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.

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.

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.

Well, happy Father's Day, if you happen to be one, or if you're just lame like me and act as a father to two pain-in-the-ass cats. My dad passed away a little over 5 years ago, so Father's Day just kind of comes and goes for me now, and it will until I have a child of my own.

It's be very easy for me to celebrate Father's Day, as I have two people who I could direct the gifts/support/etc to. My father-in-law, who reminds me way too much of my father some times, is a very good man in general, and is the closest thing I have to a father right now. He and my actual father would have gotten along great, it's really a shame they never got to meet. My mom's boyfriend now could easily be my father figure right now as well, considering his placement in my family and that situation. Of course, I will never let that happen, not because he's a bad person, but just because I won't let it happen, and certain things just work that way. He's been supportive of me, helped me out a lot over the last few years, and is always willing to lend a hand or a few words of support, without a word in return (what he mumbles out of earshot doesn't count, and shouldn't.) It's unfortunate, because he does get called my father a lot, simply because he's the elder male in my family circle, so people make assumptions, despite the fact that I look nothing like him. Then again, if my father were alive today and you put him next to me, you wouldn't think we looked alike either.

Anyway, bought a car today. As you know, my ride has been pretty much nonexistent lately, and it was totally necessary. I actually bought a car instead of a truck or SUV, which was odd just because I've never been a car person. But, I drove a Toyota Corolla when I got into the accident and had to rent a car, and it surprised me with its comfort and space, something a 6'2" guy needs. That's what I ended up getting today, and I'm quite happy with it. It's the best car, I feel, that I could have gotten for the money, and I don't think I would have been any happier with an SUV. I know my dad was there with me today, just kind of in spirit, and he was probably shaking his head at the fact that I was buying a car AND a Japanese one at that. But the man drove a Toyota pickup for the last five years of his life, rusted all to hell and startable with a flathead screwdriver, but he liked it. So, I think he'll let me slide.

I'm sorry it's not red. Trust me dad, this one's better.

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...

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.

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.

Had an interview today, which makes two in less than seven days. This one seemed very positive, in addition to the fact that they called me the day after I had sent them a resume for a different job. The job would be a good commute, seems to be friendly, the company is new (at least in their current location) and seems to have some financial backing. Plus, it seems to be originally out of Manhattan, so it can't hurt to have some kind of connections there.

The other interview I had I don't necessarily want to talk about, not because it went badly (on the contrary, it went rather well, I think), but because it'd be an idea job for me. The work environment is excellent, the job would be something I enjoy doing, and from what I heard, the pay would be pretty decent. The only problem with the job would be the commute. It'd be quite a long one, and while I don't mind the drive, I don't currently have the car to pull it off. I've looked into the train, but the trains out here are horrible, and don't cooperate with the schedule I'd be pulling with this job.

Then again, nothing's confirmed yet, so I'm not going to worry about making a decision until one of them officially wants to give me a job. Until then, I wait and see.

The lack of updates recently doesn't mean that Buhner.com is lacking in material. Quite the opposite, actually, as the reason behind the lack of updates is that there is too much stuff to write about. Right now, I've got two articles that I just need to put into HTML form and put onto the site, another article halfway done, a review that has been started, and two more things that I've started but put off to the side. So, just when you least expect it, Buhner.com is going to have more content than you can handle.

On a side note, my lack of finances has caused me to put my childhood up for sale. I've put a good number of my "good" original Transformers up from the mid 80s. When I mean "good", I mean Transformers that those of us who grew up during the 80s would actually recognise, not obscure pieces of crap that are "valuable" solely because of their rareness and the fact that their have a sticker placed backwards. Names like Megatron, Optimus Prime, Shockwave, Hot Rod, and Jetfire are what I'm talking about. Anyway, I'm selling them on eBay, and you can check out the auctions here.

UPDATE!: As I mentioned, the articles are here, they just need to put up. Two articles follow, with the first being the return to Buhner.com of Chris Buse. Buse writes The State Of Professional Sports, where Mr. Buse lets his feeling be known about the status of sports today, the views of the fans, and sports economics.

The second article is a very special one to me. A Martyr to Duty: Remembering Giuseppe “Joe” Petrosino, the Original “Untouchable” was written by Joe Avella, who recently contributed an article about Billy Mitchell for Buhner.com. Many people don't know about the legend of Joe Petrosino, who fought the Black Hand of the mafia in New York in the early 20th century. However, Petrosino's heroic actions have made him a hero of New York City police officers and in his native Italy. If you think you know "the mafia" or have an interest in things like "The Godfather", the true story of Joe Petrosino is one that needs to be known, and Joe Avella brings it to us in his article. After reading it, you'll see why movies have already been made about this man, with another one currently in the works. And the best part? He's related to my wife.

Anyway, read, and I'll get back to work.