Smack-Talk Sunday

For future reference, let me introduce you some of my league's more outspoken players:

Jeters Never Prosper - I started in the majors last year but was quickly sent back to the minor leagues as we discovered that, well, Yahoo Fantasy Baseball sucks. At least the free site does.

Mortal Wombats - This is her first season. Made some rookie mistakes in the draft that she's working to overcome. Best name in the league, next to mine of course. Likes players named Guillen.

The Maybe-Next-Years - My buddy from college and our Commissioner. Poor guy is a Cubs fan. We don't let him forget it.

The Master Batters - A co-worker of the Commish. This is just one of his leagues and he's been at it for several seasons. Gave us hell as we newbies muddled our way through our first live draft. Oh, and he has Jeter on his roster.

Your sampling for this week is a nice offer from the East-Side All-Stars who is usually pretty quiet:

Hot Tejadas for sale, get 'im while he's hot
Okay, he's not really hot right now, but he could be, and I need a 3B or OF to shore up my depleted roster. Any reasonable offer will be entertained, taken out, and shown a good time. Any unreasonable offer will be hosed down with mustard and ketchup and sent back home to its mama.

Not even the pie?

Yes, but then not heated!

I went to see Waitress last night with free passes provided by the prodding of Neel. I'll let him write the review since I'm not as good at such things but I do give it two very enthusiastic thumbs up.

I am here to warn anyone, such as myself, that was looking forward to a chick flick finally starring Nathan Fillion (aka Captain Tight Pants from Firefly) as a romantic lead. NOT SO! While he is romantic (to a point) and cute (can't help it) and a doctor (a cute doctor) this is not about him. His character is barely developed because, well, it doesn't have to be. This is a chick flick to end all chick flicks and the men are merely props. Props that give good solid performances but still props (Andy Griffith's character has more depth than Nathan's).

So, once you realize it is Keri Russell we are here to see you are in for a huge treat. It was an acting job that required huge restraint and the power was in the nuances (ala Meryl Streep in Prada). I was blown away because, really, I'd not really given Keri a second thought. I never really watched Felicity. Also important for me was that it was a great antidote for recently watching An Inconvenient Truth and feeling like no one should procreate. Check out the trailer and go see it when it comes out (or for me to host it on a Movie Night).

Unfortunately it also made me want pie.

Thank god the Cheesecake Factory was closed.

blanket but no hat.

I think not

It is Turn Off Your TV Week...

But it coincides with two Yankees Red Sox series and the NHL playoffs. I move to reschedule!

Here you go...

I'm not sure I should be supporting Neel's diva behavior but Lucia and I hung out the other night so I thought he might like to see this:

Catherine the Great!

For those that remember Brandy from HS (Sunset) she's now a mommy!

Catherine Beatrix arrived April 20, 2007 was 7.34 lb and 20 inches long.

I'll post pictures soon of the little sprout. Maybe even one in a hat...

Who needs to blog when you have friends...

Did I mention my trip to San Francisco?

Julie sure did...

Go check it out!

Buy the fucking Ford already!

Just announced - Ford has commissioned writer and director David Mamet to produce two new commercials for the Edge CUV that will make their TV debut during tonight's episode of American Idol. As a playwright, he received Tony nominations for Glengarry Glen Ross (1984) and Speed-the-Plow (1988). As a screenwriter, he received Oscar nominations for The Verdict (1982) and Wag the Dog (1997). In college I worked on his Sexual Perversity in Chicago and The Water Engine and have the emotional scars to prove it. But still, you gotta wonder how, with plays where every third word is fuck, they could air anything by him in prime time and on regular tv. He must be mellowing in his old age.

Overheard...

"Oh. You are wearing a red sweater. I don't wear red after January."

?????

Happy Easter

Well, I can't wait for fall now!!!

I wanna be MADE!

NOT seen on the next episode on MTV...

"I want to be a Dragon Boat Racer!"

in which I get my butt kicked by the Willamette River.

My company is sponsoring a dragon boat team for the first time this year. Some people have been shocked to hear this is something I've always wanted to do and am really REALLY excited about. Especially since I have no experience, no skills, and no practical knowledge (never even seen a full race).

So, in week 1.5, I've been drafted as back up Tiller (the one who steers the boat and makes sure I don't take out Newport Bay on the way out) and Co-Captain (presumably on the sole grounds that the captain's meetings are right by my house) as well as a Paddler.

I've been to two clinics, of roughly 2 hours each, paddling away while each Tiller takes a turn taking the boat out of the marina, turning it around in the rapid current, and bringing it back in, backing up and parallel parking (it's a dragon not a Lexus so that's a lot of work). My second turn as Tiller I was confronted with the Portland Spirit, not the biggest boat out there but big enough that, when confronted with its wake, I almost went in the water.

I've been told this is an occupational hazard as you are standing on a platform at the back of the boat with a big wooden till that, when caught in the current, will push you off. Fun!

I went to my first team practice Wednesday and was relieved that our main Tiller is brilliant and so it's not something I'll have to do a lot of. So, now I need to learn how to paddle. At least paddle correctly.

It's much more of a core work out than I expected and less about the arms. Although I should take some before and after pictures as I'm hoping a few months of this will do wonders.

It's Heeeere!!!!

People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball.

I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.

~Rogers Hornsby

Sunday Sunday Sunday...

Over at Friends of English Magic they've posted a Q&A with Jane Goldman about the Stardust movie that I'm getting increasingly excited for.

Q: I’ve been thinking about the various comparisons in the press (mainly from the preview audiences) that Stardust resembles The Princess Bride and The Pirates of the Carribean, who would win at a sword fight between Tristan Thorn, Inigo Montoya, and Captain Jack Sparrow if they were all up against each other?

A: Well, I’d have to say probably not Tristan. I can’t imagine him even wanting to get involved in a sword fight unless he really had to, for some reason he felt really passionate about.

Skill-wise, my money would probably be on Inigo, especially if Captain Jack had been drinking, but Jack seems to be one of those guys with luck on his side, so I imagine that perhaps a piece of heavy furniture might fall on Inigo at the last minute.

I wouldn’t like to see them fight, though. I’d hate any of them to get hurt. I like them all too much. Could they perhaps all wrestle each other instead? I’d definitely watch that.

- For those of you that have not read the book yet. I highly recommend picking it up before the release date (currently August 10)