Why put off tomorrow…

The Duke/Wake game was about as exciting as expected. Henderson played up to my earlier suggestion. The shot that he hit under ten seconds is exactly what I was talking about in the last post. I will admit that Jeff Teague already looks like an NBA player, even though he was relatively held in check. But he just has the look of a professional player. I don't know if it's his posture or his facial expression or what, but he just looks like he doesn't care until near the end of the game, just like every player in the NBA. By the way, Wake fans will rush the court for anything. Hopefully, nobody throws a quarter onto the court during a game. Wake fans: act like you've been there before.

The UNC/FSU game was more exciting than expected. Where Teague often looks disinterested and listless, about every player on the Tar Heels has their own moments. Even though UNC currently has the third highest ranking in the ACC, it still seems like they're the ones that every team is gunning for (other than Clemson). They play State tomorrow, which could be a good game despite State's inadequacies.

I was supposed to write a blog for the Star-News blog yesterday, but didn't. I expect to do that some time in the future following this moment, so it may go up today. I'll probably link to it on Monday, but if you just can't wait, it should be up today. I'm going to try to start on that, so this is it for today.

QotD:

What were you supposed to do yesterday?

My take: More work than I did. Instead, I worked on my minesweeping abilities.

Ode to Charles

One Way Out is a new Discovery Channel show on Mondays and has one of the best Wikipedia pages ever (for now). It has a bit of a Jackass quality about it, which is strange for a Discovery show, but I suppose Discovery shows are generally strange. In the first episode, the host Jonathan Goodwin duct taped a scorpion in his mouth, and his "mate" Mikey slapped him in the face – twice. Successful Discovery shows have a definite formula, something like 25% concept and 75% host. It's why a show like Dirty Jobs works, but a show like Future Weapons really doesn't. In theory, a show about high-tech guns and bombs would be much more exciting than a show about catfish noodling and giraffe poop. But Mike Rowe makes his show work.

Duke and Wake play tonight in a battle of 1 versus 4. I've seen most people pick WFU, and I probably would too if Gerald Henderson weren't playing so well. Considering that, I won't pick either team. For some reason, Kyle Singler leads Duke in all significant statistical categories except blocks (16.5 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.8 steals per game).

Speaking of unreasonable stats, Chris Paul was three steals away from a quadruple-double (reminiscent of the old Lebrons commercials, particularly this one) against the 76ers Monday night. That don't make no sense to me. He now holds four of the spots on Bryan's list of the top ten fantasy outputs, which means my team holds five of those spots with Rajon Rondo's somewhat unexpected foray into the league's top tier of performances.

I probably could have just sent this blog in an email to Charles instead of unleashing it onto the world since it's pretty exclusively about his greatest passion. At least this way, everyone can share in his gushing response.

QotD:

Super Bowl XL-three: Cardinals or Steelers?

My take: I felt like I needed to get this question out now because responses to Friday's Question may not be posted/postable before Sunday at 6:28 p.m. (EST). I really think the Steelers should win, based on the fact that they're the better team, but I still have reservations about picking them because the Cardinals are on fire right now. Even so, many of the Steelers have been to and won the Super Bowl before, and I think that matters. So, I'm going with Pittsburgh.

I'mma call you back.

PC Load Letter

My computer was being odd, so I'm starting this about 30 minutes later than I should have, which means I'll be writing about things other than I'd originally planned.

I tried to play some Call of Duty: World at War online with Matthew this weekend. It doesn't work as well as it should. For example, although you can play their co-op mode with up to four people, you can't play with two people on one Xbox and online at the same time. So, Matthew, his roommate, and I could not play at the same time. A lot of games work this way or have similar problems. Gears 2 is another example. Why does horde mode allow for up to five players, but only two per box? These problems are just frustrating. And it sucks that the best multiplayer games are the ones that suffer. I cannot fathom any feasible explanation for these sorts of choices. I can only fully respect a multiplayer game that includes all sorts of playability with all of its available modes.

I read a couple of interesting student blogs this weekend:

Rhett wrote an interesting entry about how music choices are used to stereotype. It was a good take on the assignment, which was to write about their experiences with stereotyping.

Layne wrote a good entry about going to a Chairmen of the Board (not Chairman of the Board) concert over the weekend. That's definitely something I would have enjoyed. I don't trust people who live in Wilmington who don't like Chairmen. That's like being a Yankees fan in Boston.

I had my 101 class write a description of a desk today in class. I had some mixed feelings about this assignment beforehand. I told them if they can describe a desk they should be able to describe anything (which will be important for their first essay). I've read a few of their descriptions and have been really impressed. I'm glad I went ahead with that assignment. They've been really creative and fun.

QotD:

What's your desk like?

My take: My dad made my desk, and it's meant to be functional – not pretty. Even so, it's not an eyesore. It really just needs paint. It's huge though. Originally, we designed it to fit my computer and computer accessories and my TV, since it was the only piece of furniture in my college apartment bedroom. We had to make it smaller, though, when I moved here so it would fit in my room. I can also move the middle leg around in case I want to move my chair to the other side. So, it's nice to have that flexibility.

Bryan's take: I can answer for Bryan's desk here at our house, since I'm looking at it right now, and he never uses it. It's a Target desk, so it matches our Target bookcase. According to Bryan, it's too small and "too sharp." It basically holds junk right now. But I put my TV on it, so I can watch SportsCenter in our office.

LinkedOut

A lot of my students have been blogging about the presidential inauguration and the Wilmington area snow, both rare events. I like the ambiguity of the links in that last sentence. Now, my students have to click on all of the links to see if one of them is theirs. Very devious.

Speaking of devious: I'm giving a "pop" quiz in my Lit class Friday. I told my students that I might announce pop quizzes in this blog. I don't want to require them to read my blog, but I don't mind giving them some incentive as I'm trying to foster a feeling of (internet) community, and my blog is a good means to do that.

I'm not surprised that a lot of my students are blogging about sports, in various ways. I've noticed that it's hard to get students to venture too far beyond the suggestions of a teacher, and since my blog is often about sports, it seems that many of my students have picked up on that suggestion. It works for me, though, because I like reading about sports.

I am surprised at how few have written about entertainment news (another common blog topic for me and the blogosphere in general). Plus, it's Idol season. Excluding commercials, I've probably watched about two hours of Idol since its inception, but I'm sure some of my students watch it regularly. I'm just surprised that I'm the first one to blog about it.

So, I guess I had class with one of the Idol contestants? This doesn't increase the likelihood that I watch any Idol this season. I just thought I'd mention it.

UNC plays Clemson tonight in a battle of top-10 teams. I'm surprised Clemson kept its #9 ranking after a loss to WFU. Usually, a loss for a top-10 team results in at least a small drop in ranking. Besides, it wasn't really as if Clemson had a chance. I'm expecting the same thing tonight. A Clemson loss would move them to 0-54 in Chapel Hill. That's the kind of streak that even Clemson fans have to be rooting for. It's like the Cubs. Do their fans really want to win a World Series? Then they wouldn't have anything to complain about.

QotD:

What's your best snow memory?

My take: I remember building a fairly impressive snow fort with my extended family at my grandparents' farm some years ago. We usually built hay forts in the barn, but I think we built a snow fort one year. This is the part that may be a false memory: I remember building columns with different animal heads (made of snow) on top. I distinctly remember one of our columns ending in an elephant head. But I could be making the whole thing up. Anyhow, it's a snow "memory."

Bl.

This'll probably be a short blog for a number of reasons (that I won't mention here).

I hope the Tar Heels are back on track after last night's win.

I have a new entry up over on my Star-News blog. I reviewed Lord of the Rings: Conquest. It's a pretty miserable game. It made me want to cry. Instead I've been playing some Left 4 Dead, which doesn't make me to cry. Seems like a good decision.

Parker had an interesting blog entry yesterday (though it wasn't at all about Jake "the Snake" Plummer).

I was glad to learn that one of my students, Wes Rose, actually had a blog before joining my class. Plus, he blogged about Lupe Fiasco, which is fantastic.

QotD:

Which show is better: The Office or 30 Rock?

My take: I think 30 Rock is the best show on TV.

Irish I were blogging

That title reminds me of my Aunt Lois. Seems like the type of joke she'd enjoy.

(Most) of my students have begun blogging in earnest. You can find links to their blogs on the right. I've told them all to respond to a classmate's blog, so I figured I'd retype those instructions here:

1. You should read a few of the blogs on the right until you find one that interests you.
   
2. Click on comment beneath that blog.
   
3. Comment.
   
4. And submit.
   

I also expect to link some of their better blogs in the text of my blog, so here's that:

1. Steve wrote a pretty good blog (even though he didn't do the assignment). He incorporated a couple of pictures, which I've had trouble with in the past. Maybe I'll get him to show the class how to do that. I also like his title.
   
2. David put up a well-written blog (though he only did half of the assignment).
   
3. Hillary seems like she's really getting into her blog, which is nice to see. She also brought up what might be a common problem: how to create hyperlinks. There should be a little world icon with an infinity symbol on it in your toolbar that will let you insert links.
   
4. Layne and Laura also put up good posts (and somehow picked the exact same template).
   

The main purpose of those links is to show my students what I'd like to see from their blogs and to give credit to those who are writing their blogs well. But, now on to the interesting stuff. (Just kidding – my students are plenty interesting (to me).)

Ricky Henderson and Jim Rice are going to the HoF, Rice in his last year of eligibility. Ricky was one of my favorite players when I was younger, mostly because the A's were winners during my formative years. It's good to know that he's a first-balloter.

Jodie Meeks lit up Tennessee for 54 points last night. That's a ton of points for a college player. I had the game on our bottom screen. It looked like he could just shot from anywhere. He hit 10 threes. UT looks a lot worse than I would have guessed.

IGN's
"Top 100 Animated Series" list is exactly the kind of article I love. I can't believe TaleSpin is only 81. The list is only posted to 81 (counting down) so far, so it'll be interesting to see where this thing goes.

So, I got an email yesterday from one of my students asking if I am "at all Irish." Easily one of the odder emails I've received since the invention of spam blockers. I'm not going to call him/her out, but I thought this would be a good place to mention that I have no Irish ancestry that I'm aware of.

Question of the Day:

Will anyone from MLB's "steroid era" ever go to the Hall?

My take: I have to imagine that some of the juicers will get in. If not, Omar Vizquel will be the only new inductee for like a decade.

Respond After Reading

It's funny how the ACC works. UNC went from undefeated and No. 1 in the nation to 0-2 and last place in the ACC in two games. My analysis of the Wake game is pretty similar to my analysis of the BC game. The Heels couldn't make anything (35% FG and 26% 3-point FG), and Wake made some incredible shots, including a triple clutch, 10-second hang-time layup by Jeff Teague. I did notice, this time around, that UNC's shot selection was often suspect. I couldn't find a shot chart, but I imagine 90% of UNC's shots were either directly under the basket or behind the arc, which would normally be good, but when the refs aren't calling fouls consistently under the rim and the threes aren't falling, it's time to change game plans. I don't want to suggest the refs were unfair; I thought they were pretty consistent from team to team (at least in the first half), but they were also pretty consistently wrong – calling phantom fouls and ignoring solid contact. At least UNC made their free throws this time (82%).

Also, what can you really say about Danny Green. Last night's game is a perfect example of why he is my favorite on this team. He just does everything well.

The other news from the weekend is, of course, the other Carolina loss. That was pretty embarrassing.

We watched Burn After Reading yesterday. It was pretty slow and boring. Brad Pitt (not sure why I linked that) really saved the movie, at least until J.K. Simmons showed up. He was hilarious.

So, this is the day where my students might start reading my blog (and writing their own). I showed them how to set up their own blogs in class, and you should start to see them on the right under "My Blog List." I also told them that I might drop hints about class stuff in this blog, like when a pop quiz is coming or something like that. My 110 class has a quiz next class, but I already told them that. Anyhow, there might be some new readers/responders soon.

Question of the Day:

Biggest sports loss of the new year?

1. Panthers lose to no-account (name-stealing) Cardinals
   
2. UNC lose to since winless BC
   
3. UNC lose to still undefeated Wake
   
4. THE Ohio State University loses Fiesta Bowl with under a minute left
   
5. Red Sox lose hope for competing in AL East
   
6. TNT loses
   Charles Barkley to DUI
   
7. NFL playoffs lose both Mannings
   
8. Other ________
   

My take: I felt much better about the UNC loss to BC than I do about their loss to Wake. Not sure why. Obviously two losses in the ACC is too many for any team that expects to win it this year.

Mr. Pibb + Red Vines = Crazy Delicious

My feelings on the Fiesta Bowl were very similar to Matthew's. OSU looked really good early, but couldn't get any points. Then the end was just awesome, regardless of which team you pulled for.

We watched Pineapple Express in my house last night. It was a big to-do. I'd hear bad things – mostly that it was slow with occasional hilarity. I'd say that it lived up to that promise, but Austin, Heather, and Steph seemed to love it. The movie also spat in the face of common sense, which I don't mind occasionally, but it was pretty extreme. Danny McBride's character was shot something like 7 or 8 times before being exploded, but he seemed pretty healthy by the end of the film. In other words, it was a goofy film. It did have a number of great moments, though.

I also watched Hot Rod recently, which also includes McBride. But I watched it because it stars Andy Samberg, of "Jizz in My Pants," "Iran So Far," and other SNL digital shorts fame. Hot Rod also stars Jorma Taccone, who is the other guy in "Jizz in My Pants." The movie was better than I expected. It was also silly, but I expected that. I'd say it compares favorably to '90s SNL spinoffs. It's worth the watching.

Today was our first day of class. I'd say mine went fine, but we only discussed the syllabus and met each other. It took about 30 minutes for each class. My 8 am class was in the building exceptionally early, like 7:30 early. I hope they don't do that in the future. It's just not worth it. I'm teaching two different classes this semester, which sucks. I've got a 101 and a 110; 101 is a writing course and 110 is a literature course. The biggest problem is that I have to prepare to teach two different things. It's not a big deal, it's just not awesome – a word I've been using more and more lately.

QotD:

Which class would you rather take: 101 or 110?

My take: 101. I'm not a big fan of "literature" in the traditional sense. We get to talk about cooler things in 101.

Alternate QotD:

What's your favorite SNL digital short?

1. "Dick in a Box"
   
2. "Natalie Raps"
   
3. "Lazy Sunday"
   
4. "People Getting Punched Just Before Eating"
   
5. The laser cat series
   
6. "Jizz in My Pants"
   
7. "Iran So Far"
   
8. Other (there are 37 posted on NBC.com)
   

My take: I'd have to go with "Lazy Sunday." It's the first one I saw, so it's getting my nod.

So Cash

Instead of losing channels with the new year, we actually gained a few channels, including MLBHD, which was playing the 2008 World Series last night, and FSNHD, which I didn't realize we have until after the UNC-BC game. So, we watched the game in "standard" definition.

In case you didn't watch it, UNC lost to BC last night. UNC couldn't hit anything (shooting under 40%), even free throws (15 for 27). BC consistently hit some of the more ridiculous shots I've seen in a while. The Tar Heels also caused considerably fewer turnovers (10) than usual (19.1). So, really, a seven point differential is a lot lower than it could have been.

The ACC now has the two, three, and four teams in the coaches' poll. Three and four play Sunday, with only one still undefeated.

After the game last night, I put on some Planet Earth, also in glorious HD. It turns out Bryan isn't exactly down with the planet Earth, so we had to find something else to watch, since there weren't any of the regular Sunday shows on. We ended up watching Swingers, a pretty iconic cult film. Vince Vaughan called everybody in the movie "baby" at least four or five times each.

I'll probably blog pretty regularly on Monday and Wednesday mornings from now on (until the end of this semester). That's when I'll be in my office, and I'm never very productive in my office. I'll also probably start getting more class-related stuff in since our classes start Wednesday. But I'll keep the other stuff in.

QotD:

What's your favorite adjective?

1. Money
   
2. Cromulent
   
3. Craptacular
   
4. Splendiferous
   
5. Other __________
   

Vince Vaughan from Swingers take: Money.

My take: Cromulent. It's a Simpsons' word. Miss Hoover explains that "embiggens" is a perfectly cromulent word.

Viacom Down

Heh – wordplay.

So, we Time Warner customers almost lost 19 channels that Viacom provides because TWC thought they were too expensive. Fortunately, they settled this deal before any harm was done. As Bryan put it: we still get Comedy Central.

Time Warner is already my least favorite company that I still do business with. Damn natural monopoly. Had they allowed this debacle to proceed to its original conclusion, TWC would have boldly stepped into the "worst company ever" category. In case you're unaware, their customer service is akin to monkeys with typewriters, which you may have heard about.

Since my last blog, the NFL playoffs began to happen. If I'd been a little more "on the ball," I might have instituted a playoff pick 'em system through this blog. As it is, I'm afraid there's just no time. The first game starts in a few hours. I'd imagine most of you would pick the Panthers anyhow, so maybe it wouldn't have been worth it.

Also, since my last blog, Jenny won the regular season pick 'em league by a single game, which happened to be the final game of the season. So, that was entertaining. And congrats to her, though I've already told her that in person.

Question of the Day:

Which television channel do you watch most?

My take: Most decidedly ESPN, possibly followed by ESPN 2. I do watch a good deal of Discovery, though.

Happy Saturday.