Muttering Under One's Breath

Eating too much...

nobody@vox.com(Chris) — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 20:22:00 -0800

Eating too much…

(That’s probably not a bad place to start with my blog.)

I have no idea when I wrote that. But it’s pretty accurate these days. Thankfully, it’s mostly fruits and vegetables. Nonetheless, I tend to munch during the evening. In fact, there is an apple right next to me as reward for finishing this.

No, I’m not telling you this as a way of warning myself. I’m just noticing.

Now, definitely warn me of trying to attend ball games. Instead of trying a nice dinner -- what I was initially asked to attend – it became a basketball game. Normally, that wouldn’t be a bad idea.

But it’s an event that is sandwiching two mornings of therapy, which kills me – more less requires a lot of rest afterwards. Of course, I had a lunch appointment the next day following the therapy sessions (speech and occupational). The phrase is zombie, one might say. So, the hope is normalcy – or some facsimile by Monday morning. Of course, I could say no.

As a sideline, I’ll amazed that Kansas is still in contention for the national title (in college football). Granted, the Jayhawks haven’t beaten any one. But with each victory, you gain momentum that don’t have earlier in the season.

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Not much to say, but some might say the same for yesterday

nobody@vox.com(Chris) — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 20:39:53 -0800

Today's been a draining day. Between writing yesterday's blog post (feels like writing feels like "it's time to make the donuts"), going to occupation and speech therapy this morning, looking for shoes and buying a microwave, I haven't gotten a proper rest.

With plans to go to the KU basketball game in Lawrence, this becomes the victim of sorts really. Hopefully, I'm able to write more on Friday and Saturday. We'll see.

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QotD: My First Single

nobody@vox.com(Chris) — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 20:08:17 -0800

Music-wise, what was the first 45, single or download you bought?
Submitted by Paddy Melt Wagon.

The Thriller album, of course.

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Trying to get back, and making a decision...

nobody@vox.com(Chris) — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 23:26:01 -0800

I guess start with a decision. In fact, it's probably not much of a decision when you think of it.

Currently, I'm near Kansas City with living with my mother, which is where I'm recovering from a series of chemo treatments in hopes to overcome a brain tumor.

The dilemma, oddly enough, surrounds Thanksgiving. My older brother will be is hosting in the Chicago area, as been the plan for months.

However, my mother doesn't to go. She says the right things, but she's been setting the ground work to ditch it for a while -- first money, then the prospect of rough weather. Now, she won't travel on Thursday with my younger brother. The story is that relations between her and my older brother has become pretty rough.

Normally, I'll pay for her flight and the charades. But at the time, I could use the time way from her, and also Raytown. We've been together since mid-August -- same commentary, and dealing with some one who has not dealt with an adult ever. (My parents broke up early.) In fact, if I mentioned a break, she's never get it.

At the same time, I feel that I'm dropping the ball. Not helping, or at least explaining my feelings. Maybe I pay another bill in return? My way of saying the right things? Who knows.

Sorry for such a rough return to the VOX world. In fact, I really didn't provide much of a decision. Maybe there isn't one?

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Due to NBC Sports...

nobody@vox.com(Chris) — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 08:15:09 -0700

Children programming will not be on this morning.

That was the crawl message shown on WBAL, which is showing the Wimbledon final. That only raises the question of whether you should tell the kids that every other station will shows cartoons or whatever goes as children programming these days. Of course, we already know what the station won't do, and it's a moot point when the children know what's on every station. But it's a moral dilemma of sorts.

That's my lead-in to comments on the Wimbledon women's final, which Venus Williams seems to have in control against Marion Bartoli. I feel old. There's your commentary. I just remember when she was on "60 Minutes", which was doing a profile of her, sister Serena and father Richard. The girls were definitely pre-teens at the time. Now, Venus is 27, just now picking up her fifth Wimbledon title and her 14th Grand Slam altogether.

Even though she's five years younger than I am, my impulse is to think of her as if she was a child I've seen grown up. It's probably like people who grew up seeing Ron Howard -- he's Opie one day, the next day, he's an accomplished director and a grandfather.

During the awards presentations, the broadcasters on the NBC telecast mention, "man in her life". Yes, my head turned. Like an proxy parent (even though both of her parents were at the match), "What's man!"

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NBA Finals -- No, it's not the guac!!!

nobody@vox.com(Chris) — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 21:39:56 -0700

I was going to say that I was having an argument with a friend. The truth is that I have arguments about sports at least twice per day. And I don't really care about what. I am my father's son in that aspect -- being able to argue for one side against one person, then turning around and arguing against that same side.

The pet sports charity of the week is the San Antonio Spurs, a team on the verge of wasting the Cleveland Cavaliers to gain their fourth NBA championship in nine. And if I were to turn it into an episode of "Firing Line", it would be "Resolved: the Spurs are punished for lacking flair."

Tim Duncan, San Antonio's top player, may also be the top player in the league. Unfortunately, he's the type of player easy to ignore. Not only does he play a position (power forward) that doesn't yield many high-flying dunks, you won't see many power jams from him, either. Nor do neither of his most notable sidekicks, Manu Ginubili and Tony Parker, a pair speedy guards whose' fashions won't remind any one of Kobe Bryant. Head coach Gregg Popovich doesn't strike the profile of Phil Jackson or Pat Riley, or even a Chuck Daly, the most successful coaches of the past 20 years.

And yes, a team looking for greater historical regard wouldn't choose San Antonio. It's a town perennially seen as "underrated", and a favorite of the NCAA's basketball tournament. It just doesn't deliver much attention from either coast.

That said, I think the Spurs' greatest disability has been what has happened in between their titles. They couldn't deliver the back-to-back. The team couldn't even get close. That, not geography or aesthetics, that stand in the way between the Spurs and greater notice. A team that wins four championships in nine years deserves respect, but a team a team with two or three championships in a row becomes an event.

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Annals of incompetence (still better than OSU, not Oregon)

nobody@vox.com(Chris) — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 16:17:48 -0700

The first topic in this post might have been "Annals of 'No Chance'", something I'm pretty familiar with.

It involves a fairly involved conversation with an attractive woman, followed by me NOT getting a phone number. The next stop is killing myself for not doing so, leading to me calling the person who put me in contact with her and ending with me doing something that confirms whatever lack of confidence that I had in the first place.

I'm not sweating it. In fact, I really just needed something to write in my little blog here. But it's on my moment at the moment as I listen to BBC's Benji B show. Speaking of, one little tune I'm liking is this Thom Yorke track from his solo album being sampled by Kanye West and Lupe "Sure I Had No Idea My Biz Partner is a Dope Dealer" Fiasco. If I want to become a music critic in the future, I guess saying more than "damn good" would help. But that's where I am right now.

Part of the reason I'm writing this now is the other annal of incompetence. That would be the thawing beef that's sitting near the sun. At about this time, that beef should be simmering in all sorts of juices and spices. Most notable of the things I'd spent time doing -- while ignoring the less than five minutes it would take to remove the blade steaks from the freezers -- was advising my buddy Natalie how to cover up for her absent boss. My winner was to tell the big boss that Pat or Chris or Stacey was taking a deuce.

(As androgynist names, why do I think of Stacey as the best of the group for ones that age well. I like my name and all, but Christian will be eventurally take over.)

But yeah, I was pretty hyped about doing a bit cooking. I'd worked on Thai Chile Beef in the past, with non-lethal results. My ingredients were lined up on the kitchen counter, and I had a better feeling about the order of stuff. It had to be about an hour ago when I went to the refrigerator looking for something red. Pick your explicitive. I probably used it. Yes, I need to work on my vocabulary a bit. True.

The plus of all of this is that I've been keeping an eye on the Oregon State-Michigan game in NCAA college baseball, in which the defending champion Oregon State team won 1-0. For those anyone unfamiliar with college baseball, one-run contests don't exist. Between the poor pitching, questionable defense and the metal bats, a viewer is more likely to see teams cross the plate more than 10 times in a game.

In fact, Louisville leads Oklahoma State, 16-2, with the winner going to the College World Series. This is in the sixth inning. And the Cardinals haven't gotten their turn at bat.

Because of the rarity of a pitching duel, I kept my buddy Dave (a huge Michigan fan) abreast of the game while also writing this. Is anyone going to score, I thought. Meanwhile, I realized that there wasn't much to tell about the party I went to last night, other than the phone number I needed to get from the woman I was talking to.

Sometimes, that's the way it works. You think that you're getting somewhere. Then you lose your nerve. Suddenly, your best hope is to ask the party host if she remember that woman's name. Or your steaks are hard enough to dent Brinks trucks, and your best culinary wish lies with the awful Chinese takeout up the street.

Then you look up and see that Oklahoma State's season's will end today, no less in a humiliation fashon. Seventh inning. Are things that bad?

There will be another gal to not asked out. And Yung's has a halfway-decent cheese steak with hots. Time to get there.

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"Not a game"

nobody@vox.com(Chris) — Sat, 26 May 2007 13:06:28 -0700

While icing my ailing back, the flipper stopped on a channel listing that said "High School Basketball".

Of course, I'm thinking "what's this." Even for taped coverage, late May seemed a bit off the grid for schoolboy hoops.

"This" was the "King James Shooting Stars Classic", an AAU tournament. The tournament was fine. Putting it on television makes it only the lastest iteration of our national need to exploitate young athletes.

I'm not outraged or anything. In fact, I'm laughing at the thought. Allen Iverson's infamous "We're just talkin' 'bout practice, not a game" came to mind when I was taking this in. And that also made me think of the recent track on Jazzy Jeff's compilation that looped Iverson's quote.

At the same time, I do find myself wondering if there's a line at which it's too far, the Little League World Series notwithstanding.

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What about Teddy Ruxpin?

nobody@vox.com(Chris) — Wed, 02 May 2007 21:59:30 -0700

For reasons unknown, I told a friend that I thought that an NBA player reminded me of Teddy Ruxpin.

The more I think of it, the more I think it's Baron Davis. Nonetheless, I'm a little disturbed by the things I'm losing a grasp of, memory chiefly among them.

I guess I'll go back to working on crossword puzzles. Those actually kinda worked once upon a time.

On other fronts, I've had a quasi-obsession with poor television ads. I'm totally befuddled by former S.I. cover girl Kathy Ireland hawking her home store items on Rent-a-Center. No idea what else I need to say on that one without getting in trouble with my better self.

I'm running out of juice, so I'll just say that the adjustment to regular ads for alpacas has been a slow one, and sweet dreams to "14B" in Wendy's commercial.

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QotD: Pet Food Recall

nobody@vox.com(Chris) — Wed, 02 May 2007 21:10:08 -0700

Have you been affected by the pet food recall? Has it changed the way you feed your pets?

A good friend of mine works for Hills. I haven't quite gotten the gumption to ask him why his business is poisoning Fido. Or Fluffy.

Will let you know when I get an answer.

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