I've moved! Check the new (same) blog over on WordPress! 

Time to Switch?

So yesterday, I got fed up with Blogger. I've spent a lot of time on this particular page, and that investment has held me to it.  However, yesterday I got extremely frustrated uploading pictures. Blogger doesn't make it easy to upload pictures, or to organize them. So, this brought up something I had been considering a while back - a switch to another blogging platform. Wordpress? Tumblr maybe? I really don't think Tumblr is an option as far as my blog goes, as it is more of an image based site. But Wordpress intrigues me. Anyone have any preferences? Ideas? Random awesome blogging platforms? My computer has been running slow, so I need to do some housekeeping - might as well extend the housekeeping to my site too. I think I'm in need of a change.

And now a random comic from some guy named Ben. I don't know him. But I laughed.

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Rutland Demolition Derby

On the Fourth of July, Dayna, Frank, Jon and I headed up to Rutland to check out the Demolition Derby. Apparently, they still have those, and for good reason. It was a great time. Dayna and I went in a bit skeptical of such a "red neck" event, but this is Vermont after all, and it ended up being one of the greatest things I've seen. The only rule is you can't hit the driver side door. Other than that, people just ram into each other until only one car is left running. Check out the video, and some pictures I got from the stands (wooden bleachers. Did we learn nothing from the Baker Bowl a century ago?) The fireworks at the fairgrounds afterwards topped off a great Vermont Fourth.

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Youtubesday

A sad day for baseball, as George Steinbrenner has died. As a Sox fan, I hated the man that would spend anything and everything to lure the best players there. But after today, beating the Yankees won't be the same. The man who orchestrated what the Yankees have become, who resurrected what the Yankees were,  is no longer behind the scenes running things. It's hard to hate the Yankees today. And today, of all days, I cheer for the Yankees, and the rest of the American League, in the All Star Game. This video shows the kind of owner George was, and the type of owner every team needs.



RIP George Steinbrenner.


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Lame "Will Be Posting" Post

It's been a busy couple weeks, and the posting has slacked, as have I when I can. I kinda miss writing on here though, so I'll be hopefully getting back into this with the next YouTubesDay tomorrow. For now, it's on to straightening up the apartment and getting things in order again.


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50 Cent in Atlantic City

Last weekend, Dayna and I went to see 50 Cent at the House of Blues in Atlantic City. Yes, the tickets were free, she won them on the radio. I gotta say, he put on a hell of a show. Very high energy, and everyone was really into it. He also seemed much more approachable than I imagined him from listening to him. Yep that's right, 50 Cent seems like a nice guy. Now, no more reading, just pictures.

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Youtubesday

Been pretty busy lately, but will hopefully be getting back on track soon. I know you've missed me. Anyway, this video is sick - I'd pop it out into YouTube for the full version, as it's a widescreen video, to get the full effect.




As for the World Cup, the US lost and I gotta say, it was devastating. The goalie for Ghana had a hell of a match though, and I'll do some housecleaning on the World Cup these next two off days. Some good games coming up though, in Netherlands v. Brazil and Germany vs. Argentina. Oranje!

Follow me on Twitter @andrewensminger.

The US Does It!

The US had yet another dramatic game today (they don't make anything easy, do they?), yet were able to pull out the victory to win Group C in the World Cup, setting up a date with Ghana on Saturday. The US peppered the Algerian goal with quality chances all game long, but through 90 minutes hadn't put anything besides yet another disallowed-but-legitimate-goal in the back of the net. With England having already won their match, pushing the Americans down to third in the group, the US needed a miracle in stoppage time to advance to the knockout stage. Then, in the 91st minute, Landon Donovan cleaned up a rebound in front of the Algerian net, burying a shot to grab a dramatic 1 - 0 victory to move on the the final 16. It was indescribable - the biggest moment in recent, if not all time, US soccer history. Just an amazing game.


I'll be down in Jersey with the girl this weekend, heading to Atlantic City for a 50 Cent show (seriously) and Sea Isle City to just get some shore time in. It'll probably be my only chance to get to the beach this summer, and I'm really looking forward to the long weekend with Dayna. I most likely won't be posting until next week, but I'll be tweeting so follow me on Twitter @andrewensminger.

Game Summaries

USA 1:0 Algeria
Wow. Just wow. What an incredible game, and the country really seems to be getting behind this team.

Slovenia 0:1 England
England draws Germany in what should be a good first elimination game.

Ghana 0:1 Germany
Germany pulls out the victory to win the group, and, more importantly, the US avoids a round of 16 match with them.

Australia 2:1 Serbia
Australia goes home with a win, but finish third in Group D on goal differential.

Youtubesday

Happy Birthday Mom!

Just a couple quick videos, and notes from the past couple days of World Cup play. Groups are being decided these next few days, and the US has a big game tomorrow. Win and we're into the knockout stage. Can't ask for more than controlling our own destiny. Also, I really like what the schedule does for the third game of group play. It has all 4 teams in a group with simultaneous kickoffs, so no team has the advantage of knowing what they need to do to advance. They have some thinkers over there.


An annoying emo kid gets LAID OUT by a Florida recruit. Skip towards the end if you just want to see the biggest hit of the video.





KG gives Craig Sager (you know him for his suits during NBA broadcasts) fashion advice. "Is there any part of this I can keep?" "No. None of it. So when you get done with this, you should be buttass naked. This should be burned."





World Cup Results


Monday, June 21

Portugal 7:0 North Korea
Portugal just absolutely throttled North Korea.

Chile 1:0 Switzerland
Chile downs a surprisingly strong Swiss team to take control of their group.

Spain 2:0 Honduras
Spain picks up their first win after a disappointing first game, however Chile's win sets up a potential Brazil vs. Spain round of 16 match.


Tuesday, June 22

France 1:2 South Africa
Bafana Bafana picks up a win for the home crowd, and further humiliates France. I think even the French are glad to see their team done at this point.

Mexico 0:1 Uruguay
Uruguay takes the group, with Mexico beating out South Africa on goal differential to take second and advance.

Greece 0:2 Argentina
Argentina runs through the group with 3 wins, securing first place and a match up with Mexico in the knockout round.

Nigeria 2:2 South Korea
South Korea picks up the point to take second in the group, locking them in for a match against red-hot Argentina. Nigeria avoided going home without picking up a point.


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World Cup Results for June 19 and 20

No post yesterday, it was a lazy day, plus nothing really exciting happened in the World Cup. Netherlands held off Japan, the Socceroos managed a tie against Ghana with 10 men, and Denmark eliminated Cameroon with a victory.


Sunday, however, was another story. New Zealand managed to tie Italy, even holding a lead for awhile. This World Cup has been truly crazy. Italy, Germany, Spain and France have all had disappointing showings, with France's soccer federation now in shambles and Les Bleus all but elminated. North Korea scored on Brazil. It's been nuts. In the other two games, Brazil blew out Côte d'Ivoire, complete with yet another controversial call, and Paraguay downed Slovakia.

Game Summaries

Saturday, June 19

Netherlands 1:0 Japan

Ghana 1:1 Australia

Cameroon 1:2 Denmark

Sunday, June 20

Slovakia 0:2 Paraguay

Italy 1:1 New Zealand

Brazil 3:1 Côte d'Ivoire


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World Cup Results for June 18

The US played game two of their World Cup, and again pulled out a draw, this one of epic proportions. The US doesn't have many memories in soccer, but I think this game will live on in US soccer lore. Again, the US gave up early goals, but came back strong in the second half, and, honestly, should have won. After Landon Donovan and the coach's son Michael Bradley tied the game at 2, Maurice Edu scored what appeared to be the game winner, only to have it disallowed. The ref called a foul, but never said on who or what the foul was. I never thought I'd be this passionate about soccer, but watching the replay of that play made me sick. Alexi Lalas looked like he was near tears in the post game, and even the English announcers were saying it was a horrible call. The good thing, however, is that thanks to England's lifeless tie with Algeria, the US controls their destiny. A win against Algeria Wednesday puts them through to the elimination round. 


The third game of the day saw Serbia upset a 10 man Germany. Klose was tossed with two yellows in the first half, and Serbia was able to upset the Germans.

Game Summaries

Germany 0:1 Serbia

Slovenia 2:2 United States

England 0:0 Algeria



Follow me on Twitter @andrewensminger.

World Cup Results for June 17

For the first time, no games ended in a tie. After a slow scoring start to the World Cup, it picked up today. Argentina thrashed the host South Africa. Greece picked up their country's first World Cup win, beating a 10 man Nigeria. And Mexico did the world a favor and took out France in the third game today.

Game Summaries

Argentina 4:1 South Korea

Greece 2:1 Nigeria

France 0:2 Mexico

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World Cup Results for June 16

The story of the day was Switzerland pulling off the biggest upset thus far in the 2010 World Cup, taking a 1-0 victory and the 3 points that come with it in their match against Spain. It's simply unbelievable that the Swiss were able to pull the upset, and, personally, my social media network reflected it. Feeds full of just shock and a mix of joy and disappointment. I just watched the end of the game, and it could have been 2-0 if not for the post getting in the way. The Spaniards dominated in the stats, but the Swiss got the win. In the other two games, Chile got their country's first World Cup victory and Uruguay put up a big win against the host team of South Africa.

Game Summaries

Honduras 0:1 Chile

Spain 0:1 Switzerland

South Africa 0:3 Uruguay

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Youtubesday

A few quick videos this Youtubesday, since this is my second post today and all. First up, let's combine the last two weeks themes - legos and soccer - for a rather funny rendition of the goals scored in this weekend's US/England game.



What was Lady Gaga's plan for getting famous? Glad you asked!



And the most recent episode of the Philip DeFranco show. He's just a guy who got YouTube famous by posting himself talking about current events, some that matter, some that don't. It could be considered NSFW if that matters to you, so you've been warned. He's an entertaining fella, and worth a follow.



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World Cup Results for June 15

The first two games this morning seemed to be pretty dull, although it was good to see that Drogba played, broken arm and all. New Zealand's stoppage time goal salvaged them a point, making that game slightly exciting. The Brazil/North Korea game was entertaining, and it seems as though the North Korean keeper put on quite a show to keep them in the game. Brazil pulled away with two second half goals after a scoreless first half, but it was good to see North Korea earn a goal at the end of the game. It didn't really help their cause, but scoring against Brazil is a huge accomplishment for them.

Game Summaries

New Zealand 1:1 Slovakia

Côte d'Ivoire 0:0 Portugal

Brazil 2:1 North Korea

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World Cup Results for June 14

Oranje got their World Cup started today, and as expected they picked up 3 points. It didn't seem easy though, and an own goal by Denmark provided a better looking final. Paraguay almost pulled a huge shocker, but Italy managed to pull even and get the tie. Buffon was out in the second half, but his replacement was never challenged. Japan got a huge leg up in their group, picking up an unexpected 3 points today against Cameroon.

Game Summaries

Netherlands 2:0 Denmark

Japan 1:0 Cameroon

Italy 1:1 Paraguay

Outside of this weekend, I feel as though I haven't been very productive. I need to get out of my apartment and do stuff. It's getting depressing in here. Oh, and while I'm out doing stuff, follow me on Twitter @andrewensminger.

World Cup Results for June 13

Australia pretty much eliminated themselves today, giving up 4 goals. Even if they end up tied for second in the group, I'm thinking this four goal differential will just be too much to overcome and they would slide to third. The fact that Slovenia picked won doesn't leave much room for error for the US and England. A tie might not be enough to ensure second place with Slovenia picking up 3 points today. We're going to need to beat both Algeria and Slovenia to be on the safe side. Ghana, a lot of people's sleeper pick, justified that today with a late penalty kick goal to get the win.

On a personal note, what a great weekend. I got a knock on the door around 11:30 on Friday night, and when I opened it, Dayna was there. She drove 6 hours to Vermont from New Jersey to surprise me with a weekend visit. She rules.

Game Summaries

Germany 4:0 Australia

Serbia 0:1 Ghana

Algeria 0:1 Slovenia

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World Cup Results for June 12

The US didn't beat England - but we didn't lose either! Seriously, how dumb does Green feel? He's gonna need a security patrol when he gets back to England. The US yet again gave up a very early goal, but at least we could salvage the draw. In other games, Greece looked absolutely awful, and Nigeria put up a good fight against Argentina.

South Korea 2:0 Greece

Nigeria 0:1 Argentina

US 1:1 England

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World Cup Results for June 11

Each day, I'll post the results of the matches with a link to the game summary. Here are the results for the first day. Both games were ties, so the US has a chance to be the first winner of a match in the 2010 World Cup. Also, France didn't win. That's a victory for the rest of the world in my book.

South Africa 1:1 Mexico

Uruguay 0:0 France

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Don't Tread On Me

A major ingredient to showing support for your team is having the right apparel. In preparation for the United States' big game against England tomorrow, I needed some gear to show my support during the game. However, I didn't want to spend the money on overpriced gear from the team store that everyone else would have. So, I made my own. It started off a lot more ambitious, but as the failures mounted and game day drew closer, I needed a shirt, and quick. Since I'm just beginning in homemade screen printing, I still need to stick to relatively simple designs, so I stuck with the "Don't Tread On Me" design mentioned here. I'm very happy with the end result, and can't wait to wear it for the game Saturday. Here's the process of how I went about screen printing my own Shirt.

The Goal

Materials (That I used, this isn't standard)

T-shirt (really?)

Fabric Ink/Paint

Speedball Drawing Fluid

Speedball Screen Filler

Speedball 10"x14" Screen (but a quilting hoop and some screen will work fine)

A design/stencil

Squeegee type thing (a real one, a piece of cardboard, whatever works for you)

Cardboard

Matte Acrylic Sealer
Screen Cleaner

Step One

Place the screen over the design, and lightly paint over the design with the drawing fluid in the spots where you want ink to go through. I would say trace the design in pencil first, but I've found that the pencil doesn't exactly wash out, making it inconvenient when using the screen for a second design If you are using a stencil, place the stencil on the screen, and fill in where you want the ink to go though. Allow this to dry.
Step Two

After the drawing fluid has dried, apply a line of screen filler at the top of your screen. Take your squeegee and spread the screen filler over the screen, using as few strokes as possible so the drawing liquid will still wash out. Allow this to dry.

Step Three

After the screen filler has dried, you can wash the drawing liquid out by spraying cold water on it. This will keep the screen filler in tact, but remove the dried drawing liquid. Notice the difference in color from the picture in step two - now ink can go flow through the screen. Hold the screen up to the light and check for any pinholes in the screen filler and fill in any holes you may find. Allow this to dry.
Step Four

Place a piece of cardboard inside your t-shirt, so ink wont run through to the other side of your shirt. Put the design on the shirt where ever you would like to make the print. Place a line of fabric paint above your design, then take the squeegee and spread it over where the design is on the screen, much like you did with the screen filler. Make sure to get good coverage so your design comes through nicely. Remove the screen after you have put the amount of ink you want down by lifting up from the top of the screen. Allow this to dry.


Step Five

After the ink has dried, spray it in a well ventilated room with matte (or glossy, if you so desire) acrylic sealer to protect the ink in the wash. When you go to wash the shirt, wash it inside out just to be on the safe side. If you used a good fabric paint, you shouldn't have to worry about the ink wearing off, but it can't hurt to protect your hard work. Once you're done with that particular design, wash the screen with the screen cleaner and hot water to get it ready to make another design.

And there you have it - you're very own custom, home made shirt. Later on, I will post an alternative method using Mod Podge, eliminating the need for the drawing liquid and screen filler. Now wear your art with pride!

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