Löysin epämääräisen pussukan erilaisia langanpaloja ja rupesin vääntelemään niitä sohvalla aikani kuluksi. Vähän vahingossakin niistä tulikin oikein mukavia ruusuja ja käyvät kompononteiksi erityisesti korvakoruihin. Samalla hoksasin, että tämä ruusuinnostus jäi alitajuntaan viime viikonloppuna, kun Annan Aarteissa oli ohje sytykeruusujen tekemiseen. Siltä istumalta askartelin erän sytykeruusuja, nyt on hopeisia ruusuja ja mielessä kävi vielä pullataikinan vääntökin ruusuiksi :D
Kaulakorussa kivenä on iso värjätty kvartsi, melko ihq väri!
If you are in the United States ---please remember tonight before you go to bed, Turn your Clocks back one hour.
As always I can't wait. I get up early and I hate waking up before Dawn. I know it will be dark ealier now but somehow that is easier to deal with than a pitch black 6am.
I want to wish you all a Happy Halloween. There is an aspect between The Moon and Jupiter called a sextile. A sextile is a "get the good times rollin' " aspect and it takes place at 10:46pm EDT. My guess is that the Child Free Parties on the East Coast will have a lot of booze and a lot of food--can't help it when Moon and Jupiter get a groove on. For those of us on the West Coast--expect a lot of Chocolate for our Trick or Treaters. That aspect will FILL their bags.
One small note: My son this year will be collecting for UNICEF. If you do not know what it is
UNICEF is an International Orginization which helps children around the world. From clean water, to blankets, to school supplies UNICEF does what it can to help. For nearly fifty years trick or treaters have been collecting change on Halloween for UNICEF. It is a great opportunity for children to learn that they can help children from around their world. Community is bigger than their neighborhood!
If a child comes up to you tonight with a UNICEF box--please use the Jupiter and Moon aspect and give generously. Thank you!
The Milwaukee Bucks are starting their season after every other team in pro sports have started their seasons beginning in '09. They are the only NBA team not to have played a game yet. Their season opener starts tonight at 7 EST. The Bucks have been shooting news out of the headlines the past week. Brandon Jennings will start, which bucks Scott Skiles' traditional beef against rookies, but Skiles says it's no big deal. Also this week, the New York Timesran a story about Jennings. They've been covering him since he trailblazed his way to Europe instead of college to wait out the NBA's age limit, and by the way it's really hard to describe an NBA player as ground breaking without calling him a trailblazer and feeling weird about it; I don't know why, but I've felt the same pull. In said story, Times writer Karen Crouse praised Jennings' frugal ways, as he opted to pick up a Ford Edge that runs about $26,000, thus bucking NBA spend trends like those of Antoine Walker (I don't know that I like the connection, but it's been made so I'm including it). Crouse also said the Ferrari in the Bucks parking lot belongs to Andrew Bogut, famed for his comments about NBA players irresponsibility. Bogut bucked the quick label of hypocrite that was lightly postulated at this news, and it turns out the Ferrari belonged to Michael Redd. Bogut criticized Michael Hunt (proceed to laugh at the real name) of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, who was Crouse's source. Crouse has changed her article. Hunt has not.
Anyway, the Bucks start their season tonight. I'm not sure if it's an auspicious thing to be beginning last. Does it mean they'll be playing longer this season too? Well, that's doubtful. Still, at least they start without controversy. I'm hoping for an exciting season for Jennings. You?
Tulinpa taas kirjoittelemaan menneen viikon tapahtumista.. _Tylsän_ viikon.
Viime sunnuntaina lakkasin pitkästä aikaa kynsiini pilkut. :) Niistä tuli kivan näköiset, lukuun ottamatta juuri tuon oikean käden pikkurillin pilkkuja. Ai niin ja leikkasin myös kynteni! En muista milloin olisin viimeksi leikannut ne "vapaaehtoisesti", eli ennen kuin ne lähtevät katkeamaan. Maanantain asu:
♥ mekko: äidin vanha ♥ neule: Jim&Jill ♥ metallinhohtoiset siksaksukkikset (ah mikä sana): äidiltä ♥ laukku: Laukkukeskus vai mikä lie ♥ paljettivyö: kirppis (Pieces) ♥ kaulakoru: Fiorella ♥ kukkakorvis rintakoruna: kirppis ♥ kello: Leijona ♥ korvikset: H&M
Kynsi-ihkutusta. Maanantaisin on kunnon TV-putki, ja Huippumalli haussa loppui ja Jaslene voitti, kuten varmasti kaikki sarjaa seuranneet tietävät. Tällä kaudella minulla ei edes ollut lemppari. Täykkäreissä oli myös tosi jännä jakso hurr!
Sad face. Happy face. Keskiviikkona koomasin kotona, koska meiltä olisi alkanut koulu vasta klo 14 eikä minulla ollut sinne kyytiä. Mopolla meneminen ei käynyt jostain syystä edes mielessä.
Kuvailin vähän mm. Remua. Se on höpsöin ikinä. ♥ Ah kuinka lokakuu onkin ihana.. Not. Torstai:
Oon aina niin happy.. Torstaina oli muuten pelkäämäni rahoitusmatikan koe, joka tehtiin kokonaan Excelillä, joka teki siitä vielä pelottavampaa. Olen aika häpi kun tuntuu että se meni paljon paremmin mitä odotin *koputtaa puuta*.
Jee huomenna on Halloween, ja se antoi oivan syyn pukeutua kouluun vähän eritavalla. :--) Itse asiassa viime vuonna Halloweeninä pukeuduin melkein samaan asuun, mutta mitäpä pienistä. "Erikoinen pukeutuminen" tarkoittaa minulle kokonaan mustaan pukeutumista, ja onnistuin siinä aika hyvin, vaikka hiuksissa sitä pinkkiä nyt olikin. Toteutin samalla myös jonkun anonyymin antaman haasteen, koska meikkasin huuleni nudeiksi. Tätä _ei_ tule enää tapahtumaan, koska siitä syystä kun en ole harjoitellut nudehuulien tekemistä, niistä tuli ihan kamalat ja ne tuntuivat kamalalta. Kaikki meikit vain pakkautuivat huulin. Eww. No, ainakin haste toteutettu. Toivottavasti anonyymi on nyt iloinen!
Aika hämmentävää, että en tuntenut oloani edes kovin epämukavaksi kokomustissa. Oli kyllä aika friikkipäivä mm. siitä syystä kun oltiin aika hepulissa suurin osa tämänpäiväisistä tunneista Allun kanssa..
Olisi aika ylikivaa jos huomenna olisi tiedossa jotkut Halloweenpippalot, mutta näillä näkymin jumin koko viikonlopun kotona. :--( Luvassa siis todennäköisesti MCR:n DVD:iden katselua, koska huomenna on sentään MCR:n toisen kitaristin eli Frank Ieron 28v synttärit!! Olen innoissani. ♥ Lisäksi aion katsoa The Nightmare before Christmasin, koska se sopii teemaan aika mahtavasti. Vapaa-aikaa olen muutenkin kuluttanut paljolti katsomalla leffoja, olen katsonut mm. Vaaleanpunainen pantteri 2:n (XD olin epätoivoinen ja se sattui eteeni kirjastossa), The Fall:n, Touch of Pink:n, Yes Manin varmaan neljännen kerran, ja Donnie Darkon. Donnie Darkon halusin ehdottomasti nähdä, koska siinä on päähenkilönä yksi kuolailuni kohteista eli Jake Gyllenhaal. ♥__♥ Leffasta en niinkään välittänyt, mutta oi Jake, ja siinäkin oli aiheena Halloween, ja Jake oli pukeutuneena luurankoasuun..
Donnie Darko eli Jake Gyllenhaal
Olenkin maininnut että Jakesta tulee ihan mieleen Frank!
My Chemical Romancen & LeATHERMOUTH:n Frank Iero
Hehee sain hyvän syyn laittaa Frankistä kuvan. :---)) Vaikka en Donnie Darko -leffasta niin tykännytkään, niin onneksi Jakea voi ihailla kahdessa lempileffassani eli Brokeback Mountainissa ja The Day After Tomorrow:ssa. :)
Joo kivat ihkutukset, anteeksi..
Leffojen katselemisen lisäksi olen jatkanut nykyistä lukuharrastustani. Olen tällä hetkellä lukemassa Simpsonit-kirjaa, jossa kerrotaan kaikkea mahdollista Simpsoneista, kuten erilaisia asioita tuotantokausista, ääninäyttelijöistä, ym. Tänään aloitin myös kirjan nimeltä Ruttolinna.
Nyt kuitenkin vähän surullisempaan aiheeseen, eli siihen, että en tiedä mihin suuntaan olen menossa tämän blogini kanssa. "Kohta" olen kirjoittanut jo 200 postausta, ja oloni on todella jumiutunut tämän suhteen. Syy saattaa luonnollisesti olla se, että elämänikin on jumiutunut paikoilleen, tai no ainahan se tällaista on ollut. Tykkään kuitenkin jakaa päivänasujani muunkin maailman kuin pienen koulumme kanssa, ja mukavaa on myös julkaista silloin tällöin ottamiani kuvia, mutta niidenkin taso on mitä on surkean kamerani takia. Todella harvoin kukaan on myöskään kuvaamassa asuani, joten kuvat ovat aina samaa vanhaa kaavaa: rajattu kokovartalokuva huoneeni nurkassa, sitten lähikuva, sitten pärstälähikuvia. Aaaaagh. En keksi muutakaan keinoa kuvata "järkevästi", koska ulkona asun kuvaaminen ei ole vaihtoehto, joten jäljelle jää huoneeni nurkka ja ikkunan vieressä kuvaaminen. Kuulumisistakin kerron vain päällisin puolin, enkä yleensä käsittele täällä blogissani tunteitani paljoakaan, koska tiedän että tätä voi lukea kuka tahansa, enkä halua että kaikki tietävät mitä tahansa. Olen siis jonkin sortin pattitilanteessa. Postauksia tulee nykyään yleensä yksi per viikko, vielä joskus postauksia tuli sentään vähän useammin. Loppujen lopuksi mietinkin miksi minä tätä kirjoitan, koska yhdenkin postauksen tekemiseen menee kokonaisuudessaan aika pitkä aika. Lukijoita ei ole hirvittävä määrä, mutta joka postaukseen saan kuitenkin ihania kommentteja, jotka piristävät minua, ja saan ainakin hetkeksi ajatukset iloisiin ajatuksiin. Tämän "ongelmani" yksi syistä on tietenkin laiskuus. Esimerkkinä se, että kun aikoja sitten päätin poiketa normaaleista kuulumisten kertomisesta toteuttamalla kuvaushaastepostauksen, ja pyysin lukijoita sanomaan kuvausaiheita, mutta näistäkään en saanut toteutettua kuin päälle puolet. Kakkososan tekeminen tyssäsi siihen, että aiheet vaikuttivat ilmeisesti liian hankalilta jollain tapaa..
En nyt tiedä mitä tämä pienimuotoinen blogini pohtiminen auttoi, mutta ainakin sain jaettua ajatuksiani muille, jos kukaan nyt edes jaksoi tuota valitusta lukea. :D
Kaikesta kököstä huolimatta, scary Halloween to everyone. :]
Now playing:
(Video The Nightmare before Christmas -leffasta, mutta laulu Panic at the Discon esittämänä)
PS. Not nice: veljeni on ollut kipeänä, ja päätäni on koskenut kahden viikon sisällä melkein joka päivä ja lisäksi olen koko ajan väsynyt, joten pelkään pahoin että kohta minäkin olen kunnolla kipeänä. Luultavasti ihan sikainfluenssassa, koska sitä on ollut kotikaupungissani, ja ilmeisesti joissain sukulaisissanikin. Nyyh.
Huffington Post gives us a startling account of Lyndon Johnson's reactions after the assassinaton of President Kennedy. The source is an "a recently declassified oral history by Brigadier General Godfrey McHugh, President Kennedy's military aide on the Dallas trip."
What McHugh claimed to have witnessed next was shocking. "I walked in the toilet, in the powder room, and there he was hiding, with the curtain closed," McHugh recalled. He claimed that LBJ was crying, "They're going to get us all. It's a plot. It's a plot. It's going to get us all.'" According to the General, Johnson "was hysterical, sitting down on the john there alone in this thing."
As we continue the OTB vs. GSNHOF NFL picks contest, I keep falling further behind.
Here are the current records:
75-28 - Great Sports Name Hall Of Fame 67-36 - Outside The Boxscore (8 Games Back)
Yep, I'm only 8 games back and I'm picking at a rate of 65%. So that's really nothing to hang my head about; if I was below 50%, then I would take a serious look at my NFL picking habits.
GSNHOF's latest trash talk came regarding my Raiders pick over New York Jets:
Well the Raiders were themselves this week and got slaughtered 38-0 (how bad did that hurt Ben?) and the Eagles, though they still looked sloppy, easily took care of a horrible Redskins team on Monday night
I think GSNHOF might need some vicodin to calm themselves down. Besides, the Raiders will probably win this week just prove the point and screw me over again in regards to my pick.
Anyway, here are the picks.
SUN, NOV 1 TIME (ET) TV Houston at Buffalo 1:00 PM CBS Cleveland at Chicago 1:00 PM CBS Seattle at Dallas 1:00 PM FOX St. Louis at Detroit 1:00 PM FOX Denver at Baltimore 1:00 PM CBS San Francisco at Indianapolis 1:00 PM FOX Miami at NY Jets 1:00 PM CBS NY Giants at Philadelphia 1:00 PM FOX Jacksonville at Tennessee 4:05 PM CBS Oakland at San Diego 4:05 PM CBS Carolina at Arizona 4:15 PM FOX Minnesota at Green Bay 4:15 PM FOX MON, NOV 2 TIME (ET) TV Atlanta at New Orleans 8:30 PM
Thousands of Irish people claim to have witnessed apparitions of the Virgin Mary in the skies over Knock shrine in Co Mayo.
About 5,000 people gathered at the holy Catholic shrine earlier this month amid a Dublin-based clairvoyant's predictions that an apparition would appear on October 11.
During a pre-season game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets, Lakers Phil Jackson was chilling in his zen-like state.
Then Lakers guard Derek Fisher decided to ask for a fist-bump which Phil gave him. A few seconds later, Kobe Bryant passed by Phil and Phil outstretched his hand for the fist bump.
Well, Kobe did not oblige and Phil tried to cover it up. The only problem was that TNT camera caught the entire incident.
I have a sad update. I was just called by my friend. Jonathan died last night. Sigh.
Evidently it was complications from the chemo. Thank you to all of you who helped by voting for him and Dawn so that they could win a wedding. It was not meant to be. Alas.
Today is World Psoriasis Day. This is an annual event to bring awareness to this infuriating disease. As I have mentioned ad nauseam, I suffer from psoriasis and try to dispel myths about it whenever I can. Here, from the World Psoriasis Day website:
About psoriasis
Psoriasis Nearly three percent of the world's population endure the symptoms of psoriasis. Many tolerate constant pain from cracking and bleeding skin. They bear the humiliation of continually shedding scales that litter their clothes and surroundings. They struggle with the disappointment of treatments and the lack of a cure. Some wrestle with a crippling form of arthritis, called psoriatic arthritis. More than anything, they sometimes bear the brunt of public rejection because of the misunderstanding surrounding the disease.
Yet, much of the world's population finds psoriasis a trivial matter requiring little understanding or sympathy. Sometimes they even find it humorous and enjoy a chuckle over the "heartbreak of psoriasis" an advertising tagline made popular in the USA. Some people still equate psoriasis with being unclean or self imposed and shun those who bear its mark. When, in fact, many people with psoriasis isolate themselves because of such a deep sense of shame.
Psoriasis associations from around the world give people the tools to cope with this troubling disease. They rebuild people's hope and give them the support they require. IFPA provides the reinforcement to build better psoriasis associations, gives member associations a global voice to campaign on behalf of those who bear its mark, and the unity that strengthens everyone's ability to support research that will someday find a cause and a cure for these diseases.
What is psoriasis? Psoriasis is a life-long skin disorder that causes red, scaly patches called lesions to appear on your skin. The lesions can show up on any area of the skin. There are several different kinds of psoriasis.
Plaque psoriasis is the most common form of psoriasis and it is characterized by red-looking skin lesions topped with silvery white scales.
Guttate psoriasis is also fairly common and it is characterized by red, small, dot-like lesions covered with silvery white scale;
Pustular psoriasis has blister-like lesions of fluid, which is not infectious, and intense scaling. It can appear anywhere on the body, but often it appears on the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet.
Inverse psoriasis is very red lesions with little or no scales and appears in the skin folds, such as the arm pits, creases in the groin and under the breasts.
Erythrodermic psoriasis is rare and looks very red and swollen, lots of shedding of dead skin, and painful.
About 30 to 50 percent of people with psoriasis also get psoriatic (sore-ee-attic) arthritis, which causes pain, stiffness and swelling in and around the joints. This type of arthritis most often affects the hands, feet, wrists, ankles and lower back.
Who gets psoriasis? Psoriasis affects nearly three percent of the world's population. It can develop in males or females of any race or age. It often appears between the ages of 15 and 35, although it can strike at any age including infants and the elderly.
What causes psoriasis? No one knows exactly what causes psoriasis. Doctor's believe it is related to the body's immune system and that it is genetic, meaning that it can run in families. In people with psoriasis, the immune system is mistakenly "triggered" causing skin cells to grow too fast. The rapidly growing cells pile up in the skin's top layers, leading to the formation of lesions on the surface.
Right now, there are many psoriasis associations around the world supporting research to find out why people get psoriasis and how it can be treated or even cured.
How bad can psoriasis get? Psoriasis can be limited to a few areas of the skin (mild), or it can be moderate or widespread and severe. A normal skin cell matures in 28 to 30 days and sheds from the skin unnoticed. Psoriatic skin cells mature in only three to four days. They "heap up" and form scaly lesions. Psoriasis lesions can be painful and itchy and they can crack and bleed.
How do I know I have psoriasis? A physician usually makes the diagnosis after looking at the skin. Occasionally a physician examines a skin biopsy under a microscope. Pitting of the nails is sometimes a sign of psoriasis. There is no specific medical test for psoriasis.
Is psoriasis contagious? No, people cannot catch psoriasis from someone else.
What are some of the myths surrounding psoriasis? Unlike other ailments, psoriasis can be seen on the skin and often people guess at what is wrong. They wonder if the lesions might be contagious, which they are not, or that the person who has psoriasis is unclean, overly nervous or high-strung, which they may be, but that is not the reason they have psoriasis. Sometimes they may believe the person who has the skin disorder did something to cause psoriasis to appear but that, too, is also false.
Psoriasis is a disorder stemming from a physical defect just like other disorders, such as arthritis, asthma, diabetes or nearsightedness. It is very important to educate the public about psoriasis and not allow myths to spread.
What are the chances of getting psoriasis? It is not possible to predict who will get psoriasis. Heredity (the genetic transfer of features from parent to child) plays a role, but some people who have psoriasis have no obvious family history of psoriasis.
Is there a cure for psoriasis? Not yet. Psoriasis is a disorder that most often needs lifelong treatment. And because there are so many different medications for the disorder, it may take some time before the right treatment or combination of treatments will work for an individual. Sometimes psoriasis becomes worse (called a flare) than at other times. In some cases, psoriasis can go away on its own for a period of time, which is known as a "spontaneous remission."
On last night's episode of South Park, the main theme of this episode was regarding the TLC show "Whale Wars."
The running gag was a group of Japanese people killing dolphins which provided us with this classic South Park scene where they take out the Miami Dolphins.
"Dude, they speared Joey Porter!"
(Clip is NSFW, well it really depends where you work)
UPDATE-YouTube removed the video but here is the clip from South ParkStudios.com
ESPN's Sports Center's "Blog Buzz" is one of the few things that I pay attention to when I watch Sports Center Live in the morning.
This segment is usually delivered by Sage Steele with pinpoint precision. Except for this day, when she forgets her microphone and Josh Eliot has to come to the rescue.
A little late Mr Elliot, but how did no one on the set notice?
Since this is a general sports blog, I have to take note that tonight is game one of Major League Baseball's World Series between the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies.
Rick Morris of FDH has a nice comprehensive preview to peruse at your own leisure but let's be honest, how many of you feel like that you are having difficulty deciding on who to root for in this World Series?
You're not alone. Many fans are having difficulty trying to root for either of these teams. The Phillies won last year's World Series and the Yankees hold a record 26 World Championships. To use an analogy, it's like your girlfriend cheating on you with your best friend. Who are you more mad at, your girlfriend or your best friend?
I feel bad for Mets fans who have a love of the game of baseball and forced to watch their cross-town rivals celebrate or their NL East foes celebrate. You might as well take a cheese grinder to their skull.
To be honest, the biggest question is who has a more obnoxious fan-base? I'm not throwing every Yankees and Phillies fan under the bus but it's tough to get past the fact that the Philadelphia and New York have the history of having " over-the-top fanatical" fans.
One thing that also hurts the World Series is the timing with the other sports. Day Two of the NBA season is about to tip-off, College/NFL football is still currently on the brain, and it's nearing Halloween. The World Series will still pull ratings but does MLB think it could pull the causal fans interest at this point? I think many who are not baseball fans or who are baseball fans that live on the west coast would rather watch a regular season NBA game or AMC's showing of "The House on Haunted Hill" than game one of the World Series.
However, this is the Fall Classic for a reason. The biggest moments happen in the World Series and will probably provide some indelliable images to remember from this one.
In the end, enjoy the fall classic for what is and not for who you root for.
Pitkästä aikaa iski inspis leipaista tätä kaikkien herkkua, mokkapaloja. Tällä kertaa tällainen minimalli vain, ei mitään pellillistä.
Heittelin aineksia sillain sopivasti ihan normimokkapalojen ohjetta muistellen, ei mitään tarkkoja määriä. Minun keittiössäni ei mikään ole niin justiinsa! Ja hyvä tuli ...Tuskin mokkapaloista voi pahoja saadakkaan :D
While the rest of the country is not very much engaged in a championship tilt or series between any two of the three Northeastern cities of New York, Boston or Philadelphia, it is undeniably compelling anytime that it happens because it is so very rare (indeed, it cannot even happen in the modern NBA or NHL because of the geographic alignment of the conferences). Historic sports cities, fanatical fans ... it's a great atmosphere.
Now, I had forecast an all-SoCal World Series before the LCS began and my overall playoff prediction record is only 2-4 right now, so I'm not going to say that I saw this one coming. For what it is worth, though, I did forecast these two teams to win their LDS series.
Here are a few interesting tidbits before we break it down in earnest:
^ This is the 19th time since the divisional playoffs began in 1969 that a manager with a World Series title (Philly Cholly) has faced a manager who hasn't won one yet. Previous winners are 10-8 in that span, although they are only 1-3 this decade. The good news for Joe Girardi? The last time before this year that a manager was the only one in the Final Four without a World Series title, he captured it that autumn (Ohio University's Bob Brenly in 2001).
^ Both teams can make a real argument for "Team of the Decade" with a win here, especially the Yankees, who would have two World Series titles (bracketing the decade) with two additional pennants.
^ The Phillies are trying to become the first NL team to repeat since the Reds of 1975-76 and the first MLB team since ... well ... the Yankees! Back in 1998-2000, to be exact.
^ With the Knicks-Sixers and Giants-Eagles games this weekend (and those NBA and NHL teams being the ones with the highest percentages of Yankee fans among their fanbase among Gotham franchises), the NY-Philly hatred will be on overdrive.
Now some notes on the matchup itself:
^ At least in recent history, has there ever been a better infield vs. infield matchup in the World Series? Granted, the Phillies' approach to putting together an infield is to find three All-World players and put the equivalent of yours truly at third base, but these are easily the two best such units at the game and both would rate high in the history of the game. Within these infields are great individual matchups, such as Elite Power Hitter (ARod) vs. Elite Power Hitter (Ryan "The Temp" Howard) and two of the best all-around players in the game in ARod and Chase Utley. Neither team has a world-class outfield, but they are either slightly above-average (the Yankees) or above-average (the Phillies, paced by career years from Raul Ibanez and Jayson Werth). Overall, both teams are very powerful and with the bandbox parks hosting the games, we are probably in for several slugfests.
^ The AL almost always has a significant World Series advantage in terms of being built for the games where a DH will come into play, but the disparity is magnified this year. While New York can get by without Hideki Matsui in Philly, the Phils will be very wounded by having to insert the slaptastic Ben Francisco in the lineup in the Big Apple.
^ The matchup of Two Aces vs. Two Aces tilts away from Philly, Cole Hamels' big success last October notwithstanding, because he hasn't quite been the same pitcher this year. Cliff Lee has been awesome since the Phillies stole him from the hapless Mark Shapiro, but the Yanks have the edge on paper with the CC/AJ combo. Surprisingly, Sabathia has put his lifelong "big game choke" tendencies behind him this fall and by pitching up to the level of his abilities, he has been the pitcher the team so desperately needed. The Yanks have better depth also. Pedro Martinez in Game Two? Uh, somebody might want to tell that old-timer that this won't be a September game against the Padres!
^ The Philadelphia bullpen has been excellent so far this postseason and it will have to continue to vastly outperform the regular season tallies in order for the team to win. Brad Lidge in particular may well be the key player in the series. New York, meanwhile, has won despite surprisingly mediocre setup pitching in this postseason. They cannot win the series with more of the same.
^ This is ARod's first World Series appearance. It's notable that some of the most dominant hitters of this generation haven't been on this stage that much (i.e. Barry Bonds in 2002 and Albert Pujols in 2004 and 2006).
^ The Yankees still have some pieces remaining from their championship core of 1996-2003 that won four World Series titles and two additional pennants: Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte. It's unusual, but not unprecedented, in the recent history of the game for such a core to return and win a world title over half a decade after the last appearance. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia nucleus of Hamels/Howard/Utley/Jimmy Rollins can make an outstanding case for being regarded as big-time winners on a par with the aforementioned Yankees or the Big Red Machine with a successful title defense.
How will this one end up? Well, it's one of the rare times when we can be sure that the two best teams are meeting for all the marbles, especially with what they surmounted thus far. The Yankees tore up the American League as the season moved along. As Tim Foust and I discussed during a late-season baseball roundtable on THE FDH LOUNGE program, the Yankees spent money last offseason that will surely be very inefficient in a few years (just as it was from 2005-08, repeating the cycle) but is supremely efficient in the short term. Right now, and likely for the next two years or so barring injuries, they are getting their monstrous money's worth. Meanwhile, the Phillies have been a machine over the past two offseasons and arguably could be going for a three-peat had they not run into the Colorado buzzsaw in that lethal October of '07. Philadelphia just keeps coming at the other team, finding ways to beat them and being led by their awesome stars. In this matchup, though, with a bench that is inferior to New York's, a bullpen that cannot yet be assumed to be solid once again and a rotation that seems marginally less effective on paper, the champs have their toughest battle yet. I have loathed the pinstripes my entire life, so this one hurts and I dearly hope I am wrong. Yankees in 6.
Above is your first NBA sponsored Youtube video of the season. Anyway, on to the new feature: Sleeping with the Sleepers!
Anyone can read a boxscore and anyone can live blog a game, but not everyone can combine the two (or weave one of the two, or neither) into something vaguely or falsely or, I don't know, prophetically resembling a narrative. The NBA season kicked off today, and OtB just looked at the top 50 NBA players in the NBA. Many of them populate the contenders and perennial playoff participants. This doesn't mean the NBA's basement doesn't contain personalities and perspectives worth covering. Far from it. Towards the point, OtB will be taking the opportunity this season to look at some of the sleepers in the league. We'll be looking at teams that look like they might be on the outside of the playoffs looking in. This will come in the form of the good and bad, the pros and cons, the Nocturnal Daydreams (as most NBA games are played at night) and the Nightmares. With that said, our first edition gives the sleep study to the LA Clippers' Baron Davis during the first game of the season. We pick up the frequency from Boom Dizzle as the third quarter gets under way...
I can't believe I have to wait a whole month to see New Moon. OMG! I can't believe Bella and Edward aren't like bf/gf forevs!
Marcus Camby LMFAO! Opportunist is not generally a good thing to be. I know you liked it when they called you that in New York, but that was 12 years ago!
Oh no he didn't! Reggie called me Kimbo Slice!?! Actually, I"m okay with that...
Hmm...am I more like my new, unfortunately sidelined because Stern made us play too many preseason games team mate Blake Griffin or beard buddy Pau Gasol? Maybe I should reconsider this beard thing.
Oh noes! Bassy's making me look bad, and he's making Camby look good!
I don't care if he can make those, Tsar, Marcus shouldn't be taking threes! He did it in Denver. Why do you think we got him so cheap? Fire Mike Dunleavy dot come, anyone?
Nocturnal Daydreams:
I gotta get tickets to see that Michael Jackson movie tomorrow. Maybe J-Alba will go with me. I could be a third wheel! I'll get a Snickers...
Maybe I'll sit out the 4th. Yeah. Oooh, look at Shannon Brown go!
I look better than Kobe. And I'm bigger on Youtube than him, amn't I?
Eric Gordon kind of reminds me of Monta Ellis. Maybe it's time to force a trade. Maybe Stephen Jackson will switch with me.
I missed another three! It's okay, though. I put money on us to lose. The whole season! Just kidding.
Artest hasn't made a three tonight either. Well, he's missed more than me anyway.
Oh look! Machine! I have more hits on Youtube than him too, right? Wanna play the staring...wait. He cut his hair! I thought this was going to be a shaggy year. Someone forget to send me the memo? Hey, Sasha! We can see your face and it needs an oil change!
Nightmares:
I can't believe I'm a Clipper. In another city, this roster could've stolen this game.
Lamar Odom. He gets Khloe and he makes a three.
I'm going to dream about Ron Artest's hair tonight. So sad when a basketball soldier is lost.
Argh! The lead's back up to 15. This low calorie diet is really making me grumpy.
Oh my goodness! Replay? We forfeit already. We forfeit!
The Lakers are 20-1?!? On opening night!?! Oh, wait, that's just your daily Reggie Miller nonsense.
Nocturnal Daydreams:
Inside the NBA! It's about time!
Look! It's me! Highlights of the game we just lost!
Haha! Charles missed the reason for the Cavs stagnancy and I caught it! It's because they lost they're offensive genius from last season John Kuester. They haven't been terrible on offense for years. They had been 'til last year, and it looks like they're going to be again.
Chuck wants the Cavs to run. He's brought up both bets from previous seasons, the one where he raced Dick Bevetta and the one where he had to kiss a donkey. Think he wants to race LeBron? Or how 'bout Shaq? Shaq vs. Charles. Yeah.
Rockets-Blazers highlights! Portland gets revenge. You can bet this won't be a bad match-up for the Blazers this year like it was last year. Outlaw for 6th man of the year?
Gil is back! If he looks that good, I must be looking real pretty.
I should move to Portland. They're kinda like the Bay Area up there, hippies and all. Hey, Dunleavy, trade me for Andre Miller! Nah, not now, when he gets tired of not being needed up there.
Charles says the Rockets will have the worst record in the West! Not us! Yay!
Over the weekend, there were two nasty football hits delivered by running backs in the professional and the collegiate ranks.
Minnesota Vikings running-back Adrian Peterson lit up Steeelers cornerback Randall Gay and Georgia Tech running-back Jonathan Dwyer lit up a Virginia defender.
Essentially, here's the question. Whose was better?
So we've been counting down the days 'til the NBA season tips off, and that day is today! With that said, I've been a bit behind in my count-downing-ing. Thus, you get the top 4 in one gi-normous post. Okay, it's not that gi-normous. But what do you want? New accolades for the already universally acclaimed? These guys are the best, and you'd be hard put to find reasonable arguments against it. At this point in his career, you might argue Kobe isn't as valuable as some of the other players. I'd argue he still has a slew of years left in him, mostly because he's the most dogmatic player when it comes to conditioning. Anyway, here's the top 4, in descending order, because really why feign anticipation when the future is already upon us? (Last year's rankings in parentheses...sorry no pics, I wanted to get this up before tip off actually went down, so I'm posting from work. Shhh! Don't tell anyone!)
1. Lebron James (1)…The King really does make the competition look weak by comparison. I’m not hating on Kobe as #2, but I feel qualified enough to confidently say that the whole 1 and 1A discussion that went on during last season’s playoffs was sheer bogosity. Lebron James is hands down the number one player in the NBA. Making this list, I actually wondered who could deservedly be placed at the number 2 slot, as ALMOST as good as James. No one seemed even in the ballpark. Last season, no one else was in the conversation for MVP, and Lebron earned that. He is the most talented player in the league and he consistently performs up to his abilities, making him the scariest thing since the Black Death (how is that not an incredible and controversial nickname for some athlete yet?).
Now, LBJ doesn’t come into this season without a bit of controversy. He’s been dubbed any number of belittling names for his actions as the ’09 season came to a close (and for Lebron Gate this summer). Still, it almost gives him more of an edge this year. If you were to compare these top 4 guys to super heroes, Lebron would be Captain America. He's obviously created in a lab somewhere, and he's got that superhuman quality without seeming next-to-godly. He's the guy you want leading your team (of super heroes OR regular Joes, Jamarios, and Delontes), but at the same time you wonder if that pristine front can really be all there is to him. I hope these faux pas aren't simply blips on his path to world edification but rather a sign of the edge needed for utter domination.
2. Kobe Bryant (2). After several seasons of controversy and much heated debate, this seems to be the slot Kobe Bryant now fills comfortably. At this point, Mamba is a known quantity. So known, in fact, I don’t think I have much to say about him. The only statement I need to make is that there are three aspects of greatness in my mind, and Kobe excels in all three. They are talent, effort, and skill. Kobe is arguably the best ever in two of the three.
First let’s start with the aspect I wouldn’t rank him tops in historically: talent. Kobe may not be the most talented basketball player on the planet, but he is close. Talent is the potential that is talked about as upside, and it is the quiet inner nexus that allows players to grow. Obviously, you need to have this if you’re going to be one of the elite. (Quick aside: top 5 most talented players ever have to be MJ, Lebron, Chamberlain, Dr. J, and Magic) The other aspect that goes hand in hand with talent is effort. Effort is often thought of as the refuge of role players and glue guys. I look it as the maximization of potential. Think of talent as a bubble and maximization as the extent to which a player fills this space with actual ability and accomplishments. Kobe may not have been blessed with the largest potential bubble in history, but no one can dispute that he’s filled his cup the brimming, and maybe even snuck back to the well for refills. (If you talk about the biggest bubbles filled most maximally, I would go with Kobe, MJ, Mailman, and Bill Russell as the archetypes.)
The last aspect speaks to those abilities filled out through maximization. Here, again, Kobe could potentially be at the top of the list historically. Kobe Bryant, in my humble estimation, is the most skilled player in the NBA. Tops ever would include Bryant, Duncan, Bird, MJ, and Chamberlain? The difference between talent and skill is that skill exists outside of realms solely inhabited by athleticism. Thus, we can see that Lebron is more talented than Kobe, though he may not ever be as skilled. Mamba is a technician of the highest order. Oh, and to continue the super hero conceit, Kobe is totally Spider-man. I'll let you play with that on your own time. Okay, more listing…
3. Dwight Howard (8)…I honestly think this is a big drop from the two spot, but last season was a recession of sorts when speaking of high profile players on display. Several major talents underperformed when compared to 07-08. Thus, though Dwight has several very obvious needs to elevate his game to where we all want to see it, he gets the nod at 3. Besides, he didn't exactly get worse over the last year or so. Despite the not hard to see flaws, Superman's become the barometer for dominant when it comes to defense and rebounding. Some Ewing Theory questions arose in this year's playoffs, and there was a steep drop-off when he was pitted against a team with size enough to keep Andrew Bynum off the court in the finals, but expect Howard to come back just as dominant. Last offseason, I didn't see much improvement, and I attribute that to the Olympics. That's what I hear, anyway. This offseason, with a finals lost stewing in his craw for 5 months, expect him to come back with at least one new post move. Here's hoping.
4. Dwyane Wade (11)…Wade may be getting dropped out of the 3 spot simply for his team’s underwhelming performance this year. Also, when taking into consideration the ability of the top 3 guys to take over games, Wade just comes out a little short. All that aside, he had a great season. For much of it, he was said to be in the MVP race. It was a statistical tour de force by Wade, and much hurrah-ed reinvention of the Iverson plus two show of recklessly abandoning self preservation we saw early in Wade's already championship-filigreed resume. I don't know. Words kind of fail me. The Dark Knight brings it all, and he wants to make the all-defense team this year. Watch out. The question now is simply what will his team bring?
What will any team bring? For all my hullaballooing over the top talent (and talent maximization) in the league, the season is made up of teams. These top 50 players will head the storylines throughout the season, that much we can be fairly certain of. Everything else? To be determined. And it all starts...in two hours!
viernes 6 y viernes 13 de noviembre - 20.00 horas - En el Teatro Moliere. Balcarce 678 - San Telmo
Dirección: Florencia D' Agostino
Parejas en Rejas cuenta la historia de 8 personajes que viviran distintas situaciones entre si, y que querran buscar la salida y la solucion para sus problemas, para sus amores incomprendidos. Jugando desde una propuesta que mezcla fundamentalmente lo corporal, la danza, los colores, lo abstracto, lo poetico, la comedia y la tragedia, estos 8 personajes iran descubriendose, ahondando en lo profundo de si mismos, donde nunca han visto... y ahora ven.
There really is very little reason to blog when nothing is happening. And the reason for nothing happening? H1N1 flu. Yes, I'm beginning week 2 of the siege. And I'm supposed to have a mild case. Which, I guess, is true--at least compared to most other people. I'm still experiencing fever off and on, every once in a while I try to cough up a lung, and I can't stay upright any longer than a newborn baby, but I could actually be worse. I, at least, don't have a high fever or the aches anymore--which were never that bad--and I don't have much of a headache, so I'm doing better than most. I talked to my doctor's nurse yesterday and was told to 'ride it out'--I guess there is almost a 100% chance of relapse with this thing. I was feeling better on Saturday and by Sunday was back to feeling like crap, so I guess I'm doing the normal thing. But this, too, shall pass.
**********
One of my favorite shows right now is 'Castle.' It is about a mystery writer who helps the police with investigations, as research for his newest series of books. Not a ground-breaking concept, but the writing is quite good and very, very witty at times. I don't know if I would have started watching it at first, but I'm a big Nathan Fillion fan--he plays the main character. Last night's episode was the Halloween one and the show started out with Castle trying on costumes for his annual Halloween party. And the costume he started the show out with? He was dressed as Malcolm Reynolds. Malcolm Reynolds was the character he played in the sci-fi show 'Firefly' a few years ago. It was done very, very well and was one of the funniest moments I have ever seen on TV. Of course, one would have to be a Nathan Fillion/Firefly fan to appreciate it. ;)
**********
My new washer and dryer was delivered yesterday. Quite impressive. Of course, I had to try it out immediately. Seeing laundry washing through a window is fascinating. This is a whole new experience and I came close to putting a chair in front of the washer just to watch a cycle or three. ;) It does seem as if it will take longer for clothes to WASH, but the time should be made up with the decreased drying time. I'm amazed that the washer re-distributes the clothes when it senses an unbalanced load--but it does cause the cycle to last quite a bit longer. The other thing that amazes me is the small amount of water that is used--probably no more than what I use to do dishes by hand! And it seems as if the washing is much more gentle than the normal agitators. After the wash is done, the clothes come out quite wrinkle-free and not tangled at all. (I used the regular water-extraction cycle, not the high spin--yet.) It will be interesting to see how I feel about this in a couple of months.
First of all - Woohoo, post #1,001! Way to go Outside the Boxscore, nicely done. I'm glad to be a part of it.
As for the Prediction Battle, this week was a close one. Both Outside the Boxscore and the Great Sports Name Hall of Fame were 8-4 heading into Monday Night. OTB had incorrectly picked Minnesota, Atlanta, Oakland, and Miami. GSNHOF had incorrectly picked Minnesota, Atlanta, Carolina, and the Giants. So it all came down to the Philly-Redskins game.
GSNHOF picked Philly, OTB picked Redskins, and so GSNHOF won out, and gained another game lead over OTB. Standings after Week 7 are as follows:
75-28 - Great Sports Name Hall Of Fame 67-36 - Outside The Boxscore (8 Games Back)
OTB can definitely still come back. But Ben will have to put a little less faith in the outcomes of Raider games. Hint: JaMarcus Russell is awful.
Over at MountainAstrologer website is an article by astrologer Robert Blaschke who discusses some of the stuff we have been talking about over here. He brings up some good points...please take a read.
“During this part of the year when both Jupiter and Neptune are retrograde, one sees much misinformation being spread about proposed health insurance reforms by small-minded and self-serving politicians. After Jupiter and Neptune station direct on October 12 and November 4, respectively, the health care reform legislation will evolve into its final framework and be passed by both Houses of Congress and signed into law by the President before December 21.”
December 21st is the date of the third and final alignment of Jupiter and Neptune this year. With Jupiter in stationary conjunction with President Obama’s natal Ascendant from September 8th until November 16th, he is on the right side of this legislative fight to reform the health insurance companies. One should not be surprised if the “public option” of federal health insurance plans designed to compete with the private sector insurance plans makes its way into the final legislation signed into law in December
Pitkästä aikaa pääsin koulussa leipomaan! Wieninleikkeen, perunamuussin ja kiillotettujen porkkanoiden lisäksi tehtiin näitä. Hrrr saan aina vilunväristyksiä wieninleikkeen koristeista, anjovista ja kaprista, yäääk... :s Voin sanoa, että jäävät kyllä joka kerta lautaselle ihan surutta.
Mutta jos pestosta tykkää kuten minä, niin tämä leipä on ihan must ;) Kivasti mehevöitti koko leipää tuo täyte. Vaikka itse epäilin peston ja pähkinöiden yhteensopivuutta, niin oli oikeen herkullinen yllätys.
PESTO-PÄHKINÄTÄYTTEINEN LEIPÄ
25 g hiivaa 3 dl vettä 1 tl suolaa 8-9 dl hiivaleipäjauhoja 3 rkl pestoa (vihreää tai punaista) 2 rkl hasselpähkinärouhetta
* * * * *
Liuota hiiva kädenlämpöiseen veteen. Lisää suola ja jauhot, alusta kunnes taikina on kimmoisaa ja irtoaa kulhon reunoista. Peittele taikinakulho liinalla ja kohota noin puoli tuntia.
Kumoa taikina jauhotetulle pöydälle ja kaulitse pyöreäksi levyksi (näin sanoo ohje, itse tein kyllä ihan neliön mallisen). Levitä taikinalevylle pesto ja pähkinärouhe siihen päälle.
Kieritä taikina rullaksi, vähän niin kuin kääretorttua tekisi. Aseta saumapuoli pohjalle ja kiepsauta päät tangon alle. Ripottele jauhoja leivälle ja tee viiltoja pintaan terävällä veitsellä.
Kohota vielä 20-30 minuuttia, ja paista 200 asteessa noin 30 min.
* * * * *
Tykkään tästä runosta ihan hirveesti (:
Yksi laulu voi sytyttää hetken, yksi kukka voi herättää unelman. Yksi puu voi panna alulle metsän, yksi lintu voi ennakoida kevättä. Yksi hymy voi aloittaa ystävyyden, yksi kädenpuristus kohottaa sielun.
Yksi tähti voi johtaa purtta merellä, yksi sana voi kehystää päämäärän. Yksi ääni voi muuttaa kansakunnan, yksi auringonsäde valaisee huoneen. Yksi kynttilä karkottaa pimeyden, yksi nauru voittaa synkkyyden. Yksi askel on aloittava jokaisen matkan, yksi sana aloittaa jokaisen rukouksen.
Yksi toivo kohottaa mielialasi, yksi kosketus voi osoittaa huolenpitosi. Yksi ääni voi puhua viisaasti, yksi sydän voi tietää mikä on totta, yksi elämä voi olla erilainen, se on näet sinusta kiinni.
