Cooperstown

On Moving

2009-01-13T10:22:00.000-05:00

Moved and remodeled @ www.wescooper.wordpress.com.

On My Icy Half Birthday

2008-02-21T09:47:00.006-05:00

News and thoughts for today:

-Good new and bad news for fans of The Office. Good news is there will be six new episodes this season. Bad news is we have to wait another month and a half until they air on April 10. It's well worth the wait, though.

Other return dates of interest to myself:

CSI:Miami- March 24
Law & Order: SVU- April 15
Criminal Minds- April 2
Without A Trace- April 3

-Today's weather forcast is Lexington, KY: ICE STORM WARNING. Or, as Bill Meck likes to call it, FROZEN DEATH RAINING FROM THE SKY WARNING. So, looking back at the past month we have experienced in the Bluegrass area:

1) severe thunderstorms
2) tornadoes
3) temperatures above 70 degrees
4) 3 inches of snow
5) 1/4 inch of ice

Unbelievable.

-A funny explanation of politics.

-Also cool is how the US military shot a satellite out of the sky on the first try.

-Did anyone watch the UK-Georgia game the other night? Did anyone hear how the commentators talked about the upcoming game between Memphis and Tennessee THE ENTIRE NIGHT? If you were watching you might have heard somehting like "Patterson grabs the rebound and lays it up for an easy two points. Speaking of lay-ups, how about that game between Memphis and Tennessee this weekend? That oughta be a doozy huh? Let's break out the analysis chart and break down that game right now."

I mean I know they are ranked 1 and 2 respectively, but when I tune in to watch a UK game, I want to hear them talk about THAT game, especially when it is close. It's not like one team was up by 25 points. One of the commentators actually broke out the Memphis-Tennessee comparison chart during the game; they didn't even do that for the game at hand. No surprise that this rediculous amount of over-promotion occurred on ESPN, the same network that has brought us "Super Tuesday", "ACC Wednesday", "Throwdown Thrursday", "Rivalry Week", "Championship Week", and of course, my personal favorite, "Judgement Week".

-Today is my half birthday. I am 23 1/2 today. Be sure to send me a gift.

On The Strike Being Over

2008-02-14T10:15:00.001-05:00

It's official: the Hollywood Writer's Guild strike is over. Will this mean new episodes of "The Office" soon? We can only hope so. Until then, a little Dwight and Jim to whet your appetite...

On Monday

2008-02-11T09:51:00.000-05:00

Tidbits on a chilly Monday:

-Today's/tonight's weather calls for snow/freezing rain. This means Bill Meck and his MaxTrack dopplar radar will be in full effect. I would recommend tuning in to Bill's up-to-the-minute weather updates, because honestly, is there really anyhting better on TV these days?

-Speaking of TV, rumor has it that the Hollywood writer's strike could end this week. That would be great news for me, cause I'm gonna need some new episodes of The Office here real soon or I might go crazy.

-A month or so ago Morgan and I went to see Juno at the Kentucky Theater. I would strongly recommend that you see this movie for two reasons. First, it is a great movie. It is clever, well-written, and Ellen Page is a star in the making. Plus, two cast members from Arrested Development are in it, so you know it must be good. Second, it conveys a great message to parents who might be dealing with their teenager becoming pregnant. By no means are the parents in the movie Christians, nor do they claim to be, but instead of chastising and alienating their child when they find out that their 16-year old is pregnant, they handle the situation in a loving and caring way that is quite refreshing. I also deals with such issues as abortion in a way that I think is interesting to watch. Go see it or rent it on DVD when it comes out.

-Question: Can you believe in Creationism and Evolution? This was the question that I presented to my 6th grade discipleship class yesterday afternoon. We are going through a book called The Top 13 Questions About God, which deals with many questions such as this. Of course, the 6th graders emphatically answered no at first, but then when we talked about what evolution really meant, and what the difference was between evolution and adaptation, they seemed to change their minds. Kids that age are funny because they still categorize everything as black or white. Most, I would assume, have been taught that evolution is bad/wrong, but they have never actually been taught what evolution is really all about, causing them to overgeneralize subjects such as this, or science as a whole. The reason I bring this up is that it's important that children be educated on both sides of the story, in any subject. It will only allow them to be more prepared for the future. Hiding them from things such as evolution doesn't make those things go away; they will have to confront them sometime. Wouldn't you rather them be prepared for it so that they will be more likely to handle the situation better?

-Prediction for tomorrow night's game: Cats 71, 'Dores67.

On Bear and the Geat American Hoax

2007-11-26T22:17:00.001-05:00

Well I am currently flipping through the channels and upon stopping on the Discovery Channel I see the Man vs. Wild, previously one of my favorite shows is still on. Why previously, you ask? Well my greatest fear about the show came to fruition a few months ago: I found out the whole thing is rigged. At first I didn't want to believe it. I wanted to believe that host and former British military man Bear Grylls was really toughing out it out in the Australian Outback, eating bugs and drinking his own urine to stay alive. The truth is, a helicopter was picking Bear up every night and was taking him to the other Outback, where he could order a juicy steak and a Bloomin' Onion, and then on to the Sydney Holiday Inn Express for a good nights sleep. I can't tell you how disappointed I was to find out the truth.

Bear, how could you lie to me? I watched you climb down waterfalls with your bare hands, ride a log down the Amazon river, and even roast a sheep eye in a hot geyser and then eat it. How many times did I sit on my living room couch on a Friday night and watch you as you would tell me how deadly it was to get caught in quicksand, only to have my heart jump out of my chest when you jumped in anyway? Oh Bear, how could you toy with my heart so?

The thing is, Bear, you hid the whole charade so well. On certain nights you would film some shots of something waking you up in the middle of the night.....rigged. Clever, but rigged. Remember that time that "black bear" chased you through the Colorado Rocky Mountains? Well we never saw the bear, Bear. It was a hoax. A HOAX. Remember that time that you were in Alaska and you kept talking about how much easier things would be if you had a boat, and then you just happened to stumble across a deserted cabin with an old rowboat in the yard, and then you stole the boat and used it to float down the river? That was awesome, except for the fact that The Discovery Channel put that boat there for you. Either that, or some guy in Alaska just got back to his cabin only to find that his boat has been stolen...by you. That's a felony in my book. And hey Bear, remember that time that you took a wooden stick and chucked it at that rabbit and killed it in one shot? That was awesome too, except that I bet it took you 50 tries, they just didn't show them.

Look Bear, I'm not questioning you manhood. I've seen you do some crazy things that couldn't have been staged (i.e. when you jumped off the 30 foot cliff into the river). You are one tough, crazy dude. But I resent the face that you led me to believe that you were really being dropped off in the woods alone with virtually no supplies, where you would find your way out with relative ease. Granted you did have your cameraman with you, and I'm sure he had some emergency supplies just in case you were on the brink of death. But still, staying at hotels? Eating real meals in between segments? I must say, you've left me bitter and longing for naivety.

Yet amidst all the lies, I did learn one valuable lesson from you, Bear: If you ever get lost in the wilderness, try to find a river, then follow it downstream until you reach civilization. I'll always keep that in my heart.

Even as I write this, Bear is free falling 50 feet from a helicopter into shark-infested waters. Impressive Bear, but I have to ask.. are the sharks real, or are they mechanical? I wonder.....

On New Thoughts

2007-11-19T21:40:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite bands, Sanctus Real, just released the first single from a new album coming out in February 08. The song is titled We Need Each Other, and I absolutely love it. I just wanted to share the lyrics briefly:

I think I caught a glimpse of Life without friends
Bitter, empty, hollow, dark and lonely
We never meant to hurt each other
So Can`t we trust again
And take it as a chance
To keep on growing

I don`t know why it doesn`t come easy
But I know that we could be happy
If we`d only learn to love

Oh oh we need each other
So what`s the fighting for?
Oh oh we need each other
Please don`t close the door
Oh oh we need each other
Through all the highs and lows
Oh oh we need each other
Cause no one`s meant to live alone

Life revolves around the need
Of having someone
Causing every complicated feeling
Oh and I don`t want to loose you

And there is nothing wrong with
Telling me what you need
To keep our love strong

It`s just a part of being a family
Taking the good with the bad and the ugly
If we could only learn to love

Oh oh we need each other
So what`s the fighting for
Oh oh we need each other
Please don`t close the door
Oh oh we need each other
Through all the highs and lows
Oh oh we need each other
Cause I don`t want to be alone

Oh Oh we need each other
Fathers and Mothers
Oh oh we need each other
All your sisters and brothers
Oh oh we need each other
We need friends and lovers
Oh Oh we need each other

Well I need you
You need me
Cause that`s the way
It`s meant to be
I need you
We need each other(I don`t want to be alone)

In a way these are cheesy lyrics, and when I first saw the title I was skeptical. Yet this song is perceptive in that it reveals something we all struggle with: trying to make it on our own. Many times have I fallen into the arrogant trap of believing I was to strong and to proud to need others, but it's just not true. I need others. Other need me. And, as the song says, that's the way it's meant to be. Striking, isn't it? God created us to interact, to share, to help, to befriend. How often do we get to lazy in this or just forget about it? Little indifferences mean nothing and can be overcome, don't let them detract you from being a friend to someone who needs a friend. We are all hard to get along with in some capacity, don't use that excuse. It's lame.

Moral of the Story: Make new friends. Call me a hypocrite, but I don't think God wants us to make 10 friends and then call it a life. Talk to lost people at work. Talk to saved people at work. Talk to your lost classmates. Talk to your saved classmates. Show interest in their lives. Genuine interest. And then back it up. You may think "But Wes, they might think I'm weird". Who freakin cares. You'd be surprised what people are willing to share with others they don't even know that well. Ever seen those Kleenex commercials? Be the guy with Kleenex box, handing out tissues and lending an ear to complete strangers. People are searching for friends. Just let them find you.

P.S. The song is available on iTunes. Just buy the single, it's a dollar.

On Why I Want Chuck Hayes Back

2007-02-26T20:26:00.000-05:00

This year's UK basketball team is ruining March for me. I usually relish the thought of watching Selection Sunday, eagerly awaiting the announcement of the seeds and brackets, but the past two years have brought me no such satisfaction. Just knowing that my team will most likely be making an early exit is quite disheartening these days. I would like to think that may be there will be some magic turnaround, but that seems unlikely. It has actually gotten to the point where I enjoy listening to disgruntled fans on post-game call-in shows after a loss more than actually watching the game. There is something wrong with that, and that is why I have to say something.

I don't feel the need to complain about this team...I probably do enough of that already. Instead, I have decided to offer my own analysis of why this team (and this program) has become what it is. It's easy to blame the players. It's easier to blame the coach. But the best way to fix the problem is to look at the whole.

Let's start with the players. The common belief is that this team lacks the talent that it once had. I agree. We need an athletic power forward. We need a reliable point guard. We need more athleticism as a whole. Yet I think the talent argument is a bit overrated. There is talent on this team. Morris has talent. Crawford has talent. Meeks has talent. Even Bradley has talent. Sure, these guys are no Greg Oden or Kevin Durant, but that is beside the point. I can live without the one-year superstars that merely use college as their springboard to the NBA. What I want is a team, and this is not what we have. And this is why I have to place much of the blame on the players.

There is one play from this past Sunday's Vanderbilt game that sums up my point here. About midway through the second half, Joe Crawford came up with a loose ball near the sideline at center court. At the same time, freshman Jodie Meeks came streaking towards the basket, wide open for a layup with no one within 20 feet of him. Joe looks up, but decides not to pass the ball for the easy bucket. Instead, he raced towards the basket for a dunk, narrowly beating a Vandy defender to the hole.

Perhaps Joe didn't see Jodie. But I think he was more concerned about his stat sheet than getting the easy points. Why else would he not have passed the ball? Problem 1: THE PLAYER EGO. We saw it last year when Morris entered the draft. We've seen it a half dozen times this year when Bradley tries to be the late game hero and instead turns the ball over. And how many times has Crawford taken the shot when he should have made the extra pass?

Teams who play as teams win games. Take the 2002-2003 team for example. That team was not extremely talented. In fact, the talent was mediocre. Cliff Hawkins, Gerald Fitch, Chuck Hayes, Keith Bogans. These guys were role players. They did their jobs without worrying about their PPG average. They bought into the team concept, as well as Tubby's system.

This ego problem further manifests itself in UK's lack of a "go-to guy". Morris is about the closest thing we have to that. Unfortunately, we have others that want to be that guy. How many times has Ramel Bradley tried to make a game-winning shot in the last seconds instead of trying to find the open man? How many times has Joe Crawford lowered his head and driven to the basket when other guys were open? The problem is that no one on this team knows their role.

I'm not hating on any of the aforementioned players. I have seen them play as good as most players in the country when they play within the roles that the system demands. Bradley is a great defender and was a spark coming off the bench his first two years. But I think the starting role has gone to his head a bit. At the beginning of the season he called this "his team". That's fine, I have no problem with that. But that makes you responsible for what happened on Sunday. Or what happened when you let Georgia off the hook. Or when you had Florida beat but couldn't hit a single three point shot to save your own life. Crawford is a good shooter and can get to the basket. But his selfishness results in bad decisions. It results in ignoring open teammates. It results in bad shots. It results in pouting when those shots don't go in.

So self seems to be tripping this team up. But that is not the only problem. PROBLEM 2: THE LACK OF INTENSITY. This team is just lazy sometimes. I see standing around on offense. I see lack of hustle in transition. These are fundamentals folks. It is one thing to play bad, but it is absolutely unacceptable for this team not to play hard for 40 (and I mean 40) minutes of every game. Morris seems to be the main culprit here. It seems that when he doesn't get the ball early, he just gives up on both offense and defense. That is inexcusable. Bradley loses focus towards the end of game, thus the flurry of turnovers we see with 2 minutes left night in and night out. That is inexcusable.

But not all the blame can be placed on the players. The coach is responsible as well. Don't get me wrong, I think Tubby is a good coach. He has proven that his system works. But I do have two criticisms of the man, two problems that seem to have gotten worse this year.

Problem 3: THE BAD RECRUITING. This is no secret, Tubby's recruiting has been borderline pathetic in certain years. This years senior class is a prime example. We have Sheray Thomas, Bobby Perry, and Lukasz Orbzut. Both Thomas and Perry were 3-star players coming out of high school, Woo was a two-star recruit. All have contributed very little to the program in their four years at UK. All are unathletic for their positions. Tubby missed the ball on these guys.

Tubby likes "projects": guys he can build up over time. Unfortunately none of these projects panned out. This is Kentucky, not Georgia. We should be aiming for the best players, the ones that combine talent with a team mentality. These players are tough to find, but that is what makes a good coach.

I'm not saying that I want every Kevin Durant or Greg Oden playing at UK. But there are excellent players who are willing to stay 3 or 4 years who aren't among the nation's top 25 recruits. Look at Florida for example. Of the starting 5, there are NO 5-star players. Brewer, Noah, and Horford were all 4-star players. Green and Humphrey were 3-star players. But the difference between them and UK is that they play as a team. Each player knows their role and uses their talent to execute their role to the best of their ability.

I have to defend Tubby for a minute because some unexpected things came about 2 years ago. Last year Morris ignorantly left early for the NBA. No one expected that. Even more unexpected was Azibuike's departure to the NBA, which many suspect was related to his father being put in jail. Tubby expected Kelenna and Randolph both last year. He got neither untill Morris was reinstated. That's about 25 PPG gone, with no one to replace them. It's a wonder we won as many games as we did. However, Tubby should be ready for these things. He needs to have the talent to replace these guys year in and year out. There is no reason why there should be years where Bobby Perry is our most significant recruit.

But enough about the recruiting. PROBLEM 4: THE STUBBORN COACH. Tubby seems to never give up on some players (i.e. Sheray Thomas) and to never give some players a chance (i.e. Perry Stevenson). It boggles my mind why Sheray plays as much as he does. I ask, what more does he bring to the table than Stevenson? Sure, Stevenson makes mistakes. And he is no superstar by any stretch of the imagination. But look at it this way: Sheray makes the same amount of mistakes (if not more), while being less athletic and contributing less as Stevenson. At what point do you go with the younger guy?

Perhaps even more frustrating is how Tubby will slow the game down when UK has a decent lead. This contributes to the players not playing as hard towards the end of the game. How many games might the Cats have won this year had they not let off the gas peddle when they had a comfortable lead?

So should Barnhart fire Tubby? There are two possibilities here. If Tubby goes, you most likely lose high profile recruiting target Patrick Patterson. Patterson is a must-have for UK next year. But Patterson has openly said that Tubby is a big part of his interest in UK, and if Tubby goes I think Patterson looks elsewhere. Plus UK could lose a commitment they already have from power forward A.J. Stewart, an athletic player with potential, as well as one of the top point guards in Jai Lucas who seems to want to commit to Tubby soon. However, bringing in a new coach may be able to attract some players who have committed to other programs, and UK may end up with a better class even without Lucas, Patterson, and Stewart.

But say Barnhart gives Tubby another chance. The chances seem likely that Patterson will commit to UK seeing as how both Florida and Duke (his other two schools of interest) have already signed big-time power forwards. Patterson will probably sit his freshman year at either of those schools, but by coming to UK it is all but certain that he will play immediately. And this year's freshman are promising as well. Meeks reminds me of Chuck Hayes in his toughness and leadership. Jasper has been impressive for much of the season. Stevenson has shown signs of being a force on defense. Even Michael Porter has looked promising.

Who knows how this season will play itself out. Maybe Kentucky will get hot and make a run, and this argument will be a moot point. Stranger things have happened. But Tubby has got to prove that he can still get a hold of his players. He has to prove that he can still motivate his players to play hard all game long. He has to prove that he can coach like he did between 2003 and 2005. But most importantly he has to prove that he can adapt his own coaching styles if he expects to win.

On Returning

2006-12-11T14:52:00.000-05:00

I'm back again. I miss my blog, I must confess. My desire to blog vanished for a time, but it has suddenly and unexplainable returned. Let's talk.

-This is my last week of finals as I am graduating this week. That makes me happy. The biggest lesson I learned in my last semester: I hate philosophy, it is utterly useless. More useless than borophyll.

-Hooray Chrismas. Hooray for the Coca-Cola Santa Clause. Hooray for The Polar Express. Hooray for Christmas Snack Cakes by Little Debby. Hooray for decorations. Hooray for Charlie Brown. Hooray for "You serious, Clark?". Hooray for incense and myrrh. Hooray for a manger.

-My Christmas Wishlist:

A Blue-Chip power forward for UK.
If Wish #1 is not possible, then I want a new basketball coach.
A bowl victroy over Clemson.
For Andy to stop being a liar.
A new electric razor that will actually make by face smooth.
For The Polar Express to come pick me up on Christmas Eve and take me to the North Pole.
A new job.
Blogosphere peace.
Immunity to colds. the flu, etc.
For Stabler and Benson to get together.
My two front teeth.

-I'm currently listening to Yahoo! Launchcast where you customize your own radio station. When it asked me what my favorite artists were I put things like Weezer, Led Zeppeilin, and Miles Davis. What plays when the radio comes on? GWEN STEFANI. HERE'S WHAT YOU DID YAHOO! LAUNCHCAST: I asked for you to play the music that I liked. So you played Gwen Stefani. That's what you did.

-Good luck on finals everyone. Save the cheerleader, save the world.

On Dr. Blake

2006-08-14T23:18:00.000-04:00

I honor of Dave's birthday, my favorite Dave memories (that I can remember, there were a lot)......

-One time Dave almost drove me off a cliff in South Carolina.
-One time Dave took me on a 16-mile hike in South Carolina. We almost died.
-One time Dave fell out of a raft in South Carolina.
-One time while camping in California, I was talking in my sleep and he tried to find out who I had crush on at the time. What a jerk.
-One time in bible study Dave couldn't articulate a sentence, so he just said "Ah, screw it" and gave up.
-One time Dave nearly froze me to death in his car on the way back from King's Island just so he would be able to stay awake.
-Many times Dave tried to say something and it wouldn't come out right.
-One time Dave fell out of a chair real late at night.
-One time Dave________ (insert you favorite memory here, there are many more but I can't remember them all).

Here's to Dave. Hokus Pick for life.

On The Last Post

2006-08-11T23:59:00.000-04:00

If anyone can tell me what the pictures in the last post all had in common, I'll give you a dollar. Ok, ok, two dollars.

On 1,000 Words

2006-08-09T23:07:00.000-04:00

On Mental Damage

2006-07-18T15:56:00.000-04:00

So I was at work today helping this mother and his son with a pair of water shoes. The mother picked a pair off the shelf and asked me if I had them in a size 8 for her son. I proceeded to tell her that those were womens shoes. She then tells me that that's ok and that the pair of New Balances that he has on right now are women's shoes. I look down and sure enough he is wearing a pair of ladies New Balances.

Do you see anything wrong with this picture? This woman is putting ladies shoes on her son!!!! I mean it's not like they were hot pink or anything, but they were feminine nonetheless. And and the ones she wanted him to try on were purple.

Am I the only one here who thinks this is completely outrageous? No boy should have to wear a pair of ladies shoes EVER. Doesn't she realize how this is affecting his mind? What kind of message does that send to him? Pretty soon he'll be reaching into mommy's purse looking for lipstick to make his lips a little more colorful. I could understand if it were one of those styles of shoes where the men's and women's looked the same, but this is just rediculous. And what happens when some girl at school has those shoes on? The poor boy will be ridiculed until he cries, that's what will happen.

Parents, do not buy your boy girls shoes. I don't care how cool you think they might look. Girls might be able to wear guys stuff, but it just doesn't work the other way around. So that's all I have to say about that.

On Blogspoitation

2006-07-17T23:20:00.001-04:00

Normally this blog is about entertainment. Tonight it is about an announcement.

Dustin wants me to let everyone know that Wednesday night we will be meeting at church @6:30 for music and then going to Woody's house afterwards for Bible study around 7. So now you know, and you have no excuse.

Dustin please verify this, I couldn't remember if there was anything else you wanted me to say.

On Enemies

2006-07-11T21:23:00.000-04:00

Imagine two kinds of people.

First, imagine.....

The person everyone wants to be around.
The person everyone wants to get to know.
The person who does good things for people.
The person who is working to make society better.
The person who makes you feel good about yourself.
The person who makes you laugh.
The person you can talk to.
The person who blesses you.
The person who prays for you.
The person who gives to you.
The person who cares about you.
Your Friend.

God calls us to love the Friends.

Now, imagine.....

The person who has nothing nice to say.
The person who is bitter.
The person who is continually angry.
The person who is set out to make your life miserable.
The person who refuses to like you.
The person who does you harm for no reason.
The person who curses you.
The person who uses you.
The person who takes from you.
The person who hates you.
Your Enemy.

God calls us to love the Enemies. Just as much as the Friends. Just like we would want to be loved.

I read about it the other day and I just can't stop thinking about it. It will change the way you look at the world.

On Tirades

2006-06-26T16:53:00.000-04:00

So here's what happend at the Lexington Legends game on Sunday afternoon.

Is this not the funniest stuff you have ever seen? THIS MADE ESPN THIS MORNING!!!!! That's twice now that the Lexington Legends have made ESPN in a month.

So here's what I'm thinking. If that manager can do that at a minor league baseball game, why can't Jerry Ball do it at our next softball game? I would pay money to see Jerry throw a base and kick dirt on the umpire at a church softball game. I'm all about passionate leadership. I can't speak for the rest of the team, but I know that I would definitely be motivated to give it my all on the field if Jerry made a scene like this guy did.

On......

2006-06-17T23:17:00.000-04:00

I spilled an M&M Blizzard in my car tonight. It was my fault. I was on the phone and and the cup was too big for the cupholder. But surprisingly I didn't get upset. I've come to realize that bad things happen to me while I am on the phone while in the car. Things get spilled. Exits get missed. I get lost. Pedestrians get hit. But I refuse to wear one of those little headphones because...well...I just do.

I dropped my phone today. It was my fault. I tried to carry too much at one time and my phone slipped out of my hand and fell down the stairs. Thats officialy the 3rd time thats happened with this phone. But surprisingly I didn't get upset. I've come to realize that bad things happen when I try to carry too much stuff at one time. Things get dropped. I run into a wall. I fall down the stairs. Pedestrians get hit. But I refuse to carry smaller loads, because...well...I just do.

I made myself sick today. It was my fault. I played soccer in the heat for an hour and then drank Coke instead of water. But suprisingly I didn't get upset. I've come to realize that bad things happen when I drink too much Coke. I get sick. My teeth get sugary. I can't go to sleep. Pedestrians get hit. But I refuse to stop drinking Coke because...well...I just do.

I overslept today. It was my fault. I stayed up too late last night wathcing a movie at the Bailey's. But suprisingly I'm not upset. I've come to realize that bad things happen when I oversleep. I feel guilty. Final exams get missed. Pedestrians get hit. But I refuse to stop oversleeping because...well...I just do.

I wrote a stupid blog post today. It was my fault. I had too much on my mind and couldn't got to sleep so I just started writing. But surprisingly I'm not upset. I've come to realize that bad things happen when I write posts that make no sense. Readers get confused. People don't get work done because they are too busy reading it. Pedestrians get hit. But I refuse to stop writing stupid posts becuase...well...we all need to take a step back sometimes and realize that maybe we don't have to be so serious all the time.

On The Window

2006-06-07T23:34:00.001-04:00

Be forewarned, this post might not make sense to you. But if you understand me then you will understand the post....

I've been on both sides of the window.

I've been on the outside looking in, watching all the people inside having a good time. I wasn't necessarily unhappy about being outside, but being inside always looked better than the outside. The people inside always looked like they were having just a little bit more fun. And although we may never admit it, or even really want it that bad, there always that hidden desire to be on the inside.

I've also been on the inside looking out. I've stared out the window at the people on the outside, watching them go to and fro. Some people stare back at me through the window, the expressions on their faces saying "Notice me, please notice me". I stare back at them, knowing that I shoul do something, but most of the time never making a move, and closing the blinds so I don't have to think about it. Then there are some people who just pace back and forth, glancing quickly at the window as they pass, pretending that they don't care what's going on inside, but really wishing that they too would be noticed. And although I see them, I once again fail to act, choosing instead to walk away from the window.

There is a major problem here. Neither side of the window seems to satisfy. Those on the outside look anxiously on the inside, hoping and praying for the door to open and for someone to invite them in. But once that invitation comes at last and they are inside, and they look out the window and see what it's like to be on the inside looking out to where they once stood not so long ago, then all of the sudden it all starts to make sense. But with that understanding comes pressure, responsibilty, and other things that weren't expected. And oftentimes that can make someone want to be outside again.

I really don't know how to fix the problem. I don't know that it can be fixed. I've tried leaving the door open for all to come in. I've tried meeting them out in the yard. Both have their snares and pitfalls that always seem to backfire. It baffles me. Human nature always seems to screw something up one side or the other.

I don't want to be on either side of the window. I hate that there even has to be a window. I hate looking through it. I want to be on the roof. Or in the backyard. I don't want things to be confined to one place,which is the case most of the time. So why is it so hard for that to change?

On Nothing In Particular

2006-06-05T20:57:00.000-04:00

WELLLLL tonight is one of those nights where I don't really have anything in partcular that I would like to expound upon. But what a nice day it was today! If the weather stayed like this the rest of the summer I would be a happy man. But instead of being outside I am in my room typing on this blog. Oh well.

-So I just got home from Hagan York's Bible study. I like listening to Hagan talk because he is says what he thinks. It was a good study. And when I got home what was on TV? Deal or No Deal. I like this show not because it is particularly good or interesting, but because I get to participate by yelling "NO DEAL" at the TV. This is highly entertaining to me. I also like to imagine that somwhere in Texas, Justin Tapp is doing the same thing. Except he is probably coming out of his chair to scream at the TV when he does it.

Also notable about tonights finale is that for some reason Celine Dion is on the show. I don't know how they expect that to help the ratings. Perhaps when the shows producers presented the idea of bringing her on for the finale to the CEO of NBC he should have told them "NO DEAL'. "

-Last weekend I was having a conversation with some friends about what scared us as kids. The two most common things that kept us up scared late at night were leprechauns and clowns. That got me to thinking: what if we were to breed a leprechaun and a clown? The result would be a lepreclown. Wow, talk about nightmares. I may have one just from writing about it. This new creation raises several questions: Can lepreclowns climb rainbows? Do lepreclowns guard pots of gold? Do they like Lucky Charms? Can lepreclowns make balloon animals? Perhaps the more important question is how do lepreclowns fit into Troy's Theory of Leprechaun Reltivity? Does a lepreclown descend a rainbow at a rate of accleration close to 9.8 m/s2? I don't have the answers, but one thing is for sure....
Well they're some sad things known to man
But ain't too much sadder than
The tears of a lepreclown clown when there's no one around
Oh yeah, baby baby, oh yeah baby baby

-Let me tell you why I'm convinced that Dick's Sporting Goods is run by a couple of schisters. We have this machine in the footwear department that you step on and it analyzes your footprint and then is able to recommend what shoes work best for you. It is a smart machine and works well most of the time. However, I can't help but notice that it always, no matter what kind of foot you have, recommends the most expensive pair of shoes we have, which happens to cost $135. Don't get me wrong, they are great shoes if you can justify spending that kind of money on some molded foam and rubber. But for that machine to recommend them to everyone regardless of whether they would be good for them or not, well, that's just shady.

-Finally I would like to announce that Andy Henard and I have decided to drop out of college and begin attending culinary school. Our plan is to open up a variey of restraunts offering a variety of different cuisines. Here are some of our ideas for restraunt names.

1) A. J. Cooper's- this will be our crown achievment, it will be a classy place I assure you
2) Don Henard's Pasta Parlor- a fine Italian joint
3) Coops on the Beach- seafood anyone?
4) Casa del Henardo- Yeah, it's Mexican food.
5) La Maison Coops- we don't really expect the French chain to do well in the states.

I will of course have to take time off in the winter to run mine and Chris's exterior illumination business (we put up Christmas lights). Yes, Ill-lumination is going to be a huge success this holiday season.

On Air Freshners

2006-05-30T23:34:00.000-04:00

Let's talk about Glade Scented Oils for a second. Are you familiar with Glade Plug-Ins, the air freshners that you plug in and they continually freshen the air? Well, Glade Scented Oils are virtually the same thing, except that they are better because they burn oil. They create an aura of olfactory goodness in any room you choose to plug them into. One particular scent, "Refreshing Spa", is my absolute favorite smell of all time, and let me tell you every time I walk into my room and smell it, it puts me in a good mood. Now that is a powerful air freshner.

If you don't already have Glade Scented Oils in your home, go out right now and buy it right this minute. And make sure you try the "Refreshing Spa" scent. And throw away your old inferior air freshner because I promise you will never go back.

So that's all I really have to say about that.

On My First Birthday

2006-05-26T19:10:00.000-04:00

OK so last month I forgot to tell you that Cooperstown just celebrated it's very first birthday. Yes, it's been a whole year since I started a blog one night at Chris and Dustin's house for no reason at all. Who would have thought that it would have lasted this long? We've seen a lot of bloggers come and go, then come back, then go again, then come back again, then go again, but Cooperstown has not moved.

So in honor of Cooperstowns first birthday, I thought we could look back at previous posts. I want to know what your favorites were. Was it the one where I called out the dude at work who kept flirting with a girl by cursing at her? Was it the one where I talked about all of my nicknames? Was it the one where I reminisced about the summer of 2003?

I want your opinion here. Go back to the archives and check them out again if you need to. When all the feedback is in, we shall declare a "Best Post Of All Time".

Also, what is your favorite segment that I have done in the past? Is it "Here's What You Did"? Is it "Hey, remember when....."? Or is it "The Troy Woodyard Quote of the Week"? Again, give it some thought, and we shall declare a "Best Segment Of All Time".

Yet as much success as this blog has seen in the past year, we must also look to the future. We need new ideas, and therefore we need new segments. Of course we can keep the old segments, but if this relationship is going to work me need novelty and spontaneity. Here are a few ideas that I came up with:

-Stalker of the Month: This would be where I would pick out one of my blog stalkers and give them with the prestigious "Stalker of the Month" award. However, I should warn you that every month I am going to give the award to Sarah Foster. The other night I was just hanging out at the house and someone kept calling me and hanging up. I think it was Sarah. I think I might have to get the cops involved. Can you say restraining order?

-"Stupid Thing My Dog Did" of the Week: This weeks installment: my dog runs away only to be found sniffing flowers in my parents back yard.

-Andy Henard: Professional Joke Killer: This is where I post a joke, and then people keep the joke going for a while via comments, and then we all get to watch in awe as Andy comes in a kills the joke single-handedly with one quick stroke of the keyboard.

-Porter Phenomena: We already discussed why it is that we can't ever decide to where to eat after church. But there are other phenomena that must be addressed. For example, why is it that, after Darren lays down a filthy guitar solo on sunday morning, the first three rows feel the need to look back at me and point? Even people in the choir are starting to do it, it's getting out of control.

Got an idea for the blog? Let me know, I will always give your idea serious consideration.

On Some Lyrics

2006-05-18T23:51:00.000-04:00

These lyrics come from a new CD I got by a California band named Helen Stellar. I really like this band, partially becuse they write stuff like this....

There's more to life than death
moonlight in every breath
and love is ocean deep

There are stars that you can't see
stars I swear we'll reach
You need me to lead
I need you to believe

I don't know why but I really like those words. Maybe it's the imagery of it all.

On the Supreme Mandate

2006-05-17T13:02:00.000-04:00

About 4 years ago, after my freshman year of college, I owned a Red Jeep Cherokee. It was a good car, but it was nearly 12 years old at the time, and it's best years were behind it. Also at this time, I was giving Jason Lamb a lot of rides because he didn't have his driver's license. These were good times. But like I said, my Jeep had seen better days, and it was time for me to get a new vehicle. So at that time I bought what I currently drive now, a 1999 green Honda Civic.

Upon acquiring this vehicle, I felt the need to establish a set of rules that would protect my car, it's driver and it's passengers at all times. A "code of conduct", if you will. Since Jason rode in the car with me more than anyone at that time, I asked him to help me develop this mandate that would govern all behavior in my car. This mandate came to be known as "Wes and Jason's Supreme Mandate of Civic Behavior".

This mandate applies to all who ride in my car. Most people have complied with these regulations over the years. However, rules are forgotten over time and I feel the need to reiterate said mandate (with a few amendments).....

WES AND JASON, AS SUPREME OWNER AND CO-PILOT OF WES'S HONDA CIVIC, HEREBY DECREE THAT:

Article I. Jason Lamb shall ride in the front seat at ALL times, except when Article II is in effect. Article may also be known as Title IX.

Article II. Any lady in the car shall be given exclusive rights to ride in the front seat.
Section I. If there are two or more ladies present in the car at one time (and this happens frequently), those two ladies will work out a mutual agreement as to who shall ride in the front seat. If an agreement cannot be reached, then I, Wes, shall appoint a front seat rider in a fashion that I deem fair to all parties.
Section II. Any lady riding in the car holds the right to give up her front seat status. Should a lady benevolently give up her front seat rights, those rights would be passed on the other ladies in the car. If there are no more ladies in the car, then the person who calls "shotgun" fastest will be granted front seat status.

Article III. You shall not leave any trash (i.e. paper waste, food crumbs, soda cans, etc.) in the Civic at ANY time.
Section I. It is permissible that you bring food and beverage into the Civic, however that food or beverage must be approved by Wes.
Section II. If he so desires, Wes may "D Bo" any part of that food or beverage brought into his Civic. Consider it a "tariff" of sorts.

Article IV. You shall not leave your personal belongings in the Civic for an extended period of time.
Section I. Any personal belonging left in the Civic for more than 5 days shall be thrown out. Owners of these items will be given one notice of their left-behind belongings, but after that it is their responsibility to retrieve them.

Article V. You shall not adjust the stereo without Wes's consent.

Section I. If you do not like the music that is currently playing on the radio or in the CD player, you may kindly request Wes that he change the station or put a new CD in. However, he does not necessarily have to comply with your request, even though most times he will.
Section II. Anyone who says "This music sucks" and then proceeds to adjust the radio or CD player will immediately be kicked out of the car at the next stoplight.
Section III. You may bring your own music into the car if you wish, however it must be approved by Wes first.

Article VI. You shall not prank the Civic for ANY reason.
Section I. Any person who pranks the Civic shall suffer SEVERE consequences. Should you prank the Civic, you will not only have evoked my wrath but the wrath of the rest of the Porter Alliance, a large group of Porter men who will not tolerate their vehicles being pranked. Wes and Jason strongly suggest that you heed this warning. If a person pranks ANY car within the Alliance, the Alliance WILL find out who it is, and they WILL retaliate at some point in the future. The Alliance does not initiate anything, they only retaliate.

Article VII. There shall be no discussion of Facebook in the Civic unless it is approved by Wes first.
Section I. First-time offenders will be granted a warning. Second-time offenders will have their mouths taped shut for the remainder of the trip.

Article VIII. There shall be no telling Wes how to drive.

Section I. Trust that your driver will get you where your destination. If Wes wants advice on the quickest route to a destination, he will ask for it.

Article IX. There shall be no taking of loose change from the Civic.

Section I. If you need some change, ask and I will most likely give it to you. Don't just take it.

Article X. If Jason is in the car while you are driving, you shall address him as "My Liege".

THE OWNER AND CO-PILOT HAVE SPOKEN. SO IT HAS BEEN SPOKEN, AND SO SHALL IT BE. RESPECT THE CIVIC.

On Nate's Call For Cross-Blogging

2006-05-15T13:57:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I have to admit that I don't really know what "cross-blogging" is, but upon reading Nate C.'s last post about possible cross-blogging topics I found one that was of particular interest to me: cornhole. For those who don't know, cornhole is a popular game on college campuses these days, especially at fraternity houses. I, however, refuse to take part in such a unentertaining an unstimulating activity.

So here's what you do when you play cornhole. You have a couple of wooden boxes with holes in them place about 20 feet apart. You have two teams. Each team tries to throw a set number of beanbags into the holes in the opposite box. You also get points for having beanbags sitting on the box, so you can try to knock your opponents beanbags off. That's about the extent of it.

Does this game sound familiar? It should, you probably played at your elementary school carnival when you were 8 years old, right after you placed 3rd in the musical chairs cakewalk. (By the way, I won the cakewalk one year and I was given a carrotcake as a reward.....what right-minded child wants a carrotcake as a prize?). Or perhaps you won your girlfriend a stuffed animal once by playing it at an amusement park. HERE'S WHAT YOU DID CORNHOLE: You took the popular carnival game "beanbag toss" and made it a team game. Then you named it Cornhole. That's what you did.

Let me propose a better solution to those of you seeking cheap summer entertainment. A few years ago I was throwing the tennis ball at the La-z-Boy in my living room because I was bored. Well one time I threw the ball and it got stuck in one of the many crevices that this particular recliner had. It got me to thinking......"I could make this a game". So I went to my right-hand man, Andy J. Henard, in the room next to me and showed him my new discovery. Needless to say, Andy was sold on his first throw of the ball into the chair. Thus was born our new creation, La-z-Ball.

It started off simple: we would throw at the chair from inside the living room only. Then we started to test our skills a little more by moving outside. We began to throw from the foyer. Propping the front door open, we would throw from the front porch. Then from the front yard. And then from the sidewalk. No one could conquer the sidewalk, so that was as far as we got.

Later we added a points system to the game: certain crevices in the chair were worth varying amounts of points. We began to include others into our fun. We even took the chair out in the back yard for an entirely new experience. That, my friends, was the Golden Age of La-z-Ball.

Bottom Line: La-z-Ball is infinitely better than Cornhole. Now if you enjoy Cornhole, by all means go ahead and keep playing it. I don't want to stop you from having fun. But remember that you are playing a game that is really a lie....there may be a hole involved, but there is no corn. Is this the kind of game that you want your children playing, a game that is lying to them, promising things that it can't deliver? La-z-Ball delivers on it's promise: you get a La-z-Boy, and you get a ball. It's that simple.

So next Christmas, don't buy your kids that bicycle or XBox 360. Don't buy your wife those diamond earrings. Don't buy your dad that DVD player. Buy them what they really want: a La-z-boy and 3-pack of tennis balls. And after you and your family have finished playing a round of La-z-Ball, you can relax in your nice La-z-Boy recliner. Now that's the gift that keeps on giving.

On Pam and Jim Kissing

2006-05-12T14:05:00.000-04:00

Kristy B. asks what I thought about the season finale of The Office last night:

2006 may go down as the most drama-filled year for NBC shows. Capping it off last night was the season finale of The Office, where Jim confesses to Pam that he is in love with her, but she says she is sorry and that "she can't", and that she is sorry that she caused Jim to "misinterpret their friendship". The next scene then cuts to Pam at home talking to her mother on the phone 10 minutes later, and as she hangs up, Jim appears, and then they smooch. And then the season ends!!!!

I'm happy Jim got his feelings out in the open, but how can NBC end the season on that note? I can't wait all summer to see what happens! What did the kiss mean? Is Pam going to break off her engagement to that chump? Are we going to find out what happened after they kissed? HOW IN THE HECK COULD PAM ACT TOWARD JIM THE WAY SHE DID AND THEN ACCUSE HIM OF MISINTERPRETING THEIR FRIENDSHIP?!?!?!? That's just rediculous.

My heart goes out to poor Jim. And now he is considering transferring to another branch, but won't know for sure till next season. It's going to be a long summer.

On What I Want To Be When I Grow Up

2006-05-10T22:34:00.000-04:00

So a lot of people have been asking me lately about my college studies and my plans after college. I guess it's because school just let out and that kind of stuff is on people's minds. Maybe some people are just genuinely interested in my future. But when someone asks me what I want to do after I graduate, I tell them I'm not really sure. I tell them I plan to work some, then probably go to grad school. Sometimes I feel like that is a loaded question, because the answer to that question "What do you want to be when you grow up?" has changed so much over the years.

My first memory of actually considering my future career came at a young age, probably 7 or so. My mom asked me in the car what I wanted to be when I grew up. I said I wanted to be a baseball player. My mom, however, told me that the odds of me becoming a pro baseball player were pretty slim and that I should probably consider something else. Ouch. So that dream died pretty quick. She recommended that I be an air-traffic controller. Why? I have no idea. But for a good while I thought that hat seemed like a good option for me. But then I was told that if you make one mistake you could cause a plane to crash. I didn't want that kind of pressure on me. So that dream died too.

Then I moved into the phase where I thought I would be a doctor. It seemed like a cool job and it paid well. This lasted up until middle school, when I met a man (who shall remain nameless) who was currently in med school. He told me about all the extra education I would need, then I heard all about how when he was on call he had to frequently get up in the middle of the night to go to the hospital to treat patients in the ER. Then he told me that I shouldn't base my career decisions on his med school/residency experiences, but by that time it was too late. I was pretty turned off at the idea of having to participate in surgeries, late-night shifts, and re-attaching dismembered limbs that people lost while trying to jump on trains. So that dream died.

Then came the idea of being an architect. This was my high school aspiration up until junior year, when I took an architectural drafting class. It was fun at first, but after a while it was incredibly boring. I could never have a career where I stared a at computer screen all day, I would go crazy. So, regrettably, that dream died along with the others.

Then came senior year where I did several internships with various teachers across the city. Working with kids was a lot of fun, and I thought that teaching might be the way to go for me. But teachers are not paid too much; not that money is the most important thing in life, but I wanted to make enough to support a family later on down the road. So that idea got the boot as well.

College arrived, and I declared as a kinesiology major. I wanted to do something along the lines of athletic training. I liked sports, I liked exercise, so you would think that this would be a good field for me. Wrong. I soon found myself sick of hearing people in class talking about how they worked out 27 times a week. I didn't want to hear about that the rest of my life. So that dream ended quickly.

Then I sat down and thought about this whole thing. I asked myself "What am I interested in?". People. Then I asked myself "What classes have I enjoyed most in college?". The answer: psychology. I had already taken a bunch of them and had enjoyed them all. So I thought about it and decided that that was where I belonged. A new dream was begun.

So now here I am, a year away from graduating, and I still don't really know what career I will pursue. But I do know what I am interested in. I want to know what makes people do what they do, act the way they act, say what they say, think they way they think. Why do some of us feel the need for attention but some of us don't? What makes people shy? Why do people feel the need to justify getting on Facebook by saying things like "I was bored the other day, so I got on Facebook....."? (It's really not that big of a deal, guys and girls. Everyone does it, there is nothing to be ashamed of.) I want a career that deals with human thought, human interaction, human behavior. So psychology is a great fit for me.

So the next question is "What area of psychology do you plan on studying?" Another valid question, but with a simpler answer: go wherever the money is. Do something that you enjoy, but go where the money is. So that's what I am going to do.

It's funny how things changed over time: my interests, my priorities, my opinions. But it all worked out in the end. I still don't know for sure "what I am going to be when I grow up", even though in many ways I am already grown up. I'm looking at a possible pyschology career in the business world (that's where the money is), but that could change, you never know. My friend is heading out to California soon to pursue his film directing career, so as soon as he makes it big he is gonna hook me up with a sweet acting job. And if things keep going well with the softball team, I may just drop out of school and pursue my original dream of being a pro baseball player. I'm pretty sure mom was wrong about that whole idea, I could have been the next Ted Williams.

Make It A Good One

2006-05-07T23:21:00.000-04:00

No school. Sitting around. Hangin out. Hawaiian Shaved Ices. Freeze pops.Sitting up on the roof. Time. Ice cream. The Gorge. The beach. Boredom. Ultimate frisbee. Randomness. Vacation. The sun. Cedar Point. The Mighty MilFo. Grills. Cookouts. Guitars. Late nights. Sleeping in. Concerts. Shakespeare in the Park. Thunderstorms. Mulching. Fireworks. Long walks. Romance. Shorts. Sandals. Sunscreen. Sandwiches. Baseball. World Cup. Friends. Driving with the windows down. Sunglasses. Movies. Fusball. More blogging time. More blogging material. Laziness. Playoffs. Tree-climbing. Star-gazing. Firebrook fountain. Fireflies. Warm nights. Jazz. Miles Davis.Birthdays. Bible studies. Irony. Musing. Pranks. Change. Growth. Expression. Road trips. Work. Conversation. Decks and patios. Plans. People. Pools. Softball. Volleyball. Downtown. Dancing. Long-lost friends. Drama. Anticipation. Video games. Acting like a kid again. TV. Excercise. Bare feet. Moving. New experiences. Raquetball. Phonecalls. Fun. Tears. Frustration. Heartbreak. Surprises. Playfulness. Imagination. Josh Groban. Haircuts. Card games. IPods. Winning. Losing. Giving. Taking. Joy. Anger. Going too fast. Taking it slow. Making. Breaking. Grabbing on. Letting go. Falling back. Moving forward. Love. Hate. The new. The old. The good. The bad. The ugly. Falling down. Getting up. Being open. Being closed. Sinking. Swimming. More. Less. Birth. Death. Being loud. Being silent. Laughing. Crying. Knowing. Forgetting. Learning..........

On Danica's Demise

2006-05-02T15:16:00.000-04:00

Well I'm at work today watching Cold Pizza on ESPN2, a show that I genuinely enjoy on a fairly regular basis. One of today's guests was female Indy Car driver Danica Patrick. As you may know, 24-year old Danica is one of only a few women who have raced in the Indy 500, and she is the only one who can say that she led for at least 1 lap (she led 19 to be exact).

While I know nothing about racing (nor do I really care), I was about to tune out the conversation when suddenly something caught my attention. Apparently Mrs. Patrick has her own book out now where she discusses her rise to stardom, what it's like being a woman in a "man's sport", etc. Writer's apparently showed interest in Danica soon after last year's race, and desired to help her write this "autobiography".

While I have no problems with Danica Patrick the person, I do have problems with this whole book ordeal. She hasn't accomplished anything worthy of a book deal. I mean she raced well at Indy last year, but she didn't win. She hasn't won anything, as a matter of fact. And she is not the first woman to race at Indy; there have been others before her.

Her career has just started; so why does a 24 year-old race car driver get a book deal? I'll tell you why: because she is an attractive woman. Let's just be honest here...would she be getting all this attention had it not been for her looks? I doubt it. I'm not trying to take away from her talent, but her looks, not her driving, have made her successful so far in her young career.

Remember a few years ago when a young girl named Sarah Fischer raced at the Indy 500? It was a "big deal", but all the buzz dies away after the race. Why? She just wasn't as attractive as Danica Patrick. Indy was only the beginning for Danica. Next came TV commericals for motor oil, photo shoots for magazines, countless TV appearances, and now a book deal.

I've written about this topic before, but I felt the need to address it again. Like I said, I have nothing against Danica. My only beef is with the media's exploitation of people (specifically those considered attractive by the general public) just to make a buck. During the interview, even Danica herself questioned why she had a book, saying something to the effect of "I don't really know why they wanted to write about my life. I guess they see something interesting about my life that I don't know about. But I guess now I can say I'm an author". You're right Danica, they do see something. They see $$$$$$.

My point here is this: is it really that big of a deal that she has an autobiography at age 24? Not really. But think about this: even some of the most prominent people in American history didn't write books until much later in life. Bill Clinton. Malcolm X. Martin Luther King Jr. Has Danica really accomplished what these people have? No, she led 19 laps at the Indy 500.

My greatest fear is that overexposure will catch up to her. I would like to see her succeed as a racer, I think that would be fantastic. But the media can wear you down and hinder your career. It would be a shame if that happened to such a promising and talented young person as Danica Patrick.

I have a final exam in 45 minutes

2006-05-01T19:40:00.000-04:00

So..........I have a final in 45 minutes. Shouldn't I be studying? Probably. But I feel ready for it. It is my French final. I've got a good feeling about it. I did my jazz presentation earlier today and let me say that it was flawless. I must admit that I was a bit worried that my group members would let me down but they came through for me. For us, I mean. It was a group effort, it's not all about me.

So........I'm missing the Yanks/Red Sox game tonight because of this final. I'm missing Johnny Damon being booed. Not cool, I wanted to join in with the booing. Good news: Tim Wakefield got his old knuckelball catcher back. No more crucial errors by Josh Bard.

So........how bout this weather? Nice huh?

So.......I applied for a job working in a law office this summer. Know what I put on my resume? "I watch a lot of Law & Order: SVU, so I have a pretty good knowledge of how the legal system works." Ok, so I didn't really put that on my resume. But it's still true........

So.....tomorrow night's episode of Scrubs could be huge!!! Is Dr. Cox really gone????? What will I do without him???? YOU ARE KILLING ME NBC. STOP KICKING MY HEART AROUND! First, you break up Stabler and Benson on SVU, and now you want to get rid of Dr. Cox???? It's too much drama for me.

So......I gotta go take that final now. Au revoir mes amis, j'espere que je vais prendre un "A" sur mon examen finale.

On a variety of topics

2006-04-24T23:15:00.000-04:00

ON WHAT HAPPENED IN ENGLISH CLASS TODAY: Well I had to give that girls paper her review, so when it came time for my turn, I took a deep breath and said "Look, I'm just gonna be brutally honest with you here. You're paper was really hard to read. I mean I know you are trying to make your paper creative and all, and you have a really good idea, but all this is is a pychological evaluation from a character in the book. I felt like I was reading a lab report. A really long lab report. I'm a psychology major, so this stuff interests me and I still found it hard to read. So that's how I feel about it". Well she took it pretty well. I mean am I supposed to lie to this girl? That wouldn't do anyone any good. I hope I didn't come across too harsh on this girl.

ON WHY I HATE GROUP PROJECTS: Because they are pointless, you learn nothing. And it is extremely hard to find a time when everyone can meet. And because I feel like the university is making a point of forcing me to do a certain number of group projects before I graduate. I learned how to cooperate with my peers in grade school, why are they trying to teach me this again?

ON WHY I HAVE DECIDED TO STAY AT UK FOR AN EXTRA SEMESTER: Because I want to finish my business minor so I can be a well-rounded individual. I would feel like I wasted so much time taking those accounting classes if I graduated without my business minor.

ON WHY I AM ANNOYED BY WAR PROTESTERS WITH BULLHORNS: Because protesting is no longer about the war, it is about protesting because you can protest. If you want to have a rally, that's fine with me. Keep it to yourself, don't yell into a bullhorn in front of classroom building every Friday. That just makes people not like you. What gets me really upset is that according to the Kernel, when a teacher asked them to stop because it was interrupting his class, the protest leader said that his protest was more important than the teacher's class. You know what? No it's not. You just want something to argue with. And if this war ended today, I guarantee that you would find something else to protest just to protest.

ON WHY JASON LAMB IS THE FUNNIEST PERSON I KNOW: Only Lambo could go into a restaurant and, when the hostess asked for his name, give them "Myliege" as his last name. That way, when his party was called, she would say "My liege, party of 5." That's hilarious.

ON BLOG STALKERS: Apparently if you read someone's blog consistently and you have not met that person you are their "blog stalker". I would say that's not really true. I have blog stalkers: I have met them (I guess if I met them then they aren't stalkers anymore). Does it bother me? No. I wouldn't put stuff up here if I didn't want people to read it. So, MESSAGE TO "BLOG STALKERS": Keep reading, I don't mind. You are not a stalker for reading a blog and not having met that person. Just don't stare at me through my bedroom window while I am asleep.

This and That....

2006-04-23T23:53:00.000-04:00

What I Know: Bob Gillette and his family joined Porter today, and that makes me happy.
What I Think: Bob Gillette is a freaking stud. I can't wait to be walking down the church hallway and hear him say things like "Now look here beloved.....Real GDP is a better measure of output than nominal GDP.....Amen? Amen?"

What I Know: The softball team lost a heartbreaker this Thursday night.
What I Think: This team has heart. We mounted a nice comeback last game. We've got the tools to win. We will bounce back next week.

What I Know: We all get a little sad sometimes.
What I Think: If you are ever feeling a little down, I have just the remedy for you. Watch Jim Mora rant about how bad his team plated after a game a few years ago. I promise you will laugh and feel better. Or visit this site where it just loops over and over and over....

What I Know: I have to review my fellow students' papers in my English class.
What I Think: So I'm reading this one girls paper and I'm gonna be honest, it was just stupid. She was trying to be creative and what not, but Wes just wasn't buying it. I mean, she is capable of writing well, I have seen her do it before. But this paper was just like reading a lab report. How should I break the news to this girl?

What I Know: I heard my favorite Led Zeppelin, Since I've Been Lovin' You, on the way home tonight.
What I Think: I've never heard a song where a man can make a guitar speak with such emotion like Jimmy Page does in that song. I mean, it's like he sums up all the lyrics of the song into one amazing guitar solo. Amazing.

What I Know: School is not fun.
What I Think: It can be more fun if you make it that way. For a long time in college I was the dude who sat back and listened to people talk, then ridiculed them in my mind because all they did was talk about how drunk they got last night or who they were gonna hook it up with next. And you know what? School was boring and depressing. So I tried something different: I tried talking to people. And you know what? It makes a difference. Your college experience will be much more pleasant, I promise. People are more interested in what you have to say than you may think.

Ghosts n' Such

2006-04-19T23:13:00.000-04:00

Ok so I'm watching this show called Ghost Hunters tonight where these guys run around with all this fancy equipment trying to find ghosts and supernatural activity and what not. Well in this episode they go in this house late at night and this guy and girl on the ghost-hunting team lay in this dude's bed and wait for the ghost to come out. Well they wait a while a no ghost comes. So what do they do to try and get the ghost to come out? They insult it. The dude calls the ghost a wimp and the girl says to the ghost "I don't think you have the b***s to try anything".

HERE'S WHAT YOU DID GHOST HUNTERS: You were trying to find the ghost, but it wouldn't come out. So you taunted it. That's what you did.

Seriously, who taunts a ghost? Is that really the best method of getting the ghost to reveal itself? You think that you are going to insult a ghost enough to where you hurt its pride and so it has to come out and defend it's honor? Absurd. And don't you think that taunting it might make it a little upset? I wouldn't want an angry ghost on my hands. I mean what good can possibly come from insulting the paranormal? You end up with crap like this happening (see image to the right).

Does she look familiar? Remember the girl from The Ring (see left image)? They look an awful lot alike to me. The last thing we really need is that little girl calling people on the phone and telling people " AHHHH YOU WILL DIE IN SEVEN DAYS AHHHHH", then crawling out of people's TV's and killing them.

Bottom line: I don't know about you, but I don't really want dudes like this running around raising up ghosts that can levitate or crawl out of a TV. I already have enough to worry about right now. The saddest part here is that these people get paid for it. That's just rediculous.

.....and the answers

2006-04-18T23:07:00.000-04:00

The answers to your questions:

Woody asks "I am struggling with the issue of Trichotomy, Dichotomy and Psychosomatic Unity....which do you hold to? Can you also help me with the Traducianism and Creationism view's...little confused."
Answer: You can't see me right now, but I am pushing my glasses up the bridge of my nose.

Liz asks "How will I go on if Benson and Stabler are really not partners anymore? "
Answer: How will any of us go on Liz? Stabler and Benson go together like cookies and milk, for them not to be partners anymore would be a travesty. Let us hope and pray that it doesn't come to that.

Justin asks "What came first the chicken or the egg?"
Answer: The chicken came first, and shortly after that came Chik-Fil-A.

Matt asks "Hey Wes, this girls' parents are trying to set my up with their daughter who lives in another country. Is that weird?"
Answer: Two things are wierd here.....1) The girl's parents are trying to hook you up with her. 2) She lives in another country. Here's what I would do Matt: First, find out what country she lives in and why she is there. Secondly, go there and get to know this girl. Three things can happen: a) you get there, she turns out to be a fantastic girl, and you all get married b) you get there, she turns out to be not quite the girl you are looking for, but she lives in Italy or some nice country like that, so you take a nice little vacation while you are over there, or c) you get there, she is not quite the girl you are looking for, and she lives in some place like Norway where it is cold and there is nothing to do. You've got a 2 out of 3 chance.

Kenny asks "How high is up? "
Answer: Hmmm, that's a tough question KB, so I'm going to give the morally relative answer and say that "up" is whatever height you want it to be.

Andy asks "Why do we have two nipples?"
Answer: Andy, didn't we already discuss this? Do I need to tell you again? Ha ha.

Smitty asks "Why do the sterilize the needle for the lethal injection?"
Answer: Another good question, my best guess is that after they reuse the needles on other prisoners who are being treated for illness.

Perhaps Sunday nights will be "Dear Cooperstown" nights from now on. I will ponder it......

Dear Cooperstown (Again).........

2006-04-16T23:20:00.000-04:00

Let's talk for a second about some simple things that make me happy. I'm driving home from Cheddar's tonight and I've got three things going for me. First, the weather is fantastic. 60 degrees, some heat lightning off in the distance...fantastic. Second, my car smells rediculously great. My Apple-Secented Yankee Candle Gel Car Air-Freshener is awesome. Thirdly, at 11pm every Sunday night on 100.1 FM it's a full hour of Led Zeppelin. So I'm cruisin along, headed for WoFo County, enjoying the weather, inhaling great-smelling air and listening to some of my favorite tunes. That simple 20 minutes makes my day.

Now then, on to business. A good while ago I did a post calls "Coops Gives You Advice" where I addressed several questions that readers of this blog were struggling with. Well I'm bringing it back tonight. If you need some advice, or just have a question about something, let me hear it. Whether it's that question that's been burning your mind all your life or just something simple, I want to answer it. Don't be shy, I know you all have issues that need to be addressed. Well, I'm your man. Give me your best shot.

1-0 Baby!!!!!!

2006-04-14T12:05:00.000-04:00

So last night's softball performance was strong to very strong. Minimal errors, solid hitting. That's all there is to it really. Everyone played their part, it was a team effort. But there is need for some special recognition. My awards:

Most Valuable Player: Jeff Griffin. Jeff hit a grand slam that really broke the game wide open. Nice work Francise.

Most Valuable Coach: Troy Woodyard. Coaching third base isn't easy, but T. Woody sure makes it look that way. And I must note that he was stylin' out there too, with his "coach" shirt and thong sandals.

Most Valuable Fan: Morgan Fischer. What is better than Capri-Suns and fruit snacks after the game? Strong work Team Mom.

Web Gem of the Night: How about Chandler's nice double play?

WE ARE 1-0 FOR THE FIRST TIME. LET'S KEEP THE STREAK ALIVE.

That's What I'm Talkin' Bout

2006-04-12T23:04:00.000-04:00

Well The Dilemma lost their first indoor soccer game tonight, 8-2. We played a pretty good first half, but we just got tired in the second half. But that's ok, we are all a little rusty (and out of shape). We will get our game back. Next game is Wednesday April 19th @ 9 pm again, same place.

Now normally after losing a game I am not in a very pleasant mood, especially when I did not play as well I could have (as was the case this evening). However, after tonight's game I was excited because of the way we conducted ourselves this evening. There were a lot of eyes watching you tonight: your peers, other players, even some high schoolers from our church. And each and every one of you set a stellar example tonight, and for that I am extremely proud. And you even went beyond that. For a long time now Dustin has been stressing how we need to love each other, and not just at church. I was excited to see so many of you doing that tonight, even if it was in small ways. I saw Chandler help a guy up after he fell in front of goal, I heard Austin compliment the goalie for the other team after he made a nice save. That's what I talkin about fellas!!!! Again, these are small things, but people notice them. At least I know I do.

Sure, we are playing soccer for fun. And to win. But as I said earlier after the game, we also play for a greater reason. This is a ministry just like anything else is. This is going out into the world. There were a lot of lost people there tonight, and maybe just one seed was planted because of how you all acted. Again, I am proud and thankful for that.

So tomorrow night we've got a softball game, and the same things apply regardless of whether it is a church league or not. There's bound to be some bad calls this season, there's bound be some jerks on the other teams, and we're bound to get crushed by at least one team. These are the times when our true colors come out. I was once playing basketball at church with some friends One of the players was a person of high religous status, and he was not setting the best example. I asked my friend about it and he said something to the effect "Yeah, well this isn't the real (name). You can't judge him by how he acts on the basketball court." I beg to differ. When we are pressed and stressed to the limit, that's when our true selves manifest themsleves (that's somwhere in the Bible, forgive me for not knowing where).

Let me just say that I am the chief of sinners here, as I know that I like to argue calls, complain when we are losing, or complain about pretty much anything. But that's not how I should be acting. And I find that when I am obedient to God in those areas, I have more fun at the game, even when things aren't going my way.

So as you are playing tomorrow night, do two things: 1) remember who you are representing when you are out on the field, and remember the real reason that we have a softball team and 2) look for ways to love one another, even if it is something small. I promise that two things will happen: 1) God will be pleased with you and 2) you will find that you are having fun even when we are down by 15 runs to the Mormons.

Song of the Week

2006-04-10T23:10:00.000-04:00

So most people who know me are aware that I really don't like Tom Petty. However, he does have one song that I absolutely love. It's ironic, really. That song is Learning to Fly, and it kind of goes along with my last post. It is my "Song of the Week" for this week.

Well I started out down a dirty road
Started out all alone
And the sun went down as I crossed the hill
The town lit up, the world got still

I’m learning to fly, but I ain’t got wings
Comin’ down is the hardest thing

Well the good old days may not return
And the rocks might melt, and the sea may burn

I’m learning to fly but I ain’t got wings
Comin’ down is the hardest thing

Well some say life will beat you down
Break your heart, steal your crown
So I started out for God knows where
But I guess I’ll know when I get there

I’m learning to fly around the clouds
But what goes up must come down
I’m learning to fly but I ain’t got wings
Comin’ down is the hardest thing

I really don't like your music, Tom, but you came up strong on this one.

In The Game of Life, It's Always Baseball Season

2006-04-09T23:47:00.000-04:00

Do you smell that? Do you recognize that smell? Yes, friends, it is baseball season. America's passtime. Church softball. Summer is near. I have had baseball on the mind lately. The Red Sox are doing well (ok, not well, but FABULOUS). Our first church softball game is this Thursday night. Dustin is talking about Fred McGriff a lot. Everywhere you look, it's baseball baseball baseball.

I like baseball; it's not my favorite sport, but I like it. It may not have the beauty that soccer does, the power that football does, or the drunk and rowdy fans that hockey has, but it has intelligence. Baseball is a thinking man's game. You have to be ahead of the game at every at bat. You have to use your resources wisely. You have to react more quickly than in any other sport. Baseball, real baseball, requires you to analyze every play, every pitch, every swing. Attention to detail is paramount to success.

So where am I going with this? Just chill dude (or" just chill girl" if you are female). Don't rush me. Anyway, you know you want this post to go on longer so you can have an excuse to not be doing your work at your desk right now.

Anyway, today I was thinking about how much life is like baseball. Yeah, metaphors are lame, but here me out here. I promise I won't compare God to a pressure-washer who "washes away the sins off our dirty dirty sidewalks that we call souls". But I've done a lot of thinking today, a LOT of thinking today, and somehow baseball just merged into what I was thinking about. And it all fits.

So here we go. Life is one big baseball game. We all have a certain number of at-bats, if you will, times when we are called upon to step up to the plate and take a swing. We step out of the dugout, gaze at the screaming crowd, and walk up to the plate. We dig our feet into the batters box and take our stance, ready for whatever life is going to throw at us. We wait for the pitch. The Pitcher winds up, delivers the pitch, and......

Swing and a miss. A curveball? I thought life only threw fastballs. That's not fair, I want another pitch.

Swing and a miss. A change-up?! Give me a fastball! Another pitch, please.

Swing and a miss. Strike three, you're out. A slider? Are you kidding me? Why won't life give me an easy pitch to hit!

Ah, and therein lies the problem. The Pitcher doesn't give us easy pitches to hit. After all, what good is a batter who can only hit fastballs? He's no good, I tell ya. No good at all.

But that doesn't mean you can't hit a curveball. If you study The Pitcher you can hit almost anything. If you watch the spin on the ball you can hit a slider. If you are patient and don't swing to early you can hit a change-up. And if you follow that ball all the way in and adjust your swing accordingly you can even hit those pesky curveballs.

But most importantly, you must know that you can't hit jack squat if you aren't practicing your swing. Nobody hits a home run the first time they pick up a bat. And even more importantly, you gotta study that scouting report. You better know the Man who is throwing you all these pitches.

Striking out because you couldn't hit the pitches is certainly not a good thing, but what is even worse is not swinging the bat at any pitch and striking out (ahem Troy ahem). Sometimes we are scared, sometimes we aren't ready for the pitch, and sometimes we are too busy waving at the cute girl in the crowd to really care what's going on in the game.

I'm not going to explain the metaphor; take it however you want. But here is my main point: life is gonna throw you curveballs., so you gotta adjust to it. It's cliche, but it's unbelievably true. I've had about 12 curveballs thrown at me this weeks alone. Did I hit any of them? Maybe, I don't really know yet. I guess we'll see.

And keep in mind that even if you make contact with the ball, it won't always be a hit. But I don't think that God wants us to get a hit every time. He just wants us to put the ball in play. And maybe that's why He throws so many different pitches: to get us to hit the ball in different ways. Sometimes he let's us hit a home run, and sometimes he let's us ground out to second. And even if we strike out swinging...hey, at least we learned something from that strikeout and hopefully next time up we will put the bat on the ball.

I'll be honest, I hate adjusting for curveballs, I hate trying to read sliders, and I really hate being patient on change-ups. But that's the way it's gotta be. That's the only way I will become a better baseball player. And I think I am starting to become ok with that.

......I hope that my metaphor has not been too incredibly lame for you........

What's up?

2006-04-03T19:18:00.000-04:00

I apologize for the lack of posts lately. I know it gets said a lot, but I was very busy last week so the blog kind of got pushed back into the corner. I finished most of my homework early tonight, so I thought I might break the silence with a quick post.

-The official name, as many of you may know by now, is "The Dilemma", as nominated by the brilliant Troy Woodyard. Had Jason nominated "My Liege" just a bit earlier, it would have been my selection, but alas I had already turned the team in when he posted his suggestion.

-I had a great weekend.

-Tomorrow is the day that Sanctus Real releases their new album The Face of Love. I look forward to it.

-I won't be watching tonights game, mostly becasue I don't care that much.

- #1 Mistake I Made Today: Wearing shorts to school. The wind was blowing about 50 mph today, and it was about 50 degrees with no sun out.

- #2 Mistake I Made Today: Doing the wrong peer review for English class. Oops.

- #1 Thing I Did Right Today: Went to the Student Center for lunch at the same time as Chandler and Kelli. The result: a free meal on Kelli's meal card (and good conversation with the two of them I might add). Thanks best friend.

- #2 Thing I Did Right Today: Got my homework for Wednesday finished. Solid.

-Troy Woodyard Quote of the Week:
-Person A: (to Travis Claypool) Hey Travis, where are you from?
-Travis: Hallsville.
-Person A: Hmmmm, who do I know from Hallsville?
-Troy: (to Person A) Travis.

-Tommorrow night's SVU looks to be even more stellar than usual. It has to be better than lasy weeks performance by Ludacris.

I hope you are all doing well, let's all try to behave ourselves this week.

Team Name

2006-03-27T13:41:00.000-05:00

The Dilemma: Porter's indoor soccer team starts play in a couple of weeks, and we need a team name ASAP. I am turning the team in on either Wednesday or Thursday, and I have no idea what we should call the team this year.

The Solution: Ask the public. I want YOU to name the team. It doesn't matter who you are: man, woman, boy or girl, leave me your best idea(s) for a team name between now and Wednesday or Thursday, and I will pick the one I think best fits for our team. Leave your suggestions in comment form here on the blog, or if you get a great idea and your are away from your computer, send me a text message. All suggestions will be taken into consideration.

We need your help people. Don't let us down.

I Was Right!!!!!!

2006-03-22T14:16:00.000-05:00

You know that song "In The Air Tonight" by Phil Collins? Everyone tried to tell me that that song went "I can feel it coming in the air tonight, hold on". I insisted that he is not saying "hold on" but that he is in fact saying "Oh Lord". Everyone said I was wrong and stupid. Well I just looked up the lyrics, and guess what? It's "Oh Lord"!!!!!!!!!!!! I WAS RIGHT!!!!!! I WAS RIGHT!!!!!!

So to all those who said I was wrong, who's laughing now? Allison Lamb, I believe you were the first to disagree. Jason Lamb, I think you finally agreed with me a while ago, but I'm not sure. And Hollice, where you at? Where you at? I was right Hollice Lamb, and now I have the facts to prove it. Look it up yourself.

Moral of the Story: Don't second-guess Coops. And for those keeping score, that's Wes-1, Hollice-0. Booyah.

Spring Break And Other Thoughts

2006-03-21T16:16:00.000-05:00

Hello all, I hope that everyone had a fantastic Spring Break. I had the opportunity to go to New Orleans with fellow college group members to mud-out houses that were hit hardest by Hurricane Katrina. What an amazing sight it was to see first-hand what the storm did to the entire region....the pictures you see on TV just don't tell the whole story. It was hard work and I missed the opening round of the NCAA tourney, but I don't have any regrets. I learned a lot and hopefully by our work lives were touched and God was glorified. I commend all of you who went for the hard-work you put in and the good attitudes you kept for the duration of the trip....I know it was hard sometimes, lack of sleep will do that to ya.

I look forward to this weekend as Chris and I will be teaching the 9th/10th grade boys for Desciple Now weekend at Porter. I am excited to get to spend time with promising young men such as John Bailey Jr. I got to hang out with his dad, the one and only John "Boss" Bailey Sr. on the trip. Needless to say that man is now one of my favorite people. I see Little John (no pun intended HA HA HA) a lot at the mall when I am a work, he always struts up to me and says hi at work. It should be an interesing weekend......

I've got nothing else to say except that I am thinking about selling my XBox so if anyone (Tapp) is interested I might just dump it off on you (Tapp) for the right price. Of course I would include for you (Tapp) all the games I have if you (Tapp) want them.

Hopefully soon I will have something interesting to talk about, but until then I bid you all a pleasant day.

MORE Valuable Lessons From Tapp

2006-03-06T21:56:00.000-05:00

So this past Saturday I did absolutely NOTHING... I sat around all day (partly because I wasn't feeling too well and partly because I didn't really have anything to do). So I ended up playing a lot of XBox, something I haven't had the chance to do in a long time. Well I had previously started a career on FIFA '05 (that's soccer for those who don't know) as coach of Aberdeen in the Scottish Premier League. Now this was not a very good team when I took over but I made a key trades and now we run all over people. Anyway I was playing a game against a team that I should be beating pretty soundly, except that my players were just letting the other team push them around all over the place (for a mental image of this, imagine how Florida pushed UK around on Sunday, except on the soccer field). We weren't getting to the loose balls, we weren't winning the battles for headers, and we sure as heck weren't shielding the ball.

Well about midway through the second half I had seen enough of this garbage. I tried to think of ways I could get my players to get in gear. You can't mass substitute in soccer, so that wasn't an option. You can't call a timeout, there are not timeouts in soccer. So I thought to myself "What would Tapp do in this situation?" Now Tapp knows nothing about soccer, but he does know how to motivate his players no matter what sport they are playing. So I did what Tapp always did to get his players to do what he wanted: I yelled at the TV. I called them girls (no offense ladies, women's soccer is the truth too). I questioned their manhood publicly. I asked them to remember who and what they played for. I mean really let them have it.

Now I usually don't yell at the TV (except during the occasional UK game), I was told when I was but a young lad that yelling at the TV did no good. But by golly it actually worked this time. All of the sudden we were dominating the other team with no mercy. It was a thing of beauty. A couple of quick goals ensued and the game was won.

Some will say that it is just coincidence, but I say don't be so sure. A part of me thinks that these video games are way smarter than we think....They have minds of their own. Just ask anyone who has played NCAA Football 06, that game learns your style of play and will shut you down if you don't adjust.

Once again, the Tapp method proved to be the better way. I don't remember if I ever saw the TV respond to Tapp screaming at it (then again he was not very articulate in his screaming, so maybe it just couldn't understand him), but the first time I tried it it worked for me. Let's all remember this next time something on the TV isn't quite like you want it. However, you don't have to be quite as animated as Tapp (e.g flying out of your chair and getting directly in front of the TV screaming a bunch of nonsense at it, all while throwing you arms about wildly).

Let's use an example. Let's say that, like me, you love The Office, and you want Jim and Pam too hook up because Jim is a stud and Pam's fiancee is a major-league chump. Now you could just sit back and let fate run it's course. Or you can get involved. You might say to the TV in a loud voice "Go for it Jim, what have you got to lose? It might be easier for you to be on vacation during Pam's wedding....But then how will you be able tp object in the middle of the ceremony? I mean come on!!!!!"

Or perhaps Stabler has kept his cool for the entire episode of Law & Order: SVU, but the suspect is a major jerk and he is smarting off and you want to see Stabler rough him up a little bit. You might just encourage him in a loud voice, saying "Come on Stabler, don't let this dude get the best of you. Slap this fool around a little bit, the Captain won't care." Maybe Stabler will heed your advice.

It's all about interactive TV people. Maybe it doesn't work all the time, but the time it does work it is totally worth it. So once gain, let's thank that eternal well of wisdom Justin Tapp for sharing his valuable knowledge, even if it only works part of the time.

Lessons From Tapp

2006-03-01T13:17:00.000-05:00

So today in English the big topic of discussion was "Is all love selfish? Can we love unselfishly? What is real love?". A good topic to discuss. I thought about giving my two cents worth of opinion today in class, but someone else stole my thunder and I didn't want to repeat it. But upon giving those questions some thought, a classic Justin Tapp quote came to my mind. We were discussing Tapp's impending marriage, what it is to love, can you choose to love anyone, etc. I don't even know if Tapp remembers saying this, but here's the comment he made (or at least the general idea) :

"Love is like this: your lying on your couch after a hard days work, getting ready to watch the UK basketball game. Your wife enters the room, sits right up next to you and says "Let's watch Extreme Home Makeover". Now, you have been planning on watching this game for several days, and you really want to watch it. But you value your wife's wishes over your own, so you don't argue or complain about it. You just say "Okay, let's watch it", flip the channel over and watch Extreme Home Makeover together. That's the way I look at it.

Tapp may have said some crazy stuff, but this is one topic where he is right on the money. I even almost used this quote in class today. For some reason it has stuck with me ever since he said it.

Tapp's example may seem like a small thing, but even the little things matter. So I say thank you Tapp, I think we have all learned a very valuable lesson today.

USP

2006-02-28T15:45:00.000-05:00

A fellow churchmember of mine recently pubished an article in the Kentucky Kerenl where she addresses the notion that USP requirements (specifically "Dinosaurs and Disasters") don't benefit her political career. While I thought the article was well written, I have to respecfully disagree with this opinion. I found that USP classes can have a very profound effect on one's college experience and future career. I have a few reasons:

USP courses give you a variety of material. They allow you to find out what areas you are interested in and which ones you are not. I did not know that I wanted to major in psychology when I first started college. But by taking Psychology 100 my freshman year I found out that it was a subject that I was greatly interested in. If not for USP I could be doing something else that I do not enjoy.
They allow you to get used to college. Very few people are truly ready for college when they start. Most struggle at some point and some even drop out. USP courses allow you that time to adapt to college life before the real pressure starts to build up as you get farther into your major.
You can choose from a variety of USP courses, it's not like I had to take a specific class. You choose from various history, science, or humnaity classes that YOU are interested in. No one forces you to take something you don't want to take (except for the inevitable math 109 or English 104).
USP courses allow you to meet a variety of people. You can have class with people from all kinds majors, not just the ones you will be seeing over and over in your area of study.
USP courses give you knowledge in a variety of different fields, making you more well-balanced and preparing you better for the "real world" where not everyone is interested in the same things as you are.

When I was in my first year of college, I was of the opinion that USP courses were a waste of time. I just wanted to take those classes in my major and get done with it. But being a senior this year and looking back I see why they were important, nay, essential to my growth as a student. Things change in college; your opinions change, you plans change, your way of thinking changes.

I've had my classes that I hated. I took Human Ecology my freshman year because someone told me it was a good idea. It was the stupidest class I have ever taken and the teacher was terrible. I dreaded that class more than anything in the world. I mean it was actually painful to sit through. I can't remember 99.9% of what I was taught in that class, but I remember one thing: the hole in the o-zone layer is legit, man. And if that's all I took away from that class, then so be it. At least it was an important idea.

At the least, the classes you hate will make you appreciate the classes you like even more. Give them chance, you may even learn something. They may be painful right now, I won't lie about that, but it's like I always say "Pain builds character". Okay, maybe I have never said that before, but it's still a cool saying.

Short Post

2006-02-26T22:51:00.000-05:00

Well I don't know about you all but I had a very nice weekend, one of the best I have had in a long while. Good friends, good food, good times all three days. I hope you all had a nice weekend as well. But alas, tomorrow it is back to school. That's not tight. I don't really feel much like blogging tonight, I just finished peer reviewing some papers for my English class so I am kind of tired of typing. I'm starting to become a big fan of the shorter post. I didn't used to like them, I always felt like I was being shortchanged. But when you have shorter posts it allows you to post more frequently. I'm not saying I'm against longer posts anymore, they are great, even better. Well this post is going nowhere real quick so I am just gonna hang it up for the evening. I hope you all have a fantastic week!

My Happy Half-Birthday

2006-02-21T23:05:00.000-05:00

Musings.......

Today, February 21st, is my half-birthday. I am now 21 1/2 years old, so wish me a happy half-birthday. I expect that the next six months before my 22nd birthday will have quite a bit in store for me.

I spent my half birthday talking to Dean Martin (that's my lead salesperson's name, no joke) on the walkie-talkie at work, then went to psych lab, then went to history class, then ate, then studied. BOOOOORRRRRRINGGGGG. I want cake. At least a half of one.

I should be studying for a test right now, but I cannot focus. I must confess I was a little worried about this test, because the professor didn't really let us know what was going to be on it. But there is this girl in my class who met with the professor today and then sent me a great review sheet for the test. That's the beauty of upper level classes: we look out for each other.

Congratulations Hannah Teter, you won the Gold Medal in Women's Snowboarding Half-pipe! You represented your country with pride and enthusiasm, using words like "stoked" and "mad air" in your interviews. You are a total stud, you pulled a 900 frontside that took my breath away. More importantly, you have shown us what the Winter Olympics are all about: DOMINATING the half-pipe.

Ramel, what were you thinking!?!?!?!?!? This isn't Brooklyn, you can't just run around punching things!!!!!

Tapp, as soon as I graduate with a degree in Psychology, I am going to pay you a visit and together we are going to break you of all your nasty obsessions (mainly Facebook and creating a coaching ranking index). I don't need a Master's degree to fix you.

Days left until Spring Break: 18. Let's get stoked people, New Orleans awaits. No sleeping the night before, only waiting. Looters beware, Justice is on its way. And I don't mean Bob.

At this point I think I should stop typing because I definitely just made a Bob Justice joke. Sweet dreams.

Joakim Noah: The New Matt Walsh

2006-02-17T13:38:00.000-05:00

I know I said that there will be no talking about Facebook on this blog, but this is an exception. There is a new Facebook group at UK called "Joakim Noah: The New Matt Walsh". I think it is pretty self explanatory. He is arrogant and has ugly hair (a la Matt Walsh) but does one thing that Walsh never did as a Gator player; Noah beats his chest like a gorilla when he scores a bucket. This has apparently drawn the attention of many a UK fan besides myself. A few weeks ago I began to wonder if indeed Noah would be the new Walsh, and now it is official. His welcome to Rupp in a few weeks will be less than cold, that is for sure.

I Got A Fever.....

2006-02-15T13:02:00.000-05:00

....and the only perscription is more......

SPRINGTIME. I walked outside this morning only to discover that is was unseasonably warm. I immediately turned around and put some shorts on. Shorts in February deserves a big YEEEEEEEAAAHH BOOOOOOYYYYYY!!!!!
SOFTBALL. It's about time Porter College softball starts spring training. Time to hit the gym hard, boys. Might want ot concentrate on the treadmill if you were one of the fellows that had to stop and take a breather between 1st and 2nd base last season. I'm pumped about the upcoming season, it will be here before you know it.
INDOOR SOCCER. Again, let the training begin, the season starts at the end of March. New rule this year. We are going Tubby Smith style this year: you do somehitng stupid )i.e. take a bad shot, slack off on defense, pull yourself out of the goalie position (Chandler)), you are gonna ride that bench hard.. Also, Preece and I are going to make a mix CD for our warm-up. What songs should we use?
NBC TELEVISION. I like the Olympics and all, but not when they interfere with my regularly scheduled programming. All my favorite shows (The Office, Scrubs, SVU, Crossing Jordan) are on NBC, which is airing the Olympics in thier stead. I turn the TV on NBC any given night and it's figure skating. BOOOOOORRRRINNNGGGGG.
A FULLY FUNCTIONING iPOD. My iPod won't reformat, so I can't update it with new music. This frustrates me to no end. Apple promised me that using my iPod would be easy. To that I say "iPod? More like LiePod!!!! Right?!?!?!?!? Right?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
MORE WALKER: TEXAS RANGER CLIPS. I found a nice montage of Conan O'Brien's Walker: Texas Ranger clips here. It make take a few minutes to load, but it is well worth it.
WHEAT THINS. Wheat Thins are the Truth, I'm not gonna lie about that.
FUNNY PEOPLE. Last night in my History of U.S. Religion class the teacher brought up the children's song Jesus Loves Me, This I Know. The dude behind me leans over ot his friend and says "Dude, Jesus Loves Me is the jam!"
PENN STATION SUBS. Penn Station subs are also the Truth. I threw down two of them last night.
RAMEL BRADLEY. Chris Smith is going to make a shirt that says "I went to Brooklyn and Got Mugged By Ramel Bradley's Brother".
TROY WOODYARD QUOTES. I talked to Troy on the phone last night. He ends our conversation with "Well, I guess I'm gonna go look for a job now."
DARREN GUITAR SOLOS. If you thought Darren tore it up this past Sunday, just wait until next Sunday. I heard he's gonna sport the bandana and go crazy during I Am a Friend of God.

Time for me to go back to class. Later.

Some Funny Stuff

2006-02-13T20:45:00.000-05:00

Chris Smith introduced me to a site called http://www.youtube.com, where you can find various clips from thousands of different TV shows. I must admit, I am addicted to this site. I mostly look up stuff from SNL and Conan O'Brien, but there is plenty more. I thought I would share some of my favorites. (Note: some of these will take a few moments to load, so be patient. They are worth it.)

Here is a never-before seen Conan clip of Walker: Texas Ranger.
This is a clip of Conan making fun of Star Wars fans. Hilarious!
.....and here is Conan making fun of The Lord of the Rings. So funny even Conan can't help laughing!
Another Walker clip here.
.....and another here.
Walker jump-kicks the windshield of a car here.
Napoleon Dynamite does the "Top Ten" list on David Letterman here.
Letterman catches George W. Bush in a lie here.
Hasidic Jew/Reggae artist Matisyahu performs live on Letterman here. I think his stuff is pretty cool.
A funny Letterman stunt here.
More of Letterman making fun of Bush here.
.....and more here
Lettermans "Top Ten Favorite George W. Bush Moments" here. John Wiley, watch this!!!!!
SNL "Debbie Downer" sketch here. Everyone starts laughing.
SNL Donald Trump sketch here.

Hope you enjoy these as much as I did. As I come across more clips I will continue to share.

Something Interesting

2006-02-12T22:39:00.000-05:00

I'm reading this book called "The Democratization of Christianity" for my history class this semester. Tonight I read a little about Joseph Smith and the start of Mormonism and I found something interesting that I thought I would share.

So Joseph Smith apparently had something called a "seeing stone" that he would use to see God's revelations to him and all that good stuff. Kind of hokey right? Then I read on. Listen to Smith's description of what hew would see when he looked into this stone:

..."at his trial, Smith testified that when he looked at the seer stone he "discovered that time, place, and distance were annihilated; that all the intervening obstacles were removed, and that he possessed one of the attributes of Deity, an All-Seeing Eye" ".

Does this sound familiar? It should if you have ever read The Lord of the Rings. Remember the seeing stones? They removed "time, place and distance" allowing, people to see each other over large distances and to see into the future. And the "All-Seeing Eye"? Yep, that was Sauron (the "Deity", the Great Eye who saw everything the went on on Middle Earth. And remember what Saruman saw when would look into the Seeing Stone? He saw the Great Eye of Sauron, and thus communicated with him that way, much the same way that Joseph Smith claimed to communicate with "The All-Seeing Eye" through his own seer stone.

So my question is this: Did J.R.R. Tolkien take Smith's idea/testimony of a seer stone and an All-Seeing Eye and adapt it to his own story? I have not researched it, but I think it is a very good possibility. The wording is so similar that it is eerie to read. If it is the case that he used Smith's claims as a part of his story, I wonder what else may have influenced his writing...

Anyway, I just thought I would share that. Most of you probably don't care, I know. But I am a nerd and I found this pretty interesting.

Also........

I am pleased to announce that, after a long search, I finally managed to track down "The Commercial" on the Internet. Some of you know what "The Commercial" is, but for those of you who don't, here's the skinny: this is the best commercial of all time. Troy and Andy will agree. I first saw it before a movie in 2003, then later on TV. See it for yourself here, then read below.

Did you like it? The strand of beach amidst the clear ocean, the soothing music, the beautiful lady, the waves, the cool birds flying around and then turning into a perfume bottle.....they all come together to make the perfect commercial.

Behold, The Almighty Hoody

2006-02-09T22:54:00.000-05:00

I've come to the conclusion this evening that hoodies are the best piece of clothing you can buy. I've known this for a while, but tonight I make it official. I ask you, is there a more efficient piece of clothing? The answer is simply "no". Suits, slacks, socks, and cool looking T-shirts are all fine and grand, but they pale in comparison to the almighty hoody. My reasoning:

Comfort: They just feel good to wear, no matter what the occasion.
Fashion: Regular sweatshirts are okay, but adding a hood just gives it that special something extra. You can where them anywhere: school, church, work. It is the ultimate all-purpose clothing article. And it goes with just about anything you want to wear.
Functionality: The key element that separates the hoody from all other articles of clothing. You can use the hood to keep your ears and head warm. You can use the hood to protect your head from wind, rain, and snow. You can use the hood to cover up a bad hair day. You can wear the hood when you are in a bad mood. You can wear the hood in your car at night and creep out other people on the road. You can wear the hood just because it is fun and comfortable. The possibilities are endless.
Year-Round Sportability: The hoody is light enough to bust out on those chilly summer nights, yet warm enough to use on the coldest of winter days. The hoody never gets put in the back of the closet, because at any given time, it knows it may be called upon for use by the wearer.
Style: There are different styles: pocket, no pocket, zip-up, thin, thick. There are different colors, along with different designs and logos that can be used on a hoody.

The evidence supports my case: all other clothing is inferior. Therefore I declare 2006 to be "The Year of the Hoody". Sport them whenever you can, friends. Wear them with pride and where them with boldness; don't bring that weak hoody action. Let no one ridicule you for wearing them too much; they make fun of you because they are jealous. And they should be jealous, because you have a hoody on. And they don't.

'06 Movies

2006-02-07T16:29:00.000-05:00

I know last summer I declared pubicly that I was forever going to ban Hollywood. Since then I have somewhat retracted that statement, although I am much more selective about what I go tho the theater to see. Anyway, there are a few good movies on deck this year that I am at least a little excited about seeing. Here's my preview:

Lady in the Water

Wes's Level of Excitement: Strong to Very Strong

-I love M. Night Shyamalan, what can I say? His newest film comes out this July, and I eagarly anticipate it. From the plot description it is hard to tell what it is going to be about, but from what I gather it looks interesting. Read about it here.

16 Blocks

Wes's Level of Excitement: Moderately Strong to Strong

-This is one of those movies that takes place over a very short period of time, is very intense. Bruce Willis is a stud. Remember that time in Die Hard when he walked on glass? That was awesome. Anyway, read about it here.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Wes's Level of Excitement: Moderately Strong to Strong

-Why do we love pirate movies? I'll tell you why: there's lots of sword fightin', bar fightin', swashbucklin', dudes with hooks, eyepatches, ghosts, drunks, and pirate hookers. Of that doesn't spell "Good Movie", then I must be nuts. Plus, the first one was, good so this one should be as well. Yarrrr, 'ere lies the preview ye scumbucket.

Unknown White Male

Wes's Level of Excitement: Moderately Strong to Strong

-I like documentaries, too. This movie is a documentary about a dude who wakes up on Coney Island with no idea who he is. Sounds like it vould be interesting, and movies that don't get a lot of media exposre tend to be better than the hyped-up ones. Read more here.

Phat Gilrz

Wes's Level of Excitement: Non-existent to strongly non-existent

-I only put this on here for comic relief. When I saw the title, I laughed out loud. Don't think I'll be seeing this one. Now, if it were called Phat Grillz instead, I might be interested. Sorry, I couldn't phind a photo phor it either.

Mission: Impossible III

Wes's Level of Excitement: Mildly Strong to Moderately Strong

-The first Mission: Impossible was great. The second.....well, not so good. What will the third movie hold in store for us? Who knows, Tom Cruise is one crazy fool. See how crazy he will be in the upcoming sequel here.

Is The Best We Have To Offer?

2006-02-05T23:14:00.000-05:00

Even though it is now 2006, I still consider this year as part of the time period that many like to call "The Dawn of the 21st Century". We have come a long way over the past fifty years in advancing technology and making life better for all of of mankind. Think about what we have accomplished over the past 50 years. We have discovered new medicines for various diseases. We have put a man on the moon. We have created the cell phone, which allows us to reach virtually anyone anywhere at anytime. We have super-fast computers that do almost anything we want them to. It is truly amazing to behold how advanced a society we have become.

So why do I bring this up? Good question. Here's my problem. I am at work in the snackroom, trying to get a Snickers bar out of the machine. I put my change in and press the corresponding button. The little spiral thing turns, but suddenly stops before the candy can fall to the collection tray. What the crap is that about?

So let me get this straight.....we can send spacecraft into the depths of unknown space but we still haven't figured out how to make a candy machine that delivers the candy 100% of the time? Is the steel coil really the most efficient of delivering Scnickers bars? Are you sure that's the best we can do?

Hmmmm, maybe then the soda machine will work better. I take out a nice, crisp $1 bill. I stick it into the slot in it's correct position: face up, with Washington's neck pointing towards me. The machine takes the bill in, makes some noise, then spits the bill back out. I try again. Same results. I make sure the corners are not folded and try again. Same results. I slap the machine around a little bit. Same results.

Why must the soda machine mock me? I'm giving it real money, can it seriously not tell that it's real money? Is it that difficult. You seem to accept change just fine. Why are you hatin' on my dollar bill? It's a perfectly good $1 bill. Just accept it, give me my beverage, and I'll be on my way.

Seriously, there has got to be technology out there advanced enough to get this soda machine to realize that I'm not trying to gyp it out of a dollar and that all I want is a beverage because I am 99.9% parched.

Let's get with the program America. We are the cutting edge in technolgy, but right now the snack and soda machines are making us look bad. And I won't stand for it any longer.

Vacation

2006-02-03T13:15:00.000-05:00

So today I am sitting in my English class where we sit a t around table and discuss various meanings of books and what not. My mind tends to drift in this class, probably because the people in it try to sound way smarter than they are actually capable of being. Today I was thinking about vacations (for whatever reason), both past and future. I came up with a list of a few that stood out in particular:

-Spring Break '01: Dave, Troy and I go with Troys family to Gulf Shores. Smitty meets up with us. Shennanigans ensue. Smitty steps on a barnacle. Dave falls off a chair. Madlibs. Troy gets 3rd degree sunburn and complains the rest of the trip. Troy drive like an idiot and gets yelled at by Ray. Ray tells Try he is going to sew his but shut if he doesn't stop farting.

-Spring Break '02: The return to Gulf Shores sans Dave. Babaloes. Bhatigators. Beezer. Middle school girls flirting with Troy. Somehow getting roped into speaking at the local church's youth group (how did that happen again?). Me putting too much Sun-In in my hair. going to a local high schools's talent show. And, of course, Shanta (yeeeeeeaaaahhhh booooyyyyyy!!!!!).

-Cedar Point Trips '02-04: Coopers, Whereles, Woodyards, Soks, Dave, Jason, Eric Orr. Am I forgetting anyone? John Wherle rides MilFo with us. Troy gets dysentery. A bird craps in Troy's mouth (Troy seems to get the short end of the stick on every vacation). Me and Eric scare little kids from getting on rides. Brandon steals his parents car.

-Hunting Island: Me, Taylor, Evan, Bryce, Dave, Troy, Jason. Everybody gets mad at each other for various petty reasons. Baseball on the beach. My fabulous burgers. Site 41. Lightshouse guard.

I'm sure more stuff happened on these trips, this is just all that recall at the moment. What was your favorite part?

Anticipation

2006-01-31T22:56:00.000-05:00

So I was thinking today (as I generally like to do each and every day) about how we build things up in our minds (i.e. fun things, big events), how we eagerly await those things, and when they finally arrive, they are good, even great, but never really as good as we thought they would be. Think about it: how many times have you wanted a certain day to arrive, and when it finally gets there, it is not quite as great as what you had hoped for. I think all of us can say that we experience this from time to time. But why is it that, when the actual event/thing arrives that we have anticipated for so long, it is not as good as time we spent anticipating it's arrival?

Take this blog, for example. You check this site everyday, in eager anticipation that I will have put up a new post. Thoughts of excitement and hope race through your head..."Did he post something yet? I hope he did. Maybe he posted a "Here's What You Did", those are my favorites. Oooh, maybe he mentioned me in the post! I can't wait to read it!." Yet, when that post finally arrives, you may think it is good, but the anticipation is taken away just like that, and you are left with nothing to look forward to.

For me, two personal experiences come to mind. First, I think of Christmas. The weeks before Christmas are the most exciting of the year, becasue you anticipate the arrival of Chrismas, yet when Christmas finally arrives, you don't feel quite the same. Why?

My other example is when I would eagerly await the release of The Lord of the Rings movies (I know, I am a huge dork). I was so excited the week before The Return of The King came out in theaters. Just ask Andy Henard; the night before the movie came out, we danced around the house yelling "The Return of the King comes out tommorrow! The Return of the King comes out tommorrow!" Then the movie came out, and it was great. They even played my favorite commercial of all time before the movie, which made it even better. But I found that, even during the movie, I was never as happy as I was when I was anicipating it's release.

A partial explanation of this is that I think the sudden removal of anticipation is what leaves us feeling like that. You think to yourself "In just a little while, this will all be over". And then you have nothing to look forward to. Also, I think that, in most cases, things don't turn out exactly like we imagine them, even if just the smallest thing is off. And it's that little thing that keeps us from getting the most from the experience.

In some cases I think lowering you expectations will fix this problem. For me, the best days are those when I expect nothing and get something. I expect 50% and get 75%. But when you expect 100% and you only get 98%, you're left with a bittersweet feeling.

I don't really have a point here, this is just something that I was thinking about today. The only thing I guess I can say to you is, enjoy the anticipation that precedes the arrival of a new post. And when I finally do post, read it expecting it to be terribly boring and stupid. That way, when it is just a little boring and stupid, or good, or super-great, then you will enjoy it a lot more.

Album Alert

2006-01-27T00:03:00.000-05:00

So one of my absolute favorite bands, Sanctus Real, has a new album coming out in April entitled The Face Of Love. The first single from the album, I'm Not Alright, can be heard here (just look for "Featured Audio"). I think this song sounds fantastic and I eagarly await the release of the album. I would encourage you to check it out...you never know, you may like it too.

A New Idea

2006-01-25T22:38:00.000-05:00

So here's my new idea...I am going to make an entirely new blog that will only address matters related to sports. Of course, all other subjects will still be discussed here at Cooperstown. But I think that my thoughts on the Wide World of Sports deserves it's own seperate blog. Plus, I know there are readers out there who could care less about, so by putting all sports-related matters on another page, they won't have to worry about my posts being interrupted by anything sports-related. With that said, I am proud to present to you The Sports Page, which by the time you read this, will be set up and ready to go. I will put the link to the side so it will be easy for all to reach.

Just Some Quick Thoughts

2006-01-25T13:33:00.000-05:00

A few thoughts between classes:

-I look forward to the annual Collegiate Conference at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville this February. It is always a very informative weekend, as well as a good time with friends. It was pointed out to me that Porter's very own Jon Canler is on the conference website. You can tell it's Jon by the redicluously swoll arms.

-Why are these teams still in the Top 25? Syracuse, Louisville, UCLA, Wisconsin? These teams have proven nothing.

-I am sick of hearing how great the Big East Conference is. They have 16 teams in the conference, of course they are going to get more teams into the tourney. UCONN is the only team I respect from that conference, no one else has proven anything yet. The Big Ten is the best conference in America.

-Why can't I walk on campus without getting blown over by gale-force winds? UK is the only place where I have this problem.

-Cats win last night, still people complain. We are not perfect, but a win is a win.

-Gonzaga's last 3 wins include: 92-80 win over Loyola-Marymount, 84-75 win over San Fransisco. 64-64 win over San Diego. Again I say, what has this team done to earn the #7 ranking in the country? They are barely beating crappy teams. What boggles my mind is that #8 Illinois is 17-2 (Zaga is 16-3), with both losses to good teams (and 17 wins against good teams). I know the polls mean nothing, but come on, how can you say that a team in a crappy conference with more losses is better than a team in arguably the best conference who has less losses?

-My pick for 2006 NCAA Champs is Michigan State. I said it at the beginning of the season, and I am repeating it now. You heard it here first.

Distractions

2006-01-24T15:39:00.000-05:00

Justin Tapp says he wants me to post more because he needs the distraction. Well buddy, if my blog is your distraction, than you got it.

Tapp is easily distracted by such things. I have vivid memories of him "studying" for his GRE, with a highlighter in one hand and an X-Box controller in the other. Even when I would be playing the X-Box or watching TV, he would sit there watching me instead of prepping himself for the test. I would say "Shouldn't you be studying?" and he would say"I am studying." That's called denial, Tapp.

I can picture Tapp now, sitting at the computer, with his wife on the couch talking to him. She is telling him about her day; he is engrossed in my blog. She says "Honey, are you listening to me?" and he replies "I'm listening." Of course you are, Tapp. Of course you are.

So now I become an enabler to Tapp, giving him the distraction he has requested from me.

What can I say of the week up to this point? Things have been pretty mundane. Yesterday morning and afternoon was spent in class. In French we did some rediculous excercises where we got out of our seats and pretended we conduissions nos voiutures (were driving our cars). It was high school all over again. In English I listened to some dude do an article presentation in which he tried to sound way smarter than he was. I started laughing, but I looked around and saw that no one else was laughing, so I stopped. History of Jazz was uneventful. Developmental Psych was BORING, because it was the same introductory crap I have heard a dozen times now. "What is a variable?" "What is science?" Come on, seriously. Monday night was spent doing homework, with intermittent breaks for some TV watching.

This morning I was at work. I was so bored that I dustmopped the floor. Some customer (no joke) asked me if it was a good idea to change socks every day. Some lady asked me the usual question "Is this all the shoes you have?". That particular question usually doesn't bother me, but when you ask in the sense that you are implying that you have a bad selection, it is a bit irritating. I am now waiting for my history class to start. After that, my plans are as follows: call Matt and meet him at Penn Station for "2 for 1 Tuesday", call Chris and tell him I am coming over to his house, walk into Chris's house and pray that Cody has his clothes on this time, watch the rest of the UK game, watch Scrubs, watch Law & Order: SVU, then take it to the house. It should be a solid evening.

So nothing exciting has really happened this week thus far. Ah, but we have 4 more days left, something is sure to come up. I now realize that I need my own distractions. But where will I find them? Maybe I will create some for myself. Maybe my sub from The Station will be extra tasty. Maybe UK will play the best game of the season tonight. Maybe Rondo will drop 81 points on the Tigers. Maybe Cody will be naked when I arrive at his house this evening. Maybe Scrubs will be even more hilarious than usual. Maybe Stabler will slap the crap out of somebody tonight. I must keep hope alive.

So here's to you, Distractions of Life. Thanks for giving me happiness from the smallest and most unimportant things in life. I'm a simple man, and I'm glad you recognize that.

I hope, Tapp, that this was distracting enought for you, as well as the rest of the readers. Ironically, it was for me, as I should probably be reading or something. Have a pleasant evening and a swell Wednesday.

My Resolutions

2006-01-22T23:47:00.000-05:00

I had a bad weekend. When I have bad weekends, I tend to think a lot. Thus, I did a lot of thinking this particular weekend. These are the things that I thought about this weekend, and the resulting decisions I have made:

-I am going to coach a youth soccer team this spring. And by coach, I mean start a dynasty. I am going to take a bunch of kids (probably 11-12 year olds, but we will see) and I am going to turn them into an offensive juggernaut and a defensive beast. Our motto will be "OFFENSE STARTS WITH DEFENSE". We will be in shape, we will be fundamentaly sound, we will be aggressive, we will execute, and we will win. But most imprtantly, we will have fun while we do it. Because winning is fun, and losing is not.

-I am going to be a better role model.

-I am not going to be one of those UK fans who I see and hear on blogs and call-in shows who complain about every little aspect of the team and who give them absolutley no credit even when they win. Honestly, I think it hurts the players and our recruiting.

-I am going to be more assertive.

-I am going to speak my mind.

-I am going to prioritize better.

-I am going to bring back "2 for 1 Night" at Penn Station. A couple of years ago, Andy, Troy, Matt and I hit up "The Station" nearly every Tuesday night for the best deal in towm. It's time to bring that traditon back.

-I am going to talk less and listen more.

-I am going to start getting ready now for indoor soccer spring session. That way, I will be in shape and better able to punish my opponents.

-I am going to continue to dominate my English class all semester long. We had our first assignment, in which we had an article to read and we were supposed to take a point from it and go our own way with it in a 5 miute presentation. We were NOT supposed to summarize the article. Well, that's what everyone did anyway. HERE'S WHAT YOU DID STUDENTS IN ENGLISH 330: The professor said to not summarize the article. So you summarized the article. That's what you did. Seriously, they are all English majors, and I was the only one who got the assignment right. And might I say, my psychological analyisis of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein was a big hit, especially with the professor.

So those are the things I have resloved to do. I also have a funny quote from Jason Lamb:

-Kristen Lamb: Jason, do you want the rest of my pizza?
-Jason: EAT THE PIZZA. Seriously, who eats 9/10 of a pizza and then offers the rest to someone else. Just eat it.

I would also like to inform you that me and Hillary Evans are friends again. You see, she called me a "goofball" a while ago, and that didn't sit too well with me. But I have forgiven her, and we are best friends now. Right Hillary?

I leave you now with a song that I really like by one of my favorite bands, Sanctus Real. The song is called Closer......

I'm not satisfied in this lifetime
I'm following you to the other side
There's nothing that can change my mind
You're all I need
You're the only tie that binds my heart
Away from you I'm falling apart
We need to be closer than we are
You're all I need

So what can I do to get closer?
I know there is more my heart can bear
I give you control 'cause I need you
To take me there

Like a bird flying south I'm seeking you out
And there's no rope that can tie me down
I'm running home, I'm a slave set free
You're all I need

I am waiting
Draw me closer
I am waiting
Make me stronger

Thoughts From The First Day of School (again)

2006-01-11T23:47:00.000-05:00

First let me say that after Tuesday night's basketball game, I don't think there is any need for a post-game evaluation. It is obvious that we are not capable of playing as a team right now, and until we can figure out how that works, (i.e passing and not dribbling, putting pressure on the ball, passing, not taking stupid shots, passing, getting the ball in the post, passing, setting screens, passing, passing, and passing) we will go nowhere. My only other comment is START RAVI MOSS , or as I like to call him "THE DEUCE". He plays better defenense then Sparks, and he is shooting better than him right now. Moss has earned it, Sparks has lost it. It's time to reward this kid.

Now onto my thougts from my first day back on campus after Christmas break:

-The day started with French 201. Let me preface this by saying that I haven't had a French class since my junior year of high school. Well I walk in and immediately the professor starts talking to us in French. I'm thinking "Hold up, can't we at least go over the syllabus in English?" At first, I had no idea what the crap anybody was saying, but as time went on, it all started coming back to me. The cool thing about this class was that we got to choose a French name that we would like to be called for the rest of the semester. I chose Thierry (pronounced Tee-airy), naming myself after world-class French soccer superstar Thierry Henry (it seemed fitting). Then we did the whole "notecard" thing where we fill out a notecard full of info for the teacher, including something interesting about ourselves. This is always a problem for me, as I am a pretty average guy. I don't have any huge abnormalities. This particular professor asked us to tell her something that she would never guess about us. I thought about saying that I had killed a man once because he stepped on my shoe, but I don't think that would have gone over well.

-Next came Text and Context: Frankenstein. I knew that I was in trouble when the teacher walked in asking "Is it hot in here to you all, or is it just because I am going through menapause?". There were some very creepy people in that class, one of which just kept tapping his pencil non-stop against his arm while flashing people dirty looks. He kind of reminded me of Tapp except with long, nappy hair, and a lot more neurotic.

-Lunch break. I chose Chic-Fil-A today. As I was standing in line, I heard a girl say very loudly to another girl "Ha! I smacked your a**!" to which the other girl replied "No you didn't, I smacked your a** first!". I turned around to see several girls trying to smack each other's rear ends. It seems they were playing "Booty-Smack", a new game that is sweeping the nation's youth by storm. I thought I had left all this stuff behind in the high school lunch line, but apparently not.

-Next came the class that I had been eagerly awaiting all day, History of Jazz. It did not disappoint; this class is going to be fantastic. The only funny thing that happened in this class was someone coughing during class, and the guy next to me saying, in an inappropriately loud voice, "Are you alright there, buddy? Can I get you some water or something?"

-Finally, my advance developmental pyschology lab. We only stayed for 15 minutes, so nothing cool happened. But it is going to be a good course.

I have one more class that hasn't met yet. Me and Sok are in it together and I sure it will be a blast. My schedule seems pretty solid, but it will probably be more work than last semester. Oh well. I guess it's good for me.

Pre-Game Evaluation

2006-01-10T16:32:00.000-05:00

So tonight is Morris' long-awaited return to the court after being suspended for 14 game. I have tickets to the game and, despite Saturday's poor performance, I look forward to the game. I have been patient with UK year, mostly because I know that having that inside presence makes more of a difference than most people think. Thus, here are my pre-game expectations:

-Obviously, Morris will get the ball and get it often. Look for all offense to go through him.
-I expect HUSTLE. The last several games, there has been NO hustle on defense.
-I expect better ball-care.
-I expect more passion from the players.
-I expect Sims and Rondo to have big nights due to Morris creating space in the lane.
-I expect a big win.

Three years ago, UK was in the same situation they find themselves now. They were playing lousy defense, not moving the ball around on offense, and showing no passion or hustle for the game. They went to Vanderbilt one cold January night in 2003 and found themselves down by a dozen at halftime.

Then came the second half. UK came out guns blazing and clicking on all cylinders. They huslted. They jumped into passing lanes. They passed the ball well. Tehy got easy baskets. They took good shots. And I have never seen Tubby so excited about his team as I did that night. We outscored Vandy like 40-12 or something that half. Something changed that night. The players finally got it. and from that point on, that team played with a passion and a purpose that I have never seen before in a UK team.

I hope Tubby shows the footage of that glorious half of basketball to his team before the game tonight. Maybethe players will finally start to realize that the coaches know what they are talking about because, after all, they have been involved with the game of basketabll before any of the players were even born. Things can change tonight. This team has plenty of talent, as JTapp so wisely noted. It's all about execution: knowing the other teams strengths, weaknesses, and taking the appropriate measures to exploit them. It's about hustle: playing 40 minutes of solid D. And it's about passion: showing that you actually care about the outcome of the game and not just your stat line.

I expect big things tonight. I will report back after I get results.

I'm Wasn't Discrminatin', I Was Just DOMINATIN'

2006-01-05T23:41:00.000-05:00

Well I just home from a visit to the Kastle Roadhouse, and I really had the itch to play some NCAA 'O6 dynasty on XBox, but my brother is currently occupying that TV, so I can't really do that at the moment. So I thought I would blog for a bit.

-I know a lot of you out there hate USC, but I kind of like them. Yet I found that had a hard time choosing who to cheer for last night. I really like Texas (especially Vince Young, that was a special performance last night), but I also like USC (especially Reggie Bush. Did anyone see him point to the sky when he went to the sideline after scoring that TD?). I said at the beginning of the season that I was going to pull for Texas. But over the season USC grew on me. I was torn between the two, but since everyone who I was watching the game was pulling for Texas, I went against the flow and pulled for USC. Yet I am kind of happy Texas won. I guess I'm just an emotionally conflicted individual.

-I started a new dynasty with USC today. I simulated through the first two seasons and am now playing the third season. USC's future players a real, that is all I am going to say. And if NCAA 'o6 prophecy holds true, Florida will be next years National Champs, and Chris Leak will take home the Heisman.

-So.........UK basketball. All I have to say is, Morris is back Tuesday night. And I am happy.

-Well Matt Woodyard is back in the blog scene, and that makes me happy. Everyone has a favorite blogger, and it just so happens that Matt Woodyard is mine. I would encourage all of you to check out his blog.

-This message is to Hillary Evans: My brother told me that you think I am a goofball. That's not cool. But I will still read your blog, because I'm made of rubber and you are made of glue, everything you say bounces off me and sticks to you.

-This message is to Troy Woodyard: GET A JOB.

-As I mentioned before, this past Tuesday night was especially significant for me (see previous post). It did not disappoint except that Stabler was never taken hostage on SVU. NBC.com lied to me. But it was still a great episode.

-So I've got another "Wes Cooper Dunbar High School Story" for you. This one time, I was on an intramural basketball team with some friends. Well, we played this all-girls team one Saturday morning. So I asked myself "Wes, you know you can dominate this team. Do you want to go at it full strength and look like a jerk by beating the crap out of them or do you want to be the nice guy and take it easy and just have some fun out there with your friends?" Well, to make a long story short, I blocked 20 shots that game. I was pitchin' those fools left and right.

-In my free time I used to play co-ed rec soccer many years ago. No offense to any ladies who read this blog, but I hated playing with girls. They play dirty. They grabbed my shirt. They grabbed my shorts. They grabbed clumps of skin on my arm (but who can blame them? Right? Right?????). They kicked me in the shin. They kicked me in the knee. They kicked me in the groin (no joke, that really happened). I would fall down in pain, but the refs would pay me no heed. Oh well, I guess that's what I get for blocking girls basketball shots during that intramural game.

-It's been a good Christmas Break for me, hangin out with all my friends and what not. Even thought Christmas break has lost the luster it had when I was a kid, it was still good times. I know we still have like 5 days left, but I felt the need to say that........Well, Conan is on. Gotta go. Later kids.

The Return Of Tuesday Nights

2006-01-02T23:07:00.000-05:00

By the time most of you read this it will already be Tuesday January 3, 2006. I say to you now, this date has more meaning than you know, for it is the return of the great Tuesday night festivities that Chris Smith and I affectionately term "Tuesday Nights". Original, I know. At any rate, many moons ago (I was in my first semester of my junior year of college) Chris and I began watching Scrubs and Law & Order: SVU together every Tuesday night. It was the best of times, let me tell you. We would pick up some Long John Silver's, take it to the house, then laugh through a new episode of Scrubs, and then at 10 watch as Stabler and Benson regulated on criminals on SVU. Later, The Office was thrown into the mix. And, dare I say it, occasionally we would even watch Gilmore Girls before it was time for our shows to come on. Those were excellent times.

But for various reasons, Tuesday Nights were interrupted. School, work, things of this nature. Those were dark times. But, tonight, the darkness will give way to the glorious light that is Tuesday Nights. Hear this: UK game at 7 pm, new season of Scrubs at 9 and 9:30, and new SVU at 10. Holy crap. What is better than this? I can't think of much.

So get ready, it's gonna be a crazy night. This season of Scrubs should prove to be the best ever, and rumor has it that Stabler gets taken hostage on SVU. I would encourage you all to tune in, as you can be assured that you will not go away dissatisfied. I never am.

My Soundtrack

2006-01-01T23:55:00.000-05:00

A month or so ago I posed the question "If your life had a soundtrack, what would be on it?". I got some interesting answers from a few of you, and I appreciate the responses. But I did not give an answer myself. I felt that this was not something to be hastily answered. So I gave it much thought over the past month or so. And now, after much reflection and deliberation, I think I have arrived at an appropriate response.

Before I reveal my playlist, I must explain. First, let me tell you what this soundtrack is not. It is NOT a list of my favorite songs. That would serve little purpose. It is also NOT a chronolgy of my life in musical form. That would be too hard. Instead, this soundtrack represents many of the feelings, emotions, experiences, etc. that have been a part of my life. Each song means and represents something different. I carefully selected songs that would cover the broad range of human emotion that myself, as well a the rest of us, have experienced. The result, to me, was quite amazing.

Why do I do this? Well, one reason is that this is a creative way to express myself. The second reason is that I take myself too seriously. Either way, it is something I wanted to do, because it is both fun and refreshing. And after it was finished, I burned the playlist onto a CD for my own personal enjoyment. It is a fine piece of work to be sure.

So here it is. Make of it what you will. I hope you enjoy it.

1) Where To Begin by My Morning Jacket. This song speaks of being lost and confused in the world, like being on a road and not knowing where it is taking you. How many times have we felt like this?

2) Yellow by Coldplay. To me, Yellow is about dedication and commitment. Chris Martin writes about what he would do for those he cares about. It is important that we show those that we love that we would do anything for them.

3) Fallen by Sarah McLachlan. This song is about the times that we mess things up. I can't count how many times I have screwed things up in my life, making the wrong decisions in the wrong situations. None of us here make the right decison every time, and this song says that perfectly.

4) Mr. Brightside by The Killers. Simply put, this song is about jealousy and pain. It's about the times that you have been angry at someone on the inside but still cover it up with a smile on the outside. It's about the bitter feeling of jealousy that stings your heart when life gives someone else what you wanted, and you are left holding the short end of the stick.

5) My Hit And Run by Third Eye Blind. This song is about surviving a motorcycle crash. But more than that is about being thankful for the time that you have been given on this earth. And it is about, in that moment that your bike crashed and you are flying through the air towards possible death, who you really care about, as their images flash through your mind. It speaks of not taking the time you have and the people you care about for granted.

6) Anchor by Lifehouse. I like this song becasue it is the perfect analogy for the role that God plays in our lives. When God is our anchor, when we rely on him for everything we need, nothing can wash us out to sea. He is our foundation and what we must turn to in all situations that come our way.

7) All Kinds Of Time by Fountains Of Wayne. This song takes the few seconds that a football quarterback has after recieving the snap and making a decison to throw the ball and turns it into one of my favorite songs. I think this song really speaks to me becasue, when we step back and look at everything around us, and think about all that we hold dear, it can turn even the most pressure-filled situations into the best experiences.

8) Io (This Time Around) by Helen Stellar. This song has only a few words "This time around you can be anyone", but they have a lot of meaning. God gives us a second chance when we screw things up, and the next time that situation comes up, we can be the person He wants us to be. This is just a cool song.

9) The Hardest Part by Coldplay. The crucial part of this song is when Chris Martin says "Everything I know is wrong, everything I do just comes undone, everything is torn apart, and that's the hardest part". Words of frustration to be sure. But this is how I feel many times: I don't understand what is going on around me, and everything I try to do in life seems to "come undone". Things that I once thought were constants in life are no longer there, and things get torn apart for seemingly no reason at all. But on the flipside, it is in these very times that I need to trust God to take care of things, because He understands what I do not.

10) 21st Century Kid by Jaime Cullum. This song is about all of us really, growing up in the 21st century where we have so many different paths we can travel. Most importantly, it speaks of letting your voice be heard among the noise and chaos of the world we live in because, believe it or not, people will listen.

11) Hands Down by Dashboard Confessional. We have all had those guys or girls over the years that we have "liked", so to speak. This song is about all the vivid memories that the mind holds of time spent with those people. It reminds me of those memories every time I hear it.

12) Blind by Lifehouse. Regrets are something that we all must deal with. This song is about such those regrets. Often we regret something we have said to people, but more often I think we regret not saying things that we should have said to people.

13) Going To California by Led Zeppelin. This song is about change, something I have had to deal a lot with since my first days of college life. Change is inevitable, and more than often it is for the better.

14) All I Want by Sanctus Real. I like this song because I think it shows what our focus should be in life: glorifying God in all that we do. It talks about taking all that we have and giving it back to God, because he deserves all that we have.

15) Iris by Goo Goo Dolls. What I hear in this song is a basic need of all humans: acceptnace. We all want to be liked, and often times we are afraid for the world to see what we are really like, when in reality they are feeling the same things we are.

16) What It Is To Burn by Finch. This is a song about pain, something we all experience. But it is in those times of pain that we often learn the most, as we are most vulnerable and willing to be helped. Pain is an essential part of life; but we learn from it and move on.

17) Bitterweet Symphony by The Verve. The feeling of bittersweetness is one of those strangest things you can experience. It's feeling sad while being happy, experiencing pain while feeling joy. This song deals with those contradictary feelings, as well as feeling the need to change but the desire to stay the same.

Well that is my soundtrack. I really have nothing else to say about it except that I hope you enjoyed it. My goal was to take both the negative and positve things of life and balance them into the list, something I think I did a pretty good job of. Let me hear yout thoughts.

No Title

2005-12-26T17:55:00.000-05:00

I know, I know.....I haven't posted in a long time. My apologies. I have been very busy the past couple of weeks and have hardly been home long enough to do much of anything but sleep. You would think with school being out I would have more time for these things. Well, it turns out that's not the case. It seems that other activities have taken up my time where school was.

I don't really have anything to talk about tonight. I have a lot on my mind, but nothing that can be discussed here. The past few weeks have been really good, mostly do to school being out, hanging out with friends (something I didn't have as much time for during the school year). Old friends have been in town for the holidays, which has been nice. And of course work is lame, but at least I am making money.

I hope to have my "Life Soundtrack" completed by New Year's. I will share that when it is finished. I thought I might do a year review, but I have decided to leave that to everyone else.

It's funny, I am listening to the radio and "Under Pressure" is on right now. Well, that is how I have been feeling lately.

I would like to tell you to expect more posts soon, but I don't know if that will happen. Bear with me.

Weekly Wind-Down

2005-12-18T23:47:00.000-05:00

What a great week it has been!!!!! I mean, has there been a better week???? I would say there are very few, my friends. On a scale of "very weak-very strong", I give this week a strong to very strong, for several reasons:

-School is over.
-Cats run all over Cards.
-Morris is told he can return this season.
-Quality time spent with quality friends.
-Law & Order: SVU marathon Sunday from 12pm-12am (over the entire weekend, I watched a total of 9 episodes)

Other interesting items:

-The Stephens family Christmas was on Friday. For those who don't know, that's my Mom's side of the family. Well, it just so happens that there is new addition to the family this year. My cousin had a baby. And she named him Wesley. Now, as honored as I am that they named their firstborn after me, it was tough for me to be in the same room as a person who had my name. Wesly is not the most common name, so I have never had to deal with what the "John's" and the "Steve's" of the world have to deal with. So here's what would happen frequently that evening. Someone would say "Wesley, you are so cute." I would say "Thanks", then reailize they weren't talking to me. Or another would say "Wesley, you have such a nice head of hair!" and I would say "Thanks!", then again, realize they weren't talking to me. One time someone said "Wesley, do you want a cookie?" and I thought "Yes, yes I do want a cookie". But I never got that cookie.

-I worked a lot this week. And with that work comes the fact that I have to deal with a lot of stupidity. I haven't done this in a while, but I think it is good that I do. Time for me to complain about work. Here are the things NOT to say to me while I am at work:

-"Can you tell me what you do have in a size 6 in the back?"

-Me: "The smallest size I have left in this shoe is a 9,"
Customer: "So, do you have a 7?"

-"Can you help me get my shoe off?"

-"Can you help me put this shoe on?"

-"Do you all have those shoes that Oprah had on her show yesterday?"

-"There are no cash registers upstairs? You mean I have to carry this shirt all the way downstairs to pay?"

-Person of The Week: Connor Sears. Hats off to Connor for letting us all use his UK meal card.

-Co-Person of the Week: Matt Woodyard. For ordering the "Troy Woodyard Marriage '07" bracelets. Let the madness begin, ladies.

-New season of Scrubs begins Tuesday Jan. 3. If you are a fan, or would like to become a fan, please notify me or Chris. We welcome any Scrubs patronage on Tuesday nights.

Let's make this next week an even better one. And remember, only YOU can prevent forest fires.

I Can Be Happy About UK Basketball Again

2005-12-15T23:38:00.000-05:00

A quick post must be made this evening. As you have probably heard by now, Randolph Morris will now be allowed to play as of Jan. 10. I can't tell you how excited I am about this. OK, maybe I can tell you: I am extremely excited about it. My hopes for this season were slowly swirling down the drain until this afternoon, when suddenly that drain got plugged up and shot my hopes right back to me. Morris won't fix all the problems, but he will fix a lot. I look for UK to come out against the 'Ville with a new outlook and a new sense of passion and pride.

One another thing: there have been way too many UK fans saying how Morris' suspension should not be reduced, that they don't want him back, and that UK got a big break. To that I say : WHO CARES!!!!! It's about time UK got a break. My theory is, if Coach K can do his American Express commercials that he insists aren't helping is recruiting (that's a load of crap and he knows it, but I will save that for another post), then I will take all the breaks I can get. Some people are saying that he doesn't deserve to come back so soon. And you're right, he probably doesn't. But you know what? I couldn't care less if he deserves to come back: I want a national championship. And at any cost as long as it is moral and legal. And for those who say they don't want him back I say this: did you even watch the game last Saturday? It speaks for it's self. We need Morris: what he did was shady, but he deserves a second chance just like anyone else would want.

That's all folks. Goodnight and God bless.

Bill Meck: Weather Wonderman or Demon of Destruction?

2005-12-14T09:48:00.000-05:00

Some 'tween-final notes:

-My last final is in about 3 hours. I had one at 8 this morning also. Let me tell you why 8 am finals are no darn good: it is way too early to be recalling important information. But I think I did OK on my exam anyway.

-Remember in my last post when I said Tubby needs to not "shove a peg into a hole in which it doesn't fit?" I was real proud of that analogy. Well, yesterday I go to catspause.com only to find that someone there had stolen my analogy, calling UK's dilemma a "square peg vs. round hole". Needless to say, I am upset.

-Speaking of those square pegs and round holes, there was an interesting article in the Herald-Leader today about how uncomfortable Rajon Rondo was in Tubby's offense right now. His old high school coach says that he (Rondo) feels Tubby is kind of holding Rondo back by not playing a more up-tempo style, thus throwing to waste many of Rondo's talents and abilities. Rondo was under the impression that UK would be playing a faster style game this season after a conversation with Tubby this summer. But that only lasted for 2 games or so.

I totally agree on this point: Rondo is the best player on your team. You must, MUST play toward his strengths this year. Last year, you had Morris down low to draw defenders and create open looks. This year, you have no big man, but you have Rondo who can create and drive, thus drawing defenders and creating open looks.

-Total predicted snowfall for the past two weeks in Lexington: approx. 13 inches.
Actual total snowfall the past two weeks in Lexington: approx 3/4 inch.

This only proves my theory that meteorology is a bunch of hooey.

-Speaking of meteorology, Bernadette Maddox, WLEX-18 weathergirl has accepted a position at a TV station in Baltimore. Why does this matter, you ask? I'll tell you why: Bill Meck now has total and absolute control over the MaxTrack Doppler Radar. Sure, Meck has been chief meteorlogist for quite some time now. But Bernadette always kept his power in check. But now Bill has no one holding him back, and at last he shall establish his reign of terror upon our city via the MaxTrack. Disguised as a "radar", it is secretly an instrument of destruction. Buildings will crumble. Fires will rage unchecked all over the city. And all the while Bill Meck will sit upon his throne, cackling with glee, for he knows that once the MaxTrack, the true MaxTrack, has descended upon the earth, no one can withstand it's power.

-Aaron Carter is doing a commercial for Wal-Mart (I think it is Wal-Mart, could be Target). Either way, HERE'S WHAT YOU DID AARON CARTER: You used to be a teenage pop sensation. But you're not, and you're career fell apart. So now you did a Wal-Mart commercial. That's what you did.

-I am excited: new episodes of Scrubs start on Jan. 3. Let the Tuesday night festivities begin recommence.

-If you want my opinion on the subject of canceling church on Christmas Sunday, see Rachel Russel's comment on Justin's blog.

-RIP Water's Edge. We shared some fond memories. But alas, can no longer throw up the "W" in support and adoration. However, I still stick with my guns in saying that, if Troy had only had a little more personality on stage, they could have gone world-wide. If only you had worn that cowboy hat, or the Wu-Tang Clan shirt. If only you had jumped off the 15 foot speaker stack a few times. If only you had smashed a few guitars. If only you would have let your hair grow out. If only you had ripped your white T-shirt off at a few shows. I guess the "if-onlys" are all we will ever have.

What's going on?

2005-12-11T00:06:00.000-05:00

Question: What comes to mind when you think of Kentucky basketball?

There are many thoughts that come to my mind when asking myself this question. Some of my answers:

-Pride
-Heart
-Tradition
-Fundamentals
-Defense
-Always being in the game, no matter who we are playing
-Toughness

These are just a few things that can be associated with UK basketball. But that was not the case today as our beloved Cats took on rival Indiana in Indianapolis, IN today. Here's what I saw instead:

-Lack of pride. I sometimes wonder if many players (and not just UK players) even care about who they play for. Are college teams no more than stepping stones anymore? Does the name on your jersey even matter anymore? It didn't look like it today.

-Lack of heart. This goes along with pride. It has become evident to me that this team has no pulse. No enthusiasm, no excitement, no drive to win.

-Lack of fundamentals. Honestly, a few players out on the court for UK today looked like they had never played basketball before in their life. No execution. No smoothness on offense. No defense.

-Not being in the game. Let's be honest, as soon as Indiana took the lead, we were out of this game. If there is one thing I can say about UK it is that no matter who we play, we will always be in the game. Not the case today. And against a good, but not that great team too. And they were missing DJ White, their best player other than Killingsworth. Losing by 26 point is just unacceptable.

-Toughness. This team has yet to prove that they are anything but soft. Out big men get tossed around like ragdolls. We are unbelievably easily intimidated by the opposing defense. We get beat to the ball a few times and we hang our heads insteadof sucking it up and getting tough.

What I saw today was not UK basketball. It was an imposter dressed in blue and white with Kentucky stitched across it's chest. And I don't like this team that continues to play like an average college squad at best.

I am not giving up on this squad. I recall in December 2002 when UK lost by 20 to Louisville, then turned around and won 26 straight. Of course, that was a different team with different personelle. I still think this can be a top 10 team. But not of they continue to play like they don't give a rip about the outcome.

Tubby has a lot of work ahead of him. The players have a lot of work ahead of them. Most importantly, someone has to step up and take charge of this team and claim it as their own. Last year, it was Chuck Hayes. This year, no one has taken on that role as of yet. But whomever that person is, they better do it quick or it is gonna be a long season.

Of course, many struggles can be blamed on the lack of an inside game. But lack of an inside game doesn't cause you to lose by 26 points. The problems run deeper. It seems to me like this team has strengths that they are not using to their advantage. We are fast, but we never press. We have one of the best point gaurds in the nation, but he never takes it to the rim until the outcome has already been decided. We have good shooters but we don't set screens to get them good looks at the basket.

I hate to blame Tubby, but I think he has dropped the ball a little this year. I am guessing Tubby has called of the press becasue we gave up quite a few transition points early on. I don't agree with that. I also have the feeling Tubby told Rondo to cut back on looking to take it to the rim. I don't agree with that either. These are our strengths, and we are not using them.

I think Tubby is going to have to step out of his comfort zone a little this year. His style is gonna have to change a little bit because I just don't think he has the big men to play his usual style. I'm not saying throw his philosophy out the window. I'm just saying that when the peg doesn't fit in the hole, don't keep trying to shove it in; it's not gonna fit. You gotta make some adjustments to make it fit. I think that will be the key to UK's success this year: play towards our strengths. If we don't do that, then I'm afraid it's going to be a long, rough ride, my friends.

PC: Politically Comprimising

2005-12-08T00:19:00.000-05:00

The blog, it calls to me when I least expect it....alas, I cannot resist the temptation to write and share with the world. I confess, I am defenseless against it's lure. And so now, on the eve of what appears to be a decent snowstorm (although I have my doubts), I spill my mind:

-Every day I drive from Adena Trace in Wofo County, along the bypass to the BG Parkway, then to Versailles road and on into town. Every day I pass hundreds of different cars. And every day I pass thehouses, same buildings, same landmarks. But there is one particular piece of scenery that sticks out like a sore thumb among the rest of modern civilization. Yes, that sight that I speak of is the infamous "Castle of Versailles", or as it should be known, the castle Versailles Road. I remember as a young lad when I would every once in a while get to catch a glimpse of that famous landmark from the safety of the backseat of my car. My friends and I always talked about how it would be fun to have a birthday party there sometime, where we could play hide-and-go-seek all night long or pretend to siege the castle. But it was all talk, and our dreans were never realized. The castle remained a mystery to all; no one ever went in, and no one ever came out. I guess over the years the novelty and mystique that surrounded the Castle has faded away as I have grown older. You see it so many times and it gets old.

Well that changed today. I was driving to school today, and as I passed by, I thought to myself "There's a friggin castle in the middle of Kentucky. Right across from a Super America. How rediculous is that?". I mean seriously, we literally have a castle off the side of a highway. It's pretty stupid when you think about it. But I guess that's what makes this place unique.

-I love Christmas, but with every passing year it is rediculous how politically correct schools, businesses, and people in general are trying to be about the whole "Holiday Season." Let me give you an example: I was listening to the radio the other day, when a commercial came on for the Kentucky Lottery. They were doing their own version of The 12 Days of Christmas, which is all fine and dandy, except that instead of saying "On the first day of Christmas....." they said "On the first day of the season......". I must confess, I was a little upset when I heard this. I don't have too much of a problem with businesses advertising "Holiday Sales" or people saying "Happy Holidays": I think it is stupid, but I tolerate it. But when you change the words of Christmas carol, that is crossing the line. What's next? O Holiday Evergreen? White Holiday? The Agnostic Overweight Man Dressed In A Red Suit Who Gives Out Presents Is Coming To Town?

-Apparently, there are a lot of good vibes around campus involving the possible reinstatement of Randolph Morris.

-Anybody remember that song Brass Monkey by the Beastie Boys?

-I learned tonight that Porter College has been invited to join Highview College on a ski trip next month. Will I go? Maybe. I have never skiied (sp?) in my life; sliding down a snow/ice covered mountain on a couple pieces of fiberglass does not sound that appealing to me. I envision myslef pulling a Sunny Bono and slamming into a tree at 45 mph. Personally, I think I would opt for the snowboard over the tradtional skis, even though many have told me it is more difficult. To that I say, they are both difficult to someone who has never done either of them. Plus, snowboards are just cooler than skis. But we will see.....it will at least be fun to hang out.

-In concluding tonight's post, I must return to my first point about the Versailles Castle. Here is my thought: the ladies who live down on Kaslte Rd. like to call their house "The Kaslte" right? And I, as you all probably know by now, am vehemently opposed to this. But hear this.....what if they moved to the castle on Versialles Road? Then you could really call you house "The Castle." Cause it would actually be a castle and not a "Kastle". It's a win-win situation for everyone: more room for everybody, you get to live in a castle, and I will gladly call your humble abode "The Castle". It just makes sense.

The Weekly Review Goes Gangsta

2005-12-05T00:08:00.000-05:00

That's right fambly, it's time for the weekly flashback. Gotta keep it fresh for the people. It's been an interesting week for a plethora of reasons, many of which I won't discuss this evening. Now I could do the usual thing and discuss UK basketball, or other sports, or tell you something funny that happened to me this week. In fact I may still do that. But I have found that the key to a successful blogg (that's no typo....that's "gansta" for blog.) is format. You can lose your audience just from the first impression they recieve when they pull up your page. You gotta mix it up. So tonight, instead of the usual format, I thought we might try something new...........(cue the rap music with a killer baseline (or at least imagine it)).

Tonight's formats is not so much an award show as it is a recognition ceremony. Yes, tonight we recognize the events, peoples, goings-on, news items, and other such things that stood out over the week. Forget the Oscars. Forget the Grammys. Forget the Tonys. Tonight, we award the real winners. Tonight is the first ever edition of the "Yeeeeeeaaaahh Booooooyyyyyy!!!!!" awards. There is no more greater honor than to recieve a "Yeeeeeeeaaahhhhh Boooooooyyyyyy!!!!. Or, for brevity's sake, a YB. Tonight's winners:

-Christmas Lights. Chris and I seem to have quite the touch when it comes to putting Christmas lights on houses. In fact, I would like to introduce to you the name of our new exterior illumination service: Two Men and a Ladder. Need lights put up? Call the pros! We'll take care of you.

-UNC basketball. You proved that youth doesn't matter as much as people say. Congrats on your victory, you wanted it more.

-Ravi Moss. Not only do you deserve a scholarship, but you deserve a big YB as well. You scored 17 points in a loss to UNC. The only other player to score more was your All-American point gaurd, who got most of his points in the last minute when UNC backed off and let him have the points. The sad part: you are a walk-on. Kudos to you, shame on the scholarship players.

-Lucy Burgin. For beating the crap out of me. I always like to give her a hard time about all the free stuff she gets from UK. And tonight she got me back. I'm glad we resolved our issues.

-PSY 313. I dominated that class so much that the professor said I don't need to take the final.

-Detective Stabler. You flipped a table, threw a dude against a van, and threw another guy against a wall in Wednesday's rerun of Law and Order: SVU.

-Hagan York. For his newest wrestling move: The Bill of Rights. I can't wait to see it.

-Code-Dawg's massive truck. I have never felt more powerful than after I had ridden in that monstrosity.

-Feliz Navidad performed by Jose Fellancio. This is the best Chrismas song ever. You can't help but move to the beat.

-Wes and Chris' Christmas Carol Dance Mix 2005. Looking for that perfect gift for that special someone this holiday season? Look no further than this album. Just imagine all your holiday favorites........Mary Did You Know?, O Christmas Tree, White Christmas, Little Drummer Boy. Now imagine them remixed with hot new dance beats and effects.

-Indoor Soccer '06. Get ready, this is the year we take the title and win the free T-Shirts. Possible names for this years squad: The Disciplinators, RCU, Team Flava.

-Andy Henard's Christmas Present. Oh man, I am so excited about this. It is the best idea ever. You just wait Henard, you just wait. This one in gonna be good, ny friend.

I Like Bobby Perry

2005-11-29T12:18:00.000-05:00

News from my world:

-So I just left the Student Center at school, where today was the grand opening of the new Chick-Fil-A. Upon entering the cafeteria I was stunned to see media, decorations, a podium with a microphone, Lee Todd, and a Chick-Fil-A representative dressed in some very colroful, loud pants. The only thing missing was the Chick-Fil-A cow himself. Now I am not against grand openings for stuff. But was this really needed for the opening of a Chick-Fil-A? In the UK Student Center? I was completely taken aback by the sheer spectacle of it all. You would have thought it was a carnival or something. And it was all for the opening of a fast-food restaraunt. I found it all to be quite too much. Was there really a need for all the show to attract student customers? Absolutely not.

Students are gonna come to the Chick-Fil-A because it is the best option in that pathetic excuse for a food-court. It beats establishments such as The Fourth Quarter grill and Off The Hook seafood joint. It's not like they have a whole lot of competition. I'm noy saying don' advertise. I know you are trying to reach those who eat at Arby's and Q-Doba. I'm just saying cool it with the grand opening festivities. You don't need a keynote speaker. You don't need flash pants. You don't have to entertainme to get me to go to your restaraunt. Just serve me the chicken.

-I saw Bobby Perry in the food-court today. It saw him and thought to myself "You know, I like Bobby Perry". Contrary to John, I like to look at all the positve things he has done for our team. He works very hard, he rebounds, he plays smart. He is not spectacular by any means, but he is a solid role player. I think he will be a key player for our team this year.

And he is a nice guy. Once, when I worked at AllSports, he came in to get a pair of shoes. This is the conversation we had.....

Bobby: Hey, can I get these in a size 13?
Me: Sure, let me check.
(I go back and check)
Me: Sorry man, we're all sold out.
Bobby: Awe man, that's too bad. Well, thanks for checking anyway.

You see, most of the time in that situation the customer says "Man, you all ain't never got my f***ing size." or "You all need to start ordering more of that s***." But not Bobby Perry. You see, he was understanding. And not a chump. He knows that not evrything revolves around his wants and needs. That will take you a long way in life.

-Today's topic in PSY 313: Personality: personality disorders. Psychology is best when something goes wrong. That's pretty much what personality disorders are. The current thinking behind PD's is that it can be measured using the Five Factor Model. Those factors are: openness, agreeableness, concientiousness, extraversion, and neuroticism. When one or more of these factors is extremely high or low, you have a problem.

There are 10 major types of personality disorders. Which one are you?

1) Paranoid: Constant unfounded distrust and suspicion toward others
2) Schizoid: No interest in social relationships.
3) Schizotypal: Pattern of social and interpersonal deficits, reduced capacity for close relationships.
4) Antisocial: Pattern disregard and violation for the rights of others.
5) Borderline: Instability in relationships, self-image, emotion, often resulting in self-harm.
6) Histrionic: Pattern of excessive attention-seeking behavior
7) Narcissistic: Pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, lack of empathy.
8) Avoidant: Pattern of social inhibition, fear of negative evaluation, judgement, and criticism.
9) Dependant: Excessive need of others to take care of you.
10) Obsessive-Comulsive: Extreme perfectionism. orderliness, need for control.

All of these, of course, must be displayed constantly over a period of time for there to be any real diagnosis. But what is interesting is that we all show symptoms of each of these from time to time. It is only when these patterns of behavior become extreme that they are classied as a personality disorder.

-Congratualtions to Rich Brooks, you just may have picked up your biggest recruit yet in defensive end Micah Johnson. If newspaper reports hold true, Micah has verabally committed to the Cats, choosing UK over schools such as Georgia, Louiville, Michigan, Notre Dame, Tennessee, and Virginia Tech. Johnson, the #1 over-all prospect in Kentucky and the #2 defensive end prospct in the country, has been stated by Scout.com as being "the best big-man athlete in the country". Local reporters are saying that he may be an ever bigger recruiting signing than Tim Couch was. If these reports are true and he comes to UK, that would be HUGE! Let's just hope he doesn't pull an Montrell Jones and reneg.

-Basketball Commentator Bad Pun Attempt of the Day: I watched little bit of the V-Tech/Ohio State basketball game last night. OSU has this player names Terence Dials. I'm sure you can see where this is going. So Dials dribbels into the paint and hits a short jumper, and the commentator (Bill Raftery, I think) says: "When Dials gets into the paint, he really dials in". Come on Bill, was that really necessary?

Happy Thanksgiving

2005-11-24T19:02:00.000-05:00

What an exciting week it has been, mostly due to the fact that there has been so much college basketball on TV. I must confess I have been like a kid in a candy store. It has been, in many ways, like a week of NCAA tournament play, with so many ranked teams beating up on each other. So, after watching many of the top teams play, I thought that I would give my say as to who I was impressed with and who left me me disappointed.

-Let's talk UK basketball first. There has been a lot of talk recently about how UK can't win a national championship this year without Randolph Morris. I say that is a very bold statement to make. Sure, I think UK would benefit from having Morris back. But I think that it is way, WAY too early to say that we can kiss our championship hopes goodbye.

The early season has shown some of UK's problems; transition defense, freethrows, sloppy play. But remember, it is very early in the season and all these things will get much better over time. They always do, and so I am not too worried about them.

And so we come back to the Morris issue. Can UK succeed without him? I think they can. Here are a few reasons why:

1) Strong guard play. UK has arguably the deepest backcourt in the country. They are quick, they have shot well, and they put tons of pressure on the ball.

2) Rekalin Sims. Sims has far exceded my expectations as a JC transfer. He is aggressive, he rebounds, he plays solid defense, he can shoot the 3, he takes charges. And he plays smart. So far he has filled Chuck Hayes' shoes well. He plays well inside and will draw defenders to him, opening up things for others.

3) Jared Carter. I admit I was very skeptical when Tubby signed this kid. But he has impressed me so far, not so much by numbers but by his potential. What seperates him from the other two 7-footers? He can actually catch the ball, he is quicker, and he is very agressive. When was the last time you saw Alleyne or Orbzut score on a mid-air put-back? How bout never. Right now he is playnig like a freshman, but so was Morris at this time last year. He will improve and can be a factor in March. And he doesn't even have to be scoring 10 or 15 a game. He just has to have presence and play solid D, both of which I think he is capable of doing. That is what spreads a defense out for the playmakers to make plays.

4) Fouls. All it takes is for a few quick fouls to equalize the playing field when your opponent has a better inside game.

5) Last year. Keep in mind Morris spent a large portion of time on the bench due to fouls. And we still succeeded.

Other reasons why UK can still be great:

-Scheduling. This year they are getting tested earlier and more often, where as last year they played a fairly soft schedule to start. And hear this, the SEC is going to be a lot better than people say they will. Florida has already beaten teams from the almight ACC and Big East. Arkansas beat Kansas. UK will be tested this year.

-Early loss. Every national champion from recent history lost an early game, much the way UK lsot to Iowa. In '96 UK lost to UMass early on. UConn lost an early one on their way to a championship. UNC lost their opener last year. Losses are teaching tools, and good coaches will use them to their advantage.

-Lowered expectations. All this talk of UK being nothing without Morris has ruffled the feathers of the team. I say let's fly under the radar and then dominate in March. Remember Syracuse in '03? Arizona in '97? 4 seed and 6 seed respectively, had medicore seasons, but got it done in March. That's all that matters.

-The fact that we are a 3 pointer from being 4-0 and in the top 5. Had one more 3 pointer dropped for UK, there would be a lot less talk about how we can't win without Morris.

Bottom line: the Cats will be fine. Tubby is good at playing towards his strengths, whcih is something he will have to do a lot this year. Am I guarenteeing a champoionship? Absolutely not. But is a dangerous thing to say they can't do it without Morris. And more and more it looks like it is going to have to get done without him.

But enough of that. Let's take a look at the other teams I saw in action. NOTE: Keep in mind that I am taking a totally unbiased approach here: I am just stating what I saw. Being biased towards or against anyone does no one any good.

1) Duke. I was not impressed, at least in the fact that this is supposed to be the best team in America. They blew Seton Hall out, but struggled against the other two crappy teams they played. And had it not been for Reddick's 31 points last night, Duke loses to Drexel. The key to beating Duke is simple: get Sheldon Williams in foul trouble (which is very feasible) and containing Reddick. Any good defense with the right gameplan can do this. Duke is a good team, but they are not #1 right now, maybe #5.

2) Texas. They looked like one of those teams, who, of they get hot, they are unbeatable, but when they play abd, they are real bad. They certainly have a lot of talent, but they are still young. I admit I have bashed Texas in the past because they have not done anything to earn their ranking. I still stick by that, but I will let off a little bit. I was mildly impressed, at least with Aldridge. They will be a team to keep an eye on, that is for sure.

3) UConn. This team plays solid defense and has some good playmakers. I would put them as my top team right now after seeing them win the Maui Invitational. My only critcism of them is that they are very sloppy and make some very poor decisions. But Calhoun is a great coach, and they will be tough to beat come March.

4) Michigan State. Poor State, they lost to Hawaii by 22 and then to Gonzaga in triple overtime. But don't count the Spartans out yet. They are young, and they have a ton of talent. I think their biggest problem right now is depth, and that will come back to haunt them down the road.

5) Gonzaga. Gonzaga is weak. Any good defense can shut them down, which is exactly what UConn did. And plus Gonzaga is not going to play another ranked team for 3 months. I forsee another early tourney exit for them.

6) Syracuse. The 'Cuse is done. Go ahead and call it a season.

7) Arizona. Hassan Adams is real, but after that they struggle. And playing in the Pac-10 doesn't help. They may win some games, but they will have a tought time in March.

8) Memphis. Memphis looked real good for a half, then real bad for a half. If it weren't for the inconsitency, I would put them in the top 5. Depth may play a big part in this. If they can become a more stable team, watch out, they can be very good.

9) UCLA. The Bruins are weak, although they did show some fight in the second half of the game against Memphis. Again, playing in the Pac-10 won't help this team at all.

10) Arkansas. Watch out for the Hogs. They can be very dangerous this year. They beat Kansas. Road play will be the key issue with them.

11) Florida. Florida impressed me, especially in beating Wake. But I think the element of surprise (i.e. their lack of a pre-season ranking) helped them a lot. The are a much more physical team then in the past, but that can only get you so far.

12) Iowa. Iowa has a solid team, and I was impressed with them. They beat UK an played Texas to the wire. They will be another team to watch.

13) West Virginia. This is one of those teams that, if you know how to play them, they are no threat. Last year, they caught a lot of people off-guard with thier back-door cuts and their 3-point shooting. However, UK showed that the zone is the way to beat them. However, they did have Texas beat had it not been for 3 missed free-throws, which says a lot.

14) Maryland. Maryland is one of those sleeper teams. They are young now, but will be dangerous come March. I look forward to seeing Duke visit them when conference play starts.

15) Wake Forest. Wake is gonna be up and down this year. They may pull off a big upset down the road, but don't look for them to do much in the tourney.

Well that is my look at the teams I saw in action. It is going to be an intersting season, as there are no real dominant teams like UNC and Illinois were last year.

Hope you all had a fantastic Turkey Day. Let's hope for a football victory this weekend against the Vols.

When You Don't Have A Date For The Weekend, Stabler and Ice-T WIll Suffice

2005-11-20T23:34:00.000-05:00

Thoughts from the week:

-Ok so UK loses big to Georgia, but that was to be expected: we never win two games in a row and Georgia never loses three in a row. But watching the game was not a total waste of time. I heard these two comments from the commentators:

-Guy 1: "Georgia puts tennis balls in their jug machines and fires them at their recievers in order to improve their hands."

-Guy 2: "Yeah, those tennis balls are smaller than footballs."

And of course there were the puns involving UK running back Rafael Little. Jokes such as "His name may be Little, but he's a big part of this offense", or "His name may be little, but he makes some big plays for this team" were made all day long.

Am I the only one who notices these absurdly stupid comments? I honestly feel that I could do these guys' jobs.

-Only one word can sum up why this weekend was the jam: SVU. That's right, 8 episodes of Stabler slappin people around and Ice-T saying rediculous things. Does it get any better?

-Well as the end of the year approaches, I thought it would be good for me to point out the worst movies this year. And, by no coincidence, they are all made-for-TV movies. Keep in mind these judgments were made solely on the TV ads I saw for them: I never watched any of these:

1) Pizza My Heart: After much thought, I finally figured out that this is supposed to be a play on the phrase "piece of my heart." That's stupid.

It's about a guy and a girl whose families own competing pizza businesses. Anyone care to guess what happens? They fall in love, and of course the families both go nuts. I'll pass, thanks.

2) The Poseidon Adventure: This one is about huge boat that sinks. Can anyone say Titanic II? The only difference, from what I gather, is that instead of one end of the boat sinking into the water and the other end protruding high into the air, the Poseidon just turns upside down. Can that eve happen? I doubt it. Maybe when you played with boats in the bathtub when you were a kid. But this is real life. Boats don't jsut flip over. At any rate, why watch it when you know the boat goes under?

3) Category 7: End Of The World: CBS is responsible for this one. It's about a storm that wipes out the world. HERE'S WHAT YOU DID CBS: You went out and saw The Day After Tomorrow. So you decided to remake the movie with bad actors. That's what you did.

4) Spring Break Shark Attack: Boys and girls in skimpy bathing suits partying on a boat get eaten by killer charks. Yawn.

5) Locust: It's about killer locusts that threaten to wipe out the human race. Seems legit to me.

6) Martha Inc.: The Story of Martha Stewart: All I have for you is one line from the movie....whileon a break during the taping of her TV show, a stagehand brings Martha a glass of wine. Martha's response: (screaming and throwing the glass) "What is this? I ASKED FOR MERLOT!!!!!!!!" I almost wish I had watched this one.

7) Snow Wonder: The subtitle/catchphrase for the movie is "Forecast: Love". When I saw the ad for this in the paper I laughed out loud. From the looks of it, a bunch of cure girls fall in love with a bunch of hunky guys. And it has Camryn Manheim in it. Once again, I'll pass.

Again, I never actaully saw any if these movies, so If anyone watched one of them and liked it a) please don't be offended that I ridiculed a movie you liked and b) let me know about it, and I will take back my comments about your movie, as they are all totally based on the previews and past TV movies I have seen.

-I would like to take a moment to address something that has been bothering me ever since last week. Dustin and I, upon gazing at the college bulletin board at church, noticed that it contains, between the two of us, a total of zero Halloween Party pictures with either of us in it. What's the deal? Where is the love? Were our costumes that lame? Todd didn't even wear a costume and he got a picture. And you only got half of Batman in a picture. What's up? Let me get some feedback if you know anything.

-Song of the Week: Feelin' Good by Michael Buble

-Troy Woodyard Quote of the Week: (sees that another episode of SVU is coming on next) "Yes!!!", (pumps his fist, then turns to me) "I'm on painkillers."

-Ice-T Quote of the Week: (to a 14-year old punk) "You know I just wanna slap you right now, don't you?"

-Jason Lamb Quote of the Week:

-Me: Is this Casting Crowns?
-Jason: More like Casting Frowns.

I concur Jason. I concur.

Yet Another New Link

2005-11-16T10:59:00.000-05:00

We officially have our first high school blog, as Taylor Wherle has started his own blog, which you can reach from the link to the right. Taylor is a 5-star prospect: he has a lot of potential, great vision, and a good knowledge of the game. I expect great things from him, so check out his site.

The Review Is Back

2005-11-13T23:31:00.000-05:00

Let's get it:

-Well UK played their opening basketball game tonight, and while it wasn't the pretiest game ver played they got the job done, beating the South Dakota State Jackrabbits 71-54. Tommorow night: Lipscomb.

-After watching tonight's game, all I could think was......HERE'S WHAT YOU DID SOUTH DAKOTA STATE: You needed a mascot for your school. So you picked the jackrabbit. That's what you did.

-When was the last time we saw a UK basketball and football victory in the same weekend? Enjoy this moment, usually UK football is losing in November. I'm with John in that Rafael Little should be SEC Player of the Week after he put up 370 all-purpose yards against Vandy. Needless to say, without Little, UK is 0-9.

-In other news, the big flag football tournament took place this weekend. Our team lost both of our games, but at least we had fun doing it. In our defense, both of our QB's were unable to play, so we were kind of left in a quandry. I think everyone on our team played QB at some point.

-This question was posed to me this week: if someone were to make a movie about your life, what actor/actress would you want playing your part? An interesting question, no doubt. But after careful deliberation, I decided on 3 possible candidates:

1) Christopher Walken
2) Tom Hanks
3) Denzel Washington

What about you?

-I had the pleasure of hanging out with high schoolers from church tonight, and might I say it was quite refreshing. I even heard that a few high schoolers visit Cooperstown occasionally. So in order to appeal to said high schoolers, I thougt I would share one of my many high school memories:

- One time I was in the library, just gettin' my study on, when I went to go get on the computer for a second. Well instead of walking around the chairs I stepped over them, because I didn't want to walk all the way around them. Turns out the librarian saw me, so she comes over and tries to kick me out of the library. For stepping on a chair. I was all like "What? I just put one foot on the chair, and you are gonna kick me out of the school library for that? " Then I told her that the least amount of distance between two points is a straight line, and that all I was doing was applying the principles of geometry that I had learned, but she wasn't buying it. She made me leave. For stepping on a chair. So I pretty much went outside in the hall for about a minute, then came back in, cause I wasn't gonna let her ruin my education. Librarians are haters.

-The 'Eric Walters Tells It Like It Is" of the Week: So my friend Shelly picks up this candle in the shape of a mug with hot cocoa in it, and.....

Shelly: Is this what I think it is?
Eric: It's a candle.

Needless to say, the boy calls it like he sees it.

-Pray for Eric this week, as he is having brain surgery Tuesday. I tried to convince him to get a computer chip put in his head while they were in there, but he wouldn't have it.

-Song of the Week: Easier Than Love by Switchfoot

-I don't know whats been going on, but I've been getting dissed a lot lately. It all started a few months ago when I went to Cheddar's. As I was going in I opened the door for these two young ladies. Now what normally happens in that situation? They say "Thank you". What really happened? They laughed at me. Laughed at me. I nearly said "Forget you" and shut the door in their face, but I didn't, because I'm a nice guy. Don't let anyone ever tell you that nice guys always win, because it's not true.

Lyrical Truths and Hidden Meanings

2005-11-08T11:10:00.000-05:00

Most music today seems to mean nothing. Many of the lyrics you here on the radio are mindless and pointless. You know this, so I don't really have to explain it to you. But there is more to the story. The music industry has everyone fooled. Musicians are not who you think they are, and thier music is not what you think it is.

I was watching the Today Show on NBC this morning. One of the anchors was interviewing rap artist 50 Cent, mostly talking about the release of his new movie. Now 50 Cent is one of these guys who is real good at making you think he is something that he really isn't. He would like you to believe that he is a gang-bangin thug ganster who roams the streets shootin people up when he is not rapping. Granted, the man was shot like 42 times and mangaed to survive it. But that is his past. The reporter asked asks him "People are scared of you. Is that really you?" His answer was something to the effect of "You can pick my CD up for $16.99. It's entertainment. It's my job." 50 Cent is a smart man; he knows what people want to hear, what makes money, and thats what he sings about, whether it is true or not. And there are many others out there doing the same thing.

But there are still some songs that actually have meaning. So I thought it would be a good call to point out these songs, and discuss the truths found in the lyrics, as well as any other hidden meaning. That why I am introducing yet another new segment entitled "Lyrical Truths and Hidden Meanings".

Todays songs:

1) Girls and Boys by Good Charlotte-Let me preface this by saying that Good Charlotte is one of the worst bands of all time, and I by no means reccomend that you buy any of their records. I got one for free and I still felt like I got ripped off. At any rate, there was one good song that they put out a couple years ago. Girls and Boys deals with exactly what the title says, but also gives us a good look at why girls like boy and vice versa, as well as an insight to flirtatious behavior. Here is the chorus:

Girls don't like boys, girls like cars and money
Boys will laugh at girls when they're not funny

Profound? You bet. Look at the facts. The guys is always the one driving on the date, so if he doesn't have a nice car, she is gonna look elsewhere for love. And money. Who doesn't like money? Girls sure like it, that's for sure. So it is essential that you have at least of of these. But there is more to the song....

There is the flirting phenomenon that has puzzled me for years: boys will laugh at girls when they're not funny. How true is this? I see guys all the time laugh at girls when they tell funny stories, even when it was a terribly unfunny story. So why do they do it? They want the girl to like them, of course. By laughing at her story or joke, you show interest in her. And that's how it all starts isn't it?

So what do we learn from this song? You have two options as a guy: get some money and a nice car, or laugh at her unfunny stories and jokes. Most of us use the latter method, because there just isn't enough money to go around. And if you have a girlfriend/wife and have no money or nice car, you better start laughing at her funny stories because it won't be long before she gives you the boot.

2) Sweetness by Jimmy Eat World- I know that many of you will agree when I say that this is one of the greatest songs of all time. I bought this CD my freshman year, and I still listen to it. Sweetness was by far the best song on the album; it immediatley caught my attention the first time I heard it. And so now we take a closer look at it:

Are you listening. (Whoa,oh,oh,oh,oh,oh)
Sing it back. (Whoa,oh,oh,oh,oh,oh)
String from your tether unwinds.(string from your tether unwinds, Whoa oh, Whoa oh)
Up and outward to bind (Up and outward to bind, Whoa oh, Whoa oh)

I was spinning free (Whoa,oh,oh,oh,oh,oh)
with a little sweet and simple numbing me

Are you listening? (Whoa,oh,oh,oh,oh,oh)
Sing it back. (Whoa,oh,oh,oh,oh,oh)
So tell me what do I need (tell me what do I need, Whoa oh, Whoa oh)
When words lose their meaning (When words lose their meaning) (Whoa oh, Whoa oh)

I was spinning free (Whoa,oh,oh,oh,oh,oh)
with a little sweet and simple numbing me
Yeah, stumble till you crawl (Whoa,oh,oh,oh,oh,oh)
Sinking into sweet uncertainty

Are you listening? Are you listening?If you're listening (Whoa,oh,oh,oh,oh,oh)
If you're listening, Are you listening?Sing it back (Whoa,oh,oh,oh,oh,oh)
If you're listening, Are you listening?I'm still running away, I'm still running away, whoa oh, whoa oh
Won't play your hide and seek game.

I was spinning free (Whoa,oh,oh,oh,oh,oh)
with a little sweet and simple numbing me.
What a dizzy dance (whoa,oh,oh,oh,oh,oh)
This sweetness will not be concerned with me.
No the sweetness will not be concerned with me.

Many a day and night have I thought about what this song means. What is this "sweetness" that they sing of? It must be good, I mean they wrote a song about it. Well in order to find out what the "sweetness" is, as well as what the song is about, let's break the lyrics down:

Are you listening/Sing it back: this would imply that what the singer is about to say is of the utmost importance, seeing as how he makes sure we are listening, even asking us to sing it back.

String from you tether unwinds, up and outward to bind: he obviously feels held back by some "tether". But what is that tether? A lady perhaps?

I was spinning free, with a little sweet and simple numbing me: alas, there is a happy moment for the singer. Perhaps due to the proverbial "sweetness"?

Are you listening/Sing it back: again making sure we are listening.

So tell me what do I need when words lose their meaning: This guy is obviously trying to say something to someone, but all words have lost meaning, and he wants to know what he needs in order to express his feelings.

I was spinning free, with a little sweet and simple numbing me: again, he's feelin' good.

Stumble to your car, sinking into sweet uncertainty: Hmmmm, things get interesing here. does he stumble to his car perhaps because he finally broke up with his girlfriend who was holding him back (remember the tether), and now there is "sweet uncertainty" as to what will happen next. But that's what he wants: less predictability in his life.

Again we do the whole "Are you listening" thing.

I'm still running away, won't play your hide-and-seek game: here is the breaking point. He is tired of hiding from this girl, so he runs until he knows she won't follow him anymore.

What a dizzy dance, this sweetness will not be concerned with me: he is happy, so he is dancing. There is no more need for concern.

And there you have it. The whole time, he was telling his significant other (not us) to listen, because he was done with her. Of course, there could be other interpretations out there, but this is what I think. So what do we learn? Nothing really, it is just a cool song about a breakup that made him feel good and not bad like most break-ups do. It's irony. And that's what makes it good.

People

2005-11-06T23:18:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite comic strips growing up was The Far Side by Gary Larson. I can't tell you why I liked them so much; they didn't even make sense half of the time. I guess that's what made them funny. They were simple and to the point, with no hidden meaning. One Far Side strip in particular has stuck with me over the years. It has a picture of God in a kitchen with a chef's hat on. In a baking pan on the counter is the Earth, where God is busy at work preparing it. As he finishes making Earth, he takes a container labled "Jerks" and sprinkles it all over Earth, saying "And just to make things interesting....."

While I don't think God created the Earth in an oven or heated it up in the microwave, I don't think this comic strip is too far from the truth. I don't mean that God made put jerks in the world purely for his entertainment. I mean that it is a good representation of how He used several different ingredients when creating the inhabitants of His planet.

I have been noticing a lot lately how great a variety of personality there is in the world. And even more than that, how all these personalities mix and match to make things "interesting". And what is even more intriguing is how all these vastly different people's lives cross, and somehow it all works out in the end.

People are funny. People are interesting. People are different. But what if all people were the same? What if God had, say, only decided he wanted outgoing people on Earth? Or only shy folk? Or how about only neat freaks? Nerds? Jocks? The list goes on and on. But fortunately, there is a good mixture of all of these.

There are the Hagan Yorks, who like to be loud and have fun.
There are the Brad Hughes' who just like to keep to themselves.
There are the Lindsey Wells' who are always smiling.
There are the Dave Blakes, who say things late at night that sometimes just don't make sense.
There are the Smittys, who you watch change over the years, but at heart are still that same old Smitty Smeed you went to Junior Camp with years ago.
There are the Eric Walters', who give us great phrases to use in the future, such as "Look......the phone calls have gotta stop."
There are the Taylor Wherles, who look at the world through a compltely different lens than the rest of us.
There are the Bryce Coopers, who get way too excited about the comments he leaves on blogs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There are the Erin Thomas', who always know the clever thing to say.
There are the Andy Henards, who can kill a joke even if it wore a bullet-proof vest under a suit of solid-steel armor.
There are the Matt Woodyards, who will always make you a better Halo player.
There are the Brett Rileys, who keep running their mouths even after you beat them soundly at NCAA Football '06
There are the Morgan Fischers, who stop in the hall at school and talk to you for 15 minutes, when most people just say hi and keep walking.
There are the Chris Smiths, who will be the only one to understand when I say "Call Alfred on the BatPhone, Batman got lost on Military Pike."
There are the Josh Judes, who always have a good story to tell.
There are the Sarah Kinneys, whose three major food groups consist of bread, chicken, and strawberries.
There are the Dustin Colemans, who can make you think.
There are the Justin Tapps, who like to yell and scream at the TV. And the XBox. And the toaster. And the coffee pot. And the trach can.
There are the Justin Soks, who don't know how to behave themselves, but who are the best friends you can have.
There are the Rachel Russells, who must have a lot of patience dating fools like the Justin Soks.
There are the Troy Woodyards, who do things like drop cell phones in the toilet. Or who play their guitars real late at night. Or who put a subwoofer in their white Toyota Corolla but don't bother to replace a lost hubcap.

And the list goes on and on, because everyone brings something to the table. I think that is one reason that I chose psychology as a major: to see and understand why people are the way they are and what makes them do what they do. But I don't think that that is something you can ever fully understand.

So what is the point here? There is no point really. Just what I have been thinking about late at night or in class when my thoughts wander. Take from it what you will, but I think the biggest think that I have learned is that people are different for a reason, that they have been brought into my life for a reason, and that I should be thankful that they are there, as well as be thankful that they are not all the same. Because only God himself knows what this world would be like if it were full of Troy Woodyards.

FUTURE POSTS ALERT: Over the next few weeks, you will get to look a little bit more into the lives of those who I had the privelege of calling a roommate throughout my college experience. We will look back at some of the highlights from the old Hagan Hall cell...I mean dorm....as well as the old house on Joshua Circle. We will share some laughs, and a good time will be had by all. So keep an eye out for it.

Saturday Sports Review

2005-11-05T18:54:00.000-05:00

Well I went to the UK game today against my better judgement, mostly because we had our big offensive playmakers back from injuries. And as usual I left at half time. On the outside it would seem like the same old song and dance. But it wasn't. For those who couldn't see the game, here's what went down:

-UK scores first, and although they gave up a TD quickly after that, they appeared as if they had come to play today, which doesn't occur often. Flash forward to the second quarter, where Auburn is up 14-10 on the 50 yard line, 2nd and 10. Brandon Cox launches a deep, sky-high jump ball down the sideline, where the Auburn reciever has no chance to make a play because the UK cornerback managed to force him to the sideline and out of bounds. But wait....just after the reciever goes out of bounds, he steps back in bounds, makes the catch, and runs into the endzone for the TD. Well the general consensus. even among Auburn fans, was that the play would be ruled as incomplete. But wait...to the horror of the 60,000 expectant stands in the stadium, the officials rule that the UK conerback pushed the reciever out of bounds, and the pass is ruled complete and the TD stands.

-Instant replay CLEARLY shows that the Auburn reciever not only stepped out of bounds, but actually pushed the UK cornerback aside so as to get to the ball. So to sum it all up: UK cornerback plays good defense, forces reciever out of bounds without touching him. Auburn reciever commits offensive pass interference, goes out of bounds, comes back inbounds, catches ball, runs in for TD. UK player: nice legal play, no penaly committed, 7 points for the other team. Auburn player: 2 penalties committed, 7 points for his team. And here's the kick: the play can't be reviewed.

- Then the real fun begins. For the first time ever, Rich Brooks (and Mike Archer) shows that he actually gives a rip about the outcome of the game by getting in a very heated argument with the officials, which resulted in two sideline encroachment penalties, allowing Auburn to kick-off from the UK 35 yard-line. Fans boo and scream murder for 10 minutes. They throw things on the field. When Auburn finally kicks off, the ball sails into the stands, and the fans take it and throw it ouf the stadium. At halftime, the officials are again greeted with boos and are ushered off the field by several security gaurds. It was almost like Ernie Flethcer had showed up at the game again.

-So here is the fallout: UK ends up losing anyway. So why should I care? That's a good question. My thoughts on the matter.

1) I don't have as much of a problem with the officials missing a call as I do them not being able to review the play. For some reason beyond my realm of knowledge, plays such as these are not reviewable, which brings me to my big question: why bother with instant replay when almost everything is not-reviewable. Honestly, the only plays I have seen reviewed have been those where: a) a fumble occured and the officials need to see if the players knee was down or not b) whether a pass was complete or incomplete (i.e. traps, possession, one foot inbounds, etc.) But wait.....wasn't play a question of whether or not the pass was complete? I am going to guess that the reason it was not reviewed is because a "penalty" was involved. But no penalty flag was thrown that I saw. And even if there was, why shouldn't you be able to review a special case like this, where a reciever RAN OUT OF BOUNDS and then came back in? That at least should have been reviewed, then it would have been evident that it was the Auburn reciever who committed the penalty. And would it be so wrong to be able to review some penalties? I am not saying that we should review things like holding or offsides. But major penalties like pass interference and personal foul calls, where the penalty makes a huge difference on the outcome of the play, shouldn't we at least consider reviewing some of these? And for those who would say that it would slow the game down too much because so many plays would be reviewed, I say this: why not let the coaches have 3 challenges like in the NFL, thus reducing the number of reviews in a game? Isn't it better to get the call right? The idea behind using instant replay is that it is able to see things that the officials can't. Remember a year or two ago when the Tennessee player pushed the Florida player, and the Florida player punched him in the helmet? Both were at fault, but only the UF player was penalized. The penalty kept the drive alive, and Tennessee won. Now what if that was reviewable? What would have the outcome be had they made the right call?

It just seems to me that we have this replay to get things right but we don't ever use them when it is really needed.......

2) On the other hand, it made me happy to see Rich Brooks get fired up. I still disagree with his play calls, his coaching methods, etc., but I was gald to see him show a little excitement. It reminded me of the time when Guy Morriss punched a wall in the locker room during half-time of a game, breaking his hand. (By the way, UK came out fired up and won.)

3) Bottom line: did it really change the outcome of the game? Probably not. Howver it came at a time when UK was very much in the game; had the pass been incomplete it would have been 3rd and 10, and there could have been a nice defensice stop made. But more than that, UK made a great play on the ball and got called for a bogus penalty. It was demoralizing, and it's effects carried over throughout the rest of the game. John Wiley, who was sitting next to me during the whole debacle, put it well: WE CAN'T CATCH A BREAK. And it's true. We get injured like no other team I have ever seen. We make a big play, but it is called back for a petty penalty. And then there are occurences like today.

I'm not blaming the UK loss on the refs. They lost the game because they gave up over 300 yards on the ground. Like I said earlier, it probably wouldn't have changed the outcome of the game that much; it's the principle of the matter.

I feel bad for the players. I feel bad for the fans. Heck, I even feel bad for the coaches for once. The officials got this call dead wrong: replay showed it, and even unbiased ESPN writers who recapped the game admitted that it was a terrible call. But it "couldn't be reviewed", and there is a chance that the outcome could have been different. That's why I am upset.

-In other sports news, Philadelphia Eagles suspended Terrell Owens indefinitley. In other words, the Philadelphia Eagles told their little kid to go to his room and think about what he did untill they say that it is alright for him to go back outside and play.

-Well Tapp was right: Vince Young did not run for 267 yards against Baylor. Instead he threw for 300. And the Horns won 62-0.

New Record!

2005-11-04T00:00:00.000-05:00

These are Thursday's final statistics for Cooperstown:

VISITS

Total
5, 376

Average Per Day
60

Average Visit Length
4:33

Last Hour
7

Today
78

This Week
417

PAGE VIEWS

Total
7,269

Average Per Day
251

Average Per Visit
4.2

Last Hour
34

Today
330

This Week
1,754

This is a new record for the weblog, give yourselves a pat on the back. However I just realized how much of a dork I am for posting weblog stats, so it kind of ruined the moment for me.

CELEBRITY LOOK-A-LIKE!!!!!

2005-11-02T23:22:00.000-05:00

I recently took a quiz online that was supposed to tell me who my "celebrity twin" was. I thought it would be fun and that I would have a twin who I could identify with and say "Hey, I really am like him/her". Well apparently my celebrity twin is the one and only Ashlee Simpson. I have only one thing to say about those results: that's proposterous. I have nothing in common with Ashlee Simpson: I am not a hooch, I am not a faker, I don't get booed of stage at the Super Bowl, and I certainly don't ride on the coat tails of my siblings success.

Well in light of this travesty, this sham, this mockery, this traveshamockery, I have decided to restore order and set things straight. That's why I am adding a new segment here at Cooperstown "CELEBRITY LOOK-A-LIKE". That's right, another new segment that will only enhance the Cooperstown experience. In this segment we look at the people we know and see everyday and point out the celebrities they look like. I know many of you out there have friends who like like famous people, but you don't want to say anything. Well now is your chance. And I might note there that if your picture is out there on the internet somewhere (i.e. Facebook) you are fair game....

Tonight we look at a few of my friends who have uncanny resemblances to celebrities.

LOOK-A-LIKES #1:

Water's Edge Drummer David Waters and NBA Superstar Tim Duncan

This one is just bizarre!!!! I mean yes, Dave is white and Tim is black, but other than that they are like twins.

LOOK-A-LIKES #2

Lindsey Wells and Olympic Gold-Medal Figure Skater Nancy Kerrigan

It's true!!!! Can you see the similarites??? I know Lindsey protested this years ago, but hopefully she will agree now. Actually, she'll probably kill me for this.

LOOK-A-LIKES #3:

Bryce Cooper and Napoleon Dynamite

Do they look alike? HECK YES!!!!!

LOOK-A-LIKES #4:

Connor Sears and P.Chase Sears

Ok, so neither are really celebrities, but they look a lot a like.

LOOK-A-LIKES #5:

Colby Adams and former UK basketball star Gerald Fitch

Now if only Colby had game........

So what do you think? What are your opinions of these comparison? Do you agree or disgaree.

If you know someone who looks like a celebrity, or if you think you look like one, let me know. We'll put it to the test by letting the people decide.

My Thanksgiving Dilemma

2005-11-01T10:00:00.000-05:00

Well I just finished an exam on personality and personality assessment. It was an interesting topic of study, becuase personality is a very abstract subject and it is hard to define, measure, and assess. Basically the popular belief today is that personality is the combination of a variety of biological, social, and environmental factors. In many ways we have a certain genetic "tempermant" that allows us to respond a certain way in various situations, but by no means limits expression. To get a good measure of ones personality, you must look at all the factors that affect a person's life. But that's not what you came to here about right? Right.

What I Know: A lot of people in Christian cirlces today want to look at the field of psychology as a total disregard for God's involvement in our lives.

What I Think: I think it is a crying shame that so many say this. Psychology, when looked at correctly, is not about replacing God with science. Now there are many out there in the field of psychology studying the subject without taking God into account. But if you study psychology while taking God into account you will look at it with a whole new perspective. Let's look at personality, for example. There is the ongoing "nature vs. nurture" debate: do our genes determine who we are, or do outside influences? There are holes in both sides of the argument. But when you add God into the equation, he fills those holes, and it all makes sense. God makes us who we are, a unique person with a specific genetic make-up: "nature" as some would call it. Yet we are still flawed by sin from birth. This our personality, who we are, how we behave, and it can vary due to environmental and social influences. Of course God can change out personality through a relationship with Him. When you step back and look at how God is in control of all, and how He uses certain events, people, situations ("nurture") you begin to see that it all makes sense. But the pyschologist who doesn't account for God does not see this: he/she only sees genetics and social influence, and so he/she cannot explain these thngs. The best they can do is to say that both play a part, but there is a missing link between the two. That link is God, but many fail to recognize it.

What I Know: I gave out candy to trick or treaters at my house last night.

What I Think: Costumes are a lot cooler now than when I was a kid. Or at least more original. Many kids liked to mix and match their costumes, using certain pieces from each one to create the ultimate Halloween costume, which ends up looking pretty rediculous. But in their minds it it the greatest costume ever. And that's all that really matters.

What I Know: Yesterday I bought the new album from Michael Bublé entitled It's Time.

What I Think: When you finish reading this post, put your jacket on, get in your car, and drive to Best Buy and pick this CD up, because it might possibly be the best CD all year. If you like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, or any of the Rat Pack guys, you'll love Michael Bublé.

What I Know: With Halloween come and gone, it is now time for us to turn our attention to Thanksgiving.

What I Think: Well I have two options from Thanksgiving this year:

Option #1: Thanksgiving with Jerry's family in Louisville, where the following will take place:
- I will get good eats.
-I will get to see dear and beloved family members that I don't get to see often.
-Several relatives will comment on how much I look like Jerry.
-Several relatives will say how tall I look, and ask how much I have grown, and I will have to explain that I actaully stopped growing senior year of high school, and I am no taller now than the last time they saw me.
-My uncle will ask me if I have a girlfriend.
-Several relatives will ask me what my major in college is.
-Some will ask why I am a UK fan and not a UL fan.

Option #2: Thanksgiving with Mindy's family here in LexVegas, where the following will take place:
- I will get good eats.
-I will get to see many more dear and beloved family members that I don't get to see often.
-Several relatives will comment on how much I look like Mindy.
-Again, I will have to explain that I am the same height and that I haven't grown since last Thanksgiving.
-My little 7 year-old cousin Robby will run around saying things that don't make sense, thus keeping everyone amused.
-Several relatives will again ask me about college.

I hope it doesn't sound like I don't like my extended family: I really do. They are good people. I just think it is funny that I can accurately predict what is going to occur each time I visit. So what should I do? That's where Option #3 comes in: hit up both Thanksgivings . That's right, it may cost a little extra gas money, but two dinners is worth it. Here's my plan: drive to Louisville around lunch time, visit with family, eat until I am full, return to Lexington for dinner #2, by which that time I will be hungry again. I want to visit both families, and I want two meals, so this seems like the best choice of action for me. However, I don't think this plan will fly with Mindy and Jerry. They usually pick one or the other, so I may be out of luck.

Happy Halloween

2005-10-31T00:10:00.000-05:00

A good week. Let's review shall we?

- Well UK won a football game. Now I could sit here and criticize them for the fact they they barely beat a team that looked much worse than them, but as Mark Story suggested in the paper, let's all just be glad they won.

-So I lied to you all: I really did go as Kenny Bruce to the Halloween party. Here's the coversation I had with several people that night:

Person: So who are you supposed to be?
Wes: Kenny Bruce.
Person: Huh?
Wes: (Hikes soccer shorts up shorter than they already are)
Person: Oh, I get it!!!

-CONNOR SEARS READ THIS MESSAGE: Due to your continual complaining about how I forgot to mention you in the recent Lord of the Rings post, I have finally decided to add you in. Your character shall, at your request, be the patriarch of the Proudfoot family (sorry I don't remember his first name). So there you go. Push those spectacles up high, my friend.

-Hats of to Connor's girlfriend Meredith for letting me borrow her chapstick yesterday. I'm glad she had some cause my lips hurt real bad.

-Song of the Week: Mr. Brightside by The Killers

-Who's got my back if start submitting columns to the Kernel? I need a support group.

-And now, for the first edition of GOOD IDEA, BAD IDEA:

GOOD IDEA: Mimicking Conan O'Brien by pushing up you fake spectacles so as to make fun of nerds.

BAD IDEA: Trying to do this at 1 in the morning and poking yourslef in the eye instead.

-If you ever get a chance, watch Friday the 13th with the TV on mute. It is pretty hilarious.

-Andy and Troy, remember that time we handed out Ramen noodles to the trick or treaters on our street? That was awesome.

-NCAA Football '06 Cheat of the Week: I punt the ball. The punt returner doesn't call for a fair catch. I run at him and am going to drill him when he catches the ball, when a dude from the other team comes up and pushes my player IN THE BACK, sending me tumbling into the punt returner. I get called for interference. WHAT THE CRAP!?!?!?!?! I commit no penalty and get called for interference. The computer commits 2 penalties: blocking in the back, and BLATANT CHEATING, but gets called for neither of them. Anyway, I no longer have an XBOX cause I chucked it throught he window.

That's all for tonight, I am real tired, I did not sleep enough this weekend. Let's make it a great week where ever you are.

Gotta Say This Real Quick

2005-10-29T00:52:00.000-04:00

HERE'S WHAT YOU DID COMMENTERS TO LAST POST: I wrote a post about not talkin smack. So you all talked smack on the comment board. That's what you did.

Talkin' That Smack Makes The World Go Round

2005-10-28T00:14:00.000-04:00

What I like about most of my male friends (as well as myself) is that we like to run our mouths about how good we are at stuff. My pal Brett likes to talk a lot about how he is gonna run me off the field at NCAA 'O6. Dustin likes to talk the smack about NHL video games, saying such things as "You can't handle Mario (Lemiuex)". Troy always likes to talk up a big game about everything he does, whether it be softball or basketball or even mowing lawns (at least back in the Lawn Barber days). There is Ryan Preece, who insisted that he would crush me at FIFA 2001. I think we all remember that that game ended in slaughter rule, with Wes's Irish Intimidators coming out on top. And just tonight, Sok tried to say that his flag football team was going to roll my team (he doesn't even know who's on my team).

So why is it that we like to run our mouths about such trivial things? Cause its fun, that's why. There's nothing more satisfying than beating someone at something when they have talked incessantly about how bad they were going to beat you. At that point, one of three things happens: they accept defeat gratefully, they beg for a rematch, or they get mad and take their toys and go home. Because, you see, there is the flip side to smack talk: you run your mouth and you get beat.

Bottom line here: don't run the mouth unless you got the goods to back it up. Don't come over and say that you will beat me at FIFA 2001, because you won't. I will tear you up. And that's a fact. Now of course, there are exceptions here. Only two people have beaten me: my brother, who I have played a thousand times, and Troy, who I lost once to while playing with the worst team in the history of the game. On an even level, I am unstoppable.

So when do you know that you are good enough at something to be able to talk samck about it? 5 signs that you are ready to rumble:

1) You have played the toughest competition there is to offer, and you have beaten it soundly. You cannot be the best until you beat the best. This especially applies to video games.
2) Other people acknowledge that you are the best in your field. I once played Andy in FIFA 2001. I was up like 10-0 at halftime, so we quit. From that point on, anytime someone came over claiming that they could beat me, Andy would warn them, saying "Wes is the master of FIFA 2001, he will crush you. You don't stand a chance, so don't bother."
3) You have earned your ranking. Remember in 2003 when Florida had just been rated #1 in the country after beating a dozen weak teams, and Matt Walsh ran his mouth about how they were going to come in to Rupp and beat Kentucky? Remember how he was shut down by His Pimpness Cliff "Rowdy" Hawkins, and Florida was crushed under the weight of their own ego?
4) You can win on anyone's turf. It is easy to win in a familiar environment. It is only when you take your game on the road and dominate that you deserve to talk that smack.
5) When you are able to overcome your own occasional mistakes and get the victory. You can't be perfect every game. Sometimes bad luck comes to town and tries to ruin your party. It's when you overcome these unfortunate events that you earn the right to talk.

Has your game met all these qualifications? If so, run that mouth. You've earned it. But if not, don't do it. Keep workin your game. Or as that brilliant thinker Curly from The 3 Stooges once said...."If at first you don't succeed, keep on sucking till you do suck seed." I think that says it all.

Another New Link

2005-10-27T00:10:00.000-04:00

I have a new link for all to enjoy. You should check out Erin "Rosie" Thomas' new blog over to the right. It is entertaining, yet delighfully profound. I strongly recommend it. Erin is one of the only girls I know who has a weblog, so all you other ladies should take note and create your own as well. Don't be scared to join the party.

Time For Some Feedback

2005-10-26T00:16:00.000-04:00

So lately among my various social groups (that's right, I said various social groups) there has been much reminiscing about TV shows of our bygone youth. Such classics such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (my favorite), The Elephant Show, Pete & Pete, Are You Afraid Of The Dark?, and of course, Fred Penner's Place (holla back Hagan) all have a special place in my heart, as they are the shows I grew up with. Some classics I was not allowed to watch for various good reason that I now understand (i.e. Ren and Stimpy). Some I was not allowed to watch for reasons I will never understand ( I was forbidden to watch Doug, the cleanest, most harmless, wholesome, thought-provoking, lesson-teaching, character-building show on TV at the time. Swing and a miss on that one, Jerry and Mindy).

Well there was this show years ago called Animaniacs that in my youth I would watch religiously. I'm sure many of you may recall as I know I wasn't the only one who enjoyed the wild antics of Yako, Wacko, and Dot. Well I was thinking about that show today, and how incredibly awesome of a show it was. There was this one part of the show called "Good Idea, Bad Idea". It is a pretty self-explanatory concept. At any rate, I have decided to adapt this idea to the blog. It will most likely resemble "What I Know/Think", so watch for it in the future.

What other shows did you enjoy as a young lad or lass? I have thought of about all that I can remember, as I had a lengthy conversation with some friends about this subject a couple Sundays ago. I am interested to hear about what you watched in your youth, especially if you are older than me.

This is the point where I stop talking and eagerly await your feedback.

Just a sec, I got one more thing to say: this is my interesting fact for the evening.

So I was just watching the tail end of Leno (waiting for Conan to come on of course) where I happened to catch Sinead O'Connor preform her new single. I noticed something funny: if you add a k and an h to Sinead, you get Skinhead. Skinhead O'Connor. I thought that was pretty funny. Cause she shaves here head.

I've Already Got An iPod, So I'm Pretty Much Set

2005-10-23T23:51:00.000-04:00

Better take notes, it's review time:

-So this week in UK football.........aahhh screw it.

-This week in UK basketball, RONDOMINATION!!!!!!! Yeah baby, that's my slogan for the new season. See, I mixed RONDO and DOMINATION together. Because Rondo dominates. Now I didn't see the scrimmage on Saturday, but wordon the street os that Rondo was drilling 3's left and right on his way to a cool 33 points. If that's the case, I predict an undefeated season. So go ahead and pick us to lose to garbage teams like you did last year, Digger Phelps. Go ahead a rank us preseason 18th. All I have to say is, watch out for the Cats in March. And November, and December, and January, and February.

-So what's funny is that on catspause.com on Saturday the basketball scrimmage was the top story over the football game. Thataway, Rich Brooks. Way to hold on to that fan support.

-If you are interested in getting a "Troy Woodyard Marriage Campaign '07" T-shirt, talk to me or Hagan. We'll probably set up a stand over at the Campaign Headquarters on Joshua Circle.

-Mark your calenders: this Christmas break, we're gonna throw down all 3 Lord of the Rings movies in a row. Who's with me? Huh? Huh? I said who's with me?

-Here's my take on the whole "giving away of the iPod" on high-attendance Sunday: to be perfectly honest with you, I have no problem it and here's why.....most lost college students aren't coming to church on their own just because they want to hear about God. I say any motivation to get them there is fine. And, as a friend of mine pointed out, if one lost soul gets saved because they came thinking they could win an iPod, then who really cares? Do you think God cares? Do you think that God would hold that against us? I don't, but thats just my opinion....

-So I know you've all been dying to know what I'm going to be for the highly anticipated Halloween party this weekend....well here's what I've decided on: I'm throwin on the old soccer jersey and the short shorts and goin as international soccer superstar Kenny "The Juice" Bruce. OK, so I'm not really going as Kenny, was just using it as an excuse for a shout out to K.B. Holla atcha boy, Kenny....

-My real costume? I choose my costumes based on the comfort factor. I don't want a bothersome costume to annoy me all evening. My original idea (actaully it was Hagan's) was to be an iPod. But that would require wearing a large box all night. I'm not down with that. Anyway, I'm only gonna tell you this about my costume: it's gonna be hot. You know I make anything look good.

-So now that I a supposed to help plan socials for the college department, here's my first idea: getting involved with a fraternity. I suggest Tappa Kegga Day.

-Hats off to Derek (I don't know his last name, just met the guy) for letting us come over Sunday after church Sunday. Not only that, but he payed for the pizza himself. That's love right there.

-Eric Walters Misconstrual of the Week: So I give good old Erci a ride home tonight, and here's what transpired....

-Eric: Who is this? (referring to the music in the car)
-Wes: Fountains of Wayne
-Eric: Who?
-Wes: FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE
-Eric: Fountains of Wang?!?!?!?!?
-Wes: (hysterical laughter)

-Song of the week: You're Just Never Satisfied by Fountains of Wayne

-Wes's Advice For The Week: "Spinners don't just spin by themselves, you have to be the one who gets 'em spinnin' "

REM

2005-10-21T11:51:00.001-04:00

I had this dream last night that I must tell you about. So me and some girl who I don't know were in this house, and it was all dark and stuff, when all the sudden Freddy Krueger showed up and started chasing us around. So eventually we ended up upstairs hiding behind a corner, knowing that Freddy was around the corner waiting for us. So normally what one would do at this point would be to find a way out of the house. Well the girl who was with me didn't want to do that, she wanted to stay and take Freddy out. She was like "Ok, let's jump around the corner and tackle him", but I was like "Doesn't he have 6-inch metal spikes coming out of his hands or something like that? I think we are a little outmatched here." But before I could get a response she had jumped around the corner, yelling and screaming, trying to tackle Freddy. Poor girl, she never had a chance. The next image I saw was of Freddy looking around the corner at me and grinning. Then I woke up.

Now I have never seen a Freddy Krueger movie, but I believe the whole idea of the story is that Freddy can give you nighmares and then he makes them become reality (please correct me if I am way off base here). Well as soon as I woke up, it was about 4 a.m. and it was dark, and I had to go to the bathroom. So I got up and went to the bathroom. As I was doing this I was thinking "Doesn't Freddy give you the nightmare, then show up and kill you or something? Shouldn't I be a bit concerned here?" I started to get a bit worried. Then I thought "Oh man, I flushed the toilet. He knows I'm awake now. I bet he likes to kill you when you're awake. Why would mutant serial killer who murders for fun want to kill me in my sleep?"

It's funny that at 4 a.m. I was able to analyze the entire situation, but forgot that Freddy Krueger doesn't exist. I even tried to tell myself that but a part of me just wasn't buying it. Fortunately I was so tired that as I debated this in my mind, I fell back asleep.

I know D. Blake has said it before, but dreams are cool. Especially when you know what really goes on when you dream. Did you know that everyone dreams whether they remember it or not? Did you know that you average 4-6 dreams a night? Do you know why you often feel like your legs are made of lead when you are running in a dream? It's because you are actually in a state of paralysis when you are asleep. You can't move your legs while you sleep, which carries over to sensations in your dreams. You know those dreams where you realize its a dream, and you can control what is happening? Those are called lucid dreams: you are actually partially concious when you are having one of these dreams. Did you know there is a rare disorder out there where people just start having dreams while they are awake? How freaky would that be? Pretty cool stuff, no doubt.

Housekeeping

2005-10-20T23:16:00.000-04:00

Lend me your ears, fellow readers, comrades, and anonymous commenters, I have some business to attend to. It has come to my attention that a recent post about fads and some other posts may have been a bit offensive to some of the patrons of Cooperstown. Please understand that there was no ill will here toward any person or group of people, and that I offer my most sincere applogies to any who took offense. I meant no harm. These posts were simply a "looking back and remebering how funny that was" kind of thing and not a "Wes thinks you are a bad person because you gave in to a fad" thing. I was also kind of in a bad mood when I wrote them too, so some may have come off a little harsh. I am not here to make fun of you, and any "poking fun" is done in good humor because there is not a person who reads this blog who I don't love to death. And I am not just saying that, you can take that to the bank and cash it, cause it is real. If anything I want this blog to make people like each other more, not cause petty tiffs and quarrels as many did in the past.

And please note that any cynicism/sarcasm is directed at our culture, and not at specific people. When I make fun of those snowboots, I only do it because I don't get fashion, not because I think any less of a girl who chooses to wear them. I think most of you understand this, but I just want to make sure no toes are getting stepped on here, because I'm all about that love, baby.

So here is my proposal to you: I will try harder to be sensitive to others feelings. Here is what I ask of you: that you do the same. If you make a comment, keep it clean, and think before you write. Don't say something that you will regret. Now of course there are times when we will poke fun of each other. I am going to make fun of Troy every time he strikes out looking in softball, because I know he knows it is all in good fun, and that we all suck at softball. If you must know I make a fool of myself everyday. Like the time I drove my car into a tree in the parking lot because I accidently hit the accelerator instead of the brake. I have followed fads before. I have asked stupid questions. I have said stupid things. It's all good, my babies. Again, my appologies to any who may have taken offense; we are all friends here and I've got nothing but love. So with all that said, we still have some more business to attend to.

There is going to be some restructuring here at Cooperstown. There will be fewer posts where I deliver random thoughts, and a little bit more organization. Here's my plan for the new and improved Cooperstown:

-Move all random thoughts to "What I Think/What I Know" format (did I really just say that? Man I really am a nerd.)
-Continue CD and film reviews
-Keep HERE'S WHAT YOU DID
-Continue with the weekly review
-Continue with "Hey, remember when...."
NOTE: This does not mean that there won't be the occasional post that doesn't fit this format. Those will most likely be editorials and the like, such as the bit I wrote about Halloween, and the one about alcohol use. These formats may also be combined if needed as well.

So that's about it I guess. We'll at least try this for a while and see how it goes. I think it will turn out better for all in the long run. If you are not completely satisfied with your Cooperstown experience, please let me know. And remember, if you are ever feeling stupid and down on yourself, at least you know that the Greek word for fellowship is coininea......

What Cracks Me Up

2005-10-20T11:28:00.000-04:00

This is the kind of thing that makes me laugh:

-This morning in class we were talking about infidelity, and how men get more upset over the sexual aspect of it while women get more upset over the emotional attachments that their husband forms with another woman. So the professor puts this stat up on the board:

Survey Results:

Women: 82% more upset over emotional attachment, 18% more upset over sexual aspect.
Men: 60% more upset over sexual aspect, 40% more upset over emotional attachment.

Now whether you agree with these statistics is not the point here. The funny thing is what happened next.

The professor asks if anyone disagrees with this theory, and so some girls say that they think the sex part is worse, and some guys say that the emotional part is worse. So then after 5-10 minutes of discussion this one girl raises her hand and says that she disagrees witht the study because she thinks that women get more upset over the emotional attachments.

Did you see it? Did you catch the gaff? Study says: women get more upset over emotional attachment. Girl says: I disagree with the study, I think women get more upset over emotional attachment. I looked around the room to see if anyone else caught it. The dude next to me was laughing. The professor just kind of looked at her, then kind of changed the subject to avoid humiliating her.

I can't wait for my 3rd statistics class test, where inevitably someone will ask "Will there be math problems on this test? Will we need a caluclator?", even after he told us 10 times that the tests have no math problems. Unbelievable.

Can I Get A What What

2005-10-19T00:07:00.000-04:00

Put this in your pipe and smoke it:

-Tomorrow marks the day when I begin my intense excercise regimen, beginning with a brisk morning run. Not a jog, but a run. See, the key to running is that you gotta suck it up. Everybody hurts, but you push through the pain. That's how it's done, and I'm gonna run till it hurts so good.

-Most of you don't know about the crazy technology here at Cooperstown. I have this site meter that not only counts hits but traces the visitors back to their visit location, as well as shows how you found this site. So to all you anonymous commenters, here's the bottomline: the jigs over, your cover is blown, I know who you are. Don't fight it anymore. Also, just so you know today we had an all-time high of 67 visits and 325 page views. So give yoursleves a cookie.

-Dick's Sprting Goods Footwear Employee Of The Month: Not me. Not John either.

-In case you hadn't figured it out yet, any baseless, abusive comments, or a fascimile there of, are immediately deleted by me, the author. Sorry, that's just how it's gotta be.

-Encouraging Professor Comment of the Week: "Some of you will do good on this test. Some of you won't, of course."

-One of these days I'm gonna punch a kid right off his bike when he nearly runs me over.

-One of these days I'm gonna jump-kick through the windshield of an oncoming car, Walker Texas Ranger style when they pretend like they are gonna run me over.

And now, a new segment I like to call "Hey remember when......". I got a good feeling about it.

-Chris, remember the "We Three Kings" adaptation we were writing a couple Christmas' ago? We have to finish that.

-Andy, remember that time we left Troy at Asian Wind, so he walked all the way home? That was awesome.

-Troy, remember that time I invented the Balloon turn-table and you took credit for it and everybody loved it? That was not awesome.

-Dave, remember that time you almost drove us off a cliff?

-DC, remember that time I showed you up with my superior beatbox skills?

-Smitty, remember that time you peed on the side of the Bluegrass Parkway?

-Justin, remember that time you licked a flashlight and got battery acid on your tongue? I guess I should have said this years ago but HERE'S WHAT YOU DID JUSTIN SOK: You saw some moisture on the lens of your flashlight. So you licked it. And it turned out to be battery acid. That's what you did. Also while I'm thinking about it, you owe me $20. This your last warning. I'm done playing nice with you bucko.

-Tapp, remember that time when you went to bed, secretly waited for Troy and I to both go to bed, then you snuck back into the living room and played NCAA Football till 2 am? Also, remember that time you ate sardines? That was nasty dude. And you wonder why I made you Gollum....he ate raw fish too.

-Lyric Of The Day: Oh girl, when I'm in love with you, keep fishin if you feel it's true. There's nothing much that we can do to save you from yourself.

That's all I have to say about that.

I'm Cool Because I'm Irish?

2005-10-17T23:26:00.000-04:00

I'm just gonna be honest with you tonight: I don't like fads. If I had a Top Ten list of things that annoy me, fads would be right up there. Whether it be LiveStrong bracelets or Vote For Pedro shirts, i'm like the opposite of the McDonalds slogan: I'm not lovin' it. So I thought today of fads from my youth and from the present, and I came up with a few that stuck out.....

-Pogs: Perhaps the stupidest game known to mankind.

-Pokeman: Retract the above statement-this is the stupidest game known to mankind.

-Irish Heritage: Believe it or not, when I was at Clays Mill Elementary, you were cool if you had an Irish heritage. That is the honest truth, I don't make this stuff up.

-Reebok Pumps: Not a big fan of putting excess air pressure into the tongue of my shoe

-Velcro shoes: I took no part in this. This went on while I was in high school, and I saw Brandon Sok with a pair on the other day. I told him that they make Velcro shoes for very young children and for mentally disabled kids who don't know how to tie shoes. And it makes sense when you look at who started the whole thing anyway.....( cough cough Dave Campbell cough cough)

-Rap: Man we had these kids in middle school who were as white and middle-to-upper class as can be drawing Wu Tang Clan symbols everywhere and telling me how Tupac was still alive. What were you trying to do? Prove how bad you were? Cause you're not, so don't be a poser. (note: Troy if you ever find that Wu Tang shirt let me get that from you. You may be too scared to wear it to church but I'm not.)

-Throwing up the "West Side" sign: I went back and looked at my middle school yearbook a while ago, and no joke nearly every picture had kids throwing up the their "West Side" sign for all the world to see.

-"God Made Bananas" shirts: Man I'd like to know who made those shirts.....

-Trucker Hats: Don't wear trucker hats if you are not a trucker. I know this may offend some of you, but I'm not in the business of enabling your absurd behavior. Lose the hats.

-JNCO Jeans: I'm just gonna come out and say this: this is quite possibly the most absurd article of clothing a person can wear. Seriously, if you can fit two people inside one pant leg, it's time to rethink that outfit.

-Wearing a toboggan when it isn't cold outside: That is just a lack of common sense.

-Bob Marley: You were cool in high school if you liked Bob Marley, so most people said that they did. Liars, you were just trying to fit in. Bob Marley sucks and you know it.

-Stand-on Scooters: I don't know what those were about, but those things are dangerous.

-Poker: Don't even get me started on this one...

-Popping collars: Just don't do it.

-Guys wearing pink/purple: I don't have a problem with this if you can pull it off succesfully. As for me, I learned the hard way that pink was not working for me when long ago I let the girl next door pain my fingernails.

Got any more fads you want to mention? Let me hear them.

What A Week

2005-10-16T23:26:00.000-04:00

What a wild week it has been!!! Tests, softball finales, movie premiers, Big Blue Madness, frantic football finishes....I don't know if I can handle much more action. Let's start from the top:

-Well your's truly made his silverscreen debut on Friday night as Elizabethtown opened in theaters across the country. And although it only lasted a very brierf second, my scene made it into the film. How exciting it is to know that I was in a movie, even thought I served no purpose other than looking pretty. But that's what I got payed the big bucks for ($70 to be exact). And it turns out that the movie was actually pretty good. It's a win-win situation if you ask me.

-Friday night also marked the beginning of another college basketball season as teams from around the nation took the floors for their first practices of the season. The Cats are already getting no respect from college analysts, which is fine with me. They'll shut up when we run the table.

-What a weekend for college football! USC kept the streak alive on a last second TD, Penn State fell as time expired, and LSU held off Florida for the W. Now more than ever do I believe Texas will win the National Championship. Vince Young is a dominator.

-Now might be a good time to mention the Football Anouncer Comment of the Week: "Reggie Bush is like the 1st Ammendment with hips, the way he expresses himslef on the field is amazing."

-Me and Matt had a good trip to the gorge, although it was muddy as crap and I couldn't stop trippin all over stuff on the ground.

-I went to McDonalds tonight and got a McChicken sandwich. I ask for BBQ sauce and the lady at the drive-thru tells me that unless I ordered Chicken Nuggets I have to pay 11 cents for BBQ sauce. Much to her surprise I reached inside the window, grabbed some BBQ sauce and drove off. I don't pay for condiments, that's how I roll. And now she knows that.

-Ok so I didn't actually reach into the window and snatch the BBQ sauce from the lady. But I did give her a real mean look.

-Let me tell you how else I rolled this week: I threw down all over my Learning/Cognition test on Wednesday. I thought it had learend its lesson the first time, but it came back for more. And it got more discipline than it could handle this time. I say if you're not taking a test with attitude, then you're not taking a test at all.

-Song of the Week: I'm Glad There Is You (redone by Jaime Cullum)

I don't have much more to say at this point, except that it has been an action-packed week and I am exhausted. So instead of doing the "boyfriend/girlfriend phone conversation thing" where I stay on the line during uncomfortable silence even though I have nothing to say, I will just go ahead and hang up now. So........ see ya later. (-click-)

The Boys Of Fall

2005-10-13T23:35:00.000-04:00

Well another fantastic season of softball came to an close on this chilly October night, and while the outcome was not what the team (and small fan base) desired, there were still some memorable moments along the way. As we look back upon the season, we salute those who left it all on the field not for fame, or fortune, or glamour, but simply for the love of the game (and the webgems of course).....

-Here's to you, Ryan Saffel, for beng the only constant in a sea of ballpark uncertainty. You are truly the glue that holds us together.

-Here's to you, Chad Elliot, for being the naive optimist, for finding the good among the bad, and for getting all the ladies to come to the games.

-Here's to you, Dan the Man, for your solid hitting and field presence that intimated even the bravest of souls.

-Here's to you, John Wiley, for your superb play in left field, and for your fiery spirit that made us all rethink what we were playing for.

-Here's to you, Todd Burus, for the times you denied the runner access to home plate, for the times you tried to get cheap outs by touching the other teams bat, and for your corked bat.

-Here's to you, Jason Lamb, the Great Lambino, for your managment tactics and for your play at shortstop. I bow humbly before you, my liege.

-Here's to you, Troy Woodyard, for your being called out on strikes, for your being called out on strikes, and for your your being called out on strikes. Better hit the batting cages this winter big guy.

-Here's to you, Dustin Coleman, because without you, no one would ever hit it to right field.

-Here's to you, Andy "Parker" Henard, for your stuff on the mound, for your fly-outs, and most of all for allowing me the chance to stare at that gorgeous behind of yours from out in center field.

-Here's to you, Chandler Snyder, for playing in only one game but having more errors in that game than most had all season. And for striking out in the High School State Championship game.

-Here's to you, Jon Canler, for being the most ripped muther I have ever seen, yet never taking one yard. No excuses Jon, no excuses.

-Here's to you, Bryce "Q-Tip" Cooper, for taking a ball right in the mouth in a losong cause.

-Here's to you, Hagan, for just being there.

-Here's to you, Ryan Preece, for never being there when we needed you the most.

-And finally, here's to you, Wes Cooper, for playing in three games and totaling exactly one hit and one walk. Fine work, my friend.

So I say to all of you, keep hope alive. There will be more games. More chances for big hits. More chances for webgems. But most likely, more chances to makes errors and kill drives. May you all be proud of what you have accomplished, for if there were a cloumn on the league standings sheet for "Games where we played well but just made a few to many errors and didn't get enough hits", we would be champions of the world. Rest well, my lieges.