12/30/07
What a night.
There are plenty of times I can recall going into something with high expectations and having the experience fall short.
Tonight however not only met expectations but far exceeded them.
As mentioned earlier, the adventure to Giants Stadium began at 2:30 in the afternoon when we left.
Paul and I went to go pick up Ian down the block, and traveled into the city to pick up Paul's brother Louis.
The 4 of us arrived at the stadium around 3:30, which for those of you keeping track means we had almost 5 full hours of time to kill in the parking lot.
After throwing around the football for a little while, the food came out and the grill was prepared to make dinner.
Chips of all kinds, salsa, pita and hummus, peanuts, drinks, shrimp cocktail- plenty to go around.
The steaks were marinated for 3 days in italian dressing and was absolutely out of this world.
The best part of tailgating at football games is that before the game begins, there is so much fun to be had in the simplicity of eating, sitting around and talking, which is exactly what we did.
There were 10 of us in all before the game just hanging out, bullshitting about the game and this and that. Sounds boring, but combined with 55 degree weather on December 29th, its tough to beat.
Finally 7:30 rolls around and its time to go inside, so Ian and I make our way upstairs to our seats up in the boondocks.
Much to my surprise, not only were the seats terrific, but the Patriots owners box was directly above us, giving us a great view of Robert Kraft (Pats owner). After initially waving and staring in awe, it wasn't long before middle fingers were being thrown his way.
It was our way of welcoming him.
The game itself was as entertaining as any I have ever been to, as the 15-0 Patriots went up against the 10-5 Giants, who had already locked up a playoff spot with a win last week in Buffalo.
And after coming off a very ugly performance, nobody knew for sure how the Giants would show up against the NFL's best team.
But the Giants answered the bell, and came out punching, scoring a touchdown on their opening drive.
In fact the Giants offense, led by (Sh)Eli Manning was very potent putting up 35 points (including 4 Manning TD passes) against a fierce Patriots defense.
The defense also looked strong in the first half, playing a bend-but-don't-break style holding the Pats to field-goals on three of their four first half possessions.
The Giants led at half 21-16, and opened up a 28-16 lead in the third quarter, giving their fans plenty of hope that 16-0 would be nothing more than a pipe-dream.
However like the great teams always seem to do, the Pats responded with 22 consecutive points highlighted by a Tom Brady bomb to Randy Moss for a 65 yard TD which put the pats up 31-28.
I went into the game feeling neutral and simply wanting to get my money's worth, however just prior to going in the stadium my New England hatred surfaced and I put on my giants fan face and got really into the game, really hoping for the upset.
The best part was I had nothing to lose because when indeed the Patriots did hold off the late Giants rally, securing the first ever 16-0 perfect season in NFL history, I was very content realizing how historically significant an event it was, while also being able to appreciate how great an athlete Tom Brady is.
And truth be told, the game was fun. It was high scoring, featured some big plays such as the kickoff return for a TD by Dominick Hixon- who happens to be the former Denver Bronco that on opening day collided with Bills Tight End Kevin Everett, nearly paralyzing him. Safe to say his season ended far better than it started.
The game was everything I probably could have asked for, and while I would have loved seeing the Patriots stumble at the finish line in their quest for a perfect season, the great tailgate before combined with a really great game made the night, well, perfect.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Catching Up
12/29/07
Sorry for the disappearing act, but I've caught my annual Christmas week cold.
This is no exaggeration, I have gotten sick- be it the flu or a virus or a bad cold every year right before, during or just after Christmas, without fail.
And this year was no exception, as Sunday night and more so Monday morning I could feel it coming, and by the time I went to sleep Tuesday there it was like a lump of coal in my Stocking, straight from Santa himself. Thanks fat ass.
Anyway, I have not really been doing much these last few days, as my cold was kept me from running since when I last was at the gym on Wednesday (big mistake) I was having a lot of trouble breathing during and after the run, so I figured a few days off couldn't hurt.
In the meantime, I was fortunate enough to hit the jackpot on Thursday when I went shopping with my mother and Joe. Our quest was for a new TV for the master bedroom in my apartment, as my mother finally realized what the rest of the world has, which is that HDTV is not something you should have, but something you must have.
And so we took a trip to P.C. Richard and Son and started browsing the big screen TV's when I pulled off something truly remarkable.
I have been known to scheme and negotiate my way into getting some really nice stuff even if might not necessarily need it- for example last winter a Playstation 3, last spring a new cell phone and at least once or twice a year a new authentic jersey. However what I was able to do Thursday belongs in the record books.
I suggested to my mother that instead of buying herself a new TV, we instead shop for an even bigger TV that I can put in the living room of my house next year in school.
And so we went from the 26 and 32 inch TV's over to the 37 inch models and there it was, sitting there with my name on it.
An LG, 37 inch full 1080p HDTV. Now some of you may not have the slightest idea as to what that means, but essentially its a a big, beautiful television with the best picture quality available right now.
And the best part was it was on sale, which for those of you who don't know my mother, takes the place of me needing to convince her something is worth purchasing.
In exchange of course I now will be giving her the 26 inch Sony HDTV I have at school, but in turn I am the beneficiary of a far nicer and far bigger TV for next year and beyond.
The sad part was last winter when I actually saved up and paid for most of that TV, it ended up costing even more than the new TV, which goes to show you that good things come to those who wait but better things come to those smart enough to realize a opportunity and pounce on it.
So as if next year wasn't going to great enough living with one of my closest friends (Rossy) in a big, gorgeous house, but now we added the centerpiece to to our living experience.
Aside from that accomplishment, some of the other things which took place over the last few days were that I received my grades for this semester.
And for the most the part the grades were exactly what I expected them to be:
Modern American History (1917-1960): B+
American Environmental History: B+
Literacy Across the Curriculum (Education class): B
Modern American Comedy: B
Communication Sciences and Disorders: C
All comes out to 2.93 semester GPA leaving me with a 2.996 GPA.
Could the grades have been better? Of course they could have been, however I have been known to historically underachieve in school, and college has been no different than high school in that regard.
Hopefully I can finish my last 3 semesters stronger than I have my first 5.
If you have been stalking my away messages not only do you know I've been feeling pretty lousy the last few days but I've used my time resting to watch even more television than I normally would. Which is difficult for me to pull off.
And of course that means even more Scrubs, along with episodes of Home Improvement, King of Queens, That 70's Show, Gilmore Girls, Family Matters and Full House.
Am I proud of watching some of these shows? You bet your ass I am.
The other real bitch about being sick is the lack of sleep I've been getting, causing me to stay up later than I want while waking up earlier than I want.
Yesterday I was up and out of bed at 8:30. Realize I only woke up that early when I had to do classroom observations once a week at school, meaning that the last time I woke up that early without having to be was probably before I was Bar Mitzvahed.
And so even though I am still not 100% (although I finally like I may be getting there), tonight I will be at Giants Stadium, watching the G-Men try and stand in the way of the Patriots Perfect Season.
Game starts at 8, which means that we will be leaving around 2:30, giving us plenty of time to get there early and tailgate.
The menu for today included skirt steak marinated in Italian dressing, grilled chicken, hot dogs, burgers and enough snacks to feed half the parking lot.
I am sorta torn because as a Jets fan who has nothing against the Giants- I really hate the Pats and Bill Belichick and so on any other night I would be wanting nothing more than to see them lose.
However tonight there is history on the line, as the Patriots, with a victory, would be come the first team ever to go undefeated in the NFL's modern 16 game season.
Being the sports nut I am, I would be lying if I told you a big part of me is hoping New England takes care of business as sports does not often give fans a story like this.
That being said, the Jets fan inside of me knows that should the Giants pull off the unthinkable and actually upset the Pats, it will be satisfying on an entirely different level.
One way or the other, the game should be exciting, and win or lose, something pretty special is going to go down tonight in East Rutherford.
And I'll be among those lucky enough to witness it.
Sorry for the disappearing act, but I've caught my annual Christmas week cold.
This is no exaggeration, I have gotten sick- be it the flu or a virus or a bad cold every year right before, during or just after Christmas, without fail.
And this year was no exception, as Sunday night and more so Monday morning I could feel it coming, and by the time I went to sleep Tuesday there it was like a lump of coal in my Stocking, straight from Santa himself. Thanks fat ass.
Anyway, I have not really been doing much these last few days, as my cold was kept me from running since when I last was at the gym on Wednesday (big mistake) I was having a lot of trouble breathing during and after the run, so I figured a few days off couldn't hurt.
In the meantime, I was fortunate enough to hit the jackpot on Thursday when I went shopping with my mother and Joe. Our quest was for a new TV for the master bedroom in my apartment, as my mother finally realized what the rest of the world has, which is that HDTV is not something you should have, but something you must have.
And so we took a trip to P.C. Richard and Son and started browsing the big screen TV's when I pulled off something truly remarkable.
I have been known to scheme and negotiate my way into getting some really nice stuff even if might not necessarily need it- for example last winter a Playstation 3, last spring a new cell phone and at least once or twice a year a new authentic jersey. However what I was able to do Thursday belongs in the record books.
I suggested to my mother that instead of buying herself a new TV, we instead shop for an even bigger TV that I can put in the living room of my house next year in school.
And so we went from the 26 and 32 inch TV's over to the 37 inch models and there it was, sitting there with my name on it.
An LG, 37 inch full 1080p HDTV. Now some of you may not have the slightest idea as to what that means, but essentially its a a big, beautiful television with the best picture quality available right now.
And the best part was it was on sale, which for those of you who don't know my mother, takes the place of me needing to convince her something is worth purchasing.
In exchange of course I now will be giving her the 26 inch Sony HDTV I have at school, but in turn I am the beneficiary of a far nicer and far bigger TV for next year and beyond.
The sad part was last winter when I actually saved up and paid for most of that TV, it ended up costing even more than the new TV, which goes to show you that good things come to those who wait but better things come to those smart enough to realize a opportunity and pounce on it.
So as if next year wasn't going to great enough living with one of my closest friends (Rossy) in a big, gorgeous house, but now we added the centerpiece to to our living experience.
Aside from that accomplishment, some of the other things which took place over the last few days were that I received my grades for this semester.
And for the most the part the grades were exactly what I expected them to be:
Modern American History (1917-1960): B+
American Environmental History: B+
Literacy Across the Curriculum (Education class): B
Modern American Comedy: B
Communication Sciences and Disorders: C
All comes out to 2.93 semester GPA leaving me with a 2.996 GPA.
Could the grades have been better? Of course they could have been, however I have been known to historically underachieve in school, and college has been no different than high school in that regard.
Hopefully I can finish my last 3 semesters stronger than I have my first 5.
If you have been stalking my away messages not only do you know I've been feeling pretty lousy the last few days but I've used my time resting to watch even more television than I normally would. Which is difficult for me to pull off.
And of course that means even more Scrubs, along with episodes of Home Improvement, King of Queens, That 70's Show, Gilmore Girls, Family Matters and Full House.
Am I proud of watching some of these shows? You bet your ass I am.
The other real bitch about being sick is the lack of sleep I've been getting, causing me to stay up later than I want while waking up earlier than I want.
Yesterday I was up and out of bed at 8:30. Realize I only woke up that early when I had to do classroom observations once a week at school, meaning that the last time I woke up that early without having to be was probably before I was Bar Mitzvahed.
And so even though I am still not 100% (although I finally like I may be getting there), tonight I will be at Giants Stadium, watching the G-Men try and stand in the way of the Patriots Perfect Season.
Game starts at 8, which means that we will be leaving around 2:30, giving us plenty of time to get there early and tailgate.
The menu for today included skirt steak marinated in Italian dressing, grilled chicken, hot dogs, burgers and enough snacks to feed half the parking lot.
I am sorta torn because as a Jets fan who has nothing against the Giants- I really hate the Pats and Bill Belichick and so on any other night I would be wanting nothing more than to see them lose.
However tonight there is history on the line, as the Patriots, with a victory, would be come the first team ever to go undefeated in the NFL's modern 16 game season.
Being the sports nut I am, I would be lying if I told you a big part of me is hoping New England takes care of business as sports does not often give fans a story like this.
That being said, the Jets fan inside of me knows that should the Giants pull off the unthinkable and actually upset the Pats, it will be satisfying on an entirely different level.
One way or the other, the game should be exciting, and win or lose, something pretty special is going to go down tonight in East Rutherford.
And I'll be among those lucky enough to witness it.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
My Jewish Christmas
12/26/07
Christmas might be the one day of the year which comes and goes faster than any other day on the Calendar. And yesterday was really no exception.
Waking up at 10, because the combination of my body not getting along with my bed here at home and the fact my internal clock refuses to accept the fact that I don't have an 11am class I can't skip, gave me a chance to get an early start to my day.
And not having to worry about looking under some undersized tree for overpriced gifts was a relief, because the odds of Santa getting me what I wanted this year came and went between 10 and 15 years ago when I decided I wanted to commit my life to rooting for the teams I root for.
But never the less, I was able to get back to the gym after a two day break, and 4 miles and 3 episodes of Scrubs later, I then was feeling good and played another 30 minutes of basketball by myself in the snazzy new Knicks shooting shirt I bought myself at the Garden on Sunday.
After my second shower of the day it was time to head into the city for a movie.
The city was surprisingly busy, despite the fact I had seen the unusual sight of stores in the middle of Times Square closed.
The Movie theater was absolutely mobbed, mostly with J's. And its not like these were your more typical Jewish people with noticeably large noses, heavy appetites and light wallets, but I'm talking about yarmulke wearing, men and women on separate sides of the theater J's.
Lunch consisted of a very nutritious dirty water dog with mustard, sour kraut and onions, which was then pushed further down in my stomach by the M&M's I treated myself to.
After waiting 10 minutes to purchase said snacks, we got finally made our way up 4 escalators to our theater, only to find that there were no seats together anywhere other than the very front row.
Forgetting to bring a pillow and recliner, I was in no mood to sit up there, but splitting up was not really a fun option, so we sat with knowledge that by the end of the movie our heads would be permanently looking upwards.
But onto the movie itself.
Coming close to seeing Charlie Wilson's War, the final decision ended up being The Bucket List, with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman.
Eventually my goal is to expand this blog to include a much bigger emphasis on movies, but until then I'll start here by giving my own review on The Bucket List.
Before even seeing it, a movie with actors of the caliber of Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman screams out that even an awful script and terrible plot could be turned into gold with the two of them sharing the screen.
And they did not disappoint, as the movie mixed in a terrific combination of humor and sentiment. It was a feel good movie which featured two strangers who meet on their respective death beds- figuratively and literally speaking- and decide to come up with a list of things they want to do before they both "kick the bucket".
There was great chemistry which at no point seemed forced or fake between Jack and Freeman, which took a average movie and made it above average in my opinion.
Another plus was the length of the film. I went in expected at least two hours when i was treated to a very neatly packaged hour and a half. It was quick but not rushed. There were more than enough laughs, and although the audience becomes fully aware that these two men are entering the finals months of their lives, it never takes away from the things they do and the relationship they develop.
While seeing Freeman in a dramatic role is hardly something rarely seen, the softer emotional side of Jack Nicholson in the character he plays was really pretty special to watch.
I myself was able to refrain from crying (I have absolutely no shame in admitting I've cried during many a movies) but this movie had me right on the edge of shedding some tears.
I don't want to give thumbs up or stars, as me and my roommate Matt like to rely on the letter grade system, and this movie to me was a very, very solid B+.
Now to give you and idea of the scale I use (and I'll get more specific when I finally start to incorporate movies more into the blog) but The Departed was an A- while Walk Hard was an equally solid D-.
The Bucket List was very satisfying, and has a few really great messages you can take away from it, mainly that there aren't a lot of things more important than just getting as much joy out of your life as possible, while also trying to give other as much joy as you can possibly dish out.
Bottom line is I would recommend seeing the movie when it comes out in wide release January 11th.
Getting back to my day, and staying on the topic of the movies, a few things which caught my attention when it comes to the movie-going experience.
-Movie ticket prices. I know it was Christmas day, and I know I was in Times Square. But two tickets cost over 23 dollars, and thats just outrageous. Of course if they wanted, movie theaters could charge 15 dollars a ticket and people would still show up today. And for that matter, ticket prices will continue to rise because the theaters know that people have a never ending desire to be entertained, and as a result will show up at the movies as long they exist.
-The Previews. I have mixed feelings about previews. On one hand, sometimes previews are worth the price of admission, as they end up being more entertaining than the movie you actually paid to see. Plus for those of you like me, who get a rush out of seeing things and getting things before the majority of the general public, previews at the movies give you a chance to get a sneak peak months in advance. The flip side is that a lot of these previews give away too much of the movie. It has become increasingly harder for movies to stay unpredictable when the previews leave you with enough of the plot to figure out enough possible endings to avoid seeing the movie all together.
-Clapping after the movie is over. Whats up with that? We are not seeing a live performance, meaning that after the credits rolls there wont be anyone taking a bow and waving to you. The movie industry is happy enough you paid your 12 dollars to see the film, only to then pay another 20 when the DVD comes out. Hearing people applaud at the end of a movie just comes across as stupid in my opinion, and makes me laugh every time I hear it (as today was once again one of those occasions). I am not saying that the movie may not be worthy of an applaud, but the fact is its a movie, not a sporting event.
All that being said, I love going to the movies, and nothing I mentioned will deter me from continuing to do so, because I- like most other Americans, love overpaying for 90 minutes of distraction.
After getting home from the movie, I capped off the traditional Jewish Christmas Day by ordering Chinese food, which was delicious.
Chicken and Broccoli with Garlic Sauce, pork fried rice and steamed dumplings really screamed out Merry Christmas to me in a way not many other things could have.
And so Christmas has come and gone, and hopefully without the door hitting on the ass on the way out. While most of the world will miss it, I can safely close the door on the Christmas spirit with this to say:
Good Riddance.
Christmas might be the one day of the year which comes and goes faster than any other day on the Calendar. And yesterday was really no exception.
Waking up at 10, because the combination of my body not getting along with my bed here at home and the fact my internal clock refuses to accept the fact that I don't have an 11am class I can't skip, gave me a chance to get an early start to my day.
And not having to worry about looking under some undersized tree for overpriced gifts was a relief, because the odds of Santa getting me what I wanted this year came and went between 10 and 15 years ago when I decided I wanted to commit my life to rooting for the teams I root for.
But never the less, I was able to get back to the gym after a two day break, and 4 miles and 3 episodes of Scrubs later, I then was feeling good and played another 30 minutes of basketball by myself in the snazzy new Knicks shooting shirt I bought myself at the Garden on Sunday.
After my second shower of the day it was time to head into the city for a movie.
The city was surprisingly busy, despite the fact I had seen the unusual sight of stores in the middle of Times Square closed.
The Movie theater was absolutely mobbed, mostly with J's. And its not like these were your more typical Jewish people with noticeably large noses, heavy appetites and light wallets, but I'm talking about yarmulke wearing, men and women on separate sides of the theater J's.
Lunch consisted of a very nutritious dirty water dog with mustard, sour kraut and onions, which was then pushed further down in my stomach by the M&M's I treated myself to.
After waiting 10 minutes to purchase said snacks, we got finally made our way up 4 escalators to our theater, only to find that there were no seats together anywhere other than the very front row.
Forgetting to bring a pillow and recliner, I was in no mood to sit up there, but splitting up was not really a fun option, so we sat with knowledge that by the end of the movie our heads would be permanently looking upwards.
But onto the movie itself.
Coming close to seeing Charlie Wilson's War, the final decision ended up being The Bucket List, with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman.
Eventually my goal is to expand this blog to include a much bigger emphasis on movies, but until then I'll start here by giving my own review on The Bucket List.
Before even seeing it, a movie with actors of the caliber of Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman screams out that even an awful script and terrible plot could be turned into gold with the two of them sharing the screen.
And they did not disappoint, as the movie mixed in a terrific combination of humor and sentiment. It was a feel good movie which featured two strangers who meet on their respective death beds- figuratively and literally speaking- and decide to come up with a list of things they want to do before they both "kick the bucket".
There was great chemistry which at no point seemed forced or fake between Jack and Freeman, which took a average movie and made it above average in my opinion.
Another plus was the length of the film. I went in expected at least two hours when i was treated to a very neatly packaged hour and a half. It was quick but not rushed. There were more than enough laughs, and although the audience becomes fully aware that these two men are entering the finals months of their lives, it never takes away from the things they do and the relationship they develop.
While seeing Freeman in a dramatic role is hardly something rarely seen, the softer emotional side of Jack Nicholson in the character he plays was really pretty special to watch.
I myself was able to refrain from crying (I have absolutely no shame in admitting I've cried during many a movies) but this movie had me right on the edge of shedding some tears.
I don't want to give thumbs up or stars, as me and my roommate Matt like to rely on the letter grade system, and this movie to me was a very, very solid B+.
Now to give you and idea of the scale I use (and I'll get more specific when I finally start to incorporate movies more into the blog) but The Departed was an A- while Walk Hard was an equally solid D-.
The Bucket List was very satisfying, and has a few really great messages you can take away from it, mainly that there aren't a lot of things more important than just getting as much joy out of your life as possible, while also trying to give other as much joy as you can possibly dish out.
Bottom line is I would recommend seeing the movie when it comes out in wide release January 11th.
Getting back to my day, and staying on the topic of the movies, a few things which caught my attention when it comes to the movie-going experience.
-Movie ticket prices. I know it was Christmas day, and I know I was in Times Square. But two tickets cost over 23 dollars, and thats just outrageous. Of course if they wanted, movie theaters could charge 15 dollars a ticket and people would still show up today. And for that matter, ticket prices will continue to rise because the theaters know that people have a never ending desire to be entertained, and as a result will show up at the movies as long they exist.
-The Previews. I have mixed feelings about previews. On one hand, sometimes previews are worth the price of admission, as they end up being more entertaining than the movie you actually paid to see. Plus for those of you like me, who get a rush out of seeing things and getting things before the majority of the general public, previews at the movies give you a chance to get a sneak peak months in advance. The flip side is that a lot of these previews give away too much of the movie. It has become increasingly harder for movies to stay unpredictable when the previews leave you with enough of the plot to figure out enough possible endings to avoid seeing the movie all together.
-Clapping after the movie is over. Whats up with that? We are not seeing a live performance, meaning that after the credits rolls there wont be anyone taking a bow and waving to you. The movie industry is happy enough you paid your 12 dollars to see the film, only to then pay another 20 when the DVD comes out. Hearing people applaud at the end of a movie just comes across as stupid in my opinion, and makes me laugh every time I hear it (as today was once again one of those occasions). I am not saying that the movie may not be worthy of an applaud, but the fact is its a movie, not a sporting event.
All that being said, I love going to the movies, and nothing I mentioned will deter me from continuing to do so, because I- like most other Americans, love overpaying for 90 minutes of distraction.
After getting home from the movie, I capped off the traditional Jewish Christmas Day by ordering Chinese food, which was delicious.
Chicken and Broccoli with Garlic Sauce, pork fried rice and steamed dumplings really screamed out Merry Christmas to me in a way not many other things could have.
And so Christmas has come and gone, and hopefully without the door hitting on the ass on the way out. While most of the world will miss it, I can safely close the door on the Christmas spirit with this to say:
Good Riddance.
Where Do I Begin
12/25/07
Feliz Navidad to all you gentiles out there.
Being Jewish however, I don't know where to begin with my issues with Christmas.
Maybe it comes down to a simple case of jealousy for not being able to take part in the lights and the gifts and the feast and the fat man.
But I seriously doubt it.
Christmas is without question one of the greatest commercial successes in history, as the holiness of the holiday has been buried deep beneath the sales and songs the green and red have to offer.
I previously ranted about how utterly meaningless Hanukkah is, however the more I think about it, Christmas might not be quite as irrelevant, however it annoys me twice as much.
First of all, Christmas celebrates the birth of Christ (correct me if I'm wrong Christian friends of mine). And the last time I checked, Jesus was- thats right- Jewish.
It makes me wonder if its worth offering the Christians some of our other more notable tribe members to create a holiday in honor of- Albert Einstein? Jerry Seinfeld? How about Ralph Lauren?
Next on my list is the fucking lights. Yeah, they look nice but a lot of people go over the top, creating a sight not only visable from space, but I can only imagine the warm feelings of the neighbors of these schmucks.
And did you ever wonder why Jewish people don't decorate their homes with blue and white lights?
Two words: Electric bill.
Moving on, we come to Big Red. Santa Claus, by far, one of the five people, real or fictional, I absolutely have zero patience for.
Find SC for me in the Bible and maybe I'll have some respect for him.
And maybe one of these years he uses the 364 days a year he isn't working to hit the gym. Those poor reindeer probably have back conditions schelping his fat ass around all night.
I would write something witty about Christmas music, however to be blunt, It's about as appealing to my ears as dog shit is to my nose.
Maybe if I only had to hear it on the radio for a few days, maybe a week, but from Thanksgiving until today? Too much.
Then you have the yule log, which I can't imagine anybody celebrating Christmas is proud of. Staring at a lump of shit caught on fire to the tunes of silent night strikes me as something even Santa might find irritating. Then again roast some marshmallows over it and he's parking his ass right next to it.
Whats up with the Tree? More lights, red and green ceramics and figurines of your favorite star trek characters? Group it over there with the lights as something that really serves no purpose beyond aesthetics. Then again like almost every holiday, the true meaning of Christmas (if you choose to believe in such myths- which I do only because the tooth fairy insisted so when I woke up one night catching her stiffing me on the third tooth I lost- 1 dollar for a tooth? ill keep the tooth...)
Theres also the awkwardness which ensues upon somebody wishing me a Merry Christmas when I clearly advertise my jewness on the front of my face- right under my eyes, between my ears and above my mouth).
If only it were socially acceptable to give this answer to somebody wishing me a Merry Christmas:
No thanks, I'd rather honor the 6 million of my people murdered- because that ACTUALLY happened (unless you're talking to Mel Gibson's dad of course, so I would have no choice but to accept a seasons greetings from him)
Alright so that's a bit harsh, I'll leave it at no thank you.
I can't knock the gift giving, but thats because Hannukah brings with it 8 nights of gift giving, compared to one morning.
Of course the worst part of Christmas is that it proves Jews really don't rule the world, because EVERYTHING short of the movies and Chinese restaurants is closed, which of course is where the Jewish Christmas Day Tradition of Movies and Moo Shoo comes from.
Christmas eve isn't any better, as everything closes ridiculously early (for instance, the gym in my predominantly Jewish building closed at 2 in the afternoon yesterday, yet will be open from 12-5 today).
Christians, i ask of you to pick one. You can't take away an entire evening followed by an entire day.
As for this Jew will be spending his Christmas?
After I utilize the generosity of my gym for being opened today, I'll be heading into the city to see a movie, followed by dinner at the Szechuan Inn.
Only thing at this point left to say?
Merry Christmas everyone.
Feliz Navidad to all you gentiles out there.
Being Jewish however, I don't know where to begin with my issues with Christmas.
Maybe it comes down to a simple case of jealousy for not being able to take part in the lights and the gifts and the feast and the fat man.
But I seriously doubt it.
Christmas is without question one of the greatest commercial successes in history, as the holiness of the holiday has been buried deep beneath the sales and songs the green and red have to offer.
I previously ranted about how utterly meaningless Hanukkah is, however the more I think about it, Christmas might not be quite as irrelevant, however it annoys me twice as much.
First of all, Christmas celebrates the birth of Christ (correct me if I'm wrong Christian friends of mine). And the last time I checked, Jesus was- thats right- Jewish.
It makes me wonder if its worth offering the Christians some of our other more notable tribe members to create a holiday in honor of- Albert Einstein? Jerry Seinfeld? How about Ralph Lauren?
Next on my list is the fucking lights. Yeah, they look nice but a lot of people go over the top, creating a sight not only visable from space, but I can only imagine the warm feelings of the neighbors of these schmucks.
And did you ever wonder why Jewish people don't decorate their homes with blue and white lights?
Two words: Electric bill.
Moving on, we come to Big Red. Santa Claus, by far, one of the five people, real or fictional, I absolutely have zero patience for.
Find SC for me in the Bible and maybe I'll have some respect for him.
And maybe one of these years he uses the 364 days a year he isn't working to hit the gym. Those poor reindeer probably have back conditions schelping his fat ass around all night.
I would write something witty about Christmas music, however to be blunt, It's about as appealing to my ears as dog shit is to my nose.
Maybe if I only had to hear it on the radio for a few days, maybe a week, but from Thanksgiving until today? Too much.
Then you have the yule log, which I can't imagine anybody celebrating Christmas is proud of. Staring at a lump of shit caught on fire to the tunes of silent night strikes me as something even Santa might find irritating. Then again roast some marshmallows over it and he's parking his ass right next to it.
Whats up with the Tree? More lights, red and green ceramics and figurines of your favorite star trek characters? Group it over there with the lights as something that really serves no purpose beyond aesthetics. Then again like almost every holiday, the true meaning of Christmas (if you choose to believe in such myths- which I do only because the tooth fairy insisted so when I woke up one night catching her stiffing me on the third tooth I lost- 1 dollar for a tooth? ill keep the tooth...)
Theres also the awkwardness which ensues upon somebody wishing me a Merry Christmas when I clearly advertise my jewness on the front of my face- right under my eyes, between my ears and above my mouth).
If only it were socially acceptable to give this answer to somebody wishing me a Merry Christmas:
No thanks, I'd rather honor the 6 million of my people murdered- because that ACTUALLY happened (unless you're talking to Mel Gibson's dad of course, so I would have no choice but to accept a seasons greetings from him)
Alright so that's a bit harsh, I'll leave it at no thank you.
I can't knock the gift giving, but thats because Hannukah brings with it 8 nights of gift giving, compared to one morning.
Of course the worst part of Christmas is that it proves Jews really don't rule the world, because EVERYTHING short of the movies and Chinese restaurants is closed, which of course is where the Jewish Christmas Day Tradition of Movies and Moo Shoo comes from.
Christmas eve isn't any better, as everything closes ridiculously early (for instance, the gym in my predominantly Jewish building closed at 2 in the afternoon yesterday, yet will be open from 12-5 today).
Christians, i ask of you to pick one. You can't take away an entire evening followed by an entire day.
As for this Jew will be spending his Christmas?
After I utilize the generosity of my gym for being opened today, I'll be heading into the city to see a movie, followed by dinner at the Szechuan Inn.
Only thing at this point left to say?
Merry Christmas everyone.
Monday, December 24, 2007
Yeah, He's That Good
12/24/07
I've been following sports, both watching them and attending them for almost 15 years now, which incredibly accounts for 3/4 of my life to this point. And throughout the years, while I have consistently cheered for my favorite teams, there are athletes who almost transcend the sport they play.
The obvious first name that comes to mind is Michael Jordan. I had the privilege of getting to see His Airness play at the very first professional basketball game I went to, which was a playoff game between the Knicks and Bulls in 1996. Not bad for an introduction to the NBA huh?
At the time I was only 9, and a little too young to really appreciate that fact that I was getting to watch one of the greatest athletes and most famous people in history before my eyes, and as a result I made it a point to get to the Garden again when he came back a few years ago to play with Washington.
It does not seem like much, but imagine seeing your favorite singer or band live in concert. The thrill you get is so great that you struggle to even describe it. And some performers, whether they be pro athletes or musicians or actors are just worth the price of admission.
This weekend I went against everything I have decided to stand for which is to boycott Knicks games, because Kobe Bryant and the Lakers were making their only trip to New York.
Now nobody will say that Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan are at the same level of paying a ridiculous amount of money to watch in person, however in the professional sports scene of 2007, Kobe is (in my opinion) the closest thing to MJ that the NBA has.
You can say what you want about Kobe, the fact he was accused of rape, cheated on his wife, demanded trades, supposedly caused the break-up of his marriage with Shaq ending the Laker dynasty of the early 2000's. All are valid.
But plain and simple, the guy is worth showing up for.
There are few examples in sports and entertainment where you can witness something in person and just feel the greatness that accompanies it.
To me, Kobe Bryant falls under that category.
And yesterday he did not disappoint.
He scored 39 points, along way passing the 20,000 career point plateau, making himself the youngest person in NBA history to do so. He was younger than Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and yes, Michael Jordan.
And while the Knicks lost yet another meaningless game (surprise there), leaving the game yesterday in spite of the fact my team lost did not seem to matter, as I had a rare sense of delight walking out of the world's most famous arena, because I realized I had just gotten a chance to see something pretty special in person.
Now all that being said, I here-by declare that I have been to Madison Square Garden for the last time in support of the Knicks. The team continues to play without any passion, and when they do turn the light switch on and show signs of life, they ultimately end up disappointing, as they did yesterday.
At least for one afternoon, a Knicks game was worth attending, even if it was only because of the guy on the other team putting them out of their misery.
Like Michael Jordan and Reggie Miller before him, Kobe still found a way to get the New York crowd's respect.
Mine included.
I've been following sports, both watching them and attending them for almost 15 years now, which incredibly accounts for 3/4 of my life to this point. And throughout the years, while I have consistently cheered for my favorite teams, there are athletes who almost transcend the sport they play.
The obvious first name that comes to mind is Michael Jordan. I had the privilege of getting to see His Airness play at the very first professional basketball game I went to, which was a playoff game between the Knicks and Bulls in 1996. Not bad for an introduction to the NBA huh?
At the time I was only 9, and a little too young to really appreciate that fact that I was getting to watch one of the greatest athletes and most famous people in history before my eyes, and as a result I made it a point to get to the Garden again when he came back a few years ago to play with Washington.
It does not seem like much, but imagine seeing your favorite singer or band live in concert. The thrill you get is so great that you struggle to even describe it. And some performers, whether they be pro athletes or musicians or actors are just worth the price of admission.
This weekend I went against everything I have decided to stand for which is to boycott Knicks games, because Kobe Bryant and the Lakers were making their only trip to New York.
Now nobody will say that Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan are at the same level of paying a ridiculous amount of money to watch in person, however in the professional sports scene of 2007, Kobe is (in my opinion) the closest thing to MJ that the NBA has.
You can say what you want about Kobe, the fact he was accused of rape, cheated on his wife, demanded trades, supposedly caused the break-up of his marriage with Shaq ending the Laker dynasty of the early 2000's. All are valid.
But plain and simple, the guy is worth showing up for.
There are few examples in sports and entertainment where you can witness something in person and just feel the greatness that accompanies it.
To me, Kobe Bryant falls under that category.
And yesterday he did not disappoint.
He scored 39 points, along way passing the 20,000 career point plateau, making himself the youngest person in NBA history to do so. He was younger than Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and yes, Michael Jordan.
And while the Knicks lost yet another meaningless game (surprise there), leaving the game yesterday in spite of the fact my team lost did not seem to matter, as I had a rare sense of delight walking out of the world's most famous arena, because I realized I had just gotten a chance to see something pretty special in person.
Now all that being said, I here-by declare that I have been to Madison Square Garden for the last time in support of the Knicks. The team continues to play without any passion, and when they do turn the light switch on and show signs of life, they ultimately end up disappointing, as they did yesterday.
At least for one afternoon, a Knicks game was worth attending, even if it was only because of the guy on the other team putting them out of their misery.
Like Michael Jordan and Reggie Miller before him, Kobe still found a way to get the New York crowd's respect.
Mine included.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
A Tale of Two Days
12/20/07
Oh what a difference a day makes.
Yesterday was one of the more productive days I've had in a while, which was followed up by one of the least today.
Before yesterday even started the productivity started early on Tuesday night.
After getting home from the city, I went to the gym and did my 4 miles on the treadmill. After showering, I went out with a mission. And that mission was find an electric razor, because after years of blade, it was time to make the switch.
Two targets, circuit city, best buy and a cvs later, I had found a beautiful braun with my name on it. Along the way I also managed to find a new pair of headphones and under armour to run in, because 4 miles in boxers is just a mess you want to know nothing about.
And so I woke up yesterday ready to put my new toy to work. I had never used an electric razor before, so you can imagine my anxiety. And when i say anxiety, I really mean terrified state of mind only comparable to the time I went walking through one of the haunted houses where the people jump out at you, during which my mothers friend shouted out my name which resulted in these rejects in masks running out and screaming my name at me- not the most memorable experience for an 8 year old...but back to shaving...
No shaving cream, no washing the face...just razor to face action...and I wish I could say it was a glorious occasion, however Beauty and Braun my experience was not.
Wondering why I couldn't get every last hair on my face, I thought that maybe I was not using enough force, and so I jabbed the thing into the side of my neck and now have a pretty looking razor burn as a memoir.
Never the less, the job got done and I can only hope that the next time I go to battle with the bastard, I can cleanly remove the hair on my face that comes back in (I would say all of my face, however I still have those patchy spots Ive been considering using rogaine on said spots. I'll keep you posted.
Alright so showered and shaved...other "S" completed as well (smiled?), it was off to see daddy to buy some nice new clothes for student teaching.
And what did the trip to the store bring me?
6 gorgeous new button down shirts (white, gray, 2 blue and 2 pink-1 with blue stripes...its nicee) and 2 snazzy looking sports coats (navy blue and gray). I still need pants and ties, but another trip next week with Paul should take care of that.
The middle of the day also had me taking my dad out to lunch with some of the (not so) hard earned Hanukkah dough. The hot pastrami sandwich was delish- thank you matty for introducing me- and it was nice to spend some catch up time with my old man
After shopping and going back home, it was time for only 60 minutes I'll probably spend with my mother this entire break, which was dinner at the chinese place a few blocks away. And since I was in a giving mood, I treated her to dinner as well.
Thats right, I took dad out to lunch, and mom out to dinner.
Baller.
But the icing on the cake was the 60 minutes spent between 9 and 10, when Gossip Girl was on. Even better than the episode itself- WHICH WAS INSANE- I got to watch with Leah over the internet, gossiping- ironic?- about the show during commercials.
So that capped off Wednesday. Jam packed and highly productive.
And then came today.
After another lousy night of sleep, I woke up before 10 and after aimlessly walking around my empty apartment for a half hour, i went down to the gym for my daily 4 miles. Today i changed it up, and downloaded 2 episodes of scrubs and an episode of family guy to my ipod and that took up the hour and made it fly by. 400 calories burned. Boo-yah.
And then I sat around, laid in my bed, occasionally checked my computer and watched hour after hour pass by.
I managed to find time to fit in a bowl of frosted flakes for lunch (saving room for outback in a few minutes) and then went back to the tube.
Well I can't think of a better way to top off a wasted day with a wasted night...which I now have to depart to.
unti next time ya'll
xoxo
..sorry but i had to
Oh what a difference a day makes.
Yesterday was one of the more productive days I've had in a while, which was followed up by one of the least today.
Before yesterday even started the productivity started early on Tuesday night.
After getting home from the city, I went to the gym and did my 4 miles on the treadmill. After showering, I went out with a mission. And that mission was find an electric razor, because after years of blade, it was time to make the switch.
Two targets, circuit city, best buy and a cvs later, I had found a beautiful braun with my name on it. Along the way I also managed to find a new pair of headphones and under armour to run in, because 4 miles in boxers is just a mess you want to know nothing about.
And so I woke up yesterday ready to put my new toy to work. I had never used an electric razor before, so you can imagine my anxiety. And when i say anxiety, I really mean terrified state of mind only comparable to the time I went walking through one of the haunted houses where the people jump out at you, during which my mothers friend shouted out my name which resulted in these rejects in masks running out and screaming my name at me- not the most memorable experience for an 8 year old...but back to shaving...
No shaving cream, no washing the face...just razor to face action...and I wish I could say it was a glorious occasion, however Beauty and Braun my experience was not.
Wondering why I couldn't get every last hair on my face, I thought that maybe I was not using enough force, and so I jabbed the thing into the side of my neck and now have a pretty looking razor burn as a memoir.
Never the less, the job got done and I can only hope that the next time I go to battle with the bastard, I can cleanly remove the hair on my face that comes back in (I would say all of my face, however I still have those patchy spots Ive been considering using rogaine on said spots. I'll keep you posted.
Alright so showered and shaved...other "S" completed as well (smiled?), it was off to see daddy to buy some nice new clothes for student teaching.
And what did the trip to the store bring me?
6 gorgeous new button down shirts (white, gray, 2 blue and 2 pink-1 with blue stripes...its nicee) and 2 snazzy looking sports coats (navy blue and gray). I still need pants and ties, but another trip next week with Paul should take care of that.
The middle of the day also had me taking my dad out to lunch with some of the (not so) hard earned Hanukkah dough. The hot pastrami sandwich was delish- thank you matty for introducing me- and it was nice to spend some catch up time with my old man
After shopping and going back home, it was time for only 60 minutes I'll probably spend with my mother this entire break, which was dinner at the chinese place a few blocks away. And since I was in a giving mood, I treated her to dinner as well.
Thats right, I took dad out to lunch, and mom out to dinner.
Baller.
But the icing on the cake was the 60 minutes spent between 9 and 10, when Gossip Girl was on. Even better than the episode itself- WHICH WAS INSANE- I got to watch with Leah over the internet, gossiping- ironic?- about the show during commercials.
So that capped off Wednesday. Jam packed and highly productive.
And then came today.
After another lousy night of sleep, I woke up before 10 and after aimlessly walking around my empty apartment for a half hour, i went down to the gym for my daily 4 miles. Today i changed it up, and downloaded 2 episodes of scrubs and an episode of family guy to my ipod and that took up the hour and made it fly by. 400 calories burned. Boo-yah.
And then I sat around, laid in my bed, occasionally checked my computer and watched hour after hour pass by.
I managed to find time to fit in a bowl of frosted flakes for lunch (saving room for outback in a few minutes) and then went back to the tube.
Well I can't think of a better way to top off a wasted day with a wasted night...which I now have to depart to.
unti next time ya'll
xoxo
..sorry but i had to
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Off To A Good Start
12/18/07
I was probably a bit too harsh on the outlook of my winter break, however the last 2 days have given me a slight (but in all likelihood false) sense of hope.
The Knicks might have lost by nearly 30 points last night, however when you go expecting to lose, leaving with an ass kicking that bad sure as heck beats losing at the last second.
Throw in a solid pre game meal with Matty as well as a long overdue hot dog at half time, one could look past a losing team losing another meaningless game.
After the game I decided to turn myself into an uptown girl, as I rendezvoused with Ross on the upper east side where his grandparents have a sweet apartment which was fully equipped with not one but two gorgeous HDTV's.
And the best news of the night was that me and the big fella got to share a bedroom (separate beds, relax).
So after not seeing Ross for 4 months, I got to get a second dose of him in 3 days, giving us some quality catch up time, which included everything from watching Monday Night Football to baking cookies. Yea, deal with it. We bake.
Today was the icing on the cake, as we went to Pete's, the oldest original bar in the city, which his uncle operates, and as a result we were treated to lunch on the house. Never has a cheeseburger tasted so good.
Then after getting home this afternoon, I impressed myself by making it to the gym for the third day in a row.
And heres the really shocking part:
My fat ass was able to spend an hour on the treadmill, running and walking a combined 4 miles.
And so for those of you unaware, I have officially undertaken my mission to get into shape make myself a healthier person.
The cheese steak and hot dog last night combined with the cookies and cheeseburger today set me back a bit, however I am proud to say I have not had a sip of soda since before going back to school at the end of the Thanksgiving break.
I'm trying folks. I'm without question the laziest person I know, and after way too long of not caring about what I eat or getting off the couch, I figured enough is enough, and so the race is on.
I have a gym 5 floors below me and so despite the fact that at this moment my feet are throbbing and my legs are soar, I can't wait to wake up tomorrow and get right back to it.
The best part is I also have an indoor basketball (half) court- which is almost always available, giving me something else to do. Always a plus.
The downside? No Pita Pit. And those grilled chicken pitas with lettuce, green peppers, onions and hot sauce became a 3 or 4 times a week meal which had taken the place of a Wendy's spicy chicken sandwich or a McDonald's 2 cheeseburger meal. Oh how I miss both of them.
So I can happily report that both my winter break and diet have gotten off to surprisingly positive starts.
Lets see how long both last.
I was probably a bit too harsh on the outlook of my winter break, however the last 2 days have given me a slight (but in all likelihood false) sense of hope.
The Knicks might have lost by nearly 30 points last night, however when you go expecting to lose, leaving with an ass kicking that bad sure as heck beats losing at the last second.
Throw in a solid pre game meal with Matty as well as a long overdue hot dog at half time, one could look past a losing team losing another meaningless game.
After the game I decided to turn myself into an uptown girl, as I rendezvoused with Ross on the upper east side where his grandparents have a sweet apartment which was fully equipped with not one but two gorgeous HDTV's.
And the best news of the night was that me and the big fella got to share a bedroom (separate beds, relax).
So after not seeing Ross for 4 months, I got to get a second dose of him in 3 days, giving us some quality catch up time, which included everything from watching Monday Night Football to baking cookies. Yea, deal with it. We bake.
Today was the icing on the cake, as we went to Pete's, the oldest original bar in the city, which his uncle operates, and as a result we were treated to lunch on the house. Never has a cheeseburger tasted so good.
Then after getting home this afternoon, I impressed myself by making it to the gym for the third day in a row.
And heres the really shocking part:
My fat ass was able to spend an hour on the treadmill, running and walking a combined 4 miles.
And so for those of you unaware, I have officially undertaken my mission to get into shape make myself a healthier person.
The cheese steak and hot dog last night combined with the cookies and cheeseburger today set me back a bit, however I am proud to say I have not had a sip of soda since before going back to school at the end of the Thanksgiving break.
I'm trying folks. I'm without question the laziest person I know, and after way too long of not caring about what I eat or getting off the couch, I figured enough is enough, and so the race is on.
I have a gym 5 floors below me and so despite the fact that at this moment my feet are throbbing and my legs are soar, I can't wait to wake up tomorrow and get right back to it.
The best part is I also have an indoor basketball (half) court- which is almost always available, giving me something else to do. Always a plus.
The downside? No Pita Pit. And those grilled chicken pitas with lettuce, green peppers, onions and hot sauce became a 3 or 4 times a week meal which had taken the place of a Wendy's spicy chicken sandwich or a McDonald's 2 cheeseburger meal. Oh how I miss both of them.
So I can happily report that both my winter break and diet have gotten off to surprisingly positive starts.
Lets see how long both last.
Monday, December 17, 2007
A Fun Night Awaits
12/17/07
So all I have been doing is bitching and moaning about how miserable it has been being home, and how the break cant fly by fast enough, blah blah blah.
And while I still hold onto to those feelings, tonight should be a lot a fun, as I'm going into the city with Matty (roommate) to see Knicks-Pacers at the garden.
Once again, I am going against everything I wrote about in bashing the Knicks, mainly that the solution to the Knicks problem is staying as far away from the team as possible.
However, between being home, and Matty being a big time Pacers fan, the opportunity to watch our two teams play head to head was too tantalizing to pass up.
And as an added bonus, I found out that my Rossy is also going to be in the city, so he'll be joining us at the game, which should be a lot of fun.
After the game, I finally get what any woman would want the most (something one girl already has), which is a night alone with Rossy in his grandparents place on the east side.
And then I get to come home by train tomorrow and return to the very listless life I have been complaining about, which tomorrow will probably consist of me going to the gym, sitting around until Jason gets home, and wasting away the night in his basement watching Sopranos.
I don't know, while tonight is an example of how my winter break might not be so bad after all, I cant help but feel like I'm just wasting time for an entire month doing a whole lot of nothing.
At least when I'm school I'm doing nothing but without parents around and with 12,000 other kids doing the exact same thing.
I have two awesome roommates who are always around, plus food at my disposal almost 24 hours a day.
I get so bored and hungry (not to mention pathetic) that I go to campusfood.com and stare at all of the Syracuse places which i'm pretty sure wont deliver to an off campus apartment 5 hours away.
Which is sad, because not having Pita Pit 10 minutes away has been killing me.
Its gotten so bad I might have to resort to the deli downstairs, getting myself grilled chicken salads.
Anyway, 27 more days until I can get back up to school, which means 27 more days of trying to remember the names of the different day-time talk shows and soap operas which clog up the television between 10 in the morning and 5 in the afternoon.
Until tomorrow...
So all I have been doing is bitching and moaning about how miserable it has been being home, and how the break cant fly by fast enough, blah blah blah.
And while I still hold onto to those feelings, tonight should be a lot a fun, as I'm going into the city with Matty (roommate) to see Knicks-Pacers at the garden.
Once again, I am going against everything I wrote about in bashing the Knicks, mainly that the solution to the Knicks problem is staying as far away from the team as possible.
However, between being home, and Matty being a big time Pacers fan, the opportunity to watch our two teams play head to head was too tantalizing to pass up.
And as an added bonus, I found out that my Rossy is also going to be in the city, so he'll be joining us at the game, which should be a lot of fun.
After the game, I finally get what any woman would want the most (something one girl already has), which is a night alone with Rossy in his grandparents place on the east side.
And then I get to come home by train tomorrow and return to the very listless life I have been complaining about, which tomorrow will probably consist of me going to the gym, sitting around until Jason gets home, and wasting away the night in his basement watching Sopranos.
I don't know, while tonight is an example of how my winter break might not be so bad after all, I cant help but feel like I'm just wasting time for an entire month doing a whole lot of nothing.
At least when I'm school I'm doing nothing but without parents around and with 12,000 other kids doing the exact same thing.
I have two awesome roommates who are always around, plus food at my disposal almost 24 hours a day.
I get so bored and hungry (not to mention pathetic) that I go to campusfood.com and stare at all of the Syracuse places which i'm pretty sure wont deliver to an off campus apartment 5 hours away.
Which is sad, because not having Pita Pit 10 minutes away has been killing me.
Its gotten so bad I might have to resort to the deli downstairs, getting myself grilled chicken salads.
Anyway, 27 more days until I can get back up to school, which means 27 more days of trying to remember the names of the different day-time talk shows and soap operas which clog up the television between 10 in the morning and 5 in the afternoon.
Until tomorrow...
Sunday, December 16, 2007
DEVO-stating
12/16/07
A bonus blog for today, and it comes on the hearing the news that Syracuse basketball junior guard Eric Devendorf tore his ACL last night in the Orange's 125-75 win over Eastern Tennessee State.
I had been angry enough at hearing we gave up 75 points to another shitty non-conference team, along with the fact that we turned the ball over 26 times.
But now to find out that we lose Devo for the season is just crippling.
And so continues the trend of sports teams I root for just absolutely finding more and more ways to disappoint me.
Cuse was going to have enough trouble getting into the NCAA tournament with the non-conference losses AT HOME to UMASS and URI, but now we have to hope our Big East schedule can be handled without Andy Rautins and now Devendorf.
Add those two losses to the fact we have 5 freshman and our only senior- Josh Wright- decided to quit the team (we'll see if he comes running back with a starting job now potentially available) and this team is just going nowhere fast.
So just a recap of how my year has gone in terms of sports...
-The Mets completed the biggest regular season collapse in the history of baseball, missing the playoffs after coming a basehit shy of going to the World Series in 2006.
-The Jets, after an impressive 10-6 season, are 3-11, and have had a miserable season.
-Notre Dame (football) was 3-9, which including getting beat by Navy for the first time in 42 years.
-Syracuse basketball did not get an invitation to last season NCAA tournament, losing in the quarterfinals of the NIT. That was followed up this season with the above mentioned.
-The Knicks- if you havn't read my rant about the catastrophe that is the New York Knickerbockers, check it out a few posts down. But in short- they are probably further away from success than all of the other teams.
-The Rangers are playing alright, however they have been horribly inconsistent this season despite some big name off season pickups.
I usually start getting really excited for spring training right after new years, however at this point the Mets opening up another season can wait while I suffer through the shortcomings of all of other teams I root for.
Heres a fun fact, want to guess how many times (in the nearly 15 years I have cared enough about sports) I have experienced winning a championship?
Zero.
**(Syracuse won the National Championship 2 years before I started going, and at the time I was not a big time Cuse fan...go figure)
Heres to another 15 years of failure and disappointment.
A bonus blog for today, and it comes on the hearing the news that Syracuse basketball junior guard Eric Devendorf tore his ACL last night in the Orange's 125-75 win over Eastern Tennessee State.
I had been angry enough at hearing we gave up 75 points to another shitty non-conference team, along with the fact that we turned the ball over 26 times.
But now to find out that we lose Devo for the season is just crippling.
And so continues the trend of sports teams I root for just absolutely finding more and more ways to disappoint me.
Cuse was going to have enough trouble getting into the NCAA tournament with the non-conference losses AT HOME to UMASS and URI, but now we have to hope our Big East schedule can be handled without Andy Rautins and now Devendorf.
Add those two losses to the fact we have 5 freshman and our only senior- Josh Wright- decided to quit the team (we'll see if he comes running back with a starting job now potentially available) and this team is just going nowhere fast.
So just a recap of how my year has gone in terms of sports...
-The Mets completed the biggest regular season collapse in the history of baseball, missing the playoffs after coming a basehit shy of going to the World Series in 2006.
-The Jets, after an impressive 10-6 season, are 3-11, and have had a miserable season.
-Notre Dame (football) was 3-9, which including getting beat by Navy for the first time in 42 years.
-Syracuse basketball did not get an invitation to last season NCAA tournament, losing in the quarterfinals of the NIT. That was followed up this season with the above mentioned.
-The Knicks- if you havn't read my rant about the catastrophe that is the New York Knickerbockers, check it out a few posts down. But in short- they are probably further away from success than all of the other teams.
-The Rangers are playing alright, however they have been horribly inconsistent this season despite some big name off season pickups.
I usually start getting really excited for spring training right after new years, however at this point the Mets opening up another season can wait while I suffer through the shortcomings of all of other teams I root for.
Heres a fun fact, want to guess how many times (in the nearly 15 years I have cared enough about sports) I have experienced winning a championship?
Zero.
**(Syracuse won the National Championship 2 years before I started going, and at the time I was not a big time Cuse fan...go figure)
Heres to another 15 years of failure and disappointment.
It's Too Late Too Apologize
12/16/07
Here's to you Andy Pettitte. You came clean and admitted that you did indeed use HGH back in 2002 in an effort to try and heal faster in the hopes of helping your club win.
Pettitte is getting mixed reviews from people about his apology and admittance to using a performance enhancing substance, however he will not be getting a high five from me.
The only thing I can thank Andy for is essentially throwing his good buddy Roger Clemens under the bus, because by admitting he used this stuff, it will make it that much harder for Clemens to deny the claims.
And it sucks to be him, because Roger Clemens, for as great as a pitcher as I thought he was, the man lost all of my respect back in 2000 when he threw a ball at Mike Pizza's head, only to one-up himself by throwing a bat at Mikey during the World Series, claiming he "thought it was the ball". Last time I checked Rog- you throw the ball to first, not at the runner. This isn't day camp kickball.
So while his head continued to grow, whatever was in it clearly wasn't getting the same benefits.
But back to Andy Pettitte. Here is a guy who, as a Mets fan, actually had a lot of respect for Andy. He seemed like a good guy who played hard and never gave me reason to dislike him other than the one or two times a year he would pitch against the Mets.
However like just about everybody else linked to steroids- and that includes former favorites of mine Todd Hundley, Matt Franco, Todd Pratt and Paul Lo Duca (interestingly all catchers), Pettitte has completely lost my respect.
And he did not gain a shred of it back with his statement yesterday, which he released through his agent.
First off, if this is a sincere act of remorse, get yourself in front of a Camera. I don't mind if you feel the need to show your family next to you, but give us the decency of saying this yourself, for everybody to see. Shed a few tears if you have to. Fake it. Something a little bit more genuine would have been better.
Secondly, you said that you used the stuff for two days, and that we as fans should not take those two days out of context when considering your entire career.
Are you serious?
You could have used this stuff one time, and you would have lost my respect. And that being said, I find it hard to believe you only used the stuff on two days, but without any other evidence, I can't hold that against you.
I understand you were hurt and wanted to help your team, but you weren't the first player in history to sustain an injury. It happens to EVERYONE. They get hurt, they sit out, get better and come back. Thats how it works. Was in unfortunate that you got hurt- absolutely. But being hurt is no excuse to commit one of the most frowned upon acts in sports, equal to if not just below gambling on the sport.
And then you say "If what I did was an error in judgment on my part, I apologize,"
"IF"??????
That would be like OJ finally admitting to killing his wife, and apologizing for making a questionable decision in doing so.
Alright so its not quite that dramatic, but you get the idea.
Are you better off than the other players because you stepped forward and took responsibility?
Yes.
But only marginally. The bottom line is that while I have no doubt tens and hundreds of more players were and still are using this garbage, you managed to get your name in the Mitchell Report, and then given a chance to come clean, you did so in a half-hearted attempt.
And the whole thing with Andy Pettitte, maybe more so than some of the other players is sad because of the kind of person we all thought he was, along with the recognizable name he has.
The fact that he needed to resort to this stuff, for one use, two days of use or however long- just shows that the game of baseball is unquestionably going through the darkest period in its history.
The real unfortunate part is that as bad as this whole mess has gotten, a guy like Andy Pettitte now represents the lows the game has sunk to.
And thats a shame.
Here's to you Andy Pettitte. You came clean and admitted that you did indeed use HGH back in 2002 in an effort to try and heal faster in the hopes of helping your club win.
Pettitte is getting mixed reviews from people about his apology and admittance to using a performance enhancing substance, however he will not be getting a high five from me.
The only thing I can thank Andy for is essentially throwing his good buddy Roger Clemens under the bus, because by admitting he used this stuff, it will make it that much harder for Clemens to deny the claims.
And it sucks to be him, because Roger Clemens, for as great as a pitcher as I thought he was, the man lost all of my respect back in 2000 when he threw a ball at Mike Pizza's head, only to one-up himself by throwing a bat at Mikey during the World Series, claiming he "thought it was the ball". Last time I checked Rog- you throw the ball to first, not at the runner. This isn't day camp kickball.
So while his head continued to grow, whatever was in it clearly wasn't getting the same benefits.
But back to Andy Pettitte. Here is a guy who, as a Mets fan, actually had a lot of respect for Andy. He seemed like a good guy who played hard and never gave me reason to dislike him other than the one or two times a year he would pitch against the Mets.
However like just about everybody else linked to steroids- and that includes former favorites of mine Todd Hundley, Matt Franco, Todd Pratt and Paul Lo Duca (interestingly all catchers), Pettitte has completely lost my respect.
And he did not gain a shred of it back with his statement yesterday, which he released through his agent.
First off, if this is a sincere act of remorse, get yourself in front of a Camera. I don't mind if you feel the need to show your family next to you, but give us the decency of saying this yourself, for everybody to see. Shed a few tears if you have to. Fake it. Something a little bit more genuine would have been better.
Secondly, you said that you used the stuff for two days, and that we as fans should not take those two days out of context when considering your entire career.
Are you serious?
You could have used this stuff one time, and you would have lost my respect. And that being said, I find it hard to believe you only used the stuff on two days, but without any other evidence, I can't hold that against you.
I understand you were hurt and wanted to help your team, but you weren't the first player in history to sustain an injury. It happens to EVERYONE. They get hurt, they sit out, get better and come back. Thats how it works. Was in unfortunate that you got hurt- absolutely. But being hurt is no excuse to commit one of the most frowned upon acts in sports, equal to if not just below gambling on the sport.
And then you say "If what I did was an error in judgment on my part, I apologize,"
"IF"??????
That would be like OJ finally admitting to killing his wife, and apologizing for making a questionable decision in doing so.
Alright so its not quite that dramatic, but you get the idea.
Are you better off than the other players because you stepped forward and took responsibility?
Yes.
But only marginally. The bottom line is that while I have no doubt tens and hundreds of more players were and still are using this garbage, you managed to get your name in the Mitchell Report, and then given a chance to come clean, you did so in a half-hearted attempt.
And the whole thing with Andy Pettitte, maybe more so than some of the other players is sad because of the kind of person we all thought he was, along with the recognizable name he has.
The fact that he needed to resort to this stuff, for one use, two days of use or however long- just shows that the game of baseball is unquestionably going through the darkest period in its history.
The real unfortunate part is that as bad as this whole mess has gotten, a guy like Andy Pettitte now represents the lows the game has sunk to.
And thats a shame.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Winter Break, Go Away
12/15/07
Another semester is officially over. Which means it was time for another long, seemingly endless ride home.
However for some reason, my car was feeing good today, and despite leaving 45 minutes late, the trip from Syracuse to Queens was 4 hours, door to door, with a stop along the way.
I can't lie, I was imrpessed. The ride usually takes anywhere between 4 and a half hours and 5 and a half hours, and the ride back up from Thanksgiving was miserable due to a ton of traffic, and took almost 7 hours.
So 4 hours was pretty pleasing today. And while I'll get further into why I absolutely cannot wait to get out of here and get myself back up to Syracuse, tonight did provide one of the happier moments in a while.
For anybody who was stalking my profile and wondering that the countdown was referring to, Ross Kohan, one of if not my best friend up at school, got home from being abroad in Madrid yesterday.
I had not seen Ross (Rossy as I call him) since August, so the short ride home made it possible to come home, unpack a little and get right back in the car and drive out to see the big guy.
Which is exactly what I did.
Which means before I saw my mother or my father, I saw Rossy. And I wouldn't have it any other way.
And after 4 full months of not seeing him, we were reunited tonight, complete with me getting the chance to meet his girlfriend (who better realize shes now competing with me for his attention) and friend Andy, all while enjoying some kick ass hibatchi steakhouse dinner.
So after downing steak, chicken, shrimp, friend rice, vegatables, soup, salad and for the first time in my life a tried a piece of lobster....thats no misprint...Adam Fier not only had shrimp tonight, but tried lobster- which was quite good although i probably will never have it again- and ended up having a great time with some awesome people.
I should be so lucky that tonight will be a sign of things to come this winter break, but im a realist, and as I usualy do-
I'll prepare for the worst and hope for something slightly better.
Some quick hits about what to expect from me this break:
1. Blogs every day with nothing else to do.
2. At least one trip to Roosevelt field every week.
3. Getting to the gym once a day (I joined today as soon as I got home, which is the first step)
4. Counting down the days until I get back to Syracuse (28)
5. Going into the city at least once a week.
6. Playing every SU basketball game on XBOX 360
7. Watching season 6 part 2 of Sopranos with Jason.
and hopefully something which gives me a reason to get back up to school feeling like I didn't completely piss away 4 weeks at home...which is more than likely to happen
also- just want to say how much I'm gonna miss the girls from the 3rd floor of washington arms- megan, jessica, jessica, leah, katie, cassie and whitney- you were all fucking awesome and i dont know what im gonna do without you all next semester
mike, matt and myself just wont be the same with some other people across and down the hall from us
have a great time abroad and dont forget about us- we'll be anxiously waiting to chill in the city together this summer!!
so winter break has finally arrived..
...let the mindspinning fun begin
...wait
Another semester is officially over. Which means it was time for another long, seemingly endless ride home.
However for some reason, my car was feeing good today, and despite leaving 45 minutes late, the trip from Syracuse to Queens was 4 hours, door to door, with a stop along the way.
I can't lie, I was imrpessed. The ride usually takes anywhere between 4 and a half hours and 5 and a half hours, and the ride back up from Thanksgiving was miserable due to a ton of traffic, and took almost 7 hours.
So 4 hours was pretty pleasing today. And while I'll get further into why I absolutely cannot wait to get out of here and get myself back up to Syracuse, tonight did provide one of the happier moments in a while.
For anybody who was stalking my profile and wondering that the countdown was referring to, Ross Kohan, one of if not my best friend up at school, got home from being abroad in Madrid yesterday.
I had not seen Ross (Rossy as I call him) since August, so the short ride home made it possible to come home, unpack a little and get right back in the car and drive out to see the big guy.
Which is exactly what I did.
Which means before I saw my mother or my father, I saw Rossy. And I wouldn't have it any other way.
And after 4 full months of not seeing him, we were reunited tonight, complete with me getting the chance to meet his girlfriend (who better realize shes now competing with me for his attention) and friend Andy, all while enjoying some kick ass hibatchi steakhouse dinner.
So after downing steak, chicken, shrimp, friend rice, vegatables, soup, salad and for the first time in my life a tried a piece of lobster....thats no misprint...Adam Fier not only had shrimp tonight, but tried lobster- which was quite good although i probably will never have it again- and ended up having a great time with some awesome people.
I should be so lucky that tonight will be a sign of things to come this winter break, but im a realist, and as I usualy do-
I'll prepare for the worst and hope for something slightly better.
Some quick hits about what to expect from me this break:
1. Blogs every day with nothing else to do.
2. At least one trip to Roosevelt field every week.
3. Getting to the gym once a day (I joined today as soon as I got home, which is the first step)
4. Counting down the days until I get back to Syracuse (28)
5. Going into the city at least once a week.
6. Playing every SU basketball game on XBOX 360
7. Watching season 6 part 2 of Sopranos with Jason.
and hopefully something which gives me a reason to get back up to school feeling like I didn't completely piss away 4 weeks at home...which is more than likely to happen
also- just want to say how much I'm gonna miss the girls from the 3rd floor of washington arms- megan, jessica, jessica, leah, katie, cassie and whitney- you were all fucking awesome and i dont know what im gonna do without you all next semester
mike, matt and myself just wont be the same with some other people across and down the hall from us
have a great time abroad and dont forget about us- we'll be anxiously waiting to chill in the city together this summer!!
so winter break has finally arrived..
...let the mindspinning fun begin
...wait
Friday, December 14, 2007
In the Zone...You Never Want To Be In
12/14/07
I probably should start writing royalty checks to Scott, because yet another conversation of ours has made its way to my blog. So Scott, once again, I thank you.
During lunch yesterday, we were talking about relationships and women (being the self proclaimed experts that we are) and at one point, Scott uttered to me two words that no man ever wants to face:
Friend Zone.
The friend zone is without questions the last place any guy wants to end up in with a member of the opposite sex.
The friend zone is like your grandparents house. Its a nice, warm inviting place, yet you absolutely never want to be there because you realize theres absolutely nothing you can get out of being there.
Of course more times than not, the friend zone is where most guys end up. Like it or not, many of us have reserved front row seats in the friend zone, and equipped it with comfortable recliners because guys know that once they've entered the friend zone, they aren't leaving anytime soon.
Now there are different degrees of the friend zone.
There is the situation where you meet somebody, you can see yourself getting romantic with this person, yet upon showing the slightest bit of interest you're sent packing to the friend zone as though you were caught roaming the hallway without a pass.
That friend zone, while hardly an enjoyable place to be, is not as bad the the friend zone you are actually given the option of after breaking up with somebody.
Except spending time in that friend zone becomes impossible because getting demoted from boyfriend to friend is a transition thats generally not worth making. It's also a friend zone I myself want to be in about as much as I want a hole in my head.
I guess there is also the friend zone we choose to put ourselves in. This friend zone is with people we know right off the bat we have absolutely no interest in romantically, or have no chance with romantically.
And by placing ourselves in those friend zones, we are secretly hopeful that we can find a friend of the friend who may not be as quick to sentence us to a stay in the zone. Always need to be proactive- write that down.
When its all said and done, the friend zone is about as useful a place to be as trunk of a car. You're locked in with nowhere to go. Its tough, and yet its where we spend the majority of our time.
Now for the most part, I am referring of course to guys ending up in the friend zone. Girls are the ones who send us there, having all the power and knowing how to use it to their advantage.
It isn't often that guys send girls to the friend zone, unless of course they already have a girl and use the friend zone as a "in case of emergency/get out of jail free" spot.
Bottom line- the friend zone ends up being the place we never want to go, but find ourselves calling home.
And while the benefit of owning as many homes as I do would equate to some serious real estate money, the only thing I continue to sell is myself...
...as one hell of a friend.
I probably should start writing royalty checks to Scott, because yet another conversation of ours has made its way to my blog. So Scott, once again, I thank you.
During lunch yesterday, we were talking about relationships and women (being the self proclaimed experts that we are) and at one point, Scott uttered to me two words that no man ever wants to face:
Friend Zone.
The friend zone is without questions the last place any guy wants to end up in with a member of the opposite sex.
The friend zone is like your grandparents house. Its a nice, warm inviting place, yet you absolutely never want to be there because you realize theres absolutely nothing you can get out of being there.
Of course more times than not, the friend zone is where most guys end up. Like it or not, many of us have reserved front row seats in the friend zone, and equipped it with comfortable recliners because guys know that once they've entered the friend zone, they aren't leaving anytime soon.
Now there are different degrees of the friend zone.
There is the situation where you meet somebody, you can see yourself getting romantic with this person, yet upon showing the slightest bit of interest you're sent packing to the friend zone as though you were caught roaming the hallway without a pass.
That friend zone, while hardly an enjoyable place to be, is not as bad the the friend zone you are actually given the option of after breaking up with somebody.
Except spending time in that friend zone becomes impossible because getting demoted from boyfriend to friend is a transition thats generally not worth making. It's also a friend zone I myself want to be in about as much as I want a hole in my head.
I guess there is also the friend zone we choose to put ourselves in. This friend zone is with people we know right off the bat we have absolutely no interest in romantically, or have no chance with romantically.
And by placing ourselves in those friend zones, we are secretly hopeful that we can find a friend of the friend who may not be as quick to sentence us to a stay in the zone. Always need to be proactive- write that down.
When its all said and done, the friend zone is about as useful a place to be as trunk of a car. You're locked in with nowhere to go. Its tough, and yet its where we spend the majority of our time.
Now for the most part, I am referring of course to guys ending up in the friend zone. Girls are the ones who send us there, having all the power and knowing how to use it to their advantage.
It isn't often that guys send girls to the friend zone, unless of course they already have a girl and use the friend zone as a "in case of emergency/get out of jail free" spot.
Bottom line- the friend zone ends up being the place we never want to go, but find ourselves calling home.
And while the benefit of owning as many homes as I do would equate to some serious real estate money, the only thing I continue to sell is myself...
...as one hell of a friend.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
The Tragedy That Is the New York Knicks
12/12/07
I was having lunch with the one and only Scott Spinelli this afternoon and he pointed out that I haven't spoken about sports in a while.
I was actually holding out some hope that the sports would would have given me something positive to write about. The Mets were trying to make a trade for a big time starting pitcher, while the Knicks were playing themselves out of contention and importance...in December (the regular season ends in April). And I was figuring with the Knicks losing that the Great Isiah would once and for all be shown the door.
And yet as of now, the Mets are in my opinion a less impressive team than the one that pulled off that historic collapse last season, while the more the Knicks lose, the firmer a grasp on his job Isiah Thomas seems to have.
And if that were not enough, when it rains in my sports life, it pours.
Syracuse decided two weeks to keep our head football coach after winning a combined 7 games in his first 3 seasons (coupled with 28 losses).
But thats ok, because Syracuse will always have its basketball program with Jimmy Boeheim. Don't we?
Well, since winning the National Championship in 2003 thanks to 'Melo and Gerry, Syracuse has won 2 NCAA tournament games, both of which were the following year. Since then we not only have yet to win another tourney game, but we flat out got exiled from it last season.
Add to that the fact we already have lost two...TWO non-conference games at home to UMASS and URI, we appear to be heading to another NIT birth, if we're lucky.
The Jets? Is it even worth bringing them up? 3-10 to this point, and this weekend we play god's team...no, not the Dallas Cowboys- they're America's team. I'm referring of course to the undefeated New England Patriots, who at 13-0, at home, are 24 point favorites to win.
And so while I am still waiting for the right time to unleash my off-season New York Mets rant...and when it comes, (to quote Terrell Owens) get your popcorn ready.
So right now, I'll spare them, the Jets, and Syracuse. The object of my wrath therefore will be the New York Knickerbockers.
It's really hard to believe that it was less than 10 years ago the Knicks were not only relevant in the sports world, but they were a winning franchise who had New York City in the palm of its hand.
They were well coached and constantly overachieving despite a lack in pure talent, playing intense defense behind Jeff Van Gundy.
1999 saw them make an improbable push as an 8 seed to the NBA finals against the Spurs.
The Knicks would lose in 5 games, playing without the injured big fella....
AT CENTER, 7 FEET FROM GEORGETOWN, NUMBER 33, CO-CAPTAIN
PA-TRICK EWING
...sorry I was a having a Knicks starting lineup moment
And so after their failed attempt at getting big Pat his ring, the team slowly began to deteriorate.
Just 2 seasons late, JVG quit 20 games into the season, realizing his team was going nowhere and being unable to coach in the environment that was Madison Square Garden, run by the anti-Christ that is James Dolan. And I don't blame him.
Patrick was traded to Seattle, ending a long run in New York that never produced a title, and saw one of best athletes to play in New York go under-appreciated and unfairly scapegoated for never hoisting a trophy.
The Knicks went on to be eliminated int he first round in 2001, and the losing ways began.
Fast forward to the winter of 2003, and what looking back now can be considered one of the darkest days in Franchise history. Hell, you could call it one of the darkest days in the history of New York City sports.
On December 22nd, 2003, Isiah Thomas was hired as President of Basketball Operations for the New York Knicks.
And among the events which have taken place since his hiring are the following:
Sure, the arguments have been made that Isiah drafts well, which could be useful for trying to rebuild. Unfortunately, as true as that is, his deficiencies outweigh his (very limited) abilities as a head coach and general manager.
He cannot coach his way out a bag and cannot run a business, team or league (the CBA) worth a damn.
So aside from the terrible personnel moves he has made. And aside from the fact that hes gone through more head coaches, including himself (4) than playoff games won (0) or winning seasons (0), and aside from the fact that he was convicted of a crime which cost his boss almost 12 million dollars..
Isiah Thomas remains the President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach of the New York Knicks.
Lets face it. The man is about as untouchable as you can be in the professional world. Find me another person who can be as bad at his job as he has been, added to that the fact he was convicted of sexual harassment, has been given more job security the Isiah Thomas.
Now I have only been watching Knicks basketball since I was 9, meaning that my 11 years do not come close to the Knicks fan who suffered through the late 70's and early (pre-Patrick Ewing) 1980's.
It also means that I was not able to experience the years between 1987 and 2001 where they never once missed the playoffs, with the exception of the last 4 or 5, of which I was too young to really appreciate a lot of.
I can assure you, the Knicks were not always this bad, and not always this pathetic.
Yet one of the problems I see, and I've been told this from a number of people, that as long as people, like myself, continue to show up at the world's most famous arena, Dolan will continue to keep things status quo. Which means more Stephon Marbury, more Isiah Thomas, and more losing.
Sadly, the NBA is a better league when the Knicks are good. They are a marquee team in a league that can be carried by its premier franchises, be it the Knicks, Lakers, Celtics, etc.
It has gotten to the point where I can't figure out what will be a better result for this team on a nightly basis.
If and when they actually win a game, it gives fans a false sense of hope that things are not as bad as they really are.
Yet when they lose, not only do the fans (myself included) still show up and watch the games, but Isiah seems to get another vote of confidence.
Its mind-boggling.
So what now?
I wish I had the answer. Firing Isiah Thomas has been the first answer for over a year now, yet that just doesn't seem likely to happen anytime soon. Trading Stephon or anybody else on this roster is going to be difficult because of how undesirable these players are.
The best thing at this point would to be for Knicks fan to simply stop caring, if only to prove a point that what is going on is simply unacceptable for a team as historically significant as the Knicks. When we stop going to games and putting more money in the pockets of James Dolan, maybe he will be given a sufficient reason to make the necessary changes.
My message to Knicks fans is that in order for things to get better, we have to turn our backs on our beloved boys in Orange and Blue and let them rot without an audience.
The sooner that happens, the sooner we may be able to once again watch them compete and be more meaningful on the back pages for what they do on the court than they have become on the front pages for what they do off the court.
Until then, I will continue to think about the better times, when Allan Houston was hitting running jumpers over Miami and Larry Johnson was completing 4 point plays against Indiana.
When The names Starks, Oakley, Harper and Mason were worthy of the price of admission.
Until then, I will continue to wait and hope for the days where getting a ticket to a Knicks game is harder than finding members of Al Queda.
To think it will be like this forever is crazy, and knowing that all of this misery will at some point come to an end could be considered the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.
Unfortunately, it may be a long time until that light gets any brighter.
I was having lunch with the one and only Scott Spinelli this afternoon and he pointed out that I haven't spoken about sports in a while.
I was actually holding out some hope that the sports would would have given me something positive to write about. The Mets were trying to make a trade for a big time starting pitcher, while the Knicks were playing themselves out of contention and importance...in December (the regular season ends in April). And I was figuring with the Knicks losing that the Great Isiah would once and for all be shown the door.
And yet as of now, the Mets are in my opinion a less impressive team than the one that pulled off that historic collapse last season, while the more the Knicks lose, the firmer a grasp on his job Isiah Thomas seems to have.
And if that were not enough, when it rains in my sports life, it pours.
Syracuse decided two weeks to keep our head football coach after winning a combined 7 games in his first 3 seasons (coupled with 28 losses).
But thats ok, because Syracuse will always have its basketball program with Jimmy Boeheim. Don't we?
Well, since winning the National Championship in 2003 thanks to 'Melo and Gerry, Syracuse has won 2 NCAA tournament games, both of which were the following year. Since then we not only have yet to win another tourney game, but we flat out got exiled from it last season.
Add to that the fact we already have lost two...TWO non-conference games at home to UMASS and URI, we appear to be heading to another NIT birth, if we're lucky.
The Jets? Is it even worth bringing them up? 3-10 to this point, and this weekend we play god's team...no, not the Dallas Cowboys- they're America's team. I'm referring of course to the undefeated New England Patriots, who at 13-0, at home, are 24 point favorites to win.
And so while I am still waiting for the right time to unleash my off-season New York Mets rant...and when it comes, (to quote Terrell Owens) get your popcorn ready.
So right now, I'll spare them, the Jets, and Syracuse. The object of my wrath therefore will be the New York Knickerbockers.
It's really hard to believe that it was less than 10 years ago the Knicks were not only relevant in the sports world, but they were a winning franchise who had New York City in the palm of its hand.
They were well coached and constantly overachieving despite a lack in pure talent, playing intense defense behind Jeff Van Gundy.
1999 saw them make an improbable push as an 8 seed to the NBA finals against the Spurs.
The Knicks would lose in 5 games, playing without the injured big fella....
AT CENTER, 7 FEET FROM GEORGETOWN, NUMBER 33, CO-CAPTAIN
PA-TRICK EWING
...sorry I was a having a Knicks starting lineup moment
And so after their failed attempt at getting big Pat his ring, the team slowly began to deteriorate.
Just 2 seasons late, JVG quit 20 games into the season, realizing his team was going nowhere and being unable to coach in the environment that was Madison Square Garden, run by the anti-Christ that is James Dolan. And I don't blame him.
Patrick was traded to Seattle, ending a long run in New York that never produced a title, and saw one of best athletes to play in New York go under-appreciated and unfairly scapegoated for never hoisting a trophy.
The Knicks went on to be eliminated int he first round in 2001, and the losing ways began.
Fast forward to the winter of 2003, and what looking back now can be considered one of the darkest days in Franchise history. Hell, you could call it one of the darkest days in the history of New York City sports.
On December 22nd, 2003, Isiah Thomas was hired as President of Basketball Operations for the New York Knicks.
And among the events which have taken place since his hiring are the following:
- Traded for Stephon Marbury
- Hired Lenny Wilkins to coach, replacing the fired Don Chaney
- Grossly overpaid for Jerome James (has avergaed fewer than 3.0 points per game) and Jared Jefferies (defensive specialist who seems incapable of stopping anybody)
- Had Lenny Wilkins "resign"
- Hired Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown
- Fired Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown after one disasterous 23-59 season
- Traded for the overpaid and over-the-hill Steve Francis
- Named himself Head Coach, despite saying upon his arrival doing both jobs would be too much for one person
- Has seen his team go more than 100 games below .500 since arriving.
- Traded for Zach Randolph, who has a history of arrests and poor behavior, not to mention being known as a selfish player who plays no defense (which we have learned to be true.
- Was accused and convicted of Sexual Harassment this summer, resulting in a settlement of 11.5 million dollars being awarded to the plaintiff.
Sure, the arguments have been made that Isiah drafts well, which could be useful for trying to rebuild. Unfortunately, as true as that is, his deficiencies outweigh his (very limited) abilities as a head coach and general manager.
He cannot coach his way out a bag and cannot run a business, team or league (the CBA) worth a damn.
So aside from the terrible personnel moves he has made. And aside from the fact that hes gone through more head coaches, including himself (4) than playoff games won (0) or winning seasons (0), and aside from the fact that he was convicted of a crime which cost his boss almost 12 million dollars..
Isiah Thomas remains the President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach of the New York Knicks.
Lets face it. The man is about as untouchable as you can be in the professional world. Find me another person who can be as bad at his job as he has been, added to that the fact he was convicted of sexual harassment, has been given more job security the Isiah Thomas.
Now I have only been watching Knicks basketball since I was 9, meaning that my 11 years do not come close to the Knicks fan who suffered through the late 70's and early (pre-Patrick Ewing) 1980's.
It also means that I was not able to experience the years between 1987 and 2001 where they never once missed the playoffs, with the exception of the last 4 or 5, of which I was too young to really appreciate a lot of.
I can assure you, the Knicks were not always this bad, and not always this pathetic.
Yet one of the problems I see, and I've been told this from a number of people, that as long as people, like myself, continue to show up at the world's most famous arena, Dolan will continue to keep things status quo. Which means more Stephon Marbury, more Isiah Thomas, and more losing.
Sadly, the NBA is a better league when the Knicks are good. They are a marquee team in a league that can be carried by its premier franchises, be it the Knicks, Lakers, Celtics, etc.
It has gotten to the point where I can't figure out what will be a better result for this team on a nightly basis.
If and when they actually win a game, it gives fans a false sense of hope that things are not as bad as they really are.
Yet when they lose, not only do the fans (myself included) still show up and watch the games, but Isiah seems to get another vote of confidence.
Its mind-boggling.
So what now?
I wish I had the answer. Firing Isiah Thomas has been the first answer for over a year now, yet that just doesn't seem likely to happen anytime soon. Trading Stephon or anybody else on this roster is going to be difficult because of how undesirable these players are.
The best thing at this point would to be for Knicks fan to simply stop caring, if only to prove a point that what is going on is simply unacceptable for a team as historically significant as the Knicks. When we stop going to games and putting more money in the pockets of James Dolan, maybe he will be given a sufficient reason to make the necessary changes.
My message to Knicks fans is that in order for things to get better, we have to turn our backs on our beloved boys in Orange and Blue and let them rot without an audience.
The sooner that happens, the sooner we may be able to once again watch them compete and be more meaningful on the back pages for what they do on the court than they have become on the front pages for what they do off the court.
Until then, I will continue to think about the better times, when Allan Houston was hitting running jumpers over Miami and Larry Johnson was completing 4 point plays against Indiana.
When The names Starks, Oakley, Harper and Mason were worthy of the price of admission.
Until then, I will continue to wait and hope for the days where getting a ticket to a Knicks game is harder than finding members of Al Queda.
To think it will be like this forever is crazy, and knowing that all of this misery will at some point come to an end could be considered the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.
Unfortunately, it may be a long time until that light gets any brighter.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
The Least Wonderful Time of the Year
12/11/07
'Twas the night before finals and all through my suit
I wanted to study, but did nothing but eat.
So I'll end my pathetic attempt to rhyme there, but Finals week and the end of the semester is quite possibly the most miserable time of the year. All that stands between you and a month of absolutely nothing are final exams.
You worked hard (or hard enough) to get to this point, yet you know that all it takes is one bad stretch of 2 hours with one of the stupid blue books and grades are changed.
I actually got off relatively easy this semester, as I only had 2 finals which mattered. And I can say at this point, having taken both, that the feeling you get after completing a final doesn't really make up for the anxiety and stress it puts you through before you actually take it.
And is it just me, or in the moments right before the exam is placed in front you everything you managed to cram into that throbbing head of yours is forgotten faster than you can say pencils down. If your lucky everything you studied comes back to you, and if your me enough of it is remembered to get the B I was striving for.
Finals week is pretty strange around campus. Your schedule is different so when you go to take your exams, you see people walking around you have never seen before. The plus side of course is watching how ridiculous some of these people look either knowing they are on their way to take an exam or have just finished failing one.
I don't know, I no longer have to worry about finals this semester, yet I feel no sense of relief. Maybe its knowing that I still have 3 more days before I can go home. Maybe its because I still have some work to do for my never ending Education class (although I doubt it, because we all know how little I care about my schoolwork).
Its probably because I know that come next May, I'll be sitting here with the exact same feeling, all over again.
And for my suffering, i get rewarded by having to go through this all 2 more times next year.
You'll have to excuse me for being so overwhelmed with joy.
Then again, this is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year.
Agree to disagree.
'Twas the night before finals and all through my suit
I wanted to study, but did nothing but eat.
So I'll end my pathetic attempt to rhyme there, but Finals week and the end of the semester is quite possibly the most miserable time of the year. All that stands between you and a month of absolutely nothing are final exams.
You worked hard (or hard enough) to get to this point, yet you know that all it takes is one bad stretch of 2 hours with one of the stupid blue books and grades are changed.
I actually got off relatively easy this semester, as I only had 2 finals which mattered. And I can say at this point, having taken both, that the feeling you get after completing a final doesn't really make up for the anxiety and stress it puts you through before you actually take it.
And is it just me, or in the moments right before the exam is placed in front you everything you managed to cram into that throbbing head of yours is forgotten faster than you can say pencils down. If your lucky everything you studied comes back to you, and if your me enough of it is remembered to get the B I was striving for.
Finals week is pretty strange around campus. Your schedule is different so when you go to take your exams, you see people walking around you have never seen before. The plus side of course is watching how ridiculous some of these people look either knowing they are on their way to take an exam or have just finished failing one.
I don't know, I no longer have to worry about finals this semester, yet I feel no sense of relief. Maybe its knowing that I still have 3 more days before I can go home. Maybe its because I still have some work to do for my never ending Education class (although I doubt it, because we all know how little I care about my schoolwork).
Its probably because I know that come next May, I'll be sitting here with the exact same feeling, all over again.
And for my suffering, i get rewarded by having to go through this all 2 more times next year.
You'll have to excuse me for being so overwhelmed with joy.
Then again, this is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year.
Agree to disagree.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Whats your favorite Vegatable?
12/7/07
Probably wondering whats up with the title of this post. I can explain. I was in the car with my roommates and our gender-challenged friend Shawn (love you buddy, and happy birthday) and Matt, one of my roommates wanted to tell us a joke he heard in class. I take abslutely zero credit for this, although once you hear it you probably wouldnt want to be associated with having told it.
That being said, this must have been one of the funniest things I've heard in a while. Matt was in a class of his and when the teach stepped out he says that somehow a bunch of the kids in class started discussin vegetables. And this was how the conversation played out:
Person 1- Hey, whats your favorite find of vegetable?
Person 2- well, other than Terri Schiavo, I would have to say carrots.
I might have messed up on the actual vegetable mentioned, but trust me, hearing that out of the blue had me laughing as hard as Ive laughed at anything in a long time.
Alright so most if not all of you probably didn't find that as amusing as I did, but even now im still laughing.
And I needed the laugh, as I pulled off something that managed to impress...well...myself.
For the last 6 weeks, I have known about by big Unit Plan project for my education class. It consists of me creating five 80 minute lesson plans for a middle school history class. The plans needed to be very detailed with annotated sources and all that good stuff. 6 weeks I knew about, and when did I start? Yesterday. When was it due?
Earlier this afternoon at 5.
Here is some of what went through my head yesterday. I got out of my last class of the day early, at around 2:30 (usually ends at 3:20) so I figured that when I got back to my room I would relax until 3:30 and work for a solid 4 hours on this plan. And 3:15 rolled around, and I laid down only to pass out until about 5:30. Alright, still early, still have all night. If i start working now and I get 4 or 5 hours of work done tonight I can still get to bed by midnight.
In addition to this project being due, I had to wake up this morning for a 10 oclock review session. I normally would have had no reason to wake up at such an early hour on a Friday, but such was the case. As long as I got to bed at a reasonable time I would be fine.
5:30 became 7, which turned into 8 and then 9 and 10, and I had gotten very little done. Alright, well if I get started at 10, go to bed by 2, I can wake up around 9 and still get my 7 hours of sleep. Perfect.
But before I knew it, It was past midnight and I had gotten maybe a combined half hour of work done. And this is when the fun began, because I knew there was no way I could have missed the review session.
Between the hours of 2 and 6...6 am that is....I managed to complete a majority of my work, however still falling short of finishing it. Review session is in 4 hours, I need sleep, yet im strangely wide awake.
While part of the reason i was so wired at such an ungodly hour was I was kept company online with a few people, however I had this energy I just needed to get rid of.
Finally around 6:35...AM....I went to bed, for a a whole 2 hours and 40 minues. Woke up, showered, still had all this energy and made it to my review session only 5 minutes late.
And to this point, running on less than 3 hours of sleep, I'm still wide awake, and i wish i knew why.
The good news is that i did finally get my Unit Plan done around 2:30 this afternoon, and dropped it off hopefully never to see the thing again.
And now its about 8 o'clock, all I want to do is sleep, yet between the Knicks being on (no, I cant tell you why im watching) and the fact that somebody must have slipped some speed in my water, I'm as awake as ever.
Still laughing at the vegetable joke, not gonna lie. Too soon though?
Nah.
Probably wondering whats up with the title of this post. I can explain. I was in the car with my roommates and our gender-challenged friend Shawn (love you buddy, and happy birthday) and Matt, one of my roommates wanted to tell us a joke he heard in class. I take abslutely zero credit for this, although once you hear it you probably wouldnt want to be associated with having told it.
That being said, this must have been one of the funniest things I've heard in a while. Matt was in a class of his and when the teach stepped out he says that somehow a bunch of the kids in class started discussin vegetables. And this was how the conversation played out:
Person 1- Hey, whats your favorite find of vegetable?
Person 2- well, other than Terri Schiavo, I would have to say carrots.
I might have messed up on the actual vegetable mentioned, but trust me, hearing that out of the blue had me laughing as hard as Ive laughed at anything in a long time.
Alright so most if not all of you probably didn't find that as amusing as I did, but even now im still laughing.
And I needed the laugh, as I pulled off something that managed to impress...well...myself.
For the last 6 weeks, I have known about by big Unit Plan project for my education class. It consists of me creating five 80 minute lesson plans for a middle school history class. The plans needed to be very detailed with annotated sources and all that good stuff. 6 weeks I knew about, and when did I start? Yesterday. When was it due?
Earlier this afternoon at 5.
Here is some of what went through my head yesterday. I got out of my last class of the day early, at around 2:30 (usually ends at 3:20) so I figured that when I got back to my room I would relax until 3:30 and work for a solid 4 hours on this plan. And 3:15 rolled around, and I laid down only to pass out until about 5:30. Alright, still early, still have all night. If i start working now and I get 4 or 5 hours of work done tonight I can still get to bed by midnight.
In addition to this project being due, I had to wake up this morning for a 10 oclock review session. I normally would have had no reason to wake up at such an early hour on a Friday, but such was the case. As long as I got to bed at a reasonable time I would be fine.
5:30 became 7, which turned into 8 and then 9 and 10, and I had gotten very little done. Alright, well if I get started at 10, go to bed by 2, I can wake up around 9 and still get my 7 hours of sleep. Perfect.
But before I knew it, It was past midnight and I had gotten maybe a combined half hour of work done. And this is when the fun began, because I knew there was no way I could have missed the review session.
Between the hours of 2 and 6...6 am that is....I managed to complete a majority of my work, however still falling short of finishing it. Review session is in 4 hours, I need sleep, yet im strangely wide awake.
While part of the reason i was so wired at such an ungodly hour was I was kept company online with a few people, however I had this energy I just needed to get rid of.
Finally around 6:35...AM....I went to bed, for a a whole 2 hours and 40 minues. Woke up, showered, still had all this energy and made it to my review session only 5 minutes late.
And to this point, running on less than 3 hours of sleep, I'm still wide awake, and i wish i knew why.
The good news is that i did finally get my Unit Plan done around 2:30 this afternoon, and dropped it off hopefully never to see the thing again.
And now its about 8 o'clock, all I want to do is sleep, yet between the Knicks being on (no, I cant tell you why im watching) and the fact that somebody must have slipped some speed in my water, I'm as awake as ever.
Still laughing at the vegetable joke, not gonna lie. Too soon though?
Nah.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
There is Really Something Wrong With Me
12/5/07
Let me just describe my night, and you be the judge as to whether or not I have a problem.
I have a big project due Friday for my education class, which requires that I create 5- 80 minute lesson plans, all of which need to be incredibly detailed. This will easily take up the majority of the next 48 hours, yet tonight I sat in my room, with lots of free time giving myself a really opportunity to make a dent.
But then I took a look at my only true friend in this world, my television.
Sitting there, just giving me a blank stare (get it?) begging me to turn it on and push off the school work for a later time.
And so began my night of television. And what a night it was..
7:30- Syracuse is visiting Virginia in need a big road victory. We are wearing are road Orange uniforms which we have yet to a win a game in since they were introduced last spring at the Garden in the Big East Tournament.
7:40- The Knicks made the long trip across the river and are playing the Nets, minus Stephon Marbury (father passed away Sunday) and Eddy Curry (sprained ankle...during morning shoot around...only the Knicks) while the Nets missing future Hall of Fame point guard and wife beater Jason Kidd. The Knicks are coming off a loss to the Suns, and could really use a win to lift their sprirts, although any real Knick fans knows that the wins are as meaningless as the losses these days.
8:20 (approx) Halftime in Virginia, with Syracuse trailing. We looked good for a lot of the first half but turnovers and some shotty defense allowed Virginia to take the lead.
8:45 (approx) Halftime at newly renamed Izod Arena, as the Knicks are actually leading the Nets behind strong play by....
wait...who gives a shit...
9:30- Syracuse manages to pull off a win on the road, helped out by the fact that one of Virginia's best players was apparently suffering from strep throat. Maybe its just me, but if I'm playing against a guy with strep (which is very contagious) I would be running my ass out of the gym. But The Orange got the W, and it will certainly ease some of the frustration still lingering from the UMass loss last week.
10:04- KNICKS WIN! KNICKS WIN! Jamal Crawford hits a big three to stretch a 5 point lead to 8, and the Knicks pick up worthless win numero 6 on this season which despite being not yet 20 games old, could end tomorrow without anybody caring.
Now lets see, Its a Wed. night, after 10...whats wrong with this picture?
"Well Adam, you missed Gossip Girl!"
I would have, however thanks to the great technology that is DVR - thats right, I DVR'ed Gossip Girl- I was able to watch it commercial free. And whoa, what an episode huh?
Serena's grandmother is some kind of "C U Next Tuesday" isnt she? Trying to sabatoge Serena and Dan...(not Daniel...stupid bitch)
Chuck and Blair and Nate...the love triangle that everybody loves to hate and hates to love...
watching Chuck leave...despite how huge an ass he is...was a big time bummer as I think hes the best character on the show
Rufus and Lilly's phone call there at the end? You know it brought it a smile to your face, as it did mine.
And props to the writers for actually putting in some legimately witty lines, such as
"Spotted! Chuck losing something nobody ever knew he had...his heart"
Touche Gossip Girl, Touche.
And so here I am, its 11:30 and I have barely touched my work, with the clock running down and still lots to be done.
But that wont bring me down, because I got 3 victories tonight..
The Knicks
Syracuse
...and Dan and Serena survived their mini-fight and ended up back in each others arm.
...that show is really growing on me...meaning there really must be something wrong in this head of mine
until next time...
xoxo,
Adam
...cmon thats funny
Let me just describe my night, and you be the judge as to whether or not I have a problem.
I have a big project due Friday for my education class, which requires that I create 5- 80 minute lesson plans, all of which need to be incredibly detailed. This will easily take up the majority of the next 48 hours, yet tonight I sat in my room, with lots of free time giving myself a really opportunity to make a dent.
But then I took a look at my only true friend in this world, my television.
Sitting there, just giving me a blank stare (get it?) begging me to turn it on and push off the school work for a later time.
And so began my night of television. And what a night it was..
7:30- Syracuse is visiting Virginia in need a big road victory. We are wearing are road Orange uniforms which we have yet to a win a game in since they were introduced last spring at the Garden in the Big East Tournament.
7:40- The Knicks made the long trip across the river and are playing the Nets, minus Stephon Marbury (father passed away Sunday) and Eddy Curry (sprained ankle...during morning shoot around...only the Knicks) while the Nets missing future Hall of Fame point guard and wife beater Jason Kidd. The Knicks are coming off a loss to the Suns, and could really use a win to lift their sprirts, although any real Knick fans knows that the wins are as meaningless as the losses these days.
8:20 (approx) Halftime in Virginia, with Syracuse trailing. We looked good for a lot of the first half but turnovers and some shotty defense allowed Virginia to take the lead.
8:45 (approx) Halftime at newly renamed Izod Arena, as the Knicks are actually leading the Nets behind strong play by....
wait...who gives a shit...
9:30- Syracuse manages to pull off a win on the road, helped out by the fact that one of Virginia's best players was apparently suffering from strep throat. Maybe its just me, but if I'm playing against a guy with strep (which is very contagious) I would be running my ass out of the gym. But The Orange got the W, and it will certainly ease some of the frustration still lingering from the UMass loss last week.
10:04- KNICKS WIN! KNICKS WIN! Jamal Crawford hits a big three to stretch a 5 point lead to 8, and the Knicks pick up worthless win numero 6 on this season which despite being not yet 20 games old, could end tomorrow without anybody caring.
Now lets see, Its a Wed. night, after 10...whats wrong with this picture?
"Well Adam, you missed Gossip Girl!"
I would have, however thanks to the great technology that is DVR - thats right, I DVR'ed Gossip Girl- I was able to watch it commercial free. And whoa, what an episode huh?
Serena's grandmother is some kind of "C U Next Tuesday" isnt she? Trying to sabatoge Serena and Dan...(not Daniel...stupid bitch)
Chuck and Blair and Nate...the love triangle that everybody loves to hate and hates to love...
watching Chuck leave...despite how huge an ass he is...was a big time bummer as I think hes the best character on the show
Rufus and Lilly's phone call there at the end? You know it brought it a smile to your face, as it did mine.
And props to the writers for actually putting in some legimately witty lines, such as
"Spotted! Chuck losing something nobody ever knew he had...his heart"
Touche Gossip Girl, Touche.
And so here I am, its 11:30 and I have barely touched my work, with the clock running down and still lots to be done.
But that wont bring me down, because I got 3 victories tonight..
The Knicks
Syracuse
...and Dan and Serena survived their mini-fight and ended up back in each others arm.
...that show is really growing on me...meaning there really must be something wrong in this head of mine
until next time...
xoxo,
Adam
...cmon thats funny
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Dear Syracuse...
12/5/07
An open letter to Syracuse University
*note* This letter would have been written to our Chancellor Nancy Cantor, however I don't think highly enough of her to give her the satisfaction of making it into my blog.
Ok, so shes not getting the satisfaction of a second mention.
Dear Syracuse University,
We've been seeing each other now for almost 2 and a half years officially (we won't count our secret tryst when I visited back in the Summer before my senior year) and I gotta say, after all this time there have been a lot of things which have taken place which have both had me coming back for more while at the same time wondering who you really are. For instance...
How could you lead me on that first winter? Giving me the one of the mildest winters in recent memory did nothing but get my hopes that the winter months would be easy on me.
A foot of snow last April...APRIL!... left me feeling betrayed.
The food you offer in the dining halls seemed to decent (for lack of a better word) that first year. It was new and exciting. There was the Quesadilla bar was always reliable and the fact that the pizza you served was Sparro's was a pleasant surprise. Of course nothing beat Wednesday, because it meant that stir fry was on the menu.
However the honeymoon didn't last long, as the food became repetitive...both in selection and on my digestive system...and so it has gotten to the point where I plan on depriving you of the nearly 2 grand my parents pay for my meal plan.
The Athletics- once again, Freshman year seemed to be the peak of our basketball team, with the magical run in the Big East tournament on the back of Gerry McNamara and a trip to the big dance. The party was short lived with a first round loss, followed up by an utterly disappointing season last year when 24 wins were not enough to be selected by the tournament committee.
And the football team? Freshman year all we heard about was a new coach, a new offense and new hope? How did that work out?
3 season later, 7 combined wins. 28 losses. Way to go Daryl Gross (our inept athletic director).
Freshman year I could not believe how big and spacious campus was. I would go weeks at a time without really seeing the same face twice- although that may have been because it would be sometimes weeks between the classes I attended- and with 13,000 undergrads thats how it should have been.
But then my girlfriend broke up with me, and for the following 2 months I seemed to run into her more times on campus than I could count? And then when I figured a new year would change things, I got housing in the dorm directly next to hers.
Of course that became a blessing in disguise when we got back together and actually managed to survive all of sophomore year. But while you and I are stuck with each other for 4 whole years, she and I met our demise after only 3.
Alright, so it hasn't been all bad. In fact the trend actually reversed when it came to roommates.
Freshman year I was roomed with 3 other guys in one big open room, only to end up really being able to coexist with one of them.
Last year I chose my roommate, who seemed like an ideal choice- nice, quiet, didn't party much- but oh how wrong I was. While being all of those things, he had the sleeping habits of an owl, and chose to stay up until 7 in the morning doing his work, and then going to bed during the middle of the afternoon.
However the best thing that came out of that was meeting my roommates this year, who I can honestly say are two of the greatest people you'll come across- and Ross Kohan, who apparently is my long lost hetero-homo (take your pick, both apply) life mate. And next year Rossy and I (for those unaware, we have pet names for each other, and while his is rather unoriginal, he calls me Pookie, which makes me feel all warm and fuzzy) will be living together off campus in a beautiful house all to ourselves.
And so after 5 semesters, I really am not sure what to think about you Syracuse. Things started off so well yet all of those seemingly great things freshman year quickly went away as the years have progressed.
Even my grades have followed suit, with a 3.3 first semester going as low as a 2.7 last year. And for those of you wondering, its currently at a 3.011...and sinking (damn you CSD 212)
But all in all, I always come back to reminding myself how much I really do love it here, and for all the shortcomings, I wouldn't want to be going to school anywhere else.
For better or worse, I know that everytime I drive back up here, I get off 81, i drive up East Adams street (oh the irony) and I get this feeling like- wow I really do love it here.
So I look forward to another year and a half of whatever you plan on throwing my way.
Thankfully it wont include stir fry anymore.
Love Always,
Adam
An open letter to Syracuse University
*note* This letter would have been written to our Chancellor Nancy Cantor, however I don't think highly enough of her to give her the satisfaction of making it into my blog.
Ok, so shes not getting the satisfaction of a second mention.
Dear Syracuse University,
We've been seeing each other now for almost 2 and a half years officially (we won't count our secret tryst when I visited back in the Summer before my senior year) and I gotta say, after all this time there have been a lot of things which have taken place which have both had me coming back for more while at the same time wondering who you really are. For instance...
How could you lead me on that first winter? Giving me the one of the mildest winters in recent memory did nothing but get my hopes that the winter months would be easy on me.
A foot of snow last April...APRIL!... left me feeling betrayed.
The food you offer in the dining halls seemed to decent (for lack of a better word) that first year. It was new and exciting. There was the Quesadilla bar was always reliable and the fact that the pizza you served was Sparro's was a pleasant surprise. Of course nothing beat Wednesday, because it meant that stir fry was on the menu.
However the honeymoon didn't last long, as the food became repetitive...both in selection and on my digestive system...and so it has gotten to the point where I plan on depriving you of the nearly 2 grand my parents pay for my meal plan.
The Athletics- once again, Freshman year seemed to be the peak of our basketball team, with the magical run in the Big East tournament on the back of Gerry McNamara and a trip to the big dance. The party was short lived with a first round loss, followed up by an utterly disappointing season last year when 24 wins were not enough to be selected by the tournament committee.
And the football team? Freshman year all we heard about was a new coach, a new offense and new hope? How did that work out?
3 season later, 7 combined wins. 28 losses. Way to go Daryl Gross (our inept athletic director).
Freshman year I could not believe how big and spacious campus was. I would go weeks at a time without really seeing the same face twice- although that may have been because it would be sometimes weeks between the classes I attended- and with 13,000 undergrads thats how it should have been.
But then my girlfriend broke up with me, and for the following 2 months I seemed to run into her more times on campus than I could count? And then when I figured a new year would change things, I got housing in the dorm directly next to hers.
Of course that became a blessing in disguise when we got back together and actually managed to survive all of sophomore year. But while you and I are stuck with each other for 4 whole years, she and I met our demise after only 3.
Alright, so it hasn't been all bad. In fact the trend actually reversed when it came to roommates.
Freshman year I was roomed with 3 other guys in one big open room, only to end up really being able to coexist with one of them.
Last year I chose my roommate, who seemed like an ideal choice- nice, quiet, didn't party much- but oh how wrong I was. While being all of those things, he had the sleeping habits of an owl, and chose to stay up until 7 in the morning doing his work, and then going to bed during the middle of the afternoon.
However the best thing that came out of that was meeting my roommates this year, who I can honestly say are two of the greatest people you'll come across- and Ross Kohan, who apparently is my long lost hetero-homo (take your pick, both apply) life mate. And next year Rossy and I (for those unaware, we have pet names for each other, and while his is rather unoriginal, he calls me Pookie, which makes me feel all warm and fuzzy) will be living together off campus in a beautiful house all to ourselves.
And so after 5 semesters, I really am not sure what to think about you Syracuse. Things started off so well yet all of those seemingly great things freshman year quickly went away as the years have progressed.
Even my grades have followed suit, with a 3.3 first semester going as low as a 2.7 last year. And for those of you wondering, its currently at a 3.011...and sinking (damn you CSD 212)
But all in all, I always come back to reminding myself how much I really do love it here, and for all the shortcomings, I wouldn't want to be going to school anywhere else.
For better or worse, I know that everytime I drive back up here, I get off 81, i drive up East Adams street (oh the irony) and I get this feeling like- wow I really do love it here.
So I look forward to another year and a half of whatever you plan on throwing my way.
Thankfully it wont include stir fry anymore.
Love Always,
Adam
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Baby Its Cold Outside
12/2/07
First and foremost, even though I doubt he has ever read my blog, Happy Birthday to my hetero life partner (most of the time) Jason.
Now as I was saying in my last post, this time of year brings us the Holidays, which for the most part annoy the hell out of me. However the one aspect of this time of year which really makes me suffer like no other is the cold weather. And going to Syracuse is (short of the Univeristy of Alaska or North Pole State) is among the worst places I could be for somebody with zero patience for cold weather.
Did you ever think about how cold weather, and I'm not talking chilly with temperatures in the 40's, really impacts the way your day will play out?
Last night in Syracuse, it was 11 degrees outside. 11 degrees. Thats 21 degrees below freezing. If I had to describe how cold it was outside at any point during the day yesterday or last night, I couldn't- because I never left my room. If the temperature outside is a number lower than the number of the Knicks expected win total (which is probably 30, with 35 being generous), I keep myself inside.
And the cold weather really changes the way I function, from the time I wake up, throughout my entire day, and even when and how I fall asleep.
Starting with waking up, the first thing I do is check the temperature outside. My willingness to attend class is low to begin with as many of you know, yet if its not at least 40 degrees outside, the chances of me making it out the front door are slim and none.
If its say 30 degrees outside at the time I wake up- which on a good day is at around 10:15 (yea, be jealous for now until I'm up every morning at 6:30 when i start student teaching), I will have probably already made up my mind on the day is going to play out.
I will take a hotter than normal shower, not because my room is colder than usual- which it is- but because when looking outside the window in the shower at the people in their heavy coats, I am legitimately petrified of joining them. So with the hot water keeping me sane, I usually wind up spending an extra 15-20 minutes in the shower for the mere reason that getting out will return me to the reality that is winter in Syracuse.
So by the time I'm out of the shower, not only are my hands pruined out to death, but I have now put myself in a situation where I wouldn't be able to make it to my 11 oclock class on time anyway. Score a point for me.
So instead of going to class, I now have an entire day to get stuff done. Maybe some school work, maybe some studying for an upcoming exam or a head start on a paper.
Seriously?
I put on sweat pants and a sweat shirt and get my ass right back into bed, blanket covering me and the TV goes on from roughly 11 in the morning until the time I go to bed more than 12 hours later. Using my computer is sometimes off limits because of how close it is to the window.
Last night was another example of how the cold weather changes how I function. Syracuse was at home playing Tulane- a game which going into I had a pretty good idea we would win (which we did), yet the idea of making the walk to and from the Carrier Dome (does anybody see the irony in our sports venue bearing the name of an air-conditioning company...in a city with some of the coldest winters around?) and so watching it on TV was far more appealing.
Then after the game, I had intended to go out and do something, if nothing else just to get out of the room which i had held myself hostage in all day. Maybe even just to get something to eat.
Nope.
I ordered pita pit (if you've never been to Syracuse and have no idea what I'm talking about, you're not missing much) but after not one, but two grilled chicken pitas with lettuce, onions, green peppers, hot sauce and hummus, I was able to give myself yet another reason not to step foot outside.
And the night played out exactly that way. I never did step foot outside. I havn't seen the sun or felt a breeze since Friday night. And because its December in Syracuse, thats the way I like it.
Now of all the things about Winter in Syracuse i hate, the thing which tops them all is of course the snow.
I hate snow about as much as I hate anything else. The Yankees, Bill Bellicheck, Buy One Get One Free Sales, Car Washes where you cant sit in your car- throw snow up there.
Snow is so utterly useless. Yea some people say its pretty, yet talk to me after snow has been sitting around for a week and becomes brown. And unlike rain, which I would prefer any day of the week, snow disrupts your routine in far too many ways.
Starting with having to wear additional articles of clothing, which comes in second to having dig your car out and shovel. And the insult of it all is that by the time youre dont shoveling out your car, you have built up such a sweat that all you want to do is take off the 7 layers of clothes suffocating you. You can't wear sneakers, although for the girls the adjustment to having to throw on a pair of uggs probably doesn't case such a panic. Wait...what adjustment? Driving becomes even more dangerous if the roads havn't been salted enough, and then the salt gets all over the sides of your car which require you to have it washed twice as regularly to avoid ruining the finish.
The worst thing now is that its only the second day of December, which means its just under three weeks away until the official beginning of winter.
Then again if you know anything about Syracuse, winter begins here even earlier than the Hallmark stores start prepping for Christmas. And while winter starts early it ends late- we got a foot of snow during the second week in April last year.
Oh Syracuse, I wish I could enjoy you more this time of year, but baby- its cold outside.
First and foremost, even though I doubt he has ever read my blog, Happy Birthday to my hetero life partner (most of the time) Jason.
Now as I was saying in my last post, this time of year brings us the Holidays, which for the most part annoy the hell out of me. However the one aspect of this time of year which really makes me suffer like no other is the cold weather. And going to Syracuse is (short of the Univeristy of Alaska or North Pole State) is among the worst places I could be for somebody with zero patience for cold weather.
Did you ever think about how cold weather, and I'm not talking chilly with temperatures in the 40's, really impacts the way your day will play out?
Last night in Syracuse, it was 11 degrees outside. 11 degrees. Thats 21 degrees below freezing. If I had to describe how cold it was outside at any point during the day yesterday or last night, I couldn't- because I never left my room. If the temperature outside is a number lower than the number of the Knicks expected win total (which is probably 30, with 35 being generous), I keep myself inside.
And the cold weather really changes the way I function, from the time I wake up, throughout my entire day, and even when and how I fall asleep.
Starting with waking up, the first thing I do is check the temperature outside. My willingness to attend class is low to begin with as many of you know, yet if its not at least 40 degrees outside, the chances of me making it out the front door are slim and none.
If its say 30 degrees outside at the time I wake up- which on a good day is at around 10:15 (yea, be jealous for now until I'm up every morning at 6:30 when i start student teaching), I will have probably already made up my mind on the day is going to play out.
I will take a hotter than normal shower, not because my room is colder than usual- which it is- but because when looking outside the window in the shower at the people in their heavy coats, I am legitimately petrified of joining them. So with the hot water keeping me sane, I usually wind up spending an extra 15-20 minutes in the shower for the mere reason that getting out will return me to the reality that is winter in Syracuse.
So by the time I'm out of the shower, not only are my hands pruined out to death, but I have now put myself in a situation where I wouldn't be able to make it to my 11 oclock class on time anyway. Score a point for me.
So instead of going to class, I now have an entire day to get stuff done. Maybe some school work, maybe some studying for an upcoming exam or a head start on a paper.
Seriously?
I put on sweat pants and a sweat shirt and get my ass right back into bed, blanket covering me and the TV goes on from roughly 11 in the morning until the time I go to bed more than 12 hours later. Using my computer is sometimes off limits because of how close it is to the window.
Last night was another example of how the cold weather changes how I function. Syracuse was at home playing Tulane- a game which going into I had a pretty good idea we would win (which we did), yet the idea of making the walk to and from the Carrier Dome (does anybody see the irony in our sports venue bearing the name of an air-conditioning company...in a city with some of the coldest winters around?) and so watching it on TV was far more appealing.
Then after the game, I had intended to go out and do something, if nothing else just to get out of the room which i had held myself hostage in all day. Maybe even just to get something to eat.
Nope.
I ordered pita pit (if you've never been to Syracuse and have no idea what I'm talking about, you're not missing much) but after not one, but two grilled chicken pitas with lettuce, onions, green peppers, hot sauce and hummus, I was able to give myself yet another reason not to step foot outside.
And the night played out exactly that way. I never did step foot outside. I havn't seen the sun or felt a breeze since Friday night. And because its December in Syracuse, thats the way I like it.
Now of all the things about Winter in Syracuse i hate, the thing which tops them all is of course the snow.
I hate snow about as much as I hate anything else. The Yankees, Bill Bellicheck, Buy One Get One Free Sales, Car Washes where you cant sit in your car- throw snow up there.
Snow is so utterly useless. Yea some people say its pretty, yet talk to me after snow has been sitting around for a week and becomes brown. And unlike rain, which I would prefer any day of the week, snow disrupts your routine in far too many ways.
Starting with having to wear additional articles of clothing, which comes in second to having dig your car out and shovel. And the insult of it all is that by the time youre dont shoveling out your car, you have built up such a sweat that all you want to do is take off the 7 layers of clothes suffocating you. You can't wear sneakers, although for the girls the adjustment to having to throw on a pair of uggs probably doesn't case such a panic. Wait...what adjustment? Driving becomes even more dangerous if the roads havn't been salted enough, and then the salt gets all over the sides of your car which require you to have it washed twice as regularly to avoid ruining the finish.
The worst thing now is that its only the second day of December, which means its just under three weeks away until the official beginning of winter.
Then again if you know anything about Syracuse, winter begins here even earlier than the Hallmark stores start prepping for Christmas. And while winter starts early it ends late- we got a foot of snow during the second week in April last year.
Oh Syracuse, I wish I could enjoy you more this time of year, but baby- its cold outside.
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