I’m not a sports fan.
I don’t follow sports, local or otherwise … until folks get into the playoffs and stuff. Then it becomes sort of a tribal thing.
So … um … go, Rockies!
(With all due apologies to any readers in Philadelpha. Nothing personal.)
Via Dave Newman, it’s a Facebook Meme Answered Not On Facebook:
1. What time did you get up this morning?
4:10 a.m. Far earlier than I should have.
2. How do you like your steak?
I used to be on the medium side of medium rare, but now, thanks to Margie’s savage ways, I’m happy with it warmed through and still reddish-pink. Tear me off another haunch of zebra, honey!.
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
Up.
4. What is your favorite TV show?
I probably watch more Daily Show than anything else — but Doctor Who is most likely to preempt other stuff.
5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
Pretty darned happy right where I am. But there are a lot of places I’d like to visit.
6. What did you have for breakfast?
A couple of cups of coffee.
7. What is your favorite cuisine?
Steak. Followed closely by Mexican. Italian and Indian both rate highly as well.
8. What foods do you dislike?
Raw tomatoes. Bananas. Avocados. (My mom weeps.)
9. Favorite Place to Eat?
Probably at home, but some favorite nice restaurants in the area include Pesce Fresco, The Fort, The Buckhorn Exchange, Le Central, and Macaroni Grill or Brewery Bar III for “comfort food.”
10. Favorite dressing?
French. Caesar comes in close. I dislike creamy white Ranch-like thing, though — stuff based on milk or yogurt or mayo, etc.
11.What kind of vehicle do you drive?
2003 Subaru Impreza WRX. Or a 2000 Toyota Sienna.
12. What are your favorite clothes?
Given my inability to give any of them up, my ever-burgeoning t-shirt collection. With shorts.
13. Where would you visit if you had the chance?
Anywhere in the British Isles. Greece. Turkey. Italy. France. Japan. But there are a lot of interesting places all over, including within the US.
14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full?
Half-full, usually.
15. Where would you want to retire?
Kinda like it right here.
16. Favorite time of day?
Around 9 p.m.
17. Where were you born?
In the Palo Alto area, Calif.
18. What is your favorite sport to watch?
Not much into watching sports, to be honest. Football (American), perhaps, or volleyball (either style).
19. Who do you think will not tag you back?
I don’t generally tag people, nor do I expect them to tag me back.
20. Person you expect to tag you back first?
See #19
21. Who are you most curious about their responses to this?
Any of my friends.
22. Bird watcher?
I enjoy seeing the birds at our feeder on the deck, and I like seeing and hearing them in general. I’m not much into organized birding, though.
23. Are you a morning person or a night person?
Night. Which makes how early I generally get up darned annoying.
24. Do you have any pets?
Two cats, at present.
25. Any new and exciting news you’d like to share?
Going to the San Diego Comic-Con next summer. That should be fun.
26. What did you want to be when you were little?
A “scientist.” A teacher. A computer programmer. Two out of three ain’t bad …
27. What is your best childhood memory?
Wandering amongst the trees and waterfall at a camp ground near Diamond Lake, Oregon. Just one of many.
28. Are you a cat or dog person?
I enjoy dogs, but don’t want to take pack responsibility. So definitely cats.
29. Are you married?
Happily and gloriously and deliriously.
30. Always wear your seat belt?
Force of habit. Like my wallet not being in my pocket, driving without a seat belt feels “off.”
31. Been in a car accident?
I’ve been rear-ended a few times, and vice-versa. I skidded off an on-ramp once and down a hill — that was darned exciting. Nothing injuring, however.
32. Any pet peeves?
Countless. That’s one reason I enjoy using Twitter, so I can immediately Tweet about them.
33. Favorite Pizza Toppings?
Pepperoni and mushroom. Garlic. Spice sauce. Onions. Most veggies — not fruit, though. And not too much topping, either.
34. Favorite Flower?
Iris.
35. Favorite ice cream?
Rum Raisin. Praline Pecan. Mint Chip. Dulce de Leche / Caramel. Cinnamon. Actually, pretty much everything but “nut” ice creams and “fruit” ice creams. I tend to prefer Haagen Dazs to Ben & Jerry’s, but Boulder Dairy is the best. Mmmmm … ice cream …
36. Favorite fast food restaurant?
Sonic. Carls, Jr. Fatburger. Burger King.
37. How many times did you fail your driver’s test?
None.
38. From whom did you get your last email?
Amazon.com. Last person was my father-law.
39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?
Fry’s. Or maybe Great Indoors. Or the Tattered Cover. Decisions, decisions …
40. Do anything spontaneous lately?
Not so much Mr. Spontaneity, I fear.
41. Like your job?
It has its moments. And, then, it has its moments.
42. Broccoli?
A second-tier veggie. I’ll eat it, esp. as a vector for sauces, but I won’t go out of my way for it.
43. What was your favorite vacation?
Traveling in the UK with Margie for a couple of weeks.
44. Last person you went out to dinner with?
Margie and Katherine, on Friday. Um … we went to The Counter.
45. What are you listening to right now?
The hum of the fridge, the computer, and the a/c. Some of my favorite fans.
46. What is your favorite color?
Cobalt blue.
47. How many tattoos do you have?
None. Unlikely, given my aversion to needles and fear of ending up with something very dated and undesired.
48. How many are you tagging for this quiz?
None. I’ll probably tag Dave back, so he knows I did it.
49. What time did you finish this quiz?
3:55 pm
50. Coffee Drinker?
Off and on. More on, recently.
Links out the wazoo, for your amusement, edification, and passing of time. THINGS THAT MAKE ME FROWN Denver police union T-shirt: “We get up early to beat the crowd… – Okay,…
Links out the wazoo, for your amusement, edification, and passing of time.
THINGS THAT MAKE ME FROWN
THINGS THAT MAKE ME NOD
THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE
DARK, GLOOMY, AND/OR SERIOUS EFF sues Cheney, Bush, and the NSA to stop illegal… – Go, EFF! Go! As Bush’s VP Vetter In 2000, Cheney ‘Sidestepped The… – Palin is a natural…
DARK, GLOOMY, AND/OR SERIOUS
HAPPY, JOYFUL, AND/OR FUN
OBSESSIVE SARAH PALIN STUFF For all that she’s the darling of the conservative set, Palin is being kept under wraps and away from interviews, despite earlier plans (FLASHBACK: In July,…
OBSESSIVE SARAH PALIN STUFF
SEMI-OBSESSIVE NON-PALIN POLITICAL BITS
JUST PLAIN WEIRD APOLITICAL STUFF
OH, NO, NOT MORE POLITICS! DHS contractor threatens woman with arrest for wearing… – I feel much more secure knowing that women who have the web address for a support…
OH, NO, NOT MORE POLITICS!
AND NOW SOME NON-POLITICAL STUFF …
There were just a lot of interesting articles today: Future Of Brutalist-Designed Church Not Concrete : NPR – I actually find the “Brutalist” style attractive (in small doses). It sounds like…
There were just a lot of interesting articles today:
Future Of Brutalist-Designed Church Not Concrete : NPR – I actually find the “Brutalist” style attractive (in small doses). It sounds like most of the buildings in question — including the headlining Third Church in Washington — suffer not so much from the Brutalist style as from a style-over-function problem (e.g., the light bulbs problem, the poor suitability of the concrete construction for heating and cooling). As much as I feel for the folks “stuck” with “historic landmark” status, I agree with the suggestion that in another 50 years people will be aghast
U.S. Softball Streak Ends, Beach Volleyball Continues : NPR – If I say I’m pleased as punch that Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh won the women’s beach volleyball gold, it’s solely because I’m a patriot. Really. And it’s a difficult sport. Absolutely. Well done, ladies.
Bacteria Fingered As Killer In 1918 Flu Pandemic : NPR – Interesting. The flu virus weakened people, but it may have been opportunistic bacterial changes that actually did the killing. Which might provide new tools for defeating a future pandemic.
Computing On The Cloud: Who Owns Your Files? : NPR – It’s amusing that this came out after my recent post on Flickr. I think the article misses the point — the fine print EULA isn’t the issue so much as you don’t have control over your data. It’s sort of like banks if there were no FDIC … the one down the street may be very convenient to put your money into, but what if it folds, or gets robbed, or decides to believe it when someone says you stole that money. The bigger the institution, the lower some risks (and potentially higher the others). Of course, you can’t backup your money, but you can take steps to backup most online data. Which is a good idea, if you ask me (though do as I say, not as I do …).
Ha! The Chinese evidently make use of Windows, since one of the big projected images at the Olympics opening ceremonies included a huge XP Blue Screen of Death for, oh,…
Ha! The Chinese evidently make use of Windows, since one of the big projected images at the Olympics opening ceremonies included a huge XP Blue Screen of Death for, oh, a couple of hours. In front of 2.3 billion people. (Pics here and here.)
Can’t buy publicity like that.
More stuff I’ve been gathering up in the side bar of late. Deserving More Attention: ‘Great Wall of Duh’: It certainly seems like the GOP leadership and political pundits have decided…
More stuff I’ve been gathering up in the side bar of late.
1. Okay, so do the Super-Duper Magic Spiffy Bathing Suits look like something that Bryan Hitch would draw as comic book uniforms, or what? 2. I do appreciate the fact…
1. Okay, so do the Super-Duper Magic Spiffy Bathing Suits look like something that Bryan Hitch would draw as comic book uniforms, or what?
2. I do appreciate the fact that I can enthusiastically watch women’s beach volley-ball and still feel wholesome in doing so.
When I was in high school, I had an expository speech I did at speech contests about the superiority of left-handers (ahem). It was more than a bit tongue-in-cheek, mind…
When I was in high school, I had an expository speech I did at speech contests about the superiority of left-handers (ahem). It was more than a bit tongue-in-cheek, mind you, but it was fun and went over pretty well.
Amanda forwarded me this NPR article from this morning: In Sports, Southpaws Needn’t Feel Left Out : NPR
You see, while lefties moan that the world at large discriminates against them — even though in modern times we usually find ourselves ruled by them, i.e. southpaw Presidents Truman, Ford, Reagan, Bush the elder and Clinton (and yes, two guys named McCain and Obama) — our sinister brethren have all the advantages in sports whenever they directly face right-handers.
Now an engineering professor named David Peters has come up with some basic statistics, which show what we righties always knew anyway, that baseball in particular is a gauche paradise. And that ain’t no left-handed compliment.
In particular, in person-on-person sports, left-handers tend to do statistically better.
Whereas only about 10 percent of the whole human population is lefty, Peters revealed that about 25 percent of major leaguers are the minority-handed sort of people. More significant, in the Hall of Fame, of the 70 pitchers, 15 were southpaw — more than twice the Homo sapiens average. And hitters: of the 138 in Cooperstown, 59 were lefty, and eight more half-lefty switch-hitters. That means that an incredible 46 percent of the best hitters ever swung at those appetizing right-handed slants.
This is not, in fact, a demonstration of left-handed superiority, though it pains me to say so. It’s simply a matter of familiarity. If most major league players, for example, do things right-handedly — which impacts pitching, batting, etc. — that’s how most major league players are going to get used to playing against. The lefties do it a bit different, and therefore are less easy to deal with and so are more successful. Ditto for the examples given in basketball, tennis, boxing, etc.
When you look at golf, it’s the reverse.
The best proof that lefties have an advantage in man-to-man competition comes, conversely, from golf, where you’re not playing your opponent, only that neutral little ball. In the whole history of the PGA, left-handers have won only 37 tournaments, and Phil Mickelson has personally accounted for more than half of them. Mickelson might have won even more if he didn’t make so many ditzy decisions.
That’s because (a) as noted, the competition is against the ball, not the player (though if lefties and righties have different hitting characteristics, one might expect a small advantage to lefties in course design). More importantly, (b) golf equipment is almost exclusively right-handed. A left-hander is 99% likely to learn to golf right-handedly, which puts them at something of a disadvantage. (That’s my excuse, and I’m sticking to it.)
Hmmmm … maybe there’s a class action law suit in there somewhere …
UPDATE: An article from last month on why lefties may be more successful than average at the presidential game.
Lots of burbling online over the protest sign — supposed to have been taken at some anti-China protest related to the Olympic Torch back in April. I’ve seen a few…
Lots of burbling online over the protest sign — supposed to have been taken at some anti-China protest related to the Olympic Torch back in April. I’ve seen a few credit it to San Francisco and a pro-Tibet rally. Les posted about it most recently. And, of course, the obvious retort is, “Um, yes, we did.”
Three things:
As to the merits of China hosting the Olympics, our participation therein, or the whole Olympic Movement itself — that’s another story.
I’m still not convinced it’s readl.
Yeah, sometimes one actually has a bit of hope for the human race. At the plate, Tucholsky concentrated on ignoring the wise guys. She took strike one. And then the…
Yeah, sometimes one actually has a bit of hope for the human race.
At the plate, Tucholsky concentrated on ignoring the wise guys. She took strike one. And then the senior did something she had never done before — even in batting practice. The career .153 hitter smashed the next pitch over the center field fence for an apparent three-run home run.
The exuberant former high school point guard sprinted to first. As she reached the bag, she looked up to watch the ball clear the fence and missed first base. Six feet past the bag, she stopped abruptly to return and touch it. But something gave in her right knee; she collapsed on the base path.
Read the whole thing.
(via fellow softy BD)
It’s an announcement right out of left field! Episcopal Church named “official denomination” of Major League Baseball: As a part of opening week festivities, Commissioner of Baseball Bud Selig…
It’s an announcement right out of left field! Episcopal Church named “official denomination” of Major League Baseball:
As a part of opening week festivities, Commissioner of Baseball Bud Selig and Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori announced today that the Episcopal Church has been designated the Official Denomination of Major League Baseball. The move was announced today in a teleconference with reporters.
[…] Selig said that Episcopalians bring the right mix of arcane tradition, an appreciation of minutiae and a tolerance for long stretches of relative inaction that make them “a good fit for us.”
“We believe that Episcopalians understand the nuances of the game and won’t meddle with our traditions too much.”
(Emphasis mine)
Plus, we have a fondness for seasonal activities and pretty uniforms!
(via Deb)
Randy sent me a note pointing me at SurfTheChannel, which looks like it aggregates online videos (of dubious, ah, copyright clearance) through a single site. I only briefly dipped into…
Randy sent me a note pointing me at SurfTheChannel, which looks like it aggregates online videos (of dubious, ah, copyright clearance) through a single site. I only briefly dipped into it, but it looks like it could be a huuuuuge time sink.
Not all the shows have full sets, but there’s still an impressive array of things to watch (though some of the feeder sites are very slooooooow …).
Great lesson for the kids! Kansas activities officials are investigating a religious school’s refusal to let a female referee call a boys’ high school basketball game. The Kansas State High…
Kansas activities officials are investigating a religious school’s refusal to let a female referee call a boys’ high school basketball game.
The Kansas State High School Activities Association said referees reported that Michelle Campbell was preparing to officiate at St. Mary’s Academy near Topeka on Feb. 2 when a school official insisted that Campbell could not call the game.
The reason given, according to the referees: Campbell, as a woman, could not be put in a position of authority over boys because of the academy’s beliefs.
To their credit, both the scheduled co-official and another called in to ref the game declined to do so.
The Activities Association said it is considering whether to take action against the private religious school. St. Mary’s Academy, about 25 miles northwest of Topeka, is owned and operated by the Society of St. Pius X, which follows older Roman Catholic laws. The society’s world leader, the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, was excommunicated by Pope John Paul II in the late 1980s.
Gary Musselman, the association’s executive director, said the organization will not make a decision until it confirms whether St. Mary’s Academy has a policy of not allowing female referees to work boys basketball games.
If that is indeed the school’s written policy, Musselman said, the association could decide to remove St. Mary’s Academy from the list of approved schools and take away its ability to compete against the association’s more than 300 member schools.
St. Mary’s Academy officials declined comment when contacted by The Associated Press on Wednesday.
I think it’s all a conspiracy by the feminazis …
… but this great list of Super Bowl logos is just too much fun not to post….
… but this great list of Super Bowl logos is just too much fun not to post.
Too many tabs, too many things to do: This year’s Beloit Mindset list of what the Class of 2011 considers a normal part of their world. Let soldiers blog! Folks…
Too many tabs, too many things to do:
