Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Paradox
Admittedly, I know very little about Burma. But....
These protests were triggered by soaring oil prices. An oppressive regime reacted with violence. British pressure is said to have curbed the extent of the violence.
The EU will supposedly consider a broad range of sanctions against military leaders, according to the British Prime Minister.
Sactions, I am assuming, will only exacerbate the hardships these people are already enduring and protesting.
Well done.
These protests were triggered by soaring oil prices. An oppressive regime reacted with violence. British pressure is said to have curbed the extent of the violence.
The EU will supposedly consider a broad range of sanctions against military leaders, according to the British Prime Minister.
Sactions, I am assuming, will only exacerbate the hardships these people are already enduring and protesting.
Well done.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Little Updates (From Costa Rica)
Our next vacation is coming up in about 5 or 6 days, and I have to leave the country to renew my Visa. Going to Granada, Nicaragua with two people I live with. Supposed to be a cool place to go. Some super cheap shopping, museums, and a nice lake. I'm saving my beach vacations for when the rainy season is over.
Things are still going great here. The rain is getting pretty brutal though. The groups of monkeys we have right now like to cross back and forth over rivers that we cannot cross during heavy rain because they flood and are too dangerous. Yesterday, it started pouring and the river already was near capacity, so I was sent back to cross the river and get the car so we would not be stranded on the wrong side. I guess I hurried a little too much, and ended up falling into the river face down. Got nice and wet, busted my legs and hand up a bit on some rocks, but managed to rescue my handheld computer! Thank god. The whole thing would have been much funnier if someone was there to laugh at me, but I was alone.
Lets see.....have seen some more cool snakes, including a boa that was in the kitchen window while I did dishes. Almost stepped on a rattlesanke the other day. That was scary. Also saw a tayra, which is a cool looking animal. Look it up.
The monkeys shit on me alot. That's always a treat.
I don't know if I ever relayed this story. It happened last month..... My friend Isaac was a little lost in the forest after dark because the monkeys slept in an unfamiliar spot. He was trying to get to the road where he could here our car waiting for him, but did not know he was approaching a 25-30ft cliff. He slipped, caught a small root, hung on for about a minute, but then the root broke and he plummeted down. Unbelievable. He got up right away and started running aroundand screaming nonsensical bullshit. His adrenaline was pumping so hard he didn't know what the hell was going on. Not sure how he got away without severe injuries. His back hurt for a few days, he bit a big chunk out of his lip, and busted his knee open, but that was it. Luckily. It was a crazy night. I have now taken major mental notes of all cliffs around our monkey's territiories.
Things are still going great here. The rain is getting pretty brutal though. The groups of monkeys we have right now like to cross back and forth over rivers that we cannot cross during heavy rain because they flood and are too dangerous. Yesterday, it started pouring and the river already was near capacity, so I was sent back to cross the river and get the car so we would not be stranded on the wrong side. I guess I hurried a little too much, and ended up falling into the river face down. Got nice and wet, busted my legs and hand up a bit on some rocks, but managed to rescue my handheld computer! Thank god. The whole thing would have been much funnier if someone was there to laugh at me, but I was alone.
Lets see.....have seen some more cool snakes, including a boa that was in the kitchen window while I did dishes. Almost stepped on a rattlesanke the other day. That was scary. Also saw a tayra, which is a cool looking animal. Look it up.
The monkeys shit on me alot. That's always a treat.
I don't know if I ever relayed this story. It happened last month..... My friend Isaac was a little lost in the forest after dark because the monkeys slept in an unfamiliar spot. He was trying to get to the road where he could here our car waiting for him, but did not know he was approaching a 25-30ft cliff. He slipped, caught a small root, hung on for about a minute, but then the root broke and he plummeted down. Unbelievable. He got up right away and started running aroundand screaming nonsensical bullshit. His adrenaline was pumping so hard he didn't know what the hell was going on. Not sure how he got away without severe injuries. His back hurt for a few days, he bit a big chunk out of his lip, and busted his knee open, but that was it. Luckily. It was a crazy night. I have now taken major mental notes of all cliffs around our monkey's territiories.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Bit the Bullet
I've been meaning to get a tatoo for a long time now. Well, the wait is over. Originally, I was thinking of getting my family seal inked on my shoulder....but in the end I found something better.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Miles Away
Dependent upon a dizzying array of variables, I'll spend anywhere from 7 to 20 hours a week listening to music. Much too often, this is confined to the commutes to and from work. And not only am I unable to consistently focus on the music when I'm at the wheel, but my car's also undeniably lacking in quality audio equipment. So, depending on what I'm listening to, this can and does sometimes have a substantial impact on the experience.
Last night, after dinner, I had the itch to jump into bed and listen to some tunes. I had intended to watch the DVD that came with Wilco's latest output, Sky Blue Sky, only, as the DVD player was making strange noises, I was forced to surf my CD selection for an alternative.
All too often I forget how great my headphones are. I have a pair of Sennheiser PX-100's which, according to my father the audiophile, are the best phones out there for under $50. While they probably don't hold a candle to his Sennheiser 550’s, I'll make no apologies here. These bad boys are far too underutilized. And they're still superior to any of the other systems in my apartment and car.
So I grabbed Bitches' Brew, and I swear to you, my head almost exploded. I've listened to it before. Countless times actually. But I've never heard it like this. Found myself laying there in the dark mouthing, "holy shit", over and over again, between bouts of goose bumps.
Last night, after dinner, I had the itch to jump into bed and listen to some tunes. I had intended to watch the DVD that came with Wilco's latest output, Sky Blue Sky, only, as the DVD player was making strange noises, I was forced to surf my CD selection for an alternative.
All too often I forget how great my headphones are. I have a pair of Sennheiser PX-100's which, according to my father the audiophile, are the best phones out there for under $50. While they probably don't hold a candle to his Sennheiser 550’s, I'll make no apologies here. These bad boys are far too underutilized. And they're still superior to any of the other systems in my apartment and car.
So I grabbed Bitches' Brew, and I swear to you, my head almost exploded. I've listened to it before. Countless times actually. But I've never heard it like this. Found myself laying there in the dark mouthing, "holy shit", over and over again, between bouts of goose bumps.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Morons
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, 5/11/07
Too early to call the American League East race over? Too early to say this team could run away with it? After they won five of six against the Twins and Blue Jays, how far-fetched is it to say the Red Sox are well on their way to winning this in a landslide? There is no competition.
Kevin Hench of Fox Sports, 5/31/07
The Yankees will not erase a 14-game deficit and reel in the Red Sox, nor will they catch the runner-up in the A.L. Central for the wild card. In what seems certain to be his last season as manager in New York, Joe Torre will miss the playoffs for the first time.
Chris Russell of Sporting News, 5/20/07
That is why the Yankees are done. It's early, but go ahead and pin this up. Take it to the bank.
Eric Wilbur of Boston.com, 8/7/07
They’re just a half-game out of the wild card lead, but let’s not overlook the competition they’ve abused to get into this position. That’s about to change, as it is for the Red Sox in a completely opposite manner. Before Boston heads to the Bronx on Aug. 28, it will face teams that it is a combined 17-5 against this season.
The Yankees have gone 19-7 against similar competition. But that’s coming to an end. As is any lingering alarm that they might make a run at the division. Call it obnoxious, call it foolhardy, call it a certain counting of fowl, whatever. Six games might be as close as they get from here on out. In just over a week, it might even be eight.
Too early to call the American League East race over? Too early to say this team could run away with it? After they won five of six against the Twins and Blue Jays, how far-fetched is it to say the Red Sox are well on their way to winning this in a landslide? There is no competition.
Kevin Hench of Fox Sports, 5/31/07
The Yankees will not erase a 14-game deficit and reel in the Red Sox, nor will they catch the runner-up in the A.L. Central for the wild card. In what seems certain to be his last season as manager in New York, Joe Torre will miss the playoffs for the first time.
Chris Russell of Sporting News, 5/20/07
That is why the Yankees are done. It's early, but go ahead and pin this up. Take it to the bank.
Eric Wilbur of Boston.com, 8/7/07
They’re just a half-game out of the wild card lead, but let’s not overlook the competition they’ve abused to get into this position. That’s about to change, as it is for the Red Sox in a completely opposite manner. Before Boston heads to the Bronx on Aug. 28, it will face teams that it is a combined 17-5 against this season.
The Yankees have gone 19-7 against similar competition. But that’s coming to an end. As is any lingering alarm that they might make a run at the division. Call it obnoxious, call it foolhardy, call it a certain counting of fowl, whatever. Six games might be as close as they get from here on out. In just over a week, it might even be eight.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Monday, September 17, 2007
Fistball
I used to play on a fistball team at a German club we used to belong growing up. From time to time this comes up over the course of conversation and, consistently, no one has any idea what I'm talking about. If you click on the title of this blog you can check out a fistball YouTube clip. Worth seeing. It's a good game.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Tight Spandex
Last night, as I got out of work early, I had my head set on going for as long of a bike ride as possible. I was rushing around cause it gets dark pretty early this time of year and riding around Boston at dusk has brought granted me a couple near death experiences. As such, this is now avoided as much as possible. In my haste, I went through my pre-ride routine (filling water bottle, bring bike downstairs, bring shoes downstairs, check tire pressure, etc.) a little out of order. This apparently threw me off completely because I ended up forgetting I hadn't brought the bike downstairs.
Having come to this realization as I looked down at my cycling shoes, I shuddered to the sound of the door slamming shut behind me. My cell phone and apartment keys were in a pouch on the bike on the other side of the door.
Immediately I started freaking out. In one fell swoop the bike ride was no longer on my mind. With no phone I couldn't call Mussolini, or anyone else for that matter. So, in my cycling spandex, I put on my Timberland work boots, the only shoes in the hallway without carbon soles, and walked down to a friend's apartment to see if anyone was available to let me use their phone or just for a little QT. No dice. I'm sure I was a spectacle for all passersby. I looked like a huge asshole.
Furious, I walked back to my apartment and sat on the stairs for approximately 45 minutes, twiddling thumbs and brainstorming for ways to break into a second floor apartment. I noticed a ladder at a neighbors place but thought better of it. If a neighbor called the police, thinking I was a burglar, and the police actually came, I may have created bigger problems for myself, given the fish whistle left out on the table in the living room.
After trying to pick the lock with a clothes hanger, I gave up. I'd also taken note of the paradoxical panic and resignation reigning over me. Completely pissed off and frustrated beyond belief, I moved not an inch. I just sat there. Approximately 45 minutes after that, I noticed a black Ford Explorer parallel parking behind me. Recognizing the car for the same make as my landlord's I remember thinking how I never catch breaks. Only this time I actually did. She was in the neighborhood to sign a lease.
"Kerri!" I called out as I walked toward her.
"Seamus!?"
"How are yah?" I asked with a forced smile.
"I'm good, you?"
"I've been better," I said while motioning toward the sartorial curiosity that was me. "I locked myself out. I was about to go for a bike ride...."
Her uncontrollable laughter cut me off. As I don't know her very well, her reaction made me uncomfortable. Instinctively, I covered my groin with my hands while awkwardly shifting my weight from side to side, scrambling to come up with something clever to say. Eventually, as I crept ever so close to a nervous breakdown, she agreed to let me in.
Having come to this realization as I looked down at my cycling shoes, I shuddered to the sound of the door slamming shut behind me. My cell phone and apartment keys were in a pouch on the bike on the other side of the door.
Immediately I started freaking out. In one fell swoop the bike ride was no longer on my mind. With no phone I couldn't call Mussolini, or anyone else for that matter. So, in my cycling spandex, I put on my Timberland work boots, the only shoes in the hallway without carbon soles, and walked down to a friend's apartment to see if anyone was available to let me use their phone or just for a little QT. No dice. I'm sure I was a spectacle for all passersby. I looked like a huge asshole.
Furious, I walked back to my apartment and sat on the stairs for approximately 45 minutes, twiddling thumbs and brainstorming for ways to break into a second floor apartment. I noticed a ladder at a neighbors place but thought better of it. If a neighbor called the police, thinking I was a burglar, and the police actually came, I may have created bigger problems for myself, given the fish whistle left out on the table in the living room.
After trying to pick the lock with a clothes hanger, I gave up. I'd also taken note of the paradoxical panic and resignation reigning over me. Completely pissed off and frustrated beyond belief, I moved not an inch. I just sat there. Approximately 45 minutes after that, I noticed a black Ford Explorer parallel parking behind me. Recognizing the car for the same make as my landlord's I remember thinking how I never catch breaks. Only this time I actually did. She was in the neighborhood to sign a lease.
"Kerri!" I called out as I walked toward her.
"Seamus!?"
"How are yah?" I asked with a forced smile.
"I'm good, you?"
"I've been better," I said while motioning toward the sartorial curiosity that was me. "I locked myself out. I was about to go for a bike ride...."
Her uncontrollable laughter cut me off. As I don't know her very well, her reaction made me uncomfortable. Instinctively, I covered my groin with my hands while awkwardly shifting my weight from side to side, scrambling to come up with something clever to say. Eventually, as I crept ever so close to a nervous breakdown, she agreed to let me in.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Fantasy
Leading up to each and every fantasy season I struggle to decide whether or not to participate. Fantasy sports are becoming, if they have not already, an institution for American twenty-somethings. As they revolve around my two favorite sports, baseball and football, I pretty much need a reason not to participate rather than the other way around. However, there are causes for trepidation on my part. Ultimately, I guess it's a bit of a paradox.
As an adult, I most often deal in absolutes, albeit reluctantly. It's not so much the opinion that matters, it's how closely it conforms to the truth. If it's not well-informed then, quite frankly, it's stupid. Sports, to a degree, aren't like that. Being a fan provides a realm where we allow simple, somewhat arbitrary allegiances to color our interpretations of the truth. This is not only OK, it's part of the point. (One's taste for art is similarly objective but not remotely as arbitrary...perhaps a subject for another time). To fully embrace fantasy sports is to lose, or at least compromise, a big peice of that makes being a fan so great. No longer are we simply fans of teams because our fathers were or because we grew up in a certain suburb of a certain city. And no longer will this color the vast majority of the conversations/arguments we have about baseball and football. Now burdened, as a fantasy team owner, with the task of quantifying and predicting individual athletes in terms of prowess and performance in pursuit of putting together the most competitive team possible, we subsequently root for athletes as commodities. Fantasy encourages an objectivity we didn't know as kids. And this objectivity isn't what drew us to sports.
Conversely, I'm a pretty die hard fan. I take a certain level of pride in knowing what I'm talking about, and I get frustrated when people who don't know what they're talking about pretend to. Not that everyone has to follow sports at the same distance I do. I like talking shop with my delusional friends from Philly who think the Phillies and the Birds are going to reach the apex of their respective sports each and every year. I also like talking to the walking encyclopedia types that make me feel like a pussy. For me, however, before I'm a Giants and Yankees fan, I'm a fan of two games. And as someone who was never particularly good at either one, I genuinely enjoy watching and talking about athletes capable of playing them at their highest levels. Fantasy is a convenient tool for this.
.....So I took Shaun Alexander with my first pick. But when Seattle plays New York, if they do, I hope he gets the shit kicked out of him.
As an adult, I most often deal in absolutes, albeit reluctantly. It's not so much the opinion that matters, it's how closely it conforms to the truth. If it's not well-informed then, quite frankly, it's stupid. Sports, to a degree, aren't like that. Being a fan provides a realm where we allow simple, somewhat arbitrary allegiances to color our interpretations of the truth. This is not only OK, it's part of the point. (One's taste for art is similarly objective but not remotely as arbitrary...perhaps a subject for another time). To fully embrace fantasy sports is to lose, or at least compromise, a big peice of that makes being a fan so great. No longer are we simply fans of teams because our fathers were or because we grew up in a certain suburb of a certain city. And no longer will this color the vast majority of the conversations/arguments we have about baseball and football. Now burdened, as a fantasy team owner, with the task of quantifying and predicting individual athletes in terms of prowess and performance in pursuit of putting together the most competitive team possible, we subsequently root for athletes as commodities. Fantasy encourages an objectivity we didn't know as kids. And this objectivity isn't what drew us to sports.
Conversely, I'm a pretty die hard fan. I take a certain level of pride in knowing what I'm talking about, and I get frustrated when people who don't know what they're talking about pretend to. Not that everyone has to follow sports at the same distance I do. I like talking shop with my delusional friends from Philly who think the Phillies and the Birds are going to reach the apex of their respective sports each and every year. I also like talking to the walking encyclopedia types that make me feel like a pussy. For me, however, before I'm a Giants and Yankees fan, I'm a fan of two games. And as someone who was never particularly good at either one, I genuinely enjoy watching and talking about athletes capable of playing them at their highest levels. Fantasy is a convenient tool for this.
.....So I took Shaun Alexander with my first pick. But when Seattle plays New York, if they do, I hope he gets the shit kicked out of him.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
The Fighting Irish
People get ridiculous about Notre Dame Football. Casual fans, pundits and myself included. Either you love 'em or you hate 'em. Prior to Saturday's schilacking at the hands of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, you had Lou Holtz, who has not always been blindly pro-Notre dame since he gave up coaching for pricy speaking engagements and ESPN, boldly claiming the Irish would win 10 games, while conversely, as part of the very same broadcast, Mark May, who's always been anti-Notre Dame to the point of delusion, claiming they'd escape no more than 3 games this year with a win.
With the benefit of the clarity that has come with this adjacent work week, it appears the ladder will be at least more correct than the former. Be that as it may, proclaimations of permanent doom under the golden Dome or for Charlie Weis' tenure there, are not only unwarranted but they're downright blasphemous. Who do you think is God's favorite college football team is?
Don't get me wrong. Saturday's debacle turned my stomache, but a string of 4 blowouts at the hands of superior tallent, and most recently, at the hands of superior experience, is hardly indicative of major problems in South Bend.
To the contrary, the Irish enter this season a blank slate in some very major ways. A new defensive co-ordinator has brought with him a new scheme, the 3-4. An experienced offensive line, an all-world quarterback and two all-world wide receivers have to be replaced by inexperience. In fact, of the four return starters that immediately come to mind, two are skill position players, and one of them spent the entirety of last season on the other side of the ball.
Defensively, they weren't as bad as the score and the stat lines would have you believe. Handicapped by horrible field position the entire first half, courtesy of an atrocious offensive performance, initially the unite didn't break, holding Tech to three field goals. By the second half, however, disproportionate time spent on the field began to take its toll. In a major way. Take a look at the final score.... And the statistics.
The only way, unfortunately, to address the inexperience that permeates the offensive side of the ball at the present moment.....is experience. The offensive line has to learn how to play together and the skill position players have to develop a repoire with their starting quarterback, Jimmy Claussen (true freshman). These are all surmountable obstacles if you put stock in a coaching pedigree that includes 4 Superbowl rings and a tallent pool that's consistently ranked in the top 5 since Weis' arrival.
If Notre Dame is to return to prominence, as judged by national championships, this is the coach and these are the quality of players that can get them there.
With the benefit of the clarity that has come with this adjacent work week, it appears the ladder will be at least more correct than the former. Be that as it may, proclaimations of permanent doom under the golden Dome or for Charlie Weis' tenure there, are not only unwarranted but they're downright blasphemous. Who do you think is God's favorite college football team is?
Don't get me wrong. Saturday's debacle turned my stomache, but a string of 4 blowouts at the hands of superior tallent, and most recently, at the hands of superior experience, is hardly indicative of major problems in South Bend.
To the contrary, the Irish enter this season a blank slate in some very major ways. A new defensive co-ordinator has brought with him a new scheme, the 3-4. An experienced offensive line, an all-world quarterback and two all-world wide receivers have to be replaced by inexperience. In fact, of the four return starters that immediately come to mind, two are skill position players, and one of them spent the entirety of last season on the other side of the ball.
Defensively, they weren't as bad as the score and the stat lines would have you believe. Handicapped by horrible field position the entire first half, courtesy of an atrocious offensive performance, initially the unite didn't break, holding Tech to three field goals. By the second half, however, disproportionate time spent on the field began to take its toll. In a major way. Take a look at the final score.... And the statistics.
The only way, unfortunately, to address the inexperience that permeates the offensive side of the ball at the present moment.....is experience. The offensive line has to learn how to play together and the skill position players have to develop a repoire with their starting quarterback, Jimmy Claussen (true freshman). These are all surmountable obstacles if you put stock in a coaching pedigree that includes 4 Superbowl rings and a tallent pool that's consistently ranked in the top 5 since Weis' arrival.
If Notre Dame is to return to prominence, as judged by national championships, this is the coach and these are the quality of players that can get them there.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
