Ah, it has been quite a while since last you were graced with my lyrical elegance. I have been running the southeast ragged between North Cackalackie and the ATL with a quick jaunt to the VA mixed in there as well.

The new job is cool. Really not doing what I thought I'd be doing but I'm sure I will get around to that eventually. I am learning quite a bit of resume worthy skills so there is an upside. The downside is I'm not sleeping very well here and I think my body is feeling the effects of waking up every hour or so.

Spent the past weekend at Va Tech. Boy, was that an experience. I am officially mature now. AFter watching some of the shit that went on the other night, I now know I have gone on in my life. And I can't even say that I'm upset about it. I had my share of fun but now it's time to start being that full fledged adult who cares more about his grass than his weed (not that I smoke) but you get the idea.....

Well I got a job in Winston Salem. Kinda happy but kinda disappointed that I will be leaving the ATL again. At least this job is close enough for me to drive back and forth each weekend though.

This is bad. Kinda of addictive though. It's the suicide bomber game.

CBS.SportsLine.com - Judges reconsiders request; woman's testifying delayed

Perhaps I am a little more passionate about this because it involves the Lakers. But the sexual assault victim advocates are truly starting to annoy me. Before I rant, I want to emphasize that I do not condone Kobe's adultery nor do I condone rape. I do, however, have some opinions concerning victim privacy protection.

Keep in mind, my entire rant here is made entirely with regards to the Kobe trial. The victim has yet to testify in any of the preliminary hearings. What this essentially means is that the victim has maintained her privacy and normal ('normal' for what it's worth given the circumstances) day to day life. She is still, despite early internet photos and and defense attorney name slips, relatively unknown allowing her to cope with the situation personally as well as to escape it to some degree. Granted Kobe is a well known celebrity and would not have this option in any situation.

But my point is this, say Kobe is found not guilty. Will that really matter? Kobe's image has been smeared. Endorsements, aspects of his livelihood have been lost. And the victim? More than likely there will be some civil suit that she probably will win. Although personally, I believe if you lose a criminal case you should not be allowed to come back and file a civil suit. But that's another topic for another day. If Kobe is found innocent because the victim just straight out lied then I would be in an even deeper fervor because Kobe lost it to some money hungry, conniving so and so.

Now I don't want to smear the victim because I don't know Kobe personally and he could have very well raped her. But my current issue with this rape issue deals with the multiple specimens of semen found in the victim's underwear. Now if the sexual encounter occurred before the alleged rape then the injuries (severe vaginal bruising) could have been pre-existing. If the sexual encounter occurred after, well that says a lot about 1) the victim's state of mind and/or 2) whether the victim initially believed she was raped or if that's something that she decided to declare at a later date. This is the reason the defense wants to examine her sexual history along with her tendency to go to extremes when dealing with turmoil in her life (ie multiple suicide attempts).

This will be an interesting case to watch as the foundation for future rape charges could likely look at this case as precedence. My fear is that 1) there is no 'jury of peers' in Colorado hence making a tougher case for the defense, 2) the jury will feel the need to make an example of Kobe Bryant given the number of athletes on the wrong side of the law, and 3) Kobe is truly and honestly guilty (not a case of he said vs. she said but without a reasonable doubt guilty).

I really have nothing to say that is worth publishing for the world to see. Nope the ol' creative caravan has run amuck....I should be rambling on and on about something or other but nothing really gets me going right now.....I think I will go grocery shopping......need anything while I'm at the store?

I heard about this website while watching Tech TV today called MusicPlasma.com. You type in an artist and using Amazon's 'People who bought this album also liked' functionality to show you other artists you might get into. Very cool flash design on the website. Cool enough to get added to my links section.

I need to get out of this house!! But getting out of the house means I will end up spending money which I can't do since I have no job!! But I am losing my mind here. I wake up, look for a job, and then what?!?! There are things I could do around the house but it's being in this house for as many hours straight with no human contact whatsoever that is driving me slightly crazy!

TheStar.com - Teen killed boy to escape parents Kids have lost their damn minds. This is rather bothersome.

Unemployment sucks. I wake up every morning to try and find a job. After countless hours of hopes getting up and going down, I find myself still unemployed. I have become very accustomed to the lifestyle the employed X allowed me to have.

I haven't been out of the house for any extended period of time since Sunday. I almost feel like if I do go out and do something fun, that I don't deserve it and I should be at home looking for a job. The no job blues are kicking in this morning. I feel pretty damn useless waking up and not having anything to do but look for a job.

Okay, I gueess I'll just have to keep my head up. It would be easier if I had an outlet like basketball or working out but I would have to join a gym for that and adding additional monthly expenses at this juncture is not the wisest idea I've had recently. So I don't know what to do. I guess I'll have more coffee......

Spent the whole day cleaning and watching old NBA All Star games. Thank the heavens for Espn Classic. Watching the old games brought back fond memories as well as got me pretty hype for the game going on now. I haven't gone out of my way to catch this game the past couple of years but I was really looking forward to it today....maybe cuz my Lakers are the hosts for the event this year.

The Daily Collegian - MTV's message is one-sided

[Listening to: Overnight Scenario [Live] - Rare Essence - We Go On and On (04:56)]

I am so tired of hearing people complain about the loss of values of american society based on Janet Jackson revealing a single flipping breast. Grown ass adults are crying foul because of a breast. In Europe and pretty much every other country, sex is not some taboo subject. It's not a rash that's to be avoided. It's common ground. We as humans all have sex, most enjoy sex, and all come from sex. So when you think of sex being the gutter, remember your birth is a product of the gutter.

It is a shame that it is 2004 and the biggest thing people can think to talk about is a 90% exposure of a breast. I love living in America but we can sure be some dumb asses sometimes. Oh, and everyone is so upset that Nelly and Kid Rock grabbed their crotch. Come on people, do we really think our youth are that damned innocent. Parents, we know you think you're raising little angels but I've heard your kids talk when you're not around and they know what they are saying when they say 'eat me', or 'you suck'. They know the derivatives of such catch phrases. And another thing, I'm a single guy with no kids....damn it why should I be forced to watch watered down family fun television? I don't have any damn kids and I want to see adult programming. Stop letting tv raise your kids.....that's the problem as it is. Parents are just too uninvolved, too soft, too damn lazy nowadays. My parents let me watch a lot of TV growing up but they also taught along the way. They didn't try to hide stuff from me knowing that would just make me more curious. If there was something with an adult theme on TV, they explained it to me the best they could and we went about our business.

I just don't understand why America is so damn soft? why? why? why?

[Listening to: In Public - Kelis - Tasty (04:26)]

Strange NFL CONSPIRACIES

9/11/2001 - World TRade Disaster - America needs to come together in patriotic fashion - Patriots win super bowl that year
2003 - America goes to war with Iraq - America needs to come together in patriotic fashion - Patriots win super bowl that year

Strange? Kinda ironic, don't ya think?

[Listening to: Let Your Hair Down [*] - Dwele - Subject (04:12)]

Oh cloudy day....save me from myself

[Listening to: It's a Pity - Tanya Stephens - Reggae Gold 2003 Disc 1 (04:15)]

And Tom Brady wasn't the MVP, Antowain Smith deserves it.....more on that later

[Listening to: She's Hot - T.O.K. - Reggae Gold 2003 Disc 1 (03:30)]

More Super Bowl Reflections

Questionable Officiating

Through the pats last two games, there have been several controversial calls in the pats favor. It is not the number of penalties called, it is the timing of the penalties that is most important. Against the Titans, there were numerous defensive holding and pass interference calls that were simply not called. ESPN made note of this throughout the following week. In Sunday's games, there were at least two calls that changed the face of a drive and led to pats scores.

1) 4th and 1, pats have the ball, they run the ball, hole opens and is violently closed by the Panthers. A horrible spot from the referee leads to a first down even after review of the play and agreement among the commentators that he never go to the first down line. The replay clearly shows this, the pats were going from right to left. In a reference to watching it on TV, the rb starts towards the top of the screen with the ball in his left hand (towards the bottom of the screen), cuts back to the bottom of the screen and is nailed. Clearly only his helmet and maybe a bit of his right shoulder crossed the first down marker and that's being generous. The left side of his body, including the ball, never cross the line....ever. The referees explanation after reviewing the play....the point of the ball crossed the first down marker which is impossible since the RB at not ime extended the ball out. If the left side of his body never cross the line, how does the ball? They went on to score a drive instead of turning the ball over on Downs.

2)Tom Brady apparently is immune from Intentional Grounding. In one instance early in the game, it didn't matter since the drive ended with a missed field goal although it could have meant a different field position for the Panthers. The second intentional grounding, the Panther come with an all out blitz and Brady is in the midst of the first sack of his post season. He is between the guards as he dropped straight back. He throws the ball into the offensive line. There was no runningback, no wide receiver, no one who could legally catch the ball. The ref's call? Illegal touching because it bounced of the legs of an offensive lineman, the back of the legs no less. The difference between the two calls is Illegal touching is a 5 yarder (maybe a 10 yarder) and repeat the down. Intentional grounding is loss of down and the ball is placed at the spot the qb threw it from. Huge difference between 2nd and 15th and 3rd and 21.

Now I'm back in New England and miserable. What I wouldn't give to talk to a pats fan that knew something about the game and was realistic enough to admit that the pats had a whole helluva lotta luck this season. ON the plane ride here, there were pats fans everywhere and even the friggin stewardesses who obviously knew nothing about football are talking about the super bowl. It will only get worse.....

In my opinion, there was no Super Bowl Champion for 2004....Next. Done.

Well, for the second time in three years the patriots (I refuse to capitalize that) have won the super bowl. The first time was a bonified fluke in my opinion. If that game in 2002 is played 10 times the Rams win 9 of those ten times. It just so happened that the one that was played was the one that counted. I will not say that this last super bowl was a fluke, but I will say them being there (yes even with consideration for their win streak) is a fluke (though I have to imagine the referees had to be getting some sort of kick back).

I find it hard to cheer, congratulate, or admire a champion that is unable to truly dominate a single game. Yes, I know this is the Super Bowl and it's the matchup of the two best (or hottest) teams in the league so a close should be expected. But even looking back through their season, they weren't in a particularly strong division yet they had only one blowout victory against a pitiful Bills (although the Bills did give it to them in the first game of the season). They also lost to my Washington Redskins as well as needed overtime to beat the Texans. They required horrible playcalling in week 16 (an approximation) to get by the Colts the first time and horrendous lack of officiating to get by them the second time. They beat an injury riddled Titans team in the playoffs although it seems the Titans are always injury riddled. They were just not impressive.

My theory on teams that win in the last period of a game is contrary to what the experts would have you believe. See the experts say coming through with clutch victiories shows heart......wrong! Coming through with clutch victories against good teams or superior teams shows heart. Needing that for everyone is just a

• Lack of concentration
• Lack of talent
• Lots and lots of luck
• A generally mediocre performance for most of the game

Working in Boston my views are not looked upon in the most positive fashion. Rather, I get the all too common and oft overused 'You're a hater.' My main reason for not cheering for the pats is because I have yet to encounter a New England fan that will listen to a sensible argument about the game. They are generally the most blind, one-sided fans I have ever met. And this goes for red sox fans as well. Oddly enough, the celtics aren't winning so no one seems to notice them too much. Kinda like the amount of attention the pats received at the beginning of the year. Actually now that I think about it, there were hardly ever any crowds at the Avenue to watch most of the early season of the pats. The crowds didn't start gathering until the winning streak was solidly under way. Strange how that could happen in such a sports loyal city....

Aaaah, but what do I know. I'm just an outsider who refuses to resign my current loyalties in order to jump on the pats bandwagon so I can fit in with my peers. Maybe it's the thug in me....

Check out this website: Mobile Asses.com . Entirely too much time on someone's hands......

I've got to do a better job of waking up in the mornings. Which basically means I need to go to sleep as soon as I get home. I need to resist the peer pressure of stayin up for bad late TV.

Yeah, so the apartment I'm staying in has pretty much turned to a war zone. One roomate has an uncontrollable substance abuse problem which often ends with him pissing randomly on the living room floor, or the kitchen floor, or if we're really lucky he'll piss on the bathroom floor which is at least the right part of the house. This has led to my cool roomate not talking to either the pisser or the cat lady; instead the cool roomate stays in her room all the time now because she is disgusted with the other two roomates. Although, it has seemed since Sunday that she has been pretty distant with me as well. It doesn't bother me too much because I don't go there until around midnight and then I try to go straight to sleep. I haven't seen the cat lady roomate in a few days which is good because if she were around she would see me mentally terrorizing those nasty ass cats she calls pets.

I'm trying to decide if taking a PS2 to a bar makes me a loser or not. It's just so much easier than going back to the aforementioned apartment. Can you imagine walking into a place that reeks of cat shit and piss all day everyday. My stomach is getting a little queasy thinking about it. So I've taken to taking my PS2 to the Avenue (my watering hole) and playing games, having cute waitresses serve me tasty beverages, and watching several different sporting events at once. Hell no, no loser would come up with such a great idea!!