TSG 2006

I buy into tradition. Couple that with the Thanksgiving holiday and you realize why I enjoy The Skins game. I remember great matches in years past, that paired Nicklaus, Palmer, Trevino, and the like. Trevino's hole-in-one is one of my most prominent golf memories.

I flip to the 2006 version to find Tiger Woods replaced by...Stephen Ames? Was Greg Kraft not available? I am so sad to see TSG on life support. Granted, some would argue it has been the case for years, but the tackiness of TSG 2005 (Fred Funk) made for one of the best one-liners in golf when Tiger read Fred's put being 'two balls out'. A rare view into the personality of TW, or, rather TWinc (pronounced twink).

How can TSG be improved? Hmmm...I'd suggest grabbing a bunch of young guns, but the multimillionaire 20-somethings have huge bank accounts, haven't won squat, and have the personality of bookmarks. Don't get me started on how The Leadbetter Academy has ruined the personality of golf, cranking out rich robots at the expense of independent thought.

Honestly, I'd revive TSG by going back to what worked, Nicklaus, Palmer, Trevino, Player. How many current PGA Pros could be considered ambassadors of the game? I'd take those 4 over 98% of current golfers. Devishly, as much as I love the guys, and what they have brought to golf, I'd love to see holes won with double-bogey (circa the Nicklaus/Miller Wide World of Golf at Olympic where Miller shot 82) and holes where players are laying up to the ladies tees to clear ravines on holes with long carries. But no more skirts on men, please.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I am the first person to buy into a new product/service/gadget, but inevitably there is a point where it becomes too popular, and I turn against the superior product. Case in point, this week at work I overheard a friend having a conversation concerning Pandora (www.pandora.com) as if it was just released. Each 'cool', 'excellent', or 'solid' (Ted Theodore Logan, anyone?) made me cringe, and ultimately soured my taste for the site. It has been around for almost a year (to my count) welcome to the recently moving bandwagon.

I love that the Broncos have a player named C. Mustard. Amazing football name, befitting of a fullback. Sounds fairly mercinary. Jay Cutler better beware of spending time in the Conservatory, lest C. Mustard takes a swing with the lead pipe.

Happy Thanksgiving!!! Mean of turkey breast with rosemary, mashed potatos, sausage stuffing (best kind), corn, oversized biscuits, carrots, iced tea. Double helping. A+. Easily my favorite meal of the year.

Flexeril and Skelactin

Last weekend was interesting. Saturday was a gorgeous 70' in DC (a rarity in November) and I was prepped for a round of golf. As I went to leave, I felt a slight twinge in my back, upon cognitive recognition, my back seized up as if a bayonette had plunged in my kidney. I fell into my bed and was unable to move; breathing was laborious. After nearly an hour I was able to roll over, while in extreme pain, and start to make sense of what was happening. In a forcible struggle I'd flutter an arm, then a leg, then the other arm, trying to regain my range of motion in iterations. After a few hours, I was able to make myself sit up, and some time later was staggering around the apartment.

Sunday was no better, I made it downstairs and lay prostrate on the floor, on a heating pad, in front of NFL games all afternoon. Monday was spent trying to make a Dr. appointment, finally able to be seen in the afternoon.

After lamenting to my Dr about the physical mugging I had been taking for the last two days, she attributed my pain to a severe muscle spasm, which are a 'regular occurence' as one ages. Damn. Now I've got to see if it reoccurs, which may require more serious meds than the F & S combo she prescribed. Weird how nothing of the sort had happened to be before, it was like a bolt of lightening, targeted right at my lower back.

Hopefully, the 4-iron to my back was a radom job, but damn if it didn't eff my weekend, and has left me struggling to work out the pain and teeter around my office/apartment.

Poison v. Motley Crue

My formative middle school years consisted of an intermal battle waged over who was the best band of the era, Poison or Motley Crue. I used to pour over Circus magazine, and was distraught when the pullout poster was Poison on one side, and the Crue on the other. I religiously flipped the poster every week, lest I give preference to one over the other.

Since then, I've probably been to more Poison shows by a ratio of 5:1, but if I had to choose one band over the other, all extracurricular aside (movies, debaucheration, etc.) the choice is obvious.

How can you side with a band who has a song named 'Cry Tough'?

I actually like the song, but what a miserable title. It could have been called 'The Streets', 'Cry Out', or 'Smoking Roadies after the Show'...anything but the chosen title. What a lame title. Makes me think they didn't write their own music (then who the hell came up with Unskinny Bob...another story for another time).

I can't take Poison seriously, and MC scared people. Advantage Crue.

Blogs and San Diego

Blogs I follow, mostly business related:

http://www.blog.guykawasaki.com

http://bobsutton.typepad.com/

http://thelongtail.com

http://dcist.com

http://jimcollins.com

Spent a couple of days in San Diego, barely missing the Zahns (damn). Stayed in the Mission Valley area, which afforded me nice long runs and a convienent Starbucks. As time was limited, I did a lot of driving around the city, and checked out both Old Towne and Downtown. Downtown was nice, but too clean, to the point of questioning how an area could get so clean. But it was definitely worth hanging out. While a lot of bars were franchised/chains, I suggest parking between 4th - 6th St. and walking to the Padres store at Petco, as everything is currently marked off. There is a door at the store that allows you to walk out to into the stadium. Afterwards, I suggest drinks at the pool bar of JSix, up the street, and dinner downstairs, or across the street at The Palm.