What's Adam doing?

Charles Barkley: Crooner?

2011-09-19T14:02:00.003-04:00

This is Painful:

However the question still remains, is his singing worse than his golf swing?

At Least We Looked Good in Defeat

2011-09-07T19:42:00.002-04:00

The University of Maryland has apparently decided to turn itself into the Lady Gaga of college football.

Somebody! Buy Me This Shirt!

2011-09-04T23:32:00.003-04:00

Just look at this thing. Resplendent. Beautiful. Glorious. A true work of art.

Quick, head over to ebay and snap this thing up!

Um...David Cross Looks a Lot Like...

2011-08-23T11:26:00.003-04:00

Seif al-Islam Kadhafi, Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi's son.

Teddy Roosevelt v. Rally Monkey

2011-08-18T21:38:00.002-04:00

The Rally Monkey jumps out of the stands and attacks Teddy Roosevelt. If you don't watch this video you should take some time and reevaluate what is important to you in life.

Life Shards: Volume 5

2011-04-26T21:41:00.002-04:00

In this ongoing series I'll post short comments that I say, type, or hear during everyday life that seem like a profound, and possibly incomplete and cryptic, description of how my life is going. Here is today's offering;

"I feel like I just obtained 1,000 soldiers, 10,000 horses (sounds weird in English.. haha)"

-My friend Seohee, upon hearing that she had passed the New York Bar Exam

As Dusty Would Say, I'm "Liv'n On The End Of A Light'nin Bolt!"

2011-04-17T22:47:00.005-04:00

Life has been hectic in a good way lately. I really want to write in a little more detail about all the things I've had on my plate, but for now here's a little sampler of what's going on.

(That is the look of a man who isn't phased by a hectic schedule)

-I'm back training Muay Thai and Jiu-Jitsu. I have very few regrets in life, I can probably count them on one hand, but stopping training a little over a year ago is one of them. Fortunately that time is over now and I'm not stopping again. At this point I don't even think I have a choice to stop training because it makes every other form of exercise I've tried seem monotonous.

- Took a trip to Atlanta for WrestleMania 27 with 3 great friends. We ate like king, had luxurious reservations, and were treated a fantastic show. I didn't know at the time that I was watching my favorite wrester Edge's last match, nobody did, but the fact that I did see it will make the memories of that trip even sweeter.

- I'm working with 2 of the guys who I road tripped to WrestleMania with on starting a local indy wrestling promotion. We've got a location, we've got a date, we've started preliminarily booking wrestlers and we've got a ring lined up. Before I throw out any specifics I want to get signatures on the contract I sent over to the building we'll be running in, but that hopefully will come this week.

More to come on all of this as it develops.

On Fighting and Being Human

2011-03-27T23:11:00.002-04:00

Sergio De La Pava's A Day's Sail is one of the very rare writings I've found that comes close to doing justice to the beauty and potential for metaphor found in fighting. He is able to artfully weave Virginia Wolfe, Gatti v. Ward, Corrales v, Castill, and even a pinch of law to make this article seem like I commissioned it myself.

Thanks to the ability to embed video De La Pava doesn't have to explain the the exceptional feats and heart displayed in the ring to the reader, but can instead allow them to experience it themselves with just a click.

Beyond just succeeding in using boxing as a writer's tool it's also a nice look at what it means to fight, or struggle, and what kind of light you deserve to be seen in as someone willing to endure the fight. Borrowing the term “in a light most favorable to the People” from the realm of law De La Pava argues that "Certain people are entitled to this light. They are numerous and teem and their numbers include artists, fighters, nurses, damn almost anyone who does or worries about doing." Personally, I wouldn't have extended that last sentence to include anyone who "worries about doing," but it's not a big enough difference of opinion to sour me on his point.

I can't encourage you enough to READ THIS. It is worth every one of the very few minutes it will take.

Wisdom

2011-03-12T23:15:00.001-05:00

"Fame is the new talent."

-SBK

Life Shards: Volume 4

2011-03-11T02:04:00.001-05:00

"I call it like I read it...and I'm usually, almost, sometimes, never wrong."

-Jamee Gordon

For Very Roundabout Reasons...

2011-03-10T23:51:00.001-05:00

...This song reminds me of Philadelphia.

Annoying Day

2011-03-09T01:34:00.003-05:00

These are just a few of the things that make me very happy that I start 5 days a week with Muay Thai or Jiu-Jitsu class;

-Awkwardly timed traffic lights leaving me with tough decisions on whether to slam on the breaks or chance a possible camera enforced red light ticket.

-Web browsers with minute malfunctions leading me to have to use 3 different browsers to check my bank balance.

-Gas pumps that take a $73 deposit that doesn't clear for 3 days.

-Forgetting to charge my cell phone on one of the very few days I'll actually need to use it to call some people.

-Limited healthy eating options.

In the grand scheme of things none of these things are tragic and won't matter much at all. However when they seem to be clustered together, along with many other annoyances, in one day it's not enjoyable. This video was shared on my facebook today, I find that fact very appropriate (Language NSFW).

Things are looking up though, only 9 hours 15 minutes until Muay Thai Class.

Life Shards: Volume 3

2011-03-05T10:51:00.003-05:00

"Man, it's like you have Popeye's forearms for calves. It's crazy."

-A coworker admiring my calves. No homo...I think.

Life Shards: Volume 2

2011-03-01T23:02:00.001-05:00

"If only Congress had 1/1,000th of the charisma that Charlie Sheen has..."

-Adam Samons

I Want to Get (back) to There

2011-03-01T10:57:00.003-05:00

Life Shards: Volume 1

2011-02-27T14:47:00.002-05:00

"Yeah Jim, I had a nice conversation with my Muay Thai instructor about beard brushing the other day. It seems quite helpful, certainly worth a try."

-Adam Samons

UFC 127 Main Even Pick Posted…Just Because

2011-02-26T14:49:00.001-05:00

I want to like John Fitch, I really do. When we watched UFC 87 at Angelina’s place and he took 25 minutes of ass whupp’n from GSP but just refused to die he earned a ton of respect from me. Also, the man perfectly times his walk in to Johnny Cash’s Rusty Cage so that he always walks into the Octagon as the guitar solo hits. But since then he’s been a bit of a boring decision machine.

As for BJ, I never feel 100% confident picking Penn because you never know when he’s going to come into a fight all disinterested and looking like he’d rather be ordering up fries at the Hilo BK. When he’s dialed in I think he takes this fight 75% of the time. So my pick comes down to whether I think BJ will care or not.

I’m going to have to go with Penn in a decision because he’s got better hands and good enough take down defense to eek out a close decision. (And yes, I do realize my reasoning for the pick actually didn’t have anything to do with the stuff I had written up until that last paragraph. I guess I was going for more of a surprise ending than a well formulated term paper approach with this comment)

You Make the Call

2011-02-23T23:50:00.006-05:00

(Not the team I'd pick for a playground pickup game)

Caltech broke their 310 game conference losing streak last night. Their last conference win? 26 years ago. Yeah, they look happy in the pictures, but I'm still not sure if this is a moving story of the triumph of the human spirit or just really depressing.

Impressionist Painting or Tourist Photos?

2011-02-21T11:29:00.002-05:00

From the “I wish I had thought of that great art project” folder comes this Flavorwire story about Corinne Vionnet, a Swiss photographer who “layered between 200 to 300 tourist-taken shots of some of the world’s most famous landmarks to create what look like blurry, Impressionist paintings.”

Here’s a link to her project’s site: Photo Opportunities/

"As if Every Thought that Tumbles Through Your Head was so Clever it Would be a Crime for it Not to be Shared."

2011-02-20T03:45:00.003-05:00

(Yeah, it's that good)

Saw The Social Network last night. This isn't news to anybody, but this movie is fantastic. The dialog hits you at a breakneck speed and is a challenge well worth accepting.

At least to me this movie is a tale of old money versus new money. A story of how a group of stately "Harvard Men" simply can't comprehend, nor properly react to, an outsider geek getting over on them.

In one of the movie's most telling exchanges a young Mark Zuckerburg is chided by his business partner, Eduardo, over having potential facebook interns compete for their positions in a competition that equal part drinking game and hacking competition. Mark responds that this competition is at least as relevant as having to care for a chicken, a task Eduardo has been saddled with by his prestigious "finals club" for which he is pledging.

This kind of old world tradition v. new economy efficiency rings throughout the movie and is an inspiration to anyone who hopes to create their own enterprise. A certain DVD purchase for me once I can get around to it.

Watch Black Swan, It's Great

2011-02-09T10:51:00.003-05:00

Director Darren Aronofsky’s last film before Black Swan was 2008’s the Wrestler, his brilliant look into the life of an aging professional wrestler. On the surface the subject matter of pro wrestling and ballet couldn’t seem to be farther apart, but there are some similarities in the way Aronofsky handles both movie’s themes. These similarities combined, among other things, with Aronofsky’s fantastic ability to bring you into the mind of a person descending into madness make Black Swan a very entertaining 108 minutes.

Natalie Portman plays Nina, a brilliant but naïve ballerina is going for the lead role in a new production Swan Lake where the lead will be expected to pull double duty by playing the roles of both Black and White Swan. Nina’s sheltered existence and constant striving for technical precision as a dancer make her a perfect fit for the innocent role of the White Swan. However after being cast in the lead she is forced to find a more impulsive, sensual, and impulsive side to herself to fulfill the Black Swan role.

This transition runs so opposed to the world Nina knows that it wears away at her sanity. Just like Randy “The Ram” Robinson in the Wrestler trying to adjust to normal life where he is no longer cheered by thousands the feelings of awkwardness and even cognitive dissonance are palpable as you watch Nina find her more impulsive side. The feeling is especially pronounced when Lilly, a free spirited fellow ballerina played by Mila Kunis, is on screen.

Without giving away too much of the story away before you set foot in the theater I’ll also say that you should watch for how Aronofsky uses the thematic underpinnings of Swan Lake itself, especially in the plot’s resolution.

Very quick note: I love how the Wrestler and Black Swan deal with mental demands of characters who’s lives completely revolve around physical performance. This seems to be a niche where Aronofsky is peerless.

Observations

2011-02-02T19:08:00.004-05:00

2 quick observations from listening to a workout mix tape I made years ago that happens to have some wrestling intros on it:

1) No matter what you are doing, or where you are, when the Ultimate Warrior's music comes on it's almost impossibly hard not to run full speed towards the first rope like object and shake it.

2) Even if you don't feel awkward listening to and liking Chris Benoit's old intro you'll probably still feel kind of awkward about not feeling awkward.

Please Let This Happen

2010-11-28T20:50:00.005-05:00

Had Randy Shannon been able to bring Miami back to a national championship it wouldn't have just been the best story in college football, it would have been the best story in sports. To see a man who had overcome all Shannon did to get a shot as the head coach at his alma-matter was great, even if things didn't work out as well as we all hoped.

Thankfully Shannon leaves the program in MUCH better shape than he found it and for that he should be commended. So, that leaves us with the question of who gets the keys to the Miami Hurricanes football team.

Even though it might still be a bit of a long shot the perfect man for the job is Jon Gruden.

Gruden is exactly what The U needs at this point in time. Intense, outspoken, a true figurehead for the program. Let's face it, after 4 seasons under Shannon we still had no idea what the identity of the Miami program was on the field or off of it.

Gruden's outspoken and firery persona could no doubt change that. Even though he has no ties to The U it's like Donna Shalala and Kirby Hocutt created him in a laboratory specifically for this job at this time.

He's got the NFL pedigree that was Howard Schnellenberger's calling card when he took the job and put the program on the map.

He's got bravado that is reminiscent of Schnellenberger and Jimmy Johnson. The kind of bravado that has current U students wearing shirts that say "The U Invented Swagger."

He has no strong ties to Miami, just like Howard, Jimmy, Dennis, and Butch before him. While it's common practice for most universities to try and hire a new coach with at least some previous tie to the program that was never really the practice at The U. Every time a new coach was needed (before Coker) the program sought out and found the perfect hire from outside, even if it upset seemingly everyone. Over the last 3 decades the only Miami coaching hires who were clearly not up to the job were Coker and Shannon, the only 2 hires who had previous ties to Miami.

Even the most valid criticisms of the potential hire shouldn't be that troubling.

Sure, he might follow a similar pattern to his time in Tampa, winning a title early in his tenure, with the previous coaches players, and then never reaching the top of the mountain again. Um, I'm okay with that. I'll take a title using the pieces Shannon assembled and am beyond confident that given Gruden's resume he won't be leaving this problem in the disrepair that Coker did.

Finally, yes, it is possible he may only stay a couple years and head to the NFL. Again, I have no problem with that. Having the hottest coaching commodity in the NFL take the job at Miami automatically make the statement that The U is the place to be in college football. We don't just battle with FSU, LSU, UF, UGA, USC or any other school for coaches. No, this hire would show that we can take on the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers in competition for a coach and emerge with the man we all want.

Simply put, hiring Gruden would affirm that we are The U and nobody else ever can be.

Back to Posting

2010-10-14T16:32:00.001-04:00

So, yeah, it has been quite a while. There’s no reason to rehash in detail how life has gone since the last post I made, but if you really want to get a sense of how it’s been I suggest you rent a copy of Rock II and watch chapter 12 entitled “How About Manual Labor.”

In the scene Balboa, a great fighter coming off his classic Bicentennial battle against Apollo Creed, goes about applying for desk jobs that don’t require as much brain trauma as boxing. He faces the sting of rejection at every turn for being under qualified. I, on the other hand, am a very mediocre fighter who has been rejected by every job I’ve wanted for being overqualified. Strange how things work out the same on both ends of the qualification spectrum.

In addition to that I’ve flipped a car into a ditch in an accident that could have killed me in about 2 or 3 different ways, started a business that keeps me busy and crazy with it’s bipolar profitability, met some great new people, have an outstanding relationship with a girl I love, and generally maintained a very high level of awesomeness in spite of all the adversity.

Expect me to finally start posting regularly again. Facebook has been the main reason I haven’t been posting. I felt that I could convey what little I had to say in that medium. However I’m finally pondering the things I want to think about in a way that can’t be summed up in a status update. It should be fun and maybe cathartic to spend a little more time behind the keyboard.

Fun Stuff to Walk On

2009-04-19T20:53:00.005-04:00

I've long believed that major sports championship rings are the male equivalent to wedding rings for women. Seriously, when a guy walks into a room wearing one of these:you can be sure he'll have a circle of guys asking questions about when it happened and how he got it.

While I was testing for a police job in Vegas a couple weeks ago another guy obsession became clear to me.

As we finished our vertical jumps and made our way to football field to wait for the mile and a half of running to begin we seemingly all at once realized that we were standing on the finest, most advanced outdoor playing field modern man has produced, Field Turf.

It didn't take guys long to begin dragging their feet to watch the trademark bits of rubber fly up behind their feet. Guys 10 or 15 years past their high school football careers started running half speed versions of the patterns they last ran on regular grass. We pretty much all agreed it was the coolest surface any of us had ever walked on.

In case you don’t know Field Turf uses a base of ground up rubber and sand along with fake blades of grass to almost perfectly replicate the feel and bounce of natural grass, but more cushiony and consistent. I’ve walked on old school AstroTurf at Tropicana Field in Tampa and thought it was almost inhumane that athletes had to play on such a crappy surface. Now, after seeing Field Turf up close I think I want to order some for my yard when I finally buy a house.

Well, That's Not Encouraging

2009-04-19T20:17:00.002-04:00

Since I did my last post the Magic just lost game 1 to Philly after being up by 18. I'm still not abandoning my pick though. Hopefully this will serve as a wake up call...hopefully.

Playoff Time

2009-04-19T19:26:00.002-04:00

The basketball gods shined down on me again this year with great seasons by both the Celtics and Magic as well as multiple opportunities to watch the Magic with free tickets. D-Wade even got back on track, having a season that should have gotten way more MVP consideration than it did. Perhaps it's time to reinvigorate the Committee to Give D-Wade the Love He Deserves?

With the playoffs beginning yesterday I feel I should put my few post season thoughts down for posterity and future reference for mocking purposes.

1: Hate to say it, but I'll be having to make the basketball equivalent of Sophie's Choice for the first time since 1995 when Boston will likely take on the Magic. Unlike in 1995 this time I'll be making a definative choice of which team to root for; the Magic. It's not because of any lack of love for the Celtics, it's just that with KG out for the rest of the playoffs I think the Magic are the only one of my 2 favorite teams that has a chance to reach their full potential.

2: Much like 1995 the Magic will be surprising many by how far they get in the post season, unlike 1995 the Magic will get the job completely done. That's right, I just picked the Magic to go all the way. Call me crazy and maybe I'm just really hoping to be in town when the Magic go all the way, but I like how this team has played against any of the potential challengers they'll face. Hopefully in about a month or two I'll be buying the Official Locker Room Magic Championship T-shirt.

3: Why did the NBA wait until I moved back to Orlando before offering an online version of NBA League Pass? Can't win them all I guess.

That was Timely, Unlike this Post

2009-02-28T13:43:00.003-05:00

Conversation I had on the morning of February 16th while at work:
(Leading up to this there was general banter about pets)
Co-Worker: What I really miss having is a chimp.
Me: You had a chimp as a pet? I always wanted that as a kid how was it?
C0-Worker: Yeah, I had one when I was growing up in Venezuela. It was great man, they're so cool.
Me: What about keeping them up, do they make a big mess?
C0-Worker: Nah, not really. Just so long as you keep them in a diaper it's really easy. Otherwise they might start throwing their crap or something.

News article I see on the afternoon of February 16th:
Chimp Attacks Woman in Stamford

Airport Paging and In Flight Energy Drinks

2009-01-10T20:56:00.001-05:00

I’m in Phoenix on the way from Orlando to Las Vegas and enjoying one of the simple joys of travel, the airport paging system. Until today my favorite airport paging moment was one morning in Orlando when somebody slipped through about 3 fake pages for famous person soundalikes. The only one I remember was Kurian George (Curious George) being constantly paged.

Today the Phoenix airport topped, or at least tied that. First I noticed that the paging voice sounded exactly like Stephen Hawking, so that put me in a good mood right out of the gate. Then, in the middle of its usual short boring announcements the voice of Stephen Hawking unleashed this epic page on the airport.

“Dennis, please call Peter at (---) ***-**** He want to make sure that there will be someone to meet you in Yuma. He understands that you have to go to Terminal 4 to catch that flight.”

I’m still not 100% sure what made it as funny as it is to me, but even the airport employees were laughing at it.

Besides that, I was also surprised by the drink choice of the middle aged Gator fan couple seated next to me on my 5 hour flight to Phoenix. They ordered Monster Energy Drinks. Seriously? Is that really the best thing to drink at the beginning of a completely full 5 hour flight? Exactly what did they think they’d need the extra energy for? Furthermore, who knew that Southwest even served those?

The Internet's Birthday Gift to Me

2009-01-08T19:36:00.002-05:00

My absolute favorite genre of comedy is the newscaster blooper. Today while surfing the web a bit this gem that was new to me popped up.
This guy's tone and language are changed rather quickly when a bug flies into his mouth.
Is it wrong of me to enjoy newspeople failing so much? Maybe, but either way, enjoy the video.

Boring Update and a Couple Movie Suggestions

2008-12-31T16:54:00.003-05:00

I haven't posted very much lately, mostly because I haven't been up to all that much. A lot of job searching, Muay Thai, and Jiu-Jitsu mostly. I've got a trip to Las Vegas coming up that will hopefully result in a job and relocation. Hopefully more on that in the future.

Besides the stuff above I've also been waiting for Mickey Rourke's new film The Wrestler to come out in a theater in this area. It's a hard hitting look at the results of the lifestyle live by many wrestlers throughout the ages. Much like Mick Foley wrote in his great review of the film on Slate.com I'm surprised that what looks to be a very good film has been make about the subject of professional wrestling. Below is the trailer for the film.

Also, if you've got a Netflix account you should check out the documentary Bigger, Stronger, Faster. It came out back in May but I've only just watched it today. It takes an even handed look at the impact that steroids have had on our culture. It's told from the prospective of a guy who grew up around the same time I did, watching and enjoying the same roid fueled entertainment (think Rambo, Hulk Hogan, Jose Canseco, etc). The director adds a personal touch to the story as well since both of his brothers have taken steroids to aid their attempts at professional wrestling, football, and weightlifting careers. Here's the trailer for it.

UFC 91: Couture v. Lesnar Main Event Predictions

2008-11-15T05:21:00.001-05:00

With UFC 91 happening today I figured now was the time I should put my picks up here for posterity and to be ridiculed should they be completely off base.

I wanted to pick the whole card, but lets face it, there are really only two fights that are truly must see fights, so I’ll stick with them. Click “Read More” for lots of prognostication goodness.

First, Kenny Florian v. Joe Stevenson: Both of these guys seem to be improving every time they fight, though I think Florian has a slight edge in just about every aspect except wrestling. Combine that with Florian’s size and reach advantage and I see a decision victory going his way.

Now for the main event Randy Couture v. Brock Lesnar: The chorus of people who said they’d “never pick against Randy Couture ever again” have started doing just that…again. So much so that the line in Vegas which started close to even now has Randy as a +120 underdog.

It’s understandable to see Lesnar winning this fight. He’s probably the single most physically gifted fighter in MMA. Plus, in his victory over Heath Herring he showed that his MMA learning curve is almost superhuman. Yes, he is faster, stronger, younger, etc.

Despite all that Randy Couture will still walk out of the MGM Grand victorious. He’s the best strategist in the sport and I find it hard to believe that he hasn’t found more than a few paths to victory. Add to that the fact that Randy is also one of the best in the sport at making his opponent fight the fight that he wants them to fight.

So how will it go down? If I had to guess based off of what Randy has hinted at in his interviews I’d say he’s planning to show the world that Lesnar’s speed advantage is only in one direction. Lesnar probably is the quicker fighter going straight ahead, but given his 265+ pound frame I’m not convinced that he’s faster than Couture going side to side.

My hunch that we might see Couture test Lesnar’s lateral movement was only strengthed when he weighed in at a pretty lean 220 pounds instead of going for a bulkier 225 or 230. I look for Couture to circle a lot early on and base his striking, clinching, and takedown attempts on finding Lesnar slightly off balanced.

If Couture can take the fight into the later rounds with this strategy (or something else) then I’d surprisingly have to give the edge to the 45 year old. Randy might be pretty aged, but if Lesnar has to go back and forth for 3 or 4 rounds his size will probably begin to become something of a liability. It’s not that I doubt Brock’s cardio, it’s as good as it can be for a man of his size. It’s just that physiologically it will take more oxygen to fuel Lesnar’s 265+ pounds than it will Couture’s 220. It’s essentially the same difference we see when a defensive lineman has a long fumble return compared to when a linebacker or large running back has a long run. The larger man is completely exhausted whereas the smaller man is just beginning to get exhausted.

In summation: Randy Couture by TKO on the ground somewhere in the 4th or 5th.

Of course, it’s also entirely possible that Lesnar completely mauls Couture and makes all this text completely wrong, but I’m not betting on it.

UFC 91: Saturday, 10:00 PM

2008-11-10T13:11:00.002-05:00

If you don't want to order it then find a restaurant near you to watch it at. Either way it'll be worth it. I'm not quite ready to write out my predictions yet, but I will say I'm liking Couture's chances of defending his belt.

Things I Learned Today

2008-10-16T16:36:00.003-04:00

Picture courtesey of the Leon County Sheriff's Office. If you do happen to see the guy in the orange circle you should probably let them know since he's wanted for armed robbery.

Things I Learned Today;

1) That my new Jiu-Jitsu/Muay Thai gym is great.

2) That a morning spent in Jiu-Jitsu class is apparently safer than standing in line to pay for a sandwich at a newly built Subway. Part of the front of the counter fell off directly on my big toe.

3) The front of Subway counters are REALLY heavy.

4) That I'll be missing tonights beginner's Muay Thai class.

5) That 3 years of law school didn't make me anywhere near litigious enough...I should already own that Subway.

Jared, this means war.

Come On Down!!!

2008-10-15T11:03:00.004-04:00

Just to let you guys know, this is story isn't about me:

"Police evacuated part of a Financial District high-rise Monday, after a man angry that he had been turned down to appear on a TV game show walked into a law office wearing a blinking device that he described as a bomb, authorities and witnesses said...Anthony McDaniel, facilities manager at the law office, said the man was holding a note and wearing a belt with a blinking light. McDaniel said the man indicated he was angry because he was passed over to appear on the TV game show "The Price is Right."

Why the Olive Garden Hate?

2008-10-14T17:04:00.006-04:00

There seems to be a new trend in a lot of movies and television shows I've seen lately, making fun of Olive Garden. Usually it's in the form of joking about how taking a date there is less than classy. Even an episode of WWE Monday Night Raw took a shot at Olive Garden. You know it's bad when wrestling feels free to take potshots at you. As one of the world's biggest Olive Garden enthusiasts I feel the need to defend it.

I don't get the hate. Sure, it's not quite some French fine dining establishment, but I ask you, which is the more favorable scenario

Scenario 1: You drop a crap load of money on an exotic gourmet meal and spend the rest of the evening thinking that the other person had better live up to the figure on the bill. It's like when Mike Ditka was running the New Orleans Saints and traded all their 1999 draft picks and their 1st and 3rd round picks in 2000 just to be able to draft Ricky Williams at the #5 spot in 1999. There was no way the guy could have ever lived up to that.

Scenario 2: On the other hand lets say you go to the mid-price ranged olive garden, get a good meal, and don't pay a fortune. As a result there's far less pressure on both sides to live up to the cost of the meal. I see passing up the glitz and glamor of a fine dining establishment as a parallel to the famous "Herschel Walker Trade" back in 1989 where Jimmy Johnson gave up Walker to the Vikings for a boatload of draft picks that helped establish the Cowboy dynasty of the 1990s (Most notably the draft picks the Cowboys got wound up becoming Emmitt Smith, Darren Woodson, and Russell Maryland).

There's no shame in loving the Olive Garden, even bringing a date there, just think of yourself as Jimmy Johnson.

Adam's Spiritual Home in Flint Michigan

2008-09-23T18:22:00.002-04:00

I've been on the road quite a bit lately, traveling from Pennsylvania to Ohio to Kentucky to Indiana back to Kentucky then to Tennessee to Alabama and then finally ending up for the time being in Mississippi. Pictures of this voyage are forthcoming, but before I get to that I've found my place of worship should my travels find me in Flint, Michigan.

Thanks to Church Without Walls Ministries, at 6202 Dupont St there's a church where I can fully utilize my throwback jersey collection. Rev. Martez Warren Sr. decided to relax the dress code a little and encourage his church's members to wear their finest Mitchell & Ness in hopes of drawing in some new members.

"I felt I needed to do something to entice people to come to church, but I understood a regular service wouldn't draw them in," Warren said. "So if we can get them in church and off the streets, that's the beginning of change for our community."

This got me thinking, what would be the more awkward jersey to wear into church? Ty Cobb? O.J. Simpson? Rae Carruth? Dennis Rodman?

Matthew 10:14

2008-09-13T13:43:00.001-04:00

"Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet."

File This Under 'Ways to Pay for Law School'

2008-09-11T21:32:00.003-04:00

A New Zealand airline is offering bald guys like me $660 to wear a temporary tattoo on their heads in airport lines. Just another option in my quest to chip away at the debt a little bit at a time.

UM v. UF Thoughts As They Happen

2008-09-06T21:19:00.014-04:00

Since I was in an empty house during the UM v. UF game I found myself live blogging my thoughts to the game as a means of relieving my need to talk about what happened. I've included the final observations below, and if you feel that reading the entirety of my thoughts on game pertinent for some reason you can check out the first comment to this post for the full review.

26-3 Final
We saw what many people expected, we're young, we're quick, and we're good enough to hang with an elite team on the road for about 3 quarters. I'm never happy with a loss, but the way these guys played should comfort anybody who was concerned about the direction Randy Shannon has this program going at the beginning of his second year.

Here's hoping that Florida stays healthy all year and makes a run for the SEC and National Titles.

UM v. UF 2008

2008-09-06T14:20:00.011-04:00

Anyone who has looked over the television schedule today probably knows I'll be in front of the tv by 8:00 tonight for UM v. UF. Over 20 years as a Gator before becoming a UM alum kind of dictates that nothing will be distracting me from the game.

Nobody is expecting a UM victory here. Not even the few media members and outlets usually friendly to the Canes give them a chance, and for good reason. When you go 5-7 last year and get blown out by Virginia there's really no reason to be picked on the road against a team like Florida.

Despite that backdrop I can't help but have a good feeling about today's game for the Canes. Last year's Hurricanes team would have been decimated, the difference is that this isn't last year's team. Coach Shannon informed many quitters and lesser talented players from last year's roster that their services would no longer be needed. He's also infused the roster with a ton of young talent. My hope, and the only hope that the Canes really have today is that the freshmen and sophomores that Shannon has brought in really are that good and are to young to believe what everyone else thinks; that they don't have a prayer in the Swamp.

Simply stated, today I'm feeling like the Canes are young enough, talented enough, and crazy enough to pull the major upset here. Sure, I'm picking with my heart, but what's the fun in sports if you can't hope for the improbable from time to time.

600 People in the Stands and 1 Weirdo in Pittsburgh Watching on a Laptop

2008-09-04T13:50:00.007-04:00

Yesterday's Marlins game was attended by only 600 people. Being one of the few, the proud, the true Marlins fans, I'm used to bizarre stories of lacking fan interest like this one. As much as I hate to admit it, I can't blame the fans for staying home.

I've been to a Summer day game at Dolphins Stadium. It was back in the Summer of 2003, at the time the Marlins were well below .500 and playing the Montreal Expos. I forgot to wear a hat and sunburned my head really bad for the first and only time. This sunburn led to a wicked staph infection on my head...I still wish I had pictures of that thing. Since I don't here's a picture that'll give you an idea of how it looked. So yeah, it's okay to stay at home for the day games until they finally get that retractable stadium built downtown. Even though I'll excuse the fans for staying home I did watch the game on my laptop, which is a really weird feeling. Is it an indication that something is wrong with me that I'm paying to watch a game on my laptop that only 600 people wanted to attend in person?

Oh well, at least they've won 2 world series...

Loosly Related Observations Regarding Employment, Baseball Values, and Poverty

2008-09-02T20:59:00.003-04:00

Since I graduated back in May Friday was my last day at NLSA filing bankruptcies, union rules wouldn’t allow me to stick around any longer. I loved my time there and couldn’t imagine even one negative thing to say about that place. Even the timing of my departure seems to be just right as I’m certainly ready for a geographic change.

To celebrate my last day I went to a Pirates game at PNC Park. I’ve been to a decent amount of games there, so it’s about time to give the Pirates their due. For $16.25 I was able to get really good outfield box seats (price reduced to $12 thanks to an online special), a Richie Zisk bobblehead (free to every fan) and a Pirates batting helmet sunday ($4.25). Sure, the Pirates aren’t exactly the cream of the MLB crop, but all things considered they still give a great overall value for the price. Plus PNC Park is worth the price of admission by itself.
There’s something funny to me about being unemployed on Labor Day. Monday was the first time I can remember being unemployed and out of school on the national holiday devoted to the nation’s workers. Don’t fear for me or anything though, thanks to some saving and financial planning I’m fine for a little while.

I went to Burger King for dinner tonight and had an experience with the wonderful homeless community on Carson Street. On my way in and out I had to ignore a couple people begging, but that’s nothing new. What was interesting was that just as I began my meal inside a 5 foot 5 inch homeless guy decided it’d be a great idea to hover over me to intimidate me into giving up my Burger, clearly he had no idea of my commitment to keeping my own food. I’ll use this clip from the movie Falling Down to give a moderately accurate approximation of the exchange.

Unlike the clip I wouldn’t have even the guy at Burger King my old useless briefcase. So, why not give a guy food when he’s asking for it instead of money? Simple, it’s all about the way he went about it. My guy thought that by standing over me and leering he would be rewarded with food. That’s not the kind of behavior I encourage.

Instead, if you’re panhandling I will give you money or food if you can spin a tale. Not just any half hearted tough luck story though. Nope, you’ve got to get my attention and keep it. I don’t care so much whether the story is true or not, just make it good and not obviously false. Perhaps even add some song and dance elements, whatever suits your talents. Just don’t bother me to waste my time, make it worth it for me and it’ll be worth it for you.

There’s my quasi-libertarian guide to panhandling, hopefully there’s some homeless person using the internet at some public library that can make use of this approach to panhandling.

Used Book Stores Rock

2008-08-24T20:27:00.002-04:00

I was at a used book shop today and picked up a couple of great finds.

In the philosophy section and ran across a deductive logic book with a cartoon on the cover and newspaper comic strips interspersed throughout the pages. Here's a little tip, if you're in the market for a philosophy book and you see one that makes frequent use of comics to get its points across it's probably a good book, at least my experience.
In addition to the comics I recognized one of the author's names, Howard Pospesel. He's a professor at the University of Miami. Since the book was only $3 I decided to pick it up on a whim. After I got home I got even more value for my $3. I was flipping through it and found the original recite for the book from when it was bought from the pitt bookstore. The recite is dated 1/21/1981 and the price was $9.70.

I also picked up a great book on the Gracie family of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fame. It's titled The Gracie Way and I've had my eye on it for a while. When I got home and started flipping through it I saw some large marks on the first few pages, turns out the marks were the autographs of Kid Peligro (the author), Rodrigo Gracie (one of the Gracie clan), and Royce Gracie (one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time).
In honor of this good fortune I've decided to post one of the my favorite fights of all time; Royce Gracie v. Art Jimmerson. I don't love this fight because it's a great fight, I love it because it's one of the funniest and most awkward fights to ever happen. Jimmerson is a boxer who decided to wear ONE boxing glove...and (15 year old SPOILER ALERT!) taps out just because Royce mounts him. To my knowledge he's the only guy in UFC history to tap out to a mount. Truly the definition of an epic fail.

This is why I Decided Against Renaming Myself “Awesome Jesus Superchrist”

2008-08-11T19:15:00.003-04:00

Sometimes I really wonder what I did before the Internet. How did I handle a world where I probably wouldn't have heard about a guy named Almighty Supremebeing Allah being arrested?

Yes, that's right, his real name is Almighty Suprmebeing Allah. You'd think that once he turned his name into a billboard for his God he'd think twice before taking part in reckless driving, disobeying an officers signal, interfering with an officer, criminal attempt/sale of cocaine and criminal attempt/possession of cocaine.

Basketball Can't Get Much Better for Me

2008-08-10T10:41:00.002-04:00

I'm sitting here watching the U.S. v. China mens basketball game and I have to remark about how much I love this U.S. team. Watching Dwight Howard and D-Wade play together is like watching an episode of Superfriends for me. Oh yeah, lets not forget that Kobe and Lebron are out there too.

Speaking of D-Wade, he looks like he's finally getting back to his Finals MVP form of a couple years ago. Lightning quick, fearless drives to the hole, I'm quite pleased.

It's nearing halftime and we're only up by 3, but that's mostly because the Chinese perimeter players have been on fire from three point range. Should be good viewing in every game they play.

Okay, I just saw D-Wade throw a sick alley-oop to Lebron James. Time for less typing and more watching.

Finally Back

2008-08-08T20:56:00.005-04:00

Wow, almost a month since I blogged huh? Here’s a quick summary of what I’ve been up to.

1) Studying for and taking the bar exam. It was a long and annoying process. No matter what the results are I doubt I’ll be taking it again for a really long time.

2) Moving. It’s never fun, especially when you’ve got to pay $76 to throw away your garbage at a landfill. However, I did get a few good pictures and a good story out of it all.

When we went to the landfill we obnoxious yellow-green neon vests and helmets to put on while we did our dumping. Never one to miss a photo opportunity I styled and profiled the makeshift accessories like only I can.

The next morning I made the picture of me in the landfill my Facebook profile
picture with the accompanying tongue-in-cheek status “Adam Samons took the bar on Tuesday and Wednesday and took the job at the landfill on Thursday.” Since then I’ve had 6 friends ask me whether I’ve really taken a job at a landfill. I’m not sure exactly what that says about me, but I’m strangely comfortable with it.

3) Working. I’m still enjoying my job. On top of that I’ve come across some cute and creepy pictures during my work hours. First, take a look at this thank you image from one of the Allegheny county web sites. I can’t remember which one it is, but when you log off it shows you this

Next up, one day this week a coworker noted the front page of CNN.com was running a story about 100,000 unknown gorillas being found. I love the picture that accompanied the story.

I know that that the little gorilla there is probably just yawning or something, but in my mind I chose to believe that the look on his face is his joyous reaction to himself and 999,999 of his closest gorilla friends finally being found.

So that's about it for me, it's nice to be back in the real world and away from law school, the bar, and everything that encompasses.

Advice for the Aptly Nicknamed "Rampage" Jackson

2008-07-15T22:34:00.004-04:00

One of my favorite fighters, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson got arrested for hit and run today. There will surely be more to the story, but the police did say that there were no drugs or alcohol in his system, though I think that makes his behavior even more confusing. Part of Quinton’s charm is that he’s a little on the crazy side, but it looks like for a little while this afternoon he went from being entertainingly mildly crazy for the cameras to being reckless and dangerous.

I’m not a lawyer yet or anything, but I would like to give Quinton some advice: Next time you wind up doing a hit and run, don’t do it in a truck with a larger than life-size picture of yourself on it.

Felonies like hit and run aren't funny, but this picture sure is

July 5th = Sophie's Choice for Adam

2008-06-24T18:24:00.005-04:00

I've done my fair share of hyping Rampage Jackson on this blog, for instance here, over here too, and a little bit in this post too. So today I realized that I needed to balance out the MMA love and introduce you guys to the man that Rampage will fight on July 5th, the one man tied with Rampage as my favorite currently active mixed martial artist. Behold; Forrest Griffin

There are few things in this world funnier than a highly intelligent, college educated, former police officer turned MMA fighter who acts barely sane all the time just to entertain himself.

Also, that video was filmed in the lobby of the Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas where I trained for a week back in May. Seeing it made me really miss that place...sigh.

Here's another Forrest video, this time it's one of the official promotional videos for the Forrest v. Rampage fight on July 5th

Much Respect to this Kid: 2nd Edition

2008-06-22T11:02:00.003-04:00

Earlier this year I devoted a post to a kid that had worn a Brett Favre jersey every day for the last four years. This morning I saw a video about a kid that once again reminded me of a younger version of myself. Meet Eddie Richardson:Eddie has memorized the name of every Major League baseball player. If you ask him who the catcher for the Marlins is he'll tell you Matt Treanor. Ask him who the center fielder for the Red Sox is and he'll tell you it's Coco Crisp. Click here to watch the video, this kid is good.

It reminds me of the time I went to the library and checked out the Official NBA Encyclopedia before a trip to Mississippi. I read the entire thing, including the career stats of every player who had ever played an NBA game up to that point. I still don't think I retained as much as this kid though.

I Was Right

2008-06-19T14:55:00.005-04:00

When I blogged about my frustration with pittsburgh over my 2 popped tires in one trip back in February somebody stumbled upon the post and left a comment defending the city. After reading the comment I quickly added a reply comment, fleshing out my opinion on the things they brought up. The comments are worth a read just to get a couple different perspectives on what direction the city of pittsburgh is going.

Some of the person's points were good, but yesterday I got confirmation that my overarching thesis is still correct: pittsburgh, like all other cold weather cities, will always have potholes, but that still doesn't excuse the city for being completely inept at using the taxes they collect to improve the situation. I claim victory in this debate thanks to this story from KDKA: Pothole Patching Problem Halts Road Work.

Here's the knockout blow from the article: "They say the mix that is intended to prevent potholes is instead causing them."

Also watch the video on the right side of the page about the story, the visuals of the potholes are great.

Great Article on the Job Prospects of My Friends and I

2008-06-18T23:40:00.003-04:00

Even after seeing all the fun I had in Las Vegas I can imagine some people I know still wonder why I had no interest at all in going to my law school graduation. To those people I say "read this article." Now you might understand why I didn't want to spend a perfectly good Saturday in May celebrating what so many graduates (possibly me?) have to look forward to:

"Vichet Chan, who received his law degree from Catholic University in Washington, D.C., in 2007 has been looking for work ever since. He recently moved back in with his parents in West Virginia to save money. He owes about $250 a month in interest on student loans. If he gets a job, he will lose his hardship deferral and will owe about $1,000 a month.

''The thing is companies want experience from young lawyers, but it's hard to get the experience,'' Chan said.

One symptom of the surplus is the rise of so-called ''contract attorneys'' -- essentially temps with JDs (the doctor of law degree). They work for roughly $20- to $40-an-hour on often monotonous tasks, like reviewing documents, that law firms outsource. A blog called Temporary Attorney even chronicles the mind-numbing assignments, verbal abuse and poor working conditions that include cockroach-infested, un-air-conditioned rooms with blocked exits and no breaks allowed."

The outlook isn't completely horrible though, according to the head of Charlotte School of Law Gene Clark:

"While the market for traditional lawyering jobs is mixed, he says, it's strong in other fields for people -- law-enforcement officers, entrepreneurs -- with legal skills."

So, anybody want to buy a T-shirt?

Finally!

2008-06-17T23:58:00.005-04:00

Thanks to the early childhood influences of Alfred Tidwell and Tim Mears I've been a Celtics fan for as long as I can remember. Unfortunately for me that meant only seeing the end of the Bird/McHale/Parrish era and seeing a lot of bad basketball afterword.

From M.L. Carr running the team, to the Garden closing (at the hands of my beloved Orlando Magic no less), to Red Auerbach passing away, times haven't been all that good. Well, none of that matters now, seeing this great team play made it all worth it.

I feel especially good for Paul Pierce. He's been the only bright spot in recent Celtics history. After spending so much time stranded on mediocre or bad Celtics teams he finally got a chance to shine and took full advantage of it, bringing home the Finals MVP Award.

Also, a special congrats goes out to Doc Rivers. He's done a great job coaching both of my favorite teams. In fact, he was the coach for 2 of my favorite NBA seasons of all time, this year obviously, and the 1999 "Heart and Hustle" Orlando Magic. In addition to all that Angelina can tell you he's a great tipper since she served him at the Winter Park Starbucks during his entire stint in Orlando.

A Little Late, But Here’s My Own Unique Tim Russert Tribute

2008-06-16T23:21:00.003-04:00

By now just about everyone has shared their thoughts on how they’ll remember Tim Russert. I’ll certainly miss his excellent work every Sunday morning on Meet the Press. He really was the best political interviewer out there. But, rather than focus on his journalism I think I should share a story about the one way that Tim actually, indisputably, impacted my life. He helped make sure I got to the University of Miami.

Back when graduation from Valencia was nearing I figured out that UM was the place I should go after graduation. This was a surprise to everyone, including myself, considering I had spend the better part of two decades planning to go to the University of Florida. After explaining how UM was a much better place for me to study philosophy there was only one challenge remaining and it was a big one: How to explain to mom and dad that UM’s $28,000 tuition could actually be affordable compared to UF’s much lower in-state public school tuition?

I had worked the numbers out for myself over and over, but for some reason it didn’t seem like I could convince anyone else that UM would cost less after applying the financial aid they would give. So, I thought long and hard about how to explain such a convoluted equation in a simple, straightforward, understandable way. And then it came to me…

AN ERASABLE MARKER BOARD!

The rest, as they say, is history.
Thanks for the idea Tim, I loved every minute of being at UM.

My Choice to Play B.A. in the A-Team Movie: Rampage!

2008-06-05T17:21:00.002-04:00

This interview intertwines two of my favorite things, Rampage Jackson and the A-Team. Apparently Rampage is in the running to play B.A. in the upcoming A-Team movie and I think he'd be by far the best choice. Besides the A-Team discussion this interview show how hillarious Rampage can be in general, no matter what the topic.

This Guy Gets It, READ THIS ARTICLE

2008-06-05T17:00:00.002-04:00

Click here to read what is probably the best explanation/defense of MMA I've ever read. I've got to thank the author Mike Chiappetta. I can't explain how refreshing it is to read an article from someone in the mainstream media who actually understands MMA and writes about it in an intelligent and articulate way.

I'm going to spend the rest of the night printing out copies of the article and handing them out to everybody walking down the sidewalk.

Most Fun I've Had...Ever?

2008-06-03T22:59:00.011-04:00

Who is a big enough lunatic to go on vacation in Las Vegas with the main purpose being to train and fight against other people at the best mixed martial arts gym in the world? Me, that's who.

I've never had more fun in my life. I might have had an equal amount of fun before, but nothing surpasses the time I spent in Vegas (time in Vegas that I chose over waisting 3 hours on a Saturday walking across a stage). Here are some pictures from the trip.

It’s a good thing the gym had this sign placed above a urinal, because I nearly pissed myself when I read it before my first class.

This image is going on my business card after the bar. The text of my card will read:
Adam “The Brawl’n Barrister” Samons ESQ
He’ll Fight For You…Literally.

I made myself two promises before I went to the gym. 1) No touristy fan boy pictures with the fighters if I’m inside the gym. 2) If I break promise #1 at least don’t do that stupid clinched fist pose in the pictures. Here you can see me breaking both of these promises to myself, but who cares, it’s Randy freaking Couture.

Here were the staples of my diet while in Vegas: G2 to drink, grapefruit, bananas, Nutri-Grain bars, and some sort of microwaveable taco bell rice and beans thing.

Me with the most exciting fighter around today, Clay Guida. I met him at the gym the day before, but I was still keeping my promises to myself at the time. I took this when I stumbled upon an appearance he was doing at a Champs Sports. He’s a nice guy, doesn’t do the clinched fist pose in his pictures, and he somewhat resembles the Geiko caveman, what’s not to love? He’s so cool he can have his eyes closed and still be the coolest guy in the picture.

Me with Matt Hamill. I’m pretty sure he’s the baddest def man on the face of the planet. Also, the UFC lists him at 6’1, but unless he’s wearing platform shoes in this picture he’s more like 6’4.

These two brothers are the future of MMA: 7 year old Carlos Ruffo and 5 year old Giovani Ruffo. Their ground and standup techniques are both startlingly good. One day I’ll be able to say I rolled with them a couple of times way back when at a Jiu-Jitsu seminar on my graduation day. I think I’d change my anti-child stance if I knew my kids would be as fun loving and well behaved as these pint sized killing machines.

I was too into the fights on Saturday night to remember to take a couple pictures. The important thing is that this man, BJ Penn, won.

I didn’t spend all my time at the gym…well I would have, but it was closed on Sunday so I headed out to Red Rock Canyon. It was beautiful and these cell phone camera pictures do it no justice.

After Red Rock Canyon and a nap I headed out for a night on the town with these two guys that I was rooming with at the hostel. I’m pretty sure that they had names, but I never knew them. I only know them as “The Austrian Guy” and “The Guy from Switzerland.”

This is me with the Medway Submissions Fight Club from just outside London England. We trained all week together. They were great fighters and even better people. Lee, the guy on the end next to me owns the club’s gym and has his own fight promotion back in England. You can check out their websites at http://www.medwaysubmissions.com/ and http://www.cfc.uk.com/.

All the instructors at Xtreme Couture are world class, but this guy, professional fighter and Jiu-Jitsu instructor Dennis Davis was the best of the best

Boxing coach Ron Frazier was a close second behind Dennis, but you wouldn’t know it from this video.

Here's a picture of the front of the gym. It's also a picture of my next vacation destination, whenever that might be.

Stuff I'm Watching While I'm not at Work or Doing Bar Prep

2008-06-03T01:11:00.003-04:00

I can't go to sleep after watching that great Pens v. Red Wings game tonight. I'm really lucky to have lived in two towns that have had teams go so deep into the playoffs while I've been there. Back in Miami I oversaw the Marlins and Heat winning championships and here in Pittsburgh my Midas touch bestowed a Super Bowl title to the Steelers and hopefully a Stanley Cup to the Pens with a little luck.

The cool thing about living in a town at a time like this is the inexplicable exchanges you have with strangers about hockey. I just stepped outside to put something in the mail and my next door neighbors were out on their porch and greeted me with "lets go Pens!" This exchange wasn't quite as weird as the one I had a couple of weeks ago when a guy dialed the wrong number and got me on my cell phone. After explaining that I wasn't the guy named Joe that he was looking for he ended the call with "oh, okay, sorry about that. But go Pens anyway right?!"

On top of all this we've got something I've been waiting on for a long time starting on Thursday: Lakers. Celtics. NBA Finals. Brian's got his team, I've got mine, should be fun.

Bar Review, Bankruptcy, and Brawling

2008-05-19T18:46:00.001-04:00

Those three terms in the title of this post sum up what’s going on in my life right now.

1st) I’ve started studying for the bar and the pile of books I’m trying to tear through is quite intimidating. It’s 11 and a half inches high by 11 inches wide and that width number isn’t even counting the top three books which are 14 inches wide. I highly doubt this process is going to be fun.

2nd) Work is going well, but a little frantic since I have a vacation starting in the middle of this week. I don’t like to blog about work since it’s really not wise to discuss much in the way of legal goings on. But for those of you who are curious I can assure you that this is not the way you declare bankruptcy, even though I wish it were at times:

3rd) I think I’m ready to train at Randy Couture’s gym this week. I’m still overweight, but my cardiovascular conditioning is pretty good since I’ve been running three miles every other day and doing my boxing and Muay Thai kickboxing workout routines as usual. I’m really looking forward to the Jiu-Jitsu classes and just hoping to be able to keep up with the classes in other martial arts that I’ve only practiced on my own.

Hopefully this is Not How My Vacation Will End Up

2008-05-18T03:24:00.002-04:00

There’s one major flaws with a couple of the great basketball stars of my childhood, their love of gambling. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a puritan here, they can gamble if they like, but Jordan and Barkley always seemed to be pushing the limits a bit with some of the stories I’ve heard both first hand and second hand. Well now comes word that Barkley has been sued by a casino for $400,000 in back gambling debts. It’s not all bad though, some fine people on the internet have already started a collection to help him out.

If you're wondering what kinds of gambling stories I'm talking about just check out these interviews with Chuck on the Dan Lebatard Show. Charles talks about losing $100,000 on the Super Bowl, and here he discusses losing $2,500,000 in a six hour period.

I’m going to Vegas in a few days. I plan to spend a large portion of my time training at Randy Couture’s gym, but if I do wonder into a casino and find myself at the same blackjack table as Charles I’ll be sure to sit in the chair right after his and do the exact opposite of what he does.

AdamSamons.com Saves You Money

2008-05-13T15:20:00.008-04:00

One of the few meat items that I truly craved when I was a vegetarian was chili from Wendy's. It's a far better chili that I would ever expect could come from a fast food place and the price is really good. It's always a staple of my diet when I'm not a vegetarian.

While riding around on business with dad back in middle school and high school we realized that it looked like two small orders of Wendy's chili (at 99 cents each) would be a better buy than getting one large (at a price of $1.98). This very topic came up amongst some friends yesterday and so I decided I'd get the answer once and for all today. Below are the results from my experiment.

First up I zeroed out my scale:

Next I pour in the large order of chili, it weighs 355 grams. That's 355 grams for $1.98. That's a cost of 0.55 cents per gram.

I zero out my scale again.

And the two small chillies poured in. Together they also cost $1.98. Their combined weight is 505 grams. That's a cost of 0.39 cents per gram.

So there you have it. When you're really hungry for Wendy's chili do yourself a favor and order two small chilli's instead of a large. If you were wondering, yes, one major motivation for doing this post was so I'd have an excuse to stockpile some chili for today's lunch and dinner.

After writing out this post I realize that I should probably be studying for the bar right now. But I guess if the law thing doesn't work out I may have a career as a low budget consumer advocate.

My Vote is as Good as Cast

2008-05-08T18:10:00.002-04:00

Like many Americans I'm not completely sold on any of the three major candidates remaining. Luckily now I don't have to be, because a new bipartisan ticket just entered the race, I'm voting Dean/Flair in Woooooo '08

So How Does It Feel?

2008-05-06T00:21:00.002-04:00

I'm not going to waste our time trying to describe how good it feels to be done with law school. Instead I'll just provide you a visual representation of how good it feels.

May 5th 2008

2008-05-05T08:31:00.004-04:00

I'm almost there, in a few hours I'll be done with law school. Hopefully my freedom from law school won't end with an ironic twist like in Sling Blade where it becomes clear that Karl is too accustomed to the insanity of his halfway house to function in the real world anymore. Just to be safe I'm avoiding all sling blades/kieser blades for a few days.

This Blogging Stuff Can Be Useful Too

2008-04-26T10:15:00.003-04:00

I usually think blogging, and my blog in particular, is largely inconsequential. I might be changing my mind after reading this story about how a one word blog helped get a kid out of jail in Egypt. Who knew that my mostly mindless typing may be so useful one day...if I'm in Egypt.

It Just Became About Money, So For Me It Just Got Personal

2008-04-14T09:56:00.002-04:00

After having just sent away my payment and requisite forms for the PA bar exam I realized that my motivation is now exactly what it was for the MPRE, not wanting to have to pay to take the test again. It worked before, lets hope it works again.

Other random observations:

-It felt really good walking into barco this morning knowing that it was the last week of classes I'll ever have to take here.

-This morning when I tried to sign onto a school computer I used my work logon ID and password. It feels good to know the working in the law part of my life appears to be overtaking the law school part of my life.

Wisdom from a Friend's Facebook Profile

2008-04-08T17:33:00.000-04:00

"Two lawyers walk into a bar . . . One orders a round of drinks for the house. The other one puts on an apron and serves it."

The Joys of a Broken Down Laptop

2008-04-07T10:43:00.004-04:00

This morning in class I had one of the more interesting setups I’ve seen in law school. The last screw holding up my laptop’s monitor broke off, meaning that the monitor now just falls straight down. I had some stuff to do on it and I still needed to take notes on it, so what do I do? My fix was to take down one of my big federal supplement law books and prop up the monitor while I was in class. Before I say more let the image of me sitting at a table with a law book behind my laptop propping up the monitor sink in.
What makes this setup even more bizarre is where the federal supplement I’m using came from. It was one of the props I bought from the set of the old NBC show Ed once it was cancelled. So, a fictional bowling alley lawyer helped me take my notes in real life law school this morning.
Lastly, I feel my habit of purchasing memorabilia has been somewhat vindicated. I’m not like other people who just put their knick knacks up on a wall, oh no, my memorabilia to work. Luckily for me my laptop is still under warranty, so I guess I'll finally have to get it fixed.

Bedside Blogging

2008-03-21T21:47:00.002-04:00

Surprisingly I’m feeling a little under the weather. I’m not used to feeling bad, I even pride myself on my durability. Over the years I’ve devised two tests to determine whether I can actually classify myself as sick. They are as follows:

1) If I have to take any medicine, prescription or over the counter, to make myself feel better.
2) If I miss any regularly scheduled event such as school or work because of my illness.

My dilemma is how I should write these two clauses out if they were some sort of statute; Should they be inclusive or exclusive?

Inclusive:
Adam Samons shall be deemed to be sick if he
1) Has to take any medicine, prescription or over the counter, to make himself feel better.
And
2) Misses any regularly scheduled event such as school, work, or a social outing because of his illness.
Under this definition I’m not sick yet, but I will be if I miss my dinner plans tomorrow.

Exclusive:

Adam Samons shall be deemed to be sick if he
1) Has to take any medicine, prescription or over the counter, to make himself feel better.
Or
2) Misses any regularly scheduled event such as school, work, or a social outing because of his illness.
Under this definition I’m already sick.

I guess I really don’t know how I feel. Perhaps the fact I had the energy to lay here and ramble on about this minutia should be considered in the analysis too.

On the bright side I do have a great excuse to just lay around and watch the NCAA Tournament all weekend.

One Way to Pay for Law School I Guess

2008-03-17T16:50:00.003-04:00

Being a law student I get to hear all the classic lawyer jokes. I really don't mind, sometimes they're actually funny and the rest of the time the person telling them is either just making innocent small talk or trying to feel better about themselves.

Today I read an interesting little story about an island where money (allegedly) washes ashore every day. The downside, at least for me, is that cocaine also washes ashore. It's stories this this that convince me lawyers aren't anywhere near as bad as their reputation would have you believe. If most lawyers truly lived up to the lawyer jokes then you can rest assured that they'd be living on this island. Here are some details on the island from the link:

"Bluefields is an island off the coast of Nicaragua located directly between the cocaine labs of Colombia and the 300 million noses of the United States.

Everyday, cocaine smugglers using very small, very fast boats try and shoot undetected to the States, but when the Coast Guard swoops in, the traffickers toss the cocaine and cash overboard, both to eliminate evidence and lighten their load in an escape attempt...

...Everyday, the 50 thousand inhabitants of Bluefields comb the beach searching for the “White Lobster.” On average, they find 35 kilos of cocaine a day along with tens of thousands of cold wet cash."

Another Great Get Fuzzy Comic

2008-03-15T22:15:00.003-04:00

This one reminds me of myself. It's also another example of why Get Fuzzy is the best comic in newspapers today. Click the image for a larger version if you can't read the text.

Tough Times for the Cast of Road House

2008-03-08T23:52:00.002-05:00

It’s been a while since I blogged, so I’ll quickly sum up what I’ve been doing to fill in the gap. I go to school, then I go to work, then I go to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practice, then I print T-shirts, finally I go to bed and do it all again the next day.

With that out of the way I’d just like to note a couple sad stories in the news recently. It’s been a really tough week for the cast of what I feel is the Citizen Kane of bad movies, the film Road House.

First I heard that Patrick Swayze had pancreatic cancer and then tonight on a UFC message board I read that Jeff Healey, the blind guitarist in the movie, had died at age 41 from cancer.
I suppose that I’ll probably consider these unfortunate events a reason to watch the movie again as a tribute sometime tomorrow.

The Last Straw For Pittsburgh: I think I’m going to send the city the bill for my tire.

2008-02-18T00:02:00.003-05:00

I hate to follow up such a fun topic like the rebirth of the art of the dunk in the NBA with a rant on pittsburgh, but alas I have no choice after tonight.

I’ve made it really clear that I’ve been less than thrilled with living in pittsburgh for the last 3 years or so, well tonight my frustration with this place hit an all time high and surprisingly it has nothing to do with anything at the law school.

Many of you have probably filed your taxes already, I haven’t yet, but will soon. I didn’t make much money in 2006, so last year when I filed I wasn’t charged any federal taxes, neither was I charged state taxes, but somehow the city of pittsburgh thought that it was such a privilege to live here that I should pay them $143.

I have no problem paying taxes, I love my county and think it deserves my financial support. Also, the state of PA has some nice areas that I wouldn’t mind financially supporting via taxes. But the idea that pittsburgh deserves money from me is crazy. If I could see one single area where they are investing this money to make my live here better then I would be perfectly fine with it, but as it stands the infrastructure of this place is falling apart despite the fact they will tax any activity you may want to do here. I’ve lived in much bigger cities which took care of their roads and other governmental responsibilities really well without any state or local taxes. So, this conundrum is what leads me to tell you my story from tonight.

Tonight I went out to watch wrestling at a local restaurant. As I drove there I swerved to avoid a traffic cone tuned over in the street. I was able to avoid the traffic cone, but still hit what I assume it was put there to help me avoid, a massive pot hole. I wasn’t driving all that fast, certainly less than 35 miles an hour, but as I continued to drive I could tell that my tire had been cut by the impact. Interestingly, just Friday I had heard on the morning news of another area where a pot hole had caused 8 flat tires in an hour. Obviously I wasn’t happy about the situation, but I was able to find an emergency pull off before I wound up riding on my rim. I changed the tire and wondered why the city hadn’t spent any of my $143 from last year filling any of their pot holes.

So, I make it to my destination on my spare and enjoy the show. As I head home I feel another bump, this time going less than 25 miles an hour, and surprise, surprise, I suddenly feel that I’m driving on a flat tire again. This time there wasn’t even a cone, even though I was on the same street. That’s right, pittsburgh’s roads are so bad that I got a flat tire from different pot holes on both my way to and from my destination.

It’s not like these pot holes are a rarity, the roads here feel like you’re driving on a gigantic asphalt piece of Swiss cheese. Also, there are quite a few man hole cover like things that aren’t level with the road. Get this, they constructed these things, made them not level with the road, and on top of that put them directly on the part of the road where your tire runs, not in the center of the road like anyone with a brain would have done. These things aren't bad enought to pop a tire, but are bad enough to really annoy you while you drive.

So, as a result of this insanity I have officially eliminated any possibility of staying in pittsburgh when my lease run out. Whatever small chance there was of me staying is now gone. I know some will say “but what if you get a great high paying job offer out of the blue that’s in pittsburgh?” To them I say this; get a stop watch and time me making world record speed as I run from this place no matter what.

The Dunk Contest Is Back!

2008-02-17T13:39:00.003-05:00

Back in the day the NBA Dunk Contest used to be like an oficial holiday for me and every other basketball fan. Then, somehow it got boring. So boring that the NBA actaully ditched it for a few years before bringing it back. Even since it returned it's never really been the same though, the prevailing theory is that essentially everything that could be done had been done. I watched last year only to see my man, Dwight Howard of the Magic, get robbed by the judges. This year I was so jaded that I spent the evening playing board games with some friends instead, but after hearing about what went down I realized I had to find some video online. Here are the highlights from NBA.com that show this generation of dunkers has brought creativity back. More importantly, below is the video of this years champion Dwight Howard finding a way to work my favorite team and favorite superhero into one dunk

Cool Story on Rambo 4

2008-02-15T16:40:00.001-05:00

I went out and watched Rambo 4 back when it was released on January 25th. It was ultra violent, but it used that violence to hit on an important message regarding the civil war in Myanmar, formerly Burma. In interviews Stallone said that he wanted to shed some light on the the attocities in that region. This is a pretty neat video on the movie from CNN, apparently it's been banned by the government in Myanmar, but it's being passed around by those against military rule.

Something tells me this book won't be hitting the shelves on February 11th

2008-02-03T22:17:00.000-05:00

Hey guys, be sure to pre-order your copy of 19-0: The Historic Championship Season of New England's Unbeatable Patriots.
This just in, um, it's not coming out. I was wrong on my prediction earlier, but I don't care. Congratulations to the New York Giants and even more importantly to the 1972 Dolphins, still
THE ONLY UNDEFEATED TEAM IN NFL HISTORY

Super Bowl Thoughts

2008-02-03T15:43:00.000-05:00

I figure I should give a few thoughts on the Super Bowl, so here they are;

- The Giants can win this game and it may well be close. The Pats have shown in a few games that even though they're undefeated they can be vulnerable. With all that said, the Pats will win. I'm not rooting for them, but they're a machine, a machine that just wins football games.

- I don't know if I'll enjoy the game, but I know I will enjoy Tom Petty at halftime.

- I'm watching Puppy Bowl IV right now and I've got to tell you, I would love it if Animal Planet changed their programming to the Puppy Bowl 24/7/365. I could watch it all day, it's like getting all the benefits of owning a cute precocious puppy without any of the actual work. If only they wouldn't show such depressing animal adoption commercials during the commercial breaks everything would be perfect.

Weekend Plans

2008-01-30T15:59:00.000-05:00

Saturday is Groundhog Day. Punxsutawney is only about 70 miles away. This is what I'll be seeing around 7:25 am Saturday. Look for pictures next week.

Magic 96 - Celtics 93

2008-01-27T15:23:00.000-05:00

That was incredible. The Celtic-Magic game this afternoon was my tipping point. I can't stand not being in an NBA city anymore. I'm calling sometime this week and getting a cable box and ordering NBA League Pass.

I Get Results (by having impeccable timing)

2008-01-16T16:52:00.000-05:00

Back on January 7th I blogged about the stupid front screen on the pitt web site where the university celebrated the opening of hillman library's first floor entrance.

Today I went to the site again and lo and behold they had done as I asked and removed the hillman library story. Click the link and try it yourself, pitt actually looks like the kind of school you'd like to attend now; big money donations, successful teams, etc.

Sure, this is almost certainly the result of good timing rather than somebody in power actually reading my humble little blog, but I'll take all the credit anyway.

I Know The Real Reason

2008-01-15T12:36:00.000-05:00

First they can't afford a first floor library entrance, now pitt can't afford heat either. I got this email yesterday:

***************************
All: There will be no heat in the building tomorrow, Tuesday, January 15th from 8:30AM to 3:00PM. This outage is considered EMERGENCY STSTUS! Please remember to dress accordingly.

Conversation: EMERGENCY OUTAGE NOTICESubject: EMERGENCY OUTAGE NOTICE
HILLMAN LIBRARY, LAWRENCE HALL, BARCO LAW BUILDING STEAM
BUILDING: HILLMAN LIBRARY, LAWRENCE HALL, BARCO LAW BUILDING
OUTAGE TYPE: STEAM
JOB NUMBER: A0038
START DATE(S): Tuesday, January 15, 2008
FINISH DATE(S): Tuesday, January 15, 2008
START TIME: 08:30 AM
FINISH TIME: 03:00 PM
DURATION: 6.5 HOURS
REASON FOR OUTAGE: STEAM LEAK ON 8" STRAINER IN BASEMENT OF HILLMAN LIBRARY
**********************

I guess it is important that we fix steam leaks in the basement of hillman library, but if the school is able to email us about it in the middle of the day yesterday why couldn't they fix it late last night, when nobody would be in these buildings? Maybe that new first floor entrance I blogged about is so expensive the school can't keep the rest of the building working properly.

Honestly, I think there's a greater plan afoot here. By having no heat in the law school on a day when the temperature is 25 degrees outside pitt is simply preparing many of us for our futures as unemployed law school graduates. Learning how to fight off the cold with no money may wind up being one of the few practical things I've learned here.

(In the interest of full disclosure I must admit that it's 12:50 right now and I've been at the law school since 9:00 a.m. and the building has been its normal temperature. Also, my account says pitt processed my refund early this morning, so I'll probably have my money by the end of the week. Despite all this I still couldn't pass up the opportunity to write about something as ridiculous as a school without heat for a day when it's 25 degrees outside)

Since My Loan Money Probably Won't Be In For A While

2008-01-07T21:47:00.000-05:00

As usual I'm waiting for the school to give me money that I'm probably already paying interest on. How they think I'm going to participate in the first week of classes without being able to buy books is still a mystery to me even after starting 5 of 6 semesters this way. Because of this I think it's the perfect time to post something I've been saving for a time like this. Here goes;

Here's a fun game. Think of a University and see what their web site's front page says they are up to.

University of Florida: Features profiles of promising students, Heisman Trophy winners, renowned faculty, etc.

University of Miami: Student run companies doing stuff, new hospitals, library acquisitions, studies in Hispanic health.

Duquesne: Athletics, student life, etc.

FIU: High faculty rankings and new artwork being added.

Also check out Florida State and Carnegie Mellon just for good measure.

Usually the schools display things that make you think "hey, I'd like to go there," don't they? At the very least you don't really see anything that makes them look stupid.

Next give pitt a shot; hit refresh a few times to see a few of the images they rotate on their front page.
Chances are you saw this image at least once;
(Click on this picture if you didn't see this image or can't read it)

Notice the caption under the picture of the library;

"Hillman Library's first floor entrance has reopened after 23 years."

It sounds like the school is celebrating getting a door fixed. I clicked the article and found out that they even had a ribbon cutting ceremony for this grand achievement. The article also explains that "the 1st-floor entrance was closed in 1984 because Hillman officials determined it had become too expensive to staff circulation desks on both the 1st and ground floors."

Look, I'm all for fiscal responsibility, but promoting the fact your University couldn't afford to keep an entrance to their library open for 23 years doesn't exactly put the school's best foot forward. This school does a lot of great things in the medical field, they should find something like that and put it up there, or just take this image and story down and don't worry about replacing it.

American Gladiators, My New Favorite way to Waste an Hour

2008-01-07T00:33:00.000-05:00

Tonight American Gladiators debuted on NBC and I was impressed. It's the perfect television guilty pleasure. My Monday's at 8:00 are now spoken for.

I liked Hulk Hogan and Layla Ali as the hosts. Just about all the Gladiators are entertaining to watch. On the men's side "Wolf" and "Justice" were the clear standouts.

As for the female gladiators I like "Crush", mostly because I knew about her before the show ever started. Her real name is Gina Carano and she's the best female mixed martial artist in the world. If your curious about her fighting career you can find plenty of video on YouTube.

Lastly, I've found a competitor to root for, at least on the women's side. Her name is Venus Ramos and she won in an amazing comeback tonight. More important than that is the fact she went to UM. That's right, even with American Gladiators it's all about The U.

I even found this cool UM tribute video on her Myspace profile:

Much Respect to this Kid

2008-01-02T17:28:00.001-05:00

I've been accused of having certain peculiarities, often these allegations have been true. I'm not a big fan of red towels, I'm a little obsessive about pajamas, I admit it. Now whenever a neice or nephew of mine does something weird (or individualistic as I prefer to describe it) I'm somehow the one to blame.

However I've finally found a kid that proves I'm not the only one who's a little obsessive about clothing and such. Pictured to the left is 11 year old David Witthoft. He has worn that Brett Farve jersey in the picture every day for the last 4 years. I don't just respect this kids dedication, I envy it. I should really should have done that with a Marino jersey back in my younger days.

Hopeful Signs for 2008

2008-01-01T13:36:00.000-05:00

While listening to All Things Considered on NPR yesterday I heard 2 stories that have me excited for 2008. First, the UN has declared 2008 the International Year of the Potato. For a guy like me who eats french fries on his way to a Thanksgiving dinner of baked potatoes with mashed potatoes on the side this means every morning should feel like Christmas morning.

Secondly, All Things Considered ran a piece on celebrations starting for the Abe Lincoln Bicentennial. Even though Abe was born in 1809 I can't think of any reason we shouldn't start now and make it a 2 year celebration.

Here's the link where you can listen to yesterday's story from All Things Considered and see how awesomely Adamcentric 2008 should be.

The One Thing I Don't Want Brought Back From the 1980's NBA

2007-12-31T01:39:00.000-05:00

In the Lakers-Celtics game today both teams wore throwback jerseys. Usually I support this activity, though as the picture shows the Lakers took things just a little to far; They busted out the 1980's short shorts.

Those shorts weren't a good idea back in the 80's and they're not a good idea now. Anyone remember the last time a Laker pulled the short shorts routine? It was back when Shaq put on a pair of John Stockton's size 32 shorts in the locker room to protest some players being fined for their shorts being too long. Luckily for all of us I couldn't find any video or images of Shaq in those shorts.

But I Read it on the Internet...

2007-12-25T21:43:00.000-05:00

One of the most interesting sites on the web is Yahoo Answers. The concept is simple, ask a question and people post an answer. What makes it interesting to me is how accurate some of the answers can be while others can be far from true. Slate has written a really good article covering the site's strengths and weaknesses.

Happy Larry Bird's Birthday!

2007-12-07T17:21:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year again. Everybody take a little time out of your day and wish that Larry and Magic were back on the hardwood.

I Should Be Used To It By Now...

2007-12-05T17:02:00.000-05:00

I knew that the Marlins would eventually trade Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera, and I knew I wouldn't be happy when the trades happened, but I didn't think both players would go in the the same trade. For some reason that makes it more annoying.

I also know that this is the way the team goes. We get great young players, let them mature, find a way to win a World Series with them, then trade them for new young players to restart the cycle with. I know this, but I still hate to see them go each time.

Maybe I can convince the Marlins to trade me to Detroit too, after all, they've now got Dontrelle, Miguel, Edgar Renteria, Pudge, and Sheffield. I'd feel right at home rooting for all those old Marlins.

The Canes Will Be Back...Soon...But For Now...

2007-11-24T20:17:00.000-05:00

The criteria for the Heisman Trophy is that it should go to "the most outstanding player in college football." Look at Tebow's numbers, he has literally done things that nobody has done before (Over 20 TDs both rushing and passing). As CBS noted during today's beating of the Seminoles Tebow has more rushing TDs than the running backs that have won it in the past, that is on top of his 29 passing TDs.

If this guy doesn't win the Heisman then I'll finally give up trying to figure out what the voters really are looking for.

This Story Makes my Head Hurt

2007-11-23T23:45:00.001-05:00

Ok, let me get this straight;
This guy was a preacher,
he got abducted by satanists who brain washed him under threats of harm to his family,
he took up a new identity,
he then became a mayor,
and now he has resigned that position because of all of this?

Wow, just, wow.

My Philosophy on Holidays

2007-11-22T17:00:00.000-05:00

Rocky: "Listen, uh, I don't want no turkey anyway, you know."
Adrian: "But it was Thanksgiving."
Rocky: "What?"
Adrian: "It was Thanksgiving."
Rocky: "Yeah, to you. But to me it's Thursday. Right?"

Best Campaign Commercial Ever

2007-11-19T18:23:00.001-05:00

I'm what you might call a connoisseur of political campaign commercials and this, my friends, is the best one ever.

Random Realization:

2007-11-18T14:31:00.000-05:00

One of the worst minor frustrations in life is cooking yourself spaghetti only to realize you don't have any spaghetti sauce.

Gain an Hour, Lose a Day

2007-11-04T12:09:00.000-05:00

I, like everyone I assume, loved getting the extra hour of sleep we got last night. My only problem is that yesterday was so hectic that I still think it's Saturday.

Yesterday started with the MPRE (the ethics part of the bar exam) at 9:00 A.M. It lasts 2 hours and 5 minutes and I actually enjoyed it, it reminded me a little be of being back in an undergrad ethics course. I'm not sure how I did (I think pretty well), but at least if I do have to take it over I know I'll have fun. The only bad part of test was my exit. After finishing a little early I turned my test in and headed for the door. Instead of explaining my troubles I'll just show you this video estimating what I looked like;

Straight from the MPRE a group of us went for lunch and drinks, a good time was had by all. Somehow after lunch I wound up going shopping with two friends to help one of them decide on her wedding dress.

What can I say, my opinion on women's fashion is universally respected. Growing up with 2 sisters and occasionally shopping with Jessica for formal wear back in the day gives me all the training I'll ever need to dispense opinions on dresses. Even still, I did kind of stick out in the Mt. Lebo dress shop. It's not every day that a bald, bearded guy in a hoodie with flames going up the sleeves and a flaming skull with a sword going through it printed on the front hangs out in a wedding dress boutique for a couple hours.

Back in the dressing room the options were narrowed down to three dresses, which I got to see. My favorite of the three (which looked great) was the one that got purchased.

Seeing as the dress shop was in Mt. Lebo we were able to visit Angelina at work and even got to spend her lunch hour with her. Good thing too, she's worked a ton lately.

After a great visit with Angelina my friends and I headed straight to Sharon's house, where she had prepared a ton of Italian food for a dinner party. In addition to stuffing ourselves the sport of Dizzy Sumo was created (just picture a sumo wrestling match combined with a dizzy bat challenge).

After that I got back home at midnight and went to sleep and used that extra hour. I woke up at 8, which is pretty early for me on a day off, so that's good. But, on the down side I still think it's Saturday, oh well.

This is the Only Enjoyment the Dolphins Have Given Me this Season

2007-10-28T14:00:00.000-04:00

In London, they built a 26 foot animatronic robot of Jason Taylor.

And I Still Have Mine

2007-10-24T21:08:00.000-04:00

So I'm reading over Deadspin today and they linked to 100% Injury Rates' celebration of the 21st anniversary of the William "Refrigerator" Perry G.I. Joe action figure. I suggest you read it, it's a great post that includes images of all the advertisements for it and everything. It also gives the back story on why they chose the Fridge for a figure (it includes Rocky). Not only did I get one of these when I was a kid, but I still have it to this day, it's one of my most prized possessions.
Here's the commercial from back in the day.

In a Rivalry it Always Matters

2007-10-20T20:11:00.000-04:00

I had to spend far more time in a Dave & Buster's than most people could have stood, but it was more than worth it to watch the Canes pull out a victory against FSU in Tallahassee (not that I don't like Dave & Buster's, but anything gets old after too long). Sure, both teams are mediocre this year, but it was a very fun game to watch and thankfully it may have brought the concept of offense back into the rivalry.

The rest of the schedule this year looks tough for UM, but hopefully we can overachieve and really make something out of this season.

In other news;

-Congratulations to Vanderbuilt, beating a top 10 team for the first time in 70 seasons. If you're an SEC fan with a soul you are at least a little bit of a Vandy fan and always hope they can pull out a big win after so many years as the doormat of the conference, just so long as that win isn't against your team.

-I could watch a Tim Tebow quarterbacked team play all day every day. It's just a pleasure. While watching UM-FSU on the screen directly in front of me Florida v. Kentucky was on. Getting to see all 3 (historyically powerful, sorry USF. I've enjoyed your run this year and have rooted for you, but you need to string a few good years like this together before you make the "3 teams from Florida" into the "4 teams from Florida) Flordia teams play simultaniously was nice.

Now I'm off to the Fox and Hound for UFC 77, what a great day.

I'm not saying Philly is Miami or Anything...

2007-10-20T12:50:00.000-04:00

but this poll saying that Philly "is home to the least attractive people in the United States" is totally off. Just the fact I spent last summer in Philly should bump them up in the ratings a few spots.

Great Weekend

2007-10-18T17:31:00.000-04:00

I'm busy but I figured I'd let everyone know what a cool weekend I've got coming up. Tomorrow at 6:30 AM I fly out for Philadelphia, at 4:20 PM tomorrow I've got an interview, on Saturday I'll be finding a place in Philly to watch Miami v. Florida State at 3:30, and I'll finish up the weekend by watching UFC 77 Saturday night before flying back to Pittsburgh at noon on Sunday.

I'm really excited about the interview. I can't wait, the rest of the stuff is just icing on the cake.