Play Who Used To Own It? Round Five! Learn the painful lesson of The Guy: He who hesitates is lost!
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Wally Dogger, "Never Let the Good Times End" from I Surrender, When Do I Start? (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary:
"I had a shitty day at my job,
I can't switch lanes, when will this traffic stop?
Well, I raise my drink to all of my friends,
Never let the good times end."
Sunday, March 30, 2008
The Explorers Club
No. LXXI - The Great Rift Valley.
And as long as we're taking a closer look at Africa...
Who Used To Own It? - Round Five
Round Four Answers
1) Zimbabwe - Great Britain
2) Morocco - France
3) Togo - Germany
4) Rwanda - Germany
5) Ghana - Great Britain
6) The Congo - France
7) Benin - France
Round Four Scoring
Dr. Hee Haw 4/7 = 57%
Skeeter 3/7 = 43%
K. Steeze 1/7 = 14%
Round Four saw the first drop in the popularity of Who Used To Own It?, but I would be remiss if I did not welcome our newest player, and the first from the medical community, the prestigious Dr. Hee Haw. Welcome aboard, Doc! And I am all the more grateful to our returning contestants for their dogged loyalty. Skeeter has now tied The Guy as Who Used To Own It?'s most frequent participant. Woot!
And speaking of Skeeter, she remarked that Round Four was particularly difficult. One reason for this is almost certainly that I am quickly running the gamut of the African continent, and as I am subject to all the follies and foibles of any man those countries with which we are all most familiar were spotlighted first: Egypt, Algeria, and the D.R. Congo (formerly Zaire, formerly the Belgian Congo) were all queries way back in Round One. But at least from where I sit the difficulty of Who Used To Own It? is at least three-fifths of the fun. What most Americans know about European colonization of Africa in the decades before the unspeakable horror of the Great War wouldn't fill a complete sentence, much less five rounds of Who Used To Own It? You are among the elite, of that have no doubt.
Round Five
And with that, best of luck to you all in Round Five!
1) Western Sahara
2) Lesotho
3) Eritrea
4) Burundi
5) Djibouti
6) Central African Republic*
Tricky
7) Liberia
*This has naught to do with Who Used To Own It?, but in the wacky 1970s the C.A.R. briefly was known as the Central African Empire. Jumpin' Jack Pratt, history is more fun than a barrel of monkeys!
The Wild Sea
The Arctic Ocean and the southern seas of the Antarctic should not be traveled lightly; so, though I generally favor freedom of navigation, I think some measure of regulation and/or restriction by the appropriate maritime authorities would be a capital idea: sealink. The waters at the top and bottom of the world pose challenges and dangers distinct from the usual rigors of the sea. It's common sense, people.
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Fountains of Wayne, "Hackensack" from Welcome Interstate Managers (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: Saturday night, out of the clear blue sky, I saw a whole slew of Grand Blanc people, at least one of whom I had not seen in, literally, a decade. I had a grand time, but am now understandably pensive, dwelling wistfully upon those halcyon days of yesteryear. And what better song for such a humor than "Hackensack," I ask you.
"But I will wait for you,
As long as I need to.
And if you ever get back to Hackensack,
I'll be here for you."
No. LXXI - The Great Rift Valley.
And as long as we're taking a closer look at Africa...
Who Used To Own It? - Round Five
Round Four Answers
1) Zimbabwe - Great Britain
2) Morocco - France
3) Togo - Germany
4) Rwanda - Germany
5) Ghana - Great Britain
6) The Congo - France
7) Benin - France
Round Four Scoring
Dr. Hee Haw 4/7 = 57%
Skeeter 3/7 = 43%
K. Steeze 1/7 = 14%
Round Four saw the first drop in the popularity of Who Used To Own It?, but I would be remiss if I did not welcome our newest player, and the first from the medical community, the prestigious Dr. Hee Haw. Welcome aboard, Doc! And I am all the more grateful to our returning contestants for their dogged loyalty. Skeeter has now tied The Guy as Who Used To Own It?'s most frequent participant. Woot!
And speaking of Skeeter, she remarked that Round Four was particularly difficult. One reason for this is almost certainly that I am quickly running the gamut of the African continent, and as I am subject to all the follies and foibles of any man those countries with which we are all most familiar were spotlighted first: Egypt, Algeria, and the D.R. Congo (formerly Zaire, formerly the Belgian Congo) were all queries way back in Round One. But at least from where I sit the difficulty of Who Used To Own It? is at least three-fifths of the fun. What most Americans know about European colonization of Africa in the decades before the unspeakable horror of the Great War wouldn't fill a complete sentence, much less five rounds of Who Used To Own It? You are among the elite, of that have no doubt.
Round Five
And with that, best of luck to you all in Round Five!
1) Western Sahara
2) Lesotho
3) Eritrea
4) Burundi
5) Djibouti
6) Central African Republic*
Tricky
7) Liberia
*This has naught to do with Who Used To Own It?, but in the wacky 1970s the C.A.R. briefly was known as the Central African Empire. Jumpin' Jack Pratt, history is more fun than a barrel of monkeys!
The Wild Sea
The Arctic Ocean and the southern seas of the Antarctic should not be traveled lightly; so, though I generally favor freedom of navigation, I think some measure of regulation and/or restriction by the appropriate maritime authorities would be a capital idea: sealink. The waters at the top and bottom of the world pose challenges and dangers distinct from the usual rigors of the sea. It's common sense, people.
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Fountains of Wayne, "Hackensack" from Welcome Interstate Managers (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: Saturday night, out of the clear blue sky, I saw a whole slew of Grand Blanc people, at least one of whom I had not seen in, literally, a decade. I had a grand time, but am now understandably pensive, dwelling wistfully upon those halcyon days of yesteryear. And what better song for such a humor than "Hackensack," I ask you.
"But I will wait for you,
As long as I need to.
And if you ever get back to Hackensack,
I'll be here for you."
Saturday, March 29, 2008
The Stars My Destination
My friends, truly ours is an age of wonders: A.T.V.link. And I don't just mean the Jules Verne*. Scroll down to the bottom of the article and you can see a live track of either the A.T.V.'s or the I.S.S.'s position in orbit! Sweet fancy Moses!
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
They Might Be Giants, "Hall of Heads" from Apollo 18 (T.L.A.M.)
Freitag, 28 März
Slow Gherkin, "Pretty (In a Pretty Sort of Way)" from Run Screaming (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary:
"There's something odd about you,
What it is I couldn't say,
You're just pretty in a pretty sort of way."
If you could be one but not the other, which would you prefer, elegant or eloquent?
*The names of ships, both nautical and celestial, are italicized, e.g., the battleship Maine and the space shuttle Endeavour. The names of automobiles are left plain, e.g., the Batmobile or the General Lee. Unmanned pace probes are similarly unadorned, such as the Pathfinder probe and its auxiliary, the diminutive Sojourner rover. So, though Jules Verne is a fairly ornate name for what is rightly described as a "space truck," as the craft is unmanned proper protocol would seem to prefer Jules Verne to either "Jules Verne" or Jules Verne.
My friends, truly ours is an age of wonders: A.T.V.link. And I don't just mean the Jules Verne*. Scroll down to the bottom of the article and you can see a live track of either the A.T.V.'s or the I.S.S.'s position in orbit! Sweet fancy Moses!
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
They Might Be Giants, "Hall of Heads" from Apollo 18 (T.L.A.M.)
Freitag, 28 März
Slow Gherkin, "Pretty (In a Pretty Sort of Way)" from Run Screaming (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary:
"There's something odd about you,
What it is I couldn't say,
You're just pretty in a pretty sort of way."
If you could be one but not the other, which would you prefer, elegant or eloquent?
*The names of ships, both nautical and celestial, are italicized, e.g., the battleship Maine and the space shuttle Endeavour. The names of automobiles are left plain, e.g., the Batmobile or the General Lee. Unmanned pace probes are similarly unadorned, such as the Pathfinder probe and its auxiliary, the diminutive Sojourner rover. So, though Jules Verne is a fairly ornate name for what is rightly described as a "space truck," as the craft is unmanned proper protocol would seem to prefer Jules Verne to either "Jules Verne" or Jules Verne.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern before him, Richard Widmark is dead. R.I.P. This leaves a particularly bitter taste in my mouth as in a random snippet of conversation given voice a scant three months ago, just shy of the New Year, I ranted to The Sardine, and here I must paraphrase myself, "And what's wrong is that today's kids don't even know who Richard Widmark is."
"Who?" she asked innocently.
Why Richard Widmark? I cannot say, but instantly upon the conclusion of the utterance this example struck me as bizarre; and thus I marked it specifically for later recall. Adding an almost unsettling twist, The Sardine called yesterday, the very day the world learned for the death. This was out of the blue as we had not spoken in a fortnight and a half. Spooky. She and Richard Widmark, God rest his soul, tethered forever in my recollection.
Those seeking more information about the late Mr. Widmark's wide-ranging, decades-spanning, and laudable body of work may wish to consult the filmography available courtesy of the Internet Movie Datebase: I.M.D.B.link.
Loathe though I am to quote Shelley, "Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" seems apropos to the moment.
Project TROIKA
The endeavour took another step forward today. After work, I stopped by the library and checked out a book specifically and solely to better acquaint myself with a proposed facet of the novel's plot. My interests are many of varied, but without the impetus of the project this particular tome would never have achieved the priority evidenced by today's borrowing. This is but the first of many such volumes, mark my words. I shall name neither the book nor the general field of inquiry, as this might well sunder the veil of secrecy so entwined in the very fabric of Project TROIKA, but I wished to share my excitement at the very notion of aspiring writer-specific research.
Project TROIKA: Grow or die.
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
John Linnell, "West Virginia" from State Songs (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: In honor of this evening's Xavier-West Virginia contest. Go to Hell, Bob Huggins.
Mittwoch, 26 März
Letters to Cleo, "Jennifer" from Wholesale Meats and Fish (T.L.A.M.)
Coming Attractions
Who Used To Own It? and Project OSPREY tomorrow.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Drummer Hodge
by Thomas Hardy
They throw in Drummer Hodge, to rest
Uncoffined – just as found:
His landmark is a kopje-crest
That breaks the veldt around;
And foreign constellations west
Each night above his mound.
Young Hodge the Drummer never knew –
Fresh from his Wessex home –
The meaning of the broad Karoo,
The Bush, the dusty loam,
And why uprose to nightly view
Strange stars amid the gloam.
Yet portion of that unknown plain
Will Hodge forever be;
His homely Northern breast and brain
Grow to some Southern tree,
And strange-eyed constellation reign
His stars eternally.
Every second line is meant to be indented, per Hardy's composition, but as of yet I know not how to accomplish this in Blogger.
by Thomas Hardy
They throw in Drummer Hodge, to rest
Uncoffined – just as found:
His landmark is a kopje-crest
That breaks the veldt around;
And foreign constellations west
Each night above his mound.
Young Hodge the Drummer never knew –
Fresh from his Wessex home –
The meaning of the broad Karoo,
The Bush, the dusty loam,
And why uprose to nightly view
Strange stars amid the gloam.
Yet portion of that unknown plain
Will Hodge forever be;
His homely Northern breast and brain
Grow to some Southern tree,
And strange-eyed constellation reign
His stars eternally.
Every second line is meant to be indented, per Hardy's composition, but as of yet I know not how to accomplish this in Blogger.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Attention The Guy! Attention C.! Attention everybody! Round Four of Who Used To Own It? was posted on Friday. Scroll down to play!
The Explorers Club
No. LXX - The curious case of the H.M.A.S. Sydney and the German commerce raider Kormoran, from the fateful battle and mutual demise on 19 November 1941 to the very recent discovery of the hitherto lost wrecks on 16-17 March 2008.
The wreck of the Kormoran.
The wreck of the Sydney.
The mysterious disappearance of the Sydney and the Kormoran was already sitting in the queue for "The Explorers Club" when, to my astonishment, both wrecks were located just over a week ago. Wow! I was sorely tempted to be up-to-the-minute and run this story as last week's episode, but I was loathe to interrupt "Finland Imperiled," a subject near and dear to my heart. Still, by the standards of "The Explorers Club," this episode is breaking news.
Say a prayer for the brave souls who went to their eternal rest in the deep, so many years ago.
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Real Can of Yams, "A Man, A Plan, A Canal, Panama" from Good or Suck! (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: Lyrics by M. Wilson.
"All I know is digging all day,
Digging this canal for the U.S.A.
All day long I dig, dig, dig,
This thing we're digging is really big!
We all have yellow fever, we're sick,
But we keep digging, our boss is a dick.
For some big jobs we use dynamite.
It's awful loud, but it's quite a sight!
A man, a plan, a canal, Panama,
I miss my home and my dear old ma.
I like my job, but I miss my bed.
I think a spider laid eggs in my head!
A man, a plan, a canal, Panama,
'I sure am proud of you, son,' wrote my ma.
There's no place to go, but my money's all spent,
Then we get a visit from the president.
Teddy Roosevelt charged up San Juan Hill,
He was the man the Spaniards could not kill.
Now he tells us to dig this canal,
He always says 'Bully!' I wish he was my pal.
Golly, I'm so happy digging all day!
Digging this canal for the U.S.A.!
A man, a plan, a canal, Panama,
I miss my home and my dear old ma.
I like my job, but I miss my bed.
I think a spider laid eggs in my head!
A man, a plan, a canal, Panama,
'I sure am proud of you, son,' wrote my ma."
More joyful splendor from the Land of the Rising Sun: politelink. I really am so terribly fond of the Japanese. You wonderful, madcap lunatics!
The Explorers Club
No. LXX - The curious case of the H.M.A.S. Sydney and the German commerce raider Kormoran, from the fateful battle and mutual demise on 19 November 1941 to the very recent discovery of the hitherto lost wrecks on 16-17 March 2008.
The wreck of the Kormoran.
The wreck of the Sydney.
The mysterious disappearance of the Sydney and the Kormoran was already sitting in the queue for "The Explorers Club" when, to my astonishment, both wrecks were located just over a week ago. Wow! I was sorely tempted to be up-to-the-minute and run this story as last week's episode, but I was loathe to interrupt "Finland Imperiled," a subject near and dear to my heart. Still, by the standards of "The Explorers Club," this episode is breaking news.
Say a prayer for the brave souls who went to their eternal rest in the deep, so many years ago.
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Real Can of Yams, "A Man, A Plan, A Canal, Panama" from Good or Suck! (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: Lyrics by M. Wilson.
"All I know is digging all day,
Digging this canal for the U.S.A.
All day long I dig, dig, dig,
This thing we're digging is really big!
We all have yellow fever, we're sick,
But we keep digging, our boss is a dick.
For some big jobs we use dynamite.
It's awful loud, but it's quite a sight!
A man, a plan, a canal, Panama,
I miss my home and my dear old ma.
I like my job, but I miss my bed.
I think a spider laid eggs in my head!
A man, a plan, a canal, Panama,
'I sure am proud of you, son,' wrote my ma.
There's no place to go, but my money's all spent,
Then we get a visit from the president.
Teddy Roosevelt charged up San Juan Hill,
He was the man the Spaniards could not kill.
Now he tells us to dig this canal,
He always says 'Bully!' I wish he was my pal.
Golly, I'm so happy digging all day!
Digging this canal for the U.S.A.!
A man, a plan, a canal, Panama,
I miss my home and my dear old ma.
I like my job, but I miss my bed.
I think a spider laid eggs in my head!
A man, a plan, a canal, Panama,
'I sure am proud of you, son,' wrote my ma."
More joyful splendor from the Land of the Rising Sun: politelink. I really am so terribly fond of the Japanese. You wonderful, madcap lunatics!
The Stars My Destination
Gone a long, long time, the Endeavour is coming home: N.A.S.A. returnlink and B.B.C. returnlink. Godspeed, and welcome back.
Gone a long, long time, the Endeavour is coming home: N.A.S.A. returnlink and B.B.C. returnlink. Godspeed, and welcome back.
Monday, March 24, 2008
I've said it before and I'll say it again, I like my government like I like my religion: just that little bit crazy. Dog-monsterlink. And that, my friends, is why I am so fond of the Japanese, they are crazy in the best ways.
Project TROIKA
And that is also why I am so optimistic about Project TROIKA, because therein is to be found some wild and crazy stuff, in the finest traditions of literary adventure and B.T.Wackiness.
Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense
B.P.R.D.: Hollow Earth Nos. 1-3
B.P.R.D.: The Soul of Venice
B.P.R.D.: Dark Waters
B.P.R.D.: Night Train
B.P.R.D.: There's Something Under My Bed
B.P.R.D.: Plague of Frogs Nos. 1-5
B.P.R.D.: The Dead Nos. 1-5
B.P.R.D.: The Black Flame Nos. 1-6
B.P.R.D.: The Universal Machine Nos. 1-5
B.P.R.D.: Garden of Souls Nos. 1-5
B.P.R.D.: Killing Ground Nos. 1-5
B.P.R.D.: 1946 Nos. 1-3 (of 5)
B.P.R.D.: The Ectoplasmic Man
(B.P.R.D.: War on Frogs Nos. 1-4)
Abe Sapien: Drums of the Dead
Abe Sapien: The Drowning Nos. 1-2 (of 5)
Lobster Johnson: The Iron Prometheus Nos. 1-5
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
The Platters, "The Great Pretender" from The Very Best of The Platters (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: "My need is such, I pretend too much, I'm lonely but no one can tell."
Project TROIKA
And that is also why I am so optimistic about Project TROIKA, because therein is to be found some wild and crazy stuff, in the finest traditions of literary adventure and B.T.Wackiness.
Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense
B.P.R.D.: Hollow Earth Nos. 1-3
B.P.R.D.: The Soul of Venice
B.P.R.D.: Dark Waters
B.P.R.D.: Night Train
B.P.R.D.: There's Something Under My Bed
B.P.R.D.: Plague of Frogs Nos. 1-5
B.P.R.D.: The Dead Nos. 1-5
B.P.R.D.: The Black Flame Nos. 1-6
B.P.R.D.: The Universal Machine Nos. 1-5
B.P.R.D.: Garden of Souls Nos. 1-5
B.P.R.D.: Killing Ground Nos. 1-5
B.P.R.D.: 1946 Nos. 1-3 (of 5)
B.P.R.D.: The Ectoplasmic Man
(B.P.R.D.: War on Frogs Nos. 1-4)
Abe Sapien: Drums of the Dead
Abe Sapien: The Drowning Nos. 1-2 (of 5)
Lobster Johnson: The Iron Prometheus Nos. 1-5
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
The Platters, "The Great Pretender" from The Very Best of The Platters (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: "My need is such, I pretend too much, I'm lonely but no one can tell."
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Scroll down for the latest round of Who Used To Own It?, it's a gas!
The Christ is risen. Holy holy holy.
Project OSPREY: The Last Angry Bracket
4-4 on the first day of the second round, 6-1-1 on the second. The "tie" is Western Kentucky-San Diego, because I did not predict either to advance past the first round. I did not correctly pick the winner, so I should count it as a loss, no? Except, neither did I predict the eventual loser to best the eventual winner. So, I felt the "tie" was the best option for games in which I picked neither participant. The totals then are 10-5-1 in the second round, 19-13 in the first, and 29-18-1 through the first forty-eight games. Woot!
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Duvall, "Jesus Never Leaves Me" from Volume & Density (T.L.A.M.)
The Christ is risen. Holy holy holy.
Project OSPREY: The Last Angry Bracket
4-4 on the first day of the second round, 6-1-1 on the second. The "tie" is Western Kentucky-San Diego, because I did not predict either to advance past the first round. I did not correctly pick the winner, so I should count it as a loss, no? Except, neither did I predict the eventual loser to best the eventual winner. So, I felt the "tie" was the best option for games in which I picked neither participant. The totals then are 10-5-1 in the second round, 19-13 in the first, and 29-18-1 through the first forty-eight games. Woot!
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Duvall, "Jesus Never Leaves Me" from Volume & Density (T.L.A.M.)
Saturday, March 22, 2008
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Elvis Costello, "Living in Paradise" from This Year's Model (T.L.A.M.)
Project TROIKA
"Eureka!" is the declaration of a triumphant breakthrough, "By Lucifer's beard!" is the exclamation of frustration or stalemate. Both are apropos in this moment.
By Lucifer's beard, there is grim tumult ahead.
Eureka! Now I have the measure of the man!
Elvis Costello, "Living in Paradise" from This Year's Model (T.L.A.M.)
Project TROIKA
"Eureka!" is the declaration of a triumphant breakthrough, "By Lucifer's beard!" is the exclamation of frustration or stalemate. Both are apropos in this moment.
By Lucifer's beard, there is grim tumult ahead.
Eureka! Now I have the measure of the man!
Friday, March 21, 2008
Who Used To Own It? - Round Four
Round Three Answers
1) Uganda - Great Britain
2) Angola - Portugal
3) Madagascar - France
4) Sierra Leone - Great Britain
5) Tunisia - France
6) Tanzania - Germany
7) Zanzibar - Great Britain
Round Three Scoring
Skeeter 3/7 = 43%
The Guy 2/7 = 29%
C. 2/7 = 29%
K. Steeze 2/7 = 29%
C. went with the scattergun strategy, guessing Great Britain for the whole board, only to second guess herself and switch Sierra Leone, one of the three former British colonies in the round, to France. I think we can all smile at the humor inherent therein. The most contentious part of the round was, unsurprisingly, the "tricky" queries of Tanzania and Zanzibar. Skeeter's perplexed non-answer to No. 7 was correct, Zanzibar is a part of the modern nation-state of Tanzania (Zanzibar is the zan in Tanzania), but remember the Round Two example of Somalia, a composite of the colonies of Italian Somaliland and British Somaliland. The Kaiser's Germany controlled the continental landmass of today's Tanzania, while the islands of Zanzibar were part and parcel of the British Empire. In Who Used To Own It? we are always looking for the Scramble for Africa/pre-1914 suzerain.
And both Tanzania and Zanzibar were clearly labeled Tricky; so, some skulduggery should have been suspected.
Round Four
But first and foremost Who Used To Own It? is meant to be educational and entertaining. I am most grateful for the 33% increase in participation between Rounds Two and Three, and would be thrilled by a continued growth in popularity in Round Four. Have fun and good luck!
1) Zimbabwe
2) Morocco
3) Togo
4) Rwanda
5) Ghana
6) The Congo (Congo-Brazzaville, not D.R. Congo [Zaire])
7) Benin
No tricks, just honest historical curiosity.
Project OSPREY: The Last Angry Bracket
9-7 on the second day, 19-13 overall in the first round. Only one of my two twelve seed over five seed upsets materialized, but 'twas the more important of the pair: Villanova, my dark horse Final Four pick, 75-69 over Clemson*.
Go 'Nova!
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Less Than Jake, "She's Gonna Break Soon" from Anthem (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: Though I've owned Anthem since its release in 2003, only recently did I get around to downloading and watching the video for "She's Gonna Break Soon," starring none other than Alexis Bledel. Wow, a Less Than Jake song about disenchantment, "it really comes as no surprise."
*The Villanova-Clemson contest did not conclude until nearly half past midnight; so, clearly, this post was not published at 11:59 P.M. But, I have long rejected the arbitrary nature of "midnight" as the beginning of a day. The dawn, or an hour more or less in line with the average sunrise, seems a far more sensible time to commence a new day. I must resort to the falsehood of "11:59 P.M." to resist the midnight tyranny. Hmmm, there might be a potential science fiction novel in that phrase, The Midnight Tyranny. I wonder....
Round Three Answers
1) Uganda - Great Britain
2) Angola - Portugal
3) Madagascar - France
4) Sierra Leone - Great Britain
5) Tunisia - France
6) Tanzania - Germany
7) Zanzibar - Great Britain
Round Three Scoring
Skeeter 3/7 = 43%
The Guy 2/7 = 29%
C. 2/7 = 29%
K. Steeze 2/7 = 29%
C. went with the scattergun strategy, guessing Great Britain for the whole board, only to second guess herself and switch Sierra Leone, one of the three former British colonies in the round, to France. I think we can all smile at the humor inherent therein. The most contentious part of the round was, unsurprisingly, the "tricky" queries of Tanzania and Zanzibar. Skeeter's perplexed non-answer to No. 7 was correct, Zanzibar is a part of the modern nation-state of Tanzania (Zanzibar is the zan in Tanzania), but remember the Round Two example of Somalia, a composite of the colonies of Italian Somaliland and British Somaliland. The Kaiser's Germany controlled the continental landmass of today's Tanzania, while the islands of Zanzibar were part and parcel of the British Empire. In Who Used To Own It? we are always looking for the Scramble for Africa/pre-1914 suzerain.
And both Tanzania and Zanzibar were clearly labeled Tricky; so, some skulduggery should have been suspected.
Round Four
But first and foremost Who Used To Own It? is meant to be educational and entertaining. I am most grateful for the 33% increase in participation between Rounds Two and Three, and would be thrilled by a continued growth in popularity in Round Four. Have fun and good luck!
1) Zimbabwe
2) Morocco
3) Togo
4) Rwanda
5) Ghana
6) The Congo (Congo-Brazzaville, not D.R. Congo [Zaire])
7) Benin
No tricks, just honest historical curiosity.
Project OSPREY: The Last Angry Bracket
9-7 on the second day, 19-13 overall in the first round. Only one of my two twelve seed over five seed upsets materialized, but 'twas the more important of the pair: Villanova, my dark horse Final Four pick, 75-69 over Clemson*.
Go 'Nova!
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Less Than Jake, "She's Gonna Break Soon" from Anthem (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: Though I've owned Anthem since its release in 2003, only recently did I get around to downloading and watching the video for "She's Gonna Break Soon," starring none other than Alexis Bledel. Wow, a Less Than Jake song about disenchantment, "it really comes as no surprise."
*The Villanova-Clemson contest did not conclude until nearly half past midnight; so, clearly, this post was not published at 11:59 P.M. But, I have long rejected the arbitrary nature of "midnight" as the beginning of a day. The dawn, or an hour more or less in line with the average sunrise, seems a far more sensible time to commence a new day. I must resort to the falsehood of "11:59 P.M." to resist the midnight tyranny. Hmmm, there might be a potential science fiction novel in that phrase, The Midnight Tyranny. I wonder....
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Science!
Join me, won't you, as we sail the seas of Titan: oceanlink. Reference to murder be damned, this is the perfect opportunity to mention "all great Neptune's ocean"! Science and Shakespeare, two great tastes that taste great together.
Science!
Fantastically busy day, including The Guy and The Gal and Holy Thursday Mass through a veritable fog of incense, but don't for a minute imagine that stopped me from watching today's Gilmore Girls. (V.C.R.s rule!) And I am ever so sorry to once again delay Round Four of Who Used To Own It? Tomorrow, I promise.
Project OSPREY: The Last Angry Bracket
10-6 on the first day, and most of those I got wrong I had losing in the second round, anyway; I might yet prove to be in good shape. Saturday and Sunday I'm going to watch basketball until my eyes bleed.
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Sixpence None the Richer, "Easy to Ignore" from Sixpence None the Richer (T.L.A.M.)
Join me, won't you, as we sail the seas of Titan: oceanlink. Reference to murder be damned, this is the perfect opportunity to mention "all great Neptune's ocean"! Science and Shakespeare, two great tastes that taste great together.
Science!
Fantastically busy day, including The Guy and The Gal and Holy Thursday Mass through a veritable fog of incense, but don't for a minute imagine that stopped me from watching today's Gilmore Girls. (V.C.R.s rule!) And I am ever so sorry to once again delay Round Four of Who Used To Own It? Tomorrow, I promise.
Project OSPREY: The Last Angry Bracket
10-6 on the first day, and most of those I got wrong I had losing in the second round, anyway; I might yet prove to be in good shape. Saturday and Sunday I'm going to watch basketball until my eyes bleed.
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Sixpence None the Richer, "Easy to Ignore" from Sixpence None the Richer (T.L.A.M.)
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
The Explorers Club
No. LXIX – Finland Imperiled, Part III of III: The Lapland War (1944-45).
The Winter War (1939-40) - Finland alone against Soviet Russia.
The Continuation War (1941-44) - Finland in alliance with Nazi Germany against Soviet Russia.
The Lapland War (1944-45) - Finland in alliance with Soviet Russia against Nazi Germany.
Peril almost beyond comprehension.
Project OSPREY
At the eleventh hour, I have completed my N.C.A.A. Tournament bracket in indelible black ink. The actual results of play shall be duly recorded on the same sheet in blue ink. Neither fudging nor reconsideration will be tolerated. The die is cast.
My methods are intensely unscientific. Sport appeals to the heart at least as much if not more than the mind and 'twould be a base offense to ignore the heart's counsel. I have Temple triumphing over Michigan State in the first round for two reasons: a) Schadenfreude. I hate M.S.U. (or M.S.C. if you look at the smokestack near Spartan Stadium) and I truly desire to see them fail. b) Bog only knows which squad of dastardly Spartans are going to show up. The dastardly Spartans who scored over one hundred points against Indiana or the dastardly Spartans who blew a ten-point lead over Wisconsin? My wager is on the latter, and I believe they shall be overthrown by the Owls (who I then have promptly losing in the second round to Pitt).
Also, I opened an A.I.M. chat with Skeeter with this query, "Which dark horse should I put in my Final Four?" She replied, "dunno... villanova?" Good enough for me. Go 'Nova! Yeah, that's right, I have fully one half of the No. 5 seeds falling to their twelfth seeded opponents. The Last Angry Bracket is not for the faint of heart. Tourney time!
The Last Angry Bracket
Final Four:
West - Duke
East - Tennessee
South - Pitt
Midwest - Villanova
Championship Game:
Pitt
Tennessee
2008 National Champions:
Tennessee
And this should not be misconstrued as what I want to happen, merely what I consider most likely to occur. Lousy Volunteers.
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
MxPx, "Andrea" from Life in General (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: "Meeting you was just so unexpected. / I guess I was there to be rejected."
No. LXIX – Finland Imperiled, Part III of III: The Lapland War (1944-45).
The Winter War (1939-40) - Finland alone against Soviet Russia.
The Continuation War (1941-44) - Finland in alliance with Nazi Germany against Soviet Russia.
The Lapland War (1944-45) - Finland in alliance with Soviet Russia against Nazi Germany.
Peril almost beyond comprehension.
Project OSPREY
At the eleventh hour, I have completed my N.C.A.A. Tournament bracket in indelible black ink. The actual results of play shall be duly recorded on the same sheet in blue ink. Neither fudging nor reconsideration will be tolerated. The die is cast.
My methods are intensely unscientific. Sport appeals to the heart at least as much if not more than the mind and 'twould be a base offense to ignore the heart's counsel. I have Temple triumphing over Michigan State in the first round for two reasons: a) Schadenfreude. I hate M.S.U. (or M.S.C. if you look at the smokestack near Spartan Stadium) and I truly desire to see them fail. b) Bog only knows which squad of dastardly Spartans are going to show up. The dastardly Spartans who scored over one hundred points against Indiana or the dastardly Spartans who blew a ten-point lead over Wisconsin? My wager is on the latter, and I believe they shall be overthrown by the Owls (who I then have promptly losing in the second round to Pitt).
Also, I opened an A.I.M. chat with Skeeter with this query, "Which dark horse should I put in my Final Four?" She replied, "dunno... villanova?" Good enough for me. Go 'Nova! Yeah, that's right, I have fully one half of the No. 5 seeds falling to their twelfth seeded opponents. The Last Angry Bracket is not for the faint of heart. Tourney time!
The Last Angry Bracket
Final Four:
West - Duke
East - Tennessee
South - Pitt
Midwest - Villanova
Championship Game:
Pitt
Tennessee
2008 National Champions:
Tennessee
And this should not be misconstrued as what I want to happen, merely what I consider most likely to occur. Lousy Volunteers.
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
MxPx, "Andrea" from Life in General (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: "Meeting you was just so unexpected. / I guess I was there to be rejected."
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
The Rebel Black Dot Songs of the Day
Bon Iver, "Skinny Love" via iTunes (Skeeter)
Commentary: "To be listened to," Skeeter instructed, "while walking through midtown Manhattan on a very gray morning surrounded by hollow-eyed financiers and the smell of Pakistani coffee carts."
Montag, 17 März
Dick Gaughan, "Song for Ireland" from Green Linnet Records: The Twentieth Anniversary Collection (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: My disdain for the manner in which St. Patrick's Day is desecrated and Irish culture is mocked here in the United States should not be mistaken as disdain for Ireland or the Irish blood in my veins. My disdain for the Republic of Ireland is based on the nation's shameful and cowardly neutrality.
Sonntag, 16 März
Less Than Jake, "Bad Scene and a Basement Show" from Borders and Boundaries (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: I have been to this show more times than I care to recount:
"Another band in a crowded basement,
With too much small talk
And lame inside jokes."
Plus, there's plenty in "Bad Scene and a Basement Show" for the Dark Bastard to enjoy in this brief season of his ascendancy.
Samstag, 15 März
The Aquabats!, "Anti-Matter!" from The Aquabats! vs. The Floating Eye of Death! and Other Amazing Adventures, Vol. 1 (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: The M.C. Bat Commander is a genius.
Bon Iver, "Skinny Love" via iTunes (Skeeter)
Commentary: "To be listened to," Skeeter instructed, "while walking through midtown Manhattan on a very gray morning surrounded by hollow-eyed financiers and the smell of Pakistani coffee carts."
Montag, 17 März
Dick Gaughan, "Song for Ireland" from Green Linnet Records: The Twentieth Anniversary Collection (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: My disdain for the manner in which St. Patrick's Day is desecrated and Irish culture is mocked here in the United States should not be mistaken as disdain for Ireland or the Irish blood in my veins. My disdain for the Republic of Ireland is based on the nation's shameful and cowardly neutrality.
Sonntag, 16 März
Less Than Jake, "Bad Scene and a Basement Show" from Borders and Boundaries (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: I have been to this show more times than I care to recount:
"Another band in a crowded basement,
With too much small talk
And lame inside jokes."
Plus, there's plenty in "Bad Scene and a Basement Show" for the Dark Bastard to enjoy in this brief season of his ascendancy.
Samstag, 15 März
The Aquabats!, "Anti-Matter!" from The Aquabats! vs. The Floating Eye of Death! and Other Amazing Adventures, Vol. 1 (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: The M.C. Bat Commander is a genius.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Friday, March 14, 2008
"Just... don't change your mind before I get back, okay? Okay. Talk to you later."
I am perfectly willing to entertain the notion that my devotion to Gilmore Girls may be unhealthy, perhaps even the harbinger of a creeping madness.
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Reel Big Fish, "Everybody's Drunk" from Monkeys For Nothin' and the Chimps For Free (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: We conclude our series of alcohol-themed R.B.D.S.O.T.D. as we began, with the Reel Big Fish. And from near the end of the song, a soliloquy that well reflects my own relationship to the bottle:
"Uh, actually, I'm not drunk. At all. No, I've got to drive all these people home. Have a good time. Assholes."
I am perfectly willing to entertain the notion that my devotion to Gilmore Girls may be unhealthy, perhaps even the harbinger of a creeping madness.
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Reel Big Fish, "Everybody's Drunk" from Monkeys For Nothin' and the Chimps For Free (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: We conclude our series of alcohol-themed R.B.D.S.O.T.D. as we began, with the Reel Big Fish. And from near the end of the song, a soliloquy that well reflects my own relationship to the bottle:
"Uh, actually, I'm not drunk. At all. No, I've got to drive all these people home. Have a good time. Assholes."
Thursday, March 13, 2008
The Endurance
Henceforth, the honorific "Codename: PANDORA" shall nevermore be applied to The Sardine. Neglectful friendship is fine and dandy and shall persist, but all other avenues of thought are banished forthwith.
I shall for a time give the Dark Bastard free rein, and after a sufficient catharsis begin anew the search for the one true apple of my eye.
The Irrevocable Shackles of Matrimony: Matrimania - D.C.
In today's mail I received my invitation to my sister's impending nuptials. Huzzah! I am thrilled at the prospect of The Maine Man's elevation from mere boyfriend-cum-fiancé to Brother-in-L.A.W.
And now a pair of items pertaining to nomenclature. My sister, The L.A.W., and The Guy are getting married within a three-week interval, and as soon as their proximity was noted May 2008 was immediately christened "Matrimania." Yesterday, I floated the possibility of "Matri-May-nia," but upon further reflection I cannot stomach the idea. Matrimania conveys the perfect degree of hectic levity, Matri-May-nia is an abominable crime against the sacred mother tongue. One and all have my sincerest apologies.
And with two so delightfully proximal weddings, how ever to report coherently all I see, hear, and experience to The Secret Base? "Matrimania, Phase One" for The L.A.W. and "Phase Two" for The Guy and The Gal? With the reporting of each to surely require several posts (notice that I still have yet to conclude last Fall's highly controversial and multi-part "The Irrevocable Shackles of Matrimony: The Wedding Album"), "Matrimania, Phase One, Part II" seemed frankly ridiculous. And identifying each wedding by date seemed not exactly cold, but uncomfortably distant. So, for the nonce each shall be identified by the location of the festivities, "Matrimania - D.C." for The L.A.W.'s wedding in the shadow of the Capitol and "Matrimania - St. Louis" for The Guy's nuptials in the shadow of the Gateway Arch. (And if you have never seen the Arch with your own eyes, my Bog, it is more breathtaking than you can possibly imagine.)
Critiques, compliments, and condemnations are most welcome; we all have a stake in improving the quality of The Secret Base of the Rebel Black Dot Society.
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Topol, et al., "To Life" from Fiddler on the Roof (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: L'Chaim!
Or, as we say inside B.T.W., "To high chlorine."
Henceforth, the honorific "Codename: PANDORA" shall nevermore be applied to The Sardine. Neglectful friendship is fine and dandy and shall persist, but all other avenues of thought are banished forthwith.
I shall for a time give the Dark Bastard free rein, and after a sufficient catharsis begin anew the search for the one true apple of my eye.
The Irrevocable Shackles of Matrimony: Matrimania - D.C.
In today's mail I received my invitation to my sister's impending nuptials. Huzzah! I am thrilled at the prospect of The Maine Man's elevation from mere boyfriend-cum-fiancé to Brother-in-L.A.W.
And now a pair of items pertaining to nomenclature. My sister, The L.A.W., and The Guy are getting married within a three-week interval, and as soon as their proximity was noted May 2008 was immediately christened "Matrimania." Yesterday, I floated the possibility of "Matri-May-nia," but upon further reflection I cannot stomach the idea. Matrimania conveys the perfect degree of hectic levity, Matri-May-nia is an abominable crime against the sacred mother tongue. One and all have my sincerest apologies.
And with two so delightfully proximal weddings, how ever to report coherently all I see, hear, and experience to The Secret Base? "Matrimania, Phase One" for The L.A.W. and "Phase Two" for The Guy and The Gal? With the reporting of each to surely require several posts (notice that I still have yet to conclude last Fall's highly controversial and multi-part "The Irrevocable Shackles of Matrimony: The Wedding Album"), "Matrimania, Phase One, Part II" seemed frankly ridiculous. And identifying each wedding by date seemed not exactly cold, but uncomfortably distant. So, for the nonce each shall be identified by the location of the festivities, "Matrimania - D.C." for The L.A.W.'s wedding in the shadow of the Capitol and "Matrimania - St. Louis" for The Guy's nuptials in the shadow of the Gateway Arch. (And if you have never seen the Arch with your own eyes, my Bog, it is more breathtaking than you can possibly imagine.)
Critiques, compliments, and condemnations are most welcome; we all have a stake in improving the quality of The Secret Base of the Rebel Black Dot Society.
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Topol, et al., "To Life" from Fiddler on the Roof (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: L'Chaim!
Or, as we say inside B.T.W., "To high chlorine."
Vote For Kodos/The Stars My Destination
A word of warning to my left-leaning friends, Senator Obama would pay for many of his education initiatives by gutting N.A.S.A.'s budget, specifically by placing on essentially permanent hiatus Project Constellation, including the Orion spacecraft, the Altair lunar lander, and the new Ares I and Ares V rockets: Constellation! A vote for Obama is a vote against N.A.S.A., a vote against the Moon.
A word of warning to my left-leaning friends, Senator Obama would pay for many of his education initiatives by gutting N.A.S.A.'s budget, specifically by placing on essentially permanent hiatus Project Constellation, including the Orion spacecraft, the Altair lunar lander, and the new Ares I and Ares V rockets: Constellation! A vote for Obama is a vote against N.A.S.A., a vote against the Moon.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Spike Jones & His City Slickers, "Jones Polka" from The Spike Jones Anthology (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: A silly little polka about an immigrant laborer pissing away his meager wages on rounds for the whole bar.
"Give-ed me a cocktail
When I am low and droopy.
And then I'll dance a polka,
And make-ed lots of hoopy.
I work-ed in a coal mine,'
Things are pretty black.
But tonight the treat's on me,
I cash-ed my paycheck!
"Everybody have a drink,
Let's have fun together.
I got plenty money,
Go catch a doubleheader.
Bartender, please take care my friends,
Drinks for ladies and gents,
I got all kinds money,
Thirty-two dollars and forty-five cents!
Have-ed anything you like,
Even rum-and-Coke it.
Just give me glass plain whiskey rum,
And don't-ed make me choke it.
Feel up you glass with vishnic,
We gon' have-ed great big picnic,
Everything she's in the pink!
Everybody have a drink!"
Spike Jones & His City Slickers, "Jones Polka" from The Spike Jones Anthology (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: A silly little polka about an immigrant laborer pissing away his meager wages on rounds for the whole bar.
"Give-ed me a cocktail
When I am low and droopy.
And then I'll dance a polka,
And make-ed lots of hoopy.
I work-ed in a coal mine,'
Things are pretty black.
But tonight the treat's on me,
I cash-ed my paycheck!
"Everybody have a drink,
Let's have fun together.
I got plenty money,
Go catch a doubleheader.
Bartender, please take care my friends,
Drinks for ladies and gents,
I got all kinds money,
Thirty-two dollars and forty-five cents!
Have-ed anything you like,
Even rum-and-Coke it.
Just give me glass plain whiskey rum,
And don't-ed make me choke it.
Feel up you glass with vishnic,
We gon' have-ed great big picnic,
Everything she's in the pink!
Everybody have a drink!"
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
The Stars My Destination
Manned spaceflight: B.B.C.link and N.A.S.A.link. Godspeed, Endeavour.
A robot in support of manned spaceflight: A.T.V.link. "Keep on truckin'!"
A robot alone in deep space: Cassinilink. Enceladus or bust!
Science!
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Tim Lyons, "Humours of Whiskey" from Green Linnet Records: The Twentieth Anniversary Collection (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: My favorite verse, but really the whole of "Humours of Whiskey" is bloody brilliant. Erin Go Bragh!
"While a child in me cradle,
Me nurse with the ladle
Was filling her mouth with a notion of 'Pep'
When a drop from the bottle
Fell into me throttle.
I capered and scrambled clear out of her lap.
On the floor I lay crawling
And screaming and bawling
'Til Father and Mother soon came to the fore.
All weeping and sighing,
Conceived I was dying,
But then found I was only a-crying for more."
Adding to the song's colossal stature, "Humours of Whiskey" is the first time I heard mention of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, subject of "The Explorers Club" No. XXXI, and a major, if convoluted, influence upon Project TROIKA.
"And what helped Mr. Brunel
To dig the Thames Tunnel?
Wasn't it poitín, me boys,
From old Inishowen?"
Poitínlink.
Monday, March 10, 2008
The Explorers Club
No. LXVIII - Finland Imperiled, Part II of III: The Continuation War (1941-44).
It is vitally important to note that while Finland did both coordinate and cooperate with the Nazi Wehrmacht and Finnish planes bore a blue swastika as their principal insignia, Finnish planes had been emblazoned with the ancient symbol of the swastika since Finland's civil war near the end of the Great War, long before the adoption and perversion of the swastika by National Socialism.
Project OSPREY
Sunday, 9 March
Purdue 72-58 Michigan - A couple weeks back, when the valiant Wolverines had won four of five Big Ten games, I looked at the last three contests and picked Penn State and Northwestern as possible victories and Purdue as a near sure defeat. So then we went out and lost to P.S.U. and N.U. Drat. I never expected us to be even competitive with Purdue; so, this loss, which came after we lead at halftime and played the vastly superior Boilermakers even for three fourths of the game, hurt far in excess of my preparedness. Cursed false hope!
Go Blue!
Saturday, 8 March
North Carolina 76-68 Duke - Those who live by perimeter shooting die by perimeter shooting, and Duke made some very dubious shooting choices. When I fill out my bracket next week, I'm going to pick North Carolina to persevere through the N.C.A.A. Tournament at least until the Final Four, which of course means they'll probably be the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed. Of at least, here's hoping.
The Rebel Black Dot Songs of the Day
Fountains of Wayne, "No Better Place" from Welcome Interstate Managers (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: Though "No Better Place" could not possibly be mistaken as a song properly about alcohol, it does contain perhaps the greatest line ever written about the intersection of Man and booze, "And it may be the whiskey talking, but the whiskey says I miss you every day."
Sonntag, 9 März
Bob & Doug McKenzie, "The Beerhunter" from Great White North (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: Not a song per se, but no alcohol-fueled frenzy would be complete without the participation of the titular stars of my very favorite cinematic interpretation of Hamlet, The Adventures of Bob & Doug McKenzie: Strange Brew. Take off, you hosers!
Samstag, 8 März
Less Than Jake, "Liquor Store" from Pezcore (T.L.A.M.)
The Endurance
This is foreshadowing. I leave it to better men than I to judge whether 'tis cryptic or no.
No. LXVIII - Finland Imperiled, Part II of III: The Continuation War (1941-44).
It is vitally important to note that while Finland did both coordinate and cooperate with the Nazi Wehrmacht and Finnish planes bore a blue swastika as their principal insignia, Finnish planes had been emblazoned with the ancient symbol of the swastika since Finland's civil war near the end of the Great War, long before the adoption and perversion of the swastika by National Socialism.
Project OSPREY
Sunday, 9 March
Purdue 72-58 Michigan - A couple weeks back, when the valiant Wolverines had won four of five Big Ten games, I looked at the last three contests and picked Penn State and Northwestern as possible victories and Purdue as a near sure defeat. So then we went out and lost to P.S.U. and N.U. Drat. I never expected us to be even competitive with Purdue; so, this loss, which came after we lead at halftime and played the vastly superior Boilermakers even for three fourths of the game, hurt far in excess of my preparedness. Cursed false hope!
Go Blue!
Saturday, 8 March
North Carolina 76-68 Duke - Those who live by perimeter shooting die by perimeter shooting, and Duke made some very dubious shooting choices. When I fill out my bracket next week, I'm going to pick North Carolina to persevere through the N.C.A.A. Tournament at least until the Final Four, which of course means they'll probably be the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed. Of at least, here's hoping.
The Rebel Black Dot Songs of the Day
Fountains of Wayne, "No Better Place" from Welcome Interstate Managers (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: Though "No Better Place" could not possibly be mistaken as a song properly about alcohol, it does contain perhaps the greatest line ever written about the intersection of Man and booze, "And it may be the whiskey talking, but the whiskey says I miss you every day."
Sonntag, 9 März
Bob & Doug McKenzie, "The Beerhunter" from Great White North (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: Not a song per se, but no alcohol-fueled frenzy would be complete without the participation of the titular stars of my very favorite cinematic interpretation of Hamlet, The Adventures of Bob & Doug McKenzie: Strange Brew. Take off, you hosers!
Samstag, 8 März
Less Than Jake, "Liquor Store" from Pezcore (T.L.A.M.)
The Endurance
This is foreshadowing. I leave it to better men than I to judge whether 'tis cryptic or no.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
As a direct result of Daylight Saving Time, which is a fraud and a sham, by the way, I have been tired and cranky all day. "The Explorers Club" and "Project OSPREY" have thus been delayed until I am in a more conducive frame of mind, most likely tomorrow. Be brave and try to muddle through until then, me buckoes.
View the extra time as an opportunity to play Who Used To Own It? Round Three!
View the extra time as an opportunity to play Who Used To Own It? Round Three!
Friday, March 7, 2008
Who Used To Own It? - Round Three
Round Two Answers
1) Senegal - France
2) The Gambia - Great Britain
3) Namibia - Germany
4) Somalia - Italy*
5) Malawi - Great Britain
6) Gabon - France
7) Ethiopia - Independent**
Wow! Scores for Round Two of Who Used To Own It? were astronomically improved over Round One! Returning contestant The Guy scored three out of seven for 43% correct! Newcomers C. and Skeeter scored, respectively, three and a half out of seven for 50% and five out of seven for a staggering 71%!
*The failed/failing nation-state of Somalia is composed principally of the former Italian Somaliland, but a portion was the former colony British Somaliland; thus, both The Guy and Skeeter were credited with a correct answer for Italy, while C. got half a point for her answer, Great Britain.
**Ethiopia is one of only two contemporary nation-states that were not colonized by the European powers during the Scramble for Africa. The other will almost certainly be featured in a later round.
Round Three
As always, Who Used To Own It? depends upon the honor system; so, go ahead and do your best, and only afterward consult the appropriate reference materials to check your score. Participation was up 200% in Round Two compared to Round One, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we can see a similar increase here in Round Three.
Bear in mind the example of Somalia-Italian Somaliland/British Somaliland. Modern nation-states correspond roughly, but not precisely, to pre-Great War colonial holdings. Because our purpose here is educational, not competitive, deliberately tricky questions will be plainly flagged as such. Good luck!
1) Uganda
2) Angola
3) Madagascar
4) Sierra Leone
5) Tunisia
Tricky
6) Tanzania
Tricky
7) Zanzibar
The Rebel Black Dot Songs of the Day
Chumbawamba, "Tubthumping" from Tubthumper (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: Anarchists sure do love their hooch.
"He drinks the whiskey drink,
He drinks the vodka drink,
He drinks the lager drink,
He drinks the cider drink,
He sings the songs that remind him of the good times,
He sings the songs that remind him of the better times."
Donnerstag, 6 März
Great Big Sea, "Jakey's Gin" courtesy of The Watergirl (The Watergirl)
Commentary: Thanks, Katie!
Round Two Answers
1) Senegal - France
2) The Gambia - Great Britain
3) Namibia - Germany
4) Somalia - Italy*
5) Malawi - Great Britain
6) Gabon - France
7) Ethiopia - Independent**
Wow! Scores for Round Two of Who Used To Own It? were astronomically improved over Round One! Returning contestant The Guy scored three out of seven for 43% correct! Newcomers C. and Skeeter scored, respectively, three and a half out of seven for 50% and five out of seven for a staggering 71%!
*The failed/failing nation-state of Somalia is composed principally of the former Italian Somaliland, but a portion was the former colony British Somaliland; thus, both The Guy and Skeeter were credited with a correct answer for Italy, while C. got half a point for her answer, Great Britain.
**Ethiopia is one of only two contemporary nation-states that were not colonized by the European powers during the Scramble for Africa. The other will almost certainly be featured in a later round.
Round Three
As always, Who Used To Own It? depends upon the honor system; so, go ahead and do your best, and only afterward consult the appropriate reference materials to check your score. Participation was up 200% in Round Two compared to Round One, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we can see a similar increase here in Round Three.
Bear in mind the example of Somalia-Italian Somaliland/British Somaliland. Modern nation-states correspond roughly, but not precisely, to pre-Great War colonial holdings. Because our purpose here is educational, not competitive, deliberately tricky questions will be plainly flagged as such. Good luck!
1) Uganda
2) Angola
3) Madagascar
4) Sierra Leone
5) Tunisia
Tricky
6) Tanzania
Tricky
7) Zanzibar
The Rebel Black Dot Songs of the Day
Chumbawamba, "Tubthumping" from Tubthumper (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: Anarchists sure do love their hooch.
"He drinks the whiskey drink,
He drinks the vodka drink,
He drinks the lager drink,
He drinks the cider drink,
He sings the songs that remind him of the good times,
He sings the songs that remind him of the better times."
Donnerstag, 6 März
Great Big Sea, "Jakey's Gin" courtesy of The Watergirl (The Watergirl)
Commentary: Thanks, Katie!
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Science!
"'Our Mars program is the envy of the world,' said Alan Stern, associate administrator of N.A.S.A.'s Science Mission Directorate." Marslink. And Dr. Stern believes that Pluto is a planet and that the I.A.U.'s definitions of "planet" and "dwarf planet" are scientific gibberish. I hold with Dr. Stern on both matters, Mars and Pluto.
Science!
"'Our Mars program is the envy of the world,' said Alan Stern, associate administrator of N.A.S.A.'s Science Mission Directorate." Marslink. And Dr. Stern believes that Pluto is a planet and that the I.A.U.'s definitions of "planet" and "dwarf planet" are scientific gibberish. I hold with Dr. Stern on both matters, Mars and Pluto.
Science!
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Who Used To Own It? - Vive la France!
In Round One, I identified Great Britain as the former colonial suzerain of Guinea. I WAS WRONG. FRANCE WAS THE SUZERAIN OF GUINEA. My sincerest thanks are extended to Skeeter for catching the error, which was compounded in the scoring of Round One. As a result, The Guy's correct answers are reduced from four to three of twelve, or 25% However, The Guy got one more thing: he initially scored himself correctly, three of twelve, before I interceded with my idiotic declaration of "four of twelve for 33%." I am ashamed of myself for my brash arrogance.
Effective immediately, all rounds of Who Used To Own It? will be scored in consultation with reputable reference materials. No longer will I rely upon my clearly fallible memory. I am deeply sorry, one and all, and I hope this scandal will not deter anyone from partaking of the edifying fun of Who used To Own It?
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Denis Leary, "Traditional Irish Folk Song" from No Cure For Cancer (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary:
"We drink and we sing
And we drink and we sing,
Hey!
We drink and we drive
And we puke and we drink,
Hey!
We drink and we fight
And we bleed and we cry,
Hey!
We puke and we smoke
And we drink and we die,
Hey!"
In Round One, I identified Great Britain as the former colonial suzerain of Guinea. I WAS WRONG. FRANCE WAS THE SUZERAIN OF GUINEA. My sincerest thanks are extended to Skeeter for catching the error, which was compounded in the scoring of Round One. As a result, The Guy's correct answers are reduced from four to three of twelve, or 25% However, The Guy got one more thing: he initially scored himself correctly, three of twelve, before I interceded with my idiotic declaration of "four of twelve for 33%." I am ashamed of myself for my brash arrogance.
Effective immediately, all rounds of Who Used To Own It? will be scored in consultation with reputable reference materials. No longer will I rely upon my clearly fallible memory. I am deeply sorry, one and all, and I hope this scandal will not deter anyone from partaking of the edifying fun of Who used To Own It?
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Denis Leary, "Traditional Irish Folk Song" from No Cure For Cancer (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary:
"We drink and we sing
And we drink and we sing,
Hey!
We drink and we drive
And we puke and we drink,
Hey!
We drink and we fight
And we bleed and we cry,
Hey!
We puke and we smoke
And we drink and we die,
Hey!"
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Project OSPREY
Ohio State 80-77 Purdue (OT) - Drat! Well, it was a good curse while it lasted, and 1-5 is none too shabby, if I do say so myself. Still, I hate to see the hated Buckeyes win anything, even were they to stand against the legions of Perdition; so, I'll have to content myself with their technological incompetence. A twenty minute delay of the second half because they couldn't get the shot clocks up and running? Bwa ha ha ha ha! The ineptitude! The bumbling! Delicious!
I wish Purdue Pete had used his hammer to crack open the nut of Brutus the Buckeye's head. Buckeyes aren't even animate, you idiots!
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Dropkick Murphys, "The Dirty Glass" via iTunes (The Watergirl)
Ohio State 80-77 Purdue (OT) - Drat! Well, it was a good curse while it lasted, and 1-5 is none too shabby, if I do say so myself. Still, I hate to see the hated Buckeyes win anything, even were they to stand against the legions of Perdition; so, I'll have to content myself with their technological incompetence. A twenty minute delay of the second half because they couldn't get the shot clocks up and running? Bwa ha ha ha ha! The ineptitude! The bumbling! Delicious!
I wish Purdue Pete had used his hammer to crack open the nut of Brutus the Buckeye's head. Buckeyes aren't even animate, you idiots!
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Dropkick Murphys, "The Dirty Glass" via iTunes (The Watergirl)
Monday, March 3, 2008
The Explorers Club
No. LXVII - Finland Imperiled, Part I of III: The Winter War (1939-40)
Who Used To Own It? - Round Two
Round One Answers
1) Algeria - France
2) Libya - Italy
3) Egypt - Great Britain*
4) Kenya - Great Britain
5) The Sudan - Great Britain
6) D.R. Congo (Zaire) - Belgium*
7) Guinea -Great Britain France
8) Equatorial Guinea - Spain
9) Guinea-Bissau - Portugal
10) Cameroon - Germany
11) Mozambique - Portugal
12) Zambia - Great Britain
Only one among you had the courage to test his knowledge, scoring a laudable 33% with four of twelve correct answers. For his audacity, The Guy shall receive a prize, while the rest of you rabble will hold cheap your manhood (even the girls) and hang your heads in shame. But lo, redemption is at hand, for I give unto you Who Used To Own It?... Round Two!
Round Two
A clarification: following the Great War, Germany was stripped of her overseas possessions. We are looking for the original, pre-Versailles colonial suzerain. Also, the number of queries has been reduced in a bid to lessen the intimidation factor. Please don't be too embarrassed to play. This is an educational diversion, a mere whimsical trifle! Play, participate, and remember that in the sage words of Ethan "Bubblegum" Tate, the Globetrotter commander, "Nothing is at stake and there are no consequences." Good luck!
1) Senegal
2) The Gambia
3) Namibia
4) Somalia
5) Malawi
6) Gabon
Tricky
7) Ethiopia
*Geopolitical complexity is not an invention of the 21st Century. The Khedive of Egypt was a unique proposition, even before the British Empire wrested is away from the Ottoman Empire. Also, for over two decades what we know as the Democratic Republic of Congo was the private property of King Leopold II, not a colony of the Kingdom of Belgium.
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Real Can of Yams, "Let's Get Drunk and Clean the Room" from Good or Suck! (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: Good or Suck! is R.C.Y.'s first, but I guarantee you not last, studio album. Available only in the most exclusive of record shops, the kind of places about which if you have to ask you'll never know.
No. LXVII - Finland Imperiled, Part I of III: The Winter War (1939-40)
Who Used To Own It? - Round Two
Round One Answers
1) Algeria - France
2) Libya - Italy
3) Egypt - Great Britain*
4) Kenya - Great Britain
5) The Sudan - Great Britain
6) D.R. Congo (Zaire) - Belgium*
7) Guinea -
8) Equatorial Guinea - Spain
9) Guinea-Bissau - Portugal
10) Cameroon - Germany
11) Mozambique - Portugal
12) Zambia - Great Britain
Only one among you had the courage to test his knowledge, scoring a laudable 33% with four of twelve correct answers. For his audacity, The Guy shall receive a prize, while the rest of you rabble will hold cheap your manhood (even the girls) and hang your heads in shame. But lo, redemption is at hand, for I give unto you Who Used To Own It?... Round Two!
Round Two
A clarification: following the Great War, Germany was stripped of her overseas possessions. We are looking for the original, pre-Versailles colonial suzerain. Also, the number of queries has been reduced in a bid to lessen the intimidation factor. Please don't be too embarrassed to play. This is an educational diversion, a mere whimsical trifle! Play, participate, and remember that in the sage words of Ethan "Bubblegum" Tate, the Globetrotter commander, "Nothing is at stake and there are no consequences." Good luck!
1) Senegal
2) The Gambia
3) Namibia
4) Somalia
5) Malawi
6) Gabon
Tricky
7) Ethiopia
*Geopolitical complexity is not an invention of the 21st Century. The Khedive of Egypt was a unique proposition, even before the British Empire wrested is away from the Ottoman Empire. Also, for over two decades what we know as the Democratic Republic of Congo was the private property of King Leopold II, not a colony of the Kingdom of Belgium.
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Real Can of Yams, "Let's Get Drunk and Clean the Room" from Good or Suck! (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: Good or Suck! is R.C.Y.'s first, but I guarantee you not last, studio album. Available only in the most exclusive of record shops, the kind of places about which if you have to ask you'll never know.
All the pretty snow is melting. Lousy Smarch weather. On the other hand...
Science!
Holy balls! Living in the future is so cool: Lifecarlink!
Also, to be unscientific for a moment, I love that when the Brits talk about cars, about cool, they kick metric to the curb and go with what feels right, English units. Love live the mile!
Alright, back to scientific rationalism, which does recognize the value of metric standardization. Science!
Science!
Holy balls! Living in the future is so cool: Lifecarlink!
Also, to be unscientific for a moment, I love that when the Brits talk about cars, about cool, they kick metric to the curb and go with what feels right, English units. Love live the mile!
Alright, back to scientific rationalism, which does recognize the value of metric standardization. Science!
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Project OSPREY
Michigan State 103-74 Indiana - Sweet fancy Moses, how on Earth is this the same team of dastardly Spartans I saw struggle so futilely against Wisconsin last Thursday? Alas and alack, there must have been much merry-making in Evil Lansing this evening. Never send Hoosiers to do a man's job.
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, "You & Me & the Bottle Makes 3" (live) via iTunes (Ki-El)
Commentary: He picked the Song of the Day and his dastardly Spartans scored two games' worth of points in one afternoon? A banner day for Ki-El. My congratulations to you, buddy, though I hope your compatriots all choke on fish bones.
Michigan State 103-74 Indiana - Sweet fancy Moses, how on Earth is this the same team of dastardly Spartans I saw struggle so futilely against Wisconsin last Thursday? Alas and alack, there must have been much merry-making in Evil Lansing this evening. Never send Hoosiers to do a man's job.
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, "You & Me & the Bottle Makes 3" (live) via iTunes (Ki-El)
Commentary: He picked the Song of the Day and his dastardly Spartans scored two games' worth of points in one afternoon? A banner day for Ki-El. My congratulations to you, buddy, though I hope your compatriots all choke on fish bones.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
I hope you all have a grand Leap Day. Mine was largely squandered, but I feel the difference was in some measure made up by today's manifold glories.
Project OSPREY
Georgetown 70-68 Marquette (OT) - Marquette had every opportunity in the world to win this game, but every time they had a chance to put the Hoyas away they chose that exact moment to begin a minutes-long scoring drought. And if you let a team as talented as Georgetown stick around, they'll make good the comeback. Drat and double drat! Killer instinct, kids, its importance in sports can scarcely be overstated.
Minnesota 71-57 Ohio State - The hated Buckeyes are now a perfect 0-5* in games I have watched and their hopes of making the N.C.A.A. tournament are fading fast. Hey, neat, I'm a bad luck charm! The following quotation, ladies and gentlemen, from the fertile mind of the late Eric Hoffer, explains succinctly the entire State of Ohio: "Passionate hatred can give meaning and purpose to an empty life."
*Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana again, and now Minnesota. Bwa ha ha ha ha!
Also, you can tell that I've been watching a lot of, mayhap too much, college basketball since The Barn's raised floor no longer strikes me as odd. 'Tis a lovely madness.
The Rebel Black Dot Songs of the Day
Spike Jones & His City Slickers, "Cocktails for Two" from The Spike Jones Anthology (T.L.A.M.)
Freitag, 29 Februar
Real Can of Yams, "Let's Get Drunk and Clean the Room" (live) performed and recorded on 21 Juni 2002 (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: That does it for the live recordings of "Let's Get Drunk and Clean the Room." Now brace yourselves for the album version! (Not tomorrow, but, you know, soon... ish.)
Coming Attractions
A three-part epic in "The Explorers Club" and the second round of America's favorite obscure and obtuse quiz sensation, Who Used To Own It?
Project OSPREY
Georgetown 70-68 Marquette (OT) - Marquette had every opportunity in the world to win this game, but every time they had a chance to put the Hoyas away they chose that exact moment to begin a minutes-long scoring drought. And if you let a team as talented as Georgetown stick around, they'll make good the comeback. Drat and double drat! Killer instinct, kids, its importance in sports can scarcely be overstated.
Minnesota 71-57 Ohio State - The hated Buckeyes are now a perfect 0-5* in games I have watched and their hopes of making the N.C.A.A. tournament are fading fast. Hey, neat, I'm a bad luck charm! The following quotation, ladies and gentlemen, from the fertile mind of the late Eric Hoffer, explains succinctly the entire State of Ohio: "Passionate hatred can give meaning and purpose to an empty life."
*Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana again, and now Minnesota. Bwa ha ha ha ha!
Also, you can tell that I've been watching a lot of, mayhap too much, college basketball since The Barn's raised floor no longer strikes me as odd. 'Tis a lovely madness.
The Rebel Black Dot Songs of the Day
Spike Jones & His City Slickers, "Cocktails for Two" from The Spike Jones Anthology (T.L.A.M.)
Freitag, 29 Februar
Real Can of Yams, "Let's Get Drunk and Clean the Room" (live) performed and recorded on 21 Juni 2002 (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: That does it for the live recordings of "Let's Get Drunk and Clean the Room." Now brace yourselves for the album version! (Not tomorrow, but, you know, soon... ish.)
Coming Attractions
A three-part epic in "The Explorers Club" and the second round of America's favorite obscure and obtuse quiz sensation, Who Used To Own It?
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Who Used To Own It?
I have not devised a system for scoring because I view Who Used To Own It? not so much as a competitive game but as an edifying diversion. The game is very simple: one hundred years hence, very nearly the whole of Africa was claimed by the European powers. The quizmaster poses the name of a contemporary African nation-state and the contestant names the colonial suzerain. An example:
Query: South Africa
Answer: Great Britain
And as always here at The Secret Base, we rely on the honor system; this is a test of your knowledge and well-roundedness, not your acumen in utilizing internet search engines. Ready?
Beginner
1) Algeria
2) Libya
3) Egypt
Intermediate
4) Kenya
5) The Sudan
6) D.R. Congo (formerly Zaire)
Tricky
7) Guinea
8) Equatorial Guinea
9) Guinea-Bissau
Advanced
10) Cameroon
11) Mozambique
12) Zambia
Good luck!
Project OSPREY
Louisville 90-85 Notre Dame - My thought was to make the night a double-header, and I wish I had seen more of this game, but 'twas not to be. I missed the early going during the nightly broadcast of Jeopardy!, after which I listened while washing the dishes, but with a firm intention of watching the Michigan State-Wisconsin game at nine o'clock, I decided instead to forgo the Big East showdown and see what was doing on ye olde internet. I saw only scattered moments of the contest, but I find myself pleased any time Notre Dame loses. Woot!
Wisconsin 57-42 Michigan State - I was feeling a tad continental this evening; so, as I engaged in an otherwise all-American evening of watching two solidly Midwestern clubs meet in basketball with my kitty perched on my lap, I sipped my Dutch beer (Heineken) and nibbled my Swiss dark chocolate (Toblerone). Dutch booze, Swiss food, and as a monoglot I speak only English; raise a glass for the Germanic-speaking peoples. Prost!
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
The Dubliners, "Seven Drunken Nights" via iTunes (The Guy)
Commentary: Nominate a song and you too can achieve the same degree of parenthetical fame as The Guy!
I have not devised a system for scoring because I view Who Used To Own It? not so much as a competitive game but as an edifying diversion. The game is very simple: one hundred years hence, very nearly the whole of Africa was claimed by the European powers. The quizmaster poses the name of a contemporary African nation-state and the contestant names the colonial suzerain. An example:
Query: South Africa
Answer: Great Britain
And as always here at The Secret Base, we rely on the honor system; this is a test of your knowledge and well-roundedness, not your acumen in utilizing internet search engines. Ready?
Beginner
1) Algeria
2) Libya
3) Egypt
Intermediate
4) Kenya
5) The Sudan
6) D.R. Congo (formerly Zaire)
Tricky
7) Guinea
8) Equatorial Guinea
9) Guinea-Bissau
Advanced
10) Cameroon
11) Mozambique
12) Zambia
Good luck!
Project OSPREY
Louisville 90-85 Notre Dame - My thought was to make the night a double-header, and I wish I had seen more of this game, but 'twas not to be. I missed the early going during the nightly broadcast of Jeopardy!, after which I listened while washing the dishes, but with a firm intention of watching the Michigan State-Wisconsin game at nine o'clock, I decided instead to forgo the Big East showdown and see what was doing on ye olde internet. I saw only scattered moments of the contest, but I find myself pleased any time Notre Dame loses. Woot!
Wisconsin 57-42 Michigan State - I was feeling a tad continental this evening; so, as I engaged in an otherwise all-American evening of watching two solidly Midwestern clubs meet in basketball with my kitty perched on my lap, I sipped my Dutch beer (Heineken) and nibbled my Swiss dark chocolate (Toblerone). Dutch booze, Swiss food, and as a monoglot I speak only English; raise a glass for the Germanic-speaking peoples. Prost!
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
The Dubliners, "Seven Drunken Nights" via iTunes (The Guy)
Commentary: Nominate a song and you too can achieve the same degree of parenthetical fame as The Guy!
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
I had a damn good day, over which the dark bastard held no dominion, and I'm in the mood for the blues. To wit:
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
John Lee Hooker, "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" from The Definitive Collection (T.L.A.M.)
Tomorrow, I'll introduce you to the soon-to-sweep-the-nation quiz sensation I devised this evening, Who Used To Own It?
The Stars My Destination
Ladies and gentlemen, your loyal celestial pioneers, the men and women of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, present (some study models of) the lunar vehicles of the 21st Century: Moonlink. Ours is a Golden Age.
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
John Lee Hooker, "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" from The Definitive Collection (T.L.A.M.)
Tomorrow, I'll introduce you to the soon-to-sweep-the-nation quiz sensation I devised this evening, Who Used To Own It?
The Stars My Destination
Ladies and gentlemen, your loyal celestial pioneers, the men and women of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, present (some study models of) the lunar vehicles of the 21st Century: Moonlink. Ours is a Golden Age.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
This is the most interesting article I have encountered via the B.B.C. in quite some time: Reformationlink.
Project OSPREY
Indiana 72-69 Ohio State - The hated THE Ohio State University Buckeyes are now a perfect 0-4 in games I have watched on television. How do you like them apples, you scarlet and gray-clad buffoons? No wins for you!
Go Blue!
Also, tonight's was a radically different Indiana squad than I saw a week ago against Purdue. The Boilermakers would have beaten this evening's Hoosiers by twenty points or more. And I guess that's why they play the games. Any given team on any given night and all that jolly rubbish.
Vanderbilt 72-69 Tennessee - I saw the first half in chunks that curiously corresponded to the commercial breaks in Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe. Odd, that. You did America's favorite robber baron, Cornelius "The Commodore" Vanderbilt, proud tonight, Vandy, and I salute you. And I am back to rooting against everyone and everything associated with the horrific University of Tennessee; all is right with the world.
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
King Monkey, "Kissin' the Bottle" from Pounded: The Official Comic Book Soundtrack (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: We find ourselves in the home stretch, treasured readers, as my supply of alcohol-themed songs rapidly approaches exhaustion. Nominations to prolong the drunken mania would be most sincerely appreciated. Cheers!
Project OSPREY
Indiana 72-69 Ohio State - The hated THE Ohio State University Buckeyes are now a perfect 0-4 in games I have watched on television. How do you like them apples, you scarlet and gray-clad buffoons? No wins for you!
Go Blue!
Also, tonight's was a radically different Indiana squad than I saw a week ago against Purdue. The Boilermakers would have beaten this evening's Hoosiers by twenty points or more. And I guess that's why they play the games. Any given team on any given night and all that jolly rubbish.
Vanderbilt 72-69 Tennessee - I saw the first half in chunks that curiously corresponded to the commercial breaks in Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe. Odd, that. You did America's favorite robber baron, Cornelius "The Commodore" Vanderbilt, proud tonight, Vandy, and I salute you. And I am back to rooting against everyone and everything associated with the horrific University of Tennessee; all is right with the world.
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
King Monkey, "Kissin' the Bottle" from Pounded: The Official Comic Book Soundtrack (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: We find ourselves in the home stretch, treasured readers, as my supply of alcohol-themed songs rapidly approaches exhaustion. Nominations to prolong the drunken mania would be most sincerely appreciated. Cheers!
Monday, February 25, 2008
Vote For Kodos
No third party in the history of the Republic has accomplished any goal other than undermining the democratic process and providing for governance by a minority party. The Republican and Democratic Parties are both deeply flawed, but the broad-based appeal of each has allowed for a remarkable stability in the American body politic. Introduce more parties into the mix and we risk descending int the chaos of Italy or Israel, where the "governing" party holds not even a quarter of the seats in the Knesset. Thus, I feel secure in the following declaration: Ralph Nader is an enemy of American democracy. Naderlink.
That said, my political id is already relishing the votes he'll take away from (probably) Senator Obama. Be they few or great in number, every little bit will help.
Also, how can anyone vote for a man whose last name is a homophone of nadir?
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Reel Big Fish, "Drinkin'" (live) from Our Live Album is Better Than Your Live Albums, Disc 1: More Shtick Than You Can Shake a Stick At (T.L.A.M.)
No third party in the history of the Republic has accomplished any goal other than undermining the democratic process and providing for governance by a minority party. The Republican and Democratic Parties are both deeply flawed, but the broad-based appeal of each has allowed for a remarkable stability in the American body politic. Introduce more parties into the mix and we risk descending int the chaos of Italy or Israel, where the "governing" party holds not even a quarter of the seats in the Knesset. Thus, I feel secure in the following declaration: Ralph Nader is an enemy of American democracy. Naderlink.
That said, my political id is already relishing the votes he'll take away from (probably) Senator Obama. Be they few or great in number, every little bit will help.
Also, how can anyone vote for a man whose last name is a homophone of nadir?
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Reel Big Fish, "Drinkin'" (live) from Our Live Album is Better Than Your Live Albums, Disc 1: More Shtick Than You Can Shake a Stick At (T.L.A.M.)
Sunday, February 24, 2008
The Explorers Club
No. LXVI - Albert Grey (1851-1917), 4th Earl Grey, among many other honors and distinctions the benefactor and originator of the Grey Cup, though not the Earl Grey after whom the tea is named.
Project TROIKA
In Steeze's own words, "It might have taken a little while to get used to having a partner, but I think we are a good team and each contribute in our own ways." I could not agree more forcefully. I have become an enthusiastic advocate of collaboration. (Artistic collaboration, not Vichy France.)
The Victors
Under the banner of College Hockey at the Joe, the valiant Wolverines overthrew the dastardly Spartans at the august Joe Louis Arena in sacred Detroit, Michigan last evening by the sore of 5-2! Huzzah and hooray! My mom, pop, and I saw an after dinner screening of Vantage Point (waste neither your time nor your money, it's rubbish); so, I tuned in to the game midway through the third period, by which point the fearless boys in maize and blue were already ahead of the villains in green and white four goals to two. Still, 'twas a blissful ten minutes of hockey, especially the way the side of good and righteousness was able to control the puck in the waning moments even as the fiends from East Lansing were in desperate need of a goal. And in such situations an empty-netter, as the valiant Wolverines scored, is the icing (no pun intended) on the cake. The C.C.H.A. is ours! On to the tournaments!
Go Blue!
And as a segue into Project OSPREY, though I was not able to view the Michigan-Illinois basketball game (curse the Big Ten Network!), the score tells the tale: Michigan 49-43 Illinois. The game must have been atrociously ugly, but when such a win raises your team's record to 9-18, any win you can walk away with is a good one, and most gratefully appreciated. I believe in John Beilein's methods and strategy, and you should, too. There is yet a long, hard slog ahead, but we are on the road back to respectability. Now if someone will bring me the head of Chris Webber so that I might use his skull as a chalice, I'll be pleased as punch.
Four Big Ten wins in the last five games! Go Blue!
Project OSPREY: Big Time, Baby!
Wisconsin 58-53 Ohio State - The hated Buckeyes have lost all three games of the season that I have watched on television. Pardon me for a second while I commit their remaining schedule to memory. That said, this would have been an opportune game for a meteor to fall from the heavens and immolate the arena and all within. Cursed, unreliable meteors.
Notre Dame 94-87 Syracuse - I tuned to watch Wisconsin-Ohio State, but found instead the waning minutes of Big East action. Another stage on which a meteor could have shone brightly, dagnabbit.
Saturday, 23 February
Tennessee 66-62 Memphis - I watched the big showdown between No. 1 Memphis and No. 2 Tennessee after the end of Michigan's victory over Michigan State at the Joe (see above), and struck by an odd sensation: I found myself rooting for *gasp* Tennessee. The Memphis coach has been on P.T.I. earlier in the week and I'd found him to be really obnoxious, not least because of his defense of his team's piss-poor free throw percentage. Had Memphis made a few more of their free throws (for the night they shot below 50%), they might very well have prevailed and kept alive the hope of a perfect regular season. Still, I don't feel at all good about this, curse that Bruce Pearl for his infectious enthusiasm!
Thursday, 21 February
Minnesota 69-60 Michigan - Brick, brick, brick, brick, brick. We shot very, very, very poorly and were lucky to lose by only nine. Rats!
Tuesday, 19 February
Indiana 77-68 Purdue - As a remarked to my father two days later, Purdue and Michigan must have gone to the same shooting clinic over the preceding weekend, because neither team could buy a basket for love or money. And curse the Big Ten for this being the only regular season meeting for these two heated rivals. I think we'd all like to find out if the Hoosiers have the same swagger inside Mackey Arena.
Sunday, 17 February
Michigan 80-70 Ohio State - Bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha! Sweet victory! New Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez addressed the crowd at halftime and up in the rafters the visiting Ohio State broke out into a chant that was head down in the floor as "Asshole! Asshole!" Hated Buckeyes who claim to have been among that throng claim that they were actually chanting not "Asshole!" but "Tressel! Tressel!" I find it almost poetic that even when uttered by his most ardent supporters the demon Tressel's name sounds just like "asshole."
Wednesday, 13 February
Duke 77-65 Maryland - Both Maryland and Duke play fundamentally solid basketball and this game was a genuine joy to watch. I am glad the Blue Devil's prevailed, but 'twas unfortunate it had to come at Maryland's expense. Such is the magnificent tragedy of sport, for every winner there must be a loser.
Tuesday, 12 February
Purdue 60-54 Michigan State - Ah, it couldn't have happened to a more deserving collections of rogues. Tom Izzo is the perect basketball coach, with the notable exception that he has pledged his considerable talents to the Michigan Agricultural College, as vile a congregation of mouthbreathers and bottomfeeders as you'll ever see. Of course, for all that the dastardly Spartans can play, and I was mightily impressed with the ill-starred Boilermakers' triumph.
Vanderbilt 93-52 Kentucky - I watched most of the first half of this game and was absolutely shocked when I read the final score the following day. How in blazes did Kentucky manage to accumulate fifty-two points? The team I saw in the first half could not have bested an intramural team composed of me and four clones, two of whom would have their dominant right arms tied behind their respective backs.
Monday, 11 February
Georgetown 55-53 Villanova - I hate the way Georgetown plays ball. Great defense is one thing, but out on the court the thuggish Hoyas act like they're the Philadelphia Flyers' old "Legion of Doom." Basketball is supposed to be a contact sport, not a combat sport.
Sunday, 10 February
Indiana 59-53 Ohio State - Fielding Yost's ghost, I love watching T.O.S.U. lose!
Arizona State 59-54 Arizona - The only item at issue here is which team was more desirous of the loss. In the opening minutes, Arizona State did everything in their power to claim the defeat, but as the game wore on Arizona proved that they simply wanted it more. They seized fast to the loss and would not be shaken loose for all the world. Did someone spread the rumor that the winning team would be sent to the glue factory or something?
Saturday, 9 February
Notre Dame 86-83 Marquette - I hate to admit it, but the vile Fighting Irish do seem to know their business, those kids are solid in every phrase of the game. Blast! Also, please tell me Marquette was wearing specialty uniforms for charity, because those clown suits cannot be the shorts and shirts in which they purport to represent their school. Eek!
Louisville 59-51 Georgetown - Have I mentioned that I hate watching Georgetown? I'm no fan of Rick Pitino, but was glad of this game's result. I only caught the back half of Louisville-Georgetown due to the Michigan-Miami hockey game (see below).
The Victors Addendum
Saturday, 16 February
Michigan 4-2 Lake Superior State - Schweet.
Saturday, 9 February
Michigan 5-5 Miami - So, let me understand this. When a Miami player whacks the puck up into the protective netting above and behind Michigan's goal, that puck is still in play, but when a Michigan player whacks the puck into the netting above and behind the Miami goal, that puck is ruled out of play, resulting in a face-off. One can almost admire Shegos's dedication to corruption; when that sack of crap takes a bribe, by Jove, the briber gets his money's worth! We would have had a weekend sweep of the cheating Red Hawks has the officials not thrown the game. C.C.H.A. stand for, what? Corrupt Collegiate Hockey Association?
Go Blue!
The Rebel Black Dot Songs of the Day
The Pogues, "Streams of Whiskey" from The Best of the Pogues (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: I confess, there are times I miss Flogging Molly, but The Pogues have proven an effective salve.
Samstag, 23 Februar
Real Can of Yams, "Let's Get Drunk and Clean the Room/Riot Grrl" (live) performed and recorded on 30 Dezember 2002 (T.L.A.M.)
Freitag, 22 Februar
Reel Big Fish, "Beer" from Everything Sucks (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: The third of three renditions of "Beer."
No. LXVI - Albert Grey (1851-1917), 4th Earl Grey, among many other honors and distinctions the benefactor and originator of the Grey Cup, though not the Earl Grey after whom the tea is named.
Project TROIKA
In Steeze's own words, "It might have taken a little while to get used to having a partner, but I think we are a good team and each contribute in our own ways." I could not agree more forcefully. I have become an enthusiastic advocate of collaboration. (Artistic collaboration, not Vichy France.)
The Victors
Under the banner of College Hockey at the Joe, the valiant Wolverines overthrew the dastardly Spartans at the august Joe Louis Arena in sacred Detroit, Michigan last evening by the sore of 5-2! Huzzah and hooray! My mom, pop, and I saw an after dinner screening of Vantage Point (waste neither your time nor your money, it's rubbish); so, I tuned in to the game midway through the third period, by which point the fearless boys in maize and blue were already ahead of the villains in green and white four goals to two. Still, 'twas a blissful ten minutes of hockey, especially the way the side of good and righteousness was able to control the puck in the waning moments even as the fiends from East Lansing were in desperate need of a goal. And in such situations an empty-netter, as the valiant Wolverines scored, is the icing (no pun intended) on the cake. The C.C.H.A. is ours! On to the tournaments!
Go Blue!
And as a segue into Project OSPREY, though I was not able to view the Michigan-Illinois basketball game (curse the Big Ten Network!), the score tells the tale: Michigan 49-43 Illinois. The game must have been atrociously ugly, but when such a win raises your team's record to 9-18, any win you can walk away with is a good one, and most gratefully appreciated. I believe in John Beilein's methods and strategy, and you should, too. There is yet a long, hard slog ahead, but we are on the road back to respectability. Now if someone will bring me the head of Chris Webber so that I might use his skull as a chalice, I'll be pleased as punch.
Four Big Ten wins in the last five games! Go Blue!
Project OSPREY: Big Time, Baby!
Wisconsin 58-53 Ohio State - The hated Buckeyes have lost all three games of the season that I have watched on television. Pardon me for a second while I commit their remaining schedule to memory. That said, this would have been an opportune game for a meteor to fall from the heavens and immolate the arena and all within. Cursed, unreliable meteors.
Notre Dame 94-87 Syracuse - I tuned to watch Wisconsin-Ohio State, but found instead the waning minutes of Big East action. Another stage on which a meteor could have shone brightly, dagnabbit.
Saturday, 23 February
Tennessee 66-62 Memphis - I watched the big showdown between No. 1 Memphis and No. 2 Tennessee after the end of Michigan's victory over Michigan State at the Joe (see above), and struck by an odd sensation: I found myself rooting for *gasp* Tennessee. The Memphis coach has been on P.T.I. earlier in the week and I'd found him to be really obnoxious, not least because of his defense of his team's piss-poor free throw percentage. Had Memphis made a few more of their free throws (for the night they shot below 50%), they might very well have prevailed and kept alive the hope of a perfect regular season. Still, I don't feel at all good about this, curse that Bruce Pearl for his infectious enthusiasm!
Thursday, 21 February
Minnesota 69-60 Michigan - Brick, brick, brick, brick, brick. We shot very, very, very poorly and were lucky to lose by only nine. Rats!
Tuesday, 19 February
Indiana 77-68 Purdue - As a remarked to my father two days later, Purdue and Michigan must have gone to the same shooting clinic over the preceding weekend, because neither team could buy a basket for love or money. And curse the Big Ten for this being the only regular season meeting for these two heated rivals. I think we'd all like to find out if the Hoosiers have the same swagger inside Mackey Arena.
Sunday, 17 February
Michigan 80-70 Ohio State - Bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha! Sweet victory! New Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez addressed the crowd at halftime and up in the rafters the visiting Ohio State broke out into a chant that was head down in the floor as "Asshole! Asshole!" Hated Buckeyes who claim to have been among that throng claim that they were actually chanting not "Asshole!" but "Tressel! Tressel!" I find it almost poetic that even when uttered by his most ardent supporters the demon Tressel's name sounds just like "asshole."
Wednesday, 13 February
Duke 77-65 Maryland - Both Maryland and Duke play fundamentally solid basketball and this game was a genuine joy to watch. I am glad the Blue Devil's prevailed, but 'twas unfortunate it had to come at Maryland's expense. Such is the magnificent tragedy of sport, for every winner there must be a loser.
Tuesday, 12 February
Purdue 60-54 Michigan State - Ah, it couldn't have happened to a more deserving collections of rogues. Tom Izzo is the perect basketball coach, with the notable exception that he has pledged his considerable talents to the Michigan Agricultural College, as vile a congregation of mouthbreathers and bottomfeeders as you'll ever see. Of course, for all that the dastardly Spartans can play, and I was mightily impressed with the ill-starred Boilermakers' triumph.
Vanderbilt 93-52 Kentucky - I watched most of the first half of this game and was absolutely shocked when I read the final score the following day. How in blazes did Kentucky manage to accumulate fifty-two points? The team I saw in the first half could not have bested an intramural team composed of me and four clones, two of whom would have their dominant right arms tied behind their respective backs.
Monday, 11 February
Georgetown 55-53 Villanova - I hate the way Georgetown plays ball. Great defense is one thing, but out on the court the thuggish Hoyas act like they're the Philadelphia Flyers' old "Legion of Doom." Basketball is supposed to be a contact sport, not a combat sport.
Sunday, 10 February
Indiana 59-53 Ohio State - Fielding Yost's ghost, I love watching T.O.S.U. lose!
Arizona State 59-54 Arizona - The only item at issue here is which team was more desirous of the loss. In the opening minutes, Arizona State did everything in their power to claim the defeat, but as the game wore on Arizona proved that they simply wanted it more. They seized fast to the loss and would not be shaken loose for all the world. Did someone spread the rumor that the winning team would be sent to the glue factory or something?
Saturday, 9 February
Notre Dame 86-83 Marquette - I hate to admit it, but the vile Fighting Irish do seem to know their business, those kids are solid in every phrase of the game. Blast! Also, please tell me Marquette was wearing specialty uniforms for charity, because those clown suits cannot be the shorts and shirts in which they purport to represent their school. Eek!
Louisville 59-51 Georgetown - Have I mentioned that I hate watching Georgetown? I'm no fan of Rick Pitino, but was glad of this game's result. I only caught the back half of Louisville-Georgetown due to the Michigan-Miami hockey game (see below).
The Victors Addendum
Saturday, 16 February
Michigan 4-2 Lake Superior State - Schweet.
Saturday, 9 February
Michigan 5-5 Miami - So, let me understand this. When a Miami player whacks the puck up into the protective netting above and behind Michigan's goal, that puck is still in play, but when a Michigan player whacks the puck into the netting above and behind the Miami goal, that puck is ruled out of play, resulting in a face-off. One can almost admire Shegos's dedication to corruption; when that sack of crap takes a bribe, by Jove, the briber gets his money's worth! We would have had a weekend sweep of the cheating Red Hawks has the officials not thrown the game. C.C.H.A. stand for, what? Corrupt Collegiate Hockey Association?
Go Blue!
The Rebel Black Dot Songs of the Day
The Pogues, "Streams of Whiskey" from The Best of the Pogues (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: I confess, there are times I miss Flogging Molly, but The Pogues have proven an effective salve.
Samstag, 23 Februar
Real Can of Yams, "Let's Get Drunk and Clean the Room/Riot Grrl" (live) performed and recorded on 30 Dezember 2002 (T.L.A.M.)
Freitag, 22 Februar
Reel Big Fish, "Beer" from Everything Sucks (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: The third of three renditions of "Beer."
Thursday, February 21, 2008
"But, Mike... Asia!" Asialink.
Project OSPREY
You know, Project OSPREY is a lot more fun when my team wins. This evening we fell by the count of Minnesota 69-60 Michigan in "The Barn" in Minneapolis. Drat and curses! As ever, "my team" wins, but "we" lose. Solidarity. Basketball games are far more common and far less precious than football contests, but I think I may wear a Michigan shirt in mourning tomorrow. Farewell, three-game Big Ten winning streak, you shall be missed.
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
The Ramones, "Somebody Put Something in My Drink" from Ramones Mania (T.L.A.M.)
Project OSPREY
You know, Project OSPREY is a lot more fun when my team wins. This evening we fell by the count of Minnesota 69-60 Michigan in "The Barn" in Minneapolis. Drat and curses! As ever, "my team" wins, but "we" lose. Solidarity. Basketball games are far more common and far less precious than football contests, but I think I may wear a Michigan shirt in mourning tomorrow. Farewell, three-game Big Ten winning streak, you shall be missed.
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
The Ramones, "Somebody Put Something in My Drink" from Ramones Mania (T.L.A.M.)
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Tales of Perilous and Dubious Ventures
Ladies and gentleman, it is my distinct privilege to present to you, courtesy of our great friend the ever-glamorous Skeeter, the woeful, wonderful tale of the Citigroup Center: awesomelink.
Project TROIKA
The malaise has passed and we are back on track, with a vengeance! I am more than a week behind on Project OSPREY - perhaps I should blog about each game individually instead of continually pushing back an omnibus post - but for the nonce I am going to compose yet another TROIKA email to the Steeze. Banzai!
Project OSPREY
Indiana won tonight's contest not because they were the superior team, but because Purdue shot brick after brick after brick. I cannot resist the painfully obvious: this evening in Assembly Hall, the Boilermakers should have been called the Brickmakers. Curses!
Ricky Fitness
Yesterday, the girl at the equipment counter handed back my card and asked, "Does your ring (worn on my right hand ring finger) have shamrocks on it? That's so cute." And immediately upon the heels of the word "cute," before I'd had the chance to adapt any new aspect to my countenance, she said, "Um, I mean manly. That's so manly." My face betrayed no amusement, no annoyance, no amazement, no agitation, I hadn't had any time to react. I'd never seen anyone backtrack with such celerity and with so little cause. Verbally adroit, that lass.
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Less Than Jake, "Plastic Cup Politics" from Anthem (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: Chris is a great front man, but this song was just tailor-made for Roger to sing the lead vocals, horrible white trash dreadlocks and all.
"Hello, Mr. Six Pack of Confidence,
I'm glad to see you've already met
Ms. Twelve Ounces of Loneliness."
Ladies and gentleman, it is my distinct privilege to present to you, courtesy of our great friend the ever-glamorous Skeeter, the woeful, wonderful tale of the Citigroup Center: awesomelink.
Project TROIKA
The malaise has passed and we are back on track, with a vengeance! I am more than a week behind on Project OSPREY - perhaps I should blog about each game individually instead of continually pushing back an omnibus post - but for the nonce I am going to compose yet another TROIKA email to the Steeze. Banzai!
Project OSPREY
Indiana won tonight's contest not because they were the superior team, but because Purdue shot brick after brick after brick. I cannot resist the painfully obvious: this evening in Assembly Hall, the Boilermakers should have been called the Brickmakers. Curses!
Ricky Fitness
Yesterday, the girl at the equipment counter handed back my card and asked, "Does your ring (worn on my right hand ring finger) have shamrocks on it? That's so cute." And immediately upon the heels of the word "cute," before I'd had the chance to adapt any new aspect to my countenance, she said, "Um, I mean manly. That's so manly." My face betrayed no amusement, no annoyance, no amazement, no agitation, I hadn't had any time to react. I'd never seen anyone backtrack with such celerity and with so little cause. Verbally adroit, that lass.
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Less Than Jake, "Plastic Cup Politics" from Anthem (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: Chris is a great front man, but this song was just tailor-made for Roger to sing the lead vocals, horrible white trash dreadlocks and all.
"Hello, Mr. Six Pack of Confidence,
I'm glad to see you've already met
Ms. Twelve Ounces of Loneliness."
Monday, February 18, 2008
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Green Day, "Blood, Sex, and Booze" from Warning (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: I was a little surprised to learn that this is the only song I own with the word "booze" in its title. Where's the love? And I still say Carlos Boozer has, bar none, the greatest name in basketball today. Boooooozer.
Green Day, "Blood, Sex, and Booze" from Warning (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: I was a little surprised to learn that this is the only song I own with the word "booze" in its title. Where's the love? And I still say Carlos Boozer has, bar none, the greatest name in basketball today. Boooooozer.
Science!
Oortlink. I am a big fan of speculation, but the discovery of exoplanets has overturned much of what we thought we knew about planet formation; so, let's not make too many assumptions about the rotating dust clouds surrounding distant stars. I wish to find a cosmos full of infinite Earths, but we must not break out our mats and jump to any particular conclusions. Let's what to see what the data suggests.
Science!
Back in the day at Yost Ice Arena, in support of team captain Jed Ortmeyer, a small gaggle of us dubbed ourselves the "Ort Cloud," and would greet his every touch of the puck with a chant of "Ort! Ort! Ort! Ort! Ort! Ort!" like bloody circus seals.
Proud Europa
And the former Yugoslavia gets that little bit more former: Kosovolink. The United States is a colossal country, spanning a continent from ocean to ocean, and encompassing every race and creed under the Sun; so, Balkanization has always struck me as frightfully parochial and generally unfortunate. But, that said, staying as part of Serbia, even the post-Milosevic Serbia, is like staying with an abusive husband who swears up and down that he's changed. I applaud the courage of the Kosovars in striking out on their own, and I wish the new Republic of Kosovo well. Now we wait to see if international recognition shall materialize: E.U.link.
Oortlink. I am a big fan of speculation, but the discovery of exoplanets has overturned much of what we thought we knew about planet formation; so, let's not make too many assumptions about the rotating dust clouds surrounding distant stars. I wish to find a cosmos full of infinite Earths, but we must not break out our mats and jump to any particular conclusions. Let's what to see what the data suggests.
Science!
Back in the day at Yost Ice Arena, in support of team captain Jed Ortmeyer, a small gaggle of us dubbed ourselves the "Ort Cloud," and would greet his every touch of the puck with a chant of "Ort! Ort! Ort! Ort! Ort! Ort!" like bloody circus seals.
Proud Europa
And the former Yugoslavia gets that little bit more former: Kosovolink. The United States is a colossal country, spanning a continent from ocean to ocean, and encompassing every race and creed under the Sun; so, Balkanization has always struck me as frightfully parochial and generally unfortunate. But, that said, staying as part of Serbia, even the post-Milosevic Serbia, is like staying with an abusive husband who swears up and down that he's changed. I applaud the courage of the Kosovars in striking out on their own, and I wish the new Republic of Kosovo well. Now we wait to see if international recognition shall materialize: E.U.link.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
The Explorers Club
No. LXV - The rivalry between Gunder Hägg (1918-2004) and Arne Andersson (b. 1917).
Hägg
Andersson
I was ignorant of these amazing Swedish runners until Alistair suggested their rivalry as a proper subject for "The Explorers Club." Having now researched their invaluable contributions to sport, I most wholeheartedly agree and wish to extend my most sincere gratitude for Alistair's generous nomination. Thank you, my friend.
I would be more grateful to one and all for your own suggestions for future episodes of "The Explorers Club." The world is full or more wonder than any one mind could possibly encompass and I genuinely hope one or more of you will step forward to help relieve me of my own ignorance. Thank you.
No. LXV - The rivalry between Gunder Hägg (1918-2004) and Arne Andersson (b. 1917).
Hägg
Andersson
I was ignorant of these amazing Swedish runners until Alistair suggested their rivalry as a proper subject for "The Explorers Club." Having now researched their invaluable contributions to sport, I most wholeheartedly agree and wish to extend my most sincere gratitude for Alistair's generous nomination. Thank you, my friend.
I would be more grateful to one and all for your own suggestions for future episodes of "The Explorers Club." The world is full or more wonder than any one mind could possibly encompass and I genuinely hope one or more of you will step forward to help relieve me of my own ignorance. Thank you.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Happy Birthday!
Happiest of birthday wishes to the most prolific father of my generation, Daddy Dylweed, the proud papa of a trio of bouncing baby* boys! I've had the supreme privilege of being Dylweed's friend since middle school, and have been pleased and astonished to see him grow. He has truly dreadful taste in music, but he is a genuinely good man, and I envy him the happy home he has built. Happy birthday, Dylan!
*Well, all of them are too young to buy smokes.
The Danish Folketing (parliament) refuses to pay the Danegeld: Danelink. Good show, lads, freedom of expression must be defended.
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Reel Big Fish, "Drinkin'" from We're Not Happy 'Til You're Not Happy (T.L.A.M.)
Happiest of birthday wishes to the most prolific father of my generation, Daddy Dylweed, the proud papa of a trio of bouncing baby* boys! I've had the supreme privilege of being Dylweed's friend since middle school, and have been pleased and astonished to see him grow. He has truly dreadful taste in music, but he is a genuinely good man, and I envy him the happy home he has built. Happy birthday, Dylan!
*Well, all of them are too young to buy smokes.
The Danish Folketing (parliament) refuses to pay the Danegeld: Danelink. Good show, lads, freedom of expression must be defended.
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Reel Big Fish, "Drinkin'" from We're Not Happy 'Til You're Not Happy (T.L.A.M.)
Friday, February 15, 2008
The Stars My Destination
My friends, truly we live in a time of wonders that beggar credulity: spacewalklink. Hurtling through the pitiless vacuum of at breakneck speeds, a scant few fragile millimeters of module hull separating those inside from certain death, and yet under these conditions astronaut-scientists will relentlessly advance the frontiers of science, potentially producing Earth-shattering findings. Age of wonders.
"This was a Golden Age, a time of high adventure, rich living, and hard dying... but nobody thought so. This was a future of fortune and theft, pillage and rapine, culture and vice... but nobody admitted it. This was an age of extremes, a fascinating century of freaks... but nobody loved it."
--Alfred Bester, The Stars My Destination, A.D. 1956
Science!
Ricky Fitness
A toss up over which is the best T-shirt I saw at the gym today: "Swedes Are Bjorn to Rock," and the Nordic looking dude's short were properly color-coordinated, with blue and yellow stripes, or "Nice and Sleazy," a description that fit the wearer to a T. (Anyone know the etymology of that peculiar phrase, "to a T"?) I'm leaning toward "Swedes Are Bjorn to Rock."
Also, all four treadmills were occupied when I arrived, leaving me little recourse but to lift before running. I detest lifting first! Doing so leaves me befuddled and mildly but persistently irked. Drat!
And thanks to tonight's season finale of Psych, I learned the word "abulic." Thumbs up for vocabulary expansion. Rest assured I will find an obvious and entirely artificial way to work abulic into either conversation or, if you're lucky, a post here at The Secret Base.
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Slow Gherkin, "I Only Smoke When I'm Drunk" from Shed Some Skin (T.L.A.M.)
My friends, truly we live in a time of wonders that beggar credulity: spacewalklink. Hurtling through the pitiless vacuum of at breakneck speeds, a scant few fragile millimeters of module hull separating those inside from certain death, and yet under these conditions astronaut-scientists will relentlessly advance the frontiers of science, potentially producing Earth-shattering findings. Age of wonders.
"This was a Golden Age, a time of high adventure, rich living, and hard dying... but nobody thought so. This was a future of fortune and theft, pillage and rapine, culture and vice... but nobody admitted it. This was an age of extremes, a fascinating century of freaks... but nobody loved it."
--Alfred Bester, The Stars My Destination, A.D. 1956
Science!
Ricky Fitness
A toss up over which is the best T-shirt I saw at the gym today: "Swedes Are Bjorn to Rock," and the Nordic looking dude's short were properly color-coordinated, with blue and yellow stripes, or "Nice and Sleazy," a description that fit the wearer to a T. (Anyone know the etymology of that peculiar phrase, "to a T"?) I'm leaning toward "Swedes Are Bjorn to Rock."
Also, all four treadmills were occupied when I arrived, leaving me little recourse but to lift before running. I detest lifting first! Doing so leaves me befuddled and mildly but persistently irked. Drat!
And thanks to tonight's season finale of Psych, I learned the word "abulic." Thumbs up for vocabulary expansion. Rest assured I will find an obvious and entirely artificial way to work abulic into either conversation or, if you're lucky, a post here at The Secret Base.
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Slow Gherkin, "I Only Smoke When I'm Drunk" from Shed Some Skin (T.L.A.M.)
Hate the Drake
The webcomic "XKCD" takes the pomposity of the Drake Equation to task: the Fake Equation.
As I wrote to The Sardine last night in an I.M. chat, "I am a joy engine. Wherever I go, I leave people smiling and shaking their heads." Pep up, ya gloomy bastards!
The webcomic "XKCD" takes the pomposity of the Drake Equation to task: the Fake Equation.
As I wrote to The Sardine last night in an I.M. chat, "I am a joy engine. Wherever I go, I leave people smiling and shaking their heads." Pep up, ya gloomy bastards!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Project OSPREY: The Victors
Holy balls, Michigan won! Two back-to-back Big Ten victories, the Beilein method is beginning to pay dividends! Bring on the hated Buckeyes, the gathered horde in Crisler Arena shall bear witness to their doom!
Go Blue!
The Stars My Destination
The good ship Atlantis, the genuinely International Space Station, and the Columbus module, so long left waiting in the wings, all working together in perfect harmony: unitylink. 'Tis a wonder to behold. Quoting from the plaque enshrined on the Moon by the brave men of Apollo 11, "We came in peace for all Mankind." For all Mankind.
Spy vs. Spy
The war against jihadist terrorism must take first priority, but that doesn't mean the rest of the world is hugs and friendliness: traitorlink. I believe that Wen Ho Lee was treated unfairly because of his ethnicity and background, and that was morally wrong and dreadfully un-American. And then something like this comes along and xenophobic paranoia, at least on the part of those charged with protecting our secrets, seems almost like a good idea, or at least a sign of prudence. And more's the pity.
Also, beware the star killer. For all my uniqueness and flat-out weirdness, I am still a guy, and I still love an explosion, almost any explosion. Why "Spy vs. Spy"? The doomed celestial sailor is a spy satellite, after all. Star killer!
Vote For Kodos
And as Governor Romney reminds us, the most important thing is defeating the Democrats in the fall and preventing a dishonorable and reckless surrender in Iraq: endorsementlink. I will vote for Senator McCain come the general election, however much under protest.
Hmmm, perhaps we could clone President Reagan, like The Boys From Brazil, only without all the Nazis....
Holy balls, Michigan won! Two back-to-back Big Ten victories, the Beilein method is beginning to pay dividends! Bring on the hated Buckeyes, the gathered horde in Crisler Arena shall bear witness to their doom!
Go Blue!
The Stars My Destination
The good ship Atlantis, the genuinely International Space Station, and the Columbus module, so long left waiting in the wings, all working together in perfect harmony: unitylink. 'Tis a wonder to behold. Quoting from the plaque enshrined on the Moon by the brave men of Apollo 11, "We came in peace for all Mankind." For all Mankind.
Spy vs. Spy
The war against jihadist terrorism must take first priority, but that doesn't mean the rest of the world is hugs and friendliness: traitorlink. I believe that Wen Ho Lee was treated unfairly because of his ethnicity and background, and that was morally wrong and dreadfully un-American. And then something like this comes along and xenophobic paranoia, at least on the part of those charged with protecting our secrets, seems almost like a good idea, or at least a sign of prudence. And more's the pity.
Also, beware the star killer. For all my uniqueness and flat-out weirdness, I am still a guy, and I still love an explosion, almost any explosion. Why "Spy vs. Spy"? The doomed celestial sailor is a spy satellite, after all. Star killer!
Vote For Kodos
And as Governor Romney reminds us, the most important thing is defeating the Democrats in the fall and preventing a dishonorable and reckless surrender in Iraq: endorsementlink. I will vote for Senator McCain come the general election, however much under protest.
Hmmm, perhaps we could clone President Reagan, like The Boys From Brazil, only without all the Nazis....
Be My Anti-Valentine
Originally, I was going to link, as Vapidlink, to a horrid "dating advice" column promulgated by Yahoo! last week, but upon a second look I realized that it was neither horribly funny nor horrible and funny, just horrible. Instead, let us look back at past feast days of Saint Valentine here at The Secret Base:
Valentine's Day '07
Valentine's Day '06
(Valentine's Day was a mere footnote on 14 February '05.)
Valentine's Day '04
Before the year is out, hell, by the end of May, I shall be the last Wilson sibling still a loyal member of Team Bachelor. And by Memorial Day fully 40% of B.T.W.'s high command will owe their allegiance to The Marrieds. There are grim days ahead, my friends; so, for the nonce, raise your glasses and join me in an earnest toast: down with love!
I hope they all have a crummy Valentine's Day, the bastards.
Project OSPREY
I've watched at least one game every night this week. Next on tap, the valiant Wolverines of the University of Michigan against the tenacious Hawkeyes of the University of Iowa. This will all end in tears, but at least I'll be crying in my beer instead of my usual Dr. P.
The Rebel Black Dot Songs of the Day
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, "Drunks and Children" from Devil's Night Out (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: I wish "Drunks and Children" had been included on The Bosstones' truly excellent live album, Live From the Middle East. Alas. Long live the Hometown Throwdown!
Mittwoch, 13 Februar
"Weird Al" Yankovic, "The Saga Begins" from Running With Scissors (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: A brief break from the alcohol-fueled hi-jinks of the last few weeks to commemorate what happened yesterday afternoon after work, when people went apeshit over my "Weird Al" T-shirt bearing the image below.
Originally, I was going to link, as Vapidlink, to a horrid "dating advice" column promulgated by Yahoo! last week, but upon a second look I realized that it was neither horribly funny nor horrible and funny, just horrible. Instead, let us look back at past feast days of Saint Valentine here at The Secret Base:
Valentine's Day '07
Valentine's Day '06
(Valentine's Day was a mere footnote on 14 February '05.)
Valentine's Day '04
Before the year is out, hell, by the end of May, I shall be the last Wilson sibling still a loyal member of Team Bachelor. And by Memorial Day fully 40% of B.T.W.'s high command will owe their allegiance to The Marrieds. There are grim days ahead, my friends; so, for the nonce, raise your glasses and join me in an earnest toast: down with love!
I hope they all have a crummy Valentine's Day, the bastards.
Project OSPREY
I've watched at least one game every night this week. Next on tap, the valiant Wolverines of the University of Michigan against the tenacious Hawkeyes of the University of Iowa. This will all end in tears, but at least I'll be crying in my beer instead of my usual Dr. P.
The Rebel Black Dot Songs of the Day
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, "Drunks and Children" from Devil's Night Out (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: I wish "Drunks and Children" had been included on The Bosstones' truly excellent live album, Live From the Middle East. Alas. Long live the Hometown Throwdown!
Mittwoch, 13 Februar
"Weird Al" Yankovic, "The Saga Begins" from Running With Scissors (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: A brief break from the alcohol-fueled hi-jinks of the last few weeks to commemorate what happened yesterday afternoon after work, when people went apeshit over my "Weird Al" T-shirt bearing the image below.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Happy Birthday: I'm a Jerk
A belated happy birthday to The Professor! The Professor is the kind of guy who genuinely won't care that these congratulations are four days late, but I still feel like a heel. Sorry, buddy, I hope your birthday was spectacular. Happy birthday, Jon!
Comparatively on time, being only two days behind schedule.
The Explorers Club
No. LXIV - The Fall of Singapore, February 1942.
Also of interest is the Battle of Malaya that allowed the Empire of Japan to besiege Singapore, which will almost certainly be its own installment of "The Explorers Club" at a later date.
The Endurance
I have not spoken on the telephone to Codename PANDORA in three weeks. Our last few conversations since the New Year had been relatively short as she'd become extremely harried at work, and I identified two potentially unfortunate items: a) I feared, however slightly, that I might be unfairly intruding upon her very limited free time and b) I initiated nearly all of our exchanges. So, I decided to conduct an experiment I have conducted on several different occasions in the past: I would wait for her to call. Not to call me back, but to initiate a call.
The analogy is imperfect since I was not at the time attempting to woo her, but in college I conducted a similar experiment with Skeeter. I did not initiate contact with her and as a result we did not speak for nearly six months; even when we did, I again initiated. To be fair, Skeeter's boyfriend at the time was attending school in Boston and she spend a good many weekends visiting him, and then occupied her weekdays catching up on not having studied over the weekend. Much later we actually discussed the experiment and, if I recall correctly, had a good laugh about the absurdity of the exercise.
Back in the present, or at least the very recent past, I did not hear from The Sardine for a week, the deadline for my capitulation. Yet, I did not call her, I found reasons to hesitate. And then the dreadful sick descended, and I was in no mood to ring anyone. I called her on Thursday, leaving a message, and we've been playing phone tag since. I'm short on analysis as to what, if anything, this means. Perhaps nothing more than she's busy and I'm pigheaded, perhaps something altogether more sinister. Or perhaps something altogether sillier. Ooo, I hope there's cotton candy in my immediate future.
This seems a good time to repeat the family motto of Sir Ernest Shackleton, from whence this features derives its name: By endurance we conquer.
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Less Than Jake, "3 Quarts Drunk" from Pezcore (T.L.A.M.)
A belated happy birthday to The Professor! The Professor is the kind of guy who genuinely won't care that these congratulations are four days late, but I still feel like a heel. Sorry, buddy, I hope your birthday was spectacular. Happy birthday, Jon!
Comparatively on time, being only two days behind schedule.
The Explorers Club
No. LXIV - The Fall of Singapore, February 1942.
Also of interest is the Battle of Malaya that allowed the Empire of Japan to besiege Singapore, which will almost certainly be its own installment of "The Explorers Club" at a later date.
The Endurance
I have not spoken on the telephone to Codename PANDORA in three weeks. Our last few conversations since the New Year had been relatively short as she'd become extremely harried at work, and I identified two potentially unfortunate items: a) I feared, however slightly, that I might be unfairly intruding upon her very limited free time and b) I initiated nearly all of our exchanges. So, I decided to conduct an experiment I have conducted on several different occasions in the past: I would wait for her to call. Not to call me back, but to initiate a call.
The analogy is imperfect since I was not at the time attempting to woo her, but in college I conducted a similar experiment with Skeeter. I did not initiate contact with her and as a result we did not speak for nearly six months; even when we did, I again initiated. To be fair, Skeeter's boyfriend at the time was attending school in Boston and she spend a good many weekends visiting him, and then occupied her weekdays catching up on not having studied over the weekend. Much later we actually discussed the experiment and, if I recall correctly, had a good laugh about the absurdity of the exercise.
Back in the present, or at least the very recent past, I did not hear from The Sardine for a week, the deadline for my capitulation. Yet, I did not call her, I found reasons to hesitate. And then the dreadful sick descended, and I was in no mood to ring anyone. I called her on Thursday, leaving a message, and we've been playing phone tag since. I'm short on analysis as to what, if anything, this means. Perhaps nothing more than she's busy and I'm pigheaded, perhaps something altogether more sinister. Or perhaps something altogether sillier. Ooo, I hope there's cotton candy in my immediate future.
This seems a good time to repeat the family motto of Sir Ernest Shackleton, from whence this features derives its name: By endurance we conquer.
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Less Than Jake, "3 Quarts Drunk" from Pezcore (T.L.A.M.)
Monday, February 11, 2008
Annoying though it is, I owe you "The Explorers Club" No. LXIV, a big "Project OSPREY" post, the long-delayed latest news on "The Endurance," and I probably should explain a bit about my recent outrage at developments within "Vote For Kodos" lest I be gravely misunderstood.
The Rebel Black Dot Songs of the Day
Reel Big Fish, "Beer" (live) from Our Live Album is Better Than Your Live Album, Disc 1: More Shtick Than You Can Shake a Stick At (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: This live rendition of "Beer" was previously selected as the R.B.D.S.O.T.D. waaaaay back in November of last year, but quite simply what would be the point of this alcohol-themed project if I didn't include not one, not two, but all three extant versions of R.B.F.'s "Beer"?
Aaron Barrett to the audience: "Anyway, I hate this song and I hate all of you.... Just kidding, I don't hate this song."
Sonntag, 10 Februar
Lit, "My Own Worst Enemy" from A Place in the Sun (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: "Can we forget about the things I said when I was drunk? I didn't mean to call you that." And that right there is why I've never understood the appeal of inebriation.
The Rebel Black Dot Songs of the Day
Reel Big Fish, "Beer" (live) from Our Live Album is Better Than Your Live Album, Disc 1: More Shtick Than You Can Shake a Stick At (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: This live rendition of "Beer" was previously selected as the R.B.D.S.O.T.D. waaaaay back in November of last year, but quite simply what would be the point of this alcohol-themed project if I didn't include not one, not two, but all three extant versions of R.B.F.'s "Beer"?
Aaron Barrett to the audience: "Anyway, I hate this song and I hate all of you.... Just kidding, I don't hate this song."
Sonntag, 10 Februar
Lit, "My Own Worst Enemy" from A Place in the Sun (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: "Can we forget about the things I said when I was drunk? I didn't mean to call you that." And that right there is why I've never understood the appeal of inebriation.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Friday, February 8, 2008
Thursday, February 7, 2008
The Stars My Destination
Godspeed, Atlantis. The usual suspects: B.B.C.link and N.A.S.A.link.
Vote For Kodos
I feel as if I'm in the midst of Arrested Development, "I've made a huge mistake." More in the days to follow as I collect my thoughts and (ever the cynical optimist) gain some perspective, but at this moment in time I detest John Sidney McCain III as ferociously as I've ever loathed any Democrat. I was listening to All Things Considered as I shoveled Wilson Field this afternoon and I literally growled every time they played an excerpt of McCain's speech before the C.P.A.C. Curse that double-dealing liar!
Project OSPREY
I watched the entire game at Assembly Hall (Indiana 83-79 Illinois 2OT) and I still have no idea how the Fighting Illini lead most of the game and held off the Hoosiers to force a second overtime. I especially enjoyed all the kids wearing "CHIEF" T-shirts, a pox upon the N.C.A.A. Long live Chief Illiniwek!
Also, in the waining seconds of regulation time in Illinois-Indiana, I flipped over the ESPN2 and caught the last second shot that allowed Xavier to prevail over Saint Louis, 70-68. Thrilling!
Jumpin' Jack Pratt, the three-point buzzer beater to put Pitt over West Virginia was precisely the ending for which I'd hoped! I have no particular love for the Pitt Panthers, but fuck Bob "Thuggins" Huggins and fuck everyone and everything associated with the "University" of West Virginia. I hope each and every one of you inbred sacks of shit chokes on your own vomit. Go to Hell, Mountaineers! Good job, Pitt.
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Mu330, "Pool Party" from Mu330 (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: "You can be a real man if you can do a keg stand!"
Mu330's dark and satirical "Pool Party" should not be confused with the much happier and lighter "Pool Party!" by The Aquabats!
Godspeed, Atlantis. The usual suspects: B.B.C.link and N.A.S.A.link.
Vote For Kodos
I feel as if I'm in the midst of Arrested Development, "I've made a huge mistake." More in the days to follow as I collect my thoughts and (ever the cynical optimist) gain some perspective, but at this moment in time I detest John Sidney McCain III as ferociously as I've ever loathed any Democrat. I was listening to All Things Considered as I shoveled Wilson Field this afternoon and I literally growled every time they played an excerpt of McCain's speech before the C.P.A.C. Curse that double-dealing liar!
Project OSPREY
I watched the entire game at Assembly Hall (Indiana 83-79 Illinois 2OT) and I still have no idea how the Fighting Illini lead most of the game and held off the Hoosiers to force a second overtime. I especially enjoyed all the kids wearing "CHIEF" T-shirts, a pox upon the N.C.A.A. Long live Chief Illiniwek!
Also, in the waining seconds of regulation time in Illinois-Indiana, I flipped over the ESPN2 and caught the last second shot that allowed Xavier to prevail over Saint Louis, 70-68. Thrilling!
Jumpin' Jack Pratt, the three-point buzzer beater to put Pitt over West Virginia was precisely the ending for which I'd hoped! I have no particular love for the Pitt Panthers, but fuck Bob "Thuggins" Huggins and fuck everyone and everything associated with the "University" of West Virginia. I hope each and every one of you inbred sacks of shit chokes on your own vomit. Go to Hell, Mountaineers! Good job, Pitt.
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Mu330, "Pool Party" from Mu330 (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: "You can be a real man if you can do a keg stand!"
Mu330's dark and satirical "Pool Party" should not be confused with the much happier and lighter "Pool Party!" by The Aquabats!
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Project OSPREY: Duke vs. U.N.C.
11:16 P.M. - Duke 89-78 North Carolina. As with so many things in life, I didn't realize how much I'd missed college basketball until I got back into the game. Fantastic stuff.
10:50 P.M. - Just outside five minutes to go, I'd be a lot more confident if Duke could maintain those leads of eight or nine instead of always letting U.N.C. pull back to within five or six.
10:29 P.M. - I respectfully disagree with Mr. Vitale's assertion that Duke-U.N.C. in men's basketball is the greatest rivalry in college sports, though I do appreciate the hesitant mention of Michigan-Ohio State in Football. To mine eyes emotion is definitely playing a big part in tonight's action, especially on the North Carolina side. That's what I love about college sports, the undeniable uniqueness of rivalry games. The mind may know that calming down and treating the game like any other might be the surest path to victory, but the heart knows that is an impossible demand.
Be nice if Duke could start raining threes again like during the middle of the first half.
9:55 P.M. - Halftime. I would've reported again during the first half, but Tiger decided to take up station on my lap. And the weather outside if frightful; so, the kitty's warmth was welcome indeed. I can't believe the way the Blue Devils let their lead shrink from eleven points to three! Come on, Duke, just keep doing what you'd been doing. Spread 'em out, take your time, and wait for the high percentage shots.
Bah, I wish Lawson was healthy so that this game was between both teams at the peak of their prowess.
9:14 P.M. - Boy howdy, this is going to be great. North Carolina's up 12-10 and dominating the rebounds, but Duke's got a few tricks to disrupt the Tar Heel offense. And Dickie V's back! Sweet mercy, I picked a good time to get back into college ball.
Snap!
Though I fiercely prefer America's style of representative democracy to parliamentary democracy, one thing I do admire is their ability call snap elections. Italylink. Italy is currently without a legitimate government, and that kind of anarchy is one of the great perils and persistent follies of parliamentary democracy, but here in the U.S. we are in the midst of a months-long exercise to select the major-party nominees for the presidency - the primary season - but even once the Republican and Democratic nominees are chosen we will still have eight of nine months of campaigning before the general election on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Senators Clinton, McCain, and Obama and Governors Huckabee and Romney have been running for the presidency for years. Though Iowa seems years distant, 'twas only a month ago, and we've got nine more months of this slog yet to go. Italy may not have a real government even after April's snap elections, but at least they only have to put up with two month's worth of campaigning.
Of course, the grass always looks greener....
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Less Than Jake, "Sobriety Is a Serious Business and Business Isn't So Good" from B is for B-Sides (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: "Will all the assholes is this room please raise your right hand."
11:16 P.M. - Duke 89-78 North Carolina. As with so many things in life, I didn't realize how much I'd missed college basketball until I got back into the game. Fantastic stuff.
10:50 P.M. - Just outside five minutes to go, I'd be a lot more confident if Duke could maintain those leads of eight or nine instead of always letting U.N.C. pull back to within five or six.
10:29 P.M. - I respectfully disagree with Mr. Vitale's assertion that Duke-U.N.C. in men's basketball is the greatest rivalry in college sports, though I do appreciate the hesitant mention of Michigan-Ohio State in Football. To mine eyes emotion is definitely playing a big part in tonight's action, especially on the North Carolina side. That's what I love about college sports, the undeniable uniqueness of rivalry games. The mind may know that calming down and treating the game like any other might be the surest path to victory, but the heart knows that is an impossible demand.
Be nice if Duke could start raining threes again like during the middle of the first half.
9:55 P.M. - Halftime. I would've reported again during the first half, but Tiger decided to take up station on my lap. And the weather outside if frightful; so, the kitty's warmth was welcome indeed. I can't believe the way the Blue Devils let their lead shrink from eleven points to three! Come on, Duke, just keep doing what you'd been doing. Spread 'em out, take your time, and wait for the high percentage shots.
Bah, I wish Lawson was healthy so that this game was between both teams at the peak of their prowess.
9:14 P.M. - Boy howdy, this is going to be great. North Carolina's up 12-10 and dominating the rebounds, but Duke's got a few tricks to disrupt the Tar Heel offense. And Dickie V's back! Sweet mercy, I picked a good time to get back into college ball.
Snap!
Though I fiercely prefer America's style of representative democracy to parliamentary democracy, one thing I do admire is their ability call snap elections. Italylink. Italy is currently without a legitimate government, and that kind of anarchy is one of the great perils and persistent follies of parliamentary democracy, but here in the U.S. we are in the midst of a months-long exercise to select the major-party nominees for the presidency - the primary season - but even once the Republican and Democratic nominees are chosen we will still have eight of nine months of campaigning before the general election on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Senators Clinton, McCain, and Obama and Governors Huckabee and Romney have been running for the presidency for years. Though Iowa seems years distant, 'twas only a month ago, and we've got nine more months of this slog yet to go. Italy may not have a real government even after April's snap elections, but at least they only have to put up with two month's worth of campaigning.
Of course, the grass always looks greener....
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Less Than Jake, "Sobriety Is a Serious Business and Business Isn't So Good" from B is for B-Sides (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: "Will all the assholes is this room please raise your right hand."
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