Beavers and Ducks

2005-02-10T14:29:00.000-05:00

Beavers and Ducks Has Moved

Please change your bookmarks and head to the NEW Beavers and Ducks. This will now be archives and all new stuff will appear HERE. Enjoy!

2005-02-07T18:11:00.000-05:00

Super Thoughts (this one is long but well worth the read)

Well now that America's unofficial holiday has passed I thought I'd take a moment to express my thoughts on the game/night. I'm not a huge fan of the Superbowl since the game has become second tier to commercialism and the such but also on that same tangent the games it rarely the best game of the playoffs, let alone the season. This year it turned out a little differently since the post season games leading up to the Superbowl were unusually lacking this time around. All in all the game was entertaining and close enough to keep my attention thought for the most part it lacked exciting downfield plays. Oh man 6+ months until football again

- Root, Root, Root: Because I had no rooting interest in either team I had to find something to root for and that came in the way of "gambling". I put up $1 for two "squares" in Jeffs pool and in turn received Pats 9 Eagles 8, which I wasn't too keen on, and Pats 7 Eagles 7 which with any football game isnt a bad number to have. After the dreadfully sloppy first quarter with no points and knowing the methodical drives both teams use in scoring, I was excited at the prospect that the half could end knotted in 7, which it did. And such my fifty cent 7/7 square payed a cool 20-1 and I made $10. Yay!

- Just Enough: That is exactly what both quarterbacks did. In the case of Tom Brady it was just enough good things and in McNabb's case it was just enough bad things. This has been Brady's style for his 3+ year career and in the end its the wins that matter. Is Tom Brady great? No! Is Tom Brady good? Yes, good enough! And when it came down to it, McNabb failed under pressure. The Eagles were not a running team during the season, and that showed in the Superbowl and finally McNabb couldn't carry the team this time around. He is still a great quarterback? Better then Brady? Debateable. Brady is a product of the system and its the greatest system I have witnessed in any sport and nobody has had the ability to mimic it. The Patriots won because of Brady and his system while the Eagles lost because of McNabb.

- Superstars: Both the defenses gave up lost of yards with out giving up a lot of points, which led to both Deion Branch and Terrell Owens having field days catching the balls. Branch tied a Superbowl record with 11 receptions and over 130 yds. And was deservedly the MVP. He was my choice. While the Patriots still lack a true Superstar, ala Terrell Owens, but finally one of the Patriots receivers has emerged from the pack as a consisent guy to look to. Props for the UL guy. On the other side the media bought right into the Terrell Owens injury hype (recall I did not saying Owens would do whats best for him) and Owens actually did what I expected, minus a touchdown, but those were hard to come by for the Eagles. Owens proved why he is a top echelon wide receiver and even in the loss proved his greatness.

- Where's Corolla?: Terry McAuley and his crew were the best officiating crew over the course of the season and for that were rewarded with the SuperBowl. Congratulations on that accomplishment and it was a well officiated game. Despite having 3 challenges, Terry correctly reversed all three of the decisions from the field. That is what replay challenge is there for and it proved its use last night when the championship was on the line. I was hoping for Bill Carollo but I recall a few weeks into the season he and his crew struggled with a few calls in the Browns game and that probably cost him the Superbowl assignment. Theres always next year Bill!

- Talking Animals: While I had considered boycotting the commercialism of the Superbowl by switching away during commercials I decided that for the longest time (my lifetime at least) it has been just as integral part of the Superbowl. It would be like not having fireworks on the 4th of July. You just can't do it. For me I enjoyed only a handful of the commericals with my favorite being the SBC/Yahoo commercial with the woman "wonderin' what clothes to wear" as her husband repeats that line from "Wonderful Tonight" by Eric Clapton. Other good commercials included the Fed Ex mocking of Superbowl commercials and the Ameriquest "don't judge too soon."

- Baby You Can Do My Halftime: After last years halftime debacle, and years and years of lacking Superbowl halftimes, it was refreshing to see Sir Paul McCartney (a Brit nonetheless) perform his hits and in doing so doing it with candor. McCartney obviously knew he was on the grand stage and performed as such. Being the classic rock "buff" that I am I really loved the halftime show that actually kept me from using the restroom (which I ALWAYS do at Superbowl halftime) to watch the entire gig. Thank you, Paul!

- American Dad, yet another half hour animated comedy by Seth McFarlane (creator of Family Guy) was very funny. I recall laughing hysterically at the premier of Family Guy after the Superbowl years ago and last night the same held true. I love the concept of the show and what beats a gold fish with the brain of a German guy? Exactly. Like Family Guy, American Dad is very topical and yet I enjoyed the blatant topical humor that is often "hidden" in Family Guy. I mean God calling G.W. to tell him to quit using his name so often in his addresses. Hilarious. I can't wait until May when I can enjoy an hour of Seth McFarlane animated comedies.

- And finally to end this ENORMOUSLY long blog (sorry!) I'm going to analyze the "dynasty" term. Taking the 2 legimate dyansties of the NFL, the Dallal Cowboys from 1992-93 to 1995-96 (3 Superbowls in 4 years) and the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1974-75 until 1979-80 (4 Superbowls in 6 years) I have taken a few numbers and would like to compare the newest dyansty, the 2001-02 to 2004-05 (and longer?) New England Patriots. Editors Note: While the San Fransisco 49ers won 4 Superbowls in 9 years (1981-82 to 1989-90) and dominated the 80s they are not necessarily considered a "dynasty" in the minds of most NFL guru. Also the Green Bay Packers who won the first 2 Superbowls and the 1965-66 NFL Championship are not being considered because their winning does not fall entirely into the modern era. And now the analysis and I let you decide on teh dynasty title. Though there is no doubt the Steel Curtain will never be matched.

- New England Patriots
SUPERBOWLS
- Superbowl XXXIX: Patriots 24 Eagles 21
- Superbowl XXXVIII: Patriots 32 Panthers 29
- Superbowl XXXVI: Patriots 20 Rams 17
- Average Margin of Victory: 3 pts.
- Average Points per Game: 25.3

REGULAR SEASON RECORDS DURING DYNASTY SPAN
- 2004-05: 14-2
- 2003-04: 14-2
- 2002-03: 9-7(missed playoffs)
- 2001-02: 11-5
- Overall: 48-16(.750)

- Dallas Cowboys
SUPERBOWLS
- Superbowl XXX: Cowboys 27 Steelers 17
- Superbowl XVIII: Cowboys 30 Bills 13
- Superbowl XVII: Cowboys 52 Bills 17
- Average Margin of Victory: 20.6
- Average Points per Game: 36.3

REGULAR SEASON RECORDS DURING DYNASTY SPAN
- 1995-96: 12-4
- 1994-95: 12-4(lost NFC Championship game 38-28 to 49ers)
- 1993-94: 12-4
- 1992-93: 13-3
- Overall: 49-15(.765)

- Pittsburgh Steelers
SUPERBOWLS
- Superbowl XIV: Steelers 31 LA Rams 19
- Superbowl XIII: Steelers 35 Cowboys 31
- Superbowl X: Steelers 21 Cowboys 17
- Superbowl IX: Steelers 16 Vikings 6
- Average Margin of Victory: 7.5
- Average Points per Game: 25.75

REGULAR SEASON RECORDS DURING DYNASTY SPAN
- 1979-80: 12-4
- 1978-79: 14-2
- 1977-78: 9-5* (14 game schedule/lost in Divisional Playoff game 34-21 to Broncos)
- 1976-77: 10-4 (lost in AFC Championship game 24-7 to Raiders)
- 1975-76: 12-2
- 1974-75: 10-3-1
- Overall: 67-20-1(.761)

- Notice that the Cowboys and Steelers made the playoff in their "down" year(s)

- And finally my Fantabulous Five
1) Illinois Fighting Illini
2) North Carolina Tarheels
3) Kansas Jayhawks
4) Boston College Eagles
5) Wake Forest Deamon Deacons

2005-02-05T21:27:00.000-05:00

Changes

- Patriots 31 Eagles 17

- Here's the deal: If the Fighting Illini finish the regular season undefeated I am dying half my hair orange and the other half blue. If anybody else wants to join me in this venture feel free but I am going to do it even without a partner.

- Beavers and Duck is almost a year old. So in celebration of one year of thoughts and stories things are going to improve. Keep your eyes peeled as Beavers and Ducks will have a new host and new look in the near future. I will continue to "blog" at the new site along with the addition of new features and such.

- By this time next weekend I will have posted some picture of the many models I have been constructing in my architecture studio.

- There are nine days until Valentine's Day. I hope you've got your sweetie something or its time to break up.

- My alma mater just announced plans for a $28 million renovation and construction that is quite intriguing. I knew there had been talks of such for some time and Will Wolford said it best when he mentioned that the school waited to announce athletic upgrades when those could be coupled with academic upgrades. Thats for sure. I know a few tenured teachers who aren't too happy that King Glaser is getting what he wants. St. Xavier will not be getting a dime of my imaginary money but in the end I think this is a necessary and great project. St. Xavier is already one the premier Catholic/private schools in the nation and these changes will definitely keep it there for a long time. The new athletic complex appears state of the art and I'd love to see some plans and renderings of what they have planned.

- That's all!

2005-02-03T01:24:00.000-05:00

And I Quote

Dear Gregory,

On behalf of the College of Fine and Applied Arts, we would like to congratulate you for being named to the Dean's List. This honor recognizes outstanding students who have achieved at least a 3.25 semester grade point average and also rank in the upper twenty percent of their class and curriculum. This achievement demostrates your seriousness of purpose and dedication to intellectual creative activity. We applaud your accomplishments.

Sincerely,
Kathleen F. Conlin
Dean

If they only knew!

2005-01-31T16:46:00.000-05:00

Sports Talk

- After doing a little "number crunching" and such I am ready to release my first Fantabulous Five of Men's College Basketball. I've watched enough games, read enough articles, crunched enough numbers, and used enough common sense to pick the best five teams in the country. And so without further ado.

1) University of Illinois Fighting Illini (21-0)- While being undefeated with 21 wins Illinois managed to beat top teams that included: Gonzaga, Wake Forest, Cincinnati, Iowa and Wisconsin. Of coursed mix in with those top teams were some cupcakes, but going undefeated this far into the season nowadays is unheard of. Sure Stanford and St. Josephs did such until late in the season last year, neither of those team had the team chemistry the Illini are playing with. While Luther Head is currently the MVP of the team and Big Ten, on any night Deron Williams, Dee Brown or Roger Powell can be the best player. When one of the stars has a rough game the supporting crew steps up and thats while there have been some close games as of late, the Illini have beat every opponent and look good doing it.

2) University of North Carolina Tarheels (17-2)- The Tarheels have looked on fire as of late minus a little hiccup against the very good Wake Forest. UNC started the season with a bad loss to Santa Clara and with pundits will say they were without their best player, thats part of the game and it was still a 10 point loss that the Tarheels shouldn't have incurred with the talent they have. While the did lose to ranked Wake Forest, UNC beat quality opponents in Kentucky, Maryland, and "not looking so good right now" Georgia Tech. They have a fast paced high scoring offense that is hard to stop having surpassed 100 pts six times this season, but things don't get easier as they do play in the ACC, which is the best conference in America.

3) Kansas University Jayhawks (16-1)- Every team plays a bad game and its obvious that for the Jayhawks that game was against a hot shooting Villanova Wildcats (who entered the rankings this week). For the two weeks leading up to the Villanova game the Jayhawks were "squeaking" out victories against not so great teams, but a win is a win. They beat Georgia Tech, won at Rupp Arena (a tough feat for any team) and manhandled Texas over the weekend. Things seems to be clicking for Kansas now and while a loss is never good, the Jayhawks responded to the Villanova loss and are on top of their game. Tough matchups await in the Big 12.

4) Duke University Blue Devils (16-1)- The Blue Devils have played one of the easiest schedules to date of Top 25 teams having only beat a ranked opponent in Michigan State. Everyone is praising Coach K as a great coach (which he is and has been for years) in particular this year though look at the roster and he is playing 5 McDonalds All Americans. Of course they have to play as a team which is where Coach K comes into the equation but the talent is obviously there but losing at home to Maryland is a tough one to swallow and a their schedule is insanely end heavy with huge matchups still to come in the final weeks of the season.

5) Boston College Eagles (18-0)- Like the Blue Devils the Eagles really haven't had too many top opponents minus a victory at Connecticut and a win against the now ever fading Mountaineers. I'm not going to deny them what they deserve though because just as with Illinois too many things can go wrong and a loss occur. Its happened to every team except the Eagles and the Fighting Illini. The talent is there and some great Big East matchups still loom so we will see the true toughness and ability of this team now, more then we did in its first 18 games.

Look for an updated Fantabulous Five every Monday until Selection Sunday.

- Its finally Superbowl week and Ive had enough of all the Superbowl Hype. No the Patriots are not a dynasty. Not yet atleast. But do they really have to win the Superbowl this year for us to really appreciate what they have done the past 4 years. Sure 3 Superbowls out of 4 in this day in age...hell any day in age is quite the accomplishment. I hate the Patriots and I forward you to someone I possibly hate just as much, Skip Bayless, as he describes basically exactly how I feel about the whole Dynasty talk and Brady-Montana talk.

I know this gets just as old as the dynasty talk, but the Patriots are the epitome of TEAM. Say what you want about the players but this team has NO SUPERSTAR. Brady is quality and a great quarterback but thats mainly because of the guys around him. And none of those guys around him are great. Collectively they are the best in the leauge but individually their #1 reciever is behind quite a few #2 recievers and wouldn't be a reciever you pick if you got just 1 WR to start a team around. The defense has been the tops of the league this entire span but their isnt just one guy. Hell they have the top defense in the league and its makeshift. Its been makeshift for longer then this season but its gotten so much more attention when WR Troy Brown being playing defensive back.

The Patriots are doing as well as they have been because as a collection there is nothing better out there. Coaches included. And that is why the most interesting part of this dynasty talk is that no matter win or loss this Sunday, the dynasty ends Sunday. Charlie Wiess is headed to Notre Dame to try his luck there and Romeo Crennel is headed to Cleveland to revive the Browns. As coordinators they are the best in the league. As head coaches...well we'll have to wait and see. And as for as Belichick. Well he failed miserably as coach of the Browns without his right hand men. So the story really starts Sunday, not ends.

As far as who wins on Sunday. The Patriots. Why would I pick any different. I just told you they were the best collection or team that the NFL has seen in over a decade (but even the Cowboys had SUPERSTARS...Aikman, Smith, Irvin, Lett). Is it going to be classic? I doubt it. High scoring? I hope so but these are some of the top defenses in the league. Commercial as hell? You better believe it, it is the Superbowl. Dynasty? I don't get payed so I'll leave that to the "talking heads" to decide. Remarkable? Without a doubt. Go ahead and chalk up Brady and Vinaterri for Canton and maybe just maybe they can do a bust of the whole team and put the 2001 - 2005 Patriots in the Hall of Fame.

2005-01-28T17:12:00.000-05:00

Ramblings

20-0 And Loving It- The Fighting Illini remain 1 of only 2 undefeated teams in the country and its great. While there are still grumblings that the Illini are not garnering all the respect they deserve (even from me), its hard to deny the fact that most people are no longer seeing this team as a "fluke". The makings for this season started late last season after running off ten straight Big Ten wins before an eventual loss to Duke in the NCAA Tournament. "Experts" failed to notice it early in the season ranking us 7th to start the season but as of the latest poll the Illini were one vote shy of being the unanimous #1 team. I'm not a huge college basketball buff but its a whole lot of fun watching "your" team have such success on the court. I'm not about to proclaim we are going to manage an undefeated season own our way to the National Championship, nor am I going to say a loss is the end of the line for us. Going undefeated would be sweet, but in the end, like all sports, its the National Championship that matters in the win. Twenty and counting.
Two Weeks Is Too Long- Please join me in petitioning Paul Tagliabue and the NFL to move the Superbowl back so that it occurs the Sunday following the Conference Championship games. Not only was the Superbowl meant to be played in January but giving the "talking heads" 2 weeks to predict, guess, suspect, yell, and such about ONE game is entirely too long. I love the NFL. Its my little baby and even I don't want to hear this much "crap" about the game, the teams, the players, the field, the halftime show, and anything else they like to think goes with the Superbowl. A perfect example is the TO situation and his injury. Everybody in their right mind thinks they know what TO should do, even though only TO knows and that Andy Reid ultimately has the final say. In my mind TO should do what he wants after he has been informed of the possible damage and career ending possibilities that could occur if his recovering ankle were to take a hit. He is the only one who knows if he will be able to be effective but ultimately make him totally responsible and make him sign on the dotted line so that the Eagles or the NFL will not be liable to pay him his remaining salary or bonus if something unfortunate were to occur and not allow TO to continue playing football. It's the Superbowl and that doesnt happen all too often for players.
I Guess This Is Growing Up- I flipped through my guide/handbook of life and there was no warning of this, but apparently 2nd semester sophomore year is when "school" really starts. Its not only me being an architecture student but most of my friends are also facing great loads of work and less free time. No longer do I have the hours and hours of free time to do what I want, but just hours of free time. It's not a complaint but I guess this is life. Its more of a balancing of time act then actually not having enough time. I do have enough time but I have to go do work when I am motivated or I know it will never get done. I'm still trying to adjust to the new schedule but I should have that down by the end of the next week. In my architecture studio I have had 5 class and by Monday will have my fifth model do. Its nothing elaborate but cutting cardboard and assembling it not matter how simple the tasks takes a handful of hours. Its not labourious and I actually love being in the working with the cardboard and creating new designs. Its getting to the studio that is the hard part. All my other classes are relatively simple and don't require excessive work so in the end I will survive.
Where's The Music- For those of you keeping tabs you realize that my Top 100 songs were going to be published last Saturday but that didn't happen but don't fret as the list is just around the corner. I didn't think the first week back at school would be as busy as it turned out to be and I haven't been able to get down all the subtle details and such in the list. So stay tuned and sure enough the list will be available.
Tennis Anyone- I am a sports buff but even with me most of time tennis eludes me. I don't understand the want to watch 3+ hours of hitting a ball with a racket over a net. Sure there are spectacular and athletic plays through out, but its a long time to watch to see a few cool plays. But I will admit that from Tuesday 11PM until Wednesday 11PM I witnessed the end of 3 spectacular matches. All three matches were in final set tiebreakers that ended 9-7, 10-8, and 9-7 respectively. What fun but also enough tennis for the year.
Well thats alot to read so I'll end with that. I'll try to update more regularly so the blogs don't get too long. Please come back!

Could You Take My Picture Cuz I Won't Remember

2005-01-24T18:38:00.000-05:00

For my birthday I received a digital camera and no longer will my drunk amnesia or Alzheimers be a problem. I got my first use of it Friday and it's a fun new "toy" to play with it. And like with every new "toy" I'm sure I over used it on the first occassion, but hey, there are a lot of neat little things it can do and I want to try them all out. There is no doubt I'll be using this on a regular basis and that means there are bound to be some great (both quality-wise and content-wise) pictures. Here's a little sample of picture that Keith took of me and Raiche. Be sure to check out all my photos (atleast the ones I do post...haha) at Photobucket and Webshots. Let me know which web album you like best and based on the feedback I'll decide which one to use, since you all are the ones who are going to be viewing them.

Enjoy and be sure to give me some feedback on the two web albums!

2005-01-14T15:04:00.000-05:00

Teenage Wasteland

Well here I am a week away from my 20th birthday. Damn that's been quick. Twenty is one of the those arbitrary birthdays where yes I am no longer a teenager (in the same sense of going from twelve to thirteen) but other than that it is not significant at all. Not like when I turned sixteen and could get my drivers license or when I turned eighteen and I registered to vote or when I turn twenty-one and will be able to buy and consume alcohol legally.

Nope, its just another day. But for those of you who know me, every birthday is just another day. I don't understand celebrating the passage of time. Sure its nice to know how old I am but I can just realize that every January 21 I am a year older. Sure its nice to have a day that's your "own" and people "celebrate" you with gifts, greetings, and cards. All aspects of it are fun, but why does there need to be a special day as a birthday for people to make that extra effort. For the most part all the people who will be wishing me a Happy Birthday next Friday are people who I am in regular contact with but without a doubt there will be a handful of people who make the extra effort to talk to me or such just because its my birthday. Maybe they are being nice, but if they must use extra effort to do it, why bother? I guess this is just cynical Greg.

Yes next Friday January 21 is my birthday but it will just be another day. Sure I'll have fun, but I have fun everyday. I'll too put on my pants one leg at a time (wait I might sit on my bed and slide both legs on at the same time just because it is my birthday). So do what you like but I'll know who really cares. Don't feel obligated to wish me a "happy" birthday just because its my birthday, because you won't score any extra points with me. But for those of you who do mean it, who do care, and who do like me...thanks I appreciate it.

Wow, I'm almost a "twenty-something" and that sounds scary as hell. Because "twenty-something" means you are supposed to be doing something with your life. You are supposed to have a job. You are supposed to be a in "serious" relationship. You are supposed to be thinking about your future. I guess what I am getting at is you are supposed to be an "adult" and who wants to be that. Adult means having real responsibilities and real concerns. I don't want any of those things. But do I want to live in "teenage wasteland" forever? I think not. I guess this is life. Things change and I'll change with them and all I know is I have 4 more years of college ahead of me and that in essence will be "teenage wasteland plus some".

Well I've only got limited time left to spend in "teenage wasteland" so I'm going to go waste away.

2005-01-12T13:32:00.000-05:00

I'm Going to Make this Simple

Say that the University of Louisville used a player who had been deemed academically ineligible by the NCAA to play in the Liberty Bowl verse Boise State on December 31st but he played anyway. And like they really did say Louisville won that game but through further review the NCAA realized that player did play and therefore Louisville violated the rules and therefore had to forfeit the game. That would make Boise State the winner despite what the "real" score was and there would be no "rematch". Louisville broke the rules so therefore they must pay the consequences despite what actually happened on the playing field. Sounds simple enough, doesn't it?

Well lets apply that same situation that is currently unfolding in Kentucky.

The Kentucky Constitution clearly states that a person must be a resident of Kentucky for the six years prior to be eligible and to run for the Senate from that area. So in the election in November a certain Republican won the election by receiving more votes over the Democrat but it was realized that the Republican did not live in Kentucky for the 6 years prior and instead had dual residency in Kentucky and Indiana and actually voted in the past 2 Indiana elections. Sounds easy enough that the Republican should be disqualified for being an illegal canidate and the Senate seat awarded to the Democrat. But in Kentucky its not the easy.

The Republican controlled Senate refused to seat the Democrat and even seated the illegally qualified Republican. If I'm not mistaken its the GOP who loves the strict interpretation of the Constitution. Well I saw the wording of this law and its as clear as day that you must be a resident for 6 years prior. Apparently the GOP only likes strict interpretation when it suits their needs. What a joke. While there have been calls for a special election by some conservatives that still is wrong. The Republicans claim that without a special election the people who voted for the illegal canidate will be disenfranchised. No they won't. They voted for who they wanted to, it just turns out their canidate was not a legal one. Even in contempt of the court the Senate leader approved the seating of the Republican despite not fulfilling the requirements set forth in the Constitution of this Commonwealth.

It's times like these where I don't like admitting I'm from Kentucky. If we can understand such a situation in terms of a football game, why can't we understand the same situation in politics? That's just it...It's politics. It makes perfect sense why people are turned off when it comes to politics. What scares me most is the same Republicans who voted to seat the illegal canidate are the same people who have nearly enough control in the Senate to pass anything they want. Who knows what law they will ignore next? It seems as though power does corrupt.

Illegal means illegal. There would be no chance in hell that this Senate would seat an illegal Democrat if this situation were reversed. So I guess the moral of this story is if the rule doesn't suit you...fuck it. Yay to anarchy!

2004-12-27T14:23:00.000-05:00

Christmas

No matter how old you get the joy of Christmas is always present. Each year I think to myself, I'm a year older and Christmas can't possibly be as fun as it was last year, but sure enough it never disappoints. I'm a month short of my 20th birthday and I felt as giddy as ever with this Christmas. Maybe it was because there was snow on the ground. Maybe it was because I was surrounded by family and friends. Maybe it was because of the Christmas music that blared through the house. Maybe it was the Christmas cookies and goodies I baked. Well no, it was actually all of those factors combining to make the Christmas season the best time of the year. And just like all my pasts Christmas' this was a great one.

Its impossible to rank your favorite Christmas gifts as different items have different meanings to you at different age levels. And like every Christmas family and friends are the ultimate gift that no material good could ever replace. And those two "gifts" become even more important as one ages and gets further and further away from childhood. But one cannot deny the great joy one receives in getting material gifts each Christmas. While there is no quantitative way to say this Christmas was better then the Christmas when I was 12 years old, I know I received 2 gifts this year that I will enjoy for a long time to come. One was from Santa and the other from my older brother.

The gift from Santa Claus is the 2004 NFL Record and Fact Book. Sure with every passing week in the NFL the records are changing, its 800 pages of information will keep my busy for a long time. I've read that it is a good gift to get every 5 years and until then I'll just grab my pen and edit the records for most TD passes in a season , most TDs by a tight end, consecutive games with a TD by a running back and so forth. And while it holds all these records, it too has a synopsis of every playoff game and SuperBowl in the history of the NFL. Talk about insane. This is the perfect gift for an NFL nut like me. Sure I know the popular records and facts but someone like me is always yearning to know all the quirky stuff. I won't ever have any downtime as long as this monster of a book is with me. To really get a feel for it, you'll have to thumb through it, and if you're lucky enough I just might let you do that. It also got me thinking that a job with the Elias Sports Bureau would be quite fun.

The other gift is the Official Rules of the NFL which my brother gave me. Sure enought I'm pretty acurate at making the calls and the penalty but again like the Record and Fact Book it contains all the specifics and such that somebody like me wants to know. In case you ever want to know what "chucking" is, its defined in Rule 3. Or maybe you want to know the responbilities of the back judge, well all that is laid out in Rule 15. Whatever you may be interested in about the rules of the game can be found in this book. Its perfect. Now that I know all the referees and signals, I can look up any penalty I am not familiar with or just want to know about more in depth. I'm going to have to kill time between the Super Bowl and the beginning of the 2005 season and these two books seem like they'll keep me busy.

This Christmas was great. Sure my presents no longer cover the entirety of the living room floor like they one did, and instead fit nicely in a small stack, but Christmas is always great. All while the material gifts are great, its the time spent with family and friends that make it all worth it. Only another 363 days until Christmas 2005 and I can't wait. Merry Christmas.

"Christmas Day is in our grasp, so long as we have hands to clasp!"

2004-12-23T17:39:00.000-05:00

Winter Wonderland Ramblings

- Louisville had its first major winter storm in 5 or 6 years and it was just in time for the holidays. Depending on how you look at it, the storm only dumped 6 or so inches of snow in the area, while Southern Indiana received snow totals that were greater then 2 feet. But this just wasn't your everyday Louisville snow storm but instead it packed some freezing rain and sleet causing some interesting conditions. There was a decent amount of ice on the ground and then six inches of snow with another layer of ice over that. Its not going anywhere soon as temperatures aren't expected to reach 20 on Christmas Eve and Christmas. So for an hour or so today I was content with enjoying the snow/ice mixture that covered the yard and cars before getting to work and actually clearing the driveway, making it possible for family to park on tomorrow night for Christmas Eve dinner. No more dreaming of a white Christmas, its going to be one.

- Since I've been home I've gotten my bake on and helped my mom bake the holiday cookies. Baking is something I enjoy to do and there is nothing better then baking holiday goodies. The smell travels through the whole house and just really gets me in the mood to celebrate the holidays. My mom made my favorite "No-Bake" cookies and then we managed to bake molasses, chocolate chip, M&M, spritz, and a handful of other ones. Oh they are soo good.

- The Fighting Illini managed to hold off Missouri last night in the Busch Braggin' Rights Game 70-64. While it was our worst performance to date, it was a good game to win. It really showed me atleast why we should only have a few losses come the end of the season and heading into the Big Dance. Though I will stick with my assessment of Deron Williams that he is soo NBA and couldn't hit a jump shot if his life depended on it and that Luther Head is the best player on the team. The next three months should be fun. Go Illini!

- Upon further review I did manage to make Santa's good list this year and should atleast be getting a handful of presents. Yay!

- Its crunch time for me as the NFL gears up for its final two weeks of the regular season and then heads into the playoffs. Football stretches from Friday to Monday this week and I'm sure I'll be able to get my fill between family and other happenings.

- Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year from Beavers and Ducks. What a year its been. I plan on having a Year In Review Blog up sometime before the New Year highlighting my favorite moments of the years that was 2004. But until then, enjoy yourself and the holiday break.

2004-12-19T01:26:00.000-05:00

Where'd It Go?

The "it" being referenced in the question is time. Hot damn, look at the calendar and its already December 19. I'm not complaining but sometimes I just don't remember what happened to the days. There are six days until Christmas and 13 days until another new year and here I am left wondering where September, October, and November went. Obviously nothing significant happened or I'd more easily be able to recall those days. I think sometimes that I get into a set routine that each day just seemlessly flows into the next day and before I realize it its another week, another month, and so forth. I don't know what I'd do if I could save time in a bottle, but I would definitely give that a shot. But if time flew by these past 3 months I have time to recover during my 4 week holiday break.

I have nothing special planned for the break. I hate planning things because then I feel obligated to complete those tasks, but instead I'll just go with the flow and sure enough will be able to keep myself entertained for the length of the break. The holiday break should be filled with plenty to do as I catch up with family and friends. I have to compile the complete rankings of my songs, so they can be published next month. I have some ideas for The Huddle since I will have extra time...some more human interest stuff like information and thoughts on officials and ranking my favorite uniforms and helmets. Oh the possibilites.

Well thats all for now. Everyone enjoy your break and get into the joy of the season.

2004-12-08T01:53:00.000-05:00

Ahh, That Was Familiar

After watching the Amazing Race upon my return from travels in Greece and Egypt, I could draw some parallels between what I experienced and what the pair of contestants experience in their travels. Of course my travels were at a leisurely pace and I went a saw everything I wanted, not a desiginated place assigned by someone else. Minus the whole race concept for a million dollars their experience in the cities of the world, though minimized were much like my own and tonight's episode was very familiar to me.

The pairs had to travel to Senegal, Africa. And oh boy when they got off the plane at some ungodly hour of the night and walked outside to grab a taxi, it was like visions of my trip to Cairo. The flight into Cairo arrived at around 4AM and people were everywhere in the airport. You would have thought it was a party or such with all the commotion but we didn't find one. And then when we went to get a cab to take us to our hotel we were meant by a ton of people offering to get cabs for you at such and such a price and practically prodding you along until you get in the cab they have for you. It was madness.

Sure enough the taxis were of all different makes and models. Some even appeared questionable to drive. And it really wasn't scary but different. It really wasn't bad but different. It really wasn't gross but different. I was willing to take the experience as it was and not get all freaked out.

Maybe it's the mentality of the contestants trying to win the race and one million dollars, but most of the teams seemed disgusted and even outraged at the differences. It has to be the "I want everything" mentality of Americans. Sure the cab wasn't one you'd find in New York City. Sure the people don't speak English and why should they? Sure they dress different and have different mannerisms. But none of this is bad but instead different.

A few of the groups definately overreacted and missed what could have been a unique experience. Sure Cairo smelled. Sure the people always tried to get a few more dollars out of you. Sure certain areas appeared questionable but how do I know?

Tonight's Amazing Race episode was very familiar. And I'm glad I took in every bit of my experience in Africa. That includes the sketchy taxis, the nagging drivers, the ghetto areas, the smelly things, which ultimately adds up to their culture. Something different from Americas but not bad.

2004-12-03T15:06:00.000-05:00

Tainted

For a time Jason Giambi was my favorite MLB player. That held true until he committed the ultimate sin and went to the New York Yankees. It wasn't that I didn't like him anymore, but I just couldn't cheer for a player on a team that spends an upwards of $200 million a year in salaries. But I know baseball is a business and he headed where the money was and who can blame him for that. Nobody. Atleast not for that sin. He was a quality first baseman able to make the defensive play and offered plenty of "pop" at the plate. Any team would have wanted a first baseman of his caliber. But now he will be paying the ultimate price and yes I have lost respect for him. He has now committed a "crime" that we all can blame him for. He knowingly used steriod and performance enhancement drugs. He revealed this information to a federal grand jury, that said he would not face any criminal charges if he told the truth. Otherwise he would face perjury charges. So he had to admit to using steriods or face criminal prosecution. And it was under this pressure he admitted his steriod use.

I'm not about to pretend that the other professional sports leagues are "clean" when it comes to steriods, but I will say they atleast have a system that for the most part works. Major League Baseball does not and therefore the environment allows for players to cheat. Competition is supposed to be an event where the playing field is balanced and you win or do well because of your own skill, ability, and overall hardwork. Even with in losing you should be able to feel good about your performance and know that with maybe a little work you can be better. It's supposed to be fair. That's why we have the Olympics and other professional sports. Sure it's entertainment, but its also competition. Which is the ultimate display of skill. But when performance enhancing drugs become involved, all that is thrown out the door.

The game is no longer fair. Players who are doing less work or practice are able to mantain at worst level consistent with the best players in the league. There are few things that piss me off more than a cheater. Anybody can cheat and succeed. It's in the hardwork that victory and lofty goals are best. It's clear that Jason Giambi is not the only baseball player, or for that matter athlete who is using steriods. But I know that for anybody who is using them, I have no respect for them.

I'm not about to say the whole league and game of baseball is tainted, but without a doubt, there are some questions that needed to be addressed. Why should I believe Barry Bonds when he says he didn't know the "stuff" provided by he trainer was steriods and performance enhancing drugs? I'm sure his arrogant self imagined he would never be caught. Maybe he shouldve worked on the whole being personable to the media and fans, so this would be easier to explain. But as a person only concerned with himself, his performance and hitting homeruns, Bonds failed to even tell us that he was using "something" but he wasn't sure what it was. Looks like a cover up to me. Ultimately every individual is responsible for what enters his body and the same holds true for Bonds. I don't know about you but I just wouldn't put something in my body because my trainer or for that matter a good friend or family member told me to.

When it comes down to it, the players who play fair and work their asses off are "hurt" more then the steroid users. But isn't that how it always works, a few spoil the fun for all. No matter if you are my favorite player or one I despise, if you cheat, I no longer hold any respect for you. You have committed the ultimate sin and you are tainted. Cheater!

2004-11-20T20:34:00.000-05:00

The Agony Hath Ceased

Its time to turn the page on the college sporting season and it couldn't have come at a better time. Last night the Fighting Illini tipped off the basketball season with a 20 point victory over Delaware State. And today Illinois capped off its football season with a 28-21 overtime loss to in state rival Northwestern. The two programs couldn't be more opposite and thankfully its time to cheer the Fighting Illini on to St. Louis and a national championship. But before then, lets first look back on the football season that wasn't.

After posting a 1-11 record last season, with the only victory coming over non Division 1-A opponent Illinois State, I knew that the season couldn't be any worse but then again garnering 2 wins wouldn't be an accomplishment. Let's hope that the 3-8 record posted this year isn't enough to keep Ron Turner around. I mean lets use some common sense.

The resounding wins came over Florida A&M, Western Michigan and Indiana. I know mighty football teams. While those games were often entertaining, it wasn't good football or anything close. And then even worse were the futile attempts to defeat quality football teams. When looking back on the scores it will appear as though the Illini stayed close and battled to the end, but don't let the scores be misleading.

While we don't have the greatest players, the coaching staff is to blame. The offense was run based even with running was not the best option. The offensive line was not good enough to hold up through out the game to allow big runs. And when we did pass, they were often well off the mark or just quick outs for minimal game. I do recall of few big passes, that came mostly due to play action. Those were few and far between. The offense was anemic.

Moreover was the lack of defense. It was commons play in and play out the pass coverage would give the opposing receivers a 10 yd cushion. So playing to the advantages the opponents would take small chunks of yards before burning us with a long pass. There was little, if any, pressure on the quarterback. Playing against us was a field day.

All in all, the team was bad. In one bright spot the punter, Steve Weatherford, had a great season. But then again with you are punting 8+ times a game, your bound to kick well game in and game out. With out a doubt he is the MVP of the season. He made it possible for opponents to go 90+ yds and score a TD instead of a 70 yard field a poor punter would allow the other team.

So in recap, the offense rarely produced while the defense gave up 400+ a game. Not a recipe for victory. And today's game was the epitome of the season. It was only fitting that we blow a lead and lose in overtime. It was one of the few second halfs where the team played. Oh it was painful. But not to dwell on the soar spots of a 3-8 season, here are my favorite events of the season.

- Stealth Fighter flyover prior to Indiana game
- Thomas Pierre 99 yard kick off return for touchdown in victory over Western Michigan
- Steve Weatherford fake field goal run for touchdown against Northwestern
- Steve Weatherford fake punt for a first down to change the momentum against Indiana
- first Big 10 victory since November 23, 2002
- wearing "Fire Tuner" and paper bag to the Iowa and Indiana games

And so here's to a fun and yet painful football season. Good riddance Ron Turner may life treat you kind but maybe football isn't your thing. And don't even think about joining your brother's coaching staff in Oakland. One loser from one family is enough. No more pain. Hopefully its all joy in cheering on the basketball team.

2004-11-15T19:12:00.000-05:00

This Is November

Now that November is officially half way over, I have come to the conclusion that November is just like February. If we were to reverse the calendar going instead from December to January, November would be the second month and just like February the gray, dreary, cold days of November would lead into the warmer and more vibrant days of October, like the days of March that follow February. In both months life seems to slowly creep by day after day with little excitement or change. The hours of daylight are short and the best thing to do is stay inside and wait for better days. There are no leaves on the trees, no green grass to be seen, and certainly no colorful flowers. However November holds a few distinct advantages over February, keeping November from competing for the worst month of the year.

First of all, November does not have a certain day 14 days into the month. If you don't know what I'm talking about, try to keep it that way. Second, November has a great holiday in Thanksgiving, which in turn leads to every Christians favorite holiday of Christmas. So while we wait out the days of November we have atleast a small glimmer of hope in the distance. Ok so with February we know better weather is on the way, but that's not Christmas. November is more like a waiting room for better things. And then of course in my mind Novembers greatest advantage over February is football. I can sit down every Sunday in November and do absolutely nothing except watch football. Oh yeah, that is what I do. November is crunch time in the NFL when the teams finally sort themselves out and the real season starts. So while November has its "downers" there are enough "positives" to help me trod through the month unlike February which blows total ass.

Oddly enough very little interesting news happens in November also. I realize that I've been neglect in producing a piece every few days but I don't want to write something just to write something. So now some random thoughts that have been floating around in this brain of mine.

- the team that should be left out of the BCS Championship game if USC, Oklahoma, and Auburn all end that season at 12-0 is USC. Right or wrong, USC gets the benefit of the doubt from being national champions from last year but I think OU and Auburn would be the best matchup.

- the college basketball season tips off on Friday for the Fighting Illini and the season looks very promising. While some stupidity (Randall punching a wall and breaking his hand, out 6-10 weeks) could be just enough to dash national championship hopes, there is little doubt in my mind that the basketball team will loss no more games than the football team lost. It should be fun.

- it seems as though everyday a finer line is drawn between what one person considers a joke and what another person considers racism, sexism, or discrimination and it concerns me. I think when a person or a group can't laugh at itself, that's when things "blow up". We all understand that stereotypes and jokes work because to a miniscule degree they are true, but of course not a representative sample. I mean I'm not incestuous.

- after watching "Bandits" this past week I still find it to be one of my favorite movies. Good comedy, good plot and just an interesting story.

- two words that I hate when people use and were both used today during the same class period by the professor: gratuitous and intimate. Decorations involved with architectural achievements are neither gratuitous or intimate. Never!

- and finally there are 40 days until Christmas!

2004-11-03T21:48:00.000-05:00

My Thoughts Exactly

I cared. I voted. But I didn't know I cared that much. As the disappointment of Bush capturing a 2nd term set in, it really hit me. I did my part. I voted. I had been waiting for this day for quite some time, but especially since the Democratic primaries and especially Super Tuesday. I felt good about Kerry's chances. I knew it would be close and that Kerry would need to take either Florida or Ohio from Bush to win the presidency. I thought it would happen. I really don't have anything positive to say about Bush, and while Kerry wasn't necessarily who I wanted from the Democratic Party, I just wanted a change. No more lies. No more slippery slopes. None of that. I wanted a fresh start and Kerry offered that. But instead a majority of America gave Bush another four years. I don't know what he did during his first 4 year term to deserve those votes but he played the "political game" better and now he gets to play "his game" for 4 more years. Oddly enough, my sisters thoughts on the election are nearly identical to mine. And so I direct you to her blog, in which she did a much better job articulating exactly what I was thinking in a way I never would have been able to do. My Thoughts Exactly

2004-10-30T20:14:00.000-04:00

Celebrity

There is nothing about a celebrity's life that intrigues me. I actually think that being a celebrity or being somewhat famous would be more a hindrance than an advantage. I don't even like that much attention. I like to lay low, go with the flow, and not draw much attention upon myself unless it is for a useful reason. Well today was that useful reason and while it lasts I will bask in the attention and "celebrity" status I received today.

The story goes back two weeks ago after a second half football defeat to highly ranked Michigan at home. We led going into the half and could have made a game of it, but instead only scored points in the second half when the Michigan took an intentional safety late in the game. Something had to be done. I could no longer be a supporting fan of the football team, or at least couldn't support the coaching staff that is supposed to have the team prepared week in and week out. We've won 3 football games over the past 2 years, two of those coming against Division I-AA opponents, so its time for a new coach. It was decided that I would make a "Fire Turner" shirt to wear to the games for the rest of the season, and Jeff agreed to join me in our protest. Then somewhere along the way, I thought it be even better to wear paper bags to cover our faces so people don't know we support what is happening with our football team. Jeff also decided to do this, and eventually got Keith to join in with the plans.

Jeff and I designed our shirts on Wednesday with "FIRE TURNER" on the front and "BIG WINS: ISU FAMU W MICH on the back. Those are our three wins. With the letters remaining Keith fashioned a "JEFF SUCKS" shirt. There is not time to explain that in this blog. Then we designed our bags. I went with a simple design with cut out eyeholes and a drawn on frown. The outfit was going to be awesome.

On the walk over to the stadium with our bags on we drew plenty of attention. We got acknowledged with yells, high fives, and the likes and it was great. Upon reaching the gate to enter the stadium with our bags on the ticket taker told us that we weren't allowed to take the bags in the stadium. So I argued. My bag was getting into the stadium. What the hell am I going to do with a paper bag that is cut out to wear on my head? There is a sign that says anything bigger than this box will not be allowed in the stadium. So I asked her what if it fits in the box? And proceeded to fold my bag until it was the size of the box and told her "look it fits in the box, its allowed in." She continued to persist that it wasn't allowed in so I pulled my ticket back and proceeded to find another gate to enter through. Sure enough these other ticket takers loved the costume.

Once in the stadium we were instant draws. People were giving us thumbs up and high fives. It was very windy in the stadium making it very tough to keep the bag on, but we managed. It was just our luck that we took an early lead and therefore paused the bag protest until we managed to screw it up like expected. For the majority of the game after the 1st quarter we stood with our shirts and bags protesting Ron Turner. As the game grew out of reach and fans left the stadium, we became even more obvious and in the end, Jeff and I were in pictures with around 8 different groups of people. They loved it. We were instant celebrities and nobody even saw our faces. We may have started a fad, but I hope not. But if we did, at least we STARTED it. I suggested that we create an official Illinois Baghead Club and who knows maybe we'll follow through with that. But for now, we made a lot of different people's days with our antics and sure enough the attention and props we received for the idea made Jeff's day and mine too.

Yes, celebrity for a day. Bagheads for life!

2004-10-25T20:00:00.000-04:00

Ramblings

- its been slow in the way of bloggable material over the past 10 days since I last blogged and I've also been working pretty hard at completing an architecture project that I turned in this evening, but the next 10 days seem pretty empty and therefore I am going to do as little as possible and relax. Hopefully that means a few more blogs.

- maybe its just me but I always love getting something in the mail, even if its "junk" mail and I end up tossing it out in a matter of minutes. I never expect to get anything in the mail and that way when I actually do have something its even better. It's like a mini-Christmas. Today as I checked my mailbox it was like I hit the jackpot. There were two notes from my aunt, some garbage from Anne Northup trying to get my vote, and then the motherload of all my mail, my absentee ballot. Oh man it was great.

- when I arrived in my room, I read the notes from my aunt, wrote a reply back and got that ready to mail tomorrow and then moved right on to my absentee ballot. This is my first presidential election and I was so giddy to have the oppurtunity to vote and exercise my duty as an American citizen. It's not a secret who I voted for but now its official. I filled in the oval next to John Kerry and John Edwards. Besides the Presidential choice the KY ballot also had some other important races, such as House of Representative and Congressman. I was pretty well informed on the candidates running for such prominent races but also took the time to see what I could find online for people running for judge and such positions. In one category (I wish I wouldve written it down now) but something like Water and Soil Commissioner I was allowed to vote for 4 people, but had a major letdown when there were only two candidates on the ballot. And maybe the most important vote other than President, was my NO vote agaisnt amending the KY Constitution to ban gay marriage. All in all it was a blast.

- my favorite holiday, minus Christmas, is quickly approaching. That of course is All Hallows Eve, or Halloween and even with growing up, it continues to be my favorite holiday. It seems as though it was just a few days ago that I was welcoming in fall, but fall has been going on for over a month now and Halloween is 6 days away. Not sure if I'm dressing up, but either way I'll have a good time. I'd like to pick my favorite costume of all time, but Ive had too many for me to decide. But I did like when we had enough people and dressed up as a majority of the characters from the Addams Family. Save the black and orange wrapped candies for me. And oh yeah, be sure to listen to the Lewis Black "candy corn" routine, its fabulous!

- its Homecoming week up here at the UofI, but who would know it. I've come to the reasoning that a good homecoming goes hand in hand with a good football team. We are missing the football team part. But I'm going to try and have some extra spirit this week and for the game on Saturday against Iowa, Jeff and I (and if Keith can get a voucher) are going to wear "Fire Turner" shirts and wear paper bags over our heads. So that means "craft hour" sometime this week to assemble and iron the letters to the shirts. I know I'll still have a good time at the game and hopefully others get a good laugh out of it. Go Illini...yay!

- people on this campus walk atleast 2.5 times faster than I do. I havent walked many places this semester because I often take my bike, but its not hard to notice EVERYBODY passing you and quickly pulling away once they are passed you. It's strange but no need to walk fast and get to class early and be sweaty. I'll keep my walk.

- for all you Democrats out there the last 4 times Boston was in the World Series during an election year, Democrats took the White House. Go Kerry!

- and finally, its 2 months until Christmas, better starting shopping for my present!

2004-10-14T09:49:00.000-04:00

Kerry For President

Well it is officially under 3 weeks until Election Day, and like a 6 year old kid waiting for Christmas Morning to arrive I am giddy as I await my first vote in a presidential election. While these may seem crazy or just dumb to others, this feeling, while one of freedom and the likes, is one not matched through anything else. For once my vote counts. Sure it is only one vote and it will take millions of votes to elect the president, but we all know the consequences of not voting. Last we heard Al Gore lost the state of Florida and the presidency in 2000 by a mere 500 votes. While in this case the specifics of why people didn't vote or weren't allowed to vote is uncertain, but it could have been as simple as 500 individuals being apathetic and not casting their vote. When looking at the landscape of America and realizing that we have a democracy as true as a democracy can be and yet only around 75% of the eligible population is registered to vote and of that maybe 50% will cast their vote on November 2nd its unbelievable. In essence only 40% of the eligible population is voting. It's truly sad.

So as a concerned citizen I have been following the presidential campaigns for over a year while all the Democratic nominees were making their pitch for the nomination all the up until last night's third and final presidential debate. Kerry was not the man I liked. I like Dennis Kucinich and later John Edwards, but realize while Kerry doesn't necessarily have my same ideas for America, neither does George Bush, or for that matter really anybody else. But I do understand that my values and ideas have more in common with John Kerry then his opponent President Bush. I am not afraid to admit as a young and more ignorant sophomore in high school I pledged my support to George Bush. I didn't love him or necessarily understand all he was for, but I thought he was a better choice than Al Gore. Oh how the times have changed.

While I was pretty much decided on my choice to vote for Kerry prior to the debates, it has become more clear that Kerry is in my opinion the better candidate for president. Over the past four years I don't like how the President has handled America. We have gone from a world power that most countries respected and even looked up to, to a world power that everybody questions and turns their backs to. They are not the ones who severed the relationship, but instead we are and therefore must offer our hands to them and not vice versa. The war in Iraq was the wrong war and though the President vowed to bring to justice those responsible for 9/11, Osama bin Laden is still out there. Domestically, the economy is in shambles, jobs are not being created, equal rights apparently aren't for all, and the educational system sucks. Bush says he has a plan, and he does, four more years of the same policies that have driven his first four years. Kerry offers something different for America and I think that's exactly what we need. I know that when I have something that is broke, I fix it. America is broke. It needs to be fixed and that comes with a change of those in power. On November 2nd I will cast my ballot in favor of John Kerry and John Edwards for President and Vice President of the greatest country in the world. I hope you do the same.

For my Kentucky readers and voters please also vote NO for an amendment that would ban homosexual couples from marriage. I don't know about you, but last time I checked out my Bill of Rights, equal protection under the law is for everybody, not just people the same as you.

2004-10-12T16:02:00.000-04:00

You've Got To Be Kidding

If only the "real world" were the same. Maybe its just me, but I am outraged that Jamal Lewis, the running back for the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL, only received a 4 month sentence after agreeing to a plea bargain in which he will testify against a person that at one time I'm sure he considered a friend, or atleast an acquaintance. If you don't know the whole situation Lewis was charged with a federal crime. That's right a FEDERAL crime of trafficking cocaine. With it came a sentence of up to 10 years in prison and for anyone else dire consequences.

It's not just the 4 month sentence that irks me, but he also gets to serve the jail time during the NFL offseason. Along with this Paul Tagliabue and the very forceful NFL came down on Lewis with at best a small slap on the wrist by suspending him 2 games. Excuse me but this man was charged and admitted guilt through the plea bargain to a federal crime of trafficking cocaine. So NFL insiders and analyst can't believe that the NFL even has jurisdiction to suspend him, since the crime took place prior to him signing with the NFL, but I think he should have been suspended a minimum of 8 games (half the season) if not a complete season.

We all know for a fact that if you or I committed such a crime it would be pretty unlikely even with a plea bargain we would get only 4 months in jail and we wouldn't get to serve the time when it was most convenient for us. Not only that but we would be immediately fired from our jobs and not be allowed to return once we served our debt to society. And further more it would be damn tough to get another well established job with a federal crime on our record.

Image is everything for the NFL. Having a player admitting guilt to a drug trafficking charge, especially cocaine, cannot be what the NFL wants or should put up with. Maybe its ironic but we all remember that Ray Lewis, linebacker for the same Baltimore Ravens, was once charged with double murder. That's not your every day misdemeanor. While both Lewis' are beasts on the football field, life is more than who you are on the field and they represent everything that is wrong with sports.

At the same time Rafael Furcal of the Atlanta Braves must spend time in jail for drunk driving charges and was allowed to hold of that jail time until after the playoffs. I guess he'll be reporting soon. The double standards for "famous or well-known" people is ridiculous and the system needs to be fixed. Not only the justice system but also the way in which the leagues handle the players, because like it or not, they are public representatives for their respective company.

The NFL is considered the toughest league when it comes to suspensions and disciplining their players for both on field and off field actions. It disgusts me the way in which they handled the whole situation. But then again, the more I think about it these sports leagues are like the mob. Once you're in and established, you have all the resources and strings to make sure everything is smoothed out. The way the players unions work, makes it an us (players) verse them (league) system, even though I can't imagine too many players who would want to be lumped in with either Lewis because of their off field actions.

Well that's my bitch, and one more thing...don't traffic cocaine because you aren't Jamal Lewis.

2004-10-07T19:43:00.000-04:00

Lockdown

Earlier this weeks the dorms switched over to an electronic "card swipe" system for entrance to all exterior doors after 7PM (and home football game weekend lockdowns) and for entrance to the doors that lead to the stairwell. Last year not only was it only key entry but there weren't any doors securing the steps. Though they were working on creating the new system all of spring semester and now its finally done.

The idea is great. I have a handful of keys (room key, bike key, and a few for architecture buildings) so locating the proper key takes s few second and I occasionally use the wrong key. So being able to access the building through an easy card swipe is fine. The problem arises when I have to access my I-Card from my wallet to get into the building. There is no good place to keep my card except, surprise, in my wallet. I rarely access my wallet. I just have to carry cash and other important stuff, that of course I never need. So having to get into my back pocket, getting out my card and then putting the card back in is unnecessary. I also find it absurd that the stairwell needs to be secured. Lock the "lobby" after 7PM. Thats fine, but why make my dorm, the place I call home for 7 or so months, feel like a prison and that I am being kept in. I have always felt that securing something is not to keep people out but instead keep people in.

The problem becomes even greater when I finally make to my room and oh I still have to use my room key. So I still have to gather my keys and find the right one and then I can open my room. It might not sound like that big of a deal, but when you have to do it 2+ times a day, it gets old and annoying real quick. Today was the worst because all I wanted to do was go play catch and yet I had to not only bring my room keys, but also my I-card, and toss them aside while I play catch with an oppurtunity for anybody to nab them. It sucks.

I know some people will say these efforts are to make not only myself safer, but the entire dorm community. But lets not kid ourselves. If you want to get in the building, you are going to be able to get into the building. Just hang around the doors and with hundreds of people always coming and going you'll eventually get in. I find myself opening and holding the door for people I dont know just because how annoying the system is. Of course I don't know them from Jack, but its my believe that for the most part people are good and I can trust them, until I find out otherwise. I know the electronic card swipes are here to stay, so in order to help the situation they need to make access to the dorm rooms electronic card access too. With this new system its more likely students will lose their I-Cards and I'm not beyond believing that the University may be trying to get a pretty penny for students who need a new card (a new card is $20).

2004-10-01T17:31:00.000-04:00

We Care...I Think

I'm not exactly sure how they break down the demographics, if its 18-25 yr olds or 18-29 yr olds, but its the demographic that is least likely to vote in the upcoming November election. And though I know how the trend has been for the past presidential elections, I think this year's election could be a reverse in the trend. I know that being registered to vote and actually voting are completely different things but surprisingly to me the people I hang out with both from home and up here are registered to vote and are atleast paying some attention to this very important election. And while roaming the hallway while the debate was on I didn't notice anyone else watching the debate, at lunch I heard educated discussion of the debate and topics addressed.

We do care. Atleast on this college campus people are genuinely concerned and interested in our current political situation. We have to care. I find it hard when people say that this election will not affect me, and the candidates aren't discussing the topics that concern me. What? People fail to realized that initiatives during a presidency don't expire as the president leaves office but have long term effects towards everyone. Do I care about health care at 19? Of course I do. Not only are my grandparents and parents aging, but when I leave this joint called college I will be 22+ and oh yeah, will need health insurance. Do I care about Social Security? Once again as my parents edge closer and closer to retirement, there will have to be a means of supporting themselves. While those two issues don't directly involve me at this point in my life, the issues do effect me in a broader sense.

More pressing issues for me involve lowering the cost of education, the economy (including the availability of good jobs), National Security and other foreign and domestic issues. Why shouldn't the government be responsible for paying a greater percentage of my education? When after graduation I will put my knowledge to use right here America. When I do graduate with my degree I want to be able to find a sufficient job within 3-6 months of graduation. While I feel safe at home, I think the Patriot Act needs to be repealed and greater caution taken in limiting my rights guaranteed by the Constitution. I want answers for why we ever invaded Iraq, while letting Osama slip through our fingertips. What is our exit strategy? I want answers. I care. We care.

And while I say this I get a bad feeling inside me, that America continues its great slide towards being the most apathetic people to ever live. We must ask questions and demand answers. Standing with our leaders through it all will not cut it...Republican or Democrat. The President must be responsible for his actions. He must be held accountable. So in my first push of many prior to Tuesday November 2...go vote. Think about what values and ideas are central to yourself and where you want this country headed for the next 4 years and beyond. Vote!

(And on a side note on the debate itself, I think its fair to say, Democrat or Republican, for it or against it, that we MUST win the current conflict in Iraq. I don't think there is any debate over that, but President Bush and his cronies try to make it out as though they are the only ones who want us to WIN in Iraq. Bullshit. And if Bush tries to use the "Kerry voted to give me power to authorize war" one more time, so help me God. Kerry isn't denying he made that vote, BUT he made that vote based on intelligence and information given to him by the President and other agencies. And ULTIMATELY, President Bush is responsible for that information, whether it was the right information or the wrong information. And just because he was given authorization for war doesn't mean he had to go to war. Jackass!)

2004-09-29T20:00:00.000-04:00

Saved By The...

I don't believe in superstitions or any of that other nonsense, but I do believe that every once in a while I can get lucky. Today was one of those days. No I didn't win the lottery, get my full tuition paid, or even get treat. Well I guess it can be considered a treat but it was more of a "break". Today I had a test an Architectural History and while I was prepared enough for my liking, more time to prepare wouldn't have been a bad thing. Yes I have known about this test since the first week of school but with so much other stuff going on (I am taking 4 other courses) I wasn't prioritized as #1. I had enough knowledge to pull off a B on this first test which would be acceptable in my books as the first test is always the hardest. But the story starts a little before the test time at 1:30 today and harks back to last night.

As I sit studying at my desk, learning my Greek temples from my Roman Temples and Early Christian Churches from Byzantine Churches, the fire alarm sounds in the dorm. Surprise surprise, we had yet to have a fire drill and its over a month into the year so I knew it was on the way. It just had to be a little over an hour into my study time, when Im hitting my groove the alarm sounds. Great I'm set back 20 or so minutes. No big deal. When I come back in I continue to scroll through pictures and plans of the building I'll need to be able to identify and decide at midnight that I know as much as I'm going and the rest will be covered my by usually primed BS skills. It's not that its a hard class, but the professor lectures over so much material I am not exactly sure what to take note of, only realizing as I'm studying that very little from the textbook shows up on the study guide and its mainly over lecture material. I struggle to stay awake for the 1H 20MIN class, because of his monotonous voice and poor presentation of the material.

So I feel good enough going into the test but I still have my complaints and such about what is going to appear on the test. Not surprisingly so does everybody else. So much information and the test surely can't cover it all. We have to use slides to answer the questions so the test is taken as a group with 5 or minutes allotted for each answer and then 30 minutes for the essay. I had flipped to the essay right when I got the test realizing that I could answer it in 20 or so minutes and therefore go back to the short answer questions if any stumped me. Well sure enough one stumped me, but I took enough notes that if I did know it, it would come to me. And as I am about to finish my essay in 15 or so minutes, the fire alarm goes off. Up to that point I think I did enough work to get a B, though I would have gone back and polished the short answers.

The professor tells us to pass our tests in and that he'll see us next week. So now the great debate is what the professor will do come Monday. I know that I had extra time and was going to put more into my short answers. I'm sure other people were going to do that to. My essay really was concluded but I still had time. So is he going to grade what we've done and that's are grade? I hope not I had more to say and more time. Is he going to grade what we have and give some sort of curve? That might work but I still don't think that's fair. Is he going to give another test? That would suck but it would have to cover the other 50% of the material not already asked, so in essence it would be like giving us the same test. All I know is that it was not his fault and it was not my fault for the alarm going off and therefore should not and will not allow myself to be penalized for it. Don't think I won't fight this battle to the bitter end if it comes to that.

In the end though it seems as if the class in general was saved by the fire alarm.

2004-09-22T01:01:00.000-04:00

"Fall is here...

...and all I have to say is fuck fall. Fall I hate the fall. What bullshit. Oh the leaves change color, they change color for 2 days! Then a big wind comes and all you got are nothing but sticks for the rest of the year. And then the weather is completely nonsense. You don’t even have a proper fall coat. Nothing you wear is right. You wake up its sunny out you put a coat on, you go out you’re sweating like a pig, you take it off and then its cold, its bullshit! Suns out you’re sweating but there’s a breeze so your freezing. Its not weather its malaria! Weathers 90, its 30, its 80, its 20 and my balls cant take it…big and then small, big small big small big small. Apparently I cant have kids because my sperm are gagging."

- Lewis Black

I'm sure most of my loyal readers will get a great laugh out of the above as I celebrate (and I hope you are to) the first day of fall. So many glorius days of fall await and whenever you experience anything mentioned above, just think about how great fall really is. Here's to fall!

2004-09-20T18:17:00.000-04:00

A Few Things

- I saw a few days ago on CNN.com the new nickels that are doing to be in circulation starting next year. There are two different designs commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Lewis and Clark expedition west. The first design has a landscape of the Pacific Ocean, while the other reverts back to a Buffalo of the old five cent piece. Both of the nickels along with all new nickels after them will have a new portrait of Thomas Jefferson also. Instead of the side profile it will be from a different angle and closer, showing more detail. Both of the designs are really cool and I think thats how money should be. Money is a form of art and rather than being "static" like our money is now, it needs to be "dynamic" like the new nickels are going to be. There has been a current trend to make our money more secure from counterfieting and in the process changing the design, but the paper bills still like the "dynamic" qualities the new nickels are going to have. It's a small thing, but too me the details and care for the small things is what that makes things better.

- In the current "I'm Lovin' It" McDonalds ad campaign, the newest commercial uses the Louisville skyline in the ad. It's just a brief appearence but I'm for sure its the Louisville skyline with the Aegon Tower and such in view. Just an interesting tid bit.

- And finally two people apparently think I am paid to write this blog. The first person suggested that I write a blog more frequently while the other suggested the hiring of an editor. To set the record straight, I do get paid, but its a minimal amount that only covers the highlighters I use when editing the blog. But I never turn down a donation and yes it is tax deductable.

2004-09-16T17:20:00.000-04:00

Ramblings

It's been a "slow" week in the area of material and useless info to blog about and I apologize for that but I do have some tid bits to address. Hopefully this weekend spurs a good story or such.

- There are few chances when "Illinois (football) should win this weekend" can be said, but fortunately this week is one of those rare oppurtunities when even I've said it. For the record the Fighting (that really doesn't work for football) Illini haven't beaten a Division 1-A opponent since November 22, 2002 win we defeated Northwestern (and like us, they really aren't a Division 1-A school in football). And though this is irrelevant because even with a win this weekend, we won't beat Purdue on the 25th, but the last back to back wins came on October 12 and 24, 2002 against Purdue and Indiana. But this week holds promise and with Illinois football you have to take it one week at a time. This week the Broncos of Western Michigan come to Memorial Stadium and in this past weeks ESPN Bottom 10 they held the #7 spot along with "Directional Michigan" (Eastern and Central too). But what can I say. We are a former Bottom 10 resident and if we were to lose (which lets not forget is just as possible as a win) we would find ourselves back in that Bottom 10. Go Illini!

- I know that in general you discuss weather when you are talking to a person and you really don't want to talk to them or having nothing to say, but minus a 1 hour gullywasher on Tuesday that wiped out our softball game the weather of the past 3 weeks has been spectacular. At times it has been in the mid 80s and maybe a little hot, but I'm not complaining because I know come February (hell even before then, but February is te worst) that I would give anything for a day of full sun and warm temperatures. And it looks as though it will carry on through the weekend and until the middle of next week. I have enjoyed it immensely through playing softball and riding my bike to class. It's been great.

- I haven't shaved since August 21, so 26 days, but I really don't care. Shaving is one of the most pain in the ass things I have ever done. Better yet is that I like my beard and think I wear a beard pretty good. I guess I could "shape" it up, but thats even more a pain then shaving in general. And for better or worse people recognize me better with the beard. Even with short hair, the beard seems to be the distinguishing characteristic.

- Is using the word "like", hundreds if not thousands of time during a conversation a "disease"? I needed to kill 10 minutes after lunch and before going to class and thought it useless to go up to my room, so I sat down in the lobby. Sure enough two girls are there talking a little ways over from me. Hey, its not eavesdropping if they are talking at a level where anybody who walked by could hear the conversation. But right off the bat I noticed the ungodly amount of times one of the girl used "like". It was used in manners such as, "um like", "and like", "like like", "yeah like", and so forth. And the amount of times she used the word baffled me. Did the girl she was talking to notice this, or was it because I didnt know the girl that I picked up on this? Whatever the reason, it was very annoying and honestly it was hard to follow the subject of the conversation because of the amount of times "like" was said. It was like, so like, very like...hilarious!

- Call me biased, but without a doubt I am so much better than about half the contestants who performed on "Dream Job 2". But maybe more importantly, the judges make comments on what to do and not to do and sure enough the judges (minus Kit Hoover) do those things. Stephen A. Smith (why is he yelling at me?) and Woody Paige (hilarious on ATH) but neither are examples that you want to follow, or Al Jaffe would want giving advice to the contestants. I'll have to keep watching.

- In other TV reality show news, a new Survivor starts tonight and the first episode looks intense. I like Survivor but in general it takes around 4 episodes before you can tell if its going to be a good one, or one just one to kill my time with. Better then Survivor though is the Amazing Race and I'm rooting for Chip and Kim to win the $1 million prize on Tuesday's 2 hour finale. There is no better reality show out there in my mind.

- And finally a question for Theresa. Did Hitler popularize what has come to be known as the "Hitler Stache" or was it a popular form of facial hair before he had it? Oh yeah and do you think I could bring back the "Hitler Stache" with any form of success?

2004-09-11T00:01:00.000-04:00

Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning?

None of us will ever forget. It's the "Where were you when Kennedy was shot?" of the 21st century. It's still as vivid today, three years later, as it was on the fateful day. The planes, the buildings, the people. We've all seen the photos, heard the stories, and felt vulnerable. But instead of dwelling on what happened and placing blame on agencies and individuals for that day, its time to look forward and prevent such a thing from happening again. It's been three years and I don't think America has gotten beyond September 11th, 2001. But I'm not going to bash President Bush in today's blog about his failures in Afghanistan and his failure to apprehend the evil man behind this attack, but instead look forward. We can fix the "Bush problem" come November 2nd.

Two songs come to my mind as I write this blog. The first has already been quoted as the title of this blog, Alan Jackson's "Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning?", which I think captures the feelings and thoughts of all of us during and since that day. It's a great reflection on the events of that day. But John Lennon's "Imagine" is what we need to be working towards and yet each day it seems as though we are moving further and further from that possibility. Maybe the song is exaggerated, but then again it doesn't have to be. I know what he sings of in the song is possible, but the changes must start at home and within yourself. And a lot of people aren't wiling to do that. It's easier to put the blame elsewhere. So for your thought's today, I offer you the words to John Lennon's "Imagine".

Imagine there's no heaven,
It's easy if you try,
No hell below us,
Above us only sky,
Imagine all the people
living for today

Imagine there's no countries,
It isn't hard to do,
Nothing to kill or die for,
No religion too,
Imagine all the people
living life in peace

Imagine no possessions,
I wonder if you can,
No need for greed or hunger,
A brotherhood of man,
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say Im a dreamer,
but Im not the only one,
I hope some day you'll join us,
And the world will live as one.

2004-09-08T16:28:00.000-04:00

It's The Small Things

- When you use something on a daily basis, you realize real quick certain problems or issues that exist in this certain thing. The thing I am referring to is the "hand dryer" in the bathroom in the dorm. After I wash my hands, I walked over to the hand dryer and place my hands under the heat and wait as my hands dry. And sure enough every time I read why this hand dryer is better then paper products in bathrooms. It keeps bathrooms cleaner. It keeps trees from being cut down to make paper towels. It is better for the environment. And so on. And yet by the time I am done reading that same crap, the dryer clicks off and yet my hands aren't dry. I even rub my hands together as it depicts in the diagram and yet everytime my hands are still wet. Therefore causing me to hit the button again, for 10-15 seconds of another cycle. Did they not test these before shipping them? Why couldn't they have made the dryer blow for an extra 10 seconds or so? That way my hands would be close enough to dry every time. But no, every time I must hit the button again to completely dry my hands. Annoying!

- As a studying architect I try to notice the small things in all the buildings I use. And for the most part a "lay" person wouldn't notice these quirks or annoyances, except for one thing. That is, steps. There are few things worse then steps that don't have a proper riser to tread ratio. Its been refined over years and years of architecture and still architects can't make proper steps. Risers that only rise 3 or 4 inches make for a long quick walk. Risers that rise 9 or 10 inches make for an exhausting climb. There is even a formula for proper rise to tread ratio. 2R + T = 25. That leads to most commonly used and accepted ratio of a 7 inch riser to an 11 inch tread. And even with this formula there are extremes you just shouldn't use and yet people do. Stop doing this. It sucks.

- I thought it was something everybody heard since childhood. That when walking or such and you are passing traffic going in the opposite direction you move and stay to your right. Apparently that was lost over the years and now more then ever people don't move to their right and it turns into a "dance" trying to get around people. The move to your right came about so this kind of stuff wouldn't happen and therefore allow for a smooth flow. I'm not sure if this is the case everywhere, but with my experience with it, the most confused group and least understanding of this "rule" have been Asians. You figure that one out. I'd excuse the British since they of course drive on the wrong side of the road. Damnit people stay to your right!

- In other news, the softball team drew a split in Tuesday night's doubleheader. We played the "wanna be jocks" in our first game and just couldn't pull it together as they were finding every hole. In the night cap we found our bats and our gloves and won 17-2. Over both games I accumulated 5 or so hits, 4 or so RBIs, and 7 or so put outs. And I did commit one error, though in hindsight had I not committed the error we wouldn't have been able to turn a spectacular double play that inning. Oh yeah and I did have a 3rd base coaching error, though I think that the slide actually made it under the tag at home. Hey, you would of sent him too. Well probably not, since I sent the runner from second to home on an infield hit. The next game is Tuesday as we look to win our final 2 games and reach the playoffs.

2004-09-03T19:06:00.000-04:00

What The Fuck!

When posting I try to use as few expletives as possible, but there are some times when it can't be avoided. This is one of those times. So I apologize in advance (minus that first f-bomb) if you are offended.

There are very few things in life that I get worked up about. Sure things bother me and you'll know if they bother me, but its takes A LOT to get me to snap. And the stuff that gets me worked up usually seems petty to other people, but to me, its the little things that piss me off more than the big things. I don't what is wrong with people in America but it seems as though, now more then ever, are people stupid. Its one thing to be dumb as in low IQ, but its another thing when your stupidity is just a lack of common sense or common courtesy, which leads to the events of today. And today some people were lucky, because I didn't snap. But after reading the following account you will see that I was well within my own right to go off.

I've been up at school for 12 days and I had time in my schedule to do laundry. I usually wait until about 2 weeks, but then if I don't have time to do it, anything over 2 weeks turns into a hassle. So I head down, expecting a good number or people to be doing laundry and sure enough they are. There are plenty of washers and there are about half that number of dryers. It makes sense to me. At most after 12 days of being at school you should have no more than 2 "loads" and you'll learn soon enough mixing white, colors, and the such really doesn't matter. So if you use 2 washers, then you can fit those 2 loads into one dryer. Trust me, you can dry it all at the same heat. So the 2:1 ratio of washers to dryers makes since. I have no trouble getting my load washed. Yeah I only used one load. Oh god I mixed colors ands whites. Holy fuck, what was I thinking? I figured I'd have to wait a few minutes before a dryer was empty, but what unfolded was a series of events that proved the ignorance of all mankind (for the most part). And I will some the events up in a list of rules for laundry etiquette. Oh don't think that I haven't though about turning these into a sign and posting a few in the laundry room.

Attention Laundry Jackasses:

- No it is not okay, cool, acceptable, legitimate, or any of the above to use one dryer for the drying of 3 bras. It's not even cool to use one dryer for 4, 5, 6, or 7 bras. Unless you can fill a whole dryer up with bras to do a bras only dry, then put the bras in with the rest of your clothes jackass!

- When there are people waiting to use the dryers, don't, DON'T fold your clothes as you take them out of the dryer. Grab your damn clothes, put them in your fucking basket, and go to a table and fold them or wait until you get back to your room to fold them. Your clothes don't care when they're folded. Trust me, I've asked them.

- The dryers are a first come, first serve sort of deal. There is no fucking holding the dryer or saving the dryer you are using for a friend whose load will be done in the wash in a minute or two. N0, there's no saving. You see these group of people standing there for a few minutes, well they are the "line" that has formed to use the next available dryer, and guess what? Your fucking friends can just grab a spot at the end of it asshole!

- Other than that, have a great day...jackass!

It just boggles my mind that people think the above items are kosher things to do. Besides the fact that they are inconsiderate, they just show you how ridiculously fucking stupid the human race is becoming. One day its laundry, the next day its driving, and then before you know it, the whole world is just utterly stupid in all realms of life. And no when that day comes, I will not help you wipe your ass, stupid.

People are so concerned about themselves and getting what they want that they are rude and atleast appear ignorant to those of us who watch their actions. Don't be that jackass. Oh don't get me wrong, I can be an asshole, but rarely when it comes to people I don't know. Common sense and common courtesy go a long way in making the world a much happier place.

2004-09-01T23:10:00.000-04:00

Blogs

Ever since Blogger added that toolbar across the top that allows viewers to search for blogs or advance to a random blog I've been compelled to check out other blogs during some "down time". And sure enough I quickly realized that my blog, and those of my sister and brother are not the rule of blogs, but instead the exception. Now don't get me wrong I have come across some "interesting" blogs, that have ranged from politics to sports. But for the most part every blog deals with the same stuff. In most blogs you come across its John or Jane Doe releasing their feelings and emotions to the world, for everyone to read.

Some of them start out with, "Today was a bad day", or "I hate the world and I might kill myself" or some other overblown statement about how they feel while righting the blog. Along with oozing emotion throughout the blog, the blog runs through a laundry list of what happened during the day and not forgetting to tell you how they felt during each event. Like, "I did my laundry today. Boy did that suck!". Or, "I saw Jerry in class today, and it just made me hate him even more!" I don't know about you, but I don't give two shits about how they feel or want a whole list of shit they did during the day.

When I go to the blog, I don't ask "how was your day?" or "how are you doing". No, I don't do that for reason, even with people I am friends with, because honestly I don't care, unless it was so god awful that you need comforting or so awesome that it would even make me happy. And if its either of those two situations, you are most likely not coming to talk with me.

Why do people think others care about that shit? So now you may be asking what sets my blog apart from the rest, and why do atleast a handful of people "care" about what I right? Well for the most part, I try to keep my emotions, or atleast emotions like the ones most bloggers blog about out of the picture. If I am writing something in my blog it has either interested me or disturbed me soo much that I think most likely somebody else is thinking this or has thought this. And most important when I right a blog I try to tell a story. Who doesn't like a good story? Who doesn't like a funny story?

And while some of my favorite things I've blogged are emotionally charged, like the Olympic blog from a few days ago, or the Pat Tillman blog, its not petty shit. I'm not going to burden people with my crap, unless they ask. And if you do that...well your an idiot! The purpose of my blog is not only to entertain myself but also entertain my loyal readers. Life is too boring for the most part to be pounded by that day in and day out. Sure I might blog about something that happened that day, but its about an event, not a listing of shit I did. Along with emotional blogs, I can't stand the blogs where people think they know everything. I am smart enough to realize that if I do know anything, it is really little that I know.

Oddly enough the people who write blogs about their shitty lifes, are probably people who need to seek professional help but think by "venting" on their blog that people are really listening to them. Too bad nobody is.

2004-08-31T19:28:00.000-04:00

"The Huddle" is Back

After a little over a month hiatus "The Huddle" is back online. Check into "The Huddle" tomorrow Wednesday, September 1st for the first rank of all 32 NFL teams. From #1 to #32 I rank all the teams and provide a little insight into their placement in the rankings. Also join "The Huddle" fantasy football league (group #90102, password= thehuddle) as I will set the draft status to ready this weekend and get the league into full gear. Also join "The Huddle" Pro Football Pick'em (group #23940, password= football) and "The Huddle" Survival Football (group #23640, password= football). All of these games are available through Yahoo. I don't think you need any enticements but just know the to the winner goes the spoils and not to mention bragging rights for a whole year. Join now at "The Huddle". With the season just about to kick off, if time allows, I would like to do a weekly preview segment on Thursdays and then a wrap up segment each Tuesday, with new 32 team rankings being unveiled then. All that and more at "The Huddle" this 2004 NFL season.

Go to "The Huddle"

2004-08-29T22:34:00.000-04:00

The Olympics

Say what you want about the past 17 days of international sporting events known as the Olympics, but I think there is little in the way of sports that generates as much excitement in me. Ok so nothing comes close to the NFL season, but that's an annual event. Granted some of the events maybe be questionable in the way of sport, but competition is competition. The athletes from all over the globe don't leave anything on the field (, court, pool, or what have you) at the games giving it their all to bring pride and glory not only to themselves but also their country. And what makes these games, the 28th Summer Olympiad more precious in the way of Olympics, is not only their return to the birthplace of competition, but also because of all the hoopla leading up to the games.

I experienced downtown Athens firsthand for a handful of days only 2 months prior the opening, and though maybe I wasn't a naysayer that the city wouldn't be ready, I had my doubts. I wouldn't have wanted to be there for the Olympics. The city was crowded, dirty and unsightly. The people weren't that friendly or interested in anything outside of their own little world. And more importantly the venues in and around Athens weren't near completion. But apparently Zeus, along with his clan of gods, was looking down upon their home and made it happen. The stadiums were completed; the streets were uncrowded; the city put on atleast a small amount of makeup. Greatest of all was that minus some freakin mentally insane religious zealot interrupting the marathon, there was no act of terror that kept not only possible fans away but also international media.

Athens can stand proud in the community of the world and be remembered for hosting a superb Olympics. And while I may have certain qualms about some events in the Olympics, there is no other time or place where I can see these events take place. I mean, trampoline is dazzling to watch, but should it be an Olympic sport. Or is it even a sport. Correcting myself, should trampoline be an Olympic "event". And let the debate rage if judged sports should be allowed in the Olympics, but I know from watching endless hours of diving (springboard platform, synchronized, and the likes) that ultimately the right people won. Maybe its not that judged events shouldn't be in the Olympics but instead the organizations of judged events should implement reforms so controversies like the one that continues to surround Paul Hamm never happens again.

Yes, I'm going to miss the swimming, diving, gymnastics, equestrian, beach volleyball, track and field and all the other quirky events only shown on TV when it is the Olympics. There were priceless moments that will live in the Olympic history long after I'm gone. Who ever would have thought a 19 year old would capture such worldwide attention and glory at the swimming pool? Who wasn't inspired by the Iraqi soccer team just a year removed from the brutal torture of Uday Hussein (even if you don't support the actions of our President)? Then there was the spectacles of USA Women team sports in soccer, softball, and basketball who each grabbed gold, and continue to push the envelope of women's sports to the rest of the world. It was international competition at its best. Imagine being able to advertise yourself as the greatest in the world at your certain discipline after capturing gold in the Olympics.

Sure enough the Olympics like everything in this 21st century is a commercial project. And even while its commercial I think NBC and its affiliated networks did a great job of not only presenting the sports and events, but capturing the human spirit in side stories. They did lack when it came to helping the viewer understand Greek culture, but you can't do it all. Its tough to pull off when a majority of the events are on tape delay, but I managed to escape seeing too many results.

And while the Olympics make it easy to pick your team (of course I want USA to win as many medals as possible), but its more about the human spirit. It's about the success of individuals who work a huge percentage of their life to attain the goal of gold medal. And while people may complain about how certain events were delayed because of cheering or booing, it didn't bother me. Why shouldn't the Greeks or any other countryman be cheering loud and proud for his guy? The Americans won the medal count with 103 medals, maybe throwing more logs onto an already big conflagration of worldwide disdain for what we advertise as the Greatest Country in the World.

In this era of hate and violence, the Olympics are a perfect escape. And unfortunately that's all the Olympics are...an escape. The world can come together in peace and harmony for international sporting competition, but its bound to end hours after the Olympic torch is relinquished. Can't the Olympics be the start of something more for the world? "You may say I'm a dreamer, but Im not the only one, I hope some day you'll join us, And the world will live as one."

So goodbye Athens, but thanks for the ride. It was great. And oddly enough the next summer Olympics in 2008 are to be held in a country cited numerous times for human rights violations.

2004-08-27T20:36:00.000-04:00

Ramblings

- Conch Blowing 101: Its official (finally), but its no longer boyfriend Jeff, but fiancee Jeff. Yay! Congratulations to the newly engaged, Theresa and Jeff. And now Jeff is probably kicking himself for ever mentioning that at a wedding he attended there was conch blowing. You know, those big ole beach shells, conchs. There was conch blowing. And as of late whenever I were to speak about the possible wedding, I would do so by asking him when I got to blow the conch shell. So I'll need a few lessons in conch blowing. Yes, that big beach sheel, a conch. If anybody knows an expert conch blower or someone who will give lessons please let me know.

- Dream On: What an abrupt fall from dominance for the USA Basketball Team. Just 12 years ago we assembled the greatest basketball team in the history of the sport and practically destroyed every team along the way to gold medal. The Dream Team of 1992 is long gone, and it looks like the world took note 12 years ago and worked on their basketball skills. This year's team was assemebled rather quickly and never had a chance to mesh. It was bad basketball. The US no longer plays basketball, but instead its an offshoot of what Naismith created. So now the Dream Team can wake up and hopefully USA Basketball will restructure how the Olympic team is assembled so we can once again compete. And I wonder what it would be like to beat America in a sport they have long dominated? It must be really awesome.

- Oddly enough my history professor reminds me of my favorite comic, Lewis Black. Granted he is not nearly as funny, but he has the same mannerisms, same style of talking, same crazy outburts and hand movements, and narrorates the story of history like a comic would. This should make the class pretty enjoyable. And yeah, and just like Lewis Black uses "fuck" as a comma.

- Its ridiculous that anybody is telling Paul Hamm to return his gold medal. It was the gymnastic organization that fucked up. He has every right to that gold medal and should not even consider giving it back. Sure it be a great show or sportsmanship, but sports writers everywhere, have you ever had a gold medal around your next? Thats right, so don't try and tell an athlete who rightfully won the medal to be a "nice guy" and give it back.

- As much as I love taking pleasure in other's pain and screw ups, I don't get nearly the same satisfaction out of it when it is a friends pain or fuck up. Ok so I still enjoyed it "a lot" and made sure this certain person knew that, but deep down inside of me, somewhere I wasn't even sure existed I too felt some of his pain. It's okay Jeff, theres always next time. Damnit...no theres not! I love college!

2004-08-25T21:43:00.000-04:00

College Musings

- Why are girls more social than guys? After being in the dorm for three days its obvious that the girls on my floor have made a concerted effort to get to know other people. While on the other hand I've seen little of that from the guys. Oddly enough though by the end of the year, most of the girls will probably hate one another while the guys will all pretty much get along. Atleast that's how it happened last year.

- Along those same lines, its odd when I think back to how I got to know people and who became my friends. I came up here knowing nobody and knew I would have to open up a bit more. Why did I gravitate to the guys I did. I mean I really couldn't get to know them all that well that early into the year. So why did I gravitate to the people who are now my friends, and really avoid the other part of my hallway? When you get down to the basics of it, it was all "chance" since we were all randomly assigned our rooms, and I guess basically since I was going to be living with these people 24 hours a day, I might as well be friends with them. The great question is would I be friends with these people had I not lived with them for a year? Interesting.

- Oh that smell. I knew the bathroom would smell the best it would all year on Sunday when I moved in, but I never expected that acceptable smell would be gone in a mere 6 hours.

- When has talking to people in the bathroom become acceptable? I find it very uncomfortable carrying on a conversation with somebody in the bathroom. Even somebody I know. And yet these guys don't know anybody and yet they insist on introducing themselves in the bathroom and carrying on conversations half naked before a shower or after using the restroom. Stop!

- College only happens once (atleast at this age), so yes I am going to take full advantage of it (educational-wise, party-wise, everything-wise). God forbid when I must enter the real world. I pity the fool!

- There can't be that many hot girls. It must be the disillusionment of summer when I am not in contact with such a great number of girls, but an enormous number of girls seem to be attractive. I know that is not the case and within a week or so the true number of hot girls will be known. Buts its interesting how even only a so-so looking girl can come across as attractive just because of the sheer number of girls.

- No matter the era, dorm food will always be dorm food.

- There is no other setting in the world quite like a University campus. Its like a world of its own inside the great world. Its basically self sufficient and there is ever little need to leave it.

- And finally, just because you lived on my floor last year, that doesn't make us friends and honestly I don't give a shit about your summer or how your semester is going to be.

2004-08-23T21:44:00.000-04:00

Just Like Bush

I shouldn't have been caught by surprise when I saw on CNN.com that President Bush is urging John Kerry to condemn all 527 group ads. I don't know all the specific details of 527 groups, but they came about through the new campaign finance laws but they have no money limits but aren't supposed to endorse or attack a candidate but instead address important issues of the coming election. The ad in focus is the truly distasteful Swift Boat Veterans for Truth that attacks and questions Kerry's character, and especially his service in Vietnam. Many people, Democrats and Republicans alike, even Bush supporter John McCain have called for the President and his people to condemn the ad. Not only has Bush not done that, but now has turned to issue around and is doing what he does best, playing politics. He has called for John Kerry to speak out against 527 group ads. But the 527 group ads aren't the problem. The problem is the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ad, that is clearly attacking John Kerry and therefore endorsing President Bush for re-election. But should I have expected anything less from a President that lied to start a war, helps only his rich friends, and signed the Patriot Act into law. I think not. Which reminds me of a bumper sticker I saw that read "Vote Freedom First" and I was confused because I wasn't sure which presidential candidate was going to abolish freedoms while in office. But then I quickly realized it was a Bush bumper sticker, because the truck also had a small Republican elephant decal and a NRA sticker. So yeah, "Vote Freedom First"...Vote John Kerry!

2004-08-20T15:08:00.000-04:00

Ramblings on Summer and Round 2 of College (plus some other things)

- What a crappy summer. Now don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed my time back home with family and friends, but it wasn't the usual Kentucky summer I have come to expect after 19 years in the Ohio valley. The temperatures may have reached 90 degrees or higher, five or so times, but it never got close to 100 degrees. But not only was it not hot, it was very cool. I wouldn't have minded not reaching 90 degrees if the temperatures had remained in the mid to upper 80s all summer, but even those temperatures we hard to come by. Along with it being cool, it was a very wet summer. Hopefully next summer is better.

- While I didn't do too much this summer, I won't forget the first two weeks of June. Those days found me traveling in Greece and Egypt half way across the world. It was a once in a lifetime experience. I doubt I will ever travel back to Greece or Egypt, though I'd go back to Egypt before Greece. All the experiences and memories of the Parthenon, AcroCorinth, other Greek ruins, the Greek Islands, downtown Cairo, the Great Pyramids and Sphix of Giza, the Valley of the Kings and Queens, the Temples of Luxor and Karnak, and all the others landmarks of Egypt. They are forever in my memory bank. And even while at home this summer I did manage to complete my short list of things to do. I went to a Bats game, the lake, Berheim Forest, Putt-Putt, and even a Cincinnati Reds game.

- Since I'm heading back to UIUC on Sunday, its time to say goodbye to: great homecooked meals, soft two ply toliet paper, the SGP, and sitting on my butt doing nothing and welcome back into my life: meals that could even be worse than Army rations, sandpaperesque toliet paper, my disciples, and atleast a little work.

- No longer will I be able to sit around and watch the Cincinatti Reds lose and understand the Reds suck but instead I'll get to watch the Chicago Cubs lose and have hundreds of people complain about the loss and the damn curse (or wasted talent?). And again I'll get to watch an NFL lovers worst nightmare, the Chicago Bears week in and week out, instead of talented teams like the Indianapolis Colts or Tennessee Titans. But atleast I'll get to see the Colts in the SuperBowl.

- And if I ever do miss home and Kentucky for any reason it has got to be for things like this: "I never thought I'd ever see it," said Kappell, a lifelong resident. "It's just so hard for me to grasp that Lebanon Junction is finally catching up with the rest of the world." Hooray for Lebanon Junction, they got a McDonalds and thus have become a "modern" town. Read the entire entertaining article here, it made headlines in the Metro section. Yes its that important.

- I don't know about anybody else, but I can't believe that Vietnam veterans calling themselves the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth are questioning the military record of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. But then again in our American society today I shouldnt be surprised since the easiest way to bring somebody down is by attacking their character. The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth are supposedly non-partisan following the new campaign finance laws that can't endorse candidates but just focus on issues. Hmm, they don't sound too partisan to me. And while I can't believe they are doing such, I find it more disgraceful that President Bush and his administration aren't condemning the ads, but then again why would condemn something that is bound only to help you. The president should be ashamed of these smear tactics. Too bad Kerry can't counter attack with smear tactics questioning Bush's service in the Texas Air National Guard...haha!

- I'm really enjoying the Olympics. I read day in and day out about how Americans aren't as into these Olympics, but I'm not in that boat. I have tuned into the different Olympic competitions every day and night and have enjoyed everything I have watched. Tune in a bit yourself and maybe you'll feel the same way.

2004-08-19T19:07:00.000-04:00

Empty Nest

I guess today could be described as the beginning of the end. The beginning which started over 23 years ago with the birth of my sister Theresa and an end that will be here before anybody in my family realizes it with Mark leaving home. And while this may sound absurd right now, the end will be here soon compared to the beginning 23 years. Today was the last day the whole Dowell family lived under the same address. My sister left to go to a wedding in Seattle and by the time she returns I will be starting the fall semester at UIUC. And then in a mere 3 or so weeks, Theresa will be heading to Washington D.C. for a "job" at the National Holocaust Museum and be moving into a condominium with her boyfriend Jeff (which if we're lucky will be fiancee Jeff sooner, rather than later). And while I'm sure at some points along the way it was a living hell for both my parents and siblings, I know that none of us would trade it for anything. So what did we do on the final day as the Dowell family of six of Louisville, KY?

We did what we have done as a family for as long as my memory goes back: we went to the opening day of the Kentucky State Fair. Its been family tradition to head to the Kentucky Fair and Exposition center on the third Thursday of August for all my life. I'm not exactly sure what it is about the state fair, but its a totally different experience than anything else I do the other 364 days of the year. Maybe its "Freddy" the oversized man who greets fairgoers as they pass him in front of Freedom Hall. I've talked to Freddy since I could talk and everytime he's had something nice to say. If only I could express in words the trauma I experienced when "Freddy" got a facelift. If it's not "Freddy" then maybe it is the display of photographs, drawings and other art that my family has entered something into for many years. I don't know most of the contestants from Jack, but its great display of peoples talents from all over the Commonwealth. We hadn't had any luck in the photography division until this year. A photograph taken by Theresa in Greece of ruins and the landscape won 3rd prize in the nature division. Okay, so we enter things just to get the cheap tickets, but hey this time it was legitimate since we had a winner. Or maybe the draw of the fair for me is the collection of farm animals. There are dairy cows, goats, rabbits, chickens, donkeys, mules, and others. Its not like I've never seen these animals or been on a farm, but when hundreds of them are brought together under one roof, its a sight you can't miss. It could even be the quilts I hate looking at even though my mom loves them. And there is plenty of free stuff, which of course I never pass up. And the Kentucky Air National Guard gave out some really nice pens, and WAVE3 was gave nice bottle koozies away.

But then again, maybe its how the state fair exploits Kentucky as it really is. We are an agriculture state. People outside of Louisville (and maybe Lexington) are rural folk that are really "behind the times". And even while the Governor works on a $15 million branding campaign for the state, the Kentucky State Fair, even in its 100th edition, shows Kentucky as it really is, and why we are proud of My Old Kentucky Home.

And even though my sister has been away summer after summer for the longest time, she's finally heading out into the "real world". She's armed with degrees in English and German and more knowledge (sometimes lacking "common knowledge") to definitely make it out there, even in Washington D.C. I know she is doing what she wants to do and I wish her the best. Its been a really fun 19+ years living under the same roof as you. Good luck and go get 'em!

So I guess the nest is starting to get a little more spacious.

2004-08-16T22:42:00.000-04:00

If I Had A Million Dollars

The past 4 days have been quite unusual for me. I hate to shop. I always claim to have shopping ADD when I must go out and buy some pants or a t-shirt or anything. I like to get into the store, get what I went to the store to buy and get the hell out of there. I don't like browsing or any of that. But for some unknown reason, I voluntarily went shopping 3 of the past 4 days. On the first occasion it was to the mall, which is the worst kind of shopping since there are so many stores and its perfect for browsing. Then the next day was to specific stores, like Kohls, Target, and Meijer, so I knew what I was getting in to. That trip was mainly for school stuff, so it wasn't too bad. And then again today, I went out with my mom and sister to a different mall. Surprisingly it wasn't too bad. And while I never want to be rich, this different trips to stores got me to thinking what I would really want if I had a little money to spend.

Without a doubt the first thing I would buy would be an extensive collection of music. I love to listen to music and would purchase CDs of all the classic rock bands and artists that I have on my computer right now. I couldn't go wrong with a large collection of music. Along with the music, I would want to purchase from fine suits, and large collection of neckties, because I believe the tie is what makes the outfit. While a lot of people complain about dressing up, I think a button up shirt and tie is very comfortable. And nothing looks better than a nice suit.

And that brings me to my next point on my few days of shopping. Because I am a loyal What Not To Wear watcher, I not only knew what Stacy and Clinton would want me to buy, but also what they would want for my sister. It was fun pretending we had money (like the $5000 given on What Not To Wear), and looking at some cool clothes I would never look at on most occasions. At the Gap I found a $50 pair of corduroy pants. They were a nice shade of blue and just had a cool look to them. I would never buy a pant for $50 but if they come down in price I would really like to have them. They also game in a green that looked pretty good on me. Then in Banana Republic I found an awesome brown blazer w/ white pinstripes. It fit me perfect and looked really nice. It could be worn casually with a jean (though I don't wear jeans) and t-shirt, or dressed up and look really nice with a button up shirt, necktie, and khaki pants (sounds like something Clinton would say...haha). It was a pricey $198 but will also consider purchasing it if it were to be put on sale for 50%. Maybe I can get it as a Christmas gift of Birthday present. My sister says she'll submit my name for What Not To Wear, claiming that I only wear white t-shirts (occasionally with holes in them) and khaki shorts all the time. And if I do put on a "real" shirt, it is only blue or gray. But I really wouldn't need their help, I would just need to money.

Well, its fun to dream and maybe someday I'll have a little extra money to splurge. But until then, I'll continue to be my casual and comfortable t-shirt and khaki self.

2004-08-15T00:09:00.000-04:00

Opening Ceremony and Day 1 Olympic Thoughts

- I think it can be said that the Olympic Opening Ceremony, is the most boring event or show to be televised. Maybe the State of the Union ranks up there, but atleast that has some other means the Opening Ceremony just doesn't fill. And while there is little argument there, it can also be said of the Opening Ceremonies, that it is the greatest showcase of beautiful women from all around the world. The cameramen know what they are doing. Granted this is probably the "hottest" these women will look during the whole two week event, but its still quite a few of good looking women in one place.

- Along with that, Logan Tom, of the USA Women's Volleyball team is hot. Of course for every Logan Tom, there is atleast one 6'8" teammate who you really don't want to look at. And imagine if athletes still participated nude. The ratings would be huge, atleast for the women's events. Every man across the world minus the New Jersey governor would be watching (or maybe he would watch for a few days and then realize he was gay.)

- I think that synchronized diving is one of the coolest Olympic events. Today I watched both the women's 3m springboard synchronized diving and the men's 10m platform synchronized diving and was amazed at every dive. The Chinese dominated in both the events but it was just crazy watching the participants synchronized dives. Imagine doing a 3.5 somersault pike by yourself and then doing it so it is synchronized with a partner. Ridiculous. Though while watching I did see way to much "man skin" then I really want to see ever again in my life.

- I was promised that the rowing would be "entertaining" by the commentator, but it failed to impress me. First of all it was 2AM in the morning and I wanted to see something with action, but I also failed to realize how far 2000 meters was until about the end of the first heat. I was expected a short race (under 2 minutes), but then calculated the distance and realized it was a race of over a mile. Hell I don't used meters, so how was I supposed to know.

- I don't know about you, but I have my doubts that Michael Phelps is really human. What he is predicted to do, and already did at qualifying is obviously abnormal, and I don't think for a minute that it is wrong to maybe question that he really could be an amphibian.

- I'm not sure if I mentioned this yet, but synchronized diving is badass.

- And while I have issues with "sports" that use a system based on points by judging, I have to say that the judging was absolutely on top of the synchronized diving. I'm not sure how they give points, or subtract points, but if I had ranked the dives compared to the others, the ones the medaled are the ones I ranked in the top 3 in that order.

- Finally, how embarrassing would it be for the final Olympic torch bearer to trip up the flight of stairs that leads to the cauldron? Just think about it.

2004-08-11T18:46:00.000-04:00

Ramblings

- The Jesus' "Can Music Save Your Mortal Soul?" Top 100 Songs (yep, that's the name I've decided on for the countdown of my favorite 100 songs), got kicked into full gear a few days ago when I was browsing the the internet and came across the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's site (I hope to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by next summer's end). And while I thought it would have some information that would help me out, it really is the motherload of Rock and Roll information. Of course all the artist on my list aren't yet enshrined in the Hall of Fame (though a good percentage are), but its a really good source for me to find information on songs and artists. It gives a pretty detailed biography of the artists and also gives suggested reading for each. So coming across that really got me into the mood, to finally hunker down and start sorting through the songs to rank. I am considering 146 songs for the Top 100. So while ranking the songs, I will also have to eliminate 46 from consideration. Its going to be quite the task, but I am going to have fun with it. I love music. The countdown, which will take place exclusively on Beavers and Ducks, will begin on January 22, 2005 and run for 10 days. Not only will I list the songs, but also give some insight on to why the song made the list and why it is ranked where it is. Although not decided upon yet, I would like to do a "feature" band from each set of rankings and do a little more in depth on them and their songs. It should be fun. Not only do I want to spur some debate and talk about my songs, but also find out how you, my loyal readers, would rank your favorite songs. So I figured to help set the tone I would list the Top 5 Concerts that I wish I could have attended or in the case of one, still attend in this blog.

1. Creedence Clearwater Revival at Oakland Coliseum, January 31, 1970
2. The Who at Madison Square Gardens, March 11, 1976
3. Simon and Garfunkel at Central Park, New York, September 19, 1981
4. The Beatles at Shea Stadium, August 15, 1965
5. R.E.M at a small venue where they play an acoustic set, whenever possible

While the countdown is still over 5 months away, my work for the countdown will take place all the up until then. Feel free to comment and tell me what concerts you wished you could have attended or still want to attend.

- There is nothing worse than knowing the answer to a question, especially when the question seems so simple to you. I was watching a rerun of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire on the Game Show Network and few nights ago, and the contestant was going for $500,000. I too was going for $500, 000 since I had answered every question up to that point correctly, though I only needed one life line. Again, the question was for a half million dollars! The question went something like this: "In Frank L. Baum's 1900 book, The Wizard of Oz, what color were Dorothy's slippers?" I knew the answer immediately without the choices. I have never read the book but know most of the trivia because of my love for the movie. For those of you who don't know the choices the man was given were: black, ruby, silver, or white. The man said he had never read the book, and never watched the movie all the way through, but knew in the movie that the slippers were ruby. And at that moment, I felt my heart drop. He had never seen the Wizard of Oz all the way through. Are you kidding me. He should be ashamed of himself. But anyway, the answer of course is SILVER, and he decided to walk away with $250,000 vowing never to forget that the slippers are silver in the book. Not only was this so painful for me, but that man deprived me of MY $1,000,000 question. Thanks a lot.

- Sunday was a good day for stupid people speaking out in the Courier Journals Reader Forum, and I hope soon to run another edition of Stupid People. This upcoming edition will focus on two readers weighing in on the debate of gay marriage, and gays in general. Oh it's going to be fun. So look forward to that within a few days. Oh I love (or is it hate?) stupid people.

- Have the Olympics become second fiddle to the United States of America, or has the rest of the world caught up to us in athletic ability? I actually think it is a combination of both, and the beatings that the US handed many countries in certain sports over the past few decades aren't going to happen anymore. Just watch the Olympic basketball games. While we definitely aren't sending our best players, the world has become better at sports. I mean the USA didn't even qualify to play our national pastime at the Olympics (that's baseball for those of you who don't know). I also think that while international competition and the sense of peace the Olympics extol are great, the Olympic games have taken a downturn since the end of the Cold War. While I really didn't get to experience any Cold War Olympics, I can tell from archived games shown on ESPN Classic and reading certain things, that having a "real" international opponent gave common folk something to cheer for. Even on the sports field, it was democracy verse communism and we had to prove that democracy was better. Beating the USSR gave Americans a sense of patriotism and pride, that you just don't find today when the Olympics role around. I think of any sporting event that I wish I could have witnessed, it would be the Miracle on Ice. Not only was it democracy beating communism, but it was in hockey. And while the Olympics aren't what they used to be, Ill tune in. Its not every weekend (but I would never watch it every weekend) that I can see diving, swimming, track and field, and other non mainstream sports at the highest level of competition. Bring back some gold Team USA!

- The first day of classes for the Fall 2004 semester start in 2 weeks. After a relatively relaxed, but unseasonably cool summer, I think I am ready to get back to campus. Its not that I want to get away from home and family (well to a degree I guess it is), but I need a new routine. I have three routines a year (each about four months) Fall Semester, Spring Semester and Summer. College life is totally different in so many aspects, that I'm ready to get back to friends, sports, and just the whole atmosphere. Time to start gathering things up.

- If you don't watch the Amazing Race (CBS Tuesday 10PM), I recommend you should watch an episode or two. Its a fun reality TV show that has pairs of people racing around the world for a $1 Million prize. It's a lot more comical than Survivor and plus this time around there is a midget in the race. You can't beat that. "Charla, Charla...I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die."

- If the St. Louis Cardinals don't win the World Series I will be surprised.

- I found a t-shirt at the Buckle for Brian Shears. Yes Keith and Jeff you will love it. It's a green shirt that reads: "Got tickets to the Gun Show?" with red arrows pointing to the biceps (I couldn't find a picture of it at their website). And I think it came in small sizes (maybe even extra small).

- That's all.

2004-08-09T15:18:00.000-04:00

Are You Ready For Some Football?

Its been a long six months, since the New England Patriots beat the upstart Carolina Panthers in SuperBowl XXXVIII. Too long for a die hard fan like me. But fear not, as the 2004-2005 NFL season is just about here. Tonight the preseason kicks off with the Hall of Fame Game from Canton, Ohio. The game will pit the Denver Broncos against the Washington Redskins. Sure it's only preseason football, but like Courier Journal TV Critic Tom Dorsey said, "Sure, the coaches will only play the stars for a quarter or so, but a fan dying of thirst cares not if the water is a little polluted." And that's me. I'll watch the first quarter, and maybe even the whole first half, because the NFL is back, and that's all I want. I know these preseason games lead to the great prize, the awesome NFL season in only a months time. It will be interesting to see Joe Gibbs return to the NFL sideline and how Clinton Portis and Champ Bailey do on their new teams. If you forgot they were traded for one another during the offseason. The Redskins wanted some running firepower and they got that. The Broncos got the wanted boost in their secondary. Its preseason football, but its the NFL. I'll be watching.

2004-08-04T22:43:00.000-04:00

What A Treat

I can't tell you the last time I watched a basketball game involving players from the NBA and defense was played, before today. I have not watched an entire NBA game in years, and the league is a complete turnoff to me. Not only is it a league where the games have become more decidedly a "personal" game instead of a "team" game, but the rules are not enforced according to the rulebook (watch any NBA game this coming season, and you tell me when they changed the traveling rule), and certain players get "special" treatment (yes, Shaq rumbling around throwing his elbows everywhere should actually be a foul). I don't know what the answer to bring the NBA back to mainstream America is, but maybe taking a few pointers from International Play could help.

Today, I sat down and watched a good majority of an international exhibition game, between the USA and Germany. We all remember the Dream Team from the 1992 Summer Olympics, but this is not your same Dream Team 12 years later. It's still true that all the players on the US Squad are NBA players, but its not the elite players of the NBA. Of course Time Duncan and Allen Iverson are on the team, but where is the supposed best center Shaquille O'Neal, and Kevin Garnett, and those likes? Are they too good to represent America in a game against the world? They may not believe it, but yes, the rest of the world has caught up to the United States in basketball. Perennially, top prospects and top draft picks are men born in Eastern Europe, and not in the United States. The USA team is not what it once was, but I can atleast say, that the basketball they played today was not only entertaining to watch, but hearkened back to what Naismith imagined basketball should be (okay maybe not Naismith, since he didn't like the dribbling rule, but you get my point).

International basketball is played like the best college teams play. And even still these are more experienced players, so the game is better to watch. The 10 minute quarters work better than 12 minute quarters the NBA plays, and the 3-point line really isn't in downtown, but instead a reasonable distance for a natural shot. Oh yeah, traveling is called too (or atleast for the most part they limit it to three steps). International basketball can't be a "personal" game because the results will be devastating if its played that way. I'm not sure what kind of stipend these players are getting, but they are playing for the international team because they want to play. Sure they want to showcase their so called "greatness" to the rest of the world, but its not for the money, its not for the American crowd, actually its to show the world, that yes, American basketball is still paramount to everybody else.

Its not going to be easy, but I do think the USA Dream Team will come home from Athens with the gold medal. And I will definitely tune into the International basketball games during the Olympics because it is sound and fundamental basketball that I like. From an American perspective its quality players, who don't really show what they can do on the NBA floor (mainly because of the league), playing for the country they love and beating the world. The Americans escaped today's game with a 80 -77 victory over Germany on a last second near half court shot by Allen Iverson. It was great basketball.

2004-08-02T19:23:00.000-04:00

Identity Crisis

I have been meaning to write a blog on this topic for some time now, but recently two things have spurred me to finally write it. Those two things being a visit of 3 of my friends from the suburbs of Chicago over the weekend, and Governor Ernie Fletcher's $15 million "branding" campaign for the state of Kentucky. This topic is the current situation of the City of Louisville, and while it doesn't necessarily fall into the Governor's "branding" campaign, the revitalization of the city that Mayor Jerry Abramson is currently working on is along the same lines.

It's been over a year since the city and county governments merged to create Metro Louisville, which now has its boundaries as the Jefferson County boundaries. This was supposed to be a "huge" thing, that would put Louisville on the map. Because of merger the city now had a population of over 1 million people and ranked as the 16th largest city in the country. But as of right now, I'm not sure the merger has taken us. Sure the government transition was very smooth, with Abramson being mayor and working along side the Metro Council of 27 or so elected officials throughout the new city, but are we a better city? More importantly they hyped this merger as making a city the likes of Indianapolis, Nashville, and other smaller but up and coming cities. But do we really want to be like those cities? Can we not just be Louisville, Kentucky, somewhere in from the east coast, not really in the south, but not a Midwest city either?

My friends Brian, Jeff, and Keith arrived Friday evening and though I really didn't have anything planned, I knew that all day Saturday would be downtown, so I wanted to do something away from there. But the weather would not cooperate, as it rained off and on in heavy downpours all night. So I along with my sister and older brother brainstormed for indoor activities we could do. And then after not brainstorming much except, roller skating, laser tag, and bowling, I decided we'd stay home and play poker with my brothers friends. But the point is that unless you are of high school age and younger or of legal drinking age, there really aren't indoor activities to occupy your time. If I were still in high school going to a movie would have worked. Or if I was 21 we would have been at one of the bars on Bardstown Road. As a growing city and one that ones to be known, there has to be things for 18-20 year olds and non bar goers to do, especially on the weekend.

[side story on the events of Friday night - not at all related to Louisville's identity crisis]
My brother invited me and my friends to play poker with him, because he expected a small turn out do to the weather. Well lots of people showed up and it was the biggest game of poker I have ever played. I do think at one time there were 12 players being dealt cards. It was fun, but I wasn't a fan of how most of the guys played, betting on low pairs or no cards at all. Yes, bluffing is a part of the game, but not every hand. Or they would have pocket aces or something nearly as good, and would never raise the bet, so it was hard to know when somebody really might have something. I was playing my second hand of the game, and I had ace/eight suited. I called the big blind of 10 cents, and the flop came ace, six, something else. I called a significant amount and then the turn was another six. Alright, I liked my chances then, expecting who ever had the 6 didn't even call the blind. Then the river was another six and I had a full house, aces full of sixes. There were three people still in the hand, and I figured at worse I would split the pot. By the time we revealed our cards, I had bet well over $4 and was happy with my chances. Prior to me calling the final bet, one of the players still in it told me he had the 6, which gave him 4 of a kind. When he said that, I knew he had the six, but had spent so much money anyway, called his bet. Sure enough he had the six. 4 of a kind. I lose most of the money, along with Brian, who also had an ace. Nothing pisses me off more than losing a hand that good, especially when the person who beat me really should have folded even before the flop. He was dealt three/six off suited! Arrgghh!

[back to the identity crisis]
For Saturday, I planned we would go to the Louisville Slugger Museum around 2 P.M. I mean what is more Louisville than a museum dedicated to something made in Louisville that is known worldwide. And then heading to 4th Street Live for an ice cream before heading to the Louisville Bat's game at Slugger Field at 6:15. And then cap of the night by going to Waterfront Park. Arriving downtown, I parked at sixth street and walked to the museum from there. It was a pretty central location and I could move the car before the game.

I am downtown a handful of times a summer and I always notice something different. With my friends in the car, and them commenting, it is then all the "bad" stuff is really seen. They weren't being assholes or jackasses, but when you see a whole block of buildings on Main Street, that are vacant and falling apart, its not really something you want visitors to see. How are we supposed to get people of the city to go downtown more and attract out of state visitors, when there is such an eyesore right in the heart of the city. I'm not sure what these buildings were, but they could easily be turned into shops or apartments.

The Slugger Museum was a hot spot though, with lots of people there on this particular Saturday. I hadn't been to the museum in quite a few years, and going back was fun. I mean it was summer and baseball is in full swing. I got myself another little bat, that makes about 30+ or those floating around somewhere in this house. But since I have been 3 or 4 times to the museum now, I don't know when I'll be back. The bats are still made the same way, and the history of baseball and the bats also hasn't changed. Though the movie they show to start everything of "The Heart of the Game" got me going. I think the best part of the museum is a part that you can see for free. Right when you walk in there is a wall, with all the signatures of baseball players who are/were contracted with Louisville Slugger bats. Its fun checking out all the autographs of some famous guys, and those washed up players that you find odd you still remember their name. I think all my friends liked the museum. It is a different type of museum and is pretty fun.

From the museum we took our bats back to the car and headed towards 4th Street Live. And maybe my friends had a bad experience from the decorated cows, that Chicago did years back, but they thought that the decorated horses (atleast the ones we saw) were quite ugly. But most prominent on that walk, was how deserted the city was. I wasn't surprised, I know that very little people go downtown. Of course we aren't a Chicago, and I don't want to be a Chicago, but there was NOBODY downtown. Quite a few times during the 10 or so minute walk to 4th street, did I hear them awe at the lack of people downtown. Let me remind you it was like 5PM on a Saturday evening. And then it only got worse.

We finally reached 4th Street Live. The place that is supposed to start the revitalization of downtown Louisville. The place was empty. Ok there may have been an upwards of 50 people at the whole complex, but I'm not sure that's what the city had envisioned while they were building it. We got our ice cream and I got to thinking while I was down there, how screwed up 4th Street Live is. We want to revitalize downtown, but with 4th Street Live, we copied the likes of Baltimore and Houston, with such a complex. But 4th Street Live is in the middle of nowhere. For the most part, it has to be your final destination if you end up there. You are not just going to happen upon it and go in if you are in downtown.

There is no mention of its proximity to Waterfront Park, Louisville Slugger Field, all of the museums along Main Street, or anything else that would be fun to do downtown. Also I can't figure out why we didn't have local stores used at 4th Street Live. Instead of Cold Stone Ice Cream, why didn't we use locally loved Graeters. And while Bardstown Road cannot be re-created, it is a hot spot for the 20s crowd throughout the summer, so instead of chain restaurants like TGIF and Hard Rock Cafe, why didn't we use a local restaurant and bars to fill the complex? That would have made more sense to me, then giving the large corporations more stake in our city, and losing what makes Louisville, Louisville.

And finally we made it to the Bats game at Slugger Stadium, which was great fun. Sure enough we ended up next to the only person in the stadium you wouldn't want to sit next to for a 3 and a half hour game, but it made me realize why I do love this city and how it can be Louisville, with out having to be a BIG city. The crowd of 8000+ was into the game for the most part, and the little played players of the minor leagues, we working their tails off chasing their dreams to one day play in the big leagues. Of course the Bats lost again (I have never witnessed them win in over 10 games I have watched at the stadium) but it made me realize that we don't need a professional sports team.

Bruce Miller, the Louisville attorney who is always trying to get a professional basketball team in the city, always likes to remind us that Louisville is the nations largest city without a professional sports team. Well I think the city has spoken, and sure enough, we don't care. In the summer we get cheap entertainment from the Louisville Bats, then in the fall you can't beat a great high school football game on any Friday night, along with college football at UK and UL, and then college basketball through the winter, which keeps us occupied until a myriad of spring high sports. We have some of the greatest sports in the country, and all the players play because they LOVE to, not because they are making millions of dollars. I'll take my amateur sports over a professional team any day.

Sure enough the City of Louisville has an identity crisis. Is Louisville going to be the city I want to return to after school? I don't think so initially. I''ll probably move to Chicago or some other big city, so I can live that lifestyle. But eventually I do want to move back home to Louisville, and I want it to be the Louisville I love. And that starts by getting people downtown, and using what the city has to offer. There is so much to do, but it is pooly advertised. Revitalize downtown, but don't make it like everyother downtown. I don't need an ESPN Zone or Hard Rock Cafe, just a good local store. Create more housing downtown. People will live downtown, if there are things to do. Make the city of Louisville a place not only parents will want to raise their families but also a place that is appealing to tourists. Make Louisville what it needs to be. We aren't Chicago, we aren't New York, we aren't even Atlanta, but we don't need to be. We are a middle sized city, that doesn't need a professional sports team, or any more Starbucks. We are a unique place Louisville, Kentucky.

2004-07-29T19:29:00.000-04:00

And Yet Another Edition of Ramblings

+ I'm not holding out much hope that I will make it into "heaven" or the likes upon death, but was shocked to find that I would be so far down in Hell after taking Dante's Inferno Test based off his Divine Comedy (which by the way I didn't find too entertaining when I read it senior year, even though I did get to create my own level of Hell and banish all English teachers there). I answered the test as honest as possible and knew that Purgatory and even Level 1 - Limbo were way out of the question. I knew that when I answered negatively toward the God/religion questions. I thought Level 6 - The City of Dis would be the furthest I would fall, but apparently I am very much damned for the rest of time. Here are my results (click on the Level names to get a description of who dwells there). Take the test yourself and comment what Level Of Hell you will be residing. Oh yeah, I wouldn't mind a little company, but I may only find company in Keith.

The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to the Eigth Level of Hell - the Malebolge!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Very Low
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	Moderate
Level 2 (Lustful)	Very High
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	Very Low
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	Very Low
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	Moderate
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	Very High
Level 7 (Violent)	Low
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	Very High
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	Low

Take the Dante's" Divine Comedy Inferno Test

+ As all my readers know, I love music and am currently ranking my Top 100 Songs. Along these lines, over the summer I got to thinking about how baseball players are introduced to bat and pitchers come onto the field with a song blaring from the sound system, and I started thinking what song I would use in this situation. I don't know the song yet, but there are some songs that are vivid in my head that I think would be great. I've decided it must be a song with a strong and familiar opening or starts into the lyrics almost immediately (since at most the song will be heard for a few seconds). As much as a love country music, that is out of the question, as it is not "hard" enough to fit the bill. While thinking of the "right" song, I also have a few on my mind that would be a perfect joke to come to plate to. When I decide what song(s) I would use I'll be sure to blog about it, and feel free to comment with the song you would use.

+ I've been wanting to do another People Are Stupid blog, but ever since Kate made stupid people look totally ridiculous, they have been keeping their mouths shut. Or atleast not have them published across the Kentuckiana area for everybody to read. Of course there are the semi-stupid people on a daily basis, but not stupid enough to ridicule and make a total ass off. Other people wrote into the Courier-Journal and rebuked Kate and her idiotic words, but most of them were nicer and not as ass like as mine. And while it was great they wrote in, to let Kate know how dumb she was in nice terms, I like when people are frank and blunt, like myself. Once another stupid person writes in, I'll be sure to have another edition of People are Stupid.

+ Beavers and Ducks should have some good stories come Monday, as Brian, Jeff, and Keith are coming to Louisville this weekend. Right not the schedule includes going to the Louisville Slugger Museum, a Louisville Bats game, and Waterfront Park. If anybody has any other suggestions that would be a good "Louisville" thing, please leave a comment. So until Monday...Be Classy Louisville.

2004-07-28T12:16:00.000-04:00

The Great American Experience

Baseball in July if not already, should be a rite of passage every summer for men and women across America. So with that in mind, I traveled up to Cincinnati yesterday with my brother Matt and his friend Joe, to catch a National League Central showdown, between the Reds and the St. Louis Cardinals. Sure, the Reds had lost six in a row and would be looking to right the ship against the best team in baseball, but it was the Reds against the Cardinals, a longtime "Midwest (loosely defined)" baseball showdown, if there ever was one. Judging from the attendance of the Monday night game, we decided not to purchase tickets in advance and just see what was still available when we got to the stadium. And sure enough, the fair weather fans of Cincinnati didn't show up and plenty of seats were still available. So like a frugal college student and recent college graduates, we purchased the $5 seats, knowing we would be able to sit just about anywhere.

From the get go, it was ugly from the Reds standpoint. The St. Louis pitcher didn't allow his first baserunner until the 4th inning, and only allowed 3 hits in total. Just as the lineup card shows, the Cardinals were solid top to bottom and even with superstars, Albert Pujols and Scott Rolen, garnering 1 hit each, the Cardinals were able to rack up 13 hits and six runs. While the offense put the points up, the defense was solid in helping the pitchers keep the game a shutout. In what has become as much a part of summer as the hot sun, the Cincinnati Reds are slowly, but surely eliminating themselves not only from division crown contention, but also wild card contention. Last nights game was their 7th consecutive loss, and the strong pitching that kept the Reds in the battle up until the All-Star breaks, is just what everyone thought it was, a surprise. Without the pitching, the Reds offense isn't too powerful and they have troubled putting up runs, and a defense that wasn't too bad for the first half, has cost them a few games out of the past 7. So while the weather hovered in the mid-60s all game causing it to feel like a October World Series Game, it sure couldn't have been mistaken as such, because after all it was the Cincinnati Reds playing.

And while I do go to MLB games for the action on the field, that is only part of the whole experience. The Reds now play in The Great American Ballpark, which is now one and a half seasons old. As an architect major and someone who enjoys baseball at the stadium, I like to check into all the niches of a stadium. The Great American Ballpark, followed the growing practice of having an open concourse around the whole stadium that allows for a view from anywhere. Though they failed at accomplishing this in left field, they did make it succeed in the other part of the stadium. It is also strategically placed only 50 yards from the river, giving the fans a view across the Ohio River into Kentucky. It also had its share of luxury suites, plenty of concession stands, and restrooms. And while it didn't have anything as unique as a hill in center field, ivy on the outfield wall, or the "Green Monster", the Great American Ballpark, is a unique park for the Cincinnati Reds. Stadiums are no longer following in the footsteps of their earlier models that basically copied one another and got the infamous name of cookie cutter parks.

Declining numbers or not, baseball is still the American pastime. And while I usually say the best seat available is on the couch at home, baseball is the exception. Baseball is so much better being at the stadium. Its too bad and sad to see that the city of Cincinnati and many other cities across the nation cannot fill the stadium every home game even with months of baseball left to play. Granted the Reds probably won't make the playoffs this season, but booing your home team and not supporting the team throughout the season isn't going to help the team. I couldn't beat my cheap $5 entertainment last night, and I'm sure there are enough families the keep the stadium filled all season, with $5 tickets available. So take your friends, take your family, or just take yourself to a MLB game, its well worth it and sure enough, it is a rite of passage for summer.

2004-07-24T23:07:00.000-04:00

Who Knew?

I don't know what the City of Louisville is doing, but by my account it seems like they are dropping the ball on an important issue. If you aren't inquisitive and don't really look into things the issue I am about to discuss will be lost on you. But anyway, I was looking at the Courier-Journal website and their listing of things happening the weekend of July 30, and sure enough there is a "huge" event that is taking place on Saturday July 31, that I haven't seen promotions or advertisements for, let alone even heard about. Apparently this event has become overshadowed by the Mike Tyson bout that is taking place in Freedom Hall that same weekend, but I'm going to be free advertisement for this event, and hope to see you there. The event is the 2004 National Women's Football Associations World Championship game. This is not only a sporting event, which Louisvillians love, but the World Championship of the league. It is being held at Papa Johns Cardinal Stadium at 7PM one week from today.

So not only did it come to my surprise that the World Championship game would be right here in Louisville, but I was also taken by surprise to see that there was an organized women's football league. And you thought you've see manly women before. The NWFA bills itself as the "worlds largest football league", and if you go by amount of teams than technically its not false advertising. The league currently has 37 teams and will expand to 41 for the 2005 season. As an avid NFL fan and supporter I find the billing ridiculous, as the NFL is the "worlds largest football league", because not only does it have the most fans worldwide, but it also has the SuperBowl. So I'm surprised on many different fronts, and then realized that holding the game at Papa Johns Cardinal Stadium is probably way too big of a venue. I mean honestly how many seats are they going to fill...one...seven...okay maybe they'll sell 24 tickets. And if this is the "worlds largest football league" why hadn't I heard of it before this week? Why isn't it headlines in the paper? It sounds like a huge success, and yet could be one of the worlds best kept sports secret.

And just like with most "dumb" or "stupid" things I encounter, the more time I spend looking into them, the more I become intrigued by them, even though its soo ridiculous. So I looked into the teams, schedule, stats, and such. It turned out to be quite the laugh. The two teams playing in the World Championship are both 8 - 0, and basically outscored opponents 50 -3 in the games through out the seasons. What a joke. I can't find the rules, so I assume they play on a full length field, with 11 on a side, but the all the stats don't work out to have the teams scoring that much. But my favorite thing of all were team names. Have your pick from any of these existing teams: D.C. Divas, Pensacola Power, Shoals Smashers, Pittsburgh Passion, or these 2005 additions: Kentucky Karma and Cincinnati Sizzle. If those aren't some of the worst names for a sports team, than I don't know what names are. Still more interesting is the fact that Louisville is hosting the World Championship and won't have a team in the league until next year.

Oh I can't wait. Maybe I can get a hold of some season tickets for the Kentucky Karma next year. Its just what I love, not only women not in the kitchen, but also playing a sport (even better the real mans sport...football).

2004-07-22T23:45:00.000-04:00

It Was A Crazy Game of Poker

With the success of last year's World Series of Poker which was broadcast on ESPN over the summer and then every week up until the start of this years WSOP about 3 weeks ago, a certain poker craze has captivated America (or atleast the twenty-something and older men). The case can be seen just with in my family as my dad sits down every Tuesday to watch the new episodes (though my Dad is a little peeved at how it was advertised and really just wants to see the $10000 entry No Limit Texas Hold'em Tournament), and usually me and my brothers watch with him, or catch the episode later in the day or week. It was also very popular up at college in which on any given day a handful of games were taking place on the floor. Though I had played poker and other card games before, I was never really into playing cards.

Sure it passes the time and what can beat a good game of WAR, so I never thought I would find myself wrapped up in this current trend. I played a few $1 games of Texas Hold'em on occasion at school, but that was really it. Many people have said that I have a poker face, even not in a poker setting, so this summer I've got to try it out a little. Since summer started I have played a few games a week when I gather at a friends house, even though my friends are too stingy to play for money even if it is only $1. And to a certain degree I have surprised my self and my ability while at the poker table. I'm a pretty good player, and sure enough I have quite the poker face. I have learned how to bet and raise at certain times to increase pot size and chase players away.

I really enjoy playing poker and honing my skills in a friendly setting. If only I had an extra $10,000 laying around I wouldn't think twice about entering the tournament. While the game takes skill, there is a lot more luck involved. Just last night, I practically ran the table in a game of Hold'em. I think I was responsible for eliminating everybody from the table. And then after that I destroyed everybody at Blind Man's Bluff. Now that is a fun game to play. It too takes skill and the thinking is almost totally reverse from a normal game of Hold'em. We'll that its on poker, the Infamous Silly Goose 2, 3 hand awaits.

2004-07-18T23:13:00.000-04:00

Summer

There are many reasons why I love summer, but there is one reason amongst a few that make summer really fun. And that reason is being able to grill out. A few years ago, along with the helping hands of my mom, I built a brick bar-be-que grill in the back yard by the pool. Ever since then on most summer nights we are grilling our favorite meats on the hot charcoal bricks. When we first started using the grill we tried some new meats and styles of fixing them, but in the past year had settled with the ordinary hamburger, chicken and steak. While all those meats are great to eat anytime, we once again got a little adventurous and tried grilling a new item tonight. What I did was a mix of a few things I love into one item: my love of grilling, my love of a good grilled meat, and oddly enough, beer. I know what most of you all are thinking, but no I did not just sit grillside and drink a few Bud Lights as the meat grilled. But instead the item to be cooked tonight was Beer Can Chicken. My mom bought the beer (Miller Light) and according to her it was the first time she had ever purchased beer in her entire life. Take that for what you will.

While the following sounds quite difficult, the preparation and grilling of the Beer Can Chicken turned out to be pretty basic, and should be even easier the next time we grill it. Beer Can Chicken involves grilling a whole 3 -5 lbs. chicken, that is standing upright with on a beer can. We started by putting a basic rub all over the chicken and then putting the chicken on a beer can that was half full of beer and then transferred it to the hot grill, and cooked for 1 hour and 45 minutes over indirect heat. Since seven people were going to be eating, we fixed three chickens upon three cans of beer, and though I thought it was a tight squeeze on the grill, it all worked out in the end. It took a decent amount of time, as we knew it would, but it was very moist, juicy, and delicious chicken. Along with the burning charcoals, we used hickory wood chips to help smoke the chicken. By the time the chickens were ready, the skin had been seared nicely to a small crisp and the chickens were piping hot and juicy. Though they were cooked on beer cans that were half full of beer, the chicken only had a small hint of beer taste, and through cooking the chickens on the cans it helped keep the bird moist. (The directions said root beer, lemon-lime, or cola could be used in substitute of beer)

I have some pictures, but have yet to upload them. I am sure when I post the pictures your mouths will water when you see how good these chickens look. Though I was slightly injured in the cooking of the chickens, it was what the perfect summer evening is supposed to be like. Enjoying the nice weather, while grilling out. Who knows what I'll grill up next, but I wonder if I can work out something to make Beer Can Steak? Hmm. I love summer.

2004-07-16T21:29:00.000-04:00

All NFL, All The Time

I am happy to introduce a new section of Beavers and Ducks. The new section, The Huddle, will be focused on the NFL. From now until after the Superbowl, the NFL is something I will not stop thinking about. So I figured I could write what I think with my predictions and such for all my Beavers and Ducks fans. Just another thing to keep not only me, but also my loyal viewers happy. I hope you enjoy The Huddle. Check it out today and bookmark it.

The Huddle brought to you by Beavers and Ducks.

2004-07-14T21:30:00.000-04:00

Dream Job Audition Diary (This is a long blog, but well worth it)

1:00 AM EDT: After loading a few items into the van, my mom and sister accompany me on the five hour drive to St. Louis and thus begins my journey towards super stardom, following in the steps of none other than Mike Hall, who also qualified in St. Louis. We head out as a storm has just passed (which turned out to be the worst storm to hit Louisville since the super tornadoes of 1974) and more are brewing on the horizon. This should be fun. Right now I believe my mom may be thinking: "What the hell am I doing? Most moms wouldn't do this, but wait I'm the worlds greatest mom, so I'm going to do this!" On the other hand, my sister is probably thinking: "How in the hell did they convince me to take this 5 hour ride at this god forsaken time." And I'm thinking to myself: "Haha, I'm really doing this!" After reading up on some experiences from people about the first dream job auditions, I figured that the line would start forming around 6AM and since we were traveling such a distance we might as get there early, then we end up heading back home early."

2:00 AM EDT: The heavens have presented us with quite the laser light show, as lightning has been illuminating the sky for the length of the trip. It it also at this point when we encounter our first nasty roadside odor: a dead skunk. I haven't really tried to "sleep" yet, but figure I might give it a shot.

2:30 AM EDT: Wake up from what will become a regular 30 minutes of sleeping followed by 30 minutes of being awake. The skies are still flashing with lightning.

3:00 AM EDT: My mom puts a country music CD in and I begin to fall asleep at the beginning of a song and awake as that song is ending. This happens for about 15 consecutive songs.

5:00 AM EDT: Sleep pretty well up until now, but decide that I'll just stay awake for the next hour into St. Louis. There's not a damn think going on outside, and there are very few cars. But then again its only 4:00 AM CDT, so people are most likely sleeping.

6:00 AM EDT: Arrive at Dave & Buster's, which is where the auditioning is being held. As expected we are the only ones there. I expect that a line would start forming in an hour or so. Surprisingly there are no signs or anything indicating this is where Dream Job Auditions are taking place.

And time goes by so slowly...

9:00 AM EDT: There is still nobody lining up. There are only like 3 cars in the parking lot. I'm thinking: "Did they cancel the auditions?", "Where is everybody?".

10:00 AM EDT: By this time a SMALL line of 6 people has formed and auditions begin in 1 hour. According to what I read, there were over 500 people in line in Atlanta before the auditions ever began for the first Dream Job. Everybody is surprised of the small turnout so far. I am the fifth guy in line, though I easily could have been first, but whats it matter? The guy in front of me, says that he is an Oakland Raiders fan. So I start talking Raiders stuff with him. He's not a fan. He didn't know we had hired Norv Turner as the coach, allowed Garner to sign with Tampa Bay, signed Warren Sapp and Ted Washington. And he calls himself a fan. Don't disrespect me like that. So it was really hard talking Raiders stuff with him when he really wasn't a fan.

10:30 AM EDT: An ESPN workers brings us a form to feel out. The basic personal information stuff, but also: "What is your favorite sports moment?" Are you serious. I am supposed to pick one, and only one moment for 15 years of my life where I can remember a sporting event and write that down as my favorite. Yeah right. I have my most "memorable" but it sure as hell isn't my favorite. So I go with Rice defeating Stanford in the CWS, maybe that will grab some attention. It goes on to ask: "What is the most outrageous thing you have ever done?" And immediately things come to me, but these aren't things I should put down on the application. I think they are looking for "legal" things. But when I see outrageous, the only things that come to my mind are borderline stuff, I don't think they won't to know. I mean should I really tell them about the time I killed a man. I think not. But that is outrageous. Then the next question took the cake: "What is the most interesting thing people wouldn't know about you, by just looking at you?" I don't know. Do they want to that I have a third, and possibly fourth nipple. Or maybe that I think I could be schizophrenic. I just don't know. So I settled with, I've never eaten a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. That's interesting. But finally after a little brain racking its almost time to audition.

11:00 AM EDT: From reading about other people's experiences, I knew they started you out with a 30 questions sports quiz that you had 8 minutes to finish. I think I correctly answered atleast 20/30, but they don't tell you so I don't know. There were easy questions like: "What PAC-10 team's mascot is a Duck?", or "What team played in the Allen Fieldhouse?", or "Who rode Smarty Jones in the Kentucky Derby?". But then there were questions like: "What team did Pat Quinn last coach for?" I'm thinking: Is Pat a man or a woman? What league did Pat coach in? I have no fucking clue. Or "Who punched Rudy Tomjanovich is a well-known attack on the NBA court?" Hell I just saw the footage all last week, but I wasn't paying attention to names, because who ever it was sure jacked Rudy pretty hard. All in all it was a fair assessment, and I ranked 3 of 8 in my group.

11:30 AM EDT: Next is a round table discussions, but not only wasn't the table round, there was no table at all. We had to do a play by play of our favorite sports moment, but best of all you could make one up. What the fuck?! Make up a sports moment to call. The first guy does Superbowl XXXIV, the next guy does 1988 World Series, I do the "Snow Bowl" tuck rule game, and then Chris, the guy after me rambles on for 2 or 3 minutes about a made up football game, where HE is returning the kick for a touchdown.

After the "discussion" began, and I quickly realized there were only 2 talkers in this group, me and Bill. So everytime a new topic was brought up, me and Bill would start it up. But apparently the others didn't understand you chimed in on your own accord, and the proctors starting calling out peoples names to say something. Talk about lame. During the discussions, I supported NASCAR as a sport, argued the Shaq trade was good for Miami, explained why NCAA athletes should be paid, and defended Coach K's decision to stay.

But I think my downfall came when I was asked if Pat Summit was one of the greatest coaches ever. I had to fire quick and Pat Summit wasn't clicking in my brain, so that obviously meant if the name doesn't click that quick, Pat isn't that great. I quickly realized she is the coach of Tennessee women's basketball team. And now that I recalled who she was, I argued that she wasn't because women's collegiate basketball is not as competitive as men's collegiate basketball, and therefore she can't be considered as good as John Wooden, Coach K, Bob Knight, Jim Boeheim, and the likes and I apparently came off as sexist. And had I known that they weren't going to select me to remain longer in the audition, I would have thrown in a comment that Pat Summit should obviously be in the kitchen.

So now you know, my journey for the DreamJob was ended today, early on. But it wasn't because I didn't know my sports stuff, or I didn't know how to defend an argument, or even be personable. I didn't fit the mold for the "reality show" that Dream Job is. They didn't want a "character" like me on the show. Other than Bill (who I think could make it on to the show), I was the next best. The ended up asking Bill(20-something white male, who know his stuff and articulated it well), Chris (an African American former football player, who was way too over the top, and used "black" lexicon), and Natasha (a young, white female who said about 2 things during the discussion and had the catchphrase "At the end of the day are you satisfied?" What? Am I a K-Mart shopper? This is SportsCenter. Bitch!) to stay around for further auditioning. Too bad they didn't ask me for my catchphrase, because I could have made somebody famous had a chose to go with "SWAT!"

12:00 EDT PM - 5:00 EDT PM: Headed back home to Louisville. But all in all it was a great experience, and am glad I traveled to St. Louis to do it. I don't think I needed to get there so early though, because when we headed out at noon, there were only 51 that were in line. I'm sure ESPN thought it would be a lot more. Especially since I would bet most people thought there would be a long line and that would keep some semi-interested people from even coming. The whole time while waiting in line, I wasn't even sure if actually making the show would be worth it. Would I really want to sit out a semester of school? If I won would it really be a DreamJob, or would it just be work? Does it ever get warm enough in Connecticut to wear shorts and a t-shirt? Important questions. So while I didn't go anywhere towards sports broadcasting (I'll stick to yelling at the TV during ATH and PTI, bitching about the idiot sports people in the DI, and ranting about sports right here at Beavers and Ducks), it made me think that I really do want to do stand up comedy. We'll see where that leads.

2004-07-11T21:07:00.000-04:00

Baseball Review

Rewind to Beavers and Ducks on Friday April 2nd and there you can find my 2004 MLB predictions. Well here it is at the All Star break and its time I take a look back at those selections and look forward to what the rest of the season holds. So with out further ado.

My AL East prediction was none other than the New York Yankees. I mean why pick another team in that division until I actually see one of them dethrone the leader of the pack. There was all kinds of hype surrounding Boston and how this would finally be their year, but as of half a baseball season, it doesn't look so hot. So in the AL East my pick of the Yankees looks solid. I think this is the only division is baseball that there is no questions that the current leader will end the season as the division winner. As suspected Toronto and Baltimore are the cellar dwellers but a surprise 13 game win streak by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and solid all around play has brought them around the .500 mark, but I'm not sure they'll end there. Though in the least Lou Pinella is doing exactly what he was hired to do, and I expect an even better Devil Rays team next year. I'm sticking with my guns, Yankees win AL East at the seasons end.

Don't look now but my original pick in the AL Central, the Kansas City Royals are 15.5 games out of the lead and already showed they were "sellers" by dealing Beltran to the Astros early in July. I also wrote "draw straws" for the AL Central winner, so technically I picked who ever is leading. I like the look of the race that will continue all season between the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins. Both clubs have solid teams but I like the Sox pitching and that will allow them to pull away from the Twins. This is a much improved division with the likes of Detroit and Cleveland striving for the .500 mark. I'm not going to count Cleveland out yet, but I'll take the Southsiders to be a top the division come September.

I knew the AL West would be a two team race for start to end, but never would have thought Texas would make it an intriguing three team race. My pick back in April was for Anaheim to outduel fellow California team, Oakland and win the division by a few games. On any given day, the Rangers, the Angels, or the Athletics are the best team in the west. Nobody expected Texas to be this good this year, but the Fighting Showalters have what it takes and will be in the race for the remainder of the season. More importantly I think that the Angels need to get totally healthy and Colon needs to be more consistent. The A's could have the best record in baseball, but over 15 blown saves make that impossible. So I'll stick with the Angels in the west to take the division in a close one.

As for as the AL Wild Card goes, that race should be just as interesting as the divisional races. I'm not sure if I can still pick against my Oakland Athletics, and continue with Boston as my pick. Or maybe the AL Central could get 2 teams into the playoffs. This is harder than deciding on a division winner now. Experience wins it and Oakland is my AL Wildcard.

Half Way Point Awards
AL Cy Young: Mark Mulder
AL MVP: Ivan Rodriguez

How about the crazy NL East. My April pick of the Philadelphia Phillies lead at the half way point, but by no more than two games over the Braves, Marlins and Mets. While the records aren't that stellar this division could have the most exciting second half. I didn't expect to see Atlanta or the Mets so close to the lead at the half way point, but both have shown they have what it takes to win the division. The World Series champs seem to still be fighting off injuries in the pitching staff, but they'll hang around. I think the Phillies will get rolling in the second half and pull away to capture the NL East.

With six teams in the division the NL Central is always bound to be a mess. But at this point in the season, St. Louis is running away from the rest of the competitive competition and before too long the lead is going to be too big for anybody to catch. I expected the offensive power the Cardinals are getting especially from Pujols and Rolen, but their pitching is what is getting them valuable wins. Their closest competition comes from the Chicago Cubs who are eight games back and in desperate need of Wood and Prior in tip top form. I know its tough when injuries occur, but when a whole season depends on two pitchers, getting them back as healthy and as soon as possible is key. The Houston Astros, whom I picked in April sit comfortable at an even .500 and I feel an explosion in the second half. Sure they are 11 games out but I feel it. Cincinnati has the offense and as long as the pitching holds up they will battle for the wild card the remainder of the season. Milwaukee is playing above expectations but I think they can finish the season .500 or better. If the Pirates hit a hot streak, this could be the only division in baseball where every team finishes .500 or better, but I think the Pirates will be "sellers" pretty soon. It's a long shot, but Houston wins the NL Central.

And finally we come to the so-so NL West where three California teams are within two games of each other at the All-Star Break. The Padres are good young team that very well can sneak up and grab the division away. I'm surprised to see San Francisco doing so well, but I don't see any reason why they should falter come the second half. The Dodgers are somehow still holding on to a slight lead in the West and they were my April pick. Nomo is having a year to forget but along with one of the best defenses in baseball and Gagne to close games out, scoring only a few runs will be enough day in and day out. Come September I think the Dodgers will still be in first.

And I thought sorting out the AL Wild Card was tough. I think the wild card will come from the central but that still leaves three teams to choose from. As much as I don't think the Cubs will capture the Central, I do think they will be second best in the division and fourth best in the National League and be the wild card. Watching the second half of the baseball season should be exciting.

Half Way Point Awards
NL Cy Young: Jason Schmidt
NL MVP: Scott Rolen

And my Fall Classic pick remains unchanged...Philadelphia Phillies over Anaheim Angels.

2004-07-06T23:45:00.000-04:00

Ramblings

[] For the most part I don't watch that much television, but suddenly Tuesday has become the day to watch the tube. My Tuesday TV schedule of shows that I want to watch, now includes: "Crossballs" at 7:30 on Comedy Central, "World Series of Poker" at 9:00 on ESPN, "Amazing Race" at 10:00 on CBS, "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" at 10:00 on Bravo, along with the daily dose of "Baseball Tonight" and "Sportscenter". I think it will all work out, because "Queer Eye" is replayed later at 1:00AM, so I will be able to catch that later since I will watch "Amazing Race" at 10:00. I know it seems like a lot of TV, and it is for one night, but other than these shows I only watch parts of baseball games. We'll see if I get tired of watching so much TV in one night, and drop some shows. Because I know "Poker" will be replayed all the way up until next year and "Queer Eye" always has marathons.

[] I mentioned in a pre-vacation blog of how I intended to begin work on ranking My Favorite 100 Songs from classic rock, and I am glad to say I did begin to sort through the songs, but have a long way to go before they are ranked. My list of songs began with over 750 songs but I have widdled that list down to 136 songs by 100 artists. There is no telling how long the ranking of them will take, but I plan to get the remaining 136 songs on my computer, listen to them whenever I'm at my computer and start sorting through them. Hopefully by the end of school next year I will have the rankings composed and unveiled on a special section of Beavers and Ducks. The top songs are easy, its the ones towards the bottom of the list that are going to be hard to discern from the others. Stay tuned for further updates.

[] I was glad to see democratic presidential nominee John Kerry select John Edwards as his running mate. I think Edwards was the best pick and will help to ensure victory in the November election for the democrats. I think of all 4 players (Bush, Cheney, Kerry and Edwards) that Edwards has the best personality and that will play a key role in getting votes. Like all politicians Edwards is rich, but he is like the "working man" politician. Bush said he can't wait for the spirited race to begin. I guess by spirited he meant one that involves a lot of mud slinging. It should be interesting.

[] Yes, even Eric Gagne is human. Congratulations to Eric for his streak of 84 consecutive saves that was ended last night. In my book, it ranks second only to Lou Gehrig's 56 game hit streak, though that can be debated since Gehrig's hits didn't always secure a win. And stay tuned for more on baseball as I reflect on the first half of the season and see if my pre-season picks are still on track, later in the week.

[] And finally if anybody is interested, or knows anybody who would be interested in sponsoring Beavers and Ducks please contact me.

2004-07-05T15:15:00.000-04:00

Exciting Things Abound

Here at Beavers and Ducks I am always trying to think of new and innovated ways of keeping my faithful readership entertained. With the summer now at its half way point I have had a whole six weeks of "free time" to explore new things for Beavers and Ducks. So over the next few weeks I will be introducing new and creative things that are sure to keep YOU, my faithful readers, happy and coming back. Though I'm sure most of you are probably satisfied each and every new blog. So with out further ado, here is the newest thing for Beavers and Ducks.

People are Stupid
- This segment will include a letter to the editor from my newspaper, The Louisville Courier Journal, that helps to highlight that Darwin's Theory of Evolution is unfortunately a slow and grueling process. Each morning I look forward to sitting down at the table, grabbing the newspaper, and heading to the editorial page. Most of the time, the great words of stupidity come from people in Kentuckiana, but occasionally the words come from nationally syndicated opinion writers. Where ever these stupid words come from local or national, conservative or liberal, I am here to bring you the stupid of the stupid. And greatest of all, these people put these stupid thoughts and beliefs in writing for all to read. The italicized parts are what I think makes the editorial so entertaining to read. So here comes the first edition of People are Stupid. The following is reprinted from the Louisville Courier Journal. We have 17 year old Kate R. Chiarot from New Salisbury, Indiana to thank for being so dumb. The following expresses the beliefs and thoughts of Kate Chiarot:

"Disturbed by review
I am a 17-year-old student, and I am writing concerning Jack Garner's [Gannett News Service] review of Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11," published in your June 22 paper. I was disturbed, but not surprised, by his positive viewpoint on this controversial film. I consider the film's blatant attacks on President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney to be nothing short of treasonous. For anyone to support such a movie is ludicrous, because despite our political views, and despite how well this film may have been made, it is our duty as Americans to support our President, not shoot him down. I respect everyone's individual opinions, but what I do not respect is when an individual publicizes his or her opinion in a hate-warped film disguised as a documentary. Shame on you, for supporting such anti-American, self-glorifying, liberal garbage as "Fahrenheit 9/11."

Dear Kate,
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the USA is a democracy, right? I think if we were to blindly support our leader, without certain checks and balances, we could fall into the same trap, say the Germans did with Adolf Hitler, or the USSR did with Stalin, just to name two. And I do believe those forms of governments weren't the best, to say the least. It is not our duty to blindly support our leader, but instead it is our duty to call out the President when we believe he is doing certain things that we do not support. What harm is there in questioning a president or having a differing opinion then the leader? If we were to always support our leader no matter what, there would be no need for elections this November or ever because obviously that is what's called a dictatorship. Let me just remind you that people who support Bush (which is what you sound like) went to war to take democracy to Iraq and remove a dictator(or was it because of WMD, or was it the immediate threat he posed, or does it really matter?) And if free thinking, debate and liberalism are anti-American, than I'm proud to be anti-American. But thanks for writing and most of all, thanks for being so dumb. All the best.
Sincerely,
Beavers and Ducks

I hope everyone enjoy People are Stupid and look forward to the next installment. I'm proud to live in a country of free speech, so people can be stupid and then I can make fun of them.

2004-07-03T22:58:00.000-04:00

Happy 228th Birthday America

For today's 4th of July blog I am going to reprint parts of an earlier blog that I wrote when I went and saw the Declaration of Independence at the University of Illinois this past semester. Also a link to a video with a reading of the Declaration of Independence. So here it is. Celebrate being American today!

[From March 9, 2004]
Today the Yahoo "Declare Yourself" College Tour '04 stopped by the University of Illinois campus. After looking at their website, I found that the mission of the tour is voter education. At the event there was live musical performances, a place to register to vote, free stuff (of course that's why I went), and then the main attraction was one of the original 200 copies of the United States Declaration of Independence (for those of you who didn't pay much attention in history class, that's the document we sent to the British to tell them to put it frankly, "fuck off!"). Though the free stuff was wonderful (okay, it's really a bunch of junk, minus this nice bag I got for doing an interview with the Yahoo people that could win me an oppurunity to interview the 2004 presidential canidates), I wasn't going to pass up an oppurtunity to see the Declaration of Independence up close and personal. If my memory serves me right, I've seen an original copy of the Declaration in Washington D.C. at the Smithsoniam Museum. But this was a much smaller venue and figured I'd be able to spend a few minutes "checking the document out." To be honest the document looked to well preserved to be an original, but who am I to question that. The story behind this original copy, is that it was found in a picture frame of a picture bought for $4 at a yard sale and ended up in the current owner's hands when it was bought for $8 million. It is one of the few copies in private hands.

We've all heard and read the words of the Declaration of Independence. It is not only considered one of the most eloquent pieces of writing in history but also is considered one of the most enduring pieces of writing since its inception. It inspired a revolution in France and is the benchmark for countries who continue to strive for independence today. Today I had enough time while looking at it, to read the document to myself. Being interested in history, politics, and voting I was amazed, once again, though I've heard the words of this document over and over in my 19 years. As I read it chills ran down my spine and two phrases continue to reverberate in my mind. It's odd to think but the introduction to the whole piece is only one sentence but that strikes me every time I read the document. "When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another [...] a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation." Wow! I think the King and his men were shitting their pants as they read. By God, I think we've got the Brits attention now. Then continuing "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Borrowing from the British, though changing "right to Property" to "pursuit of Happiness", we have the British doubled over and since they have already shit their pants, they've just pissed their pants! Then the rest of the document lists our grievences against the King and why we are declaring our independence. I don't think I could have put it any better. The course of history was changed through these words. This is our history, this is our present and this is our future. Amazing.

Declaration of Independence

2004-07-01T23:09:00.000-04:00

Urgent

That was the subject line of an e-mail that my sister sent me. I'm usually one who checks my e-mail daily, but I hadn't check it in three days and this was the first e-mail I came across. So I'm thinking to myself, what in the world could possibly be urgent, and it's probably been a few days since she mailed it, so it could be too late. But low and behold, it wasn't too late and not really all that urgent. But the e-mail is a nice place to start this blog and it leads to a topic that I was going to cover with in the next week or so anyway. So here is the e-mail in its entirety.

gregory,
i think you should apply for the espn dream-job. open auditions are soon in chicago and cleveland and dc and st. louis. you'd be good at it. you should go. it would be cool. that's my urgent announcement. neat.
theresa

There it is. Not all that urgent, even though auditions do take place during the next 2 weeks. I hadn't seen any commercials for a Dream Job 2, but I suspected there would be one. If you recall from any earlier blog, I discussed what I thought about the first dream job and the winner Mike Hall (who debuts this month). I really don't think this would be "the" dream job, but it would be "a" dream job. My vast knowledge of sports (ones I like and even ones I hate) is something I pride myself on. I'm not really a sports freak, but I have grown up surround by sports all my life.

From the earliest time I was playing soccer, baseball, basketball, and of course neighborhood sports. I also collected baseball cards and other sports stuff. Growing up in Kentucky it was hard to escape the Louisville/Kentucky basketball rivalry. It really wasn't a conscience decision, but following sports is something I've always done. And it amazes and confounds a lot of people on the knowledge, not only I but my whole family has on sports. Sure I know the most information about football and the NFL, but I also know my stuff when it comes to baseball, basketball, hockey, NASCAR and the lesser followed sports. No, I am not a sports genius or sports freak, but my sports knowledge is above average compared with the rest of the population.

Coupled with my knowledge of sports, is my offbeat sense of humor. I remember as I small kid I'd always tell my mom, that when I grew up I wanted to be a "sit down" comedian. Sure that's a bad joke now, but when I was 6 or 7, that was funny stuff for me. I'm very good off the cuff, and very witty. I can plan material and make a funny story, but I am best at the spur of the moment. I admit that I am quite shy, but around family and friends my best comic stuff always flies.

So what better way, than to atleast audition for a job, where my love of sports and the comedian in me can work together and possibly land me a job with ESPN. I know right now, a lot of you all are thinking, "Why even bother?" But then I say "Why not?" Opportunities like this don't happen often. I don't want to sit around thinking that I should have atleast auditioned and then never get the opportunity again. The least I can do is audition and from there who knows where this could lead. The audition could be the end of the line, or I could be the next Sportscenter anchor. Is any possibility really a bad option?

And now that leads me into the topic I was going to discuss anyway. I readily admit that I am a shy person. But once you get to know me, I really open up and the true me shines. Around family and friends I am always quick with something witty and comical, though when I am in a different setting, whether it be people or place, I hold it in, not wanting to cause a stir. But after a year in college, and opening up some, I want to be more open. It took me until the summer after junior year to really open up in high school. I don't regret I didn't open up sooner, but I don't think it would've hurt. So that is why I plan to become more involved and more open this next school year. I know what I can do. I want to do comedy. I have plenty of material and I can tell a good story. There are a lot of people who mention that I am the "pissed off" comic like Lewis Black. I adore Lewis Black. Just the other day, my brother asked me what I was going to do with myself, when I'm a bitter old man?

So there it is. I'm going to do it. I am going to go audition for Dream Job 2. I just have to pick which audition place and date will work best. I have a few options, with Chicago, St. Louis and Cleveland. Back while watching the first dream job, a lot of people said I'd atleast be a good contestant. And now with the hair cut, I don't have to worry about that. So not only does my sister think I can do it, I have friends who think I can do it, and now I am going to do it. I'm going to do it.

2004-06-30T21:58:00.000-04:00

The Jesus Experience

That is the title I am going to use later in life, if I am lucky enough to ever publish anything, be it an autobiography, a music compilation or any such thing that needs a title. Not only will it grab the attention of all sorts of people, but I think it is a fitting title for me. Though the "nickname" Jesus didn't really become a full time thing until last summer, the beginnings of it were alive and kicking over 24 months ago. At that time my hair was decently long and I could finally grow a beard (both physically grow a full beard and it was summer so I didn't have to worry about school regulations). I'm not really big on nicknames, for myself or for others, and definitely against giving yourself a nickname but for some reason I had now qualms with this. Hmm, I wonder why? Haha. I'm not sure who first called me Jesus, but I remember that when my sister returned from studying a year in Germany, one of the first comments to me was "You look like Jesus." The usage was also being thrown around my group of friends. For the most part, we hung out with a group of girls a year younger than us and it was funny being introduced to certain parents and the looks I got. But come August the hair had to be trimmed and beard shaved for school, but Jesus stuck around. Occasionally during senior year I would get the urge to put Jesus Dowell on my papers for my name, but figured that wouldn't go over to well at a Catholic high school.

As school wound down, I knew that I was going to let my hair grow out. I had wanted to grow it out atleast some for two years but couldn't and I really liked having a beard. So that summer I grew out the hair in what would become the years worth of length (cut only 4 weeks ago) and let the beard go. As the hair got longer, the beard just got bushier and bushier until I decided that a beard is too long when you can chew on it. Not to mention I had the "Christ Cruisers" to go along with the look. I recall the first few days at the U of I, and the issue of having two "Gregs". I'm not sure who suggested it up at Illinois, but Jesus became me, just as it had at home. One of my favorite incidents that revolved around me being Jesus, was when "someone" (I have to protect identities) asked "Are you really Jesus?" and my response caused a whole lot of interesting tangents. I replied with "I don't know!" And with that the people who were in the room responded with "What do you mean?", "So you are" and the sorts. I just responded with "I don't know." The rationale was that anybody else, apparently a "normal" human being would definitely respond with "No I am not", but my "I don't know" threw everybody for a loop. And then in the pursuing days, certain people thought that I had to be Jesus because of my response. And there was that time when somebody actually thought my name was Jesus and had to check with a few people before they were certain it wasn't.

I also enjoyed when I was being introduced to somebody by a friend and they would introduce me as Jesus. I would be quick to mention that my real name was Greg, as the person just laughed and took a double take to make sure that Jesus was what I was introduced as, but quickly realizing that sure enough there was a resemblance. I recall that some people who lived within 4 doors of me or so also didn't know what my real name was pretty far into the 2nd semester and had always known me as Jesus. Or there was that one time in studio a certain student let the professor know that everybody called me Jesus and he not only was caught off guard by that, but looked some what offended. Oh well that prof was a jackass.

The best part of it though, is how casual and comfortable everybody has become with it. I recall at school the inquisitive "Jesus?", Colin had when he had asked a question and then was going around the room getting everybody's answer. Or the "Damnit Jesus!" that game from Jeff across the hall always during a sporting event (usually the Bears fucking up). And then from Keith the "Jesus I think we should...(fill in with your favorite thing an ass would do)." that often came up while plotting possible things for the floor. Who knows where this Jesus stuff with head. Without the long hair will I still be "Jesus"? I think I will be since I'm still not really sure how many people know my name is actually Greg. And then next year in the dorm will I be able to introduce myself to new people as Jesus? It might not work with out the whole look. But it's been fun and I think it will continue. Especially since some people may still think I am really Jesus, and who knows...maybe I am!

2004-06-29T18:03:00.000-04:00

This Is The End...

...of the vacation stories. I am going to wrap up my series of blogs about my vacation today (cover 6 days worth of travel). It's been fun being able to tell everybody about my adventures and muses half way around the world, but there are other things that I want to blog about (mainly politics and music, plus other nonsense). So I hope everyone has enjoyed the stories of my travels and once again I recommend a trip to Egypt and abroad. So here it is in one blog, my final six days in Egypt.

The second day in Egypt found us in Giza in the midst of what I think could be the greatest organization of work ever, the Great Pyramids. These monuments are over 2000 years old and are the most preserved ancient "thing" we came across. These are massive buildings, erected as tombs for the great pharoahs of Egypt. There was some ridiculous amount of blocks necessary (like 96 million) in order to erect these structures. Not to mention the weight of these stones was over a ton. How do you organize such a project. Scholars now believe that the work was done by farmers during the flood season when they had no other work instead of the once held belief that the Pyramids were constructed by slaves. This new theory would also help to illustrate how the blocks were brought from outside of Giza. I was in such awe as I bent my neck to envelope the whole view of just one pyramid in my sight. I was also more appreciative because the taxi ride over was crazy. There were atleast 4 serious instances when I thought that it would be the end of me. We were nearly t-boned twice, once by a bus. Then we almost t-boned a jeep. But the taxi drivers must have an inherent ability to avoid such a disaster. In stark contrast, the Sphinx was a disappointment. Ok, maybe not a disappointment, but in comparison to the Pyramids, it's very small. It hasn't withstood the elements as well as the Pyramids, and it wasn't as pretty as all the pictures I had seen made it out to be. But it was still the Sphinx and maybe it even made the Pyramids more impressive as it was dwarfed with the Pyramids in the background. Giza was pretty cool.

That night we took an 10 hour overnight train to Aswan. Maybe Aswan didn't have anything to offer, or maybe we were just too exhausted, or maybe it was a combination of the two, but Aswan didn't do much for me. We could have gone to the High Dam, but I'd already visited the Hoover Dam and to me one "big" dam is enough. So while we took a day off in Aswan, we ferried across the Nile to an island and trekked through a Nubian Village. And talk about National Geographicesque, well this was it. I felt like I should have been snapping pictures for the magazine. Everything was so very "native" and simple. There were hits made from adobe bricks with big palm leaves as roofs. The animals were housed with the people. The island teemed with goats, chickens, and donkeys. It was like a step back in time. The people of the village lived very simple lives. Using what the island provided to make a living. It was very interesting to say the least.

The next two days we spent in Luxor which was probably my favorite city in Egypt. It was different then all the rest. It had a nice atmosphere. From Luxor we visited the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens. Our tour was driven by Mohammed Ali, and our guide was Aladdin. Funny stuff huh? The two valleys house the tombs of some of the great pharoahs and queens. Though they were interesting and well designed and painted with hieroglyphics, each one was much like the last. Later in the night was visited the Luxor Temple which was awesome in the night light. It was illuminated and the cool of night made it easier to walk through and appreciate the skill and work involved in building such a temple. The next day, on the hottest day of the trip we visited the Temple of Karnak, which had to be atleast 10 times bigger than the Luxor Temple. The extreme midday heat made it nearly impossible to examine the temple and we spent most of our time bouncing to and from areas of shade. Though in its own right, its a marvelous piece of architecture. Later on the second day we traveled on the Nile River during a felluca ride. To me the Nile was just like any other river I've seen or boated on. Sure its the longest river in the world, but you can't tell that from being on it...haha. That evening we took a bus ride to Hurghada.

Hurghada is a tourist city on the Red Sea and there we planned to go snorkeling. I love the water and especially the beach, so I thoroughly enjoyed snorkeling in the Red Sea. The salinity of the water made it possible to float on the water. Viewing the coral reef and marine wildlife was awesome. After snorkeling, I decided that I want to become certified to scuba dive. The whole time I was thinking about how cool in would be to be able and go below the water and "explore" down there.

We spent our final day back in Cairo, walking the streets and markets of Islamic Cairo and visiting the Citadel. Walking the markets was very crazy, with many shop owners yelling at you to come into their shops and even offering a "free look". It was total madness with tourist and Egyptians alike buying all kinds of stuff in the streets of Cairo. The Citadel is an enormous military fortress that has bee converted into museums about the police, military and other public services. I could tell why it had been used centuries before as a military installment, with the sight lines and such it had. What a place.

And now my rankings of places/things I did on vacation:
1. The Egyptian Museum (King Tut items and mummies)
2. Snorkeling in the Red Sea
3. The Great Pyramids of Giza
4. Acrocorinth
5. Island of Paros
6. Parthenon on the Acropolis
7. Valley of Kings/Queens and Luxor Temple
8. taxi rides in Egpyt
9. Islamic Cairo
10. being a world traveler

And one final piece of advice. If you ever travel to Egypt, watch out. Egyptians will try to cheat you out of money whenever and where ever. Sometimes it only translates to a $1 US but its the principal of the matter. All you have to do it be firm with them and they catch on that they can't get anything more out of you then what has already been said or is advertised. Oh the memories and life experiences for a lifetime.

2004-06-28T00:35:00.000-04:00

Fahrenheit 9/11

** I still have more stories about my vacation in Egypt, but after seeing Fahrenheit 9/11 tonight I thought it would be best to discuss my thoughts and feelings about the movie as soon as possible. Check back tomorrow for more vacation stories. **

To start, let me say that we all know Michael Moore is as fair and balanced as the FOX News Channel. Now with that said, we all know that when we dare watch FOX News we know what we are going to get: a very conservative spin on the news and happenings in the world. The same holds true for a Michael Moore piece, only that his spin is liberal. So I'm not going to try as say that Fahrenheit 9/11 was fair or balanced but instead it was a necessary approach towards a topic as political as war. But also in taking this approach Moore succeeded in substantiating most of his claims, or atleast as well as the Bush Administration did in building its case for the war in Iraq. I'm glad to say that the way the war was presented in the movie was unlike any way any conservative or even liberal news organization has done, by pointing out the "bad guy" in this war, was the USA (us) and not Iraq (them).

Even with limited use of his oft hilarious antics, Moore was able to pull off a comical and yet serious look at the Bush Administration and its handling since taking office nearly 4 years ago, and more specifically of its connections with Saudi Arabia and how that effected both the war in Afghanistan and war in Iraq. I think Fahrenheit 9/11 is his best movie to date. Bowling for Columbine was more hysterical, but the matter was not as serious, but as a whole Fahrenheit was a well done documentary. Without being insensitive but still using his Michael Moore style, he got to the heart of the matter.

The first half of the movie is the most politically charged part and Moore successfully portrays George W. Bush as an inept president that was GIVEN the presidency by his Republican cronies on the Supreme Court. Moore makes the President out as a dumbass, but then again doesn't George W. Bush really do that himself? While playing out this part of the movie, Moore uses various clips and interviews to piece together the story of a Texas cowboy that was well invested in by his fathers friends and now is looking to pay them back while President. It includes lies and coverups that illustrate why the current war on terrorism is in Iraq and not more pressed in Afghanistan over even in Saudi Arabia. While most of the facts he presents are already known or finally coming out, the way he pieces them together makes for a convincing story on a botched presidency looking only to capture Saddam Hussein than anything else.

While I think Moore is very convincing in setting up the story, Moore always gets to the heart of the matter when he interviews people effected by whatever he is documenting. He interviewed laid off workers in "The Big One", survivors of the Columbine shooting in "Bowling for Columbine" and then the mother of soldier in Fahrenheit. When we first meet the lady she is gung-ho for the war in Iraq but when her son is killed in action she becomes fervently against it. It's the sad story of a woman, who like most Americans was tricked into being scared of Iraq and it's possible terrorist threats, by an administration that loves to instill fear within its people. Bush is even caught on tape making a joke about how being a dictator would be a lot easier. The administration uses the asinine color coding for terror threats, but never has an substantial evidence to back anything up. The women leads you through her story and how she supported Bush and his actions, only to find out that she had been lied to and ultimately lost her son because of Bush's actions. The most racking part comes, when she reads a letter she received from her son only a week before he died. He talks of how he is pissed off at the president and his lies. He doesn't know why they are in Iraq fighting a war. He just wants to be home with his loved ones and live again.

Fahrenheit 9/11 is a must see for everyone. I don't give a damn if you care for Michael Moore or not. A democracy is built upon debate and differing opinions. The movie will stir great debate and discussion. Watch it, and then decide for yourself where your loyalties lie. Was American lied to by the President and his administration? I think so. Is it causing young American soldiers to be killed everyday in vain? Yes it is. Is the war in Iraq still being presented to Americans in a biased light? Of course it is. Why don't they show us what its really like. God damnit this is war. Its not pretty. And this war is certainly not justified. And now this is me from my soapbox. Borrowing one from an AIDS campaign...Apathy is lethal. Become a concerned citizen and form your own opinions, not only on the current situation in Iraq, but in all matters that concern the United States. For those of you who don't know, there is a Presidential Election this November. Make yourselves familiar with the candidates. Bush is the goofy looking one...Kerry is the one you want to vote for. No, but seriously, this country is heading in the wrong direction and needs changes in many areas...specifically in foreign policy. See the movie. Debate the movie. Change America!

2004-06-26T20:22:00.000-04:00

In The Ghetto

The flight into Cairo, Egypt arrived at 3AM and after going through passport control and such it was closer to 4AM when we grabbed a taxi and headed to the hotel. While my first impression of Greece was quite comical, my first impression of Cairo was quite the opposite. I wasn't really sure what we had gotten ourselves into, but I could tell as the taxi continued on, that we were getting further and further from the "nice" part of Cairo. Sure enough our hotel was in a not so nice part of the city, and weary eyed and tired at 4AM didn't help my first impression. When the cab finally came to a stop outside the hotel, I looked over at my sister and brother and we all cracked up laughing. This was a hotel? This is Cairo? What are we doing here? Many thoughts ran through my head, but I just wanted to find my room, hop in the bed and go to sleep. From the outside of the hotel it looked like a piece of shit and sure enough, it was. Its hard to describe in words, and words wouldn't do it justice. But think of the worst port-o-pot you have used and the hotel was still worse than that. But that was our only option so we went to sleep for a few hours.

Upon waking up we decided to only do the Egyptian Museum, instead of going to the museum and also Islamic Cairo. By the end of the trip that was probably the best decision we had made. At the conclusion of my vacation blogs I am going to rank my favorite stops of the vacation, but I'm going to let the cat out of the bag, and hands down the Egyptian Museum was my favorite thing. Sure it was a museum and not as unorthodox as other stuff I've done or would do later on the trip, but it was spectacular. As I have mentioned before, my love for Egypt and history goes back as far as I can remember and more specifically, 1st grade. I wrote my Young Authors book on a trip to Egypt and discussed the pyramids and mummies. The contents of this museum were of artifacts that we've all seen in National Geographic or on the Discovery Channel but seeing them in person gave me chills. While I continue to love history, my flame for Ancient Egyptian Museum was rekindled after the visit to the museum.

Admission to the museum was 20 pounds, and I mention that because to enter the "Mummy Exhibit" already in the museum it was another 20 pounds. Both admissions were well worth it, but more so the admission to the "Mummy Exhibit". In the "Mummy Exhibit" there were 10 awesomely preserved mummies taken from the pyramids. The mummies still had skin, teeth, hair, fingernails and such. It was pretty freaky looking at the mummies and wondering what the people who are these mummies would think about them being on display to the world. I was amazed at the quality of preservation. The other major draw at the Egyptian Museum is the "King Tut Exhibit". They don't really give it a special area, so when we came upon it I was taken aback and couldn't wait to see the stuff up close. The stuff they displayed was items taken from the tomb of King Tut. All of it was gold and in very good condition. The sarcophagus was huge. There were tens of golden necklaces, rings, and other jewelry. But most impressive was the golden cast of King Tuts face. We've all seen it before, but experiencing it first hand was awesome. Talk about a dream come true, the Egyptian museum was one for me.

2004-06-25T23:37:00.000-04:00

Gyro Anyone?

It's hard to believe but while I trekked through Greece for a week, I don't think I ate more than four gyros. All in all the authentic Greek gyros were very appetizing and if ever necessary I could eat them a few times a week. The tzatziki sauce was very good and gave the gyros enough "wetness". Besides the gyros, I sampled a lot of Greek food, but for the most part was not all too satisfied. Greeks like lamb and pork and neither of those meats are high on my list. They also offered very few vegetables and when there were vegetables offered it was often eggplant and mushrooms. I don't care for those vegetables and worst of all, most of the vegetables were steamed or cooked in some way. I enjoy my vegetables raw and with a crunch. Though at one place I had a few slices of pizza just the way I like it, without any tomato sauce. It wasn't a terrible experience with food, but as you will find out later Egyptian food was very delectable.

In other wrap up thoughts on Greece, the amount of traffic was somewhat comical. It never seemed as though many cars were on what I would consider expressways, but the streets through out the city were always packed to maximum capacity. And talk about compact cars. Greece has to be the capital of compact cars. But they aren't even compact cars in the sense we as Americans think of compact cars. Most of the cars, atleast 70%, are smaller than GEO Metros. There were very few SUVs and the bigger cars were mainly taxis. I found it hard to believe that with the traffic as crowded as it was that so many cars were manuals. But then I realized that manuals cost a pretty penny less than automatics. A lot of shifting was always happening. In another phenomenon, I think that Greece could rank highest on a list of two wheeled vehicles per capita. There were thousands of mopeds and motorcycles. And apparently two wheeled vehicles have their own set of laws of the road and can create their own driving lanes.

We experienced many types of taxi drivers but the best one had to be the guy who was 70+ years old, and from the time we got into the taxi he was coughing up a lung. It was continuous hacking and at any minute I thought the man could perish. After hacking for an upwards of 10 minutes he pulled cigarettes from his pocket. And I almost thought that we may have lost him, when at a stoplight he bent over to his side, let out a death sigh and remained in the position for over a minute. All I was thinking, "damnit this is a manual!". But thankfully he lived atleast until he dropped us off.

All in all, the city of Athens was very dirty and the people not too polite. Not to mention hundreds of stray dogs meandering through the city. On the first day I thought of a simple public service announcement the government could use to help cut down on the amount of strays..."Dogs Get Big". It was obvious that Greeks think puppies are the cutest things in the world and don't realize that they are going to get big and not be as cute. This leads them to letting the dogs become strays. The government wants them gone before the Olympics hit town. They better get their shotguns out...oh wait they can just have the ever present police use their Uzis they carry to exterminate the dogs. Wow, what a city. Outside of Athens, Greece is a beautiful, easy going country. I recommend a visit.

2004-06-24T20:21:00.000-04:00

I'm Glad We Didn't Walk

While the Parthenon and the other structures that graced the Acropolis were "neat" in their own right, the city of Acrocorinth was even more amazing. While there is a "modern" city in Acrocorinth at the base of the mountain, the main attraction of this city is the ancient structures and ruins of a fort city that travel to the top of the mountain. The walk to the top of the mountain is over 1.5 miles and while we considered walking up it, we chose wisely and decided taking a cab, despite the raised fairs would be the most efficient way of reaching where the fort started and then climb to the summit from there.

It was a beautiful mountain and it was easy to see why it was chosen as a fort. From the mountain the sight lines stretched for miles. The Greeks would have been able to see an attack from land or sea miles in advance of it reaching the city. The mountain was lined with walls of defense, that I cannot imagine constructing so far up the mountain. But even more impressive were the buildings, a mosque and a look-out tower in particular, that remained as though it was 100 or 200 B.C. The mosque was a brilliant piece of architecture that had a perfect domed roof with a designed hole at the top. I was amazed think about how the structure was actually constructed. You could reach the top of the look-out tower through a set of tiny stairs in the tower. It was dark and dirty, and even at my size just squeezed up the stairs to the top. But from the top I had a view that is indescribable. I'm sure a few of the pictures try to do it justice, but they do not. We continued climbing up the mountain, that was actually paved at some points with cobblestones of thousands of years ago. When we reached the summit, there was a building that graced that top, and as I dashed to the top I felt most certainly like Indiana Jones. It wasn't an easy climb. I actually had to create my own way to the roof of this building and at one point reached from an opening and just hoisted myself up. But all the work paid off, because I from the roof I had an unobstructed 360 degree view of the land below. No wonder this was a military fort.

As we headed back down to the base of the mountain in our taxi after an hour and a half of climbing through the ruins, we saw some people who were walking up the mountain who were on the same bus we were. After close to 2 hours, they had only made it up 60% of the mountain and had yet to reach the ruins. I'm glad we took a taxi. Tomorrow I will have a wrap up blog on Greece and some funny anecdotes that happened but weren't enough for a full story and then I will tell of my travels in Egypt and the true adventure that took place there.

2004-06-23T16:07:00.000-04:00

Friendly Cats and More

I'm not sure its a slogan I would use to sell things, but apparently the people of Paros (a Greek island) are pretty fond of their friendly cats and use these cats as their draw. The cats (stray and otherwise) are very much in contrast with the stray dogs that roam all over the city of Athens. Three days of my time in Greece was spent on Paros and exploring all it had to offer (even the friendly cats).

In order to reach the island we had to catch a ferry at the port and travel across the Mediterranean Sea for four hours. It was a pretty smooth trip and upon arrival we had planned the hotel we were going to stay at so they picked us up at the port. And lo and behold immediately from the get go there were friendly cats all over. As we traveled by van to where we were staying, the beauty of the island could be seen in everything. From the rolling hills growing into larger mountains, to the grassy knolls that reached toward the sea and turned into sandy beaches. The sun was shining bright and there was the ever present beach wind. The next three days would be full of relaxing and hanging out on various beaches.

Each day there we visited a different beach, but each beach held onto one constant: topless women. I know what you are thinking right now. Nice, topless Europeans ladies. But let me set the record straight. All the women who were going around topless should of had their top on. I don't recall seeing a lady under 40 who was topless. These were not the type of ladies or breasts that your eyes want to see. It actually caused my eyes pain to see these topless ladies. I'm not sure what the appeal of being topless, but sunburned tits don't sound fun to me. I tried my best to avoid having to see the bare breasted women but it was nearly impossible with the amount of women who chose to go like such. Boobies, boobies everywhere, but not a pair to look at!

I knew that Europe and Greece were more liberal than the grand USA, and along with that comes topless women but I didn't know that such liberalism also caused gratuitousness. At the shops that filled this small island, along with having postcards with friendly cats on them, they also had postcards that showed "Greek Lovers". The "Greek Lovers" selection of postcards (not to mention calendars and playing cards, which now I wish I had bought a deck) had drawings in the ancient Greek style of sex acts. These sex acts ranged from your traditional to missionary position to whatever your dirty little mind can think of. We all got a good laugh looking at the gratuitous shots though didn't purchase anything. Too bad the shops had yet to design postcards and the like that showed the friendly cats as Greek Lovers.

The island was amazing and walking the small stone streets and walkways at night was very cool. The people were very friendly and accommodating. After three days on the island we headed back to Athens on Monday. I forgot this disclaimer when I started writing about my vacation but I everyone should know this: In order to truly understand and grasp everything I blog about you must experience it for yourself. I highly recommend visiting Egypt and to a lesser extent Greece. Tomorrow more stories about ancient Greek ruins and the city of Acrocorinth.

2004-06-22T17:38:00.000-04:00

What Remains

The first stop on my vacation found me walking the ancient ruins of Athens and the most prized architectural design in the area, the Parthenon. From the start I noticed that while some buildings (though only a few) were still standing, most had crumbled and deteriorated and were just ruins of what they once were. I found it strange that such early architecture and prized history wouldn't have been preserved from the earliest chance possible but instead it looked as though the Greek government had neglected this history for some time. I understand that some of the appeal of these buildings and architecture is that they are ruins, but preservation would have gone along way. When we finally reached the summit of the Acropolis and saw the Parthenon, it looked as though a tornado happened through only minutes before we made it to the top.

The Parthenon is quite an amazing design and piece of architecture but what remains looks like a sad story that didn't have to happen. Not only is it now going to be necessary to restore a big percentage of the Parthenon, but by own admittance the restoration project is correcting problems that occurred because of preservation and restoration of years earlier that actually caused more damage than good. Maybe it would be best if nothing is restored and only what remains is preserved. The modern scaffolding and tools being used in the restoration detracted from the essence of it but at the same time reminded me how hard and close to impossible constructing such a building 3000 years ago would have been. Today we go to our favorite local hardware store to go and help the little man(that is until they don't have what you need and tell you to go to Lowes and Home Depot) and buy all the supplies. These supplies not only include the construction materials but also the tools that will be necessary. Three thousand years ago in order to construct anything they first the to construct the tools. They had to fashion the hammers, drills, pulleys and everything else prior to even worrying about the construction materials. It had to be a grueling process. These stone columns and pillars not only stretch hundreds of feet into the air but way tons.

I imagine that generations from now, even thousands of years later, people will be able to go to Washington DC and see the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial as I see them today. I can't imagine that people will only be able to see the ruins of what once was one of these memorials. Its unfortunate that it looks as preservation work is a little too late for the case of the Parthenon, but then again it has been 3000 years. Maybe not even preservation work could save such a structure after so long. Even with only 70% of the Parthenon still intact, the architect in me was filled will amazement and awe. But that feeling would be multiplied atleast ten-fold a week later at the Pyramids of Giza.

Exciting stories from Paros and their topless beaches (not to mention the "Greek Lovers") will be the topic for tomorrows blog. So stay tuned.

2004-06-21T13:24:00.000-04:00

First Impression

When I arrived in Athens it was after being awake for over 30 hours without sleep and all I really wanted was to get to my sisters place and crash until morning. Adding to my "crankiness" and such was our luggage didn't arrive with our flight and I had to fill out a missing baggage claim and hassle with airport workers who knew minimal English. But anyway, my sister, brother, and I hoped on a public bus from the airport towards my sisters house and decided along the way to avoid Greek food for today and instead eat at an Applebees along the way (or so that's what my sister said). As we were traveling down the expressway, they have those electronic signs that stretch the length of the road. In Kentucky it usually displays the time and temperature or some corny phrase like "Buckle Up for the Ones Who Love You", and on special occasions actually tells of an accident or construction ahead in the road. To say the least, the message flashing on this sign in Greece is by far the strangest one I have seen, and this set the tone for my time in Athens. The sign read "Attention: Moving Animal Ahead In Road." And at that moment I thought to myself, "what moving animal could it be?"

I started with the basics and thought that clearly the moving animal had to be an elephant. But then I wasn't so sure as to why there would be an elephant loose on the Athens highway. So then I tried to think of an Athenian animal. And sure enough I couldn't think of a damn animal that would be native to Greece. So I reversed my thinking and went back to traditional zoo animals. So if its not an elephant, than it must be a rhino. But if its not a rhino, could it be a giraffe. Then I figured any of those animals would be too exotic and began thinking more about farm animals and horses, cows, and goats. After I decided it didn't matter what type of animal it was, I was more concerned as to what this moving animal in the road was going to do or was already doing. Is it going to cause a traffic jam and make me even more tired and cranky? Are Athenian authorities going to be able to move this animal from the road without killing it? Am I actually going to get to see this moving animal on the highway or does the bus exit before we get that far? So many thoughts and ideas. Then I figured a moving animal is better than a stationary animal atleast when it comes to being on the highway. And what was the guy who typed in the message on the sign thinking when he was told to type such a message? Did he have the same thoughts I had? I was full of all sorts of joy and excitement and then in the end I never saw the moving animal in the road. But I like to think to myself that the animal was probably a beaver, a duck, or a goose.

We finally reached our stop and then wandered miles until we eventually found the Applebees that my sister said she knew where it was. It didn't help that certain Greeks pretended that they knew where the Applebees was and led us off course. But we did find it even though the last directions we got were "go straight, no lefty or right."

Then I thought to myself, "Attention: Moving Animal Ahead in Road" and I knew that I would have a great time in Athens.

2004-06-20T11:29:00.000-04:00

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

My adventures in Greece and Egypt included various forms of travel and I thought that the best place to start with stories about my trip would be from where the vacation began and ended...the airport. By this time everyone should know that I am not really all that keen on flying or even being at the airport. So this vacation would be the ultimate test. The flights over included 18 or so hours of being on a plane or in the airport while the return trip included 20 hours. And after that much time spent with airplane related stuff, not to mention the flights to and from Egypt, I've decided what the world needs is a well designed airport and flights that leave at the scheduled time.

I don't mind the Louisville International Airport (SDF). It serves its need for a city the size of Louisville. Once through the pretty efficient security check you follow a single hall decorated with pictures of Louisville to a rotunda that breaks off at an angle to both the left and right. The hall towards the left is Terminal A, and the hall to the right is Terminal B. It's as easy as night and day to get to your gate. Everytime I've flown out of Louisville it has been from the farthest possible gate (though really it's not that far). Each terminal has about 14 or so gates. It's smooth sailing at SDF and with lines relatively short and no need to get to the airport more than 75 minutes before your flight. My trip over included three flights over and I was headed to Chicago O' Hare for a flight to London Heathrow.

Any airport where you must get on either a shuttle bus or train in order to get to your flight is TOO big. There I said it. But I know that it is impossible for this to happen. So instead I offer this. If I must take some form of transportation other than walking to reach another terminal to catch my flight, don't make me leave the security of the airport so that I must wait in the enormous security lines to be checked though I have already passed security. I don't recall offhand if it was a bus or train I had to take to get to our flight at O'Hare but I had to go through security AGAIN. Then again at Heathrow was had to take a 10-12 minute bus ride to reach our flight plus wait through the security line. RIDICULOUS! Minus the necessary shuttle at O'Hare the airport wasn't too bad and was an inviting atmosphere where as Heathrow for the most part was void of color, windows, and people. It was very dull and cold in atmosphere. I guess they like to model it after the country. Their "Flight Connections Center" is also whack and doesn't list what gate the flight is leaving from until about 1 hour before take-off. I really don't have any complaints about the Greece airport for it too is not all that big.

By far the strangest airport was the Cairo Airport. For some unknown reason, flights at the Cairo airport only take off and land between 10PM and 8AM. So my flight to Cairo from Athens left at 1AM and arrived at 3AM. The return flight from Cairo left at 4AM and landed at 6AM. Why they do this I do not know. There was also an enormous amount of people at the airport at 3AM. They weren't waiting for an arrival or departure but instead just hanging out at the airport. Hundreds of people. It was weird.

Not suprisingly no flight I took on the trip left on time or within 15 minutes of its scheduled departure. All in all the actual flights weren't bad but I can't stand sitting in such a cramped place for more than 2 hours. Going to Athens I went 30 hrs without sleep and then on the return 26 hours without sleep. For me the there is a lot of wasted time when the airport or airplanes are involved. And when I vacation and time is not all that important and it can be traveled without plane I will choose to travel by car.

Well theres the beginning of my travel stories and keep checking back daily as I will have a new vacation story everyday for about the next week or so. I haven't decided how I am going to present them but most likely chronologically.

2004-06-19T13:07:00.000-04:00

Where's All The Hair?

For everyone's enjoyment until I start blogging about my trip and posting pictures, here is a picture of me with short hair and not looking so much like Jesus anymore.

Yep, that's me with short hair.

2004-06-17T10:13:00.000-04:00

Homeward Bound

That's a wrap. After a week of various travels in Greece and another week of stops in Egypt I will be heading back to the States in a little over 12 hours. Egypt was quite the adventure and I have oh so many stories to tell about Egypt along with stories about Greece. The vacation was very nice and fun but getting back home to the states will be very nice. You really don't know how "comfortable" everything you have at home is until you are away for sometime...especially when you are away in a 3rd World country. But that's all for now. Stay tuned all next week for stories and pictures.

2004-06-09T08:44:00.000-04:00

An American In Athens [An Update]

It's been about one week since I left for Athens, though I have only been in Greece for six days. I lost a whole day on the flights over with the change of times and all. This is just a small update and I am saving all the stories for when I return to the States.

Greece outside the city and urban setting of downtown Athens is a great place. The first day here I spent at the ancient ruins of the Acropolis and the Parthenon. Though part of the lure of the Parthenon is that there are ruins. But all in all the country has done a poor job of preserving what is left, though it looks like they are in the process of trying to stop or delay the degradation that will continue to happen as time goes on. As an architecture major I was awed at the buildings and ruins that have withstood the test of time. Very interesting place.

The next 3 days I spent at the Greek Island of Paros. Wow, what a cool place. We left early Saturday morning on a four hour ferry ride to the island. But when we got there we weren't disappointed. The beauty is amazing. There are many different "types" of beaches, each with their own interesting features. Some with great rock structures, others with very nice sandy beaches. I enjoyed my three days in the sun at the beaches. It was also fun walking through the quaint island villages. The "rock" streets and paths wind in and out of the city. Paros was awesome.

Then yesterday we took a bus ride to the city of Acro Corinth and trekked up the ancient ruins, which were more impressive then the Parthenon. These were the ruins of an ancient city well up a large mountain. The ruins included wall structures, homes, churches, mosques, towers and military buildings. It was hard to imagine how the dwellers of long ago created such a city on the mountain. Though it was a good military outpost with sight lines that stretched unobstructed for miles. Unlike American National Parks and such there were no boundaries or paths that had to be followed. The adventure up the mountain was at you own risk and you could basically go wherever you wanted. Acro Corinth was an ancient city a bus ride outside of a modern city that I can't believe is going to host the Olympics in some 60 days or so.

I have many pictures to post when I get back and short funny stories from each of the places I went, to blog about also when I return. It was too bad I wasn't at home when good old Ronald Reagan finally passed so not only could I have used my long running Alzheimer jokes but also rail on about how Ronnie could be the worst president (minus maybe G W Bush) that the United States has ever had. But there will still be time for that later. I was also disappointed but also happy that Smarty Jones did not capture the Triple Crown. I think it would have been awesome for horse racing, which desperately needs to grab a new following but being selfish I'm glad I didn't miss the first horse in my lifetime and 26 years to grab horse racings greatest feat. I hope all is well with everyone back home and I look forward to talking with everyone in 9 days or so. But for now I need to practice how to walk like an Egyptian, and finish packing. Next stop: Cairo.

2004-06-01T20:07:00.000-04:00

Beavers And Ducks On Vacation

Following this post I will be taking a 14-17 day hiatus from Beavers and Ducks. The reason: my vacation to Greece and Egypt. If I do get the opportunity to blog while in Greece or Egypt I will post a small blog to update everybody about the trip. But fear not when I return I will get right back into the swing of things, starting with stories from the vacation. For those concerned with my possible "safety" my flights to Greece take me from Louisville (Wednesday June 2nd) to Chicago to London and finally to Athens. The return flights are Athens (Thursday June 17th) to London to Detroit to Louisville. It should be quite the adventure. And one tid bit of interesting information to think about while I am away.

After watching more women's college softball games than a man should ever watch in his lifetime, this past week, it has become obvious to me that a girls softball skills are directly related with how ugly and "fat" the girl is. The "big" girls and the ones with "huge" asses were the best and all of the attractive and "dateable" girls were always in the dugout being cheerleaders. The cute ones rarely played. If you watched the games too, think about...but I'm right. Well that's it for now but be looking for a few new features once Beavers and Ducks returns to action. Later!

2004-05-31T19:54:00.000-04:00

A Little Bit of Everything

As I was perusing the magazine rack at the store my eyes game across Sporting News Big Ten Football Preview. And with a little laugh I picked it up and flipped to the section on the U of I football team. For those of you who don't know, the Fighting Illini suffered through a 1 -11 2003 season beating only a division I-AA school. I couldn't imagine that this upcoming season could be any worse, and the Sporting News estimates it won't be either. But then again its still going to be a terrible season. The guys of Sporting News picked us to finish this season at 3-8, with the mighty three wins coming against Florida A&M (division I-AA school), Western Michigan, and perennial Big Ten Cellar Dweller Indiana. We did lose to Indiana last year, but hey that was on the road. Now they have to coming to our house and play. I'll agree with Sporting News and say we'll go 3-8. But does the record really matter. After sitting through five "bad" games this past season, I get the opportunity to sit through seven home games this fall. The first four games are at home, so that should be fun. That early in the season we won't know how bad we really are and I will be able to sit through the games. UCLA comes to town for the second game of the season and after last years nailbiter 6-3 loss, it should be a good game (yeah right!). But hey we do get to play the likes of Wisconsin, Michigan State and even better Michigan and Purdue at home. Big Ten football at its best...too bad not the U of I's best.

In other college sports news, I sat down and watched the College World Series baseball selection show today, and for the fifth straight year the Rice Owls are in the bracket of 64. Last year they won their first National Championship (in any sport) and look to repeat this season. Rice received one of the 8 coveted national seeds, coming in at #6. They will host an all Texas regional at Reckling Park in Houston and look towards a Super Regional Matchup against LSU, whom they defeated in last years Super Regional on their way to the national championship. Even before my sister went to Rice and began dating the "star" catcher for the baseball team, the College World Series was something I would watch come mid June every year. It is some of the best competition and sporting event you can find today. It is amateur sports at its best. The "Road to Omaha" truly is a path to fulfilling dreams. This bracket of 64, may not be as highly publicized as March Madness but it is just as exciting. For not being a "huge" fan of baseball, I thoroughly enjoy the College World Series and wish Jeff's former teammates and friends the best as they work towards back to back titles. Go Rice Owls!

Finally, the new look me is only getting rave reviews. Both friends and family really like the new look. I too like the new look and will probably stick with it for some time. I hate to do it, but yes I do have to turn down most of the ladies who want a piece of the new me. Oh life is good!

2004-05-30T20:11:00.000-04:00

Walk Like An Egyptian

In less than 72 hours, I will be on the first leg of my journey to Greece and Egypt. Though technically I have been out of the country (yes those five crazy minutes in Tijuana, Mexico count), this will be my first long distance plane flight and trip to another continent. If you don't remember or never have heard the story, I am not a fan of flying. No I'm not afraid of heights, crashes or terrorists but one bad experience with anything is enough for me to call it quits. So a few years ago I was traveling to Houston to visit my sister. And the flight was scheduled to take 2h and 30mins but was known to take less of multiple occasions. Well lets just say my flight was 5+ hours. I sat in the plane at the Louisville International Airport for over an hour before taking off and then the flight was slow and terrible. And then on arrival at Houston, we had to circle the airport for an hour or more because only one runway was available for landing. So that wasn't fun. But atleast I know this journey is going to take 18 or so hours, so I'm in it for the long haul. But there better not be any problems.

At this time I am excited as I ever get. I have no expectations but this could be awesome. I'm traveling half way around the world with my brother to visit my sister. She's in Greece which is the "birthplace" of architecture, and yep I'm still studying architecture. It also has soo much history and that's my second educational love. Then after a week being a tourist in Greece, we are headed to Africa, specifically Egypt. For the longest time (first grade to be exact) Egypt has been my dream destination (I know what you are thinking now...Egypt? What's with Egypt?). I remember reading a magazine Kid's Discovery and becoming so infatuated with the pyramids (again magnificent architecture) and their history. Egypt is the beginning of human civilization. I wrote my first grade Young Authors story about a dream vacation to Egypt and now 13 or so years later I am taking that vacation. I used to believe that staying and vacationing in the USA was good enough but like with most things since entering high school and now in college my views have changed. I know believe that vacationing the world and seeing "different" cultures and civilizations is an important part of continuing education. It is easy to make comments watching the evening news, but experiencing it firsthand is a whole different thing and I can't wait to experience that. The agenda is packed with all kinds of tourist destinations and such. This is going to be fun. Plus what happens in the first two weeks of June anyway? (I can always catch the Smarty Jones Triple Crown victory on replay (yes I really think its going to happen)...or maybe Greeks have a fetish with American horse racing the world never knew about and I can watch it at 2:30AM over there).

2004-05-27T19:07:00.000-04:00

391 Days

It had been that many days until my last haircut. And to even call that last time a haircut is not really true. It was just a small trim so I could graduate from high school. But that is history now, and it has been a mere 2 hours since my last haircut and it was quite the chopping. I haven't wore my hair as short as it currently is in 21+ months. That's not a bad thing, but it is definitely different. If you had seen me with in the last 6 months, but especially the last 2 months, you would have noticed my resemblance to Jesus and lets just say that comparison is hard to make now. To put it in terms most will understand, it looks like the Fab 5 and their queer eyes got a hold of me. Too bad I didn't get the new wardrobe and room remodel along with it. But the hair is now short. I guess you could consider it real short from what it once was. And along with the hair being cut, all the facial hair is gone. I left some short sideburns, but I'm sporting a new look all and all. Its new and refreshing and I doubt I will wait another 391 days until my next cut. I liked the long hair but with the hot and humid summer the length wasn't going to be acceptable. Well here's to my new look and if you're lucky I might post a picture of my new look (since you UofI people have never seen me like this).

2004-05-26T23:08:00.000-04:00

Handy Dandy

I think I know why I am studying architecture at the U of I. Sure its going to be taxing at certain times and involve a lot of work, but it also allows me to use my creative side. Ever since I young age I played and designed "things" with LEGOs, KNEX, Erector Set, and any other sort of thing that let you build and design things. Few things have changed since those earlier years, except for the fact that now I use wood, and power tools when I design and build new projects.

I've been home for only two weeks but I have finished my second project of the summer. I'm not sure how to describe the feeling when I build, but even when I have prescribed directions, the projects are just as fun. The first project I've already completed this break are planter boxers for my mom. The design was a little tricky but the more I built the easier the assembly became. The planters basically required 1x4s cut to the right lengths and assembled into a rectangular box that could hold potting soil and some flowers. Whenever it stops raining I'm going to mount them to the fence and plant the flowers. With the completion of the planters, my brother asked if I would help him make some cornhole boards (or for my Illinois friends boards for bags).

With directions in hand, me and my brother headed to Lowe's and gathered all the supplies. I love going to hardware stores like Lowe's or Home Depot because no matter what I wear or how dirty I am, I am never the worse dressed or smelliest person there. Its great. When we returned we made all the measurements, made our cuts and then got to assembling. I still think the boards we made are bigger than the boards I have ever played with, but we just followed the directions. They are 2ft wide and 4ft long. The width seems good to me, but I think the length should be 3ft. But the boards work (and they are for his girlfriend, so we can perfect the boards and then make our own). The hardest part was assembling the legs and making sure the boards would lie level on the ground. And sure enough after discussing different ways of attaching the legs, the boards are very sturdy and are level. All in all the project was a success and fun. I hadn't really ever done such a project with my brother, but we had quite the time with it. We didn't take anything too seriously but still made quality boards. I wonder what project is next. I'm not sure but you can go ahead and call me "Handy". If it doesn't stop raining soon, I better start on the ark.

2004-05-24T23:14:00.000-04:00

Good Music

There are very few things in life I am passionate about. The short list of things includes, the NFL and my Oakland Raiders and good music. For the most part I can enjoy any type of music and even if I'm not really into the music, I can appreciate it for what its worth (i.e. Dave Matthews). And with the summer season upon us, there are few things better than a good mix to have playing poolside. Every song on a good mix doesn't have to be stellar, but instead is a CD that I can play the whole way through without skipping any songs. More importantly though, the songs must be compiled properly and tell a story. That story might not be obvious to others at first, but a story still must be told by the songs. So yesterday I sat down to work on my first mix for this summer, and though it looked good on paper, when I played it through it didn't tell the story I was looking for. I think all the songs work together, but I'll need to take another stab at the arrangement of them. The mix is basically classic rock songs, which of course work perfect for poolside play. So the 14 songs which total 60 minutes of play are ready, I just need to rework the story. This is only the first of many mixes I will make this summer, so I still need to work off a little of the rust.

Along with this I decided that since the flight to Greece is 17 hours and then another 17 hours back (really...hows that work?), that I need to take something that is pretty time consuming on the flight. I don't read, so that is out of the question. I will be taking plenty of music to keep me occupied, but I figured I need something that will actually work my brain and keep me busy. So since I love music and as of late (past few years) there have been all these lists, "Best Songs Ever", "Worst Songs Ever" and blah blah blah, that I would compile my own list. I'm not going to claim these are the best songs ever or such. I am going to rank 50+ songs (it depends on how in depth I want to get) and they are going to be my "favorite" songs of all time (most likely limited to classic rock). I figured this could be a long term project. To start I found a respected list of Top 100 Rock Songs ever and a list of 500 songs that have influenced rock and roll (rock or other genre songs). With these lists and a few more I plan to get I should have about 750 songs in front of me. I atleast recognize most of the songs I see on the lists. I haven't heard them all or claim to have heard them all. But since this is my list of "favorite" songs, I'll only consider the songs I have heard "enough". I know a lot about music, but there is a lot more to find out. I want to know the stories behind the songs that end up gracing my Top 10 or so. I will do "some" research and learn about the songs and bands I am considering for the list. I'll be sure to post the list as soon as it is complete. Think long term. This is going to be FUN.

2004-05-23T23:11:00.000-04:00

"Who Needs Pictures..."

The end of the line from that song by Brad Paisley ends "with a memory like mine?" And the answer to that question is, I do. As already mentioned in previous blogs I suffer from Alzheimers and then to complicate the issue I experience Drunk Amnesia a good percentage of the times I drink, so though I am not big on pictures, the few I have are a good reminder of the past year. I ended up with about 50 or so pictures from two disposable cameras, and while I was going through them tonight, I realized that while some of the pictures are great, and others just down right random, they help to piece together the nights I had the cameras out.

For me 1 out of every 3 or so pictures I take is a good (not "quality" wise but content wise) picture. And that is good enough for me to probably get two more disposable cameras next year to use when I feel like it. The best pictures from the handful or so I have, capture me with my friends doing what we did best. (That wasn't studying!) These pictures include snapshots of me and Colin during the case race, the "assholes" proudly posing for a shot, and other posed shots with the guys. But then there are the pictures I come across and think to myself, "I don't remember taking this picture." And that jostles the memory and gets me thinking about the events that happened that night. Most of the time these pictures help piece together the night, even if I did experience Drunk Amnesia. But there still are some pictures I am trying to put into the realm of the night. I don't remember going outside at Colin's frat party and taking pictures. But that's part of the awe and mystery behind the photos.

All these events that I have captured on film occurred about once a week, and yet it is still "cool" to have these moments frozen in time. The pictures can never replace the experience but instead they help with the details of the experience. These few pictures hold a years worth of memories. And though I am still not big on pictures (taking them or being in them), a picture at the right moment is one of those good things in life. The saying is true, pictures are worth a thousand words.

2004-05-22T23:39:00.000-04:00

The Art of Doing Nothing

Right now you are probably thinking to yourself, the "art" of doing nothing, it doesn't take any "skill", you just do nothing. But I beg to differ and I think some of my friends will second what I am going to say about doing nothing. I knew for the longest time that I was pretty good at doing nothing but this year at college showed me how often I'd do nothing. Sure I'm not big on doing school work and the such and I wasn't trying to get out of work by doing nothing or really even to be lazy, but instead for me this doing nothing is like sleep for me.

At college in my dorm room it usually went something like this. I would lay down in my bed. On top of the covers, not even rest my head on the pillow, with my clothes and shoes on and I would just lay there. Though it is a meditated decision, as I got more into a routine each semester I would know when the do nothing times were at. And while laying there I wouldn't just stare off into the distance but I wouldn't focus on anything either. The TV was off. No music was playing from my computer, and I left the lights however they were. And along with no external activities, there were no thoughts going through my head. The only act I really was doing was breathing. Thank god that is involuntary. If you were to check my brain activity at one of these do nothing times, I could probably be considered brain dead. But soon enough my doing nothing would be interrupted by someone coming in the room.

And what follows is what amazed or confused most people. Most of the time it was Colin or my roommate, Kyle, who would wander in and ask, "What are you doing?". And without thinking about it I would respond, "Nothing". They would usually continue, "Are you going to watch TV, or turn on some music?" No, I would say. "Oh so you are going to start studying or do homework in a minute?" "Nope, I'm just doing nothing". "What are you thinking about?" "Nothing, I am just laying here and doing absolutely nothing." By this point usually my roommate would just stop asking questions and resume whatever he was doing but Colin was either impressed or just plain baffled. He'd say, "You really are doing nothing. How do you do it?" And its there where I come to a loss of words and I can't explain this "art" of doing nothing. Colin and some others couldn't believe I could lay, for what sometimes was over 30 minutes and not watch TV, not listen to music, and not do anything.

Quickly enough people realized that I really was doing nothing, and they would treat it like it was my nap and usually not disturb me. It's an odd thing, but I love it. Maybe you have this innate skill or can work on getting it, because doing nothing is great.

2004-05-21T21:54:00.000-04:00

Hot Town, Summer In The City

The unofficial kickoff to summer, Memorial Day Weekend, has yet to come and its even further until the official start of summer on June 21, but its already summer. Today the temperatures were in the mid 80s with the heat index making it feel well into the 90s. The same weather is supposed to be around for some time with the sun glowing bright in the sky. But the weather isn't the only factor that has made it summer for me, but another summer tradition that is one of my favorites...going around barefoot.

It's true that I do live in Kentucky, but honestly we do wear shoes during the rest of the year. I love walking around barefoot and feeling all the different sensations under my feet. There's the cool soft bluegrass, the wet concrete by the pool, the burning asphalt on the street, and the gritty dusty dirt all to be felt by my bare feet. I went around barefoot all day today, minus the time I was working with power tools in the garage. Sure my feet are now brown and dirty, but that comes off easy enough in the shower. Along with going barefoot it was warm enough to do yard work and cut the grass with just shorts on and allowing my skin to become tanned by the sun.

Today I also helped take the cover off the pool, and though it is still days away from being ready for swimming it creates a summer atmosphere with the dark winter cover now stored away in the garage. It wont be long until my friends or family are gathered around the pool nearly everyday escaping from the hot Kentucky sun and grilling out steaks and chicken on the barbecue. And with that comes night swimming and the hours sitting at the pool with just the light of the tiki torches talking about nothing and yet having the best time.

Though there is little to complain about during summer, I do have one small but worthwhile complaint. Mosquitos. What can I do about the mosquitoes? Today was the first day I had spent a considerable amount of time (6+ hours) outside and I reaped the consequences of a hot, humid and muggy day in the Ohio Valley...6 or more mosquito bites. I sure as hell don't want West Nile again. Hopefully I'm immune since I've already suffered once.

Yes, I love summer!

2004-05-19T00:48:00.000-04:00

Thoughts From My Head

- Everybody strives to be perfect in life, knowing full well that it is not possible. But there are certain situations in life where we can be perfect, and tonight Randy Johnson was just that. At the age of 40 years and 200+ days he became the oldest person and only 17th (yes only the 17th) major leaguer to throw a perfect game. For those of you who know little of baseball, that means he faced only 27 batters and not one of them reached base. None were walked, none were hit by a pitch and ultimately none got a hit. Every person who stepped up to bat was an out. To put this in perspective, lets take that there are 30 teams in the league that play 162 games. This perfect game represents .00020576 of the games to be played this year. Now take into account that only 17 perfect games have ever been pitched in over 100 years of baseball. The percentage of perfect games pitched to the amount of games played most likely wouldn't even appear on a regular calculator since the percentage is so small. A perfect game could be the most difficult thing to do in sports. Because not only is skill required but a large dose of luck must also be used. If I was Randy Johnson I'd head to Vegas. In the era of power baseball and fans going to watch Bonds go deep, this is a nice treat that shows pitching is still the most important aspect of the game.

- To chop or not to chop? That is the question. For those of you who haven't seen me in some time my hair is pretty long. Its commonplace now to be referenced as Jesus (with the beard and all) than my actual name. Also I will be heading to Greece and Egypt in a little over 2 weeks and according to weather.com temperatures in Egypt will be 90+ all the time. So here is where the dilemma stands. I either get my hair cut, and I'm not half assing it either. If I decide to get it cut, I'm going to get it cut back to "senior picture" length. So think acceptable at St. Xavier, long but "styled". Or I let it be and just wear it under a hat or ponytail it for the trip. I think right now I am leaning towards getting it cut, but not prior to all my friends back home seeing "Jesus". I think I like it best right around shoulder length, so by cutting it back I think it will be at that stage around November or December. Anyway, let me know what you think.

- "Uncommitted"- that's who I voted for today when on the ballot it asked about the Republican Presidential Nominee. I forgot to switch my party affiliation so I had to complete the Republican ballot. Trust me, I am switching my affiliation as soon as possible. When I tried to do it last fall, the internet was all screwy and I couldn't complete the form. All I know is that I will never mark my vote for George W. Bush, even when he is running against an opponent known only as "Uncommitted"...haha. I also voted for Jim Bunning, who I really like and with all the happenings of Randy's perfect game found out Jim Bunning along with Randy Johnson and three others are the only five people to throw no hitters in each league. Interesting tidbit and makes me proud I voted for Bunning.

- And finally after a quick review...Yes, I still hate stupid people.

2004-05-17T22:39:00.000-04:00

A War of Words

The internet is such a great tool. Its full of useful websites and other random items that I can spend hours looking at just to kill down time. It allows me to write a goofy blog whenever I want and gives others who frequent my blog a chance to comment and respond to the story. I love my blog and also checking out blogs of my family and friends not only to see what they have to say but also look at the kind of comments they get. I should have seen this coming but now blogs and the comments have opened up a new battlefield. It gives anybody and everybody a voice. Trust me, some people don't need their voice to be heard. What leads to me address this situation is a comment and further a response to one of the blogs at SWAT Shears. (To check out the current situation look at the comments to the blog titles "PFC Brian Shears") For those who know me, I love drama and I'm having a blast with this current situation. As you can see I commented, giving my own two cents but also respecting the opinion of Brian. And I thought the blog was dead because I was the only comment for a few days. And then to my susprise I saw some comments had been added. This is where the drama begins and a line was crossed. How can you attack not only the person but also that persons character when you don't even know them? I'm not sure I can bring myself to stoop that low ever. Character is something you don't touch, unless you know the person atleast somewhat. But I was verbally attacked and assaulted by some 2nd Lt Marynowski who I don't know from Jack. For all I know he may be a well to do man, who is intelligent and knowing but from his comment, its hard to see. Its cool that he has a differing opinion than me on the issue but to present it in such childlike and "jackass" way is unbelievable, especially over the internet. Why should I stop, listen and waste my time when an argument is presented in the way he presented it. It is possible to get your points across and have a strong opinion without attacking the other person or belittling him. No matter how intelligent anybody is, calling people "ignorant bastards", "liberal assholes", "liberal fuck" and a calling from me to be "shot in the head", they sound very ignorant using those terms. I'm not naive or dumb enough to think these people don't exist in the world, and actually who would I laugh at or have jokes about without these people? I'm not sure. So thank you 2nd Lt. Marynowski, you've made my night but don't ever attack my character. I'm one of the dwindling number of Americans who still cares. I think the system can work but we must all be involved citizens. I keep up with current events. I watch political debates. I become informed on the issues, and I vote. Don't attack me because I have a different opinion, but instead educate me on your stance and I'll education you on mine, while we both respect one another's opinion.

Public Service Announcement...For all you Kentuckians reading this, exercise your right tomorrow and VOTE!

2004-05-16T20:21:00.000-04:00

Beavers and Ducks Version 2.0

Hello and Welcome to the new and improved Beavers and Ducks Version 2.0. I think the colors are more vibrant and inviting than the commonplace red, white, and blue of Version 1.1. Its a new look but the page will still include random and funny stories from my life. As always please comment and visit the links on the right of the page. Enjoy!

2004-05-15T21:11:00.000-04:00

The Sport of Kings

After watching Smarty Jones literally run away with a Preakness victory (winning by a record 11 1/2 lengths), I realized that the sport once reserved for royalty now and has been for some time become a sport for the commoner. Smarty Jones is now 8 for 8 and only 1 win away in the Belmont Stakes to reach horse racing immortality. The Belmont Stakes are three weeks away but with a win, Smarty Jones will not only be the 12th Triple Crown winner (and the first since Affirmed 26 years ago), but also become the richest horse in racing. With the payoff from the Belmont Stakes and the 5 million dollars VISA is itching to give a Triple Crown winner, Smarty Jones will have earned $13 million. As a horse racing fan, I'm as hopeful as all the others that Smarty Jones will win the Triple Crown. I know those who have read the articles and tuned into the races, we've heard the Smarty Jones story, but I think it is important to emphasize certain aspects. Prior to May 1st 2004 nobody knew who John Servis or Stewart Elliot were. We all have heard of Bob Baffert, Nick Zito, Pat Day, and Gary Stevens but these are not the trainers and jockeys winning horse racings most prestigious events. Only one year prior Smarty Jones was nearly killed in a training incident, but has become the people's horse as he races for history. There isn't much else to say except this is an amazing horse with an exceptional chance to be the best. There are already the comparisons to Seattle Slew, and with a win is a comparison to the greatest horse of all time, Secretariat, that far off. Sure 6 horses in the past 8 years have had this same chance to be a Triple Crown winner but this is the first time I have actually thought it is reasonably possible. You did see how Smarty Jones romped down the stretch. I know for most of the world this is just another horse race, but for a guy like me and millions others we have never had a Triple Crown winner. Its been more than a quarter of a century and I urge everyone to take 2mins and 30secs out of their busy Saturday in three weeks to watch what could be a great moment in the sports world. No doubt it will be a small field, possibly as few as 4 horses, but isn't that just a testament to Smarty Jones ability. I'm so excited and its still three weeks away. Let's go Smarty Jones a whole nations has its hopes on you.

2004-05-13T21:45:00.000-04:00

Once It Hits Your Lips...

It was said that it couldn't be done. There were doubters. There were skeptics. But then there was Colin, Keith, and I. And when all three of us have a brilliant idea, we follow through on it. No questions. Just one week earlier the "case race" we had discussed for weeks finally took place, but we out did ourselves this time. Though the "case race" was one great time, the events of last night top the list of happenings from the past year at the U of I. Oh there were plenty of good times, but last night was the perfect send off for the guys of Scott Three.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls we had a keg in the dorm last night.

(pause for disbelief, jaw dropping, gasps, slobbering, and the such)

The idea first came to our attention a month or so ago. I recall IMing Brian and asking him what the odds were that he knew somebody who could get us a keg. The odds were slim. And right after that, Colin walked into my room and it only made sense. If we were going to follow through on these plans, Colin would most likely be able to get the keg and would be a willing participant. When he uttered that it would be very likely he could get a keg, the plans went into motion. They were elaborate, detailed plans. The inner-circle was small. Few knew about the possibility of a keg in the dorm, but the number grew as we looked for people who would be willing to enjoy the festivities. The guy who "hosted" the keg, Gruber, even offered his room thinking that the odds of it happening were slim to none. This was brilliant.

Bring the keg into the dorm with Colin ranks as one of the most gratifying events in my short life. From the unloading of the Keg from the back of his Jimmy, while many people were milling around, to rolling the keg through the court yard and the wait for the elevator until it was dropped off in Gruber's room, I had a huge smile upon my face and was laughing. It was beautiful.

I could continue with the rest of the story, but words don't quite capture the essence. Go to smelkem.com for pictures.

This day will not soon be forgotten. Thanks to all who were involved with making it happen: Colin's brother (who got the keg), Colin, Keith, "Big" Nick, Gore, Jeff, GZ, Eric, Brian, Gruber, Lauren, Jill and I know I am forgetting people. What a year it was and we capped it off in style.

...it's so good!

2004-05-12T19:04:00.000-04:00

Breaking News...

In a developing story the guys of Scott Hall 3 have done it. What is the "it" being referred to? Well stayed tuned for that story later. But after weeks of speculation, planning, doubting, and other crazy thoughts, the brilliant minds of the floor were able to out do themselves once again. How high is too high? They aren't really sure, and won't be able to find out, since tonight is the final hoorah. For further details stayed tuned to Beavers and Ducks.

2004-05-11T00:58:00.000-04:00

Random Thoughts

After finishing up three hours of studying Calculus, I thought it necessary to get my mind off math before I went to bed. There is nothing worse then going to bed with something stuck in your head, especially math. And though I have nothing specific to blog about, I do have some random thoughts that have always been swimming around in my head. So I thought I would blog about those random things.

I don't know if you have ever thought about this, but with the amount of people in the world (6+ billion) and all the birds (billions and billions), shouldn't more people get crapped on by a bird. It seems to me that it should be atleast a weekly occurrence for most people if not occur even more frequently. In my 19+ years I have never been crapped on by a bird. I don't think I know anyone who has been crapped on by a bird. Knowing my luck I'll go outside tomorrow and get more than my fair share of bird crap.

Who would ever think that something used usually two times daily could be harmful. That's right if you didn't know your toothpaste could harm you. I take notice when the tube says if more than a pea-size amount is swallowed contact Poison Control immediately. Why would I ever put anything in my mouth that could harm me? Sure I could choke on food and such but that's quite the necessity. Next time my dentist tells me to brush more, I'm going to ask him if he's ever checked out the ingredients and that warning. Watch out!

What if a prisoner is serving a life sentence and he "dies" and is pronounced dead only to come back to life? We have all read or heard about these stories of people that are dead or pronounced dead only to come back to life in the following minutes. Would that inmate have served his life sentence? Technically the inmate did die and therefore has served a life sentence. I doubt this is addressed anywhere in the law books and could cause some trouble if it were ever to occur.

Oh that's not all. There are soo many more random thoughts just waiting to be blogged but I must save some for a rainy day. So I hope you enjoy those and ponder them for some time.

2004-05-09T13:28:00.000-04:00

Happy Mother's Day

I would like to extend a very Happy Mother's Day to all moms of the world, but especially the very best mom in the whole world, MY MOM! I sure hope the weather is nice at home and you are having a wonderful day because today is your day. Happy Mother's Day!

2004-05-08T17:07:00.000-04:00

Mother's Day History

We all know that the second Sunday in May is reserved for moms but has it always been that way. Well for the most part it has, but the early beginnings of Mother's Day aren't exactly the same as celebrated today. Mother's Day has its roots in the spring celebrations of Ancient Greece by honoring the mother of the gods, Rhea. The tradition was continued in 1600 England with "Mothering Sunday" which was celebrated on the 4th Sunday of Lent. During the next few centuries as Christianity spread, the holiday became a day in which the Mother Church and mothers were celebrated. Mother's Day was we know it in the United States was first celebrated in 1872 as a day of peace. In 1907 Ana Jarvis petitioned for a national Mother's Day to be celebrated on the 2nd anniversary of her death, which was the 2nd Sunday in May. Ana Jarvis continued to work for an established Mother's Day by writing businessman, pastors and politicians and by 1911 almost every state was celebrating Mother's Day. Then in 1914 Woodrow Wilson established Mother's Day as a national holiday to be celebrated on the 2nd Sunday in May. And since then everybody has celebrated their mother on the 2nd Sunday in May. So there you have it, the history of a special day set aside for a special person. Don't forget tomorrow is Mother's Day!

2004-05-05T16:46:00.000-04:00

That's A Wrap

With the end of the day today, my first year in college comes to a close. Sure I still have a final or two left to take, but the bulk of the work is done. If the past 9 months were a movie, it would have included quite the cast who were involved in scenes from random to strange. It most likely would've bombed at the box office and most certainly wouldn't have been nominated for an Oscar. It would've been the type of movie Theresa would walks out of. Sometimes it was funny. Sometimes it was gross. Sometimes it was priceless. But all the time it was fun. I think I figured out the balancing act and was able to manage going to classes and making the grades with fun and adventure. While moving forward to summer and then even further to the fall semester, why not look back on some memorable moments at the University of Illinois and the guys from Scott Hall.

Remember when...

- the Fighting Illini football team struggled through a 1-11 season. Yes it was painful. Had Illinois State not fumbled into the endzone on their first possession we may not have even had one win on the season. It was bad football, but it had its moments. I won't forget the hit put on the ISU punt returner, causing him to fumble and caused a not too familiar "redo". Or how we could have beat Wisconsin, had it not been for an "iffy" roughing the quarterback penalty. Oh yeah Band Day wasn't bad either. Next season can't be any worse, can it?

- a lackluster effort against Duke kept the Fighting Illini basketball team from advancing to the Elite 8. But all in all it was a great season under first year coach Bruce Weber. Who should have been named Big Ten Coach of the Year, even though he did dress bad. Maybe he'll realize our colors are blue and orange by the time play starts up again in the fall. I'm not sure what school's color is "poop" brown. The outlook looks good for next season, all the starters return, and we get Nick Smith back. Yay!

- Jeff was touched by an angel. If I recall that was on November 1 at the Sigma Pi Halloween Party. The wings and halo just made the costume. Yeah we gave Jeff shit for ever about that. It hasn't been brought up in some time, but this should start it back up. Even better is that we have a picture of it and it is the epitome of the "Wall of Shame".

- I made it through the whole year without ever going to the library. I know I didn't think it was possible either. I thought that I would possibly have to break down and go in order to write my nine page research paper, but it was not necessary. And even better was that I got an "A" on that research paper and the teacher said it was one of the better papers he had read since hes been at the UofI. Do you think I can make it two years without going to the library?

- Brian shuffled through the girls on the 4th floor like they were a deck of cards. First it was Lauren and that didn't work. Then there was Sara and apparently things were moving along too fast for her. And now he is putting it all in on Jill. If I was playing against him, I'd call and probably end up winning. I guess he still has a little over a week to make things happen with Jill or there are still a few more girls he can go after.

- Going to a party in early February even though the temperature was below zero and with the wind chill felt like negative 40. Odd thing is, the walk home really wasn't cold. Had I lost the feeling in my extremities or was it the beer? That's anybodys guess. I'm pretty sure when went out to next night too, even while the temperatures remained below freezing.

- Partying and drinking. There was Beer Pong. There was Flip Cup. And then all the card drinking games, Circle of Death, Two Man, and Asshole. Puke and Rallies. Then there was the Colin incident. I wasn't involved but sure wish I was. Or when Brian's vodka was switched to water. So many.

- I know I am forgetting some pretty memorable moments and I can't write about them forever either. What a year its been.

And with this I sign off on my first year off college, while looking forward to the fall semester.

2004-05-03T23:15:00.000-04:00

Aarrgghh!

There are very few things that ever really get to me. I'm not one to let much bother me or piss me off, since there is no use in that. What I am about to blog about really isn't something that has personally effected me or such, but its just something that has really bothered me. I'm not even the first to comment on this, some college student already got ripped apart for exercising his free speech, but I think it is an issue that needs to be addressed. So here we go.

It starts really basic. The term "hero" is thrown around everywhere. I'm not even sure what a hero is, or if any heroes exist but I do know its thrown around like there is no tomorrow. The issue I am talking about is the Pat Tillman death in Afghanistan. For those who have been living in a cave he is the ex-NFLer who turned down millions to join the Army Rangers. I know yay for him. There are two facets to this whole issue. Number one, what makes his death more important or significant than any other of the 700 plus lives that have been lost in our battle against terrorism, and then this quote "While many of us will be blessed to live a longer life, few of us will ever live a better one", spoken by a man I have a great respect for, John McCain.

So Pat Tillman gave up $7 million the Rams wanted to give him and $3 million the Cardinals wanted to give him to join the Army. But I'm sure others who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan are just as worthy. They had families, they had college degrees, they had dreams and ambitions, they had a life to live. Why is this case anymore special. Why does ESPN dedicate a slot in its programming to the Pat Tillman memorial service? What about the Bob Smiths and Jack Jones who die in battle? Why aren't we seeing their memorials on the TV? Is Pat a more honorable man because he gave up MONEY to join the army? I think not. If you haven't realized yet, I am against the ongoing war in Iraq and this may sound terrible, but I can't support the troops if I don't support the war. The only thing I support for the troops is their immediate return. Pat has been out of football for over two years, but has been the lead story on Sportscenter for the past week. I don't understand.

Now Mr. McCain, I can't live a better life than Pat Tillman? Just because I don't join the Army, or Marines or the armed services, Pat lived a better life than me? You know what? I am going to follow my dreams and do what I want to do with my life too, but is that not good enough. I am going to college and getting a degree that will help me get the architecture job I want in the future. I am being reasonable. I won't get the face time Pat Tillman got as a football player. I won't be able to use my "status" to be bigger and better than somebody else. I plan to be an upstanding person, who follows the law, that is morally responsible and all in all lives a good life. So my life isn't as good as Pat Tillman's McCain? What if I give up a possible $7 million contract, to work for a non profit organization? Still not good enough? Well, McCain I will not join the armed services, so I don't have any problem living a life lesser than Pat Tillman's life.

Is Pat Tillman a hero? You can decide that for yourself. Was he called a hero because of his former status and story? I think so. It was atleast excelerated because of what he did prior to joining the Army. Let's not forget this was a choice he made. This is what he wanted to do. Would he want to be described as a hero? I think not. Well I just wanted to get that off my chest. Because frankly it pisses me off.

2004-05-02T20:35:00.000-04:00

Time To Move On

Who's ready for the "real world?" Apparently it should be Matthew since he graduated from the university of Dayton today. I guess after four years of "studying" the "real world" is the next stop on this journey they call life. I am sure that your four years at Dayton were full of lots of good times, a few bad times; lots of excitement, a few anxious times; lots of partying, some studying but all in all one awesome time. You are a learned man now and must put your knowledge to use. I know that you are one who will use this knowledge to help others before yourself. I'm not sure what job lies in your future with a English and Political Science degree, but I know you would like write for a newspaper. With your opinions I'm sure you could find a place as an editorial writer somewhere. With a new chapter unfolding for you I thought I would recall a few events of the past four years that I experienced with you.

- How about when I visited you when you were a freshman and I drank Mike's Hard Lemonade. How could you let me drink that? I learned my lesson and that was the last time I drank that.

- How about those many long, cold, drunk walks through the ghetto. And I thought that was cold. I know better now.

- What was with that snowball fight between drunk guys in the ghetto? Did we ever find out what that was about?

- I know what everybody is thinking, but yes there were times when I was at Dayton and drinking wasn't involved. We went a few basketball games, that comedy show was pretty funny, and remember when we went bowling and we both bowled the best games of our lives?

- We've talked sports, politics and everything in between, and never had to attack the other.

- How about your visit up here in March to bring me home for Spring Break. Do you remember that night? Apparently sometimes I get cases of Drunk Amnesia. That was one of those nights.

- So many good times, in the past four years and they will continue. Congratulations on a job well done and good luck (which sometimes is necessary to get a job) in the coming months with your new life outside of college. The "real world" awaits, but let me remind you of this: Unfortunately this world is full of stupid people and be stubborn, most of time people won't agree with you, but don't let them win.

2004-04-29T00:44:00.000-04:00

Who Does That?

I couldn't have gone any better. It was destiny. There is nothing that could interfere with what destiny wanted to happen. What could go awry? I didn't think anything could, but then again who am I to play God along with Brian. Today was Kentucky Derby Position Pick at the Derby Museum. Its been a two fold system now since 1998, with the "pill pull" or selection order determined earlier in the day and then in a made for TV broadcast with the owner/trainer/jockey selecting the starting position they want by placing a cut out of the jockey silks on a large board painted to resemble the starting gate. Earlier in the day I was discussing this event with friends, who of course had no idea of what I was talking about. I am sure that my family was one of the few families, though in many different locations, that had every member of the family planted in front of the TV watching ESPN and this all too exciting event. Anyway, as I was describing this process to my friends, Brian said that he was going to take the horse that breaks from the 17th position, no matter what. I proceeded to tell him that no horse had ever won the Kentucky Derby out of the 17 hole. Well go figure, the horse I am putting my money on, Castledale had the 15th selection. And any other year when it came his turn to select the remaining gates would have been 1, 2, 17, 18, 19, 20. And therefore Castledale would pick the most logical spot remaining at 17. But no, Pollard's Vision who had the 9th selection of a post position, out of the blue selected gate 17. What is he thinking. What is Pollard's "Vision"? He is blind in his right eye. Ironic, I think so. It was destiny. Castledale should have been in starting gate 17. It was written in the stars. Days earlier I had a dream that had Castledale winning the Kentucky Derby. It was meant to happen that way. Brain and I had it all worked out. The "pill pull" was on our side. Everything was in place for this to fall into place. History was going to be defeated, and Castledale was going to win the Kentucky Derby out of the 17th gate position. But either me or Brian is on the wrong side of some god, and that god wasn't going to let that happen. But I will save my curse for the Kentucky Derby god for some other time, because he is too good most of the time.

This looks to be the most wide open Derby I have ever experienced. Even though handicapping the Kentucky Derby and picking its winner is harder than picking the NCAA basketball champion, this year seems extra tough. Only 3 horses have morning line odds at or under 8-1. Everybody else is in double figure odds. Not to mention the favorite is at a unbelievable 4-1. The highest odds of a Kentucky Derby is 6-1 on Harlan's Holiday. I think that could be eclipsed this year. But in the end I think some people are going to win a large sum of money because so many horses will leave the starting gate with double digit odds. My horse is Castledale. And I'll go ahead and say an exacta of Castledale, Smarty Jones. There are my picks. And they are in writing, so if it does happen I can say, "told you so!". Well what do you think? Vote in the poll below!

2004-04-27T20:11:00.000-04:00

And they're off...

I know the running of the 130th Kentucky Derby is still four days away, but I felt compelled to produce a blog about the event tonight, since I have the time necessary to produce a respectable piece on the Derby. Words will never do the event justice, but I hope this can give everyone, Derby veterans and newcomers alike a feeling, a sense, and a vision of what the event really is and what it means to not only Louisvillians, Kentuckians, Americans, but the people of the world who turn their heads toward Louisville during this week, making it the Capital of the World.

The two weeks of events leading up to the Kentucky are slowly winding down and the horses are taking their spot in the light. I'm not sure when the indescribable feeling overwhelms my body on Derby Day, though it most likely is when the University of Louisville band strikes up and plays a moving rendition of "My Old Kentucky Home". There is nothing like it. Chills run up and down my spine and goose bumps are visible on my arms. As the band plays and the song comes to an end, the bugle player comes out and makes the call to the post. The chills and goose bumps remain, and the horses make their way out to the track, ready to run the race of their life. There is nothing bigger in the horse world than the Kentucky Derby.

One by one the horses are "presented" to the betting and eager crowd, then lead like the graceful animals they are to the starting gate. Some of the horses enter the gate without any trouble, while others must be forced in. Don't they know this is the Kentucky Derby? When all the horses are in and set, the gates fly open and the announcer announces "And they're off in the 130th running of the Kentucky Derby". You forget that this is only going to take 2 minutes. Time seems to stand still as the large pack of horses rumbles around the track vying for a spot in history. And then the pivotal part of the race has arrived as too many horses are trying to make it around the final turn that won't allow for that many horses. This is where the unqualified horses fall and the best horses race towards home with the announcer saying "and down the stretch they come in the Kentucky Derby".

Its almost over? But it just started. As quick as it began, its over just as quick. But who won? It doesn't matter who won. This is the Kentucky Derby. Some men will be rich, while others will now be poor. One horse will forever be remembered as Kentucky Derby champion and the rest fade out of the spotlight, and never race 1 mile and 1/4 ever again. This is the "run for the roses". I know I didn't do it justice. You must experience it for yourself.

Its so important that when my sister was in Germany, she called home and we turned the volume up really loud and placed the phone to the speaker so she could experience the Kentucky Derby. Oh the Kentucky Derby. Even as I wrote this I was getting chills and goose bumps just thinking about the event. I can't wait until Saturday when I will be surrounded with my family, even though not in Louisville, and we all gather round the television and partake in the Kentucky Derby. The scheduled post time is 6:04. Don't forget or by the time you turn it on, it will already be history. The chills and goose bumps slowly fade away, only hours after the Derby is already over.

During Derby Week you must listen to Dan Fogelberg's "Run for the Roses" so here it is:

Run for the Roses

Maybe this article does better justice:

Ode to Kentucky Derby

2004-04-26T00:57:00.000-04:00

It Comes on a Stick

What's better than a good old American cookout? I can think of very few things, but one of them could be a cookout sponsored by the Scott Hall Council, that was held today as an end of the year celebration. Though the weather could have been better, the party still went on. And this cookout had all the makings of a superb cookout. There were hamburgers off the grill, still dripping with grease and all the fixings. There were potato chips, vegetables, and cookies. It was the best food I have eaten from this school this semester. Yeah I'm sure it was the same stuff that is served in the cafeteria, but having it outside made it all the better. Along with that food, there were snocones and cotton candy. Yes cotton candy. I can't recall the last time I had cotton candy, but lets just say its been years. What is the fixation with the sugarey concoction? I'm not really sure, but to start with it does come on a stick. What is cotton candy? Are there any other ingredients besides sugar? Because if there are I sure as hell can't tell. Along with it coming on a stick, it just looks so fluffy and inviting. So being intrigued like a little kid, I took a stick of cotton candy and began to eat. And like nothing I have ever eaten before, it dissolved on my tongue in a way words can't describe. Why did I feel like I was eating R-17 home insulation? Oh wait it was pink and fluffy. Bite after bite I could feel the immediate problems it was causing and the cavities that were forming in my teeth. Oh the joys of cotton candy. I have no clue who invented the stuff, but what a genius. Fluffy sugar on a stick. Does it get any better? I think not.

2004-04-24T15:05:00.000-04:00

Yay and Nay

Today I am bring a new series to Beavers and Ducks. This new series is called "Yay and Nay" and I will try to have a new "Yay and Nay" each week. With the "Yay and Nay" series I will take two things from the same event or happening and comment on why I like one aspect and then way I dislike the other aspect. If you are confused the following will clear everything up.

"Yay" to Ken Griffey Jr.- When Junior Griffey was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for the 2000 season he was the best player in baseball. He had legendary status written all over him. Had it not been for multiple season ending injuries over the past three years, the current talk about Barry Bonds being the best player in baseball wouldn't not be taking place, instead Ken Griffey Jr. would be the topic of this chatter. But now he is back and looks as healthy as ever. Its nice seeing his swing and trot around the bases. Junior is one of the few all-star outfielders who is an all-star because of his work not only at the plate but also his superb defensive skills. He puts it all on the line when he is out on the playing field. Its great to see Griffey back on the playing field. I'll definitely have to check out atleast one game at the Great American Ballpark, even if the Reds suck, just to see Ken Griffey Jr. play.

"Nay" to Catcher Protection- What is the new trend with catchers and umpires wearing hockey goalie helmets as their head protection? I don't like it and I want to see the usual helmet on backwards and facemask the pops on and off. I was watching the Cubs play some team earlier this season and both teams catchers and the umpire were wearing that style of protection. It is not necessary and just doesn't fit into the game of baseball.

"Yay" to the NFL Draft- As of right now, the NFL draft is at the 21st pick and already it has been quite the interesting draft. Who ever would have thought that broadcasting such an event would be a good thing? Whomever at ESPN decided to do it 25 years ago was brilliant. What makes the draft so intriguing is the on the clock trades that take place and the scramble for teams to work their way up the draft board to get the player they want and everything they are willing to give up for one player. Blockbuster is already written all over this draft with the Eli Manning situation. The Chargers played the cards perfect and not only wound up with the quarterback they wanted, but were able to get another pick in this years draft and a first rounder and fifth rounder next year. Huge. Though it looked like an ugly situation it all worked out in the end. Both teams got who they wanted, and Eli Manning will be playing football this fall. I love football.

"Nay" to Suits- What are they wearing? When the lights are shining and the stage is for you, apparently you have to wear gaudy outfits. There have been some outrageous suits worn by top draft picks. Do they really think that it looks good. And I'm pretty sure that if a Caucasian tried to wear these outfits it just would not be deemed acceptable, but I'm not complaining since the suits are so ugly. Now that they have some money, maybe they can hire someone to buy clothes for them.

Well thats it for this series of "Yay and Nay", look for that about once a week or so. On another note, I am pretty pumped that as a blogger, I am a beta tester for the new Google email service, Gmail. That's pretty cool. So please drop me an email at my new email address gregorydowell@gmail.com.

2004-04-21T15:18:00.000-04:00

From Where Did Earth Day Come?

Though this is not a holiday in the sense that most Americans consider a holiday, as a tangent to the History of Holiday series here at Beavers and Ducks, I will present a brief synopsis of the origins of Earth Day and what it really is.

Earth Day evolved over a seven year period beginning in 1962, when Senator Gaylord Nelson was troubled to see that the environment was not a political issue. Apparently it took seven years because obviously not too many people were or are concerned with the state of the environment, but that's another story. But during those seven years Nelson toured America (or half of it since he only spoke in 25 states) speaking on environmental issues to inform the public of these problems. Slowly but surely grassroots efforts to change peoples attitudes concerning the environment began popping up in state after state where Senator Nelson spoke. Then finally in 1970, 20 million people were working for making the environment a more important issue and Earth Day in the words of Nelson, "organized itself". I couldn't find any info on why Earth Day is on April 22 but Earth Day is here and here to stay. I told you it was a "brief" history. Haha. Anyway, traditions that abound on Earth Day include hugging as many trees as possible and making sweet sweet love with all the animals you come across. Well enjoy your Earth Day!

2004-04-18T20:24:00.000-04:00

Fireworks, Bedlam, and Horses

Yep, its that time of the year again. Two weeks until the "fastest two minutes in sports". As a Kentuckian these two weeks are the greatest two weeks on the calendar. We actually measure the passage of time using the Kentucky Derby as the beginning of a new year. Ok, so were aren't that nuts, but I wouldn't be surprised if such legislation was ever introduced into the Kentucky Senate. And just like it has for the past fourteen years, the Kentucky Derby festival was once again kicked off with the worlds largest annual firework display, Thunder Over Louisville. I'm not really sure what it is about fireworks, I see them year in and year out, but each Thunder is a thrilling display. Too bad I couldn't have been there last night. I love how Kentuckians know how to throw a party and extend a two minute horse race into a two week celebration of the city. The whole thing gets kicked off with the fireworks and ends with the Run for the Roses, but what else could possibly occur in between those two Saturdays. Well there is the always comical and quite redneck, Bedlam in the Streets. That's right, beds are assembled into wheeled machines and raced around, what used to be the street, but they have since moved the event to Broadbent Arena, which I guess is a safer venue. If you have a fetish with inflatables, then you have two opportunities to check out hot air balloons, both Friday at the Great Balloon Glow and then the following Saturday in the Great Balloon Race (too bad they don't really race). Talk about childhood memories. Waking at the crack of dawn to go to the fairgrounds and watch the balloons be inflated and then lift off in a rainbow of colors. There was the Energizer Bunny, Mr. Peanut, and the Kentucky native Jim Beam, so many balloons. Then there is the titillating and scintillating Great Steamboat Race for the coveted Golden Antlers. Oh the madness. The key to the whole race is the turn, perfect the single turn and victory shall be yours. Bring it on Delta Queen, you're ours this time. Or there's clowns, bands, cars and floats at the Pegasus Parade. Sitting down on the corner of the street watching everything go by for a few hours. This is one of the more conventional events that is held prior to the Derby. Then there's the small events like the miniMarathon, or the Run for Rose (there should be a French accent mark over the "e"...haha), and of course the Chow Wagons. Oh the Kentucky Derby Festival. And how else to preface the greatest horse race than by holding a day of other significant horse races the day before. Where else are all schools in a particular city off the day BEFORE an event, let alone a horse race? Only in Louisville. That's so all the kids, families, and friends can enjoy a day in the infield at Churchill Downs to watch the Kentucky Oaks. Yes, this is the Kentucky Derby Festival. But its not perfect until the culminating event of the Kentucky Derby takes place and a three-year old horse is crowned and forever remembered in history. The Kentucky Derby is "the chance of a lifetime in a lifetime of chance", so "run for the roses so red".

2004-04-16T17:30:00.000-04:00

Football, Animals and More...

As of late I have been lacking material to blog on a consistence basis, but that will be made up for in the coming days. I have so much stuff to blog about its ridiculous. So I thought I would start today with some different stories and ramblings. Some more entertaining than others. Some even more odd than others. All in all the blogs of the next few days is going to be a smorgasbord of goodies.

I have been in nirvana since Wednesday when the NFL released its 2004 schedule. Yes I know it is only April and baseball is just getting underway, but its never too early to start think about the upcoming football season. The draft is on April 24th and before we know it teams will be going to their summer training camps. All the experts have been picking and choosing games that right now look very good on paper. I will save my choices of games I'm looking forward to for a follow up blog, but opening weekend looks very enticing, the Monday Night Football slate looks superb, and yay for the NFL playing games on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Christmas weekend could be the best weekend for football. Lots and lots of good matchups. After a preliminary glance at the Raiders schedule I think they will finish the season 6-10. But as I said more on the schedule and matchups at a different time. Though the NFL is the most balanced professional sports league both talentwise and schedulewise, I have some suggests to make it even more balanced and this is my platform when I make my move to become commissioner of the NFL. So here they are:

- Get rid of the open dates: An early open date, say before Week 8, is one of the biggest disadvantages a team can suffer. The league has 32 teams. They should reconfigure the schedule to have all 16 teams play every week for 16 weeks.

- Bring the Super Bowl back to January: The Super Bowl is a January tradition bring it back. This can be accomplished by removing the open dates and by having only one week between the AFC and NFC Championship games. There is an unnecessary 2 week lull before the Super Bowl takes place. Atleast this years Super Bowl is being played in an open air stadium in Jacksonville. But the NFL needs to take away its restriction of not allowing northern cities to host Super Bowls.

- Play division games after Week 4: These games are very crucial, and having them played any time before Week 5 is ridiculous. Teams are still trying to get everything together and mesh in the first 4 Weeks. This season the Bears first three games are against division opponents. And 20 divisional games are played from Week 1 to Week 4. Absurd! If division games are played after week 4 then that leaves half of a teams remaining games against its division opponents.

- Continue Tweaking Instant Replay: Even with the Rules Committee altering the Instant Replay Rule, it is not enough. Now coaches who correctly challenge 2 plays in a game will get an additional challenge. What needs to be done, is stick with 2 challenges and if the coach is correct on the challenge, then the challenge remains. Don't penalize a team for correctly challenging a play. Also the Booth Challenge under two minutes in both halves needs to be done away with. What makes the final two minutes of either half more important than the previous 28 minutes of the half? With this system the booth can challenge every little detail or play and the flow of the game is interrupted. Also if there is going to be a set amount of time for the refs to review the play, make them stick to it.

- Don't allow an expansion team: If the league wants a team in Los Angeles, make it be an existing team that relocates to LA. A 33rd team would disrupt the balance. Teams currently only play two different teams than there divisional opponents

Well that was a lot to read, so I will keep these other things brief.

I've never been so entertained by animals in my life and I owe it all to CNN.com. There is a German website that has live streaming video of wild boar in their natural habitat. How cool is that? I have spent at least a collective hour watching these wild boar, be wild boar. I've seen as many as 10 boar on the screen at one time. Here's the website. Enjoy!

Wild Boar

And finally after over four years of searching for a song, I found it yesterday. There was a song from freshman year religion class that Mr. Daisey played for us. It is an Irish folk song and many obscure bands had done it over the years, but I could never find a version of it online to download. The search finally ended yesterday when I found "Rambling Rover" on Kazaa and I downloaded it. Here is the song for everybody to enjoy.

Rambling Rover

Well that's all! But plenty more to blog in the days to come.

2004-04-14T23:30:00.000-04:00

It Takes Two

Well in our case it takes more. Possibly three but most likely more. Who knows how many it will take, but it will be some time before we know for sure. Today was the debut and goodbye for the Scott Hall 3 16-inch softball squad. Honestly the assembly of players wasn't all that bad. Talents ranged from high school baseball experience to "but I can swing the bat". We had organized three practices but the whole squad never practiced together. We did the best with what he had. Some people made solid contact all the time. Other people were off and on but as a whole there was talent to win. Fielding was just like the hitting. Off and on for the most part, but good enough. Or so it seemed at the practices. But today when game time rolled around a different story developed. It just wasn't game time, but double header time. Win them both and its into the single elimination round tomorrow to play for the championship. It didn't take much, one inning in both games. The boat slowly started taking on water, but by the end of the inning that same boat was capsizing and sinking to the ocean floor. It was too much to overcome. In the first game the opponents pushed across 6 or 7 runs in the first inning with most of them coming on a two out error. We held them to 4 or so for the remaining 6 innings and we put up an equal amount but that first inning was too much. The Scott Hall Three "Skeeters" went down in the first game. The fielding wasn't too quality and we couldn't find a hole anywhere on the field of play. Going in to game two we shook things up a bit by changing the batting order and moving some fielders around. It looked good for the first few innings. They were getting hits, but they weren't scoring. Same old stuff for us though. Not a single ball would fall into play and the infield hits were hard to outrun. It was anybodies game until a few costly errors, once again with 2 outs. Minus that costly error, the fielding improved ten-fold in the second game and the team was meshing. But that's all she wrote. We were slated for a double header and two losses ends the tournament. The Scott Hall Three Softball Squad was a team cut short in the prime of its playing days, its not fair, its not fair! But as I was telling the team, expansion teams always suck in their debut season, but some rise like the Florida Marlins and Arizona Diamondbacks and that was us. But just as the Cubs fan like to remind the whole world: there is always next season!

On another note of the night nobody was harmed from a April Fools Joke that didn't totally unfold until tonite. Here's the story. On Thursday April 1st Brian Shears left his vodka in my room. It was April Fools, we couldn't just leave it. So the ingenious idea of Jeff and Keith was too pour the remaining vodka out into a pitcher to store elsewhere and fill the bottle of vodka to its previous level with water. So a vodka for water switcheroo. We thought the joke would pan out on Friday or that weekend, but Shears didn't come back for his "vodka" until a week later and hadn't drank any, until tonight. The prank could have worked for some time because Brian likes to mix his vodka with another beverage. But tonight Brian decided to take birthday shots with Matt. The prank would be found out tonight. And the only thing I am pissed about from the whole April Fools joke, is that Brians (over)reaction wasn't caught on video to display for the whole world. But in the end, everybody involved in the prank is unharmed, the vodka had no idea what was going on, and as far as I know no friendships have been severed. April Fools Brian! It was all with love! I am still waiting for the day the masses of Scott Hall rise up and punk the hell out of me. That will be so great! Oh dorm life. Does it get any better?

Well on that note good night moon and everybody have a wonderful tax day tomorrow!

2004-04-11T19:49:00.000-04:00

Exciting Golf

I too thought that my title was an oxymoron, but that was prior to today's finish at Augusta for the coveted "green jacket". Phil Mickelson went in to the final 18 holes as co-leader and I'm sure most of the country watching him play thought Phil would do his usual final round meltdown. But this wasn't the Phil who had gone 0 -42 in majors prior to today. Phil grabbed a hold of his emotions and stayed the course as he won one of the more exciting Masters I've watched. Heading into the 18th hole, Phil was tied at -8 with Ernie Els. Needing a good drive, Phil stuck the ball in the middle of the fairway, setting up his chip onto the putting surface. Then Phil hit onto the green with one of the better shots of the tournament. He had given himself a chance to win, it was his turn. Then when the moment came Phil struck the putt solid and the moment seemed as if it was in slow motion, (it must've been an eternity for Phil) but the ball reached the cup, lipped around the back and fell smoothly to the bottom. And with that Phil showed us why he chose golf over basketball with his four inch leap into the air. Only 3 times prior to today had the Masters been won by birdie-ing the 72nd hole. Phil joined an elite group today. The monkey is off his back, he's won a major and made golf worth watching for a weekend. Not only was the battle between Ernie and Phil intriguing all day, but even the pack trying to reach the two leaders was interesting. Only 7 times had the 16th hole been aced in Masters history but today both Kirk Triplett and Padraig Harrington holed out. And lets not forget Arnold Palmer saying goodbye to the Masters after 50 consecutive Masters appearances. Yes, golf was exciting this weekend. It was quite the piece of sports history.

2004-04-10T01:16:00.000-04:00

The History of Easter

Continuing the History of Holiday series here is the history of Easter. The religious celebration of Easter began in the early 2nd century, but before Easter became a religious holiday it had its beginning, surprise, surprise as a pagan holiday (name a holiday that doesn't have pagan roots). The Saxons celebrated a spring festival commemorating their goddess of springtime, Eastre. As the Christian infiltrated the Saxon culture and missionaries converted the Saxons, the festival was allowed to continue as a Christian holiday. Prior to 325 AD Easter had no set date on which it as celebrated but following the Council of Nicaea called to order by Constantine, the Easter Rule was created and said Easter shall be celebrated on the first Sunday that occurs after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox. Or whatever that means. So Easter falls somewhere between March 22 and April 25. The Easter Bunny too has its root in the Saxon festival of Eastre. The earthly symbol of the goddess Eastre is the bunny so it was worshipped by the Saxons. Germans are given credit for bringing the Easter Bunny to America and it was not incorporated into the holiday celebration until after the Civil War. Along with the Easter Bunny, the decoration of eggs on Easter has it origins prior to the Christian holiday. It was custom to exchange eggs in the springtime that were wrapped in leaves or boiled with petals of flowers to give them vibrant colors. Today many people not only dye eggs but also have Easter egg hunts. So to nobody's susprise the Christians once again stole a pagan holiday and just reworked it as there own. Happy Easter!