Today thoughts

Skyrim - Quests
I've never played a game with so many quests.  The minute you turn in a quest, 1-5 more pop up.  It's crazy.  Maybe I'm just being anal but I prefer maybe 8-10 open quests at any given time.  Right now I've got about 25!

Tebow vs Brady
I watched some parts of this game before it got out of hand.  Tebow's mechanics are not as bad as people say.  Yes, he's not so great at throwing a perfect spiral.  Another issue is when he throws on the run, he's often doing it off his back leg instead of stepping into the throw, which likely accounts for most of his too-short passes.  He should work on that. 

Championship game!
I've made it to the Championship game in my Flag Football fantasy league.  That's the one run by some people at my old church.  My season ended early in my other league, the one I actually care about, as usual.  I finished the year 4-9 and it was pretty much a disaster from the get-go, so many injuries.

Today's thoughts

Toronto Raptors 2011-2012
I think the Raptors will win between 13-15 games this year, which should be good enough for dead last in the NBA.  Nothing has changed from the last game of the season to now, except a coaching change, while other teams equally as bad as we were last year have made some strides.  The only team that could conceivably be worst than us are probably the Charlotte Bobcats, who traded away their two best players in Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson.  They have the potential to be worse than us.

Churching the unchurched
What does it mean when someone says they want to church the unchurched?  Well, essentially it means they want to do what we as Christians have been called mandated to do. It's not a choice; it's a lifestyle.

Recently a friend of mine quit his pastoral job at a big church to follow this mandate.. all I can say is: Right on, brother! 

Best Buy
I do not appreciate the way they do business.  I ordered something online and at the time, it said there were 2 left in stock.  After I completed my order, I went back to the site and it said the product had 1 in stock.  That was 3 weeks ago.  I still haven't heard anything, and when I called in to ask, they said the manufacturer would get back to me on an ETA.  Why would they need to call the manufacturer unless they lied about how many products they had in stock?

...and don't make the excuse that maybe someone else ordered at the same time as I did.  It's not hard to update your database when someone has purchased something and show real-time values. 

Terra Nova
One thing that I don't get about this show is why the kid Josh doesn't make a move on his female friend Skye.  Apparently in the future, teenage boys don't care about teenage girls. 

Granted he's got a girlfriend 'in the future', but she's far far away.  Move on dude.  Move on.  

Today's thoughts

Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
I've been playing Elder Scrolls: Skyrim for the past few days and I'd like to dedicate this post to my newest nemesis, the Hagraven.  But before we get into that, I have a hard time whenever I play the types of games where you design your character right down to the little details like length of bridge of nose, and how angled I want his jaw to be. 

I'm all for the customization, but I could literally spend a week designing my guy if I really cared that much about it.  I selected a Wood Elf, because it just makes more sense in terms of what I usually like to do in most games, which is control animals, and frolic through the forest with a long range weapon.  But the Wood Elf male is extremely ugly, so I spent a better part of Sunday afternoon and evening trying to make him look human -- no easy task.

Being sneaky
In all games such as these, I always feel like aside from trying to win the main objective, my secondary goal is to try to attain ALL of the money in the entire game.  In order to do this, you have to level up your character to the point where I'm able to sneak around so well that I can steal anything I want, and then be able to barter well enough that I can sell items for more than I paid for them.  The idea, is to be able to pay people for services and then, wait til it's dark, and steal all the money I paid them back, and then do it again until I've exhausted their use.  Further, I need to be able to steal every item in a store, and sell it back to the store owner, then buy his good stuff that I can't steal, and then pickpocket him so I can get all my money back. 

If for whatever reason I'm unable to beat the game, I'd at least be satisfied that I stole and plundered to my heart's content. 

The Hagraven
Like pretty much any game I've ever played, my biggest weakness has always been forgetting to Save my game.  Yesterday, I traveled pretty much across half the "world" to get to this Hagraven, from which I needed some ingredient that I could use to save a really big tree in White Run, one of the towns.  Don't worry, this story gets better.  So I'm riding up to this big hill and I notice this weird looking old lady at the top.  Easy pickings for my "Jon", who is an expert archer. 

So I got off my horse, and me and Lydia (my bodyguard aka mule) go to work.  As I approach, I just see her head bobbing up and down so I just take a few shots with my trust bow and arrow, and then BLAMO!  A huge fireball hits me and takes me down to a sliver of health.  So I started running towards the hill, thinking I can cut off the angles so she can't hit me.  Wrong.  BLAMO!  If it weren't for me scarfing down a bunch of tomatoes and apples, I'd have been dead.  I quickly (without really thinking about it) I press F5 to save the game.  Big mistake.  BLAMO!  I'm dead.  So I press F9 to load, and when the game comes back up, BLAMO! F9, while pressing the run key.. BLAMO!  F9, while pressing the strafe key.... BLAMO!

Then I look up to see if I can load an earlier game.  The next most recent save game was from 5 hours ago.  Damn it.

Today's thoughts

The Toronto Star

These guys called my house and asked me if I'd be interested in a trial of free newspapers for about a month.  I said no.  A few days later, someone started delivering the Toronto Star to my house.  It was annoying, because we don't get mail delivered to our door, so now suddenly I needed to go up to the front of my house (we park our car in the garage so I rarely go in through the front door) to pick it up.  

Newspaper delivery doesn't make sense to me.  For one thing, there's the internet and as far as I know, all or most Canadian publications offer their content free online.  I know it's all recycled materials, but still seems like a waste to me.  Second, I don't read the Toronto Star. 

TV in Canada

We were in Chicago this past weekend, and during one night when I'd had some caffeine later than I should have, I sat in front of the TV in our hotel and flipped around.  What I realized was that in Canada, we really get the raw end of the deal.  There is not a single show exclusive to Canadian television networks that I desperately need to watch, which means that really we don't need CTV, CityTV, Global, etc.  They're completely pointless other than to deliver Canadian advertising.  Seriously, when basic cable offers NBC, ABC, CBS and FOX, what possible reason do viewers have to tune into Canadian networks, other than to watch the occasional Leafs game and a Leons commercial?

What's worse, here we have to pay extra for the good stuff, for networks like HBO, Showtime, FX, USA, AMC.  That is just not fair at all.  CRTC: You suck.

Chicago

I've already said this to a few people, but Chicago is basically Toronto in 75 years, if we get some decent city planners in charge.  Someone with vision.  David Miller kind of got us started before Transit City was abruptly ended by an overly conservative anti-visionist.  Chicago has basically the same climate as we do, but their downtown core is massive and there's transit going everywhere.  They cherish their arts and culture just as we do, only they put them on a pedestal whereas we kind of just appreciate it.  We don't have a river to worry about building around.  They have a hockey, basketball and baseball team just as we do.  And football, if you consider the Argos a world class football team. 

So yea, pretty much the only thing keeping us from becoming a great city is leadership.

Today's thoughts

The halfway mark of the NFL season

Here's a few of my notes:

- The Bengals have already won 2 more games this year than I had predicted they'd win all year.  This is due part to the emergence of rookie QB Andy Dalton, who has put together a solid first half.  He's developed a pretty good on-field relationship with fellow rookie A.J. Green, who is leading all rookie receivers with 33 receptions, 516 yards and 5 touchdowns.  That actually puts him amongst the top 15 receivers in the league.

- Barring a major setback, the Bills are going to far outweigh my expectations as well, though I can't see them doing much in the playoffs.  They have a very opportunistic defense that capitalizes on mistakes, but good teams don't make a lot of mistakes in the playoffs.

- The Colts haven't had great D for as long as I can remember, but now with Peyton Manning not playing all year, they've been exposed for being even worse than most fans have feared all along.  They're surrendering up a mind-blowing 31.5 points per game.

- The wildcard race in the AFC should be interesting.  I assume they will both come out of either the East or North, and it'll be between the Jets, Bills, Ravens and Bengals.  

- The biggest surprise in the NFC has been, for me, the 49ers.  I had them pegged for a horrible season but they're defense has been shutting everyone down, particularly their run defense.  They also have, as a result of several mediocre season recently, an incredibly easy schedule which could easily have them finishing the year 11-5.  The West is terrible though, the 49ers are 6-1 and the next closest is Seattle at 2-5.  The 49ers do not face the Packers in the regular season, but I could see this being an interesting matchup in the playoffs, because the Packers simply don't bother to run the football.  

- I thought the Saints would be better than they have been.  They're 5-3, but something seems off.  They're not as good as I thought they'd be.  Could be due to Mark Ingram not being nearly as good as I'd hoped.

- The Lions are a strong team, but it feels constantly like local fans are waiting for the other shoe to drop.  Detroit, as a city and community, needs the Lions to succeed after falling into some pretty hard times.  One thing that is encouraging though, is that they have a strong young nucleus of guys that could see them being competitive for the next 3-4 years.  

- The biggest surprise from a player perspective has been Cam Newton.  I thought he'd be a bum.  He's actually quite good.  Things will likely change for him next year as teams will have more tape on him, but he's shown to have a big arm and has great mobility.  Younger QBs tend to excel with the help of huge receivers but Steve Smith is tiny and Cam hasn't missed a beat

Today's thoughts

A note to Google:

It's one thing to change some stupid social network site that you might log into once or twice a day to check on some goofy pictures of your friends' drunken orgy.  The makers of Facebook routinely change the interface of their website without a care in the world causing minor complaints and annoyances across the globe.  But you get use to them, because at the end of the day, it's just some social fun site that doesn't matter. 

Gmail on the other hand, is the center of the universe for me.  For one thing, I have it open at home and at work ALL THE TIME.  While I might check Facebook for about an hour every day, I have Gmail on 24/7.  I also have GReader on 24/7.  

Google+ -- not so much because as a social networking tool, it's unavailable to me throughout my work day.  By the way, guess what happens when you're using GReader and Google+ is blocked?  It becomes a generic reader like every other reader available online.  And unfortunately, with all the GUI changes, this one looks like SHIT. 

So the next time you decide to make significant, sweeping changes to the interface that we've all come to know and love, and stare at 24 hours per day (Yes, I dream in Gmail), think again.  Think AGAIN.

Today's thoughts

Ashton Kutcher is not winning

I don't know my motivation, but I am trying really hard to like the new Two and a Half Men, sans Charlie Sheen.  This show just doesn't work without him.  And it seems like either Ashton Kutcher or the writers, or both, are confused about who his character is.  In the beginning he seemed like a very dark and sad character, but highly intelligent and successful.  Later it became more apparent that he's quite immature and almost child-like.  Now, it seems like he's a college frat boy. 

I get that they're trying to feel things out but it's kind of getting out of hand.  Top that off with Berta who they've kind of forced a larger role upon, but she's always only been good at snide remarks and one-liners.  Thrusting her into a more prominent role seems really forced.. there's no reason for her to be any more involved than before.  They should have started "Walden" as a dumb frat boy who inherited billions, rather than a self-made man.  

Minka Kelly should return to Parenthood

Clearly, the relationship between Crosby and Jasmine is never going to be fully reconciled.  Why not just bring back Gaby and give the guy a romantic interest?  Minka Kelly is way too good looking to not be on television.  Since Charlie's Angels directors/writers refused to take my advice, the show's been canceled and Minka needs a new job.  Do the right thing.

Today's thoughts

Don't just 'occupy' something

I think that the people who are occupying Wall Street have good reason to be doing it.  However, the ones doing it in Toronto.. doesn't hold a lot of water with me.  First of all, we have health care.  Our financial institutions didn't receive a bailout.  We have very good welfare services, community housing, etc.  Unlike the Americans, the marginalized are pretty well taken care of here in Canada.  So don't occupy Bay Street just because you want to be part of something cool and meaningful.  Understand the issues and then act accordingly. 

Razing the roof

Our roof started leaking last week.  It's no fun, and on top of that, fairly stressful.  In all honesty it's not like my 'things' are in danger of getting wet, it's just the idea that water is coming through the roof into my house that bothers me.  And perhaps the potential danger of mold.  Another thing that concerns me is despite what I've read on Wikipedia and other DIY sites, I really don't know a whole lot about roofing.  Chances are, when I hire whomever to fix it, I'm going to get ripped off.  

I don't like getting ripped off.

Today's thoughts

Almond Butter

I've always wanted to try almond butter ever since I heard about it.  Almonds are good for you and they taste great.  Peanuts are good for you and they taste great.  So it makes sense that almond butter is good right?  Wrong.  Almond butter sucks.  We tried some at Costco the other day, and it was not good at all.  It's like eating peanut butter without any taste.

Provincial Politics

Last night, Ontarians voted to get Dalton McGuinty back again as the provincial leader of Ontario.  To put this into perspective, this is the guy who came up with the 13% Harmonized Services Tax.  Thirteen frigging percent.  Kind of gives you an understanding of how bad you have to be to lose to this guy.  I don't know anyone who enjoys paying taxes, let alone 13% taxes.  Why did he win?  Because of Stephen Harper and Rob Ford.  No one wants to see a three-level Conservative government.

I don't like Dalton McGuinty at all, but thank you Jesus.

Today's thoughts

Steve Jobs

I've always hated Apple and I hated them a little less after Steve Jobs stepped down, but his death is still a significant loss to the world of technology and innovation.  Steve Jobs was a visionary and a master at marketing, and along the way provided a lot of great ideas -- which I appreciate.  BUT, I still think their products are overpriced, and anyone who believes in sharing, freedom and the good things of the world should be strongly against what Apple actually stands for. 

Sarah Polley

My wife and I both went to high school with Polley.  I distinctly remember sitting behind her in Mr. Axom's grade 10 English class.  We thought it was neat when we read that she'd married Dave Sandomierski.  He was my year's valedictorian, and an all-round nerd.  (Well rounded actually, if I recall he was a great cross country runner).  It's just funny to think of hat because I remember during a fire drill this guy was wearing one of those silly hats with helicopter blades spinning above his head.  What a goofy kid. He's at UofT now getting his PhD in Law.  Good for him!

Basketball-related income

Basketball-related income (BRI) is one of the major issues that players and owners are in disagreement about for the NBA.  From there stems the salary cap, guaranteed/non-guaranteed contracts, etc etc.  But it all starts at BRI.  

I see the NBA as a very player-driven sport. I'm not a basketball purist where I can honestly say I was entertained after watching a very technically sound basketball game.  Don't get me wrong, it's not like I enjoy watching bad basketball as long as there's a star playing, but the game itself is just not enough for me to watch.

Conversely, I can watch a football game between two teams that I have never cheered for in my life and still enjoy watching the game.  Ever since Peyton Manning got injured I've pretty much been watching teams that I don't really like, play the game of football, and I've already watched 3-4 full games this year.  So it goes to show that I'm as much a fan of the sport as I am with certain teams and players.  I cannot say the same about the NBA.  I have a very difficult time staying focused on an NBA game that has nothing to do with a team or player I care about.

So for that reason, I believe NBA players deserve a majority when it comes to the breakdown between player and owner of BRI.  They deserve it.  

Today's thoughts

Whitney

I've been following Whitney at about a week behind's pace and I like it a lot.  This is a funny show, about a fairly average girl who has tons of insecurities and a fairly hilarious boyfriend who tolerates her.  It reminds me a bit of Friends but more relationship-focused than just 6 random single friends and their silly shenanigans. 

Pan Am

The first 20 minutes of the pilot was boring.  Could be because I wasn't paying attention, but then they started getting into the spy stuff which I thought was pretty cool.  Adding intrigue instantly made it something I'd be interested in watching, though I'm still not sure if it's enough to keep going with it.  We'll give it a few more episodes.  Between this and Playboy Club it's no contest though, Pan Am wins.

(Plus, NBC just cancelled Playboy Club.)

Allison Miller looks like Jan from The Office

Allison plays "Skye" from Terra Nova.  She reminds me of a younger and prettier version of Melora Hardin, who played "Jan" on The Office.  

Andrew Luck

Stanford's quarterback Andrew Luck is so good that fan of mediocre NFL teams have started a phrase "Suck for Luck", in the effort to will their teams into losing so they have a shot at Andrew Luck.  Count me in on this.  I'd love to see the Colts lose (not that they need much help doing this) and then have the current best QB in pro football mentor the future one.  

I've been pretty impressed with the Luck thus far.. he draws a lot of comparisons to Peyton Manning in his ability to call his own plays, and adjust to defenses on the fly.  Physically I think he's actually far more imposing than Manning.. he can run and hits pretty hard, and recently even caught a pass. 

Weekend thoughts

Dallas Cowboys

Why do the Dallas Cowboys throw the ball so much?  First of all let me just congratulate the Detroit Lions on being 4-0.  That's awesome stuff.  But in this game, Dallas had the lead 50 out of 60 minutes, and somehow Romo threw the ball 47 times.  That does not make sense to me at all.  Even if their offensive line is terrible, they have got to find better ways to control the clock. 

Wedding weekend

I can't remember if it's our 3rd or 4th wedding of the year, but it was a good one.  Ina was a bridesmaid and it was the last of her remaining "closest" friends to get married.  The couple ran into a bit of a snafu which I thought (if it had been me) could have put a serious downer on the whole occasion.  The restaurant they had selected for their banquet had a fire, and they found out about this on Friday, the day before the banquet.  But they were able to pull some strings and figure things out.

Congrats to Janey and Norm!

Superbowl half time show

I can't help but think that there are better options than Madonna as the halftime entertainer for next year's Superbowl.  Don't get me wrong, I think she's super talented and one of the top female artists of our time.. but for Superbowl?  Does she still have the stage presence to entertain the millions watching?  I have always found Madonna the most entertaining when she was doing some controversial.  But given the NFL's goal to stay away from that, what can Madonna really bring to the stage?  She hasn't put out an album since 2008.  Is she still relevant?

I personally hated the Black Eyed Peas last year as the halftime show.  They were easily tops in popularity at the time, but I thought their style of music did not work for the audience.  They're a dance group that requires synthesizers and computerized vocals and sound.. the LIVE aspect of their performance sucked.   

Some relevant (not to mention popular) bands that I think would make a more entertaining performance, in no particular order:

• Green Day
• Bon Jovi
• AC/DC

Not coincidentally these are all rock/alternative bands, in my humble opinion the most ideal type of music in a live setting.

Initial Reactions, Part II

Terra Nova

As far as initial reactions go, 5 minutes into this show I realized it would most likely be a big hit, and it's honestly the first time I've felt this way about a new show since LOST.  I've yet to watch more than 20 minutes of it though but it's #1 on the PVR list for tonight.

Ringer

Sarah Michelle Gellar is back on TV and like the first time around, I'm just not that interested.  Yes, I realize this takes away a lot of my credibility, but I did not watch Buffy. 

Two and a Half Men

This show is no good anymore.  The formula was a combination of the awesomeness of an immature adult (Charlie (Harper) Sheen's character), and a mature adult who's life totally sucks (Jon (Alan Harper) Cryer's character).  And mixed in there with lots of sexual innuendo and a really stupid teenager.  

What they've done in the attempt to replace Charlie Harper is added Ashton Kutcher, who plays this immature adult who is not awesome at all but very angsty.  Basically he's a mixture of Charlie and Alan Harper, but all the non-fun parts combined.  The stupid teenager Jake, meanwhile, has all but disappeared, largely in due part to the writers desperately trying to introduce a new character to an audience not new to the show. 

Initial reactions

The Buffalo Bills 

The need to win just 2 more games over the next 13 to reach my pre-season prediction of 5 wins. I'm shocked by this. I have never, in my life, cheered for the Buffalo Bills, but I found myself doing so over the past two weeks. This season's Bills have a roster perfect for Buffalo, full of hardworking guys who were for the most part forgotten, a truly blue-collar team. 

Unforgettable

The pilot for this new show did not live up to its name.  There is something about the lead actress that bothers me, but regardless of that it doesn't seem like a show that will make it.  I can imagine each episode she'll examine the crime scene, and then they'll have a difficult time solving the case, and then someone will say "Hey, maybe you should use your super memory and try to recall any important details we missed!" and she will, and then they will solve the case.  It's a great formula for cartoons (Voltron, Thundercats, etc) but not so great for primetime drama.

Person Of Interest

This show has some potential because James Caviezel's character is a bit Jack Bauer-ish in his ability to totally kick ass.. the only difference is you don't see it coming.  I've never really followed James Caviezel's career and he didn't really say much in "Passion of the Christ", so I have to ask: Does he really have a scratchy voice like the Dark Knight, or was this Jonathan Nolan's idea?  

Playboy Club

Amber Heard is hot, but this show really sucks. It took me 3 tries to get through the pilot episode.  Many critics have said they try too hard to be Mad Men.  My thinking is they're not trying hard enough.  It's more like a mockery of Mad Men.  

Charlie's Angels

There are two things wrong with this show, that they can easily fix.  The first thing is that during the action/fight scenes, it looks as if the girls fought in slow motion and then they showed the scenes in double time.  There is just something wrong with the speed, no human being could move that fast, not even Jackie Chan.  Perhaps none of the girls took any martial art training and they had no choice?  

I'm sorry to say this but the only reason people will watch this show is for the action and skin.  They need to use the same formula as last year's reboot hit Hawaii Five-O.  They drew in viewers by showing a shirtless Alex O'Loughlin and Grace Park in a bikini while they developed an interesting overarching plot, and by the time you realized that neither one could act, it didn't matter because you were sucked in.  As far as 'believability' goes, the only decent actor on the show is Annie Ilonzeh, but as the token minority she won't be able to carry the show.  They need to take these 3 beautiful women and flaunt them for all they're worth.  Again I'm sorry but there is no other reason to watch this show.  Let's see some bikini's and gratuitous cleavage and butt shots.  Sorry.

Revision on my early NFL predictions

In the event that Peyton Manning misses half the season: 

South 

y-Houston Texans (10-6)

Indianapolis Colts (8-8)
Tennessee Titans (7-9)
Jacksonville Jaguars (5-11)

In the event that Peyton Manning misses the entire season:

South 

y-Houston Texans (10-6)

Tennessee Titans (8-8)
Jacksonville Jaguars (6-10)

Indianapolis Colts (5-11)

I think the Colts minus Peyton Manning are a below average team, and as they've been built around one player, switching him out without planning for it will be detrimental for the season.  I think a best case is maybe they win 7 games, but with injuries and all that, I think 5 is a safe and conservative number.  

This changes the potential playoff matchups, but I don't think it'll make a difference in the overall picture.  The Houston Texans have made some improvements this year but they have no chance against the AFC elite.

My Extremely Early NFL Predictions

Here's my very early NFL Predictions:

AFC
East
z-New England Patriots (14-2)
x-New York Jets (12-4)
Buffalo Bills (5-11)
Miami Dolphins (5-11)

North
y-Pittsburgh Steelers (13-3)
x-Baltimore Ravens (10-6)
Cleveland Browns (6-10)
Cincinnati Bengals (4-12)

South
y-Indianapolis Colts (10-6)
Houston Texans (9-7)
Tennessee Titans (7-9)
Jacksonville Jaguars (5-11)

West
y-San Diego Chargers (12-4)
Kansas City Chiefs (9-7)
Oakland Raiders (7-9)
Denver Broncos (4-12)

NFC
East
z-Philadelphia Eagles (13-3)
Dallas Cowboys (10-6)
New York Giants (10-6)
Washington Redskins (2-14)

North
y-Green Bay Packers (12-4)
Chicago Bears (9-7)
Minnesota Vikings (9-7)
Detroit Lions (7-9)


South
y-New Orleans Saints (13-3)
x-Atlanta Falcons (11-5)
x-Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-5)
Carolina Panthers (1-15)

West
y-St. Louis Rams (9-7)
Arizona Cardinals (3-13)
San Francisco 49ers (3-13)
Seattle Seahawks (1-15)

Playoffs:
First round
New England Patriots - bye
Pittsburgh Steelers - bye
San Diego Chargers over Baltimore Ravens
New York Jets over Indianapolis Colts

Philadelphia Eagles - bye
New Orleans Saints - bye
Green Bay Packers over St. Louis Rams
Atlanta Falcons over Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Quarterfinals:
New England Patriots over New York Jets
Pittsburgh Steelers over San Diego Chargers
Philadelphia Eagles over Atlanta Falcons
New Orleans Saints over Green Bay Packers

Semifinals:
Pittsburgh Steelers over New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints over Philadelphia Eagles

Superbowl:
New Orleans Saints over Pittsburgh Steelers

Overheard at a Burger King

Lady: Hi, what's the King deal today?
Cashier: It's the Whopper deal.
Lady: Oh okay, I'll get that. Can I have it without bread?
Cashier: ...

Check out these amazing engagement photos

http://www.weddingbee.com/2011/08/22/damn-these-kids-are-cool/

I wish I had thought of this..

Why this blog still exists

I don't know.

Andrea Bargnani

Bargnani is really good at something you don't normally need from someone at his position. He's like the girl you don't really like who knows how to perform an oil change. The only reason you keep her around is because you want to save $45 every 3-4 months.

Jonas Valanciunas

I predict that the above player will not be as big of a bust as Darko Milicic. Because he was taken 5th, not 2nd.

Career wise, I expect nothing more than a Shawn Bradley.

Do not underestimate Kemba

I know I don't post here too often anymore but I finally have something important to say. The Raptors have the 5th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, and they should select Kemba Walker.

Here is Kemba showing off his breakdancing skills:

No offense to the rest of the Connecticut team, but Kemba pretty much single-handedly won the NCAA Championship this year.

When Kemba shoots, his opponents cower in fear:

He's been labeled as a shoot-first point guard, but in highschool people thought he couldn't do anything but pass. His hard work ethic paved the way for him to become his team's leading scorer, but that doesn't mean he can't do other things when asked to.

Do. Not. Underestimate. Kemba:

People think Kemba is too short, but he's the same height as Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo, two superior NBA point guards. They worry he can't defend, but Kemba has one of the best PPR (point-guard point rating) of all the draftees. He averages 1 steal per 18 minutes in college.

Kemba has heart:

Look at that face. He's determined.

Kemba is a team player:

Look, they're practically trying to tear his clothes off!

Bryan Colangelo, you never listen to me but just do it once. Kemba Walker will be the best player from this draft. It was a gift to have fallen to 5th overall. Do the right thing.

Mobilicity

I switched over to Mobilicity thanks to their 1st anniversary deal. It was $40 per month + tax, for unlimited minutes, unlimited data, unlimited global text messages, unlimited long distance within North America, voice mail, 3 way calling, call waiting, caller ID. No contract.

I've never had data on a phone and I'm sure the novelty will wear out (foursquare is a total waste of time, but I like seeing myself "winning" amongst my friends), but that's the deal and it's a fine one.

Biggest problem with Mobilicity is their zones are a bit small.. the northern border is just 2 blocks north of me and I often find myself in "roaming" depending on where I am inside my own house. But I can't complain with that price, and I got myself my first smartphone.

A Royal Wedding

Guy at work asked me if I got up early to watch the royal wedding. I said no, although it's partially a lie.

Truth is I did wake up early, but more so I could get to work on time. And I did turn on the television to find out what the weather was, only to find every channel covering the wedding. For the 3 minutes I watched, I was amused by the lack of effort put forth by attendees to pretend to look like they were actually singing along during the singing of what I assume were hymns. At least move your lips, you're on TV!

Mantracker

I watch this show occasionally, and something someone told me dawned on me recently. How hard is it to hide from this guy, when you have a camera crew following you around?

A new bag

I got a new bag last week, the Big Pod from MEC. I had been using the Sling Pod for many years, maybe 10 years now and making the switch has been pretty easy. Both bags work the same way where you just slide it upwards to get to the zipper pockets. The inside pockets are virtually the same as those in it's little brother, just a little bigger.

What's nice about this bag is that now I can put my umbrella in without stretching it, and I can still fit a bunch of other things in it. For example I can roll up a windbreaker and fit it inside, and still be able to reach other things in the bag, whereas before once the windbreaker was in there, there was no room to do anything else.

Other than size, the major difference is that the side pocket for a water bottle has been removed. Instead there's a zipper there and when unzipped, a pocket folds out, but this pocket is not deep enough to really put a bottle in there. I have no idea why they changed the design, because with a larger bag you would think they would make a pocket for a larger bottle of water at the very least.

Minor differences are the material does not seem as thick or sturdy, but I have a feeling the Sling Pod is the same way now.. I was spoiled with one of the original sturdier Sling Pods.

That's about it, not much else to say.