I LEAVE TOMORROW AND I'M NOT SICK ANYMORE!

EVERYONE GET READY!!

some sports stories I've liked lately

Well it's about time that Brett Favre retires so that I can get to being a true Bears fan, and hate the Packers with all my heart.  I have always had a general dislike for the Packers players and coaches, except Brett Favre.  So I am pleased to hear that he (as of now anyway) is not going to be playing in the football anymore.  Thanks Brett, now I can take some of the anger I'm bound to have this season due to the Bears being terrible, out on the Packers.

I found this story on Deadspin today.  This guy is a scout for the Bo Sox and got caught being a Michael Jackson type creep!  

Most people that I talk to regularly have already been bothered by this next story, but I just can't get over how much pain, one Mr. Felix Pie, must be going through.  The Cubs have their fair share of pussy little injuries right now, but this injury could not be further from "a pussy injury."  I know, I know, grow up.  

The weather here is terrible.  Sunday, I was outside grilling steaks and playing bags.  I also snuck in some golf ball hitting at the driving range.  All of these activities took place in shorts.  It was 70 degrees out and sunny.  The only downfall was the wind, but I can handle some wind when it's that warm out.  Right now outside (note: only 2 days later)  There is a freaking blizzard outside.  There has been ice falling all day, in the form of sleet, and at other points hail.  Now it's snowing, and blowing, and if this keeps up for very much longer we are going to have numerous inches of snow!  I HATE ILLINOIS WEATHER! 

West Coast can SUCK IT!

This is the parking lot of my apartment building looking east. Do you see..... no? Because there is nothing to see! Except that black car has been parked there since I moved in, in August, it hasn't moved an inch.

This is a view of Lincoln Ave. which is the main road in Charleston, on my way out of town. It was raining with some sleet, but I figured it would just be a wet drive home. Little did I know what lied ahead.

This is me driving on I-57 at 25 mph. from Charleston to Champaign. Could easily be the worst 2 hours of my life. I'm pretty sure that the entire road was a sheet of ice. I don't think there was a single moment when I thought I could relax and not be in a ditch. Except for this moment when I took this picture, and it scared this shit out of me.

ONLY 10 DAYS UNTIL CALIFORNIA!!!

Oscars, what was that like?

Well last night I had to miss the Oscars because I had to work on a presentation at the library.  Of course the kid I had to work with would not let me do anything.  He had to do the powerpoint, which took forever!  Seriously, who types out everything word for word on a powerpoint presentation for a 20 slide presentation then prints those off, then goes back and changes everything to what it should be?  Put the main points on there, type your own notes afterwards.  Oh, and he totally fucked us today, by not knowing how to pronounce words that he should have known for almost a year now.  I'm just bitter, because I just wanted to sit down after a long weekend and watch the oscars without a library involved.  

I've been watching the NFL combine some too.  Those guys are pretty impressive.  McFadden was clocked at 4.27 seconds, but officially it was dropped to 4.33, still flying.  I still don't think that he will be as good in the NFL as Mehndenhal.  Mehndenhal is a complete back, where has McFadden is just a 3rd down back like Reggie Bush, but he lacks Bush's size.  Either way, if he tries to run between the tackles he will get destroyed.  

More importantly, the Cubs start spring training play in 2 days.  Dempster is getting the nod in the first game, he joked that Zambrano didn't want it this year.  What a jokester.... not that funny of one, but a jokester none the less.  DeRosa was sent to the hospital a couple days ago with an irregular heartbeat... stay off the drugs my man!  I like what Ryan Theriot said, "Everyone goes through that at some point in their life" I don't know many people who's heart rate goes up like that and they lose vision and almost lose consciousness.  Especially when they get to the hospital and their EKG is all fucked up.  Right, that is a normal thing that everyone goes through.  If you play Major League Baseball and put anything in your body that won't show up on a test, regardless of whether it actually does anything positive for you.  

Pretty good weekend in the Bourb.  Mr. Jeck came home for a few days.  Had a few beers and a lot of laughs on Friday night with one Chris Kelly.  Sat. night I went out to shoot some pool with the family.  My brother and I were mistaken for exotic dancers.  I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment or if I just looked like a giant tool!  Oh and it was male exotic dancer night at the bar we went to, didn't know, and it was in a separate room, so it wasn't as gay as it sounds.  Pretty good night the family though, and then had a couple more beers with Dan Saturday night before we both went our separate ways.  Only 10 more days until I will be back in California for another great weekend!  I can't wait to get out of this cold.  I need to see an ocean and temps above 35 degrees.  There are also a couple people out there that it will be alright to see too.  All in all it should be a pretty fantastic start to spring break.  The tail end of spring break will hopefully include some internship interviews.  

I'm rambling now, with no structure to this at all.  I have senioritis pretty bad right now.  I just don't go to class sometimes.  Dumb school.  I will have pictures soon of why I hate the snow and cold.  A 2 hour drive turned into a 3.5 hour drive last friday.  Booo! 

Pitchers and Catchers Finally Report

Tomorrow marks the day pitchers and catchers reports to HoHoKam Park in AZ to kick off the 100th season since the Cubs have won a World Series. I couldn't be more excited. This has motivated me to make some preliminary picks for the upcoming season. And look back to last year and see how I did with those picks. First I will make the picks for the Divisional Winners for the 2008 season. Now these are just preliminary and are subject to change after I look at the teams closer.
American League
East: Boston Red Sox
Central: Detroit Tigers
West: Los Angeles Angels
National League
East: New York Mets
Central: Chicago Cubs
West: Colorado Rockies

Now lets take a look back to see how I did last season picking the Divisional Winners. Here is a direct quote from last March 7th. These picks were made later in the spring training season and may have been influenced by some four letter word or a sports network. Not this year. Making my first picks before they start to make me believe things I don't really believe.

American League:
East: Toronto Blue Jays. No explanation needed. (I have no idea why I didn't think there was an explanation needed to not pick the Sox or the Yanks)
Central: (Toughest Division in Baseball) Cleveland Indians
West: Angels (wherever the hell they are from)

National League:
East: New York Mets (Seriously, they should have won it.  Choke worse would you!)
Central: St. Louis Cardinals (or the Cubs, but I figure I pick the Cubs every year and I will change in hopes of actually winning this season.)     (IT WORKED!)
West: San Francisco Giants  (This pick is seriously embarrassing.  One of the worst teams in baseball)

In case you didn't notice, Red means wrong, Green mean correct, and blue is the stuff that I just added this year.  So I didn't do that great last year, but there were some picks that I remember picking to try and make myself seen smart if it was right... I look really dumb when they are terrible though, and I picked them to win their division.  Wild Card and some award winning picks might be up later on in the spring, but I make no guarantees.  

So....

That really didn't turn out as well as I would have liked. But at least I was entertained until the very end of the game. I may have even become a little less of an Eli hater as the game went along.
Congrats Giants. I only wish now that I could fall asleep. I need some sheep to count.

SUPER SUNDAY

Alright, so I'll admit that I am cheering for the Patriots today. I will stand up for myself by saying that I am merely cheering for them because I dislike them less than the other two teams involved. Other two teams you ask. Yes, the New York Football Giants and the 1972 Miami Dolphins. I DESPISE them both. Eli Manning does not deserve the last name Manning. I have disliked him since that week before he got drafted. Don't cry about being the number one overall pick because you don't want to play for them. Then go cry to your daddy. I don't even want to get started on the 1972 Dolphins... Mercury Morris, SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH! Don Shula can stop trying to kiss everyones ass now that he realizes that the Patriots are about to "be in their neighborhood." I'm so sick of hearing, Perfectville, population 1. You know who I like from the 1972 Dolphins? Everyone I've never heard of. I had never heard of Mercury Morris before he started shooting his mouth off from a golf course in Florida at some rich retirement center. I hope he gets run over by a car. (one of my less mature moments, but I apologize for nothing)
I do hope that the game is entertaining though. I get so disappointed when the games over by half time. I was watching some pre-game coverage and they were doing some fun stats about money spent during super bowl weekend. It's estimated that 9.5 Billion dollars will be spent this year on Super Bowl related items. 30 second commercial spots are going for 3 millions dollars. My favorite though was that antacid tablet's sales will double tomorrow.

My super bowl pick: New England Patriots 34, New York Giants 21

Nothing is really new in my life. Pitchers and Catchers report this month though. So excited for baseball season this year! GO CUBS GO!

School's Back

Well back at EIU for the last leg. One more semester of undergrad work and I will finally have a degree to "brag" about. This is all assuming that I will complete an internship this summer. I figure if I can get through all the coursework the internship shouldn't be bad at all. This semester has gotten really busy, really fast. I have been reading a lot already, I have a quiz on wednesday over a class from last semester. It's pretty much our final in quiz form. It shouldn't be too bad though. Like a steal trap (points to head). I just finished applying to graduate school here at EIU. I have to get three references and write a small essay about my experiences that could help with graduate study to finish my application for an assistantship. The only way I will be attending is if I get the GA spot and they cover the tuition. I recently found out that EIU is one of the top Exercise Science graduate programs in the midwest, ball state is another top one. Either way, that should look pretty good on a resume later on. I think that me sticking out Charleston for another year is going to make me such a strong person (read: this place sucks).
My roommate has mono! That will hopefully workout for me. I really can't afford to get something like that. If I'm more tired than I usually am and have to get through the days that I do... could be bad. He is in bad shape right now, hope he gets better soon. poor guy.
Is it baseball season yet? Sports right now are probably more terrible than ever. It's so bad that I find my self rooting for the Green Bay Packers, and as a Bears fan, pretty sure that could constitute as an all time low. The Cubs should get Brian Roberts.

Last Post of 2007!

Ok 2007 wrap up... lets see, watched the Bears blow the super bowl, spent the rest of that night in a Hospital, became single, finished two more semesters of college (that makes 9), went to Los Angeles for the first time, watched the cubs win the division and totally choke in the playoffs, watched Illinois football play very well, watched the bears play awful (more on that in a second) had some friends move away, a couple more are on their way out soon, made a bunch of new friends, drank too much, had a lot of fun, turned 23 and bought this sweet computer..

2007 wasn't all a bad year.

More about those Bears. Where the hell has this been all season. The defense finally decides to play with some enthusiasm... even though they can't stop the run to save their life. Ron Turner finally decides that Mark Bradley is allowed to play and that maybe they should see if Devin Hester is still fast when he lines up as a reciever. They even had a little fun and allowed Adrian Peterson to throw the ball, which worked to perfection. Kyle Orton, while maybe not the starter that everyone is looking for, he sure does win a lot of games he starts, 12 or 18 actually. I would still like to see more passes thrown the Greg Olsen... he was your first round pick for a reason... use him!
More on Kyle Orton. Its bad that it seems foreign to me to see a quarterback on the sidelines looking at pictures of schemes and defenses in between series. Rex Grossman usually just sat on the bench or dicked around with people on the sidelines. Could that be why he looked like he didn't have a clue sometimes? Even if Orton doesn't have a clue all the times, at least he is making people think that he cares and does a little work during the game. Thinking of a pretty good quarterback who does quite a bit of in game studying, Peyton Manning. I'm pretty sure anything you can do as a quarterback to be more like him is a good idea. It was asked during a post game show today, "What should be the Bears number one priority this off-season?" That is easy, PAY DONAVON MCNABB WHATEVER AMOUNT OF MONEY HE WANTS!!!! If they had to not re-sign Briggs to bring in McNabb, I'm all for it. Sorry Lance, great football player but this franchise needs a QB more than it needs a LB.
That will end my rant on the Bears for now, it was an entertaining season, even though a huge let down. I'll bitch more after the draft I'm sure.

Speaking of bitching, Illinois men's basketball lost to Tennessee State tonight, that is it, Bruce Weber should be out! I'm glad you took over with your predecessor's players and did well. You are someone who can coach good players. It's getting those good players to commit to play for you, no sorry scratch that, keep the ones that are committed to play for you until they actually play for you (read: Eric Gordon)

Happy New Year Everyone! Might as well just say it, everyone else in the world already is, Let's Make 2008 Grrrrrrrrrreat! -Tony the Tiger.

Called IT!

For the last few years I have been saying that the only reason Mark Prior doesn't pitch on a regular basis for the Cubs is that he absolutely hates the cold weather in the spring and fall. He will be at spring training in Arizona and even make some minor league appearances in warm weather games. He has been sitting and waiting for the Cubs to leave him alone so that he can get back to California. How does someone with perfect mechanics and "stuff" like that in college and in his first year, all of a sudden become completely useless and "injured" but no doctors can find anything wrong with him until this year. Once he became a free agent he didn't last very long signing a small short term deal with San Diego. Being the Cub's fan that I am, I would like nothing more than to destroy Prior this year. If I had to guess I would say that he will come back from this surgery quicker than expected, (due to hard work and diligent rehab work). I guess we will have to see, but don't be surprised if Prior returns to the form that he showed in 2003 when he lead a Cubs staff to the NLCS and one win away from the World Series in far too long.
On a college football note, USC vs. Illinois might be a little more interesting for Illinois fans than most "experts" are predicting. Even if the Illini do get blown out. A student organization that supports Chief Illniwek say that the recent decrease in public activity is on purpose and they are laying low for a "big push." I'm sure there are going to be all kinds of kids and alumni in bright orange shirts with "CHIEF" printed on their chest. I am a big Illinois fan and would like nothing better than for Illinois to show that the young talent they have is legit and upset the "Best Team Ever"
I'm going to post my actual picks for all the BCS bowl games soon.

X-Mas Break

Home for Christmas break has been really long and it has only been just over a week. It should pick up however, though. People are coming in from out of town and there will be some good family time to be had. This last week may have been the most boring in a while. Although VH1 is really helping me out. Top 100 songs of the 90s makes me not only feel old but also brings back awkward memories from grade school and before. It's weird how a song can make you think of one specific place or time. I'm probably going to attempt to download all of them and make a sweet play list. I told you it has been a boring week.
I'm pretty sick of this snow and cold weather already. I really think I live in the wrong region of this country. I really can't stand the snow, I don't even like sledding unless there is a good amount of booze involved.
Looking forward a little bit... one semester left of undergrad and I couldn't be more excited to be done. While I might do graduate school for a year and a half to get a masters I will not be forced to take classes that I just didn't get around to taking three years ago. I remember when there was a time in college when my friends and I talked about how you couldn't tell who was a freshman and who was a senior. Oh, how times have changed. People are dumb! Ok, I'm done bitching about dumb people who will probably be more successful than me, because that is how things work.
Juno should be in all cities, because I really really really want to see that. Ok, seriously, thats the last thing I'm going to say.



Or is it?

Los Angeles, I'm Yours

Seriously, how do I go to a city like Los Angeles for the first time in my life and get 2 pictures worth posting. They are barely worth posting.





It also took forever for me to put up two pictures of the trip. I would like to thank one Mr. O'Connor for the hospitality and also Matt and Jenna for the same. It was also good to meet up with family, good to see you Brian. Good times watching the Bears suck. More good times just around the corner I assume. I'll be back in the spring if all goes well, so prepare. Not really, because what you even do?
Margot and the Nukes, NYE in Chicago, I"M PUMPED!

This week in a nutshell... or an article

It Only Tuesday

WASHINGTON, DC—Tuesday's arrival stunned a nation still recovering from Monday's nightmarish slog, leaving some to wonder if the week was ever going to end.

Music Week

This week has been a very good music week for me. I have picked up two new albums on ITunes, Band of Horses-Cease to Begin which I'm currently listening to. I don't know what it is about those guys, but they just seem to make me feel good about things. That might be weird seeing as most of their songs I'm pretty sure derive from sad/unhappy things. (not positive about that statement however) The next album I was pretty pumped to pick up was Jimmy Eat World's new one Chase the Light. It's been a while since I've listened to much JEW. I was not a fan of Futures, so there was a lapse in my paying much attention to them. The day before my birthday Saves the Day has a new one hittin' stores! Happy Birthday to me! The best birthday gift would be for them to put out an album that would rival Stay What You Are. GOOD LUCK, only the greatest album ever.
Everything else this week.... Not as cool. Yesterday was a day from hell as I had 4 classes, one of which I had an exam, then I had to meet with an academic advisor to register for my last semester of classes, (ITS ABOUT TIME) and then I had to be to work at 3:30, and was there until just after midnight. It's homecoming week here at EIU, which means nothing to me. At least not until this weekend, when it means we have a reason to start drinking at 8 am as the bars open and some good friends will be visiting. During the week though, nothing. The only thing that changes is the "Fratbags" (its a frat guy/douche-bag hybrid) are even more fired up about nothing.
*Reminder to myself - Get a pair of Bicep Bands before I do anything active!

Finding that link upset me, and to think that people actually go to a store and spend money on things like that makes me furious. I can't even write anymore. Bicep Bands... ugh....

These are some random pics that I just found on my cell phone and thought I would share them with you... enjoy

This first one shows the kind of town that I go to school in. Bathroom of a bar, with a blackboard, which by the way had no chalk that I could see. Cars in circles, still no idea how that's entertaining.




This next one is from this summer when my parents and I were playing golf and as my dad was trying to tee off a random cat came out of no where and decided that my father has played enough golf today. *The cat was immediately destroyed*

Something out of the "Giant World" from the original Super Mario Bros.

What exists on this planet that requires a tire this large? I have been trying to come up with ideas for about 3 days now, and I can't think of anything. If you have any ideas I would be delighted to hear them. I hope this doesn't bother you as much as it bothers me.

Purchased

It is final. I have officially purchased my plane tickets to L.A. It has been brought to my attention that the majority of the traveling I have done in my life is directly correlated to one Mr. O'Connor. November 16-19 shall be a fine weekend. I hope it's brutally cold when I leave Illinois so that I enjoy getting out of here even more than I already will. (There has to be a better way to word that statement, but I couldn't come up with it) Well since the last post I joined the masses and became hooked on The Office. I watched the first two seasons on my roomates DVDs then I purchased the 3rd season via Itunes. I had heard that it was a funny show, but how funny could it really be, right? WRONG! I can't get enough. They also throw in a really interesting love story that I find rather interesting.
I also need to buckle down on finding a Halloween costume. It's been forever since I've dressed up. I haven't really put much thought into it yet, but I think this weekend at home will give me a chance to look over some ideas online and at some local shops... (target and factory card outlet)
If anyone has anything they think I should do while in L.A. feel free to share. I'm pretty sure the two people that read this live there, so ideas are welcomed & encouraged. Also a good bar or 12 to visit would be nice. I will be in Irvine for most of the trip but I'm sure there will be a visit closer to "Downtown." I'm not yet familiar with the city of angeles so I really have no idea where things are in relation to where I will be.
Last thought, Cubs are down 0-1 in the series right now, but have faith. (I don't know why we should have faith, but it seems like the right thing to say) Stupid Cubs...

Random Thought

What if religion was like Santa Clause and The Easter Bunny, when you turn a certain age the Vatican will tell you that its all a hoax and it was just for fun and to occupy your time and thoughts to make life a little more interesting....

Saw Margot and the Nuclear So and So's Friday night at the Canopy Club. Six bands $12! Can't beat it! I was really impressed with them. I was not impressed once again with the sound quality at the Canopy Club, however. Last year when I saw Of Montreal there I was thinking the same thing, but I chalked that up to me hanging out near the bar on $1 PBR night...

Go Cubs Go!

11 to your 7

The free Hey Mercedes show took place last night, and sadly, I could not attend. Being three hours away from Chicago is not conductive to me seeing good shows. I wasn’t able to see Hey Mercedes while they were still touring and that is one of my biggest musical regrets. This was a perfect opportunity to see them at the Threadless store grand opening. I had plans to drive up to the Metro right after class and sit there all day in hopes of getting into said free show. Turns out the only way to get in was to be at the actual grand opening of the store on a Monday or Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. downtown. Even going there and getting a pass does not guarantee entrance to the show. I’m still bummed about this whole situation. Hopefully Friday will make up for the missed show. The Canopy Club and The Pygmalion Music Festival are calling my name, specifically Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s. I haven’t been to a show since I saw The Decemberists at Millennium Park in July. Pygmalion has some pretty large shoes to fill if it wants to keep up with The Decemberists with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra during a thunderstorm!
Three nights ago I spent the 2-3 hours I had set aside to study for a test, downloading music off the list that Bekah left me. I know spend most of my time listening to all of the great stuff that I hadn’t been exposed to. (i.e. Band of Horses, Under the Influence of Giants, A Fine Frenzy) I find myself smiling while listening to a song called “The Funeral” by Band of Horses. I’m not sure what that means? Check them out if you haven’t already.

While discussing metabolic syndrome and ways to assess risk of chronic disease through body composition in class yesterday I thought of an experiment or study I would like to look into. I’m mostly writing this to make sure that I remember it, and if I put things down in words they tend to make more sense to me. I will be able to tell if I really have no idea what I’m talking about then. A recent study looked at Waist Circumference (WC) and WC relative to height and overall fat mass (%FM) to determine risk for chronic disease. The results were somewhat inconclusive in that, there was not a definitive winner, although WC seemed to show some potential to be an effective/inexpensive technique. It seems somewhat obvious to me, but I haven’t heard or read anything looking a ratio of WC and %FM. An abundance of overall fat mass has its risks, but abdominal fat brings so many more risk factors into play. By taking a %FM and a WC one would get a better idea of the location of the fat by looking at statistics and being able to determine the specific risks the subject is facing.
That ended abruptly, but I have lost my train of thought and need to look into this more. This is just a basic idea that I thought I would share. If it makes any sense at all, let me know. If it doesn’t make any sense than definitely tell me, so I can never mention it again.

Due to extenuating circumstances

Alright so the circumstances were not so extenuating and I became lax in the completion of prior noted summer plans. I did work all the time, however, I did not make “MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY.” I worked out pretty frequently… to no real outcome, I got as far as putting my keyboard on the stand in my room and I really didn’t have legitimate plans to road trip to the Gulf.
I do have a legitimate excuse for not blogging this summer, however. I purchased a new MacBook last spring and while I was at home for the summer, technical difficulties made the process of connecting to the World Wide Web more difficult than I was willing to partake. I do have plans this academic year to write more frequently, due to the fact that I do not see this semester or the next as being very demanding academically, especially when it comes to writing. Consequently, I would like my writing not to fall off or even improve as this year continues. Since talking to a certain person this weekend I have realized that my collegiate education may be somewhat of a farce and I may need to take it into my own hands and begin to run through some textbooks in my free time to even the playing field with people from other universities. I might be mistaken, and be learning everything I need to know to land a quality job, but I still have my doubts. Not too mention, it wouldn’t hurt to further my knowledge in my field or a related one.
As I said, I hope to keep this more updated, and with my schedule I’m sure it won’t be too much of a problem. I have a few ideas for topics already. That is my main problem with keeping up with this blog. I NEED IDEAS! My mind has been racing lately though, so it might not be a problem for a while. Lets hope so.

P.s. Go Cubs! Go Bears.

Kyle, congrats on knocking out those summer plans. If I was only as dedicated as you are.

Summer Plans

1. Work All the Time to MAKE MONEY MONEY MONEY
2. Work out All the Time
3. Learn to Play the Piano, for real... what the hell else do i have to do this summer?
4. Road trip to the Gulf of Mexico