I'm cheering for the Col-Bears and other Notes

After paying attention to my first NFL game earlier this season (it was the Bears, of course), I commented that it would be really cool to see the Bears play the Colts. KP said, "It could happen if they both go to the Superbowl. This might just be the year for that." And it is! You see, my brother LOVES the Colts. And this was KP's first football season in Chicago, and he's a home-team guy. I can't bring myself to pick sides, really. So I'm cheering for both. The Col-Bears. I might cheer for individual players, Like Urlacher or Vinatieri. But the end of the game will be bittersweet because somebody has to lose.

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I got a fancy new camera for Christmas. I've been taking pictures of everything. Lately, I've been taking pictures of animal prints in snow, my cat, fruit, cardinals, my parakeet, snowy scenes on my street, icecicles hanging from the Frank Lloyd Wright, and friends. There are so many settings on this camera, I'm really just learning how to make my pictures come out. But I'd like to put some up here. Drop me an email or comment if you know of an easy way to do it, K?

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I was in the gym on Sunday and somebody had C-SPAN on the television (interesting choice for the workout, but OK). They were airing recordings of the previous day's campaign trail. I was there long enough to see the end of Hillary Clinton and the beginning of Rudy Giuliani. I couldn't believe how uncharismatic Rudy Giuliani was, at least compared to Hillary Clinton. Say what you want about either of them in terms of policy and platform, but Rudy is stiff and has little to say about the future and tons to say about the past (ironic because his mantra seems to be that the Republican Party is more hopeful than the democratic party). Rudy was on a stage in a traditional theater-like setting. He didn't seem to be connecting at all to the people in front of him. Clinton, on the other hand, was in a gymnasium with people all around her. She was talking to the people about concrete topics that concerned them. Though I'm not sure that I agreed with her on many of what she said, it seemed as if she genuinely cared about the people in the gymnasium. I was huffing and puffing on a treadmill and I was almost nodding my head in agreement with her!

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Obnoxiously bright automobile headlights suck. Especially on SUVs. I hate driving along a road when a car with those awful headlights comes at me. They're not high-beams, so they can't even dim them for the oncoming driver. My choice is to a) not look at the road as I drive past, b) stop entirely and look out the passenger window, c) continue driving and get retina burn for another mile. It is so much worse with SUVs, where the headlights are eye level with passenger cars. It's dangerous for drivers, I think.

Now Sylvania is promoting them on TV. Check out these pictures:



What if that were you coming around the bend? That would suck, no? You know what's safer, Sylvania? Not brighter headlights. Driving slowly around dark curves.

Who knew that I'd actually like the NFL?

I firmly believed, for years, that I hated the NFL. My brother loves the Colts and K.P. has a deep-seated fondness for the Redskins (he grew up in D.C.). Although, if you ask him, he likes the team where he lives. In S.F., he "liked" the 49ers (not really because they're apparently a Redskins rival). I just couldn't bring myself to care about a team. I didn't really like any, and I didn't dislike any. Wait, I take that back. I think I concluded at some point while living in San Francisco that I did not care much for the Oakland Raiders. I think it had something to do with the fact that I never met a Raiders fan that I liked and I met plenty that I didn't like.

Anyway, so here I am, a very enthusiastic fan of college football. About six or seven weeks ago, K.P. suggests that I should reconsider the NFL because, after all, that's one extra day of football on television. His logic was inescapably tight. He started following the Bears when he moved to Chicago and said that, if I'm going to live in Chicago, I should at least give the Bears a shot. So I did. It started with K.P. telling me about Rex Grossman's string of injuries and how the Chicagoans are kind of tired of waiting for him to perform. Then there was Urlacher, who is quite impressive. Finally, a couple of weeks ago, I was hooked when I discovered that the Bears actually have a fight song! It's a little silly, that and the melody is a little reminiscent of the USC song. But still, I think it's totally cool that these millionaire players get excited to see the fans singing the fight song.

So last night, I discovered that I cheering for the Bears. They were down 20 points, poor Mr. Grossman kind of sucked, and that Urlacher had so much talent he seemed to be single-handedly keeping the Cardinals from scoring (again). Maybe it's because I don't much care for Matt Whiner (do they hit too hard in the NFL, Matty-watty?), maybe it's because of the fight song, and maybe it's because they're comeback was somewhat magical. Last night, I was cheering for those spunky Chicago Bears and I liked it. Maybe there is a little bit of NFL fandom in me, after all.

PS: Even though I don't really like Matt Leinart, he did an outstanding job last night.

Shame on you, ABC

How does Wife Swap beat the FSU/Miami game in the television lineup planning strategy? ABC is so conveniently paired with ESPN, you would think that they would opt not to air schlock and instead televise the healthy and high-quality television programming that is college football. I am dumbfounded. Absolutely and completely stunned. Think of the ad revenue! Instead, would-be football viewers (who don't have cable) will tune in to Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Diff'rent Strokes.

What were they thinking? ABC sucks.

Do you remember . . .

the Flowbee? It was a vacuum haircutting system. I never knew anybody that purchased one. Do they work?

Or how about the Schwa website? It was this crazy website concocted by an artist. I think they sold t-shirts and mugs, but I also remember a screen saver (or cleanser, as they called it). It was a great website. I tried to find it again, but it seems not to exist. Does anybody else remember it?

Or how about Crystal Pepsi? What were they thinking when they thought up that crazy gimmick. That's almost as bad as New Coke.

To a Haggis

I found this Robert Burns poem a few days ago. I think it's great.

Address to a Haggis
Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o' the pudding-race!
Aboon them a' yet tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye wordy o'a grace
As lang's my arm.

The groaning trencher there ye fill,
Your hurdies like a distant hill,
Your pin was help to mend a mill
In time o'need,
While thro' your pores the dews distil
Like amber bead.

His knife see rustic Labour dight,
An' cut you up wi' ready sleight,
Trenching your gushing entrails bright,
Like ony ditch;
And then, O what a glorious sight,
Warm-reekin', rich!

Then, horn for horn, they stretch an' strive:
Deil tak the hindmost! on they drive,
Till a' their weel-swall'd kytes belyve
Are bent like drums;
Then auld Guidman, maist like to rive,
Bethankit! hums.

Is there that owre his French ragout
Or olio that wad staw a sow,
Or fricassee wad make her spew
Wi' perfect sconner,
Looks down wi' sneering, scornfu' view
On sic a dinner?

Poor devil! see him owre his trash,
As feckles as wither'd rash,
His spindle shank, a guid whip-lash;
His nieve a nit;
Thro' blody flood or field to dash,
O how unfit!

But mark the Rustic, haggis-fed,
The trembling earth resounds his tread.
Clap in his walie nieve a blade,
He'll mak it whissle;
An' legs an' arms, an' hands will sned,
Like taps o' trissle.

Ye Pow'rs, wha mak mankind your care,
And dish them out their bill o' fare,
Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware
That jaups in luggies;
But, if ye wish her gratefu' prayer
Gie her a haggis!