Wednesday, December 31, 2008
New Year
Hope everyone is having a happy and safe New Year's Eve. Today was also my mom's birthday. I really like how January 1st hits each time zone with each successive hour. I used to think that it might be fun to experience New Year's several different times by racing the clock, jetting from Sydney to Hong Kong to India to Moscow to London to New York. On that note, I have to bring up the International Dateline. I did a project in computer class in 8th grade; we pretended like we were travel agents and did all the research necessary to plan a trip somewhere. I chose Australia. In the course of my research, I found that you lose an entire day when you fly from LAX across the International Dateline to Sydney. However, on the return flight, you arrive at LAX before you even left Sydney. It's primitive time travel at the very least. As a fan of the Back to the Future movies (particularly I and II), I realize that this feat is nothing compared to actually time travel, but it's still pretty cool. You have to admit that. Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well and will continue to do well into this new year. 2009, I welcome thee.
Labels:
International Dateline,
New Beginnings,
New Year,
time travel
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Happy Holidays
Here's to wishing everyone a wonderful and safe holiday season. It doesn't really matter what you choose to celebrate or what is chosen for you. This time of the year is just a very uplifting and joyful time. Despite the butchering of the season by economic vultures, equating material possessions to happiness, saturating the natural goodness of the season with commercialization, I still believe that the holiday season is a magical time. This may be the time in which the most people on Earth are most generous, thoughtful, and selfless. Everyone is reminded of their humanity, and love is present around each and every corner. This is what I like to believe, at least.
And if you didn't have a great year: Great news! This year is almost over. So don't dwell on the past, look forward to the future, and live in the present.
And if you didn't have a great year: Great news! This year is almost over. So don't dwell on the past, look forward to the future, and live in the present.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Lots of Snow
There's a pretty big snowstorm sweeping its way through the northeast right now. It started snowing here around 2 or 3 pm and has continued and is expected to continue snowing throughout the night. Right now, there's only about an inch or two, but we're supposed to expect around 6-8 inches. It's the first significant snowfall of the winter around my area, and it reminds me so much of my winters at Dartmouth. It's not nearly as cold as Dartmouth winters, but the snow is just as pure and white. It glistens when illuminated by the headlights of passing cars as well as the stationary holiday decorations. I just got back from shoveling. It's rather windy, but there are still some kids in the neighborhood enjoying the snow. I saw a snowmobile pulling a sled with kids hanging on. I'm reminded of the time a couple of my friends put on skis and got pulled down the street on top of fresh powder by a Ford Explorer before the plows could push the snow aside. Upon closer inspection out my window, I see that the snowmobile I mentioned is in fact a 4-Wheeler/ATV. I'm hoping this storm doesn't knock out the power. I feel like I wouldn't know how to entertain myself without electricity.
Celtics play tonight; they will attempt to keep their winning streak alive and improve on their franchise-best starting record. They're the best team in the NBA right now and playing incredible defense, anchored by Kendrick Perkins and Kevin Garnett. Another basketball note: Brandon Roy of the Portland Trail Blazers scored an impressive career-high 52 points against the Phoenix Suns. I was glad I got to watch that game. Normally, I probably wouldn't go out of my way to see such a game, but Roy is a player on my fantasy basketball team, so I was more invested in the outcome. And what an outcome it was! He scored 52 points on better than 50% shooting from the field, 19 of 21 from the charity stripe, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 blocked shot, and no turnovers. Another noteworthy mention is the play of Blazers point guard, Steve Blake. Blake, matched up against the perennial All-Star, Steve Nash, arguably played his best game since being drafted into the NBA from Maryland (Hi Pauline!). Blake outscored Nash, dropping 22 points including 4 baskets from behind the arc. Blake also assisted on 10 buckets, grabbed 4 boards, had 4 thefts, and commited zero turnovers. 10 assists, 0 turnovers. I'm a sucker for a high assist to turnover ratio, so you can imagine how happy this made me. Steve Blake is also on my fanstasy basketball team, so I had a pretty good night.
It's still snowing a lot, so I'll leave you with a haiku:
Deep in the forest,
Where no footsteps have yet tred,
Snow rests on tall pines.
Celtics play tonight; they will attempt to keep their winning streak alive and improve on their franchise-best starting record. They're the best team in the NBA right now and playing incredible defense, anchored by Kendrick Perkins and Kevin Garnett. Another basketball note: Brandon Roy of the Portland Trail Blazers scored an impressive career-high 52 points against the Phoenix Suns. I was glad I got to watch that game. Normally, I probably wouldn't go out of my way to see such a game, but Roy is a player on my fantasy basketball team, so I was more invested in the outcome. And what an outcome it was! He scored 52 points on better than 50% shooting from the field, 19 of 21 from the charity stripe, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 blocked shot, and no turnovers. Another noteworthy mention is the play of Blazers point guard, Steve Blake. Blake, matched up against the perennial All-Star, Steve Nash, arguably played his best game since being drafted into the NBA from Maryland (Hi Pauline!). Blake outscored Nash, dropping 22 points including 4 baskets from behind the arc. Blake also assisted on 10 buckets, grabbed 4 boards, had 4 thefts, and commited zero turnovers. 10 assists, 0 turnovers. I'm a sucker for a high assist to turnover ratio, so you can imagine how happy this made me. Steve Blake is also on my fanstasy basketball team, so I had a pretty good night.
It's still snowing a lot, so I'll leave you with a haiku:
Deep in the forest,
Where no footsteps have yet tred,
Snow rests on tall pines.
Labels:
52 points,
assist to turnover ratio,
Bradon Roy,
snowstorm
Friday, December 12, 2008
Favor
I just finished up a cover letter that I would like to send out tomorrow, but it's late and I'm not sure if I can actually proofread it correctly. It's a page long and just needs a quick read over for any grammar mistakes or typos. If you're bored at work tomorrow and wouldn't mind taking a look at it, please let me know.
It's a position at a company called New leaders for New Schools in New York City.
It's a position at a company called New leaders for New Schools in New York City.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
TGIF?
I played some basketball with the old men today, my second week playing with them. Today, there was a person in my age range. He was a year ahead of me in high school, so we actually played on the same team for a few years. He's a little bit taller than I am standing at 6'7", but only a little taller. The games went pretty smoothly, won more than I lost which was nice. I'm realizing that running once a week isn't going to cut it if I want to get back in shape, just not enough running. I showed up a few minutes early and got to see the end of the Boy's JV Seahawks (CAW!) game against the Harwich Rough Riders (#26 Theodore Roosevelt). Chris Motta-Wurst lives in Harwich and used to play for them before he became a Seahawk. Once a Seahawk, always a seahawk. I reminisced with Mr. Daggett (my high school basketball coach opens the gym and makes Old Man Basketball happen, he also plays pretty well for an old guy) about the old days when I was still a young lad, running around with boundless energy. It's sad those days are gone.
Before heading over the CCA, I stopped by the bank to make a tiny deposit. I deposit slip was regular sized, but the amount of the deposit was small. I ran into a lady that I worked with several summers ago. She was the branch manager then, and I think she's still holding down the branch by the airport. Yes, there is an airport on Cape Cod. Sorry, Devin! No Fernanda.
I watched the celtics game. They won their 13th straight game. They're now 21-2, which is the best start in franchise history and is good for best record in the NBA. I'm also watch the Utah Jazz host the Portland Trailblazers. I don't have too much invested in this game besides having a couple of fantasy players on these teams. I find that fantasy sports really make watching games more fun and exciting for me because I have an incentive to root for the guys on my team. I follow more games throughout the season and have an overall better sense of what's happening, etc. I have to walk a tight rope when I have guys playing against the Boston Celtics. I still cheer for my players to do well, on the that the Celtics come away with the victory. I have absolutely no problem with one of my fantasy players losing in a heoric effort. No qualms whatsoever. But the Celtics better win.
I was trying to help my brother with some math problems earlier, but it didn't work out. He's incredibly stubborn and doesn't listen. Sure, I could have babied him through it, but this kid needs some tough love. The reason he doesn't know how to do what are pretty simple percentage problems is that he was in the gym instead of class. So I gave him an earful about going to class and says, "Whatever, whatever." It seems pretty hypocritcal for me to give him crap abut going to class when I've had my share of missed classes. But I really regret missing classes. The terms where I missed the fewest classes were some probably my favorite terms. I felt focused and balanced between my academics and my personal/social time. At the time, it seemed like such a drag to go to classes, but that's all I had to do really. College life was such a simple time with so little worry and responsibilities. Now I need to look for jobs everyday, write cover letters, tweak resumes, and keep from going insane. Luckily, I'm a resourceful guy. I'm pretty lucky too. My parents are more than ok with me living at home. I just didn't want him to have the same regrets I have. If I can share wisdom from my own experiences, why is it so hard for him to just let it sink in? I don't know; he's like living in his own world, a very strange one.
Ok, I leave you with a little game:
This is one of those find the differences games. The two pictures above are almost identical. I may have changed a few things around, so you need to look very carefully to identify these differences. There are 4 things that's different about the second photo. Post comments with the things you find that are not the same. Let the games begin.
Before heading over the CCA, I stopped by the bank to make a tiny deposit. I deposit slip was regular sized, but the amount of the deposit was small. I ran into a lady that I worked with several summers ago. She was the branch manager then, and I think she's still holding down the branch by the airport. Yes, there is an airport on Cape Cod. Sorry, Devin! No Fernanda.
I watched the celtics game. They won their 13th straight game. They're now 21-2, which is the best start in franchise history and is good for best record in the NBA. I'm also watch the Utah Jazz host the Portland Trailblazers. I don't have too much invested in this game besides having a couple of fantasy players on these teams. I find that fantasy sports really make watching games more fun and exciting for me because I have an incentive to root for the guys on my team. I follow more games throughout the season and have an overall better sense of what's happening, etc. I have to walk a tight rope when I have guys playing against the Boston Celtics. I still cheer for my players to do well, on the that the Celtics come away with the victory. I have absolutely no problem with one of my fantasy players losing in a heoric effort. No qualms whatsoever. But the Celtics better win.
I was trying to help my brother with some math problems earlier, but it didn't work out. He's incredibly stubborn and doesn't listen. Sure, I could have babied him through it, but this kid needs some tough love. The reason he doesn't know how to do what are pretty simple percentage problems is that he was in the gym instead of class. So I gave him an earful about going to class and says, "Whatever, whatever." It seems pretty hypocritcal for me to give him crap abut going to class when I've had my share of missed classes. But I really regret missing classes. The terms where I missed the fewest classes were some probably my favorite terms. I felt focused and balanced between my academics and my personal/social time. At the time, it seemed like such a drag to go to classes, but that's all I had to do really. College life was such a simple time with so little worry and responsibilities. Now I need to look for jobs everyday, write cover letters, tweak resumes, and keep from going insane. Luckily, I'm a resourceful guy. I'm pretty lucky too. My parents are more than ok with me living at home. I just didn't want him to have the same regrets I have. If I can share wisdom from my own experiences, why is it so hard for him to just let it sink in? I don't know; he's like living in his own world, a very strange one.
Ok, I leave you with a little game:
This is one of those find the differences games. The two pictures above are almost identical. I may have changed a few things around, so you need to look very carefully to identify these differences. There are 4 things that's different about the second photo. Post comments with the things you find that are not the same. Let the games begin.
Labels:
CCA,
Celtics,
fantasy sports,
go to class,
seahawks
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Clementines
I had my first clementine of the winter season, and it was delicious. I love that I can eat a sweet and delicious clementine or pretty much any other fruit on a cold winter day. Some people like hot chocolate, but I prefer a nice piece of fruit. It doesn't quite warm my body like something hot, but it gets me thinking about where this fruit came from and what the climate is like there. I just got a craving for a huge fruit salad with all sorts of melons, berries, kiwis, mangos, etc. I've also developed an affinity for cutting the peel off of fruit; I think it's called paring, at least that's the kind of knife you can use. My senior year of college, I had one of those knives that I loved to use. I remember cutting the rind off of my honeydew and cantaloupe with a butter knife with near-surgical precision. I also used to prepare kiwis for my roommate, Devin. We took a trip to BJ's Wholesale, and Devin purchased a box of kiwis. I just remembered that I have a bunch of frozen mango in the freezer, so I could maybe make a smoothie or something tomorrow. Making it now might wake up my family.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
New Party Trick
No, it's not a magic trick; I haven't learned a new one of those in quite some time. I'm talking about learning all the US Presidents in order of their presidency. So it's not exactly as cool as a magic trick, but it might turn a few nerdy heads. I was going through my job hunt today by looking over potential jobs I would be interested in applying for on MonsterTRAK.com, Idealist.org, and even Craigslist.com. I was doing that and looking over my resume and cover letters most of the day. It started getting kind of boring, so I decided to check my fantasy basketball team and the internet in general. Somehow, I found myself ok wikipedia and was reminded of a friend that knows all the presidents by their number. Sometimes, he would shout, "Give me a number!" If you said 20, he would say, "James A. Garfield, next." So I decided to stop working on the job search. I figured with Jeopardy coming up shortly anyway, why the heck not?
So I decided to take a look at a wikipedia article with a list of the presidents. I started by memorizing some of the more memorable presidents like #26 Theodore Roosevelt, the Rough Rider, himself. Of course you have #1 George Washington who started it all. At #35, the beloved Catholic, John F. Kennedy. #8 Martin Van Buren, popularized by Seinfeld. In the show, there is a gang called the Van Buren Boys. I'm still not quite there in terms of recalling the president's name when prompted with a number, but I'm still working on it. At this point, I can write down all the presidents in order. In order to get to the point where I can associate the name with the number, I need to be tested. So please feel free to test me randomly by giving me a number. I think I'm going to try to learn something new every couple of weeks, small projects on the scale of this one. If you have any suggestions on what I should learn, please share. If you feel weird about posting a comment, DON'T feel weird. I live for the comments. They fuel my desire to continue blogging; it lets me know I'm not just wasting my time with this blog. For example, I really appreciated the folks who posted a haiku as a comment in response to the Haiku post.
#8 Marty Van Buren
So I decided to take a look at a wikipedia article with a list of the presidents. I started by memorizing some of the more memorable presidents like #26 Theodore Roosevelt, the Rough Rider, himself. Of course you have #1 George Washington who started it all. At #35, the beloved Catholic, John F. Kennedy. #8 Martin Van Buren, popularized by Seinfeld. In the show, there is a gang called the Van Buren Boys. I'm still not quite there in terms of recalling the president's name when prompted with a number, but I'm still working on it. At this point, I can write down all the presidents in order. In order to get to the point where I can associate the name with the number, I need to be tested. So please feel free to test me randomly by giving me a number. I think I'm going to try to learn something new every couple of weeks, small projects on the scale of this one. If you have any suggestions on what I should learn, please share. If you feel weird about posting a comment, DON'T feel weird. I live for the comments. They fuel my desire to continue blogging; it lets me know I'm not just wasting my time with this blog. For example, I really appreciated the folks who posted a haiku as a comment in response to the Haiku post.
#8 Marty Van Buren
Labels:
numbers,
party trick,
POST COMMENTS,
US Presidents,
wikipedia
Digital Television
This whole digital transition thing is pretty stupid in my opinion. I was watching some Good Eats last night; Alton Brown was showing me how to make delicious frosting. Unfortunately, there were glitches every couple of minutes. This was incredibly annoying because I have no idea how to make great butter cream frosting and I also missed one of the steps to frosting such a cake. It doesn't happen during the day, just at night when I'm watching. What did I ever do them? I like to fall asleep with the tv on. Don't worry, I don't leave it on all night. I program it to turn off shortly after I doze off. As you can imagine, the frequent glitches threw off my sleep so I had trouble falling asleep.
Minor complaint.
Minor complaint.
Labels:
Alton Brown,
digital,
frosting,
glitches,
Good Eats
Monday, December 8, 2008
Haikus
A haiku is a very short form of Japanese poetry, consisting of only 17 syllables. Said syllables are arranged into three phrases that are divided into 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively. Generally, Japanese haiku are printed on a single line while its American cousin is broken up into three lines, signifying the break down of the syllables. Also, Japanese haiku usually have a seasonal/nature reference called a kigo. American haiku tend to have more free range of expression.
Here's a haiku from Kijo Murakami:
First autumn morning:
the mirror I stare into
shows my father's face.
I always enjoyed the haiku for its simplicity from a young age. As I've grown older, I still enjoy it for its simplicity, but also revel in its complexities. You can tell an entire story in 17 syllables as well as the accompanying emotions. Anyway, here's one I wrote today:
Did not get the job.
MATCH School is looking elsewhere
To fill open spots.
It's so clear and concise. You have to respect and appreciate the haiku for that. I was reading a friend's blog the other day and found that he wanted to share a haiku I wrote with his readers. He's teaching English for a year in South Korea, so it's possible my haiku is getting some international readership thanks to his post. I wanted to give credit where credit is due though. I need to thank Mr. Cooper Marshall for inspiring me to have fun with the haiku. You see, Cooper wrote hilarious and insightful haiku to share with our AP English class in high school. That is where I learned to appreciate the haiku, so thank you, Cooper. I hope you're having a blast overseas; it sounds like you are from your blog.
Let's continue with the haiku, they just pop into my head. Try writing a few, it's fun and fairly easy. Try to include a kigo if you want to write a more traditional Japanese haiku.
Autumn leaves signal
Start of frigid Winter chill,
But the hearth warms us.
I lose count sometimes,
Distant bright lights stretch the sky:
Many lonely stars.
My brother wears pants,
But often without a belt.
He sure is silly.
Nature called to her,
But I guess the seat was up;
She ends up all wet.
Holiday season,
Reminded of family,
We miss those we lost.
I thought I've known it,
But wrong was I all this time.
Love eludes this heart.
Arthur pulled the sword,
Releasing Excalibur
From its stone prison.
Angels and Demons,
Based on Dan Brown book, coming
To theaters near you.
With every strike,
I'm closer to perfection.
Only nine more frames.
I made Christmas shirts.
One said "friendship warms the heart;"
They were iron-on.
If you're bored at work or have a couple of minutes to spare, post a haiku as a comment. I'd love to read them.
They can be about:
Anything and everything.
I am very bored.
Here's a haiku from Kijo Murakami:
First autumn morning:
the mirror I stare into
shows my father's face.
I always enjoyed the haiku for its simplicity from a young age. As I've grown older, I still enjoy it for its simplicity, but also revel in its complexities. You can tell an entire story in 17 syllables as well as the accompanying emotions. Anyway, here's one I wrote today:
Did not get the job.
MATCH School is looking elsewhere
To fill open spots.
It's so clear and concise. You have to respect and appreciate the haiku for that. I was reading a friend's blog the other day and found that he wanted to share a haiku I wrote with his readers. He's teaching English for a year in South Korea, so it's possible my haiku is getting some international readership thanks to his post. I wanted to give credit where credit is due though. I need to thank Mr. Cooper Marshall for inspiring me to have fun with the haiku. You see, Cooper wrote hilarious and insightful haiku to share with our AP English class in high school. That is where I learned to appreciate the haiku, so thank you, Cooper. I hope you're having a blast overseas; it sounds like you are from your blog.
Let's continue with the haiku, they just pop into my head. Try writing a few, it's fun and fairly easy. Try to include a kigo if you want to write a more traditional Japanese haiku.
Autumn leaves signal
Start of frigid Winter chill,
But the hearth warms us.
I lose count sometimes,
Distant bright lights stretch the sky:
Many lonely stars.
My brother wears pants,
But often without a belt.
He sure is silly.
Nature called to her,
But I guess the seat was up;
She ends up all wet.
Holiday season,
Reminded of family,
We miss those we lost.
I thought I've known it,
But wrong was I all this time.
Love eludes this heart.
Arthur pulled the sword,
Releasing Excalibur
From its stone prison.
Angels and Demons,
Based on Dan Brown book, coming
To theaters near you.
With every strike,
I'm closer to perfection.
Only nine more frames.
I made Christmas shirts.
One said "friendship warms the heart;"
They were iron-on.
If you're bored at work or have a couple of minutes to spare, post a haiku as a comment. I'd love to read them.
They can be about:
Anything and everything.
I am very bored.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Deep Thoughts
If you've seen SNL, you've probably seen a segment called Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy. It's a great segment where a very calm voice reads one of these deep "thoughts" while very peaceful music plays and the screen shows a very serene landscape. Here are some choice Deep Thoughts I found on the Internet. If it helps, play some soft, tranquil music in the background while staring at a nice nature picture.
One thing kids like is to be tricked. For instance, I was going to take my little nephew to Disneyland, but instead I drove him to an old burned-out warehouse. "Oh, no," I said. "Disneyland burned down." He cried and cried, but I think that deep down, he thought it was a pretty good joke. I started to drive over to the real Disneyland, but it was getting pretty late.
Dad always thought laughter was the best medicine, which I guess is why several of us died of tuberculosis.
If you define cowardice as running away at the first sign of danger, screaming and tripping and begging for mercy, then yes, Mr. Brave man, I guess I'm a coward.
If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason.
The memories of my family outings are still a source of strength to me. I remember we'd all pile into the car - I forget what kind it was - and drive and drive. I'm not sure where we'd go, but I think there were some trees there. The smell of something was strong in the air as we played whatever sport we played. I remember a bigger, older guy we called "Dad." We'd eat some stuff, or not, and then I think we went home. I guess some things never leave you.
Just because swans mate for life, I don't think its that big a deal. First of all, if you're a swan, you're probably not going to find a swan that looks much better than the one you've got, so why not mate for life?
I can't stand cheap people. It makes me real mad when someone says something like, "Hey, when are you going to pay me that $100 you owe me?" or "Do you have that $50 you borrowed?" Man, quit being so cheap!
Sometimes, when I lie in bed at night and look up at the stars, I think to myself, "Man! I really need to fix that roof."
Somebody told me how frightening it was how much topsoil we are losing each year, but I told that story around the campfire and nobody got scared.
"To me, clowns aren't funny. In fact, they're kinda scary. I've wondered where this started, and I think it goes back to the time I went to the circus and a clown killed my dad."
Enjoy.
One thing kids like is to be tricked. For instance, I was going to take my little nephew to Disneyland, but instead I drove him to an old burned-out warehouse. "Oh, no," I said. "Disneyland burned down." He cried and cried, but I think that deep down, he thought it was a pretty good joke. I started to drive over to the real Disneyland, but it was getting pretty late.
Dad always thought laughter was the best medicine, which I guess is why several of us died of tuberculosis.
If you define cowardice as running away at the first sign of danger, screaming and tripping and begging for mercy, then yes, Mr. Brave man, I guess I'm a coward.
If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason.
The memories of my family outings are still a source of strength to me. I remember we'd all pile into the car - I forget what kind it was - and drive and drive. I'm not sure where we'd go, but I think there were some trees there. The smell of something was strong in the air as we played whatever sport we played. I remember a bigger, older guy we called "Dad." We'd eat some stuff, or not, and then I think we went home. I guess some things never leave you.
If a kid asks where rain comes from, I think a cute thing to tell him is "God is crying." And if he asks why God is crying, another cute thing to tell him is "Probably because of something you did."
Just because swans mate for life, I don't think its that big a deal. First of all, if you're a swan, you're probably not going to find a swan that looks much better than the one you've got, so why not mate for life?
I can't stand cheap people. It makes me real mad when someone says something like, "Hey, when are you going to pay me that $100 you owe me?" or "Do you have that $50 you borrowed?" Man, quit being so cheap!
Sometimes, when I lie in bed at night and look up at the stars, I think to myself, "Man! I really need to fix that roof."
Somebody told me how frightening it was how much topsoil we are losing each year, but I told that story around the campfire and nobody got scared.
"To me, clowns aren't funny. In fact, they're kinda scary. I've wondered where this started, and I think it goes back to the time I went to the circus and a clown killed my dad."
Enjoy.
Miscellaneous
Rock of Love Charm School: I just saw the end of this week's episode and Kristy Joe and Jessica both got sent home. To my surprise, and apparently all the other Charm School contestants, Lacey is still there. What's up with that? She's such an instigator. How can Sharon Osbourne put up with that?
Celtics won again tonight. That's 11 straight wins, and Rondo turned in another impressive performance. He's really developing into a Class-A caliber player and point guard.
Kevin just told me he's thinking about getting fish as pets again. I've seen so many deaths. The horror. The horror.
I saw a movie about a week ago called Mumford? I definitely saw it, but I'm not 100% positive about the title. It's about an IRS agent who leaves his job with the government and moves to a small town, posing as a psychologist. I really enjoyed it. It's a cute story set in a very quaint town with many odd, yet lovable characters. Jason Lee is one of those quirky characters who becomes best friends with Doc Mumford. That's right, the fake psychologist's fake name is the same as the town's. It's really a lovely story about second chances and new beginnings.
Top Chef New York: I've been watching the new season and it seems to be moving somewhat slow to me. I'm sure it'll start picking up once I become more familiar with each character.
Jeopardy: The current champion has won four days including today. He's a senior at Amherst College and appears to be a rather bright young man. I missed final jeopardy today because I was trying to catch the end of Seinfeld. It was the episode where George reveals his secret code to J. Peterman's dying mother. Comment with the code if you know it. You'll get props from me and maybe more.
Exercise: I'm getting up early tomorrow to play basketball. I'm practicing with the varsity team at my old high school. It's a little bittersweet though because my old basketball coach is no longer coaching the team. He's too busy running the school as the headmaster to put everything he has into coaching. I hear really great things about the new coach though, so I'm excited to see how he runs the team tomorrow.
Plaxico Burress is an idiot.
A commercial just told me that LL Cool J (Ladies Love Cool James) got his first turntable set from his grandfather. It also mentioned that his grandfather didn't only give LL Cool J a turntable set but also, and more importantly, a voice.
I'm finding that Friday night is not a great night for watching tv. Perhaps that is why people often go out on this night.
That's about all I have for now. I should try to sleep so I can run tomorrow morning.
Celtics won again tonight. That's 11 straight wins, and Rondo turned in another impressive performance. He's really developing into a Class-A caliber player and point guard.
Kevin just told me he's thinking about getting fish as pets again. I've seen so many deaths. The horror. The horror.
I saw a movie about a week ago called Mumford? I definitely saw it, but I'm not 100% positive about the title. It's about an IRS agent who leaves his job with the government and moves to a small town, posing as a psychologist. I really enjoyed it. It's a cute story set in a very quaint town with many odd, yet lovable characters. Jason Lee is one of those quirky characters who becomes best friends with Doc Mumford. That's right, the fake psychologist's fake name is the same as the town's. It's really a lovely story about second chances and new beginnings.
Top Chef New York: I've been watching the new season and it seems to be moving somewhat slow to me. I'm sure it'll start picking up once I become more familiar with each character.
Jeopardy: The current champion has won four days including today. He's a senior at Amherst College and appears to be a rather bright young man. I missed final jeopardy today because I was trying to catch the end of Seinfeld. It was the episode where George reveals his secret code to J. Peterman's dying mother. Comment with the code if you know it. You'll get props from me and maybe more.
Exercise: I'm getting up early tomorrow to play basketball. I'm practicing with the varsity team at my old high school. It's a little bittersweet though because my old basketball coach is no longer coaching the team. He's too busy running the school as the headmaster to put everything he has into coaching. I hear really great things about the new coach though, so I'm excited to see how he runs the team tomorrow.
Plaxico Burress is an idiot.
A commercial just told me that LL Cool J (Ladies Love Cool James) got his first turntable set from his grandfather. It also mentioned that his grandfather didn't only give LL Cool J a turntable set but also, and more importantly, a voice.
I'm finding that Friday night is not a great night for watching tv. Perhaps that is why people often go out on this night.
That's about all I have for now. I should try to sleep so I can run tomorrow morning.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Convicted!
OJ Simpson was sentenced today to 15 years of prison for his involvement in an altercation in Las Vegas. Apparently, Simpson heard through the grape vines that some men were holed up in a hotel room with a bunch of stolen memorabilia and other personal possessions belonging to Mr. Simpson. He then went to confront those men with some back-up and a gun. He was arrested when those men in the hotel room called the police. He was seen in court today making a teary-eyed apology and statement to the court. The judged upheld the conviction handed down by a jury his peers and she sentenced him to 15 years is a Nevada county prison. She also tagged on a supplement of one to six years to be served after his sentence of 15 years. The additional punishment was due to the fact that these crimes were perpetrated with the use of a deadly weapon, a gun. In reality, the 60-something year old Simpson is going to serve somewhere between 8-10 years. He's eligible for parole after serving a third of his 15 year sentence, but is then obligated to take on the additional sentence.
Haikus for OJ:
Double Jeopardy
Allowed him to write his book,
But now he's in jail.
He only wanted
To get his things back from them,
But he used a gun.
All-Star running back,
Juking the Law all these years;
Tackled for a loss.
Haikus for OJ:
Double Jeopardy
Allowed him to write his book,
But now he's in jail.
He only wanted
To get his things back from them,
But he used a gun.
All-Star running back,
Juking the Law all these years;
Tackled for a loss.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Vindicated!
Tonight was my first night playing in the old man basketball league. I was the youngest person there by about 20 years over the next youngest guy. I had a lot of fun though. Maybe it had something to do with the age of my opponents, but I actually played decently well - no airballs at least. I felt like my conditioning and stamina were way up from the last time I played, which ,if you read the post about it, was pretty awful. I wasn't dying after half a game and had enough legs left to make a jump shot late in games. I also noticed that I was easily the smallest person there. These are some pretty large old guys. I didn't have a white or dark shirt, so I had to borrow them from two of the smaller guys and the shirts were still huge on me. Anyway, the fitness plan is getting underway and I'm feeling not so old anymore.
I also saw a German film called The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen) yesterday. It's about a Stasi officer, trained in the art of interrogation, who is put on a case to monitor the actions of a prominent writer through surveillance. The story takes place in the mid 1980s in East Berlin, and I really enjoyed it. For some reason, I have a strange affinity for foreign films. I don't mind reading subtitles and actually prefer that to dubbing. There's just something about a foreign film that is exactly that, foreign. It's different from what I'm used to seeing. I saw Cinema Paradiso last spring and would like to reccomend it for your viewing pleasure.
Here's a haiku to wet your whistle:
Usually, haikus often deal with nature themes, but I'm going to steer away from that briefly for this one. It's called "Kobe Bryant: Unworthy".
Great waste of talent.
Rather shoot than pass the ball.
Kobe, MVP?
And here is a picture of old men playing basketball. They're certainly not the guys I played with, but you can google image search just about anything.
I also saw a German film called The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen) yesterday. It's about a Stasi officer, trained in the art of interrogation, who is put on a case to monitor the actions of a prominent writer through surveillance. The story takes place in the mid 1980s in East Berlin, and I really enjoyed it. For some reason, I have a strange affinity for foreign films. I don't mind reading subtitles and actually prefer that to dubbing. There's just something about a foreign film that is exactly that, foreign. It's different from what I'm used to seeing. I saw Cinema Paradiso last spring and would like to reccomend it for your viewing pleasure.
Here's a haiku to wet your whistle:
Usually, haikus often deal with nature themes, but I'm going to steer away from that briefly for this one. It's called "Kobe Bryant: Unworthy".
Great waste of talent.
Rather shoot than pass the ball.
Kobe, MVP?
And here is a picture of old men playing basketball. They're certainly not the guys I played with, but you can google image search just about anything.
Labels:
basketball,
foreign films,
google image,
old men,
subtitles
Sonnets
The modern day definition of a sonnet is usually considered to be the structured poems written by William Shakespeare. They started out as lyrical poems, to which Shakespeare adapted his 14 line structure. There are 3 stanzas and an ending couplet. The rhyme scheme is a b a b c d c d e f e f g g. Also, each line has exactly 10 syllables and each line should follow iambic pentameter. It's pretty amazing that Shakespeare wrote 154 of these. I really like trying to write these because I find the structure to be pleasant upon reading. I also enjoy the challenge of fumbling for the right words to fit the Shakespearean sonnet blueprint.
I wrote this one about getting old and dying yesterday. Not just dying, but also losing life's vigor. A lot of sonnets start with the introduction of a problem, followed by an expansion on that problem, followed by a "turn" in which the author starts to solve the problem or offers advice on the problem, and ends with a couplet that is usually uplifting. I'm sure you might have heard Sonnet #18, one of his most famous sonnets. It's the one that starts "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" So here's mine.
Growing Old
Gray days cast their shadows on our good sun.
Rain falls, washing away my youthful dreams.
Gone too, withered with age, my sense of fun.
Despair soaks my old bones or so it seems.
Forget Fountain of Youth, age has no cure.
The hour-glass flips, commence the fall of sand.
Trapped in aging bodies, forced to live here.
Father Time holds earthly vessels in hand.
But youth lives not in our self but our minds.
Act how you want to feel, rather than aged.
Engage, explore, live life, treasure your finds.
Loosen age's grip, Death waits, so what? It's staged.
Fear not my friends, brighter days make their way.
Hold on to hope and friends, and come what may.
Yeah, so that's it. I appreciate any criticisms and feedback. I leave you with a picture of William Shakespeare. There are people who think he never wrote anything, and it's all some crazy conspiracy to lend his name to all these works written by others. I think that's pretty silly. Just look at this face. Is that the face of a fraud? I don't think so.
Next time: Haikus!
I wrote this one about getting old and dying yesterday. Not just dying, but also losing life's vigor. A lot of sonnets start with the introduction of a problem, followed by an expansion on that problem, followed by a "turn" in which the author starts to solve the problem or offers advice on the problem, and ends with a couplet that is usually uplifting. I'm sure you might have heard Sonnet #18, one of his most famous sonnets. It's the one that starts "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" So here's mine.
Growing Old
Gray days cast their shadows on our good sun.
Rain falls, washing away my youthful dreams.
Gone too, withered with age, my sense of fun.
Despair soaks my old bones or so it seems.
Forget Fountain of Youth, age has no cure.
The hour-glass flips, commence the fall of sand.
Trapped in aging bodies, forced to live here.
Father Time holds earthly vessels in hand.
But youth lives not in our self but our minds.
Act how you want to feel, rather than aged.
Engage, explore, live life, treasure your finds.
Loosen age's grip, Death waits, so what? It's staged.
Fear not my friends, brighter days make their way.
Hold on to hope and friends, and come what may.
Yeah, so that's it. I appreciate any criticisms and feedback. I leave you with a picture of William Shakespeare. There are people who think he never wrote anything, and it's all some crazy conspiracy to lend his name to all these works written by others. I think that's pretty silly. Just look at this face. Is that the face of a fraud? I don't think so.
Next time: Haikus!
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Hump Day
I learned a couple of years ago that Wednesdays are called Hump Days. Imagine my shock and the accompanying chuckles when I first heard someone refer to Wednesday as Hump Day. So I just wanted to clear up that common misconception; get your minds out of the gutter. Hump Day is great though for you working folks, unless you have to work weekends, the work week is halfway over. Wednesdays don't really do it for me though except it does mark the coming of Thursday. I'm starting to play in an old man basketball league at my old high school. It should be a good time and some good regular exercise every week.
I also had my phone interview with the recruiter from the MATCH School today. I think it went pretty well, but I can't be sure since I'm not very good on the phone. I'm supposed to hear back from them next week about whether I get an on-site interview.
I saw another random movie again today. I think it was called Sketches? It starred C. Thomas Howell and Jason Bateman. It's about a road trip that three friends take from Ohio to California as a last adventure since one of them has a terminal illness. It wasn't bad. I just tried to look it up quickly on IMDB, but I'm having trouble locating it. I trying to find it to get a picture for this post. In light of my failure, I'm just going to find a random picture to post.
I chose the winning couples of the first 3 seasons of Beauty and the Geek. I never saw all of season 4 and none (maybe one or two episodes) of season 5.
1. Chuck and Caitilin
2. Cher and Josh
3. Scooter and Megan
Megan of season 3 went on to reality show superstardom. Her next appearance was in Bret Michael's Rock of Love. Then she appeared in VH1's I Love Money before attending Rock of Love Charm School, ran by none other than Sharon Osbourne. Interesting facts: Her partner, Scooter, is a Harvard grad and Megan is also a Playboy model. Cher of Season 2 ended up falling for one of the geeks. She didn't fall for her partner; she fell for Wes, a scientist that shot monkeys with lasers. It was a pretty good show, and Ashton Kutcher, who's disappeared from media spotlights, produced it.
I also had my phone interview with the recruiter from the MATCH School today. I think it went pretty well, but I can't be sure since I'm not very good on the phone. I'm supposed to hear back from them next week about whether I get an on-site interview.
I saw another random movie again today. I think it was called Sketches? It starred C. Thomas Howell and Jason Bateman. It's about a road trip that three friends take from Ohio to California as a last adventure since one of them has a terminal illness. It wasn't bad. I just tried to look it up quickly on IMDB, but I'm having trouble locating it. I trying to find it to get a picture for this post. In light of my failure, I'm just going to find a random picture to post.
I chose the winning couples of the first 3 seasons of Beauty and the Geek. I never saw all of season 4 and none (maybe one or two episodes) of season 5.
1. Chuck and Caitilin
2. Cher and Josh
3. Scooter and Megan
Megan of season 3 went on to reality show superstardom. Her next appearance was in Bret Michael's Rock of Love. Then she appeared in VH1's I Love Money before attending Rock of Love Charm School, ran by none other than Sharon Osbourne. Interesting facts: Her partner, Scooter, is a Harvard grad and Megan is also a Playboy model. Cher of Season 2 ended up falling for one of the geeks. She didn't fall for her partner; she fell for Wes, a scientist that shot monkeys with lasers. It was a pretty good show, and Ashton Kutcher, who's disappeared from media spotlights, produced it.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
First Snow, Sort of
What an exciting day! I got up early this morning and went snowboarding for the first time this winter season. I went to Mt. Waschusett in Princeton, MA. It hasn't actually snowed there, but they have been keeping themselves busy on the snow makers. There were about 10 trails open on 3 lifts. The snow was pretty slushy today because it was incredibly warm and there wasn't a lot of snow to begin with. There was a lot of green and brown showing, but I was impressed by the amount of snow they managed to make. Like I mentioned, it was a very warm day which is different from what I'm used to. In Hanover, I fully expect single digit temperatures accompanied by face burning winds. I did have to drive almost 2 hours each way though. It's hard to complain though because I got to go for free since one of my friends had two free lift tickets.
I felt really good curving down the mountain too. My legs were in better shape than I expected, although I'm sure I'll feel sore in the morning. But I felt as though I did pretty well today and didn't even take any spills; thank goodness for muscle memory. I think I need to get new boots or bindings, but I don't exactly have any disposable income to buy new snowboarding gear with. Yet, I want to complain about how I noticed that my right pinky toe was getting crushed whenever I maintained a toe-side turn for a few seconds too long. Maybe I just need to wrap it up or something the next time I go. I don't know when I would even go again unless I can get my hands on another free pass, which I might be able to. Contact me if you'd like an email about a free pass to Waschusetts.
Speaking of First Snow, I was watching tv the other day and came across a movie called First Snow. It's about a charismatic salesman who tries to change his fate after a roadside psychic tells him he has until the first snow to live. It stars Guy Pierce and Piper Perabo. I only saw the first half hour or so. I thought it was somewhat interesting, so I might try to catch the rest of the film. I enjoy the fact that I watch so much stuff on tv, but I don't enjoy that I'm able to do this because I'm unemployed. If there was a job that required someone to watch a lot of tv, not just one or two shows, but a wide range of shows, then I think I'm the man for the job.
I blew away a couple of my friends tonight because I watch a lot of useless television. My friend changed the channel to the CW after we watched House, and it happened to be a show I've seen called Privilege. His little brother asked what the show was and then declared that I probably knew. I told them it's a show about a Yale (English Major) graduate who becomes the tutor to two privilege girls, who live with their rich grandmother, and all the antics that ensue. Anyway, I think they were pretty impressed that I have that much free time and willingly choose to use it the way I do. Perhaps, impressed is not the right word. Anyway, talking about impressing people, I have a phone interview with the MATCH School tomorrow at 11 AM so send good vibes my way if you're bored.
For your viewing pleasure, here's the star of Privileged: Joanna Garcia
That's right! She's was also on the show Reba, and had a minor role in the second(?) American Pie movie . Good Eye! Also, the question to tonight's Final Jeopardy answer in the Breakfast Cereal category was: Who is Cap'n Crunch?
I felt really good curving down the mountain too. My legs were in better shape than I expected, although I'm sure I'll feel sore in the morning. But I felt as though I did pretty well today and didn't even take any spills; thank goodness for muscle memory. I think I need to get new boots or bindings, but I don't exactly have any disposable income to buy new snowboarding gear with. Yet, I want to complain about how I noticed that my right pinky toe was getting crushed whenever I maintained a toe-side turn for a few seconds too long. Maybe I just need to wrap it up or something the next time I go. I don't know when I would even go again unless I can get my hands on another free pass, which I might be able to. Contact me if you'd like an email about a free pass to Waschusetts.
Speaking of First Snow, I was watching tv the other day and came across a movie called First Snow. It's about a charismatic salesman who tries to change his fate after a roadside psychic tells him he has until the first snow to live. It stars Guy Pierce and Piper Perabo. I only saw the first half hour or so. I thought it was somewhat interesting, so I might try to catch the rest of the film. I enjoy the fact that I watch so much stuff on tv, but I don't enjoy that I'm able to do this because I'm unemployed. If there was a job that required someone to watch a lot of tv, not just one or two shows, but a wide range of shows, then I think I'm the man for the job.
I blew away a couple of my friends tonight because I watch a lot of useless television. My friend changed the channel to the CW after we watched House, and it happened to be a show I've seen called Privilege. His little brother asked what the show was and then declared that I probably knew. I told them it's a show about a Yale (English Major) graduate who becomes the tutor to two privilege girls, who live with their rich grandmother, and all the antics that ensue. Anyway, I think they were pretty impressed that I have that much free time and willingly choose to use it the way I do. Perhaps, impressed is not the right word. Anyway, talking about impressing people, I have a phone interview with the MATCH School tomorrow at 11 AM so send good vibes my way if you're bored.
For your viewing pleasure, here's the star of Privileged: Joanna Garcia
That's right! She's was also on the show Reba, and had a minor role in the second(?) American Pie movie . Good Eye! Also, the question to tonight's Final Jeopardy answer in the Breakfast Cereal category was: Who is Cap'n Crunch?
Labels:
Cap'n Crunch,
First Snow,
House,
Jeopardy,
Privileged,
Reba,
tv
Monday, December 1, 2008
December
I can't believe it's already December. Thanksgiving was later this year than usual and that's kind of throwing me off. I guess that means the Christmas shopping season is a little shorter than usual. I'm really not a huge fan of the shopping season. The malls are crowded and shoppers become crazed and impatient, as if they become possessed by demons. It's pretty insane. I recently heard that a Wal-Mart employee was trampled to death during the Black Friday shopping spree.
I'm not a socialist or communist or anything, but I do find the degree of our consumerism to be somewhat disturbing. A person died because crazed consumers couldn't take a few seconds to walk around a person. Instead, they walked over and through that person on their way to grab a Nintendo Wii or whatever the hottest item is this season. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy gifts and toys as much as the next person, but I would like to think that I can draw the line at trampling someone to death. I absolutely hate the thought of Black Friday. I don't enjoy shopping, so the thought of waiting in crazy lines in crowded malls makes me feel claustrophobic.
I was talking to a friend who went to pick up a flash drive at Best Buy on Friday. He didn't get up at 4am to wait in line; he went in the afternoon. Despite going much later, he found the lines were still crazy and people were still in a barbaric and primal state. I hate situations where people act in an uncivilized way. I'm talking about normal people, who are very pleasant to be around in any other setting. There's something strange and powerful about consumerism. Like a Dr. Jekyll potion, it changes people.
What happened to good old fashioned values? What happened to getting into the holiday spirit? I'm almost positive that the holiday spirit does not include trampling someone to death. I feel like our society is spiraling downwards. People dying during crazed shopping sprees is a pretty rare thing, but there are daily occurrences that remind me of an earlier age of innocence. I was at the mall on Saturday to kill some time before seeing Quantum of Solace. I saw so many unaccompanied pre-teens sporting cell phones, smoking, and just looking like they were up to no good. And I don't think it only appeared that way to me because I'm getting older. I remember being that age and I was not doing what these kids are doing. I saw some kids that couldn't have been older than 14 messing with soda machine and climbing all over it. Where are the parents? Kids are starting to smoke and drink before even starting high school. Teenage girls are getting pregnant younger and younger. It's great that in 50 years or so, we're going to have the youngest and greatest number of great-grandparents around. But at what cost? The disentangling of the fabric of society? Lower and lower high school graduation rates? Higher frop out rates. I'm not sure how I got from consumerism to today's youth to the steady decline of out society, but there is obviously some connections. We don't teach and display the same values anymore. The values we treasure these days are consumerism and its ugly cousins impatience, vulgarity, and inhumanity.
I was also talking to my friend about a book called The $12 Million Stuffed Shark. It's a book that takes a behind the scene look at the economics of the contemporary art business. Anyway, he was telling me about some really bogus pieces of "art" that sell for ridiculous sums of money. I'd be curious to read that when he's done with it. I think it will make me even more cynical about our world, but it's a risk I'm willing to take. On the bright side, it's much easier to make an impact in a world is that is plagued by problems.
I'm not a socialist or communist or anything, but I do find the degree of our consumerism to be somewhat disturbing. A person died because crazed consumers couldn't take a few seconds to walk around a person. Instead, they walked over and through that person on their way to grab a Nintendo Wii or whatever the hottest item is this season. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy gifts and toys as much as the next person, but I would like to think that I can draw the line at trampling someone to death. I absolutely hate the thought of Black Friday. I don't enjoy shopping, so the thought of waiting in crazy lines in crowded malls makes me feel claustrophobic.
I was talking to a friend who went to pick up a flash drive at Best Buy on Friday. He didn't get up at 4am to wait in line; he went in the afternoon. Despite going much later, he found the lines were still crazy and people were still in a barbaric and primal state. I hate situations where people act in an uncivilized way. I'm talking about normal people, who are very pleasant to be around in any other setting. There's something strange and powerful about consumerism. Like a Dr. Jekyll potion, it changes people.
What happened to good old fashioned values? What happened to getting into the holiday spirit? I'm almost positive that the holiday spirit does not include trampling someone to death. I feel like our society is spiraling downwards. People dying during crazed shopping sprees is a pretty rare thing, but there are daily occurrences that remind me of an earlier age of innocence. I was at the mall on Saturday to kill some time before seeing Quantum of Solace. I saw so many unaccompanied pre-teens sporting cell phones, smoking, and just looking like they were up to no good. And I don't think it only appeared that way to me because I'm getting older. I remember being that age and I was not doing what these kids are doing. I saw some kids that couldn't have been older than 14 messing with soda machine and climbing all over it. Where are the parents? Kids are starting to smoke and drink before even starting high school. Teenage girls are getting pregnant younger and younger. It's great that in 50 years or so, we're going to have the youngest and greatest number of great-grandparents around. But at what cost? The disentangling of the fabric of society? Lower and lower high school graduation rates? Higher frop out rates. I'm not sure how I got from consumerism to today's youth to the steady decline of out society, but there is obviously some connections. We don't teach and display the same values anymore. The values we treasure these days are consumerism and its ugly cousins impatience, vulgarity, and inhumanity.
I was also talking to my friend about a book called The $12 Million Stuffed Shark. It's a book that takes a behind the scene look at the economics of the contemporary art business. Anyway, he was telling me about some really bogus pieces of "art" that sell for ridiculous sums of money. I'd be curious to read that when he's done with it. I think it will make me even more cynical about our world, but it's a risk I'm willing to take. On the bright side, it's much easier to make an impact in a world is that is plagued by problems.
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