a jumble of morning bits and pieces
Feb. 16th, 2005 09:07 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
winterbadgerThere's
Frank Deford. I really find this man infuriating. He's very knowledgeable about sports, and he has a lot of useful and interesting things to say. He ever frequently says things I agree with, and things that sports commentators with less standing might be afraid to say. For example, his piece this morning on NASCAR (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4501252) I found refreshing. Until he brought out his favourite whipping boy. "NASCAR, gee that's about as dumb and unsportslike as, well... soccer!" For some reason, Deford has an unreasoning and virulent hatred of soccer. He closes his eyes to its grace and artistry. He find it possible to praise the sumo-like crashing together of morbidly obese American-rules football linebackers, but he sneers at the consummate athleticism of everywhere-else-in-the-world-but-Australia football players. He can write raptures about a baseball game decided by a single home run, but he coughs up all the tired, stupid platitudes about the grinding boredom of a 1-0 soccer game. He puts even Dan Rydell in the shade with his snipes, jeers, and whines about the Beautiful Game. He even displays an abject lack of knowledge; during a recent commentary on goal celebrations in American football, he listed soccer as among many other sports where players don't really celebrate goals. Huh? Has he watched a Premiership fixture, or an MLS match, or a local U-12 pickup game in the last 20 years? Then today he really let loose with a wave of scorn, promoting a website that shares his hatred for the world's most popular sport and heaping sarcastic ordure on futbol. Well, you know what? This is it. The last straw. When I get home, I'm going out and signing up for all the domain names I can think of. www.frankdefordsucks.com. www.defordisabozo.org. www.frankdefordcouldntpolishalanshearersboots.biz. And I'm going to point them all at the football sites I can think of: SoccerAmerica.com, ESPNSoccernet, the FA site, US Soccer, MLS.net... Learn, Deford, what suffering follows when you trifle with soccer geeks! Cower! Quail! (Yeah, I'm sure he won't lose any sleep over it...)
and
OK, so there's this game called "Necromunda," a science fiction miniatures game in which rival gangs battle for control of the decrepit outer reaches of a great "hive" city in the far future. Sort of "The Warriors" meets "Logan's Run" with shades of "A Clockwork Orange" and touches of "The Godfather" around the edges.
and today I found out that my LJ-friend brithistorian is a sometime player of the game and has a twisted sense of humour as well. See the photos in this entry for evidence: http://www.livejournal.com/users/brithistorian/107422.html
and last but not least, for this morning,
Yeah, well, you didn't think you were going to get through an entire entry from me without a little romantic gushing, did you? ;-) Give it five or ten years, and it may die down slightly. Slightly. :-) But today's tribute isn't to her beauty, or her intelligence, or her wit, or her athletic prowess (though all of those are quite worthy of praise). This one goes out to her musical taste. And maybe that's not news, since her fondness for Dar Williams was one of the early clues that she was definitely a keeper, later confirmed by the number of similar albums in our collections (she's even *seen* The Corrs in concert, Sean! ;-). But not only did she introduce me to the wonderful Ellis Paul last weekend (http://www.ellispaul.com/), but she loaned me two of her Billy Bragg CDs. And I've been listening to them at work, and I have to say I love this guy. Gritty, slightly rockabilly, slightly punky guitar work; wonderful lyrics; a clear accented English voice; a Labour-y kind of perspective, and a penchant for just the same sort of obscurity I love. I mean, who else (other than maybe Al Stewart) would write a song about the Diggers of 1649? Thank you, my love, for sharing this with me! Yet another reason tothink know you are the best ever. :-)
Frank Deford. I really find this man infuriating. He's very knowledgeable about sports, and he has a lot of useful and interesting things to say. He ever frequently says things I agree with, and things that sports commentators with less standing might be afraid to say. For example, his piece this morning on NASCAR (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4501252) I found refreshing. Until he brought out his favourite whipping boy. "NASCAR, gee that's about as dumb and unsportslike as, well... soccer!" For some reason, Deford has an unreasoning and virulent hatred of soccer. He closes his eyes to its grace and artistry. He find it possible to praise the sumo-like crashing together of morbidly obese American-rules football linebackers, but he sneers at the consummate athleticism of everywhere-else-in-the-world-but-Australia football players. He can write raptures about a baseball game decided by a single home run, but he coughs up all the tired, stupid platitudes about the grinding boredom of a 1-0 soccer game. He puts even Dan Rydell in the shade with his snipes, jeers, and whines about the Beautiful Game. He even displays an abject lack of knowledge; during a recent commentary on goal celebrations in American football, he listed soccer as among many other sports where players don't really celebrate goals. Huh? Has he watched a Premiership fixture, or an MLS match, or a local U-12 pickup game in the last 20 years? Then today he really let loose with a wave of scorn, promoting a website that shares his hatred for the world's most popular sport and heaping sarcastic ordure on futbol. Well, you know what? This is it. The last straw. When I get home, I'm going out and signing up for all the domain names I can think of. www.frankdefordsucks.com. www.defordisabozo.org. www.frankdefordcouldntpolishalanshearersboots.biz. And I'm going to point them all at the football sites I can think of: SoccerAmerica.com, ESPNSoccernet, the FA site, US Soccer, MLS.net... Learn, Deford, what suffering follows when you trifle with soccer geeks! Cower! Quail! (Yeah, I'm sure he won't lose any sleep over it...)
and
OK, so there's this game called "Necromunda," a science fiction miniatures game in which rival gangs battle for control of the decrepit outer reaches of a great "hive" city in the far future. Sort of "The Warriors" meets "Logan's Run" with shades of "A Clockwork Orange" and touches of "The Godfather" around the edges.
and today I found out that my LJ-friend brithistorian is a sometime player of the game and has a twisted sense of humour as well. See the photos in this entry for evidence: http://www.livejournal.com/users/brithistorian/107422.html
and last but not least, for this morning,
Yeah, well, you didn't think you were going to get through an entire entry from me without a little romantic gushing, did you? ;-) Give it five or ten years, and it may die down slightly. Slightly. :-) But today's tribute isn't to her beauty, or her intelligence, or her wit, or her athletic prowess (though all of those are quite worthy of praise). This one goes out to her musical taste. And maybe that's not news, since her fondness for Dar Williams was one of the early clues that she was definitely a keeper, later confirmed by the number of similar albums in our collections (she's even *seen* The Corrs in concert, Sean! ;-). But not only did she introduce me to the wonderful Ellis Paul last weekend (http://www.ellispaul.com/), but she loaned me two of her Billy Bragg CDs. And I've been listening to them at work, and I have to say I love this guy. Gritty, slightly rockabilly, slightly punky guitar work; wonderful lyrics; a clear accented English voice; a Labour-y kind of perspective, and a penchant for just the same sort of obscurity I love. I mean, who else (other than maybe Al Stewart) would write a song about the Diggers of 1649? Thank you, my love, for sharing this with me! Yet another reason to
Re: Absolutely
Date: 2005-02-16 05:40 pm (UTC)It's cool to see you on LJ! :-) I'm sorry to hear about your recent blues/crankiness. :-( I hope at least that your beasties are all well (or as well as possible...)
Warning: I've mentioned you to my housemates
Re: Absolutely
Date: 2005-02-16 05:41 pm (UTC)Re: Absolutely
Date: 2005-02-16 05:45 pm (UTC)Crankiness comes and goes. I'm used to it. I thought about not saying anything in public, but then I thought "Hey, it's my journal. Anybody who doesn't like it doesn't have to read."
I'm more than happy to talk about lightweight gear with anybody who wants to talk about it. If they want to, bring them for beer too. :)
Re: Absolutely
Date: 2005-02-16 06:14 pm (UTC)Cool. My suggestions, in order of preference: Parker's (haven't been there, but it sounds good), Rock Bottom, Flanagan's, Rio Grande.
"Hey, it's my journal. Anybody who doesn't like it doesn't have to read."
Absolutely!
I'm more than happy to talk about lightweight gear with anybody who wants to talk about it. If they want to, bring them for beer too. :)
I don't know what their schedule looks like, but I will suggest it to them. :-)
Re: Absolutely
Date: 2005-02-16 06:56 pm (UTC)If you go to Flanagan's look for me. On the wall. Yes, my portrait is painted on the wall at Flanagan's. Imagine (or not) what I had to do to have the honor of having my face painted on the wall of an Irish Pub.
Re: Absolutely
Date: 2005-02-18 04:24 pm (UTC)So Monday, around 6.30 (just in case the traffic across the AL Bridge is awful) at Parkers? or Rock Bottom?
Re: Absolutely
Date: 2005-02-19 12:16 am (UTC)Re: Absolutely
Date: 2005-02-19 03:41 am (UTC)