NXT's. I didn't buy a box of those, but I seemed to find a bunch on the golf course. I can't say they felt anything special when hitting them, but for some reason I seem to be able to play better with them.

So what am I trying to say? I wanna make a resolution to not be a ball snob this year. I'm pledging not to buy golf balls based on the brand name only. $5 a golf ball is a bit ridiculous anyways.

However, it should also be known that I still have an unopened box of Callaway Tour IX balls, and a bunch of Pro V's still sitting in my golf bag from last season. The Callaway's I got as part of the pro-am gift package last year. And I'm likely to get more from the pro-am again this summer. But if I buy, it will not be as a ball snob.

IDI Anniversary Party 2009

2009-01-24T16:09:00Z

It was a "fabulous" evening of fun with friends and co-workers last night at Mario's Italian Steakhouse as we celebrated 13 years of Info Directions. Every year IDI does a theme for their anniversary party, and this year was a "Vintage Hollywood" theme. Jodi and I got dressed up, though I'm not so sure how "vintage" it was. I don't think it mattered so much as long as we were having a good time.

I was honored with my first award with the company last night. Myself, Johann, Jessica, and Stacey were honored with the "IDIology" award for our work on the new Info Directions corporate website this year. It was great to be recognized, and I'm proud of the work that we did. The award they gave out was very nice. Now I just have to find a place to put it.

We brought the camera and snapped some pics. Check those out here.