October 2004 Archives

Say, did anyone else out there watch the Michigan vs Michigan State football game on TV yesterday? It was by far one of the most exciting games I've watched in a long long time. Michigan was down by 17 points with 8 minutes left in the 4th quarter and they came back to tie the game and send it into overtime. Michigan finally clinched the win after 3 OTs. Oh how I wish I was at the Big House instead of watching the game on TV.

As promised, below is a picture of Choo-Choo taken earlier today. Isn't he just the cutest!

I know I am a little late in saying this, but singers like Ashlee Simpson are exactly why I do not go to rock concerts. As to be expected, most artist want to put on a good performance but since many cannot bring their A game night after night, many choose not to sing live and end up lip-syncing. I am not down with that. If I am going to pay $70 to attend a concert, god damn it, I want to hear them actually sing. Heck, if I want to listen to the CD version, I would stay home and blast my stereo.

Via Outside The Beltway, I came across this really cute story in the New York Times about people who regularly post pictures of their cats. That made me realize that I have not really talked much about or even posted pictures of my beloved Choo-Choo lately. So check back tomorrow for new pictures of the best cat in the whole wild world!!! Btw, is it just me, or to most bloggers seem to be cat people?

On Fridays, Bloggers Sometimes Retract Their Claws
New York Times, October, 28 2004

In the vitriolic world of political Web logs, two polar extremes are Eschaton (atrios.blogspot.com), a liberal, often anti-Bush site with a passionate following, and Instapundit (www.instapundit.com), where an equally fervent readership goes for hearty praise of the Administration.

It would seem unlikely that the two blogs' authors could see eye-to-eye about anything. Yet Eschaton's Duncan Black (known as Atrios) and Instapundit's Glenn Reynolds have both taken part in a growing practice: turning over a blog on Friday to cat photographs.

"It brings people together," said Kevin Drum, who began the cat spotlight last year on his own blog, Calpundit (www.calpundit.com). "Both Atrios and Instapundit have done Friday catblogging. It goes to show you can agree on at least a few things."

Mr. Drum has moved on to write a blog for The Washington Monthly called Political Animal, which, despite its name, features no cats. But for him, watching bloggers step back from partisanship in favor of the warmth of cat pictures is a reminder of the March 2003 day when he discovered that his cats offered an antidote to stressful blogging.

"I'd just blogged a whole bunch of stuff about what was wrong with the world," Mr. Drum said. "And I turned around and I looked out the window, and there was one of my cats, just plonked out, looking like nothing was wrong with the world at all."

Grabbing his camera, Mr. Drum photographed his cat, Inkblot, and posted the picture (calpundit.com/archives/000597.html). He soon began doing it each Friday, attracting fans who just wanted to see the felines.

They Won! They Won! My beloved Boston Red Sox has clinched the World Series. Goodness! I thought this day would never come!!!! So mega congratulations to everyone within the Red Sox organization. And to the fans out there in Boston, let's show the rest of the world that we can celebrate with class.

Anyone else feeling anxious about the upcoming election? Listening to NPR during the day use to be so relaxing now it stresses me out with all the election drama. I realize I could change the station or just turn off the radio, but I cannot break away. I want to stay informed. I want to know what is going on. With that said, I really just wish it were over and done with. This country needs to move on. However, something tells me election night might drag into election month and if that happens, God help us!

Ever want to pick up the phone to call a friend but can't bring yourself to do it? I am currently in this situation. I have fallen out of touch with this friend, but I still think about her, yet I cannot bring myself to call. It is just the weirdest thing. Maybe it's because I feel really bad that she called some time ago several times and I never responded to the messages. Granted I was distracted with family drama but it's still no excuse as to why I didn't call her back. Yikes!!!! I can be such a bad friend sometimes.

I am breaking a rule I set for myself a few weeks back. I am going to share something related to politics. Specifically, it's this website I found where Bush relatives are expressing their support for Kerry. I found it yesterday while reading the comments over at DailyKos. When I saw the link, I was quite surprised. Granted I assumed that there were some within the extended Bush family who did not agree with everything the President did, however, I did not think they would be so public about their dissatisfaction. So it just goes to show that you cannot take your family for granted.

I am not sure that allowing a major corporation to attach their name to one of the biggest college sports rivalries is a good idea, but at least each school get half a million for the two year deal.

October 25, 2004

SBC Michigan-Ohio State Classic Deal Near Completion

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- One of the greatest rivalries in sports will soon have an official name and an official game logo. The University of Michigan and Ohio State University athletics departments announced today (Monday, Oct. 25) they are finalizing details on an agreement with the SBC family of companies to sponsor the SBC Michigan-Ohio State Classic.

Once the agreement is finalized, it will extend the telecommunications company's existing relationship with each school while providing additional funds to help support other varsity sports. The sponsorship is expected to begin with the 101st meeting between the two football teams, Nov. 20, 2004, in Columbus and extend through the game next year in Ann Arbor.

The SBC Michigan-Ohio State Classic is expected to model the longstanding SBC sponsorship of the annual SBC Red River Shootout -- the rivalry football game between Texas and Oklahoma within Big 12 Conference play.

Nothing annoys me more than clinking on a link only to find out that I have to register, just to read a damn news story. Granted I understand why newspapers want you to register, but it's still rather annoying. Particularly since the likelihood of me returning to many of these sites is slim to none.

I'm in the middle of reading Helen Fieldings latest book: Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination. The plot borders on the ridicilous, but the main character has a list of rules for living.

Rules for Living by Olivia Joules.

1. Never panic. Stop, breathe, think.
2. No one is thinking about you. They're thinking about themselves, just like you.
3. Never change haircut or color before an important event.
4. Nothing is either as bad or as good as it seems.
5. Do as you would be done by, eg., thou shall not kill.
6. It is better to buy one expensive thing that you really like than several cheap ones that you only quite like.
7. Hardly anything matters: if you get upset, ask yourslef, "Does it really matter?"
8: The key to success lies in how you pick yourself up from failure.
9. Be kind and honest.
10. Only buy clothes that make you feel like doing a small dance.
11. Trust your instincts, not your overactive imagination.
12. When overwhelmed by disaster, check if it's really a disaster by doing the following: a) think, "Oh, fuck it," (b) look on the bright side, and if that doesn't work, look on the funny side. If niether of the above works then mabybe it is a disaster so turn to items 1 and 4.
13. Don't expect the world to be safe or life to be fair.
14. Sometimes you just have to go with the flow.
15. Don't regret anything. Remember there wasn't anything else that could have happened, given who you were and the state of the world at that moment. The only think you can change is the present, so learn from the past.

Beside rule number 2, thinking all of these rules are good ones to adopt.

I grew up in Boston so I have always been a fan of the Boston Red Sox. Oh sure, since I moved to Chicago about 10 years ago I started rooting for the Cubbies, but that's because the teams are so much alike that it was hard not to adopt them. In any event, two nights ago, I was once again ready to write the Boston Red Sox off for the season. But not anymore. Their performance during those last two games shows that they really really want to win. So here's wishing them the best of luck tonight!

If you are a fan of football, Friday Night Lights is a must see.

Synopsis as written at movies.com
Focusing on the religion that is Texas high-school football, Friday Night Lights tells the story of the 1988 Odessa Permian High Panthers. The town of Odessa is in financial trouble, and its inhabitants live vicariously through their football team, led by a their dynamic coach (Billy Bob Thornton).

Racquetball Guy and I saw this movie on Friday night and we both loved it!!!

I was thinking of making this a password-protected site as I learnt this past weekend that certain people who shall remain nameless are now frequenting this site. This inevitable will make me thing twice about what I write. But heck, I was already doing that anyway. So, I think I am going to hold off on that idea for now. In the interim, I will just continue to self-censor myself. I don't want to say or disclose anything that could possibly be used against me or those that I love.

Update 10/19/04: In case anyone out there was wondering why I disclosed the fact that I know that these people who shall remain nameless were visiting my site, well I suppose I just wanted them to know that I know. And more importantly, that they were wasting their time if they were trying to find out what this person was telling me.

I am not one for kicking someone when they are down, but it is really hard when it is someone like Bill O'Reilly. When will people like him learn that you really have to walk the walk? Saying one thing day in and day out on national television and doing another behind closed doors is bad for business. With that said, here's hoping that the victimized producer gets her day in court. Bill O'Reilly is such a f**king hypocrite.

Chris Rock is finally getting the audience he deserves.

HOLLYWOOD, October 14, 2004
Chris Rock Set To Rock Academy Awards
By Kit Bowen, Hollywood.com Staff

The Oscars are getting funnier and funnier--literally. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has appointed Chris Rock as host to the 77th Academy Awards telecast. This will be Rock's first stint as Oscar host.

"I am a huge fan of Chris Rock," producer Gil Cates said in the press release. "He always makes me laugh and he always has something interesting to say. Chris represents the best of the new generation of comics. Having him host the Oscars is terrific. I can't wait."

.....

The 77th Annual Academy Awards will be broadcast live from the Kodak Theatre Feb. 27, 2005.

Yeah for Chris Rock!!!

In case you were wondering, I am still here. I just do not have anything to really share these days. This is further complicated by the fact that I do not want to talk about politics, television shows or dead celebrities. More importantly, I do not want to talk about my personal life. Therefore, I will probably remain silent for sometime to come. No, I will not call it an official break because something might actually move me to post later today, tomorrow or next week. Nevertheless, know that all is well. I am just feeling uninspired when it comes to blogging.

Amy Fisher dubbed the Long Island Lolita has a new book and a column writing for the Long Island Press. I read several columns from her archives and she is actually not a bad writer, so maybe it was a good decision to give her the newspaper to give her a full time job. Based on what I have read, things seem to be going well in her life so I am happy for her. Everyone deserves a second chance after they have paid their debt to society. With that said, I cannot help but think about the victim: Mary Jo Buttafuoco. Here is hoping that she has been able to move beyond that crazy incident which captivated so many of us back in 1992.

Racquetball Guy finally beat me in scrabble last night. I knew that day would come when he would finally win a game, but I wasn't prepared for it to happen last night. I was behind for most of the game and came within 5 points of tying things up, but then he put down a 25+ point play with few letters left in the bag and any hope of taking the lead was lost. I was so disappointed that I accused him of cheating as he got all four of the top letters. When that had no effect, I belittled the fact that he only won by about 30 points. I know it wasn't good sportsmanship, but I couldn't help myself. I wanted to win. I needed to win. I have since apologized for my behavior but I still can't help but think that loosing is such a major bitch!

If I had a child, I'd buy them one of these t-shirts.

If you a student of military strategy or in a position to influence your country's decision to go to war, I would highly recommend viewing the documentary: Fog of War. As former Defense Secretary Robert MacNamara points out, war is so complex that it is often impossible to understand and comprehend all the variables. Thus, if you cannot convince other nations with comparable values that your cause is just, you need to reexamine your reasons for wanting to go to war. You should never apply economic and military power unilaterally.

Why is it that when you are gaining weight, no one really says anything? However, when you are loosing weight, everyone comments. Yeah yeah, I know weight gain is a sensitive subject, but that is when you most need people to be supportive. That is when you need your real friends (not casual acquaintances or coworkers) to ask you what the heck is going on and better yet help you get back on course. Then again, who I am kidding. I already feel bad about the weight gain, having someone get on my case will probably only make it worse. So never mind! Ignore what I said above.

For over a year and a half, I was successful at maintaining a low carb diet. However, in the last month or so, I have fallen off the wagon and I cannot seem to get back on. I could blame it on the fact that I have been dealing with some family drama and for comfort I have turned to junk food. However, that would just be side stepping the issue. The reality is that I lack discipline in my eating habits and to make matters worst, I have stopped working out. Oh sure, I get some exercise through the heavy breathing I do with Racquetball Guy, but that clearly is not enough. Therefore, I am gaining weight. Specifically, I have gained about 10 pounds since my August vacation to New Orleans. I am hoping that by talking about my weight gain here it will help me become more accountable because I do not want to go back to my heavier state. I cannot afford to go back. Therefore, here’s hoping I can recommit myself and at least start working out 3 times a week. Maybe that will help curb my appetite or at least get me recommitted to eating healthier again.

Am I the only one that thinks that while Dave Chappell is funny, he's not laugh out loud funny? Racquetball Guy has me watching the Dave Chappell Show on DVD and I can't say I'm really impressed. Heck, I find myself cringing at some of his skits. Maybe I just need to give it time. After all, so far I've only seen the first two episodes of season one.

Had my mother not passed well before her prime, she would have been 52 years old today. On a more positive note, Racquetball Guy and I celebrate our 6 month anniversary today. So trying to remain upbeat but to say that I'm on an emotional roller coaster ride is a huge understatement.

As some of you may have noticed, I have stopped talking in great detail about what is going on in my life. The reason for this is that I feel a deep sense of sadness about so many things around me and talking about them here would make some people unhappy, so I am choosing to remain silent. With that in mind, I might take an unofficial break from blogging. My head has been hurting really bad for almost a month and I am really really tired.