way to go, jay jay!

At least this one thing is going right with the world. That one thing is that the incomparable Jay McCarroll won Project Runway. While we were watching last night, we all just kept noting that this is one of the greatest reality shows ever. Oh, how I hate you Wendy Pepper. But at this point, I even hate Kara Saun. But I hate the Banana Republic commercials even more.

when it rains...

So, I'm sitting here with a bag of frozen snow peas on my left ankle. Why, do you ask? Because I'm a complete moron and tripped over the sidewalk on my way to school today. I spent 3+ hours in the ER next to some junkie who "tripped over her foot" and listening to the spunky nurse discuss her breakup with her girlfriend. This happens right after the evil cold/flu leaves me. I will not be seeing the Deathray Davies tonight. Waaah.

Hunter, I thought you'd outlive us all.

stating the obvious

Having the flu sucks. I've spent the last few days either on the couch or in bed. I just want to be able to breathe and have some energy again. I am so sick of TV and the internet...

sports commentary by a girl who knows very little about sports

Get better, Tedy. One of the cutest and most touching things I've ever seen is Bruschi running around the football field with his two sons just hours before the Super Bowl.

Also, WTF with the Red Sox considering not giving out the World Series rings on the home opener? Oh, the poor New York Yankees. Suckers choked and wouldn't be able to handle it. What-the-fuck-ever. Boo hoo. I highly doubt Steinbrenner et al would make the same decision if they had won. Ugh.

Meanwhile, I am felled with some sort of mystery cold/flu. I thought my allergies were acting up in class last night, and about an hour into class, all I wanted to do was sleep. My nose is running like a faucet and I keep getting chills. Good, good times. I guess I have to have a relaxing weekend at home.

gee it's good to be back home

My flight to GA was fairly eventful. It was half full of regular passengers and half full of soldiers returning from a year-long tour in Iraq. As if that weren't enough, a guy had a heart attack on the plane, so we diverted to Greensboro, N.C. We only ended up being delayed by 45 minutes, strangely enough.

I met up with Rick and we headed to our hotel, which featured a desk attendant who was insistent on telling us that Fox News was "shaking things up" in the media world and that its steady diet of right-wing rhetoric was "whole wheat" to other news outlets' "white bread." In other words, it's "good for you." This set the tone for the entire conference. I watched presentations on how "filthy" rap music is, why Contemporary Christian Music is in "crisis" because it's being bought out by major labels (funny, isn't that the indie rock argument?) and a bunch of other stuff that briefly made my ego feel rather large. A lot of academia is bullshit. But I learned that my bullshit is just a little more well-written and argued than much of the rest.

Athens was weird, a little stagnant. I felt as if I still lived there the moment I drove up. And I wanted desperately to leave. It was great to see certain folks who I haven't seen in a while, but I know that I can never, ever live there again. Getting rejected from the Ph.D. program was one of the greatest things that could have ever happened to me.

The Great Cable Crisis of '05 is resolved as well. We now have a fancy dual-band DVR that lets us record something while watching something else. This is very exciting.

let the withdrawal begin...

So far, this week has been crappy for numerous reasons. I have a ton of work to do, I'm being hassled about things, etc. But now it just got much, much worse. Why? BECAUSE MY CABLE BOX BLEW UP. Granted, it wasn't a gigantic explosion of flames, but there was a definite "POP" noise. My darling kittycat Walker was atop the box when it happened. He jumped off, all freaked out. (I think he got a little shock). The box won't turn on, and the VCR might be toast as well, since it was hooked up to the cable box. Sucktacular.

This, of course, gives me no distractions save for the internet. Which is good, since I have to finish a paper tonight. The problem is, I can't watch The O.C. tomorrow night. I can't get a new cable box until next week because my schedule is so shitty. I'm screwed. And you know there's gonna be girl-girl action, PLUS the "don't miss the last five minutes" crap the promo's dishing out. Someone's dying (or something). Waaaaah. None of my Philly friends tape the show. This sucks.

boston three party

Man, I feel like an asshole living here in Philadelphia right now. The entire city is crestfallen. I don't even want to celebrate the victory of my beloved Pats. Several of us were walking back from a Super Bowl party when this guy fully decked out in gear screamed, "E-A-G-L-E-S! EAGLES!!" and then cursed us out for not cheering along. He called us fairweather fans. I wisely decided to not proclaim my loyalties to Brady, Branch, Bruschi, Vinatieri et al.

This is not nearly as elating as that day in October.

this is how my mind works

I have been conflicted about the Super Bowl the last two weeks. After all, my two favorite teams in the NFL are playing each other. I've decided to root for the Pats, as they are the team of my childhood and, let's face it, I'm a diehard Bostonian. No matter where I live, I claim MA as my home state. But that's not the only reason I'm rooting for the Pats (oh, how I love you Tom Brady...) I am truly convinced that if the Eagles win, all hell will break loose. Why is that? Well, let's see...oh yeah:

THEY'VE SCHEDULED THE POTENTIAL VICTORY PARADE FOR THE SAME DAY AS MARDI GRAS!!!! Um, yeah, wasn't there a freakin' riot on South Street during Mardi Gras a few years ago? Why not throw in an extra Mummers Parade while we're at it? Maybe the Dallas Cowboys can come to town too so we have more reasons to break shit.

Oh yeah, and I'm really looking forward to teaching on Tuesday. I swear, only 3 students will show up.

So, beyond the fact that I once owned a "Berry the Bears" ringer T-shirt in anticipation of Super Bowl XX, I will be rooting for the Pats. I like my apartment and my current home town, and I would love to see it intact.

Despite this, I won't be that pissed if the Eagles win. After all, I'm a sucker for the underdog, and I had the sweet taste of victory in October. (Less than two weeks until pitchers and catchers report!)

Update: I have added a picture to illustrate the hottness that is Tom Brady. Yes, I am a sucker...

RIP Ossie Davis. If you don't know him by sight (and you should), you've definitely heard his voice. He has narrated a ton of documentaries and such.

planned obsolescence

So, while still basking in the afterglow of my new computer purchase, those fuckers at Apple come out with a NEW PowerBook. I could have returned this one, but I've already transferred all my files and don't want to deal with setting up a new computer. This one is infinitely faster than my old iBook (although that now has a new hard drive and is working well as Mikey's "new" computer), so I can't complain. This happened to me when I bought my first iMac as well. Ugh.

At least I can burn CDs and DVDs.

I'm mad that I forgot to faux-TiVo NYPD Blue last night. Only four episodes left. You only wish I were kidding...