n e n i e

How in the blue hell did I lose this weekend? Granted, it was the kind of chill weekend that MaModz prescribed for me when I spoke with her the other day, but I didn't think I'd actually LISTEN to my old friend. Oh well. It was a good weekend, if all too brief. Here are the bullet points.

1) My wife fits into her prom dresses. Yup, junior and senior years people. And they're dresses she'd actually still wear. I mean, I shouldn't be surprised ... I still fit into a bunch of stuff I wore in HS. I should know ... I still wear a lot of it (much to Nena's chagrin)

2) It snowed Friday night and it was an amazing thing. There were these enormous, gorgeous flakes falling from the sky when Nena and I walked out of Jade around 7p. The kind of wet flakes you pray for as a kid because they mean snowball fights and snow forts and snow men. As we walked to our car, Nena reminded me of reason number 439 why I love her as she danced through the cars trying to catch snowflakes on her tongue.

It was so beautiful to watch her, I found myself wishing I'd brought my camera.

But I didn't so I'll have to try and describe it inaccurately and insufficiently with my words. Imagine these enormous white flakes falling out of the pitch dark sky. Nena, dancing amongst the cars whose colors have been washed out by the artificial halogen glow cast by the lamp posts. It was like something out of a movie, really.

However, as soon as we left Jade, our thoughts went from the pretty to the terrible. The flakes were beautiful in the sky but just ugly on the road. The road surface was getting sloppy and the Kansans around us proved just how inept they were at driving in the stuff. By the time we finished running our Friday night errands and made it safely home at 8p we were starting to panic about Nena's commute to work on Saturday morning.

Figuring that it was only going to get worse I ran out and shoveled the driveway as soon as we got home and it was with some satisfaction that I turned around and admired my handiwork- noting that I was going to be the only guy in the neighborhood able to get in and out of his garage with any kind of ease come morning.

Right, I need to remember not to think these things. We got up Saturday morning to find that the pavement had been too warm to keep any snow on it. Yup, every driveway on the block was clear ... as was our street, which 12 hours before had been almost impossible to drive.

If there's one thing I hate about winter, it's shoveling 12 hours before the rest of it melts ... and melt it did. If you drove through L-Town today this post would be your only clue that it'd snowed here recently.

3) The Hasselhoffian Recursion.

Amazing doesn't begin to describe this one. You'll have to see it for yourself. Just a beautifully brilliant image.

4) Proposal is DONE. On time, people. Thank you for all your support for the last few days. Now begins the hour of the next deadline ... I will have phase one of my database completed by 9:30a Central on Friday, February 4th.

5) What is phase one? Easy. I'm going to create an Excel workbook for every year between 1995 and 2001. Each workbook will have a sheet for each Monday of the year. On that sheet I am going to fill in the rating for that week's Raw and Nitro along with which characters appeared on those broadcasts.

Yes, it's incredibly ambitious to say I'll be done in a week ... but these are what the goals are about.

6) My reward? Nena and I are driving up to The Minny. Saturday is the first meeting for the Carleton class of 2001's reunion committee. Big fun. We're also going to be lame and go to The Cave on Friday night, though Chas and Cody swear to me that the band we're going to see is totally worth it.

Having heard a few of their tracks, I have to admit the Olympic Hopefuls do sound like they're worth the indignity of going to The Cave ... three and a half years after graduating from Carleton.

7) Sammy Sosa's been traded ... I'll save that for a later rant. Because believe me. There's a rant coming.

Posted by nenie at 10:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

And now for the weekly(though late) football recap/rants/thoughts ˆñ

Going into the Super Bowl thereˆ‚s only one way Charlie can lose this thing, and it involves Donovan F. McNabb coming home with a ring in his soup.

What am I talking about? Your week three standings:

1. Charlie:8-2
2. Almejor: 7-3
3. Cody: 7-3
4. Kevin: 6-2
5. Tom: 6-0
6. Nenie 5-5
7. Chas 2-3 +1

The only real what ifs ˆ´round here are what would have happened had Kevin picked last week and Tom picked during week one. Craziness, yo. Craziness.

But onto the games.

The games were pretty uneven, yo. Donˆ‚t get me wrong, the Iggles game was freakinˆ‚ brilliant, but the Terrible Towels just werenˆ‚t enough to make the AFC title game watchable ˆñ unless you were a Pats fan.

But damn, watching the Iggles get the monkey off their back was amazing. Yeah, the outcome could have been a bit more in doubt, but as it was- the game was enjoyable because of the little things. T.O. as head cheerleader, Freddie Mitchell with the BIG GOLD BELT ˆ¥ thrown over his shoulder, and Derrick Burgess doing the Ric Flair strut after a sack helped put this game over the top. Sure, there was some football played, but the extras are totally what made this game. It was one of those games that was more than sport, it was theater on a grand stage. Just beautiful.

Perhaps better than the game itself was talking to Steve afterwards. Damn, I donˆ‚t think Iˆ‚ve ever heard the man happier. He was freakinˆ‚ ecstatic, just deliriously happy that his boys had finally gotten over the hump. But from the stiff peaks of joy come the Pittsburgh Steelers.

So Iˆ‚m trying to figure this one out and it may take me the rest of my life to figure it out ˆñ but who looked worse against the Patriots: Indy or Pittsburgh? Iˆ‚m afraid the answer might be the Iggles, yo.

In all seriousness, though- wow did that game suck. I mean it was just terrible, even painful to watch, perhaps because Pittsburgh kept looking like they could possibly, just possibly, find their way into the game. But, of course, they never did and they went down in a blaze of glory. Well, not really.

Seriously, Iˆ‚m not looking forward to how insufferable Bostonˆ‚s sports fans are going to become if the Pats go all the way. Cheering the Pats on used to be cute and fun ˆñ but Iˆ‚m really scared of the monster thatˆ‚s been created. Iˆ‚m actually wishing for the No Hockey League to come back just to see a Boston team get creamed. Ugh, seriously, if Chicago ever gets its shit together, someone remind me not to be this obnoxious.

Oh well, a little more than a week to the Super Bowl. Enjoy that ˆñ smack and picks will resume the Thursday before the big game.

Posted by nenie at 09:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

I have three or four friends who drank themselves in to an absolute stupor because of last weekend's football games. It didnˆ‚t matter if their teams were favored or not, it didnˆ‚t matter if their teams won or lost- the sheer anxiety of their team making it this far in the season led them to do some pretty serious drinking. While there are a lot of negative things that could be said about this kind of behavior, letˆ‚s take a minute to think about the fandom that led to these behaviors.

Iˆ‚m one of those people to whom sports means an incredible amount; there are any number of reasons for why this might be the case, but let me offer one here that I think explains why I love my teams past the point of pure reason ... Sports links us to a place, to a people. Beneath the proscenium created by brick and grass there is a stage whose drama cultivates a sense of belonging, a sense of community, a sense of communitas that is uniquely powerful in our modern world. The Cubs/Bears/ˆ‚Hawks/Fire take me home, they remind me that no matter how far from my parents I wander, Iˆ‚m never very far from them, from the first people that mattered to me, and the first air that nurtured me.

When our teams do well, we move beyond pure identification with a place and a people- we move onwards toward redemption, towards glory via the transitive property; for sports provide us with a lesson in faith. Iˆ‚ve often linked my Catholicism with my Cubs fandom. Much like my faith tells me that in Christˆ‚s suffering we are reborn, much like I am told that faith in Christ will be repaid with life everlasting the Cubs tell me that faith in them, in the blue and red will be repaid with redemptive victory ˆñ just so long as I continue to believe.

Thatˆ‚s the lesson from last weekend; sometimes a touchdown can be salvation, others- damnation. Sports means something to people, means more than bandwagoneers can ever know and this is why I canˆ‚t stand them. For the most part they donˆ‚t understand this kind of faith, they donˆ‚t understand how deep this love lies, how hot this conviction burns or how important a touchdown can be.

And so this is my official KvO style gutter to bandwagoneers. Those who drink themselves silly for no good reason, or are so oblivious to how serious things are to others. This is a gutter to all those who donˆ‚t get it; those who puff out their chests, talk shit and bask in an undeserved glory. Theyˆ‚re the worst kind of fair weather fans, those that take the fun, ignore the agony and bring the pain.

Posted by nenie at 07:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Well, Iˆ‚ve made a decision.

My energyˆ‚s been really off as of late. Itˆ‚s been cloudy and dark and itˆ‚s been getting to Nena for quite some time, really. Iˆ‚m normally a much brighter personality ˆñ but recent life events had clouded my vision and my energy. Itˆ‚s been bizarre ˆñ but I think Iˆ‚ve figured some things out and Iˆ‚m ready to move forward.

Iˆ‚ve been complaining for the past few weeks about how much I donˆ‚t look forward to going to class anymore. Iˆ‚d been articulating a vague annoyance and frustration with the process of going to class, but nothing else beyond that. Well, now I think Iˆ‚m in a space where I can be a bit more articulate about what it is thatˆ‚s been bothering me. And, well ˆñ when I lose my powers of articulation, I start holding things in, which is never a good idea.

Class ˆñ going to class seemed to be restricting me, restricting my growth ˆñ not necessarily as a scholar but as a person. This is a pretty radical change for me, because I used to love going to class. I used to love interacting with my teachers and classmates. I used to love the exchange of ideas that Iˆ‚d gotten out of books and articles and papers on profound topics. But thatˆ‚s not really where my passions or interests lie anymore.

Yet, I remember times when I loved this life, loved going to class, loved talking to Carol after class about theory and analysis. Loved sitting in my room with Cody talking about Lord knows what arcane minutiae. Iˆ‚d remember this love, remember these times, remember these places in my life and fight my current ambivalence. I USED TO LOVE THIS, my mind would scream. However, last night I came to terms with the fact that those times have passed, those places are not where I am now and so those passions shouldnˆ‚t guide my life any longer.

I love my life as it longs to be lived. I love my life, as it currently desires to be. I love my wife. I love spending time with her. I love the life and the home and the future that weˆ‚re creating together and my former passions for going to class and all that entails appear to be getting in the way of this love. Yes, I have friends here who are married and have great marriages. Yes, I have friends here who have children and are amazing scholars. However, Iˆ‚m not them and I need to stop comparing myself to the amazing people Iˆ‚m surrounded with, because while I know that I, too, am amazing; I am not amazing in the same ways as them.

And thatˆ‚s OK.

When this semester started I wasnˆ‚t looking forward to going to class the way I looked forward to teaching. I can be myself when I teach, something that I am feeling less and less able to do when I am a student. Iˆ‚m sick of the disapproving glances of professors when I open my mouth. Iˆ‚m tired of contributing to a class discussion to be met with silence. Iˆ‚m no longer willing to bite my tongue in class and conform to an outdated and Anglocentric conception of appropriateness. Itˆ‚s just grown to be too much to bear. Itˆ‚s grown to be completely isolating.

Itˆ‚s been rough and alienating to be here. Yes, I have some great friends here, wonderful friends that I love having over to the house on the weekends or going out with on a random Tuesday night. However, itˆ‚s as if I donˆ‚t know anyone when I walk into a classroom. This sense of alienation has taken different forms here. For example, from day one Iˆ‚ve been feeling more and more like Iˆ‚ve been reading the wrong books. As if what Iˆ‚d read had totally not been what others had read and when I opened my mouth to offer my two cents ˆñ the blank looks have been deafening/the silence blinding.

This semester started out to be worse than any that had come before it. My alienation was starting to wear on me and my mind started racing, my energy clouding ˆñ I had to figure out how to get what I came here for, because walking the path Iˆ‚d laid out two years ago just wasnˆ‚t working. I tried to make things better this semester, but as the weeks ticked off, I realized that I wasnˆ‚t doing the work I needed to do outside of the classroom to be the kind of student I wanted to be inside the classroom ˆñ

ˆñ So I dropped my sociology class and picked up a shitton of thesis hours instead. Yeah, Iˆ‚m probably going to have to take a class or two in the fall to get out of here with an M.A. but Iˆ‚m just not in the mental or emotional space right now where I can make myself to go class and like it. Itˆ‚s seriously pissing me off and I donˆ‚t have the energy to be pissed anymore. Maybe yesterday, but not today, Iˆ‚ve got too much good shit going on in my life right now to allow that crap to get in my way.

What do I need from yˆ‚all?

I need folks to hold me accountable. Iˆ‚m going to post my weekly goals on this site and then ask this community to hold me to those deadlines.

First Goal: Write a thesis proposal by Sunday at 10p Central.

Posted by nenie at 12:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Word. Man Iˆ‚m in a haze. Seriously, Iˆ‚m blogging because I should, not because I have something to say. OK, thatˆ‚s a lie, I totally have something to say- Iˆ‚m just not really feeling it. But I figure that I shouldnˆ‚t let that stop me from unburdening my soul.

First off ˆñ baby Carlos is doing well and should be headed home today. So, for all those of you who were worried about him from my post last week, thank you for your prayers. Looks like heˆ‚s gonna be OK.

Next, FU KU. Yeah, remember how I was waiting for my hush money? The check that makes being here seem not so bad? Yeah, it turns out that Iˆ‚ve been given all the kickbacks Iˆ‚m EVER going to be given. Shit, man. Iˆ‚m really not feeling being here right now. Seriously, I feel as though Iˆ‚ve been left out to dry by folks and you longtime friends know that Iˆ‚m really not a guy you should leave out to dry.

Yeah, I really need to figure out how the hell Iˆ‚m going to pay for books and that trip to San Diego.

Speaking of San Diego, the lovely folks at the PCA have screwed me yet again. For the second year in a row Iˆ‚m presenting my paper at 8am. Yeah that timeslot didnˆ‚t work out so well last year and my hopes arenˆ‚t up for this year ˆñ because Iˆ‚m going on the LAST DAY OF THE CONFERENCE. Seriously, yo. If thereˆ‚s anything worse than being at 8a ˆñ itˆ‚s going on the last day of the conference. Shit, yo. Iˆ‚ll be lucky to have anyone at my talk. I really donˆ‚t know why I even bother.

That said, teaching continues to be my bright spot. Yeah. If it werenˆ‚t for teachingˆñI really donˆ‚t know if Iˆ‚d still be ˆ´round here. Ugh. Just not a brilliant week on the academic front.

Yeah, thatˆ‚s what Iˆ‚ve got right now. Iˆ‚m just crotchety, thatˆ‚s all. And I made the mistake of counting on this check to be there ˆñ without memorizing the fine print. Oh well, it could be worse, I could owe KU money, right? Yeah. Totally. Could be worse. Yeah.

Football stuff's coming soon, yo. Probably tomorrow.

Posted by nenie at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Welcome to the newest member of the blogsphere ... Nena!

Yeah, I can hardly believe it myself, but she's done gone gotten herself an LJ account. So, if you see someone named Unnin runnin' around on LJ, will you send her home? Dinner's getting cold.

Thanks.

Posted by nenie at 09:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Stolen from Xay, it's the senior year of HS meme.

[What year was it?]
1996-1997

[What were your three favorite bands?]
Spin Doctors, Beastie Boys, New Order

[What was your favorite outfit?]
Jeans, Chucks, black tee

[What was up with your hair?]
curly and all over the place, but shaved underneath

[Who were your best friends?]
Gunder, Fesser, Paul B, Mente

[What did you do after school?]
Chilled with the quad or the gf ... ok, mostly the gf
Plus, it was boarding school- it was always afterschool

[Did you take the bus?]
See above ...

[Who did you have a crush on?]
Jill, the gf's best friend. I'm a bad, bad monkey.

[Did you fight with your parents?]
Nope, not really. We've always really gotten along really well.

[Who did you have a CELEBRITY crush on?]
Julia Roberts ... and the Aeon Flux chica.

[Did you smoke cigarettes?]
Nope, cigars.

[Did you lug all of your books around in your backpack all day because you were too nervous to find your locker?]
Again, the beauty of boarding school. No need, really.

[Did you have a 'clique'?]
A WING FOREVER BABY!

[Did you have "The Max" like Zach Kelly and Slater?]
Not exactly. More like a space without the food

[Admit it, were you popular?]
Yup, I was.

[Who did you want to be just like?]
Hrmmm, no one really. I wanted to be the best me ever.

[What did you want to be when you grew up?]
Dr. Nenie, with a Ph.D in some humanity.

[Where did you think you'd be at the age you are now?]
Grad school, engaged to the then-gf

Posted by nenie at 08:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

What a difference a few days makes.

The bullet points

Zee's Baby
Welcome to the world Carlos. After a normal delivery and everyone chilling out because he looked happy and healthy (though a few days late) he took a turn to bizarro-world and now he's in ICU. He has a CT Scan coming up and we're all really nervous about that. So, not to take prayers and well wishes from Alphasarah's daughter ... yeah, Carlos looks like he's got a rough few days/weeks ahead of him.

Let's hope it's just that.

Teaching
WHOO! First day back.

Seriously? I'm really digging this teaching thing. My first day as a student was yesterday and that was what it was. I dunno, I think I'm getting tired of being a student and ready to do more teaching. Teaching a class feels so much better than taking one does right now. It's amazing, I'm excited to teach. Winning over a crowd of skeptical students? There are few things cooler than that. Maybe getting this for my birthday. Or...

Being told by 10+ students in the class that they were there because I'd come highly recommended. Not the class, but ME as an instructor came highly recommended to them. Yeah, sometimes it was advisors but there were a few recommends from roommates/best friends/greek brothers/sisters yeah. There's just something cool about folks recommending your class. Especially at a school of more than 20,000 students. Yknow?

FU KU
Right, but what would the good be without the bad.

Apparently the latest way KU has decided to screw me (there have been other recent attempts at screwage, but this is the only one I want to talk about.) is in not giving me my supplemental money this term.

See, every semester I get a check at the beginning with which I buy books and something that reminds me that it's OK to be here dealing with the other crap they throw at me. Only now, there's no payoff to being here. FUCK.

Weekend
Oh well, I'll spend the weekend prepping for class and maybe I'll read for my SOC class. Nena, Cheryl, Nibblet and I were going to head down to the Plaza tomorrow and do some window shopping. I was hoping to do some minor shopping at the Apple Store, but alas. That's just not going to happen. Fuckers. GRRRRR.

And then, football on Sunday. Yeah, I'm looking forward to the football. Should be brilliant, yo.

Enjoy your weekends, folks.

Posted by nenie at 02:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Thursday and as such, it's time for the weekly football insanity.

Which brings me to a quick question. Would there be interest in this kinda smack during the regular season? Hell, we could even throw in some college football too. Thoughts?

But back to the matter at hand. The CheadleOffs. Seriously? They need to can those fake commercials and go back to the classics. Do we need to start a letter writing campaign to get this to happen? Man, those new commercials are painful. Even SamJack promo before the Chargers/Jets game sucked. SAMJACK SUCKED! This is how bad the situation has gotten.

OK, a quick standings recap.

1. Almejor: 6-2
2. Charlie: 6-2
3. Kevin: 6-2
4. Cody: 5-3
5. Nenie: 4-4
6. Tom: 4-0
7. Chas 1-2 +1

It's pretty much anyone in the top half's tourney to win, so good luck to you all. As for Tom, Chas and I. Yknow, smack is fun.

Seriously though? If I see Peyton Manning on the street, I'm totally telling him to cut that meat. *shakes head* Oh well, time to go down in flames

AFC Championship Game
Patriots @ Steelers
Steelers

Nice how there's a breakdown in this year's games. People v. People in the AFC and Animals v. Animals in the NFC. There's also a nice racial breakdown of the QBs by conference but that's a topic for another day.

I know, I know. I have a history of picking against the Pats and it has a history of costing me. To be perfectly honest, if I had a shot of winning this tourney of ours I'd probably pick against my heart and go with the Pats. But I can't so I won't.

The Steelers won on Halloween in the CondimentDome and I expect them to maintain. Yeah, the future Mr. Mejor is going to have a crappy game and the hottest Bostononian this side of Johnny Damon is going to look like, well, Johnny Damon but it's not going to matter. The Steel City wants this, needs this win. They've seen what's happened to their neighbors to the east and they don't want that to be them.

Plus, Cowher and The Bus don't know when they'll be back again. They want to make this one count.

NFC Championship Game
ATLiens @ Illadelph
Iggles

Yeah, I keep picking the Iggles in this gam. Yeah, I keep getting burned. You know what? I don't care. Unlike Manning, DFM is tired of losing. Yeah, he's got the Chunky Soup Funk, but he'll snap out of this one. The People's Champ has arrived- had he done it a year or four earlier and I think we'd all be thinking differently about this game. But that's not important. What is important is that the Iggles have needed someone to step up and give DFM someone to throw to. He has that now.

As for Vick. Yes, the man is fucking special. Yes, he's going to gain over 100 yards. But he can't get to the Super Bowl by himself, he needs some support to do so. ATL's O did well last week against a Rams D that couldn't stop an O stocked with me, Steve and Cody in the backfield with Chas and Tom on the wings. Things ... will be different this weekend. Trotter will see to that.

OK, thems the picks. Smack?

Posted by nenie at 08:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (14)

Well, that was quick. Nicolas called me last night to tell me that the season has been cancelled. Apparently, not enough kids signed up to play indoor soccer this year and as a result, I won't be coaching indoor soccer this year. Yeah, I'm pretty bummed about it. I was looking for something to keep me entertained this semester. Looks like teaching will have to be the thing I leave the house for now.

In other news, my birthday is a little more than a month a way and as is the tradition folks are asking me what to get me. I really don't know. I mean I have a few ideas of things people could get me. But by and large I'm really, really shitty at telling people what to get me. So, are there any suggestions from out there in the blogsphere?

Also good would be suggestions on how to get the hell out of this funk that seems to have descended upon me. It's really not a good thing, yo. I mean, I digs me some funk. But this funk a'int the P-Funk. Shit, it a'int even the freakin' Doobie Brothers.

Heh, the Doobie Brothers. Anyone other than Aaron McGruder and Steve remember the episode of What's Happening??? where Raj, Dwayne and ReRun bootlegged a Doobie Brothers show? Oh, OK. Nevermind.

Posted by nenie at 02:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Yup, it's official. Richard Hatch is the DUMBEST MAN EVER.

Let's say you go on one of the, if not the most popular game show on TV. Let's say you win an amazing amount of money on this show ... let's just say $1million.

OK?

Then let's say you NOT REPORT THAT INCOME ON YOUR TAXES!

Dear lord is this guy dumb. Like, amazingly dumb,

Posted by nenie at 03:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The semester officially starts on Thursday, though I only have one class on Thursdays. On Friday, I teach. I'm really hoping people bother to actually show up to class on Friday. I mean, I only had one semester where folks just didn't show up on that first day, but it was a pretty scarring thing, yo. ~75 students and only like 15 showed up, scattered over three sections. I'm really hoping that I never have to experience that again.

Between now and then I'm trying to get a bunch of loose ends tied up. Lots to do, no motivation to do it. Yeah, it's not a good situation people. If it weren't for Fillmore! and DS9 I'd have little reason to get out of bed before 4p.

Though, it could be worse, yknow? I could have one of the worst jobs in history. Damn, some of that stuff sucks. Life could totally be worse, yo.

What else, what else.

Right, this weekend. It was a good time. Nena and I did some work around the house, I helped Cheryl take care of her car, watched a lot of football, hung out with Ulli, OH and I forced Das Nibblet to get her learner's permit and then I took her out for a driving lesson.

Yes, I'm teaching someone how to drive. Hopefully, there'll be some snowfall soon so I can teach her how to pull donuts. If only we could fly Jensen in from DC to provide the appropriate soundtrack in the back seat. Heh. Man, that was classic, Leesh and I introducing Ms. Tucson to donuts.

Seriously, though, it's going well. I think Nibblet sees me as her least annoying option for a teacher I've got that going for me. C'mon, yo, who wants to learn to drive from their parent(s) if they don't have to? Exactly. I mean, my dad was a great teacher but I could see where someone else might not have been as cool with that. I also win in this deal because I get to borrow someone else's kid for the purposes of satiating my own child-rearing desires. Seriously, why would Nena and I want a kid of our own when we can borrow someone else's?

On that note, I have my coaches' meeting for indoor soccer tonight. Yup, I'm coaching again. Should be a really good time. I mean, teaching 11 year old boys to play soccer. What's not to love?

What? Questioning my sanity? Didn't you just read that I volunteered to teach a 17 year old to drive?

I think we're going to call the team Deportivo Lawrence for shits and giggles. This league just goes by numbers but as anyone who's seen The Mighty Ducks sometimes D-5 just doesn't cut it. Yknow?

Why Deportivo? Blame my dad. His soccer team is Deportivo Cali and I guess I still have a soft spot for a team that can be seen as the Cubs of Colombia. Although, upon closer inspection, they've been a lot more successful than the Cubs. They've won 7 titles in their history which is a lot more than my Cubbies, but looking at when those wins have come is telling. 65, 67, 69, 70, 74, 96, and 98.

I'll never forget when they won in 96. They'd been THE team in Colombia when my dad was my age and they were HIS team from HIS hometown. Then, as soon as he hits college- they stall, not winning another title until his own son is getting ready to go to college. But enough about Colombian soccer history I should do something else with my day.

Oh and before I forget ... Zee. Seriously, have the freakin' kid already. Your friend, my wife is driving me slowly mad waiting for Junior McJunior. Only, the madness is not so slow in coming. It's pretty rapid and decisive. Like, I know you'd have the kid if you could so this isn't really helping thing. But, well. Have the freakin' kid already.

Posted by nenie at 03:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

And now for your week 2 standings.

1. Almejor: 6-2
2. Charlie: 6-2
3. Kevin: 6-2
4. Cody: 5-3
5. Nenie: 4-4
6. Tom: 4-0
7. Chas 1-2 +1

I mean, damn. Indy sucked, like sucked a LOT. Sucked more than I can blame Jensen for, so I guess she's off the hook. This is what I get for trying to force an upset into a weekend when one just didn't fit.

So let this be a lesson to you all. In week one I took a bath following my "Every team from Missouri is overrated" axiom. While it did prove helpful in week two, it was probably aided by the "never bet against a healthy Mike Vick playing in a dome" theorem. In week two, I took a bath by maintaining that there must be an upset in each of the first two weekends of playoff football. Hrmmm, had I followed that in week one I might still be in this whole thing. Oh well. Just more proof that there are no absolutes in the playoffs.

Now, if only I could get Don Cheadle to say that on tape.

Right, so this weekend's games. I missed the J-E-T-S JETS! loss to the Steelers. Though, by what I hear it sounds like in the end Al's boys got tired of trying to lose the game. "Shit, if we keep handing the game to these assclowns and they keep choking, I guess vacation's going to have to wait a week or two."

Atlanta and St. Louis answered that age old question "What would football look like if there were no such thing as defense?" I tell you what. Play that game outdoors on a sunny day and ATL's D holds the Rams scoreless. Holy shit did the Rams look bad. Not just overrated- downright shitty. I'm looking forward to their trip next week to Illadelph.

Wow, did Philly look good yesterday. I like these boys and I think Steve may be right- this is their year to at least not look like idiots in the NFC title game. They're the first team to host it three years in a row and it's their fourth year in the game. I think DFM and the People's Champ are going to surprise a lot of people. Man, Minny, what the hell were you even doing out there?

But the crown for WTF belongs to the Colts. Cuz seriously, WTF? How could you be THAT bad? I was embarrassed to have thought you could have won that game. I mean, damn. Just terrible. Nena and Ulli curse you as well. We wasted so much of our lives watching that game. It was almost as bad as ... no, nothing's that bad. Not even this game.

Anyway, expect next week's picks 'round about Thursday. Yeah, Al thinks they're a total crapshoot and I'm tempted to agree with her.

Posted by nenie at 01:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Well, I don't know what will happen now; we've got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn't matter with me now, because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life - longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over, and I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land. And so I'm happy tonight; I'm not worried about anything; I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.

-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 4.3.68
His last public appearance.

The battle(s) we fight today are not new. They were not new in Dr. King's time, nor will they be new to our grandchildren. But these battles, if we do believe them to be righteous in origin, must be fought and won so that some day this holiday will be forgotten, its need erased.

Posted by nenie at 01:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Holy mother of crap. I'm still stunned from last week's games. I mean, last year's 8-0 start was unusual and will probably never be replicated. But 1-3 after one week? That's just sad.

Never the less, it is time to plow on. And so plow on we will

Here are your week one standings:

1. Charlie: 3-1
2. Almejor: 2-2
3. Kevin: 2-2
4. Cody: 1-3
5. Nenie: 1-3

Ouch, that hurts. Bad. It's interesting to note two things. 1) Al's love of team cost her the lead this week. 2) Charlie posted wicked late. But I trust him. I mean, he's the reigning NCAA Tourney stud on this site. You have to trust him.

So here are my picks for this week- make your picks, even if you didn't last week. And talk lots of smack. I know Chas's been waiting for this all week.

Divisional Playoffs

Rams @ Falcons
Falcons
Even though it left me high and dry last weekend, I'm sticking to my guns on my axiom- "Every team from Missouri is overrated." Plus, in a battle between Michael Vick and Mark Bulger ... I've got to believe that the Dirty Birds are back, for this week.

Vikings @ Illadelph
Illadelph, yo. Illadelph
Seriously? I think everyone knows that Illadel is one Iggles loss away from a riot. T.O. or not, McNabb's gotten them past this game before and he'll do it again.

Plus, I'm expecting Joe Buck to run out and beat Randy Moss with a flaming 4x4 covered in barbed wire.

Also, I'm a Bears fan. I don't like the Vikings. I won't even drink out of Nena's Vikings coffee mug if it's the last clean mug in the house. It's true, I'll do the dishes first.

Jets @ Steelers
Steelers
Seriously, this one is hard to pick. But I think that Big Ben's gonna come up bigger than Caustic Chad. I like Pennington, I have a soft spot for Marshall alums. But he's hurt, he's got a bigger mouth than "And we're gonna win" Hasselbeck. Yeah. Steelers.

Indy @ Patriots
Indy
Shit this one's hard. I've gone back and forth on this one and I reserve the right to go back on it between now and kickoff.

Yeah, the Pats are at home. Yeah, last year I snapped my win streak by picking Indy when I should have picked the Pat. Yeah, they've been screwing with the field at the RazorBlade to screw with Manning. But, he's not a mobile QB, and the threat is the air attack. Guess what? No wind expected in Boston this weekend.

Plus, if this pick goes awry, I can blame Jensen. And who doesn't love that option?

Posted by nenie at 09:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

Holy shit, what was that?

Yes, Charlie's right the Rams didn't win that game, they just didn't lose it as much as the Seahawks did. I'd still be in shock about that one if it weren't for the way that the Chargers game went down. What the shit was that? I have to give it up for the J E T S, Jets. Way to not blow a playoff game.

Ulli came over yesterday to watch both games. Had she not been there I don't think Nena would have been able to scrape me off the ceiling. I mean, most of the time I'm a shitty prognosticator. But going 0-2 on the first day of the playoffs was almost too much to bear. It probably would have been if it weren't for the Minnesota Vikings.

To be clear, I am neither a fan of the Vikings or the Packers and like Charlie I couldn't stand the Packers more than I couldn't stand the Vikings until I moved to Minnesota. I love living in Minnesota but I didn't love Vikings fans. Holy mother of SHIT are they annoying, kinda like Chiefs fans, only with a legit team to root for.

Also, as I've mentioned before, Brett Favre has owned my Bears for so fucking long, I think I've got a serious case of Stockholm Syndrome going with him. Seriously, watching him fall apart today I kept waiting for him to figure his shit out and turn it around. Then, he didn't. It was amazing. Favre is human and the Packers were destroyed. I can't wait for next week when Illadel eats the Vikings for lunch.

In other sports news, the Jayhawks finally played a road game and showed that- yeah, they're pretty overrated. They beat Kentucky, but this team has yet to show me anything.

After all this sports stuff (and helping out the idiot football coach at Nena's school) the only way to cleanse my palate was by watching Garden State. Yes, we hadn't seen it yet. Yes, it's amazing. No, I'm not sad we waited this long to see it. This fall would totally not have been the right emotional space to watch this flick. But wow, what a movie, yo.

Posted by nenie at 10:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

Shit, yo. It's playoffs time again? Well, much like last year I'm going to offer my predictions and see what y'all have to say.

Feel free to throw your picks in as a comment.

Without further adieu, here are my picks

Wild Card Weekend

Rams @ Seahawks
Seahawks
Yes, the Seahawks aren't the best team on the west coast (those would be the men of Troy) but this game calls upon one of my primary rules of football. "Every team from Missouri is overrated."

Vikings @ Packers
Packers
Yes, I'm a Bears fan. Yes, my wife is a Vikings fan. But Cody said it best when he reasoned that any team that the BCS wouldn't put in a major bowl is going to get dismantled in the playoffs.

Jets @ Chargers
Chargers
In a move sure to piss off CJ ... not Craig, my buddy from KJ/Das ’ļberb¬½y. Cuz, well, I have a soft spot for LaDanian and Drew and the Bolts. It's true, it's true.

Broncos @ Colts
Colts
I mean, bet against Peyton Manning, on Wild Card Weekend? Are you mad? Especially when Jake Plummer's on the other offense? Seriously. Though it is cute to note that this game is horses against horses.

Yeah, I picked a bunch of homers, but, I mean. C'mon. Yeah.

The rest of you?

Posted by nenie at 12:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Where was I?

Right, neck deep in winter-break depression. My days consist of endless Star Trek re-runs broken up with some Fillmore! with a touch of Mucha Lucha in there for variety. Man, do those two cartoons kick ass.

Fillmore is this great cartoon homage to oldskool cop dramas. Complete with cheesy trumpet theme music. Man, I really should have had the TiVo stockpile some episodes while we were going for Christmas. Alas...I'll just have to live with my one episode per day. Why, oh why can't it be on as often as ST: TNG/DS9 and Mucha Lucha? Seriously, yo?

Nena can't really believe that I'm getting that into DS9 since neither of us really cared much for it during its original run. I can't speak for her but I tried to watch the first season, but it just didn't do anything for me. However, watching all these episodes from season 4 on the TiVo, I'm starting to reconsider my original analysis. This whole Dominion War thing is kinda growing on me. I think I'll read up on it this weekend. . .maybe.

Right ... enough dorkiness. We had an ice storm here earlier this week. It was pretty intense, yo. Every elementary and secondary school in the region shut down on Wednesday and most of them (including Lawrence) were closed on Thursday. Nena's school, however, didn't close.

She worked from home on Wednesday, venturing that the 30 minute drive to work was probably more dangerous than it was worth. A few days later, with all the evidence in- yeah, it was totally too dangerous. Dag, yo. When Northeast Kansas decides to freeze over, it really decides to freeze over. Seriously, though- if I have to watch any more team coverage of this storm I'm going to have to hurt someone.

What else? Oh, yeah...football playoffs start tomorrow. Hrmmm, I'm gonna have to get my picks together right quick. Check back in a few for that. :)

Posted by nenie at 03:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

First off. Happy New Year. What better way to start than with my 300th post. WHOO!

Holy shit, everyone should have their eyes dilated. Man, that was the most trippy shit ever. I guess I should explain.

Near the end of last semester my eyes were starting to bug me. I figured it was the end of semester fatigue setting in, but I figured that I should go to the optometrist and make sure that's all it was. Since I have eye insurance again for the first time in forever I figured I should avail myself of it, yknow?

Well, I went to the optometrist today and one hour and $10 later he told me what I already knew- it was just fatigue. Yup, my vision is still literally 20/20. I just need to break up my marathon reading sessions more, use better lighting and be sure to use lubrication when needed. That's my PSA for the week- be sure to lubricate folks.

Oh, and did I mention that I had my eyes dilated? Because I did and DAMN, was that shit great. I walked out of the exam room into a world that was something out of a movie. The fluorescent lights fluoresced brilliantly, and all the colors were washed out with a depth ... words just can't describe it, just amazing colors, yo. Thank God it was overcast today. Had there been any sun I might have ruined my trip with searing pain.

This trip was so good that when I got home- I even had the munchies. This was the best shit ever. Seriously, all I could do when I got home was eat chips and watch wrestling and Star Trek: TNG and some older stuff I'd been saving on the TiVo for just such an occasion. Such a great day, yo. I should really stop describing it now.

Though, I think I ate too much Green Chile Dip. But holy shit, what a great idea. New Mexican green chiles combined with DAIRY. Best combo since some idiot combined PB and chocolate. Just amazing. But, it's chiles and dairy, so one must be much more careful than I am when consuming it. Yeah, I'll leave it at that.

Other than that Nena and I are getting Casa Norteˆía back together after New Year's Invasion. I'm totally in love with my Coleman air pump. This thing is awesome. It inflates air mattresses amazingly fast ... but it also DEflates them even faster. One of my favorite things to do in cleaning up after NYI has been deflating the air mattresses. Just sitting there and watching them shrivel up is way more fun than it has any right being. Yeah, just great.

As for the Invasion itself. I'll post about that later on tonight or early tomorrow. It deserves its own post.

One last thing. There's never a better time to change, than right now. There's never a better time to live than right now. Do you work, do it well and be kind- at the end of the day each other is the only thing we've got.

Posted by nenie at 04:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)