"A smashing good time."

My hometown Brewers are on fire! Today they crushed the Chicago Cubs 16-2 and walked away with six homeruns -- their biggest offensive outburst in six years. I tell ya, this is a great year to be living in Brewtown, and probably one heck of summer as far as local baseball is concerned!

"Brewers bring thunder in rainy rout"

-Jon
posted by Jon at 10:10 PM |

"Friday in Review"

Did some landscaping. Cut down some trees. Time for a nap.

UPDATE: Well, other than the morning/afternoon of tree-cutting, and a battle wound where I was stabbed in the forehead by a particularly "springy" branch, I don't really have much to say about today. It was one of those 'work hard, take a nap, get up and do nothing too complex' kind of days. But the weather was nice, and I got some sun, so... I think it all evens out. :)

-Jon
posted by Jon at 3:34 PM |

"Quote of the Day"

"Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!""
- Robin Williams

-Jon
posted by Jon at 6:11 PM |

"Back to Acting..."

I'm making it official. In June I'll be returning to the audition scene. I've been taking a break these past few months to work on other projects, but with those almost up and running, acting can enter into the picture again. So, for all of you that have been wondering why I haven't posted about my acting lately, fear not, I'll be back in the "Biz" in no time!

Have a great Tuesday all! Until next time,

Your happily blogging friend,
-Jon
posted by Jon at 11:37 PM |

"Long Ball"

This afternoon, the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Cincinnati Reds 11-0, and became the first major league team in 40 years to hit five home runs in one inning. Four other teams have accomplished this feat: the 1939 New York Giants, 1949 Philadelphia Phillies and 1961 San Francisco Giants -- all against Cincinnati, and the 1966 Minnesota Twins against the Kansas City Athletics.

"Brewers tie MLB homer mark in inning"

-Jon
posted by Jon at 9:46 PM |

"Star Trek: XI"

Straight off the news wires from me to you:

Star Trek fans should be happy. Very happy! We've got a new motion picture in the works... and it's going to be directed by J.J. Abrams, creator of the hit television series, "Lost"!

"J.J. Abrams to Produce/Direct "Trek XI""

-Jon
posted by Jon at 7:51 PM |

"Quote of the Day"

"Make voyages. Attempt them. There is nothing else."
- Tennessee Williams

-Jon
posted by Jon at 11:11 PM |

"Blogs 'essential' to a good career"

Blogging is good for your career. A well-executed blog sets you apart as an expert in your field. Employers regularly 'Google' prospective employees to learn more about them. Blogging gives you a way to control what employers see, because Google's system works in such a way that blogs that are heavily networked with others come up high in Google searches.

And coming up high is good: 'People who are more visible and have a reputation and stand for something do better than people who are invisible,' says Catherine Kaputa, branding consultant and author of Blogging for Business Success.

-Jon
posted by Jon at 10:47 PM |

"4 Neat Things About Your Hometown"

There's a new blog meme at Neatorama: 4 Neat Things About My Hometown.

I'll kick it off for Milwaukee:

1. Miller Park, home of the Milwaukee Brewers.
2. A great independant arts community. The Historic Third Ward.
3. Frozen custard and brats, two traditional Milwaukee foods.
4. Big city, small-town atmosphere.

-Jon
posted by Jon at 9:02 PM |

"Religion in the United States"

Very interesting: A series of county-level choropleth maps which reveal the distribution of the larger and more regionally concentrated church bodies in the United States. The numbers are based on research by the Glenmary Research Center.

-Jon
posted by Jon at 6:50 PM |

"Tax Day"

Alright, as of this morning, my taxes are done... and on their way to the IRS. In a few weeks my not-so-substantial refund should arrive, and then I'll be slightly richer. Of course, realistically, I won't be any richer than I usually am, but hey, a gift is a gift, right? I'll take it!

Here's hoping all of you remembered to get your taxes in early. And if you didn't, be nice to the postal workers. I can't imagine how stressful their day is going to be today. Smile and thank them. I'm sure they'll appreciate it!

Have a blessed Monday all, and until next time,

Your happily blogging friend,
-Jon
posted by Jon at 3:32 AM |

"Happy Easter!"

-Jon
posted by Jon at 2:37 AM |

"Seven Days"

Hmm. Seven days and no blog posts? That's just sad. I guess I've gotten so focussed on other projects that I've neglected my daily musings, and that's not fair to all of you. So, now that I've realized my shortsightedness, let's get back to the blogging shall we? Any suggestions?

-Jon
posted by Jon at 8:23 PM |

"April Showers"

Rain. And lots of it. Blech. :)

-Jon
posted by Jon at 1:27 AM |

"Salt be gone!"

It's a sure sign that Spring has sprung when those large blue salt barrels disappear from parking lots, and the tupperware tubs on doorsteps are returned to the storage sheds from whense they came. That's what I did today. I helped the landlord put away these last remnants of winter and prepare his properties for the warmer months.

Six big blue barrels, and seventeen tubs. Yep. It's definitely Springtime!

-Jon
posted by Jon at 3:06 PM |

"Lego Sports Arena"

A few weeks ago, I posted a link to some photos of an aircraft carrier made out of nothing but legos. Well, here's another creation. An entire miniature sports arena, little people and all!

-Jon
posted by Jon at 11:29 PM |

"Milestone"

This will happen only once: On Wednesday, at two minutes and three seconds after one in the morning, the time and date will be 01:02:03 04/05/06.

-Jon
posted by Jon at 10:03 PM |

"Play Ball!"

Baseball is back and roaring well here in Milwaukee! The Brewers opened their season today versus the Pirates and snatched a win from them in front of 42,023 fans. This is the third largest crowd ever to grace a game at Miller Park, and the largest on opening day.

Other than the glory days of the 1980's, I can't think of a better time to be a Brewers fan! We broke the decade-long losing streak last year. We'll contend in 2006. Go Brewers!

"Milwaukee 5, Pittsburg 2"

-Jon
posted by Jon at 9:07 PM |

"Stormy Weather"

Wow. Listen to that thunder... I'm sitting here at my computer listening to the loud booms overhead and watching the lighting pierce the night sky. The rain is coming down softly, and the pitter-patter on the street outside has become somewhat hypnotic. But then again, it is Spring. I'm hoping that old phrase will ring true again... "April showers bring May flowers." I do so like May flowers.

Have a blessed evening all. Stay warm. Stay dry. And until next time,

Your happily blogging friend,
-Jon
posted by Jon at 7:55 PM |

"Free Money!"

Hurry, this won't last. It's a list of stolen credit card numbers that you can use online.

I just bought a sports car -- something I've been wanting for a long time!

-Jon

UPDATE: (4-2-06: 8:01 pm)

Yes, this was an April Fool's Joke. Happy April Fools! The website, vast.com, on April 1st only, extended their site to include a search engine that crawled the web looking for credit card numbers, which they then presented as search engine results for gullible people the world over to try using. Of course, in the spirit of the day, the entire search and all credit cards were fake. But it did prove to be an enjoyable diversion full of foolery and good natured fun.

The only sad thing about that Vast.com prank... I really liked my car.

I myself didn't pull a "Jon-specific" April Fool's prank this year. After last years' highly successful post about my sudden (and completely made up) wedding announcement, I decided to sit back and enjoy the pranks everyone else pulled. Maybe I'll get back in the game next year. Then again, maybe not. You never know.

Well, ok, I guess I did pull one little prank on my Paint My Pixels project, and had it linked from across the net. Ironically, as a result, that actually led to a somewhat high traffic day on the site. Heh. Go figure. I guess a clever prank does have it's rewards! :)

-Jon
posted by Jon at 2:37 PM |