He really loves me the most...

Check out this Winter League Champ-



I love that hat. I also love that Frosty Disc won the WAFC winter league tournament yesterday. Since spring 1993, I had played in over 30 leagues around Pittsburgh or DC. A handful of my teams advanced to semis or finals, but we never won the whole thing. And most of the time, my teams have just been plain awful. So I definitely had one coming my way.

The weather yesterday was miserable. Temperatures were only in the low 30s and the wind was consistently blowing at 15 to 20 miles an hour. We won 12-11 and 15-14 in quarters and semis. And then 11-9 in finals. All told, I think we only scored a total of 7 or 8 upwinders for the day.


In other news, check out this awesome picture of me with our nephew Riley. This is one of my favorite Mary-taken photos ever. Riley is so frackin' cute!

Weekend Update

- I went running last night. I finished the run going east down the hill on Porter Street towards Connecticut. There were no cars on the road, so I veered out into the middle of the street and sprinted past the pole-mounted radar gun -- with my arms extended to make sure it "saw" me. I clocked in at 14 mph.

So I didn't quite trigger that traffic signal down the hill designed to keep motorists under 25, but 14 still seemed pretty damn fast to me. I hadn't even given myself enough room to get up to top speed.


- I've started doing temp legal work. The pay is good, but the hours and the subject matter are not so fun. Essentially, I'm pouring over the hard drives and email accounts of top executives from a corporation involved in a big acquisition.

I have to pull out the needles in the haystack that the Federal Trade Commission would like to see before approving the acquisition. Its mostly dry stuff, but occasionally you come across a funny picture, a dirty joke, or an astoundingly random email... such as a list of prominent Mormons entrenched at the top of a specific industry.


- While at my temp job, I accidentally caught someone sleeping on the job. Then the person I accidentally caught realized I had caught him. I hate when that happens.

I had no intention of busting on the guy or seeming like the Sleep Police. That moment when you just happen to be looking in someone's direction and he just happens to open his eyes at the same time is so unfortunate.


- Though she might not admit it for fear of approaching my level of geekdom, Mary is totally in love with Battlestar Galactica. This development obviously warms my heart.

This one scores a big old "WTF?"

First the Steelers win the Superbowl. And now another proud moment for the City of Pittsburgh. The only question is which version of the story is more messed up.

Am I the only one that finds it creepy when someone wears gloves indoors?

Seriously. It was pretty damn warm in the room. Why on Earth was this girl wearing gloves???

What the hell happened?

Four years ago, the Terps won the National Championship. Two years ago, we won an ACC Championship with a rotation composed of four freshmen, four sophomores, and a single senior. After those young guys beat Duke for the ACC crown, I remember thinking "this team will be back in the Final Four in 2006."

2006 is here, but the Terps are much more likely to be among the Final Four to Miss the Tournament than in the actual Final Four. We've been reduced to praying for a win over Florida State tomorrow night just to get us back into NCAA contention.

You could point to the unfortunate departures of John "Eff you Gary Williams, I quit" Gilchrist and Chris "Whoops, I flunked out" McCray as reasons for the downfall, but that's not enough to excuse the downward spiral since March 2004. Remember that after our top four scorers all left College Park following the April 2002 championship, the team responded by literally coming within an inch or two of the Elite 8 the following season.

Though we managed to eek out a win (at home against a bad team, mind you) in our last game, there's a pretty telling stat we're working on currently: we have now turned the ball over 26 times in two consecutive games against ACC bottom-dwellers... committing 52 turnovers against Clemson and Georgia Tech says a lot about your program.

The schedule on the Terps' website still absurdly lists the ACC championship and the Final Four among potential future games. I think whoever maintains the website should probably be looking for some information about the NIT right about now.

Thursday Evening Angry Sith Blogging


"Damnit. The press caught wind of the no-bid contracts we awarded to Halliburton."



"So you're telling me that some dipshit farmboy flying a lone X-Wing fighter destroyed our glorious Death Star?"



"Go fuck yourself Pat Leahy!"

Seattle's New Favorite Drink



[thanks to Dave for the forwarded image]

The NRA Wrapping Itself in the Banner of Hurricane Katrina

They want "Remember New Orleans" to be a rallying slogan for the gun lobby. Seriously. And just to make sure you know I'm not making this up, I'll say it again. Seriously.

As insane as Ann Coulter's oratory vomit and Bill Frist's gay hate revival were, I think this "Remember New Orleans" bullshit from NRA Vice President Wayne LaPierre was definitely the wingnut highlight of last week's Conservative Political Action Conference.

I guess the specter of gay marriage is only troubling to right wingers in even numbered years

Bill Frist is talking up another Senate vote on a Federal marriage amendment for June of this year. You know, because last year it was gay marriage's fault that Katrina destroyed New Orleans, the war in Iraq dragged on, and gas prices spiked.

What a ridiculous stunt. They couldn't even get 50 senators onboard back in 2004, let alone the 67 needed to get the ball rolling on a Constitutional amendment. And now they're whipping it out again only two years later? I guess the thinking is that there's nothing like some juicy, delicious gay hate to spice up an election year legislative calendar.

Maybe while they're in the mood to revive some of their recent losing initiatives, we could ask them to also crank up George Bush's ill-conceived "Let's Destroy Social Security" campaign again this spring. Seeing that one go down in flames last year was good stuff.

Does it say "MORON" somewhere on my resume and I just don't know about it?

My ongoing job search is definitely starting to feel a bit stale. I've put out about 180 resumes or applications thus far and the results are meager:

I have had a total of 10 interviews over the past two months. However, only six of those were actual job interviews -- the other four were with legal temp agencies. And of the six real job interviews, only three were for jobs that I was truly interested in. That number is too low. Its pretty depressing after all this time.

Until now, I have been reluctant to consider other employment options outside of my "career" job search. The main reason is that I have a fear that I'll get too comfortable and end up sticking with a job that would make my three years of law school seem like a waste. Unfortunately, that thought is starting to creep into the back of my mind anyway. After being unemployed for an unreal length of time, going to law school and taking the bar exam is starting to feel like time spent foolishly.

Best Snarky Early Coverage of Cheney's Accidental Shooting

ABC News takes the cake. Here's an awesome screen grab from their website at around 4pm today (click on the image to get an enlargement):



Score one for ABC. They went straight for their file photos and dug up a picture of Cheney in Pittsburgh back in 2004 with NRA Vice President Wayne LaPierre and President Kayne Robinson.

I hope the shootee from yesterday's incident is okay. Both because I really hope he's okay and because if he is okay, this shooting will definitely turn into a comedy gold mine. Just looking at that old NRA photo combined with today's headline makes me think this was something ripped from the front page of The Onion.

Hey Beavis, Check Out This Girl's HUGE...



... telescopes

As a civilized culture, shouldn't we be past this sort of thing by now? This telescope manufacturer obviously thinks we are not. And they certainly don't have a very high opinion of the sensibilities of the astronomy nerd community.

Stellarvue, what's wrong with just featuring your product like everyone else? Or should we assume that Stellarvue products actually suck and you need the extra sex appeal to compensate for that?

When I turned the page in my Sky & Telescope magazine and saw this ad, I actually laughed out loud. It just doesn't look right.

Get a load of all the brilliant original ideas coming soon from Hollywood

This article outlining the big flicks for 2006 pretty much says it all. We constantly see articles proclaiming the demise of the movie theater experience based on declining ticket sales. The stories always cite the internet, DVDs, home theater technology, and ticket prices in some order or combination. These are definitely factors -- but it seems like the authors of these stories just don't have the guts to also point out that Hollywood became lazy and unimaginative at a time when it could least afford it.

Just check out that 2006 movie roster. Here are the "can't miss" flicks:

- Superman Returns - remake
- Mission Impossible III - sequel
- X3 - sequel
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest - sequel
- Poseidon - remake
- The Da Vinci Code - adaptation
- Casino Royale - James Bond sequel
- Cars - original idea (animated)
- Over the Hedge - original idea (animated)
- Ice Age 2: The Meltdown - sequel (animated)

And the "safe bets" category:

- World Trade Center - 9/11 based
- Flight 93 - 9/11 based
- Miami Vice - adaptation
- The Shaggy Dog - original idea (animated)
- The Santa Clause 3 - sequel
- Flushed Away - original idea (animated)
- Charlotte's Web - adaptation

Only four original ideas there total, and none of them are even live action films. The fact that these are the movies that the industry is counting on to make money speaks volumes about what's wrong with the industry.

Superfans

Here's the video Mary shot of us watching the final moments of the Superbowl on Sunday night (the clip seems to get hung up in Winamp, so I suggest watching in RealPlayer or Windows Media Player).

Did the Steelers' victory affect the Pennsylvania governor's race?

It appears that the win may have been the final blow in the race for the Republican nomination for this fall's gubernatorial election.

Only hours after GOP hopeful and ex-Steeler Hall of Fame receiver Lynn Swann got priceless face time throughout Western Pennsylvania yesterday at the Steelers' victory parade, lone Republican rival Bill Scranton decided to pull out of the race. This means left-wingers in western Pennsylvania will face a terrible choice this fall:   A Republican that is a former Steelers great vs. a Democrat that's 100% Philly fan.

I'm glad I'm not a Pennsylvania resident anymore. I'd hate to be forced to vote against a Steeler.

STEELERS ARE THE CHAMPS!

The Seahawks, Mike Holmgren, Bill Gates, Paul Allen, Microsoft, Eddie Vedder, Pearl Jam, Starbucks, Boeing, Fraser Crane, and the rest of Seattle can all suck it

What an awesome weekend.

Mary and I got to Pittsburgh Friday afternoon. The city was more black and gold than ever. Schools all over the region were announcing closings and two hour delays for post-Superbowl Monday. At least eight out of every ten people were wearing Steelers gear. We went to Church at noon on Sunday... and there was a Terrible Towel hanging over the front entrance way to the chapel. The place was insane.

We watched the first half of the game at my folks' place. Then we caught the second half at Art's. While there, Mary secretly captured video of Joe, Art, and I celebrating as the final minute of the game wound down. Its quite a sight. Unfortunately its a huge quicktime video and I have no idea how to convert, edit, or compress it for the sake of posting here on the blog.



After the game, our whole crew met up at Bites & Brews in Shadyside. There were people everywhere going nuts. There was a full bar sing-a-long to Queen's "We are the Champions." Many "Here We Go Steelers" chants broke out as well. Simply put, there was much rejoicing.

The Steelers beat the NFC's top team after crushing the top 3 AFC teams on the road en route to the Superbowl. Hines Ward won himself a Superbowl MVP award. Ben Roethlisberger improved his career record as a starter to 27-4 despite a bad game. Jerome Bettis went out on top. Bill Cowher cemented his position as a Hall of Fame coach. And the Rooneys and the city of Pittsburgh got a fifth Lombardi trophy. Good stuff.

(and again, if I figure out how to post the awesome video of us celebrating the final seconds, I'll definitely post it)

obligatory Superbowl-in-Pittsburgh wrapup coming tomorrow

in the meantime, please refer to the new temporary title of the blog above

Taking a big step back and trying to see the big picture
     re: possession of WMDs as a justification for war

While half-assedly listening to last night's State of the Union address, I starting thinking back to January 2003 and the build-up to our war in Iraq. I remember listening to the leader of the free world spend 20 minutes lying to America about the danger posed by Iraq. I didn't KNOW he was lying at the time, but I also was not really buying the shit he was shoveling.

But there's something else I remember about that speech. I remember not being scared of Iraq. I remember being strongly opposed to the war before it started. I remember sitting on the couch and crying while watching the news on the night of our attack. And I remember thinking "Even if Iraq has WMDs, so what? We've got at least a few thousand nuclear warheads in our arsenal. Who are we to complain about another country having weapons?"

So there's the big picture: even if we were NOT misled by Bush, the war in Iraq would still be a blunder. It is still unjustified because we have a stockpile of nuclear weapons. And in case that was not enough to blow us off the moral high ground, there's also that other little discussed fact -- we have used them. Hiroshima was arguably justifiable. Nagasaki only a couple days later??? Not so sure about that one.

And even beyond our lack of moral authority on the issue, I still say going to war over mere possession of WMDs is ridiculous. It is absolute insanity to think that we can really stop other nations from developing them in the long run. Take a moment to look back a thousand years. Would it have been a realistic proposition for the Chinese or the Muslims to think they could stop the Europeans from learning the secrets of gunpowder? Of course it wouldn't. And that's what we're talking about today. How can anyone stop a country from progressing technologically? At some point in our future, nuclear weaponry will seem just as simple as gunpowder weaponry has seemed for the past 500 years.

We should probably stop focusing so much on what the other kids on the block (Iran) have in their pockets. Instead, we should be focusing on creating a world where fighting is not looked upon as a first option. A white Christian nation (us) invading an Arab Islamic nation (Iraq) without true provocation was not a good start.


Now switching gears a bit to one specific portion of last night's address that baffled me:

Keeping America competitive requires us to be good stewards of tax dollars. Every year of my presidency, we've reduced the growth of non-security discretionary spending, and last year you passed bills that cut this spending.

Why on Earth should we be applauding the President for reducing the growth of "non-security discretionary spending?" And which dumbass speechwriter put that awful bureaucratic-babble in the address? Doesn't that line basically mean we haven't been able to spend as much money at home because we are too busy blowing our wad on the war in Iraq?