My thoughts and constant ramblings...since you care soooo much.

 
So I have a dilemma. A really serious one. My favorite sportswriter is The Sports Guy, and his column is in ESPN.com's Page 2. Love it. Look forward to it always. I like his sense of humor, his mix of pop culture and sports. I usually agree with his take on sports issues. And the things I don't agree with, I passionately disagree with, which is always a sign that you like a writer (don't ask me to explain). Anyway, the dilemma...

The Sports Guy has written a book. So, what's the problem, you ask? It's on the Red Sox and their World Series win last year. This particular topic is arguably my least favorite that he writes about. I don't fault a guy for writing about his favorite team. I mean, the thing that is so great about the SG's articles is that he writes it like a true sports fan. However, as much as I like his writings, I'm not sure I can stomach a whole book on this topic. The only thing he could write about that I would dislike more would be how the Patriots are superior to the Colts and how DARE anyone pick the Colts over the Patriots in any given year. Basically, on that topic, he's become the Yankee fan to the Colts' Red Sox fan. He's become exactly what he hated about Yankee fans: continuly flaunt his team's dominance over the other team instead of quietly just letting his teams actions prove it on the field. I don't mind if he says "Yay! Patriots are the best." But instead, he says "Yay! The Patriots are better than the Colts." Almost sounds like a guy who isn't quite sure, even though his team has one 3 of the last 4 Super Bowls.

Anyway, I've tangented. So do I buy the book so I can read his often humorous and fan-inspired writing, or pass on it to avoid this nauseating topic? See the dilemma?
posted by Jason at 1:54 PM

 
I watched Jaws last night for the first time. Now, I've seen Jaws 2 and Jaws 3-d several times, but never Jaws. I have a couple of observations...

1. It's always weird to see Mr. Holland when he was young. I've seen two movies (Jaws and The Competition) within the last 6 months with Richard Dreyfuss in his younger years, and both times they cast him as a kind of abrasive, studious, cultured rich kid. And of course, he's the college bound kid in American Graffiti, a shrink in What about Bob? and a teacher in Mr. Holland's Opus. It just dawned on me... I've seen Dreyfuss in a lot of movies--the onese mentioned above, Stand By Me, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the Stakeout movies. He's just one of those guys that will always be around.

2. So have you ever watched a movie and you an actor and you're like "I KNOW that guy. What else has he been in???" and your rack your brain the whole movie trying to figure it out. That was me last night with Quint, the shark hunter. I could picture his mouth twitch, his glare, his mannerisms, but I couldn't place him. Needless to say, I got online this morning and looked up Robert Shaw on imdb.com. When I read his filmography, it was like I got punched in the face!!! I feel somewhat sheepish that I couldn't remember that he played Red Grant, the henchman in From Russia With Love, only my favorite James Bond flick. And to think, I call myself a James Bond fan. Sheesh. Anyway, Shaw is a great supporting actor. His soliloquy about the fate of the USS Indianopolis is incredible. He plays his roles full-tilt. I can remember seeing him in one other film--The Sting. He plays the main mobster Doyle Lonnegan. He played all three of these roles perfectly.

3. The music is still the epidome of creepy.

4. I'm impressed at how lifelike they made the shark's snout and jaws. However, during the scene where Jaws basically launches itself onto the boat to eat Quint you can definitely tell that the fish isn't real. But what do you expect. It was 1975.

Anyway, good movie. At one point, Hooper (Dreyfuss) is being lowered in a shark cage and he's trying to spit into his goggles and he tells the other guys he has no spit. I realized that I had now spit at that time either, so I guess that says it all...I was pretty much captivated by the movie and forgot to close my mouth, drying it up.
posted by Jason at 10:55 AM

 
So I bought a package of those Cookies& (you name the candy bar). I understand the Milky Way, the Snickers and even the M&Ms. But is this how the conversation went at the Mars/M&M company brainstorm?

Marketer: What other flavors do we want to try?

President: I know! Let's take the caramel and chocolate from the Twix candy bar and put it on top of the cookie.

Everyone else in the room: *stunned silence*

The things I think about.
posted by Jason at 1:02 PM

 
Man, does time get away from me! (Have you noticed that I traditionally like to start my blog posts, as well as my purdyscene.com updates with some comment about not being able to post in a long time? Call it my calling card, you know like how Paul Harvey always said "And now, the news!" or "And now you know...the rest of the story.")

Anyway, just a thought or two on the current event that has polarized our country.

- Wow is all I can say. I'd come "home" from work and plant my butt in front of the tube during the first week or so of the hurricane and flood coverage. The scenes, the stories. Just mind-blowing. We were TiVo-ing news channels so we wouldn't miss stuff. Kelsee and I had been planning to go down there in December and hopefully hook up with my friend Jared and his family (they live in Shreveport) and visit the historic sites of the Big Easy. Selfishly, I kept thinking "There goes our trip! I never got really see it." My prayers go out to those who lost so much, especially those who were unable to get out, or who got out but lost their homes and, in essence, their lives.

- I'm a little less empathetic for those who had a chance to get out but chose to ignore the warnings. I don't wish ill for most people, but sometimes you just have to wonder...

- Captivated as I have been with the footage of the Gulf Coast, I've found it so increasingly frustrating hearing the media feeding the finger-pointing fire, that I've finally given up on it all. Everyone is so intent on doling out blame that I think the time spent pointing fingers might have had as much negative impact as any delay in providing relief.

- Personally, I think Michael Brown, the head of FEMA, is being made the scapegoat by the Feds. And I don't even think the Feds are the main blame. I think Bush made the mistake of cowering to public opinion by making the comment that the relief effort was unacceptable. All that did was leave the federal government, and FEMA in particular, as the whipping boy. It basically deflected any attention away from the lack of preparation showed by the local and state governments. If nothing else, we learned that the city was not prepared for this magnitude of disaster even though any 8th-grader could tell you that a big hurricane would probably cause HUGE problems. Hello!!! The warning signs were everywhere! And have been for years!!! We also learn that the Good Samaritan Law doesn't apply to anyone in this relieve effort, especially Brown.

- I find this whole racism angle somewhat laughable. I contend that if a natural disaster of this magnitude happened in Appalachia (predominantly poor white folks), the relief response would essentially be the same. It has more to do with economics than with sociology. And it has even more to do with LACK OF PREPARATION than anything.

That's it.
posted by Jason at 2:14 PM

 
I started writing a post on April 15 and forgot about it. So I decided to delete the stuff that was incomplete and post it today. It's a pretty worthless post.

My apologies to all my family and friends who have awaited an update on our website (and more importantly, pictures of Haley). We are still living out of boxes. I haven't found my digital camera card reader yet, so no pictures until I get some developed and put on disk. And I keep meaning to do an update as soon as things calm down. But guess what? It's never going to calm down. I'm going crazy! Aaaaaaaargh!

At least the heat and humidity allow to sweat out my impurities...
posted by Jason at 1:52 PM

 
So, like, I didn't realize the stress this move was going to have on me. I don't feel stressed. However, I can't fall asleep quickly at night even though I'm exhausted (and this was before Haley decided that sleeping with Momma and Daddy is more fun than sleeping in her own bed). I view everything someone says to me as a cruel critique and act defensively. I can't stop worrying about the house and my job situation. You'd think that a move to across the country, living with parents, buying a house and setting up a home office were big events. Sheesh.

At least we finished our taxes early.

OK, now that I have that over with...
posted by Jason at 11:00 AM

 
Random thoughts from the weekend...

You will never believe how much crap you can store in a two-bedroom apartment. Overwhelming.

Funny how the first 20-25 boxes packed are so neat and tidy and protected with lots of paper and blankets and tape. Those boxes usually contain the stuff you had in storage and don't ever use, stuff that you often don't really care all that much about. Then the rest of the boxes you become more and more careless as you pack. And that stuff is the stuff you usually care about.

Vancouver is a beautiful city, landscape-wise. Awesome mountains careening down into gorgeous deep blue waters. And then there are the buildings. The very center of downtown isn't so bad, but look at this picture: http://www.stuenkel-net.de/bilder/bildergalerie/vancouver.jpg. This building type is everywhere. I'm not kidding. Could they have picked a less attractive building to mimic?

There is something unsettling about being beaten time and time again in Boggle by a 22-year-old.
posted by Jason at 2:31 PM

 
Life is always full of challenging decisions. Lot's of ups and downs. Sometimes I complain about it, but I guess it wouldn't be all that thrilling if it was just one dull decision after another. I heard a talk one time by a guy who made a very valid point: how much fun would a roller coaster be if there were no hills and twists and turns. Pretty boring, huh? (Plus, you'd miss out on being slammed around inside the coaster car, the dizziness and the desire to vomit. That's always enjoyable.)

Anyway, Kelsee and I have made the decision to go back to Kentucky. This wasn't an easy decision. We love it in Washington. Great friends and co-workers, wonderful ward, great doctors and therapists for Haley, great summers, beautiful scenery... Still, the desire to be closer to family, to increase the number of people who call us mama and daddy, and to eventually own our own home was just too great.

Anyway, more on this later as things transpire...
posted by Jason at 7:34 PM

 
Hey, you know what needs to happen? Gregoire needs to make a pitch to the state legislature to call for a reelection. That's the only way to save face. It bristles my fur when I read about her performing random acts of governance when her election is so disputed, and everyone but the Democratic party agrees.

For those that don't know but who might actually care, the most recent election for governor in Washington is pretty much a fraud. Gregoire (D) and Rossi (R) battled neck and neck until the end, which by the way is a major victory for Republicans regardless of outcome since it's been 20 years since Washington had a Republican governor. Anyway after first count, Rossi wins. But wait! State law requires a recound if the vote differential is less than a certain amount, which this was. So count number two takes place, and Rossi wins again, and counties start certifying their election results. Oh, but wait again! King County (the largest county population wise, home of staunchly democratic Seattle) hesitates certifying the results and surprise, surprise! Some ballots are missing! Once they are found, King County recounts and enough Gregoire votes show up that she has 125 or something more statewide than Rossi. King County quickly certifies their results and Gregoire is now the governor!

Couple of notes here: 1) I'm registered democrat, but I vote for canditates, not party. 2) By this point, the election is well over a month, nearly two months, done. 3) The rest of the state pretty much despises King County, mainly Seattle, anyway, and this isn't helping anything.

Anyway, Rossi and the Republicans or somebody who is ticked off about the results sues to have the results overturned and new election called. Gregoire takes office and begins acting like a governor when new and interesting tidbits of news pop up about our great legal election. Most notably, some ballots were throw for very obscure reasons. Oh, but the ballots of a couple of thousand convicts and dead people weren't thrown out. These aren't ballots of people who died after the election or who were absentees who died after they sent them in. They were dead long before the election. And the convicts were in prison during the election.

Can you guess why people are ticked? Anyway, the Dem Party says the legislature is the only body that can overturn an election and call for a new one (which is convenient since the legislature is democrat-heavy). However, the court (which happens to be on the republican side of the mountains) says they have jurisdiction. Needless to say, the court threw out most of the democrats appeals, and has said they can overturn the election. If that happens, Rossi has said he will, as governor, approach the legislature and call for a new election.

So who would win if that happens? The selfish-looking Gregoire? Or the soon-to-be sainted Rossi? Gregoire can save face by approaching the legislature right now and calling for a reelection. That's the only way the governor, regardless of who it is, will be able to perform his or her job to its fullest.

posted by Jason at 6:05 PM

 
I was just talking to a co-worker today trying to figure out why I struggle so much on Mondays. Part of it is the lack of sleep, I'm sure. Yet, I get just as little sleep on other nights, so why aren't they "tough". Then I realized...in the Church, with some callings, Sunday's aren't a day off like people who don't belong to the Church. Yesterday, I was up by 5, at church just before 6, and home by 2 pm. A full work day. Better now that we have church at 9:00. Last year it cut out the middle of the day...

posted by Jason at 4:58 PM

 
I just opened the proverbial attic door, and was hit in the face by the damp, musty smell of old clothes and dust. It's strangely pleasant.

Yes, it has been a while. First it was once a week, then once a month, now once a year. I just reread all my posts, and I noticed a couple of other things besides the frequency...

• I really am a sports-aholic. I talk way too much about them as if anybody else really cared. When I turn on the TV, my channel-surfing is usually only interrupted by Whose Line?, cooking shows, any show where they explore a mystery or bust a myth, and sports. Sometimes a cheesy movie from the 80s will catch my attention, but that's about it.
• I really LOVE being a dad.
• Blogs are for the arrogant. It's like I think someone else might be the least bit interested...

Anyway, my friend Jared and his wife Rachel both started blogs which I enjoyed reading (either because I'm nosy or because I'm at work and it's a Monday). And Danielle (Kelsee's sister-in-law) keeps a very entertaining blog of her children's antics. So the peer pressure got too great.

Anyway, I'll try to post more frequently and be less wordy. I can probably do the first, but the latter is unlikely... but you can always just not read these, or you can tell me to shut up. Your choice.

posted by Jason at 4:36 PM

 
When evaluating the Mariners off-season moves, you just have to ask yourself: Is a trio of Ibanez, Spezio and Aurilia better than a trio of Cameron, Cirillo and Guillen? Marginally. However, not enough can be said of the ability to get rid of Cirillo's presence. Nice guy, maybe. But the pressure he put on himself only brought the whole clubhouse down, in my opinion.

Now don't get me started on the direction the Braves have taken...
posted by Jason at 9:18 PM

 
Holy smokes! I haven't posted since September?!?! Sheesh...

We just returned from our Annual Holiday Excursion to Kentucky. What should have been a fun, relaxing visit with family and friends turned into scary, emotional adventure. I'm not going to say much here (check our homepage for further details). Just know that Haley is doing great, all things considered. Now it's time for the emotional letdown.

On a lighter note, I've finally done it. I've won a fantasy football league. I actually one two of four this year. The most satisfying, of course, was the Issaquah Ward league... I was the last arrogant trash-talker left standing...
posted by Jason at 6:19 PM

 
Be careful what you wish for. In my last musing, I was longing for a calling, and figured I'd have to wait until they called a new Bishopric in our ward. Well, I didn't have to wait that long. The stake called me to be in the Bishopric. It's been nearly two months, and I'm still not quite settled in. However, the I think my deer-in-the-headlight look has faded, and with it, the bemused smiles from the members of the congregation.

Haley turned one this past weekend. Hard to believe. And to usher in the second year of her life, she's developed a new skill: throwing temper tantrums. She's not quite refined it yet. No throwing herself backwards or kicking and beating the floor yet. Still, they are few and far between. Just not as few and not as far as before.

posted by Jason at 7:13 PM

 
Can you smell it. Go outside and take a nice big whiff. That smell is football! NFL teams are in training camp. College teams are in summer workouts. August is an AWESOME sports month! Of course, so is September, October, November, December, January, February, March and April. May, June and July aren't bad, but as far sports are concerned, leave a little to be desired...

So Kelsee was released last week from the Young Women's organization and was called as the Primary 1st Counselor. This is interesting. I can't remember a time in our marriage when one (or both) of us didn't have an obligation on mutual night (usually Wednesday). Weird. I'm excited for her. She's so good with children. I can't wait for her to bring home new activities and primary songs for us to experience as a family.

I'm still waiting for a new calling. It's been since early June, probably my longest "non-calling" time as an adult. They'll be calling a new bishopric in our ward on Sunday, so I'll still have to wait at least a couple of more weeks before I get a calling. I guess I should enjoy it...
posted by Jason at 6:18 PM

 
Well, here I am again. Thirty-years-old today. I have a lot of mixed feelings about this. On one hand I kind of dread entering another decade of my life. On the other hand, I'm excited about the next ten years. On another hand (obviously someone else's, since I only have two hands), I've never fit in with the Gen Xers. On another hand, the Gen Xers are a year older, as well. Who knows...

I can't wait to go home and just relax. Four day weekend starts in a few hours! Woo hoo! I'll be working hard to get out of working. Seems to defeat the purpose.

Did I say last month that I love being a dad? Compared to today, I just liked being a dad. Now I LOVE being a dad. Surely, it can't get better than this?
posted by Jason at 5:06 PM

 
What a week! And it's only Tuesday. Big project due next week in one class. Big paper due in the other, along with a final. Magazine week at work. Last week of Seminary, followed by Seminary Sunday. To top it off, I'm going to Indianapolis on Thursday to participate in some HD research. It's my own fault. I procrastinate. When I'm not busy, I relax WAY too much. So basically my life is like a roller coaster (albeit a pretty slow one). I'm either swamped or I've got nothing to do. There is no in between. **Sigh** I should just go home.
posted by Jason at 5:35 PM

 
I'm a techie without being a tech nerd. And I don't say that without a little bit of shame. But I'm also a tight wad, and I can't force myself to keep up. On my home PC, I still run a Pentium Celeron 550, a 56K modem, a USED 4x DVD/CD-R, and PhotoShop 4. The practical side of me just won't allow me to upgrade when I have more important things to spend my money on. I true tech nerd says those upgrades ARE the most important thing...

I absolutely LOVE being a dad. It helps that I have the sweetest, cutest, most entertaining little girl in the world to drool on me. Everyone says that "da-da" is typically the first babble that a baby says, and that its doesn't mean anything; it's not directed at anyone in particular. They are all lying. Haley's frequency in using "da-da" increases when I enter her sight. And when she's saying "da-da-da" when I'm not around, it's because she's thinking about me. Don't argue with me on this point. I'm sure of it.

Here are some more random sports musings:

• Annika Sorenstam has as much right to be in the Colonial as anyone. Sponsor's exemptions really only have two purposes: to get a big name into the tournament, or to fulfill a promise. The first purpose is all about making money, which is definitely something that Annika's entry will do. Typically, no one expects the sponsor's exemption-ites to make the cut anyway. Annika at least has a chance.


• Yes! The Lakers are OUT! I grew up a BIG Celtics fan, thanks to my dad's heavy leanings. We typically rooted for anyone who had a Mormon on their team, whether they were any good or not. Thus the reason we rooted for the Celtics (Danny Ainge), the Cowboys (Danny White) and the Braves (Dale Murphy). I hate the Lakers because you can't like the Celtics and the Lakers both. (Even though I'm not much of a Celtics fan anymore, some things are just ingrained). I hate the Cowboys because Jerry Jones screwed over Tom Landry and Two Tall, and I hate the Yankees because they ousted the Braves in the World Series twice and the Mariners in the ALCS twice. Things are good now. The Cowboys suck, the Lakers are playing golf and the Mariners and Braves are atop their divisions.


• New direction: Hey, you want a romp down memory lane? I was searching online one day for Me Phi Me's "Sad New Day", and came across this great website: www.allmusic.com. Lots of information about your favorite popular and obscure artists. Unfortunately, no Me Phi Me. However, I did find his site: www.mephime.com.
  
  
  posted by Jason at 2:20 PM

 
So here is the beginning of my regular posting of Jason's Musings. I've just recently learned what a "blog" is. However, I REFUSE to call this a blog. Nor am I a blogger. This is a bunch of worthless nothings, a journal, a weblog, or a bunch of crap. But it is not a blog. Well, at least not until someone forces me to call it such.

With that out of the way, let me welcome you. I have a tendency to ramble about topics that don't mean much to anyone else but me. Since my wife, co-workers, friends, etc. are probably tired of listening to me drone on and on, I've decided to put this on paper. Well, e-paper, at least. Hopefully, that will spare them somewhat. Though, I've discovered over the last couple of years that I'm pretty opinionated, so I'll probably still inundate them with my viewpoints. What's funny (or sad), I always prided myself in not being overly opinionated. Look at me now. Sheesh... I guess it wouldn't be so bad if I had opinions on anything that mattered.

Anyway, to finish today's musing off, I'll list a couple of random thoughts, just so you can get an idea of the way I think:

• Dale Murphy deserves to be in the Hall. It really bums me out that the man who received back-to-back MVPs, and was second only to Mike Schmidt for HRs and RBIs in the dead-ball era of the '80s can't be considered. Put him in his prime today, he'd probably be belting 50 HR a season. But more than stats, it's his character. While I admit his stats may be borderline Hall material, his rare demeanor should easily shoot him over the wall. He was in oddity in that he never lost his temper, was consistently considered the nicest guy in the game, and he obviously took his position as a role model very seriously. He was a valuable spokesperson for the baseball, selling it to millions of fathers and sons. His absence from the hall speaks more about the current, disgraceful state of the game than it does about his hall-worthiness. I'm not bitter or anything.


• I hate the Lakers. I hate the Yankees. I hate the Cowboys. And I hate that they've all been world champs during the past 10 years. There are deep reasons behind these things. They go WAY back to my childhood. Maybe I'll share why after the Spurs-Lakers series concludes.


• Washington state's social services need some SERIOUS reform. Did you know that if there is a special needs child who is in foster care (which costs the state a great deal of money), and you adopt this child, you will pretty much be guaranteed adoption subsidy (which costs the state a great deal of money)? However, if the special needs child lives with you, a non-foster parent, until the adoption (which costs the state NOTHING), you will pretty much be denied adoption subsidy? The lesson to be learned: if you save the state money, they stiff you. (I've simplified this situation for the purpose of this musing. The are many other issues that the state can use to deny you adoption subsidy. I've just focused on one.)


• Do you find it as interesting as I do that our government is SO arrogant that we think that we will be the ones who stop a war based on a religious conflict that is 4000 years old. God promised Jerusalem and the surrounding "promised land" to Abraham's first born. Abraham interpreted that has his firstborn by his first wife, even though his true firstborn was conceived by his wife's handmaiden. I'm pretty sure this issue will have to be appealed to the Great Supreme Court Judge in the Sky.


• Price deserved to be fired. So did Eustachy. It's all about the poor judgement issue.


• Besides, these two team-less coaches need to worry less about saving their jobs and worry more about saving their marriages.


• Contrary to what programmers-turned-web-developers (hereafter called PTWD) will tell you, ColdFusion is NOT inferior to ASP. The thought that there might be something out there that makes it easier for people to get into development just threatens those PTWDs' tech-nerdiness. Of course, this is all a moot point thanks to .NET


• Scott Adams and Dave Barry are the same person.

Well, that's it for now. Until next time...
posted by Jason at 7:07 PM