A whole lot of NBA stuff

I thought it was about time that I enlighten all of you with my NBA season awards as well as post-season preview. First the Awards:

Coach of the Year: Rick Carlise, Indiana Pacers. After the brawl game, the Pacers had no business making the playoffs, and they certainly had no business making it as high as a 6th seed. This proves 2 things. One that the East is still weak, real weak. And two that Carlise is probably the best coach in the NBA.
Runner-Up: Nate McMillan, Seattle Supersonics
6th Man: Ben Gordon, Chicago Bulls. Even though Jerry Stackhouse has better numbers, since Gordon is his teams best scorer, most clutch performer and arguably his teams best player (Hinrich actually is, but that’s neither here nor there) he gets the nod.
Runner-Up: Jerry Stackhouse, Dallas Mavericks.
Rookie of the Year: Emeka Okafor, Charlotte Bobcats. This was easily the hardest category to choose. While Gordon played in more meaningful games and his team ultimately made the playoffs, Okafor was the best rookie this year. Unlike Gordon, who was surrounded by a slew of talented players, Okafor was his teams number one option and if he had an off night his team was done for. Gordon had the luxury of coming off the bench and deferring to his teammates with confidence if he was on. Okafor had no of that and still put up great numbers. Side Note: I’m really not sold on Dwight Howard.
Runner-Ups: Ben Gordon, Andre Igoudla (76ers), Josh Smith (Hawks), Dwight Howard (Magic).
Defensive Player of the Year: Tayshaun Prince, Detroit Pistions. The best perimeter defender in the league, bar none.
Runner-Ups: Bruce Bowen, Ben Wallace, Tim Duncan, Andre Igoudla.
MVP: Shaquille O’Neal, Miami Heat. If I’m a betting man I say Steve Nash takes this one, but O’Neal rightfully should win it. He’s been far more dominate, and as good as Nash has been, he’s defensive liability will be the reason the Suns don’t win it all.
Runner-Ups: Allen Iverson, Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Tim Duncan.

All-NBA First Team:
G Allen Iverson + Steve Nash: For my money Iverson has been the best player in the league this year, but Shaq deserves MVP, if that makes any since. It’s hard to leave Lebron off this list, but I can’t justify bumping either Nash or Iverson.
F Dirk and Amare: I know I had Tim Duncan in my MVP voting, but he’s missed to many games to be first team, although he’s still prove that he’s top 5 in MVP voting.
C Shaq: Who the hell else would be here?

All-NBA SecondTeam:
G Lebron James + Ray Allen: James is the easy pick, since he’s 5b on my all-NBA list. Allen gets the nod here because he’s led the league’s most surprising team all year and all people talk about is his contract.
F T-Mac and KG: Even though KG’s teams bombed, he’s still had a great year. Also T-Mac is a 3 in my book, so yeah.
C: Duncan: Plays PF, but he’s a center at heart, that and no other center is worthy of this spot as far as I’m concerned.
Honorable Mention: Gilbert Arenas, Tayshuan Prince, Mike Bibby, Dwayne Wade, Grant Hill, Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion and Reggie Miller.

Playoff Predictions:
For now I’ll just do the first round, I’ll put out the rest of my predictions later.

East:

1 Miami v. 8 New Jersey: Everyone think the Net’s will make a series of this, I have to disagree. If RJ was at full health maybe, but the Heat are going to destroy the Nets inside. Heat in 5, 7 if Shaq misses more then one game.

4 Chicago Bulls v. Washington Wizards: I like the Wizards here. First off the Bulls are banged up, Deng and Curry won’t play at all, and despite the Bulls great defense, I believe they’ll be hard pressed to stop the Wiz’s trio. Washington in 6

3 Boston v. Indiana : This is a dream match up for Indiana. While B-Town has been hot as of late, they don’t match up well with the Pacers. I also have the feeling that Reggie is going to be lights out for the entire playoffs, and the Celtics don’t play D and Jermaine O’Neal is going to destroy Boston if he stays healthy. Add in the fact that the Pacers have a slew of players who can defend Paul Pierce as well as anyone, and the Pacers should be favored in this series. Plus they’re kinda due for some good karma. Pacers in 6

2 Detroit v. 7 Philadelphia: AI is great, but the Pistons are far better then the 76ers. Prince guards Iverson, and everyone for that matter, better then anyone in the league. I don’t see the 76ers winning a game in this series unless AI goes off for at least 40, which I don’t think he’ll be able to do against Prince. C-Webb will flop in the playoffs yet again, with the only difference this time around being that his team was expected to loose. Pistons in 4

West:

1 Phoenix v. Memphis: Memphis matches up very well with the Suns, but I think they lack the offensive punch to contend w/ Phoenix. Memphis is a team that’s built for the regular season, and I they don’t have what it takes to beat the Suns 4 times in 7 games. Suns in 6

4 Dallas v. Houston: This would be a great series if Juwan Howard wasn’t injured. Now the Rockets have no one who can defend Dirk. T-Mac will try, but I doubt he’ll guard Dirk that much considering the offensive burden he has to carry. While Dallas should be a clear favorite in this series, I think Jeff Van Gundy will out-coach Avery Johnson and his humongous lips enough to make this one interesting. Dallas in 7.

3 Seattle v. Sacramento: The Kings are banged up again in the playoffs, what else is new. Yet I still like Sac-town in this series, regardless of their health issues. Mike Bibby is at his best in the playoffs and he’s going to eat up the Supersonics PGs. I also don’t like the way Seattle backed in to the playoffs. While the Kings haven’t played great, the have far more playoff experience then the Sonics. Kings in 6

2 San Antonio v. Denver: The Nuggets have arguably been the best team in the NBA since the All-Star break, it’s too bad for them that they run into the Spurs in the first round. But this is definitely the best time to play the Spurs since TD is banged up and trying to regain his rhythm. Still, I like SA in this series, mainly b/c I think Carmello is gonna get locked down by the Spurs and then he’ll force the issue to much and take his team out of a couple of games. Denver will make is one interesting, and if Anthony doesn’t try to do too much then Denver could very well pull off the upset. But I think the safer bet is Carmello over doing it and crushing the Nuggets chances. Spurs in 6

That’s all for now, and for those of you who aren’t into sports, I apologize b/c this blog will be over taken by the NBA playoffs for the foreseeable future.

A New Pope = A New Hope? (Not a Starwars Reference)

So the Catholic Church has finally elected a new Pope, and I for have a slew of questions. First off, could they have gotten someone a little older? I’m mean I know you gotta pay your dues and all, but 78. There’s a good chance he could die as he’s being ordained. And as Pope JP2 taught us, an aged, slightly insane (understatement) cynical Pope is not a good thing. JP2 obviously lost it about 5-6 years ago. So when he finally dies the Catholic Church seemingly decided to rush out to find someone who would be just as loony in the shortest amount of time. Obviously I see the advantage of having an older Pope, but seventy-freaking-eight. GAWDDAUMNNN. Are you telling me there’s no Bishops or Cardinals in the 60-65 age range that were adequate for the job?

Personally I’m not really sure how they choose a Pope, but in the future I think this method needs to change. I envision some sort of combo between American idol and the Dating Game. The Pope’s would be asked a series of questions and/or have to compete a series of trials and then the World could then text message in their votes for who the next Pope will be. Or they could have a slew of celebrity judges such as Bo Jackson, Gilbert Godfrey, Montell, Shannon Doherty, Dear Abby and the keyboardist for Bruce Springsteen’s E-Street Band and they would all collaborate and decide who the next Pope would be. Fox should definitely pick this and name it something along the lines of ‘Pope or Dope?’. I mean who wouldn’t watch this?

Until We Meet Again

* If you are Catholic and are offended by this I apologize, I’m just trying to be funny. Also, is it true you guys believe anal sex doesn’t result in a loss of virginity?

And I claim I’m not excited with my life anymore

I really have nothing to say, haven’t felt any urge to post in the last few days either. But I feel obligated to post b/c of my readers who either read it at work (you know who you are) or just live in Tucson and have pathetic lives (sorry Randy). Anyway, here’s a story for you guys to read as you try to fill the void your own inadequacies have created.

So as those of you with a pulse may remember I recently purchased a ten dollar CD player do get by the weeks the followed that f***ing game which shall never be spoken of, and to ignore the outside world. For the most part this plan worked/is still working. But one day, the Friday before the Final Four, as I was walking to get my mail I hit a metaphorical bump in the rode. So as I was walking to get my mail, obviously listening to by CD player so as to avoid all the bandwagon Illinois fans, and people in general, when I saw a friend of mine. His name is Spencer, and he was one of three Illinois fans I met prior to this year. I see that he’s trying to say something to me, so I foolishly took out one of my ear buds. All I heard was “Illinois baby…” I then replaced my ear plug in my ear and way to loudly said “Eat a dick Spencer.”. As I turned back towards the mail room, I almost ran into a girl who looked as if she had just thrown up in her mouth. I said oh sorry, also probably too loud. She just looked at me as if I had just dropped her infant or killed and molested her grandparents. I just tried to walk away from the situation as quickly as possible. Now whenever I see this girl on campus I could swear she’s always telling her friends something to the effect of “…that’s the pervert right there…”. And that’s all she wrote.

Until We Meet Again

Windmill, Windmill for the land. Learn forever hand in hand.

Well it’s Monday and it’s time for my newest installment of the hotlist. I’m going switch it up and try a little something new this time, so let’s have at it.

Things I’m hot on:

Gorillaz – Feel Good Inc.- I was told about this song by my boy Sam (Shout Out), and I haven’t stopped listening to it since I downloaded it on Thursday. I’ve played in on my computer 32 times (Itunes, I wasn’t actually counting myself.) and I’ve listen to it elsewhere, i.e. CD player, cars ect. ect., at least 20 more times. I’ll go out on a limb and predict this as the song of the summer. Just a fun, unique, catchy song that’s sure to put a bounce in your step and a wiggle in your hip, what ever the hell that means.. De La Soul raps in this song, and Danger Mouse produces the beats. With a lineup like that how could you not just stand back and say: DDDDAAAAAMMMMNNN.

Café Hookah – This ‘cafe’ is a small little Hookah bar right next door to a Vietnamese restaurant in down-town Evanston. North Western, the Big 10 school, is in Evanston. The down-town area is like a poor man’s version of Mills Ave. in Phoenix, pretty sexy place. Anyhow, I’m a fan of the hookah as is, but this place becomes frat guy central on the weekends, which always makes things more enjoyable. And the flip side of Frat guys, the sorority girls who come in with fake tans and horribly raspy voices, just a great place. The only down side was that they were playing some weird sh*t India music the whole time, which got old quickly, but all in all was a solid joint.

My school’s cafeteria now having popsicles in their freezer – (Warning, fattest blog post ever.) So my school now has popsicles, which I’m currently having a love affair with. So now I always make sure to wear cargo shorts to dinner. As I leave dinner, I stop by the freezer, which is similar to the ones that carry ice cream at blockbuster(you know, the small ones that are like a treasure chest, and yes that implies what you think it did.) and I stuff several popsicles in my ‘smut carrying pockets’*. Good times.

Spoon –Gimme Fiction – Better then Kill the Moonlight, real solid through out. My hand is starting to cramp up so I’ll be brief with this. Best songs are: I turn my camera on, My Mathematical Mind, I summon you and They Never got you. All in all, a very enjoyable record. Other musical shout outs(A.K.A Music I’m hot on, some are albums (A) others songs(S).): The Wrens – Meadowlands(A), Soul Position – 1 Love (S), Wilco – Company in my back (s), Paul Oakenfold – Starry Eyed Surprise (Song form the Diet Coke Commercial. Oh S.), Stereophonics – Maybe Tomorrow(s), Okkervil River – Kansas City (s), Lambchop – The Man who loved Beer (S, David Bryne’s cover maybe better, but I gotta give the shout out to the original.), Doves – Sky Starts Falling (s), Ivy – Tess Don’t Tell(s), Josh Rouse – Little Know It All (S), M. Ward -Hifi V.2(s), Danger Mouse – Grey Album (A), Mad Villain – Raid (s) and Clem Snide – Donna(s).

Things I’m not hot on ( a.k.a. The Not Hot List):

My school blocking most blogs: I can no longer read everyone else’s blogs b/c of my school’s gay ass filtering system. I got them to unblock my blog so I can view the comments. I next tried to get them to unblock Randy’s, but they refused, saying it had some sketchy material on it. I’m currently writing them a strongly worded letter.

Indians – First off, I’m not a racist person, racial maybe, but that’s a horse of a different color. Anyway, here’s a short list of things I hate about Indians...
Big F***ing heads: Seriously, their noggins are the size of watermelons, how do they stand up with out falling over b/c of their gigantic heads. Talk about top heavy.
Also, they have names like Whispering stream, and running bull. What the F is up with that?
Casino’s: I’d equate what Indian casino’s do to me every time I go there to sodomy, but that would be crude, and probably reassure most everyone, including my mother, that I’m gay. So I want go there.

Sahara – If you thinking about going to see this movie, don’t. Save yourself the time and just pound yourself in the balls for 2 ½ hrs. The experience will be about the same, except you’ll save the money you would have spent on this sh*tty excuse for a movie. Whoever made this movie deserves to be curbed.

Things I’m hot on, but really wish I wasn’t (a.k.a Guilty Pleasures):

Garbage – Run Baby Run – This songs really catchy and really good. But it’s also by Garbage. So keep the fact that I like this song on the DL. Word.

Wicker Park – Truthfully. I only rented it b/c I have a hardcore man-crush on Josh Hartnet (sp?). Seriously though, this movie was pretty alright. It could have been great/unforgettable if they had re-cast Matt Lilard’s part, and had a different ending, but all in all, I like it (sssshhh.)

Fandango ads – I swear on my life I’m kidding, I despise these ads. I just wanted to make sure everyone reading this was still awake.

Well that’s all for now, to all my faithful readers: Stay Black.

Until We Meet Again

* Smut carrying pockets got their name from back in the day. Whenever me and my (2 Live) crew would obtain any sort of product that some might view as offense or immoral, we’d put it into my cargo pockets. Hence the name smut pockets.

The Grand Finale

Unless you’ve been hospitalized or in a cave the last few days, you should know I’m counting down my top 30 favorite songs… EVAH!!!! We’re now at the final 10. (Note: For 30-11, scroll down, this will also give you a better feel/explanation for what I’m doing here.)

10 . Desaperecidos – Man and Wife, the Latter (Damaged Goods): (All right from here on out they’re all obviously going to be 10’s, so I’ll just do the BT to save time.) BT: Summer Nights, but it works whenever.
Comment: I hate myself for loving this song. I hate the fact that a Conor Oberst led band is on my top 10 list. But this maybe the most kick ass song since ‘When the Levy Breaks’. I love this song in it’s entirety, and will always associate it with both my senior year of HS and Summer. Easily the sketchiest song on the Top 10 list.
9 Rhett Miller – Come Around: BT: Afternoon.
Comment: I probably have more nostalgia with this song then any other on this list. I love Rhett’s voice, lyrics, and hot bod. Add in the fact that I have a hard on for the Alt. Country the size of South Dakota and well, how could this song not be on my top 10 list.
8. Creeper Lagoon – Wonderful Love: BT: Mornings.
Comment: Everyone remembers the first crush they ever had on a girl, well this was my first crush on an indie song. Even though I listen to stuff the was more underground/indie, this was the first song I distinctly remember falling in love with. Just gorgeous.
7. Ugly Casanova – Barnacles: BT: Anytime, preferably warm weather.
Comment: Best opening line to a song EVER! When listening to this song I’m struck with vivid memories of the summer right before and all of my Senior Year of HS.
6. Neutral Milk Hotel – In the Aeroplanes over the Sea: BT: Summer, Afternoon.
Comment: For my money the best indie love song ever. One of the best love songs ever, irregardless of genres. And how can you not love a guy with the name Jeff Mangum.
5. Mason Jennings – California: BT: Night.
Comment: Mason is definitely one of favorite artists of all-time. So how could the first song of his that I fell in love with not be at least Top 5.
4. James – Just Like Fred Astair: BT: Mornings.
Comment: I don’t if I’ll ever be able to talk about what this song means to me. Seriously though, the James were the first indie band I listened to, even though I didn’t know they were indie nor what the hell indie was at the time. This song has it all, just trust me.
3. Modest Mouse – Broke: BT: Night.
Comment: The band that changed the way I look at music (That is before they got popular). How can this song not be on here. For it’s the song that started what was.is the most torrid love affair in my musical (and actual) life. So damn good.
2. Doves – Pounding: BT: Dusk.
Comment: Most will say this is to high, that I have way to big of a hard on for the Brit pop, and while I can’t refute the letter, I’ve got a few things to say to the first comment. First off, this song kicks a whole lot of ass. It hits in all the right places and keeps you spell bounded for the entire 4:47 of heavenly harmony. And second, it’s the greatest Brit rock song ever. So of course it’s going be real f*cking high on my list.
1. Wilco – Jesus Ect.: BT: Mornings
Comment: Yeah, that’s right. While other songs may be better in certain aspects, as a whole this song puts all others to shame. Just the most beautiful song I’ve ever heard. 'Last cigarettes, all you can get, turning your orbit around.'

And so there you have it. Thank you all for following me on what I hope was a wonderful journey. Truthfully though, I can’t think of anyone who was the least bit interested in this, outside of the biggest version I know (Yeah Max Michael, that’s a shot at you!?!?!?!? Lard Ass.).

Until We Meet Again.

A Continued Journey

As most of you should know, I’m counting down my favorite 30 songs. Today we’re going through 20-11. For 30-21, as well as an explanation for all this, scroll down to the first post of this series. Word.

20. Ugly Casanova – Hotcha Girls: SPF:9, NSF: 7, LSF: 10, BT = Fall, Dusk.
Comment: Great combination of F*cked up lyrics and gorgeous music. Word.
19. Iron + Wine – Bird Stealing Bread: SPF: 9, NSF: 8.5, LSF:10, BT: Rainy Days, Afternoons.
Comment: A whole lot of Beam’s songs could go here. This one’s here do to nostalgia.
18. Pixies – Hey: SPF:10, NSF: 7.5, LSF: 8, BT: Night(?)
Comment: And the whores like a choir go *** all night (this one could/should be higher).
17.Badly Drawn Boy – The Shinning: SPF: 9, NSF: 9.5, LSF: 8.5, BT: Winter, Snowy/Foggy Days.
Comment: Maybe the best winter time song ever. See 15 for more details on its placing.
16. Travis – Why Does it Always Rain on Me: SPF: 9, NSF: 10, LSF: 9, BT: Fall, Spring.
Comment: My first ‘indie’ band which I found on my own. Also, I’m a sucker for Brit Pop.
15. Badly Drawn Boy – Silent Sigh: SPF: 9.5, NSF:9, LSF: 9, BT: Night.
Comment: Could easily have been switched with #17, but in the end this one’s more poppy, and I’m a whore for a good pop song.
14. Ryan Adams – Come Pick Me Up: SPF: 10, NSF: 10, LSF: 10, BT: Summer Nights.
Comment: I know, I know. 3 Ryan Adams songs, I know. And all 10’s, how is it not higher, at least top 10. Well these are all good questions that will be answered shortly…
13. James – Out to Get You: SPF: 10, NSF: 10, LSF: 10, BT: Night.
Comment: Another fringe top 10er along with #14, one of the most heart wrenching songs (Also like #14)… EVAH!!!!!
12. Decemberists – Engine Driver: SPF: 9.5, NSF: 9.5?, LSF: 10, BT: Still haven’t decided.
Comment: This one’s too high, should be 14 at the most, maybe lower. But I love this song and I’m too lazy to change my Itunes playlist which I’m working off of for this list. Great song though, definitely in the 17-12 area. It’s hard to rank this song since I just got about 3-4 months ago.
11. Van Morrison – Tupelo Honey: SPF: 10, NSF: 9, LSF: 10, BT: Night.
Comment: This is a sure fire top 10er, but since I just discovered it a couple of weeks ago, I can’t put it up there. (Note: Since my brother Max prolly just had an aneurysm reading the last sentence, I should note that I did not discover this song myself. In this case discover means listening.) Might be the best old-school love song…EVAH!!!!!

That’s all for today. Coming soon: The final 10 (I still haven’t decided if I’m going to do all 10 at once, or 10-6 and then the final 5. I guess will cross that bridge when we come to it.)

Hallelujah

Every once in a while a man feels whole, complete. He feels as if the world stops turning and all the stars of align to shine just on him. For me that moment was around 6:45-7:10 on Tuesday the 12th of April, 2005. My day had been pretty sh*tty so far. I had gotten free tickets to a Cubs game, but it was rained out. F*** the Midwest. And a slew off other misfortunes had befalling me this day as well. So as I sat down to play game 3 of my divisional series against the Mets (I’m the Diamondbacks), I had little reason to expect anything good to happen. But when it was all said and done as the dust settled and the smoke cleared, God was smiling down on me. Casey Fossum, with me at the helm, pitched the game of his young life, of any life for that matter. Despite his offense only giving him a single run of support, Casey came out victorious. And he did something that’s as rare as finding a girl in Illinois with a real tan, he pitched a perfect game!!!! That’s right, he faced 27 batters and didn’t walk a single one of them, nor did he allow any of them to reach base. Following the game Casey was immediately signed to a luxurious 3 year contract as D-Backs management hopes for future days like the current one. Although it’s unlikely that any will be as great as today.

- Back tomorrow as I’ll continue with my music list, which everyone seemingly could give 2 shits about. Well tough luck, it’s my (expletive deleted) blog.

Until We Meet Again

A song to pass the time

So I was bored as sh*t in class the other day when I came up with a brilliant game/thingy to do. I decide to list my top 10 favorite songs of all-time. But before I did that I need a list to work off of so I listed my 30 favorite songs in no particular order, and then ranked them. My ranking system was as complex as the electoral college and the BCS combined. I’d give some songs the nod over another if I’ve listen to them longer, I called this the Staying Power Factor(SPF). Nostalgia (NSF) was also highly factored into this list. And probably the most important factor into this list was listenability(LSF), a word I made up. What listenability means is this: do you have to be in a certain mood to listen to the song, certain weather or season and so on and so forth. This game made two class periods blow by. For the 2+ hrs I was in class, it felt no longer then 20 minutes. I recommend this game to everyone as an incredible way to pass time. Anyhow, for the next few days we’re going to be running through my top 30 songs. I know incredibly pretentious and self absorbed, but this my blog, so deal with it. Today we have 30-21.
(Note: All scales are 1-10, BT= Best time to listen to it, the rest of the keys are explained above.)

30. Lou Reed – Coney Island Baby: SPF: 10, NSF: 6. LSF: 6, BT: Summer Nights.
Comment: My favorite Lou Reed song, so it makes the list.
29. Stereophonics – Have a Nice Day: SPF: 8.5, NSF: 9, LSF: 7.5, BT: Morning
Comment: Best song to wake up to… EVAH!!!!!??!?!?!?!
28. Ryan Adams – Call Me on your way back home: SPF: 9, NSF:8.5, LSF: 8.5 BT: Night (Any season).
Comment: Arguably the best harmonica in any song I’ve ever heard. And as my boyz and I decided in HS, any song w/ a harmonica is better song for it. So yeah.
27. Mason Jennings – Hospitals and Jails: SPF: 9, NSF: 7, LSF: 8, BT: Summer @ Dusk.
Comment: There were about 5-8 Mason songs I wanted to put here, in the end I’m not sure how I came up with HJ. Maybe that’s why, the initials!!!!
26. Boo Radleys – Wishing I was Skinny: SPF: 10, NSF: 9, LSF: 8.5, BT: Morning, warm weather.
Comment: Incredible love song whose title doubles as my first wish if I ever found a genie.
25. Creeper Lagoon – Wrecking Ball: SPF: 9, NSF: 10, LSF: 7.5, BT: Summer.
Comment: For my money, one of the best power pop songs… EVAH!!!!!!!!
24. Weezer – Tired of Sex: STF: 8.5, NSF: 10, LSF: 8, BT: Night.
Comment: The soundtrack of my sophomore year of HS was Pinkerton; this songs rocks major ass.
23. Modest Mouse – Talking Sh*t about a Pretty Sunset: SPF: 10, NSF: 8.5, LSF: 9, BT: Sunset (NO SH*T).
Comment: Should/could be higher, but I got distracted in class, and put it here.
22. Wilco – Theologian: SPF: 9.5, NSF: 6, LSF: 9.5, BT: Summer, Mornings, Afternoon.
Comment: Has great potential to move up the list, one of my favorite songs to dance to after tests/finals/work. And no, I;m not gay. I just love to dance.
21. Ryan Adams – From You to Me: SPF: 8.5, NTF: 8, LSF: 9.9, BT: Summer Nights.
Comment: I love this song, but if I did this again this is the one most likely to get bumped from the list. Still a great song though.

That’s it for today. Check back soon (i.e. Tomorrow) for 20-11 and the rest of the list.

A humble review, by a modest man

So last Thursday I went down town to see Okkervil River and the Decemberists. Since all by friends here are a combination of cheap, poor, busy or have a surplus of sand in their vaginas, I went to this show alone. This predicament turned out to be bitter sweet. While it was nice to not have to worry about someone else are making pointless conversation, and the show was far more relaxing because of this, it was unfortunate that I had no one to share the memories with. Anyhow, here’s the breakdown of how the show went.

Okkervil River:

Firs off, these guys were real good. I was upset with myself for not being more familiar with this bands discography. I also felt bad for them for a couple of reasons. One reason, this was one of the goofiest looking bands I’ve ever seen. Most of their stage mannerism seemed forced, like they were trying to look like what they sought a rock band should look like. Also, their lead singer looked like a coked-out Conor Oberst combined with the emo kids answer to Robert Smith (Now I know what you’re thinking: But Calvin, isn’t Conor Oberst the emo kids answer to Robert Smith? Well yes, but…). Okkervil’s keyboardist was defenitly ready for this show, as it appeared that he had spent the entire day in his parent’s basement on Star Trek message boards and searching for lost episodes of Babylon 5 all the while he wrote Back to the Future fan fic. Seriously, I thought they got this kid from the set of some teen comedy. He looked like the typical nerdy kid in that movie who gets got beating off in some disgusting way. The rest of the band was pretty normal, except for the guitar/bass player who looked to be at least 12 years older then everyone else in the band. Eerie. The other reason I felt sorry for them is while they were good, the Decemberist were a whole lot better.

Best Song: Easily It Ends with a Fall. They sped the song up a little for the live show, and it still doesn’t miss a beat.
Song that you knew of before, but after they played in live you couldn’t stop listening to it: From now on this will be know as ‘That Song’. Every good band has one song that which is pretty good, but seeing them play it live makes the song a 100 times better. I can’t remember the name of the song for Okkervil that did it for me, something to due with Anna in the title. (After some investigative work, the song might have been Auntie Alice, I’m pretty sure it was.)
Biggest Letdown: That they didn’t play The velocity of Saul at the time off his Conversion, which is arguably their best song.

Decemberists:

Wow, just wow. One of the better live shows I’ve ever been to. The band came out dressed like, well I don’t really know but they were all wearing khaki colored over jackets. The band looked pretty normal, at least in comparison the Okkervil. And they also have a female violinist, who also sings harmony lines, who you’ll fall in love with by the end of the show.

Best Song: Engine Driver. While some many of their songs were great, this one was the big winner. This song is quickly climbing the charts as one of my favorite songs ever (Foreshadowing of future posts/updates.). And after seeing it live, it just gets better. This song narrowly beat out Red Right Ankle which Meloy played solo.
“That Song”: July, July! This song is even better live, due to the female singing back up vocals, which makes the harmony line even better.
Biggest Letdown: This one’s a toss up. I can’t decide if it was that they didn’t play Mya Goldberg or I was meant for the stage, or the fact that they ended with the Tain.

Until We Meet Again

The Gymnast, High Above the Ground

Well I’m going to see the Decemberists and Okkervil River tonight, which means I need to give you all my newest Hot List installment.

Things I’m hot on: Uproar.com’s Family Feud game (This game will own your soul, seriously it deserves it’s own post), Myself, Europe – The Final Countdown, Bruce Webber’s voice, The Real Cancun (still), Joe Firstman, Randy’s blog (chooseyourownmanifesto.blogspot.com), I ♥ Huckabees (Maybe), Sin City, Bandannas (a.k.a. Bandizzys), Sunrises, The Onion’s news in short on Terri Shiavo (Note: Extremely Tasteless), MVP Baseball 2005 for Gamecube and Johnny Cash’s cover of One.

Things I’m not hot on ( a.k.a. The Not Hot List): 50 Cent – The Candy Shop, Chris Rodgers, Jason Hughes, My tool box friend who looks like the lead singer of Maroon 5 (Or so he’s told), JLO’s a$$, Shawn Green’s season ending injury in my MYP Baseball 2005 dynasty, The fact that Shaq’s biological didn’t bother, Joan Bonvicini, Asians (still) and Beck’s new album Guero.

Things I’m hot on, but really wish I wasn’t (a.k.a Guilty Pleasures): The Coach K commercial where the re-live Laetner’s shot in the guy’s driveway (ya know which one), Using the word ‘pooper’ in a sexual way, Fake Emo glasses, Ebay, Weezer, Justin Timberlake, Ashlee Simpson – Pieces of Me, Baseball season and the war on terrorism.

Until We Meet Again

Sorry I broke your heart… I was 17

Disclaimer: While the following story is true, some points have been exaggerated (i.e. the first sentence) for comedic and dramatic effect.

When I was a Senior in high school the only think I hated more then my parents and being sober (hyperbole) was being in class. I would take any and every excuse to get out of class. I’d average 4.73 bathroom breaks per day. So one day, a day not unlike any other, I decided to go to the men’s water closet before heading off to my first class (I would also show up late to classes’ b/c I didn’t give a hell). So I walk into the bathroom and find some kid brushing his teeth. Wierd Sh*t uh. Anyhow, this kid was a junior and for security reason’s he’ll be called “Mike D”. Anyhow, so there’s Mike D brushing his teeth in the men’s bathroom. It was one of those days when I had the music in me, so I was singing to myself and playing some sort of air instrument as I walked into the bathroom, I think it was air drums, but that’s neither here nor there. So as I walk in the bathroom, playing air drums, I spot this go-tard brushing his teeth, but I decide to let it slide and not say anything. So he then turns and sees me, still playing air drums as I walk into the stall, and says “What are you pumping yourself up before you go (to the bathroom)?” I turn to see this goober with the biggest sh*t eating grin I’ve ever seen. So I drop my face and pretend to be sad. I get real serious and say to the kid:

“No you a$$-hole, I have tourette's!”

And all of a sudden he stops smiling and his face drops. Now I’m thinking to myself, good one bro, you made this guy feel bad and you don’t tourette's. Woot. Unfortunately that was not the case, Mike D’s face had dropped for a reason other then guilt. After a few seconds he looks back up at me, his face deadly serious and says:

“Well actually you’re the a$$-hole, because I really do have tourette's”

At first I just stood there and wonder if this kid had pulled a fast one on me. I soon realized that he had not, because he wasn’t quick or clever enough to do so. So instead of doing the humane thing and making an over the top apology, I just stated laughing at the kid. He just stood there, ready to cry and stared at me. I then shut the door to the stall, so as to put some barrier between me and him. It didn’t help as he could still hear me laughing at him for his tourette's, but at least he was no longer staring at me.

And so the moral of the story is: be careful who you joke with, they may have tourette's.

Until We Meet Again

I’ve got a new partner riding with me…

So as some of my more astute readers may remember, I recently purchased a 10 dollar CD player. This is quickly climbing the charts as one of my best purchases ever. I bought this CD player so that I could ignore the outside world, seeing how I live in Illinois and they recently beat my team in game which I’m trying to convince myself never happened. Anywho, the CD player has been a life saver. I’ve successfully ignored the outside for most of the week, and what a week. This has been one of the better weeks I’ve had at school, I’m just going around with this huge portable cd player, which is shaped like a an Easter egg. People will come and start talking to me, and I’ll just ignore them and then point to my cd player and then my head phones, good times. To make things better, this weekend is my school’s ‘sneak peak’ for perspective students. So while they’re being shown around campus they eventually see me. And here I am walking around with this oblong cd player looking like I’ve either been crying, sleeping, heavily drinking or some combination of all three. Most of these students have come to the conclusion that I’m autistic. I’ve also alienated most of my friends, but at least now I don’t have to deal with their petty bull sh*t. And soon I will have seen Sin City, woot. I may bring my CD player to the movie just in case anyone there tries to talk to me.

Until Next Time.

I’m Looking Through You

Well it’s Wednesday, so I guess it’s time for my Hot List:

Things I’m hot on: Arrested Development, The demands of the ideal, Sin City Trailer, ELO- Sweet Talking Woman, My 10 Dollar CD Player, Matt Pond PA’s cover of In Aeroplanes over the Sea, You, My new gel ‘Surf Hair’, Mr. Bright Side, The warm weather, Re-watching the Real Cancun, T.C. Boyle and Sunsets.

Things I’m not hot on: Ludicrous, home work, soft core, My horribly obese roommate who’s nick name is Billy Bob, mornings, asthma, Asians, the fact that dapping(a.k.a. the fist pound) is becoming more and more popular, Goo Goo Dolls (I bring this up because while randomly checking out other people’s blogs, some tool had the video of Iris playing on his blog. Awful.), intercourse, Hot Topic (the store) and Keira Knightley’s butch hair cut.

Things I’m hot on, but really wish I wasn’t (a.k.a Guilty Pleasures): Paul Oakenfold – Starry Eyed Surprise, the movie Hitch, Gavin Degraw, Bend it Like Beckham, Kelly Clarkson’s song Breakaway + Since U Been Gone, Shopping, The fact that the U of A loss has allowed me to use the phrase “I feel just like I did when I was 6 and my Uncle molested me.”(Note: I wasn’t molested), Tums, Fables and Cream Soda.
________________________________________________

So true story, my friend and I were driving to pick someone up at Midway Airport when we saw a sign that read “Mexican Art Museum”. We immediately took the exit but all we found was a steaming pile of shit. Truthfully and Poignant.
(Note: This is not a true story, outside of the Midway part, and we really did see a sign that read “Mexican Art Museum”, but the rest was made up or exaggerated upon for entertainment purposes.)

Until We Meet Again

Sugar Free Jazz

Here’s another series of my unedited, generally incoherent thoughts (Note: I’m looking for a name for this thingy, suggestions are welcome.)

- Something I’ve always wondered, does the night really belong to lovers?
- While listening to Jimmy Eat World’s new album Futures I had a life long query that I never wanted answered, answered for me. The query was: what would it sound like if U2 was an emo band.
- I find it a little depressing that some of my fondest childhood memories are those in which I was playing Tecmo Super Bowl.
- After weighing the options and doing some serious soul searching, I still can’t decide which I’d be more disappointed in: If my daughter became a stripper or a goth kid.
- Would anyone really miss New Mexico it was captured by some foreign country? Would the U.S. even mount a counter strike, or would they send out a thank you note?
- If someone tells you that you look like the lead singer of Maroon 5, is that a complement?
- Is there any board game out there that’s more underwhelming then Clue?
- Do people really think they’re being clever when they say “Is the hokey pokey really what it’s all about?” God I hope not.
- If a note says ‘Do Not Open Until xxxx’ has anyone ever waited till the appointed time to open it?
- Looking back at it, the 25 dollars I spent on that beard and mustache trimmer was probably the best 25 dollars I’ve ever spent.
- Denny’s should change it’s slogan to: ‘The late night hang out where no one wants to go, but everyone ends up.’
- Isn’t about time that Paul McCartney apologizes for his song Vanilla Sky.
- My vote for biggest a-hole ever: The prick who first decided to call retarded people ‘a breath of fresh air’.
- My biggest disappointment of March: The fact that I’ve yet to see Vin Diesel’s The Pacifier.
- Speaking of which, has anyone figured out whether or not Vin Diesel is a stage name or not. I’m mean, is his last name really Diesel?
- All things end badly or else it wouldn't end…

I hurt myself today to see if I still feel

Have you ever seen Boogie Nights? That’s a great movie. My favorite part of that movie is William H. Macy’s character, Little Bill (Or LB for). LB is part of the technical crew that makes the, um ‘adult’ movies. LB has a problem on his hands; it’s that his wife is a cheating whore. Through out the movie LB finds his wife screwing some other guy, generally in public places. Once at his friend’s party, where she’s having sex with another man in the driveway, while a crowd of people stand around and watch. Each time he finds her she says something demeaning to him, he goes away and she continues to rail this other guy. To put it simply, Bill’s life sucks. The only thing in his life he cares about is constantly cheating on him and breaking his heart. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, she does it in public for everyone to see. Why would I bring this up, because this is the exact same relationship I share my Arizona Wildcats. I love them, with all my heart, but they’re always out there, in public, breaking my heart. Loosing, usually in the worst of fashions, in the NCAA Tournament. This is my version of LB’s wife f*cking around. And I don’t know what to do about it.

First things first, this will be the last time I ever talk about this debacle, the Arizona-Illinois game. After this entry all of this will be nothing more then a reference point, a reference point known as “That f***ing Game”. As in ‘Yeh my grandpa died, but it’s still not as bad as ‘That f***ing game’ (TFG for short.)’. In this type of game it’s foolish to rehash any of the final 5+ minutes and overtime, b/c there were too many factors that went into this epic collapse. If Arizona gets a single break everything changes. So do yourself a favor and don’t bring up this game and don’t go over it in your head, you’ll just end up making yourself insane; trust me it’s not worth it. TFG changed the way I watched Arizona basketball forever. I probably never be able to see another big U of A game with out thinking of this one, or waiting for the other shoe to drop. We just became the Boston Red Sox of college basketball. TFG will be a date/game that lives on in infamy. This is the official “where were you when JFK got shot” game for a generation of, or maybe every, Arizona fan. This loss will probably stick out and people’s minds more then our ’97 NC. And to make matters worse, TFG won’t go away. It will become Arizona’s calling card; it’ll be reference that will be brought up in every tournament game for years to come. Announcers will mention it in the same breath as the Red Sox miraculous comeback from down 0-3. Every time a team is down late in a game, the announcers will say “Well it looks bad for team A, but remember what happened in TFG”. This will only change, at least the pain of it for Cat fans when, if ever, Arizona wins another Championship. Now I’d like to be an optimist and say something like, well we’ll win it next year and this will just make it sweeter. But truth be told, Arizona probably won’t sniff another final four until Nic Wise shows up on campus. So what now?

Like Little Bill, we’re stuck in a rut. Here we have this beautiful, majestic wife, or in our case team, and she keeps screwing around on us. Things maybe going ok with us for awhile, but in the end where just going to end up watching her get screwed by another guy where everyone can see. And it comes back to the same question of what should I do? If you’re like me after the loss you re-examined your life. You asked yourself why and how you could get so upset and hurt over something that you had no effect on. A simple game that you, no matter what you do/did, could in no way effect. So what then, should we pull a LB and eventually shoot our wife, her lover(s) and then ourselves (which is what happened in the movie)? No, I don’t think that’s the answer. But late at night when I stay awake thinking about TFG, mulling over every agonizing detail, and my heart feels as if it’s going to explode inside of me, LB’s way seems like a viable option.

But, we have to get back up and get back on the horse from whence we were thrown off. Why, because as fans that’s what we do. We keep believing, even when it seems we’ve lost all faith and every reason to believe. Because all in all, we'll eventually get over this, and it will just make everything better for when our team succeeds (have faith.). The sweet is never as sweet with out the sour, or something like that. So get right back on that horse. Although it will be tough, you can do it, but it’ll take awhile. Like going back into the woods after seeing Blair Witch Project. It will take awhile, and it will be scary as hell, but in the end it will be worth it.

Why go with the horse over the analogy of the boxer, several reasons. For one I like the horse analogy better then the boxer one. While the boxer analogy may fit better, you get up and keep taking those punches, it ends poorly. Because as the boxer, you keep getting up and getting whaled on, you eventually retire around 35 and then you live the rest of your life with brain damage. You can’t even remember your greatest fights, so why the hell didn’t you just stay down the first time. Yeh, the horse analogy works better. So, you get back on that horse, even though he threw you bad, and probably will again, because deep down you know that life won’t be the same with out that horse. And regardless of how many times you get throw off that horse, you’ll still keep getting back on. Unless of course you thrown off ala Christopher Reeves. That said, I still like the horse analogy better then the boxer one.

So now you’re back on the horse, just ride carefully. I leave you with some optimism, with some hope. I leave you now with a monologue from Swingers that I believe relates perfectly to TFG: “You know how it is man. You wake up everyday and it hurts a little less, then you wake up one day and it doesn’t hurt at all. And the funny thing is, you almost miss that pain.”

In hindsight, that’s not really optimistic at all, but it’s good advise. Really there’s nothing optimistic I can think of right now. But I’m really starting to like my new haircut. So I guess things aren’t as bleak as they seem.

HOLY F*CKING SH*T

Salim Stoudamire. Charles Salim Stoudamire. Congratulations. You leap frogged ‘em all. You’re now number 1 on my list of people I’d be gay for. Seriously though, what an unbelievable game. Salim scored 11 of our final 15 points, while his fellow Senior Channing Frye had the other 4. And while it’s the cliché thing to say, it’s a damn shame that one of these two teams had to loose. This is the best March Madness Game I’ve seen this that Duke-Kentucky classic. Both teams best players stepped up when they needed to, both teams made runs and counter runs at the right times. This game should have been for something much bigger then an Elite Eight berth. I’ll pause here to give everyone a chance to give the selection committee a big F U.

Anyhow, this game was unreal. I can’t really come up with a coherent thought at the moment, but I felt obligated to post something other wise Bbass would have been all over my arse. I may post something later, something more constructive, but right now I’m going to the gym to try and emulate Slim’s late game heroics. Word.

I’m going no where but I’m guaranteed to be late

I’m too tired/lazy/nervous to do a a full blow breakdown of the of the Arizona – Oklahoma State game. So here’s my quickie break down, position by position of the game (via request):

Starting 5:

PG – John Lucas vs. Mustafa Shakur: Lucas is a tough defender, good floor general, and one hell of clutch player. He hit practically every big shot for OSU during their FF run last year. Mustufa, although he has tons of upside, has been inconsistent at best this year. EDGE: OSU

SG – JamesOn Curry vs. Salim (Charles) Stoudamire: As it turns out, Salim is just his middle name, his first name is actually Charles. Anyhow, while Curry has great potential, Chuck is one of the best scores in America, as well as the best 3pt shooter. Curry won’t guard Salim, which should be noted. EDGE: AZ

SF - Daniel Bobik vs. Hassan Adams: Bobik is OSU’s lock down defender, he’ll get the first shot at guarding Stoudamire. Hassan has become the garbage man for AZ this year, filling out the stat sheet and doing whatever’s needed. Both these 2 are absolutely crucial to both teams chances to win. EDGE: Even.

PF – Joey Grahm vs. Ivan Radenovic: While Ivan has become arguably the Cats best rebounder and a very good defender, Grahm is an All-American when he’s on. And even though Grahm has played terrible as of late, he’s still the better player. EDGE: OSU

C - Ivan McFarlin vs. Channing Frye: IMac had a breakout game against Southern Illinois, pouring in 31 points. Channing has had a great Senior year and is a tough match up because of his ability to go inside and pull the defense outside by hitting the 15+ jumper with consistentcy. Frye’s the tougher match up and better player, but IMac could really cause some problems for the U of A. EDGE: AZ

Bench:

Stephen Grahm + Terrence Crawford vs. Chris Rodgers, Jawann McClellan, and Kirk Walters: Stephen is Joey’s brother, and while he’s not as good or skilled or as athletic as his bro, he is still a solid player. Crawford is a versatile reserve wing who ESPN called “the John Franco of college basketball”, if that helps. Chris Rodgers is playing his best basketball of the season as he’s finally bought in to this role. He’s dribbling and forcing shots less and he’s given the Cats a huge boost of the bench on both ends of the court. J-Mac has played great as of late and has give AZ some much needed scoring of the bench. Kirk had a great game against UAB, don’t expect a repeat performance. Kirk will help the Cats out though with rebounding, defense and spelling Channing. While OSU has a solid bench, AZ’s is playing it’s best ball of the season at the right time. When Rodgers and J-Mac come, there’s little to know drop off in play, and Kirk is great at stealing minutes so Ivan and Channing can rest. And while OSU has a good bench, when Lucas is out of the game they’re ball handling struggles. EDGE: AZ

Coaching: Eddie Sutton vs. Lute Olson: Olson has turned in his best coaching job in recent memory and has his team peaking at the right time. Sutton is just as good as a coach and has his players playing with the motivation of getting him his first National Title and the thought that he may retire after this year. EDGE: Even, although Lute is better looking.

X-Factor: Joey Grahm vs. Hassan Adams; Defensive Match ups: If Grahm comes to play, Arizona is in some serious trouble because he’s one of the best player in the Nation. The guess here is Grahm blows up for 20+. Just like Hinrich in ’03, who played poorly leading up to his game against the Cats, I think Grahm will come to play in a big way against the Cats. With Bobik slated to guard Salim, Hassan will have either Curry (6’3, and most likely) or Lucas (5’11) guarding him. Hassan should be able to exploit either match up in the post, forcing OSU to have Bobik guard him, freeing up Salim to be guarded by a smaller player. On defense, if Bobik can slow Salim, and Curry and Lucas can contain Adams, then the U of A will have a very, very tough time winning this game. On the other end, Arizona is most likely to play a 1-3-1 against the Pokes. Despite shooting a national best 42% behind the arc, OSU has struggled with zones this year. If Lucas isn’t hitting, then the Pokes could be done. Both if the Cowboys are hitting then AZ will have to play Man 2 Man, where OSU can utilize there miss-matches.

Prediction: I have none. This is the ultimate pick ‘em game. It should be played in the Final Four or National Title, but thanks to the selection committee it’s in the Sweet 16. Plus there are some many different factors that this game is almost impossible to predict. It should be a great game and frankly I’m ready for it. I’ve nearly killed myself going over every possible scenario and I still may. I’m ready for this game to be played so I can move on with my life.
_____________________________________________________________

Other Random Notes and Thoughts:
- I got my hair cut today and I realized something. Is it possible to do anything but make a bad ass, tough guy face when getting your hair cut? Seriously, I feel like a black man posing for a driver’s license picture every time I get a trim.
- Upon further review, Josh Rouse’s latest album Nashville, while not as good as 1972, is pretty darn good. The big winner (the best song) is definitely Sad Eyes. Just trust me on this.
- I went to the mall today, and I don’t know why. The only places that depress me more are the Plasma Donation Center and Las Vegas Airport’s smoking lounge.
- As much as I’d like to blame it on the Midwest, there’s no good reason why I should get this upset at losing to the Detroit Tigers in extra innings in a regular season game of my MVP Baseball 2005 Dynasty.

Until We Meet Again

I’m not living, I’m just killing time.

The following are thoughts and questions that I’ve had and wanted to get out to all of you, but didn’t feel like expanding on them anymore then a few sentences. So here ya go, here’s what I like to call side notes:

- Two biggest disappointments of my weekend: I was in the Midwest, and I missed Spring Break Shark Attack.
- If you’re attracted to some one, would ever tell a friend, or anyone for that matter, that you “dig” that person?
- Why’s everybody always act so tough when all they want is to find a friend?
- If you’ve ever wanted to do hardcore hallucinogenic drugs, don’t. Just watch the Triplets of Belleville instead.
- Can AXE body spray sue Tag body spray for plagiarism, seriously, how are there ads any different?
- Is there a better porn name then Rob Boner?
- I just found out about a week ago that the song ‘Since you’ve been gone’ wasn’t by Avril Lavine.
- Is what n*gga is to black people, the same as what dude is to white guys? Outside of the fact that anyone can say dude with out fearing for their own life of course.
- Is Saddle Creek Records trying to earn recognition as the label with the worst “protest songs of all-time”?
- Wouldn’t everyone drink Diet Coke if bubbles were constantly flowinf out of the can like they do in those commercials.
- Could there be a bigger minority then a black, gay Eskimo?
- Does “Mr. Bright Side” redeem the Killers for “Somebody Told Me”, which sucked a$$.
- If you had the last name Purify, would your first name even matter, or would you just be the biggest bad ass to ever live irregardless?
- Why aren’t more bands named after states? Am I the only one that things Minnesota and Dakota would be kick ass band names?
- By posting on my blog about the upcoming Harry Potter book would I give myself away as a former home schooler who’s a virgin? Or would you just assume I was a 10 year-old boy who lived in Cambridge?
- Am I the only one who would watch if they actually made that Tiny House reality show from the Geico Commercial into a real show?
- Does Morrissey pleasure himself by thinking and/or listening to his own albums?
- When a white guard playing for an underdog or low seed in the NCAA tournament isn’t a great shooter, am I the only one who feels let down and/or betrayed?
- Does anyone else think Ashton Kutcher’s last name sounds like a euphemism for part of the female anatomy.
- On a similar note, doesn’t Kenosha (a town in Wisconsin) sound like a dirty word. As in "Yeah bro, I got a bit of Kenosha last night."
- Thought you should hear this. Shaq on what he and Kobe said before the start of their March 17th game: “I didn't say anything. Got nothing to say. I'm a married man; I don't need a relationship with another man.”
- Is there any doubt that Mr. and Mrs. Quaid love Dennis far more then Randy.

Until we meet again.

March Madness Day 1 Recap.

Here's my recap. To be honest most of the day has kinda blurred together, so if everything's not coherent I apologize. Here goes:

- Worst Idea since White Chicks: Spring Break Shark Attack. Seriously who green lighted this?
- Best Idea: Miller Light's Taste Loss ads.
- Best Commercial: The one with the cute blond girl skating and drinking diet coke. Great girl, great song, good commercial. I’d be ok with seeing this commercial another 100 times, seriously that's how much I enjoy it.
- Worst Commercial: The trailer for Guess Who.
- Best Set of Games: 3RD Set, 1st night games. Chattanooga, Utah St. and Winthrop, a 15 and 14 seed all 3 leading at the half, with 2 of them making legit games out of it. Throw in the Texas-Nevada thriller (even though the ending was anti-climatic) and you had a spectacular set of games. To make things better I was at Champs Restaurant and Bar, which had 4 games on at once. Combine that with the St. Patty’s day atmosphere and some girl wailing away on the bag pipes and I was in heaven.
- Player of the Day: Adam Morrison, Gonzaga. This kid made about every big play imaginable for the Zags. He kept then in it in the first half with several hard drives where he finished his shots despite a whole lot of contact and no fouls called. Then with the game on the line in the closing minutes he buries a back breaking 3 to put Gonzaga up 6 and killing Winthrop’s momentum. Runner up: This goes to Utah’s Andrew Bogut, who was triple teamed the entire day, even when he didn’t have the ball. This guy is the best college big man I’ve seen since Tim Duncan, if he gets on the right NBA team he could really go places.
- Game of the Day: Thanks to Chicago’s CBS affiliate, I was stuck watching the Illinois-FDU, all of it. Even though it was clearly over with 10 minutes left. I got to see a whopping 40 seconds of the West Virginia-Creighton duel. Thanks you CBS, you ruined my day. Runner Up: Utah vs. UTEP.
- Worst Moment: Me, being stuck in class as the tourney started, even so I didn’t miss any of the games (aside from the first half’s of the first set of games.) I swear I’ve never seen a clock move slower, it was like I was at a funeral, time itself seemed to stop. Just an awful moment.
- Highlights of the Day: After Dee Brown (of Illinois) was called for a charge, instead of complaining about the terrible call, he went and helped up the player who he knocked over. If you didn’t see it just trust me, it was a great moment. Hassan Adams’ alley oop dunk. Anyone of Cincinnati’s big man (Maxielle is his last name, don’t remember his first name.) blocks against Iowa. West Virginia’s game winning dunk. Tonight’s episode of TILT. Two attractive brunets coming by at Champs handing out St. Patty day hats and clovers. Anytime you see a girl in Illinois baring midriff before May it’s cause for celebration, yowza. I’m sure there were others, but right now my head is starting to hurt, maybe too much basketball!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
- Day’s Lowlights: Being stuck in class(see above), Arizona making Utah St. look like they were running the Princeton offense on steroids in the 1st half, my school holding their thurs. worship service in the student center, where are big screen TV is (side note: the service is called FAT, I’m not sure if it’s an acronym or not. I’m looking into). Despite there being loads of attractive women who were actually working at Champs , my table got stuck with so dumpy chick who was mildly pissed at the world.
- My Record on the Day: 13-3. My losses were: Iowa, Texas, UCLA. I still have all my Sweet 16 teams in, although I expect that to change. Anyhow all in all a good day, but tomorrow better will be better. Peace.

Note: Everyone be sure to visit my boy sam’s,::pounds fists into forehead ala Q andD-Miles::, blog - thesoulsasylum.blogspot.com. And for those of you who I know who also have blogs be patient, your shout out is coming.

This Night has Opened My Eyes (Story of an Artist)

So today as I was reading my blog, for the comments that my numerous readers make, I clicked on the next blog button in the upper right corner, and what I found was astonishing. I was transported to someone named Josh’s blog, and there in his latest post, was this beauty staring right back at me:

you cut and weep because u believe no1 cares,
not true,
there is someone that cares,
but u wont realize it,
you'll deny to see the truth,
but i care,
and by hurting urself,
u hurt me as well,
but u dont care,
even though i care.

Now I’ve never been a fan of poetry, it’s something I just didn’t “get”, but this was just unbefuckinglievable. This I get! It’s as if this man was able to look into the souls of men and capture the essence of beauty in 10 short lines. This poet reminds me why I wake up in the morning. Why I feel. Why I live. And the terrible punctuation and purposely misspelled words just add to this piece’s mystique. After reading some other post by Josh I found out that he’s in his high school’s musical theatre group and loves ‘emo music’. Talk about an all around artist!!! I think the part that gets me the most is the fifth line where he says “you’ll deny to see the truth,”. All I can do is sit, awestruck at my computer and recall all the times that I myself have ‘deny to see the truth’. Seriously though, who the f*ck is this kid. This is some of the worst poetry I’ve ever seen. This kid in high school and is writing poetry that any 9 year-old handicap kid can see is a huge pile of sh*t. I just picture Josh as one of those musical theatre types who’s overly flamboyant. He’s skinny and lanky and stays in character all day, regardless of how uncomfortable it makes everyone around him. His life revolves around the plays that he’s in, and somewhere along the way he discovered Bright Eyes and their never ending bravado. Now he loves emo music and gets the shit kicked of him by jocks, all the while his parents’ are certain he’s gay. Here’s this kid living a terrible life, feeling like some sort of unappreciated artist, listening to god awful emo music, then he falls in love with a cutter, talk about shit luck. And as if things weren’t bad enough, he writes the worst poetry imaginable. Honestly, how did this kid get the idea that this was a good poem and that he should share it with the world. But give the man credit, he cares, even if you don’t think he does.