Nobody wastes an 11th round pick like me

Looks like Byron Leftwich is going to be traded or released. He's only my #2 QB so I'll hang on to him for a while and see where he pops up.

This smacks of Jack Del Rio making decisions based on a player's faults as opposed to his strengths. David Garrard's faults are going to become very apparent, very quickly.

Shaun Alexander - Sports Guy vs. Football Outsiders

Bill Simmons' column today is his list of the top 50 fantasy football players this year. He has Shaun Alexander #3. The Football Outsiders have him around #90. Here is their explanation.

We'll see who turns up correct, but I suspect FO is right and Alexander will have a fork sticking out of his back all season.

Oh, give me a break!

The Sun-Times is on a roll lately with their biased reporting. Maybe they have a new editor who came over from the Village Voice. Check out this story.

Apparently, Cook County hospital gives away prescription drugs. That's right, doesn't charge anything. Because they blow through so much money every year (and continue to suck up productive folks' tax money), they are proposing to begin charging a whole $3 a prescription, up to a max of $10 per visit. Of course, this has "advocates" of poor people going nuts:

"He's sticking it to the people who can least afford it," said Ed Shurna of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless.

He blathers on for a bit because county employees only pay $5 a prescription. Rich public employee health benefits are a topic for another day, but they are also a side benefit as part of a total compensation package. The hospital is a welfare program. They aren't even comparable.

Then there's this sob story:

Still, the news was a jolt to Caron Alvarez, who spent six hours waiting to fill her husband's insulin prescription Thursday while he worked.

The Cicero woman sobbed as she realized she didn't have enough money for bus fare to get home, let alone an extra $3 for a prescription.

"We might not be able to afford it," she said. "He'll stop taking it and then we'll have to call an ambulance and send him to the emergency room. Then, it'll be a bigger bill."

Let's break this down. She's getting an insulin prescription for her husband, who works all day, yet she won't have $3 for the drugs and $2 for the bus. I'm not buying it. Maybe she could stop buying potato chips and pork rinds to pay for the drugs, which is probably the reason her husband has diabetes to begin with.

Also, how in the heck can he have a full-time job and not have $3 for drugs to keep him alive? Let's say it together (you know the answer), "He's an illegal immigrant!"

How can this stupid, silly woman go on a trip to the hospital, only to realize she doesn't have enough money to get back? She's either very stupid, lying, or planning on begging for money to get home.

Then there's her entitlement mentality. Either she gets the drugs for free or she's going to sponge off the public even more by making us pay for an ambulance. Very nice.

This story very nicely encapsulates the problem with having an open-borders immigration policy combined with the welfare state. Too many people come here who have no skills, no money, and no education, and then they leech off of our generous welfare system (and by welfare, I don't mean WIC; I mean everything the state has built up to give things away to poor people). People are starting to realize we can't have it both ways, which is why they are starting to wake up and demand action.

Euchre league playoffs TONIGHT - UPDATED

At my favorite bar (Four Shadows), tonight is the final four of the summer euchre league. Since only 7 teams were in the league, of course odds were better that a team would make it this far than not. That doesn't diminish the accomplishment!

In the first season, Team FUBAR won the tournament, despite finishing 15th out of 20 teams in the regular season. In the second league, we were tournament runners-up.

Tonight, however, we play bitter rivals Jack and Coke in the semifinals. Updates will come tomorrow.

UPDATE
Tied 1-1, J&C takes a 6-2 lead in game 3. FUBAR storms back to lead 9-7, but a Reuter loner saves the day for the bad guys. When I find out who won in the finals, I'll post it.

UPDATE 2
J&C won in the finals. Boo-urns!

My REAL fantasy football team

Here is my team in the other league, the one that's going into its 9th year. 12 teams, 1 QB, 2, RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 K, 1 D, passing TD's worth 4 points:

RB LaDanian Tomlinson
WR Reggie Wayne
WR Marques Colston
QB Vince Young
RB Ladell Betts
WR Donte Stallworth
RB Ahman Green
TE Ben Watson
WR Muhsin Muhammed
WR Ronald Curry
QB Byron Leftwich
RB Michael Turner
RB Brian Leonard
RB DeDe Dorsey
D Packers
K Stephen Gostkowski
QB Tarvaris Jackson

Here are a few of my thoughts, knowing I used the Football Outsiders' projections:

With the 1st pick, I had a while to wait before my 2nd and 3rd picks. I could choose between 3 basically equal QB's, all of whom were the best available players. One of them was VY, and since I needed another RB I would have taken Betts with my 3rd pick. Reuter convinced me to hold off, since both were likely to be undervalued by others. Also, with 3 starting WR's, they are more valuable than in most leagues. So I got my top remaining WR's and then on the rebound got the 2 guys I wanted before. The Reuter Gambit worked.

I'm not huge fan of my RB depth, but with Tomlinson, how much do I really need? Plus, since there wasn't much left in the middle rounds I went with some high-upside backups later in the draft when there wasn't much to choose from. It was especially delicious to spite Arlinsky by taking Dorsey (since he has Addai).

I'm not usually a fan of 3 QB's, but VY could have a down year since he's still fairly young (pardon the pun) and Leftwich could lose his job to the silly whims of Jack Del Rio. Jackson is going to play in Minnesota, and FO likes him more than Grossman and a lot of other guys (mainly for his running). I figured he was worth taking a flyer on, especially since there were no other decent WR's or TE's I cared about taking.

This draft is heavy on FO's picks, so we'll see how it works out.

Office fantasy football team

Since everyone loves to hear about other peoples' fantasy teams, I'll confine it to this space. 10-team league, 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 flex, 1 TE, 1 K, 1 D. Also, passing TD's are worth 6 points:

RB Brian Westbrook
RB Maurice Jones-Drew
QB Donovan McNabb
WR Donald Driver
WR Anquan Bolden
RB Ladell Betts
RB Jerious Norwood
TE Alge Crumpler
WR Donte Stallworth
QB Brett Favre
WR Muhsin Muhammed
RB Michael Turner
WR Ernest Wilford
D Steelers
RB Brian Leonard
K Stephen Gostkowski

Miss SC Teen USA - the aftermath

If you haven't seen this poor girl trying to answer this pageant question, check it out. I couldn't finish it. Really.

First, this question is actually not that easy to answer compared to the usual pageant questions. A good answer would have to delve into our culture and educational system, but without ripping on either. I don't think if I could do it spontaneously.

Second, not being a good extemporaneous speaker does not mean someone is stupid. There are lots of good BS'ers who aren't that bright. On the converse, there are plenty of smart people who get nervous doing it.

Third, she doesn't seem too broken up about it. Good for her. She's showing a lot of maturity.

Finally, let's face it, she's a hot chick. I think she'll turn out just fine.

Saturday EPL wrap-up and bar review

To answer some left-over questions from the comments section of the liveblog of the Liverpool game:

I did finish the gallon of water before the game.

Faber never came.

Tony did show up, but after the Liverpool game. It took some convincing, but he did come to hangout.

Now, Saturday night Tony, Fubar, and I went to a new bar that is very close to Tony's house in the hood, The Burlington (3425 W. Fullerton). It had gotten some heavy play in the media, and it appeared that the owners (who are two brothers) really went into overdrive promoting it. It was put together like most city bars, but there was less lighting. There is a big TV that either isn't yet hooked up or was left turned off for the grand opening party that night. There was a DJ playing some music that isn't my style, but it wasn't annoying, either.

Those are the negatives, but it's mostly quibbling. The two brothers were working behind the bar along with some girl, and they were very cool. They had a nice selection of draft beer, going from some fancy ones like Boddington's down to both PBR and Old Style. They also had some odd house beer from their native hometown in Wisconsin, and while it looked kind of funny (like a cloudy beer version of 50/50), it had a solid flavor. It wasn't very strong, but it had a little something to it. After goofing around with draft Bullets, I drank this the rest of the night.

The place really filled up after a while. It was likely due to the great promotion, but I also talked to some people who knew the owners. We'll see how the crowds hold up over time. Speaking of, the crowd was about what I would have expected given the vibe of the bar, the owners, and the location: the usual tattooed hipsters wearing tight clothes. That's fine, as everyone was pleasant to be around, but it's just not what I'm used to. Don't get me wrong, that's not a negative.

8/25 Netflix reviews + bonus reviews

Wild Things: Diamonds in the Rough
I'm not sure what the point of this title is, other than that the studio that released this movie didn't want to release a Wild Things 3 (the title of it in Australia), causing everyone to say, "There was a Wild Things 2?" Loyal readers of this blog know the answer is, "Yes!" This movie wasn't quite as good as the second one. Also, there wasn't a single actor or actress that I recognized from anything else. This wasn't a bad movie assuming one doesn't expect much. It could be part of a goofy weekend of watching all three Wild Things movies consecutively. Just be sure to start drinking near the end of the first one so you don't notice the declining quality.

The Covenant
I'm not going to lie, I didn't pay very close attention to this movie. I was mostly reading political stuff on the internet. It was still kind of cool, though. The plot involved the modern-day descendants of a coven of male witches at a boarding school, or something. It's an OK way to spend a hangover.

The Illusionist
Big-time dramas don't usually make their way onto my queue, but I'm glad I watched this one. It had a nice twist, and Ed Norton was very good. Jessica Biel was in it too, but she was wearing lots of big clothes (it is a period piece). Let's face it, people don't like to watch her for her acting or her mildly pretty face. Only in a movie (or perhaps a fancy brothel) would a guy who looks like Ed Norton hook up with a gal like Jessica Biel, so that was some nice unintentional comedy. Don't worry, that's not giving up any plotline. That's picking nits, though, as this was a good movie.

And a bonus from HBO on Saturday night...
Snakes on a Plane
Now THIS is a movie I liked. Not much to dislike in this one. Samuel L. Jackson, nice talent, bunch of killer snakes, Champ Kind, and a bunch of cool action? I'll take two, please. My inner 13-year-old came out watching this movie. (Of course, he didn't have to go far.)

What the heck, one more...
Comedy Central Roast of Flavor Flav
Tons of awesome, awesome stuff. Jimmy Kimmel and Jeff Ross were as funny as they always are on these things, and Snoop Dogg was the unexpectedly best roaster. Get the DVD when it comes out and see it in its uncensored greatness.

Florence King books are here!

While perusing NRO at home last week, I noticed an ad for both of Florence King's books for $35 total. The reason is that NR is moving from one building to another in NYC, and they'd rather clear out their inventory of books than move them. I was thrilled to help them oblige, and they just came to my desk.

"Who is Florence King?" you ask? I've only ever read her in the pages of National Review, but she's a wonderfully gifted writer. Until she retired a few years ago, she had the regular column on the last page of the magazine, and it was called "The Misanthrope's Corner." What a tremendous title, and if you've ever read her writings you'd know why it was so fitting. She also wrote many book reviews for the magazine. Luckily for the reading public, she unretired for a once-every-two-issues column called "The Bent Pin" that's just as good.

Basically, she's a cranky, old, Southern lady with a tremendous gift for the written word. Here, here and here are some examples of her work. Here's a column about Ann Coulter. Here's a funny little biography that sums her up.

This is repulsive

It's hard to know where to begin with the problems in the "reporting" in this article. I'll try, though. It starts nicely enough:

For 11-year-old Nathan Dombrowski, the weed-eaten ballfield in his Morgan Park neighborhood was a second home.

So after the well-liked, speedy second baseman for the Merrionette Park Red Sox died in a freak accident last month, his parents accepted a state lawmaker's offer to try to overhaul the field and name it in Nate's honor.

Little Liam Bonner's story is tragically similar. The 4-year-old from West Morgan Park loved to ride his training-wheel bike to a playground a block from his house.

So when Liam died from a form of brain cancer last month after a struggle that included surgery on his 3rd birthday, his parents sought to refurbish the Kennedy Park playground near 113th and Western and name it after him.

Nice, right? Hey, let's hold a fundraiser or find a few wealthy backers or something for the project, but that's not quite what everyone involved had in mind:

State Rep. Kevin Joyce (D-Chicago) spearheaded both endeavors, earmarking money for them in the state budget and setting up matching dollars from the Chicago Park District.

But the projects have been put on hold by Gov. Blagojevich -- a casualty of the governor's decision last week to veto hundreds of community initiatives from the budget, projects he characterized as non-essential "pork."

"From a budget perspective, I can see cuts have to be made. But what's insulting is to call it pork," said Amy Bonner, Liam's mother. "To me that insinuates something that's a wasteful program or money that wasn't spent wisely."

Unless a spending project is for themselves, people always think it's pork. Of course, the governor isn't exactly against taking taxpayer money from downstate and blowing it on a baseball field in Chicago:

Blagojevich spokeswoman Abby Ottenhoff said the governor isn't opposed to financing park projects in Joyce's district. But she said the money should come from a multibillion-dollar construction program the governor wants -- not from the state's day-to-day operating budget.

"Hundreds of similar projects that were already promised to communities around the state . . . were completely left out of the budget lawmakers passed," Ottenhoff said. "New local projects like these should be part of a statewide capital budget that focuses on construction and infrastructure needs, not in the operating budget.

However, I'll give him some credit for trying to stop this type of earmarking. The final paragraph will really jerk a tear:

Both the Dombrowskis and the Bonners, Joyce said, are "attempting to honor their child's memory, and this governor is trying to take that away by calling it pork. This is completely unacceptable to me."

...unless you're a cold-hearted SOB like me, I guess.

Again, how is the governor stopping them from honoring their child's memory? He's not even preventing them from fixing up the park and naming it after him. He's not going to have the National Guard at the entrance to the field pointing rifles at volunteers who just want to mow the lawn and pick up garbage. This kind of entitlement philosophy makes me sick. The state should not be in the business of someone using their dead kid to force taxpayers from other parts of Illinois to fix a park for the rest of the neighborhood.

Dave McKinney and Chris Fusco, the reporters who wrote this story, should be ashamed of themselves for writing an opinion piece and disguising it as a straight news story. It's this kind of thing that's the reason people are continually turning away from the mainstream media's product.

Sunderland v. Liverpool - running diary

So the game this week starts at 6:45 this morning, and Reuter and possibly Faber are coming by to watch. Tony said he might come, but I got a text message from Fubar last night saying he and Tony were doing karaoke at Full Schilling at 12:30 AM, so he is doubtful.

6:30 - Watching the weekly EPL preview show on FSC, which I recorded early this morning. Also still pounding water. I'm trying to put away a gallon before people show up and I have to start with the mimosas.

6:35 - Reuter's here, and he's soaked. That poncho is a little short.

6:45 - Gametime, and Reuter is pouring the biggest mimosa EVER. That's what happens when the host doesn't own champaign glasses.

6:47 - Pool almost scores in the first minutes. Sunderland's goalie looks like he knows he's going to get bombarded today. And that's with 4 Pool starters resting!

7:06 - 0-0. Reuter is expecting a blowout and he's getting REALLY cranky.

7:25 - Pool scores FINALLY at 36:00. Reuter is excited, to say the least.

8:15 - Still 1-0 Pool. Reuter just spent 15 minutes trying to find EPL games near London for his weekend there in September, but such a task will take all of his sober Google skills and the resources of PwC at his disposal.

8:32 - 2-0, Pool ay 86:00. Vronen (or something) on the goal. We are excited, because it means another Jagerbomb before 9 AM. Also, it's a nice insurance goal.

8:45 - Game over, 2-0 Pool. Last update in this post. 1.5 bottles of Andre and 3 JB's apiece, and now another big game is coming on with Arsenal v. Man City. We're only getting drunker! Have a great day.

Hey Kos, lower those expectations

According to a poll by Democracy Corps:

Americans believe by a majority of 57% to 29% that government makes it harder for people to get ahead in life. The same poll found that 83% of people believe that, if the government had more money, it would probably waste it, the highest level of anti-government sentiment in a decade. America is not entering into a new era of liberal activism.

Daily Kos (the biggest political blog, and a very liberal one) is a big believer in a coming Democratic majority. This majority will happen, he basically says, by Democrats getting back to their liberal roots.

The 2008 elections are going to be VERY interesting, both for Congress and President, for three reasons:

1. President Bush isn't running for anything, and won't even be around come January 21, 2009.
2. Voters will have had a chance to see Democrats in action in this last Congress.
3. If Hillary is the Democratic nominee, we will have a nice little test of how long the electorate's collective memory is. Does America want 4 more years of the Clintons in the White House? I have my guesses, but I don't know.

I'll post on the state of the Democratic Presidential race in the next week.

(Hat tip to the Indispensible Jim Geraghty.)

Aw, cripes!

Anchorwoman was cancelled. Considering there are no other new shows right now, I'm actually pretty surprised it didn't catch on.

Shows that just don't hold up over time

So last night after euchre, Fubar and I briefly discussed TV shows that seemed cool when we were kids but are hella-lame now. Some others do quite well. Here's a couple of each kind that I can think of:

Totally weak now:
The Monkees
Diff'rent Strokes
Knight Rider
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (old ones from the 1950's)
A-Team

Still good:
Sanford and Son
Three's Company
What's Happening?
Twilight Zone (old ones from the 1960's)
Dukes of Hazzard

I would be interested to hear about any others I missed or ones that I am wrong about in the comments section.

Aldi's history

Sure, it's only from Wikipedia, but I'll bet it's mostly true. Very interesting read, plus this little nugget:

In the United States, Aldi often locates its stores in areas with cheap property, which is often synonymous with proximity to high concentrations of impoverished minorities. Aldi stores in many US states accept public assistance debit-style cards as payment.

Quite the understatement!

My favorite Michigan Wolverine ever

I hate to steal two links from With Leather in one day, but this is possibly the best interview I've ever seen. Maybe it's not really an interview, but it's very funny to think it is. Go Blue!, or at least if this guy is representative of them.

Reuter REALLY needs to get With Leather unblocked at PwC. Bribe an IT guy or something, man!

I guess this explains why Kelin hates them so much...

So, in SEC country it's well-known that Gators wear jean shorts?

Kudos to With Leather for giving me this video.

Rangers score modern record 30 runs last night

Lost in all of the hubbub of the Rangers dropping 30 on the poor Orioles (and 24 against the bullpen in only 4 innings of work!) is that the Rangers have been pretty crappy offensively this year. Even after last night's game, they are only 24th in Equivalent Average. Also Marlon Byrd batted cleanup in the game. Marlon Byrd!

The box score is pretty fun to look at for a while, though.

MS-13 is made up of some bad dudes

Michelle Malkin has been all over the murders in Newark of the three college kids. More news is coming out all the time. None of my inflammatory anti-illegal alien commentary is necessary when she posts stuff like this.

Needless to say, the mainstream media thinks it's not an important story (based on their lack of interest so far, at least).

Springer's head bouncer has a TV show

The Jerry Springer Show was not one of my favorites, but I've seen an episode or two in my day. With that, news comes out that his bald head bouncer named Steve has his own show coming out.

Best of all, he likes VIC MACKEY:

He's also enamored of the uncompromising and often brutal detective on FX's "The Shield." "I love Vic Mackey," Wilkos says, climbing the stairs toward his four-year-old daughter's frilly, pink-walled bedroom. "He's awesome."
Was Wilkos himself ever Mackey-like? "Um, to a certain extent. But I wouldn't say I ever broke the law."

Cletus approves.

The Chicago burrito tournament

Nate Silver over at BP mentioned this link in passing in his chat today, and I provide it without comment. Just trust me, you want to click on it. Knowing where he lives and reading hints about other things he writes, I'm certain it's really him writing this blog.

For informational purposes only - AFC over/unders

Bill Barwell over at Football Outsiders has dedicated his column this week to predictions on over/under bets for the AFC teams. He uses the mean projections developed from KUBIAK (I think), which is their projection system, as a tool. He is willing to buck the projection where he thinks appropriate, though.

I don't really disagree with much, and I really like the idea of taking the under on the Chiefs and the over on the Raiders and Browns. It's far too easy for NFL teams' records to bounce around each year, and both of the last two teams mentioned have lots of young talent. I can easily see them going 7-9, at least.

For all of the reasons Barnwell gave, I can see the Chiefs ending up with the first pick in next year's draft. Their over/under of 7 feels like the betting public thinking about years of adequacy in KC and not seeing how it's all going to fall apart this year.

The race to 210

In October I'll be playing basketball every Tuesday night with the Murpheys and whoever else they can scare up in an open gym setup. Given my age and physical condition, I think it would be best to drop some weight and strengthen my legs. The last thing I want is more knee trouble.

With that written, my goal is to get down to 210 pounds (bear in mind for anyone who has the misfortune of stumbling upon this site and subsequent fortune of not knowing me, I'm 6' 9" tall). I weighed in today at 231 pounds. The worst part is that I'm not carrying much muscle.

The running list you see to your left will be the results of my weigh-ins. I hope that the potential of public shame is strong motivation for me. We will all see!

Please note that weigh-ins will be done sporadically. Helpfully, here is an artist's conception of what I look like today (for comparison purposes):







I hope to look like this at the end:






















UPDATE: To clear up any confusion (as in the comments), I want to look like a white Shawn Kemp, not MJ. The role of MJ in this picture will be played by everyone else on the court, staring up and watching me dominate.

In other news, the sun came up today

My only surprise is that MADD didn't waddle in to this debate to get themselves on the record against these drinks, too. Of course, a wonderful point is made by a spokesman for Big Alcohol:

And Anheuser-Busch vice president Francine Katz said caffeinated alcohol drinks "are nothing new. For years, adults have enjoyed rum and Coke, Irish coffee and liqueurs mixed with coffee."
"The way to fight illegal underage drinking is not to limit product choices for adults," Katz said. "Rather, the key is preventing youth access to alcohol."

It's a good thing IL AG Lisa Madigan has nothing better to do than worry about drinks combining caffeine and alcohol. There must be no more corruption in Chicago or Springfield!

Unfair headline

Don't get me wrong, I have lots of problems with the CTA. However, this headline is blatantly unfair. Anybody who has ever walked a street in the city of Chicago knows anywhere on and near EVERY decently-sized street is near a CTA bus stop.

Upcoming Liverpool games on TV

With the addition of Setanta to my DirecTV package, I'll now have the ability to watch any and every EPL game televised in the US. Fox's schedule of games on FSC only goes through September, and Liverpool has no more games on it. Setanta, on the other hand, has games through November on their site. Here's what's coming up for the next month or so:

Saturday, August 25
Liverpool at Sunderland
6:30 AM

Saturday, September 1
Derby County at Liverpool
9 AM

Saturday, September 22
Birmingham City at Liverpool
9 AM

With the ridiculous Iowa-NIU tailgate at Soldier Field on September 1, maybe people will want to come watch the next day.

Americans' reading habits

I suspect that the number of people who don't read books is higher, but that people are afraid to
tell pollsters the truth. I think Bob Ryan is the older, Southern version of me, though:

More women than men read every major category of books except for history and biography. Industry experts said that confirms their observation that men tend to prefer nonfiction.

"Fiction just doesn't interest me," said Bob Ryan, 41, who works for a construction company in Guntersville, Ala. "If I'm going to get a story, I'll get a movie."

UPDATE: Jonah Goldberg covers the political angle of this better than I ever could, naturally.

Donald Trump may save the world

He certainly a visionary. This would probably get me to watch The Apprentice:

U.S property tycoon Donald Trump is desperate to reunite Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton on a celebrity version of The Apprentice. The businessman is keen to give the trio an entrepreneurial chance on the hit TV show, insisting the experience would be "a positive thing for them to do" - and concedes socialite Hilton has already been in contact with show executives to secure a place on the series.

8/18 Netflix reviews

Mini-reviews of 3 movies I watched this weekend:

Wet Hot American Summer
Written (essentially) by the guys who do Stella. It's a parody of summer camp movies, I guess, but I didn't like it too much. I can only take those guys in small doses, and while there was some funny stuff it wasn't quite my bag.

The OH in Ohio
Also not my type of movie, but but had some positives. Paul Rudd, Parker Posey, Danny DeVito, and Marissa Cooper were in it, along with that black guy who is a That Guy all-star (David Keith, I think) and is best known to me as having done the intro track for Westside Connection's Terrorist Threats album. That wasn't quite enough for me. It's got lots to do with sexual stuff (not the funny or cool kind kind), so maybe it's more of a ladies film.

Wild Things 2
I would have never guessed that this would be the best of the three, but it was. It starred a couple of very nice looking lasses, Jamaica St. Croix from Son of the Beach and the main bad girl from The In Crowd. It wasn't really a sequel to the original; it was more of a remake but with some different plotlines. People really savaged this movie in the Netflix rating system and on IMDB, but I think their expectations were too high given that it was direct-to-video. Mild thumbs up for viewers inclined to some T&A and murderous storylines.

"S-M-R-T, I mean S-M-A-R-T"

Here's a rule of thumb I use: if someone says he or she is smart, he or she is probably not very smart.

I have never met someone of high intelligence who would ever describe himself or herself that way. I suspect there are a few reasons. First, intelligent people tend to very aware of what they do NOT know and that there are lots of folks out there smarter than themselves. Second, they have enough confidence in themselves that they have no need to tell anyone about it. Finally, they also know how insufferably arrogant it is to describe themselves that way.

What brought this up? I have been an eHarmony subcriber for a few months, and it's breathtaking how many of these women say that "intelligent" is a word their friends would use to describe them. It runs around 2/3, and I suspect that most of those who don't use it are the type of people I describe above (meaning they actually ARE intelligent). It's like eHarmony is mostly populated with women from Lake Wobegon. Clearly, this self-esteem crap they get from Cosmo or whatnot is out of control.

2008 Presidential Race - Republicans

I'm definitely having a hard time figuring out the race. We are so far away from a resolution that that's to be expected, but the field is pretty wide open. Fred Thompson's not even officially in the race, which shows how early things still are.

So who's going to get the nomination? If I have to pick somebody, I'd say Giuliani. He's not my favorite, but he seems most likely to get it. I think Republican primary voters know that 2008 isn't looking like the party's best year and they are willing to compromise some ideological purity for the sake of winning. While Giuliani has espoused some socially liberal views in the past (especially as mayor), my suspicion is that in his core he's a conservative. Plus, he'd pummel Hillary in the general election.

He certainly has his flaws, however. He'd do better in blue states than Bush has, but he'd also have some weakness in red states that could flip to Democrats due to conservatives staying home next November.

Fred Thompson's biggest weakness will be his late entry into the field. While these other guys have worked out the kinks in their campaigns from their experience so far, they just won't make many (and likely none) mistakes. Fred is pretty polished, but he's still going to have some growing pains. Plus, he doesn't have executive experience. I suspect that his gravitas (to use an overworked word) would be enough to overcome that in voters minds, though.

Romney knows he has to run a more historically conventional campaign due to his lower name recognition nationally. As a result, he's hammering Iowa hard to get a win there. He doesn't have to do much to win New Hampshire since he was governor in Massachusetts. He hopes to use positive news of winning those two states to bounce nationally. I don't know if it will work, but it's clearly the strategy he has to take. Also, the mainstream media has been absolutely killing him so far, so he'll be ready for anything they throw at him. That's solid (if unwanted) experience that the golden boy Obama (to pick an example) is not going to have to face for a while.

The rest if the guys don't have much of a chance. Huckabee's an interesting fella who works the mic like Ric Flair in his prime, but he's not much of an economic conservative. Ask Pat Buchanan how well that works. McCain's toast thanks to the immigration debacle. That's radioactive in the law-and-order party. The others have their strengths and weaknesses to varying degrees, but there's no reason to cover them.

So it looks like Rudy would get it today, but there's too much race left to be very confident in that.

Gluttonous Monday

Drinking for 12 hours on a Sunday is not a smart move once one gets to my age. Needless to say, I felt a little off today at work. I thought it would be a good day to hit up McDonald's for lunch. Even better, I stopped at Aldi after work and bought a bag of chicken nuggets and bottle of BBQ sauce. It was a big, unhealthy, inexpensive dinner. Somebody's going to sleep wonderfully tonight.

Fall TV

We are FINALLY getting some new shows coming soon. This summer has been kind of brutal. First, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia is getting a late start this year, starting on September 13. Second, the Sox have been playing so poorly it's not even fun to watch them. Luckily I've been working so much I haven't really been able to watch much TV during the week. Maybe that's not luck.

Tonight Fat March, which I was clued in to by Reuter, is being pre-empted by the Bear game, so I have to wait another week to see it. Anchorwoman looks very promising, however, and it starts Wednesday. Hopefully the other new shows start falling in line soon.

Even better, I just saw that a new Modern Marvels is on right now, and it's about truck stops.