Monthly Archive for February, 2007

Word of the Day

The cross-breeding of different dogs has led to some interesting names. Example: my stepmom and littlest sister are the proud owners of Marley, a labradoodle. A labradoodle is the combination of a lab and a poodle (I think) and, till today, the winner of "Most ridiculous dog type I've ever heard of". Now I've heard of an even more absurd name: via Andrew Sullivan comes the mix of a beagle and a bassett hound, known apparently as, ahem, a "bagel". I weep for society. 

I wish I was back in college

Ah, remember college? It was a simpler time then, carefree and innocent. I think my freshman year of college I averaged something like 12 hours a sleep a day (mostly caused by not doing any work coupled with not enjoying myself).

Anyway college was the perfect time to master completely useless skills, like these Vanderbilt kids have done in this video. Living in the dorms was the best, particularly junior year in the triple (shout out to the Mexican {college version}, Big Head Jimmy and, of course, Pretty Boy John Amaechi). Sigh. Enough about that, here's the Vandy kids:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqprge1uwpA[/youtube] 

(via Deadspin

You know what they say about big feet

In reading Tom Verducci's article on the new afterword in the paperback version of Game of Shadows this little tidbit of information about Barry Bonds stood out: 

My favorite fact: the authors detail in their afterword the freakish growth of Bonds' body parts in his years with the Giants: from size 42 to a size 52 jersey; from size 10 1/2 to size 13 cleats; and from a size 7 1/8 to size 7 1/4 cap, even though he had taken to shaving his head. (Italics mine)

The guy's feet have grown 2 1/2 sizes? From his late twenties to late thirties? Consider me sold on whether or not Bonds did steroids, the feet growing that much is even more damning then Bond's head blowing up like a balloon. I can only imagine the potential health effects taking these drugs will have on Bonds' body. I would not want to be him in twenty years.   

Some of the '08 presidential hopefuls favorite movies (via the Plank). 

The Washington City Paper writes M'Dawg Haute Dogs an open letter (previously discussed here). (via Best Bites)

Who cares?

In the "totally inside baseball category" of political news today comes word that Senator Clinton is dropping (or deemphasizing) "Rodham" from her name and going with Senator Hillary Clinton or "Hillary" or "Hillary Clinton".

"The shift to Hillary Rodham Clinton signaled a new investment in her husband's career as governor and president, during which she was a key adviser, leading up to her own election to the Senate in 2000. But now, as a presidential candidate, she's Hillary Clinton — or just Hillary — and some analysts say it makes sense for her to streamline her name. Dropping 'Rodham,' they contend, would erase feminist overtones and soften her image, taking the edge off one of the more sharply polarizing figures of the last two decades." (Boston Globe, via Political Wire)

Stuff like this is, in my opinion, made up shit by political consultants who are trying to earn their salaries  Who really cares about this stuff? Is anyone going to vote for a candidate based on whether or not they include they keep their maiden name? Sadly of course the answer is probably yes but it still seems ridiculous to me. Maybe the people who make these decisions know what they are doing but it seems unlikely to me. 

One wishes that Presidential campaigns could be about important things like plans for health care, energy and Iraq but a depressing amount of the time it seems to be more about the trivial things that matter to no one who lives outside the Beltway.  

Dwight Howard is a man among boys

Everyone of course knows that Dwight Howard was robbed at the Slam Dunk contest; that sticker-on-the-backboard dunk was both sick and original and certainly deserving of perfect 10's. Now there's reason to get even more angry about the injustice done to Howard: video of Howard practicing the dunks he would have done in the finals of the competition. They are, in a word, sick. Seeing is believing:  

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o5_jGvyVvo[/youtube] 

(via NBA Fanhouse

The best part of the Oscars

For the first time ever (I think) I sat through the whole Oscars show last night. Ellen was pretty funny, the giving the script to Scorsese was good, the taking a picture for MySpace with Eastwood even better. No real surprises amongst the victors though I would have liked it if that little girl from Little Miss Sunshine had won (her and Will Smith's kid presenting was almost too much. Can't wait for the time in 20 years when the two of them rule our worlds). 

By far and away though the best part of the whole show was the musical number Jack Black and Will Ferrell did with help from John C. Reilly. Its true, comedies don't get the respect they deserve (other then I guess Little Miss Sunshine which I guess was a comedy but not in the Anchorman/Borat sense). Presented here in its entirity is their performance:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qB6mh3ISsmM[/youtube]

Oh silly internet. Teabirds is a blog devoted entirely to pictures of attractive females drinking tea. Only on the internets, what will those crazy kids come up with next?. (via Kottke , per usual)

What kind of President? One with no what?

This YouTube clip is from the recent AFSCME Democratic presidential candidate forum and features no-shot-in-hell Dennis Kucinich. Makes me proud to be a Democrat. I mean come on, you want to be taken seriously (as he, despite this clip and other gaffes, deserves to be) but then you do that? Seriously? Anyway a President should have no what?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycFtOBKIXcg[/youtube] 

(Hat tip to an office source)