« October 2002 | Main | December 2002 »
November 30, 2002
turkeyn..
so for the first time, i had two consecutive turkey dinners in a row--and the second wasnt leftovers. since esther was workin on thurs, my parents magnanimously drove up and cooked a dinner for her/us. i think ive had enough tryptophan for my winter hibernation. but it was really good--both dinners were good. now, its turkey sandwiches for a wk..
at the dinner i went to on thurs, i ended up playin this new board game called the settlers of catan. its actually not new (been out since 96), but ive never seen or heard it before. apparently its big in boston. but it was pretty coo cuz its kinda like risk or a turn-based age of empires (i guess that would make it civilization?). you hafta manage resources while makin settlements and roads. the unique quirk in this board game is that a new landscape is constructed every time so youre always playin a different board. pretty fun..
so i start work in two days and its kinda been weird thinkin about it. itll definitely be an adjustment to be back in that mode, but hopefully not too big of one. i realized, however, that its not just the 'work' part ill have to acclimate myself to but also the 'social' aspect. not that ive been a hermit since movin here in june, but its not like ive really made new friends w/ anybody other than the lawn i pick the dogs crap off of. so actually bein pleasant, makin conversation, and tryin to build a relationship may be a hurdle. man, i make it sound like im dreadin it--in fact, im not. i wouldnt say im eagerly lookin forward to it but it would be nice to meet some new people. more often than not, im surprised by how unique a person is once i get to know him/her. man, i sound terrible..
anyways, i should enjoy my last couple days. madden all the way..
Posted by chars at 09:09 AM | Comments (1)
November 27, 2002
p.o..
i havent updated in a while for a few reasons:
- brother-in-law was in town so there was a lot of hangin out..
- although i squeaked out a couple wins in fantasy football this wk (2-4), i was pretty pissed about how poorly one of my teams played. so pissed that im still pissed..
- actually been busy takin care of a number of errands since i start work next wk..
my thoughts for the wk:
- went to a very nice sports bar called the coliseum sunday afternoon to mainly watch the skins-rams game. i know there are better things than seein all the 1pm nfl games across 90 televisions while downin your ________ (insert favorite beer here) to go with the succulently-roasted buffalo wings. but not much..
- esther and i bought our first christmas tree today. technically, it isnt since in our first yr of datin i got her this tiny battery-operated tree that blinks when you turn it on. but anyways.....its my first all-natural tree. my parents bought an artificial one when i was really young so we pulled out the box every yr to assemble our tree. a natural one is pretty coo--it smells nice and has a nice color to it. but its prickly as HELL!! okay, maybe its not that bad. but next yr, im gonna need some gloves..
- esthers on call tomorr so i guess we will be celebratin our first thanksgivin together apart--her in the hospital and me chowin down at a family friends house. man, doesnt it suck when you dont get a holiday off? like columbus day or presidents day? how much worse is it when its a holiday everyone else gets off?
- one of the things ive been gettin crap over is how i havent raked the leaves in the backyard yet. both esther and her brother are on my case on that cuz although i raked the front out of politeness to our neighbors, i refuse to take care of the back cuz: 1) our backyard is fenced in and next to an alley, and 2) i dont see the point of rakin leaves at all. i understand that it kills the grass, but if the grass is dyin from concentrated-dog urine as it is and if a layer of leaves looks better than yellow, patchy, dead grass then why rake? and above all that, who da hell cares about grass anyways?? we re talkin about GRASS here!!
so basically, although im thankful for my new job im p.o.-ed by fantasy football and leaves. stoopid, messy leaves..
Posted by chars at 11:59 PM | Comments (2)
November 23, 2002
danke..
i hafta say im overwhelmed by all the 'congrats' ive received on the news of my job offer. in fact, im kinda weirded out that people are so happy for me cuz the sincerity is simply amazin. and for all that support, i am grateful.
thank you to each one of you..
Posted by chars at 03:01 AM | Comments (4)
November 22, 2002
fleeting fantasies..
man, maybe i really am a meanderin fanatic..
i havent been payin attention to basketball at all this season. i mean, i check out the box scores every nite but im really just skimmin em, not analyzin each category to see which player had a breakout game. i watch the game highlights on sportscenter, but not w/ as much passion as when john clayton gives his nfl injury report..
but the strongest indication the tides may have turned? i dont even care that im in 8th, 4th, and 6th place in the three rotisserie leagues im concentratin on. i spend more time contemplatin which receiver to start this wk than breakin down the league standings in basketball..
this is very scary and unsettlin. course, it may be that i am simply unable to focus on two sports (or like 13 leagues) at once. the true test will come in january, once the superbowl champion has been crowned..
i am like a weed that waivers in the slightest brees..
Posted by chars at 11:59 PM | Comments (1)
November 19, 2002
one year..
i got the job..
after one yr--almost to the effective termination date--my sabbatical has come to an end. and as fun and liberatin as it was, it is most certainly a good thing that i will now be gainfully employed once again. not because of the money. not because society pats me on the back to be at work. but because i want to be engaged. productive..
i suppose i couldve tried startin my own business--i was asked that several times this past yr. esther even suggested i create my own fantasy sports website, combinin skills w/ pleasure. each time though i said no--i just have no desire to do so. maybe its cuz i dont really have an interest in amassin wealth. dont get me wrong--i count every dollar that flows thru this house. but i dont think work should be about makin money. there should be somethin more to it..
my interview was on the first of this month, so ive been waitin for about two-and-a-half wks. i had a feelin all day that today was the day (hindsight is 20/20). after hearin that my refs got a call mid-afternoon, the phone rang at 5:30pm. wow..
im really happy about gettin the job, although i dont think its quite sunk in yet. im not just happy that i got A job--im ecstatic that i got THIS job. cuz of all the positions ive sought since movin up here, this one tops em all--by a lot. maybe cuz its not in the corporate world (although wut escapes the corporate grasp today?). maybe cuz ill be surrounded by academics (smartness rubs off, right?). or maybe cuz the work may actually have some meanin to it. wutever the reason, i feel lucky cuz even if the market was doin well id be happy to get this job. the opportunity is fantastic and i think ill learn A LOT, which is wut its all about..
now whered i put that design patterns book?
Posted by chars at 11:59 PM | Comments (7)
November 18, 2002
i..
i rented three games yesterday: outlaw golf, nba live 2003, and mario party 4. video games are brilliant wastes-of-time..
i watched the rams defeat the bears to go 5-0 since goin 0-5. the punt-fake by the chicago special teams was the best play of the game..
i joined a gym today. sorta. usin a free three-wk trial, i worked my upper body (or lack of) and arms. ill be hurtin tomorr morn..
i shot around for over two hours this mornin. the ball, however, didnt feel good in my hands. no grip. i need bigger hands..
i got a haircut today. i always get my hair gel-ed afterwards. then i go home and take a shower..
i decided to not let tv dictate my daily schedule, from hereforth known as my life. cept for the occasional servin of 'law and order'..
i cant believe its the middle of november already. baltimore still feels unfamiliar. yet durham and the weddin seem so long ago..
i bought garlic bagels yesterday. cant get enough of stinky-smelly food: onions, ohjeehngoh (dried squid), daejahng-jeegeh..
im disarmed w/ my level of contentedness. how funny does that sound? uncomfortable w/ my comfort..
i can watch my wife and my dogs sleep all nite. still art..
i like to drive fast. too fast. im goin to get in a bad accident someday. i know it..
i luv playin spider solitaire. how much skill is there in luck?
i wanna watch 'solaris'. somethin intriguigin i find in steven soderbergh..
i like usin passive construction. it sounds pensive..
im curious. wuts the difference between 'destined' and 'predestined'?
i am realizin. basketball and football have as much to do w/ the feet as they do w/ the hands and eyes..
ive been usin lotion lately. my skin always dries and cracks in the winter. country-apple is still my favorite..
i am often filled w/ nostalgia. can i not live in the present?
im ramblin. the stream needs to go to sleep..
Posted by chars at 11:59 PM | Comments (1)
November 15, 2002
puppy luv..
lately ive been wonderin: are my dogs, stella and cocoa, in a relationship? do they consider themselves as girlfriend and boyfriend?
the evidence:
- they play together, often sharin each other things (toys)..
- i catch them cuddlin next to each other accompanied by simultaneously bitin (aka, dog-kissin)..
- theyre always eatin together (maybe thats more a reflection of me)..
- they occasionally have their fights and spats (over toys and which owner luvs em more)..
- sometimes i see them holdin hands (paw over paw)..
at nite, they each sleep in their own bed: cocoa by my side of the bed, stella by esthers. i wonder after the wife and i have conked out, if cocoa gets up and sneaks over to be w/ stella (bad dog!)..
im sure glad we got em fixed..
Posted by chars at 10:09 AM | Comments (2)
November 14, 2002
oh so funny..
funniest line ive read all month (from a fantasy football site):
"Todd Heap has been slipping under the radar in Baltimore, but he is very consistent. I haven’t seen a young tight end that fine since Melissa Stark."
wrong in so many ways, right because it is h-i-l-a-r-i-o-u-s..
Posted by chars at 12:15 AM | Comments (2)
November 13, 2002
tv guide..
although ive known for most of the time im home the tv is on, ive only recently realized how it dictates my life. heres my primetime-viewin schedule:
MON:
8:30pm - Whose Line Is It, Anyway?
9pm - Monday Night Football
TUES:
10pm - Real World
WED:
7pm - NBA on ESPN
10pm - Law & Order
THURS:
7:30pm - NBA on TNT
8pm - Friends
8:30pm - Scrubs
FRI:
8pm - NBA on ESPN
10pm - Law & Order: SVU
SAT:
~7pm - wutever movie happens to be on
SUN:
1pm - NFL
4pm - NFL
8:30pm - Sunday Night Football
9pm - Law & Order: Criminal Intent
man, writin this out isnt cathartic--it just makes me feel like a louse. and as i much i would like to turn off the devil-machine, i cant seem to not watch (i luv double negatives) football and basketball....and 'law & order'..
maybe im an addict..
Posted by chars at 07:44 AM | Comments (4)
November 11, 2002
fall..
i luv autumn. i cant say when it became my favorite season but when i figured it out it made me extremely content when its that time of year..
i luv autumn because:
- its cool but not bone-chillin. well, i suppose this depends on where you live/are but i think its safe to say that its not as cold as winter..
- the view outdoors is much nicer w/ the sweepin palette of colors..
- despite wut the calendar tries to dictate, the new yr effectively begins in sept for me. maybe its cuz the whole school-begins-around-labor-day has been drilled into my psyche for some 15 yrs..
- i can roll down the windows as i drive in my car. i dislike a/c..
- if its cold enough, i can actually smell some of that fireplace smoke in the neighborhood--and i luv that smell. in fact, this may be the second-best aspect of winter (the first bein snow--did i mention i proposed to esther in snow?)..
- did i mention because its so nice and cool outside? its not burnin hot (id rather freeze in antartica than burn in the sahara) yet no winter coat is necessary. i hate heat..
and so thats why i cant stand this climate change over the weekend. it was great last wk w/ the brisk air but since yesterday its been nothin but humidity and discomfort. i hate it..
but perhaps the best reason i like fall: its time for a change..
ps - wut took me so long? we re two months into the season and just NOW im writin about it. idiot..
Posted by chars at 11:59 PM | Comments (3)
November 08, 2002
unbelievable..
i think i just witnessed the most unbelievable basketball play this season..
so the wiz played host to the shaq-less lakers tonite and played a good game. they were cruisin to an easy win w/ a double-digit lead in the 4th. then, as they always do the lakers made a run..
thanks to two missed free throws by an errant jordan, the purple-and-gold finally seize the lead for the first time w/ 2.9 secs left on a frickin horry 3-pter (show me a non-laker fan who actually likes horry)! un-frickin-leviable..
so now everyone is thinkin one of two things:
1) jordans gettin the ball..
2) damn, the lakers won again..
wutever the case though--and of course no disrespect to basketball-god--it surely seemed to be a laker victory..
and then, the unbelievable took place..
stackhouse inbounds the ball to bryon russell, who settin a screen immediately dumps it off to a streakin stackhouse who then rises for the uncontested and buzzer-beatin DUNK!!
DUNK??!! at the BUZZER?? are you kiddin me?? who tries that??
if it were me, i wouldve laid it in. get the ball out of my hands. two-point-nine seconds!! was it good? did the buzzer go off?
yeah, the ball was clearly thru the hoop before the clock went out and so the wiz walk away w/ a gasp of relief..
esp mj. cuz he couldve been the goat of the game. although he was hot all game--firin turnaround-fadeaway after turnaround-fadeaway--he shanked two-of-four free throws down the stretch. in fact, he WAS the goat--which is a good thing cuz now he will make sure it doesnt happen again..
anyways, that play isnt that crazy. as a matter of fact, its very well-designed and ive seen it before. remember, jordans most famous shot at the buzzer? at cleveland. oh craig ehlo. pumpin fist and scissor kick in the air afterwards..
well, the possession leadin to that shot by the cavs was ehlo inboundin, then immediately runnin in for the easy lay-in. funny thing is, it was doug collins who was coachin the bulls back then--mustve taken notes that nite..
anyways, tonite the play worked for three reasons (wut, am i tryin to replace bill waltons job as an analyst now?):
1) jordan cuz he was the decoy who set a post-screen for..
2) russell catchin the inbounds (russells gonna take the shot??) so..
3) stackhouse could run to the basket uncontested after inboundin..
stack was probly stupid for actually dunkin it cuz 9 out of 10 times it wouldve been too late. but tonite, hes the hero..
and im glad--teach that jordan-guy to hit his free throws..
Posted by chars at 11:22 PM | Comments (5)
infuse me..
did you know they now have an infusion FOOTBALL?
if you never saw it, a couple yrs ago spalding developed this new kind of basketball w/ built-in air pump. its actually pretty coo cuz you can always keep your ball well-inflated w/o havin to get a separate pump or bend those needles into the balls..
so now spalding decided to venture into the nfl, eh? hmm, i just may hafta try it--i was thinkin of gettin a pigskin anyways..
by the way, how creative of spaldings marketing group to try somethin innovative the second time around..
is it just me or is the football bigger than jerry rices head?
Posted by chars at 01:24 AM | Comments (3)
November 07, 2002
rub too..
so accordin to my previous entrys logic, should i now be Charles Paik-Kim?
naw, Charles Kim is probly better..
Posted by chars at 03:45 PM | Comments (0)
November 06, 2002
rub..
watchin conan tonite i realized wut love is: rebecca romijn-stamos..
not HER specifically (personally i dont think shes all that) but her NAME. i mean, shes one of the top models magazines covet whos now on her way to movie stardom--why take the name of your less-than-successful, i-could-pass-for-a-poor-mans-elvis, my-mark-on-humanity-was-full-house husband john stamos?
its gotta be love..
Posted by chars at 11:59 PM | Comments (2)
November 05, 2002
rage..
damn, i am so pissed right now..
ive been pissed for a good three hours now--ever since darren sharper picked miami and ran it back for a TD. that put my 1-7 team to 1-8 and i am now worse than the bengals. man!! its a damn conspiracy!!
i might as well be put in a prison shower w/ my bar of soap thrown to the ground. actually, that is it exactly! i feel like im gettin raped every frickin week..
ya kno, i wouldnt care so much if i had lost in another league. or if it was just a 3 or 4 game losin streak. but EIGHT??!! cmon!! its not like im not tryin!! wut does it take?? wut do i hafta do??!! gawd, im so pissed off..
i now see why people make deals w/ the devil..
man, it has be a conspiracy. today after some research, i discovered had i played my last five opponents the week followin when i actually played em, i wouldve won. it is u-n-b-e-l-i-e-v-a-b-l-e..
so in an effort to assuage my rage, i turned on the gamecube to play madden and continued my storied redskins season w/ three straight wins. too bad it didnt make me feel any better..
in fact, wut it did do was make me realize the only thing that makes me angry these days is football, specifically two recurrin events: 1) this fantasy losin-streak which gets me worked up every sunday and monday nites; and 2) every time i play madden and the computer breaks thru like 6 consecutive tackles while outrunnin all of my cornerbacks into the endzone. frickin cheater..
seriously, this is so frustratin. i feel like bashin my computer or throwin my tv out the window..
yeah, thatd be fun to clean up..
actually, this is so stoopid. im so stoopid. its just a game....................isnt it?
Posted by chars at 03:03 AM | Comments (4)
November 03, 2002
write here, write now..
ive got a few things on my mind so im just gonna vomit em out..
today i discovered my wife actually reads my site!! thats not a statement of horror but of pleasant surprise. this whole time i thought she never read it. but she did and does. and that makes me happy cuz despite how often i write about sports items, shes still interested in me enough to read thru em. now if she would only leave a comment..
my fantasy football frustration has gone to a whole new level today. so at 12:52pm i check the injury updates and see ricky williams jr (indy)--who i picked up since the edge isnt playin--is out as well cuz he came to the game w/ a sore hamstring. at 12:53pm, i go to my roster page to bench him. by 12:56pm im yellin like the world has come to an end cuz yahoo has locked the roster refusin to load the next page acceptin my roster change!! i was SO pissed!! p-i-s-s-e-d. i was yellin so loud the dogs were freaked--they thought i was comin after em. it was unbelievable (my new favorite word to yell when angry)--i check the updates like 10 times yester--if he pulls a hamstring why wouldnt they say hes out then?? and why does freakin yahoo jump the gun in lockin the rosters??!! see, wut made it worse was that it was in my 7-game-losin-streak league!! seriously, at that point i swore it was a damn conspiracy. ive never been more pissed over somethin so insignificant to everyone else. i am still so angry..
but....wut might make it better is actually WINNIN. if my calculations are correct, im up by 20 goin into tomorr nite. and i just hafta hope miami lights it up in green bay (go ray lucas!)..
okay, i need to cool down..
next..
i had a job interview the other day. and as it progressed, i realized i liked the position. i mean i really liked it and for all genuinely "good" reasons: the work, the people, the industry, the OPPORTUNITY. the thing is, walkin out i felt like i sorta screwed things up. or i walked out feelin i might not get the job. im not writin this to say how i couldve done better or complain about wut i should or should not have done. im writin cuz if i were a different person--more like my brother-in-law--i probly would feel great about my chances. why? because he is an optimist and i am the polar opposite..
a lot of people know me as a cynic. well, im also a pessimist esp when it comes to things concernin myself specifically. when somethin is done, i tend to focus on the negatives and wut i did wrong--and its not "constructive criticism" cuz im not evaluatin how i couldve been better or tried harder. i think about how stupid it was to dribble the ball left not right. or hedge my bets on an unproven bench player. or sayin somethin that obviously was not the smart, conservative thing to say. i dwell on how things went wrong..
maybe my pessimism arises from a lack of confidence. or lack of esteem. or a lack of belief. wutever the reason, i am dictated by my pessimism. and as much as i realize its counter-productivity, i also realize its wut makes me who i am--that i would be a very different person in a very different place w/o it..
and ultimately, it remains my choice to allow my pessimism to rule me..
Posted by chars at 11:59 PM | Comments (4)