Blogging Assignment

I'm completely stealing this idea from my clever friend Camille, but I liked it so much that I had to. I think I've said before that I like "assignments" for blog posts because it decreases the pressure factor. This seemed like a pretty interesting idea, so here goes.

The challenge is to post a picture everyday for 30 days. Each day has a category of picture to follow, all different.

Day 1: Post a picture of yourself.

Ok, this is me! Albeit, not my day-to-day attire and hairstyle, but the rest of it is there. I remember taking this picture and being completely, entirely, wonderfully happy. I can definitely have my down days where I complain, sweat the small stuff, forget all the amazing blessings I have. But, I always hope that no matter what, this is what I am on the inside and what I strive for. Laughing, joyful, and happy.

That Was Brutal

"It's a hard way to fall. And this ain't the easy way down."

-Ryan Adams

I can't help myself. That game last night was too much for me. Every possession was agonizing, every shot missed felt HUGE. Probably what was most upsetting for me was not that the Celtics lost, but that the Lakers won. I'd picked the Celtics to lose the series they played over a month ago...against Cleveland. I haven't forgotten that they stunk for the second half of the season. They disregarded the regular season, and it really only bit them in the butt once...last night. Had they had home court advantage, there is no way the C's lose that game. But they are responsible for that, they mailed in the regular season (claiming they needed the rest and maybe they're right). What I hope is noted is that the winner of last night's game was going to be remembered as one of the weakest NBA champions in history. Put either of those teams against the '03 Spurs, you think they win? They don't. How bout the Bad Boy Pistons? No. The Bulls of the 90s would have swept both of these teams. Hey, I grew up on the Celtics-Lakers Finals, so I love that these are the two teams, but this was an ugly, sloppy series that, if it had been between the Jazz and Magic would be talked about as the worst in history.

Things that happened last night:

Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Rajon Rondo came up small.

I wish it wasn't so, but had any one of them played 20% better, the C's pull that out.

Pau Gasol, Derek Fisher, and Ron Artest rescued Kobe Bryant's reputation. They delivered him from what would have been tatooed on the forehead of his career, "crapped himself in the NBA Finals Game 7." I hate Gasol, but he made huge plays for them and got every rebound. And for all the hype about Kobe's closing ability, just remember that the Lakers went to Gasol for every big possession down the stretch. Fisher once again hit the biggest shot of the Finals (no one remembers that he sent a missile through the net to tie the Magic at the end of regulation last year), when he tied up the game in the 4th.

Then Ron Artest, who killed Pierce all night on defense, hit the kind of shot that makes an opposing player feel like they've been stabbed in the chest - a 3 with less than a minute in a one-possession game.

The Celtics got the style of game they wanted, and then they blew it. When the game got tight at the end, the C's shrunk from the moment. That is one of the toughest parts to swallow here. It is one thing if the Lakers had taken this game away. But really what happened was that the Celtics gave it to them. They went scoreless for 7 minutes, they stood around waiting for someone else to make a play, and they never rebounded...not at all. The saddest part is that rebounds are all about heart, and the one thing I felt the Celtics had on the Lakers was their heart. Just a miserable way to lose.

It's a shame you never showed up tonight, Ray. We could have used you.

This version of the Celtics is over. As unlikely as this run was, it would be more unlikely if they got back together and did anything like this again. They're too old, they're now mentally fried, and there's no guarantee that they will have their coach back. It's over. I loved it while it lasted, but this now needs to be a rebuilding project around Rajon Rondo. I'm going to miss this team. They pulled a lot of crap that I didn't like so much, but they were a fun bunch to root for on most days.

Things that didn't happen last night:

The refs costing anyone the game.

And thank goodness because they had been awful for most of the series. But they let them play and decide the game for themselves. I would have liked a call here and there to have been different, but nothing that dramatic. And anyone that mentions the foul shot discrepancy without mentioning how aggressive the Lakers were going to the rim is manipulating the numbers.

Kobe Bryant proving anything.

He didn't start "trusting his teammates." He didn't "let the game come to him." He didn't really affect the game positively for the Lakers beyond hitting three big free throws that were a gift from Joey Crawford (ok, they missed that one, but they were mostly good). Look, it is well documented that I don't like the guy. He's the most selfish athlete on the planet. But I won't say he's not an incredible player. He is. What upsets me is when people say things like, "He's got one more to go until he ties Jordan." Kobe was Shaq's sidekick for three of those, not the other way around. Kobe was Pippen, not Jordan. This would be like saying that Robert Horry is as good as Jordan because he has as many rings. Ludicrous. But the best way to decide where Kobe belongs in this conversation is to ask what would have happened if you switched him out for Jordan last night. Did anyone ever say, "The Bulls won last night despite Jordan's effort." How about Bird? You think he would have played like a mental midget in Game 7 last night? Magic? Nope. The names that come to mind are: Karl Malone, Chris Webber, Jon Starks, Patrick Ewing, and Tracy McGrady.

Kobe's earned the right to a few bad games, I will concede (just not a Game 7). I am not saying he's not a superstar. He's a top ten all time player. He is good enough to win most NBA games by himself. But ranking him ahead of one of those guys in the last paragraph is crazy. It cheapens what they were more than it builds Kobe up. Unfortunately, the stories you will hear coming out of this series will be about the number of his titles, instead of the stinker he layed in a big game. If the Celtics had just delivered the knockout blow when they had the chance, Kobe would take his rightful place in history and we could finally put this foolishness about him and MJ to rest.

All that said, at least our loyal 6 readers don't have to worry about reading anything about basketball for a while. I know I don't want to right now.

The 'what-if' plays

"One bounce, or gust of wind, or malfunctioning headset, or even a piece of dust in a referee's eye can turn a game, and by extension, a season into crap... you never know when that gust of wind will come along and blow away your chance for this feeling again."

I know, I know. Woe is me! My NBA team (a league that not many of my friends care about, and a team that I have no geographical ties to) lost a game they could have won. But this play happened last night, and I was reminded of something. Another of my teams won the championship this year, and had to make a lot of these types of plays. They are the little plays, the ones that can go unnoticed when you win, but stand out when you lose. Here's the play:

As you can see, Rondo missed Pierce who was wide open for a lay-up. Now, this is maddening on several levels. The most basic one is that Rondo has proven to be an incredible basketball visionary who would miss this pass only 1 out of 1,000,000 times. But he missed it this time.

But here is the way that it tortures my mind: What if Rondo makes that pass and Pierce makes the lay-up? There are so many possible outcomes past that. Maybe nothing changes, maybe everything does. But I feel like the game would have swung. Pierce was out of rhythm all game, and sometimes it just takes a simple shot to get you back into it. Also, and more importantly, the game is now tied. The Celtics had fought and clawed to get the game close again, but they never tied or took the lead. For all the talk about mental toughness, I think the Lakers have some, but are as apt to fold as they are to hold leads. Their poise shrinks in a big way if the score is tied, I believe*.

*And with reason, The Lakers, for all the media hype about how they are so much mentally tougher than they used to be, are still the same team that was up 3 with 4 minutes to play in Game 2 and gave up a 11-0 run with the "best closer in the game" (rubbish) going 1-4 with 3 turnovers.

The point I'm making is this: there are big things that separate great teams from regular ones. There are little things that separate great teams from other great teams, and sometimes those little things are controllable and sometimes they aren't (yes, the officials were horrendous last night). Several months ago, I made this point about how fragile Alabama's season was - in the quote above - and how these little things can separate a great championship team from a great team that could have won it all but didn't. I feel like the Celtics are on the other end of this after Game 3.

Know what the worst part is? There are moments like this out there in every single game. And if you let yourself think about it for your team, you'll be tortured too.

Pistol and Grits story

Since he was a puppy, Pistol has always looked up to and deferred to Grits.

I had a free day on Friday, which I had been hoping to fill the morning with by reading about the Celtics heart. Instead I read (and rightly so) about the absence of it. I wasn't in the greatest mood, and when that happens, I like to go and rile up my dogs with some treats - that always makes me laugh.

Now, there are drawbacks to going into my backyard to do this. One is that Pistol (my dog), is a barker. He has some hound in him and it is a soulful, sad bark. He also barks a lot. Basically, any thing that gets his attention (a car passing, a noise in the next yard, and especially the chance that someone is bringing him something to eat), Pistol will bark at it. Like most people, I love my dogs so much that I have become immune to the annoying nature of Pistol's barking. It's not as constant as it was when he was 3 or 4, and I guess he just wore me down. Nevertheless, if you take a treat out to the back yard, count on Pistol barking with excitement.

Grits (my sister's dog), on the other hand, lets Pistol be her mouthpiece most of the time. She is old - going on 14 years old. She limps around with arthritis, she hates being left outside even though right now our garage is like a sauna, and she is basically deaf. Every morning when I go wake the dogs in the garage to take them to the backyard, I find Grits passed out on the floor next to the fan (she snarls at Pistol until he vacates the spot in front of the fan so that she can have it), and she can only hear me if I clap my hands right by her ear. More than once, Dana has thought Grits had passed away to doggy heaven (and no one would be able to blame her either).

So, back to the story. I got a hotdog out of the fridge and gently opened the back door so as not to rouse too much barking right away. Pistol came around the edge of the house, ears perked up, and wagging away. He saw the hotdog, knew it was for him, but didn't bark. This is beyond strange for him. I waited a few moments for Grits to come hobbling around the house too. She never came...oh no.

At this point, Pistol has seen the treat, sat down, begun 'shaking' with the air, and is looking at me incredulously, "Why haven't you given me my tasty treat yet?!" By this point, usually he would have been barking... a lot. And I always interpret it as "Yes! Food! Give! (Pause) Quick! Food! Me!" But he's still being quiet. So, I walked around the egde of the house and saw that Grits was lying in the shade asleep and oblivious to me and Pistol...and the hotdog I had intended to split between the two of them. I took a second to make sure I saw that she was actually alive, and then looked back to Pistol. He looked up at me and still had not barked (a new record for silence from him), but his expression said, "See? If you don't wake her up, I'll get the whole thing. No one has to know. Come on." And then he started pawing the air again (Pistol knows the trick 'Shake' but doesn't care if there's a recipient for the shake. he usually just waves his paw impatiently until you give him the food).

This is Pistol's "you have a treat for me?" face.

So, I gave him the whole thing and let Grits stay asleep. She gets the best of Pistol most of the time because she's smarter, older, and nastier than him. He earned it.

Good boy!

Hating the Lakers and Loving the Celtics

"This is about drawing a line in the sand, man. Across this line, you DO NOT..."

I was born into Alabama fandom. My dad went to school there and taught me to cheer for them as I was just learning to talk. I try to remember this fact when I'm asking the question "Why would someone CHOOSE to cheer for Auburn if they live in Alabama?" Maybe they didn't choose it, maybe it chose them the way Alabama chose me. I could write an entire post on this, but the point of bringing it up is to say that I chose to be a Celtics fan. More accurately, I chose to be a Larry Bird fan. One of my earliest memories was watching Bird against the Lakers. Through a set of 7-year old eyes, I can remember thinking that he was one guy against an entire team of fast athletic guys. And he fought them off, time and again. He stood out. He was incredible. So I cheered for his team. Go Celtics!

As a middle schooler, I went through a Hornets phase, but really it was just for the cool Starter Jacket (should I have italicized "cool" or Starter there?). I still pulled for the Celtics...even though they stunk. The only thing that really stood out about them in those years was the "Blind Man" dunk Dee Brown did in the Slam Dunk contest. They were difficult to pull for, but I still did because of the memories of Larry fighting off the villains like Wyatt Earp.

I never really hated the Lakers when I was a kid. They were just the team against my team. How do you not like Magic, James Worthy, Byron Scott? Kareem...ok I didn't ever like him. But they were fun to watch for a little kid with all their dunking and no-look passes. I didn't grasp that you had to hate your rival yet (although my dad was trying to get me to understand it about Tennessee football). Go Celtics! The Lakers...whatever.

I'll fast forward through the Jordan years because if you couldn't root for Jordan (especially while your team wasn't even in the playoffs to root for) then, well, you didn't like basketball.

We'll pick up with when I began to hate the Lakers. They traded for Shaq. Shaq was /is everything that basketball is not supposed to be. He held advantages because of nothing that had to do with hard work or basketball skill. He beat you up and then dunked it because he was bigger and taller than anyone he matched up against. The refs let him do it because ever since Jordan, superstars got the calls. He was a walking offensive foul. When Hakeem played Shaq in the 95 Finals, I was giddy at the way he showed the world what a virtuoso basketball player plays like verses a bumbling brute who never worked on his free throws. Now Shaq was a Laker, so I was going to root against his team (unless it was the Celtics), no matter who it was.

Other Laker hatables: Rick Fox - what a punk! His hair, his mannerisms, he was incredibly annoying to watch. Bob Horry - I never hated him, just hated that he made huge shots for this team. Same for Derek Fisher. Kobe Bryant...I'll get back to him since he's still a Laker.

During this time, the Lakers had a nice rivalry going with the Kings (who Shaq called the "Queens," which I must admit was pretty awesome). The Kings ran fast breaks, threw backdoor passes, hit outside shots, and loved playing with each other. They were easy to root for in those games. The Lakers would hoist bad shots, and Shaq would climb over someone's back, throw them out of the way and slam a putback down. Or they would have Rick Fox mug someone, then throw the ball ahead to Kobe for a Jordan-impression dunk. They hated each other, and you could tell. Fox, and Fisher got along, but that was about it. They couldn't stand Kobe, and they deferred to Shaq because they had to (all except Kobe anyway). All the while Phil Jackson was riding superstars to the title of "best coach in NBA history." Phil, by the way is a heck of a coach, but I respect about 6 living coaches more than him. I don't hate Phil, just think he's a little over-rated. The Lakers won because they were good, but they also won because they were lucky.

Horry's dagger against the Kings was a perfect combination of both. He had the skill and "onions" to hit the shot, but it was extremely fortunate for them that their 6'10 power forward was standing on the 3-point line, down by 2 as both squads fought for a rebound...why wasn't he in the lane again? Hey, the Kings were soft and the Lakers weren't and that's why they always beat them (that, and the widely accepted conspiracy theory about how Game 6 in Sacramento was fixed). But none of that changed the fact that the Lakers were part of what I hated about pro basketball at the time: Kobe goes one-on-one, and Shaq plays football.

Meanwhile, the Celtics were equally hard for me to watch. Antoine Walker was a maddening player to pull for. Paul Pierce (and he still does this), takes terrible shots that go in, so he keeps taking them. They never really made much noise (went to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2002), so they were never relevant to many discussions involving the Lakers. I stilled cared about them and pulled for them, but they rarely did anything to reward that. The Rick Pitino years were awful (and I still like Pitino even though he did some severe damage to the franchise). Eventually, after a number of terrible moves and bad luck, the Celtics scored big with the trades for Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. I could not have been more excited to get Garnett. He was a team guy. He had stuck it out with a crappy franchise out of loyalty and heart. He played with emotion and guts. He was my favorite player in the NBA, and now he was a Celtic.

Ray was another one I'd always admired, but not to the same degree. Looking back, I can't believe it worked so well, that these two guys who were so used to being the team leader would accept less minutes and shots after all these years of getting the lion's share of both. Even more unbelievable is that Pierce would allow these other stars to come in on HIS team and be leaders and take some of his spot light away. But they made it work. Why? because they wanted to WIN. That had become the most important thing to them. Unlike...

Kobe and Shaq's divorce happened after they were beaten at their own game - a physical Detroit team spanked that tail in 2004. Kobe cries and moans to get his dominant center, and Hall-of-Fame coach shipped out of town so he can run things his way. Does that sound like a winner? Is his main goal to win or be the unquestioned scorer on the team?

Phil Jackson writes a book about how awful it was trying to coach this petulant, whining, baby who would rather lose and score 40 than win in a team system. Then he comes back to coach him. More than once, Kobe quits during games in an attempt to prove a point to his coach (that he shouldn't have to pass to such awful teammates). Again, is he a winner or a selfish player?

I could go on all day about what I hate about Kobe. I won't, but I could. So, let me begin with some disclaimers:

whoops, sorry,

• I like Paul Pierce and hate Kobe Bryant even though they do a lot of the same things on the court. They play one-on-one in crunch time, and take terrible shots that go against the team concept of the game I love.
• Kobe is better at basketball than I would like to admit. He's smart, and plays strategically even when I'd like to say he's just being selfish and stubborn.
• Last night, I watched him make a series of unbelievable shots and will the Lakers over the Suns in Pheonix, a performance that I'm not sure any other current player could have pulled off.
• Part of what I hate about Kobe is not even his fault - it is the media gushing over him and not mentioning all the things about him that are negative and terrible. For instance, when his teams were losing in the first round and they would talk about how difficult it must have been for him...I wanted to scream, "HE CREATED THIS SITUATION BY DEMANDING THEY BLOW THE CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM UP!"
• The Colorado trial is best not to go into, but I wanted to scream those first four words from the last point about that too. It also revealed a lot about Kobe that he told the police that his teammate, Shaq had done the same thing as him plenty of times and just bought the women off. How noble of Kobe not to do that!
• If Michael Jordan had never existed, Kobe wouldn't be so difficult for me to stomach. It is not entirely fair to compare anyone to Jordan, even though Kobe basically asks you to compare them with his every action on the basketball court. Jordan had a lot of advantages in terms of media coverage and teammates covering for him being an a-hole, that Kobe never had. If Jordan had not ever been around, Kobe would seem a lot more original to me. Instead, I always feel like he's doing a cheap Jordan impression, and the media loves to compare the two.
• It shouldn't count against Kobe that he won three championships as Shaq's sidekick. But it also should be taken into consideration if we are playing the "who's the greatest player" game. Winning is winning, but no one is telling me that Robert Horry is better than Larry Bird because he has more rings. Horry, like Kobe rode Shaq to several of those titles. At the same time, I want to hold it against Kobe that he won those as a sidekick. But what is the answer, to disregard those rings? No. Just accept them in the proper perspective.

Ok, disclaimers out of the way. My biggest problem with Kobe is that there is nothing genuine about him to me aside from his desire to be considered one of the greats. Before you say it, yes, that is a noble sounding problem to have but here's my tweak: the other guys that were great were great because they wanted to win first and the accolades they received were a by-product of winning. Kobe wants it out of order. I feel like he's only just realizing that the winning comes first and then you can be in the discussion as one of the greats (LeBron by the way will be realizing that soon. Hopefully BEFORE he decides where he's playing). Kobe's mugging at teammates, jawing with the refs, and posturing after big shots all seems so fake to me. He grew up watching basketball, and I think (a lot like A-Rod by the way), he never developed an identity of his own, he just adopted the mannerisms of the players he wanted to be like. Take this chin-poking thing he's doing. He's never done that before last year. He was 33 when he started doing it. Haven't you developed all your involuntary reactions to things by the time you're like 18 years old? It is a calculated thing he's trying to do. It's like he's begging you to believe that he's a killer out there instead of just being one and letting the moments happen. You know who let the moments just happen? All the people Kobe is trying to surpass in the discussion of the greatest of all time.

It also says a lot to me if a guy's teammates don't like him. And Kobe has never had teammates that like him...ever. His current teammates like that he bails them out with insane clutch plays, but I don't think they want to hang around him. I think they find him insufferable. Maybe I'm projecting because I find him insufferable. I don't know, but that is the "short version" of my hatred for Kobe. I like team guys who put the winning above anything else, and Kobe has NEVER done that. His priorities are geared more toward the perception of being a "winner" than they are about actually winning. The 2008 Finals told you everything you needed to know about the differences between the Celtics stars and Kobe Bryant.

Other Lakers in bullets since this has turned into a meandering stream of consciousness bash-fest:

• Pau Gasol - I can't stand how soft he is while pretending to be a tough guy. I can't stand how he complains to the media about how he doesn't get enough shots after they win the game. But my least favorite thing about him is a broad one: I hat watching him on the court. He's effeminate out there. When something doesn't go right for him (missed shot, turnover, missed rebound, whatever), he always looks to a ref or to his bench in with an incredulous look on his face. It reminds me of when a golfer misses a putt and then motions with his arm at the green like "it was supposed to break THAT way." Pau looks around when something doesn't go right as if he's saying with a thick Spainish accent, "It is impossible that I would make mistake. Dis is someone else fault." When he does something good, he does one of two annoying things - a) he immediately looks for Kobe on the court to see if he approves and then goes and gently touches his head to Kobe's head. What is that?! Or b) he tries to look tough by screaming, only he's not tough looking so it comes off as forced.

• 
  

• Ron Artest - honestly, I kind of like Artest. But when he makes a shot it always seems lucky to me. But he plays hard and he sometimes screws the Lakers' offensive flow up. So I don't mind him so much.
• Lamar Odom - everyone gets on Rasheed Wallace for not caring enough (I'm at the head of this line, by the way). But there is not a player who would improve more by just caring about the game than Lamar Odom. He could be a top-10 player in the league, but he just doesn't want it.
• Derek Fisher - I would love Fisher if he didn't play for the Lakers. Other than Kobe, he hits the biggest shots for them, and that is about the only thing I hate about him...that and the dirty plays he makes.
• Andrew Bynum - the one thing that I can sympathize with Kobe on is wanting Bynum out of LA. He's a younger version of Odom. He takes up space and can be good at times, but deep down, he's soft.

• 
  

• Sasha Vujacic - are you kidding me? There is no other player in the league who elicits more hate than this guy. Even guys on his own team can't stand him. My only wish last night after it was obvious that the Suns were going to lose was that someone go and punch him in his face. What's the worst that can happen. By the way, there's no crying in basketball.

I think that's it for my Laker hate for now. The rest of them, like Luke Walton and Jordan Farmar aren't even worth a bullet point. Don't get me wrong, the Celtics aren't perfect, but at least they are playing for the right team. The whole point of me doing this was to get it out there that I haven't always hated the Lakers...I've just never liked the Lakers that have either Shaq or Kobe on the team. And it's been a long time since they've been without one of those two.

As for my prediction, I have been short on confidence for the Celtics this entire post season. I'm sorried about their chances of winning this series, not only because it will be tough to beat LA, but also because if they were going to lose, I didn't want it to be to the Lakers (I really would have settled for ANYONE but the Lakers). So there is a lot riding on this. In my head, I'm very worried about beating a Laker team with home court advantage.

But in my heart, I WANT those softies on the court. I want to see Garnett intimidate and feast on the wispy Gasol. I want to see Bynum ask to be taken out after Perkins bodies him out of the lane for 10 consecutive trips. I want to see Ray Allen frustrate Kobe by running off screens and burying 3's from the wing. And I want to see Rondo expose Fisher for being too old and slow. But mostly, I want to see Pierce out-duel Kobe and then listen to all these writers back-track on their position that it's Jordan-1 and Kobe 1A. I want this series. I just hope these hateable Lakers don't make me sorry I wanted it.

Beat LA!

Game Over

We haven't watched American Idol in 3 weeks now. Why? Because my team mathematically eliminated Dana's and the show is terrible now. They eliminated Siobhan and, in doing so, eliminated any chance for entertainment we had left.

Luckily, there has been entertainment elsewhere (SPORTS!), and in a new show.

Dana and I (really just me) have been enjoying a new to us show - Breaking Bad. It has been called the best show on tv right now. I don't know, but it is in the conversation in terms of performances. Totally dark and anxiety-filled (part of why Dana isn't crazy about it), but the acting job by Bryan Cranston is the best this side of Pau Gasol.

The show is about a high school chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Rather than leave his family with nothing, he decides to cook meth to make some money fast before he dies. That is just the jumping off point because it is much more a character study of this man than anything else, and it is awesome. Try it out, but don't expect warm and fuzzy.

Playoffs! The Celtics did it! I gave them no chance of beating Cleveland going into the series. For the last 4 months, they'd looked lethargic, old, uninspired, and crappy. They looked finished. I can't even feel that bad for predicting they would definitely lose before now. Garnett has turned himself around, and no one is as happy as me. I love the guy. Glad he's got a little left in the tank, and maybe a lot. Out of the "Big Three" only Ray Allen looked like himself before that series most of the time. The last few games (ever since LeBron decided to guard Rondo, leaving Pierce and Allen to Mo Williams), the old guys got it going, and the Celtics have been looking good. If nothing else, they have been fun to watch again.

Can they beat the Magic now that they've started the LeBron sweepstakes a month early? I still don't know (and at this point, they've already taken Game 1 in which they looked to be in total control for all but about 5 minutes of the game). But they look as good as any team left right now.

Speaking of the LeBron thing, I really want him to go somewhere else. To win a title, you need a committed front office, and a committed superstar. Cleveland has neither of those right now. LeBron is too worried about his image, and the Cavs office is happy to say "It's all on LeBron, he's the best. We'll surround him with yes-men teammates and yes-men coaches, and then we'll sit back and pat ourselves on the back until he delivers." He needs the right situation the same way every NBA superstar has needed the right situation (in my lifetime, I've never seen a one-man team win it - Jordan always had Pippen). I had hoped he could definitively end the LeBron-Kobe debate (he IS better, by the way). But he didn't and he won't until he wins a title. Kobe's supporting cast is three times as good as LeBron's, but Kobe still has him beat for sheer competitiveness. LeBron is too nice, too worried about being cool. People like him because of that, but he can't win on niceness. He's got to be a killer.

Nobody likes Kobe because he's not cool. He's not even good at pretending to be cool. You know who thinks he's cool? Stuart Scott - the man who re-invented not cool. But Kobe at least understands that the guys around him will not win games unless he MAKES them. Winning is hard, and the Celtics made it very hard on LeBron. When they did, he was looking around for someone else to help him and they were all looking to him. With everyone looking around, the Celtics smelled blood (they were SO nasty, it was awesome). Don't get me wrong, Kobe has shrunk from that challenge plenty of times in big games. When it happened, I would say, "See?! Jordan would never let his team get beaten in a pivotal game by 30 points. He'd never disappear like that." I enjoyed saying that about Kobe. I didn't want to say it about LeBron. I'm saying it now though. If he wants to win, he needs to be in a situation where he can look around in those big moments (it is his nature to share those moments instead of singularly take them over), and see a player like Derrick Rose.

Jordan never looked around, because he was the assassin. He was also a one-of-a-kind. LeBron isn't a cold-blooded killer. He's a front-runner right now. He needs to be in the right situation to become a killer. It would be neat if he could have that in New York, but he wouldn't. It has been shown that he won't have it in Cleveland. He should go to Chicago, and it would be fun to watch if he did.

Last playoff thought, and it is a familiar one. I am fine with anyone but the Lakers winning it all. And I would prefer them to lose because Kobe stunk it up. My dream match-up would be the Celtics and the Suns...I wouldn't even be mad if the Celts lost because that would mean that Nash finally hung a banner.

Alright, I've said my peace and counted to three...off to watch another NBA game.

Jacksons Day Off

"Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

--Ferris Bueller

The high school is closed tomorrow, so Kent has the day off. I decided to join him and take a day off work myself. I haven't had a day off since Christmas, so I'm pretty excited to get outside during the afternoon, have lunch with my husband, and spend the day relaxed and having fun. Lately, my job has been pretty intense and very busy. Friday will be a nice break. Hope you have a great Friday too :)

Another post?!

We're posting again?! What's gotten into us? This isn't the once a month pace we've had. Three posts in 6 days. Holy crap!

This one will be quick though, not really. In the words of Marty McFly, "Try and keep up."

-The Tone Deafs are sitting on a 7 point lead, 22-15. How, you ask? Katie Stevens edged Andrew Garcia for the number 8 overall spot and got 10 points for me. Add that with the predictions part of the game and...well...you don't care about the system, just the score. So there it is.

Let's rank the contestants from a like-ability standpoint in reverse order just for fun. This is not based on talent, but instead how easy it is to root for the contestant.

7. Mike Lynch --there is something decidedly fake about this guy. He's got a good voice. For the most part, he picks songs that work for him. But I always feel like he's only playing the part of the big teddy bear for the cameras and then he's different when the "record" light is off. He seemed mad when he found out he didn't get the votes, and then he seemed unappreciative when the judges saved him. Also, this character that he's invented - "likable guy" - is sort of annoying to me anyway. Not a fan.

6. Aaron Kelly -- the reason he beat Mike out is because he is at least genuine. He can't dance but tries to, he seems nervous all the time, he has one trick and has ridden it all the way out. But in case you didn't know (and don't worry because Seacrest will remind you), he's only 16. So, it's at least understandable that he has all of those things working against him. And he is what he is. As Frank Costanza would say, "This guy...he's not my kind of guy."

5. Lee Dewyze -- also a seemingly one-trick pony. No stage presence, should never dance, screams a lot. But he seems like a pretty nice guy. He is humble, and the others seem to like him. His taste in music is absurd, but he at least sings those songs in a less annoying way than the original (of course with the GLARING exception of Hey Jude in which he knew he was outclassed by the song and decided to divert all of our attention from that fact by marching out a bagpiper. Wha?!). He's at least a little more like-able than he used to be.

4. Crystal Bowersox -- by far the favorite. She is humble about being in another league than everyone else on the show. She can be a little boring (personality-wise), but that's ok if the alternative is Adam Lambert. Give me boring every time.

3. Tim Urban -- I've see-sawed on Tim every week. His temperament while the judges were killing him was all an act, but what can you do? If you get mad, America votes you off. He handled it well. And he's learned a valuable lesson in life: good looking people can get away with anything...ANYTHING. Remember the slide across the stage?

2. Casey James -- one dimensional, headed for an earlier exit than originally projected (he was my number 1 pick), may be a robot. At least he's a like-able robot. He seems like he's having fun, he can legitimately play the guitar, and he's easy to root for. And I'm glad that the whole "Kara has a crush" angle is over with.

1. Siobhan Magnus -- So strange. The way she talks, the stuff she wears, the glasses, her theatrical reactions to criticisms...why is she number 1? Because she's easily the most entertaining person on the show (aside from Simon). She does have a good voice, but not the best on the show. She's scrapped the scream in every song thing. She is the like-able version of Adam Lambert because this is REALLY who she is. She's not playing a part, she is just this strange. I look forward to her more than anyone each time. Is that like-ability? Maybe so. And among this group, any entertainment is valuable.

How can she not be your favorite?

Now, for the NBA playoffs thoughts as they start today.

-Once again, my rooting interest is this: Celtics, anyone but the Lakers.

-I know the Celtics top out in the second round. So, I really just don't want to see Kobe win again.

-Looking forward to watching Kevin Durant. This seems to be the only way that OKC gets to be on national tv even though Durant is emerging as a must-see talent.

-I would love for LeBron to win this year. It would not only cement him above Kobe in the discussion, but also throw a new element into the free-agency thing this summer.

-I think Kevin Garnett needs to retire after this year. He's not going to win another title unless he pulls a Mitch Richmond and joins an NBA favorite to sit on their bench. He's what I always feared for him -- an NBA version of the guy in the YMCA pick-up games who used to be good, plays "old man" defense, and is too competitive to relinquish any of his role to players who can actually get it done. I love Garnett. He's one of my favorites of all time. But this is getting sad quick. He needs to stop now while he can still hear the cheers of 2008.

Nice and tight LeBron, nice and tight.

-My prediction is that the Cavs will win the NBA title over the Lakers in 5 games and LeBron will de-pants Kobe in the discussion of who is the better player. And yes, this is also my hope for what happens.

Other scattered thoughts:

-Even though we turned in our tax documents in early March, our accountant had to file an extension. This did not sit well with us.

-My little weight-loss resolution is off to a decent start. I'm down 2 lbs. Homewood High had a benefit for cancer research in which the students donated money for faculty and staff to sit and ride stationary bikes all day at the school on Friday. I was all about it. What I did not know was how hard this was on your, um, haunches. Those bike seats take a giant toll on your back side, and round about hour 3 I heard these kinds of comments from some of the students: "Mr. Jackson, are you ok?" "Mr. Jackson, why are you sitting like that?" "Mr. Jackson, can I get you some ice or something?"

If only I'd had something like this...

-I've been listening to Timothy Keller podcasts lately and getting a lot out of them. He's a Presbyterian minister up in New York and an author of several books. I just like the way he thinks about things and then expresses them. It's very rooted in the scriptures and helpful in keeping a good and positive outlook. Give him a try sometime when you have a 20-30 minute drive and you won't be disappointed.

Wonderful Weekend

Oh Monday, you are not as fun as Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Thus, more weekend highlights:

Mini BLTs

Kent and I attended a friend's wedding this weekend. It was a beautiful ceremony, rocking reception, and general good time with lots of friends. One of the most memorable features of the wedding though....mini BLTs, or for the non-obsessive (bite-size bacon, lettuce, and tomato). This is more than just reception food. While planning our wedding, almost 2 years ago, Kent and I tried the mini BLTs at a tasting and fell in love instantly. They were at our wedding, but as most married couples know, we hardly ate anything at our reception. We talk about those mini BLTs all the time and wish we'd had them when we had the chance.

Flash to this weekend: because I know way too much about weddings, I knew that our friend was using the same caterer we used. Imagine our excitement at the prospect of our favorite wedding snack. Imagine our joy at finding trays filled with the tiny treats. Imagine our shame at eating far more than our allotment by the end of the night. Amazing.

Prom-tastic Friday

All week, I'd been dying to go out to dinner. In the interest of saving money, we held out until the weekend, and by that point I was so excited for our dinner date. We decided on a place called Michael's, one of our new favorites because they make those awesome skinny french fries. It has good atmosphere and is perfect for sophisticated adults like ourselves. Who knew that Friday night was prom night for one of the area high schools? EVERY table in the restaurant was filled with tuxedos of ALL colors, sparkly dresses, and lots of self-portrait picture taking. I immediately felt 100 years old. Kent and I ended up eating at the only viable seat...the bar, with a bird's eye view of all the adolescent adrenaline. We made a few jokes, reminisced about high school memories, wished we'd been together back then, watched a weird man talk to random strangers at the bar, and yes, feasted on skinny fries.

It was great :)

If only we'd seen this....

Homemaking

As described in the previous post, we're all about our yard lately. The warm weather has done something to our brains. I'm obsessed with watering our plants every day when I get home (with my nifty new watering can that Kent got me). Kent is masterful at digging up ugly plants and replacing them with our little seedlings. It's been so much fun, and we love checking on them every day to see if anything has grown. Progress is slow, but our yard already looks SO much better. And the neighbors are probably relieved that the pile of leaves on our curb is finally gone after months. Aren't those supposed to just disintegrate into the ground after a few weeks? All of this yard work has gotten us thinking about other house projects, and while we may not be able to do them all at once, it's fun to dream and get to work at making our house more homey....more "us."

So, there is my random weekend recap. This may be a record-sized post for me! A new start, hmm? I'm trying to make peace with the blog.

Blah Blah Blog

not the welcome walk we need

Time to update, but there's not much going on that is big and exciting with the Jacksons. But the title of the blog is "Interesting to Us," so you will read every minute detail no matter how irrelevant you find it to be.

Dana and I have done some more gardening. No, we learned nothing from the hydrangea bush we tortured to death by planting in scorching Alabama sun and watering once a week almost two years ago. Instead we've decided to not only try our hand at flowers on the front walk, but also some camellia bushes. Why would we do this, you ask? Well because our front walk was in a sad state, and the only greenery was a hideous vine plant left behind by the last owner of our house. The vine, in addition to being displeasing to the eye, carried the added bonus of giving ants and spiders a gateway into the crevices of the house. So, a few weeks ago I pulled that up and we've since replaced it with what will surely be the envy of all the neighbors on Cottage Lane (especially old man Sapperstein who has been in a positive snit lately. He used to speak to us when he was out watering his rose bushes, then he began just nodding. But now, he just pretends he doesn't hear us at all. Well, he can kiss borrowing our snip shears goodbye, that'll show him).

Before...

and...

after...we'll keep you posted.

Now that I've painted the picture of a fully domesticated male, how bout updating you on some manly stuff...like our American Idol Challenge. Yeah! Manly! That Aaron Kelly exudes the same masculinity as all the Old Spice guys put together (Of course, I'm not exactly John Wayne leading with gardening and Idol). The Tone-Deafs - my team - got on the board two weeks ago by correctly predicting Didi was headed home. The score stands at 6-3 in favor of The Ripe Bananas. Dana was more than a little upset that Didi got the boot. I have become more and more detached with every viewing. There is no one on the show that I like that much. Bowersox is the best of the bunch, but really that is like being the best smelling sock in the UT locker room. It was nice to see Mike Lynch in the same room as Ruben Studdard so that it is proven once and for all that they are not the same person.

"I like to wear little hats. They do NOT make me look like a giant."

Speaking of Mike, I don't think I would have been all that upset if he'd been sent home even though it would have been a crushing blow for the Tone-Deafs. He annoys me with all his antics. Someone should let him know that just because a camera is pointed in your direction, you don't have to assault the person sitting next to you or try to contort your face in as many ways as possible.

My favorite moment of last week's viewing came when we had been watching for 10 minutes and Dana commented on how she had actually been liking Kara this episode, that she was the best judge. Kara then immediately rewarded that by singing during Simon's critique of Katie. There's only so many ways I can say this, but I wish I could hire someone to turn a fire hose on Kara every time she began to speak. Nothing good ever happens...ever. At least with the hose, we could look forward to her turn each time.

Going forward, this week I have a rec league game on Tuesday and will miss American Idol, so the Bananas have an advantage in the picking who gets tossed. It's still early though. The main thing is final placements because the top 8 finishers earn the bigger points for our game. Oh yeah, and I heard Adam Lambert was going to be on the show this week. I'm really going to hate to miss his advice to the contestants. "Have you thought about screaming during that part of the song? What about a sitar? Can you work that in? If you follow my instructions, maybe you can finish second like I did."

In other news, Dana won our family's NCAA bracket this year and a grand prize of $1 and some bragging rights. After losing one of her Final Four teams in the first 3 hours of the tournament (Vanderbilt Commodores -- YEEEEEP Yeep yeep pppphhhtt), she was written off. But she hung around and came back and beat her brother out for first. I finished 7th. Dana wins the sports stuff, and I win the Oscar picks and American Idol stuff.

Speaking of the tournament, I have never liked Duke, but was particularly put off by this year's team. Scheyer, Singler, and Zoubek make up the worst threesome in college basketball that I can ever remember.

The Jon Scheyer face...second only to the John Mayer face

They had an easy road to the championship and then fittingly beat a team that everyone else liked. Butler was a tough team that was fun to watch (although not because of their style of play which can be described as Wisconsin-esque), and I was pulling as hard for them as anyone I've ever watched in the tournament. So, it stunk when they came up just short (and even though the refs blew that charging call near the end, they gave Butler almost every break up til then, so we can't fully blame them). Something else I was disappointed in: they had Jennifer Hudson sing One Shining Moment instead of sticking with Luther. Wha?!?! That virtually assures the fact that they're going to 96 teams as they spat in the face of tradition and quality for new and "improved."

With bathing suit season looming and my "fondness" for sun and fun, I've been thinking of ways to try and lose a little weight (I've begun by stopping myself from eating Cadbury Eggs by the handful).

Milk chocolatey goodness leads to buying bigger pants

There's a blogger who posts his weight every few days online in an effort to shame himself into losing a few lbs. I think I may employ this strategy if things get any worse. I think it is important to hit this head-on instead of ignoring it the way Phil Mickelson seems to and just wearing tighter shirts.

Until next time, this is the Jacksons, signing off.