Lex Icon Lexargy

New Garmin NuviPhone

This looks cool: Garmin's new iPhone-like NuviPhone.

January USC Football News

The Trojans are still at 16 recruits in their 2008 class. None are JC transfers. The Bruins, however, just got a commitment from Mt. SAC's quarterback, who originally played for San Diego State. MacLeod Bethel-Thompson meanwhile is fleeing UCLA for the comfort of Sacramento State.

Former USC coach Ted Tollner has been promoted to quarterbacks coach for the 49ers.

CBS Sportsline's mock NFL draft has four Trojans going in the first round, including Sedrick Ellis (#1 overall), Keith Rivers (#9), Fred Davis (#19) and Sam Baker (#23).

A New Direction

This is a funny sign. It would not have been as funny back when my dot.com friends were all millionaires, but going into the 2008 elections, yeah, it's funny again.

Tuesday Travel Photo (No. 163)

The Road to Hana on Maui's northeast shore is the most scenic drive I've ever experienced. It is 52 miles of barely developed road that passes through dripping rainforests and green meadows beneath a towering volcano. At times, the road edges are sheer drops on one side, and dripping mossy cliffs on the other. Along the way, there are hundreds of bridges and dozens of streams, rivers and watefalls, like this one, which is popular among the cliff jumpers. The first time I went to Maui, this swimming hole was open to the public. Now you have to walk around the gate, through a beaten but still overgrown path. The reward is seeing this.

Technically, the shot was poor. The exposure is all wrong and the angle could have been better. But it did capture the memory well, which is good, because I don't actually know the name of the place, and this picture is all I have to maintain the memory.

RIP Larry Smith

Former USC football coach Larry Smith passed away this week at the age of 68 after an extended illness. Smith was the coach while I was a student at USC. He won three conference titles in six years, but his last two seasons at USC included a 3-8 season and a season that ended with a Freedom Bowl loss to Fresno State at Anaheim Stadium in the pouring rain. I liked Smith, but after that game, and particularly his comments, seemingly directed to fans like me, about how logos and names don't win football games, I wanted him fired. I felt bad for him when they canned him, and his farewell address was touching, but I was happy to see him moving on, especially when the replacement turned out to be John Robinson again. It's a shame that Smith died so young, and I personally like the man, so all in all, it's a tough day to be a Trojan.

Back to Normal

I've finally finished my post-surgery meds and my brain has started coming out of the month-long fog it endured. I'm looking forward to working, making money again, and paying attention to the world around me. To celebrate my newly regained mental acuity, I went to Disneyland yesterday, and didn't let the rain bother me.

The Latest Recruiting Class Rankings

Miami is number one right now. USC is fifth. Notre Dame is at three, while the Bruins are working on a top fifteen class. So says ESPN's Tom Luginbill. Rivals has USC at 12, UCLA at 11, Miami at 8 and Notre Dame at the top.

My Super Bowl Interests

Here's how I generally decide to root in the Super Bowl. It's a technique I have tweaked a bit over the years, and it has generally served me well.

1. Is San Diego in the game? If yes, root for the Chargers. If no, move on to #2.
2. Is anyone I consider a friend playing? If yes, root for his team. If no, move on to #3.
3. Is Oakland in the game? If yes, root for the NFC champion. If no, move on to #4.
4. Is St. Louis in the game? If yes, root for the AFC champion (unless Oakland). If no, move on to #5.
5. Which team has the most Trojans? Root for that team. If a tie, proceed to #6.
6. Which team has the fewest Bruins? Root for that team. If a tie, proceed to #7.
7. Which team has the better Trojan? Root for that team. If there is no clear preference, proceed to #8.
8. Which team has the fewest Irish? Root for that team. If a tie, proceed to #9.
9. Does either team suck? If so, root for the other team. If neither team sucks, proceed to #10.
10. Which team is favored? Root for the underdog. If it's a pick-'em, proceed to #11.
11. Flip a coin.

This year:

1. San Diego is not playing. No advantage.
2. Junior Seau needs a ring. Advantage Patriots.
3. Oakland is not in the game. No advantage.
4. The Rams are not in the game. No advantage.
5. New England has Seau, Lua and Cassell. NY has Smith and Wright. Advantage Patriots.
6. NY has no Bruin. NE has no Bruin. No advantage.
7. NE has Seau. Enough said. Advantage Patriots.
8. NY has Collins and Tuck. NE has just Richardson. Advantage Patriots.
9. Neither team sucks. No advantage.
10. New England is favored. Advantage NYG.
11. No need. I'm rooting for the Patriots.

I had four clear reasons to root for the Patriots before the tenth tie-breaker of rooting for the underdog. I'm definitely hoping that the Giants get smoked.

Half a Foot of Rain This Weekend?

That's the upper range of a forecast for the storm that's hitting Orange County Saturday and Sunday. It'll mess with the competitors in the Gumball Rally, a competition to see who can ride the most Disneyland and Disney California Adventure rides in a single day. On one hand, lines will be short. On the other hand, it will be miserable.

USC Recruiting News, Juniors and Seniors

Mater Dei junior QB Matt Barkley has verbally committed to USC. The announcement was the top story at Rivals.com and Scout.com. Barkley was the first junior ever to win the Gatorade Player of the Year award. Meanwhile, defensive end Malik Jackson, one of the best seniors in California, has also committed to the Trojans. As of right now, USC's 2008 recruiting class is rated 12th in the nation, but with about two weeks before signing day, they have a lot of potential upside. The class is currently just 15 players strong.

Tuesday Travel Photo (No. 162)

One of the coolest things to do on Maui is to watch the sun rise over the clouds from the summit of Mt. Haleakala, the massive dormant volcano that formed the southern part of the island. To do that, however, you need to arrive about an hour before sunset, which means you need to leave your hotel at about 4:30 a.m. I've done it once. Very cool, but not necessarily worth it if you have kids. A fun alternative is to watch the sun set on the other side. For that, you need to leave the hotel about 2-3 hours before sunset. Unfortunately for me, I did not know that during the winter, as viewed from the summit, the sun sets directly between two observatories. During the summer months, it sets well to the right of this frame, and when there be clouds, like on the day I took this photo, it is an awesome sight.

The shot would have been much sweeter if the road leading to the observatories had been open to the public. Or at least unchained.

If You Ever Wondered Why Them Call Them "Wakes,"

this story from Chile explains it. Feliberto Carrasco, an 81-year old man in the small Chilean village of Angol shocked his grieving relatives by waking up in his coffin at his own wake on Sunday. Way to go, Feliberto.

Time For Pete to ComPete

The Bruins have raised stakes by hiring Norm Chow as their new offensive coordinator. I now hate that fat sourfaced miserable rat who recently proved that no defensive coordinator could stop Vince Young, but that he, as an offensive coordinator could.

Ding Dong

The witch is dead.

Georgia Frontier died this weekend in Los Angeles. Bitter ex-Rams fans deny responsibility.

NFL Underclassmen Declare

The list of 53 underclassmen who have declared themselves eligible for the 2008 NFL draft is complete and posted at nfl.com. OG Chilo Rachal is the only Trojan coming out early. Several better candidates, including LBs Brian Cushing and Rey Maualuga, are staying put for their senior seasons.

I'm Almost Back

I've been functioning rather poorly since the surgery, and I missed my daughter's first four league basketball games. My last game on the bench was the consolation championship of the Holiday Hoops Classic, from which I ended up going almost straight to the surgeon's table. Today, after three weeks, I got back on the bench for the first time. We were in the quarterfinals of another weekend tournament, and it went well. We led 15-0 at the half, going on to win 27-10. We're now in the semis, and the 1st place through 4th place teams all take home hardware, including individual trophies. Pretty cool. Less cool: having to catch a ride with my dad, since I can't drive on all this medicine.

Old and Busted: 13-9

New hotness: 72-63. As in unranked USC 72, #4 UCLA 63, at Pauley Pavilion. I wanted to be there, but I'm making my return to the bench this weekend with my daughter's team. Priorities, priorities.

Tuesday Travel Photo (No. 161)

This was not my best photo from Maui, but it is one of my favorite memories. This is a humpback whale breaching off the shore of southern Maui, not far from the Maui Prince Hotel, where we were staying. I took this picture from the rocks just south of "Big Beach" in Makena. Watching the whales leaping out of the water was fun every time it happened, which on this particular afternoon was about once every five minutes.

The land mass behind it is the tiny crescent moon shaped island of Molokini.

Norm Chow Fired

Tennessee fired Norm Chow as offensive coordinator today. UCLA fans are licking their chops at the idea of a coaching staff complete with USC law school graduate Rick Neuheisel as head coach, former USC coach DeWayne Walker as defensive coordinator, and former USC coach Chow as offensive coordinator. One coach they won't get is Ken Norton, Jr., who is reportedly staying at USC. Stud junior linebacker Rey Maualuga was quoted saying he'd have gone pro had Norton left the Trojans.

Chargers 28 Colts 24

Who would have thought that the San Diego Chargers would have beaten Indianapolis in Indy on a touchdown by reserve quarterback Billy Volek, with injured teammates Philip Rivers and LaDainian Tomlinson on the sidelines? Not me. Next week is a no-lose game for me, as a fan. Either my favorite team, the Chargers, get to the Super Bowl, or my favorite player, Junior Seau, gets there.

College Football Results, 2007 Bowls

December 2007 was a terrible month for me. We buried my uncle, I got rearended and lost my car for a month, and it ended with me in the hospital after an appendectomy. Not surprisingly, my football picks stunk, too. I was 15-17 overall, but just 4-9 in the games I had strong opinions about. Here's the damage:

W - POINSETTIA BOWL - Utah at Navy +7½    (Navy+)
L - NEW ORLEANS BOWL - Florida Atlantic at Memphis +3    (Memphis+)
W - PAPAJOHNS.COM BOWL - Southern Miss at #22 Cincinnati -11    (SMU+)
L - NEW MEXICO BOWL - Nevada at New Mexico -2½    (Nevada+)
W - LAS VEGAS BOWL - #17 Brigham Young at UCLA +6    (UCLA+)
L - **HAWAII BOWL - #24 Boise State at East Carolina +10½    (Boise-)
W - MOTOR CITY BOWL - Purdue at Central Michigan +7½    (CMU+)
L HOLIDAY BOWL - #11 Arizona State at #19 Texas -2½    (ASU+)
W CHAMPS SPORTS BOWL - #14 Boston College at Michigan State +3½    (MSU+)
W TEXAS BOWL - TCU at Houston +4    (TCU-)
W **EMERALD BOWL - Maryland at Oregon State -5    (OSU-)
L MEINEKE CAR CARE BOWL - #25 Connecticut at Wake Forest -2½    (Conn+)
L LIBERTY BOWL - UCF at Mississippi State +3    (UCF-)
L **ALAMO BOWL - Penn State at Texas A&M +5½    (A&M+)
L **INDEPENDENCE BOWL - Alabama at Colorado +3½    (Colorado+)
L ARMED FORCES BOWL - California at Air Force +3½    (Air Force+)
L **SUN BOWL - #21 South Florida at Oregon +6½    (USF-)
L **HUMANITARIAN BOWL - Georgia Tech at Fresno State +6    (Tech-)
W MUSIC CITY BOWL - Kentucky at Florida State OFF    (Kentucky)
W **INSIGHT BOWL - Indiana at Oklahoma State -4    (OSU-)
L CHICK-FIL-A BOWL - #15 Clemson at #23 Auburn +2½    (Clemson-)
W OUTBACK BOWL - #16 Tennessee at #18 Wisconsin +2½    (Tennessee-)
L **COTTON BOWL - #6 Missouri at Arkansas +3    (Arkansas+)
W **CAPITAL ONE BOWL - Michigan at #12 Florida -10½    (Michigan+)
W GATOR BOWL - Texas Tech at #20 Virginia +6    (T Tech+)
W **ROSE BOWL - #13 Illinois at #7 USC -13½    (USC-)
L SUGAR BOWL - #10 Hawaii at #5 Georgia -7½    (Hawaii+)
L **FIESTA BOWL - #9 West Virginia at #4 Oklahoma -6½    (Oklahoma-)
L **ORANGE BOWL - #8 Kansas at #3 Virginia Tech -3½    (V Tech-)
W INTERNATIONAL BOWL - Ball State at Rutgers -10    (Rutgers-)
W GMAC BOWL - Tulsa at Bowling Green +5    (Tulsa-)
L **BCS CHAMPIONSHIP - #2 LSU at #1 Ohio State +4    (tOSU+)

To anyone fool enough to follow my picks, I heartily apologize.

Scrapbooking Careers?

A Hall-of-Fame scrapbooking career has been destroyed by an inadvertent rule violation. I'm not sure what is more bizarre about this story: that there are scrapbooking careers? that they have a Hall of Fame? that there are scrapbooking rules? or that breaking those rules could turn a scrapbooking "rock star" into a pariah overnight.

Lex TV 154

Here are another dozen interesting or amusing videos:

Standup: Chinese Buffet.

Standup: Nail Salon.

African pole dancing. Better than stripper pole dancing.

Wuss v. Squirrel. Who ya got?

What if God was one of us? He'd have a MySpace page, totally.

Seat belt bothering you? You need a Tiddy Bear.

Jamie Lynn on keeping her baby.

Dude boards ahead of an avalanche.

More avalanche stuff.

Classic Schoolhouse Rock: T-Debt.

PSA: Teach your kids about sex. All about it.

The trailer for No Country for Old Men.

Tuesday Travel Photo (No. 160)

This is one of my freshest travel photos. This is Ho'okipa Beach on Maui's north shore. It was our first stop on the road to Hana. In the morning, this is a popular surfing spot. By 11 a.m., it is primarily a windsurfing spot. This photo was taken about an hour before the windsurfers took over.

My stitches are still too fresh and I'm moving gingerly, so I did not go in the water.

Out My Window at Mediation

So here I am, in Maui, mediating a big case. Our mediator uses phrases like "dancing with the karmic illusion of duality," but it's okay, because the view out the window looks this good. A week ago, I was bedridden and in tremendous pain. What a difference a week makes.

Posthumous Blogging

This is plenty sad. The blogging soldier was killed in Iraq.

http://www.andrewolmsted.com/

God Lies to Pat Robertson Again

In 2004, Pat Robertson revealed to the world that God had told him the presidential election would be a landslide victory for George W. Bush. "I really believe I'm hearing from the Lord it's going to be like a blowout."

It didn't happen.

In 2005, Pat Robertson revealed to the world that God had told him the U.S. would see a tremendous incident of miracles in the year 2005, the American stock market was going to surge upward, and President Bush was positioned to have victory after victory and that his second term was going to be one of triumph.

It didn't happen.

In 2006, Pat Robertson revealed to the world that God had told him the U.S. would be hit by major flooding including a possible tsunami. "If I heard the Lord right about 2006, the coasts of America will be by vicious hurricanes this year. There well may be something as bad as a tsunami in the Pacific Northwest."

It didn't happen.

In 2007, Pat Robertson revealed to the world that God had told him the U.S. would be hit with mass killings on U.S. soil from a terrorist attack that would affect major cities and millions of people. He suggested that the attack would be nuclear, but cautioned that the Lord didn't use the word nuclear. "I'm not necessarily saying it's going to be nuclear. The Lord didn't say nuclear. But I do believe it will be something like that."

It didn't happen.

In 2008, Pat Robertson revealed to the world that God had told him the U.S. would be hit by a recession and a major stock market upheaval, and oil will reach $150 a barrel. It will get worse next year. "I also believe the Lord was saying by 2009, maybe 2010, there's going to be a major stock market crash." God also told Robertson who would win the election. "He told me some things about the election, but I'm not going to say, because some old man on "60 Minutes" would make fun of me, so I'm not going to tell you who the winner's going to be." Robertson fails to take into account, of course, that the old man will only make fun of him if he and/or God gets it wrong. Oh, and "the Lord was saying there's going to be violence and chaos in the world," Robertson added.

It won't happen. God never tells Pat Robertson the truth.

Ok, the last one he might get right, since we are running on about a 6,000 year known streak of violence and chaos in the world. If he predicted that there would be an end to violence and chaos, and was right, I'd be impressed. The only prediction I remember him connecting with was the one about George W. Bush nominating conservative judges to the federal courts. That, however, was like predicting that the weather will become warmer during the summer, before cooling off later in the year. This year, I'm going to make some predictions and see how I do. If I turn out to be right, it was the Lord who told me. If not, perhaps it was Satan. Here is what has been revealed to me:

• Hillary Clinton will fail in her bid to become president.
• Another major political figure in Pakistan will be assassinated.
• A hurricane will strike the U.S. eastern seaboard.
• The Patriots will win the Super Bowl.
• Oil will break $130 a barrel.
• Gasoline will cross the $4/gallon mark.
• A popular Hollywood actress will get arrested.
• A popular Hollywood actress will check into rehab.
• At least three famous Hollywood couples will split in 2008.
• A gay sex scandal will bring down a Catholic priest.
• A gay sex scandal will bring down a Megachurch pastor.
• A gay sex scandal will bring down a Republican politician.
• Al Qaeda will kill fewer than 1,000,000 Americans.

Safest Cities

According to the FBI, among cities with populations of 75,000 or more:

No. 1: Mission Viejo, Calif.
No. 2: Clarkstown N.Y.
No. 3: Brick Township, N.J.
No. 4: Amherst, N.Y.
No. 5: Sugar Land, Texas
No. 6: Colonie, N.Y.
No. 7: Thousand Oaks, Calif.
No. 8: Newton, Mass.
No. 9: Toms River Twnshp, N.J.
No. 10: Lake Forest, Calif.
No. 11: Irvine, Calif.
No. 12: Orem, Utah
No. 13: Round Rock, Texas
No. 14: Cary, N.C.
No. 15: Greece, N.Y.
No. 16: Chino Hills, Calif.
No. 17: Coral Springs, Fla.
No. 18: Troy, Mich.
No. 19: Farmington Hills, Mich.
No. 20: Centennial, Colo.
No. 21: Glendale, Calif.
No. 22: Broken Arrow, Okla.
No. 23: Parma, Ohio
No. 24: Sterling Heights, Mich.
No. 25: Simi Valley, Calif.

CT Scans

One of the enduring lessons I learned in college was this one, from an advertising course I took as a sophomore. Who is most likely to read an ad for a new car? You might think it would be people who are in the market for a new car. It's not. The person most likely to read an ad is the person who just bought a new car. They want to reaffirm their decision, and if they blew it, for some reason, they want to punish themselves for it. So, having had a CT scan over the weekend, when I saw this article on Avoiding Unnecessary CT Scans, I couldn't resist.

It had some pretty scary stuff in it:

there's a good chance that after ordering up that plain film, the emergency doctor will send you down the hall for a second test — one that exposes you to many hundreds of times the radiation of a plain film: a CT scan. The radiation from a CT scan, or computed tomography, actually has been shown to cause cancer — quite a bit of it.

Fortunately for me, I don't need to beat myself up over the procedure exposing me to cancer risks.

CT is absolutely necessary with head trauma and acute abdominal conditions. ... Ask how confident the doctor feels about your diagnosis without the scan. If a good surgeon really thought I had appendicitis, I'd go straight to the OR — not to the scanner.

My doctors said that some of my symptoms (most notably, abdominal pain that was sensitive to the touch on the right side) were consistent with appendicitis, but several others were inconsistent. The scan was necessary, they said, to make sure that we risked neither letting my appendix burst, possibly killing me, nor putting me through a fairly substantial surgery unnecessarily. At the conclusion of my scan, the technician told me the specialist would review my films and have a conclusion within 30 minutes or less. As it turned out, it was less than five minutes later than the doctor rolled in with the bad news that I was headed for the OR.

Loyette Is Born

Brendan and Becky's kid, the "Loyette" was born on New Year's Eve. Brendan being the popular blogger that he is, got a plug on Instapundit (the best plug I ever got was from AOL). They could have been even more famous with just a bit more planning. Remember the Daylight Saving Twins story? That story can be topped easily. All you need to do is (i) have twins, not just one baby; (ii) have the first one born on New Year's Day, just after midnight, in Bullhead City Nevada; and then (iii) wheel your butt across the bridge over the Colorado River to Laughlin so your younger twin can be born in California, in the year prior to the year in which the older twin was born in Arizona. Brendan and Becky were just one baby, half a day and a few states away from that sort of magic. Maybe next time. I'm sure they are happy nonetheless. For the time being, my mug is all over Brendan's blog, alongside Mike Tran as part of his payoff on the USC-UCLA game wager. It was the second-to-last picture taken of me before doctors removed part of my body, which is now no longer complete, as God designed it.

As I Wait for The Coming Winter Storm,

I curse my useless appendix. If intelligent design theory was correct, I'd be on an airplane to Maui right now, instead of stretching out on my couch in pain. Sigh. There was some nonrefundable money paid, too.

Lex TV 153

Here are another dozen interesting or amusing videos:

How not to win American Idol: "I totally just farted!"

Flash mob shows up to worship modern art.

Flash mob goes "bang!"

I think I've seen these kids near the school in my neighborhood.

Can Wii turn your family dog into a would-be rapist? Let's check the hidden camera footage.

Orangina presents the creepiest not-sexy animation of animals that ever sold a beverage.

The power of a crowd.

The best game of Tetris I've ever seen.

Why Filipino prisons are way better than American PMITA prisons.

Institutionalized.

Surfing glacial calves.

What are you what?

December Demiblog Links

These were the December Demiblog links:

• Performance Enhancing Drugs -- Not Just For Athletes Anymore
• Roofing Mogul Falls Through His Own Roof and Dies
• The Latest Guy To Pass on the UCLA Job: The Coach Who Went 4-8 at Temple
• Omaha Gunman Failed In Suicide Attempt 2 Years Ago. Unfortunately.
• Barron Hilton To Leave 97% of His $2.3B Fortune to Charity. Before You Start Pitying Paris and Nicky, The Math Works Out to $69 Million Still Going to His Heirs.
• Tigers 1, San Francisco 1
• 112 mph Santa Ana Winds. Merry Christmas.
• Werewolf Boy Escapes
• Anti-Obama Web Sites Turn Out To Be Clinton-Owned
• A Real-Life Papa Smurf
• Apparently, Your Two Goats Mating in Your Yard is a Ticket and a Fine
• Headline: "Thieves steal Picasso painting in Brazil" Wait, Who? Honest Guys? No, Thieves.
• They Will Be No Bruin Chow
• Book by Mrs. Spears Was To Be Called "Pop Culture Mom: A Real Story of Fame and Family in a Tabloid World."
• Capital Defendant Unilaterally Advances His Sentencing
• Teen Star / Crazy Girl's Sister Jamie Lynn Spears Is Pregnant. Mama Spears Must Be So Proud.
• Italian Judge Renames Couple's Child. Friday, You Are Now Gregory
• Hillary Looks Older Than The Hills
• These Monkeys Can Kick Your College Kid's Ass in Math
• Remember That Mullet Lunch Lady From Survivor Who Got Fired and Won a $50K Pity Prize? Yeah, by "Fired" She Meant "Promoted" With a $20,000/Year Raise.
• UNICEF Photo of the Year: 40-Year-Old Mohammed With His 11-Year-Old Bride
• 3-D Tattoos? Breast Implants for Your Tats
• West Virginia Fan, It Sucks to be You
• Jesus Appears on Meteorite. In Related News, Jesus's Skills at Self-Portraiture Are Getting Softer and Softer
• PSA: When Looking Through a Wrecked Car For Bodies, Don't Forget To Check Under the Airbag
• Good News: Your Picture Is In The Paper. Bad News: Twice.
• Samurai Swords Don't Seriously Wound People. People Seriously Wound People.
• Disney Kicks Pop Warner Teams' Families Out of Hotel at 3:00 a.m. Because Other Families' Kids Got Into a Fight
• UK Bans You From Taking Photos of Your Kid in Public.
• ‘Got Pus?’ Milk Does, Says PETA. Delicious Pus.
• Is Hitler's Child Living in the UK?
• Women of Troy Win National Soccer Title
• Old and Busted: Killed Him a Bear, When He Was Only Three. New Hotness: Killed Him a Bear, When He Was Only Five. Davy Crockett's Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great Grandson, King of the Wild Frontier.
• Turkish Lawyer Seeks Forfeit Italian Team's Soccer Victory Because Cross on T-Shirts Was Offensive to Islam
• W00t!
• McDonald's To Fine Slow Eaters 125 Quid
• Dutch Prepare For Murder and Mayhem as Anti-Muslim Dutch Film Readies Its Debut
• Bill Clinton Heckled by a Robot That Loves Sister Souljah
• Mexican Cannibal's Plan to Kill and Butcher Himself Ends After Completing Stage One of the Plan
• Recording Nets Charges for NY Detective
• 2007 in Review: How Did Sylvia Browne Do? (A: My Dog Got Just as Many Predictions Right)
• Ron Mexico Gets 23 Months in PMITA Prison
• Tebow is First Member of the Underclass to Wn Heisman
• Woman Charged With Attempted Murder-For-Hire, Which Is Silly, Because All She Really Needed to Do Was Roll Over in Her Sleep
• Alameda distiller helps make absinthe legitimate again
• Best MNF Ever: Patriots 27, Ravens 24
• Dump Dorrell's Reasons To Dump Dorrell
• UCLA Fires Football Coach Karl Dorrell
• Redskins Use 10 Man Formation to Honor Sean Taylor
• What Do Teenage Moms Become? 20-Something Grandmothers
• Unbeaten Hawaii deserves title shot?
• Ohio State and LSU, both riding high on one-game winning streaks, to meet for BCS championship
• Voters Name LSU #2
• Seventh-Grader Suspended For Writing List of Classmates He Dislikes
• For a Change, Moderate Muslims Speak Out Against the Crazy Extremists in Sudan Protests
• Firefighter Who Found Noose and Threatening Note Found to be the Guy Who Placed The Noose and Threatening Note.
• PSA: Fake Fur is Less Eco-Friendly Than Real Fur
• #1 Missouri Gets Clobbered
• Unranked Rival Knocks #2 From Title Game by 13-9 Score. This Is Not a Headline From 2006.
• Stanford Defeats Cal
• USC 24 UCLA 7. That's Six Consecutive Conference Championships.
• Sperm Donor Liable for Child Support

Rose Bowl Trip Report

The good: USC 49, Illinois 17.

The bad: For the first time since the 2001 Vegas Bowl, I did not attend USC's bowl game in person. I had tickets, but what with the recuperation from Saturday night's surgery and all, and my inability to walk long distances or wear pants, I decided to stay home. My dad and brother went, and it appeared to be a good time for everyone there, even including a buddy of mine who was wearing Orange and flashed on the TV screen for a few seconds after Justin Harrison's interception.

Tuesday Travel Photo (No. 159)

We are usually home on New Year's Day. The only time we travel for New Year's, so far, has been to attend Orange Bowl games. Our first one was in 2003. We started the trip with four days in Orlando, for our first visit to Walt Disney World. Then, on New Year's Day, we drove south to Sanibel Island for two days before the game on the evening of the 2nd. USC won the game, 38-17, over Iowa. Our first item of business when we got all settled into our room on Sanibel Island was to head over to Bowman's Beach, which is where we witnessed our first sunset over the Gulf of Mexico, shown here. Bowman's Beach is one of the best seashell collecting beaches in the northern hemisphere. The tide was up when we got there, however, and we didn't find anything worth keeping until the next day.

When we went back to Florida in 2005 for another Orange Bowl, we stayed in Miami the whole time, so the sunrises were prettier than the sunsets. They were also earlier than our waking time, so no pictures.

Delete

delete