Saturday, December 30, 2006

Post Holidays

Happy Post Christmas to all! Nothing beats a Christmas tree adorned with gifts wrapped with the 'creepy Santa face' wrapping paper. It is my favorite, I've got to start employing it at all times of the year. Around Christmas I always swear to dress as Uncle Eddie from Christmas Vacation next Halloween (white loafers, polyester pants, white sweater, dickie) but forget in the interim. It may have to be my NY resolution to remember.

Have been enjoying the holidays in DC with friends who are in town, always good times.

Thursday, December 21, 2006

A Whoopin' is Comin'

UVA basketball put on a putrid performance at the Puerto Rico Invitational, finishing 7th in a tournament they were supposed to win, by beating a Div. II team (and were trailing in the 2nd half).

With Dave Leitao being an intense coach, I can only imagine the hell the team will catch once they return to Charlottesville. It has already been announced they have a practice scheduled for Christmas Day.

The punishment about to be imparted on UVA basketball made me fondly reminisce about the beat downs I took while playing sports. I remember a baseball game at Garfield when we were jacking off royally (the 3B ate a hotdog in the dugout during the 6th) and the coach was visibly steamed. The next day at practice we were instructed to wear our tennis shoes and meet in the gym. We were forced to take grounders off the gym floor without gloves. The pain from the pinch of a baseball and the gym floor is intense.

Later in the year, during fungo, the outfield was slacking off (I was RF) and the coach nutted a ball over the fence, instructing us to 'bring back the m*%&#$*^@)#$. Of couse it went into a creek behind the field, and led to us pushing in the LF as he attempted to retreive. Upon return of two dry outfielders and one who was soaked, coach cracked a smile...still human.

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Things That Make Me Happy

As this is a blog, not a gripefest, I figured I'd list some things that currently make me happy (December 2006):

1.) Putting up my Christmas tree the first week in December

2.) Christmas music on the radio during the morning commute. Nothing beats White Christmas by Bing Crosby.

3.) Anchor Steam beer.

4.) A round of golf on December 10 (even if it ended up being an Art Monk).

5.) The MoMA online store.

Well done, CNNSI...

I sit incredulous at another CNNSI piece that has me shaking my head...

"Once Boris Diaw works himself into shape, he and Shawn Marion, along with the steadily improving Amaré Stoudemire (averaging 17 and 8 in just 27 minutes) have a chance to rank among the great frontcourts of all time."

Memo to Bird, Parish, McHale, your reign atop the mountain is about to end...not really. I follow the NBA as religiously as I follow college hockey, and I can still name 2-3 better frontcourts currently in the NBA.

CNNSI writers really have the life. In an effort to crank out 100 articles a day, they've fired all the editors and hired only writers. The aforementioned article sounds eerily similar to me, as a 5-year-old, claiming I had the 'coolest treehouse ever'.

Thursday, December 07, 2006

Point/Counterpoint

Who wants to be an online columnist? Follow this simple recipe:

- Choose a one-sided issue that has drawn national attention

- Locate 3-5 unconnected facts that vaguely support the contrapositive

- Sprinkle the facts in an article against the overwhelming national view.

What a joke.


For the record, anything that is deemed a "state-of-the-art $13 million football training facility" means they went the extra mile to give each player their own personal hose to drink from during training camp, instead of poking holes spaced two feet apart in one hose. I remember going to see the Byrd Stadium renovation, and they were planning on raising $5M for weights.

I am lost...

I am putting it out to the masses, as I've wavered all week, and have turned my mind into the equivalent of the ball of lights Rusty has to untangle in 'Christmas Vacation'.

FFB QB - Favre (@SF) or Kitna (MIN)

Cutler is also an option (only because he is on the roster), but I think he's going to know what Merriman ate for breakfast 10 minutes into the game.

Saturday, November 25, 2006

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.

Thursday, November 23, 2006

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.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

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.

Friday, November 10, 2006

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.

Friday, November 03, 2006

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.

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Monday TV

Outside of sports, I'm normally not a big TV guy, but have grown increasingly impressed with the hybrid Monday lineup. CBS has created two humorous sitcoms in 'How I Met Your Mother' and 'The Class', which may fare well, as there is no great competition from 8-9PM. I've also become a fan of 'Studio 60' (10-11PM NBC), which is starting to hit a stride, in light of the enormous cast, which would (assumedly) drag down the show. It may take a few weeks for the development of more concrete and far-reaching plot lines, but the first few episodes have me hooked. I suggest watching this week's show on nbc.com (full episode), which I found to be the best of the bunch.

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Good Read

Wanted to bring quick notice to today's WP atricle (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/20/AR2006102000446.html) on Garry Trudeau, and his recent dealings with the War in Iraq in Doonesbury. Fantastic read.

It bothers me, as we approach elections, with a War in Iraq and other events of great seriousness occuring, that our notice of these events is blocked by political jockeying and the ad nauseum display of election advertisements. Granted, the 15 and 30 second snippets are easier to inject into standard tv viewing habits than an in-depth piece on current events, but reminders of what is really happening would be both sobering, and a refreshing reminder of what is really going on. At what point did we abandon the Weekly Reader for the 'Where's the Beef' ad?

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Salty

Please tell me I am the only idiot stupid enough to participate in a FFB league run by Fanball(slogan: were run by acutal retards!).

Case in point, I lost this weeks game by 0.05 points.

Context - I am adamantly opposed to leagues that have partial points.

- Between Monday night and Tuesday morning my team inexplicably lost 0.10 points (great coding, idiots)

- More accurately, I actually lost on a Jake Plummer kneel down that cost me -1 yd rushing (-.10) on Sunday night.

Awesome. Eff Fanball, 20-0 halftime leads, and the Bears D.

Friday, October 13, 2006

Too Much, Too Soon

I am concerned by both the lack of effort underway to entrench the new Nationals team/stadium in SE DC, and the number of overzealous investors/prospectors looking to make a quick buck on the revitalization.

Coupled with the Lerner family reputation (chronicled in this week's WP) for hard-line negotiation tactics and letter-of-the-law execution creates a recipe for failure.

What the Lerner's don't grasp is the soft side of the issue. It isn't prudent to publicly state the Nationals purchase was viewed as a moneymaking venture, which rings caustic in the ears of DC residents and Board members who struggled mightily to make baseball in DC a reality. I hate to clue you in, but building an office complex in the area isn't an act of good faith, insofar as investment to add to your already overflowing coffers. What isn't mentioned is the Lerner building is in the direct sightline from the stadium to the Capitol, was fought by DC Councilman Jack Evans, and only allowed to be constructed when your ownership was revealed. Cutting corners from Day 1 may make sense, from a fiscal perspective, but doesn't create the 'friendly customer experience' that will result in repeat customers, or what we call fans.

Also, the entire dynamic of the SE revitalization is set to implode. A scan of the area today reveals one of three things, tenements barricaded for future demolition, construction, or completed office buildings, at most three years old. What is missing? Residences, commerce, parks, any discernible nightlife after 5pm. In essence, everything. Which isn't to say what I mentioned missing isn't coming, but it will arrive at the same time as the stadium. The Lerners are already fighting tooth and nail for above ground (cheaper and less sightly) parking, which would delete planned residences in walking distance of the stadium.

Stadiums and teams succeed in areas where they don't immediately appear, but are an extension of the already existent community. Pac Bell works because the area was already established, and the ballpark serves its intention, as an enhancement. The architectural snore-fests that are being built are homogenous, lacking grandeur, and fitting of housing government facilities. Fine for today, but dated in 10 years, and atrocious in 20.

As quickly as the investors arrived to cash in on the development, they'll be inclined to leave when the revenue stream slows to a trickle. Why? Because they are investors, and have no ties to the area, the team, or DC heritage.

The sound you hear is the teetering of SE, and we haven't even begun.

Monday, October 02, 2006

Parental Control

Had a very enjoyable weekend, puctuated with Redskins and UVA wins (did Haley's comet orbit, too?).

Friday night we 'entertained' friends who were visiting. I've come to realize 'entertain' is the adult-version of 'get shitfaced'. It brings a wry smile to my face when I watch a show on HDTV and a couple lauds a large living room for being perfect for 'entertaining', meaning beerpong is soon to follow.

Got wrapped up in MTV's Parental Control. Show is highly addictive. I was audibly rooting for a whore to be booted by her boyfriend, to the tune of "if she sticks around, I'll have wasted the last half-hour of my life, and that poor mother!". Also heard date behavior described as "ho-ish activity", and saw fathers getting to act creepy and check out the goods for their sons.

Friday, September 22, 2006

USA! USA! USA!

Tough day 1 for the Good Guys at the Ryder Cup, with Tiger/Furyk going 1-1 (why has no one mentioned they are #1 & #2 in the world?), and the Mickelson face making another appearance. As much as I want the US to win, I don't know where the US is going to come up with 11.5 points for the win. But...

I've put kryptonite in Sergio Garcia's golf bag, by taking him in the morning match. If an RRD wager can't bring the shanks out in anyone's bag, I don't know what can.

Monday, September 18, 2006

I'm Back Bitches

Spent an extended weekend and the beach, for some much needed R&R. A few thoughts...

I get a kick out of how my phone automatically populates words based on my initial letters. At what point did 'can' become canoli, or 'but' become butthole?

If I ever complain about DC traffic again, may I be flashed back to being in a Myrtle Beach supermarket behind three people trying to use the self check-out aisle.

Myrtle Beach is the only area where the only sodas not sold out in the vending machine are diet.

Left my gas guzzling SUV at home, and borrowed my sister's car for the @ 1000 mile trip. Toyota Corolla = nice ride. Filling the tank twice, for @ $23 each time, brought a smile to my face. Easily saved me over $100. The disparity between mileage/ tank size was very eye-opening.

UVA, what can I say? Dark times. LOTS of room on the bandwagon. Truthfully, many true fans saw this coming. No serviceable QB, poor RBs = @10 points of offense per game, which isn't cutting it (especially at home). I've never been a total Groh supporter (I like it to GW, at times have approved of his decisions, but would characterize as 'inept' from 30,000 feet) as he has not developed a QB, ever (Shaub was all Bill Musgrave).

I don't know why VA fans expect more than 7 wins a year, we have no precedent for success. But unlike 95% of UVA fans, I have no problem stomaching a 4/5 win season. We've got talent signed for next year, and have a young team, sometimes you must take it on the chin. If we continue to spiral down, and our commitments (verbal) go elsewhere, I'll lose my $hit.

Thursday, September 14, 2006

The Forgottens

Music that has fallen between the cracks through the passage of time:

- Old school Aerosmith. Unbelieveable rock. It is crazy to hear how Steven Tyler's voice has evolved from milk to asphalt over the years (for the better).

- Poison's Flesh & Bood. Great album from start to finish, unlike OUASA or NBAGT, which contain a few homeruns, but more garbage.

- The Black Crowes. Southern Harmony and Musical Companion. What started it all. A number of us find it promising Chris Robinson and Kate Hudson broke up, and band members have been fleeing to save their sobriety. Should lead to great music.