its that time again....

*****Cubs Rant Alert, Cubs Rant Alert*****



ok, so its time again. I thought I could make it until season started but oh well....its Cubs Rant time again. thank ESPN.com for running a story about the Cubs chances this year on the front page...
so its yet another start to yet another season...and its been almost 100 years since the last Cubs World Series victory
will the Cubs finally beat the Billy Goat curse and win it all this season? the table is set with the Red Sox beating their Bambino Curse and the White Sox beating the Black Sox scandal curse.....the Cubs should be next then right?
some of the "experts" including Tony Gwynn have picked the Cubs to be this years White Sox....

well of course it won't actually happen....ITS THE GODDAMN CUBS!!! they're not going to win the World Series. they're not going to be the this year's anything cause then next year someone would actually have to say this team could be this year's Cubs...SEE!! look how strange that is.

some reasons why this ever-pessimistic but always loyal Cubs fan thinks that after this season it'll be 99 years and counting....

1. Mark Prior....if he's healthy he may be the best pitcher in the game, perfect form and mechanics and unhittable stuff and still only mid-20s....but apparently he'll never be healthy. the Cubs win nothing as long as every season starts with the Prior injury watch
2. Kerry Wood....same really as Prior but also cannot stay healthy and older than Prior...might make an awesome closer (think Gagne) if he was willing to switch...but he's not
3. DUSTY BAKER IS AN IDIOT!!! here's hoping he swallows one of those goddamn toothpicks and the Cubs hire an competent manager who knows what the words "pitch" and "count" mean
4. too many young and unproven postion players and pitcher....though if guys like Ronny Cedeno and Matt Murton can grow fast I could be wrong about all of this
5. they're still the Chicago Cubs!!!! (God hates them)

oh well....here's hoping I am completely wrong and the Billy Goat curse is buried along side the Bambino and the Black Sox...it is spring and I am a Cubs fan, hope springs eternal

atleast I am considered a great (hopeless) Cubs fan...:

Welcome to Cubdom You scored 100 History, 94 Loyalty, and 87 Wrigley Field!

You are the model fan. You love the Cubs, you love Wrigley Field, and you know all about the Cubs' history. All other baseball fans should pay homage to you. You are a great, if not the greatest, person on the face of this planet. You must be from the North Side.

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 94% on History You scored higher than 84% on Loyalty You scored higher than 31% on Wrigley Field

Link: The Chicago Cubs Test written by superscot77 on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

random musings IV

since I have the worst writer's block in history at the very worst time imaginable, I'll waste all my time and creative energy on my stupid blog...


-I think about how very close I am to being done with graduate school and free of that anchor keeping me from starting a real life....but then I wonder what is after that? how do I start that real life?

-I wish it was a year ago

-still trying to decide if I can pull off the goatee thing (some guys can and some guys look stupid) or maybe a full beard? just not sure I'm a facial hair kind of guy....clean cut kinda works for me. any feedback, ladies?

-baseball starts in less than 2 weeks and I'm not even all that excited at this point...not sure if thats because of the thesis pressure or being a Cubs fan

-I kinda just want to make out with someone right now and not have it mean anything....is that so wrong?

-really, REALLY wish I was going to Ireland

-I've been dreaming/thinking about/joking about death way too often lately

-you know you have bad writer's block when even a stupid blog about random thoughts is tough to get down

-been thinking about pulling out the old saxophone to see if I still know how to play the damn thing...but then I just remember that I sucked

-I know I'm famous for my vanity (how many of you have caught me staring at myself in a mirror?) but have you ever noticed how you can look really good in one particular mirror but really horrible in another? why?! its the same image, lighting?

-if I can finish the damn thing I think will be less proud of getting my MA than I was when I got my bachelor's from Eastern...maybe cause its not worth alot on its own...but I will have a binded book it UT's library and my name will come up on an author search...that's cool

-I have a serious internet addiction...someone please make me do work or go to bed

(geez..this one was a bit of a downer....stupid thesis)

drink me down baby

Guinness (66% dark & bitter, 66% working class, 66% genuine)

Okay, we all know Guinness is the best possible score on any "What Kind Of Beer Are You" test, so you can just go on and pat yourself on the back now. Like the world's most famous brew, you're genuine, you've got good taste, and you're sophisticated. What else can I say, except congratulations? If your friends didn't score the same way, get ready for them to say: Guinness is too heavy; it's an acquired taste; it's too serious--and they probably think those things about you at times. But just brush 'em off. Everybody knows Guinness is the best. Cheers.

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 36% on dark You scored higher than 27% on workingclass You scored higher than 33% on genuine

Link: The If You Were A Beer Test written by gwendolynbooks on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

the WBC....oh and freaks

(if you don't care about baseball or my thoughts on it, and I'm assuming that's most of you, skip to the end)

ok...I'm sold on the World Baseball Classic. wasn't sure what to make of it at first...like many fans (especially hopeless Cubs fans) I was only concerned about what it might mean for the Cubs spring training
...and the nasty image of Derek Lee limping off the field after hitting his 17 RBI in the 7th inning of a 30-1 USA lead over Kerzmekistan (jk...they're not really fielding a team, if I didn't make that country up anyway)

but after watching some of the first round, and currently watching the second round right now, I have no idea why I was so hesitant.
my reasons for it falling in love:

1. watching not very thought of teams like Puerto Rico and Korea kicking Japan's and the Dominican Republic's asses...

2. this will sound treasonous and I was pissed at the time but how cool was it watching Canada (thats right...CANADA!) beating the USA in our own yard....a team with maybe 3 major leaguers, the best being a Pirate, beat basically an MLB All-Star team....the US had to actually worry about not advancing b/c of it....very cool

3. the party-like scene with the Game 7 like feel that alot of these games are taking...unfortunately not the ones with the USA crowds though...proving that the rest of the world loves our National Pastime more than Americans do...fucking NFL

4. watching meaningful baseball in March...though this particular March it didn't help me

5. actually rooting for Jeter and A-Rod as they step to the plate for Team USA...WEIRD!!!

6. George Steinbrenner hates it!!!

LONG LIVE THE WBC!!!! only thing missing is an English team...couldn't they just use a cricket team

*for a better written, more thoughtful article on the coolness that is the WBC read Eric Neel's column on ESPN.com


ok...no more on that..

flipping channels this weekend (yeah yeah I know, why the hell were you watching tv and not writing) I saw 2 more signs of the Apocalypse...

one of those wacky religious channels that normally shows the cute little Nun who's shilling St. Peter bobblehead dolls was instead showing a teen "news" show called the Knights of St. Michael...
when I tuned in there were a line of people in their teens and 20s who each were taking a vow to defend God and to fight His enemies
...they used the phrase God's Army atleast 20 times in the few mins I couldn't tear my eyes away
then they switched to the "news" portion (nevermind it had all the production of a junior high homeroom news show...WPJS for you P-burgers
this where they covered stories about their fellow "knights" around the US who were fighting God's enemies...they started with a story about two teens who started their own pro-life group in MI
this is where I couldn't watch anymore!!
scary, scary shit....thought it was a joke
now despite my lack of faith and my sarcasm, I can respect people for their religious beliefs...but wow, there's a line here
and these fundamentalists have no idea where the line ever was
I wonder where they might get this stuff (I almost linked the White House website here...but I don't need a visit from the FBI tonight)

the other thing I was flipping was a show on MTV called "Date my Mom" where some slutty teen tried to hook up her even sluttier mom with what appeared to be teenage guys...
then mom and daughter talked about how one guy was drooling over Mom's tits and how it was so adorable

I'm not even sure which of these channels scared me the most!!!

(jesus...make me stop...this could have all been thesis sentences)

happy b-day Ed McMahon and Shaq!

great b-day weekend (except for the whole year older, closer to death thing), here's the quick (or not) recap...

Friday, March 3

went with JK to Can't State to see a birthday gala for one of her old (and I mean old) profs...she didn't want to drive alone and I was free...and can't say no to her :-)
concert was ummm...interesting, one of those things you'd have to see to actually believe..weird music played on classical instruments and by a jazz band, a couple of very odd videos (one of which was an odd 70's Model UN club promo that you'd have to watch in high school government class), lots of hippies, then the old Egyptian prof guy danced on stage and sang to the crowd....
bizarre...
then we ate at one of JK's old Kent haunts

Saturday, March 4

the MI crew and the Toledo gang went to the Storm game to celebrate my b-day...
good game, lots of beer consumed...
had to repeatedly escape the clutches of Chach and Jim
I was kind of a prick and kept throwing popcorn at Rob and tapping Amanda's shoulder...not surprisingly they got away from us lunatics as soon as possible (who can blame them?)
Chach and Jim kept yelling at Brynn about her needing fluids or something...
a good time was had by all...well except maybe Rob and Amanda
then we ended up at Nick and Jimmy's after deciding not to stay at the frat boy meat market we tried first

Sunday, March 5

JK gave me the coolest b-day cake ever!! a baseball shaped cake with both the Cubs and Mud Hens logo...what an amazing girl, easily my favorite ex-gf :-)
mom and dad surprised me by taking me and JK up to Frankenmuth just to go to the Brewery so I could buy a case of the beer I'm obsessed with (the Steamwhistle taste-a-like)
we ate there too....JK and I had the 8 beer sampler, we filled out cards and ranked each beer in different categories....she traded me most of the darker stuff
we got pretty buzzed and ate entirely too much good (but bad) food
went straight home from there and passed out

Monday, March 6

my parents took me to dinner again (cause they are the best parents ever) to Mancy's this time....had a great meal and again ate entirely too much food
I'll be 250 in no time...
came out and got a cookie cake, a digital camera, and a cool England pullover from Chief in NY
found out that my older brother and his wife are expecting....hopefully it works out this time..

all in all, one of the better birthdays I'd had...hard to beat last year's trip to Chicago with JK and our unbelievable highrise hotel room
but a Cubs cake and a case of beer is pretty good too

random musings III

welcome to my birthday weekend edition of the silly things floating around my head...

-28 doesn't seem so old compared to a lot of people I know...but of course those people are all parents

-I really need to stop being such a goddamn chickenshit all the time

-I'm officially on a leave of absence from B&N...and it feels great (except for the lack of $ thing)

-I hope I have actually worked my last day there

-I'm still undecided about whether I look good in black

-was George Washington ever aware of what a huge pain in the ass he would be to future procrastinating grad students?

-people you truly have fun with are hard to come by, hang onto them as long as you can

-ipods are way cooler than I thought, think I want one

-do old friends who you have lost touch with ever think about you? I guess if we all wonder this then the answer is "yes"

-I really want to go to the ocean, preferably Maine...which doesn't look like its going to happen this summer now

-now that my room is clean, I can't find anything

-I think I am finally ok with being single for awhile, or is that just something I tell myself to seem less pathetic?

x-rays, hurricanes and deadlines

well...its been an eventful couple of days...

we took Mac the Dog to the vet yesterday to see what all was wrong with him. seems the old boy has a bunch of stuff wrong...collapsed vertebrate in his spine, kidney stones (and possible kidney failure), and an enlarged prostate that might be benign or cancer...but he's on some kickass pain pills right now and bouncing around like a puppy!

JK and I took our departing friend Mark out for dinner....good times
we went to a Mexican place, I dropped my phone in my food, had sour cream all over the thing...just as the waitress walked by and asked if I really dropped by phone in my food
had an inappropriate but necessary giggle when I told the waitress that I was going to eat JK's taco (she thought I giggled at her asking for a small box)
and yes, I am 14 years old
met up with Rex and went to a cool New Orleans inspired place, sipped on hurricanes (one of my favorite but lethal drinks) and listened to live jazz for a bit in honor of Fat Tuesday...
had to say goodbye to Mark...which sucks but its great for him

today at my usually pointless thesis group meeting I discovered that my graduate career in all likelihood is done by mid-April whether I finish my thesis or not
my advisor surprised me with the news that she'll be on sabbatical all next year and refuses to do any advising over the summer term...
which means I have 4 weeks to get a 100 page (my target) rough draft to her and hopefully get my committee to take pity on me and read the damn thing before term is over...
have to tell B&N that I'll be taking a little break from working...cause I have so much money now..
completely my fault I know, I'm only in this position because I'm an idiot and put myself there

my parents and JK think a do-or-die deadline (gotta love the word "deadline" with the whole "dead" in it) will be good for me and enable me to finish...because I've only ever been successful under completely insane pressure...they're probably right

stayed tuned to see if I finish or die in the attempt...

oh and Kristin....watch the damn disk!!!! I doubted HP but took everyone's word, time to take our word on VM