11/30/07
Has anybody else noticed that I continue to date my blog posts even though they get automatically dated when I post them? Just wondering...
So here we are everyone, the end of another month, and just 31 days closer to the end of another year. And as we close the book on November and prepare ourselves for December, this time of year is best known of course as the Holiday season. And with that in mind, and with the inspiration from Scott Spinelli who write a great Christmas versus Hanukkah article in the Daily Orange, I thought I would lighten up the mood after the last few posts with my problems with the Holiday Season, including why I think Hannukah should be completely eliminated from both the Jewish and American calendars starting next year.
Is it just me, or does Christmas begin earlier and earlier every year? A few years ago, I started to realize that the Christmas season began a little whlie after Thanksgiving. The stores started putting up their decorations, the sales began to mount up everywhere you looked, and the radio stations started that painfully annoying tradition of playing Christmas music- all day long on some stations.
The last few years have started to see Christmas poke its red and green head out from the calendar earlier and earlier, as I can distinctly remember seeing advertisements for Christmas before the Halloween stuff was completely gone.
By next year, they should honestly just change the Fourth of July color themes from Red, White and Blue to Red, White and Green- not to satisfy all you Italians, but because at the rate we're going with Christmas starting early, its bound to become a year-long event by the time we're all old enough to celebrate it with our children.
Next problem with this time of year- The fascination with the lights. Christmas and Hannukah both seem to center around lights. And for Christmas, these crazy assholes generally start replacing their Halloween decorations with red and green lights, blown up snowman, inflatable Santa Claus and the one that really creeps me out- the Nativity Set, or better known as a plastic rendering of the birth of Christ.
Now I know most of Christmas (all of it from the point of view of a Jew) is fictional, however i can understand the fat man in his red suit with frosty and Rudoplh chillen out on the lawn. Its corny, but its not nearly as awkward as seeing a lifesize version of the miracle of life video we all were forced to watch in health. Again, I understand its not as graphic, and he is the lord and savior of an entire faith of people, but do me a favor, and keep it in the bible and off my block.
And for what its worth, Jesus was Jewish, so it would only be fair that Jews be given the chance to display the Bris of Christ on our lawns during the 8 nights of Hanukkah.
And speaking of the festival of lights, as we often refer to it as, I have some serious issues with Hanukkah, along with some suggestions on how to improve it, since taking it off the calendar is probably out of the question.
My issues with Christmas, and they extend far beyond the things I mentoned, are really a moot point considering I don't celebrate the Holiday. Why Celebrate the birth of a guy who was born thinking he was the leader of my faith, only to be stolen and claimed as the savior of another? If i were into all that changing of faith bullshit I wouldn't avoid Tom Cruise movies as passionately as I do.
Hanukkah however is a Holiday I have not only celebrating every year since birth, but have embraced with open arms...mainly because kick ass gifts were always placed within those arms of mine. But now that I'm older and wiser (according to me anyway), I realize how flawed a Holiday Hanukkah is.
Problem number one. It occurs during the same month as the single most commercialized event of the year (Christmas for those of you too slow to follow). That would be like Arena Football holding an All Star Game at 6 o'clock on Super Bowl Sunday.
Problem number two. White and Blue just aren't as appealing as green and red. I know they are the national colors of Israel, but how about we throw some Orange into the mix to lighten things up? Since we love to brag about how its the festival of lights, lets outline the Jewish stars in orange flames? Then again with that idea we might as well throw a rainbow on top of it. Nevermind.
Problem number three. 8 crazyyy nights. Quite frankly, we get the idea after the first night, and by night three we're tired of waiting to eat dinner to light some candles and say some prayers. Plus its just a matter of time before the fire department gets that 911 call "yes my house is on fire...the menorah fell after the cat got curious"
Problem number four. The food. Well actually come to think of it, the potato pancakes and jelly donuts are pretty damn good. Moving on.
Problem number five. Christmas songs and music get the likes of world famous musicians like Bruce Springsteen and Mariah Carey. Jews get Adam Sandler. I'm as big a fan of the Hanukkah songs as the next guy, but when they sing about Jingle Bells and Santa Claus in town, while we sing about O.J Simpson still not being Jewish, something just doesn't seem right.
Problem number six. The story. They stole Jesus, gave him a last name and created a Holiday surrounding it. And years later they have millions and billions of dollars to show for it. Us Jews? Our story centers around an almost equally hard to believe tale of some magic oil lasting 8 nights after some guy named Judah Maccabee helped defeat the Greeks sorta like in 300 except without getting themselves all killed. Yea ok. I'll believe that right along with Santa getting his fat ass down all those chimneys in roughly 8 hours of work. I dont think they could pay him enough to do so.
And so there you have it. This time of year, when most people are happy and enjoying the sights and sounds of the Holiday season, I sit back and wonder why we are wasting so much time and money on two events based on stories which even bad Hollywood movies wouldn't take part in....
oh wait...
scratch that...last time I chekced there werent Jewish versions of A Wonderful Life or Miracle on 34th street. And if there were, I would imagine they would be titled "Its a Wonderful Life- Thanks to all the money we put away for Retirement- and Miracle on the Lower East Side, the story of how 4 Jewish immigrants managed to muster the courage to spend the money they had saved on a loaf of bread
And with that, I wish you all a Happy Holidays...
...no need to reciprocate.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Thursday, November 29, 2007
"Don't give up, don't ever give up."
11/29/07
Before I start...I strongly URGE YOU to read the parts of the speech I posted. I promise you, its worth it...
You don't have to be a sports fan or a basketball fan to appreciate Jim Valvano.
Valvano was a college basketball coach who won a national championship back in 1985 coaching North Carolina State on an improbable last second shot, giving a truly deserving coach, and an even more deserving human being a feeling of ecstasy he would be able to cherish the rest of his life.
It was his life that was unfortunately cut short due to cancer. And this week ESPN is doing their annual rememberance of Valvano, which included a showing of his very famous speech given in 1993 at the ESPY Awards.
I know this makes back to back posts which aren't of the happiest manner- however if you have never heard the speach, look it up, because if you dont get goosebumps watching it, something is wrong with you.
This was a man who was as great a human being who ever lived. Period. Here are some of the things he said that night which prove why...
Before I start...I strongly URGE YOU to read the parts of the speech I posted. I promise you, its worth it...
You don't have to be a sports fan or a basketball fan to appreciate Jim Valvano.
Valvano was a college basketball coach who won a national championship back in 1985 coaching North Carolina State on an improbable last second shot, giving a truly deserving coach, and an even more deserving human being a feeling of ecstasy he would be able to cherish the rest of his life.
It was his life that was unfortunately cut short due to cancer. And this week ESPN is doing their annual rememberance of Valvano, which included a showing of his very famous speech given in 1993 at the ESPY Awards.
I know this makes back to back posts which aren't of the happiest manner- however if you have never heard the speach, look it up, because if you dont get goosebumps watching it, something is wrong with you.
This was a man who was as great a human being who ever lived. Period. Here are some of the things he said that night which prove why...
Thank you, Thank you very much. Thank you. That's the lowest I've ever seen Dick Vitale since the owner of the Detroit Pistons called him in and told him he should go into broadcasting.I can't tell you what an honor it is, to even be mentioned in the same breath with Arthur Ashe. This is something I certainly will treasure forever. But, as it was said on the tape, and I also don't have one of those things going with the cue cards, so I'm going to speak longer than anybody else has spoken tonight. That's the way it goes. Time is very precious to me. I don't know how much I have left and I have some things that I would like to say. Hopefully, at the end, I will have said something that will be important to other people too.
But, I can't help it. Now I'm fighting cancer, everybody knows that. People ask me all the time about how you go through your life and how's your day, and nothing is changed for me. As Dick said, I'm a very emotional and passionate man. I can't help it. That's being the son of Rocco and Angelina Valvano. It comes with the territory. We hug, we kiss, we love. When people say to me how do you get through life or each day, it's the same thing. To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. Number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special.
It's so important to know where you are. I know where I am right now. How do you go from where you are to where you want to be? I think you have to have an enthusiasm for life. You have to have a dream, a goal. You have to be willing to work for it.
I talked about my family, my family's so important. People think I have courage. The courage in my family are my wife Pam, my three daughters, here, Nicole, Jamie, LeeAnn, my mom, who's right here too. That screen is flashing up there thirty seconds like I care about that screen right now, huh? I got tumors all over my body. I'm worried about some guy in the back going thirty seconds? You got a lot, hey va fa napoli, buddy. You got a lot.
I just got one last thing, I urge all of you, all of you, to enjoy your life, the precious moments you have. To spend each day with some laughter and some thought, to get you're emotions going. To be enthusiastic every day and as Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Nothing great could be accomplished without enthusiasm," to keep your dreams alive in spite of problems whatever you have. The ability to be able to work hard for your dreams to come true, to become a reality.
"Don't give up, don't ever give up." That's what I'm going to try to do every minute that I have left. I will thank God for the day and the moment I have. If you see me, smile and give me a hug. That's important to me too. But try if you can to support, whether it's AIDS or the cancer foundation, so that someone else might survive, might prosper and might actually be cured of this dreaded disease. I can't thank ESPN enough for allowing this to happen. I'm going to work as hard as I can for cancer research and hopefully, maybe, we'll have some cures and some breakthroughs. I'd like to think, I'm going to fight my brains out to be back here again next year for the Arthur Ashe recipient. I want to give it next year!I know, I gotta go, I gotta go, and I got one last thing and I said it before, and I want to say it again. Cancer can take away all my physical abilities. It cannot touch my mind, it cannot touch my heart and it cannot touch my soul. And those three things are going to carry on forever.
I thank you and God bless you all.
This was a man who stood on National Television, knowing he was dying, and yet took the opportunity to show how strong the human spirit could be, and even though I've seen the speech a dozen times, I'm ready to cry by the end of it every time.
Here is to Jim Valvano, a true inspiration we could all learn something from.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
R.I.P. Sean Taylor
11/27/07
Sean Taylor was a professional football player. He was 24 years old and played safety for the Washington Redskins. For anybody who followed football will tell you that Sean Taylor was a thug and a punk, always getting into trouble. However Sean Taylor was shot and consequently killed early this morning after suffering heavy blood loss.
People die everyday, so why I am I even taking the time out to make mention of this?
For starters, being a professional athlete, and Taylor happened to be a very talented player, makes him a public figure, meaning his death gets more attention than that of your average person.
However the reason this particular situation has been really bugging me is that fact that he was only 24 years old, and according to those close to him, had really turned his life around.
Sean Taylor could have been anybody, and his public figure status just brings this to the forefront. At 24 years old, it would be an enormous understatement to say he died far too young. He also had a daughter who is only a year old, and will now grow up without her father, never really getting to know him.
The story is tragic anyway you look at it.
Being the sports fan I am, this story caught my attention, but it really just makes you think about a lot of different things.
We all know somebody who has died or we know somebody who knows somebody. And its never an easy thing, and part of dealing with the death of somebody we know is just really trying to sort out your own personal thoughts.
I obviously didn't know Sean Taylor, but when somebody only 4 years older than I am has their life taken away, its only natural to think about my own life and how quickly it can all be taken away. The things we bitch about on a day to day basis are quickly forgotten when we try and think about how lucky we are to be in the situations we are all in.
Anybody who reads this, we're all very young, healthy and more or less successful even at this early point in our lives. We complain and fight and show an indifference towards the things that matter most to us, and it really is a shame. And I am just as guilty as the next person.
The sad truth is that we usually don't take the time to reflect on any of this until something devastating takes place, and thats just unacceptable.
We all have been giving too much to take anything for granted, and this is really taking a shot at myself- but the fact that it takes the unfortunate death of somebody else to realize how great your own life is pathetic. And quite frankly, I'm ashamed at myself for not appreciating the good more often.
While Sean Taylor had his home broken into and was shot- a scenerio most if not all of us probably won't ever find ourselves in, we must be conscious of how fragile life can be, and to really try and just make the most out of the great situations we have all been blessed to be in.
I am not particularly religious, nor do I consider myself much of a preacher. In fact I am guilty of being far too apathetic when it comes to how lucky I am- and so I encourage anybody reading this to follow my lead in just spending a little more time being thankful- especially on the heels of the one day of the year we are supposed to spend reminding ourselves and others how thankful we are.
As the Sean Taylor tragedy, and any other tragedy teaches us, life is too short to waste. As cliche and corny as a lot of what I just said sounds, you all know its true, and we could all do a better job of trying to just enjoy everything we have been given.
Thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Sean Taylor, and everybody else out there who was taken from us too early.
Sean Taylor was a professional football player. He was 24 years old and played safety for the Washington Redskins. For anybody who followed football will tell you that Sean Taylor was a thug and a punk, always getting into trouble. However Sean Taylor was shot and consequently killed early this morning after suffering heavy blood loss.
People die everyday, so why I am I even taking the time out to make mention of this?
For starters, being a professional athlete, and Taylor happened to be a very talented player, makes him a public figure, meaning his death gets more attention than that of your average person.
However the reason this particular situation has been really bugging me is that fact that he was only 24 years old, and according to those close to him, had really turned his life around.
Sean Taylor could have been anybody, and his public figure status just brings this to the forefront. At 24 years old, it would be an enormous understatement to say he died far too young. He also had a daughter who is only a year old, and will now grow up without her father, never really getting to know him.
The story is tragic anyway you look at it.
Being the sports fan I am, this story caught my attention, but it really just makes you think about a lot of different things.
We all know somebody who has died or we know somebody who knows somebody. And its never an easy thing, and part of dealing with the death of somebody we know is just really trying to sort out your own personal thoughts.
I obviously didn't know Sean Taylor, but when somebody only 4 years older than I am has their life taken away, its only natural to think about my own life and how quickly it can all be taken away. The things we bitch about on a day to day basis are quickly forgotten when we try and think about how lucky we are to be in the situations we are all in.
Anybody who reads this, we're all very young, healthy and more or less successful even at this early point in our lives. We complain and fight and show an indifference towards the things that matter most to us, and it really is a shame. And I am just as guilty as the next person.
The sad truth is that we usually don't take the time to reflect on any of this until something devastating takes place, and thats just unacceptable.
We all have been giving too much to take anything for granted, and this is really taking a shot at myself- but the fact that it takes the unfortunate death of somebody else to realize how great your own life is pathetic. And quite frankly, I'm ashamed at myself for not appreciating the good more often.
While Sean Taylor had his home broken into and was shot- a scenerio most if not all of us probably won't ever find ourselves in, we must be conscious of how fragile life can be, and to really try and just make the most out of the great situations we have all been blessed to be in.
I am not particularly religious, nor do I consider myself much of a preacher. In fact I am guilty of being far too apathetic when it comes to how lucky I am- and so I encourage anybody reading this to follow my lead in just spending a little more time being thankful- especially on the heels of the one day of the year we are supposed to spend reminding ourselves and others how thankful we are.
As the Sean Taylor tragedy, and any other tragedy teaches us, life is too short to waste. As cliche and corny as a lot of what I just said sounds, you all know its true, and we could all do a better job of trying to just enjoy everything we have been given.
Thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Sean Taylor, and everybody else out there who was taken from us too early.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Dissapointing but Still Worth the $45
11/22/07
Happy Thanksgiving officially now- Unfortunately my Holiday break really got off on the wrong foot.
I got lucky in the fact that Syracuse was going to playing a season tip-off tournament at Madison Square Garden while I was home in Queens. When I found out, I immediately bought tickets, which happened to be 8 rows off the court.
Not only were the seats out of this world amazing, but th Garden is Syracuse's home away from home, and tonight was no exception. The Worlds Most Famous had moments where it was transformed into the Loud House, with everybody standing and cheering and reminding me why nothing compares to seeing Syracuse Basketball in the Carrier Dome.
Being a Knicks fan (sad to say these days), going to the Garden to watch basketball is an experience like nothing else. They always say New York is the mecca of basketball, and its absolutely true. It may a self-proclaimed title, but the Garden is easily the Worlds most recognizable entertainment and sports venue.
So getting my first chance to watch my favorite college basketball team play there was something I was not going to pass up. And if you take the final score out of the equation, the night lived up to and exceeded my expectations.
The atmosphere was incredible, standing until Cuse hit their first field goal (we all know free throws dont count), the Lets Go Orange chants, seeing the entire crowd stand as though we were one giant student section screaming when we needed (but never actually got) a big defensive stop. It was amazing.
But the sad reality was the game itself was a big let down. And thats pretty much how things go when it comes to the sports teams I root for.
Syracuse got completely outplayed and in my opinion out coached (sorry Jim) by a young, hungry Ohio State team, bringing Orange basketball fans back down to earth.
The offense struggled and never really got into any sort of flow, the ball movement wasnt there most of the night, the rebounding was a joke as it usually is, but most of all, the defense was nowhere to be found. And as a result, Ohio State scored inside and out at will, and Syracuse just could never recover.
So all in all, the game itself was really disappointing, however the experience itself was really great. Just seeing (in my opinion) 80% of the crowd- most of whom don't currently attend Syracuse Univeristy- completely turn MSG into the Dome was worth going for.
If they can figure out how to fix their defensive issues and get more comfortable running the offense, I see no reason why I wont be able to make a return trip at some point down the road.
I'm thinking Big East tournament.
See you there in March.
Happy Thanksgiving officially now- Unfortunately my Holiday break really got off on the wrong foot.
I got lucky in the fact that Syracuse was going to playing a season tip-off tournament at Madison Square Garden while I was home in Queens. When I found out, I immediately bought tickets, which happened to be 8 rows off the court.
Not only were the seats out of this world amazing, but th Garden is Syracuse's home away from home, and tonight was no exception. The Worlds Most Famous had moments where it was transformed into the Loud House, with everybody standing and cheering and reminding me why nothing compares to seeing Syracuse Basketball in the Carrier Dome.
Being a Knicks fan (sad to say these days), going to the Garden to watch basketball is an experience like nothing else. They always say New York is the mecca of basketball, and its absolutely true. It may a self-proclaimed title, but the Garden is easily the Worlds most recognizable entertainment and sports venue.
So getting my first chance to watch my favorite college basketball team play there was something I was not going to pass up. And if you take the final score out of the equation, the night lived up to and exceeded my expectations.
The atmosphere was incredible, standing until Cuse hit their first field goal (we all know free throws dont count), the Lets Go Orange chants, seeing the entire crowd stand as though we were one giant student section screaming when we needed (but never actually got) a big defensive stop. It was amazing.
But the sad reality was the game itself was a big let down. And thats pretty much how things go when it comes to the sports teams I root for.
Syracuse got completely outplayed and in my opinion out coached (sorry Jim) by a young, hungry Ohio State team, bringing Orange basketball fans back down to earth.
The offense struggled and never really got into any sort of flow, the ball movement wasnt there most of the night, the rebounding was a joke as it usually is, but most of all, the defense was nowhere to be found. And as a result, Ohio State scored inside and out at will, and Syracuse just could never recover.
So all in all, the game itself was really disappointing, however the experience itself was really great. Just seeing (in my opinion) 80% of the crowd- most of whom don't currently attend Syracuse Univeristy- completely turn MSG into the Dome was worth going for.
If they can figure out how to fix their defensive issues and get more comfortable running the offense, I see no reason why I wont be able to make a return trip at some point down the road.
I'm thinking Big East tournament.
See you there in March.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Being Home vs. Being At School
11/21/07
Why is it that right before you are leaving to go home for a vacation, you cant wait to get the hell out of school and remind yourself how great sleeping in your own bed is?
At the same time, at least for me, after two nights, maybe three at most- I'm ready to get back to school faster than you say Turkey and Stuffing.
Being at home and being at school both have their pros and cons, so I figured it could be fun to actually sit down (which I am doing at this moment) and analyze them, being as though I am home, and have absolutely nothing to do all day. So here goes...
Being at School- Pros
Being Home and being at School both have plenty to offer and plenty to make you countdown the days until you can return to the other.
I guess there really is no place like home.
Unless of course you're away at school.
Why is it that right before you are leaving to go home for a vacation, you cant wait to get the hell out of school and remind yourself how great sleeping in your own bed is?
At the same time, at least for me, after two nights, maybe three at most- I'm ready to get back to school faster than you say Turkey and Stuffing.
Being at home and being at school both have their pros and cons, so I figured it could be fun to actually sit down (which I am doing at this moment) and analyze them, being as though I am home, and have absolutely nothing to do all day. So here goes...
Being at School- Pros
- You can eat anything you want, at anytime of the day or night, no questions asked.
- Wegmans (if you have ever been there, you understand)
- You don't have to rely on AIM for human contact after 10:30 at night
- Getting home at 2 in the morning is perfectly acceptable
- You can leave your room as big a shithole as you want to without hearing a word about it
- NBA league pass- probably not appealing to most of you...buts getting almost every NBA game gives you something to watch every night
- Doing your own laundry
- Folding your own laundry
- Putting away your own laundry (ok, so my mom still babies me...deal with it)
- Cleaning your own bathroom
- Cooking (once again, my mom loves me)
- The Pizza, Bagels and Chinese food make you consider giving up all 3
- Drunken neighbors throwing up outside your door (never actually happened, but I imagine it has to somebody)
- Mary-the lovely spanish speaking maid my mother employs- cant make the 5 hour drive every week to clean my suite
- Laundry gets cleaned, folded and put away for me- and I'm not ashamed to admit it
- Home cooked dinners at least once a week- and heating up a frozen pizza in the micro (while delicious)- doesn't count.
- The bagels, pizza and chinese food make me consider never actually eating those home cooked meals
- Not getting emails alerting me of an assault which took place 2 blocks away from where I live (oh Syracuse)
- Roosevelt Field Mall- nothing beats it (sorry Carousel)
- Going into the City and spending the day doing nothing but going from store to store realizing you cant afford anything you see
- Getting to see all the people from home you otherwise don't get to see
- For all the things my mother does while I'm home, the nagging I receive pretty much negates it
- Old neighbors who blasting their televisions allowing them to hear the public access channels they live for
- The Pizza, Bagels and Chinese food aren't encouraging me to eat healthier
- Dominos and Pizza hut arent open late during the week
- My only roommates are in their 50's, and have no interest in going out after 8 oclock
- Getting to see all the people from home you otherwise don't get to see
Being Home and being at School both have plenty to offer and plenty to make you countdown the days until you can return to the other.
I guess there really is no place like home.
Unless of course you're away at school.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
School Breaks (Thanksgiving Edition)
11/20/07
For three years now, the Thanksgiving break has become somewhat of an event. Not because I happen to look forward to Thanksgiving itself, but because there are a number of different elements which all seem to come into play right around this time of year, specifically as a college student.
This break in particular is a strange break, because it begins in the middle of the week, plus you lose a day of "do-nothingness" to spend with your family. Throw into the equation that I'm one of the few Americans who despises Turkey and all the other fixings we find on our Thanksgiving tables. Thats why I'm proud to say I'm one of the few people who enjoys Baked Ziti and left over Chinese food as part of his feast.
So the Thanksgiving break doesn't really have a whole lot of appeal for me personally, esepcially since it creates an awkward situation where you have all these friends to see and spend some time with, exchanging the necessary "I missed you sooo much" and "so how is school going" only to say good bye and see them all again 3 weeks later when the semester finally comes to end.
But while the awkwardness is one of the downsides of the Thanksgiving break, the big plus is that it does in fact signal the coming to the end of another semester of college.
For this guy, that would be 5 semesters in the books, and 3 more to go. Kinda scary when you think about it. After 12 weeks, I'm almost half-way through my Junior year, and this break is just the signaling that time is slowly starting to run out. Running out on both the semester and my college career.
But the Thanksgiving break in itself is pretty awkward, because it really just doesnt last long enough to give you that feeling like you were away from school long enough to matter. Youre only given these handful of days where among the things you can do include going to the mall- a bad idea considering these are the busiest days the mall sees- going to the movies- also a bad idea considering we are still about a month away from the Holiday rush of half-decent films leaving us with the very missable shit such as Fred Claus and the Mist.
I lucked out because Syracuse is playing an early season tournament at Madison Square Garden, which means I'll get a chance to watch my current favorite basketball team play in the home of my current least favorite basketball team (no, not the Nets).
But other than that, I'll be spending this all-too short vacation trying to squeeze in visits with friends, watching some basketball, not eating on Thursday and pretending to act like I have work to do before I go back, while my backpack remains unopened until I return (I think I should get some credit for at least bringing it home)
So- I now have 5 days (really only 4 if you take out Thursday, plus nobody does much Sunday when you have to go back making it 3) to try and recharge the batteries for the finals few weeks of another college semester which is ready to be put in the books.
The real treat to look forward to is the Winter break of a college student, which for me sits about another 3 and half to 4 weeks away.
Until then, enjoy your Turkey, and enjoy the time off.
Hopefully I'll figure out a way to do so myself.
For three years now, the Thanksgiving break has become somewhat of an event. Not because I happen to look forward to Thanksgiving itself, but because there are a number of different elements which all seem to come into play right around this time of year, specifically as a college student.
This break in particular is a strange break, because it begins in the middle of the week, plus you lose a day of "do-nothingness" to spend with your family. Throw into the equation that I'm one of the few Americans who despises Turkey and all the other fixings we find on our Thanksgiving tables. Thats why I'm proud to say I'm one of the few people who enjoys Baked Ziti and left over Chinese food as part of his feast.
So the Thanksgiving break doesn't really have a whole lot of appeal for me personally, esepcially since it creates an awkward situation where you have all these friends to see and spend some time with, exchanging the necessary "I missed you sooo much" and "so how is school going" only to say good bye and see them all again 3 weeks later when the semester finally comes to end.
But while the awkwardness is one of the downsides of the Thanksgiving break, the big plus is that it does in fact signal the coming to the end of another semester of college.
For this guy, that would be 5 semesters in the books, and 3 more to go. Kinda scary when you think about it. After 12 weeks, I'm almost half-way through my Junior year, and this break is just the signaling that time is slowly starting to run out. Running out on both the semester and my college career.
But the Thanksgiving break in itself is pretty awkward, because it really just doesnt last long enough to give you that feeling like you were away from school long enough to matter. Youre only given these handful of days where among the things you can do include going to the mall- a bad idea considering these are the busiest days the mall sees- going to the movies- also a bad idea considering we are still about a month away from the Holiday rush of half-decent films leaving us with the very missable shit such as Fred Claus and the Mist.
I lucked out because Syracuse is playing an early season tournament at Madison Square Garden, which means I'll get a chance to watch my current favorite basketball team play in the home of my current least favorite basketball team (no, not the Nets).
But other than that, I'll be spending this all-too short vacation trying to squeeze in visits with friends, watching some basketball, not eating on Thursday and pretending to act like I have work to do before I go back, while my backpack remains unopened until I return (I think I should get some credit for at least bringing it home)
So- I now have 5 days (really only 4 if you take out Thursday, plus nobody does much Sunday when you have to go back making it 3) to try and recharge the batteries for the finals few weeks of another college semester which is ready to be put in the books.
The real treat to look forward to is the Winter break of a college student, which for me sits about another 3 and half to 4 weeks away.
Until then, enjoy your Turkey, and enjoy the time off.
Hopefully I'll figure out a way to do so myself.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Alexander The (not so) Great
11/18/07
When last we spoke, things in Yankeeland weren't looking all that certain. Jorge Posada had just resigned for an absolutely outrageously overpaid price tag of 4 years, 52 million dollars.
A good signing considering Posada's value to the team, and there aren't many other catchers out there to be had. Just ask Omar Minaya.
Mariano Rivera, the greatest closer in the history of the sport, was offered 3 years and 45 million dollars to continue and finish his career as a Yankee, yet felt disrepsetced by the fact he was no offered a 4th year, and has decided wait and see if the Yankees are willing to do so. (reports have since come out saying Rivera will accept the offer at 3 years).
So Posada was brought back, which filled one hole, and Rivera will in all likelyhood be following suit. However the one spot which may have been hardest to fill was third base. The guy who played there last season was pretty good, and you probably know who I'm talking about. No- its not Wilson Betemit. Its Alexander the Great of course. And with Alex opting out, who would be replacing him?
World Series MVP and Red Sox enemy Mike Lowell? Marlins young slugger Miguel Cabrera? Washed up Cards third basemen Scott Rolen? Sadly overpaid and underachieving Mariners hot corner guy Adrian Beltre?
Some appealing names, but none would have been able to fully replace the production that Alex gave them.
But then out of nowhere, as if divine intervention stepped in, Alex Rodriguez (supposedly at the advice of mega-billionaire Warren Buffet) went out of his way to contact the Yankees without his puppeteer of an agent, Scott Boras.
Now Scott Boras for those of you unfamiliar with the name, is the Ari Gold of baseball agents. He is shrewd and at times unethical, yet at the end of the day he gets his clients more money than they deserve while taking his own chunk of change along the way.
Boras is the agent who orchestrated the record breaking 10 year, $252 million A-Rod signed back in 2000 with the hapless Rangers. But Boras was up to his old tricks this year, deciding that even though Alex was playing in the World Series, he would still be part of it.
Before the Red Sox went on to win their 2nd championship in the last 4 years, Boras made it a point to announce to the free world that his superstar client would be opting out of the final 3 years of his deal, making him a free-agent, and giving up the 81 million dollars still owed to him in an effort to make more.
And upon making that decision, the Yankees came out and said that they would refuse to negotiate with Alex should he decide to opt out, and they seemed to stand pretty firm in that belief. The names were flying around as to who would be at third base next year, whlie the potential suitors for A-Rod were hard to find. The Angles, Dodgers, Mets and Giants seemed interested but coming up with the money to pay for King Alex was going to be tough.
Not having the Yankees as an option wasn't going to help Alex get the 300+ million Boras was seeking for him. And so it seemed Alex would surely would be wearing a different uniform next season, without that interlocking NY.
But this is the New York Yankees, an organization that while they havn't wont a championship since 2000, seems to always get lucky and always catch the right break at the right time. And this was no different. Alex Rodriguez, as you all know by now, will be calling the Bronx home beyond the next two Presidential terms.
And how did this happen? Because (reportedly) Alex Rodriguez went directly to Yankee management and requested the chance to talk about finishing his career as a Yankee.
And it worked. because 10 years and 275 million dollars later, Alex Rodriguez will surpass his own record contract by signing the most lucrative sports deal in history. And the best part?
Alex comes off looking like the hero. The Yankee fans not only get A-Rod back in Pinstripes, but they get him back because he made the effort. There was no pressuring by his agent and no strings being pulled over his head. This was all A-Rod.
Or was it?
Now this is entirely my opinion, but to think that Scott Boras, the most powerful man in baseball no associated with the sport itself, played no role in this is ludicrous. Boras may be a scum bag, but hes good at what he does. He knew the Yankees wanted no part of him when negotiating, so he stepped back when needed. He did what he had to- not only to get Alex the contract he was looking for, but he did so and made Alex come out looking the good guy!
Now from the point of the view of somebody not really interested in sports or baseball, there is still plenty of intrigue in all of this.
Here is a person, not yet 33 years of age, about sign a contract which will guarantee him a collection of over 250 million dollars- FOR THE SECOND TIME IN HIS CAREER. And what does he do? He plays a game. He happens to be very good at the game he plays, but when analyzing the game he plays, success is ultimately measured by the jewelry on your fingers, not the number of zeros on your paycheck.
So if thats the case, Alex Rodriguez is no more a success story in baseball than Rob Schneider is in acting. (Rob, for all his comedic talents, has yet to come close to sniffing an Acedemy Award nomination).
Yet here is Alex Rodriguez, who puts up terrific stats, whether it be home runs, runs batted in, strike outs with runners on third and less than 2 outs- take your pick. But the truth of the matter is, the man gets paid more than any other professional athlete has or ever will, despite the fact he has yet to achieve the ulitmate success sports has to offer.
However if you were Alex whether or not that bothers him, he would probably tell you how passionate he is about winning and trying to help his team get a World Series championship.
And if that isnt enough to convince you what his true intentions are, I'm sure there are others we just dont know about.
About 275 million of them.
When last we spoke, things in Yankeeland weren't looking all that certain. Jorge Posada had just resigned for an absolutely outrageously overpaid price tag of 4 years, 52 million dollars.
A good signing considering Posada's value to the team, and there aren't many other catchers out there to be had. Just ask Omar Minaya.
Mariano Rivera, the greatest closer in the history of the sport, was offered 3 years and 45 million dollars to continue and finish his career as a Yankee, yet felt disrepsetced by the fact he was no offered a 4th year, and has decided wait and see if the Yankees are willing to do so. (reports have since come out saying Rivera will accept the offer at 3 years).
So Posada was brought back, which filled one hole, and Rivera will in all likelyhood be following suit. However the one spot which may have been hardest to fill was third base. The guy who played there last season was pretty good, and you probably know who I'm talking about. No- its not Wilson Betemit. Its Alexander the Great of course. And with Alex opting out, who would be replacing him?
World Series MVP and Red Sox enemy Mike Lowell? Marlins young slugger Miguel Cabrera? Washed up Cards third basemen Scott Rolen? Sadly overpaid and underachieving Mariners hot corner guy Adrian Beltre?
Some appealing names, but none would have been able to fully replace the production that Alex gave them.
But then out of nowhere, as if divine intervention stepped in, Alex Rodriguez (supposedly at the advice of mega-billionaire Warren Buffet) went out of his way to contact the Yankees without his puppeteer of an agent, Scott Boras.
Now Scott Boras for those of you unfamiliar with the name, is the Ari Gold of baseball agents. He is shrewd and at times unethical, yet at the end of the day he gets his clients more money than they deserve while taking his own chunk of change along the way.
Boras is the agent who orchestrated the record breaking 10 year, $252 million A-Rod signed back in 2000 with the hapless Rangers. But Boras was up to his old tricks this year, deciding that even though Alex was playing in the World Series, he would still be part of it.
Before the Red Sox went on to win their 2nd championship in the last 4 years, Boras made it a point to announce to the free world that his superstar client would be opting out of the final 3 years of his deal, making him a free-agent, and giving up the 81 million dollars still owed to him in an effort to make more.
And upon making that decision, the Yankees came out and said that they would refuse to negotiate with Alex should he decide to opt out, and they seemed to stand pretty firm in that belief. The names were flying around as to who would be at third base next year, whlie the potential suitors for A-Rod were hard to find. The Angles, Dodgers, Mets and Giants seemed interested but coming up with the money to pay for King Alex was going to be tough.
Not having the Yankees as an option wasn't going to help Alex get the 300+ million Boras was seeking for him. And so it seemed Alex would surely would be wearing a different uniform next season, without that interlocking NY.
But this is the New York Yankees, an organization that while they havn't wont a championship since 2000, seems to always get lucky and always catch the right break at the right time. And this was no different. Alex Rodriguez, as you all know by now, will be calling the Bronx home beyond the next two Presidential terms.
And how did this happen? Because (reportedly) Alex Rodriguez went directly to Yankee management and requested the chance to talk about finishing his career as a Yankee.
And it worked. because 10 years and 275 million dollars later, Alex Rodriguez will surpass his own record contract by signing the most lucrative sports deal in history. And the best part?
Alex comes off looking like the hero. The Yankee fans not only get A-Rod back in Pinstripes, but they get him back because he made the effort. There was no pressuring by his agent and no strings being pulled over his head. This was all A-Rod.
Or was it?
Now this is entirely my opinion, but to think that Scott Boras, the most powerful man in baseball no associated with the sport itself, played no role in this is ludicrous. Boras may be a scum bag, but hes good at what he does. He knew the Yankees wanted no part of him when negotiating, so he stepped back when needed. He did what he had to- not only to get Alex the contract he was looking for, but he did so and made Alex come out looking the good guy!
Now from the point of the view of somebody not really interested in sports or baseball, there is still plenty of intrigue in all of this.
Here is a person, not yet 33 years of age, about sign a contract which will guarantee him a collection of over 250 million dollars- FOR THE SECOND TIME IN HIS CAREER. And what does he do? He plays a game. He happens to be very good at the game he plays, but when analyzing the game he plays, success is ultimately measured by the jewelry on your fingers, not the number of zeros on your paycheck.
So if thats the case, Alex Rodriguez is no more a success story in baseball than Rob Schneider is in acting. (Rob, for all his comedic talents, has yet to come close to sniffing an Acedemy Award nomination).
Yet here is Alex Rodriguez, who puts up terrific stats, whether it be home runs, runs batted in, strike outs with runners on third and less than 2 outs- take your pick. But the truth of the matter is, the man gets paid more than any other professional athlete has or ever will, despite the fact he has yet to achieve the ulitmate success sports has to offer.
However if you were Alex whether or not that bothers him, he would probably tell you how passionate he is about winning and trying to help his team get a World Series championship.
And if that isnt enough to convince you what his true intentions are, I'm sure there are others we just dont know about.
About 275 million of them.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Return of the Newsfeed
11/12/07
A few weeks ago, on a Facebook profile not so far away....
By now many of you are aware of the problems I have had with my Facebook newsfeed. For those of you who don't, my newsfeed stopped giving me updates about 2 weeks ago. The only items I would see on my newsfeed were wall posts on only my wall and these advertisements about what the most popular books (Harry Potter) and movies (Anchorman) were in my networks.
But Adam- Its just your stupid Facebook newsfeed- who gives a shit?
Well, this guy does.
I remember when Facebook introduced the newsfeed. And I also remember how quickly I was invited to join the groups people created wanting to destroy it. But not me. I saw the newsfeed as a while new frontier facebook was allowing us to conquer.
When Facebook (or The Facebook for anybody who still refers to it as so) was started, the whole networking idea was pretty cool, but its no secret that Facebook really serves us one main purpose:
Stalking.
And being able to stalk our friends and keep ourselves involved in their lives without ever having to actually talk to them was fantastic. Even better was being able to check out people of the opposite sex without having to possess the courage to ever actually talk to them (not that I would know....)
That was of course before the privacy settings went all hardcore.
Advantage- Facebook.
But the newsfeed really took the essence of stalking to an entirely new level. Way back when before the newsfeed era began, stalking meant having to think about the people you wanted to know about. The newsfeed has made that a thing of the past. Now we are able to get updates of up to 40 people we want, while at the same choosing 40 people we couldn't care less about.
Advantage- Adam
Now I know there are probably more important things going on in your lives so that should any of your newsfeeds gone down, you would have been able to deal. Well thats why you're all better people than I am. Not only did I freak out about having to go out of my way to who friended who and who changed their facebook picture for the third time in a week, but I did something I ordinarily would never do.
I took some initiative! I contacted facebook and let them know what the problems was. I got emails back explaining that I was not the only person experiencing the problem (although probably the only person who gave enough of a shit to say something about it) and with in 2 days my newsfeed returned.
Only to stop updating two days later.
Advantage- Facebook
So being the proactive person I am when it comes to things that are of absolutely no importance whatsoever, I sent facebook another message, and heard back from them again. This time, my personalized email was from Theodore from the Facebook team, telling me this time that not only were they still trying to correct the problem, but also inviting me to fill them in on any other problems I was having with facebook.
And then last night, while I was hopelessly staring at an impotent newsfeed, I logged off facebook and logged back on minutes later and magically...maybe through divine intervention...I was able to see that 34 of my friend had changed their profile pictures. And 24 hours later I can happily report my newsfeed is still updating normally.
So a special thanks to Theodore and the Facebook team for coming to my rescue in a dire time of need. No longer do I have to stalk like its 2005. New groups, wallposts, pictures and relationships, all on my homepage once again.
Advantage- Adam
And all was right in the world again.
For now anyway.
A few weeks ago, on a Facebook profile not so far away....
By now many of you are aware of the problems I have had with my Facebook newsfeed. For those of you who don't, my newsfeed stopped giving me updates about 2 weeks ago. The only items I would see on my newsfeed were wall posts on only my wall and these advertisements about what the most popular books (Harry Potter) and movies (Anchorman) were in my networks.
But Adam- Its just your stupid Facebook newsfeed- who gives a shit?
Well, this guy does.
I remember when Facebook introduced the newsfeed. And I also remember how quickly I was invited to join the groups people created wanting to destroy it. But not me. I saw the newsfeed as a while new frontier facebook was allowing us to conquer.
When Facebook (or The Facebook for anybody who still refers to it as so) was started, the whole networking idea was pretty cool, but its no secret that Facebook really serves us one main purpose:
Stalking.
And being able to stalk our friends and keep ourselves involved in their lives without ever having to actually talk to them was fantastic. Even better was being able to check out people of the opposite sex without having to possess the courage to ever actually talk to them (not that I would know....)
That was of course before the privacy settings went all hardcore.
Advantage- Facebook.
But the newsfeed really took the essence of stalking to an entirely new level. Way back when before the newsfeed era began, stalking meant having to think about the people you wanted to know about. The newsfeed has made that a thing of the past. Now we are able to get updates of up to 40 people we want, while at the same choosing 40 people we couldn't care less about.
Advantage- Adam
Now I know there are probably more important things going on in your lives so that should any of your newsfeeds gone down, you would have been able to deal. Well thats why you're all better people than I am. Not only did I freak out about having to go out of my way to who friended who and who changed their facebook picture for the third time in a week, but I did something I ordinarily would never do.
I took some initiative! I contacted facebook and let them know what the problems was. I got emails back explaining that I was not the only person experiencing the problem (although probably the only person who gave enough of a shit to say something about it) and with in 2 days my newsfeed returned.
Only to stop updating two days later.
Advantage- Facebook
So being the proactive person I am when it comes to things that are of absolutely no importance whatsoever, I sent facebook another message, and heard back from them again. This time, my personalized email was from Theodore from the Facebook team, telling me this time that not only were they still trying to correct the problem, but also inviting me to fill them in on any other problems I was having with facebook.
And then last night, while I was hopelessly staring at an impotent newsfeed, I logged off facebook and logged back on minutes later and magically...maybe through divine intervention...I was able to see that 34 of my friend had changed their profile pictures. And 24 hours later I can happily report my newsfeed is still updating normally.
So a special thanks to Theodore and the Facebook team for coming to my rescue in a dire time of need. No longer do I have to stalk like its 2005. New groups, wallposts, pictures and relationships, all on my homepage once again.
Advantage- Adam
And all was right in the world again.
For now anyway.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
So Much For Daily Updates
11/11/07
I want to apologize to anybody who was expecting me to post something the last 2 days. So to all those who were left with nothing to read at 3:30 in the morning, I'm sorry. A lethal combination of being busy and not having anything to really talk resulted in my having to go against my promise of daily updates.
So, now that I've had a few days to collect some thoughts, I guess it would be fitting to make up for missed time.
However, I'd rather just talk about my weekend.
So last we spoke, I was talking about I had my first exposure so Gossip Girls. While I really didnt find the show to be worthy of the time slot it has, left me counting down the days for next weeks episode (3 days!!)
So if you don't know by now, I have no classes on Friday, which left me with a whole day to get stuff accomplished. I'm not gonna lie, but the feeling of being productive with errands is a feeling which is hard to top.
The list of things to get done included laundry, dry cleaning, grocery shopping, a stop at the mall, maybe a haircut and if time allowed a head start on homework.
Ok so the last thing is clearly a joke because even if I had homework (which i don't) we all know It wouldn't have gotten done until the last minute, if at all.
So the only thing standing in the way of me and getting everything done was lunch I had planned with my friend Scott (who not only is an up and coming stand up comic, but also has a weekly humor column you can read online at dailyorange.com).
So we had a very nice sit down lunch, swapped stories about our respective love lives (or lack there of) and before I knew it, 2 hours had past and my time to get anything done before the Knicks game at 7:30 was shrinking.
But I still had time, as it was only about 3:30. Plenty of time right?
Wrong. By the time the Knicks started playing, I had not left my room, which meant I had a limited amount of clean clothes, nothing to eat for dinner and nothing to wear for my Formal dinner with the Jones family (my rooommate Mike Jones- note that this shoutout will never be seen by Mike because he believes this blog confirms my love for penis).
So Friday was in the books, and I got nothing done. Went out Friday night with all the Girls, but knew that Saturday was D-Day.
Fortunately I did get every I had gotten everything done I needed to, but a day which I had set aside for me doing absolutely nothing was taken away. And thats a demoralizing feeling.
Saturday night (last night) I was in Binghamton for my friend Arielle's 20th birthday. I can honestly say it was a great time.
I got back today and arrived in perfect time for the Giants-Cowboys game, which was great for the first 30 minutes of play, however the second half played by the Giants left a lot to be desired. Lucky for me the Knicks started at 6 giving me a reason not to watch much of the second half.
And so while it may seem as though I was too busy to write anything here over the weekend, its actually a flat out lie, because I was just too lazy to do so. And for that I would apologize, although the number of people who actually read this is in all likelihood less than the number of women who didn't sleep with Wilt Chamberlain before he passed away. (people estimate Wilt the Stilt slept with over 20,000 lovely ladies).
So baring some unforeseen disturbance, I'll be getting back to you all tomorrow.
All 3 of you. (give or take 2)
I want to apologize to anybody who was expecting me to post something the last 2 days. So to all those who were left with nothing to read at 3:30 in the morning, I'm sorry. A lethal combination of being busy and not having anything to really talk resulted in my having to go against my promise of daily updates.
So, now that I've had a few days to collect some thoughts, I guess it would be fitting to make up for missed time.
However, I'd rather just talk about my weekend.
So last we spoke, I was talking about I had my first exposure so Gossip Girls. While I really didnt find the show to be worthy of the time slot it has, left me counting down the days for next weeks episode (3 days!!)
So if you don't know by now, I have no classes on Friday, which left me with a whole day to get stuff accomplished. I'm not gonna lie, but the feeling of being productive with errands is a feeling which is hard to top.
The list of things to get done included laundry, dry cleaning, grocery shopping, a stop at the mall, maybe a haircut and if time allowed a head start on homework.
Ok so the last thing is clearly a joke because even if I had homework (which i don't) we all know It wouldn't have gotten done until the last minute, if at all.
So the only thing standing in the way of me and getting everything done was lunch I had planned with my friend Scott (who not only is an up and coming stand up comic, but also has a weekly humor column you can read online at dailyorange.com).
So we had a very nice sit down lunch, swapped stories about our respective love lives (or lack there of) and before I knew it, 2 hours had past and my time to get anything done before the Knicks game at 7:30 was shrinking.
But I still had time, as it was only about 3:30. Plenty of time right?
Wrong. By the time the Knicks started playing, I had not left my room, which meant I had a limited amount of clean clothes, nothing to eat for dinner and nothing to wear for my Formal dinner with the Jones family (my rooommate Mike Jones- note that this shoutout will never be seen by Mike because he believes this blog confirms my love for penis).
So Friday was in the books, and I got nothing done. Went out Friday night with all the Girls, but knew that Saturday was D-Day.
Fortunately I did get every I had gotten everything done I needed to, but a day which I had set aside for me doing absolutely nothing was taken away. And thats a demoralizing feeling.
Saturday night (last night) I was in Binghamton for my friend Arielle's 20th birthday. I can honestly say it was a great time.
I got back today and arrived in perfect time for the Giants-Cowboys game, which was great for the first 30 minutes of play, however the second half played by the Giants left a lot to be desired. Lucky for me the Knicks started at 6 giving me a reason not to watch much of the second half.
And so while it may seem as though I was too busy to write anything here over the weekend, its actually a flat out lie, because I was just too lazy to do so. And for that I would apologize, although the number of people who actually read this is in all likelihood less than the number of women who didn't sleep with Wilt Chamberlain before he passed away. (people estimate Wilt the Stilt slept with over 20,000 lovely ladies).
So baring some unforeseen disturbance, I'll be getting back to you all tomorrow.
All 3 of you. (give or take 2)
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Blair, Chuck and My Introduction to the Gossip World
11/8/07
Every so often, I find myself searching for something to watch on TV. Last night was one of those nights, as the Knicks and Rangers were off, leaving me without sports to watch. Pushing Daises wasn't on because of some awards show, and South Park wasn't on until 10. That left me with few options, and sitting around with my Television off until 10 just wasn't an option.
Earlier in the day I was hanging out with the girls on my floor and I was invited to join all of them in watching Gossip Girls at 9.
Without thinking twice, I agreed, and I now had something to look forward to.
So 9 o'clock finally rolled around and I found myself across the hall, sitting in the living room of my neighbors with 6 other girls watching the CW's new hit show.
I went into the show with mixed thoughts, as I knew there a lot of hype surrounding the show, but it was the CW (formally the WB), leaving me wondering just how good this show could possibly be.
So the show started, I had no idea who anybody was, what the story lines were or why the hell the parents looked more like siblings. Either way, my initial impressions were not strong. The acting was horrendous, the plots were stupid and the writing was pathetic.
I felt as though I was watching a 16 year old's rendition at Sex in the City, without capable actresses or competent writing.
But as the show continued, my opinion of the show changed. For the worst.
The parents were cheating and using drugs, using their children as scapegoats and punching them in the face, only to wind up arrested on charges on embezzlement (tisk, tisk Mr. Archibold).
I had braced myself for your typical "he likes her, but shes with him yet she still talks to his best friend whos sister is secretly in love with the first guy" and so and so forth. And in that sense, I wasn't disappointed.
-Dan ("other Tucker" from John Tucker Must Die) is datign Serena (hot chick from Accepted).
-Dan's sister is trying to win over Blair, who has been dating Nate who we found out last week still has feelings for Serena- but only admitted so by accidentally kissing Dan's sister Jenny.
-Blair thinks she is going to receive an engagement ring from Nate but finds out beforehand the truth about her boyfriend's secret love.
-Blair than goes all pussy-cat doll and becomes a skanky burlesque dancer in an attempt to turn on Chuck, who looks like a slightly less attractive Chad Michael Murray (yea, I know who he is)
And then we have all the drama with the parents, which I couldn't follow if my life depended on it- but if you watch the show regularly, you know the situations.
The fact that these parents were so corrupt and acting out to such an extreme was completely absurd, yet definitely gave the show something else to laugh at.
The dialogue was pretty sappy at points, especially between Dan and Serena (the scene when hes changed his sheets and she tells him nobody has ever looked at her like that before...please, I'm pretty sure I've heard that in all the other D-rate chick flicks I enjoy).
Another gripe. The running narration was way too much like Sex and the City, except it lacked the wittiness and sophistication of Carrie Bradshaw.
So overall, after all the drama and all the dust had cleared, I had successfully survived my Gossip Girls initiation.
Shitty acting, unrealistic story lines, drug addited-child assaulting parents, predictable corny outcomes and over-the-top drama left me with only one thought:
Can't wait for next weeks episode.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
So Little To Do, So Much Time To Kill
11/7/07
Two-plus weeks to go before Thanksgiving. The semester is winding down, and finals are about a month away. For your average college student, the work is starting to pile up. Papers, exams, quizzes, assignments- can be overwhelming at this time with grades becoming more and more important.
Unless you're me.
I handed in that history paper I was bitching about a few days ago and upon handing it in I had realized it was the last piece of significant school work which was going to be required of me until after Thanksgiving.
No exams. No quizzes. No papers. No assignments. Nothing.
And so when I woke up Tuesday, I was living in a new world which I had previously only visited while day dreaming in class (which was every day I would actually be in class before I started bringing my lap-top).
And so now I have absolutely no school work of any kind to worry about until after I come back from my Thanksgiving break which begins two weeks from today. So it got me thinking about how much time I was going to have and how I would be able to enjoy all of it without the worry of procrastinating to write a paper or forgetting to study for a midterm.
Now many who know me are aware of my work ethic, or better yet- lack-thereof. So for the first time in my academic career I find myself in a situation where nothing is required of me for this extended a period of time (summers and breaks not withstanding).
For the next two weeks my wide-open schedule will probably be filled with plenty of the following:
Television- although thats not really a change from my lifestyle when I have work to do
Video games- same as above- although I can now play full NBA games instead of those 5 minute quarters which never feel right
Getting over to the Mall- going over the weekend is not pretty much impossible with all the construction at Carousel, so going at 10am or 2 in the afternoon, which has always been appealing, is now even more appealing.
Catching a midday Movie- I've done it before and I'll do it again- talking of course about seeing a movie by myself, which as depressing as it sounds (and it can be, not gonna lie) is also really relaxing. You get both arm rests, nobody kicking your chair plus the ability to keep your legs up without pissing off the douche bag in front of you.
Bowling- probably need a partner to join, but I havn't gotten over there yet this semester, and that needs to change. Plenty of time now.
Going to the gym- on second thought...
So there you have it. While the little calendar on my computer still reads November, school work is not something I need to care about.
Which when you think about it-
...is really nothing new for me.
Two-plus weeks to go before Thanksgiving. The semester is winding down, and finals are about a month away. For your average college student, the work is starting to pile up. Papers, exams, quizzes, assignments- can be overwhelming at this time with grades becoming more and more important.
Unless you're me.
I handed in that history paper I was bitching about a few days ago and upon handing it in I had realized it was the last piece of significant school work which was going to be required of me until after Thanksgiving.
No exams. No quizzes. No papers. No assignments. Nothing.
And so when I woke up Tuesday, I was living in a new world which I had previously only visited while day dreaming in class (which was every day I would actually be in class before I started bringing my lap-top).
And so now I have absolutely no school work of any kind to worry about until after I come back from my Thanksgiving break which begins two weeks from today. So it got me thinking about how much time I was going to have and how I would be able to enjoy all of it without the worry of procrastinating to write a paper or forgetting to study for a midterm.
Now many who know me are aware of my work ethic, or better yet- lack-thereof. So for the first time in my academic career I find myself in a situation where nothing is required of me for this extended a period of time (summers and breaks not withstanding).
For the next two weeks my wide-open schedule will probably be filled with plenty of the following:
Television- although thats not really a change from my lifestyle when I have work to do
Video games- same as above- although I can now play full NBA games instead of those 5 minute quarters which never feel right
Getting over to the Mall- going over the weekend is not pretty much impossible with all the construction at Carousel, so going at 10am or 2 in the afternoon, which has always been appealing, is now even more appealing.
Catching a midday Movie- I've done it before and I'll do it again- talking of course about seeing a movie by myself, which as depressing as it sounds (and it can be, not gonna lie) is also really relaxing. You get both arm rests, nobody kicking your chair plus the ability to keep your legs up without pissing off the douche bag in front of you.
Bowling- probably need a partner to join, but I havn't gotten over there yet this semester, and that needs to change. Plenty of time now.
Going to the gym- on second thought...
So there you have it. While the little calendar on my computer still reads November, school work is not something I need to care about.
Which when you think about it-
...is really nothing new for me.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Shea-Rod? Hopefully Not.
11/6/07
7 years ago, following a World Series loss at the hands of that other New York baseball team, the Mets- yes those Mets, were considered to be among the first choices where Alex Rodriguez wanted to play upon becoming a free agent.
He had grown up a Mets fan, claimed Keith Hernandez was one of his favorite players, and reportedly was overjoyed in 1986 when the Mets won the World Series.
He wanted them, and they wanted him. Sort of.
Upon hearing the demands of private jets and luxury suites, not to mention the hundreds of millions of dollars which would have needed to be invested in him, Steve Phillips- one the finest baseball minds of our generation (that was a joke, in case you were wondering) decided he was not worth the money.
So in the winter of 2000, the Mets organization didn't want to spend the money to bring A-Rod here.
7 years later, they would be crazy not to make the same decision.
Lets think about this for a second. The obvious talent and production is impossible to ignore or dispute. The man is arguably the greatest player in the game, with the ability to completely change the look of a lineup. He hits for average, power and drives in runs. Last year he proved he could hit in the ninth inning of close games, and despite another disappointing October, Rodriguez was hardly the reason the Yankees were unable to get out of the first round.
Unfortunately, despite all of the numbers he puts up on a yearly basis, he has yet to prove hes capable of leading a team to success. In Texas he made himself comfortable finishing in the basement of the American League West. With the Yankees, his post season misery was highly publicized, however it was his personality which seemed to provide as many headlines as his play on the field.
The Mets are coming off a season in which they suffered a collapse unlike any other in baseball history, and one of the biggest problems down the stretch proved to be team chemistry and the character of the team.
Bringing in Alex Rodriguez and all of his baggage would certainly provide a jolt to the lineup, however alienating himself from the other 24 players would prove to be detrimental in the long run.
Theres the issue of where he would play, with David Wright and Jose Reyes taking up 3rd base and Short Stop, respectively. And despite the ridiculous rumors of the Mets trading Reyes (it wont happen, I guarantee it), unless they can find a taker for the overpaid and underachieving Carlos Delgado- good luck there.
A-Rod simply doesn't fit anywhere on the field anymore than he would fit on this team off it.
Spending $300 million dollars on A-Rod would essentially be like placing a really expensive bandage on a bleeding gunshot wound.
He's not going to replace the 200 innings Tom Glavine pitched, and he's not going to hold 7th and 8th inning leads when giving the ball to Billy Wagner.
The bottom line is, Alex Rodriguez seems to have chosen that playing in New York wasn't for him.
Hopefully the Mets give him no reason to reconsider.
7 years ago, following a World Series loss at the hands of that other New York baseball team, the Mets- yes those Mets, were considered to be among the first choices where Alex Rodriguez wanted to play upon becoming a free agent.
He had grown up a Mets fan, claimed Keith Hernandez was one of his favorite players, and reportedly was overjoyed in 1986 when the Mets won the World Series.
He wanted them, and they wanted him. Sort of.
Upon hearing the demands of private jets and luxury suites, not to mention the hundreds of millions of dollars which would have needed to be invested in him, Steve Phillips- one the finest baseball minds of our generation (that was a joke, in case you were wondering) decided he was not worth the money.
So in the winter of 2000, the Mets organization didn't want to spend the money to bring A-Rod here.
7 years later, they would be crazy not to make the same decision.
Lets think about this for a second. The obvious talent and production is impossible to ignore or dispute. The man is arguably the greatest player in the game, with the ability to completely change the look of a lineup. He hits for average, power and drives in runs. Last year he proved he could hit in the ninth inning of close games, and despite another disappointing October, Rodriguez was hardly the reason the Yankees were unable to get out of the first round.
Unfortunately, despite all of the numbers he puts up on a yearly basis, he has yet to prove hes capable of leading a team to success. In Texas he made himself comfortable finishing in the basement of the American League West. With the Yankees, his post season misery was highly publicized, however it was his personality which seemed to provide as many headlines as his play on the field.
The Mets are coming off a season in which they suffered a collapse unlike any other in baseball history, and one of the biggest problems down the stretch proved to be team chemistry and the character of the team.
Bringing in Alex Rodriguez and all of his baggage would certainly provide a jolt to the lineup, however alienating himself from the other 24 players would prove to be detrimental in the long run.
Theres the issue of where he would play, with David Wright and Jose Reyes taking up 3rd base and Short Stop, respectively. And despite the ridiculous rumors of the Mets trading Reyes (it wont happen, I guarantee it), unless they can find a taker for the overpaid and underachieving Carlos Delgado- good luck there.
A-Rod simply doesn't fit anywhere on the field anymore than he would fit on this team off it.
Spending $300 million dollars on A-Rod would essentially be like placing a really expensive bandage on a bleeding gunshot wound.
He's not going to replace the 200 innings Tom Glavine pitched, and he's not going to hold 7th and 8th inning leads when giving the ball to Billy Wagner.
The bottom line is, Alex Rodriguez seems to have chosen that playing in New York wasn't for him.
Hopefully the Mets give him no reason to reconsider.
Monday, November 5, 2007
No Better Time than the Last Minute
11/5/07
I don't like the fact that I missed posting yesterday (even though yesterday was technically an hour ago) but in fairness there were some big things going on in both the world of sports and my academic career ( I know many of you are having trouble I even have one, but I do, and it ruined my day). Jets played (and lost again), Patriots-Colts was a big deal to most people (myself not included) and the Knicks had their home opener (an ugly win, but I'll take it).
So when I wasn't wasting 15 minutes of my life blogging...that really does sound as pathetic as I thought it would...I was procrastinating. I have a paper due tomorrow afternoon which as of 1 o'clock this afternoon had not been started. Mind you- I had been given the assignment 2 weeks ago, and the paper is (a very reasonable) 5 pages, double spaced. I was supposed to hit up the library at some point before today, yet failed to get my lazy ass over there.
So my work began without sources and with little hope. Throw into the equation that the Jets were playing at 1, my attention was with the television a whole lot more than it was with some paper. But because the Jets at the time were 1-7 on their way to 1-8, I figured they didn't require- or deserve for that matter- my undivided attention. So during the 3 hours of game time, i managed to come up with 2 paragraphs. One third of a page in 3 hours. Impressive right?
As the day wore on, and 4 o'clock rolled around, so did the game of the year with Pats-Colts. Because I really wasn't all too invested in this game, I decided that with the Knicks game on at 6, I had a solid 2 hours to work. And much to my own surprise, I did. 3 pages were finished in those 2 hours. How you ask? I couldn't tell you. All I know is that out of nowhere words were flying off my fingers and onto my screen.
6 o'clock. Knicks basketball. Home opener. Chance of a single shred of work getting done until the final buzzer sounds? Zero. So while the Knicks did their best not to play anything closely resembling defense, I sat glued to the TV rooting them on. And it payed off, because despite their efforts, they held on for their first win of the season.
But I still had work to do. I know that I didn't want to have to wake up tomorrow and worry about writing this thing. I mean for crying out loud- my first class is at 3:45 in the afternoon! There might not have been enough time!
So I worked. And i went to good old reliable Wikipedia, only to be let down. In a rare occurrence, Wikipedia was unable to help me on a paper, probably for the first time since I became a student here at Syracuse. But I kept on looking, ended up finding some pretty good stuff, and away I went.
4 more hours later, I finally was able to write my conclusion. Is the paper any good? Couldn't tell you. I havn't re-read it, and I might not bother.
Proofread you ask? I don't know what the word means.
Write paper. Print paper. Hand in paper. Thats how we continue to bring in those B-'s.
So as usual, I waited until the last minute, I procrastinated as long as i could, yet like the Knicks, despite my efforts, I somehow wound up victorious.
I wish I learned some sort of lesson through all of this. But I would be lying to you if i told you I did. Waiting until the last minute is just the way to get things done where I'm from.
And the next time I have a paper due? I won't be doing it any other way.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have some really important stuff to get done.
Unfortunately, none of it has anything to do with school.
Come to think about it...never really does.
I don't like the fact that I missed posting yesterday (even though yesterday was technically an hour ago) but in fairness there were some big things going on in both the world of sports and my academic career ( I know many of you are having trouble I even have one, but I do, and it ruined my day). Jets played (and lost again), Patriots-Colts was a big deal to most people (myself not included) and the Knicks had their home opener (an ugly win, but I'll take it).
So when I wasn't wasting 15 minutes of my life blogging...that really does sound as pathetic as I thought it would...I was procrastinating. I have a paper due tomorrow afternoon which as of 1 o'clock this afternoon had not been started. Mind you- I had been given the assignment 2 weeks ago, and the paper is (a very reasonable) 5 pages, double spaced. I was supposed to hit up the library at some point before today, yet failed to get my lazy ass over there.
So my work began without sources and with little hope. Throw into the equation that the Jets were playing at 1, my attention was with the television a whole lot more than it was with some paper. But because the Jets at the time were 1-7 on their way to 1-8, I figured they didn't require- or deserve for that matter- my undivided attention. So during the 3 hours of game time, i managed to come up with 2 paragraphs. One third of a page in 3 hours. Impressive right?
As the day wore on, and 4 o'clock rolled around, so did the game of the year with Pats-Colts. Because I really wasn't all too invested in this game, I decided that with the Knicks game on at 6, I had a solid 2 hours to work. And much to my own surprise, I did. 3 pages were finished in those 2 hours. How you ask? I couldn't tell you. All I know is that out of nowhere words were flying off my fingers and onto my screen.
6 o'clock. Knicks basketball. Home opener. Chance of a single shred of work getting done until the final buzzer sounds? Zero. So while the Knicks did their best not to play anything closely resembling defense, I sat glued to the TV rooting them on. And it payed off, because despite their efforts, they held on for their first win of the season.
But I still had work to do. I know that I didn't want to have to wake up tomorrow and worry about writing this thing. I mean for crying out loud- my first class is at 3:45 in the afternoon! There might not have been enough time!
So I worked. And i went to good old reliable Wikipedia, only to be let down. In a rare occurrence, Wikipedia was unable to help me on a paper, probably for the first time since I became a student here at Syracuse. But I kept on looking, ended up finding some pretty good stuff, and away I went.
4 more hours later, I finally was able to write my conclusion. Is the paper any good? Couldn't tell you. I havn't re-read it, and I might not bother.
Proofread you ask? I don't know what the word means.
Write paper. Print paper. Hand in paper. Thats how we continue to bring in those B-'s.
So as usual, I waited until the last minute, I procrastinated as long as i could, yet like the Knicks, despite my efforts, I somehow wound up victorious.
I wish I learned some sort of lesson through all of this. But I would be lying to you if i told you I did. Waiting until the last minute is just the way to get things done where I'm from.
And the next time I have a paper due? I won't be doing it any other way.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have some really important stuff to get done.
Unfortunately, none of it has anything to do with school.
Come to think about it...never really does.
Saturday, November 3, 2007
2007 NBA Predictions
11/3/07
Ok, So I'm a few days late. I really am disappointed with myself for not even thinking about posting predictions. So even though the season tipped off Tuesday night, heres how the 2007-2008 NBA season will play out according to the brilliant mind of yours truly.
Instead of breaking down every team's record and what not, I'll keep it simple. I'll give you my playoff teams and seedings, NBA finals matchup and winner, individual awards, what I think will happen with Kobe and a little more detailed preview for my Knicks.
Here we go:
Eastern Conference
Bulls (1), Pistons (2), Nets (3), Celtics (4), Heat (5), Raptors (6), Cavs (7), Magic (8)
...Knicks (9), Pacers (10)
Western Conference
Suns (1), Spurs (2), Mavs (3), Nuggets (4), Rockets (5), Jazz (6), Warriors (7), Clippers (8)
...Lakers (9), Sonics (10)
NBA Semi's
Bulls over Nets
Spurs over Suns
NBA Finals
Spurs over Bulls in 6
MVP- Steve Nash (PHX)
Coach of the Year- Scott Skiles (CHI)
Scoring Champ- Lebron James (CLE)
6th Man- Manu Ginobli (SAS)
Defensive Player- Marcus Camby (DEN)
Rookie of the Year- Kevin Durant (SEA)
Kobe Bryant? Traded before New Years to Chicago
The Knicks?
37 Wins, 2 games shy of making the playoffs. They will be in contention down the stretch but will fall short.
Check back in June to see if I'm the next Nostradamus or Miss Cleo.
Ok, So I'm a few days late. I really am disappointed with myself for not even thinking about posting predictions. So even though the season tipped off Tuesday night, heres how the 2007-2008 NBA season will play out according to the brilliant mind of yours truly.
Instead of breaking down every team's record and what not, I'll keep it simple. I'll give you my playoff teams and seedings, NBA finals matchup and winner, individual awards, what I think will happen with Kobe and a little more detailed preview for my Knicks.
Here we go:
Eastern Conference
Bulls (1), Pistons (2), Nets (3), Celtics (4), Heat (5), Raptors (6), Cavs (7), Magic (8)
...Knicks (9), Pacers (10)
Western Conference
Suns (1), Spurs (2), Mavs (3), Nuggets (4), Rockets (5), Jazz (6), Warriors (7), Clippers (8)
...Lakers (9), Sonics (10)
NBA Semi's
Bulls over Nets
Spurs over Suns
NBA Finals
Spurs over Bulls in 6
MVP- Steve Nash (PHX)
Coach of the Year- Scott Skiles (CHI)
Scoring Champ- Lebron James (CLE)
6th Man- Manu Ginobli (SAS)
Defensive Player- Marcus Camby (DEN)
Rookie of the Year- Kevin Durant (SEA)
Kobe Bryant? Traded before New Years to Chicago
The Knicks?
37 Wins, 2 games shy of making the playoffs. They will be in contention down the stretch but will fall short.
Check back in June to see if I'm the next Nostradamus or Miss Cleo.
Friday, November 2, 2007
Pass Me That TV Guide
11/2/07
Since I was probably old enough to walk, there have been few things I can say with certainty I continue to do to this very day.
The first would be eating Doritos. I was introduced to wonder that is the awesome triangle shaped piece of heaven when I was too young to know what addictions were. However to this day, you will never come into my house, apartment or dorm room without finding at least one (but probably two or three) bags. Give me a bag of doritos and a can of coke, and I'm not sure theres happier feeling my mouth experiences. (get your heads out of the gutters please)
The other thing I've been doing non-stop since I was saying my first words was watching television.
Now obviously television in the early 90's is nothing like television now. But my earliest memories of television were watching the really old episodes of Batman with Adam West, as well Bob Barker on the Price is Right. My favorite part of the Price is Right was the game they played at the end when a contestant had a chance to win a car by correctly selecting 4 cards with letters C,A,R and a picture of a Car which would have meant they won. One time, and mind you- I was maybe 5 years old at the time, the contestant had a C and an A on his first two picks, so things were looking good. However his hopes were dashed, as he picked up another C, and another A. Now at 5 years old, seeing C-A-C-A spelled came across as one of the funniest things imaginable, and to this day it makes me smile.
Over the years, television has remained the focal point of my time spent home. The programs which used to pass the time were Saved by the Bell (not the fucking college years or the new class, but the classics), Boy Meets World, Full House, Family Matters, Darkwing Duck, Pinky and the Brain, Rocko's Modern Life, Are you Afraid of the Dark (which scared to the point where I would watch entire episodes with my hands in front of my eyes) Goosebumps, Doug (before it moved to ABC, when the voice of Doug changed leaving me too annoyed to keep watching) and Ahhh Real Monsters.
As I got older, I was introduced to Wrestling, and I became an instant fanatic. Monday Night Raw, Thursday night Smackdown and ordering the Pay-per-views once a month was the life. From The Rock (before he sold out and started making terrible movies), Stone Cold Steve Austin (before he got hurt), D-X when Triple H, X-PAC, the Road Dogg and Bad Ass Billy Gunn were part of it. That was entertainment. Fake as a pair of tits in Beverly Hills, but worth the two hours I spent watching it Monday and Thursday nights.
Then I was introduced to Network Television around the time Wrestling started to get redundant and ridiculous. Seinfeld, Friends and ER was where it all began for me. Watching Dr. Green die a bunch of seasons back remains one of the most traumatic things I've ever watched on TV that wasn't part of real life. Then slowly I branched out, 24 became a huge hit among me and my good friend Eitan back in our freshman year of high school (thats right, we have been watching Jack since day 1-literally).
Then I really was able to find out what good television was when HBO was picked up in my multiple households. Now I admit that I did not start watching Sopranos until seasons 4 and 5, and didn't start watching it one a weekly basis until the final season. But Sex and the City was a big favorite of mine (laugh all you want, the show was terrific), Ali G? Watching the second season every Sunday night with some friends became a ritual for all 6 episodes.
And we skip ahead to today, where I find myself watching (a minimum) of 4 to 6 hours of TV ever day, after 6pm.
Now I have excluded watching Sports, because that would put my numbers at a point where many of you would wonder if I ever leave my room- to which I would answer you- not often enough.
But I have gotten so bad with television that when I dont have class, or choose not to go, I watch the televised simulcast of Mike and Mad Dog on YES every day. I watch SportsCenter and/or SportsNite on SNY at 6, some combination of Everybody Loves Raymond, King of Queens and Two and Half Men between 6:30 and 8. If one of my teams isn't playing (and sometimes even if they are, thanks to the greatest invention in history- DVR) I will watch network programming, whether it be House (surprisingly fun to watch), How I Met Your Mother and my new favorite, Pushing Daises (again, laugh all you want, but this show is just flat out good).
By 11, the shows are all over. But not so fast. Freshman year I had trouble falling asleep thanks to a variety of issues, and Late Night television became a new vice. Letterman. Leno. Conan. Once in a while even Craig Ferguson when Conan is a repeat.
And when all this great (at least in my opinion) television is on, now I get to enjoy it in High Definition, which after DVR is one of the greatest technological achievements we may ever see.
So there are literally nights where from 6 until 1:30 in the morning, my television isn't shut off.
How do I get work done you ask? I'm still trying to figure that out myself.
But not only has television completely run my life since the first Bush was president, but now because of the advancements like DVR and DVD's, I can continue to watch my favorite shows even when they aren't on.
Pathetic? You know it. And I'm proud of it, although if you ask my father he would probably be in favor of banning a television from my room until I was old enough to buy one myself.
But for now, I'm gonna get going because its almost 2 in the afternoon, I don't have class, and my television is calling.
Now If I could only remember where I left that damn remote.
Since I was probably old enough to walk, there have been few things I can say with certainty I continue to do to this very day.
The first would be eating Doritos. I was introduced to wonder that is the awesome triangle shaped piece of heaven when I was too young to know what addictions were. However to this day, you will never come into my house, apartment or dorm room without finding at least one (but probably two or three) bags. Give me a bag of doritos and a can of coke, and I'm not sure theres happier feeling my mouth experiences. (get your heads out of the gutters please)
The other thing I've been doing non-stop since I was saying my first words was watching television.
Now obviously television in the early 90's is nothing like television now. But my earliest memories of television were watching the really old episodes of Batman with Adam West, as well Bob Barker on the Price is Right. My favorite part of the Price is Right was the game they played at the end when a contestant had a chance to win a car by correctly selecting 4 cards with letters C,A,R and a picture of a Car which would have meant they won. One time, and mind you- I was maybe 5 years old at the time, the contestant had a C and an A on his first two picks, so things were looking good. However his hopes were dashed, as he picked up another C, and another A. Now at 5 years old, seeing C-A-C-A spelled came across as one of the funniest things imaginable, and to this day it makes me smile.
Over the years, television has remained the focal point of my time spent home. The programs which used to pass the time were Saved by the Bell (not the fucking college years or the new class, but the classics), Boy Meets World, Full House, Family Matters, Darkwing Duck, Pinky and the Brain, Rocko's Modern Life, Are you Afraid of the Dark (which scared to the point where I would watch entire episodes with my hands in front of my eyes) Goosebumps, Doug (before it moved to ABC, when the voice of Doug changed leaving me too annoyed to keep watching) and Ahhh Real Monsters.
As I got older, I was introduced to Wrestling, and I became an instant fanatic. Monday Night Raw, Thursday night Smackdown and ordering the Pay-per-views once a month was the life. From The Rock (before he sold out and started making terrible movies), Stone Cold Steve Austin (before he got hurt), D-X when Triple H, X-PAC, the Road Dogg and Bad Ass Billy Gunn were part of it. That was entertainment. Fake as a pair of tits in Beverly Hills, but worth the two hours I spent watching it Monday and Thursday nights.
Then I was introduced to Network Television around the time Wrestling started to get redundant and ridiculous. Seinfeld, Friends and ER was where it all began for me. Watching Dr. Green die a bunch of seasons back remains one of the most traumatic things I've ever watched on TV that wasn't part of real life. Then slowly I branched out, 24 became a huge hit among me and my good friend Eitan back in our freshman year of high school (thats right, we have been watching Jack since day 1-literally).
Then I really was able to find out what good television was when HBO was picked up in my multiple households. Now I admit that I did not start watching Sopranos until seasons 4 and 5, and didn't start watching it one a weekly basis until the final season. But Sex and the City was a big favorite of mine (laugh all you want, the show was terrific), Ali G? Watching the second season every Sunday night with some friends became a ritual for all 6 episodes.
And we skip ahead to today, where I find myself watching (a minimum) of 4 to 6 hours of TV ever day, after 6pm.
Now I have excluded watching Sports, because that would put my numbers at a point where many of you would wonder if I ever leave my room- to which I would answer you- not often enough.
But I have gotten so bad with television that when I dont have class, or choose not to go, I watch the televised simulcast of Mike and Mad Dog on YES every day. I watch SportsCenter and/or SportsNite on SNY at 6, some combination of Everybody Loves Raymond, King of Queens and Two and Half Men between 6:30 and 8. If one of my teams isn't playing (and sometimes even if they are, thanks to the greatest invention in history- DVR) I will watch network programming, whether it be House (surprisingly fun to watch), How I Met Your Mother and my new favorite, Pushing Daises (again, laugh all you want, but this show is just flat out good).
By 11, the shows are all over. But not so fast. Freshman year I had trouble falling asleep thanks to a variety of issues, and Late Night television became a new vice. Letterman. Leno. Conan. Once in a while even Craig Ferguson when Conan is a repeat.
And when all this great (at least in my opinion) television is on, now I get to enjoy it in High Definition, which after DVR is one of the greatest technological achievements we may ever see.
So there are literally nights where from 6 until 1:30 in the morning, my television isn't shut off.
How do I get work done you ask? I'm still trying to figure that out myself.
But not only has television completely run my life since the first Bush was president, but now because of the advancements like DVR and DVD's, I can continue to watch my favorite shows even when they aren't on.
Pathetic? You know it. And I'm proud of it, although if you ask my father he would probably be in favor of banning a television from my room until I was old enough to buy one myself.
But for now, I'm gonna get going because its almost 2 in the afternoon, I don't have class, and my television is calling.
Now If I could only remember where I left that damn remote.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Remember, Remember- It's Already November
11/1/07
November is here, and I couldn't be happier.
November, the eleventh month of the Christian Calendar (today is also the 20th day of the month of Cheshvan for all you fellow J's) and it means another year is almost in the books.
Now I don't know about the rest of you, but 2007 is a year I'll be happy to bid adieu (that was French, not gibberish).
Because it dominates my life, I'll start with the year that was in sports.
Way back in January, when every calendar year still has plenty of promise and potential, the Jets shocked the football world and made the playoffs, only to be rewarded by playing the Patriots and losing in the first round.
How would the Jets go about making up for their playoff disappointment? By beginning this season with one measly win in their first 8 games.
Man-genius? I think not.
Then when February rolls around pitchers and catchers report to spring training and the baseball season officially begins as far as I'm concerned. Coming off a disappointing playoff heartbreak to the Cardinals, the Mets were looking to take the next step. This was our year. Making the playoffs was an after thought, the question going into this season was who would we be playing in the World Series.
The season started off great (33-17 after 50 games) and a first place record into September. My playoff tickets came in the mail, and while my seats weren't great, at least I would be watching another year of October baseball at Shea Stadium.
But one agonizing loss after another, along with the Phillies and Rockies having Septembers to remember, the Mets pulled off the most embarrassing collapse in regular season baseball history.
The Knicks?....moving on.
Syracuse Basketball? Still can't spell N.I.T.
But now it's November and while the Jets' fate has already been decided, at least they have opened up my Sundays for the next two months.
The Knicks open their season tomorrow night in Cleveland, unfortunately its another lose-lose season, for if we do squeeze into the playoffs and suffer the first round sweep that comes with it, Isiah probably get two more years. If the season is a bust and we fall short of playing meaningful basketball games in April, Isiah probably gets two more years.
Aside from sports, 2007 hasn't been particularly kind to me for a number of personal reasons, which don't need to be brought up. However it is safe to say that come 2008, these problems will have all been resolved or forgotten. And if not, when February rolls around, I can really start to focus on preparing for another disappointing baseball season.
But it's November, so in two short months, all of the bad memories 2007 gave me can be stashed away, hopefully to be replaced by a year of better ones. Thanksgiving is only 3 weeks away, and I get to return home for a few days to the dysfunction that is my family. And then a few weeks after that, this forgettable semester comes to a close. And it can't end soon enough.
So here's to November. Hotstove baseball, regular season basketball and some Turkey for those of you who who eat it (I don't, and I'm looking forward to my Thanksgiving day baked ziti, thank you very much).
Then again based on the year I've had, come December-
I won't want to remember November.
November is here, and I couldn't be happier.
November, the eleventh month of the Christian Calendar (today is also the 20th day of the month of Cheshvan for all you fellow J's) and it means another year is almost in the books.
Now I don't know about the rest of you, but 2007 is a year I'll be happy to bid adieu (that was French, not gibberish).
Because it dominates my life, I'll start with the year that was in sports.
Way back in January, when every calendar year still has plenty of promise and potential, the Jets shocked the football world and made the playoffs, only to be rewarded by playing the Patriots and losing in the first round.
How would the Jets go about making up for their playoff disappointment? By beginning this season with one measly win in their first 8 games.
Man-genius? I think not.
Then when February rolls around pitchers and catchers report to spring training and the baseball season officially begins as far as I'm concerned. Coming off a disappointing playoff heartbreak to the Cardinals, the Mets were looking to take the next step. This was our year. Making the playoffs was an after thought, the question going into this season was who would we be playing in the World Series.
The season started off great (33-17 after 50 games) and a first place record into September. My playoff tickets came in the mail, and while my seats weren't great, at least I would be watching another year of October baseball at Shea Stadium.
But one agonizing loss after another, along with the Phillies and Rockies having Septembers to remember, the Mets pulled off the most embarrassing collapse in regular season baseball history.
The Knicks?....moving on.
Syracuse Basketball? Still can't spell N.I.T.
But now it's November and while the Jets' fate has already been decided, at least they have opened up my Sundays for the next two months.
The Knicks open their season tomorrow night in Cleveland, unfortunately its another lose-lose season, for if we do squeeze into the playoffs and suffer the first round sweep that comes with it, Isiah probably get two more years. If the season is a bust and we fall short of playing meaningful basketball games in April, Isiah probably gets two more years.
Aside from sports, 2007 hasn't been particularly kind to me for a number of personal reasons, which don't need to be brought up. However it is safe to say that come 2008, these problems will have all been resolved or forgotten. And if not, when February rolls around, I can really start to focus on preparing for another disappointing baseball season.
But it's November, so in two short months, all of the bad memories 2007 gave me can be stashed away, hopefully to be replaced by a year of better ones. Thanksgiving is only 3 weeks away, and I get to return home for a few days to the dysfunction that is my family. And then a few weeks after that, this forgettable semester comes to a close. And it can't end soon enough.
So here's to November. Hotstove baseball, regular season basketball and some Turkey for those of you who who eat it (I don't, and I'm looking forward to my Thanksgiving day baked ziti, thank you very much).
Then again based on the year I've had, come December-
I won't want to remember November.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
