2 more down...
I've just completed my last assignment for my ECO 305 class, a paper on the current account deficit of the United States. I'm looking at getting two more 4.0's this term, and being two classes closer to my degree.
My other class, Managerial Accounting, wasn't too difficult. It wasn't all that interesting either. Truth be told, I don't like accounting the least little bit. Kind of odd, because I've always been a little bit of a numbers dork. It goes a long way towards explaining my love for baseball, which has numbers for just about everything.
I have a challenge exam on Sunday to place out of a Computer Applications class. The exam is done online (just like the rest of my classes), and if I do well enough it's one less class I have to take. School isn't cheap and I want to graduate ASAP, so I'm nervous about it. It's a 100 level class, so I think I'll do okay. If this challenge exam goes well, I'm going to try to place out of another 100 level class, Business Presentations.
For now, though, it's time for a much needed break. I'm going camping with the fam near Niagara Falls for a week. Not having to work for the next 9 days won't suck much.
Michael Jackson acquitted
Man,
being right sucks sometimes.
This is a public service announcement
Ladies, I love ya. Really. But we need to talk.
As I've said many times, I'd like to meet the person that invented those cute little tops that show off a woman's navel/small of the back (depending on whether she's a-comin' or a-goin') and shake his or her hand.
And I know it's getting hot outside -
real hot.
Well, let me get to the point. I'm sorry to have to be the one to say this, but the clothing mentioned above just isn't for everyone. And when you put it on, as many of you will, I demand that you look at yourself and your midsection in the mirror for 30 seconds.
At the end of that 30 seconds, if you see someone you'd make fun of were it not you, I'm going to have to ask you to change into something else. Because more and more, at least here in Michigan, there are lots of girls/women in complete denial. Denial is unhealthy. Accept your limitations, ladies, for the good of mankind.
Thank you. That is all.
Holy Sh-t!!!!!!!!!
Personally, I am an advocate of opening our borders and making access to our country a little more free. I understand illegal immigration is a problem, and that we live in a world where terrorism is a great threat.
This, however, makes me rethink that position. Get a load of that guy's picture, people.
Note to the attorney quoted at the end of the article: I'd push hard for insanity. I like your chances.
Sports through the eyes of maniacs
Last night two of my brothers and a couple friends came over to play poker and watch the
Pistons beat the Heat. My friends are both big Pistons fans. One of my brothers is a Heat fan; myself and my other brother, along with my wife, watched the game impartially.
Before the game, the guys who are Pistons fans explained that there was a conspiracy afoot to put the Heat in the NBA Finals. The NBA would benefit greatly from having Shaquille O'Neal and Dwayne Wade on center stage, as opposed to the workmanlike group that is the Pistons. Additionally, they argued, the money made by the NBA and commissioner David Stern for a Heat-Spurs final would be immense.
First of all, I'm not naive enough to believe that there are no conspiracies in sports. I know people lie, cheat, rig games, etc. But games in the NBA would have to be rigged in one of the following ways:
1) The referees are paid to influence the outcome. The league (as my friends suggest), a team/owner or player(s), or an outside source would be the most likely culprits.
2) A player or players decide to throw the game. Issues like this come up from time to time mainly in
college athletics.
3) A coach/manager (i.e. Pete Rose) plays to lose or not cover the spread.
Now, we can eliminate #2 and #3 right off the bat as far as last night and this series goes. No one has played to lose in the Heat-Pistons battles. So, is there any truth to the notion that David Stern and/or the NBA tried to keep the Pistons out of the Finals?
No.
What my pals fail to grasp is this: the NBA and Stern are doing just fine, thank you. As of 2003, the most recent data I could find without trying hard, Stern made $8 million dollars in annual salary.
Even if you think Stern is the biggest dumbass of all time (and if you do, you should look in the mirror first), it's pretty tough to think he's dumb enough to risk his personal fortune and
his league's credibility by fixing games or influencing referees.
And make no mistake: if such a thing took place, was discovered, and made public, fans would run from the NBA like it was a building on fire.
Of course, to people like my friends (and others, make no mistake), none of this matters. They're just rabid, irrational, crazy fans that couldn't stand the thought of their team losing. I'll say this - it
is kinda fun to watch games with them, though.
Pistons-Heat: Game 7
Tonight Detroit and Miami lock horns in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The series has been as back-and-forth as you might expect, given how good the two teams are. At times, the Pistons have turned up their trademark defensive intensity, making me wonder how they can possibly lose. Then there are the games where Dwayne Wade shows he's one of the five best players in the league, ready to lead his team to a championship.
But will Wade play tonight?
His daddy says he will.
If Wade can't go because of his rib injury, I give Miami no chance. If Wade is only 50%, I give Miami little chance. Shaq can't carry the Heat - I can't believe I'm saying that - into the Finals by himself. Eddie Jones, Damon Jones, and Udonis Haslem aren't good enough to win a game of this magnitude, even if it is in Miami.
I'm torn as to who I would like to see win. I have really developed a dislike for the Pistons over the past month or so, mainly because their fans now feel their team is like some unstoppable train that just has to show up at the arena to win a second straight title. While I respect Ben Wallace and Chauncey Billups immensely, I cannot stand Larry Brown and Rasheed Wallace (for God's sake, put that championship belt away already). At the same time, Shaq has always been one of my favorite players. He's an athlete that gets it, simply put. A friend of mine told me last night that he offered
to pay for George Mikan's funeral. That's class.
Detroit is still the team to beat, so I'll pick them to win tonight on the road. As Ric Flair used to say, "to be the man, you gotta beat the man. Whooooooooooooooo!"
Time to test a theory of mine
Does anyone think
Michael Jackson's innocent?
Nah, me neither.
But I have a theory (actually, it's not a theory, it's a proven fact): in this country, if you've got money, you can get away with things Joe Sixpack would rot for.
And we all know Jacko's got money. Just like O.J. had money, just like Chris Webber has money, Bill Clinton (I like him, but he lied under oath), etc. etc.
Well, let's see what Jackson gets. Personally, I think any parent that let their kids near Captain Freak Show should have them taken away and be forced to read books on pedophiles. But hey, I don't make the decisions around here, do I?
Graduation Day
My four year old daughter graduated from preschool yesterday. To be honest, I didn't even know preschool graduations existed. The ceremony was really cute. The kids made themselves these cute little hats similar to those high school or college grads wear, and the teacher called them up individually and gave them little "diplomas."
After that, we watched a little video presentation the teacher had put together. It was still photographs of all the things the kids had done during the year, and it was really well done. I could tell the teacher had put a lot of time into it, making certain that all the kids had close to an equal number of appearances in the show.
I still can't believe I'm going to have a kid in kindergarten next year. Man, I'm getting old.
