. . . in answer to the eternal question that haunts us all (when I'm feeling awkward and have nothing pseudo-clever to say, anyway).
Friday's post was a spur of the moment quickie, so here's a little more detail. There are 162 games in the Major League Baseball regular season. The Phillies -- my dearly beloved Phillies -- trailed for the first 158, tied for the division lead at 159, and now -- just 2 hours ago -- after game 160, they lead by one full game. Seriously, unless you're a real baseball fan, you have no idea how epic this will be if they hold on. Click here to read an article from a New York newspaper who declared the Mets winners and the Phillies losers on August 26 (a full two weeks before I changed from Phillies to Lions colors, for those of you who may consider me to have been of little faith). The Mets led by a massive seven games with only 17 remaining -- EVERY team in history to have that large of a lead with so few remaining games has won out. The Mets collapse (I'd really like for you to click that one) -- which is very, very nearly complete, will literally be historic. And they've been playing baseball for a very, very long time. Am I giddy? Yes, yes I am. Seriously, we have a magic number!
How does it get better? The Mets play early tomorrow, and they'll probably lose (that's all they've been doing lately). Then the Phils play on broadcast tv, and I stand a VERY good chance of seeing them celebrate their first playoff birth in fourteen LONG years at roughly 6:30 EST on Saturday the 29th. Wow.
For what it's worth, I'm not convinced that they have the pitching to have a great shot to win the Series, but at least they'd have a shot, and just to be playing in October would be, as I said, fourteen LONG years in the making. Again, wow.
Ok, but it gets better. The Sooners also start Big XII play at Boulder. West Virginia lost to a directional school Friday night, so an OU win should move them at least up to #3 in the national polls and set up fantastically phenomenal Red River Shootout for the 6th. Get ready, Jeremy. I mean get REALLY ready. The Crimson and Cream look GOOD for '07 (and '08, and '09, and . . .). and we're no Arkansas State or Central Florida.
Then, after missing my first service ever last week, I get to go be a part of Life Pointe. I LOVE Life Pointe.
And now here's this -- on Sunday, the Lions get a chance to go to 3-1 with a home game against the Bears. Now their defense did give up 42 first-half points last week and I'm not sold on them yet -- to be honest I think they probably drop this one -- but who knows? Maybe they'll surprise me just like the Phillies. And even if not, they've already won nearly as many games as last year (note -- setting the bar low can be helpful).
So am I enjoying the excitement? Like you wouldn't believe.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Sometimes I LOVE Being Wrong!
So on September 7, I changed the colors here from a Phillies scheme to a Lions motif. Now it's back. Here's the skinny:
1) It has nothing to do with any disappointment in the Lions. Sure, they gave up 42 first-half points to a mediocre Eagles offense last week, but they're 2-1 and at least beating the bad teams so far. That's great improvement, you see, because we used to be the bad team that the mediocre teams beat. Maybe they've moved up! I'm optimistic, really.
2) The Phillies surge and coinciding Mets collapse was virtually unforeseeable! The Phillies are a ridiculous 11-3 over their last 14 games, and the Mets an even more ridiculous 4-10. That all adds up to: 3 games remaining, and they're now TIED!!! This article actually calls New York's now probable demise "historic":
1) It has nothing to do with any disappointment in the Lions. Sure, they gave up 42 first-half points to a mediocre Eagles offense last week, but they're 2-1 and at least beating the bad teams so far. That's great improvement, you see, because we used to be the bad team that the mediocre teams beat. Maybe they've moved up! I'm optimistic, really.
2) The Phillies surge and coinciding Mets collapse was virtually unforeseeable! The Phillies are a ridiculous 11-3 over their last 14 games, and the Mets an even more ridiculous 4-10. That all adds up to: 3 games remaining, and they're now TIED!!! This article actually calls New York's now probable demise "historic":
NEW YORK -- The New York Mets' lead is gone, leaving them on the brink of a historic collapse.
The free-falling Mets managed just three hits off Joel Pineiro and Jason Isringhausen in a 3-0 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday night, dropping New York into a first-place tie with Philadelphia in the NL East.
Not even Pedro Martinez could save New York, which had led the division alone every day since May 16. The Mets (87-72) were ahead by seven games on Sept. 12 with 17 remaining but have lost 10 of their last 14, a monumental tailspin for a team that counted on being in the playoffs.
No major league team has failed to finish first after having at least a seven-game advantage with 17 remaining. But with three games remaining in the regular season -- a weekend series at home against Florida -- the Mets might fail to win the division or the wild card.
Anyway, the Phillies color scheme will now positively remain until their season is positively over, and maybe longer if the unthinkable happens. But for now, I'm absolutely THRILLED to have been so wrong to give up on them.Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Fate. I Blame Fate.
Life changes in many different ways. Some are dramatic, some are subtle. Some are intentional, others are purely accidental. Sometimes the results are immediate, and sometimes the larger picture becomes clear only in hindsight.
I'm not exactly sure when yodeling become legitimately important in my life, but it's now positively undeniable that it is. Yep. Yodeling.
I just spent a week in Colorado, you see, and I had many experiences. I got to spend a lot of great time with my awesome wife, and it was great. I got to connect with my old buddy Shannon, and it was great. I got to hike to Mills Lake in the Rocky Mountains, and it was ridiculously fabulous. I got to hang out for a few days at a ministry conference, and it was generally pretty lame, but I got to meet and hang out with a whole boatload of great guys, and it was great. But all of these things were, more or less, expected.
What took me completely by surprise was the entertainment one night at the conference -- the Colorado Wranglers. Now let me be honest -- I didn't thing they sounded like something that I'd be digging on. At all. And, once again, I was (mostly) dead-on. Hey -- they were good, professional, fun, cheery, etc., but just really, REALLY not my style. Until they began chatting away about some of the unwritten rules and regulations regarding being a cowboy western band. They were as follow: 1) Sing in harmony (check), 2) Have a fiddle player (I thought it was a violin, but they're the experts, and they say "check"), and 3) Have a yodeler (WHAT?!). This was shocking for a couple reasons -- 1) I thought I was the only person ever to come across gospel yodeling, and 2) it was sounding like they were going to be able to meet the criteria . . . and I was not disappointed. They did a yodeling song.
Now before we get too far out of hand, let's get a couple things straight. 1) This was NO Buzz Goertzen. As far as yodeling goes, it was pretty entry level. Now I don't think the Wranglers would mind me saying so -- I think they'd agree themselves. By no means are they a yodeling act, so much as an act that contains a yodeling piece. There's a world of difference there, kids, and we need to be sure precisely where we're standing on this stuff. 2) I didn't "like" it. As in, I wouldn't hear it and think "yep, that's some darn enjoyable yodeling right there, now!" Because it just wasn't. I don't "like" yodeling in the first place, and it was mediocre yodeling even at that. I can't stress the point too much.
Through all of this, though, I can't deny . . . it was AWESOME! Have you ever been at a sporting event and had terrible seats, but something amazing happened? You might not have really even SEEN it, per se, but nonetheless, afterwards you and your buddy are screaming and will forever tell the story about the greatest thing you ever "saw". Or how about your first date? Looking back -- and maybe even at the time -- it was more awkward than anything, and probably the "relationship" went nowhere . . . but DANG! You were with a girl! And she even wanted to be there for part of it! AWESOME!!! And so we remember this moment fondly, right? Well this was it. This was my first live yodeling experience. We'd been making eyes at one another for some time, but in the moment I was caught completely unaware, and the suddenness only added to the amazement. It really happened. I was there. I saw a dude yodel, for real. I would say it was the kind of thing that only happens in the movies, but who's ever seen a movie with yodeling?
Now I'm in too far, and I don't think there can be any retreat. I'm one of them now, you see -- I've seen too much, and if I go to the powers that be I'll be incriminating myself too. The door has been closed behind me, and the only way to go is further in. I'm a part of the yodeling culture now, and I'm only even, like, 85% unhappy about it. That little but growing piece of me is becoming more and more enamored, engaged, enthusiastic.
Now if only ol' Buzz will accept my myspace friend request . . . .
I'm not exactly sure when yodeling become legitimately important in my life, but it's now positively undeniable that it is. Yep. Yodeling.
I just spent a week in Colorado, you see, and I had many experiences. I got to spend a lot of great time with my awesome wife, and it was great. I got to connect with my old buddy Shannon, and it was great. I got to hike to Mills Lake in the Rocky Mountains, and it was ridiculously fabulous. I got to hang out for a few days at a ministry conference, and it was generally pretty lame, but I got to meet and hang out with a whole boatload of great guys, and it was great. But all of these things were, more or less, expected.
What took me completely by surprise was the entertainment one night at the conference -- the Colorado Wranglers. Now let me be honest -- I didn't thing they sounded like something that I'd be digging on. At all. And, once again, I was (mostly) dead-on. Hey -- they were good, professional, fun, cheery, etc., but just really, REALLY not my style. Until they began chatting away about some of the unwritten rules and regulations regarding being a cowboy western band. They were as follow: 1) Sing in harmony (check), 2) Have a fiddle player (I thought it was a violin, but they're the experts, and they say "check"), and 3) Have a yodeler (WHAT?!). This was shocking for a couple reasons -- 1) I thought I was the only person ever to come across gospel yodeling, and 2) it was sounding like they were going to be able to meet the criteria . . . and I was not disappointed. They did a yodeling song.
Now before we get too far out of hand, let's get a couple things straight. 1) This was NO Buzz Goertzen. As far as yodeling goes, it was pretty entry level. Now I don't think the Wranglers would mind me saying so -- I think they'd agree themselves. By no means are they a yodeling act, so much as an act that contains a yodeling piece. There's a world of difference there, kids, and we need to be sure precisely where we're standing on this stuff. 2) I didn't "like" it. As in, I wouldn't hear it and think "yep, that's some darn enjoyable yodeling right there, now!" Because it just wasn't. I don't "like" yodeling in the first place, and it was mediocre yodeling even at that. I can't stress the point too much.
Through all of this, though, I can't deny . . . it was AWESOME! Have you ever been at a sporting event and had terrible seats, but something amazing happened? You might not have really even SEEN it, per se, but nonetheless, afterwards you and your buddy are screaming and will forever tell the story about the greatest thing you ever "saw". Or how about your first date? Looking back -- and maybe even at the time -- it was more awkward than anything, and probably the "relationship" went nowhere . . . but DANG! You were with a girl! And she even wanted to be there for part of it! AWESOME!!! And so we remember this moment fondly, right? Well this was it. This was my first live yodeling experience. We'd been making eyes at one another for some time, but in the moment I was caught completely unaware, and the suddenness only added to the amazement. It really happened. I was there. I saw a dude yodel, for real. I would say it was the kind of thing that only happens in the movies, but who's ever seen a movie with yodeling?
Now I'm in too far, and I don't think there can be any retreat. I'm one of them now, you see -- I've seen too much, and if I go to the powers that be I'll be incriminating myself too. The door has been closed behind me, and the only way to go is further in. I'm a part of the yodeling culture now, and I'm only even, like, 85% unhappy about it. That little but growing piece of me is becoming more and more enamored, engaged, enthusiastic.
Now if only ol' Buzz will accept my myspace friend request . . . .
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Can You Root for BYU AND Utah?
So I got a call from a buddy Saturday night, and he's having a pretty tough time in his marriage right now. He's a Notre Dame fan, you see. Of course they've had a lot of good years together, but right now times are trying like he just never thought possible. She stays out all night, treats him like garbage, and has become hideously ugly. No two ways, it's not a good situation right now. They're married, though, and so it was still a little bit tough to hear when he asked me "Am I a terrible person if I consider changing teams?"
Of course, I had several thoughts. First of all, I was glad that he called me. There are only too many people out there who would have given him the easy pass and said something stupid like, "You have to do what's right for you!", "There's no sense in being trapped in a love-less relationship!" or "If you're not getting what you need out of the relationship, then I don't see any reason to continue it." This is America, after all, and we've grown all too accustomed to taking the easy way in lieu of the right way. Second, I told him "no." It didn't make him a terrible person for considering switching teams . . . but it would most definitely qualify him if he actually did it.
Look -- "real" relationships are complex and messy and factor in a lot of different things. I don't believe in divorce, but I'm not trying to push anybody's buttons regarding their past or whatever. If you've been through a real divorce then I'm guessing that you have plenty of pain and regret and brokenness, and I'm not trying to pile on. Really, this paragraph is completely serious and joke-free. Part of me hesitates to even use the metaphor because of the tragic nature of all that is entailed in the genuine article.
But sports wives? Here I'm not afraid to throw the book at you. There can be no one-night stand, no girl on the side, and no sleazy liaisons at out of the way motels. You're married my friend, and whether or not you knew what you were doing at the time, you have to deal with the situation you're in.
Look, I married early and have had some rough years. I won't go into extravagant detail here, but you can read all about my pain here (oddly enough it's one of my favorites). For now, let's just say that I have one massive Lion painted on my wall for every playoff win that my favorite franchise has recorded since the advent of the Super Bowl. But you know what? She still has my heart, and no number of first-round wide receiver draft picks can change that. Even if my love was to fail, I'm dead to the wiles of the seductress, promising though she may be. It's sports marriage, and there is no going back.
There have been plenty of times when I've made my team sleep on the couch. Ultimately, it's always cold and lonely. There have been even more times when she's looked incredibly hot and I've gotten all excited, only to have her get drunk and pass out in the punch bowl. Once she even had some cosmetic surgery only to have her body ultimately reject the foreign substance and end up in even worse shape.
But you know what? I'm married. That means I'm in for the long haul and doing what I have to do. If that means my buddies make fun of me, I'll take it. If it means having to sneak away for burgers and brats because "we're making an effort to eat better together," then I'll call you when she's left for work. If it means installing a fun-house mirror on the bedroom ceiling, I'll live my illusion and like it. But it does NOT mean that I'm taking a trip to the courthouse, the bar, or the house of ill-repute.
Look, I'm not saying that you can't ever root for another team. In the Super Bowl two years ago, I rooted for the Seahawks because my buddy Craig's a big fan, and I would have been happy for him. When Louisville lost to Kentucky this weekend, I felt genuinely bad for a few friends who are "good" (intelligent, emotionally vested, and non-obnoxious) U of L fans. Hey -- I have some friends with cool wives, and I think that's great. And I wish cool wives for my single buddies, too. I'm for that! But under no circumstance can my buddy's wife come before mine. I can't get too emotionally involved, I can't take a stronger interest in his than in mine, and under no circumstance can I wear an article of her clothing. It just crosses the line.
Maybe if I lived in Utah I'd be able to pick up more teams. I saw a thing on tv about that once, and there were issues but it seemed to work on a certain level. Even then, though, it seems like an awfully big commitment. Sports wives can be high-maintenance if you want to give them the kind of attention they deserve, and the complications would seem endless.
In the end, I can't blame anybody for considering a sports divorce in an emotional moment. Hey -- that's really a tribute to how much you care in a certain sense, right? But at the end of the day, you know to whom your heart belongs.
There once was a dude (actually, maybe twice, but this one in particular for our purposes today) who was a lot wiser than I am, and had a lot more wives. Like a LOT more wives. It's his wisdom and knowledge and experience, then, with which we'll end today's post:
"For the lips of an adulteress drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil;
But in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword.
Her feet do gown to death; her steps lead straight to the grave.
She gives no thought to the way of life;
Her paths are crooked, but she knows it not.
Now then, my sons, listen to me; do not turn aside from what I say.
Keep to a path far from her, do not go near the door of her house,
Lest you give your best strength to others and your years to one who is cruel,
Lest strangers feast on your wealth and your toil enrich another man's house."
-- Solomon, Proverbs 5:3-10, NIV
Of course, I had several thoughts. First of all, I was glad that he called me. There are only too many people out there who would have given him the easy pass and said something stupid like, "You have to do what's right for you!", "There's no sense in being trapped in a love-less relationship!" or "If you're not getting what you need out of the relationship, then I don't see any reason to continue it." This is America, after all, and we've grown all too accustomed to taking the easy way in lieu of the right way. Second, I told him "no." It didn't make him a terrible person for considering switching teams . . . but it would most definitely qualify him if he actually did it.
Look -- "real" relationships are complex and messy and factor in a lot of different things. I don't believe in divorce, but I'm not trying to push anybody's buttons regarding their past or whatever. If you've been through a real divorce then I'm guessing that you have plenty of pain and regret and brokenness, and I'm not trying to pile on. Really, this paragraph is completely serious and joke-free. Part of me hesitates to even use the metaphor because of the tragic nature of all that is entailed in the genuine article.
But sports wives? Here I'm not afraid to throw the book at you. There can be no one-night stand, no girl on the side, and no sleazy liaisons at out of the way motels. You're married my friend, and whether or not you knew what you were doing at the time, you have to deal with the situation you're in.
Look, I married early and have had some rough years. I won't go into extravagant detail here, but you can read all about my pain here (oddly enough it's one of my favorites). For now, let's just say that I have one massive Lion painted on my wall for every playoff win that my favorite franchise has recorded since the advent of the Super Bowl. But you know what? She still has my heart, and no number of first-round wide receiver draft picks can change that. Even if my love was to fail, I'm dead to the wiles of the seductress, promising though she may be. It's sports marriage, and there is no going back.
There have been plenty of times when I've made my team sleep on the couch. Ultimately, it's always cold and lonely. There have been even more times when she's looked incredibly hot and I've gotten all excited, only to have her get drunk and pass out in the punch bowl. Once she even had some cosmetic surgery only to have her body ultimately reject the foreign substance and end up in even worse shape.
But you know what? I'm married. That means I'm in for the long haul and doing what I have to do. If that means my buddies make fun of me, I'll take it. If it means having to sneak away for burgers and brats because "we're making an effort to eat better together," then I'll call you when she's left for work. If it means installing a fun-house mirror on the bedroom ceiling, I'll live my illusion and like it. But it does NOT mean that I'm taking a trip to the courthouse, the bar, or the house of ill-repute.
Look, I'm not saying that you can't ever root for another team. In the Super Bowl two years ago, I rooted for the Seahawks because my buddy Craig's a big fan, and I would have been happy for him. When Louisville lost to Kentucky this weekend, I felt genuinely bad for a few friends who are "good" (intelligent, emotionally vested, and non-obnoxious) U of L fans. Hey -- I have some friends with cool wives, and I think that's great. And I wish cool wives for my single buddies, too. I'm for that! But under no circumstance can my buddy's wife come before mine. I can't get too emotionally involved, I can't take a stronger interest in his than in mine, and under no circumstance can I wear an article of her clothing. It just crosses the line.
Maybe if I lived in Utah I'd be able to pick up more teams. I saw a thing on tv about that once, and there were issues but it seemed to work on a certain level. Even then, though, it seems like an awfully big commitment. Sports wives can be high-maintenance if you want to give them the kind of attention they deserve, and the complications would seem endless.
In the end, I can't blame anybody for considering a sports divorce in an emotional moment. Hey -- that's really a tribute to how much you care in a certain sense, right? But at the end of the day, you know to whom your heart belongs.
There once was a dude (actually, maybe twice, but this one in particular for our purposes today) who was a lot wiser than I am, and had a lot more wives. Like a LOT more wives. It's his wisdom and knowledge and experience, then, with which we'll end today's post:
"For the lips of an adulteress drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil;
But in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword.
Her feet do gown to death; her steps lead straight to the grave.
She gives no thought to the way of life;
Her paths are crooked, but she knows it not.
Now then, my sons, listen to me; do not turn aside from what I say.
Keep to a path far from her, do not go near the door of her house,
Lest you give your best strength to others and your years to one who is cruel,
Lest strangers feast on your wealth and your toil enrich another man's house."
-- Solomon, Proverbs 5:3-10, NIV
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
What If My Dog Wrote This Post?
So I know I'm not the first to ever have these thoughts, but I have them anyway. And so . . . .
Why is it that a large portion of Americans (and maybe others too, I just happen to know mostly Americans since I live in Kentucky, which I understand to be very near this "America") seem to be so down on anything that is American or even human, as opposed to anything from another culture or the animal kingdom?
Let's start with the American cultural thing. Surely you've heard any number of the following statements, or at least variations/correlates: "You know the Native Americans treasured the elderly for their great wisdom!" "Our founding fathers would surely blush if they could see where our society is today!" "In African culture [fill in the blank with some random positive element from African culture]!"
These are all well and good, of course. Elderly people are awesome. There are some terrible elements of contemporary society. African culture surely has some great facets from which we could all learn. That said, it seems to me the underlying message whenever I hear something of similar nature is "Everything American and modern is bad, and everything old or foreign is WAY better!" Now obviously that's ridiculously over-stated, but you get it, right? If it's "other" it HAS to be superior!
There's trouble brewing, though. Because you know what? Native Americans slept in tee-pees, many of our founding fathers were genocide-promoting racists, and African culture is (like any other) surely as riddled with bad as it is good. Really, who wants to trade?
There are a million things I would change about contemporary American culture. We're incredibly materialistic, insoluably hedonistic, and in practice if not in word, completely atheistic. Equally, there are surely a million things we can learn from other cultures and times, but ultimately I don't think I can call them qualitatively "better" than our own. Please, then, can we escape the charge of ethnocentrism because we live in the world in which we have been born?
The animal thing is almost the same deal. My dog killed a rodent this week, and I don't think anybody could fault her for it. She's a dog. It's "natural"! I actually saw it happen, and she didn't think, calculate, or consider -- she just attacked. BAM! And it was over just that fast. No second thoughts, no regret, no room for re-consideration. What if I had done the killing, however? Are there not those among us who would critisize me harshly? It would have been scarecely less natural for me. To reference the above portion of this post, our ancestors or those in other cultures would surely have no issue with a routine take-down. Yet somehow, because I'm human, my actions are outside the realm of "nature." How is this? How am I less "natural" then my dog? Why is it beautiful when a beaver builds a dam, but environmental rape when a human does? Nobody condemns the leopard for hunting the gazelle, but for a human "meat is murder!" How did "nature" come to be defined as "anything and everything not human?" Did we create ourselves?
Look, I'm not trying to be overly critical of my culturally aware, naturalistic or extra-sensitive friends here. Take the good from other cultures, definitely. Have you chosen to eat texured soy protein rather than bacon? Ok! All I'm saying is this -- in our zeal to criticize that which may legitimately deserve another critic, let's not forget to examine some of our pre-suppositions and find the real root of the issue. After all, the Chinese proverb says "Have a mouth as sharp as a dagger but a heart as soft as tofu."
(I have no idea what that means.)
Why is it that a large portion of Americans (and maybe others too, I just happen to know mostly Americans since I live in Kentucky, which I understand to be very near this "America") seem to be so down on anything that is American or even human, as opposed to anything from another culture or the animal kingdom?
Let's start with the American cultural thing. Surely you've heard any number of the following statements, or at least variations/correlates: "You know the Native Americans treasured the elderly for their great wisdom!" "Our founding fathers would surely blush if they could see where our society is today!" "In African culture [fill in the blank with some random positive element from African culture]!"
These are all well and good, of course. Elderly people are awesome. There are some terrible elements of contemporary society. African culture surely has some great facets from which we could all learn. That said, it seems to me the underlying message whenever I hear something of similar nature is "Everything American and modern is bad, and everything old or foreign is WAY better!" Now obviously that's ridiculously over-stated, but you get it, right? If it's "other" it HAS to be superior!
There's trouble brewing, though. Because you know what? Native Americans slept in tee-pees, many of our founding fathers were genocide-promoting racists, and African culture is (like any other) surely as riddled with bad as it is good. Really, who wants to trade?
There are a million things I would change about contemporary American culture. We're incredibly materialistic, insoluably hedonistic, and in practice if not in word, completely atheistic. Equally, there are surely a million things we can learn from other cultures and times, but ultimately I don't think I can call them qualitatively "better" than our own. Please, then, can we escape the charge of ethnocentrism because we live in the world in which we have been born?
The animal thing is almost the same deal. My dog killed a rodent this week, and I don't think anybody could fault her for it. She's a dog. It's "natural"! I actually saw it happen, and she didn't think, calculate, or consider -- she just attacked. BAM! And it was over just that fast. No second thoughts, no regret, no room for re-consideration. What if I had done the killing, however? Are there not those among us who would critisize me harshly? It would have been scarecely less natural for me. To reference the above portion of this post, our ancestors or those in other cultures would surely have no issue with a routine take-down. Yet somehow, because I'm human, my actions are outside the realm of "nature." How is this? How am I less "natural" then my dog? Why is it beautiful when a beaver builds a dam, but environmental rape when a human does? Nobody condemns the leopard for hunting the gazelle, but for a human "meat is murder!" How did "nature" come to be defined as "anything and everything not human?" Did we create ourselves?
Look, I'm not trying to be overly critical of my culturally aware, naturalistic or extra-sensitive friends here. Take the good from other cultures, definitely. Have you chosen to eat texured soy protein rather than bacon? Ok! All I'm saying is this -- in our zeal to criticize that which may legitimately deserve another critic, let's not forget to examine some of our pre-suppositions and find the real root of the issue. After all, the Chinese proverb says "Have a mouth as sharp as a dagger but a heart as soft as tofu."
(I have no idea what that means.)
Friday, September 7, 2007
As the Seasons Change . . .
If you're an observant type, you've already noticed. The colors are changing . . . no, not the leaves yet, but the colors on Flogging, But With a "B".
Here's the deal -- I'm tentatively giving up on the '07 Phillies. They pulled me back in -- hard -- with a 4 game sweep of the Mets, but then they went and gave away back-to-back series's against the Marlins and Braves, in true implosive fashion, and I'm just not seeing it. The previous color scheme, then (which, if you never picked up, was completely Phillies-driven) has been replaced by the sparkling Honolulu Blue of the Detroit Lions! In other words, it's flipped over to football season on my calender.
In roughly 14 1/2 hours, my Oklahoma Sooners kick off against the hated Miami Hurricanes. I can't wait. I'm actually more excited about OU than the Lions right now, which is weird for me because I'm a much more devoted Lions fan and would chose a Lions Super Bowl over another Sooner National Championship anyday. It's just that by about week six I expect the Lions will be nearing mathematic elimination for the playoffs, and OU should still be looking at a strong season, so I'll be able to switch from Lions colors to Sooner colors, but not the other way around. If my Lions prove me wrong, all the better!
Here's the deal -- I'm tentatively giving up on the '07 Phillies. They pulled me back in -- hard -- with a 4 game sweep of the Mets, but then they went and gave away back-to-back series's against the Marlins and Braves, in true implosive fashion, and I'm just not seeing it. The previous color scheme, then (which, if you never picked up, was completely Phillies-driven) has been replaced by the sparkling Honolulu Blue of the Detroit Lions! In other words, it's flipped over to football season on my calender.
In roughly 14 1/2 hours, my Oklahoma Sooners kick off against the hated Miami Hurricanes. I can't wait. I'm actually more excited about OU than the Lions right now, which is weird for me because I'm a much more devoted Lions fan and would chose a Lions Super Bowl over another Sooner National Championship anyday. It's just that by about week six I expect the Lions will be nearing mathematic elimination for the playoffs, and OU should still be looking at a strong season, so I'll be able to switch from Lions colors to Sooner colors, but not the other way around. If my Lions prove me wrong, all the better!
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Uh, Got Any Gum?
I have no deep thoughts today.
Even worse, I have no comedy.
What I DO have, then, are just a couple random tidbits to make myself feel like I'm maintaining some sort of blogging presence:
As I said, I have no comedy today, but this guy has comedy like I could only dream of. I just recently discovered this, and I have just two words: man crush. A couple of my favorites are here and the bottom one here (Daniel Henderson on this last one, anybody?).
Whigham's just started putting video up on his blog, and it's both entertaining and disturbing. Pop on over and get to know him better . . . maybe better than you wanted!
The back-to-back Buzz Goertzen blogs? By FAR the two most-trafficked days that Flogging, But with a "B" has ever seen. I'm not sure what that says about you, but I'm sure that it says something.
Finally, Michigan has just been toppled by Appalachian State. And I guess I have just a couple quick thoughts:
1) College football is BACK, baby! Wohoo!
2) Appalachian State over Michigan? In Michigan? With a veteran quarterback, even? I'd love to sit her and write "I KNEW it was going to happen!" but I can't say that I EVER could have seen that coming. Just wow.
3) Does that mean that, in theory, OU could lose to North Texas tonight? They ARE the Mean Green, after all. I mean seriously, if they were just "Green" that's no problem. But they have chosen to specifically modify "Green" with the adjective "Mean." Now I don't know exactly how a color can be endowed with personality characteristics, but North Texas IS an institution of higher learning, and I can only assume that they're fully aware of whatever implications might be involved with having "Mean" Green as opposed to the ordinary, garden variety green. Anyway, we have a red-shirt freshman at quarterback and were ranked a bit behind Michigan in the pre-season polls, so are we, in theory, more vulnerable than they were? Is it time to worry for real?
4) North Texas has no chance, however mean they might like to consider themselves (or their green). You probably didn't read it here first, but you read it here, anyway.
5) Just by going over the box score for the Michigan/Appalachian State game, they've demonstrated one more time why I think it's stupid to go for two until *very* late in a ball game. Michigan scored late in the 3rd quarter, went for 2 (to get within three, but with a FULL quarter to play!), and failed. They scored again late in the 4th quarter, went for 2 (now to go UP by three), and failed. Then the apparently completely unforeseeable happened and Appalachian State defied all mathematical probability by *kicking a field goal?* to go up by two and win. If Michigan just doesn't jump the gun and kicks the PAT in the THIRD QUARTER, they then no doubt kick another in the 4th, and play into overtime. Do coaches not watch football? It seems like this happens to somebody every single week. *Sigh*.
Even worse, I have no comedy.
What I DO have, then, are just a couple random tidbits to make myself feel like I'm maintaining some sort of blogging presence:
As I said, I have no comedy today, but this guy has comedy like I could only dream of. I just recently discovered this, and I have just two words: man crush. A couple of my favorites are here and the bottom one here (Daniel Henderson on this last one, anybody?).
Whigham's just started putting video up on his blog, and it's both entertaining and disturbing. Pop on over and get to know him better . . . maybe better than you wanted!
The back-to-back Buzz Goertzen blogs? By FAR the two most-trafficked days that Flogging, But with a "B" has ever seen. I'm not sure what that says about you, but I'm sure that it says something.
Finally, Michigan has just been toppled by Appalachian State. And I guess I have just a couple quick thoughts:
1) College football is BACK, baby! Wohoo!
2) Appalachian State over Michigan? In Michigan? With a veteran quarterback, even? I'd love to sit her and write "I KNEW it was going to happen!" but I can't say that I EVER could have seen that coming. Just wow.
3) Does that mean that, in theory, OU could lose to North Texas tonight? They ARE the Mean Green, after all. I mean seriously, if they were just "Green" that's no problem. But they have chosen to specifically modify "Green" with the adjective "Mean." Now I don't know exactly how a color can be endowed with personality characteristics, but North Texas IS an institution of higher learning, and I can only assume that they're fully aware of whatever implications might be involved with having "Mean" Green as opposed to the ordinary, garden variety green. Anyway, we have a red-shirt freshman at quarterback and were ranked a bit behind Michigan in the pre-season polls, so are we, in theory, more vulnerable than they were? Is it time to worry for real?
4) North Texas has no chance, however mean they might like to consider themselves (or their green). You probably didn't read it here first, but you read it here, anyway.
5) Just by going over the box score for the Michigan/Appalachian State game, they've demonstrated one more time why I think it's stupid to go for two until *very* late in a ball game. Michigan scored late in the 3rd quarter, went for 2 (to get within three, but with a FULL quarter to play!), and failed. They scored again late in the 4th quarter, went for 2 (now to go UP by three), and failed. Then the apparently completely unforeseeable happened and Appalachian State defied all mathematical probability by *kicking a field goal?* to go up by two and win. If Michigan just doesn't jump the gun and kicks the PAT in the THIRD QUARTER, they then no doubt kick another in the 4th, and play into overtime. Do coaches not watch football? It seems like this happens to somebody every single week. *Sigh*.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
