:: Life on Planet Dan-E ::

:: Sports, Sports, and more Sports ::

This is another blog for all you sports fans.

Super Bowl 38 ... err, I mean Super Bowl XXXVIII should be a pretty good one for no other reason than the Panther's "where the hell did these guys come from?!?" factor. I'm not sure it'll be as good as the recent Rams/Titans or the Patriots/Rams games but it should be markedly better than the Ravens/Giants game.

Jim O'Brien resigns as head coach of the Boston Celtics because of "philosophical differences." So who should they get to fill that coaching vacancy? How about... Byron Scott? One has to have been a Laker fan dating all the back into the 80s (and in doing so I date myself) to realize and appreciate the convoluted nature of the previous sentence. There’s really no way that could ever happen but if it did... let me paraphrase Marcellus Wallace from "Pulp Fiction:" (to Scott) "You leave now, tonight, and don’t ever come back. Your L.A. privileges have been revoked."

Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Alex Cora broke his arm playing winter league ball in his native Puerto Rico. Dodgers GM Dan Evens replied, "wait, he JUST broke it? We though he was playing with a gimp arm all last season. At least that’s why we thought he only hit .249. Crap, someone go check Shawn Green's shoulder."

Speaking of the Dodgers: In order to remedy last year's pathetically incompetent offense, they sign *drum roll* Jose Lima and Jose Hernandez. (Reports say that the Dodgers tried to go for the hat trick and sign Jose Conseco but couldn't meet his contract demands of "please for the love of God get me the hell out of house arrest.") That's just great. Fix the offense by getting a barely mediocre pitcher that started last year in the minor leagues and a shortstop that strikes out about as often as me at a nightclub (which means "way too much" for you unfamiliar with Dan-E-isms). But it's ok, they signed minor league deals so they probably won’t see any action at Dodger Stadium; except lately, the Dodgers lineup has been about as healthy as a bird in Thailand.

First there's mad cow disease, now the "bird flu?" American chicken farmers, understandably jumpy after the mad cow scare, react defensively saying "our chickens are perfectly safe. Everyone knows that chickens never flu."

Ok, that joke was just fowl. What, you gonna henpeck me to death for that? Well, the yoke's on you so I'll keep you a-breast of anything else I can come up with.

Last Dodger rant, I promise: My expectations for them have lowered to the point where I'll consider it a good season if the Dodgers don't get sold to some jagoff real estate developer - in this case BAH-ston mogul Frank McCourt - whose sole purpose for buying the team is to demolish Dodger Stadium and use the land for housing. McCourt you crusty old bastard, I don't care how successful "Angela’s Ashes" was. Don't inflict your childhood pain on the rest of us, alright? Get over it! Drink a Murphy’s for Pete's sake.

At the start of the season the Lakers were supposed to tear through the league manner similar to that of the Civil War's William T. Sherman cutting through the Deep South during his Atlanta Campaign. Instead, if I may paraphrase C3P0, "this team is not entirely stable." Likewise, the Kings, after being off to a promising start, have now dropped to third place in their division. Don't get me started on the Ducks. It sucks to be a fan of an LA sports team right now and those fans, being bitter and dejected would probably... oh wait I forget, L.A. sports fans don't actually care. Keep in mind, this is the city where its people, when faced with the prospect of both its NFL teams leaving for other venues, responded with a collective "we had TWO football teams?"

I mean, I'd hate to live to see the day where Angelenos have to look the the Angels as a last ray of hope... oh wait. S**t.

And before you obsessive correction freaks write me, I’m quite aware that there are in fact, two very different, completely unrelated Frank McCourts out there. Put the mouse down. Now.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 12:22 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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I've been tempted to write about the weather here but considering I have a few friends and a kid brother who lives up in the sub-freezing northeast and I'm relatively speaking, basking in 71 degree sun, I've decided to refrain from such commentary.

I really like my classes this quarter. I have a lot of writing assignments even outside of my writing class, which is a pleasant surprise. It's nice that a lot of project go beyond just "creating ads." Three of the instructors also gave out tips and pointers on thought process, how to come up with ideas, organizing yourself, and creating concepts. It's a vast improvement over last quarter's "here's the client, this is the product, that's the idea, now bring back three pieces."

It's also been more challenging than last quarter's classes. While a couple of those classes were an exercise is patience (unintentionally) as much as exercising artistic abilities, these classes are far more focused on developing conceptual and creative thinking. I?ve also been buried under a larger workload, which is probably good for keeping me busy and away from the infectious nightlife here.

Not a bad way to start the year.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 4:07 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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I continue to be impressed by the people who run Miami Ad School. The co-presidents/founders of the school - Ron and Pippa Seichrist - invited all the people in my quarter over to their place for a welcoming party. (It would have actually happened last quarter except they were in the Ukraine for almost a month going through the process of adopting a little girl.)

They own a small but beautiful four-unit townhome complex just a few blocks away from school. Food was large amounts of sushi, fried shrimp, eggrolls, etc and as usual, large amounts of alcohol. Up to this point, I knew very little about Ron or Pippa other than their work in the advertising industry. Apparently they're both prolific woodworkers who enjoy making furniture on their free time. They own a farm up in Georgia and goes there during breaks. While there they make tables, cabinets, even bedframes as a hobby. I learned this while being given a tour of their place and marveling at the beauty and craftsmenship of various pieces of furniture. Pippa's chairs are especially beautiful. I was especially impressed with Olya's (their daughter) room, since the TV stand, bunk bed, cabinet, and dresser was all made by Ron. When I first walked in my initial thought was "this is really cool furniture. I wonder where they bought it?"

It's nice to know that the people who are going to be in some ways responsible for the future of my career are such well rounded, talented individuals. I was already impressed with their friendly, grounded demeanor but my respect for them increased now that I know that they're more than just riches-seeking, prissy, white-collared desk jockeys. I'll always have a soft spot for people who aren't afraid to get their hands dirty.

I wonder if they're looking to adopt a son? I'd more than happy to put myself up for adoption :)

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 8:36 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: Can't wait foor Baseball ::

This post will probably only make sense for those who follow sports, specifically, baseball. I just heard on the radio about half an hour ago that Roger Clemens is coming out of "retirement" and signed with the Houston Astros for the 2004 season. My first thought: Mike Piazza must be salivating, if not foaming at the mouth at the probability of calling that first pitch high and inside the first time Clemens comes up to bat.

In fact, there might be a lot of players in the NL who spent some time in the AL that are relishing the thought of seeing The Rocket get plunked every time he's batting. I think the odds are good that regardless of who he faces his first time up, be it the Brewers or the Mets, that first pitch he gets is going to be inside... way inside.

Combine that with what has been very intersting off-season, I'm already looking ahead to the start of opening day.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 3:52 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: Alarming Oil Consumption ::

This is going to sound odd but does anyone else out there who cooks semi-regularly go through olive oil at the same rate that I do? I never really gauged my olive oil consumption until I go my own place but I was just wondering if going through a 1-liter bottle of oil in three months was normal.

I went grocery shopping to replenish my fridge and I was rather engrossed in selecting a bottle of olive oil even though the brands available at Publix (the local grocery chain) was rather modest. I settled on a bottle of "Badia" - it was the cheapest extra virgin brand there - but not before seeing a bottle of Bertolli elicited a mental image of a pack of unspoiled debutantes running through my head.

I've used it before and I know it's a good oil but I can't see that bottle any more without it conjuring up that image and I don't need that distraction =P

To the one person who knows what the hell I'm talking about, damn you and your euphamistic tendencies =P

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 7:14 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: Home Sweet Home ::

Never would I have thought that the enveloping warmth of South Florida's humidity would ever be comforting but it feels good to be back home. And I can write the last seven words of the previous sentence without a second thought. I just landed in Ft. Lauderdale about four hours ago and I'm feeling little woozy from the jetlag. But it's not going to keep me from enjoying the fact that I'm back where I belong. I enjoyed every minute back in L.A. but after the ski trip I was quite anxious to get to Miami Beach. I missed my rinky-dink apartment. I missed wearing shorts and sandals. I missed the faster pace of life here. I missed... I missed those intangibles that only odd people like me would appreciate.

I can say without reservation that I'm really looking forward to this next year. I've made it my resolution to relish every moment possible but it's not because I think that 2004 might be a "good" year. Or at least how most people might define a "good" year. I have friends who are looking forward to this because of new and great things that came into their lives recently and I'm happy for them. However, I'm not expecting things in my life to go smoothly. Other than school I haven't a clue as to what this year holds. In fact, I have a strong feeling that I will be tested in ways that I might not expect. (The masochistic side of me is actually looking forward to receiving a major a**-kicking.) But I'm going look forward to this year and embrace every moment because it has been quite a while since I could even say that.

I know I've written about this before but last year was one of extreme peaks andvalleys. Probably not the most extreme but it's up there. Not just things I've been through but I've had to share (very happily) some of the burdens that my friends have had to endure as well. But I've been there to share the joyous moments of the people I care about as well and it was my privilege to share those moments; and when wonderful things happened to me, I felt blessed that my friends were there too.

You know what? I'm gonna stop typing before I start singing or something.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 7:28 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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