Blogging Blahs

Posted on October 18, 2003 by Solonor

I think everyone gets them now and then. I’ve had them for a few weeks now. And there’s nothing like a combination of self-doubt, preoccupation with something else, two weeks worth of trips with only dial-up access and a DoS attack on my web host to slow my blogging to a crawl. In fact, it’s even killed off my commenting on other people’s blogs (so that’s where that annoying idiot went!).

To top it all off, I’m getting the jitters about NaNoWriMo (yes, I’m going to try it again). I have no idea what I’m going to write about, other than it’s not going to be an attempt to finish the one from last year. That thing’s been stuck in my head and getting in the way of creative thought for almost 20 years. The fact that I abandoned it (again) has nagged at me all year. But I need to start fresh, so now it’s “Okay, brain. You don’t like me, and I don’t like you, but let’s get through this thing and then I can continue killing you with beer.”

Posted in Life, the Universe and Everything | 3 Comments

Forget the glory! Now for Rat!

Posted on October 14, 2003 by Solonor

“Can you not see that your uncle is varied by your mall content?”

Yeah, I know it’s a cheap shot making fun of accents. Still funny, though.

Engrish TTT Captions

Posted in Strangeness | 4 Comments

Luther

Posted on October 14, 2003 by Solonor

We went to see the movie Luther yesterday afternoon. Excellent film, though not exactly your typical Hollywood blockbuster.

It tells of Martin Luther’s struggle against the Catholic church in the early 1500’s. Joseph Fiennes is excellent as Luther, as is the scene-stealing Peter Ustinov, as the kindly Prince Friedrich. A most excellent historical film. In fact, about the only complaint I had with it was that it dove straight into the story without giving you any of the historical context. If you don’t already have some idea who Luther was or what he accomplished, you might get lost.

My abnormal teenage daughter, however, thought it was most excellent. One of her favorite movies, said she. She did say that she was probably the only one of her classmates who would have liked it, though. When she mentioned that she wanted to see “Luther”, they either went “Huh?” or “Cool. That’s about Martin Luther King, right?”

Oy vey.

Posted in The Big Screen | 3 Comments

The Secret Handshake

Posted on October 10, 2003 by Solonor

I know this might sound heretical, considering I’m sitting in the heart of the “Red Sox Nation”, but I really don’t like either of the terms “Red Sox Nation” or “Cowboy Up!” The former sounds like a marketing gimmick, and the latter reminds me too much of that stupid “tomahawk chop” in Atlanta.

No, I know how to identify a true Sox fan without resorting to silly catch phrases or looking at their shaved head. It’s easy. I just have to say one of the following lines and watch their reaction:

  • “1972. 1/2 game. What a ripoff!”
  • “Remember how Yaz used to barehand the ball off the Monster and gun down any idiot dumb enough to try for a double?”
  • “They wouldn’t move over from first to third on a single like that on Dewey’s arm!”
  • “Bryce Florie. Ow.”
  • “How come Nomar ain’t got a cool nickname like the Rooster?”
  • “Tony C. God rest his soul.”
  • “Looo-ie. Looo-ie.”
  • “Hit another tater for us, Boomer!”

If they’re a poser (ya know…the ones that know about the Fisk homer and the curse of the Bambino and that’s about it), they’ll just stare blankly or maybe fake a little “Yeah, that was cool.” But if they start tearing up or smiling widely at the appropriate place, then I know I’m talking to a bonafide membah of the Red Sox family.

On another note: Jorge Posada is on my list of Yankees I’d least like to see at the plate with the game on the line. He joins the likes of Graig Nettles, Lou Piniella and Roy White. Congratulations. *grumble*

I promise I’ll be off this baseball drug in a week or two.

Posted in Baseball | 12 Comments

Alive in New England

Posted on October 9, 2003 by Solonor

I landed in Providence last night at about 8:30, but I’m just now able to get a dial-up connection for the Etch-A-Sketch.

As soon as we got off the plane, everyone gathered around the TV to check out the score. It was 0-0 in the top of the second. I figured by the time I got my bag and car and got on the road for Mass, I’d have missed most of the game. Not so! I hit the I-95 around 9:30, just in time to listen to the bottom of the 4th.

I fiddled with the radio a bit until I found what I was looking for. I nearly cried. There was Joe Castiglione! I was cruising down the road listening to the Sox and Yankees on Sox Radio. I wouldn’t have to listen to those moronic Fox Sports announcers!! I was so happy that I missed the turn toward Rockland and wound up taking 3A instead of 3 south…extending my trip by an extra 45 minutes or so, as I traveled through Quincy and all the little towns along the way.

It didn’t bother me one bit.

Posted in Life, the Universe and Everything | 4 Comments

Hanging By A Thread

Posted on October 8, 2003 by Solonor

According to Brian Lewandowski, the key to Sox victory lies in the French knot. Apparently, it was his wife, not Derek Lowe, that saved Game 5.

Thoughts From Big Bri: A Stitch in Time Saves Nine

[ via Statia ]

Posted in Baseball | 3 Comments

I thought Florida was nuts…

Posted on October 8, 2003 by Solonor

CNN.com – Schwarzenegger wins, Davis concedes – Oct. 8, 2003

I don’t live in California, so I don’t know, but it can’t be that bad. Can it? At least Reagan told you what his lame-ass ideas were before you elected him.

I went to Arnie’s web site to see if there was something beyond the 30-second sound bites to which I’d (admittedly) only half paid attention. What I found was a PDF presentation entitled “Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 10 Step – 100 Day Agenda to Turn California Around”. Here they are:

  1. Repeal Gray Davis’ Tripling of the Car Tax
  2. Freeze Spending & Launch Audit of State Budget
  3. Call Special Session & Make Spending Cuts To Address Current Imbalance
  4. Get Our Fair Share of Indian Gaming Revenue
  5. Renegotiate State Employee Union Contracts to Get Better Deal for Taxpayers
  6. Pass Jobs Package with Real Workers’ Comp Reform
  7. Submit 04-05 Budget that Closes Deficit & Restructures Inherited Debt
  8. Streamline Bureaucracy & Send More Money to the Classroom
  9. Repeal SB-60, the Law that Gives Driver’s Licenses to Undocumented Immigrants
  10. Pass Open Government Amendment & Ban Fundraising During Budget Process

There ya go! Piece o’ cake. Screw state employees, Native Americans and immigrants, and magically balance the budget while increasing the 40% that already goes to education. I’d give you more details on exactly how this amazing feat will be done in 100 days, except there aren’t any. This is it. A glossy PDF with bullet points.

Good luck California. You thought it was bad before? Well, to mangle one of my favorite Arnie movie lines, “You should not drink and vote.”

Posted in Rants 'n' Whines | 10 Comments

Stupid Baseball

Posted on October 7, 2003 by Solonor

How does it do it? How does this stupid game with it’s screwed up owners and its overpaid players and its clueless Commissioner and all the other crap it piles on our heads to try to get us to stop watching somehow manage to align the stars just right to make it irresistable? I gave up the pretense of ignoring baseball in August, but it had gotten to the point where I even forgot there was an All-Star Game this year.

But the baseball gods put together an incredible set of Division Series, in which only the easy elimination of the Twins was predictable. Cubs-Braves was a nail-biter with the Cubs finally winning a post-season series. Marlins-Giants? Awesome! (How many times do you end a series on a play at the plate like that??) And, of course, every game but the 2nd of the Oakland-Boston series was super intense.

Of course, I was sitting there screaming at the TV in the 9th. What kind of INSANE managing was that?? One out, the winning run on second, first base open, your best sinkerball pitcher in the game, and you pull in the infield??? Lowe saved Grady Little’s ass last night! At least it took my mind off the STUPID Fox announcers. God, I miss having Sox radio.

And now, it’s Red Sox versus Yankees for the League Championship. Clemens’ last post-season, and he’s pitching against his old team–a come-from-behind, never-say-die Sox team (the only one to beat the 2-0 series deficit TWICE).

Hello, my name is Lester. I’m a baseball-holic.

I can’t quit anytime I want.

Posted in Baseball | 16 Comments

Red Sox-Yankees, The Way It Oughta Be!

Posted on October 6, 2003 by Solonor

Waaaaaaahhooooooo!

Can’t talk. Must pass out now.

Posted in Baseball | 4 Comments

L

Posted on October 6, 2003 by Solonor

Och! ’tis the old man’s birthday. Hop on over and wish him a happy one, eh?

Posted in Yo! Listen Up! | 1 Comment