Chris Hammondhttp://www.chrishammond.comRSS Feed for Chris Hammond120Places to visit, California!https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/60/places-to-visit-californiaYou know what I forgot when I redesigned the site a few weeks ago? A places to visit listing! So I guess I need to come up with another way to do that now. I was reading Wil's latest entry about his vacation and it made me miss all of California. There's so much out there to see and do. I haven't seen a lot of it in quite a long time. Ultimately I'd love to go out there with my significant other and drive around the state seeing various things. Of course I'd love to do that in my own car, there in lies the problem. Getting the car out there would take at least 2-3 days, then you only have a day or two to actually sight see, which is no where near enough time in California. So I guess I'll have to take it in steps. Wil talked about the Jelly Belly factory, i've been there, funny thing is I swear I heard/read it was robbed the other day, too lazy to google that news right now though :) Anyways, I've started a new category of places to see, this will be the first post in that...Wed, 18 Aug 2004 10:43:00 GMTe0f8308a-25e6-418b-82f7-caa207d66105Blogging at the Olympicshttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/64/blogging-at-the-olympicsI was wondering if there were any cool olympian blogs out there the other day, guess now I know the answer. According to the article Olympic atheletes are barred from posting any diary, personal writing,  or blogs until after the games are completed on the 29th. I believe after that they can post those things, but they are barred from posting photos or video that they took themselves.... Imagine the insight you could get from an athlete on the games and everything that you can't see on TV? It's a shame such a restriction is in...Fri, 20 Aug 2004 09:56:00 GMT0fcd777b-cd56-4c05-8f2d-77fcbb2c49eaPriceline tips!https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/85/priceline-tipsIf you are looking for a hotel on Priceline here are a few tips. Bid early, if you know you are going somewhere months in advance, and know it won't be cancelled, bid as early as you can. After 72 hours of your first bid you can try again if necessary. If you are bidding in an area that has 1-2-3 or more stars, always bid for the highest star. you can rebid afterwards by choosing a lower start. If you start at a 1 star though they will not let you bid again without changing your dates of travel. If bidding on a car, bid economy. I bid $25 on an econ for 3 days in Phoenix, they offered me a $6 upgrade to a midsized car per day, I took that. With all the fees and taxes things work out to about $42/day for the car, but it's also unlimited mileage, through...Fri, 03 Sep 2004 07:50:00 GMTa1b87fdf-0ba4-443e-b2cc-725fe7bac5acBack from Vacation!https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/93/back-from-vacationI'm back from 9 days out of town. First I went to the SCCA Solo II Nationals in Topeka Kansas you can check out some of the photos from the ProSolo Finale http://www.solo2.org/gallery/albums/9.aspx and from Nationals http://www.solo2.org/gallery/albums/8.aspx Thursday morning, after 4 hours of sleep, I drove back to St. Louis and caught a flight Thursday evening to Phoenix for Faye's wedding. Check out some of the photos from the wedding! http://www.chrishammond.com/gallery/albums/49.aspx Overall it was a good 9 days. Nationals didn't go as well as I had hoped, but it was better than last year. I did however get dehydrated one day and fairly sick, but after a few gatorades I was back to normal. Hopefully more details on the past 9 days later, I have work to catch up...Mon, 20 Sep 2004 10:39:00 GMT82ab5479-f237-4ff0-972f-afb1e2c6e23fCardinals Playoff Ticketshttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/95/cardinals-playoff-ticketsI got 2 tickets to game one of the NLDS way up high, but hey, they are two tickets! Still trying to get more, and better tickets. Buying online has been a pain so far, continuing my effort...Wed, 22 Sep 2004 09:08:00 GMT85fdb693-145f-4ff5-90d6-5d3d86494bc9Shaun of the dead...https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/97/shaun-of-the-deadIf you haven't seen Shaun of the Dead yet go see it! It is an excellent movie. Funny as heck, and even a little jump out and scare you here and there. The movie is about two british guys who fight off a town full of Zombies, while the world faces an epidemic onslaught of Zombies. This is definitely a see it in theaters type of movie, or on DVD with 5.1...Tue, 28 Sep 2004 09:41:00 GMT85bec43b-619e-4542-a247-89844f2a33c4Just how small a world is it?https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/102/just-how-small-a-world-is-itWell, I live in Missouri now, I came here aftering graduating from Vanden and have never left. Looks like another Vanden Grad decided just a couple of days ago to make the trek to Missouri. Under greatly different circumstances, and now living...Fri, 01 Oct 2004 10:30:00 GMT18334ded-7511-4849-856a-ff831773cf0cMount Saint Helens is being over run!https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/104/mount-saint-helens-is-being-over-runMSH isn't about to erupt, it's being overrun by flies!  ...Fri, 01 Oct 2004 16:44:00 GMTa86b49e7-46b3-4809-83bd-7db0f7746b34Mount Saint Helens readies the area for a show...https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/105/mount-saint-helens-readies-the-area-for-a-showScientists are predicting that MSH will blow sometime very soon. The forrest service's servers have been overloaded with all the activity this is generating on the internet. The following VolcanoCam page with images updated every 5 minutes keeps going up and down. If you get a file not found try it again...Sun, 03 Oct 2004 13:55:00 GMT0eea6667-4e93-4a2b-8795-a78252354677Mount Saint Helens rumbles a bit morehttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/108/mount-saint-helens-rumbles-a-bit-moreLetting of a little steam? That's what the scientists are thinking. Check out some of the screen captures from the MSH Volcano Cam that I've collected and posted online. http://www.chrishammond.com/gallery/albums/52.aspx Some of my other MSH postsMount Saint Helens readies the area for a show...Mount Saint Helens is being over run!Will Mount St. Helen's blow? ...Mon, 04 Oct 2004 11:13:00 GMTc84017fb-2d0e-43ca-b2e8-92055e92d028MSH image directoryhttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/109/msh-image-directoryYou can view a couple hundred images...Mon, 04 Oct 2004 11:28:00 GMT5a0cb3e4-31d0-4dad-9aca-aa196424c958Great day in Baseball!https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/110/great-day-in-baseballWas yesterday not the best day in Baseball? The Red Sox beat the Angel in Cali. The Yankees lost to the Twins in NY!!! Oh, and I went to the Cardinals game in which they beat the Dodgers! Here are 250 photos I took, I got 3 of the 5 homerun swings I think, possibly 4 of 5, need to check....Wed, 06 Oct 2004 08:35:00 GMTf05a5e0e-49e2-4b62-8991-9b0c8db604b9Critical Mass Passportshttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/111/critical-mass-passportsIf you are looking for your Critical Mass passports for 2004 you can download them from ChrisHammond.com! campassport2004.pdf (2.1mb) campassport2004lr.pdf...Thu, 07 Oct 2004 09:59:00 GMT96ed8483-8daf-464e-8a36-d58be9f955d3Wil Wheaton is Austin!https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/113/wil-wheaton-is-austinIf you're in or near Austin, go get Wil to sign a copy of his...Fri, 08 Oct 2004 12:10:00 GMT9fa8cdcc-b3c6-4040-bc2e-0b379ad25c72More runs!https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/116/more-runsGame is now 4-3! Go Red...Sat, 16 Oct 2004 19:08:00 GMT6061ff2c-bec1-45dd-bf62-af9615705073Go Sox!https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/117/go-soxThey still have a chance, it's tied 4-4 in the top of the 10th right...Sun, 17 Oct 2004 22:20:00 GMTe9b0acb8-faef-448b-abe1-89d4247a852fTonighthttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/123/tonightLet tonight be a step into history, and tomorrow be the giant leap into the history books for the Red...Tue, 19 Oct 2004 21:19:00 GMTd87e3158-6dcd-4776-8e26-16aa91c875dfBye bye A-Rod....https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/124/bye-bye-arodDirty yankees fans are making the field a mess. A-Rod, you were out, you swatted, let's get this game over...Tue, 19 Oct 2004 21:24:00 GMT01989a6a-d469-4ca1-96bb-b5928210c6f9Another ALCS pollhttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/125/another-alcs-pollLooks like the momentum has shifted and the voting has changed a bit in this latest poll! Vote: ALCS Best Ever? Can Red Sox win in 7? Thank you for voting. See below for the results from across SportsNation.Your responses in bold text. 1) Where does the 2004 ALCS rank among the greatest series of all-time? 51.3% It's top 3 40.1% It's the greatest ever 8.6% It's good but not great 2) What is your reaction to Curt Schilling's performance in Game 6? 44.0% Gutsiest thing I've ever seen 25.9% Almost up there with Willis Reed 23.1% He was tougher than I anticipated 6.9% He's a good pitcher, so what's the big deal? 3) What was your reaction to Alex Rodriguez and the interference call in the eighth inning of Game 6? 63.9% He was trying to cheat and should be embarrassed 36.1% He just reacted in the heat of the moment 4) What will you remember most about Game 6? 38.0% Curt Schilling's pitching performance 23.5% Alex Rodriguez interference 17.3% Curt Schilling's bloody sock 14.8% Riot police taking the field in 8th inning 6.3% Mark Bellhorn's home run bouncing off fan onto the field 5) Will Pedro Martinez pitch at any point in Game 7? 56.8% Yes 43.2% No 6) Who will be the MVP of Game 7? 39.8% David Ortiz 16.5% Manny Ramirez 12.8% Other 8.9% Derek Lowe 7.4% Tim Wakefield 4.7% Derek Jeter 3.5% Keith Foulke 2.6% Alex Rodriguez 2.4% Mariano Rivera 1.4% Kevin Brown 7) Who do you want to win Game 7? 89.7% Red Sox 10.3% Yankees 8) Who will win Game 7? 76.2% Red Sox 23.8% Yankees Total Votes:...Wed, 20 Oct 2004 00:04:00 GMTfc349784-4982-40b4-bf1f-003a7975051bAn even better day in baseball!https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/126/an-even-better-day-in-baseballA few days ago I lied, it wasn't the best day in baseball. Up to this point YESTERDAY was the best day in Baseball! We spent yesterday afternoon at the Cardinals game 6 VS. The Astros. I took a couple hundred photos that I am currently uploading, I'll link to them in a bit when they are all uploaded. After the game I went to the Sports Page out in Columbia Illinois for Krista's volleyball game, and to watch the Red Sox win game 7 of the ALCS! Johnny Damon sure woke up yesterday, 6 RBIs for the hairy man, a 2 run shot, and a 4 run dinger!!!! Go Red Sox! Hopefully the Cardinals will win Game 7 of the NLCS tonight and then the Sox/Cards series will...Thu, 21 Oct 2004 09:45:00 GMTaec8d169-7265-4033-8c91-56690902b058NLCS Game 6 Photoshttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/127/nlcs-game-6-photosI've got the photos from the NLCS game 6 at Busch Stadium (10/20/2004) posted. There are 463 of them. I didn't go through  and remove the blurry ones yet, just made them smaller and then uploaded them. Check them...Thu, 21 Oct 2004 10:40:00 GMTef5ac774-ebc0-4162-9cd8-d18d10bc2a9fWil's headline, where's it from?https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/128/wils-headline-wheres-it-fromCan anyone tell me where Wil's headline for this blogpost is from? (Without reading the comments!) “i shine, i'm freshly minted...Thu, 21 Oct 2004 20:05:00 GMT0776730f-136d-409b-bd2c-3096740ce760Cardinals Red Sox Worlds Series!https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/129/cardinals-red-sox-worlds-seriesCardinals Red Sox in the World...Thu, 21 Oct 2004 21:13:00 GMT41583395-512f-46b2-a297-232c8a94bea9Papa Roach and Chronic Future at Mississippi Nights!https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/130/papa-roach-and-chronic-future-at-mississippi-nightI just got two tickets to see Papa Roach and Chronic Future at Mississippi Nights on Friday November 5th! The last time I saw Papa Roach was in April of 2000 right before Infest was released, Greg and I saw them at Pops in Sauget. I missed Chronic Future last time they were in town at the Creepy Crawl. This should be an awesome show! Now I need to find someone to go with...Sat, 23 Oct 2004 09:20:00 GMT89456d93-41d3-4737-8791-7d2d8bdb3b4fBeing a Red Sox fan in St. Louis during the 2004 World Series...https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/131/being-a-red-sox-fan-in-st-louis-during-the-2004-wHere begins what could be a very interesting week for Red Sox fans everywhere! I'll be posting my thoughts on the week, and my experiences here in St. Louis. I have yet to procure any tickets to the World Series, but I'll be going down the the stadium each night trying to get tickets on the street. Today (Saturday Game1) I was walking in West County mall, into one store and right back out. I got boo'd when I was walking in, and on the way out an older lady told me she hopes the Red Sox lose! I then went to Shop-n-Save on Lindbergh in Soco, where I was almost run over by an older lady in a sedan, who knowingly saw me... Inside the store one of the employees said “Does Damon play for the Astros? Oh, that's a Red Sox Jersey, I can't believe he's wearing that” I don't know if she thought I couldn't hear, or didn't care. When checking out another employee came up to me and wished me luck, said she was a Cards fan but her daughter lives in Maine and is a Red Sox fan. On the way out a lady was finishing her cigarette, in front of her 12 year old (guess at the age) daughter, “Red Sox????” I just said, Yes.... This will be a fun week!...Sat, 23 Oct 2004 12:08:00 GMT653e351f-f12b-479a-b837-d9c8bce8448cRed Sox Win game 1 of the 2004 World Series!https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/132/red-sox-win-game-1-of-the-2004-world-seriesI went to Bill and Kathy's tonight, watched the Red Sox win game 1!!! 3 more to...Sat, 23 Oct 2004 22:51:00 GMT974a354e-0214-40ed-b1ff-764c0ac6a5c4World Series Tickets!https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/134/world-series-ticketsGet your World Series tickets! Oh wait, I ALREADY HAVE THEM! :) Auntie Carol and I are heading to Game 4 on Wednesday night! She's flying in Wednesday afternoon and out Thursday morning. I've also got a standing room only ticket to Game 5 if it is necessary on Thursday night. I predicted this would be an expensive week, and it has proven to be so! As for me complaining or gloating for the next year. It's not likely, I'll be on a Red Sox Fan high for a while, but I'm not one to make continual jabs, I only made one comment about the Yankees to Brian... And that was after the Sox came back from 0-3 to win the Series! I am still a Cardinals fan, I still have two hats, a Jersey, and who knows what other Paraphanalia, it is all just retired until after the World Series, this is the Red Sox year! Let's do this one right Red Sox, we'd love to see it done in Four, but if it's done in 5 I'll be there...Mon, 25 Oct 2004 19:53:00 GMT84ab10df-787d-4eed-a990-30c0c3bbee2eRed Sox 3-0 in the World Serieshttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/137/red-sox-30-in-the-world-seriesThe Red Sox have won seven straight Playoff games. They are now 3-0 in the 2004 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Game 4 is Wednesday night, WATCH it! This is history...Tue, 26 Oct 2004 22:10:00 GMTac45bd4f-6abc-4d9c-b4a8-b4c65a9807ddFortune Cookie for the Soxhttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/138/fortune-cookie-for-the-soxWe ordered Chinese yesterday for lunch. It took 2 hours to get here, so it ended up being free. In my fortune cookie it said “Your everlasting patience will be rewarded sooner or later” I don't think this cookie meant lunch yesterday, cause it had happened prior to opening the cookie. This cookie is for all of the Red Sox fans out there! “Your everlasting patience will be rewarded sooner or later” It's late enough, game...Wed, 27 Oct 2004 12:55:00 GMTce8e1dbb-f74b-4abf-a12e-365fee2cf9ecWin it for...https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/139/win-it-forWho do you want them to win it...Wed, 27 Oct 2004 13:10:00 GMT1c45dfa3-ab6f-49fd-b6cc-3cc54488910bRed Sox World Series Game 4 photos!https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/140/red-sox-world-series-game-4-photosIf you are looking to purchase the DVD of photos, you can get it on ebay. I took 540+ photos at Game 4 of the 2004 World Series. I'll be selling a DVD of the photos later this week, but for now you can view them on this web site! http://www.chrishammond.com/gallery/albums/55.aspx I never thought I would see the Red Sox win a World Series, much less get to see it in person! More thoughts on the game and the Sox to come soon! For the Gentleman that were sitting beside me and my Aunt, here are your photos http://www.chrishammond.com/gallery/albums/55/4961.aspxhttp://www.chrishammond.com/gallery/albums/55/4962.aspxhttp://www.chrishammond.com/gallery/albums/55/4963.aspx   ' If you are looking to purchase the DVD of photos, you can get it on...Thu, 28 Oct 2004 08:29:00 GMTd8722ab2-d105-40c3-9237-15f9b12caa50Photos linkhttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/142/photos-linkSince that last entry is so long I wanted to relink to the entry before that for the two Boston fans who were sitting beside us at the game last night. Also to link to a photo of me and Auntie Carol at the game....Thu, 28 Oct 2004 09:42:00 GMTbcc0214f-c720-41c8-9157-4ac24dbcf6afPapa Roach at Mississippi Nights tonight!https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/147/papa-roach-at-mississippi-nights-tonightMore to come later, here are some...Sat, 06 Nov 2004 00:07:00 GMT37973c4d-318b-4b52-9ac7-dabc5693de46What a weekend Part 1. Papa Roach at Mississippi Nightshttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/148/what-a-weekend-part-1-papa-roach-at-mississippi-nWell, this is the first post about a great weekend! Friday night Roger and I went to Mississippi Nights to see Papa Roach, Trust Co. and Chronic Future. When we got there we noticed the guys from proach were standing out on the side parking lot talking to fans. So we parked and walked around there to say hello. I said hello to Jerry, the guitar player, and told him we'd met before, at Pop's in Sauget Illinois in 2001, and that I went to school with his brother. He faintly remembered meeting me, or at least acted like he did. After saying hello to Jerry I walked over to Jacoby, the lead singer, and said hello, told him I went to high school with his wife. To which he replied, “She's here, on the bus.” So I went over and waited by the bus until they were done with their signing, which I came to find out later was an invite only signing. I guess Roger and I just looked like we belonged there? :) After the signing Jacoby got Kelly off the bus, she came out and said hello, asked what the hell I was doing in Missouri (I know, it's not the most exciting of states, but it's been home for 9 years now). Roger and I went in and watched the first  two bands, I am not much of being right up in the crowd, so at Mississippi Nights it is nice because we could grab a chair in the back and still be able to see. Later in the evening I noticed Kelly was inside watching Papa Roach play, I went up to her and another girl (kelly is in black, jennifer in the striped shirt) at the bar to say hello. We talked for probably an hour to an hour and a half. We got caught up on all sorts of things. Kelly just had her second son, 6 weeks ago, named Jagger. Her and Jennifer had flown out and met up with the guys in Wichata the night before, they were on tour with them until Monday and then were heading back to California and the kids. Jennifer also went to Vanden High School and was in our class (95). Jennifer married Tobin, the bass player for Papa Roach. Jennifer also has two kids now. All the kids (4) were staying at Kelly's mom's house while they were out on tour with the band. Kelly told me about everything that's been going on, how life still is very regular for her, even though she's married to a rock star! It was a great evening, getting caught up with Kelly and Jennifer, getting to hang out with the band members afterwards. I didn't know this, but Dave, the drummer, is married to a Tyler, as in one of Steven Tyler's daughters, Mia to be exact. Seeing things from the otherside, you realize how real people are, even though they look so far away, they are just regular people to, it's nice to see that. Best of luck to the band, and to Kelly, Jennifer and the kids. I hope to see them all again soon, who knows, maybe they will show up at our 10 year reunion next year at Vanden! Here are some photos taken that...Mon, 08 Nov 2004 08:55:00 GMT6f4d979c-ef55-4797-8669-bf6ff4f35574VS Live 2005https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/149/vs-live-2005Scott posted about doing a few presentations at VS Live next year. Makes me remember how much fun I had at VS Live in 2003! I wish I could talk my employer into sending me again! Maybe I should get working on...Wed, 10 Nov 2004 08:28:00 GMTc537c0b8-0b6f-4d71-a6ee-502930c3917bNasa's X-43 scramjet technologyhttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/153/nasas-x43-scramjet-technologyI'm sitting here at work watching Nasa TV on Windows Media player. http://www.nasa.gov/55644main_NASATV_Windows.asx They are showing the information about the X-43 Scramjet test bed.   EDIT: the launch was delayed yesterday. The B-52 is up in the air right now, hope to see a launch in about 30...Mon, 15 Nov 2004 14:37:00 GMT1802dbc8-8e4c-470d-bd7a-a9ec72180222Sauget Dogs are leaving :(https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/154/sauget-dogs-are-leaving-2 of the 9 puppies are gone! Here are the photos Elliot. http://www.chrishammond.com/gallery/albums/57.aspx I'm having a hard time saying no to this little guy....Wed, 17 Nov 2004 21:05:00 GMT6968557c-b5db-4359-ab86-1b4793f56d4fLooking for Danger? Come to St. Louis!https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/155/looking-for-danger-come-to-st-louisSt. Louis is ranked as 4th most Dangerous City in the...Mon, 22 Nov 2004 08:41:00 GMT893a1548-faa5-401b-8023-a98381d1d93163 years ago today we entered a Warhttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/172/63-years-ago-today-we-entered-a-warToday is December 7th 2004. 63 years ago the United States was drawn into WWII by the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese Military. If you have never visited Pearl Harbor, as an American, it is definitely some place you should visit. It is really a beautiful place. Check out a Navy history page I found on Pearl...Tue, 07 Dec 2004 08:26:00 GMT74c522f9-0479-4f7d-9e8e-3a54bfc297a8To Kill a Mockingbidhttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/174/to-kill-a-mockingbidIf you have never read To Kill A Mockingbird you really need to watch this flash...Wed, 08 Dec 2004 09:42:00 GMT805900eb-b39e-4664-99a1-beb2b47d45a2Speaking of weather, it's meteor shower timehttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/178/speaking-of-weather-its-meteor-shower-timeLooks like tonight may be a good night to go watch a meteor shower! http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/space/12/13/sky.watch/index.html Saturday evening around midnight I was taking Pylon out and happened to yawn, as I yawned I looked straight up and saw a beautiful meteor streak across the night sky! I love trying to get out and watch meteor showers, kind of sucks not having anyone to go out and watch them with...Mon, 13 Dec 2004 11:33:00 GMT280071ca-d616-4f96-90bd-ef8bdfdf96441 Week till departurehttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/181/1-week-till-departureIn less than a week I will be back in sunny California! I fly out of STL on the evening of the 22nd, headed to Long Beach until January 2nd. It'll be nice to get out of MO for a while, be able to have some fresh smoggy air, and breathe again! If I am out there and my sinus problems completely go away I will have to think long and hard about leaving the midwest and going back west for good! Lots of stuff left to do before next Wednesday. Tonight I'm off to the Ho Ho Show (www.1057thepoint.com). Tomorrow Bill is having a Poker party at his place. Saturday is Nelson's wedding party. I really need to do some shopping before I go! Shopping in California on the 23rd and 24th is a huge...Thu, 16 Dec 2004 14:01:00 GMT0c566828-e395-4394-ae6b-1d5a23e3b33e2004 World Series Photos DVD For Sale!https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/184/2004-world-series-photos-dvd-for-saleMy 2004 World Series Photos DVD is for sale again on Ebay! 2004 World Series Photos...Mon, 20 Dec 2004 08:31:00 GMTbf7cceb4-9618-4cc9-a6bd-1bf8a42eabfaGoing back to Cali!https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/185/going-back-to-caliIt's almost that time! I leave for California in just over 24...Tue, 21 Dec 2004 09:13:00 GMT1bb571da-4809-47f3-8376-80fea77ca189Announcing TwoPimps.com!https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/186/announcing-twopimpscomWell, I need to start generating some traffic to TwoPimps.com, so here is the official announcement and hopefully web spider link generator for TwoPimps.com! TwoPimps.com is a new project that Butcher and I are working on.We are currently working on T-Shirt designs and have one design completed and in product testing! Look for more information on TwoPimps.com...Wed, 22 Dec 2004 07:54:00 GMT14483a0f-5bf4-4f39-b158-47bd45bcc903America West Blows!https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/187/america-west-blowsI made it to California alright, but you would think that if your flight info says STL to Long beach, you'd go straight to long beach. Well, no, I had to stop in Phoenix. Shortly before we stopped though they announce that the plane is going on to Boise, and the flight crew is going to Long Beach. So I had to change planes, the pilots changed planes, the flight number stayed the same... Crazy company. Made it here, went to In-n-out and got myself a double double, fries and a...Thu, 23 Dec 2004 08:49:00 GMTd06cd6cd-2fd8-46df-8298-258fc59f06efMerry Christmas to my friends!https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/189/merry-christmas-to-my-friendsI've gotten a lot of text messages from folks today wishing me a Merry Christmas, to all of you who have sent me one, and those who haven't, Merry Christmas!!! Check out some photos I took at the beach last night, unedited, only resized for...Sat, 25 Dec 2004 16:04:00 GMTc363c77b-5096-4d0a-b659-5e4c52a2e337Crystal Cathedral Visithttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/190/crystal-cathedral-visitGreg and I drove around Orange County today a bit, went to the Crystal Cathedral to take some photos of the outside. I'll have those outsite photos posted later on. While driving we saw this...Mon, 27 Dec 2004 22:09:00 GMTf0428c0f-f425-4cb0-a144-90e7c597c517Sunset Photoshttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/191/sunset-photosTwo Days of Sunset Photos December 28th with my best friend Faye, in Huntington Beach and San Clemente December 29th in Huntington Beach I'm headed to Vacaville tomorrow morning, spend a few days up there see some old high school friends for New...Thu, 30 Dec 2004 01:08:00 GMT1503bd8e-91b6-4adb-acb7-b104cbe4fae6Boston, Great place to visithttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/203/boston-great-place-to-visitThe family is headed to Boston this weekend for Auntie Carol's retirement party. Mom gets there tomorrow morning, I get there tomorrow night, Dad and Greg get there Saturday AM. Looks like we may have company there, I guess I'll have to keep my terrorist hunting eyes open to try to save the...Thu, 20 Jan 2005 08:11:00 GMTa963ee7f-2423-41f1-abc2-3580bf2016fbMLB Casting Call "I Live For This", At Fenwayhttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/204/mlb-casting-call-i-live-for-this-at-fenwayLooks like my visit to Fenway on Saturday while venturing around the city could be fruitful! Maybe I can get on a...Thu, 20 Jan 2005 08:28:00 GMTf74e4376-3d07-4130-9152-3e0ff5fe9d0bInternet Flight Checkin, gotta love flying Southwest!https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/205/internet-flight-checkin-gotta-love-flying-southweYou have to love Southwest Airlines! I now don't have to get to the airport near as early as originally planned. I'm taking only carry on items, and was able to check in over the internet, so I have my Group A boarding pass. SW boards by groups, A being first, B and C being latter, and since seating on Southwest is first come first serve, you need to have an A pass to get a decent seat. That generally means getting to the airport two hours early, but not if you check in online! Rock on with your bad self...Fri, 21 Jan 2005 09:37:00 GMT3740f790-6d94-4346-b479-f8355ad21aefBoston Blizzard 2005https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/206/boston-blizzard-2005The family is all stuck in Lexington Massachusets right now due to weather! Fun fun fun. Check out some of the photos of all of the snow we got, I'm not sure how much we actually got, probably 2 feet, some of the drifts are up to 4-5 ft though, kind of neat. http://www.chrishammond.com/gallery/albums/67.aspx I was supposed to fly out this evening. Now I'm scheduled to leave around Noon...Sun, 23 Jan 2005 12:18:00 GMT2226e0e0-976f-495e-8b92-3edf6a5318feMade it to Baltimorehttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/207/made-it-to-baltimoreI must say, Southwest Airlines has got to have the most attractive female flight attendants of all the airlines. I made it from Manchester New Hampshire to Baltimore. I have a flight from Baltimore to St. Louis in 50 minutes, from the crowd gathered near the gate I don't think it'll be that full a flight, which will be...Mon, 24 Jan 2005 13:00:00 GMT49133bbe-97ac-40cd-97e4-77d3bdc554fdBack in town and home for a whilehttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/208/back-in-town-and-home-for-a-whileI am back in Kirkwood again, and home for a while! It's been a long few days, blizzard in Boston, drove to Springfield last night for a presentation on dotnetnuke, and then a long drive back home. Nothing planned for the next few weeks! I've just gotta work on a few web sites and work on both cars. Time to relax a...Wed, 26 Jan 2005 08:50:00 GMTe739bde2-2592-4c0e-a3f9-5cd3eb797370Meaning of a Yellow Rosehttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/212/meaning-of-a-yellow-roseIf you have a chance, go see Million Dollar Baby, it's a great movie! Side not, not related to the movie, cept to me, the meaning of a yellow rose. “Yellow roses signify strong feelings of pure joy, gladness, happiness and friendship, but were once used to convey jealousy. Friendship is the main meaning of the yellow rose but it also signifies familiar love and domestci happiness. Yellow roses also symbolize fun and freedom. Today, the yellow rose is used to embrace a new beginning, apologize or express sympathy, and to say, "remember me" , "I am sorry', or "I care." Yellow roses are appropriate for marking the beginning of a new life together or for starting all over again. A Yellow rose with red tip indicates friendship falling in love.” -http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art11761.asp   Editied because I have no idea why I put “meaning of a yellow raise” in the...Mon, 31 Jan 2005 22:11:00 GMT23f79bea-3943-478b-8d2f-017fc90f2865Arkansas National Tourhttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/243/arkansas-national-tourWe made it down to Walnut Ridge this afternoon. My worries of the 710s fitting on the car were uneccessary, the tires/wheels fit fine! Though I think they may be a little too much tire for the wheel up front, possibly buy some 245s for the front before the next big event, we'll see though. More tomorrow after day...Fri, 18 Mar 2005 20:45:00 GMT7a430c8d-fb46-450b-8158-0b6d852df2b4National Tour Results (Saturday)https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/244/national-tour-results-saturdayBS 1/2 Hohl/Hammond Andy is .15 ahead of me, I am .066 ahead of a M3, who's .7 ahead of something else (not sure what) there are 4 trophy spots in BS. The car died on Andy's second run, NO idea why, ran fine before, and has run fine after. More tomorrow night, exciting day, beautiful...Sat, 19 Mar 2005 16:42:00 GMTf8714e1e-cbdc-4d4f-99ad-7e36fc0c530eSatan's image on the turtle shell!https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/245/satans-image-on-the-turtle-shellSo this wacky Pet Store owner thinks he see's Satan's image on the back of a turtle shell, the only animal to survive a petstore fire last october. http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/03/21/evil.turtle.ap/index.html I think the guy is nuts, clearly the turtle shell has an image of Donkey from shrek on...Mon, 21 Mar 2005 06:20:00 GMTbbab792f-a1c1-49f6-ae35-3a0fd90312b8Missouri Conservation Web Searcheshttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/251/missouri-conservation-web-searchesI was watching KETC Channel 9 today, an episode of Missouri Outdoors was one. They had a quick spot on finding their web site, www.missouriconservation.org, they said to use the URL or enter Missouri Conservation into any search engine. So I thought I'd try it out, sure enough you get the Missouri Conservation web site at http://www.mdc.missouri.gov/ Now to see how far up I can go! If you are trying to renew your subscription try this link! http://mdc4.mdc.mo.gov/applications/conmag/ConMag.aspx I cannot renew your subscriptions for...Sat, 26 Mar 2005 16:44:00 GMTba8b7462-f709-4f4a-a618-6230d2201b90Atlanta Returnhttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/257/atlanta-returnGood weekend, Andy got 3rd, I was 4th, in the final trophy spot. A lot closer to 1/2 than we expected to be! Looking to be a good year, photos/writeup...Mon, 11 Apr 2005 00:47:00 GMT7c01bb43-7554-490e-9c5b-6353ad828545SCCA Atlanta National Tour Triphttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/259/scca-atlanta-national-tour-tripAfter our impressive showing at the Arkansas National Tour in mid-March, my co-driver (Andy Hohl) and I decided we needed to go to the Atlanta National tour in early April to compete against 2 of the best drivers in the country, whom we knew would be competing in B-Stock at the Atlanta National Tour. I ended up getting a hitch built by Tuxedo Park Racing for the Project Z just in time to get the solo2.org tire trailer hooked up and loaded with two sets of tires to haul down to Atlanta. The trip down was interesting. We (not me and Andy) left around 7:15, Andy I believe left around 8:30 or 9am on Friday morning. On the way down we stopped a few times for gas and restrooms, along with lunch at the Cracker Barrel just south of Nashville. Once we left Nashville I started seeing them. The signs for Lynchberg Tennessee. I HAD to stop, even if only for a few minutes, I had to go there. So we did, and it was 2 hours out of the way, but it was well worth it! After the trek to Lynchberg we got back on the road and continued on to Atlanta, with our stops and the time change it was a 12 hour trip, 11 hours according to central time. Andy and I were anxious to see how we would do against Sam Strano and Carter Thompson, both of whom have won SCCA National Championships, and would be good bars to measure ourselves against. We wanted to find out just how far we had come, and how far we still have to go early in the season. It turned out to be a great experience. After the first day Andy was sitting in third, just behind Strano who was sitting just behind Thompson, I was just a few thousands behind Andy for the day, in 4th in the final trophy position of the 11 car class. The second day turned out even better, Andy ended up with the fastest time in B-STock for the day, I ended up with third fastest time only 16 thousand behind Sam Strano for the day. Though we were much closer to both Sam and Carter we ended up all staying in the same finishing order for the weekend, earning Andy his 3rd National Tour trophy, and myself a second NT trophy. We're looking forward to the Midiv event in Oklahoma City at the end of April. We probably won't see any National level events until early July at the Peru National...Sun, 17 Apr 2005 22:37:00 GMT8681b063-14a9-4f06-864e-c960f049bf4fNatalie Hammond (Ottiger) Dressage in St. Louis Missourihttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/269/natalie-hammond-ottiger-dressage-in-st-louis-miIf you're looking for a dressage trainer, clinics or private lessons in St. Louis Missouri and the Midwest check out Natalie Hammond (Ottiger) Dressage at NatalieHammond.com. Natalie is the premier professional dressage rider in the St. Louis area and is available for clinics and private lessons. Use the contact form on her web site for more...Tue, 17 May 2005 11:14:00 GMT3a5779dc-e63e-40c8-9624-50f7d2fa0671Google Maps, how it workshttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/270/google-maps-how-it-worksHere's a pretty in depth blog post about how google maps works. A good geek...Wed, 18 May 2005 09:18:00 GMTd0f40b1b-6867-4dfe-ae81-9cc67cdd0c5dSo far this weekendhttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/271/so-far-this-weekendSo far this weekend has been a good one. Last night we setup the SoloPerformance.com store at the Midnight Madness drag races out at Gateway. I shot some video of the StreetFighterz out there having a blast on their bikes. You can download it here, but be warned, it's 25megs and in Windows Media format. Today Rabid and I headed to Kansas City to watch the Cards game. It was amazing seeing so many Cardinals fans there, I  think it was easily split 50/50 between red and blue in the stadium. The ride back was wet. Somehow a big storm front totally missed KC but covered 70 the whole way back. ...Sat, 21 May 2005 23:51:00 GMT90282470-2f72-4124-a028-38d4458542b4R&S Racing SoloPerformance.com Midiv Event #2https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/276/rs-racing-soloperformancecom-midiv-event-2Check out the great photos that Chad got of my last run at the Midiv Solo II event this weekend. Here is a link to all of the shots he took. http://www.solo2.org/gallery/albums/57.aspx And a...Tue, 31 May 2005 23:02:00 GMT3d1257db-241c-4215-a60a-2a08616cc6b9Natalie Ottiger at the SLADS show this weekendhttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/277/natalie-ottiger-at-the-slads-show-this-weekendNatalie is competing at the SLADS (St. Louis Area Dressage Society) show this weekend. I'm going to go out there and take some video and photos of the competitors, see what all I can turn...Tue, 31 May 2005 23:24:00 GMT9efeab20-6ade-409b-b784-dc434e6f3c4fDon't mess with a Nerd's carhttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/283/dont-mess-with-a-nerds-carCheck out Rory's story about his...Fri, 10 Jun 2005 09:22:00 GMTe8f4710c-f245-4d7e-be66-5292c00a0dc1California Earthquakeshttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/286/california-earthquakesWell, I'm in California for my reunion, and it's the earth quake season! Faye, Janelle and I are headed up the coast today in the rented Wrangler. Hopefully we don't get any quakes that cause any of those silly landslides that California seems to like to get as...Fri, 17 Jun 2005 09:56:00 GMT110a1430-1a36-46c3-91f6-7cd3ec84411bBack from the reunionhttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/287/back-from-the-reunionWell, I'm back from my 10 year reunion. Lots of pictures and stories to post! I'll have some up on...Mon, 20 Jun 2005 22:35:00 GMT1424dff8-a434-460c-95d3-fd16f40ce33eVanden High School Class of 1995 10 Year Reunion Photoshttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/288/vanden-high-school-class-of-1995-10-year-reunion-pI've posted some of the photos I took from the reunion. You can see them here at the Vanden High School web site I setup a while back. I'm hoping to get copies of photos other folks took at the reunion as well, and post them on the...Tue, 21 Jun 2005 11:40:00 GMTa952d854-3696-4700-a160-74d60dc1a64eSt. Louis Earthquakes along New Madridhttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/290/st-louis-earthquakes-along-new-madridCNN has an article about earthquakes along the New Madrid fault. It's an interesting read, though not likely. I guess I can say I'm just glad to not work downtown anymore! and I'll keep parking the Tbird in the carport and the Z in the...Wed, 22 Jun 2005 19:33:00 GMT25441c9a-23f7-409b-ab11-005072d9e476Salina Kansas for the Midiv R&S/SPS Solo Event #3https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/291/salina-kansas-for-the-midiv-rssps-solo-event-3I'm headed to Salina Kansas today for Event #3 in the R&S/SPS Solo Midwestern Division Solo Series, or whatever the series is called. I'm a sponsor, I guess I should know! Will post pics when I...Fri, 24 Jun 2005 07:28:00 GMTeed000bc-01df-4ab8-a8d3-25fe2b6d46dfPraxair Explosion in St. Louis Missourihttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/292/praxair-explosion-in-st-louis-missouriIt looks like I got out of St. Louis just in time! All sorts of chaos downtown today as the Praxair Distribution facility blew the hell up! Bill posted a message over on another site about being able to see the flames from the Swank Parking lot, and hearing the explosions. Wow, wonder what the heck happened. Check out some of the pictures. From the news video I saw here in Salina Kansas I could see quite a few vehicles burning, and no fire department vehicles around to put them out. I think they cleared out the area and were letting things burn. Amazing that no one was...Fri, 24 Jun 2005 20:53:00 GMT559c17bb-94ba-4a3c-aa0b-8aa305631da6Back from Salina Kansashttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/293/back-from-salina-kansasWell, I made the trip back from Salina Kansas yesterday afternoon. 410 Miles in 5 hours and 10 minutes. You do the math. Stopped at the toll booth to get my ticket, then at the next booth to pay my toll, didn't have to stop for gas or any other breaks to the whole trip home. The weekend was good, hot 95-100 all 3 days, but at least Salina gets that good Kansas wind, it kept the heat bearable. I ended up winning my first Divisional of the year, and only the second win I've had over Andy this year, the first being the Walnut Ridge National Tour. We do it again this coming weekend. We'll be headed to Peru Indiana for the National Tour out at Grissom. Looking forward to making that trip again, it's quite a bit shorter than...Mon, 27 Jun 2005 11:46:00 GMTf23fad26-90b7-44cb-934f-ea8cb0e02a3cDrove by the Praxair Explosion Sitehttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/295/drove-by-the-praxair-explosion-siteI got my boss to drive by the Praxair explosion site after we had a meeting downtown on Monday. Here are the photos I snapped. Nothing really too interesting, they pretty much have everything blocked off well, though this shot shows a vehicle completely gutted and random metal lying around on the ground.. You'd think they would come up with some different storage methods after the problems they had last week, yet this photo shows all the canisters still sitting outside together! This guy was napping while manning the truck that is still spraying water on the site, I assume to cool things down. Maybe later this week I'll get down and get some better...Tue, 28 Jun 2005 13:34:00 GMT90c46888-1344-4080-9d4d-a8e77082ad37Vote for ME in the Ice Mountain Ultimate Cardinals Fan Contesthttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/297/vote-for-me-in-the-ice-mountain-ultimate-cardinalsVote daily for me in the Ice Mountain Ultimate Cardinals Fan contest! http://www.icemountaincontest.com/ I've entered as a Red Sox fan stuck in St. Louis! I entered this photo of me and Auntie Carol at Game 4 of the World Series last year. http://www.chrishammond.com/gallery/albums/55/4677.aspx Register and vote! Let's see how high in the rankings I can get! Tell your...Thu, 30 Jun 2005 08:25:00 GMTb0b5f9a5-26ec-4a40-b0dd-682c99395a5fIn the hills of Tennessee/Georgiahttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/299/in-the-hills-of-tennesseegeorgiaSo I'm posting this, dialed into AOL on my laptop, using my cellphone as the modem. Just a quick post to see how this goes. We're on our way to Ocala, it's been a LONG drive, with a LONG way to...Mon, 04 Jul 2005 09:14:00 GMT218676b1-7523-483c-a7d0-669f976c976fGoogle takes over the Universehttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/308/google-takes-over-the-universeIt was only so long before google expanded their mapping capabilities, from Earth to the Moon! Check out http://moon.google.com You'll be amazed at how far you can zoom...Wed, 20 Jul 2005 07:31:00 GMT3723143e-e924-4da6-8ca6-4eb1103528f1Girl tried the triathlon with 1 leg, Sarah Reinertsonhttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/309/girl-tried-the-triathlon-with-1-leg-sarah-reinertOn nightline tonight there was a story about a girl named Sarah Reinertson, she's 30, and only has one leg. She attempted the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii last year, she made it to the transition after the bike ride, but was 15 minutes too late to go on the run. The show is still on, but I believe she's going to attempt the triathlon again this year. It really makes you think about life when you see what she does. She's got this challenge she has to live with every day, and she has the drive to be able to compete in this hardcore...Wed, 20 Jul 2005 21:46:00 GMTc4798533-cbb4-4bd5-8aa2-d108e142c985Krekeler Jewelers, Farmington, Missourihttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/312/krekeler-jewelers-farmington-missouriFor some reason I haven't blogged about Krekeler Jewelers in a while! So here it is, a blog post! I visited Jeff a few weeks ago to get some of Natalie's jewelry repaired. I still need to head back down there and pick some of it...Sat, 23 Jul 2005 14:49:00 GMTc9313ae8-e4ce-4ace-9ea2-af2ba782adfbSaw Charlie and the Chocolate Factoryhttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/313/saw-charlie-and-the-chocolate-factorySaw the movie last night after getting back from the Midiv Divisional #4 in Kansas City Missouri. The movie was a blast, I laughed, cried, had a good time. Okay, I didn't cry, it's not a sad movie! The divisional went great. I beat Andy again, so we now both have 2 wins, with the 5th and final divisional coming up in Topeka in two weeks. The division championship is tallyed with your best 3 of 5 scores, so I have to finish in either First, or 2nd with Andy 3rd or lower. We're off to Denver next weekend for another National Tour. That'll make 4 National Tours and 5 divisionals this year, far more than I've travelled out of town for events than any other year, but we're doing well, so we need to keep it...Mon, 25 Jul 2005 13:19:00 GMT7c042e51-12d5-4f02-8f17-145337c1cef2Off to Denver!https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/317/off-to-denverI'm getting up in 4 hours to drive to Denver for the SCCA National Tour. I have to pick Andy up at 4am. Will post more info when I get to...Thu, 28 Jul 2005 21:54:00 GMTfc590bdb-3ddf-4378-9fce-10313eb7eadeMade it to denverhttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/318/made-it-to-denverWe got to denver around 4pm, just under 12 hours. Andy drove most of the way, I got to sleep. I'm sure it'll be the opposite going home. The course is huge, gonna be a long...Fri, 29 Jul 2005 19:40:00 GMT1548dd4b-070e-4b64-b5f4-28cab0d2084bTo Denver and Backhttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/319/to-denver-and-backAndy and I made it to Denver and back. I went 1800.8 miles since I filled up with gas on Thursday night, we left Friday at 4am. The car did well, Andy was in the lead after the first day, but slipped to 2nd on the second day. I finished in 7th both days. Not a great showing for myself, though Andy picked up $200 from Kumho's contingency $$. I took ~800 photos, I'll link those later as there are some server problems right now. I also broke the Digital Rebel, so I'm headed to Best Buy this evening to see how they are going to handle the warranty on that...Mon, 01 Aug 2005 15:11:00 GMT715f8a3f-c4e0-4df0-8769-dd247fb2b57ePictures from this past weekendhttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/323/pictures-from-this-past-weekend 1200 photos from the event this past weekend. http://www.solo2.org/gallery/albums/69.aspx Mostly heats 2 and 4, though a few Heat 3 photos in there as well. The new camera, Rebel XT,...Mon, 08 Aug 2005 14:35:00 GMT8fa670ea-f26e-4fab-9c87-644ff60464a4Natalie Ottiger and Florian Qualify for the 2005 Markel Young Horse Dressage National Championshipshttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/324/natalie-ottiger-and-florian-qualify-for-the-2005-mNatalie Ottiger and Florian qualified for the 2005 Markel Young Horse Dressage National Championships in Lexington Kentucky in...Tue, 09 Aug 2005 15:15:00 GMT04eb0f9e-811c-4dfd-9915-9d9355b3ac8eMSN Virtual Earthhttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/333/msn-virtual-earthSo, ever since google earth came out I've been trying to find a satellite photo of one of my cars. Well, I found MSN's Virtual Earth this evening and I think I've found one! Here's a link to Swank, follow Walnut Place west of Jefferson, out in front of the second building (swank being on jefferson as building number 1) just out of the shadows there's a white car, with a black top. I believe that's my old Camaro Z-28.  I could be wrong, and this could be a really old picture, but looking on the eastern wall of that second building is a black area between the building and the parking lot, I believe that's the left over asphalt from the Swank wiring...Tue, 16 Aug 2005 23:28:00 GMT2d664a57-d0ce-451d-94ad-5a25a401c148Red Sox VS Royals, Photos from 8/25https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/338/red-sox-vs-royals-photos-from-825I had an adventure to make it to and from the game on 8/25 in KC, but managed to take a few hundred photos at the game. Please feel free to give me any comments. I'm by no means a photographer, just a guy with a camera, so any tips/suggestions appreciated.You can see the photos here http://chrishammond.com/photos/old/category1068.aspxHere's my story about the darn ride back to St. Louishttp://www.chrishammond.com/archive...08/27/1502.aspxAnd then, of course my 2004 Game 4 World Series...Sat, 27 Aug 2005 08:48:00 GMTaca310fc-f04f-4d58-b1e2-f61931ee1eccHurricane Katrina Relief Efforts, Charity Links, Donationshttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/340/hurricane-katrina-relief-efforts-charity-links-dFeel free to post any links to charities collection donations for the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in this...Tue, 30 Aug 2005 10:33:00 GMT1f22682a-7436-4bd1-805b-9841a6e7d34e2005 Gateway Cup Photoshttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/347/2005-gateway-cup-photosPhotos from the University City portion of the Gateway Cup are posted. http://chrishammond.com/photos/2005_gateway_cup/default.aspx I only took Cat 5, Masters, and Cat 4...Mon, 05 Sep 2005 22:22:00 GMT72a4fcfd-1bf4-4ac5-812b-df033fab938bSolo Nationalshttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/349/solo-nationalsI'm off at the 2005 Solo Nationals, check out the blog over on...Sun, 11 Sep 2005 20:41:00 GMTb67b0ddd-ca1b-44ac-89df-e3be38c9dcaf2005 Nationals Photoshttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/350/2005-nationals-photosPhotos from Topeka are posted. Thanks to James Elterman for taking most of the 5th heat photos while I was...Sun, 18 Sep 2005 17:49:00 GMT959ec01e-3e06-4f36-8b4e-624e5b6b3be1We're engaged!https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/365/were-engagedAll went well with my plans. Natalie and I are now engaged! Pics and video up later this...Sat, 15 Oct 2005 22:07:00 GMTc3aac1f1-d400-478e-8591-3a7b0176b04dHow to get an Xbox360 for Christmashttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/383/how-to-get-an-xbox360-for-christmasSo you're wondering how to get yourself an Xbox360 before Christmas? Here's a few tips. Take 1: On November 21st, head to your local Best Buy, Wal Mart or Circuit City, Target, Kmart. Take warm clothes, some food, and a comfortable folding chair, you're going to be there a while. Wait, wait, wait, until 8am on November 22nd. Go in the store and buy one! If you're lucky enough to be one of the few in line that will get one. Take 2. Bid on one on Ebay. Take 3. Try finding one on Black Friday. (yeah good luck with that.) Take 4. Wait till after Christmas!   Any of your own tips on how to find a 360 before Christmas? Post them...Mon, 21 Nov 2005 00:29:00 GMTe30e9dfe-e102-4bdb-b756-663fdb291c06Stuck in Chicagohttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/399/stuck-in-chicagoSo, even though I've never really been to the city of Chicago before, I'm stuck here right now. Was flying to Lexington KY, via Chicago and the flight out of STL was late, so here I am, sitting here for another 2 hours waiting for the next flight to Lexington. Finally got myself online, at a rate of 6.95/day, but at least I've got something to kill time with...Mon, 19 Dec 2005 08:30:00 GMT582e777a-0c73-430b-a334-5bf32939ff7cAlmost time to go home...https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/418/almost-time-to-go-homeI've been here in Lexington, Kentucky for the past 4 days. I was fortunate enough to meet two of the brightest minds in the industry! Also, I can't forget Chad Hobson (checkout that killer site, what mad skillz). Anyways, back to the brightest minds. I got to meet Shaun Walker, founder of DotNetNuke, and Scott Willhite, one of the Board members for DotNetNuke. I of course got them to sign my DotNetNuke book while they were...Thu, 19 Jan 2006 22:24:00 GMTb48c7375-27a5-44d9-a706-a4a68fe8e0a8Highway Chase in Kentucky and Indiana yesterday!https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/420/highway-chase-in-kentucky-and-indiana-yesterdayComing back from Lexington Kentucky yesterday we stopped just into Indiana for some lunch. We got back on Highway 64 and immediately stopped in a traffic jam. We were sitting there for about an hour. When we finally made it through the traffic causing accident we saw a single Ford Explorer, I saw the passenger window broken, I assumed from rolling over. Apparently it was from gunfire! Check out the story...Sat, 21 Jan 2006 15:09:00 GMT85d6bd38-09d3-4c05-b8dd-4fc8d52b682aOpening Day Photos Posted!https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/477/opening-day-photos-postedI finally got the 293 opening day photos posted! Here are a few of the "good" ones, though I didn't go through them all.   Me walking into Cheers Me and Auntie Carol after the...Wed, 26 Apr 2006 00:44:00 GMTff448876-e03d-4e58-a588-99413f2bb6aaSurfs Up!https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/557/surfs-upHad a blast surfing today. Natalie and Mom came out and watched, took pics. I'll try to get the pics up tomorrow, but not likely to get them up till we get back in town. Nat and I are both roasted, hopefully we don't peel too bad! More on all we've been doing...Sat, 12 Aug 2006 03:40:00 GMTed55a28c-54b3-48d6-b0fa-2eb6aaa22425Ortiz strikes again! Red Sox win! https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/118/ortiz-strikes-again-red-sox-winRed Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Red Sox win! Sun, 17 Oct 2004 23:24:00 GMTe85f52c8-a1cb-4d67-886e-8ad6229ae6ffFriends and Family World Series Letterhttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/141/friends-and-family-world-series-letterIf you are looking to purchase the DVD of photos, you can get it on ebay. Sent this out to a whole list of folks today, in case I missed anyone. Hello Friends and Family!   Many of you I haven’t talked to in a long time, so here’s a quick update on where I am and what I am doing. I’m in St. Louis working for Emerging Technologies Group, programming web sites, loving what I do every day. I’m moving on November 1st to a new place about ½ a mile from work, if you want the address reply to this email and I’ll send it to you.   Now for the reason I am writing this email!   I bring to you good news!   I must say, I NEVER thought I would get to see a Red Sox World Series Championship, much less get the chance to see it in person!!!! I’ve watched more baseball this year than I have since I was a little boy, and probably even more than back then too.   Monday night I called Auntie Carol in Lexington, Mass. and told her to a flight get to St. Louis because I was going to get us Game 4 tickets. I got tickets from a season ticket holder here in St. Louis, got Carol a flight setup for Wednesday, and then proceeded to watch game 3 on Tuesday night from the couch. Throughout the whole series Sox fans have been nervous, the nervous wait, waiting for the Red Sox to screw it up, lose, and end the historic season in a miserable way. Game 3 was no different.   Watching Game 3 all I wanted was for them to win, so that Auntie Carol and I would have a chance to see Game 4, and see the Red Sox win it all here in St. Louis. They pulled it off and the World was abuzz about the Sox, and the fact that everyone thought it was a guarantee they would win it all. Maybe I was more nervous than most because I went to six Cardinals games this year all in which they won. Including Game 1 of the NLDS and Game 6 of the NLCS, and I know what the Cardinals bats can do, they can hurt you, and they could have hurt the Red Sox.   Carol landed about 3:30pm yesterday, I picked her up at the airport and was high fived and thumbs up’d by all the Sox fans walking around the airport, a change from the harassment I’d received from Cards fans on Saturday while walking around the mall in my Damon Jersey (see my blog link below to read about that)! We drove out to the stadium and found a nice free parking space which Josh Colwell showed me back in August when we saw the Cards beat the Mets, (http://www.chrishammond.com/gallery/albums/38.aspx). We walked up to the stadium and around to gate 7, near Stan the Man. We spent the next 45 to 60 minutes taking in the atmosphere, waiting for the gates to open. I also got a cool World Series blanket for signing up for a credit card, which will promptly be destroyed and cancelled when it arrives (you’re welcome mom).   Once the gates open we headed in to watch the Cardinals finish off batting practice and see the Sox take their practice. We got close to a few of the balls hit to right field, but nothing close enough to grab a hold of. It’s interesting watching people scramble and fight for a ball. We ran into Santa Clause there, he had a gift to be handed out later ( )! After watching most of BP we decided to venture up to our seats, 3 rows from the top in section 334. Not bad seats, but I can’t say that I’ve ever really had a bad seat at Busch (stadium). Before the game I took a photo or two of Albert (), I used to work with him at The Sporting News, he is the head photographer there, I also still occasionally play roller hockey with him.   I won’t go inning by inning, or pitch by pitch, but I will point out the photo of Johnny Damon, in his at bat that Won the World Series! () Johnny’s first inning, first at bat, home run won the game which ended 3-0 after nine. It was surprising the number of Red Sox fans at the game, there were probably 2-3 thousand, I think all of them stayed after the game to watch the celebrations. At the end of the game, everyone in the...Chris HammondThu, 28 Oct 2004 10:40:00 GMT03878184-dc9f-45cc-9d29-b4a08d2c01f2Our engagement adventure!https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/366/our-engagement-adventureSo now that most folks know Natalie and I got engaged last weekend, it's time to tell the story of how it happened. A little bit of info on this past weekend, Natalie's mother's birthday was on the 7th of October, so we were all headed out to So Cal for the occasion. Her parents live about 17 miles from mine, but by California's roads that's about a 45 minute drive. We, Me, Natalie, her sister, brother-in-law and neice all went out to California for the weekend, to visit with her family and mine. We planned on everyone going to my parent's house on Saturday at 6:30pm, kind of a family gathering, have both sets of parents meet, and just have dinner and hang out all evening. I however had other plans and had Mom scope out locations on the beach for me a few weeks back. The requirements were a good view of the Ocean at Sunset, easy accessibility, and somewhere that 18 people could watch, without Natalie seeing those 18 people until after I asked her to marry me. Dog Beach down in Huntington beach was the perfect location, with two seperate parking areas so that Natalie and I could park, and walk ~1/4 mile to the sand below the cliffs at the second parking area. So the plan actually was for everyone to show up at my parents house at 5pm, and head down to the beach. Natalie and I got to the house around 4:30 and picked up the Triumph so we could drive down PCH with top down, sight seeing a little was the cover I used with Natalie. I had to double check on the location mom picked out, as dad early Saturday morning said the two parking locations where too far apart, after seeing they were nice and close to each other I let mom know via a cryptic phonecall we would be in the same location as planned. Natalie and I drove around Huntington Beach a bit, stopping to watchi a few kite surfers (probably the wrong term) and then headed back up to the first Dog beach parking lot. I took her down for a stroll along the beach, all along looking ahead to see if I could see anyone at the rendevous point yet. We ended up at the point I had planned probably 5-10 minutes before everyone else showed up. Not exactly on time as I had planned, but I think that worked out best as no one was around when we were walking towards where they would all be standing, I was hoping she wouldn't see anyone before I asked her. This whole time Natalie was freezing, the weather the day before had been 83 and sunny, but the weather saturday was getting overcast and windy, probably somewhere near 55-60 with a 15-20mph wind from the ocean. Though, even with the clouds and wind, we had a pretty good view of the sunset, which I had planned everything around, a 6:19pm sunset. We stood there for what seemed like an eternity, finally the family showed up, I had to wave at them behind my back to get them down to the area near the life guard stand (stand 22) that would give them the best view. Natalie actually asked me if I was waving at someone, I said no, I was just cold and shaking out my hands. :) Once everyone was in position I suggested she put her shoes down, she'd been carrying them since we got to the sand. After a few moments, and her wiping her runny nose from the cold wind on my shirt, I got down on one knee and asked her to marry me. She teared up, not saying a word, in shock. I had to ask her, "well, will you?" to get her to knod yes! I rose and gave her a hug and a kiss and then the crowd cheered, she turned and saw 18 people standing up on the bluff cheering for us. It took her a bit to realize it was all of our families up there watching :). Everything turned out great, Greg (my brother) and Dad had my still camera and video camera snapping and shooting away the whole time. We walked up to the bluff and took lots of photos together, with all the family in various arrangements. Afterwards we all headed to Mom and Dad's house in Long Beach for a few hours of socializing. It was a great evening, and special thanks to Mom for getting everything together...Chris HammondWed, 19 Oct 2005 14:05:00 GMTf5eab5c4-51cb-4123-abe3-0d0192bdc14cEngagement Photoshttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/369/engagement-photosI posted a few more engagement photos, check them out...Chris HammondWed, 26 Oct 2005 22:32:00 GMTf4722918-1ee0-44f4-b9a5-f43eacb41ec412 Hour Trip to Atlantahttps://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/256/12-hour-trip-to-atlantaSo we decided a 7am departure was a lot nicer than a 4am departure, so we headed out. Gas mileage dropped quite a bit, 19-21mpg with the trailer in tow. Stopped a few times, had lunch just south of Nashville, then I see it. The Jack Daniel's Distillery signs, I HAVE to go, I've never been, always wanted two. Two hours later we've hit the distillery and gift shop, picked up some shirts, and a newly released 1954 Belgium Gold Medal bottle. Didn't get to take the tour, will have to do that soon! Back on the road, who would have thought Chattanooga Tennessee would have a rush hour? This is some beautiful country, we both commented on living here sometime. Made it to atlanta just after 7pm, forgot about the time change. Got registered, dropped off the trailer, walked the course three times. Pretty simple course, easy to remember, but will catch you if you take it too lightly. We'll see how tomorrow...Fri, 08 Apr 2005 20:49:00 GMT65cad397-0c8d-46a6-a0d5-b0c9eecaaff7Arkansas National Tour was very productive! My first National trophy, and it came with a Win!https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/246/arkansas-national-tour-was-very-productive-my-firA quick (longer than planned) writeup, from a BS perspective The surface was concrete, VERY rough on tires, kinda slick but still not a bad surface over all, a little breakup after day 1, patches before day 2. The weather was pretty windy on Friday, not as much wind on Saturday, by Sunday the wind has switched and was blowing form the east. Not near as strong as Friday though. Both mornings were chilly, saturday was 36 degrees when Heat 1 started at 7:55am. By 1:30 it was ~60 degrees out, Sunny, with a light wind.The event ran very smoothly, great job by the Arkansas Region and SCCA staff. Only two event recommendation I would have, the front gate didn't appear to be staffed very well during the non-heat times (not sure during heats). The other being the choice of Saturday night dinner locations. It was a little too small for the number of folks we had at the event, just a thought for next year There were 185 drivers, I worked first heat in the trailer doing radio, which was nice because I got to stay inside where it was nice and toasty BS ran Second heat both days, there were 10 drivers (2 M3s (4 drivers) 1 RX-8, a Red 350Z, a Brickyard 350Z and my Daytona Blue 350Z with myself and Andy driving). Andy and I were trying out some Kumho 710s, some very large Kumho 710s! We managed to squeeze 275s on all four corners, including the 7.5" front wheels, I ended up installing a spacer up front just to be sure we didn't rub, I don't think it would have been an issue though even without the spacer. After first runs on Saturday I had a mid 46, with Ashir (sp?) running a 46.8 though I thought I had about a 1.5 second lead on the class. Andy, my codriver, I believe had a cone on his first run. Second runs Andy ended up with some car troubles. Just before the big sweeper (turn around) the car died. We're not sure how, or why, but it wouldn't start back up right away. The first though people had (course workers) was that it ran out of gas, which wasn't really an option as it had 1/2 tank of gas. I generally run with little to no gas in the car, but didn't plan so well for this trip and filled up before making the 240 mile drive to Walnut Ridge, which left me with over half a tank. I tried to burn off some gas driving through town, and then hoped to use up some at the practice event on Friday. Andy got the car started back up and came off after his 2nd run with a DNF due to the mechanical difficulties. We looked the car over, revved id, smelled it, looked underneath, nothing appeared out of place or missing/broken. I went out on my second run and the car ran fine, though I was a bit slower, I think due to worrying about how the car would react. Andy went out for his third run and jumped in front of my first run by about .15 seconds. I went out on my third run hoping to best his time, which I was unable to do. I knew this would happen, as I seem to have problems improving runs at big events, I almost always have my best run up front and then I guess over think everything else. Ashir ended up dropping some more time on his third run and finished behind me for the first day by .066 seconds. Sunday brought a new day. I went out on my first run and put about a second on the field, but got a late cone call in the final slolom to put me back into 2nd or 3rd I believe. Andy's first run was one of the fastest in the class, and unfortunately for him was his fastest clean time of the day due to other difficulties. 2nd run he went out and blew the course away, he knocked off 2 seconds from his time and about 1 second from mine, but yet again, a late cone call came into play. Ashir didn't quite seem to be able to get a good handle on the car on Sunday, I believe due to some changes they tried making to the sway bar the night before. My second run I went out, sped up a bit, and cleaned up my run, enough to actually take the class for the day. Andy went out for his third run intent on whiping the floor with me, and he may very well have,...Mon, 21 Mar 2005 06:21:00 GMT6d8baeed-c2a8-4010-91af-5edd3028590eWhy I don't want to go to PDC 05https://www.chrishammond.com/blog/itemid/303/why-i-dont-want-to-go-to-pdc-05Well, I was going to do this blog post as my entry in the “blog your way to the PDC” but after doing a bit of research, I actually don't want to go to PDC 05 in LA. Here's why. The PDC is being held September 13-16th 2005, which is exactly the time frame I will be in Topeka Kansas at the SCCA Solo Nationals. Andy and I have a good shot at performing well in the car there this year, so I would hate to miss a trophy (hopefully) at Nationals to go to a developers conference! So, I challenge Microsoft to move the PDC to the following week! Then I will re-enter myself in the “blog your way to the PDC“ with my original intention of using the PDC as an excuse to road trip from St. Louis to California in my 350Z, blogging and taking photo graphs along the way! ...Fri, 15 Jul 2005 08:51:00 GMT44bacd39-704f-4f68-8c2c-fe6ae7380bcd