Fortune Cookie Prognostications

I just ate a huge dinner of Chinese food. Fantastic.

Then I got to the fortune cookies. There were four. I ate them all.

Which one do you all, the readers of The Blog Alliance, believe is true or will come true?

Here are the four:

1. You will get what you want with your charming personality
2. Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery
3. You are naturally competitive
4. Your act of kindness will warm another’s soul

So vote if you’d like. It’d be cool if number one wins…but no pressure…

Birthday Time!

Happy birthday Emily! 24 years old. It seems like just yesterday you were 23.

And not too long ago Jeff had to say, "Both kids busted in the same picture," after Mom asked why you would have a beer in your hands as a freshman in college.

And not too far removed from that, when we took you to 426 MAC and JC's house. You were 15 and maybe not ready for that. But I think it was a valuable experience. Your welcome.

And it doesn't seem too long ago when I would drive you to piano lessons and 89X always seemed to play Bound to the Floor and then Tubthumping. I think the latter song defined our adolescence....nope that's not true. Anyhoo...

I'm looking forward to La Fiesta.

Let's hope the only downsizing that happens to you is that someone downsizes your age.

Two Years Later...

Two years ago; a Good Friday for Drinking.

Michigan State 78, Duke 68. The Spartans would eventually advance to their fourth Final Four in seven years.

That was and will always be one of the best days of my life. The entire gang was there. Jon and I got to Lou and Harry’s around noon. We started drinking. One of the Lou and Harry’s managers asked if we were going to come back for the game. We said we were here for the game. (The game didn’t start until seven that evening.)

Here is a link to my favorite Spartan basketball picture of all time: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0703/gallery.cbb.upsets/content.6.html.

Thanks for posting that on Emily’s myspace Brooke.

In other news, Florida cheats.

In some other news I have posted several pictures from various things as well as a Minus Grover video on my .mac page. Here’s the link. I finally have all of the Wednesdees pictures loaded and some from recent gatherings. Here is the link to that page: http://homepage.mac.com/minusg981/Menu1.html.

I hope everyone has had a good weekend. Have a nice week.

I'm on CI, a Day Late

I wanna sink to the bottom with you. The ocean is big and blue. I just wanna sick to the bottom with you.

Sorry this is a day late. Did anyone miss me? Probably not.

Only one more day in the “CI.” That’s what the cool kids say at Henry Ford for the Cardiac ICU. If you are in the Medical ICU and want to sound cool you say, “I’m in the MI or I’m on MI.” Surgical ICU, SI. Neurological ICU, NI. Get it?

It’s weird though because MI can mean so many other things. Myocardial Infarction (heart attack), mental illness or mentally impaired. To say you’re on MI and mean you’re on a mentally impaired person is just not cool.

Speaking of the CI, I have two things:
1. There is a patient who isn’t putting out urine and the toxins may be causing some mental status changes. On a brief mini-mental status exam the patient was asked who the president was. He answered Truman at first. Then he said, “No. Not him. I know the guy is from Texas and they got to get his ass out of there.” Later he said Bush was president. You know you’re doing pretty badly when a delirious/possibly demented patient knows you suck at your job. Or maybe it doesn’t matter…Either way it was funny.
2. In another striking example of my immaturity and not-readiness-to-be-a-doctor, today I was asked, “What do you think of his DIC profile?” DIC stands for disseminated intravascular coagulation. But he said dick. I laughed. I need to grow up. Eventually I answered the question correctly.

Detroit smelled funny today…or maybe it was me…or maybe both…but I think Detroit won…maybe not.

It’s sunny and windy and spring. Happy Vernal Equinox (a day late).

Tomorrow, the Wednesdees. Everyone should be there. Cool. Here’s the address again: he Berkley Front is located at 3087 W. 12 Mile Rd. Show starts at 9.00, five-dollar cover.

I was 26/32 in Round One of the NCAA Tournament. Overall I’m 36/48. That’s okay I think. Ha ha Wisconsin.

This wasn’t very good, but shorter than usual and that might be a little nice.

My grammar was poor too. Sorry.

Questions Answered

I was adding pictures to my myspace account out of sheer boredom and apathy toward my cardiology reading. There is nothing to do but watch basketball, which is fine but I don’t like Tennessee. On a side note I was 26/32 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Second round…not so good.

Anyhoo, I came across this question at the bottom of my myspace page: "Are You Gay?"

Man would I like to know. So I clicked on the link and this was the introduction to the website: Welcome to 20QuestionQuizzes.com a website dedicated to helping you answer Life's tough questions.

I’m pleased it only takes 20 questions to answer life’s tough questions, because although I’m very lazy today, I don’t have the time or patience to do anything more than 20 questions.

So I took the quiz. Here were my results:
“andrew,
Thank you for taking the Are You Gay Quiz!
Here are your results. You scored a 42.5% - Not Gay, but just barely. Which is actually quite good. You're able to express yourself through emotion while still being a man around your buddies. This means that you are in touch with your feminine and masculine sides, meaning that your masculine side will touch more feminine sides! ;)”

Take that Adrienne. Although I find the ;) to be more than 42.5% gay, but who am I to argue. I’m just glad I had this important question put to rest once and for all.

Why You Shouldn't Drink During the Week.......Or Why Alumni Shouldn't Have to go to Work the Day After Your Team Plays in the NCAA Tournament

When you do the aforementioned, you end up stumbling into your Friday morning meeting a tad bit late in jeans and a Michigan State hooded sweatshirt. Ironically, yesterday evening our boss sent an email suggesting that we wear college sweatshirts today, in spirit of March Madness. I was covered on that one. I was a little taken back though, at the length of the meeting. It was a solid 5 hours. I kept drifting in and out of consciousness. My headaches persisted and I had major dumb dumbs. I got through it though.

When we finally broke for lunch, I went home and lied on the couch. I watched a little basketball and wished I didn’t have to go back to work. Here I am though.

Congrats MSU. You didn’t look great last night, but you did what you needed to. I feel bad for Ibok. His elbow injury was disgusting.

It was a fun night in celebration.

AZ didn’t call me back. He is a liar.

Today

St. Patty’s Day is upon us, as are the ides of March.

Beware the Ides of March!!!!

Today is also the beginning of the greatest sporting event known to the world, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. If you are not a big fan of sports, then I personally apologize about the last week of posts. They were probably even more boring than usual for you to skim through.

For anyone who is interested, I would like to extend a formal invitation to any and all who read this to join me in celebrating the rare weekend St. Patrick’s Day. I am thinking of slumming it in Lansing, rather than the overcrowded East Lansing scene. It will be a welcomed change of pace and a darn good time. I know it is a far drive for most, but I think it would be well worth it. How often do you really get to see me? Take advantage before I fall off the face of the planet.

What a coincidence, State’s colors include green. They play at 7:20 (4:20 Pacific). You should watch them win. Go State!

You Remind Me of a West Side Story

When AZ and I chose regions on Selection Sunday, I didn't realize how lame my regions were (not really, this one could have the best matchup in the tournament). Although, as you could probably tell, in the south region, I am truly sweet on TAMU.

The wild wild west could be just that. On the other hand, it could be the opposite of that. I think that the west has the best chance of us seeing a 1 v. 2 matchup in the elite eight.

On the upset watch in the west are: Holy Cross and Gonzaga. Illinois almost made that short list, but they struggle scoring points. Their defense isn't strong enough to stop Va. Tech from scoring that many points. Bruce Weber has been out of his comfort zone all year long. He probably feels a little like Tom Izzo at this point. That's what happens when you lose the likes of Dee Brown, Luther Head, and Deron Williams in recent time.

Staying in the state of Illinois. The Salukis could be in trouble. They are the quintessential overrated mid-major. Sure, they play great defense, but they struggle on the O side of the ball. At around 64 points per game against the less than formidable Missouri Valley Conference schedule, SIU doesn't appear sharp. Please don't expect their bench to pick up some slack. Depth is not the Salukis' friends.

Holy Cross is on a high after edging out their arch nemesis Bucknell, who have kept the Crusaders out of the tourney for the past two years. They are also a little hot. HC has won 18 of their last 20 games. Although this feat was done against sub-par Patriot League. The Cruisaders are small but quick. Led by Sr. guards Torey Thomas and Keith Simmons, they have a solid backcourt. The common theme in this matchup is depth, or lack thereof. If foul trouble becomes an issue in this one, it is anyone's game. Look for Holy Cross to edge one out though.

The other upset will be Gonzaga. Even with their troubles off the court, they can still put a team with some heart on the floor. I have been watching Indiana all year long. They have blown up what could have been an impressive season. DJ White needs to be on, but so often he is not. They are this year's Michigan State, bowing out in the first round.


Kentucky wants to be impressive and surprising, but they won't be. Although they will have enough to overcome Villanova, Tubby Smith will be wishing the AD would let him go, just for a change of scenery. Kansas will beat them handily.

Virginia Tech gets what equates to a two round bye to get to the Sweet Sixteen this year. You can make the T-shirts up right now. They can forget about doing anything else though. UCLA also cruises to a Sweet Sixteen birth. As does Duke. I know what you are thinking.....overrated. I am not going to discuss that here. Pittsburgh is inconsistent. Duke is going to ride Coach K's name to victory.

The Sweet Sixteen turns into a kitchen appliance in the west. UCLA and Kansas make their opponents disappear like a garbage disposal. It also becomes proven that Duke can never EVER be a Cinderella story, especially as a #6 seed.

UCLA / Kansas is a good game. UCLA will make it two straight Final Fours behind Collison's tender ankle and Affalo's hot hand. They can play a little deeper than Kansas if need be. Don't let their two straight losses, at Washington, and against California fool you. They have a stellar record against stellar opposition. The Bruins have notched wins in 9 out of 10 matchups with ranked opponents this year, including: Washington, USC, Texas A&M, and Arizona twice. They also beat Michigan by 37. I like that. Kansas is hot right now. They have won 11 in a row, including two against Texas. You know what they say about teams that go into the tournament without a recent loss........ I think they say that is a bad thing. The dynamic Sophomore trio of Rush, Chalmers, and Wright will be on. They will be the only ones though and you had better believe that they will be keyed in on defense.

It is UCLA out of the west folks.

The Midwest - 2007 Preview

Oh the Midwest. How the hell is Florida the overall number one seed and given the Midwest Region? That distinction belonged to the Ohio State. The NCAA selection committee really dropped the ball with that.

Anyhoo, don’t expect the Gators to repeat. If there is any good in the world, and I like to think there is lots of it, the good will prevent the evil – portrayed by Billy Donovan and Florida – from repeating.

The Midwest in summary:
Who’s Coming Out – Wisconsin
Who’s Out Early – Butler
Most Overrated – Notre Dame, Maryland
Most Underrated – Winthrop

The twelve-over-five upset is for sure here. Old Dominion will beat Butler. I understand Butler has had a cute year and everyone wants to jump on the mid-major bandwagon, but Old Dominion has too much offensive firepower and athleticism. The Monarchs have won eleven of their last twelve games. Make it twelve of their last thirteen. Then thirteen of their last fourteen before falling to Florida in the Sweet Sixteen.

The Arizona/Purdue match-up is intriguing, because I’m not sure either team is all that good. Purdue gets a nine seed like Michigan State, but Michigan State had several more quality wins and a stronger non-conference schedule. Arizona closed out the season strong, but their resume is not overly impressive. I like the Wildcats simply because of Lute Olsen’s experience and their overall athleticism.

Go Winthrop! I don’t like Notre Dame. Winthrop almost got a win over Tennessee in last year’s tournament. This year they will upset the Fighting Irish.

Oregon is a solid team and I’m surprised by who has emerged as the star of the Ducks. I always thought Malik Hairston would take over, but Bryce Taylor has been the man for Oregon. Detroit native, Tajuan Porter, is a good freshman point guard and the Ducks look like a Sweet Sixteen team.

Who knocks out the Ducks? Wisconsin. I hate Alando Tucker. I have argued he has syphilis (is that libel? Emily, Chris). However, the Badgers are tough. They will get past Texas A&M Corpus Christi. UNLV may hang for a half, but the Badgers will pull away late. Oregon will fall to the Badgers and then they will meet up with Florida.

Florida, the undeserving overall number one seed, has the easiest route to the Elite Eight. Maryland will beat Davidson and then lose to the Monarchs, setting up an Old Dominion/Florida match-up. The Cinderella story ends for the Monarchs by the evil Gators and their evil coach Billy Donovan.

Teddy Dupay may take the day off from work at Arby’s to come out of the stands and try to injure Alando Tucker like he did to Mateen Cleaves in the 2000 Championship game. He definitely does not have anything better to do and I think his YMCA team has the night off. I would not be too mad about Dupay doing this because Tucker is evil too, but in reality Florida does not handle teams who play solid half-court defense very well. The Badgers will keep this a low scoring game and Joakim Noah and his less annoying counterpart the Grand Ledge Michigander, Al Horford, will have to overcome foul trouble. Thus, on Wisconsin, on Wisconsin to the Final Four (read in the melody of Wisconsin’s fight song).

The Midwest is a weaker bracket. I like Old Dominion making some noise. Look out for Oregon and everyone pray Florida does not advance to Atlanta. They won’t and the Big Ten will hopefully get two teams to the Final Four again.

Making Urine, Cool on the Rage

I suppose I’ve seen you three times now and I guess that I’m wondering how you keep the boys at bay. I have a feeling that they are wondering too.

I saw a bumper sticker that read, “NRA. The frontline of freedom.” I hate the philosophy freedom is only maintained via the threat of or the use of force.

The Blades of Glory movie looks very funny and I’m excited because Nick Swardson is in it. He is hilarious.

During my last call this past Monday I made sure to drink a lot of fluids. Sometimes I get too busy and don’t drink enough water. When I come home and take a nap I always wake up to a nasty cramp in my right calf muscle. Yesterday I woke up in the late afternoon with no cramp and feeling very refreshed. I urinated a lot which made me laugh because that is one of the things I have become fairly competent at treating; that is someone who is fluid overloaded for one reason or another and diuresing them. A nurse will say, “Andy, your patient isn’t making urine. What do you want to do?” I’ll reply, “Is he on Lasix? If not give him 40 IV push.” Generally, the patient starts peeing a lot after that. I laughed because I think the statement, “Not making urine” is funny, especially while I was urinating.

When will the accepted intolerance toward homosexuals end? History never looks kindly on individuals who repress the rights of others and who discriminate based on race, sexual preference, gender, etc. General Pace is an idiot. I think he is really Tim Hardaway’s boyfriend and they do it five times a week.

My brother brought up an interesting point: Michigan State should have been higher than a nine seed. When you look at the other nine seeds the Spartans are far better. Purdue had a better Big Ten record, but a worse record overall and an easy non-conference schedule. Moreover, Purdue only played Wisconsin once and lost to the Ohio State three times. The Boilermakers only quality win was a blowout over Michigan State in which the Spartans were playing undermanned. Another nine seed, BYU, was destroyed by Michigan State earlier in the year at the Spartan Clash. Those teams are not equal to the Spartans. I still think Michigan State can pull the upset over North Carolina.

The Wednesdees will be playing on March 23 at the Berkley Front. The Berkley Front is located at 3087 W. 12 Mile Rd and starts at 9 pm. There is a 5$ cover and everyone should attend. It is going to be fun.

My dad doesn’t like it when you write 5$ like that and not like $5. Anyhoo…

The spring-like weather here in Michigan has put a big smile on my face. Some people worry about if I’m happy. I really am feeling very good. My legs are tired after my run, but that’s a different story. I hope everyone else is having a good 2007. I really do.

Speaking of 2007, I decided I was not going to resort to road rage this year. Today while driving home from Henry Ford a man ran a red light and cut me off. Instead of yelling I politely stated, “Sir, that was unnecessary.” Then I went back to singing Jamie.

I feel like a gathering/party is in order. The last party was at Chris’ in January, which was very, very good. I think another get together could be fun, but we would need to coordinate an acceptable weekend for everyone. Or maybe a Monroe night…What do ya’ll think?

NCAA - The Dirty South

I get the pleasure of collaborating with AZ, covering the greatest sporting event in the world. That's right, the Bass Master Tournament.

AZ was gracious enough to give my limited insight into the NCAA basketball tournament. He knows darn well he could have done a better job than I will. That's ok, because I shut him out in Tecmo Bowl.

If the South Region was in high school it would be voted "The Region MSU Most Wished it was in".

It is a rather weak region, with plenty of room for some upsets.

Ohio State has the obvious advantage. If they ever wanted to show that they can be the most dominant team in college basketball, all they would have to do is feed the ball to Greg Oden. In my opinion they do not do that nearly enough. You don't have to lay off of him, Thad. It is not like he is a freshman. He is 32 years old. OSU racks up two easy wins, with little to no effort.

The Elite Eight matchup will be very intriguing. It is going to be The Buckeyes taking on the Aggies. Sorry DJ, but Acie Law IV is going to be too hot to handle. He is ridiculously clutch. TAMU also has enough big guys to foul Oden. They play fast, with quick defense and are efficient on both ends of the floor.

Now before you get upset at my choice, consider this: A&M's last five out of their six losses were by a combined 10 points. These included opponents such as then #1 UCLA, #15 Texas, and pesky Texas Tech and Oklahoma State squads. They also Beat Texas and Kansas. Them are some good apples.

Louisville will beat Stanford. It will be close though. Brook Lopez and Anthony Goods are talented, but will fall short to a crafty set-play that Pitino's boys execute late. If you hate Louisville like me, you will feel better knowing that you will see Rick Pitino cry after they lose in the second round by at least 15.

On the upset watch are 10th seeded Creighton and 12th seeded Long Beach State. Yes, now I may be talking crazy. Whatever. Long Beach has the emotional edge. After a Big West Tournament title and an NCAA berth, it is still rumored that the 49ers coach will be dismissed after season end. Players never like that, and will play on an emotional high.

Virginia is quite possibly my least favorite 4 seed ever. We will have to wait until Ohio State dismantles them to restore order to the bracketological world. Sure, everyone loves solid guard play, but what happens when guard play stagnates and shots don't fall like they would in Charlottesville? That is what we will soon see.

That leaves the most un-intriguing matchup in the region. Xavier / BYU. Just typing that made me bored. If I have to pick, I would go Xavier. Some say they are the most overrated team in the tourney. I might agree. The Buccaneers will beat BYU though, because BYU is simply even more overrated.

In other news......Michigan State plays their first round matchup at 7:20 on Thursday. The scheduling gods love me!



P.S. * 2nd seeded Memphis was purposely left out of this discussion. I don't believe that a dirty and cheating program such as theirs deserves mention in such a classy and highly regarded blog.

The East - 2007 Preview

It’s here. The best sporting event: the NCAA Tournament. That’s a fact.

JC and I have decided to give a comprehensive preview of this year’s tourney. He will take the West and South. I get the East and Midwest.

My prognostications are hit or miss. I’m never kinda right. It’s all or nothing. But enough, let’s get to the preview.

The East in summary:
Who’s Coming Out – Georgetown
Who’s Out Early – Vanderbilt
Most Overrated – Vanderbilt
Most Underrated – Michigan State, Washington State

The East appears to be a fairly tough bracket. Michigan State if they get out of the first round has never lost a second round game under Tom Izzo. North Carolina has the talent to win it all. Texas is inconsistent, but when they are on they look very good. And Georgetown has just gotten progressively better all season. There are no easy outs in the tournament and this bracket truly confirms that.

I like Georgetown in the East. Roy Hibbert is a monster and Jeff Green is one of the most explosive players in the country. The Hoyas have decent depth and play sound defense. Moreover, Georgetown will play in East Rutherford in the Regional Final, which will be like a home game for John Thompson III and his Hoyas.

So who will Georgetown beat to advance to Atlanta? Most people will tell you North Carolina. Some of those people will say North Carolina will advance to the Final Four. Slow down.

North Carolina is a great team, but if the Spartans of Michigan State beat Marquette (and that is my prediction) this will provide a very interesting match-up. Why? Well as already stated, Tom Izzo has never lost a second round NCAA Tournament game, it is an odd year (in 1999, 2001, 2005 State went to the Final Four and the Elite Eight in 2003) and the Spartans have shown the ability to play with anyone in the country. However, State has never beaten the Tar Heels in the NCAA tournament and North Carolina has way too much talent and depth to be upset by a young Spartan team. Call me delusional, but State upsets North Carolina and moves on to the Elite Eight where they run into the mighty Hoyas.

I really like Washington State. Dick Bennett is a great coach and the Cougars play exceptional defense, rebound well and are patient on offense. All of that will get them to the Sweet Sixteen. Vanderbilt is not deserving of a six seed, but I don’t think George Mason has the power to make another run. Vandy advances in the first round, but gets blown out by the Cougars.
The twelve-over-five upset happens every year and I think in general every five seed is very vulnerable this year. In the East Arkansas’ big man Steven Hill and tournament experienced coach, Stan Heath, will pull the upset over the fifth seeded Southern Cal. But will ultimately have their season ended by Texas in the second round. Michigan State has already beaten Texas once and the Longhorns will fall to State again.

So there is my East. Insane? Perhaps, but I put a lot of faith in my Spartans. Washington State could make some noise and Arkansas has the tools to put some fear into USC and Texas. Kevin Durant is a very talented freshman, but overall the Longhorns do not have great focus. I think Georgetown comes out and advances to the Final Four in Atlanta.

Random Occurrences

WARNING: If there are any LADIES who read this blog that are easily offended by random occurrences of bodily proportions, PLEASE stop reading NOW.

This weekend was full of random occurrences. There are only two that are being highlighted here. I have a friend whom I haven't seen in a long time who was up in E.L. to visit this weekend. To protect her identity, we will call her "Emily". In the midst of a Michigan State Loss and a 6 hour Jimmy's Pub excursion, we became tired. We went home to sleep on the L for a little bit. I actually set my alarm to wake from the nap to go party again. I woke up when I received a phone call from someone who wanted me to meet up with her. It was 11 something at night. I had the sense to say that I was in no shape to meet her, and that something stupid would surely ensue if I would have. Although that is random and out of the ordinary for me to make responsible decisions, that is not the random occurrence that I am talking about.

It is in the morning, when "Emily" told me she had gotten sick for a little bit in the middle of the night.

That isn't random, but this is:

Is it possible to drink so much that your body is thrown so out of whack that it starts to process beer as its natural raw materials. I hope so, because the leafy substance that "Emily" vomited (which she described as bay leafy) has no other viable explanation. (Other than Hangar 18)

Randomness number two.

At Chris' house in Brighton last night, AZ, Chris, and I were playing some Tecmo Bowl and drinking alcohol. I was only about four beers deep and AZ said something funny. Actually, I don't think it was that funny at all. I started laughing while I was drinking though and almost spit my beer out on the carpeting. I didn't though. I went out on the deck and leaned over the railing. Yes, I vomited. It prompted a lightweight response or two, in which my 400 lb. frame denies. I continued to drink until the beer was gone and retired at 4:30am. In other related news, AZ complemented me on my jeans. The waists were 40's. I guess that is something to be proud of.

Andy is Tired.

But he is typing.

Tecmo was partially a success for AZ. He was 1-4 against me today. The overall score was 97-37. But, at two games, it was 72-6.

Oprah Winfrey is the Blair Witch.

Angela......Mona.....Samantha....

I think the girls from Full House made out with the girls from Who's The Boss.

Will State beat Duke?

No. In Jon's opinion. Yes in Chris's and AZ's.

A girl who's name starts with an A, thinks I am stupid.

The New York Islanders uni's are ugly.

Drink or play Tecmo bowl. That is AZ's question.

Was it Thursday or Friday?

This week I was frail and bedazzled. I mixed up my days. I missed my favorite show, The Hills, which is always on Monday night. I somehow thought that it was on Wednesday night. I messed up. I watched half of it last night, so I feel halfway better.

Last night was Thursday, but I treated it like Friday. I have today off of work, which is the real Friday.





Spring Break in East Lansing. I love it. No one is here. I went to PT O'Mally's for the first time in years and years. I also went to Ricks Ricks Ricks Ricks Ricks Weird.

The MHSA crowd was out in force. I like those people very much. Madelyn is moving to California. It is excellent for her, bad for us. I have someone new to visit out there, or hang out with when I move out there.

Prom pictures were a plenty. So were the shots.






I am a floozie.

Beer

Do you like drinkin'? Well, if you're like me - you like to get bit just as fast as possible.

(That's from Tracy Morgan's "Uncle Jemima" skit on SNL.)

Anyhoo, check out this blog dedicated to the enjoyment of drinking different types of beers at various points in the year. Here is the site: http://seasonalbeerblog.blogspot.com/

Yeah, it's Jeff's blog.

Procrastination and Pacing

I need a fix because I’m going down, down to the bits I left uptown. I need a fix because I’m going down. Mother Superior jump the gun.

Jeans are expensive, but I needed a new pair.

“I ain’t looking down cuz I don’t c nobody abuv me!” was the name of a young man on myspace.com. You see some whore named Lucy asked me to be her friend. I clicked on it just to confirm her whoreness. Sure enough I was right. But this young man’s name makes no sense. Why would looking down confirm there was no one above you? If it were a spelling contest I’m pretty sure there would be a class of second graders above him, because it’s not hard to spell “see” or “above.”

Part of me feels as if ole Scooter Libby was used as a scapegoat for an administration drenched in dirty politics and the ambition of absolute power. Libby has a large enough name to make big headlines, but he is no Karl “the Devil” Rove. He could face roughly 20 years in prison however, that sentence is unlikely. So the lesson is don’t lie…or don’t lie to the press…or don’t be a douche bag.

I was reading a blog on NYTimes.com by John Tierney, for whom I don’t care too much, concerning whether Baby Boomers are whiners or really have several medical issues that impact their life in a deleterious fashion. I would discuss this, but it would be too long and would eventually go back into my sensitivity v. specificity argument (see the post no one read and rightfully so, on 1/11/07). However, as I was reading this I came across a quiz to see if one is a procrastinator. I clicked on it to see how I would rate on the procrastination scale. I went through the first fifteen questions and then saw there were still ten more pages. I said, “Fuck this. I have to shower, make dinner, clean Ozkar’s litter, read, make some phone calls and go to bed. I don’t have time for this.” I think that is more telling of my procrastination than taking the quiz. Here’s the link if you’re interested though: http://webapps2.ucalgary.ca/~steel//Procrastinus/

From 1.30-2.30 Monday morning I was “pimped” (the Cardiology Fellow on-call asked me several questions) concerning various cardiology issues. He was very cool and I really appreciate his teaching. I just wish I were smarter. Here was one set of questions:
Cardiology Fellow: So what is a normal QRS? What does that mean?
Me: It is less than 120 milliseconds and it is the ventricular depolarization.
Cardiology Fellow: So what does VT mean?
Me: There is ectopic pacing in the ventricles.
Cardiology Fellow: So how does it turn into a wide complex?
Me: Ummm…
Cardiology Fellow: Is it RV paced V Tach or LV? How can you tell?
Me: Ummm…
Cardiology Fellow: What if we paced this man? How could you tell a RV pacing v. a BiV pacing?
Me: Ummm…
Cardiology Fellow: Is a LV pacemaker in the ventricle?
Me: Yes…I mean no…Ummm…I’m not smart.

I’m not too smart, but I know those answers now. Anybody want to know them, because I can totally explain them now?

There have only been a handful of Michigan State basketball recruits who have really had me excited. Raymar Morgan was the most recent until Kalin Lucas. This kid dropped 21 of his 37 points in the second half of the PSL and Catholic League “Operation Friendship” game. (I know it’s a stupid name.) The Catholic league team has only won four times in the last 31 years and Lucas’ effort in the second half lead his team to the victory. He also had MSU shaved into the back of his head. As silly as that is it is way better than what Brent Pettway did the other day.

USAToday.com changed their web-page format. I like it.

Looking upon myself - Part I

Don't get me wrong, I am not depressed. Maybe a tad bit angry, but not depressed.

Something hit me this morning as I started my workout at 4:50am. I don't know exactly why, or where it came from, but there it was right in front of my face, staring me down.

It occurred to me that I can't remember the last time I tried....at anything. Everything I do is half-assed, or less perhaps.

Once this hit me, (as I coasted through my workout), I tried to put it into perspective. Hmm.... where to start. Maybe the one glaringly obvious area. Relationships. I think my first real one ever, got perhaps 75% of my effort. It was perhaps my most successful to date, unsurprisingly. I think overall, my last one got 62% of my effort. Guess what? It would seem that it was the second most successful. Putting it into perspective though, it was perhaps the least successful, almost by design. The others scattered in there, especially throughout college got maybe (37% tops, probably more realistically 32% of my effort. It is no wonder why I felt so unfulfilled for so long.

Speaking of college, that is area number two. More generally, education period. I think the last time I tried in school was 6th or 7th grade. I got excellent grades throughout high school, until my senior year where I slipped a class or two out of apathy. College got maybe 35% of my effort. Don't get me wrong, I would classify my college GPA as mildly successful. I can only imagine what it could have been if effort would have been exerted, or where that would have led me. When I entered college, I was pre-law. After a year of that, (underclassman studies) , I dropped that and switched over to accounting. I have always said that it is because I didn't like the pre-law program, which is true, but I fear that is barely a part of the whole of the reason I switched.

Area number three: Friendships. I will admit that I am a terrible friend. I have no choice but to admit that. I would say that I am a half-assed friend to 95% of my friends or acquaintances. It is pretty sad, considering some of the great people that I know. I would like to make excuses up about time, convenience, and other lame things. I won't do that for now, since I already blew my cover and labeled them excuses.

There are also other areas that I would consider calling my effort lackluster. The largest remaining one is my health and body. This ranges from physical aspects to mental ones. Beyond that stand the opportunities I have had in my jobs, my move to Dallas, my lack of grad school interest or more accurately, initiative, my transparency as far as many family aspects are concerned, etc. etc.

I think that that amid this whole realization it is fair to say that there is one common theme. I would like to expand, but it is time to go to work, so that will have to take place in part II.

Working on a Sunday

I decided to go to work today. I wanted to get a head start on next week. I think that next week might be the longest of my life. That is with only four work days, since I am taking Friday off.

I went to the gym when I woke up this morning. I showered and went in. I did about two hours worth of work when someone entered the office. I thought it was one of my coworkers. It wasn't. It was the cleaning guy.

I was just about ready to go home when he got there. I ended up staying an extra hour and a half talking to him. Maybe it was the lack of human contact that I had yesterday. The only time I physically spoke yesterday was for a combined two minutes on the phone to Chris and Caleb.

Anyways. This guy just wanted to talk Michigan State sports, especially basketball. We had a lovely discussion and reminisced on years past. It was enjoyable, although I didn't pay myself overtime for it. I wasn't sure what work code that would go under. After getting home, I thought that I should pay myself for it and make my time billale to the cleaning guy. I wonder how that would go over.

I am looking forward to the end of next week. I guess Emily, Brooke, and possibly AZ (he had better be) are coming up. Oh yeah, I think Chris is too (or should be) I don't know what the plan is for anyone, but hopefully we will work it out so there are an epic night or two.

It is time to go to Kroger when I decide what is for the family dinner tonight.

Hope everyone had an enjoyable weekend.

Bye Bye Bye, Bye Bly

AZ must be super duper happy today, or tomorrow officially.

The Detroit Lions are shipping Cornerback Dre Bly to the Denver Broncos. in exchange, they get Running Back Tatum Bell, out of Oklahoma State (a school in which AZ enjoys) and Offensive Tackle George Foster, from Georgia. There is also a draft pick involved which is rumored to be a fifth rounder.

With a new running back and an offensive lineman, the Lions have opened up the number 2 pick in the draft. We should be hearing either: "With the second pick in the draft the Detroit Lions select......Calvin Johnson, wide receiver out of Georgia Tech", or "With the second pick in the draft the Detroit Lions select......JaMarcus Russell, quarterback out of LSU".

I know, selecting a wide receiver is insane. However, when a super-human being like Calvin Johnson is available, you take him. Besides, who wants to see Mike Furry as the number two receiver? Not me.