Birthday posting

So I turned 28 today and I feel that 28 is gonna be a good year. Alright, enough about that....now, what to write about....

Even though I turned 28 this week, i acted like I was 22 again last weekend by going out to the bars, not one night, not two nights, not even three...that's right, FOUR nights in a row! To be fair, I didn't really partake in very many alcoholic beverages on the first two nights (Wed & Thurs) due to me having to be a responsible adult and work the next mornings, but still, I feel it was a feat worth mentioning. Friday & Saturday night were a different story though...and how about meeting some people at 4 in the afternoon saturday and not getting home from the bars until after 2am..didn't think I had it in me anymore. I met some new people and had fun w/ a variety of different friends, so it was well worth it.

Hit up the Broad Ripple Art Fair on Sunday w/ Kara - damn, there was some cool, but very expensive items there. It was interesting to see all the different styles as well as the random people watching. Let's just say there was more than one homosexual couple there, and that's OK, nothing wrong w/ that.

So the Indianapolis Annual CPA Bball tourney was this week. My firm was the #4 seed (12 teams participated), which was based upon last year's results. Unfortunately we gave away our first game after being up 12. Luckily it's a double elimination tourney so we got to play again the next night. We won our second game, but then got drubbed in our 3rd game to finish tied for 7th place. Highlight of the tourney for me was getting my first ever 4-point play of my career...unfortunately we were down 20 in our last game when it happened. Overall we played OK as a team. could have played better, but cut us some slack...we sit behind desks all day, although I do have some wicked paper ball shots into my trashcan. Some day I'll be as good as this guy.

So this upcoming weekend is the annual Indy 500 weekend that we've essentially taken to the next level year after year, although it'll be tough to top last year's setup. There are 28 of us who are renting a 2009 RV and camping out Friday-Sunday at the track. 4 kegs, a big gatorade cooler full of everclear/vodka/fruit, cornhole sets, an outdoor firepit & grill, tons of food, and good weather should make for your better than average weekend. Oh, tickets at the top of Turn 3 don't hurt either. Every year I say i'm not gonna do it again, but as the time draws near, I can't turn it down and am very excited to see what kind of debacle we can make it this year.

Just to get all of you pumped up for Sunday, here ya go. Hopefully I'll have some decent stories (that are clean enough to share) for the blog next weekend.

rekindling an old flame

Most people probably forgot that the NHL even exists, let alone even know that the playoffs are going on right now. Once upon a time, the NHL was a prominent sport, or maybe that was just my childhood interpretation of the sport. But it did used to be on national TV and ESPN more prominently than it is now. Those days are long gone. Heck, if you even want to watch most of the playoff games, your cable provider better provide the "Versus" channel (not a joke). Maybe it was NHL 94 video game...arguably one of the best games of all time (there is no argument here), that gave me my perception of hockey, but obviously the sport has tapered off. The league has too many teams along w/ having teams in cities that don't make any sense (Phoenix and Tampa Bay, really??) Within the next year or two, the NHL will contract from 30 to at minimum 24 teams. I'd love to see the conferences split between Canada and the USA. Give Winnipeg their team back, bring back Hartford and Minnesota. How awesome would that championship game be? granted, its not like it would just be Canadian born players versus U.S. born players, but i think you could still get some country allegiance in the NHL Finals...who doesn't like a good Canadian beat down.

Anyway, for those of you who aren't aware, the NHL Playoffs this year are awesome. There have been a ton of OT games, a 2nd round matchup between arguably the sport's two best players (Crosby vs Ovechkin), the resurgence of the Blackhawks, a ton of series that are going to Game 7, including 3 of the 4 second round series, a potential Red Wings / Blackhawks Western Conference Finals, and plenty of facetime for Barry Melrose's mullet. I'm looking forward to the couple of Game 7's that will be occurring over the next few days, although, I don't think they will all be on TV....seriously, remember when their used to be 4 major sports in the USA? it wasn't that long ago

Alright, enough about hockey. On an unrelated note, don't drink wine, whiskey, vodka, and beer all in the same night - the result could be less than positive. Hmm, let's see, what else? Work has been interesting lately, but we won't get into that here. Indy 500 in 10 days, which means 2 1/2 days of not showering, drinking beer, eating about 5 lbs of sausage, hot dogs, brats, along w/ other grill food, playing cornhole (bags) and getting no sleep. Have the same tickets as last year, near the top of Turn 3.

Sticking w/ the NHL theme, here is the video of the week. On a related note, this is the strategy and attitude that Steve Martin, one of our partners, wants our firm's bball team to have during the upcoming Indianapolis CPA Bball Tournament. I'm not sure the other partners would agree...

Go Blackhawks! Down w/ Hockeytown!

and w/ the 28th pick

28th - that's where I was drafted in the first annual Indy Tennis Draft Men's League. Maybe a little higher than I should have been...i was thinking somewhere in the 30s or 40s but hey, i'll take it. so this should be an interesting league. It's a mixture of 4.0's through 5.5 men along w/ some of the better juniors in the indy area. For those of you who aren't familiar w/ tennis ratings, the average high school player for an average team would be somewhere between a 3.0-3.5. I'm considered a 4.5, maybe a low level 5.0 in doubles, while my buddy Marko and the Gill brothers (one of my roommates) would be 5.5s. A 6.0 and higher is essentially a professional player. This league involves prize money, beer, and a draft, so 3 things that i'm fond of.

So I about achieved Goal #3 already. I played this past Sunday w/ my Dad along w/ Larry & Tyler Pappas. they met me in Kokomo at Wildcat Creek. Decent course, although not very long, but had some tough driving holes. Shot an 80 w/ 36 frickin putts. hit a ton of fairways and greens, but failed on multiple birdie putts and a few par saving putts. Nevertheless, still a good round.

What else. Oh yeah, met Mike Dunleavy last night at the bars. My roommate gives his wife tennis lessons, so we chatted w/ them a little bit. Dunleavy is my favorite player for the Pacers....gotta respect an American white guy that averaged 19 pts/game in the NBA 2 seasons ago and can still dedicate the time needed for his second career - 70's porn star. I'm considering a new goal for 2009-10, which would be to become part of Mike D's entourage...maybe i could just write a running blog about his life. My guess is not enough people care though, so may not be the greatest career choice. On another note, all my fellow Sportsguy readers will understand that for the first 5 minutes of my time w/ Mike D, all I could think of in the back of my mind was, "Man, Simmons hates his Dad"

Going to e-town for Mother's Day this weekend, although I haven't told my Mom yet...I suppose I should check to make sure she's going to be in town first.

You saw it here first, a one-on-one w/ the most interesting man in the world

New 2009 Goal

So i've decided to add a new goal to help me achieve a new level of awesomeness by the end of 2009. I WILL BREAK 80 ON A NORMAL GOLF COURSE THIS YEAR. And yes, a legit 80, no mulligans, redo's, forgetting about penalties, erasing, or any of those shenanigans. I've shot 80 twice in my life, so this is definitely a feasible goal. Since I've essentially conquered my first two goals for 2009, i've decided to push myself to the limit and try to achieve 3 goals in a 365 day span

I was inspired by getting back out on the course last Saturday w/ my step-dad and step-brother. I played on a course I had never played before, playing in winds similar to this, took 2 penalties, had 36 putts, only hit 6 greens in regulation, and still shot 86. Not to mention I hadn't hit a ball since last October. Also encouraging was that I drove the ball really well. Anyway, this was a goal of mine for 2008 that I didn't achieve, so we shall try again.

Hmmm, what else. got a new car last Friday...turned the Maxima back in since my lease was about up and essentially stole a 2009 Altima, so I was happy w/ that. Other than that, nothing too exciting over the last week. Weather has been awesome so I've been outside alot. anyway, how bout a couple shoutouts?!?

1. To my Mom for not scolding me on my last column's dig at her about her and my dad's marriage/divorce #.
2. To my Dad - for definitely not caring
3. To my step-bro Tad for firing a 75 and an 80 for his first two rounds of the year
4. To Diddy for commenting on my last blog, however random it may have been. We, the staff of "Cook's Ramblings" appreciate audience participation
5. To me for taking Ed Martin Nissan behind the woodshed
6. To Katy P, for day drinking all day last saturday, then going on a second date w/ a guy...nice
7. To Document girl for going 3 weeks w/o texting...
8. To a coworker for facing adversity head-on
9. To Jack Bauer for shaking off a seizure and a biological warfare disease

Diddy once again requested a video, so to keep the little guy happy, I will oblige. I can't handle his whining at work if I don't give him a shoutout every now and then.

Enjoy, and remember, life could be worse, as this video proves.

On the clock

With the first pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, the Lions select...

Just kidding, i'm already sick of the NFL draft commercials, but still excited for the event nevertheless. Even though the Colts have some gaping holes in their defense, the consensus seems to be that Polian will pick a WR...which is a need as well. But enough w/ the NFL Draft...I have a better idea for this column. My friends welcome to Cook's first annual "bad-ass fictional character" draft.

Now I'm putting all superheros, television & movie characters, etc..., into this draft. Basically, your ideal bad-ass fictional character would include someone who has some sort of amazing talent(s), the ability to conquer over his opposition, viewers can identify w/ him/her, etc, along w/ many other qualities. They can be good or evil, but just as long as they are the best at what they do. You get the drift. And now the moment you've all been waiting for

With the first pick in the Bad-Ass Fictional Character draft:

#1 - James Bond. Seriously, what more would you want from a secret agent/hero? He has access to everything one would want...money, guns, cars, nice hotels, world secrets. There is always a new girl. He's stood the test of time....even though I wasn't a huge fan of the latest Bond movie. I think Bond would narrowly edge...

PICK #2 - Jack Bauer. Just look at his stats...enough said:

• Saved the world more times than my mom & dad have been married/divorced (6 between the two of them)
• Kicked a heroin habit in a 24 hour span
• Killed his partner because he had too
• Knows more gruesome torture techniques then the rest of us combined
• Broke a guy's neck by jumping off a wall into a roundhouse
• Killed his own brother because his bro was evil
• Survived the Writer's Guild strike
• Should have trademark rights on the phrase "WHO ARE YOU WORKING FOR!!!!"
• Andy named his cat after him (Bauer....even though she's a female)

PICK #3 - Kratos (from God of War video game series)

I know this one is probably very random for most of my readers and in my adult life i'm not a big video game player, w/ the exception of Guitar Hero, but let's just say he kills Zeus and essentially takes over the old Greek mythology world. From a video game standpoint, I can't think of a more worthy nominee.

PICK #4 - Keyser Soze (from The Usual Suspects movie). Now here is an interesting choice...Keyser actually turns out to be a fictional character in this movie's plot. But from the stories told in the movie about him, you would not want to mess w/ this guy. When he and his family is threatened by the Hungarian mob, legend shows that he murdered his own family that was being held hostage and then the rest of his attackers, but left one alive so that the survivor could tell his story about what went down... He then in turn takes down the whole Hungarian mob including their families and businesses. So we don't know much about him, but damn, you would not want to cross him.

PICK #5 - Vic Mackey. For those of you who didn't watch The Shield series, shame on you. Vic was able to be a crooked cop that somehow could justify his methods and tactics to the viewers so that you were always rooting for him. Again, like Jack, Vic's stats tell it all...

• Killed his partner who was investigating him and ended up getting immunity for it
• Robbed the Armenian mob money train for at least a couple million
• Orchestrated multiple gang wars to help keep peace on the streets as well as protect his own ass
• By quasi-controlling movements of many different LA gangs, he sorta controlled the drug flow in and around the LA area
• Blackmailed city and political officials and was able to justify it.
• I named my cat after him (Mackey)

I'm stopping at five....feel free to add your own suggestions as there are numerous bad-asses that deserve reference and have the resumes to justify a top 5 pick. I didn't get into any comic book characters, well, mainly because I was never a big fan of comics....but yeah, i'm sure you could make a case for a few of them.

2008 Income Taxable Income reviewed as of 4/15/09 - $43,910,127. well shy of my $103M guess...oh well.

Video of the Week - in honor of my #1 draft choice

(BTW - in follow up to my last post about Scott & Sara, thank all of you for thoughts and prayers for them. A few of us grabbed dinner and drinks w/ Scott on Tuesday night and even though we didn't talk about the subject too much, it was good to see him out and trying to get back to normal.)

Sometimes there are no reasons

Somethings in life just can't be explained. Andy and I pondered this last night as we went out for some drinks...but we weren't really in a happy-go-lucky mood. It was a wierd Friday. Yeah, the weather was great, I had the day off, I grilled out, I was lazy, Broad Ripple was hoppin at 5pm...you know, all things that would make the day great, but today was different, and not in a good way. Both Utter and I had fun hanging w/ Marko and drinking way too mcuh, but it was tough to shake the cloud that was hanging over us.

I know life isn't fair, but why does it always seem like really bad things happen to good people? What happened to Scott and Sara...no one deserves that it, but it hurts when it hits close to home like that. Even more painful was the fact that I visited them at the hospital from 4-6pm on Thursday and everything seemed to be on the up and up. Granted, I'm no doctor, but still...I would have never guessed that 6 hours later, they would go through something that no one deserves.

Reading Scott's email the next day that he sent to his family and friends was tough...they were in such good spirits just 18 hours earlier. I can't even imagine how tough it was for Scott to type that email...it had to take him an hour. But somehow he wrote it and I felt after I read it that I had known his two babies for years, but yet had never met them. Addison and Drew Cline unfortunately were born 4 months premature and barely weighed a pound each...just not strong enough to survive.

Again, there is no reason for why this would happen, but life is full of these moments...sometimes good and sometimes so so bad. Scott and Sara will mourn and cope and become stronger because of it....as will all of us. It's amazing to me how much I've learned about myself and life in general from two babies that I never had the opportunity to meet.

Scott & Sara - we are all here for you when you're ready...

Tax Season vs Blog Truce

Alright, so tax season wins...I have failed in my quest to post something at least once every 7 days. getting to work at 7:30 and not leaving till 10 or later for 4 straight days and working full days on fri-sun as well doesn't make me very happy. Anyway, i'm declaring a truce w/ my blog until after April 15th.

Updates of note:

• Went 8-1 overall in my NCAA tourney betting...go me
• Pumped the Cubs are 2-1
• Bought Coldplay tickets for their show in Indy in June
• Excited for the Masters, even though I probably won't watch any of it
• Season finale of Damages was awesome
• Closed on my re-fi
• Found out my mom and step-dad had some sort of viral infection after their latest cruise...can't really say I felt that bad. Jealously is horrible, isn't it?
• Potentially may work on Easter...i apologize in advance, God
• 7 days until tax season is over
• Excited for our Tax Season party next Wednesday...and then not working Thursday or Friday

2008 Taxable Income Reviewed to Date: 37,872,478