Homesick

I've never been so ready to leave somewhere in my entire life. I was so excited to come up to DC for the summer. Thought I'd see old friends, explore my old city, etc. etc. I really and truly expected the city to be just like I'd left it. Turns out, you really can't go home again. I've been in Nashville, TN for the last two years, and the last thing I expected to feel this summer was homesick. I mean, don't get me wrong, Nashville's a great city, but I didn't realize that living somewhere could have that big an impact on me. I guess I should have, though. 2 years in DC, and I was ready to commit my entire life to living here. 2 years in Nashville, and it too has come to feel like home. I miss it. Sunday can't come soon enough.

Here's to baseball!

"You can't leave first until you chug a beer. Any man scoring has to chug a beer. You have to chug a beer at the top of all odd-numbered innings. Oh, and the fourth inning is the beer inning."

Thank you, Homer Simpson.

You think you know art?

I know I don't, but I went to the National Gallery this weekend. While I immensely enjoyed all the pieces they had there, I found myself extremely annoyed by my fellow art viewers. I have to say that taking your kids to an art museum is a lousy idea. Of all the places to go in this city (and I don't believe that you've already seen all of the monuments, the Air & Space Museum, swam at the hotel pool, AND taken in the Natural History Museum), an art museum is probably not where you should take your young kids. The last thing I want to do at an art museum is have to dodge children running around, let alone listen to them all day. If you want to teach them about the art, fine, but don't walk around pretending like they're going to enjoy themselves on their own.

Furthermore, stop taking all those damn pictures! It's not like you're going to remember what you were looking at later, and honestly, none of your friends will know what the hell it is either. Besides, that picture you took standing a foot away from the beautiful Monet in the corner is not going to do it justice. All you're going to get is a nice digital picture of a bunch of random dabs of paint, and it won't really look like anything from a foot away. Idiot.

New poll!

This week's poll is inspired by this article about a guy whose hummer was vandalized by a couple of environmentalists.

Who do you blame for the price of gasoline?

See results here.

2-for-2

China's at it again, this time criticizing Yao Ming for having the audacity to get married and do public welfare appearances. I wonder how much longer we'll see Chinese players in the NBA. Yao's activities pretty much are in line with what's expected of most players of his stature.

When did the NBA become the world's D-League?

I think I've finally figured out what's wrong with Team USA. The rest of the world has been using our beloved NBA as the developmental league for their respective Olympic/international teams.

The latest example is a report by ESPN that Yi Jianlian won't play for the Milwaukee Bucks because the team is not "suitable for Yi's growth." An official from Yi's Chinese team was further quoted as saying, "The national team and the Olympic Games are now our key considerations ... If [Yi] goes to a team where he can't compete, that would be being irresponsible to the national team."

The Bucks need to take one for their country here. This is the National Basketball Association, not the International Developmental League, and neither China nor any other country should get to dictate where their players play. The NBA is not and should not be a farm system for the rest of the world.

Living My Dreams

At some time around 8 years old, my favorite player was Ryne Sandberg of the Chicago Cubs. I even saved my money to buy this baseball card:
I'm not sure how or why because I didn't have WGN and I wasn't from Chicago, but from that time on, my favorite baseball team -- actually, my favorite sports team -- has been the Chicago Cubs. But, I never made it to Chicago and Wrigley Field until this past weekend, and it certainly lived up to all of my expectations and more.

I've seen it in pictures a million times, but when I saw this sign, I knew I'd arrived.

Great seats, huh?

Just gorgeous. I think this picture will be my new wallpaper on my computer. But, lest you all think the only thing I did was go to Wrigley, I leave you with this, from Giordano's On Rush. Mmmm . . .

SPOILER ALERT!!!

If you're working on today's Washington Post crossword online, please don't read this . . .

Haha, for the rest of you, the clue for 69 across was "an expression of defiance." The answer?

Nerts.

Nerts? What the hell is nerts? According to The Free Dictionary, "nerts" is an alteration of the word "nuts" meaning "used to express disgust, contempt, or refusal." Seriously, how am I supposed to know that? How is anyone supposed to know that?

The office-mate and I use the word "arse," which is a variation of the you-know-what, but other than that, please share with me some of your word variations so that I might one day be able to finish my crossword puzzle.

Would love some feedback . . .

I've added a poll to the site, though I'm not sure I can figure out how to make it have a border and be the right colors yet. Anyways, please vote, and feel free to give me some more comments on this post. Thanks!

Would it kill you to be more friendly?

I'm really glad that I've been fortunate enough to live in places where the people are decent. I've recently taken up running in the park where I live, and I've always found it pleasant that people there say hello to you when you run by each other. It makes the whole experience more enjoyable.

Today, however, I went running on Lake Michigan in Chicago, and I don't think one person made eye contact, let alone said hello. It made the whole experience less enjoyable if you ask me. I don't know what makes one town one way and this town another. It's like people move somewhere and then take on the mood of that town, further perpetuating an unfriendly (or friendly) atmosphere. But if you move from a place like, let's say, Nashville, to a play like, let's say, Chicago, why can't you bring your Tennessee friendliness with you? Really, it wouldn't kill you to smile and say hello to people every now and then.

My First Post Ever!

Those who know me best would say that I complain a lot. Not really in a whiney, cry-baby sort of way (left that behind when I was like 12 or so), but more that I have opinions and expectations about the world in which I live, and I often like to share them . . . unclear whether my listerners like to hear them.So, I will try to channel my social commentaries to this site, and hopefully, I'll be able to mix in some lighter, less cynical things as well. We shall see. In the meantime, I'm also going to start a list, at this point in no particular order, of things that I find comment-worthy throughout the day. We'll see how that goes.

Well, hope you enjoy, and come back often!

My Two Cents' Worth

1. Waiters have to earn their tips. That's their job, no more no less.
2. The worst drivers I've ever seen are in Montgomery County, Maryland.
3. When you go to parties with the same people all the time, you can't say, "I have a bottle of liquor in my car" every time.
4. People should use the phrase "stupid bimbo" more often -- not my point, but I certainly agree with it.
5. The guy who decided to put wheels on the bottom of office chairs was a genius.
6. The thing they say about Wrigley is that you went to a party and a baseball game broke out . . . it's absolutely true (of course, it helps when the Cubs are winning).
7. Chicago pizza might actually be better than New York pizza.