Centerfield

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.

See it.

I saw it last night. It was fabulous!

http://www.skycaptain.com/

Anyone else read John Irving's "The Fourth Hand?" I thought it was a real return to form. Criticism of media's bias towards ratings is a significant thread in the plot.

Take a surf over to Drezner for his post on Rep Adam Smith, who sounds like he might just be a centrist, or at least a reasonable guy. It's a post on outsourcing and taking a view supported by what the data says so far. The extra added bonus is that he calls out, and gets a return visit from our favorite expatriate incoherent, Alex-Janus. I sure don't miss him.

Good reccomendation Rick, I have been tossing around whether or not going to see that one. Come to think of it, I would watch Angelina in just about anything.

(1) Garden State
(2) Mr. 3000

See them both... Great movies... Bernie Mac might actually have a career ahead of him.

Hey Keegan... How 'bout them Seahawks winning two on the road! Patriots... 2-0! Four more weeks until Hasselbeck and his predictions versus Brady and his man-purse. Three questions: (1) Do you think they will both be undefeated come October 17th? (2) Could this be an early Superbowl preview? (3) Will Brady finally get the recognition he deserves as the new Joe Montana?

On a more serious note, I have a huge problem people. I have told you about the new Tivo and DirecTV setup. It is sick. I am totally obsessed. I have taped so much crap that there is no way I can conceivably ever catch up. What to do, what to do...

Anyone read about the BS regarding Paul Hamm having to go to court to win his gold medal for the second time? Reports say that Momma Hamm put the medal in a sock and hid it in the farm house. She was quoted as saying that they would have to get through her first if they wanted it. Awesome!

Brian,

I grew up next to Smith's district... He is the real deal. A centrist through and through. If he had a little more charisma he would make an excellent national leader for the Democrats.

bk:

I read The Fourth Hand by Irving and thought it one of his most perfunctory, least well-conceived books. The book didn't have the depth his others seem to have. However, I recognize that's a high standard. And The Fourth Hand is still good. Have you read anything else by him?

Recently I read Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood. Good stuff there too. Atwood takes corporatization to an almost-far-fetched-but-believable extreme.

On a more serious note, I have a huge problem people. I have told you about the new Tivo and DirecTV setup. It is sick. I am totally obsessed. I have taped so much crap that there is no way I can conceivably ever catch up. What to do, what to do...

Don't worry, Mathew, at some point your wife will do an intervention. Maybe along the lines of, "if you tape one more thing, I'm going to pull a Jimmy Hoffa on the Tivo." :-) That's the benefit of having a spouse--they think nothing of saving you from yourself. :-)

The characters in Garden State apparently went ot my high school (Columbia, Maplewood/South Orange, New Jersey) and there is an exterior shot of the high school. Apparently, the star and writer, Zack Braff, went to my high school 10 years after I did. He as a blog too.

I've read all of Irving. I think his early stuff shows his promise but was a little bit half-baked, but he hit his stride with Garp, Meany, and Cider, which are all very good. Meany is his masterpiece, IMO.

I didn't like his last 2 (Son and Widow) much, so this felt like a return to form for me. Not quite as well formed as his best, I agree. One problem is that the absurdity of the hand business was so central to the plot that if you don't buy it, you're discounting the whole time you read. In other works such absurdities were rich but not so omnipresent. While reading I entertained the notion that women might not enjoy it as much since they'd be less likely to take a forgiving view of Wallingford. However Wallingford is not unlike many past Irving men. Just speculation on my part, not an accusation on your impressions.

Matt it seems to me that a clash of 4 and 0 teams is highly likely. I expect the Patriots to handle Buffalo and Miami, who can't score at all. Seattle should kill San Fran and outpace the Rams, who are still dangerous but on the decline.

You better hope the Hawks defense can play it straight because the Patriots offense has never looked better. Dillon is an amazing upgrade that makes our passing just that much better, and we have such a spread out passing attack that no one knows where the ball is going. If you guys have trouble with linebackers in pass coverage you'll be in big trouble.

IMO Brady has already been anointed as this generation's Montana. During that opening MNF game they were just going on and on about it, I even got sick of it. My personal opinion is that his success is due in equal measure to skill and good fortune. The Patriot's approach is such that Brady is seldom put in positions where he is required to do things he's not very good at. That's Bellichick's recipe. We won 15 straight last year even with Brady going long stretches without doing much but punching the clock, which is a tribute to the team's balance.

But Brady has gotten it done nearly every time when he's been called upon and that has to count the most. Undefeated in postseason says it all. He's smart, efficient, has both great judgement and quick judgement, and is the epitome of a leader both on and off the field, and shows no sign whatsoever of being content to rest on his laurels. I don't think this is a secret to anyone. But I think that a guy like Peyton Manning or Dan Marino could have gotten it done with this team.

That said, a scary thought for opponents is that Brady might just now be entering his prime. He has played a little bit better each season, and now in his 4th year loks to be in complete control, almost as though the game doesn't play as fast for him as for everyone else. He reminds me of Larry Bird in this. I do expect that at some point he's going to have trouble with shoulder deterioration, as he has separated his shoulder a few times, and always hangs in to take the tough hit in ordser to complete the pass. Hope I'm wrong there.

Mathew:

I've had the DirectTV/Tivo situation for just over a year. I too have a tendency to record way more stuff than I will ever feasibly view...especially since I don't watch very much TV. LOL

I've found it useful mostly for recording movies when there's one of those free HBO weekends. I also record the Daily Show because Jon Stewart is one of the greatest political commentators of our time...and watching him is the ultimate in TV entertaiment. LOL

I don't think there's a lifeline for stopping the TiVo freebase.

Mathew,

There's only one real solution to your problem. Upgrade your hard disk size on your Tivo so you can record more stuff!

Anyone try Godiva's "belgian dark chocolate" ice cream?
Wow.

Mmmmmmm...... That sounds good, Susan......

I like Dryers' Mocha Almond Fudge ice cream. I can't have it after dinner because the coffee in it keeps me awake half the night, but it is soooo good!

Susan,

I bought some for my wife, the chocolohic,when she was a having a rough day. Her reaction bore a strong resemblence to a heroin addict mainlining a fix.

I have been reading William Kennedy's Albany (NY) books. (The Albany trilogy includes "Legs", "Billy Phelan's Greatest Game" and "Ironweed",written in the 70s and a more recent book "Roscoe" a couple of years ago). He is a very good writer; these novels are sort of an imaginative glimpse into the netherworld of political and cultural life in the early 20th century, political machines, gangsters,etc. I find his take on comparing gangsters favorable to the boring, hypocritical middle class life to be annoying. But otherwise, good reading.

Tom Brady reminds me to some extent of Troy Aikman with the Cowboys. A fine quarterback on a very good team that rarely had to pull out games by himself. I think that's sort of where Brady is now, except he has had to do things in the playoffs and Superbowl that Aikman did not. Quarterbacks get too much blame for not winning the big games when they often don't have the teams to do it.

I would love to get TIVO but my wife would blow a gasket.

MWS,

That's what my wife was like before we actually got a Tivo. Now, she is their biggest fan. I can't say that about many other gadgets I've bought throughout the years, which are now relegated to my home office or garage.