Thinking - it's just one way to pass the time

Trying to Coin a New Word

2007-08-12T11:53:00.000-05:00

While walking to the Metro one morning this week, I was stopped by someone in a car - she rolled down her window and asked me for directions to a nearby hospital. I told her where to turn, she repeated it back to make sure she had it right, and then we both went out separate ways.

So, I'm always kind of excited when something like that happens, especially when I know where the person is headed and can give them directions - it makes me feel like I actually know my way around. But after telling her where to go, I found myself thinking about how I would tell the story, and that's when I decided I need a new word.

The person in the car was female, and probably around 30. So, I can't really tell the story and say "a girl stopped and asked me for directions," because using the word girl is misleading. But for me, woman is too... old, I guess. Or grown up. If I were describing myself, I would never say "I'm a fun-loving woman" or anything like that - it's too matronly or something. Really, I suppose for myself, I would probably use girl, even though it has a younger connotation. And even though I like the word chick, I know that some people are rather strongly opposed to it. So that pretty much leaves me with old-fashioned (and to some, offensive) words like gal and doll - which I would pretty much never use anyways.

Males have it much better. I generally stick with using the term guy, which can be appropriate for males of all ages, really. Or sometimes I throw in dude or man, although the latter would generally be for older males. And there's always boy, too, of course.

Anyways, now I'm on a mission to find a better casual term for female, so that I can tell a better story. Help is always welcome - I figure coining a word is probably tricky business.

I'll be missing you

2007-06-02T01:19:00.000-05:00

Yet another long time between posts… but this time it’s taken me a while to get the words together.

Several years ago, I made a CD for a friend of mine with several of my favorite songs on it. He listened to it then told me that I really needed to pick some more uplifting songs as favorites, because all of mine were depressing. I had never really thought about it before, but then I realized he was pretty accurate – generally, I pick my favorites based on lyrics first and musicality second, and many of the lyrics were not the most upbeat.

One of the songs on the disc, and probably my favorite song in general, is Nothing Lasts for Long, by the Samples. The lyrics can obviously be found online, but for quick reference, here you go:

“Take my hand and walk with me
And tell me who you love
Make a wish and you can see
The first star from above

Ya ever feel so deep and lost
Somewhere in the past?
Is it wrong to not hold on
if nothing ever lasts?

Maybe nothing lasts for ever
Not the mountain or the sea
But the times we have together
They will always be with me

The sun is down and the wind is calm
As it gently fades away
I wonder then and I think of you
And how nothing ever stays

Take my hand and walk with me
And tell me who you love
Make a wish and you can see
The first star from above

Nothing lasts for long”

I know, I know – not the happiest lyrics in the world, but I read them first as a poem, and then heard the song, and it’s been one of my favorites ever since.

The past few weeks, this song has run through my head more times than I can count. On Wednesday, May 9, my good friend Matt died while playing flag football in a rec league. He was only 29, had just finished his first year of law school at George Mason, and had been married for just over a year and a half.

I’ve been gathering my thoughts for 3 weeks, and I’m still having a hard time finding the right words to say about him, especially in a post. Especially since I’m not really a “writer,” I’m not really sure how to go about capturing a friend in a paragraph (or even a page).

Matt was one of those friends that filled a room with his presence – he was constantly talking, laughing and joking, and you could always count on him to include the whole room in conversation. He always had an opinion (and was never afraid to share it), but he was happiest when someone else had an opinion, too. I guess, well, he was one of those friends where you never had to wonder where you stood or what he thought – he was direct, but still nice (something I try to pull off but don’t think I do as well as he did). Of course, he was also sarcastic and loved to give people a hard time. He did spread it around, though – I know I took my share of ribbing (especially when Kansas lost in the first round of the tournament 2 years in a row), but so did his wife Kourtnee, and our other friends, too.

The first thing that really comes to mind for me when thinking about him is how much he loved dancing. In October 2003, just a few months after moving here, my sister came to visit and a group of us went to Nick’s (a bar in VA) to go country swing dancing. It was the first time I saw Matt and our friend Holly swing dance: they were doing lifts and spins and tricks, and it was so seamless. About a year later, when Holly was married, she wore capris to her rehearsal dinner so that she and Matt could dance to the blue-grass band – and he wasn’t even the groom! And it wasn’t just Holly… Matt was able to get my roommate onto the dance floor (an achievement considering it was swing dancing), and he even got her to try a trick or two. He was the best lead that I ever danced with and he taught me the two-step, which I had wanted to learn. In April, I watched him and Kourtnee take over the floor at the wedding of our friends Bonnie and Alex, and it was so great to watch them.

The thing is, there are a million small memories that I have from our friendship over the past 4 years - those are the things that will hit me in the middle of the day when I’m thinking of something else, or will wake me up in the night when I worry because I haven’t talked to him recently. Just last week, I started to e-mail him when I saw the draft projection for Acie Law (from Texas A&M, Matt’s alma mater) in the NBA. And I guess that’s what happens when you lose a friend – you let the small things keep you connected, and use the big things to make you smile when you’re sad.

To Matt – a great friend who will never be forgotten… I miss you.

Exposed Brackets - #1

2007-03-16T10:37:00.000-05:00

As promised, here is the first bracket explanation. My roommate always fills hers out using a complicated combination of her basketball knowledge, team mascots & colors, feelings about people (coaches, players, alumni, etc.) and whatever else she throws in. And of course, she always seems to be right in the top of the pool. I was unable to get a readable version of her bracket on here, but you can read her explanation and get a feel for it:

"First, I should probably give you a little background on my bracket completion process. While some of choices are probably a little tainted by popular opinion and what the 'experts' think will happen, I try to base my choices largely on my own personal likes and dislikes rather than what is truly likely. This includes my feelings toward team colors and uniforms, mascots (the Southern Illinois Salukis are my favorite, from a mascot perspective), fun team nicknames (like the ‘Zags), fun things I can should (such as ‘Bama, Baby!', which I was sadly deprived of this year), players whose names I especially enjoy, and my feelings toward people I know who attended any given school (and this can work for or against teams).

And now, some of my 2007 NCAA tournament picks:

(11)VCU over (6)Duke in the first round
This was really more a pro-VCU than anti-Duke pick. I don’t dislike Duke, I just don’t have much interest in them. Plus, the Blue Devil mascot doesn’t do anything for me. I don’t think it’s the worst mascot, but it’s far from the best.
VCU, on the other hand, has a lot going for it in my book. First, it’s in Richmond, VA, and I’ve been there—twice. My friend Rachel actually lived there for a year and had a job that was somehow affiliated with the university, and it was nice having her around (even though I didn’t actually see her that often.) I like Rachel=I like VCU. See? Second, their mascot is the Ram. It’s not one of my favorites, but I like it much better than a Blue Devil. Also, it reminds me of the St. Louis Rams. I much prefer the Kansas City Chiefs to the St. Louis Rams, but it still has that Midwest/home state connotation for me, which adds to VCU’s case. Finally, VCU really seems to be all about working together as a team and playing unselfishly, and I appreciate that.

(6)Louisville over (11) Stanford in the first round
My gut reaction, though I don’t typically consider whether one mascot would actually beat another in a fight, is that multiple Cardinals must be better than a singular Cardinal. More is better—duh. But upon further research, I discovered that A)Stanford doesn’t even have a mascot, and B) the previously mentioned Cardinal refers to the school color. A tree is also sometimes used in Stanford’s logo, but it’s part of the band or something ridiculous like that; there is NO official school mascot. If you don’t have a mascot, you don’t get any love from me. I really don’t have any feelings toward Louisville one way or another, but I have them winning based on the simple fact that they have a mascot.

(4)Virginia over (13)Albany in the first round
This was probably my toughest first round decision. Albany’s mascot is the Great Dane. Obviously the Great Dane is a dog, and if you know me, you know that I LOVE dogs. It’s always hard for me to pick a school with a non-dog mascot over one with a dog. Plus, Scooby Doo was a Great Dane, and I’ll always have a special place for him in my heart. But, UVA actually still wins out for me. While I’m pretty neutral on a Cavalier, I know a lot of lovely people that attended this school, and that carries a lot of weight for me in this case. I’ve been to Charlottesville twice, and had the Best Day Ever there. Plus, I saw the team play this fall at their new arena, so there’s that personal connection for me. So, much as I love a Great Dane (and one in particular), UVA comes out on top for me.

(2)Georgetown over (1)Kansas in the championship game
I like Kansas. I grew up in a predominantly Missouri Tigers home, but sometimes rooted for Kansas even against Mizzou, depending on my rebelliousness during any given season. I still maintain that I will pretty much always root for Kansas unless they happen to be playing against the Tigers. I like them, and I have them going far. But, I have the Georgetown Hoyas coming out on top. Why? First, their mascot is a bulldog. It’s a dog, and it was also my alma mater’s mascot, so I feel the most personal connection to this mascot. Second, Georgetown in general is the team I have seem play in person the greatest number of times (probably even when you factor in attending my own alma mater’s games!). Third, I don’t know a lot of people who went to school there, but I know a few, and they make a good impression. Finally, I really enjoy the fact that it’s a local school, and not some campus I’ve never seen in some city I haven’t visited.

So there you have it. I’m going with the Georgetown Hoyas because, when I weigh in all the factors, I like them best. "

Back from the hiatus

2007-03-11T23:14:00.000-05:00

Wow, this has been a long hiatus from blogging – and I’ve actually had a lot to say. The biggest problem with being a midnight blogger is that midnight is when I should be in bed. Rarely happens, but I’m trying to make it a more common occurrence. Anyways, this is going to be a two-post post:

Rock Chalk Jayhawk, Go KU!
Anyways, as many of you know, tonight was Selection Sunday. Obviously, since I’m a big basketball fan, I have a lot to say on the upcoming tournament, but that’s going to come later this week. For right now, a quick comment on today’s Big 12 championship:

Rock Chalk Jayhawk!!!!!!! KU won an incredible game against the Texas Longhorns in the Big 12 championship today* – they came back from being down 22 in the first half to winning in overtime. And this was just one week after the two teams met in the regular season – where Kansas came back from being down 12 at the half to win it - amazing. The ‘hawks are playing some great team basketball right now, and I’m excited for what comes next. And congrats to whoever gets Kevin Durant in the NBA draft – he is amazing!

*Special thanks to Mike D. for letting C and I watch the game on his awesome TV

Now off of basketball.

Thoughts on Sin City

The past month or so has been pretty busy. My mom came in town to visit one weekend, my brother was out here coaching in a tournament two weekends after that (his team won – woohoo!!) and my dad came out the same weekend to join in support for my bro’s team. Add in work, catching up on some reading, lots of basketball, and the start of American Idol, and I have been a busy girl. In addition to all of that, last weekend, two friends and I took a trip to Vegas, just for fun.

The Vegas Strip is a crazy city within a city. It’s like going to an amusement park, only there’s no set admission fee and you just pay to play, free drinks are easy to come by, and there are fewer of kids under age 10, although there were more families there than I would have expected.

My friends and I aren’t really the type to go crazy and have a “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas kind of weekend,” but we spent a lot of time checking out the various casinos and still managed to go a bit outside our comfort zone (we watched men strip down at the Thunder from Down Under show).

This wasn’t the first time I’ve been to Las Vegas, so I had a bit more time to come away with detailed impressions. Here’s what I came up with:

Restaurant to try:
Mon Ami Gabi at Paris. It was suggested to me by my college friend Amy, and was one of the best choices we made all weekend. Sit outside and you can see the Bellagio fountains, and the frites are a yummy cross between french fries, potato chips and those shoestring potato things that come in a can.
Most fun penny slots:
Deal or No Deal or Monopoly. If you can get in the group Monopoly game at the Bellagio, play for a while – it’s definitely worth it for the group play shots. Also, the Monopoly slots by the bathrooms across from Tangerine at the Mirage were lots of fun for me. If you find a penny or nickel Deal or No Deal machine, play until you get to the Briefcase game – it’s SO entertaining!
Best bathrooms (at least for girls):
Paris. This might seem like an odd category, but over the course of 3 days of eating, drinking and walking around, we saw lots of bathrooms. The ladies’ rooms at Paris not only feature doors that look like you’re going into a different room, but they also have the green/red indicator that lets you know whether or not the stall is occupied. Big bonus, especially for busy bathrooms. Honorable mention goes to the ones at Flamingo, which had translucent doors with a leafy/reedy design that I thought was very pretty.
Most fun bar:
Check out the flair bartenders at Harrah’s Carnaval. Even if you don’t go in, make sure you stop by to check it out, because the bartenders are truly entertaining. Two of their bartenders are in the top 4 flair bartenders - check it out: http://www.barflair.org/

Ok, that’s going to wrap it up for now. Look for a post in a couple of days comparing my roommate C’s bracket picks to my own. I’ll let you know how

Why?

2007-01-29T22:46:00.000-05:00

Why is it that my wool pants (arguably considered winter appropriate pants) are lined with material that gets cold from the wind? Does that make any sense? The lining is 100% acetate. I only know what that is from looking it up online - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellulose_acetate - and I agree that it drapes nicely, but geez it gets cold! Clothes have been around for a long time, and there are a bunch of people out there designing things. Isn’t there another low-cost alternative that won’t get so freaking cold in winter-weight pants?

And, who knew the full name was cellulose acetate? For some reason, I’m not surprised they leave the cellulose part off when it comes to the clothing tag – poor connotation and all that.

I was going to make this a longer post with more of my “why” questions, but right now I can’t seem to think of any more. Guess they’ll have to be in another installment.

The Circle of Life

2007-01-02T01:32:00.000-05:00

*I know I just posted about upcoming posts, but while taking a shower, I thought of a topic too important to put off.

This may sound (read) weird, but the thing I love most about being Jewish is the way that we deal with death. I know that seems like an odd topic, especially at the beginning of a new year, but it’s true. The rules regarding mourning are essentially the Jewish version of a 12-step program for recovering from the death of a loved one, and in my opinion, it is the most on-target “plan” for action that any religion can provide. As with all things Jewish, the customs vary by movement (Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, etc.) as well as by the individual or family, but the basics seem to me to be the same throughout.

For details on the process, other people explain it better than I, so read more here: http://www.aish.com/literacy/lifecycle/The_Stages_of_Jewish_Mourning.asp
or here:
http://www.chabad.org/generic.asp?AID=266275&gclid=CKLjlbqHwYkCFTaDGgodCnSxNQ

For those of you who didn’t read more… there are 3 steps:
1) Shiva – a weeklong period of intense mourning. Usually mourners remain at home, with only close friends and family visiting
2) Shloshim – a 30-day period of less intense mourning. Mourners go back to their usual routine, but often refrain from entertaining and/or attending social events.
3) Yartzeit – the annal memorial. This takes place once a year, every year, on the date (according to the Hebrew calendar) of the loved one’s death. Synagogues often mail you a reminder so that you know when one is coming up for someone close to you – like a parent or grandparent.

#3 is really why I’m writing this. Because I’m not always attuned to the Hebrew calendar and I don’t get the reminders from my parents’ synagogue, I sometimes miss the Yartzeit for those who have passed, and I just realized that I missed my grandmother’s. Today was not the only day that I’ve thought about her in the past year – in fact, I ask my parents about her a lot – but there’s something to be said for having one day scheduled every year to think about those you were close to that are no longer around.

So, tonight, when I remembered, I said the Mourner’s Kaddish (our standard prayer of mourning – it actually doesn’t mention death, though) and decided to post this entry... sort of my way of remembering:

My dad’s mom, my grandma, had been dealing with Alzheimer’s for several years when she died in December of 1998 [originally posted as 99] , so it some ways it seemed like a blessing. And, because I was only 17 when she died, many of my “good” memories of her are from when she was sick. But before that, she was always great fun – she loved going swimming in her apartment complex pool, she took my sister and me shopping, she sang silly songs to my cousin Marty and me, and she traveled all over the world with her sister. She baked fantastic banana bread, loved football, and she had the weirdest collection of toys that I had ever seen. So, tonight, I’m going to go to sleep thinking about Grandma, and of all of the times we spent together – and if there’s some form or semblance of afterlife, she’ll know I’m thinking of her.

Gathering my thoughts

2007-01-01T23:58:00.000-05:00

In case you think I've gotten lazy, it's really just been a busy couple of weeks. But I have some topics that I've been working on, so gear up for some interesting (at least I think so) blog entries over the next month or two. Some possible upcoming topics:

How do you know whether or not frogs and turtles can talk?
Soul-mates and/or Destiny
New Year's resolutions (for reason's of timeliness, this will likely be soon)
The start of NCAA b-ball conference play

And for those who care (even if only by proxy, like me) - the Chiefs are in the playoffs!

The SportsGal on "Brangelina"

2006-12-24T03:22:00.000-05:00

Warning: the meat of this post is actually someone else's thoughts. And before you read it, there are two things you should know:

I love reading articles by Bill Simmons, aka the SportsGuy. He writes from a fan's perspective, throws in a lot of random pop culture references, and constantly makes fun of things. Perfect reading, as far as I'm concerned. And on his weekly football picks, his wife writes a little blurb and makes her football picks as well. Her writing's still new to me, but I'm pretty sure I'd like her if I met her...
I have a love-hate relationship with the melding of names of celebrity couples, such as Bennifer (versions 1 and 2), Brangelina, TomKat and Vaughniston. I love anything that allows me to cut out syllables*, but I hate that we now have to do it for every couple and that it's a little, well, smarmy, I guess. Just a weird thing for fans to do. But, the saving of syllables, and in the case of typing, keystrokes, is enough to warrant my using Brangelina in the title. Just know that I hate myself a little for doing it.

And now for the post - I just read this in the SportsGal's comments for the week, and I thought it was great. Totally true for me, too. And I really hope I'm not breaking any copywrite laws or anything by reposting - but I found this at http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/061221 on 12/24/06. Maybe that semi-citation can keep me from getting sued. Here goes:

"I used to really like Angelina Jolie. Ever since she starred in "Gia," I admired her flawless natural beauty, as well as the many character flaws that made her more likable and less threatening overall. Maybe she was a recovering drug addict, a cutter, a brother kisser, and a blood vial-wearing skank who looked like she showered once a week, but she didn't care what others thought and was totally comfortable going out in public without tons of makeup on. So that made her likable, at least to me. Even when she married Billy Bob Thornton, who's absolutely disgusting, I didn't hold it against her.

Then everything changed: She adopted Maddox, became a goodwill ambassador, started making normal movies and slowly made everyone forget that she was crazy. Next, she seduced and stole the husband of one of the most likable female celebs, adopted another baby with her stolen man, then had his biological child months before his divorce was even done. Now she travels all over the world in private jets wasting fuel and pretending to do nice things when we all know she's really a husband-stealing witch. But what really turned me into a full fledged Angelina hater was this month's Vogue article about her, with Angelina smugly pushing for peace talks between her and Jennifer Aniston, even having the gall to say, "That would be her decision, and I would welcome it." If I were Jennifer Aniston, I would welcome it, too. Then I would meet Angelina for lunch and repeatedly smash a chair over her head."

Yay, SportsGal!

*My friends would tell you that the syllable thing is true. I pronounce DSW (the shoe store) dis-wuh and routinely refere to GWU, or the George Washington University, as gwoo. Much easier.

Random Thoughts (but not by Jack Handy)

2006-12-20T23:50:00.000-05:00

The past week and half has been pretty busy, and my blog has suffered for it. In addition to shopping for Christmas and Chanukah gifts (or Chrismahanukwanzasolstibirthdaykah gifts, as I like to call them), work's been busy with year-end stuff, and I seem to have had plans on several evenings, which is not the norm. Isn’t it weird how you can go weeks without making dinner plans and then all of a sudden you’re out 4 nights in a row? I guess that’s just how it works...

So instead of any single theme or idea in this post, here are my random stories and thoughts from the week:

This past weekend, I went with some friends to Charlottesville, VA for the UVA-Hampton basketball game. The new John Paul Jones arena is pretty cool, but the game wasn’t all that exciting. My roommate and I did have an interesting food experience, though. I’m not that great at typing out complicated stories, but let me just say that if you order cinnamon pretzel bites at a UVA basketball game, beware of the cinnamon goo that squirts out of either end. There is absolutely NO way to eat one without goo squirting out somewhere. It just cannot be done.

My favorite comedian, George Carlin, has a list of people he “could do without” that he has used in his stand-up routine (check it out here: http://www.spikedhumor.com/articles/25483/George_Carlin_People_I_Can_Do_Without.html ). It includes a variety of people: “a proctologist with poor depth perception,” “guys in their 50’s named Skip,” “a funeral director who says ‘hope to see you again real soon’,” and others. I think I would add movie critics and music critics. I mean, isn’t anyone who listens to music or watches movies a critic? What makes them better at deciding what’s good and what’s not? And why should I care what some guy I’ve never met thinks about the new Kanye West song? I’m pretty sure I’m capable of making my own decision about whether or not I like a song.

The title of this post made me think of the old “Deep Thoughts, by Jack Handy” on SNL. I loved them so much that one time I bought a book of them – but now I don’t know where it is. Luckily, the trusty old Internet is very helpful – there’s the official site: http://www.deepthoughtsbyjackhandey.com/ and several unofficial ones. When you’re bored, you should check it out.

Ok, I think that’s it for now. Sorry for the posting delay, and hopefully I’ll have some better ones up soon. In the meantime, Happy last couple days of Chanukah and hope everyone that celebrates Christmas has a wonderful holiday on Monday! Happy holidays!

On a scale of 1-10, what's a 5?

2006-12-08T00:10:00.000-05:00

While I was in grad school, I participated one of those medical experiment things for money at the suggestion of a friend who worked at the National Institute of Health. I don’t really remember what the research was looking at, but it involved me being in an MRI, looking at some patterns on a screen and receiving slight shocks on the inside of my wrist. In order for the doctors to figure out what level they should set the shocker-thing at (as you can see, I’m definitely not a scientist), they asked me to rate different shocks on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being not painful at all, and 10 being as painful as I could imagine. They never got near the 10 range – not even to the 5 – but I thought the whole scale thing was ridiculous.

As far as pain goes, what’s a 10? If it’s the worst pain imaginable – well, I can imagine a lot of really painful things. Things to graphic to put in a blog. And there’s no way that a shock they would use in an out-patient experiment open to the public would come anywhere close to that pain. And if a 10 is the most painful I can imagine, what’s a 5? Half of the most painful thing? Maybe a rating of 5 is something like having my knee bent backward or dislocating my shoulder. The problem is, I have no idea – the most painful thing that’s ever happened to me is a kidney stone, and it hurt pretty bad, but I can imagine a lot worse. So is that a 7? A 3? There has to have been a better way for them to measure that, but I don’t know what it was.

And that’s not the only problem I have with rating scales. It doesn’t have any affect on my life or anything, but it annoys me that for me, the logical “average” of a 1-10 rating scale is 5 or 6 (5.5 to be more accurate), but other people think it’s a 7. Maybe people assume that scale of 1-10 is the same thing as giving grades – 9 or 10 is an A, 8 is a B, 7 is a C (or average), 6 is a D and 5 and below are failing.

Here’s an example: It’s a common thing for people to discuss other people and rate their looks, but again, what’s a 5 in this situation? The way I think of it, on a scale of 1-10, 5.5 is right in the middle, so 5.5 should be average. 10 would be pretty much perfect – someone like Brad Pitt or Halle Berry in perfect lighting with perfect makeup and just the right outfit (not that those two necessarily need it). So if I were rating guys, even very good-looking ones, I might give out 8s and 9s, and definitely some 5s, 6s and 7s, but probably not many 9.5s or 10s, because perfection’s hard to achieve. But those same people could possibly be insulted by a 6, even though for me that means above average. For people who use rating scales like grades, they could give a high 7 or an 8 to someone I might rate at a 6, which skews the “scores.”

Like I said, doesn’t really have much to do with my life, but it’s just one of those little things that occasionally sticks in my brain.

* If you’ve ever seen the ads for one of those “Rate my Picture” sites on the Internet*, maybe you get what I’m saying… one such site: www.ratingmylooks.com

Board Game Frustration

2006-12-03T23:42:00.000-05:00

I love board games. I don't play them that often, because they usually work best for groups of people and most of my time is spent in the company of one or two of my roommates and my dog, but I definitely enjoy them when I get the chance.

Although we have a decent selection at my house right now - Taboo, a couple Trivial Pursuits, Scene It, Scattergories, etc - I wouldn't mind adding to the collection. The problem is that they take up too much space.

And what bothers me even more is that many of these games could just be made as extender packs that come in much smaller packaging and just use the boards from previous games. Does every new version of Trivial Pursuit really need its own board? I mean, how hard could it be to make a new set of cards using the same colors and pie pieces as the original, but with a new theme? Do I really need a 12x12x4 box for Trivial Pursuit 90's Edition, 20th Century Edition, 80's Edition, Genus IV edition, and on and on and on?

When Scene-It came out, I thought it was finally going to be the game to capitalize on the extender pack theory. And they've done more than many of the other games, but I still wish they'd do more. They have a Movie Edition Sequel Pack, and HBO and Turner Classic Movies expansion packs, but they have separate board games only for the TV, Friends, WB 50th Anniversary and Nickelodeon editions. At least the Scene It people sort of have the right idea...

Now, I know it probably has something to do with the profit margin. Game makers can charge more ($30 - $40) for a new game than they could for just the new DVD & card portion, but you'd think they could offer both - the new board and game for people who don't have it yet, and a somewhat cheaper version for those of us that already have the board part. Wouldn't that be nice?

I guess it's just another thing I'll have to fix when I take over the world...

Give me something to believe in

2006-11-29T23:39:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, my cousin and I saw the new movie, Bobby. At the end, both of us exited the theatre talking about how it was one of the best movies we’ve seen in a long time – if not ever. And even though the movie covered mostly a single day, and was much more about the storylines of the people at the Ambassador Hotel than it was about the man, it made me feel like I was there. It made me want to work for RFK's campaign; it made me want him to win the California primary. At the time, I couldn’t even think of the right words, but my cousin and I managed to have a conversation something like this:

Him: I get the feeling he didn’t just want to be President.
Me: Yeah, like he felt he needed to be…
Him: And that would be the best President to have

I wasn’t alive in 1968 – my parents were barely even dating then, but the movie made me wish I had been around to witness such a man running for President. Over the past 5 years, I’ve been involved in politics at the local, state and federal level (for the Democratic Party, if that matters). But I’m still waiting to see that candidate that makes me think… (s)he’s the one. The one to help our country go in the right direction – the one who cares more about what our country needs than about the power he or she will have as President. And maybe that’s how the Kennedy’s were, and after 4 decades, it’s been lost from our collective memory. Or maybe it’s that we haven’t had such a leader in a long time. Or maybe we’ve been choosing the wrong people as candidates and electing the wrong people to office.

To be fair, I don’t think politicians are inherently a bad breed of people. You give a group of people power and attention, and someone’s going to do something stupid – maybe even a lot of someones. But we shouldn’t reward that – we shouldn’t reelect people just because incumbency is stable and breeds more power. We also shouldn’t let attack ads detract from the good of someone, or party lines keep us from choosing the best man or woman to lead our values. Voting for our country’s leaders should not be an easy choice – unless one person edges out the rest as someone who will lead us wherever it is we should go.

Don’t get me wrong – I know that not everyone wanted Robert Kennedy to win the Democratic nomination, let alone the Presidency. But everything I’ve read and watched about him and his run have led me to believe that it was something special… he was something special. I hope we find that again…

(To end this on a brighter note – I definitely recommend the movie. After you see it, let me know what you thought – I’d love to hear other peoples’ opinions. And if you’re more of a reader, I highly suggest the book 1968: The Year that Rocked the World, by Mark Kurlansky.)

Fried Gator

2006-11-26T02:49:00.000-05:00

For lunch today, I went to a Louisiana/Cajun style restaurant in St. Joseph, MO with my mom, my roommate and my roommate’s mom. I was tempted to order an appetizer of fried alligator, but I wasn’t quite that hungry, and I don’t know that anyone else was either (plus there’s probably no way my mom would’ve eaten it). If I had thought about the fact that KU was set to play Florida in basketball tonight, though, I probably would’ve ordered some, eaten it, and enjoyed the feeling of gator going down.

It turns out Kansas didn’t even need my metaphorical help (shocking, isn’t it?) and I got to enjoy Gators going down anyways... With 19 points (including clutch free throws) from Darrell “Shady” Arthur, several big plays and crazy dunks by Julian Wright (who had a career high 21 points), and an all around good team effort, the Jayhawks beat the country’s #1 team 82-80 in overtime. All I know is that if we can play like that against a national championship team that returned all 5 starters, we can play with anybody…

But I’m not here to recap the game – that’s what sports reporters are for (check out the KUSports link to the right if that's what you want). The thing is, watching a game like that is, to quote my best-friend-in-law, “an emotionally draining experience.” I can’t decide if I want to dance a jig, run around in circles, jump up and down while screaming, or take a nap. I watched the game at my friends’ place, and they have a super comfy couch with a chaise lounge on one end. For the last 10 minutes of the game (including OT), I alternately paced the floor, sat on the couch, kneeled on the couch, and jumped around. My stomach was tense, my shoulders were tight… and I’m just a fan. I can’t even imagine being a player or a coach. Can you?

I love watching the players on the bench get excited for good plays and tense at the end of a close game. I enjoy watching young players blossom – from Mario Chalmers quickly going after loose balls on defense and Julian Wright showing off his amazing athleticism to Darrell Arthur calmly sinking several big free throws with all eyes on him. I get excited when there's a big run in points, I worry when someone takes an extra few seconds to get up from a tumble, I get frustrated when players make stupid mistakes, and I get all knotted up when the game is close and every play matters... in other words, I ride an emotional roller coaster for two hours and I'm not even related to anyone playing in the game.

I have to remind myself that these players are just college students – some are as young as 18 and we (the fans) pin our hopes on them for 34+ games per year. I feel for the coaches who can do little more than teach and guide (and scream and yell, I’m sure), and hope that the players listen and learn. So, to all of the players and coaches… thanks for playing, and Rock Chalk Jayhawk, GO KU!!!!!

Side note: Obviously, I was rooting for the Jayhawks, but Florida played a great game as well. I actually enjoyed watching Florida’s run to the Championship last year, so it was fun again to watch them play tonight. I’m not gonna lie, I’m glad they lost – but to Taurean Green, Al Horford, Joakim Noah & the rest – you’ve got amazing talent. But still, I hope that when April rolls around, the Jayhawks go home with the title of National Champs.

Two (in a way 3) Things I'm Thankful For

2006-11-25T01:07:00.000-05:00

My parents. No matter where I go or what I do, they are always there for me. And I’m not just talking about the big stuff, like when I hated my job (back when I was an auditor) and wanted to quit, or when I crashed my car into a tree on my way to school when I was 15. They’re reliable for that stuff, too, but the small things make the difference. My dad always answers the phone and listens to my random thoughts – I’m behind a red car that’s old looking. What kind is it? or Can I have a lake house? A speed boat? A jet-ski? A paddle boat? or Do you think Grandpa Bill [his father] sounded like Joe Lieberman when he talked? And just the other day, after watching an episode of One Tree Hill, I called my mom and said, “Do I have an African-American half-brother in the Marines?” Without skipping a beat, she said, “How’d you find out?” Seriously – I have some pretty awesome parents.
My roommate(s). I have three, and they’re all pretty great, but the one I’ve been living with the longest gets the most kudos from me. She’s probably the one who benefits most from this blog, because now I can type out some of the random thoughts that usually just get explained to her, where she’s expected not only to nod, but also to comment. Plus, she helps me find my keys when I lose them, remembers to take the trash out every week, and puts up with my sarcastic sense of humor. And she can fold a fitted sheet. I bet other people wish they had roommates this cool…

Obviously, I'm thankful for other things, but if I listed them all, this post could go on and on. But here's a quick Honorable Mention List:

My siblings, nieces and nephew
My dog
The makers of Ben-Gay (sounds random, but I could explain)
Kevin Smith, George Carlin, Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert
Computers and the Internet
The guy that invented the printing press

Thanks to everyone that's important to me. Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

The longest game of telephone - ever

2006-11-21T23:18:00.001-05:00

I think a lot about religion. Actually, the better way to phrase that would be to say that I think about religion a lot. I spend way more time wondering about how religion got where it is today than I do about what I actually believe, though. And the other day, while standing next to a whole bunch of random people on a fairly crowded (but not uncomfortably so) Metro train, I was thinking about how all of the different religions are pretty much just different end results of a game of Telephone. Remember that from when you were a kid? One person whispers something to the kid next to him or her, and it goes down the line or around the circle until the last person, and it never comes out the way it started.

Truthfully, I don’t know details of many religions. I was raised a conservative Jew, and even though I went to a private Jewish school for 4 years and Hebrew School for 7 years after that (plus took a Judaism class in college), I don’t even know that much about Judaism. I do know that there are people who believe that the Bible/Torah/Old Testament or whatever you want to call is actually the word of G-d.* If you use the telephone theory, it totally makes sense that a huge portion of the population decided that parts of the Bible foretold of the coming of Jesus (the Son of God) while people of the Jewish faith are still waiting for the Messiah. Elementary school students can rarely make it through a line of 10 without losing or changing some of the words in the game – how would humanity be able to make it thousands of years with no changes? Especially since the beginnings of religion likely precluded writing… makes you think, doesn’t it?

*Let me explain the dash. Growing up, I was never allowed to actually write out the word, because there’s some Jewish rule about having to give anything with the deity’s name written out some sort of proper burial. Or the teachers were afraid it would get misspelled, I’m not sure. Anyways, the habit continues, just in case I end up in Hell for spelling out the word. G-d forbid. But now I realized that unless this is printed, it really doesn’t matter, because you can’t bury a website. So please don’t print this, or God will be mad. Unless my religion’s wrong, in which case you’re probably fine. And either way, I warned you, so print at your own peril.

2006-11-21T22:57:00.000-05:00

11/20/06, 11:29pm. (the actual time this was written...)

As you may have noticed, I actually started writing this blog before even having one. I just tried the blogspot website, and it’s apparently having problems, so I guess I’m going to have to wait to actually find a name and start up the official blog.

Right now I’m typing this up with ESPN2’s College GameDay on in the background. It is sometimes amazing to me that as each year passes, I seem to enjoy college basketball more and more. A few years ago, I pretty much only paid attention to Kansas Basketball during the regular season, and then half-heartedly watched the tournament up until the Sweet Sixteen or Elite Eight. Not so anymore – I now find myself staying up late to watch the replay of the Arizona-UVA game (definitely worth it – UVA came back to win a close one), caring about who won the Maryland-Winthrop game (and I’ve even heard of Winthrop before), and itching to go to bed to continue reading John Feinstein’s A March to Madness. I guess what I’m trying to say is – it’s basketball season, and I’m loving it. And I’m guessing this isn’t the last time it comes up in my blog.

Naming my Blog

2006-11-21T20:06:00.000-05:00

Finally, I’ve decided to get myself a blog. It’s been a long time coming – I’ve been thinking about it off and on for about a year now, but I can never think of what I want to call it. According to the omniscient character Lucas in Empire Records (one of my faves), “The first thing you need is a name. Then you'll know what kind of band you've got.” I realize I’m not starting a band, but I’m guessing the name thing is just as important in blogging. If you already know me, then my year-long thought process probably won’t surprise you, since you know I always have multiple trains of thought going on. If you just happen along onto this blog… sorry if things get a little random, but that’s how my brain works. Crap, now I have to think of a name…*

*one day later - I have a name. Actually, I was trying to decide on the address title - and I decided on midnight-a-musing. I do my best thinking at night, and maybe it'll be amusing. Either way, each thought definitely counts as a musing. :-)