Progressive Nonsense

Got love American companies lack of ethics. We are a Progressive customer. Imagine our surprise when our monthly rate goes up to $455 a month out of the blue. Purely unethical behavior on Progressive's part.

When we noticed the mistake because all of a sudden there was a much larger charge pulled out of our account than previously, we called. Not surprisingly. Should have noticed prior to them pulling it out, but live and learn, my bad.

So I call, and what do they tell me? They automatically added my son Ken to the policy as a driver. They said they automatically added him because he turned 16 or got his license. Unfortunately for them, he turned sixteen 8 months ago and currently does not have a license. There is a reason I hadn't added him to the policy as a driver you twits.

Yes, I should have noticed it before they pulled it from the account. And yes I should have called to have them fix it. Like I said, my bad. But that's where the scam comes in. They automatically changed my policy without my approval and billed for it. Which means I have to take the time to call and have it fixed. I assume their hope is that I don't call and get it fixed, and they walk off with free money.

At a minimum, they made me take time for something they did without my permission. Next time, I will send them a bill, at my hourly rate for any part thereof. In other words, if it's a 5 minute call, I'll bill them for an hour.

I will say, the lady on the phone was great. She fixed it, and then found us some additional discounts. Which I really appreciated, but the fact that I had to call for their unethical behavior doesn't change. I will also say that we've had no problems with Progressive other than this. Compared to our experiences at Hillcrest, a Cleveland Clinic Hospital, Progressive has been great.

But here's the thing, I think Hillcrest/Cleveland Clinic is just plain incompetent. They can't help it. This issue with Progressive was not incompetence. They can't add him as a driver since he doesn't have a valid License number which is a required field in the data. They just did it.

If your curious, Hillcrest has been sending us a bill for $54 which was rejected by Medical Mutual of Ohio. I figured it was a processing issue so I sat on it until I recently got the last and final warning bill from Hillcrest (actually billing is out of Akron). So I called Medical Mutual and asked why this was rejected, and they said they never received the diagnosis/doctor's report on the charge. In other words, Hillcrest didn't do their job to get paid. This bill is just one example, and I won't go in to the fact that they gave my daughter the wrong vaccination and tried to charge us $200. Pure and simple incompetence.

And yes I know I'm over reacting to the Progressive nonsense, but it annoyed the hell out me. And I wanted to rant.

Twitterfeed adds Facebook

Received an email update from twitterfeed today, apparently announcing that it now will also update facebook. However, I already have an application that already sends my twitter updates to facebook, and I have twitterfeed posting my blog feed to twitter. So the question is what does this late entry from tweeterfeed do for me?

Tracking of course:

What's more, you'll see statistics for each post showing you just how many people clicked on posts from Facebook vs those from Twitter. You'll be able to better understand just where your social media strategy is working.

In that same mail, they also announce support for Pubsubhubbub (demo video) and Google analytics. Pretty cool.

So now I need to re-configure my echo chamber.

Cleveland.Com's New Commenting Policy

Improvements are coming to Cleveland.com. (HT to Jill Miller Zimon); cleveland.com's attempts to bring civility online seem to be working - Ted Diadiun. Also see:

Plain Dealer wants comments -- without the side order of bile

cleveland.com, the heart and voice of Northeast Ohio

Can't log in to post a comment? Fixes on the way

Cleveland Browns Are Making Some Progress

Okay, I've been pretty much hammering the Browns this season. However, today against the Steelers while they are still bad, I have to admit I like the fact that they are trying different things. From running a lot of wildcat formations, etc. The play calling is still pretty miserable, and the catching is horrid, as are many of DA's throws. But they are trying different things, anything to make themselves competitive.

Not having a quality receiver and Quarterback hurts. We also need to see more of Harrison and Jamal Tip-Toe-Thru-The-Tulips (T⁵) Lewis just doesn't bring enough. He seems slow and doesn't have the power I thought he had. Harrison has speed, but probably not enough size/power.

We'll still lose this game, but I will say the team is making progress.

Ryukyu Festival

あ、行きたい！

Hat tip to Okinawa-Information.com. In Japanese - http://www.ryusai.jp/

Browns Win in worst game I have ever seen

Okay, that was absolutely the worst football game I have ever seen. The Browns were terrible, with the exception of our punt team. DA stunk(23 yards passing, worst in Browns history), but so did his receivers (7 drops, obviously in honor of BE). In particular, Robert Royal is just bad. When is Mangini going to bench the guy? Jamal did get over 100 yard rushing, but that's against a team using their 4th string middle linebacker. Tiptoe through the tulips Lewis drives me nuts, but not sure we have anyone else.

Superb play by the punting team, and an absolute refusal to play disciplined footbal by the Bills lead the the Browns victory. Take away Bills penalties and the Browns would have been thrashed. Take away the one fumble at the end of the game and we'd be headed to overtime. Mangini and staff are really luck that really poor play calling at the end of the half didn't come back to bite them.

I have to say though, I feel really bad for the Bills fans. They actually lost to the Browns. Probably the worst team I have ever seen(granted I haven't watched Oakland, Tampa Bay, or St. Louis this year). And they largely lost due to the Bills own mistakes, not anything the Browns did.

I'd like to say the Defense played well, but it's just too hard to say that with all the penalties on the Bills OL. I mean how many times were they called for illegal motion?

I will say that the Browns had very few penalties, including one roughing the passer call that was a really lame call. So that is definitely an improvement.

Mayfield Hts Mayoral Race

You can tell it's election season. The yard signs are everywhere. As you drive up Lander Road from Ridgebury towards Mayfleld Rd, it seems like more houses have the yard signs than not. In particular, the one's I notice are signs for the two Mayoral candidates; current Mayor Gregory S. Costabile and challenger Howard Sonenstein. Both of their signs had urls on 'em so I went and check them out.

Me being me, first thing I did is to check their sites with the wc3 validator. Color me impressed. The Mayor's site had only 5 errors, and the challengers only 3 errors. The Mayor's site looks like a simple mistake, while the Challengers is due to a piece of javascript. Pretty much as good as you could ask for...except fully valid of course.

Both sites also pass Section 508 validation tests, and both fail Web Accessibility. Both of these validation tests are to check:

"compliance with U.S. federal standards for accessible Web content, outlined in the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998, Section 508, Subpart B, §1194.22. Additionally, this guide can assist you in ensuring that your Web-based documents comply with World Wide Web, or W3C® WCAG 1.0 , accessibility guidelines."

Taking a look at the source, I was surprised to find that neither had google analytics code embedded to track access to the site. Perhaps someone is using a server based log analyzer. I would certainly hope so anyway because otherwise they have no idea who is accessing their sites nor from where.

Neither site, though, provided RSS feeds. So clearly the sites are static and largely will not change. Which of course without RSS feeds no one is going to know it changed anyway. Clearly it seems to me that they have web sites because they are expected to have websites, but that their web presence is not really part of the campaign strategy.

I cannot understand why sites like these don't have RSS. It just makes no sense to me. Even if the candidate doesn't understand it you would hope that the creators of the site do. I would have to say that this reflects more poorly on the Mr. Costabile than Mr. Sonenstein, as the Mayor has in his bio that the web site was "improved". Not nearly enough in my opinion. He does suggest that more changes are on the way so we'll see.

Okay, so that's where I always start. With the web site, how it's constructed and whether its really a part of their campaign. Clearly, it's window dressing to say that have one.

As a relatively new resident to Mayfield Heights, I have no idea who either these gentlemen are. So I read through the mass quantity of information available on their sites, all two or three pages (that sound you hear is me pulling my tongue out of my cheek). What I found interesting is that for many of the "achievements" of Mayfield Heights government, both take credit. And probably validly so, since one was the Mayor and the other on City Council. One would assume they would have to work together to get things done.

Gregory S. Costabile	Howard Sonenstein
Accomplishments	Accomplishments
Purchase of Oakville Park	Purchase of Oakville Park
Improved Cable TV	Improved Cable TV
Settled Costco	Settled Costco
Senior Transportation	Senior Transportation

Okay, so until that point it really doesn't matter to me which to vote for, since clearly they have both done good things. I think Mr. Costabile wins in that as he is the incumbent - if it ain't broke, don't fix it. There has to be something to differentiate the candidates, and of course there is.

Mr. Costabile goes on to list other accomplishments such as obtaining grants, managing the ODOT project so it was ended early and under budget amongst other things. On the other hand, Mr. Sonenstein lists the committees he was on and clearly had to work with the Mayor on some of those issues/accomplishments.

What is clearly different though is Mr. Sonenstein's claim to have fought the Mayor and the City Council President over a gas well in the Mayfield City Park. While I'm sure that the revenue from the well would help the city financially, from an eye-sore perspective in one of the really nice places in the City, I'd have to side with Mr. Sonenstein on this one.

On the other hand, Mr. Costabile points to increased environmental awareness and activities. He lays claims to planting trees and conducting energy audits of City Buildings. No where on Mr. Sonenstein's site is there mention of what I consider a critical issue. So I have to side with Mr. Constabile on this one as at least it's on his radar. I'd like to see both candidates, but at a minimum, Mr. Costabile since it is on his platform, to show up at my brother George's talk at the Townhall Series on October 26th. They'd learn quite a bit from someone who is playing a large environmental role in a major city(Washington D.C.)

So they both are still about even, with the incumbent being a tad bit ahead in my opinion so far. That brings me to their "platforms". I really like the fact that both candidates have clearly labeled "platforms" of what they plan to bring to the Office. Again, being a web guy, Mr. Sonenstein gets kudos for having the easier to read. 　His platform is numbered for easy reading, while Mr. Costabiles is more like a document, a bunch of paragraphs. Not that there is anything wrong with that per se, but it's just a little harder to read. Personally, I like the way Jill Miller Zimon has her campaign page where her issues are clearly labeled and you can pick the one you are interested on and it opens up to show just that piece. (To be fair, Jill's top page is filled with over 300 html validation errors, so both Mayfield gentlemen win in that regard. Note, I'm a big fan of Jill's regardless of whether I agree with everything or nothing she says. She's smart, dedicated, thorough, eloquent and worth listening to for what she has to say.)

Unfortunately, Mr Sonenstein completely loses me with his final item. It's in all caps. Why is he shouting at me? I don't even know the guy. Okay, I get that he's trying to emphasize it, but in the internet world ALL CAPS means one of two things; your all caps key is stuck or your shouting.

To add to that impression, in this section he insuates some serious claims. While he doesn't state it out right, he suggests that Mr. Costabile, the current mayor, uses the office for personal gain, plays favorites based on political favors, and does not commit to the job full time. That's some serious claims particularly when you are shouting them.

To be blunt, based on the contents and the style in which it's rendered, I find it unprofessional and childish. And that's where Mr. Sonenstein loses me. In addition, the platform of Mr. Costabile is much more thorough, covering a wide range of very specific topics. Mr Sonenstein's does as well, just not as thorough.

However, let's take a look at them specifically.

Gregory S. Costabile	Howard Sonenstein
Platform	Platform
Continued development of Economic plan - business park	Job Fair
Work with planners to support strong retail district	Cut Taxes based on reduced property value
Establish committee to develop action plan for Oakville Park	Health Care - leverage Hillcrest to provide immunizations, flu shots for residents, and clinics for those with no insurance, and creation(?) of other clinics
Expand Unity Day committee to include more residents	Create Dog Park
Expand Senior Programs	Sidewalk and Apron Replacement
Create new programs for teeanagers - volunteer opportunities and social events	Offer "out of hours" building inspections
Strengthen regional ties, improve state and federal relationships	More programs for children including sprinkler park
Expand building department services	shouting...sorry, that' should be: dedicate full time to office, treat residents equally, open and honest communication
Provide Fire and Police with state of art equipment and training
More recreational activities
Equip Services department to provide chipper services, leaf pickup, sidewalk repair etc.
Develop community groups
Find new and improved ways to be environmentally consicous
Implement grant to improve Ross Center

What seems to be clear to me is that Mr. Sonenstein wants to cut property taxes, create a job fair where residents have priority, and improved health care. Mr. Costabile at a minimum is keeping taxes the same, that lengthy list would hint as possible tax increase. But perhaps not. At a minimum, Mr. Costabile has a more thorough platform. Unclear to me is how he plans to pay for all of these items.

In the end though, I'd have to say I lean fairly heavily at this point to Mr. Costabile. Remember, I don't know either of these gentlemen and wouldn't know them if they passed me on the street. I am simply going by their websites.

I'd also like to point out to Mr. Sonenstein that if you click on the "Photos" link from the platform page, you are linked to a "template" that suggests the page was created in Scotland. I found the following pages on your site:

• index-1.html
• index-2.html
• index-3.html
• index-4.html

You might want to fix those or at least get a refund from whoever created this site. That's really unprofessional.

So, who is your choice and why?

子供が大きくなると

今日はなんと、朝から夕方までありさと僕、二人きりになりました。　来年の八月に結婚２０周年になり、結婚してから１年目エリーが生まれ、あれ以来だら二人きりになったことは殆どありません。　必ず、誰かいる状態が１９年ぐらい続いているのです。　でも、最近は子供が大きくなっていて、　出かけたりするようになっています。　今日はケンが友達と朝早くシーだーポイントに行きました。　エリーとジョージは10時ごろにキークラブの活動でどこかの子供祭りにボランティアしに行きました。

なんと、家が静かです。 僕はパソコンを向いていて、ありさが何かやっている。これもいいですね。　そして、二人が車のヘッドライトのランプや銀行、グロサリーに一緒に行って帰ってきまして、子供がまだ帰って来ていなく静かです。　

そして、これから二人がカリブー（コーヒーショップ）にいって、デート。　いい土曜日ですな。

Bye Bye Braylon

So y new favorite NFL coach traded away Braylon Edwards. Of course, this news has been taken up nationally and locally. I am hoping that Braylon does well with the Jets because according to what I read, we get better draft picks next year the better he does.

What I don't know is whether is was worth it for this year to get rid of Braylon. In our last game, we established Massaquoi (sp?) as a threat when teams double cover Braylon. That's what seemed to keep us in the game against Cinci. Now that they traded him away what's that do for our wide receiver threat? Robiskie? The guy Eric Mangini stretch to just let him dress for the Cincy game.

Okay, so we're getting Chansi Stuckey in return, So far this season he's had 11 receptions for 120 yards and 1 td versus Braylon's 10 receptions for 139 yards and zero TDs. I have a feeling that Chansi's not going to cut it. We'll see, but I have my doubts that we'll have effective enough wr threats to let our offense grow.

Update So I was talking with Ken about the Braylon thing and the fact that Sportstalkcle hinted a rumour that the Browns were actively shopping Brady Quinn around . So Ken asks me, and I respond with :

ME: yes, but the real question is....

KEN rudely interrupting: do the cavs win a championship this year

Ain't that the truth.

Mayfield JV Beats Lake Catholic 5-0

Yesterday, Mayfield's JV team beat Lake Catholic by a score of 5-0. Ken had an assist though it wasn't his best game. Overall, the JV team played better in the first half then the second half, but they were already up 3-0 at half time. The fifth goal came with about a minute left.

Ken's assist was a beautiful thing to behold. He chipped it over the heads of the defenders to Amare who one touched it with power into the back of the net. Ken now has 4 assists on the season.

Only watched the first half of the varsity game, but I though Lake Catholic played really well. At a minimum, I liked the *way* the played. Don't know the final score though.

Mayfield JV Beats Willoughby South 4-2

So the JV Wildcats came away from Willoughby South High School with a 4-2 win. It was not nearly as close as all that, should have been at least 5-0, and you will enjoy why the final score seems to indicate a more closely competitive game.

First things first, though. Mayfield JV did not play well. It was partially because the field conditions were terrible. Players were slipping and falling everywhere. I think we were on the Willoughby South's football field. I don't think they had a game there last night, but the middle of the field was really muddy.
So you see the kids trying to play their game, but they just couldn't get it going. And that was pretty much true the whole game. To be blunt, it was a snoozer. Jake had a couple of great moves leaving opposing players with their shorts around their ankles. Other than that though, it was just a blah game.

The real score should have 5-0 like I mentioned. The referees took one away. So Mayfield is up 2-0 at halftime, at the end of the break Mayfield waits for Willoughby South to take the field for about five minutes. So they start the second half, and Mayfield blows down the field and Jake puts in a pretty ball into the back of the net. Maybe 30 seconds have gone by until the goal. Willoughby players start yelling to the ref and their own coach. Their coach finally figures out what their saying and starts yelling at the ref that it wasn't a fair start because Willoughby had only 10 players on the field. So the ref says okay let's start again, taks the goal away and they let Willoughby kick off even though Mayfield is supposed to start. Wow, what a mess.

So now we're still 2-0. Okay, that's fine. We're better, not under and pressure from them but not particularly playing well either. We eventually score another two goals.

But as you know, the final score is 4-2. Well one of Willoughby South's players scored both of their goals. Apparently, the Willoughby South players told our guys that this kid was mentally handicapped or some such. Mayfield players being the kind gentlemen they are decide to let this kid score. Us parents sitting in the stands have no idea this is going on, so you can imagine our surprise when this kid goes through our whole defense which looks like it just stopped playing. (Hint, they really did just stop playing). We were thoroughly confused. And then it happens AGAIN. So at that point we don't know why they're letting this one opposing player score, but its really, really clear they are.

Of course, afterwards we find out the real deal. And I'm sure our kids were feeling proud of themselves for a truly kind hearted gesture. And you can imagine the beaming parents.

But that's not the end of the story.

Turns out that the opposing players were actually lying to our players. They were just making fun of this kid and it was apparent after the game that he takes alot of abuse from the other Willoughby South players. They were just ragging on him. Regardless, our guys were feeling pretty foolish for letting a player score on them whose only problem was that he's not a very good soccer player and is picked on by the rest of his teammates.

So much for kind hearted gestures. But it's the thought that counts and it was a classy thing to do. I just wished the played better.

I know believe that Mayfield JV is 7-3, with 4 more to go. I believe the Aurora game was cancelled and not postponed.

I refuse to talk about Mayfield Varsity's tie game with Willoughby South. Mother says if you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all.

Mangini Does a Flip-Flop

Today, Eric Mangini announced that Derek Anderson would be the starting quarterback this Sunday against the Bengals. While it'll make the game more interesting, I don't think the results will change, nor does it provide us with a view as to how good or bad Brady Quinn is. He really hasn't had a chance and while he has looked miserable, it seems to me it's a combination of him being afraid of making mistakes and just horrendous play calling. I'm also not sure what he's afraid of...making a mistake?

We know DA will do one of two things: 1) stink up the place, and 2) make throws that make you go "Wow". And he'll probably do both during the game. That's DA. It does make it exciting because you never know what you're going to get.

I don't particularly like this move by Mangini because it looks like he's trying to get a win, a TD, whatever to save his job. It's not about making the best future football team, it's about now, this week. But reality is we'll still be really, really bad. I'd rather see him focusing on improving the team, and I'm not sure that DA is the right choice for that. But I've been wrong before...

I don't like is that Eric flip-flopped on himself saying he'd stay with the quarterback he chose for the whole season. It just makes me question anything he says. At the same time, I do like the difference from Romeo who would stick with his favorites way too long even though they were stinking up the place. And Brady was stinking up the place, I'm just not sure whether it's Brady's fault.

Go Browns!

Cleveland Browns Are Bad

I was not going to post anything negative about the Browns this season, since I knew that it was going to be a bad team. In fact, I anticipated we'd be lucky to match last year's record. But I expected progress and improvement from a terrible Crennel era.

No such luck.

If anything they are a worse team under Eric Mangini. The team has not improved week to week, losing in increasingly embarrassing fashion. Half way through today's game I couldn't help but think how hard it is for these guys to play with the intensity they need to be competitive. I'm actually okay with the Defense, as bad as it got beat up by the Ravens, but special teams is pretty weak and the offense non-existent.

Once again, our Quarterbacks look worse than they probably are since we have no offensive line. (Well it is offensive, but you know what I mean.) I was not surprised by anything Derek Anderson did today as that's Derek Anderson. I knew that he'd make it more interesting, but in the end would throw picks that would kill any drive. Nor would he get us into the end zone. Brady Quinn, on the other hand, looks bad. He looks like he's afraid to throw longer than 5 yards. I cannot understand why when Brady is the QB the receivers run 2-3 yards short of the 1st down marker.

Whose fault is that? Is that the Offensive Coordinator or Brady? Or both? I noticed that when Derek was in most of the receivers were passed the first down marker on their routes. So is the coaching staff holding Brady in check? Is there something we don't know? I can't tell, but it looks like the offense isn't designed to go deep when BQ plays. But there are also glimpses of Brady just not wanting to throw it deep.

Anyway you look at it, neither is currently working out.

And the problems come down to the current management. Poor draft choices, poor trades, and implementing overbearing discipline. When you have five players filing complaints, there has to be a problem. When you have "fights" breaking out in the locker room there has to be a problem. When two players the Browns passed up on in the draft are starting and looking like pro-bowl material, and our picks are playing there as to be a problem.

With the management and coaching staff.

So against all common sense and probably all rational thought, my gut reaction is to fire Eric Mangini today. I would normally agree that you give a new coach some time to start building. However, Mangini has made so many missteps already that I don't think anything of value is achievable. Cut and run now.

Can you imagine, two Erics fired in one year in Cleveland. Music to my ears.

Of course, we all know what the real problem is. Randy Lerner, the owner. Until ownership is changed, a chance at a competitive football team is a pipe dream. I understand that he is probably making money on the enterprise. Unfortunately, it also appears that he has no pride either. I imagine that most folks who run money-making enterprises actually take pride in the quality of the products and services they provide. Randy apparently has zero pride, putting up with garbage year in and year out.

I was hoping to start a movement to have the residents of Northeast Ohio to purchase the team from Sir Lerner. Unfortunately, a short stop at wikipedia cured me of that particular nonsense...Green Bay was "grandfathered" to allow more than 32 owners of a particular team. Even so, it may be interesting to look into it some more since simply asking Sir Lerner to sell is not the answer since there is no guarantee that he'll sell it to anyone who is 1) going to keep the team in Cleveland, 2) be any good for the team.

Lacking that, though, they need to fire Eric Mangini. I know, it's probably not smart but nothing else the Browns organization has done in the last 10 years is either. So why stop now. Just fire the twit.

Mayfield JV Beats Brush 1-0

It rained the whole game and pretty hard for big portions of it. Regardless, the Mayfield JV soccer team played its best game of the season, handing Brush High SchoolJV Team a 1-0 loss.

悩むな

前から知っていたんですけど、ミクシィはオープンID（OpenID)を対応しているというか、OpenIDのプロバイダーです。　何かというと、たとえばミクシィのログイン名を使ってこのサイトにログインすることが可能です。　実はヤフーも同様な機能を提供しているんです。　

僕なんかはいくつかのサイトに登録して、そのサイトにIDとパスワードを覚える必要がります。　これはなんかなんか面倒くさいし、場合によって忘れやすいわけです。　ということでこのOpenIDの仕組みを利用してひとつのIDで複数のサイトにログインすることが出来るようになります。凄く便利ですね。 たとえば、このサイトにログインしてブログを追加するためにミクシィIDを利用すればよいんです。　このサイトのIDをわざわざ覚える必要がありません。

またサンディエゴ

このあいだ、Diego出張について投稿しましたが、またまた今はサンディエゴに来ています。　普段は殆ど毎晩出張している方々と一緒に夕ご飯を食べに行きますけど、今回は今夜だけ一緒に出かけたんです。　本当は日本風焼肉屋さんに行こうと思ったのですが、見つからなかったんです。ということで違う和食レストランに行ってきました。

一応、居酒屋という看板と寿司屋でもあるような看板があったし、ウエブサイトのドメイン名が寿司を重視しています。　www.ichirossushi.com. ま、和食レストランでした。寿司以外も普通のメニューでした。僕が頼んだのはカツどんでした。　居酒屋的なものといえば、牛たたきです。日本にいるごろ、居酒屋に行ったら必ず牛たたきを頼みました。　今夜はスペシャルで牛たたきがありましたので注文しました。

焼き鳥もありましたけど、写真を撮る前に食べきったんです。餃子もあって食べきる前に写真を撮るのを思い出して。。。

本音といえば、妻のカツどんと餃子の方が美味しいと思います。別にこのレストランのカツどんと餃子は美味しくないわけではなく、単なる妻が作ったの方が美味しいと思います。　

写真良くないけど、やはり赤提灯っていいよね

True Dat:Rants from the Dawg Pound:Browns-Vikings Edition | Browns Rant

This post over at brownsrant was purdy darn close to my take on the game

Rants from the Dawg Pound:Browns-Vikings Edition | Browns Rant

Browns Lose to Vikings

The Cleveland Browns lost to the Vikings today which is by no means a surprise. What I was pleased about was that with the exception of the third quarter, the Browns were actually competitive. That's the only criteria I have for this season is that they don't embarrass themselves, but are actually competitive. I don't expect alot of wins.

Importantly, the touchdown drought ended, granted it was in "garbage time", but a td is a td. We couldn't have gotten that last year. I think Brady Quinn did okay. Not sure what happened on the interception he had, but clearly it was a miscommunication/misread by either Brady or Braylon Edwards. The fumble was a boneheaded move as it would have been an awkward, weak throw even if he could have maintained his grip on the ball. Even subtracting those plays though, I was not overwhelmed by Brady's play. It'll be interesting to see how he progresses now that he's the QB.

Jamal doesn't have any speed anymore, but he is a punishing running back. It's clear he likes to hit. James Davis seemed to be a tad bit overwhelmed and was generally ineffective before getting hurt.

I thought the defense, particularly in the first half, did well. The worry I had was could they maintain it for the whole 60 minutes, and clearly they couldn't. Adrian Peterson had 155 yards in the second half alone. In general though the Browns D actually tackled for the most part. The lack of tackling last year drove me nuts. Poor tackling wasn't completely eliminated, but it was a big improvement.

Prior to the game, I was hoping that Vikes would only win by a score of 27-10. It ended up 34-20, which was more competitive than I thought it would be. And that's what I like to see.

Disappointed with Google Sites

I'm disappointed with Google Sites.   A recent post on Google's blog proudly trumpets the addition of Hebrew and other left to right language support in Google sites.
I'd really prefer them to to get some basics right first.  Like actually providing RSS feeds.  I've found a couple of "workarounds" but none of them work particularly well, and I wasn't really willing to work that hard to get an RSS feed. 

Diamond Jamboree

今は出張でカリフォーニアにいますが、初日にカリフォーニアピザキッチェンに行きましたが、パスタやピザのレストランですけど、ウエイトレスが凄く良かったです。　 サービスも良かったけど、近くにある美味しいレストランを教えてくれました。　１０店ほど教えてくれたんですが、その中でキューバ、ハワイ、アジアのレストランが含まれました。

教えてくれた中で２店がホテルのすぐ近くでした。一昨日、そこに行ってみたのですが、なんと Diamond　Jamboreeというレストラン街でした。雰囲気的にレガシーやクロッカーパークと似ているけど、買い物する店が少なく殆どレストラン。一昨日はクリスティちゃんが教えた店に行こうかなと思ったのですが、Ajisenラーメン屋があって結局そこで食べました。とんかつラーメン（豚骨）、餃子を頼んで、結構惜しかったです。麺はちょっと固かった気がしますけど、美味しかったんです。 クリーブランドにラーメン屋がないから比較的に高く評価しているかもしれないけどね。