Leave it to 'the U'

"If we don't [scare people anymore], good. Let me sneak up on you and hit you in the back of the head with a bat. And if you want to see it coming, then I'll hit you in the face with it."

--Miami Linebacker Jon Beason

In other news, spurred by recent Miami gun troubles, Miami coack Larry Coker is going to urge his college players about the hazards of carrying firearms.....only at the U does this need to be explained.....

It's my pride

I have a damn pride thing that gets in the way at crucial times.  The latest incident is with my job search.  I typcially avoid networking because I don't want to feel like I got a job because someone put a good word for me.  I also feel like I owe somebody something if they are instrumental in me landing a job.  Almost like when somebody buys me a drink, I instantly feel like I owe them something.

I just heard a coworker give feedback on another coworker's resume.  I've been offered this gesture but have yet to take the guy up on it.  Maybe it's time I suck my pride and do what needs to be done.  . . . . . . . . tomorrow ;)

July - Lakers Surgery Month?

July has not been kind to Gary Vitti, the Lakers trainer.  Three players have had surgery this month for the Lakers:  Kobe Bryant, Brian Cook, and Chris Mihm.

All are expected back before the season starts as none of the surgeries seem to be serious.  It's just a helluva injury bug sweeping southern California....

Devean George - Thanks for the run

Devean George, a long-time Laker by today's standards, looks to be signing with the Dallas Mavericks.

Though sad for some of us, this move is not surprising.  Actually, I'm a bit surprised he finished the season as a Laker given his injury woes the previous season.

I think he will do well in Dallas.  He can run the floor and fill the lanes on fast breaks.  When he's confident, he can knock down three's at a decent pace.   His athleticism is definitely an asset.

Now a lot of folks that know me personally know that I can turn on a player leaving the Lakers in a heartbeat.  Ask Shaquira.  But what needs to be understood is that I don't turn on players because they leave, I turn on players because of how they leave.  Devean will always get my support as long as he's not playing against the Lakers.  It's really as simple as that.  Good D.George, thanks for the run....

The Critics

Last week, I saw 'Lady in the Water' as a sneak preview thing on Monday night.  I personally enjoyed.  Mrs. Xpinionated not so much.  Then there were these ridiculously annoying girls (I would refer to them as women, but I can't imagine their maturity level would qualify them as such) who hated the movie.  They got up as soon as the credits started rolling so they could run to the front of the theater and get on their phone.  Yes, I understand they didn't like the movie but they ran out like they had somewhere better to be in their sweats.  But, actually, they just wanted to trash the movie as quickly as possible in front of as many people as possible.  Hence, I referred to them as girls....

Then I read the AJC's review of the movie.  They gave the film an 'F'.  This has led to a couple of conclusions:

• M. Knight Shyamalan will always receive an unfair negative bias because so many 'critics and experts' expect the genius that was 'The Sixth Sense'.


• Hollywood is still not ready for anything that more than slightly deviates from pop culture norm.

And what makes a critic a critic?  At what point is a person uniquely qualified to praise or trash the work of another?  What must a person do to be considered worthy of having their opinion be a determinating factor in the success of an album or film?  Exactly when do your tastes become the mark by which the rest of the world should measure their tastes?

I find that most times critics say something is horrible, I enjoy it.  Does this mean I have horrible tastes?  Perhaps I'm just a simple minded guy that is easily entertained.  Alas, perhaps not.  Is there a B.S. for Criticism?  Better yet, on the AJC review there was a poll concerning 'Lady in the Water'.  At the time of this writing, the score was 533 to 549 as far as 'Go See It' vs 'Don't  Bother', relatively.  Seems to me like critics criticize to justify themselves.....sad really.....

Does this post make me a critic?

The marriage proposal that ended in a plane crash

Every so often, we humans are given signs that help to direct our lives, our decision making.  These signs can be spiritual, or even seem coincidental.  But they definitely are there.

For example, what sign would you need to experience in order to rethink your matrimony ideas?  Losing the ring?  A horrible proposal experience?  Fire and wreckage?  An upside down sign?
All of these signs were made available to this Georgia couple recently.  The plan was to take his high school sweetheart ( a term we shouldn't use when the couple is only 19 and 18 years old....it's the girlfriend from last year) on a chartered plan trip circling Rome, Ga.  As they flew, family and friends were to hold a tarp asking the girl to marry the boy.  First, the sign was upside down.  Then the plane crashed.  Then the ring was lost.

Yet, they still intend to get married......perhaps dating longer, at least until the stars align properly, would be a better option.....oh, and the reason for the crash?  Low speed and low altitude.  Sounds like a recipe for aerial disaster....

NAACP Loses More Face

The NAACP has announced that they are joing Hispanic groups in the support of earned legalization of illegal immigrants.

This basically means NAACP is saying let the ones that have already broken the law gain citizenship.  Personally, I think it's a last ditch effort to remain relevant for the NAACP.  There is no reason for lawbreakers to be given amnesty in this situation.  A commenter to the linked article above said it best:  Saying the illegal immigrants are doing jobs nobody else would is like saying who's gonna pick the cotton now that we don't have slaves?

Nervous Daddy Update

I have been keeping a private separate blog chronicling our pregnancy...now I may have to add it as a category here since Blogger has been pretty sketchy availability-wise....this would have been the last post had Blogger been up and running.. . . . .

We will be 15 weeks pregnant as of tomorrow.  Right now, it's still sort of settling in on me.  Without my wife showing, it's hard to grasp that I'm an expecting father.  I definitely can grasp it more when I go with her to OB\GYN appointment.  Then I get to hear the heart beat and of course we have ultrasound pictures from around the 8 or 9 week timeframe.  My wife said she felt the baby flutter last week.  She wasn't sure it was the baby but it was something she had never felt before so I'm going with that.

I'm reading 'The Expectant Father'.  It came with a packet of stuff Lindsay received from some program at her job.  It's pretty interesting reading and it's nice that it is from a male perspective.

I think my biggest fear, after of course any physical problems with the baby, is how we are going to support the baby.  Daycares run close to 200 a week, and that alone is outside of money we have.  It's going to be a huge adjustment for both of us.  I want to start looking for ways we can cut costs now...

Weird Dream

You know when you wake up in the morning but realize you don't have to get out of bed yet so you go back to sleep and have a mini dream? Those tend to be the easiest to remember because it's not like you were fully asleep.

SO this morning my mini dream freaked me out worse than the boo hag ridin' my chest dreams I get on Sunday nights (any significance to a recurring bad dream on Sunday nights...I'm a heathen:). I dreamt that I went into Mrs. Xpinionated's bedroom, and for some reason we weren't living together, and she was laying there sleep. I said 'Hey Love' so I wouldn't scare her by suddenly being in the room. When she stirred, a dude stirred as well. I was being cheated on! So then I stormed from the room pissed as hell. I went to the closet and started packing stuff even though we weren't living together. I expected her to follow me crying and pleading but she actually came out with a smile on her face and started helping me pack. So I asked her if she would at least have the decency to let me know when my baby was born.....and she didn't answer. Then I left. I went to a bus rental place because I had apparently left my pants (yeah the dream gets weird here) on a bus that I had rented recently. In those pants was my wallet. Realizing I needed someplace to stay reminded me that I needed to check the bus rental place for my wallet in lost and found. The bus rental people told me that they didn't have a lost and found. I started crying and telling them how my day was going. . . .and then I woke up. . . . slightly pissed at Mrs. Xpinionated who had given me my morning goodbye kiss only 30 minutes earlier. I finally got myself together after my shower but it was really weird.

Oddly enough, my The Expectant Father book states that quite a few expecting fathers have thoughts of their significant other cheating on them during a pregnancy. I had never thought of it before really so I wonder if this book is planting stuff in my head???

Don King

Why does the media insist on interviewing this cat?  He started the interview with his 'Only in America, the greatest country on earth' and within 12 seconds started talking about how Russian boxers work harder.....

Vladimir Radmanovic

Word on the skreets is that the Lakers have agreed to terms with Vladimir Radmanovic.  If the double teams continue on Kobe, Vlad could be the sharp shooter needed to knock down open jumpers.  Of course, Vlad seems to be Brian Cook without the african american-ness.  So where does that leave B. Cook?

Also, Marcus Banks was being talked about a lot in Lakers rumors.  But since the agreement with Vladimir, the talk has died down.  In fact, I've heard rumors of picking up 31 year old Shammond Williams from some overseas squad.  I'm personally a little sick of picking up these old guys the past few years that have failed to live up to their pay.  Aaron McKie, Vlade Divac, Brian Grant, Jim Jackson....all of these pickups have proven to be useless for all intent and purposes.....Mitch Kupchak has had big shoes to fill since the Logo left but I can't think of any deals he has made that have undoubtedly benefitted the team.

England's WAAAAHHH

English soccer player Wayne Rooney is apparently livid about Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo's involvement in his ejection during England and Portugal's World Cup match Saturday.

Rooney, as well as many English fans and players, think Ronaldo was out of line for defending his recently kicked in the nuts teammate after Rooney's skilled feet found the groin of a man on the ground. They justify their anger based on the fact that Ronaldo plays for the same team as Rooney in the Premier league.

I don't claim to be a soccer fan. And Ronaldo's wink at his teammates after the ordeal was not the best judgement. But honestly, Rooney stomped on a player's gonads as he was laying on the ground and then pushed Ronaldo for getting involved. If the referee would have given him anything less than a red card, the game would have been a sham.

To top it off, Rooney is throwing out threats to Ronaldo. Manchester United is going to release Ronaldo based on this? Oddly enough, I bet you folks will not call these players crybabies or thugs. It's just part of the beautiful game.....