Thursday, January 31, 2008

I'm not gonna write you a love song

Sara Bareilles's Love Song has been in my head of late... which is semi-fitting, given the general non-love I've read about online this week.

There was this article where author Mel Stewart demonstrates some Michael Phelps love via a bashing of Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe--Melvin's article is a response to a comment by Thorpe about Phelps bettering Mark Spitz's 7-gold medals at 1 Olympics performance of:
"I wish him all the very best. I don't think he will do it, but I'd love to see it,"
(though I'm not quite sure Melvin read all that, or just the spun headlines like "Phelps won't break Spitz's gold record - Thorpe")

But to throw some Thorpe-love out there, Mel does seem to miss a few important bits, like the difference in popularity of swimming between Australia and the USA (e.g. I don't believe I've seen a picture of Michael's house on the cover of National Enquirer, though I do remember seeing one of Thorpe's...). And then there's the minor issue that Thorpe doesn't seem to mind if Phelps does break the record; he's just not sure it's realistic. And I would need to agree... particularly since the 100 fly figures semi-prominently within the 7 or 8 events Michael would need to win, and, as a former swimmer at the University of Texas, I have to side with a fellow Longhorn (and current World Record Holder in the event) Ian Crocker winning the event.

Outside of Thorpe (who, by the way is running the Olympic Torch while it's in Australia), there's some other stuff apropos to the song as well... a suit against the U.S. Army Corp. of Engineers regarding failure of the levee's post Hurricane Katrina has been denied--which I think is only right (I believe the Corps tells people not to build/live in flood plains; for people to sue them for flood damage seems a bit off). And on Tuesday I voted in Florida's Democratic Primary--though the party isn't acknowledging the primary (when did Hillary drop the "Rodham", by the way?). Oh, and, I survived my 1-hour Postal Swim last Saturday, although doing a wee bit less than last year (5,087 yards).

But it's all good... I guess.

If your heart is no where in it
I don't want if for a minute
Babe, I walk the seven seas
When I believe that there's a reason
To write you
A love song
Today

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Now it's raining more than ever...

Ever get a song stuck in your head?

It's been raining a wee bit more than usual here the past two days. To the point that yesterday afternoon, it was raining fairly hard. So, the line above from Rihanna's Umbrella came into my head. As I have a friend who strongly dislikes the song, I--being the nice friend that I am--thought I would text that part of the lyric above to get it stuck in her head.

So, to pause from a chat I was having with another friend, I mention to friend #2 my plan to text friend #1 and try to get the song stuck her head. Ironically, the mere mention of the song to friend #2 caused it to get stuck in his head (which I just found funny).

In any case, I did manage to send the text in the end, though I believe my inadvertently planting of the song ended up being way more effective than my deliberate planting... (and now I'm also curious as to why "advertent" isn't showing up as a word...)

Now it's raining more than ever
Know that we'll still have each other
You can stand under my umbrella
You can stand under my umbrella (ella, ella, eh, eh)

Monday, January 21, 2008

Dream a little dream...

Last week somehow slipped by, between work, hanging out with friends and finally snapping a picture of the cool plant that's a couple blocks over from my place. (That's it at right--growing in a spiral. I'm not sure what it's called, but I like it.)

And now MLK Day is upon me, and instead of writing my post tonight, I read his I Have a Dream speech... and also found out that he gave the speech almost 10 years to the day before my birthday (the march on Washington D.C. was on August 28, 1963).

So, instead of rambling on more, I'll instead recommend that you brush up on your civics and read the speech (and have a good evening).


Stars shining bright above you
Night breezes seem to whisper I love you
Birds singing in a sycamore tree
Dream a little dream of me

Sunday, January 13, 2008

What part of our history's re-invented and under rug swept?

I now have 2 beautiful blue pieces of luggage... and, man, does it hurt to stub your toe against either of them.

I arrived home on Thursday and Friday to find a box "hidden" under my doormat, which I found a rather amusing sight (hence the picture). I'm at a loss for why the doormat was moved on top of them; this is also not the first time that my mat has been placed atop of an item that was clearly bigger than the mat, and by no means hidden by it (say like a envelope might be).

So I just try to find it entertaining, instead, and not worry too much about why the mat was moved...

As for this weekend, the operative description I keep finding for it is "low key". For yesterday, I had a grand plan for a massive clean-up of my place, which turned into me spending the day cleaning up of my iTunes list, instead (i.e. a low-key day). Last night, I hung out with some friends just chatting at a friends house (i.e. low-key evening). I headed home around midnight to try to get a good night sleep before a meet I had this morning, but instead ended up reading T is for Trespass until 6 a.m. (I stopped with 5 pages to go because I kept reading the same line over-and-over; and I don't recommend only getting 1.5 hours sleep before a meet.)

This morning, I woke up and headed to Boynton Beach (on the other side of Boca, so it was really far away), for the meet. It was small, but went well (low key meet). In around 2 hours I swam a 200 free (1:54.5), 200 back (2:07), 100 free (52.5) and 500 free (5:13). Post meet, I returned home, read the last 5 pages of T, and took a nap.

All-in-all, not a terrible weekend, just not highly productive. Now... I should try to get to sleep, so hasta

Ooh this could be messy
Ooh I don't seem to mind
Ooh don't go telling everybody
Overlook this supposed crime

Friday, January 11, 2008

Ollie, ollie;
Ollie-ollie-ollie;
Ollie, ollie all come free, baby...

One of the episodes of Dead Like Me that I watched yesterday ended with George (she's the main character) saying "Ollie, ollie oxen free" (or one of it's variants)--the episode (I believe entitled "Last Call") had started with a description of a Hide-and-Seek game (so the "all-in" line was a bookend to that). That ollie-ollie reference, in turn, got REM's Drive in my head (hence today's subject). Which reminded me of an article I read earlier this week about the self-labeled "meanest mom on the planet". She felt she earned this distinct by placing the following want-ad:

OLDS 1999 Intrigue. Totally uncool parents who obviously don't love teenage son, selling his car. Only driven for three weeks before snoopy mom who needs to get a life found booze under front seat. $3,700/offer. Call meanest mom on the planet.

Nice, eh? Her son is 19, and more back-story is available here.

And another story to potentially make one smile: a police station in Japan has been receiving monthly donations of $9-$70 directed to under-privileged people from an anonymous donor consistently for the past 33 years (the donations started out at $9 and have over time gradually gone up to around $70; this month marked payment #400). Pretty cool.

On that note, I will sign off... have a good weekend.


What if I ride? What if you walk?
What if you rock around the clock?
Tick, tock.
Tick, tock.

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Following a girl, I didn't even want around...

Week is going alright... I still have "Waterloo" stuck in my head since Monday, but on the plus side, along with it, I've got KT Tunstall's version of The Jackson 5's I Want Back floating in there as well (hence why it's today's title). All of which has made some other things from this week easier to handle, like:

  • The fact that the t.v. media today kept saying the 2008 Presidential race is completely ruined or turned around after last night's second primary in New Hampshire. How can it be in shambles already? It's still the earliest part of the campaign (hence the name "primary"). Which reminds me...

  • I find it a tad disheartening that a t.v. station (in this case ABC) has been given the power of cutting candidates, particularly when one of the 3 is the one candidate who in the past 2 elections is who I've been advised most closely matches my views. Then again, he (Kucinich) has yet to make it far enough into a campaign for me to find out if this is true or not...

  • On a lighter side, 2 of my Christmas presents arrived this week: my new glasses tonight (replacing my old ones which has the right lens glued in place) and an iTunes gift card--yeah!. And speaking of iTunes...

  • I got an email today from iTunes that they will no longer be carrying the USA show Psych, and they are refunding me a pro-rated remainder of the balance remaining on my season pass for the show. Cool about the refund, but I'm bummed about losing the show... I wonder where it went (stupid NBC Universal didn't renew their contract with iTunes, apparently).

  • Also in the realm of (what I consider) stupid: a Canadian mother (in a very American behavior) is trying to sue her daughter into the 2010 Winter Olympics. Her daughter ski jumps, and the IOC has ruled that women's ski jumping, as a sport, hasn't developed enough to warrant its inclusion in Vancouver in 2010 (the sport's first appearance at a World Championships is schedule for I believe 2009)--and this from the same IOC which has been trying to find women's sports to add, is somewhat surprising. However, this reasoning isn't good enough for the mother (the articles I've seen, like this one, in addition to being biased toward the mother/daughter, never really mentions another family member), and so she's sued the Canadian government under human rights violations to get the sport added back in the Games.... Wouldn't it be cool if it did get added, and only like 5 countries had jumpers that knew what they were doing and maybe 4 others were entered in it? This at the pinnacle sport event for it--nice, eh?

  • But on a lighter note, luckily I was raised in similar conditions to the author of this article, where he wonders how he ever survived childhood doing things like playing in mud and not wearing shoes (and not getting sick...)

But enough for tonight: I've got some episodes of Dead Like Me to watch... hasta

Oh, baby, give me one more chance (I want you back)
Show you that I love you (I want you back)
Won't you please send me (I want you back)
Back into your heart (I want you back)

Monday, January 07, 2008

Waterloo, couldn't escape if I wanted to

"Have yourself a merry Little Chris-" wait! What am I doing? Little Christmas (aka Epiphany--you know, what the 12 days countdown to) was yesterday.

Beside, I got ABBA's "Waterloo" stuck in my head today--all from speaking with a guy who lives in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada (not even the right Waterloo!). But luckily, I did have the ABBA song on my iPod at work and was able to listen to it....

Also on the plus side, after a weekend spent primarily sleeping (about 75% snoozing; the other quarter was spent finishing His Dark Materials), I believe my fever's gone. Though I best keep this short and get to bed to help make sure... hasta


My my, at Waterloo Napoleon did surrender
Oh yeah, and I have met my destiny in quite a similar way
The history book on the shelf
Is always repeating itself

Saturday, January 05, 2008

I've got my feet on the ground, and I don't go to sleep to dream...

I'm liking the cold weather: it's allowed me to justify pulling out my comforter to use on my bed...

Now if only I could get rid of the fever that I have.


This mind, this body, and this voice cannot be stifled by your deviant ways
So don't forget what I told you, don't come around
I got my own hell to raise

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

But baby it's cold outside...

Once again, the new year has come and gone, and in its wake, a cold front has moved into South Florida. The low tonight is supposed to be in the 30's, which means the orange crop--north of here--is probably gonna freeze overnight. It also means I won't be needing my air conditioning tonight, and I may have to dig up my cold-weather clothes for tomorrow...

As for 2008, it has gotten off to an interesting start. In the midst of my flight back to Lauderdale yesterday, I ran across the parents of one of my old teammates in the Houston airport (their flight was the plane before mine in my connecting flight's gate). I got to hang out with them for about an hour or so and catch up, which was nice. (And Hobby Airport also earns props for having Christmas/Holiday music still playing yesterday!)

And this evening, I picked up a (red) iPod nano, to replace my current dying one (that's also run out of space).

Otherwise, I'm just trying to get re-adjusted back from Central time... and seemingly not having much luck. But luckily I'm in the middle of reading The Amber Spyglass, which I'm quite enjoying (though its recent reference to Metatron does have me wanting to watch Dogma)...

At least I'm gonna say that I tried
What's the sense of hurting my pride
I really can't stay
Oh baby don't hold out
Ah, but it's cold outside