Buhner Dot Com Est. 2000, which is like 1947 in Internet years.

7/14/03 – Update

After responding to the tons of emails I got in regards to the Baker thing below (ok, I only got one email), I took a break from the page and relaxed. I'm still pretty much on relax mode, with nothing much to write about, but in order to write something, I'll continue to write about my exploits on the fastpitch softball field.

It was a banner day today as I managed to hit well AND do so with the media there. So, it looks like I'll actually pick up the local Sag Harbor paper whenever it comes out (I'm assuming Thursday) and if I'm in there (picture or not) maybe I'll scan something in there.

Anyway, four hits (and a walk) in six times to the plate for me, along with a walk and a hit in two times to bat in the second game of a doubleheader. The walks are good, because I've been lacking the confidence at the plate, and I had a few decent hits, including a nice shot into right field which would have been at least a double had the ball been an inch lower. So the statistics look like this:

G   AB    R    H   2B 3B  HR  RBI  SB CS  BB  SO   BA   OBP   SLG
4   10    3    6    0  0   0    2   1  0   2   0 .600  .666  .600

7/3/03 – Update

For the reader or two who actually visits this site, you've noticed a lack of updating. Well, between the wife and me, we've been pretty sick lately, so the website, unfortunately, hasn't been my first priority. I really don't have any new articles or anything to post now, but I did want to throw something up here to let you know that I'm still alive and still care about the site, etc.

I'll also admit that I have been doing a little work on another webpage on the Buhner.com domain. What's funny about it is that it's a decently large website; 36 HTML pages in it, last count. Yet, there always has to be one that complains about it. I do it for free, for the benefit of others, and yet some people take the stand of complaining that it wasn't updated frequently enough. Granted, I didn't update it for an extended period of time, but said complainer was pretty much the reason. My point? Gift horses, man. If someone is giving you something that normally costs money for free, do you complain that it's the wrong color or isn't perfect? Eh, maybe it's just me.

Really extended news thing today, as I haven't had time to say anything in over a week. The FAQ has been rewritten (in the About Us section), so that those who have questions have a little bit more to reference. It explains our submission policy, how the site got started, the whole "Buhner" thing, and a few more things. As you know, any questions that you might have will still get answered if you drop an email to tom@buhner.com.

Also contributing to the lack of updates has been the fact that I've had two interviews this week regarding a job in Southampton. The first interview went great, and I thin kthe second interview went well too, so hopefully... yeah. I should know something by Monday.

I also switched my insurance coverage. Yeah, not overly important, but you see the commercials for Geico all the time, and they swear they can save you money. For once, advertising didn't lie. Geico lowered my premiums 36%, which saved me a ton of money. It's worth a look just to go over to their website. You can get a quote online and see if you can save anything.

Last thing is that softball season has finally started again. Thanks to rainouts, forfeits, and me being sick, last night was my first start of the season. Oddly enough, I made the start at second (instead of my usual position of catcher) and made it work. I made some really good plays at second (including a diving catch) and felt really comfortable there. Plus, my knees really thanked me. I went 1-3 with a run scored, but it could have easily been 0-3. Have to work on the hitting.

 G   AB    R    H   2B 3B  HR  RBI  SB CS  BB  SO   BA   OBP   SLG1    3    1    1    0  0   0    0   0  0   0   0 .333  .333  .333

6/24/03 – Update

First off, I have to give a big "hello" to my niece, who is a day old as I write this. Little Lauren Rose was born yesterday, and mother, father, baby, and big brother are all doing fine.

Now, let me say that I, unlike Adam Griffin, still have not finished the Potter book yet, so I have still yet to read Griff's review. I'm making good progress though, and I should be done by tomorrow, or Thursday at the latest.

I haven't been slacking, though, as I wrote not one, but TWO reviews. Griff got me in the reviewing mood, so I finished one review I've been meaning to do and had started before, and one that just flew off my keyboard. Check the reviews section for my reviews of the PS2 game MLB Slugfest 20-04, and the new television show "Can You Tell?" Both dispell the belief that I can't write reviews unless I really like something, but one moreso than the other.

The reviewing mood may carry over for the next few days, but it may not. We'll just have to see how things go.

By the way, "Speed Reader" was actually on the Great Space Coaster. Thanks to no one who wrote in.

6/21/03 – Update

This is one of the odder things I've put up on Buhner.com, but I've just recently placed a review I haven't myself read up on our site. Adam Griffin has reviewed Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix for Buhner.com, and I'm assuming that it's good. Griff knows what he's talking about.

The reason it hasn't been read by me is because I hate spoilers. Hate them totally. Despite Griff's insistance that there are no spoilers in the review, I still refuse to read it until I finish the 870 (or is it 890) page book, which should be tomorrow.

For those of you living under boulders, the Potter book was released today. Griff has an amazing talent in which he can read an 800+ page book in less than 8 hours. It reminds me of "Speed Reader", who was this faux super hero that was on one of those PBS learning shows. Someone would be in trouble, Speed Reader would come into the picture, read whatever he had to really quick and save the day.

Man, we used to watch a lot of crap.

6/19/03 – Update

Slacking off in the articles a bit, but it wouldn't be me if I didn't. The Sosa article isn't getting the hits that I expected, but so be it. It was something I had to write, and it's content. I have a tendency to get too analytical when I talk about baseball, mainly because baseball has so many stats to work with. I'm a big fan of statistics, so I end up trying to make a point, and all of a sudden I'm throwing in batting averages and breaking out the Courier New font for that all important proper spacing.

In light of writing articles, I've been trying to work on my book/screenplay. Yes, laugh if you will, I think it's something that would appeal to a decent amount of people, and if I don't finish it, I'll never know. At this rate, writing a book and trying to sell it might be as likely as getting someone to hire me for a full time job, so why not at least have some sense of accomplishment?

As for the title, I learned today that I didn't get one of the two jobs discussed earlier (the bad commute one). Since I didn't get it, I can talk about it. It was a "game tester" position for Acclaim Entertainment, which makes video games for various consoles. While it could be very easy to trash Acclaim for not hiring me, I'll just shrug my shoulders and chalk it up to another batch of bad luck. The commute would have killed my car (even the new one) considering we were talking an estimated 65 miles EACH WAY to work five days a week. But, then again, it was a dream job, and most importantly, income.

Feh.

6/13/03 – Update

Well, one article finally down, with several more in the queue. Referencing a commercial that probably gave small children nightmares, Is Sosa Reeeeeeeeal? explores the Sammy Sosa corked bat controversy, and sheds a little light on why Sosa's story might not float (get it? Cork? Float? WOW!)

Anyway, I'm looking for ideas on what to name this little news/blog/whatever section this is. It's been titled, for lack of a better idea, "What's New" since Buhner.com's been in existance. But since it's become more than just a spot to tell you, the loyal reader, what has been updated on the site, I think it needs a new name. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated, and you can send them to tom@buhner.com.

Until the next update...

6/12/03 – Update

Yeah, you have to figure so many updates in a row would cause a lag.

Actually, I've just been really busy this week. I've got a lot of stuff to write about, and it'll be up soon enough. In fact, I wasn't even going to update today until I finished one of two articles I'm working on, but they can wait, wanted to get something out quickly.

The thing I wanted to point out is that we here at Buhner.com really do know what's best, especially when it comes to opinions about baseball. When the Mets fired manager Bobby Valentine after the conclusion of the 2002 season, the regime said that they had done what they had to do, because of an underperforming team. The team's actions were a direct result of their manager, and with a new manager in place, the Mets would play the way they should play; like a first place team. Now, with the Mets sitting in last place, behind the two worst drawing (and therefore cheapest) teams in baseball in the Montreal Expos and Florida Marlins, the Mets let the shoe drop on general manager Steve Phillips.

Now, while no one was really surprised at the firing of Phillips, especially after the Mets' weak April (11-16, with a fun 6 game losing streak in there), no one was really saying anything about Phillips and the job he had done. No one, that is, except Buhner.com, which pointed out who the real problem was in New York. While it may not have been telling the future, it was more of looking at reality and seeing what the actual problem was, and knowing that the Mets would eventually see it. Give the Mets credit, though. They actually did see the problem, something that many clubs still have difficulty seeing.

6/7/03 – Update

It's two updates in two days. Whoo hoo! Anyway, if you're curious to the lack of updates to the news page (I explained the lack of articles a few days back), it's mainly because the "news updates" (which would be this page) were usually about me and my personal life, and lately I haven't felt like writing stuff about me, for a few reasons.

One of the main reasons is with the influx of articles lately, I've kind of gotten into the mindframe again of what I was in last year, when this page was about the articles that myself and a few others wrote, and little else. While it was fine when the articles were rolling in, when the articles stopped coming, the updates did too, and the page went dormant. I don't want to do that again, and regardless of how many articles come into Buhner.com, I'll still be boring you as often as possible with the nuances of my life in this space, while at the same time telling you about any new articles on the website. Although the "latest articles" link now eliminates the "need" to read through my chatter to see if anyone has written a new article, I'd like to think that some people actually enjoy reading the little things that piss me off, make me pull out hair, and make me hate life, just so they feel a little better about their life.

If you've ever been to the "About Us" link, you'll see a little rant from me, along with a single question FAQ. In reality, I've been probably asked two questions frequently, both of which are currently answered (one directly, one less so) in that page. However, since no one asked, I'm going to work on a more complete FAQ for the "About Us" page, just because I like writing FAQs and pretending that people would normally ask lots of questions about the site if given the forum.

And, for the record, if you do want to get in contact with me, it's tom@buhner.com.