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April, 2008

• Childhood crushes... when I was young, I had three guys in my life... at least two of them graced my bedroom with posters of their likenesses, either strutting their stuff, or looking prepped for battle.  I doubt I'm alone on at least two of these guys.  First, there was, of course, Sean Cassidy.  I had a poster of the younger Hardy Boy on my wall... maybe you know the one... the white jumpsuit open at the middle, hands on his hips.  Next, I was an admitted fan of Battlestar Galactica, and again it was a blond... Dirk Benedict... who captured my eye.  I had a poster of him in his Colonial Warrior uniform, blaster pistol raised.  Finally, there was my obsession with the Boston Red Sox.  Growing up in New England, that's basically the norm.  Dwight Evans was my favorite hitter.  It seemed like he could throw anyone out from right field, no matter how deep.  He had that bushy mustache for a while, too... very nice. 
   
• Bill Buckner is quite a man.  What kind of man would be able to go out on the field at Fenway Park and face Red Sox Nation, a crazed group of people who scorned him, threatened his life, and basically forced him into hiding for years.  It even affected his kids.  But yet he went out there, on the day the Red Sox celebrated their 2007 World Series championship.  He doesn't owe the city or the fans anything.  To all the people who said "We forgive you" or anything like that to Buckner, I say, go to hell!  You forgive Buckner?  You pompous, arrogant, ignorant bunch of fans.  I count myself among Red Sox Nation, but I realize how horrible people have been to Buckner, and unjustly so.  The Mets had already tied the game when Buckner committed the error in Game 6.  The Sox had already blown it.  But that's not the point.  The point is that nobody on that field wanted to win the World Series more than Bill Buckner.  He was a great hitter, and a good man.  He didn't deserve two decades of hell over one stupid error.  Everyone commits errors.  And now that the Red Sox have now won two World Series, their fans aren't as sore about 1986 anymore, and so they're ready to "welcome back Buckner with open arms".  If it were me, I'd have told them to stick their heartfelt welcome where the sun don't shine... it was 21 years overdue.  The fact that Buckner did not, is a testimony to the caliber of person he is.  I'm glad his ordeal is finally over.  Maybe at last he can relax and enjoy life.  I think the standing ovation the fans gave him should be their way of apologizing to him for making his life hell, not some sort of 'we forgive you' nonsense.
   
• The other day I read an article about Bill Clinton and how he hurt Hillary's presidential campaign, and it reminded me, ironically, of his inaugural ball ,back in early 1993.  Don Henley and the rest of the Eagles were in the process of reuniting, and Henley performed at the inaugural ball.  Before he began playing, he left Clinton a warning of sorts, to keep the lyrics of his song in mind, and focus on the needs of the country, rather than creating a media circus around his own missteps.  He opened with "Dirty Laundry".  Clinton was warned... every time I think of the Lewinsky scandal, the impeachment and so forth, I'm reminded of Henley's admonition to Clinton that evening, and how prophetic it turned out to be.
   
• During the last few months, I've had something weird going on with my left arm.  I seem to get a tingling sensation in my left arm whenever I think of something gross, or see something that grosses me out.  Sorry for the valley girl language, but it's the best phrase for the occasion.  Here's one example that always does it for me... moldy bread or fruit.  If I turn over a piece of white bread and see mold on it, I immediately get tingles in my left arm, sometimes resulting in goose bumps too.  I'm not sure why this happens.  I haven't had pain in my left arm, otherwise I'd be getting my cholesterol checked... maybe I'll do that anyway!  And why no tingling in my right arm?  Maybe because I'm left-handed?  Too weird.

March, 2008

• How many times have you been watching a movie or a tv show, when someone gets into their car, and a criminal appears in the back seat and grabs them?  What kind of daze are these people walking around in, that they climb into their cars without noticing a person lurking in the back seat??  Unless you own a Humvee or a limousine with one of those panel-things between the front and back seats, there's no way you could get into your car and not notice somebody crouched in the back seat.  If you're not paying attention when you climb into your car, heck, you probably deserve to be grabbed from behind. 
   
• Why is it that people are supposed to remove their caps during the National Anthem before a ballgame?  What does an uncovered head have to do with being Patriotic?? 
   
• What exactly is the purpose of the little rubber gasket that sits snug inside a plastic bottlecap?  I wonder how many millions of dollars Coca Cola spends on these things annually.  Do they do anything at all??  Are they protecting the soda from the dangerous plastic of the bottlecap top?  That seems unlikely.  Are they preserving some sort of pressure in the bottle?  Doesn't seem like it.  So why are they there?  Seems the soft drink companies could save themselves a lot of money by dropping the gasket. 
   
• Here's something that gave me pause the other day.  It's tax season, and all over Tucson, there are guys dressed up as the Statue of Liberty standing outside H&R Block and other tax places, to advertise their services.  And I realized that the Statue of Liberty is the only female costume that a guy will go ahead and put on without any fuss.  It's Patriotic, it's American, and hey.. it's basically a toga!  I know, Animal House... To-ga! To-ga!  But if you think about it, you're a man in a ladies' costume.  Typically guys can't handle that, but it seems to be okay with Lady Liberty.  Interesting.
   
• I've been to many concerts, and I've been to see many comedians.  One thing I've noticed is that while bands plan on encores, and nearly always play 2 or more songs during those encores, comedians hardly EVER come out for an encore.  They leave the stage and immediately the lights come back on.  Why is that?  Did they use up all of their fresh material in the main show?  Why not come out for an encore to show an appreciative audience that you care?  The only comedians I know of that do occasional encores are Jerry Seinfeld and Ellen Degeneres, and both times I saw them, their encores were just Question and Answer sessions (albeit humorous ones) with the audience. 
   
• I'm back from our family trip to the Mexican Riviera... check out the photos here.  We had a blast!!!

February, 2008

• I'm cruisin'!  Heading off on a Carnival Cruise later today.  I like cruises.  Isolation can be really nice, especially when you're isolated on a floating city.  My ship has four pools, a waterslide, volleyball, golf, a movie theatre, six restaurants, a 24-hour pizzeria, 24-hour ice cream shop, a Kids Club for my young 'uns, a spa, workout facilities, showrooms, library, Internet Cafe... you name it, they probably have it.  Looking forward to getting away from Tucson for a while, and more importantly, getting away from the all-important To Do List... I've been under some pretty heavy stress lately, between work, volunteer efforts, and family stuff (and the Patriots losing the Super Bowl!)... so it'll be nice to relax for a while.  They have internet access -- for $.50 a minute!  So I doubt there'll be another journal entry this week.  :)
   
• I don't understand why everyone keeps talking about how John McCain needs to unify the Republican party, and appease conservative voters.  He needs to do nothing of the sort!  In fact, that's the exact OPPOSITE of what McCain ought to be thinking about.  He's a shoo-in for the nomination.  In November, conservative voters will have no choice but to vote for McCain, as the 'lesser of two evils'.  What's the alternative --- vote for Obama/Clinton?  Vote for Ron Paul??  Conservatives are stuck with McCain, whether they like him or not.  What McCain ought to be focusing on is how he'll paint himself as a moderate Republican, to reach out to independents and swing-vote Democrats who don't want Obama or Hillary.  In fact, he should be stressing decisions that make him look more liberal, such as his sponsorship of a bill to help prevent global warming.  Why should he even be worried about the Bible Thumping right wingers?  It's not like Mike Huckabee is going to steal the nomination from him.  The more he panders to conservatives, the more it's going to cost him in the long run.
   
• There has to be a way to make the Pro Bowl more interesting.  It's the NFL, America's greatest sport... there has to be a way to make its all-star game watchable.  I think the solution is obvious.  Americans love reality shows... why not turn the Pro Bowl into TV's newest reality show?  I'm sure there's a way to do it... let fans make up plays, and have the teams randomly choose them.  Let the fans toss the coin, call the game, hold up the goal posts, whatever it takes!  Anything and everything short of putting the players' health in danger should be considered.  Let two average joes call the game, have an amateur cheerleading contest at halftime, all that stuff.  Make the Pro Bowl into an annual reality show extravaganza, and watch those ratings soar!!
   
• I was sick all weekend, so I had a chance to watch the NFL Pro Bowl.  Six New England Patriots played in the game, and for most of them, it was their very first Pro Bowl.  When they were introduced, the Honolulu crowd, which had been cheering wildly for everyone else, suddenly broke into resounding boos for the Patriots players.  What is wrong with you people?  These guys just lost the biggest game of their lives, they already feel like shit, and they're taking some comfort in the fact that they're playing in their very first Pro Bowl, and you frigging boo them?  What is your problem?  Did you lose money on the Super Bowl?  Is it SpyGate? Do you seriously think Mike Vrabel, Vince Wilfork or Asante Samuel cheated in some way this year??  Jeez, if you have to, boo the heck out of Bill Bellichick, but it was a classless thing to do, to boo the Patriots players at the Pro Bowl.  Aloha.
   
• Sometimes I get really frustrated with my brain.  I think my learning style is a lot like that of most Americans.  We tend to hang on to what's catchy, what's interesting, and file away the technical mumbo-jumbo in the hopes that we can pull it up on the computer one day if we need to.  Case in point -- I can't remember 80% of the formulas I learned in college.  I'd have to go back and pour over them before I felt comfortable with them again.  On the other hand, I can remember every word of every top 40 song Duran Duran ever had, the entire script of Star Wars (nerd!!), the entire play-by-play of the 9th inning of the Diamondbacks/Yankees 2001 World Series Game 7, and my children's first words.  I had to throw something serious in there.  I was singing along with the radio the other day, and I thought to myself, 'wow, that song is now 25 years old!  what else can I remember from 1983 that vividly?'  Music seems to have this power with many of us - it sticks with you forever... often you can even remember things you were doing when you heard a particular song for the first time.  Maybe people would retain those mathematical formulas and theorems better if they were taught in song.  I remember watching this old episode of Happy Days, where Potsie is flunking anatomy, until he makes up a song that helps him remember how blood flows through the body.  I can still remember some of his lyrics from "Pump Your Blood"!  See how that stuff sticks with you?  And who came up with a freaky name like Potsie, while we're at it?
   
• Can't decide who to vote for, between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama?  Here's a suggestion.  Think about which candidate you would vote for if they were both white men.  We've learned since childhood that race and gender should not matter , that everyone has an equal shot in America.  Yet, Hillary has an advantage with female voters, and Barack has a significant advantage with African American voters.  Partisan voting is one of the things that has kept rich white men in charge of everything for 200 years.  Why can't people just take a step back and look at the platforms each candidate presents?  A lot of it has to do with culture, I think.  Personally I guess I would prefer a president who sees things similar to the way I do, and so I can understand the many people who make their decisions based on the candidates' backgrounds.  But it wouldn't hurt ya to sit down and actually watch a debate before making a decision as to who the next leader of the free world ought to be, would it?  Either, both, or neither of the candidates might just surprise you.  Or you could just vote for McCain.  It'd be cool to have a president from my state of Arizona.  Maybe I'll vote for him because of that.  Maybe not.
   
• While Patriots fans continue to look for reasons the Patriots lost Super Bowl XLII, aside from the fact that they were outplayed by the Giants throughout the entire game except for their two touchdown drives, it's interesting to note the damage that Boston's own newspapers inflicted on the team PRIOR to the Super Bowl.  While the Globe and Herald ran headlines praising the Patriots and wishing them good luck in the Super Bowl, the newspapers managed to cause a significant amount of distractions for the team.  Both newspapers began taking pre-orders on Amazon.com for a book chronicling the 19-0 Perfect Season.  Couldn't they hold off until February 4??  It left the Patriots looking pretty darn smug heading into the Super Bowl, and increased the criticism of the team as being arrogant.  The Herald went one step further, breaking a story on Friday about the possibility that the Patriots taped the Rams' final walkthrough before Super Bowl XXXVI.  Why would a Boston newspaper do something two days before the Super Bowl that would serve as a huge distraction, calling into question the Patriots' success and integrity?  Maybe it was one reporter's grudge against the team, but those stories go through multiple editors and decisions before they go to print.  The Herald put selling newspaper rags ahead of the team millions of its readers support fiercely.  Obviously they're in business to sell newspapers, but they should have weighed the short term spike in paper sales against the long-term animosity they managed to generate amongst their readers.  Why that story could not have waited until February 4 to break is beyond me as well.  The almighty media...
   
• What a difference 35 seconds can make in the sports world.  My Patriots had a shot at a perfect season, leading the Super Bowl by 4 with 35 seconds left to play.  Then the Giants scored, and everything changed in the blink of an eye.  Suddenly the 'perfect season' became the 'most disappointing season ever' (Boston Globe), and the game suddenly dwarfed the 46-10 loss in Super Bowl XX as New England's worst loss ever.  Not only that, but the 1972 Miami Dolphins can celebrate once again as the NFL's only unbeaten team, and the Patriots have the label as the league's biggest choke artists.  Add to that the fact that most people wanted to see Bill Bellechick and his team knocked down a few notches -- some will say they finally got what they deserved -- and that's just not true... but it's going to hurt.  35 seconds earlier, Junior Seau, Tedy Bruschi, and Troy Brown were looking at retiring as World Champions -- now they may just fade out quietly.  Randy Moss was a Super Bowl MVP candidate -- now he's looking at taking the best offer he gets in the off-season.  I think the Patriots could have a colossally bad offseason, between Moss' decision whether or not to leave, and the possible continuation of the Spygate crap.  And all that happened in 35 seconds.  Everything changed.  Eli Manning proved he was the man.  Proved a lot of people wrong about him.  The Giants played a near-perfect game.  The Patriots scored touchdowns on their first and last possessions, and were awful the rest of the game.  Call it age, exhaustion, weaknesses, whatever... it finally caught up with them.  It was funny, the people cheering for the Giants seemed to be a mix of about 25% Giants fans, 75% Patriot haters.  It's a weird feeling, having expected the team to complete the greatest season ever... I don't really know how to feel about this.  I guess it'll stick with me for a while, hopefully it won't stick with the team into next season.
   
• I was on national TV this weekend... I went up to Phoenix for the NFL Experience at the Super Bowl, and they showed me on the NFL Network throwing a pass, and then waving like a crazy person behind the co-hosts of NFL Total Access.  Maybe I can upload a clip of it to this site.  I can still throw a pretty good spiral, but I can't kick a field goal for squat.  Had fun though, and got a few signatures from NFL players in the process.  Turned out to be a better deal than the Super Bowl itself... if you're a Patriots fan.

January, 2008

• Ok, this message is specifically for residents of the state of Connecticut under the age of 50 who are Giants fans (rather than Patriots fans). 
  Connecticut = New England.
  New England Patriots.
  You = Patriots fan.
  If you are not a Patriots fan, you are denying your heritage as a New Englander. 
  I'll give the folks over 50 some slack, since the Giants were the only team in town for New Englanders until 1960.  As for the rest of you, dump those G-men uniforms and follow the team from your region... New England.  Last I checked, you weren't in New York (or New Jersey).  I don't support the Albuquerque Dukes or the El Paso Diablos... not my state!  Not my region!  Follow the Pats, Connecticutians!
   
• Known as the "Blade Runner" and "the fastest man on no legs", Oscar Pistorius is the double amputee world record holder in the 100, 200 and 400 meter events and runs with the aid of carbon fiber transtibial artificial limbs. His artificial lower legs, while enabling him to compete, have also generated claims that he has an unfair advantage over other runners.  After monitoring his track performances using high-definition cameras and analyzing the information, scientists apparently determined that Pistorius had a competitive advantage over athletes without prosthetic limbs. So, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) decided to disqualify him from competing in pretty much every top-level event, including the Olympics.  I guess I can understand the decision of the IAAF -- they see it as being forward-thinking -- who's to say that 10 years from now, prosthetic technology won't have advanced to so-called "bionic" proportions.  But in Pistorius's case, I don't agree with that decision.  This guy has had a competitive disadvantage his entire life, in every way... and he's found a way to overcome it.  Instead of treating this guy with respect and admiration, the IAAF has labeled him Different, which is exactly what he's spent his entire life trying to overcome.  Jeers to the IAAF.  Apparently they feel that persons with disabilities are second class citizens after all. 
   
• I'd just like to go on record for my friends and relatives -- if I'm ever in a position where you have to decide whether or not to pull the plug on me or disconnect my life support equipment, for pete's sake, DON'T!  Whatever they've got me hooked up to, leave it in place!  I'll take tubes up the wazoo, please.  If you disconnect me, I will come back and haunt you if at all possible.  I don't care what the doctors say, leave the stuff plugged in.  George Carlin once said the three things you need to survive in a hospital are (in order): Ice cream, morphine, and television.  Keep 'em coming!  For me, life support is better than death, I don't care how you slice it.  As long as there's brain activity, keep the machines on. Thankx!
   
• It's a well-known fact that some of the best ideas that were ever thought up were conceived over a piece of pie.  In my case, white chocolate cherry cream pie at the local Village Inn.  My boyfriend and I were talking about traveling to Colorado, and stopping to visit Four Corners.  If you've never been there before, it's the spot where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah meet.  Well, I had an idea.  Check this out... what if the four states were able to rent out a diamond-shaped block, 1 foot square, where they all meet?  There are so many possibilities.  Here's a few:

  •   The 1 foot square block will not belong to any of the four states.  Like Washington DC, it could be your own little District. although you
      probably won't get an Electoral Vote or a Congressman :).  I'd prefer it be rented, as opposed to sold.
  •   The 1 foot square block could also be separated into many little blocks, maybe as small as 1 centimeter wide, allowing people to purchase a tiny
      portion of the spot where the four states meet.  In the past, such "buy a brick" ideas have worked for Disney and many other companies.
  •   Alternatively, the 1 foot square block could be separated into 50 equal-sized squares, one representing each state in the union.
  •   Maybe even better yet, the block could be rectangular in shape, and painted as the American flag. 
  •   The four states would receive all revenues from any block rental or purchase.  I figure owning a piece of America, even a tiny piece, would be
      priceless to many people. 
  •   In order to preserve the 'four corners', the square block in the middle could actually be the base of a pyramid-shaped structure, and people could
      own a 'floor' of the pyramid.  The pyramid could be built small, allowing people to still put their hands and feet in four states, or extremely tall,
      to draw attention to the landmark  Each face of the four-sided pyramid could then be decorated with stuff from whichever state it faces.
    
    
    Top View                                                                       Side View
    
    Whaddya think?

• I never thought I'd see an NFL team put together a 16-0 season, but it's happened, and the fact that my Patriots were the ones to accomplish it is just a total thrill for me.  Wow... there were a few games, especially against Baltimore and the final game with the Giants, where I was more than a little worried, but Tom Brady is just the most amazing player ever to play the game.  If he isn't now, he will be by the time he retires, anyway.  Not bad for a 6th round draft pick.  I love the Pats' uniforms too... I have a white Brady jersey and a dark blue Tedy Bruschi jersey... Bruschi played college ball here in Tucson and having recovered from a stroke, is a really inspirational guy.  Back to the uniforms... I always thought it was odd that the original Patriots uniforms were red jerseys and white pants.  Umm.... isn't that the color scheme worn by the BRITISH in the Revolutionary War??  What MENSA grad thought up that color scheme??  The dark blue and silver/gray matches the colors the colonists wore in the War, and makes a heck of a lot more sense, aside from looking incredibly stylish.  But that's just me.

December, 2007

• This holiday season, I was intrigued by a promotion I noticed at Kevin Jewelers.  I'm not sure if this is a local operation or a national chain, but they seem to have come up with an interesting idea.  If it should rain on New Year's Day, all jewelry purchased between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve will be free.  The more I think about it, this must be an Arizona-only promotion... if it were Seattle, they'd probably would have sold every last earring.  When I first heard about this promotion, I thought, "dang, heaven help 'em if it rains on New Year's Day!".  But I thought about it a little.  Where's the down side in this promotion?  Think of everything that went into it.  The promotion drew in an unprecedented number of customers, and I'm sure their net sales spiked during the holiday period like never before.  Also, Kevin must have purchased insurance (albeit costly insurance!) to protect themselves against the occurrence of inclement weather.  If it does rain, they can use the weather to their advantage -- surely giving away hundreds of thousands of dollars in free jewelry warrants some great positive publicity.  That's the kind of publicity you can't buy, even with an expensive ad campaign.  After all, Jewelry Store ads are basically a dime a dozen.  But, a news story is huge.  And of course, if it doesn't rain, they've made a ton of extra sales.  Not a bad idea after all!
   
• I'm starting to really enjoy teaching and public speaking... I had the pleasure of presenting $4500 to three local non-profit organizations last week.
  
• Something I don't understand about the National Football League... what is this obsession with not losing footballs?  In Major League Baseball, they go through 50-60 baseballs in a game, probably more.  But in football, if the ball gets thrown into the stands, they send officials up there to attempt to retrieve it.  They put up a giant net behind the goal posts on field goals, preventing anyone from going home with a football.  When a player scores a touchdown, they are fined by the league if they toss the ball into the audience.  Is the NFL so concerned with losing a $30 football that they take every possible measure to ensure that doesn't happen?  I didn't realize the league was experiencing such financial hardship...
   
• Coming in 2008... I am going to start experimenting with VIDEO!  One day karensoasis may feature my epic rants and whimsical thoughts in live video format!  Then when I'm 70, I can log back in here and lament my younger days.  Over the holidays my son has promised to show me how to make movies with my digital camera, and we'll be in business!!
   
• I'm not Christian, but my kids and I do celebrate the spirit of giving on December 25 and exchange gifts.  We even bought a tree this year.  I do like the Christmas carols, though.  Very beautiful, nearly all of them.  Although, I have decided to start a grass-roots campaign, to have the first line of "Joy to the World" changed, from "Joy to the World, the Lord is Come" to "Joy to the World, the Lord has Come."  A subtle difference, maybe, but first of all, the old way is grammatically incorrect, and second of all, it sounds kinda...well, sexually gross.  Who do I write to in order to have these lyrics changed?  I think we can all agree, it's the right thing to do.
   
• Okay, I lied... I have one more song rattling in my head for Mike.  I have a wonderful new guy in my life, and there's potential there.  Why then, after three months am I still having trouble getting over Mike?  I hate that he's doing this to me, even after all this time... and as far as I know, he's truly happy now, and could care less about me.  In fact, when I visit his MySpace page (which is now set to Private), it lists his mood as "Thankful".  Was I that bad??  :) And so, I'm reminded of a sad song from the musical, "Wicked"...

        Hands touch, eyes meet
        Sudden silence, sudden heat
        Hearts leap in a giddy whirl
        He could be that boy
        But I'm not that girl...

        Don't dream too far
        Don't lose sight of who you are
        Don't remember that rush of joy
        He could be that boy
        I'm not that girl.

        Every so often we long to steal
        To the land of what-might-have-been
        But that doesn't soften the ache we feel
        When reality sets back in

        Blithe smile, lithe limb
        She who's winsome, she wins him
        Gold hair with a gentle curl
        That's the girl he chose
        And Heaven knows
        I'm not that girl.

        Don't wish, don't start
        Wishing only wounds the heart
        I wasn't born for the rose and the pearl
        There's a girl I know
        He loves her so
        I'm not that girl.

• When I think about the vastness of the universe, and the immensity of everything in it, I like to summarize it this way:  If you could see every star in the universe from earth with the naked eye, this is what the sky would look like at midnight:
  
   
• There seems to be something of a revival of L. Frank Baum's world of OZ going on.  First, the book and subsequent smash hit musical 'Wicked' gave us new perspective on Elphaba, the Witch of the West... and now, the Sci Fi Channel has given us 'Tin Man', a rather bizarre retelling of Dorothy's story.  As strange and disjointed as Tin Man is at times, I found myself drawn to it, and my daughter and I ended up watching the entire miniseries.  I'm impressed with Zooey Deschanel, and the way she conveys this matter-of-fact attitude... she wasn't how I had pictured Trillian in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy movie, but she made that role work.  She carried off the Dorothy role ('D.G'.) pretty well also.  Baum would probably be thrilled to know what a lasting impact his books have had.  He was a progressive, forward thinking, free-thinking man, and his books are well worth the read.
   
• My team lost our Softball championship this evening, 17-13.  We took a 12-10 lead into the final inning, and just imploded.  Oh well.  I won't have another softball game for about three months, and for the first time since I started playing with my company teams six years ago, I'm thinking about retiring.  I hold myself to a pretty high athletic standard, and I just haven't been achieving it lately, no matter what I do.  It's that whole, "pushing 40" thing!  Maybe I'll do some training in the next couple of months and see how I feel in March.
   
• Through the Internet, from time to time, I offer suggestions, advice, and insight to people, free of charge.  Tonight I'd like to offer my wisdom to Wachovia Bank.  I watched a commercial for Wachovia this evening, and I have to say, it didn't do anything for me.  Didn' t make me want to rush out and close my Chase account tomorrow, even though Chase has given me fair-to-poor customer service lately.  Wachovia needs a catchy phrase for their commercials, maybe even a slogan.  How about, "At Wachovia, we'll watch over ya, with "watch over you" said in such a way that it sounds like Wachovia".  Money in the bank, baby!

November, 2007

• (reprinted from Summer, 2006):  Despite the enjoyment I get from watching the NCAA Tournament, I've never been a big fan of watching basketball, whether college or pro.  I never could put my finger on it -- just exactly what was it about the sport that I didn't like?  And then it came to me... this is a sport in which a team can break the rules in order to win the game.  I'm talking about intentionally fouling a player.  Why should a team be rewarded for breaking the rules of the game?  Teams purposely commit these fouls, in hopes that the other team will miss their free throws, and a comeback might be possible.  Is there any other sport where, if you're trailing, you're expected to break the rules in order to have a chance to win?  That's why I don't like college or pro basketball.  Give me a good pick-up game anyday.  In college and pro sports, if a team commits a foul, the other team should get 1 free throw AND get the basketball back. 
   
• Well, I guess it had to happen sooner or later... I got shelled on the pitcher's mound, and I am no longer unbeaten lifetime as a slow-pitch softball pitcher.  :(  After giving up 1 and 0 runs in the 1st and 2nd innings, I had a nightmare inning that included 6 infield hits (darn my team's defense!!) and 11 runs.  After a while I gave up trying to throw strikes and started thinking about hitting batters instead... usually that's a sign that it's time to call in a relief pitcher!
   

  	Innings Pitched	Runs	Earned Runs	6 Inning ERA	Walks	Strikeouts
  November 20, 2007	4	12	6	9.00	3	1
  Career :  8-1	50	60	32	3.84	19	17

   

• Kudos to Diamondbacks skipper Bob Melvin, winner of the 2007 NL Manager of the Year award!  Naturally I was hoping the Arizona Republic would cover the story using the headline, "Way To Go BM!!".  :)
   
• I am SO proud of my kids.  Both of them just got their black belts in Taekwondo, passing their final exams with flying colors!  I wonder if I'll have to register them both as lethal weapons now...
  
   
• Where did the term "white lies" come from?  Why not just call them 'little lies'?  When I was a kid, I used to think there were blue lies, red lies, green lies, etc..  I figured the red lies had to be the most severe, since red is usually associated with bad things. My parents of course, did nothing to dispel these beliefs.  Perhaps a green lie is specific to the Irish...I suppose a yellow lie would probably involve... bedwetting?
   
• Sometimes I get so frustrated in traffic... I know everyone does... but sometimes I just can't understand the mentality of other drivers.  At work we talk a lot about the theory of constraints.  A system can only function as well as its slowest, or least efficient process, or bottleneck.  This is so true in traffic.  Here's what I can't stand.  I'm sitting at a red light.  There are 8-10 cars in front of me, and we all see the light change to green.  I then have to sit there and wait until all the cars in front of me decide to start moving.  Why, I wonder, can't everyone just take their foot off the brake when the light turns green.  Imagine how many cars we could get through a busy intersection if everyone just freaking WENT when the light turned green?  That's all it takes... simply take your foot off the brake.  But it doesn't happen.  There's always someone, somewhere in the line of cars, who isn't paying attention, whose car is not in the right gear, or who just isn't in that much of a hurry.  The bottleneck.  Wouldn't it be great if there was a way to just get everyone to move?  Then we wouldn't have to sit through three or four traffic lights just to get home...

October, 2007

• I'm still unbeaten lifetime as a softball pitcher!  Another subpar performance, though... but my company slow-pitch team improved to 6-0, and we opened up a two-game lead on the second place team.  Of course I was pitching on 9 days rest... so like the Colorado Rockies, I was a bit rusty.  The stats: 

  	Innings Pitched	Runs	Earned Runs	6 Inning ERA	Walks	Strikeouts
  October 30, 2007	6	10	5	5.00	1	2
  Career :  8-0	46	48	26	3.39	16	16

   

• I've met a new, sweet guy and there's potential there. After 2 months I think I'm fully beyond the whole Safeway Mike thing.  But from time to time, I find myself still thinking of those summer days, and wondering what he's up to...
  
  (from Phantom of the Opera)
  
  Think of me, think of me fondly, when we've said goodbye...
  Remember me, once in a while, please promise me you'll try.
  When you find, that once again you long to take your heart back and be free,
  If you ever find a moment, spare a thought for me.
  We never said, our love was ever green, or as unchanging as the sea,
  But if you can still remember, stop and think of me.
  
  Think of all the things we've shared and seen;
  Don't think about the things which might have been.
  
  Think of me, think of me waking silent and resigned;
  Imagine me, trying too hard to put you from my mind.
  Recall those days, look back on all those times, think of the things we'll never do.
  There will never be a day when I won't think of you.
  
  (I promise, that's my third and last melodic message to him.)
   
• I get really frustrated with voicemail systems.  Why can't they just give you the "leave a message" option right away?  Instead, I have to listen to, "To leave your callback number, press 5.  At the tone, please record your message.  When you have finished recording, you may hang up, or press pound for more options.  Record at the tone."  Good lord!  Whatever happened to "Leave a message!  Beep!!!!"?  I'm getting billed by the MINUTE on my cell phone, I don't have time to listen to a whole long dissertation on phone etiquette!  That also goes for after you've left the message.  They wait until the very end to tell you how to send the message.  95% of people who record a message just want to send the darn thing.  Instead I have to listen to, "To listen to your message, press 1.  To erase and re-record your message, press 3.  To forward your message, press 4.  To access your mailbox, press 5.  To send your message, press pound."  Why can't they put the SEND option first, since that's what we all need to know????
   
• Yesterday I was listening to the radio, and an ad for a jewelry store came on.  They mentioned having licensed gemologists on duty.  I'm wondering what it takes to become a Gemologist.  Is it some specialized field of geology?  I would think most college students don't major in Geology so they can work in a jewelry store.  Gemologists have to know how to handle the black plastic eyepiece.  It's a tricky instrument, after all.  I think once you get past cut, color, clarity and carat weight, there can't be a whole lot else there to learn...
   
• Let's Go Red Sox!!!  World Series 2007 bound!!  Although... for some reason, I'm not feeling the magic anymore in rooting for Boston.  Maybe it's all that debate that the Red Sox are the new Yankees... they're almost too good.  Or it could be some residual Mike-related sentiment.  Boston fans are getting spoiled in a major way... the Patriots are invincible, the Red Sox will probably win the Series, the Celtics just got Kevin Garnett, and the BC Eagles are #2 in the country.  Not that anyone in New England cares much about college sports. 
   
• My team won the city league slow-pitch softball tournament!  And I'm still unbeaten lifetime :).  Although, neither game was an overpowering pitching performance for me.  The strike zone was tiny, I walked way too many hitters, and got myself injured.  I was covering home plate, and the runner decided to slam directly into me.  I held onto the ball long enough to get him out, but he whacked me in the left side of my back, which is killing me at the moment.  It hurts to laugh, sneeze, cough, and if I try to breathe deeply, I get a stinging pain.  I'm thinking I've bruised a rib or two.  Here's my line for the evening: 

  	Innings Pitched	Runs	Earned Runs	ERA	Walks	Strikeouts
  October 21, 2007	11	15  (12 and 3)	9	4.90	6	1
  Career :  7-0	40	38	21	3.15	15	14

   

• I'm tired of the attitude people have toward REO Speedwagon.  People seem to label them as a sappy 80's love-song band.  Most people don't realize that the band's roots go back to 1969, that it was a very hard rockin' band in the 70's, packing arenas around the country.  KISS opened for REO at one point.  Songs like Ridin' the Storm Out, Golden Country, Back on the Road Again, Music Man, and Roll With the Changes rocked the house.  The success of 'Time for Me to Fly' was such that it was covered by several artists over the years, including Dolly Parton.  Yes, in the 80's, REO was among the many, many bands who gave in to the 'MTV Generation'.  Music changed during that time.  For the first time, you really had to be good actors as well as m