tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-286530803525457982024-02-21T01:18:31.884-08:00like narniaa place i believe exists but can't seem to find my way into...likenarniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374438964026968509noreply@blogger.comBlogger101125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28653080352545798.post-62074545701635765912010-12-29T22:21:00.000-08:002010-12-29T22:30:54.685-08:00Untold stories of 2010West Point<br /><br />I have a great respect for the patriotism of our military. That American Airlines commercial about uniformed service people boarding first makes me misty. That being said, if for some reason the draft was back and I was eligible I would move to Mexico. Draft Dodger all the way or at least maybe conscientious objector. It wasn't exactly my idea to trek out to West Point during my recent trip to New York but I really liked it more than i expected to. <br /><br />Here are some fun pics...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2LpPDKNwzIeCNgndj63kA5yT6twef94DpgGMnkz9KKxdGXyUvxrAwV176D6sN03ffhyphenhyphenNatt4E3GhzUwqThmcYh1rZQewjr5v7PqVIetWCgoDYoyWOk1-Ed_xN7F71cfPoZQHnh437TOg/s1600/IMG_0939.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2LpPDKNwzIeCNgndj63kA5yT6twef94DpgGMnkz9KKxdGXyUvxrAwV176D6sN03ffhyphenhyphenNatt4E3GhzUwqThmcYh1rZQewjr5v7PqVIetWCgoDYoyWOk1-Ed_xN7F71cfPoZQHnh437TOg/s320/IMG_0939.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556358098073676818" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBf2Oj-ADw1iKYkxwznUjs7c7Yapy6IbfpUMzP_mu6F_m8wpvXDyh6I8cNOwv5NbsfhktFomgspMa259D91NT32ohkXD91HRf7S76c02iqEVwm8Cj-q-MdryxrAd4bqHPFIuvWs5C4rvA/s1600/IMG_0952.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBf2Oj-ADw1iKYkxwznUjs7c7Yapy6IbfpUMzP_mu6F_m8wpvXDyh6I8cNOwv5NbsfhktFomgspMa259D91NT32ohkXD91HRf7S76c02iqEVwm8Cj-q-MdryxrAd4bqHPFIuvWs5C4rvA/s320/IMG_0952.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556358386211277042" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRgiKZE9X0k2VuuphxMjHCC6X1y5L3C2tWqa49JRQ5LtRPxUTN3HA0SLDVlfcMzLnSRPtfl6hOL0evjoUBE3spkzFxpp448NL8RxhmXKVPvpACzh2GXLkwaaxmKVYdHri-aqACLI1gfBk/s1600/IMG_0958.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRgiKZE9X0k2VuuphxMjHCC6X1y5L3C2tWqa49JRQ5LtRPxUTN3HA0SLDVlfcMzLnSRPtfl6hOL0evjoUBE3spkzFxpp448NL8RxhmXKVPvpACzh2GXLkwaaxmKVYdHri-aqACLI1gfBk/s320/IMG_0958.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556358671849002674" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLZBS3pxyqKxT9f5JGM-FPhOPPLbwH66czKhqUHi8tJm4ewRD4ihV0M8FKnvSyPWmtjP-jwOfMmdSG-WZj0VA14vk9lHkA1obqUXQIZ5MF0flxuKUZBihyphenhyphencifM5px3fJACYE8JbJf6Jg0/s1600/IMG_0964.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLZBS3pxyqKxT9f5JGM-FPhOPPLbwH66czKhqUHi8tJm4ewRD4ihV0M8FKnvSyPWmtjP-jwOfMmdSG-WZj0VA14vk9lHkA1obqUXQIZ5MF0flxuKUZBihyphenhyphencifM5px3fJACYE8JbJf6Jg0/s320/IMG_0964.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556358916671030002" /></a>likenarniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374438964026968509noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28653080352545798.post-80012057621782351512010-12-28T16:07:00.000-08:002010-12-28T16:34:10.487-08:00Untold stories of 2010With all of this talk of the Rose Parade, I think i should share about the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgJKnxxP29QcQHteP63BQQ8pKRdaSuhyBATlJ9Nhjb9jeNlWtSJT_Asgpt7bZONICMmjZQPoIHJAy1IGYWlh3Bg046krmL6hfg8Eaaxx3hTIALR0zO6Luzbw3xjj2RHWy4OYEjZCs-w1s/s1600/IMG_0888.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgJKnxxP29QcQHteP63BQQ8pKRdaSuhyBATlJ9Nhjb9jeNlWtSJT_Asgpt7bZONICMmjZQPoIHJAy1IGYWlh3Bg046krmL6hfg8Eaaxx3hTIALR0zO6Luzbw3xjj2RHWy4OYEjZCs-w1s/s320/IMG_0888.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555890411143712402" /></a><br /><br />My father's brother and his family live in Connecticut, a mere train ride from NYC. We spent Thanksgiving there and without a doubt one of the highlights was being able to see the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade live in person. Of course, I am a bit of a parade junkie -- i watch it every year on TV religiously -- it was on my parade bucket list. Also on there, to be the Grand Marshall of the Rose Parade. Give me twenty years or so, right? <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh56MVw6NSDY4wi15TEoVeVfoiLcq3Ogh_2DZgdQ-NePRuY04YWKWMw66NggsSrc43F8H5o02K-Q4fw3bohRAmJO20yDFith8wE3_j-Zfj115gF2Cl1sLzf7kvkFd4nMqc-x5d6opNqkU/s1600/IMG_0899.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh56MVw6NSDY4wi15TEoVeVfoiLcq3Ogh_2DZgdQ-NePRuY04YWKWMw66NggsSrc43F8H5o02K-Q4fw3bohRAmJO20yDFith8wE3_j-Zfj115gF2Cl1sLzf7kvkFd4nMqc-x5d6opNqkU/s320/IMG_0899.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555892368136910226" /></a><br /><br />We got up fairly early, braved the train and the cold weather to Grand Central Station. We took a cab (mind you it was super cold for us Angelenos) to the corner of Central Park where we were able to see most of the balloons. I think we blended pretty well with the locals. To add a strange coincidence, the Purdue band marched in the parade which my father a very devoted and proud Purdue Alumni absolutely loved. <br /><br />Here are some pics of more balloons and Central Park in fall for fun: <br /><br />Super Size Me...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMyt_jf9Z05qKBB8d6a8KPlNUtXCZCELOvCdERhrxx51oIFBnDabvwHq8lCkUekEGdjnoyeMUsNEaJiIEdwjFdHYva6MJmTeyxWnmEqDzFKzyMWQC1eLqDV8dT6FC6izKixlTgDCDKnBs/s1600/IMG_0882.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMyt_jf9Z05qKBB8d6a8KPlNUtXCZCELOvCdERhrxx51oIFBnDabvwHq8lCkUekEGdjnoyeMUsNEaJiIEdwjFdHYva6MJmTeyxWnmEqDzFKzyMWQC1eLqDV8dT6FC6izKixlTgDCDKnBs/s320/IMG_0882.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555892897724097842" /></a><br /><br />From the Happiest Place on Earth...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBSkPLxu_INZxNgYBjI0XShWXD12mmUbamaCslZfFnDW06n31mq6esZzldW_0Y8SeG9Og0mpzAuyA9VDnBOcYa7ajk0d4kNcBCTp-1Qd4CqURam8ewDarIVh9vN3v6p7hkN1bImeVcFQc/s1600/IMG_0884.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBSkPLxu_INZxNgYBjI0XShWXD12mmUbamaCslZfFnDW06n31mq6esZzldW_0Y8SeG9Og0mpzAuyA9VDnBOcYa7ajk0d4kNcBCTp-1Qd4CqURam8ewDarIVh9vN3v6p7hkN1bImeVcFQc/s320/IMG_0884.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555893383670628994" /></a><br /><br />Me trying to be "artsy"...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitaRfG-G3P8p5MmthJekiftvjqjxeAkLzyRJwObkiN4hpmM-olGl4FYwOLDiRps5uumAENxh3mYnL7d60eHgNPfZOI1s9jy2Ptv3p6MfyBRYloGvv0wrVg21sa_nCBI2F0dpFx1n44QBI/s1600/IMG_0906.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitaRfG-G3P8p5MmthJekiftvjqjxeAkLzyRJwObkiN4hpmM-olGl4FYwOLDiRps5uumAENxh3mYnL7d60eHgNPfZOI1s9jy2Ptv3p6MfyBRYloGvv0wrVg21sa_nCBI2F0dpFx1n44QBI/s320/IMG_0906.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555895605747154738" /></a><br /><br />And how could I not sneak a peek at the tree at Rockefeller Center???<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizaolffRxGLA4Wsll-4qQV9_RAtaWXDhBnFgP8HQgF8o4Aez-g3aI3z0VBXopZdbvdDQABJqLjdsumM3uvwgnpH_vjzbW2yM6Ii9fviQcMwGs0ra0HjdI3Y1B90hMOW_1w4Kw-HdZepqI/s1600/IMG_0923.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizaolffRxGLA4Wsll-4qQV9_RAtaWXDhBnFgP8HQgF8o4Aez-g3aI3z0VBXopZdbvdDQABJqLjdsumM3uvwgnpH_vjzbW2yM6Ii9fviQcMwGs0ra0HjdI3Y1B90hMOW_1w4Kw-HdZepqI/s320/IMG_0923.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555895901663913570" /></a>likenarniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374438964026968509noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28653080352545798.post-23717921820335379062010-12-27T08:54:00.000-08:002010-12-27T09:33:52.701-08:00untold stories of 2010As 2010 draws to a close, I realize I have shared very little about big pieces of the year. In particular, there has been very little mention of the amazing trips I have taken this year -- Indiana, Florida, Peru, Michigan and Connecticut/New York City. So in these remaining days, I will try to get every thing caught up. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Untold story #1, Michigan.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg85D3rFCQFvXfSjf64j_OCOUl-25GgHnqKUTuKtPQEFcV2gK1wZ_afzd8FZnMHU_PstAJwVOhOncShRG9ZEivuulqdtxHM_CFqerMgJCrH1DhfQc_asWc8Zn23x89KaNXqvPG1cVsn0Bo/s1600/IMG_0764.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg85D3rFCQFvXfSjf64j_OCOUl-25GgHnqKUTuKtPQEFcV2gK1wZ_afzd8FZnMHU_PstAJwVOhOncShRG9ZEivuulqdtxHM_CFqerMgJCrH1DhfQc_asWc8Zn23x89KaNXqvPG1cVsn0Bo/s320/IMG_0764.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555410245083460658" /></a><br /><br />In October, I traveled to the Grand Rapids area for a conference. Having never been to Michigan, I did not know what to expect. But believe it or not, I absolutely loved Michigan. Mind you it wasn't January and it wasn't Detroit. But Grand Rapids and in particular the little city we were in Holland were, well, quite charming. Holland is the quintessential mid-western small town and frankly, it felt like I woke up in Mayberry circa 1955 (I never did see Opie, though). It didn't hurt that it was right on an inlet of Lake Michigan, had perhaps one of the most fabulous candy stores known to man and a great brewery. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIK9lvR6vJ6HnFTBhlM-U406Nnl6VDBBQtGLmY2AQnJvNK5_BPlM5WdVDeeT9gzWboMAF1m7Whnmndp_ar2xhU-7bZKWU-bbDa-oG2JiuNvIhlXWCaVWCKQ7WYr5LGk19b4BD8H-_0Gpk/s1600/IMG_0803.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIK9lvR6vJ6HnFTBhlM-U406Nnl6VDBBQtGLmY2AQnJvNK5_BPlM5WdVDeeT9gzWboMAF1m7Whnmndp_ar2xhU-7bZKWU-bbDa-oG2JiuNvIhlXWCaVWCKQ7WYr5LGk19b4BD8H-_0Gpk/s320/IMG_0803.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555412570054565906" /></a><br /><br />But without question, the star(s) of the show of my week in Michigan were the LEAVES! Having grown up in Southern California where all my life I have heard about leaves changing colors in the fall, but never actually seen it, I was blown away by the majestic colors. I always thought these midwestern transplants who lament the loss of fall were belly-aching over nothing, but a week in mid-October in western Michigan has corrected the error of my ways. I am already trying to figure a way back there next fall -- any ideas? <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUqyxCVIlBMBcdNCmiCZw_ljwld0Rj_P10u0MCT56g9GtotV3cNXtpLkyf9pmA5nF1TxQ1O0zwO3Y76bfhifCcEtXlWjB5a3W_AyFcftoDUB67Lim-33ziVsGvoIyt-okvmpg1F9rN7HA/s1600/IMG_0805.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUqyxCVIlBMBcdNCmiCZw_ljwld0Rj_P10u0MCT56g9GtotV3cNXtpLkyf9pmA5nF1TxQ1O0zwO3Y76bfhifCcEtXlWjB5a3W_AyFcftoDUB67Lim-33ziVsGvoIyt-okvmpg1F9rN7HA/s320/IMG_0805.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555415269471059026" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD8sdELE_yzT73vs3DN4_-npSrpf-LI0kzhCwGQE6BS3vHCWTfS4D9f1zA9bT5Dc-qN-A1jY-3KE4akPh_RRIfsI0qPQhajPPwlZoPm8xgLlbB7JDDFdExjz6Y3RVb17NCAoozIHcx0fI/s1600/IMG_0796.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD8sdELE_yzT73vs3DN4_-npSrpf-LI0kzhCwGQE6BS3vHCWTfS4D9f1zA9bT5Dc-qN-A1jY-3KE4akPh_RRIfsI0qPQhajPPwlZoPm8xgLlbB7JDDFdExjz6Y3RVb17NCAoozIHcx0fI/s320/IMG_0796.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555415860005989266" /></a>likenarniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374438964026968509noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28653080352545798.post-47472331807372178332010-12-13T17:25:00.000-08:002010-12-13T17:26:39.955-08:00Secret Santa<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJLzKymCTEuo9UukYWqUeG5tw3GQLCQ4t4VyxNpeT-m0fkATaA2iYj_ESruBnln1xb6YijfHAEwzkswyIMfk6WpzrTBC2_8CZK74ElL7v1lPrqoGd1ic6qpLfyTlEP2jACzkL0m61nYiI/s1600/images.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 185px; height: 272px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJLzKymCTEuo9UukYWqUeG5tw3GQLCQ4t4VyxNpeT-m0fkATaA2iYj_ESruBnln1xb6YijfHAEwzkswyIMfk6WpzrTBC2_8CZK74ElL7v1lPrqoGd1ic6qpLfyTlEP2jACzkL0m61nYiI/s320/images.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550343257788477778" /></a><br />As is the tradition in many workplaces, my work does a Secret Santa gift exchange every year. We don’t do it company wide but instead the fun is limited to our smaller – 15 or so – department and also limited to $15 per gift. A few weeks ago, when the particulars of the how, when, where and who of our exchange was going down, I shared with most of our team a very tongue-in-cheek gift I had in mind for one of our peers who was notably absent. It was affirmed by laughs. Two days later when it was time to draw, I shamelessly rigged my turn (of course I went first) to ensure I drew out this man’s name. Within a week, not only did most every know who I had, another person gave me a used version of the proposed gift to the collective chagrin of our team. Another “win” for the class clown alive and well in my soul. <br /><br />But then another one of my co-workers – bless her heart – revealed that she prayed before her turn at the draw. Huh. A sharp contrast to my brazen attempts to work the system/showcase my subtle yet poignant wit (guilt trip starting now). But really – prayer over who she draws in the secret Santa? Is my faith so jaded (or maybe so grounded) that I think this level of spirituality seems so over the top? Does God really care who we pick in the office Secret Santa? It seems to me he has more important matters to consider like AIDS, global poverty, widespread economic failure, wars, cancer and the recent release of the entire collection of the Beattles music on iTunes than who I have to spend $15 dollars on.likenarniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374438964026968509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28653080352545798.post-89821573301033913942010-10-30T08:00:00.001-07:002010-10-30T08:00:46.697-07:00College Game Day -- 10/30/2010South Carolina. Wisconsin. Missouri. <br /><br />Three weeks in row, three undefeated number one teams have been dethroned by underdogs. Three weeks in a row, ESPN’s College Game Day has been there to tell the story. Today, College Game Day for the second time in their history broadcasted from the hallowed Coliseum giving the Trojans the hope of extending the three-week trend to four as they host the undefeated AP #1 Oregon Ducks. <br /><br />It is no secret that USC has had a very disappointing off-season and on season. However, their two losses were for a combined total of THREE points. Yes, they have no hope of any kind of post season for years to come. They can expect all of their best players to announce their transfer in early 2011 (if not sooner). And perhaps worst of all, they are stuck with the captain of the Titanic as their coach until the sanctions end. However, tonight they have a chance to do something that speaks to why College Football is perhaps the true National Pastime. <br /><br />All eyes will be on the torch and lets hope Traveler is all warmed up and ready to run tonight!!likenarniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374438964026968509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28653080352545798.post-75004879120338384242010-10-25T22:01:00.000-07:002010-10-25T22:03:43.167-07:00Back to the Practice<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv9Up3scnGiyJRdfC8Z6ei_hxVKqVnS7Nms-4A5OKilU82s40vGGX3pOxNRfreaw7b9VFsbWdWnqZQjwwdR1729SZoHKnpM44W99WQN72QAEL8JuIyPrUCT0YWcUeVGtJDSuPrbJg_eGc/s1600/yoga-2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 261px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv9Up3scnGiyJRdfC8Z6ei_hxVKqVnS7Nms-4A5OKilU82s40vGGX3pOxNRfreaw7b9VFsbWdWnqZQjwwdR1729SZoHKnpM44W99WQN72QAEL8JuIyPrUCT0YWcUeVGtJDSuPrbJg_eGc/s320/yoga-2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532215979316070434" /></a><br /><br />Tonight I went back to Yoga after a four month hiatus. Believe it or not from approximately mid April through mid June I was going to Yoga class two and even three times a week. For those of you following along at home, that time period corresponded to my intense weight loss/exercise campaign where I lost something like twenty-five pounds. Not only was I going to Yoga quasi religiously, I was counting calories like a crazed anorexic, drinking Slim Fast for 2/3 of my meals and power walking miles a day with two sets of arm weights and Shape Ups (I know, very, very dorky). <br /><br />However, with the end of my contest, summer heat, the arrival of young Fisher and my trip to Peru, diet and exercise fell by the wayside. Of course, so did my weight loss and to date, I have gained back almost ten pounds of the weight I lost – what is that saying about two steps forward three steps back again? Perhaps because I have officially become middle-aged, tonight I found some sort of discipline to get back on the horse again, at least when it comes to Yoga. <br /><br />One thing I learned, is purchased classes expire – so while although I had four of five classes paid for, after a few months they expire. SIGH. Embarrassing and shameful, I had to buy more classes in order to get back three of the expired five classes – some bargain, right? And the quaint, long-haired check in guy and my favorite Yoga teacher asked where I had been. I got a dog. I went to Peru. They didn’t judge, but I am sure they have heard lots of excuses before. I also think they have lots of regulars fall of the face of the earth never to be heard from again. <br /><br />While I don’t anticipate graduating from the beginning class anytime soon, I am committing to the practice.likenarniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374438964026968509noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28653080352545798.post-69216209995612782872010-10-09T10:31:00.000-07:002010-10-09T10:32:38.689-07:001975 – Volume VI Stanford University CardinalOctober 9, 1975 Yoko Ono and John Lennon celebrate the birth of their only child Sean coincidentally on John’s 35th birthday. As the story goes, John became a househusband upon the Sean’s birth and stayed home with him until his tragic murder just five years later. <br /><br />Today on Sean Lennon’s 35th birthday I hear he is hosting part of the celebrations of what would have been his father’s seventieth birthday. I would rather write about John Lennon than the sad state of affairs of the Captain of the Titanic’s sinking ship (aka Lane Kiffin’s USC Trojans). And so in honor of John Lennon’s 70th birthday and Sean Lennon’s 35th here goes:<br /><br />Imagine there’s no NCAA sanctions<br />It’s easy if you try<br />No Reggie Bush debacle<br />He still has his prize<br />Imagine Pete Carroll<br />Still coaching the Trojans<br /><br />Imagine no vacated wins <br />It isn’t hard to do<br />Still BCS champs in 2005<br />No post-season ban<br />Or scholarship penalties<br />Imagine heritage hall<br />Not shamed at all<br /><br />You may say that I’m a dreamer<br />But I’m not the only one<br />I hope someday NCAA will come around<br />And USC glory will be restored<br /><br />Imagine Lane Kiffin<br />I wonder if you can<br />Still coaching Tennessee<br />Icing kickers and sandbagging time outs <br />All he wanted<br />Imagine USC football<br />Not a sinking ship at all<br /><br />You may say that I’m a dreamer<br />But I’m not the only one<br />I hope someday NCAA will come around<br />And USC glory will be restoredlikenarniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374438964026968509noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28653080352545798.post-80603131261203687042010-10-05T21:25:00.000-07:002010-10-05T21:26:32.108-07:00Fisher’s Convalescence<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-iG_8FSYWHx-jQzMmiMSNoeRyDO_qbYGOkBTUmxWxUWA74VUUjXBa2GQ3F501WPsN8RBImEczU86rCFXfU_fr9r4fQ7KY7udSd-g3ZQ_H3CSQadvER5ByzxMZwJ9V8JIRZdy2Xq5HuuQ/s1600/delorean-film.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 230px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-iG_8FSYWHx-jQzMmiMSNoeRyDO_qbYGOkBTUmxWxUWA74VUUjXBa2GQ3F501WPsN8RBImEczU86rCFXfU_fr9r4fQ7KY7udSd-g3ZQ_H3CSQadvER5ByzxMZwJ9V8JIRZdy2Xq5HuuQ/s320/delorean-film.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524784702308583266" /></a><br />Last Tuesday, on the way home from Dog Obedience Class, my dog Fisher inadvertently leaned on the power window button, successfully unrolled the passenger side window in my Honda civic and jumped into traffic while at a stop sign no more than three blocks from my house. I got out of the car just in time to see him get hit by a white mini van unable to miss him as he ran through traffic. I scooped him up, covered in blood and feces, and thanks to the advice of an onlooker who saw the whole thing, took him to a local emergency animal hospital less than one block from my house that even though the vet told me later had been there for thirty-five years, prior to this event, was not, to me at least. <br /><br />I handed Fisher off to them and to my horror, I sat on the very hard wooden bench only to hear him yelp and cry just a few rooms away. I was soberly asked if I was prepared to shoulder the financial burden of his care. At that point, I would have probably signed off my kidney and mortgage just for the hope of him making it. I was pretty sure he would die. I texted a friend the brief message – Fisher was hit by a car – and within fifteen minutes two of my closest friends were there with me in the waiting room. <br /><br />Not long after, I was informed that Fisher had a fractured pelvis, which I was supposed to take as a comfort because surgery would be unlikely (so far). He was going to need 24-hour surveillance (observation) which included a trip to another hospital and a return to our neighborhood emergency center – in the meantime I needed to prepare for his convalescence and nursing (whatever that meant). True to her word, Fisher’s first vet who was nowhere near as handsome as his second released him to my care for the duration of his convalescence a mere 24 hours after his accident <br /><br />Dog convalescence involves, at least for Fisher at this point, being confined to his crate for an estimated six to eight weeks. He has to take pain med every six hours and to date has not eliminated in a place other than his crate. He pants often, whimpers, cries and moves very little. When lifted he wails and fiercely struggles to the point of near hysteria. He cries through most of the night. Here and there, glimpses of his pre-accident self shine through – tail wagging, an unshakable love for avocadoes and the occasional characteristically pug head tilt. <br /> <br />I want to include this on my blog in the hopes of gaining some encouragement and acceptance for I have (and probably will for quite some time) blamed myself – if only I would have noticed him before he jumped out the window or for God’s sake have had the child lock on. Rationally, I know it was a freak accident that could have happened to anyone, but still I can’t help but shake my fists at the man upstairs for allowing free will to yield its ugly course in the life of my little dog. Maybe some good will come of this but right now, I just want to go back to the instant right before he jumped out the window and put the child lock on. Where is Michael J. Fox and that DeLorean when I need them?likenarniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374438964026968509noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28653080352545798.post-58165171552179039732010-10-02T12:12:00.000-07:002010-10-02T12:16:13.827-07:001975 Volume V – The University of Washington Huskies<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivyIQnhHuhqWWKOpp1mXMoCITIXKM3TPJ4JloSsq5DiVpiMoN8RmUPDjQgJ2YVgzv6HTJplUakjluJQthjkqC9QL8yXXRQC4643hgDHqt92XLREku6YbzRZFEfKHgxoQ3TYe2_ZGGKSgo/s1600/Picture-19.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 158px; height: 187px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivyIQnhHuhqWWKOpp1mXMoCITIXKM3TPJ4JloSsq5DiVpiMoN8RmUPDjQgJ2YVgzv6HTJplUakjluJQthjkqC9QL8yXXRQC4643hgDHqt92XLREku6YbzRZFEfKHgxoQ3TYe2_ZGGKSgo/s320/Picture-19.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523529629467903186" /></a><br />Not long before Pete Carroll’s wife started babysitting the presumably stubborn and willful son (can you say terrible twos?) of Pete’s then colleague on the University of Arkansas’s coaching staff, Monte Kiffin, he read The Inner Game of Tennis (IGT) as part of his University of the Pacific graduate degree coursework. For the purposes of this blog, we will take the liberty of assuming that Pete read the book in 1975 smack in the middle of the book’s 1974 publication date and Carroll completing his degree; but if you want to take the mid-seventies flash back a step further, can’t you just picture him reading while listening to the his favorite band the Grateful Dead right after watching Johnny Wooden’s Bruins win the NCAA tournament for the zillionth consecutive time? <br /><br />The philosophy outlined in IGT hinges upon “clearing the clutter in the interactions between your conscious and subconscious mind” enabled “through superior practice and a clear approach. Focus, clarity and belief in yourself are what allows you to express your ability without discursive thoughts and concerns.” Along with the Seattle Seahawk’s coach, LA Lakers’ skipper Phil Jackson also draws on the almost Zen like axioms of IGT. Carroll has also cited psychologists Abraham Maslow and Carl Jung, Buddhist mediation master Chögyam Trungpa, the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia and of course, Johnny Wooden as influencing his coaching style/philosophy. <br /><br />So tonight, as Pete Carroll prepares to face the St. Louis Rams, who like him, have a somewhat significant connection to Los Angeles, lets see if he can clear the clutter of his conscious and subconscious (whatever that means) and take no note of how the captain of the Titanic’s, who he no doubt pictures throwing a tantrum in a dirty diaper, Trojans faire against the University of Washington Huskies who just one year ago shamed the Zen out of him. Believe in yourself Pete.likenarniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374438964026968509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28653080352545798.post-41720218106514737342010-09-25T10:41:00.000-07:002010-09-25T10:50:42.658-07:00100th Blog<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTq74Ca_0SYCzN9Or9Vp4h3WC2e7Pw9_f1a6plWTPZkNOLrr1uSllmxbMeYaXy0W8CiGjzXQAw41S7431uhUnyl4FrM6rqFZ19-Pydg4F16okP5dbYK9gjRvgwV7EWUd-sZtQ5CBpabnw/s1600/indiana+%2B+florida+068.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTq74Ca_0SYCzN9Or9Vp4h3WC2e7Pw9_f1a6plWTPZkNOLrr1uSllmxbMeYaXy0W8CiGjzXQAw41S7431uhUnyl4FrM6rqFZ19-Pydg4F16okP5dbYK9gjRvgwV7EWUd-sZtQ5CBpabnw/s320/indiana+%2B+florida+068.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520909287339373906" /></a><br />We interrupt our regularly schedule broadcast (1975 – Volume IV) to bring you this special centennial blog post: <br /><br />Recently, my blog was flooded by hits from a total stranger on a post I had written well over a year ago (look up salsa lessons and you can read for yourself). The stranger accused me of being an Ugly American-type insensitive to other cultures. At first, this completely pissed me off and I sicked a few of my friends on her to defend my honor. I meant to rise above her petty accusations and stay out of the whole matter, but finally, I couldn’t resist and ended up responding in a note of sarcastic brilliance if I do say so myself. <br /> <br />But in the week or so I got my panties in a wad about this stranger’s opinion of me, I had forgotten some simple advice I often give to children who complain they have been called a name or been made fun of – “is it true?,” if the answer is no, than let them say what they want because you know they are wrong. This was certainly the case, what she said about me wasn’t true, yet I couldn’t let it rest until (if you read it you will see) the woman finally recounted that she in fact had jumped to the wrong conclusion. Finally, my “Joseph” moment!<br />Indeed, good came from what was meant to be harmful to me; I began to revisit why I began blogging in the first place which seems fitting to share in this my 100th post (who knew, right?). <br />I started blogging because I love to write. I might not be on the path to win the Pulitzer or even get published, but this simple little blog allows me some formality to hone my craft. Admittedly, there are typos, ill-constructed sentences, over reliance on parenthetical phrases and a whole host of other things that an editor would scoff at it, but I like to think, every once in while there might just be a good little nugget in there. A friend once told me a story about an amazing painter whose art was never discovered until she died – she had painted a lifetime of beautiful paintings for the sheer joy of painting. For the few stolen moments a week I find to work on my blog, I am a writer writing for the sheer joy of writing.<br /><br />Community. In my first foray into blogging (some of you might remember) I discovered there is a community of bloggers out there who had I not put some of my thoughts out there, I might not have ever met. For the most part, with a few exceptions, I have never met this fellowship of bloggers, but many of them, I have come to consider as friends. On the flipside, there are real friends who I don’t get to see as much as I would like because of distance, busyness or my diet, but keeping up on their blogs makes me feel in touch with them. <br /><br />Therapeutic. Writing about the hijinks and capers of my life has helped me make sense of them. And if you can believe it, I have a whole host of unfinished blogs out there – often trudging through the mediocre controversies/scandals that I probably opted not to “publish” for fear of getting fired from – but those are the blogs that have brought me much needed clarity. Maybe, someday, I will publish them…Along the same lines, I have written here and there about my passion for local at-risk children a topic that I ought to visit more. <br /><br />There it is, in a brief and poorly constructed nutshell, as much of the why I can muster together before I must go clean out my garage, about my blogging motivation. Granted, I can use some polish, branding and some pointers on how to better use the edit functions of blogger, but in the end that isn’t really my point (now). I also probably won’t ever have more than a handful of followers (I love all nine of you) but that also isn’t really my point. Nor will I get discovered by the New York Times as I am quite sure they very often troll blogs as a means of finding new columnists. Oh well, I would settle for an appearance on the Daily Show or maybe even tickets.<br /> <br />Fight On and beat the Cougars!likenarniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374438964026968509noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28653080352545798.post-21999026099401396802010-09-18T10:47:00.001-07:002010-09-18T10:47:40.654-07:001975 – Volume III The University Of Minnesota Golden GophersIn 1975, Ohio State’s Archie Griffin made history by becoming the only two-time winner of College Football’s prestigious Heisman Trophy. In both 1975 & 1974, he beat out USC players most notably Anthony Davis (can you imagine Anthony Davis not winning the Heisman?) in 1974 and Ricky Bell (can you think of any other USC player with the initials RB?) in 1975. <br /><br />And while although the Captain of the Titanic was not old enough to remember these events, I have no doubt he has been closely reviewing Heisman History this week in the wake of #5’s historic decision. If the Heisman Trustees are cleaning house, I suggest they take a long look at another USC legend – OJ Simpson as the next winner to have to surrender his prize, but maybe Ron Goldman’s parents have grown attached to it by now. <br /><br />Lets hope the PAC-10 does well against the Big Ten today – Fight On and Bear Down. <br /><br />Please forgive my brevity I have scalloped potatoes and pork tenderloin on my mind.likenarniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374438964026968509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28653080352545798.post-45422945163218803062010-09-11T10:02:00.000-07:002010-09-11T10:07:18.540-07:001975 – Volume 2: The University of Virginia Cavaliers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4guaaBGKa5tFI8VSctGsYuHC1ap7jBOwL591AVBTCbxNREJtnes8v52NUNpGKDkHcwGhMxUzmWQhg1YLzaBJL9smvDHwVUPvBTaFCLn3AM362xLXtsU5cLGWX_d4jDuzHVCQ333iKoDI/s1600/mid+october+034.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4guaaBGKa5tFI8VSctGsYuHC1ap7jBOwL591AVBTCbxNREJtnes8v52NUNpGKDkHcwGhMxUzmWQhg1YLzaBJL9smvDHwVUPvBTaFCLn3AM362xLXtsU5cLGWX_d4jDuzHVCQ333iKoDI/s320/mid+october+034.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515703509376773698" /></a><br />New Year’s Day 1975, the Year of the Rabbit, all eyes on Pasadena where the pride of Bishop Amat High School lead the USC Trojans to a victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes. The 18-17 win is considered by many to be one of the most exciting Rose Bowl Games in history. Twenty-Five points were scored in the fourth quarter including a Pat Haden pass for the game winning two-point conversion all the while, Trojan second half legend—Anthony Davis sat injured on the sidelines. <br /><br />This was the third consecutive Rose Bowl match-up for the Buckeyes and the Trojans and while although there is a still a chance the NCAA might force the Trojans to vacate the win because God only knows what Reggie Bush’s step father was up to those days, the team finished ranked #1 by the UPI (Coaches Poll). However, their victory, in the absence of the controversy –ending, effective BCS system in determining only one National Champion, the Trojan’s shared the title with the University of Oklahoma (#1 by the AP). <br /><br />Tonight, as the Captain of the Titanic and #10 take the field at the Coliseum; let’s hope they can learn from the 1974 Sooners who in spite of an NCAA ban went undefeated and were ranked #1 by the AP. which at this point is really all the Trojans can hope for. Fight On and beat the Cavaliers!!likenarniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374438964026968509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28653080352545798.post-69280995815907706112010-09-07T22:14:00.000-07:002010-09-07T22:50:52.539-07:009-11, nine years later...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyzcaeJGuLbzkcR4xUIARr1HgC5WUF6u0q67kMPkp5J5Ai__sdBbyme02bSnWgnemmqK8OavAY2_0oHSSQd2CjlebPUQ4zjLIqs6vVMptLZMY3ZI26rmtxZ3dxwdDeoLwtNcbO9rOJljk/s1600/5cfc6143870c9b8782b5d9452c1621c3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 220px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyzcaeJGuLbzkcR4xUIARr1HgC5WUF6u0q67kMPkp5J5Ai__sdBbyme02bSnWgnemmqK8OavAY2_0oHSSQd2CjlebPUQ4zjLIqs6vVMptLZMY3ZI26rmtxZ3dxwdDeoLwtNcbO9rOJljk/s320/5cfc6143870c9b8782b5d9452c1621c3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514416049279894866" /></a><br /><br />This Saturday, will mark the nine year anniversary of 9-11. It is unreal to me that 9-11, the world changing event that most of us punctuate our lives by on some level -- post 9-11 world/landscape -- is almost a decade removed from today. Weirder still, all children in elementary school today know no other world than the post 9-11 one; if you asked them where they were when 9-11 happened, they would have no answer because, well, they wouldn't have been born yet! <br /><br />Bringing me to the point of this blog -- where were you when 9-11 happened? I have no doubt all of us have a very specific, detailed story to share, our generation's where were you when Kennedy was shot. If you have the time, interest, ability, share your story. Trust me, at some point on Saturday, you will tell your story. Why not get a dress rehearsal now? <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Here is mine, which even if no one responds, I am glad to shar</span>e...<br /><br />I was living in Tucson but on the heels of moving to LA. I was packing a suitcase for a mid-morning flight from Tucson to Denver (where I would join my two oldest brothers) with a connection to Indianapolis for my Grandmother's funeral when the friend who was taking me to the airport called and insisted I TURN ON THE NEWS -- I tuned in just in time to see the second tower fall. She added with a bit of drama, "YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE TODAY." Of course she was right, but we wouldn't figure out until later all flights would be grounded for over a week. If right when the towers hit, my brothers and I would have gotten in a car and driven to Indianapolis, what my entire family did for my grandfather's funeral before I was born, we wouldn't have made it in time. Our relatives decided not to postpone the funeral as we were the only long-distance ones effected (or is it affected) by 9-11 finding subs for my brothers as paw bearers. <br /><br />I am glad my grandmother never lived in a post-9-11 world even if it cost three of her grandchildren, who will live most of their lives in a post-9-11 world, from being at her funeral.likenarniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374438964026968509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28653080352545798.post-23568288739770646602010-09-02T08:07:00.001-07:002010-09-02T08:13:14.507-07:001975 – Volume I: The University of Hawaii Rainbows<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYmIGiUZ0ZVgyqVGiLXis789I3ItNNMbkBVU7TskY-aCi9boxGPIl1wHh8X34hnsUagOoljaT7hP3YxUJouh6Pvmz2tmj7nNzV7zBSLCexUAnkghi67ayvWYt5vGC2njUB7QRxqnQyPGw/s1600/nm_titanic_smith_070628_ssv.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 237px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYmIGiUZ0ZVgyqVGiLXis789I3ItNNMbkBVU7TskY-aCi9boxGPIl1wHh8X34hnsUagOoljaT7hP3YxUJouh6Pvmz2tmj7nNzV7zBSLCexUAnkghi67ayvWYt5vGC2njUB7QRxqnQyPGw/s320/nm_titanic_smith_070628_ssv.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512334382798915490" /></a><br /><br />It is possible, you haven’t noticed that during this year’s off season, the USC’s football team got a new head coach. Maybe you were too preoccupied with the ending of “Lost,” saving loads of people in Haiti or like the poor Chilean miners, you were stuck in a mine for the better part of the last six months, any or all of which prevented you from noticing the untimely departure of Pete Carroll and the unlikely arrival of new head coach Lane Kiffin. <br /><br />So now that you are up to speed, the horror of watching Lane Kiffin coach the Trojans won’t seem as jarring tonight in their first game against the Hawaii Rainbows (as an aside, I wish there was a legitmate way to include a reference to the double rainbow guy). That being said, I would like to forever refer to Lane Kiffin as the Captain of the Titanic whose real name was Edward John Smith but as no one would ever get that reference, the Captain of the Titanic will suffice. And if you can’t figure out why the Captain of the Titanic is a fitting nick name for Lane Kiffin, well than my weekly blog poking fun of him corresponding with each USC game, probably won’t be that interesting to you anyways. <br /><br />There are lots of reasons why hiring the Captain of the Titanic was an ill-fated plan – his losing record as a head coach in both the Pros and most recently at the University of Tennessee, pending law suit(s) against him, a season’s worth of vacated wins or his brash and arrogant demeanor – to name a few, but I would like to focus on the Captain of the Titanic’s age. When the Captain of the Titanic took the head coach job at the Tennessee, he was 33 years old making him at the time the youngest active head coach in Division I Football. Now at a mature 35, he is no longer the youngest, Portland State’s 34 year-old Nigel Burton holds that distinction – but his youthfulness remains another category where he is close to the bottom. <br /><br />This year, instead of writing about things I own that are actually older than USC’s quarterback, Matt Barkley, I will write about notable events that occurred in 1975 – the year the Captain of the Titanic was born. Most of the events I share (and I don’t have a very developed list, so if you have suggestions, I am all ears) will have relevance to USC and/or LA Sports but not necessarily. How could I not at some point talk about the end of the Vietnam War **spoiler alert**? <br /><br />And as this is just an introduction, there will be no 1975 event to share this go around as I have already written way too much for my three readers to trudge through. One final thought about tonight’s game – Thursday night USC games make me nervous, we all remember the last Thursday night game that ended in a hot mess: September 25, 2008 – need I say more?likenarniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374438964026968509noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28653080352545798.post-53239747615677905132010-08-31T21:47:00.001-07:002010-08-31T21:50:19.117-07:00The Fall of Troy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXXskrKeiynvlI4jDyh6RJYimflZz_W_OlA2KjPNMf5TuNu2Mlra2ridzbOOY0h3cdr50xaNvGSoqlIIuifMttdeaN78LEwLs-TZukh15PFtT8sfTu5PU7S_ixKjDq9hUMbwHbFGEbR6w/s1600/Reggie+Bush+in+the+2005+Orange+Bowl.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 235px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXXskrKeiynvlI4jDyh6RJYimflZz_W_OlA2KjPNMf5TuNu2Mlra2ridzbOOY0h3cdr50xaNvGSoqlIIuifMttdeaN78LEwLs-TZukh15PFtT8sfTu5PU7S_ixKjDq9hUMbwHbFGEbR6w/s320/Reggie+Bush+in+the+2005+Orange+Bowl.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511802767997065026" /></a><br /><br />On the eve of the first of the sanction years, Trojans fans are forced to come to terms with the witch-hunt like process, I like to refer to as the “Fall of Troy.” Yes, friends, while although I have not taken the bait these last few absolutely dreadful months, I can no longer be silent on this entire matter for our team. <br /><br />Item I – The Disassociated One<br /><br />Never again, will #5’s jersey hang in the periscope end of the Coliseum (unfortunately #32 is still there). In fact, some where along the way in this process not nice men came in and stripped every memory of #5 from Heritage Hall. #5 also had to painfully surrender his Heisman – at least they can’t take away his Super Bowl ring, right? Knowing the NCAA, they might even find a basis to do that six years from now. Lets remember, at the center of this whole thing was the stepfather of a then teenager. <br /><br />Item II – Vacated Losses <br /><br />I remember spending a good portion of January 4th, 2005 huddled around a small TV set in a Point Loma University conference room watching my beloved USC Trojans beat the tar out of the Oklahoma Sooners becoming undisputed BCS Champions. Having split the National Title the year before, their very decisive win was the culmination of their apt 2004 theme – “leave no room for doubt.” <br /><br />However, it seems as now, years later, the BCS and the NCAA have found room for doubt and in what is perhaps the most painful sting of the sanctions is the forced vacation of several wins, most notably the 2005 BCS Championship. There is talk that to add further insult to injury, it is possible, the BCS will crown the Oklahoma Sooners as their 2004 champs. Either way, vacated game or new champ, I will remember USC winning that is until the NCAA finds a way in another five years to wash every single USC fan’s memory of the win. <br /><br />Item III – The Captain of the Titanic<br /><br />I will focus more on the Captain of the Titanic on game day, but the unfortunate arrival of new head coach, Lane Kiffin really hurts. Or I should say, the flight of Pete Carroll (no one anywhere has forgotten how poorly Pete has done previously in the NFL) on the eve of the awful unfolding of layer upon layer of absurdity of sanctions might be the hardest to cope with. Never again, will Pete run out of the tunnel in Cardinal and Gold and to think, less than a week before the announcement, he was at the BCS Championship reliving memories of USC BCS games. Hold onto those, Pete as I think the NCAA is working to subpoena them right now. <br /><br />Have I made my point? There are only so many synonyms for ridiculous and witch-hunt I can find, but that is what all of these sanctions are. The lost scholarships and the free ride for current players transfers are nails in the coffin. R.I.P. Troy, I look forward to your resurrection.likenarniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374438964026968509noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28653080352545798.post-40648077175022903902010-08-30T21:33:00.001-07:002010-08-30T21:34:45.163-07:00Child of Divorce<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNou2fz75H3Mh0zFTIzDGAJs3T9RXYkBsb5UMQSa9ylbUhvJ4925RSWB7zApogdDS1dM5Wx5U4vXgZQqS9_2TfLsk7ZTDxESX4Z0EceL5GUt1fjwUT9D3RKEXUl3r63mztRmAnj_8vNzg/s1600/dodger+game+%26+china+town+251.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNou2fz75H3Mh0zFTIzDGAJs3T9RXYkBsb5UMQSa9ylbUhvJ4925RSWB7zApogdDS1dM5Wx5U4vXgZQqS9_2TfLsk7ZTDxESX4Z0EceL5GUt1fjwUT9D3RKEXUl3r63mztRmAnj_8vNzg/s320/dodger+game+%26+china+town+251.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511427770253442050" /></a><br /><br />My parents have been married for 47 years and while I suppose it is possible they could get divorced, I think it is highly unlikely. So why have I been feeling lately like a child whose parents are getting divorced? <br /><br />This morning the most expensive divorce trial in California’s history began and its outcome will forever shape the landscape of the Dodger Organization. To date, Frank and Jamie McCourt have spent an estimated $20 Million dollars fighting over their most prized “shared” asset – ownership of the beloved Los Angeles Dodgers. If Mr. McCourt wins, he will remain the sole custodian of the team leaving Mrs. McCourt with only tens of millions of dollars instead of hundreds. On the flipside, if Mrs. McCourt wins, the team will be sold and she will walk away with half of the cash. <br /><br />Since the McCourts bought the team in 2004, the organization has seen three different managers (we all like Joe, BTW), a revolving door of players (good luck in Chicago Manny), steady increases in ticket prices, crazy and unimaginable parking lot changes, all sorts of stadium renovations bringing much needed new seats and huge loses to the Dodgers’ foul territory, but still no World Series ring. Heck, I’d be happy with an NL Pennant. They have won their division two years in an a row, but in a city used to teams that are champions multiple years in a row often, division champs from one of the most storied franchises in baseball history, just isn’t good enough.likenarniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374438964026968509noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28653080352545798.post-43649215148726653772010-08-29T19:13:00.000-07:002010-08-29T19:28:24.555-07:00Reading...Last year, I read many books. In fact, for the three of you who know me in real life, you have probably caught me whiling away on a nice afternoon with book in one hand and a modest glass of pinot in the other. Or maybe you and I have talked about contemporary literature, Pulitzer winners and best sellers. <br /><br />But lately, it seems like I have fallen out of love with reading – the truth is I have started more books this year than I have finished. Amazing books, books that have come highly recommended, books that won awards and been on the top of the best seller list forever but books I can’t seem to finish. I know who have I become – what happened to the voracious reader you fell in love with? Where is that lady? <br /><br />There is a good chance my demise is directly related to TIVO, which, like the Minnesota Vikings, I have a love/hate dynamic with. Okay, I really hate the Vikings but love #4. But back to TIVO – I think it causing me to watch nine million times more TV than I used to and is singly responsible for my brain turning to mush. I hardly even do the crossword anymore – I know, who have I become? And of course, good writers are readers, so TIVO is also affecting (or is it effecting?) my blog. Perhaps more than the adage, you are what you I eat, I believe you are what you read. <br /><br />So, to bring shame upon my household, here goes, my list of books I started reading this year but never finished. <br /><br />The Sparrow<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sparrow_(novel)"></a><br /><br />Vin Scully: Pull Up a Chair<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pull-Up-Chair-Scully-Story/dp/1597974242"></a><br /><br />The Idiot<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Idiot">//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Idiot</a><br /><br />Desmond Tutu: Rabble Rouser for Peace<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Desmond-Tutu-Rabble-Rouser-Authorized-Biography/dp/1556527985"></a><br /><br />How to be your Dog’s Best Friend<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Your-Dogs-Best-Friend/dp/0316610003"></a><br /><br />Ordering your Private World<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ordering-Private-World-Gordon-MacDonald/dp/0785263810 "></a> <br /><br />We Drink From Our Own Wells<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Drink-Our-Own-Wells-Spiritual/dp/1570754969"></a><br /><br /><br />Up this week – I know I am jinxing my self – being a child of divorce, the fall of troy and 1975.likenarniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374438964026968509noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28653080352545798.post-91442239502373970952010-08-25T20:14:00.000-07:002010-08-25T20:19:40.124-07:00This Time<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkfyq-6Era7DwE3GGYABmZ1EzJOk7ymIXKZRGmEKKHB5WyVfYADQ_O703XZbAf4LV2-Cn0mwiJe7aLJ3PiNOYTHzrmysPjjTBCv_hAlNQxTUXpxqyeFn6t_38pc6UR6Nx76gPABTxP3Vg/s1600/twentyten+066.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkfyq-6Era7DwE3GGYABmZ1EzJOk7ymIXKZRGmEKKHB5WyVfYADQ_O703XZbAf4LV2-Cn0mwiJe7aLJ3PiNOYTHzrmysPjjTBCv_hAlNQxTUXpxqyeFn6t_38pc6UR6Nx76gPABTxP3Vg/s320/twentyten+066.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509552934668062610" /></a><br />I know, you have been expecting this. It always comes to these sorts of inevitable posts where I beg for forgiveness – pleading that <span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">this time</span></span> will be different. <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">This tim<span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></span>e I will keep my promise and blog on a more normal schedule. <span style="font-weight:bold;">This time<span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span> it won’t be weeks (or in some cases months) between posts. <span style="font-weight:bold;">This time<span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span> I won’t string you along saying things like more to come on (insert failed theme attempt here: ‘wring in Wednesday,’ ‘my trip to Peru,’ ‘my new dog Fisher,’ etc)… <span style="font-weight:bold;">This time<span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span> I won’t offer up some lame excuse like world travel, computer troubles or my personal favorite – GOOD OLD FASHION BUSY-NESS!! <span style="font-weight:bold;">This time<span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span> there won’t be a pathetic side bar on how much I despise being perpetually busy maybe adding something over the top in terms of harrowing-ness about how that being busy robs my soul. <span style="font-weight:bold;">This time<span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span> I won’t say something about how much I have missed blogging hoping you will ‘buy’ it and take me back. <br />Perhaps I am the Rodney Dangerfield of bloggers, but to my three readers out there (you know who you are), I am back.likenarniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374438964026968509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28653080352545798.post-53758591893292193852010-08-03T22:51:00.001-07:002010-08-03T23:01:02.038-07:00Peru!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Lcd_UmRT7yiZd5_dyqi7FWfvZRAkD8qsoppeJ6MCJRZB-r2chWnn1hXQEMyHQpZazdvHIH01uOOAliaByHklgMDQTEmovdgFfvSndZV5QNbWsPsx59NLrV8nEMnGjo_mg1kyZuAQ_7s/s1600/peru+202.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Lcd_UmRT7yiZd5_dyqi7FWfvZRAkD8qsoppeJ6MCJRZB-r2chWnn1hXQEMyHQpZazdvHIH01uOOAliaByHklgMDQTEmovdgFfvSndZV5QNbWsPsx59NLrV8nEMnGjo_mg1kyZuAQ_7s/s320/peru+202.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501430581515935218" /></a><br />So it turns out that I was blessed enough to spend the past two weeks in Peru. I will try to post more specifics on our time in country, but thought a quick picture would whet “your” appetites!!likenarniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374438964026968509noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28653080352545798.post-84906221277288224882010-07-05T19:54:00.000-07:002010-07-05T20:00:57.151-07:00Fisher<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8yrflw57hZuykGdukZIp-RiQVvAy3KbKE2Om2zHLEhoMuVHTUlNVhD812Q29lBN6ryRb4daluHotGFLGpK8TZSU73952M1QyKQQYZsf100LRKvnBgJpEiqJvfEgOVfh9rm-Od8e05IGk/s1600/may-june+2010+052.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8yrflw57hZuykGdukZIp-RiQVvAy3KbKE2Om2zHLEhoMuVHTUlNVhD812Q29lBN6ryRb4daluHotGFLGpK8TZSU73952M1QyKQQYZsf100LRKvnBgJpEiqJvfEgOVfh9rm-Od8e05IGk/s320/may-june+2010+052.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490622240559891874" /></a><br />About a month ago the beautiful Pug pictured above was found roaming the streets of the high desert. Victorville for those of you familiar with the high dessert. We will never know for how long, why or what his origins are. Perhaps he was a run away. Perhaps he was a cast off in a foreclosure. A Good Samaritan picked him up and delivered him to a friend he knew who had a sister who was very involved in rescuing dogs. The Good Samaritan and her sister, a woman named Donna, began their rescue magic. He was “fostered” in the sister’s house who got him micro chipped, neutered, cleaned up and checked out. One vet thought he was two years old, another said he was one year old. <br /><br />Three weeks ago or so, they showcased the mysterious dog they called “Taz” at one of those parking lot adopt-a-pet shin digs in Orange County where my brother, who has a soft spot for pugs, found him. My brother was very taken in by the whole story and immediately called me saying this was my dog. I wasn’t sure, but went ahead with all of the paperwork. OK, somewhere along the line I got excited. The “foster” mom assured me he was good natured and didn’t cause any problems. <br /><br />I officially adopted him the night after the LA Lakers won the finals and decided to name him Fisher, after Derek Fisher. While I am not a huge Laker fan, from what I know of Derek Fisher, he like my dog, has overcome amazing odds and time and time again has proven himself a resilient and admirable man. When he jumps or even acts surly in the least (which he doesn’t do often), I like to chide him that he isn’t named Kobe. He divides his time between rooting around in the back yard, napping or following me around.likenarniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374438964026968509noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28653080352545798.post-46027777095031678872010-06-30T22:41:00.001-07:002010-06-30T22:42:47.468-07:00The Biggest Loser<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrrCiyAk61u3j6e3VM2nOodfG7o4uEF6mNkfTQrMTKGMVNgSgiU3GCdPeOfDBrMhFrpjDSSh0ZvW0A2MhtYeRhemgbxbaPghpHMmxZzKWcZ75xis2V87vaR8Nw1dXt6bZzbdEOZ8iwPqI/s1600/hallelujah-diet-cartoon.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 204px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrrCiyAk61u3j6e3VM2nOodfG7o4uEF6mNkfTQrMTKGMVNgSgiU3GCdPeOfDBrMhFrpjDSSh0ZvW0A2MhtYeRhemgbxbaPghpHMmxZzKWcZ75xis2V87vaR8Nw1dXt6bZzbdEOZ8iwPqI/s320/hallelujah-diet-cartoon.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488808981295326002" /></a><br />Since January 1st, I have been actively trying to lose weight. I know many of you have had first hand knowledge of this process over the past six months; still I have refrained from blogging on it for fearing I would become Oprah about it. But that stops today as I am departing from the diet (for now at least) as I have officially lost 10% of my starting body weight on January 1st bringing my grand total to 19 pounds! If I flash back to my starting weight in October of 2009, I have lost 25 pounds, which as this blog is testimony to, I am very proud of. <br /><br />How did I do it you ask? Well, I began with just straight up calorie counting ever decreasing my daily total, which for long stretches was 1,100/day. If you have never calorie counted, 1,100 is LOW and some debate if that is even healthy. Confession: for most of the year, I took the weekends off which was my saving grace. Mondays were often fraught with guilt, but I am sure I would’ve called the whole thing off in March had I not had that default. <br /><br />Slowly, over time, I combined the calorie counting with exercising. And again, if you know me in real life (as opposed to blog life), you know I am not one to go to the gym but focused instead on power walking (I know, could I be more dorky). Gradually, I power walked longer and more often – at times 6-7 days a week. As well, I bought a pair of Shape-Ups (yes, I could be more dorky), which I think helped. Somewhere along the line I started wearing arm weights. I was even doing Yoga a few nights a week bringing me to a season of “two-a-days.” <br /><br />Off an on for the last month, I went to SlimFast doing their 3-2-1 method. I should add there was a fairly consistent season where I was eating Special K for two meals a day. SlimFast was decent, but I will not miss them. There were two separate two-day periods where I ate only spinach, eggs and grapefruit juice. Not to go into too many unpleasant specifics, but this cleansed my system and wasn’t nearly as unbearable as I thought it would be. <br /><br />All told, I will be shifting to maintenance through when I depart to Peru in mid-July. When I return, I will reassess my goals and decide if I want to go another round or not. One really big prompt was a six-month contest organized by my work, which because of I won $100 but today’s finale, felt really anti-climatic. I wasn’t in the winners’ group/click and was so far from their percentage loss (and also not really in their friend group) that I wasn’t in on the “celebrations.” Fair enough, $100 is $100 and 10% weight loss is 10% weight loss. <br /><br />Sorry, no before and after shots – not my style.likenarniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374438964026968509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28653080352545798.post-55515157165224209062010-06-07T22:32:00.000-07:002010-06-07T22:45:07.737-07:00Living from a tip jar...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBRIIy0Ul9UecogSPeTTWs0_MNBweXYeqy1IXPM_Fmqpeu9ycbs77CfV41EH2_TPogDTID9ZQBe0tK7SVi5HU71nI2-Qcfm4RGCKjvqA9hQeCAVb9Es_XffUeJdHooCDH6cr-pZ7lO1uI/s1600/april+2009+197.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBRIIy0Ul9UecogSPeTTWs0_MNBweXYeqy1IXPM_Fmqpeu9ycbs77CfV41EH2_TPogDTID9ZQBe0tK7SVi5HU71nI2-Qcfm4RGCKjvqA9hQeCAVb9Es_XffUeJdHooCDH6cr-pZ7lO1uI/s320/april+2009+197.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480274688084544242" /></a>likenarniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374438964026968509noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28653080352545798.post-88465964328142274662010-06-03T18:41:00.000-07:002010-06-03T19:06:14.475-07:00The Lakers (sigh)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8mpjCQWRRJtSqEq1yJPgfVbuwpeGtYJEKCgV7tP9F7tSuugfsCFxF_CANxAA4iqKUx0hgTEFOeYvyiEYDfKiBH_yxQB23okG14yzw5g-RNZX_89AT5iICwizSQvFtf5dBqF8b0mlTXkY/s1600/-btodb_wbmk~__kgrhgookkuejllmtezqbkjbywfklg~~_35.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8mpjCQWRRJtSqEq1yJPgfVbuwpeGtYJEKCgV7tP9F7tSuugfsCFxF_CANxAA4iqKUx0hgTEFOeYvyiEYDfKiBH_yxQB23okG14yzw5g-RNZX_89AT5iICwizSQvFtf5dBqF8b0mlTXkY/s320/-btodb_wbmk~__kgrhgookkuejllmtezqbkjbywfklg~~_35.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478733978094061714" /></a><br />I have been hearing rumors that the local NBA team is in the Championships. Rumors confirmed by the timely appearance of those God awful Laker flags that seem as reliable in June as the blooming of the majestic Jacarandas. Both tend to be purple and only around for a few weeks. <br /><br />The Lakers seem to make it this far every year and as much as I hate to admit it, are LA's most successful franchise. Remember USC is not a professional team. The Celtics might have the same title in bean town. Together the Lakers and the Celtics have won 32 championships more than half of the total 63 championships in NBA history. They have met 12 times in finals, the Lakers only winning a dismal three times. It is LA's turn, right? <br /><br />But really, like the appearance of the ubiquitous Laker flags, there are a few things we can count on. The series will go seven games. I believe there is a network conspiracy to get as many broadcasts as possible (but that is a whole other blog entry). The Lakers will win -- after all they are due against the Celtics. Kobe will get the MVP. Phil Jackson will say something zen. Jack Nicholson will bring a woman young enough to be his daughter to a game. Maybe his grand daughter. People will mention the whole Magic Johnson/Larry Bird era -- perhaps the two will even make it to a game. (remember Magic made it to the Final Four?) A sidebar story on Luke Walton (the pride of the University of Arizona) and Bill Walton. <br /><br />The one silver lining in all of this, we are that much closer to the end of the NBA for a blissful few months.likenarniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374438964026968509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28653080352545798.post-84917250763878319712010-06-01T22:50:00.000-07:002010-06-01T22:53:36.580-07:00Mater Dolorosa<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtcfSujBqlNs6NoFu5OiRbJRkHZ-hqKzPe7abr2NKmD3SDQ__y39gbHVBgvuB0WyUSrPqsG09zZ7nacA8T31_rV5PjMwjUpWrNL0lP6p3mnBESBxaS0o81IxEPKb0NXBxTZk-QO4kvr1Y/s1600/april+2009+134.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtcfSujBqlNs6NoFu5OiRbJRkHZ-hqKzPe7abr2NKmD3SDQ__y39gbHVBgvuB0WyUSrPqsG09zZ7nacA8T31_rV5PjMwjUpWrNL0lP6p3mnBESBxaS0o81IxEPKb0NXBxTZk-QO4kvr1Y/s320/april+2009+134.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478050379468249634" /></a><br />Today I spent a good chunk of my day the Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center in Sierra Madre. One of the perks of my job is that I get to do these sorts of things every so often. One of the perks of my new house is that this amazing locale is walking distance from me!!likenarniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374438964026968509noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28653080352545798.post-12595940625971514942010-05-31T08:39:00.000-07:002010-05-31T08:59:38.739-07:00MLB & Memorial Day<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr2ah8v8koJrU_2jG5y7pQuQ-iUjrL_I0WgnEKPf99_JZtDD3WENpiXON9sj74ai-PA8UhpmDfJmrI7E9V1Njlzv7L9E1IC6RGPd4XUSnbHdXSZ0tV-nnSsI3QhqLhMKALgoixhW7U9Ds/s1600/NEFstarsnstripeslosdod-whtnvy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr2ah8v8koJrU_2jG5y7pQuQ-iUjrL_I0WgnEKPf99_JZtDD3WENpiXON9sj74ai-PA8UhpmDfJmrI7E9V1Njlzv7L9E1IC6RGPd4XUSnbHdXSZ0tV-nnSsI3QhqLhMKALgoixhW7U9Ds/s320/NEFstarsnstripeslosdod-whtnvy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477464288686107922" /></a><br />For the last few years, Major League Baseball has honored Memorial Day by having all teams wear either all red or blue hats. Today players all across the country will be wearing white hats to salute Veterans. There are two more times this season players will wear their white hats -- can anyone correctly indentify those occasions?likenarniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08374438964026968509noreply@blogger.com2