Did the WWE film the scene inside George Mason's lockeroom?  

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What the heck was that? Coming back from commercial, we're taken inside George Mason's locker-room, with a dramatic zoom in of their coach, Jim Laranaga. He's going on and on about how the team went on a "magic carpet ride" last year. Then he talks about how he believes this team is magical, and points to a newspaper picture of a player dunking. "look at that, you are levitating"...wonka wonka. Then he shows a picture of the Nortre Dame Leprecon and says "let's make them disappear". He then crumbles up the paper!

I've seen scenes like this before, but they were always on Saturday Night Main Event, or Raw. And I'd shake my head in disbelief and say "my god, this is so fake, no wonder people make fun of me for watching wrestling."

I'm not exaggerating when I say that this little scene is making it less fun to watch the games tonight. It's tainted my experience.

Saul Williams sells out to Nike  

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1) I love the new Nike commercial

2) I love the song in the Nike commercial

3) I looked it up, and it's a Saul Williams song

4) I remembered him as the guy who was aligned with Trent Reznor in terms of releasing albums online.

5) I had a moment of utter confusion...."Why is he selling out to Nike?"

6) blech.

Did I almost die this morning?  

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It's possible that my memory of what transpired this morning is off, b/c i was half asleep, but....

My alarm clock is all the way by the foot of my bed because I need to hide it from myself. When it's too close, I wind up waking up in the middle of the night checking it to see if I've overslept. Very crippling.

Anyway, when it goes off, I immediately jump up in a violent motion because I feel guilty about waking up the people upstairs. I'm not as fluid as I used to be (in college, my bed would wind up a foot or two away from where it started, b/c my violent swing would bring the bed with me), but it's still the most athletic part of my day. I pop up, roll over and then dive towards the clock. My right arm plants at the edge of the bed while my left arm does the swipe of the clock.

This morning, I missed the edge of the bed with my plant hand. I was still half asleep, but I became terrified as the full force of my body was going off the bed. At the angle of my back/body, My face was going to smash into the wall. It seems like I could have easily broken my neck if I had connected....my face/head would either break through the wall, or snap backwards. I don't know how I did it, but i managed to take my swipe arm (the left) and push off against the wall to brace myself. I really screwed up my wrist, but I at least avoided smashing my head.

I wonder how close I came to death. How embarrassing would that be, to wind up dead in my bed. So six feet under, if you ask me. It also made me aware of just how tired I've been the past couple of weeks. It's depressing that there's 0% chance of me getting 8 hours of sleep on a given night...if even it were possible for me to fall asleep instantly.....which it's not.

ugh, why won't this SHU game end, so i can go to bed????


off balanced shots after offensive rebounds  

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it's absolutely amazing what's considered an "acceptable" shot after an offensive rebound. It's like these big men get overwhelmed by the fact that they have the ball so close to the basket. falling backwards, off-balanced, they just chuck it up and waste a possession.

annoying.

Six Feet Under: Season 1  

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Well, I never got around to recapping the entire season, but there are a couple of points worth mentioning.

First, episode six: "The Room" is a microcosm for one of the major story arcs of the 1st season. All of the characters, but Nate in particular, feel a great guilt over losing out on their chance to get to know Nate Sr. It's a reoccurring theme during the show, but it's never more poignant than in this episode.

Nate goes on a physical quest to learn about his father, but ultimately comes up short. He's overwhelmed by the frustration in not being able to find definitive answers. The little information he does find (example: Nate Sr.'s pot connection told Nate that his father always bragged about how Nate had the guts to pack up and leave) can be interpreted in different ways (Nate Sr. mockingly suggests that he just said that to hide his embarrassment).

A less powerful show would wrap up the quest in a nice bow and give Nate peace of mind. But that's not how it works for SFU. Nate screwed up in that small window of his life where he had the chance to get to know his father. He can't get that back....ever. It's over. The best he can do is take the opportunity to get to know the other people he cares about...and to let them the chance to get to know him. It's a bittersweet realization, but it will eventual growth.

Which leads to my second, point, and possibly one of the most important scenes in SFU history. In episode 7, "Brotherhood", Nate finally breaks through David's personal wall. Sparked by a brother's mourning (coupled with pain of not "knowing" his father), Nate hugs David and tells him he loves him. The look of shock on David's face shows the confusion over the event. That's the moment where David stops resenting Nate and starts to build a new relationship with him. I love how gradual the changes take place throughout the rest of the season. In the next episode, David once again chastises Nate for not studying hard enough for the funeral director's exam. He finds Nate outside in the sun (and in shorts), but with the book in front of him. When Nate makes a comment about loosening up, David doesn't get defensive, but instead sits down next to him in the lawn chair. Sure, he's still in his suit, and he still huffs and puffs when he sits, but he does sit. And that's the breakthrough. He's willing to meet Nate in the middle, and starts to reevaluate his own life and problems. In that sense, Nate really does save David. Without that original hug, David probably never "comes out", and probably never stops with all of the self loathing.

I know I had two other points, but I can't remember them now. Maybe something about Nate saving Ruth and Brenda too. Claire's journey is a little cloudier.

I'm pretty sure that this is only the second Vitale-colored basketball game I've watched this season. I seem to remember watching a game that happened to be his first game back from some type of cancer or surgery or something. I'm pretty good at tuning him out, but I remember him saying a player reminding him of Nick the Quick Workman. The only reason that stayed in my memory is because I met Nick at one of the first basketball games I ever went to (in fact, I was able to rebound for him while he warmed up for an old timer's game at the Meadowlands). Anyway, tonight, for the second time, Vitale has referenced Nick.

I wish there was a way to find out if it was the same player both times (the big white center from UNC whose name I should know. Hansborrow, maybe?). I saw the first matchup between UNC and Duke, and I assume that was on ESPN, so it is possible.

6 dollars for an all day pass??  

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apparently, the people who determine price points at the PATH think
they work for dorney park. A single fare is now 1.75. If you use a
smart link card, you can buy in bulk for an average of 1.30 per
ticket. In the alternative, you can buy "all day" passes where you
can ride the PATH an unlimited amount of times. For a 30 day "all
day" pass, the price is 54 dollars. That's 2 dollars less than the 40
trip pack. Now, the average commuter probably takes the path 43 times
in 30 days (twice a day during the week, zero times on the weekend, 4
2/7 weeks in the month). It's so close in price, that I imagine people
aren't going to take the risk on a monthly pass and instead stick with
buying individual trips. But at least it's COMPARABLE.



For the single day ticket, the cost is a whopping six dollars. My
mind litterally boggled. A person would have to ride the PATH FIVE
(ugh, i hate when emphasized-capital-letters sit side by side with
capitalized-for-regular-reason letters. the emphasis is completely
lost) times in order to make it profitbale for him. (5x1.30 = 6.50).
Seriously, how many people in the history of time have ridden the PATH
5 times in one day? Who's the target market? There are two
possible options here. First, is that the people at the PATH are
completely incompentant and just randomly picked a number out of thin
air. The second is that they are hoping to trick unsuspecting rookie
commuters who will see "single day" and mistake it for "single
trip". That's gotta be it, right? I think I'm going to have to
email the people at the PATH to see what's going on here. I forgot
to post it (but I will), but I was able to secure the removal of a
rogue, incorrect map on the PATH a month or so ago. Let's hope their
streak of good customer service continues.