Happy birthday, Rachel! Woo hoo! May you be 29 forever!
Here's something to mark the occasion, hopefully. I'm taking artistic license by changing one very key word... I hope Mr. Keats won't mind:
To My Brothers (Ed: Sister)
Small, busy flames play through the fresh laid coals,
And their faint cracklings o’er our silence creep
Like whispers of the household gods that keep
A gentle empire o’er fraternal souls.
And while, for rhymes, I search around the poles,
Your eyes are fix’d, as in poetic sleep,
Upon the lore so voluble and deep,
That aye at fall of night our care condoles.
This is your birth-day Rachel, and I rejoice
That thus it passes smoothly, quietly.
Many such eves of gently whisp’ring noise
May we together pass, and calmly try
What are this world’s true joys,—ere the great voice,
From its fair face, shall bid our spirits fly.
-- John Keats (Ed. TS)
Friday, April 27, 2007
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Virginia Tech and the 2nd Amendment
In the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy, we are reminded of an age-old axiom:
Nutjobs and guns don't mix.
...and soon some in the political arena and the media will let everyone know it (in case anyone doesn't know it already), in order to set the stage for their anti-2nd Amendment notions.
I can already hear CNN, the New York Times and Congressional Democrats (mainly lefties, though there will be a smattering of centrists and righties on this side as well) licking their chops to take advantage of this anti-gun opportunity.
Look, I'm not one of those guys in Montana who thinks that his acre of land is his own separate country. I don't go mudding on an ATV. I don't hunt. I don't even own a gun.
But I figured I'd outline some fairly decent reasons why someone would want to own a firearm. Therein we might find a fair amount of justification for defending the 2nd Amendment to the United States Constitution -- even in the wake of the VA Tech tragedy.
--------
1) Except in the very rare case of an officer being near your location at the start of an assault/murder attempt, police cannot get there fast enough to protect you from a would-be assailant. If you are armed, you at least have a chance to protect yourself and/or your family.
2) Widespread civilian gun ownership would make it difficult for anyone to subject the US to tyranny, or for any foreign power to take over the US. Assuming a foreign foe ever got past the US military, they'd then have 50,000,000 to 100,000,000 or so firearm owners to deal with, state and local police, FBI, etc. Good luck with that, buddy.
Look at the trouble we've had stopping the anti-democracy insurgency in Iraq. They are an armed populace -- at least, it seems that the bad guys have guns.
It's much easier to subjugate someone if he has no means of fighting back.
3) Hunting: Whether for fun or for sustenance, hunting is reputedly an enjoyable activity.
4) Sport-shooting and target-shooting (clay pigeons, targets, etc. -- fun!)
5) Art: Guns could be seen as stylish, neat objects to have around for their aesthetic value.
6) Collecting: Some guns are highly valued and, as such, there is a large collectible-gun market. In this way, guns can be seen as investments.
So while, in a perfect world, we could keep people like Monday's nutjob from purchasing a firearm and using it to murder 32 people, there is virtually no way to keep guns out of the hands of criminals. Think about it: if the 2nd Amendment is repealed and Big Brother orders us to turn in our firearms, the law-abiding citizens will do it... and the criminals won't.
Please, government/media, let's not go overboard on this issue. Guns help us protect ourselves in certain situations, they allow us the capacity to forever fend off tyranny, they are instruments for fun and possibly even sustenance, they can be appreciated as art, and some are collectible objects and (thus) investment tools.
Not that I'm going to buy one. hehe
Well, okay, maybe one day I'll pick up a Sig P226... if that model is still around.
Nutjobs and guns don't mix.
...and soon some in the political arena and the media will let everyone know it (in case anyone doesn't know it already), in order to set the stage for their anti-2nd Amendment notions.
I can already hear CNN, the New York Times and Congressional Democrats (mainly lefties, though there will be a smattering of centrists and righties on this side as well) licking their chops to take advantage of this anti-gun opportunity.
Look, I'm not one of those guys in Montana who thinks that his acre of land is his own separate country. I don't go mudding on an ATV. I don't hunt. I don't even own a gun.
But I figured I'd outline some fairly decent reasons why someone would want to own a firearm. Therein we might find a fair amount of justification for defending the 2nd Amendment to the United States Constitution -- even in the wake of the VA Tech tragedy.
--------
1) Except in the very rare case of an officer being near your location at the start of an assault/murder attempt, police cannot get there fast enough to protect you from a would-be assailant. If you are armed, you at least have a chance to protect yourself and/or your family.
2) Widespread civilian gun ownership would make it difficult for anyone to subject the US to tyranny, or for any foreign power to take over the US. Assuming a foreign foe ever got past the US military, they'd then have 50,000,000 to 100,000,000 or so firearm owners to deal with, state and local police, FBI, etc. Good luck with that, buddy.
Look at the trouble we've had stopping the anti-democracy insurgency in Iraq. They are an armed populace -- at least, it seems that the bad guys have guns.
It's much easier to subjugate someone if he has no means of fighting back.
3) Hunting: Whether for fun or for sustenance, hunting is reputedly an enjoyable activity.
4) Sport-shooting and target-shooting (clay pigeons, targets, etc. -- fun!)
5) Art: Guns could be seen as stylish, neat objects to have around for their aesthetic value.
6) Collecting: Some guns are highly valued and, as such, there is a large collectible-gun market. In this way, guns can be seen as investments.
So while, in a perfect world, we could keep people like Monday's nutjob from purchasing a firearm and using it to murder 32 people, there is virtually no way to keep guns out of the hands of criminals. Think about it: if the 2nd Amendment is repealed and Big Brother orders us to turn in our firearms, the law-abiding citizens will do it... and the criminals won't.
Please, government/media, let's not go overboard on this issue. Guns help us protect ourselves in certain situations, they allow us the capacity to forever fend off tyranny, they are instruments for fun and possibly even sustenance, they can be appreciated as art, and some are collectible objects and (thus) investment tools.
Not that I'm going to buy one. hehe
Well, okay, maybe one day I'll pick up a Sig P226... if that model is still around.
Thursday, April 5, 2007
April Showers
After taking a much-needed hiatus from this online journal, I have returned to bestow a few idle thoughts upon my small -- but growing (Rose) -- audience.
1. It is about 40 degrees (F) here in Nashville this morning. Two days ago, it was about 70 at this time. Cripes. And the thing that sucks most is that it isn't raining, so we might have nothing to show for it next month -- you know, "April showers bring May flowers." Well what if Nashville is a barren wasteland because we had little (or no) rain in April? We did have a bit yesterday or the day before (honestly can't remember), but will that smidge(o)n be enough to guarantee calm seas and sunny skies in May? My April-May anxiety levels are at an all-time high, and it's just the 5th of April. Where, oh where, did I put my stress ball?!?!
2. It is 21 (wind chill of 15) in Yakutsk right now -- must be about 6:30pm or so over there, so they're just barely starting to cool down from the warmest part of the day. They're still not above freezing, but to them it must seem like a heat wave. Meanwhile, it's 29 at Base Bernardo O'Higgins. I have no idea what time it is there, but this remains impressive: Yakutsk is (once again) colder than Antarctica.
3. Ohio State lost to Florida in the national championship (or national final... whatever they call it) game of the 2007 NCAA Tournament. Ohio State lost primarily because they could not hit three-point shots (shooting all of about 10% up until the last minute), while Florida could seemingly not miss from long distance (the Gators shot something like 65% from three). If both teams shoot their averages from three, Ohio State wins the game by double digits. It just wasn't meant to be.
Buckeye center Greg Oden was dominant in defeat.
4.
120x = 840
x = 7
The square root of 9 = 3, -3
The absolute value of -7 = 7
The differential of X-to-the-third + 3x-squared + 4x = 3x-squared + 6x + 4
Mathematics was not meant to be typed on a computer... unless, I suppose, you've got some neat "Math Typing Made Easy" suite, or some such thing. Give me my blue book, thank you. Well the algebraic equation wasn't so bad. But I couldn't find means for correctly showing a square root, absolute value, or exponential variables as they are normally represented in a proper mathematical (quiz/test/homework etc.) context.
5. Don't order the lobster -- save your date's pocketbook. Or say this when you order: "I'll have the lobster, please, with a side of foie gras."
Look at your date -- check especially for signs of perspiration and hyperventilation. Then modify your order by saying, "Oh... April Fool's. I'll go with the cheeseburger instead."
Your date will be grateful.
1. It is about 40 degrees (F) here in Nashville this morning. Two days ago, it was about 70 at this time. Cripes. And the thing that sucks most is that it isn't raining, so we might have nothing to show for it next month -- you know, "April showers bring May flowers." Well what if Nashville is a barren wasteland because we had little (or no) rain in April? We did have a bit yesterday or the day before (honestly can't remember), but will that smidge(o)n be enough to guarantee calm seas and sunny skies in May? My April-May anxiety levels are at an all-time high, and it's just the 5th of April. Where, oh where, did I put my stress ball?!?!
2. It is 21 (wind chill of 15) in Yakutsk right now -- must be about 6:30pm or so over there, so they're just barely starting to cool down from the warmest part of the day. They're still not above freezing, but to them it must seem like a heat wave. Meanwhile, it's 29 at Base Bernardo O'Higgins. I have no idea what time it is there, but this remains impressive: Yakutsk is (once again) colder than Antarctica.
3. Ohio State lost to Florida in the national championship (or national final... whatever they call it) game of the 2007 NCAA Tournament. Ohio State lost primarily because they could not hit three-point shots (shooting all of about 10% up until the last minute), while Florida could seemingly not miss from long distance (the Gators shot something like 65% from three). If both teams shoot their averages from three, Ohio State wins the game by double digits. It just wasn't meant to be.
Buckeye center Greg Oden was dominant in defeat.
4.
120x = 840
x = 7
The square root of 9 = 3, -3
The absolute value of -7 = 7
The differential of X-to-the-third + 3x-squared + 4x = 3x-squared + 6x + 4
Mathematics was not meant to be typed on a computer... unless, I suppose, you've got some neat "Math Typing Made Easy" suite, or some such thing. Give me my blue book, thank you. Well the algebraic equation wasn't so bad. But I couldn't find means for correctly showing a square root, absolute value, or exponential variables as they are normally represented in a proper mathematical (quiz/test/homework etc.) context.
5. Don't order the lobster -- save your date's pocketbook. Or say this when you order: "I'll have the lobster, please, with a side of foie gras."
Look at your date -- check especially for signs of perspiration and hyperventilation. Then modify your order by saying, "Oh... April Fool's. I'll go with the cheeseburger instead."
Your date will be grateful.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Out Like A Lion -- Quotations
Thanks to Grandpa Bob (I'm not telling you his last name, hackers) for these basketball-related -- or basketball-inspired -- quotations.
See y'all in April. Go Ohio State!
------
“Most people have the will to win. Few have the will to prepare to win.”
- Bobby Knight
“The truth is that many people set rules to keep from making decisions.”
- Mike Krzyzewski
“I asked a ref if he could give me a technical foul for thinking bad things about him. He said, of course not. I said, well, I think you stink. And he gave me a technical. You can't trust em.”
- Jim Valvano
“If all I'm remembered for is being a good basketball player, then I've done a bad job with the rest of my life.”
- Isiah Thomas
“Not only is there more to life than basketball, there's a lot more to basketball than basketball.”
- Phil Jackson
“We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors.”
- Weldon Drew
“My priorities are family, Lord, profession - And that's not the order it should be, but I think No. 2 understands.”
- John Wooden
“Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best.”
- Tim Duncan
“Fans never fall asleep at our games. They're afraid they might get hit by a pass.”
- George Raveling
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
- Hebrews 11:1
“It’s not what you tell them that’s important. It’s what they hear.”
- Red Auerbach
“God had a plan for me and I'm just fulfilling that plan, ... Just like HIV. I was the one that was supposed to go through that challenge and go through that period because that brought light to HIV and AIDS. They needed somebody and it was me, and I feel really good about what I have accomplished.”
- Magic Johnson
“First master the fundamentals.”
- Larry Bird
“The only mystery in life is why the kamikaze pilots wore helmets.”
- Al McGuire
“The strong take from the weak and the smart take from the strong.”
- Pete Carril
“Consider the rights of others before your own feelings, and the feelings of others before your own rights.”
- John Wooden
See y'all in April. Go Ohio State!
------
“Most people have the will to win. Few have the will to prepare to win.”
- Bobby Knight
“The truth is that many people set rules to keep from making decisions.”
- Mike Krzyzewski
“I asked a ref if he could give me a technical foul for thinking bad things about him. He said, of course not. I said, well, I think you stink. And he gave me a technical. You can't trust em.”
- Jim Valvano
“If all I'm remembered for is being a good basketball player, then I've done a bad job with the rest of my life.”
- Isiah Thomas
“Not only is there more to life than basketball, there's a lot more to basketball than basketball.”
- Phil Jackson
“We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors.”
- Weldon Drew
“My priorities are family, Lord, profession - And that's not the order it should be, but I think No. 2 understands.”
- John Wooden
“Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best.”
- Tim Duncan
“Fans never fall asleep at our games. They're afraid they might get hit by a pass.”
- George Raveling
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
- Hebrews 11:1
“It’s not what you tell them that’s important. It’s what they hear.”
- Red Auerbach
“God had a plan for me and I'm just fulfilling that plan, ... Just like HIV. I was the one that was supposed to go through that challenge and go through that period because that brought light to HIV and AIDS. They needed somebody and it was me, and I feel really good about what I have accomplished.”
- Magic Johnson
“First master the fundamentals.”
- Larry Bird
“The only mystery in life is why the kamikaze pilots wore helmets.”
- Al McGuire
“The strong take from the weak and the smart take from the strong.”
- Pete Carril
“Consider the rights of others before your own feelings, and the feelings of others before your own rights.”
- John Wooden
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
To My Niece
This is for Rose Lucille, my new niece. May she live long and prosper.
The rose is a rose,
And was always a rose.
But the theory now goes
That the apple's a rose,
And the pear is, and so's
The plum, I suppose.
The dear only knows
What will next prove a rose.
You, of course, are a rose--
But were always a rose.
-- Robert Frost
The rose is a rose,
And was always a rose.
But the theory now goes
That the apple's a rose,
And the pear is, and so's
The plum, I suppose.
The dear only knows
What will next prove a rose.
You, of course, are a rose--
But were always a rose.
-- Robert Frost
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Weekly Weather Check
Okay, this is your weekly weather check. Below are the current temperatures from places around the globe:
(all listings are in degrees Fahrenheit, as of approximately noon Central)
Nashville, TN: 80
Kinshasa, DRC: 79
Lima, Peru: 77
Tripoli, Libya: 68
Los Angeles, CA: 61
Medicine Hat, Canada: 61
Minocqua, WI: 56
Modena, Italy: 50
Melbourne, Australia: 50
Base Bernardo O'Higgins, Antarctica: 26
Yakutsk, Russia: -6
Poor Yakutskians. It's like -50 there all winter long, and this is the start of spring. The funny thing is, they're sub-Arctic. If they're in Siberia, they're in far southern Siberia. So you look at a map or globe and think, "Yakutsk, wow, in the middle of nowhere... it must be beautiful there." And they enjoy like four minutes each year above freezing.
(all listings are in degrees Fahrenheit, as of approximately noon Central)
Nashville, TN: 80
Kinshasa, DRC: 79
Lima, Peru: 77
Tripoli, Libya: 68
Los Angeles, CA: 61
Medicine Hat, Canada: 61
Minocqua, WI: 56
Modena, Italy: 50
Melbourne, Australia: 50
Base Bernardo O'Higgins, Antarctica: 26
Yakutsk, Russia: -6
Poor Yakutskians. It's like -50 there all winter long, and this is the start of spring. The funny thing is, they're sub-Arctic. If they're in Siberia, they're in far southern Siberia. So you look at a map or globe and think, "Yakutsk, wow, in the middle of nowhere... it must be beautiful there." And they enjoy like four minutes each year above freezing.
Friday, March 23, 2007
March of the Buckeyes
The euphemistic title of this epic piece speaks volumes of the content that I'll provide forthwith: the winning ways of the Ohio State Buckeyes as they progress through the 2007 NCAA Tournament, and what it means to people like me.
The Shot Heard Round the Buckeye State
With just a few ticks left in the second half of their second-round game against the top-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes, and with a three-point lead over OSU and control of the outcome of the game in hand, a Xavier player stepped to the line with a chance to put the game out of reach of the Buckeyes. If he hits one free throw, the Musketeers are up four. If he hits both free throws, Xavier would have a five-point lead. Either way, it would be a two-possession game, and there was not enough time left for Ohio State to score twice. The first free throw missed. Okay, fine, hit the second one, dude. Nope, not gonna do it -- at this juncture. The second also failed to connect. Ohio State got the rebound, flew down the court, and hit a clutch three -- from about 25 feet -- as the clock expired. Ohio State won the game, fairly easily, in overtime. The win propelled the Buckeyes to the Sweet 16 (regional semifinals).
Down 20
Ohio State faced Tennessee last night (Thursday, March 22) with a trip to the Elite 8 (regional finals) on the line. As the top seed in the region, Ohio State entered the game as solid favorites to defeat the Vols. And then the game started, and......Ohio State sleepwalked through the first half (I still yawn just thinking about it), while Tennessee shot something like 60% from three-point territory. The Vols made something like ten threes in the first half en route to a 49-32 halftime lead. Probably many, at this point, had written off the Buckeyes' drive for the Final Four. I, of course, figured that they still had a chance.
And man, I don't know what Ohio State Coach Thad Matta said to his players at halftime, but they came out positively smokin' to start the second half. The Bucks were so hot, and Tennessee was so shell-shocked -- "Coach, how do we play with a 17-point halftime lead?" -- that by the time the second half was halfway finished, Ohio State had nearly drawn even with the Vols. Ohio State took the lead with approximately six-seven minutes left in the game, and prevailed in the seesaw affair toward the end of the game. There were several lead changes after the Great Comeback was completed, and in the end, the Buckeyes came out on top by a point -- 85-84. Ohio State moves on to the regional finals, where they will face 2-seed Memphis.
Carrying the Flag
For the six NCAA Tournament entrants from the Big Ten, there was a mixed bag of expectations. Ohio State was considered a solid/decent pick to advance to the Final Four, and one of the favorites to take home the national championship. Wisconsin (my beloved Badgers) was an odds-on pick to advance to at least the Sweet 16, if not the Elite 8 and Final Four. Wisconsin's late-season loss of Brian Butch, their leading inside scoring threat, hampered the Badgers' outlook. Indiana, a 7-seed, was given about a 50/50 shot of winning the Hoosiers' first game, and roughly no chance of advancing further. Purdue and Michigan State were in flip-a-coin 8/9 matchups and 12-seed Illinois was expected to lose to 5-seed Virginia Tech. So when the Big Ten went 5-1 in the first round, many Big Ten fans were pleasantly surprised. Many "experts" were "shocked".
And then came the second round.
Wisconsin, who played about 15 minutes of good basketball out of their two games, was shocked by UNLV. Purdue, Michigan State and Indiana all gave good efforts against their opponents -- tourney favorites Florida, North Carolina and UCLA, respectively -- but eventually fell short and were ousted from the Dance. The only Big Ten team to advance to the Sweet 16 was Ohio State, who squeaked past Xavier by the fuzz on star freshman center Greg Oden's chinny-chin-chin.One day, the Conference was on top of the hill. Literally two days later, the Big Ten was lamenting a catastrophic string of second-round defeats.
To this point, it has been another disappointing Tournament for the Big Ten -- last year's performance was not worth discussing here. And yet at least this year, the Conference has a team in the Elite 8, with every chance to do further damage in the Tournament. There is at least one bright spot, one hero left to fight on, one single-combat champion with (perhaps) three more skulls to add to the pile.
So it is that Ohio State carries the hopes of a mob of basketball fans stretching literally from central Pennsylvania to the barren tundra of western Minnesota and the corn and pigs of western Iowa. Can Ohio State carry the projected -- from us to them, as their dreams become ours -- basketball dreams of millions of devout Big Ten fans?
This Buckeye-fan-of-the-hour says that they can. Go Bucks.
The Shot Heard Round the Buckeye State
With just a few ticks left in the second half of their second-round game against the top-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes, and with a three-point lead over OSU and control of the outcome of the game in hand, a Xavier player stepped to the line with a chance to put the game out of reach of the Buckeyes. If he hits one free throw, the Musketeers are up four. If he hits both free throws, Xavier would have a five-point lead. Either way, it would be a two-possession game, and there was not enough time left for Ohio State to score twice. The first free throw missed. Okay, fine, hit the second one, dude. Nope, not gonna do it -- at this juncture. The second also failed to connect. Ohio State got the rebound, flew down the court, and hit a clutch three -- from about 25 feet -- as the clock expired. Ohio State won the game, fairly easily, in overtime. The win propelled the Buckeyes to the Sweet 16 (regional semifinals).
Down 20
Ohio State faced Tennessee last night (Thursday, March 22) with a trip to the Elite 8 (regional finals) on the line. As the top seed in the region, Ohio State entered the game as solid favorites to defeat the Vols. And then the game started, and......Ohio State sleepwalked through the first half (I still yawn just thinking about it), while Tennessee shot something like 60% from three-point territory. The Vols made something like ten threes in the first half en route to a 49-32 halftime lead. Probably many, at this point, had written off the Buckeyes' drive for the Final Four. I, of course, figured that they still had a chance.
And man, I don't know what Ohio State Coach Thad Matta said to his players at halftime, but they came out positively smokin' to start the second half. The Bucks were so hot, and Tennessee was so shell-shocked -- "Coach, how do we play with a 17-point halftime lead?" -- that by the time the second half was halfway finished, Ohio State had nearly drawn even with the Vols. Ohio State took the lead with approximately six-seven minutes left in the game, and prevailed in the seesaw affair toward the end of the game. There were several lead changes after the Great Comeback was completed, and in the end, the Buckeyes came out on top by a point -- 85-84. Ohio State moves on to the regional finals, where they will face 2-seed Memphis.
Carrying the Flag
For the six NCAA Tournament entrants from the Big Ten, there was a mixed bag of expectations. Ohio State was considered a solid/decent pick to advance to the Final Four, and one of the favorites to take home the national championship. Wisconsin (my beloved Badgers) was an odds-on pick to advance to at least the Sweet 16, if not the Elite 8 and Final Four. Wisconsin's late-season loss of Brian Butch, their leading inside scoring threat, hampered the Badgers' outlook. Indiana, a 7-seed, was given about a 50/50 shot of winning the Hoosiers' first game, and roughly no chance of advancing further. Purdue and Michigan State were in flip-a-coin 8/9 matchups and 12-seed Illinois was expected to lose to 5-seed Virginia Tech. So when the Big Ten went 5-1 in the first round, many Big Ten fans were pleasantly surprised. Many "experts" were "shocked".
And then came the second round.
Wisconsin, who played about 15 minutes of good basketball out of their two games, was shocked by UNLV. Purdue, Michigan State and Indiana all gave good efforts against their opponents -- tourney favorites Florida, North Carolina and UCLA, respectively -- but eventually fell short and were ousted from the Dance. The only Big Ten team to advance to the Sweet 16 was Ohio State, who squeaked past Xavier by the fuzz on star freshman center Greg Oden's chinny-chin-chin.One day, the Conference was on top of the hill. Literally two days later, the Big Ten was lamenting a catastrophic string of second-round defeats.
To this point, it has been another disappointing Tournament for the Big Ten -- last year's performance was not worth discussing here. And yet at least this year, the Conference has a team in the Elite 8, with every chance to do further damage in the Tournament. There is at least one bright spot, one hero left to fight on, one single-combat champion with (perhaps) three more skulls to add to the pile.
So it is that Ohio State carries the hopes of a mob of basketball fans stretching literally from central Pennsylvania to the barren tundra of western Minnesota and the corn and pigs of western Iowa. Can Ohio State carry the projected -- from us to them, as their dreams become ours -- basketball dreams of millions of devout Big Ten fans?
This Buckeye-fan-of-the-hour says that they can. Go Bucks.
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