Holes.

Freaking Italians and their fashion ideas.

Actually, it's pretty cool; the Winter Olympic medals since 1992 have been very creative and aesthetically pleasing, and these are no exception. The ribbon is particularly inspired. My faves have always been the Lillehammer medals with the disc of granite, though the execution of the Salt Lake medals was very well done (they were also hyooge).

Holy #@*$!

If you're registered with the NY Times, then you must absolutely watch the video clip connected with this article about Reggie Bush, the standout running back at USC (which was always my hopeful alma mater; no offense to KU) who is also the presumptive Heisman winner. The seven and half minutes of video is from his high school days, and it is some of the sickest football footage I have ever seen. The number of plays in which the man is able to elude an entire defense is mindblowing; it's literally like watching a Bruce Lee movie, where he just takes guys one at a time. And stay for the end of the video; the punt return at the end will make you laugh yourself silly.

Eh?

It's days like these that start to make me wonder: And I want to move to Canada?

Course, Vancouver surely isn't that bad. And I very well could have been the only person in this country Thursday morning watching Parliamentary debate on the vote of no confidence on CSPAN. It was exciting television though; they allow heckling and applause, there are four parties represented, and most of all, every once in a while somebody starts talking in French without setting a car on fire.

Travesty.

Take a look at this bowl schedule. Nevermind the sheer number of bowl games, or the product tie-ins and sponsorships, and cast your eyes towards the bottom of the schedule. Anything pop out at you? Look out of place?

THERE ARE NO GAMES ON NEW YEAR'S DAY!!!!

Yes I know that New Year's falls on a Sunday, but that's never stopped things before; I distinctly remember the Rose Bowl being played on a Sunday while the Tournament of Roses parade was held on Monday a few years back. For the life of me I cannot understand what is happening here; it was bad enough when they decided to make the national championship game on 2 Jan. instead of the First of the year, just to bump up the ratings. Then it was 3 Jan., then 4 Jan., then last year the Humanitarian Bowl was played after the BCS title game.

The best idea I ever heard for college football was to make the regular season end on the first Sat. in December with the conference title games and Army-Navy. The next weekend you start an eight-team tournament at the sites of the higher-seeded schools, with the losers in those games slotted into the Sugar and Fiesta Bowls while the winners went to neutral NFL sites (such as Giants Stadium or Arrowhead) for the national semifinals the next weekend. (And while we're on the subject, is there not a cooler term in all of sports than 'national semifinal'? I consider it one of the reasons why the NCAA basketball tournament is so very special, but I digress.) The two teams that lose in the semis would then play in the Orange Bowl, while the national championship would be in the Rose Bowl, every year, starting at 4pm PST on New Year's Day.

Would it be perfect? Hell no. But in the California sunshine, after that glorious parade, who the hell would care?

On spreading holiday cheer.

I think my reindeer ornament needs a name.

Incomunicado.

Been out of town for a few days. Somebody say something about bowling?

El Frente.

The NTLF is dead. Long live the NTLF!

The beast within.

Via Atrios, a frank look at ourselves and our seeming ease with torture.

When the smoke finally clears, and we can see past that dramatic day on 9/11 and put the threat of islamic fundamentalism into its proper perspective, I wonder if we'll be able to go back to our old ethical framework? I'm not so sure we will even want to. It's not that it changed us so much as it revealed us, I think. A society that can so easily discard it's legal and ethical taboos against cruelty and barbarism, is an unstable society to begin with.

Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet.

And they say cartoons are for kids.

Plastic.

The people who make the baggies that the cereal comes in inside the box need to get their fucking act together. That is all I have to say about that.

True colors, pt. 2.

What this guy says.

True colors.

I've never trusted Bill O'Reilly. I couldn't stand him or his show, his books or his falafels, but up until now I thought him as really nothing more than an annoyance. Now, courtesy of this transcript at ThinkProgress.org, we see just how O'Reilly feels about his fellow countrymen.

There are too many disturbing comments in here to truly do justice to, but it is the overall tone that is most illuminating, the tone of righteous indignation that some people would dare to challenge the notion that we are in the midst of "World War III." This is a man who best exemplifies the words of the movie The American President: he claims to love America, but clearly can't stand Americans.

"Many women enjoy visiting bars and having men buy them drinks in exchange for a casual conversation."

Via Pandagon, the (soon to be) world's loneliest idiot asshole.

Quantified.

From Keith! Damn these things are addictive.

This Is My Life, Rated
Life:	7.1
Mind:	7.6
Body:	7.8
Spirit:	7.1
Friends/Family:	5.3
Love:	2.9
Finance:	7.1
Take the Rate My Life Quiz

Antidisestablishmentarianism Industries.

The title of the movie is Copy Goes Here, in case you didn't catch it from this page. These people are wondrously clever, and if you don't check their regular site every day, it's past time that you did.

The new-ness of it all.

If you're wondering whether or not you're at the wrong blog, well, you might be right. I changed not only the look but also the title and subtitle; Hemingway is gone (but not forgotten), and I put in his place a quotable of my own. Blogger didn't have many to choose from, but I'm very quickly warming up to this; the only downside was the loss of some of my customizations on the sidebar, but that's okay. It's good to be reborn every once in a while.

In other news, chicken and noodles, with a hefty slice of homemade bread to sop up the juice, is incredibly fucking good. Also, bear shits in woods.

What does this picture say to you?

I love the Veer website; it's cute, it's dynamic, and goshdarnit they make some cool t-shirts. They also have this cool little survey up. I happen to be Smack in the Middle of Popular and Independent Thought. Which I guess explains my infatuation with both Rainer Maria and Kelly Clarkson.

That's it.

Being as this marks the second time that this has happened now in the span of about six years, I think we can now conclude that Kansas just said that it no longer wants its students to even think about going to the likes of a Berkeley, Michigan or NYU, let alone a Stanford, Harvard or Princeton. Furthermore, there are billions of dollars to be made in medical and biotechnological research in the future, and this state will get none of it. Way to think this one through guys!

Where's the instant replay when you want it?

"And if NFL cheerleaders can get summarily fired for drunken lesbian bathroom sex, well, that's not the America I grew up in." - A blog comment on washingtonmonthly.com.

I imagine these girls will be getting a call from Miller Lite soon.

Vengeance is mine.

Keith! has a poll going on. (scroll down a bit) Those who have voted against me shall die a quick, silent death at my quick, silent hands. Not to in any way intimidate those who haven't voted yet, of course.

Precious.

You brought a joy to our lives that cannot be equalled, and will not be forgotten. We love you and miss you dearly. Rest in peace.

Shoot me.

I am now in my 25th straight hour of being awake. I am also a little sore from working out especially hard this morning in order to induce fatigue, thus facilitating sleep (in theory). And the Nebraska drumline is literally in the parking lot across the street. In the words of my good friend Strong Bad: "I thought I knew what ridiculous was, until this day."

The perfect conversation.

At Oliver, this morning around 1:45am:

Ryan: I want to become a ninja.
Kyra: *seriously, quietly* You could totally do that.
Ryan: *just as serious* Yeah.

What's next, books?

I was informed this afternoon that the KU libraries are cutting back on their newspaper subscriptions. Not the New York Times or the Lawrence Journal-World, but the newspapers that one usually can't find at their local Borders, such as the Mail & Guardian from South Africa, or the Indian Times, or other assorted publications that are essential not just for researching those areas, but also for helping international students keep in touch with home. I was told instead to look online for the M&G when I asked about what we're supposed to do for those foreign newspapers. God I'm sick of this university.

Political ninja strikes back.

And to continue the point from yesterday, Harry Reid gives 'em hell. Me wonders if Bill Frist even knew about Rule 21.