Rex Hudler

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 8, 2008 -> 11:49 AM) I'm down somewhere around 10 pounds so far in about a month's time. Not to shabby. join us in the member's thread ss2K... Lately I feel like when I am talking there is an echo. Everybody quit on me, I think.....

QUOTE (Brian @ Sep 7, 2008 -> 01:35 PM) Nah, just saying it will be an ugly game. I'm thinking 16-15 and have no clue who will win. I figure the defense or special teams will create some points or at least some easy opportunities for the anemic offenses. It should be painful to watch, but being the glutton for punishment I am, I'll be watching.

QUOTE (juddling @ Sep 5, 2008 -> 07:39 AM) Selma Blair is hot. It's ending it's summer run tonight i think but has anyone else but me been watching Swingtown on CBS. I've found it a very entertaining show so far..just wondering if I was the only one??? I've been watching Swingtown. Intersting show. Maybe it just appeals to the inner freak in me?

One more this week. 10 lbs to go and three weeks to get there. Won't be easy, but I am stepping up the workouts to try and get it done.

Great game, Fabulous result!!!!!!! Glad I stayed up. Now I am off to bed.

I can't recall specifically when I joined or how I found this place, but it was back in the days of SoxNet.net. Things were much more wild back then and I remember threads would stay live (and heated) for days. I'm much more laid back now, but used to get in the middle of many of them and wasn't afraid to fire a few shots here and there. I stay away from the baseball side for the most part now, but I still enjoy the off topic boards and a lot of the people on here. I had forgotten all about Bullard posting as well as Bajenaru (man hands). I lived in the Future Sox thread for several years.

Looking back at Katrina a bit. Below is an email sent out by a LSU scientist that basically called exactly what could/would/did happen to New Orleans in a situation like Katrina. He was basically scoffed at by government agencies and not taken seriously. He sent this email out to friends, family and co-workers shortly after the effects of Katrina were known. 9.19.2005 "Dear Friends and Family" Ivor Van Heerden Dr. Ivor Van Heerden is a hurricane expert at Louisiana State University who has long predicted the disaster caused by Katrina. He appeared in the January 2005 NOVA scienceNOW segment on hurricanes. In a 2002 article in which he is quoted, he sounds eerily as if he is speaking after Katrina rather than three years before. Dr. Van Heerden wrote this moving e-mail message to loved ones and friends in the early hours of September 7, 2005. Dear friends and family, It is midnight, and I have just finished my umpteenth TV interview, this one with CNN at home. I am tired, angry, disgusted, very sad, and at times unbelieving of what I have witnessed. I am also thankful for the great team of hurricane researchers I am honored to call my friends. All have risen to the occasion and are still making huge sacrifices in effort and time away from their families. Also, my family have been so supportive, especially my wife. She and my youngest helped out at an Adventist Disaster support program this past weekend. My daughter met 6 kids who had lost their parents. She gave a bracelet to a small baby girl. Yes, this catastrophe has touched us all. So much has happened in just a few days. Saturday a week ago we called for Katrina to flood New Orleans. I remember telling my friend and coworker Marc, "I am afraid this is the big one." It is with no honor or pride that I acknowledge that we called it right. The catastrophe has played out right as we expected. What was not expected was the lack of response from the Federal government—the leaving of these people for days with no help. Some of the cell calls I got will haunt me for the rest of my life. A policeman friend tells harrowing tales—he was in the front lines. Monday, the storm evening, everyone at the State emergency operations center (EOC) was congratulating each other that we had once again "dodged the bullet." But we had not. I will never forget the chill when someone came to me at the EOC and asked if we knew why a nursing home was seeing the water rise half a foot per hour. Initially we felt it must be because the home was in a lower part of New Orleans and, the pumps being out, that the water was just rain runoff. But an hour later the significance hit me—the levees must be failing. That was while driving home dead tired after no sleep for 36 hours. I assumed the Corps of Engineers, who basically own the levees, would be warning everyone. But the call never went out, so thousands of people went to bed in the dark, in a dry home, and in the middle of the night would have suddenly found the water in their homes. So many of these retreated into their attics. I can understand why. It was dark, there was no power, no phone, no TV, no radio, no mass communication whatsoever. Many were old and that was their only line of escape—into the attic. Except if you don't have an axe, if you are not strong, how do you escape? I am sure hundreds died in their attics. Should I have turned around and gone back to the EOC? Maybe, but I thought "the Corps must be monitoring the levees, surely they would sound the alarm." But no one did, so I believe more than 1,000 died while I slept, and nobody sounded the alarm. By the morning it was too late. I have also soul-searched if I could have done more to warn people of what would happen. Those Federal officials that scoffed at me and others in our Public Health Center when we told our story, maybe I should have called them out and beat their brains out. Lots of maybes, and still I ask myself "could I have done more?" My heart is so, so heavy. I cannot look at the TV, and luckily our cable is still out so I don't see any. I haven't even tried to see myself on the telly. There is no joy or pride in being in the news all the time, no pride or joy in the hundreds of interviews I have done over the phone and on TV, some even while trying to cut up a tree that was blocking our driveway. Nothing but a deep sadness, for it is those with the least support resources who suffer the most. So what drives me now? Well, those who have suffered and those still suffering need a voice, and most importantly for me, the truth must be out. This past Sunday I flew the whole disaster zone, the destruction immense but nothing more sad than the hundreds of homes with water up to the eaves of the roofs, some totally submerged, chemical slicks everywhere, fires. The destruction and knowledge that below me were many who, if not dead already, would soon die, trapped, deserted. I cried like I have not cried in a long time. Flying with me was a professional photographer friend. I could see the pain in his eyes as well. So, I now end this note. Tomorrow is another day, lots of interviews lined up, and lots more to do in our support of the recovery efforts. A research program to adapt to the new circumstances. Building a library as it unfolds. And perhaps there is a sabbatical in this, perhaps a chance to capture all this in a book. As a scientist I called it right; as a human I feel its pain; but as a researcher—perhaps there is a lesson here for others. Please pray for the people of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. All our lives have been changed forever. Ivor

QUOTE (Rex Kicka** @ Aug 31, 2008 -> 07:17 AM) I'm starting to read stories about people who want to leave, and aren't being able to for fear of losing their job, or not being able to afford the trip out. (It's not about the gas, but about the fact that there isn't a lot of money being thrown at the average New Orleans employee to be able to get a hotel room for a week or so. The City of New Orleans is offering no shelters for obvious reasons. Are shelters being set up elsewhere? Birmingham has shelters set up at the BJCC Convention Center, Boutwell Auditorium, UAB Arena and a few local JC facilities. The city imposed a 9:00 curfew on all evacuees and all shelters were closed at 9:00 with lights out shortly after. The Red Cross is manning these shelters. Such shelters are setup all over the Southeast, I believe. Birmingham is about 5 hours NE of New Orleans. On the debate of the strength of Katrina, it was definitely a CAT 3 storm and as was pointed out, the eye passed over MS, not NO. The destruction from the hurricane itself was predominantly in Mississippi. Wind damage in New Orleans was minimal in comparison. Flood damage from rising waters and surges on Lake Ponchatrain (sp?) is what hurt New Orleans. It was not a direct hit, so the exact strength of the winds was not the major factor.

I'm pumped this morning! Stepped on the scale after a strong week both of diet and exercise and lost 6 pounds. Now down to 273 and only 11 away from the century mark!

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 25, 2008 -> 08:16 AM) So I must have officially hit middle age, because I have started to cut back a little bit. I figured out that I have been averaging about 1000 calories a day in just fluids, mostly Coke. I have been making a real effort to cut that number back. So far, so good. I am not looking to do much, maybe 20 pounds tops. H2O is your friend! Keep diet sodas to a minimum and stick with mostly water.

One pound down this week to take me to 279. I didn't work out much at all this week as it has been crazy busy at work. I feel a big number coming on next week though. I have gotten much stricter with my diet as I have had less opportunity to exercise. Workouts have begun again, so I am curious to see what I can do this week. Just have to stay disciplined with the diet.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Aug 21, 2008 -> 01:14 PM) I agree. There was nothing more impressive in the Olympics than that. A guy that tall and can get out of the blocks the way he does and with that speed. Unbelieveable. I would love to see him run the 400. That stride would really give him an advantage. I'd love to see him in a winged helmet learning to play WR for Michigan! With that speed, size and athleticism, think about how good a WR he could be.

The US had a big day today in the overall medal race and now lead China big time. If the Chinese end up losing a couple of gold medals and the US gain them with the gymnastics, the gap on the gold medals would close somewhat.

QUOTE (JFields27 @ Aug 20, 2008 -> 01:41 AM) is that room like just a living room type thing, and you just live in a place with a bad placed wall that worked out great for you? hah It's a living room that is wider than deeper. The room splits with access to the hallway to the front door and to the kitchen on the other side. It just happens to be about the right size and have a closet immediately behind it for all of the components.

QUOTE (JFields27 @ Aug 20, 2008 -> 12:26 AM) thats a sick setup .. i want to know how, but its just amazing ..... The "how" is easy. I just have people smarter than me who take care of it!!

I'm a little confused. I know the Big Ten Network has overflow channels, but according to ESPN's schedule for next Saturday, Ohio St., Wisconsin, Penn St, Indiana and Iowa are all supposed to be playing on the BTN at 11:00 am central time. How can 5 teams all play at the same time? Does ESPN.com have some game times wrong?

Just switched to DirecTV. Looking forward to getting the BTN. Install date of DTV and new plasma, next Wednesday - one day before the college football season kickoff!

I think an underrated Olympian (in terms of hotness) is swimmer Natalie Coughlin. They did a piece on her and showed her at home and out of the pool in normal clothes and makeup and she looked good. She's not a knockout, but a nice looking girl. I also think Jessica Mendoza is attractive. I look up her pictures on the net and none of them look good. But she did some announcing on ESPN (Women's CWS maybe?) with John Kruk and I thought she looked good. Again, I am not talking magazine spread hotness, but an attractive girl. If Shawn Johnson was older we could talk about her, but for now, we'll just say she's a really cute kid.

QUOTE (PlaySumFnJurny @ Aug 19, 2008 -> 07:58 PM) I second the recommendation of Avsforum.com. I'm just a lurker there, but have found it very helpful. Make sure you have your installer hook you up with an over the air (ota) antenna, so you can get WCIU Sox and Bulls games in HD. DirectTV does not offer that channel in HD via satellite. Also, did you get the hd dvr? Once you've had it, you'll wonder how you ever lived without it. That would be one hell of an antenna if it could pick up those games OTA..... considering I am in Birmingham, AL ;-) Yep, have an HD DVR w/ cable now and you are right, once you get one, you can't go backwards. Thought about getting two, but I thought that would be overkill. Like having 6 tv's for a single guy isn't overkill already. LOL Actually, I am going to try and sell two of them to help pay for this TV.

QUOTE (Palehosefan @ Aug 19, 2008 -> 05:56 PM) Have the same TV and DirecTV as well. You won't be dissapointed at all, it's amazing. Just make sure you research the proper settings on the TV for the amount of hours viewed. Sites like Avsforum.com are a big help. Cool, thanks. I'm excited. I have an old plasma now that still has a very nice picture but it is a 480p. I'm ready for football season and I want PQ! I did all that this weekend. Read many pages on avsforums. I have a good friend that does custom home theater installs that will come install it, get the settings right and program my RF universal remote control. He did my original setup and may have to change the location of a speaker or two. He does a lot of cool high-end work and takes care of me very well. I'll now have this TV with a 7.1 surround system with a Denon receiver, a 400-DVD changer, the DTV HD DVR and my PS2 (and no, I'm not buying a PS# anytime soon) all wired into a closet right behind the tv. No wires are visible at all and everything is controlled by an RF remote so all the boxes are hidden in the closet. Here is a pic of the current set up before the install of the new TV next week.

About 3' tall and flat

Finally made the switch to DirecTV last night. It took some work, but I got a helluva deal, I think. Right now, DTV is offering four months free of their Premier package (I call it the kitchen sink package) with purchase of NFL Sunday Ticket. Sunday Ticket costs $74.99/month during those 4 months. After surfing online and two phone calls, I finally worked them for a better deal. I got the premier package at no charge and they gave me Sunday Ticket for $52.99 for four months. Also, the Sunday Ticket games are not in HD unless you buy their Superfan package with it, which is an extra $24.95/month or $99 one time. I got them to give that to me at no charge as well. You do still have to pay the equipment fees and $9.99 for high definition access, but I still came out at about $75/month for four months for everything they offer, including all movie channels and Sunday Ticket. After 4 months, I'll probably call in and downgrade the service to a more affordable level, but I am pretty happy with the deal. Also, got a great deal on a sexy TV. I went to 3 Best Buy's, Circuit City and HHGregg (twice) from Friday to Sunday this weekend. At first all the tv's looked close to the same, all looked good. But the more I watched I started to see differences. I narrowed it to Samsung, Panasonic and LG plasmas. I couldn't find the LG 50" 1080p plasma locally, and I wanted to go 50" so I eliminated LG. I finally picked a Panasonic 1080p that just has a remarkable picture. It was comparable to the Pioneer Kuro's that were close to $3,000. I did a little homework on PriceGrabber and ended up picking up the tv online for $1,488 with no sales tax and free shipping. Best Buy wanted $2099. HH Gregg wanted $1899. The TV shipped today and DirecTV is scheduled to be installed next Wednesday, just in time for Thursday night kickoff!!! Here is the TV. Panasonic Viera 50" Plasma

I've been watching a good bit of boxing and hate the Olympic scoring system. I don't understand it nor can I get how guys can land solid punches and not score. The lone American left is from Tuscaloosa and he is very raw. i'd be surprised if he wins gold, but if I can, I will watch it.

QUOTE (whitesoxfan99 @ Aug 16, 2008 -> 10:46 PM) Phelps is the only swimmer to win 8 medals in an olympics I believe and he won 8 golds not just 8 medals. That is absurd. Not to mention doing so by setting 7 world records and swimming his personal best in the one race he didn't set the WR.

Let's not discount that Phelps has had to swim more times than Spitz to get his medals? They didn't use to have as many prelims and semis. Phelps has had to swim 17 times in like 9 days, sometimes with just a half hour between swims. I'd like to think he is the best ever, but like anything, you can argue that all night long and never get anywhere. What I do know is that what he is accomplishing is freaking amazing!