Notes
- I was reading through the comments from my last blog, and bchang's question on urinal selection reminded me that I wrote something more in depth about bathroom etiquette in general a while back. So I used the handy search function on Blogger and it pointed me to 11/26/02's entry. Then I realized that more than a year ago, almost the exact same thing happened as the scene triggering last week's blog. And I even wrote about it, but forgot in the time since that it happened. I guess I actually have seen someone reading at the urinal, except this time it was a book, not a magazine. Man.... I've been writing so long that I'm starting to repeat myself without even knowing it. Maybe I should start selling my archives to be posted in syndication somewhere.
- As for the questions/concerns in those comments, refer to the old blog for my urinal selection policy. To clarify, I'd say that picking the short urinal for no reason is kind of stupid, but it's not a big deal if you have to. The "one urinal buffer" rule definitely takes precedence, and all these rules generally apply whether dividers are present or not.
The comment by Anonymous highlights some important concerns about my "lightsaber" terminology, which I should probably address here while I have the chance. To clarify, let me just say firstly that it's just a model, and not one that's necessarily built to scale. You're right, even if you are very above average, it most likely doesn't stack up to a lightsaber. Also, it sounds like you might be misunderstanding the model itself. Like the concept of a lightsaber, you start with just the handle, but the rest is the beam of "energy" that extends and flows from the handle. If you are still confused, email me and I can draw a picture for you with captions and everything - it takes a little bit of thought and imagination to understand, but honestly, it wasn't supposed to be a major thinker. In any case, I'll consider changing my terminology on that one to "the Schwartz" for future reference.
- There aren't too many negatives that I can associate with March Madness, but this morning I did have one such experience. Browsing ESPN.com for tournament coverage, I clicked on one of the links to a story on the "NCAA tournament". Then I wasted a good amount of my precious time reading this article before realizing that it was about the Women's NCAA tournament. Stupid web designers at ESPN.com failed to make that distinction a clear one. Since the story was talking a lot about UConn and Duke and stuff, I didn't even notice that I got shysted until they started talking about Penn State as a top seed. I was like "wait a minute... Penn State... what the fork??" and then angrily hit the "Back" button with a vengeance.
- The Illini looked so lifeless in that Wisconsin game, it was pathetic. Maybe the Badgers really are that good, but I guess we'll see how they do in the tournament. Either way, putting Illinois as a 5th seed is a joke. Wisconsin at 6 is arguably even more retarded, but at least they get to play in Milwaukee. The real tragedy is that 4 teams from this state made the tournament, and not a single one is playing remotely close to home. And assuming that Illinois beats Murray State, a pretty good team, we gotta play Cincinnati, a really good team, in Ohio. Who comes up with these brackets anyways?
- Lately it seems like more and more people have been giving me crap again about being a Britney Spears fan. I was starting to get somewhat angry and irritatated with all the haters around me, but over the past few days I realized that there are also more fellow fans out there than I thought. It's always nice to talk to someone who also appreciates and admires the amazing star power of Britney. So for now, I am still happy and I won't have to write another long essay to answer the haters.
- Some random guy started talking to me at Cherry Red on Saturday. He claimed that he wasn't gay, but him and his friends kept looking at me weird throughout the night, and he also pinched my cheek. I didn't know what to do, except hide behind Olivia and Vira and ask them to protect me. Then on a dare from Anuj, Dennis went up to the guy and told him I thought he was cute too. Also on an unrelated note, I drove around for about 40 minutes looking for parking before finally caving and giving my car to the valet. The moral of the story is, I'm never going back to Cherry Red.
Monday, March 15, 2004
Thursday, March 11, 2004
Daily Illini
For any of the fellow Illinois alumni like me, I recommend that you add http://www.dailyillini.com to your list of bookmarks, if you didn't know about it already. I didn't know this site existed until a few days ago (or maybe I did know at one time, and forgot about it), but I'm glad I found it.
One of the things I miss most about college is grabbing a DI on the way to class and using it to pass the time during a boring lecture. Or picking up someone's leftover DI at the Union during lunch, and reading it while enjoying some Rice Garden Teriyaki Chicken.
Reading through the all the DI stories through the web almost makes me feel like I'm back at school. The student editorials are an especially refreshing reminder of what life was like back then, and the local stories on campus news seem so familiar to me. I really miss those days.
Maybe it's just my imagination, but it seems like the world around us got a lot uglier and meaner since we left college. Back in the bubble of Champaign-Urbana, it seemed like the biggest things people worried about were getting rid of the Chief, construction on Green St., and curbing underage drinking. Now, all we ever hear about is wars, terrorism, and scandals.
I know, 9/11 happened while we were at school, but it seemed like an isolated incident at the time, not the norm. Today, it's almost like we expect to hear about people dying in Iraq every day, trains blowing up, snipers, anthrax and ricin, SARS, mad cow disease, just one thing after another. Even Martha Stewart, of all people, is getting convicted and being sentenced to jail. Then in the sports world, it's no longer all about the games, the scores, and the fans. It's about shady recruiting for college football, steroids, Kobe Bryant's rape trial, and contract disputes.
Didn't mean to get on the soapbox, but I guess what I'm saying is, the nice thing about visiting dailyillini.com is that it kind of takes me back to those "good old days". Maybe the world really was this mean and ugly all along, except that I was just ignorant until I left college. I honestly don't know.
*****
Urinal Stance Discussion
It's been discussed before, but the subject of urinal stances in the men's room continues to fascinate me. (By the way, girls should probably skip this section). Throughout my years of using public bathrooms, I've gotten to see pretty much all the various styles that people use. Books could probably be written on the different ones out there, the advantages/disadvantages of each one, variations and nuances, etc. But for brevity's sake, I'll just briefly mention the major ones here with a quick description.
For starters, you got the standard two-hand position, which offers maximum control and happens to be my personal choice. I call it the "Luke Skywalker", since you're kind of holding it like a lightsaber. Then there's what I call the "Alanis Morissette", where you have one hand in your pocket and the other one is playing the piano, flashing the peace sign, and hailing a taxicab. Another stance is the "Titanic", where you put one hand on the wall, reminiscent of the scene when Leo made love to Rose and all you see is her one hand against the steamy window.
The ones I don't understand are the "look Ma, no hands" stances. I've seen people put both hands against the wall (the "Prison Rape" stance), or both hands on the waist (the "Connaughton", a name which will only make sense to a couple people I went to high school with), and these positions make me cringe to think about how sloppy things can get. You need a steadying force in there somewhere, you know?
Well, just when you think you've seen everything, that's when something new comes along and forces you to open your mind to more possibilities. And sure enough, earlier today I saw a new one. I walked into the bathroom and saw a guy reading a book with his left hand while doing his business. Now, I know a lot of people read when they've got #2 to take care of, but that's when you're in there for more than a couple minutes. It just seems funny that the guy couldn't put down his book for like 45 seconds to concentrate on his work.
Now, even for #2's, I don't like to bring any reading material, but I definitely can't see myself ever being so into my reading that I would take it with me to the urinal. First of all, like I said before, I like the two-handed technique because it affords the best overall control and also lets me pretend like I'm a Jedi. But perhaps more importantly, I strongly believe in keeping your eyes on the target to make sure things don't get crazy. Ok fine, I'll admit it, I like to spell out my name on the urinal wall too. Don't tell anybody.
Anyways, I'm not sure what else is out there, as far as new positions or improvements go. But I think one thing I've learned by now is that nothing should surprise me anymore. The ingenuity of man never ceases to amaze, and apparently the spirit of innovation is alive and well in the wild and wacky world of urinal stances.
For any of the fellow Illinois alumni like me, I recommend that you add http://www.dailyillini.com to your list of bookmarks, if you didn't know about it already. I didn't know this site existed until a few days ago (or maybe I did know at one time, and forgot about it), but I'm glad I found it.
One of the things I miss most about college is grabbing a DI on the way to class and using it to pass the time during a boring lecture. Or picking up someone's leftover DI at the Union during lunch, and reading it while enjoying some Rice Garden Teriyaki Chicken.
Reading through the all the DI stories through the web almost makes me feel like I'm back at school. The student editorials are an especially refreshing reminder of what life was like back then, and the local stories on campus news seem so familiar to me. I really miss those days.
Maybe it's just my imagination, but it seems like the world around us got a lot uglier and meaner since we left college. Back in the bubble of Champaign-Urbana, it seemed like the biggest things people worried about were getting rid of the Chief, construction on Green St., and curbing underage drinking. Now, all we ever hear about is wars, terrorism, and scandals.
I know, 9/11 happened while we were at school, but it seemed like an isolated incident at the time, not the norm. Today, it's almost like we expect to hear about people dying in Iraq every day, trains blowing up, snipers, anthrax and ricin, SARS, mad cow disease, just one thing after another. Even Martha Stewart, of all people, is getting convicted and being sentenced to jail. Then in the sports world, it's no longer all about the games, the scores, and the fans. It's about shady recruiting for college football, steroids, Kobe Bryant's rape trial, and contract disputes.
Didn't mean to get on the soapbox, but I guess what I'm saying is, the nice thing about visiting dailyillini.com is that it kind of takes me back to those "good old days". Maybe the world really was this mean and ugly all along, except that I was just ignorant until I left college. I honestly don't know.
*****
Urinal Stance Discussion
It's been discussed before, but the subject of urinal stances in the men's room continues to fascinate me. (By the way, girls should probably skip this section). Throughout my years of using public bathrooms, I've gotten to see pretty much all the various styles that people use. Books could probably be written on the different ones out there, the advantages/disadvantages of each one, variations and nuances, etc. But for brevity's sake, I'll just briefly mention the major ones here with a quick description.
For starters, you got the standard two-hand position, which offers maximum control and happens to be my personal choice. I call it the "Luke Skywalker", since you're kind of holding it like a lightsaber. Then there's what I call the "Alanis Morissette", where you have one hand in your pocket and the other one is playing the piano, flashing the peace sign, and hailing a taxicab. Another stance is the "Titanic", where you put one hand on the wall, reminiscent of the scene when Leo made love to Rose and all you see is her one hand against the steamy window.
The ones I don't understand are the "look Ma, no hands" stances. I've seen people put both hands against the wall (the "Prison Rape" stance), or both hands on the waist (the "Connaughton", a name which will only make sense to a couple people I went to high school with), and these positions make me cringe to think about how sloppy things can get. You need a steadying force in there somewhere, you know?
Well, just when you think you've seen everything, that's when something new comes along and forces you to open your mind to more possibilities. And sure enough, earlier today I saw a new one. I walked into the bathroom and saw a guy reading a book with his left hand while doing his business. Now, I know a lot of people read when they've got #2 to take care of, but that's when you're in there for more than a couple minutes. It just seems funny that the guy couldn't put down his book for like 45 seconds to concentrate on his work.
Now, even for #2's, I don't like to bring any reading material, but I definitely can't see myself ever being so into my reading that I would take it with me to the urinal. First of all, like I said before, I like the two-handed technique because it affords the best overall control and also lets me pretend like I'm a Jedi. But perhaps more importantly, I strongly believe in keeping your eyes on the target to make sure things don't get crazy. Ok fine, I'll admit it, I like to spell out my name on the urinal wall too. Don't tell anybody.
Anyways, I'm not sure what else is out there, as far as new positions or improvements go. But I think one thing I've learned by now is that nothing should surprise me anymore. The ingenuity of man never ceases to amaze, and apparently the spirit of innovation is alive and well in the wild and wacky world of urinal stances.
Tuesday, March 09, 2004
The Passion
When I first heard that Mel Gibson was making a movie about Jesus, I thought to myself, "nobody's gonna go see this thing". I mean, being a Christian and all, I thought it was a cool thing for him to do, and fund with his own money. But looking at our culture and generation, Christian-themed media doesn't tend to do very well in a primarily non-believing population. For example, I really doubt that any non-Christians ever watch the Christian channels on TV, nor do they spend much time in Christian bookstores, or listen to Christian music. A lot of Christians don't even do that stuff. So I figured that a Christian movie, even one associated with a big name like Mel Gibson, would inevitably be ignored too.
Then came all the controversy with the movie's portrayal of Jews, and the whole thing started generating so much attention and hype to the point that everyone in this country, not just Christians, wanted to see this movie. Whether it was out of pure curiosity or what, I don't know, but by the time the movie came out, it seemed that everyone, Christian and non-Christian alike, was interested in going to see this movie. And right now, the Passion has already made more than $200 million in two weeks time, so obviously I was wrong about the movie being ignored.
Meanwhile, I found that for some reason, I was feeling less excited about seeing the movie than everyone around me, including my non-Christian friends. Something about the whole situation kind of bothered me, and I still don't really know exactly what it is.
I think part of it was that I felt like God was being commercialized or trivialized, that all my beliefs were being reduced to a 2 hour movie. I don't know if this is a reasonable way of looking at the situation, but I guess I feel like throughout the years, I've watched so many meaningless movies, and maybe if I saw the Passion in the same way I've gotten used to seeing every other movie, it would just become like all those other movies in my mind. It's like my Christian faith has been brought down to the same level as Starsky & Hutch, Hidalgo, and Eurotrip. Again, maybe I'm just overthinking, but a part of me wants to keep anything to do with God on a higher level than everything else in my life.
Also, everything I was hearing about the movie was that it was very graphic and powerful. And while seeing the bloody crucifixion of Jesus laid out on a movie screen might move someone to tears or maybe even bring a non-believer to Christ, I don't know that it would be a good thing. In my opinion, you shouldn't ever "guilt" someone into believing in God, is what I'm saying.
Or for someone like myself, I don't want to "guilt" myself into becoming a better or more passionate Christian. Having been a churchgoer my entire life, I've experienced my share of retreats and revivals, with plenty of those moments when I felt so incredibly moved by a speaker to be more passionate about God. But with all those high moments came the inevitable "post-retreat letdowns", when I discovered that you can't run purely on emotion in this world. As invincible as those revivals and those speakers made me feel at the time, the reality of life and the world around me eventually set in each and every time, and in the end I found myself feeling even lower than before. It became confusing as to whether or not I was really being touched by God, or merely being touched by guilt from the speaker's message. At some point, I decided that if I continued to put myself through the emotional spin cycle every summer, spring, or winter break, I would someday stop caring entirely and become a cold, hard-hearted old man. And that's definitely not something I want to happen.
So when it comes to the emotional impact of watching a movie like the Passion, I couldn't help but hesitate to subject myself to it. I'm not really afraid to see bloody scenes, but I do feel like with every violent movie or TV show I watch, I get more desensitized and start to lose my capacity to care about stuff as a human being. If you see people getting killed or limbs being blown off all the time, it doesn't make those things any less horrible, but in your mind, you can't help but to start losing perspective. In my Christian belief, the crucifixion of Jesus was the most horrible thing in the history of man, and my personal worry is that the magnitude of his sacrifice would gradually lose its meaning in my mind if I see it played out repeatedly on a movie screen.
All these concerns aside, I still ended up watching this movie anyways on Saturday afternoon, with my mom and sister. And you know what, after watching it, I still don't know how I feel about the whole thing.
As far as the movie itself goes, I thought it was pretty well done. It stayed true to the Bible for the most part, and it did effectively show just how brutal the Roman act of crucifixion really was. Also, despite the controversy, I didn't see the film as being anti-Semitic at all. You can't skirt the fact that it was the Jewish leaders who wanted to get rid of Jesus, just like if you made a movie about Pearl Harbor, you couldn't simply ignore the fact that it was the Japanese who made the surprise attack.
However, if one were to focus on the fact that Jesus's execution was engineered by Jews, it would be missing the larger point. Maybe the film doesn't convey it perfectly, but in the end, it's not really the Jews or the Romans who were responsible for his death. Christianity is not about hating Jews for killing Jesus, it's about recognizing who Jesus was and why he came to this world. The point is, the blood of Christ is on everyone's hands, and not one specific group -- in the big picture, it is because of the sinful nature of all men that he laid down his life.
The one thing about the movie that bothered me was the portrayal of the devil. I don't think it added anything meaningful, and instead made the film feel kind of silly, actually. Do we really need some androgenous-looking "scary" character playing the devil? I don't think so. It tends to make the movie seem less credible and more like a cartoon.
As for my personal reaction, the movie definitely had a strong impact on me. Even as I went into the theater expecting very graphic scenes, it was still extremely powerful and moving to see the extent of brutality and the depth of Jesus's sacrifice on that screen. However, I still don't know what the eventual effect of the movie will be on my life. In the long term, will there be a positive result of me seeing this movie? I have no idea. Also, would I recommend watching this movie to someone else? I don't know what to say to that either.
I will say this: whether you are a believer or not, remember that the Passion is definitely not like any other movie. So if you do go watch it, don't approach it like any other movie. You don't go in there with a bag of popcorn and nachos, nor do you cheer with the crowd when Jesus is resurrected at the end. It's not a chick flick or a date movie, it's not a thriller or a comedy.
But on the other hand, in the end this is still just a movie. If you're not a Christian, I really don't think you can expect to spend 2 hours in the theater watching this movie and all of a sudden become "born-again". Other than some scattered flashback scenes, the Passion is about the last hours of Jesus's life, and while this is a critical part of the Christian faith, there is definitely more to it. At most, I think seeing the movie may inspire some to start seeking to learn more about Christianity, which isn't bad for a 2 hour film.
Anyways, if anyone else sees the movie and wants to discuss it with me, I'd definitely be eager to talk. Other than that, I don't know what else to say at this point.
When I first heard that Mel Gibson was making a movie about Jesus, I thought to myself, "nobody's gonna go see this thing". I mean, being a Christian and all, I thought it was a cool thing for him to do, and fund with his own money. But looking at our culture and generation, Christian-themed media doesn't tend to do very well in a primarily non-believing population. For example, I really doubt that any non-Christians ever watch the Christian channels on TV, nor do they spend much time in Christian bookstores, or listen to Christian music. A lot of Christians don't even do that stuff. So I figured that a Christian movie, even one associated with a big name like Mel Gibson, would inevitably be ignored too.
Then came all the controversy with the movie's portrayal of Jews, and the whole thing started generating so much attention and hype to the point that everyone in this country, not just Christians, wanted to see this movie. Whether it was out of pure curiosity or what, I don't know, but by the time the movie came out, it seemed that everyone, Christian and non-Christian alike, was interested in going to see this movie. And right now, the Passion has already made more than $200 million in two weeks time, so obviously I was wrong about the movie being ignored.
Meanwhile, I found that for some reason, I was feeling less excited about seeing the movie than everyone around me, including my non-Christian friends. Something about the whole situation kind of bothered me, and I still don't really know exactly what it is.
I think part of it was that I felt like God was being commercialized or trivialized, that all my beliefs were being reduced to a 2 hour movie. I don't know if this is a reasonable way of looking at the situation, but I guess I feel like throughout the years, I've watched so many meaningless movies, and maybe if I saw the Passion in the same way I've gotten used to seeing every other movie, it would just become like all those other movies in my mind. It's like my Christian faith has been brought down to the same level as Starsky & Hutch, Hidalgo, and Eurotrip. Again, maybe I'm just overthinking, but a part of me wants to keep anything to do with God on a higher level than everything else in my life.
Also, everything I was hearing about the movie was that it was very graphic and powerful. And while seeing the bloody crucifixion of Jesus laid out on a movie screen might move someone to tears or maybe even bring a non-believer to Christ, I don't know that it would be a good thing. In my opinion, you shouldn't ever "guilt" someone into believing in God, is what I'm saying.
Or for someone like myself, I don't want to "guilt" myself into becoming a better or more passionate Christian. Having been a churchgoer my entire life, I've experienced my share of retreats and revivals, with plenty of those moments when I felt so incredibly moved by a speaker to be more passionate about God. But with all those high moments came the inevitable "post-retreat letdowns", when I discovered that you can't run purely on emotion in this world. As invincible as those revivals and those speakers made me feel at the time, the reality of life and the world around me eventually set in each and every time, and in the end I found myself feeling even lower than before. It became confusing as to whether or not I was really being touched by God, or merely being touched by guilt from the speaker's message. At some point, I decided that if I continued to put myself through the emotional spin cycle every summer, spring, or winter break, I would someday stop caring entirely and become a cold, hard-hearted old man. And that's definitely not something I want to happen.
So when it comes to the emotional impact of watching a movie like the Passion, I couldn't help but hesitate to subject myself to it. I'm not really afraid to see bloody scenes, but I do feel like with every violent movie or TV show I watch, I get more desensitized and start to lose my capacity to care about stuff as a human being. If you see people getting killed or limbs being blown off all the time, it doesn't make those things any less horrible, but in your mind, you can't help but to start losing perspective. In my Christian belief, the crucifixion of Jesus was the most horrible thing in the history of man, and my personal worry is that the magnitude of his sacrifice would gradually lose its meaning in my mind if I see it played out repeatedly on a movie screen.
All these concerns aside, I still ended up watching this movie anyways on Saturday afternoon, with my mom and sister. And you know what, after watching it, I still don't know how I feel about the whole thing.
As far as the movie itself goes, I thought it was pretty well done. It stayed true to the Bible for the most part, and it did effectively show just how brutal the Roman act of crucifixion really was. Also, despite the controversy, I didn't see the film as being anti-Semitic at all. You can't skirt the fact that it was the Jewish leaders who wanted to get rid of Jesus, just like if you made a movie about Pearl Harbor, you couldn't simply ignore the fact that it was the Japanese who made the surprise attack.
However, if one were to focus on the fact that Jesus's execution was engineered by Jews, it would be missing the larger point. Maybe the film doesn't convey it perfectly, but in the end, it's not really the Jews or the Romans who were responsible for his death. Christianity is not about hating Jews for killing Jesus, it's about recognizing who Jesus was and why he came to this world. The point is, the blood of Christ is on everyone's hands, and not one specific group -- in the big picture, it is because of the sinful nature of all men that he laid down his life.
The one thing about the movie that bothered me was the portrayal of the devil. I don't think it added anything meaningful, and instead made the film feel kind of silly, actually. Do we really need some androgenous-looking "scary" character playing the devil? I don't think so. It tends to make the movie seem less credible and more like a cartoon.
As for my personal reaction, the movie definitely had a strong impact on me. Even as I went into the theater expecting very graphic scenes, it was still extremely powerful and moving to see the extent of brutality and the depth of Jesus's sacrifice on that screen. However, I still don't know what the eventual effect of the movie will be on my life. In the long term, will there be a positive result of me seeing this movie? I have no idea. Also, would I recommend watching this movie to someone else? I don't know what to say to that either.
I will say this: whether you are a believer or not, remember that the Passion is definitely not like any other movie. So if you do go watch it, don't approach it like any other movie. You don't go in there with a bag of popcorn and nachos, nor do you cheer with the crowd when Jesus is resurrected at the end. It's not a chick flick or a date movie, it's not a thriller or a comedy.
But on the other hand, in the end this is still just a movie. If you're not a Christian, I really don't think you can expect to spend 2 hours in the theater watching this movie and all of a sudden become "born-again". Other than some scattered flashback scenes, the Passion is about the last hours of Jesus's life, and while this is a critical part of the Christian faith, there is definitely more to it. At most, I think seeing the movie may inspire some to start seeking to learn more about Christianity, which isn't bad for a 2 hour film.
Anyways, if anyone else sees the movie and wants to discuss it with me, I'd definitely be eager to talk. Other than that, I don't know what else to say at this point.
Thursday, March 04, 2004
Orange Krush
Watched one of the best basketball games I have seen in a long time last night. Illini jump out to an early lead at Purdue, Boilermakers battle back to tie it and then go ahead, both teams go back and forth the whole game and eventually take it to overtime. More battling in OT, Purdue hits a tough 3 to tie it with 10 seconds left. Finally, Luther Head takes it up to half court and finds Roger underneath the basket, who misses the shot, but then Luther races down there to follow it up with the winning basket. Final result: Illinois wins its 9th straight game and clinches at least a share of of the Big Ten title. Life is good for Illini fans.
Some thoughts:
- I don't know if it's just because Purdue doesn't matchup well, but man... Augustine was all over the place last night on the offensive glass. If he can play like that come tournament time, this team is gonna be awesome.
- It sucks when we lose the big name recruits like Villenueva or Livingston, but the good part about it is that we get guys who stay for more than a year or two and the fans can watch them develop into quality players. Already looking ahead to next season, we could be bringing back the entire starting lineup: Luther Head and Roger Powell as seniors, and Augustine, Dee Brown, and Deron Williams as juniors.
- I have no idea how Deron got so much better this year, but no complaints here. Dee, on the other hand... needs to stop hanging out in the Union taking pictures with random people and start practicing some more free throws.
- I was just thinking the other day about how throughout this winning streak, we haven't had much experience with really close games going down to the wire, and that could hurt us in the tournaments. Then we see them fight out a tough overtime game and come away with a win at Purdue. Of course I'd still rather see them win every game by a comfortable margin, but at least they showed that they can take the close ones too.
- Not sure if I like Bruce Weber's offense yet. It's fine to pass the ball around for 25 seconds every possession if you're in the lead, but what happens if you fall behind? Seems like we wouldn't do that well in games when we have to play catchup.
- Austin Parkinson looks like Ben Stiller. Not just in his features, but facial expressions and movements too.
- What happened to McBride33? He used to come in and hit a bunch of threes earlier in the season, but now you barely hear his name or even notice when he's in the game.
- Let's play some Illini Starcraft...
- If Nick Smith couldn't hit free throws and open jumpers, he'd be the most worthless 7'2" player ever.
*****
I watched some of American Idol's episode a few days ago when they brought back the losers. Of course, they had William Hung do "She Bangs" again. The surprising thing is, when you put a couple background dancers around him, and play the music really loud, he's not nearly as horrible. Still pretty bad, but give him some real dance moves and he'd probably at least be a better entertainer (and less irritating) than some of the crap that's out there, say, Enfreakay Iglesias for example.
Watched one of the best basketball games I have seen in a long time last night. Illini jump out to an early lead at Purdue, Boilermakers battle back to tie it and then go ahead, both teams go back and forth the whole game and eventually take it to overtime. More battling in OT, Purdue hits a tough 3 to tie it with 10 seconds left. Finally, Luther Head takes it up to half court and finds Roger underneath the basket, who misses the shot, but then Luther races down there to follow it up with the winning basket. Final result: Illinois wins its 9th straight game and clinches at least a share of of the Big Ten title. Life is good for Illini fans.
Some thoughts:
- I don't know if it's just because Purdue doesn't matchup well, but man... Augustine was all over the place last night on the offensive glass. If he can play like that come tournament time, this team is gonna be awesome.
- It sucks when we lose the big name recruits like Villenueva or Livingston, but the good part about it is that we get guys who stay for more than a year or two and the fans can watch them develop into quality players. Already looking ahead to next season, we could be bringing back the entire starting lineup: Luther Head and Roger Powell as seniors, and Augustine, Dee Brown, and Deron Williams as juniors.
- I have no idea how Deron got so much better this year, but no complaints here. Dee, on the other hand... needs to stop hanging out in the Union taking pictures with random people and start practicing some more free throws.
- I was just thinking the other day about how throughout this winning streak, we haven't had much experience with really close games going down to the wire, and that could hurt us in the tournaments. Then we see them fight out a tough overtime game and come away with a win at Purdue. Of course I'd still rather see them win every game by a comfortable margin, but at least they showed that they can take the close ones too.
- Not sure if I like Bruce Weber's offense yet. It's fine to pass the ball around for 25 seconds every possession if you're in the lead, but what happens if you fall behind? Seems like we wouldn't do that well in games when we have to play catchup.
- Austin Parkinson looks like Ben Stiller. Not just in his features, but facial expressions and movements too.
- What happened to McBride33? He used to come in and hit a bunch of threes earlier in the season, but now you barely hear his name or even notice when he's in the game.
- Let's play some Illini Starcraft...
- If Nick Smith couldn't hit free throws and open jumpers, he'd be the most worthless 7'2" player ever.
*****
I watched some of American Idol's episode a few days ago when they brought back the losers. Of course, they had William Hung do "She Bangs" again. The surprising thing is, when you put a couple background dancers around him, and play the music really loud, he's not nearly as horrible. Still pretty bad, but give him some real dance moves and he'd probably at least be a better entertainer (and less irritating) than some of the crap that's out there, say, Enfreakay Iglesias for example.
Tuesday, March 02, 2004
Average Joe 2
A few months ago, after watching a so unsyateesfying finale to a miserable season of Average Joe, I promised myself to avoid the next installment, Average Joe 2. For the most part, I kept this promise, but I guess in the last week I got suckered by the hype about the Average Joe 2 finale. Something about the girl revealing some "shocking secret", combined with idle curiosity to see whether this girl would actually choose the Average Joe over the stud, compelled me to watch last night's final episode.
Well, I guess I got what I deserved, because this time the show was even more retarded than the last. First of all, they spend like half the show playing up the relationship between the girl and the Average guy. For like 20 minutes straight, they show her getting emotional with him, gushing over how sweet he is and what a gentleman he is, and how she's never met anyone like him. Then you get to the moment of truth, and in the exact same way the last chick did, this girl fakes everyone out by acting somber to the Stud guy at first, and then choosing him anyways.
I seriously thought that this time, the girl would be smart enough to pick the Average guy. Okay, so there was basically zero attraction between her and him, and at times it was seriously painful to watch them hanging out together. It was almost like she was doing community service or charity work, like someone helping retarded kids learn how to read or something. But couldn't she at least do it for the sake of the viewers? Was that Stud guy really that great and exceptional that she couldn't pass on him just this once? I didn't watch most of the season, but he seemed like a tool to me from what I did see. Instead, she provided further evidence supporting the rule of hot girls in America: The hotter the girl, the worse her decision making is in choosing guys.
Oh, but the retardosity of it all didn't end there this time. It turned out that she had a shocking secret: her ex-boyfriend was Fabio. After all the buildup, the commercials, the "I have something about my past that you should know" in a grave tone, her big shocker was that she once dated Fabio. When I heard that, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. It was definitely funny though. Something about a girl dating Fabio, and then having to live in shame for the rest of her life as if she was some sort of leper, is so funny.
Almost equally as funny is how the guy reacted after getting the news. He was so pissed that he broke up with her, saying something like "any guy would know how it feels in this position". You know, I honestly have no idea how I would react if that situation. First of all, I would think that she had to be joking because that just sounds so ridiculous. "Honey, don't get mad, but I think honesty is the most important thing in a relationship, so I have to tell you that my ex-boyfriend was Fabio." I mean, Fabio?? Of all people in this world, Fabio??? You gotta be kidding right? Just picturing a girl dating Fabio is almost as hard as imagining Arnold Schwarzenegger being a governor. It's like something so weird that it must be made up. I guess truth really is stranger than fiction.
In the end, I think my conclusion is this: don't watch any more Average Joes (or similar shows). Too bad I think I'm gonna end up tuning into the next series, when they have Adam from the last show picking the ladies. Also, don't pay attention to NBC's commercials promising "shocking" things on their reality shows. They keep telling me that there will be "shocking betrayals" on the Apprentice too, but it always ends up being so dumb. The Apprentice is at least a halfway decent show though, so I don't mind as much.
*****
Yesterday I gave the Double Filet 'O Fish a try. I've always been a big fan of the original F'oF at McDonald's, so I figured while they have this special going on, why not double my pleasure.
Well, I'd have to say that the double is definitely not as good as the single. Even though it's more filling, it's just less enjoyable. The whole sandwich seems more dry and less tasty.
Now that I think about it, I bet the bigwigs at McDonalds just made up this idea because they had too much fish and had to find some way to get rid of it. So they concocted this promotion and made it seem like it was some awesome special that everyone should rush out and get for a limited time only. Those guys are some geniuses.
A few months ago, after watching a so unsyateesfying finale to a miserable season of Average Joe, I promised myself to avoid the next installment, Average Joe 2. For the most part, I kept this promise, but I guess in the last week I got suckered by the hype about the Average Joe 2 finale. Something about the girl revealing some "shocking secret", combined with idle curiosity to see whether this girl would actually choose the Average Joe over the stud, compelled me to watch last night's final episode.
Well, I guess I got what I deserved, because this time the show was even more retarded than the last. First of all, they spend like half the show playing up the relationship between the girl and the Average guy. For like 20 minutes straight, they show her getting emotional with him, gushing over how sweet he is and what a gentleman he is, and how she's never met anyone like him. Then you get to the moment of truth, and in the exact same way the last chick did, this girl fakes everyone out by acting somber to the Stud guy at first, and then choosing him anyways.
I seriously thought that this time, the girl would be smart enough to pick the Average guy. Okay, so there was basically zero attraction between her and him, and at times it was seriously painful to watch them hanging out together. It was almost like she was doing community service or charity work, like someone helping retarded kids learn how to read or something. But couldn't she at least do it for the sake of the viewers? Was that Stud guy really that great and exceptional that she couldn't pass on him just this once? I didn't watch most of the season, but he seemed like a tool to me from what I did see. Instead, she provided further evidence supporting the rule of hot girls in America: The hotter the girl, the worse her decision making is in choosing guys.
Oh, but the retardosity of it all didn't end there this time. It turned out that she had a shocking secret: her ex-boyfriend was Fabio. After all the buildup, the commercials, the "I have something about my past that you should know" in a grave tone, her big shocker was that she once dated Fabio. When I heard that, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. It was definitely funny though. Something about a girl dating Fabio, and then having to live in shame for the rest of her life as if she was some sort of leper, is so funny.
Almost equally as funny is how the guy reacted after getting the news. He was so pissed that he broke up with her, saying something like "any guy would know how it feels in this position". You know, I honestly have no idea how I would react if that situation. First of all, I would think that she had to be joking because that just sounds so ridiculous. "Honey, don't get mad, but I think honesty is the most important thing in a relationship, so I have to tell you that my ex-boyfriend was Fabio." I mean, Fabio?? Of all people in this world, Fabio??? You gotta be kidding right? Just picturing a girl dating Fabio is almost as hard as imagining Arnold Schwarzenegger being a governor. It's like something so weird that it must be made up. I guess truth really is stranger than fiction.
In the end, I think my conclusion is this: don't watch any more Average Joes (or similar shows). Too bad I think I'm gonna end up tuning into the next series, when they have Adam from the last show picking the ladies. Also, don't pay attention to NBC's commercials promising "shocking" things on their reality shows. They keep telling me that there will be "shocking betrayals" on the Apprentice too, but it always ends up being so dumb. The Apprentice is at least a halfway decent show though, so I don't mind as much.
*****
Yesterday I gave the Double Filet 'O Fish a try. I've always been a big fan of the original F'oF at McDonald's, so I figured while they have this special going on, why not double my pleasure.
Well, I'd have to say that the double is definitely not as good as the single. Even though it's more filling, it's just less enjoyable. The whole sandwich seems more dry and less tasty.
Now that I think about it, I bet the bigwigs at McDonalds just made up this idea because they had too much fish and had to find some way to get rid of it. So they concocted this promotion and made it seem like it was some awesome special that everyone should rush out and get for a limited time only. Those guys are some geniuses.
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