It was a fun night of well played basketball here at Belmont. I am pretty well fried from 6 hours in the video controll booth...but this image certainly eases the aches and pains. Congratulations to Belmont's men on a great win over Jacksonville University.
Attention Lipscomb...this group is headed your way Saturday and they are a buzz saw looking for a place to happen.
I have probably whined before about the lack of local television coverage for local college teams (excluding Vanderbilt, of course). Last evening's news was all about Vandy's losing streak on the road, the Preds Toootoo extension, PacMan getting a break in court, plus some predictable hype over the upcoming Super Bowl commercials. Meanwhile, Belmont and Lipscomb continue to battle things out for positioning in next month's Atlantic Sun basketball tournament (at Allen Arena), and, both had significant road wins last night...totally ignored by local TV. TSU played a double-header at home but lost both games...also ignored by local TV. That's pretty sad.
Anyway, when scouring the Atlantic Sun web site this morning to check out the standings (see below), I discovered an interesting conference ranking situation (ok, so it is really a math problem, but hang in there with me). Campbell's conference record of 3 wins and 5 losses displays as a .400% record...while Lipscomb's 3 win and 5 loss record displays as a .375% record. I have heard the 2+2=5 for really large values of 2.... but I don't recall a win (or loss) in a basketball record affecting the mathematical percentages. Perhaps one of Lipscomb's losses was a really large value loss. Yes. That makes sense (spins head wildly).
I didn't make it to the end of the game before cold medications sent me to inspect the backs of my eyelids...but I have read the aftermath of stories from the pundits and armchair quarterbacks (and I am smiling). Two fine football teams hit the field last night in what I had hoped would be a battle settled at the last moment by some nail biting, dramatic, overtime-heart-stopping play. Apparently, someone forgot to advise THE Ohio State that the rules of the game require them to play beyond the first quarter *chuckle*. As an SEC fan, I am proud of the record that the league achieved in this season's round of bowl games. As for THE Ohio State, they are still a fine football team with a fine coach and a history of greatness on and off the field of play...last night just wasn't their night.
In recognition of last night's defeat, I award THE Ohio State University the "CLOBBERED" award and respectfully request that player references to Ohio State University henceforth cease to refer to themselves as THE Ohio State University. THE OSU was CLOBBERED (Caps Lock Off - Better Beat Exceptional Rivals Every Day).
See also: Ohio State - THE Runner-up University
For the first time in perhaps 10 years, I actually sat up late enough to watch the clock tick past midnight on New Year's Eve. The central time zone replay of Dave Clark (still) doing his thing was something I had nearly forgotten. Seeing the old master of the new year celebration doing well did my heart good. Happy New Year, all!
Now, back to your regularly scheduled morning coffee.. 'Slurp!
A year's subscription to NetFlix came to the bruingeekdom via one of Santa's favorite helpers. Deb and I have avoided NetFlix since we already possess a significant movie collection...but now, since the resistance is futile and there are 30+ movies in the que, movies will be arriving by mail and as close to remote control as I can imagine.
I am just beginning to delve into the community aspects of NetFlix, but it sounds interesting. Somehow, I find it odd that there are other movie geeks whose interests, choices, and movie ratings match upward of 75% as those same interests of mine. If you have a clue as to what being a NetFlix friend is, here is the link to become a bruingeek friend. That sounds so very MySpace but as I said, I am new to NetFlix.
And, I am watching (enjoying) Proof as I write this.
Full disclosure: I am a completely biased John Grisham fan.
Somehow, I missed the 2007 release of Playing for Pizza. During one of those husbandly-waiting periods common to shopping this time of year, I meandered through the book section of one of the big-box stores and the small volume mysteriously jumped into my cart.
Between answering the door, enjoying a family birthday gathering, and chasing the nieces and nephew around the house, I squeezed in time to read all but the final chapter yesterday...it was much like savoring desert for last and having the last chapter with morning coffee...perfect. I enjoyed the read on many levels. First of all, this is the first work of fiction that I have read in over a year...and I felt not one pang of guilt over that. Secondly, the book was fun...nothing dark, no deeply twisted plot, no murder scenes, and only a peppering of Grisham-iconic lawyer references. For me, I see movie...perhaps a light hearted version of Remember the Titans meets Failure to Launch with an ending tease of Chasing Liberty...but with lots of Italian swearing. I will be terribly disappointed if this one doesn't make the big screen even if it is a chick flick. I give the book a hardy thumbs-up and a high-five!
It is not exactly last minute, but we're only a couple of days from Christmas and I would prefer to spend the real last minutes doing something besides panic shopping. The last couple of things on my shopping list will take me to a couple of the dreaded big-box stores...places where I must venture into the realm of distracted drivers, bumper-to-bumper traffic, and waiting lines at check-outs. It will be a mission into territory that I generally avoid like the plague...'consider it taking one for the Santa team...and then back Ho-Ho-Home!
Eric Volz remains imprisoned, awaiting a decision from an appellate court regarding his fate. The news from the Friends of Eric Volz web site is not encouraging:
A couple of weeks ago, Eric had his first asthma attack in 10 years. Apparently it was pretty intense and the prison doctor prescribed medicine and asked us to purchase a nebulizer that Eric could keep in his cell for emergencies. We purchased the nebulizer and the medicines and were able to get them to Eric. Two days later the prison warden gave orders to take the nebulizer and the medicines from Eric. That night he had a serious episode and had no medicine.I will continue to pray for Eric, his family, and all parties affected by this case. Join me.
It was hot. It was wonderful. Indeed Belmont University, Melinda's alma mater, felt the love today. That girl can SING! Wow!!
Belmont University President, Dr. Bob Fisher, declared today Rachel Smith Day. The picture pretty much says the rest...she is a lovely person and will undoubtedly make the rest of us proud to claim her.
More photos from today's event here.
The daily buzz: Minnesota edition (subscription - PDF) reports that there are no longer any perfect brackets among the 3.3 million entries received at espn.com. Near the bottom of the article is a a quote in a section titled, "You could be doing worse..."
"211 people picked Belmont to win the national title. You might have noticed Belmont lost 78-44 in the first round to UCLA (my emphasis), which puts it about as far away from winning a championship as possible."First of all, let's salute the fact that this article recognized that Belmont actually played in the first round THIS year...perhaps whoever wrote the article should apologize to Georgetown for confusing them with UCLA (Belmont's first round opponent LAST year).
Secondly, those 211 people who picked Belmont to go all the way are really fine people...optimists every one and likely to know more about the quality of Belmont's athletic program than any reporter who can't do basic homework on pairings.
It is true that Belmont will not be holding up a championship trophy or cutting down the nets on national television any time soon...but make no mistake that there are national quality,champion student-athletes at Belmont University (and journalism students who know the difference between Georgetown and UCLA).
My family trusts my selections so well on things like the nightly Tennessee Cash 3 drawing that they wait until after I announce which three numbers I choose so they know NOT to select ANY of those numbers (we don't actually play the game...it's a sitting-on-the-sofa at news time kind of thing). I believe my record for failing to match even a single number in the Cash-3 drawing is 14 consecutive days...and I have never picked more than one number of the three. All that to say, if you would like to increase your odds of having a winning NCAA tournament bracket, just ask me who I picked then select the opposing team. It is a gift.
Jeff Mullins over at enidnews.com has an interesting theory on bracketology...and it falls right in line with what works/doesn't work for me:
"So how should you fill out your bracket? Some people listen to the experts, some choose teams on the basis of where they were seeded. I have a more scientific method. I go by the team’s nickname. (emphasis mine) ...Georgetown and Belmont meet in another first-round game. Georgetown is the Hoyas. Nobody knows what the heck a Hoya is, so that’s a strike against them. Belmont is the Bruins, which are bears. I know what a bear is, so look for Belmont to prevail."
If Jeff's theory works, he will be my new hero. Go Bruins!
The Belmont women's basketball team just defeated ETSU in the championship game of the Atlantic Sun Conference basketball tournament. The rest of the world may yawn, but on my block, having the men's and women's teams going to the NCAA tounament is HUGE! Just ten years ago, Belmont was still playing NAIA basketball and now both teams have accomplished an incredible goal.
I'll not tread the political minefield of Going Dancing in light of Belmont's heritage as a Baptist institution...but by golly, there IS a time to dance! (Ecclesiastes 3:4)
Over the weekend I spent more than my share of time holding the remote control and flipping though a candy store selection of great college basketball tournaments. I watched all of the locally available Atlantic Sun Tournament games. I cheered for both ETSU and Lipscomb during an incredibly physical contest. Knowing that one or the other would face Belmont in the finals, I was hoping for a triple overtime win with both teams leaving the court drenched in sweat, holding their hands on their hips, and dragging their exhausted tongues to assorted, breathless, post-game interviews. Yes. I selfishly wanted these two teams, who are heavily laden with great starting line-up talent to wear. themselves. OUT!
The ESPN2 commentators at the Atlantic Sun championship spoke of the overwhelming favorite ETSU, the home court advantage, the thousands of fans present, the plans for new facilities, blah, blah, blah... and for some reason, yet unknown to me, repeatedly referred to "Ricky" Byrd, Belmont's coach. (begin rant) I have heard Belmont's mentor referred to as "Rick" and "Coach Byrd" for over twenty years... did anyone else find the references to "Ricky" to be annoying? offensive? obnoxious? un-informed? disrespectful? unprofessional? (end rant).
All pre-game hoopla aside, the game was actually decided on the court of play. Convincingly. Decisively. Even Amazingly. All season (particularly the last part of the season) this Belmont team has been like a volcano, threatening a full-blown eruption of a complete game. Unfortunately for ETSU, the eruption happened in the conference championship game in front of a full house plus a few 'this-isn't-in-the-script' announcers.
Congratulations, Belmont men, for getting the job done and for making it back to the big dance. To Andy, Josh, Will, Andrew, Keaton, and Matthew...all members of the Venezuela Mission team, I am especially proud of what you accomplished and thank God that your witness continues.
There is just nothing like getting out of bed (really) early in the morning and opening your email to discover that you have won POWERBALL LOTTO-WHEEL E-GAME 2005. Yes friends, I was so excited to get my secret coupon number that I entered the number into a Google seach for PBL2348974321 and discovered that several thousand other suckers people have enjoyed a similar experience recently. Aren't we just the luckiest people on Earth!
Just in case any LOTTO spammers are reading (or the least bit interested), my idea of playing the lottery is watching the Cash 3 and Cash 4 drawings during the evening news and trying to pick anything but one of the resulting winning numbers. Thusfar, I think my record is three consecutive weeks without picking a single, solitary digit of any of the Cash 3 or 4 numbers. As a matter of fact, I have considered my success at this to be a possible public service web site where I post my Cash 3 and Cash 4 choices just so my readers won't make the mistake of wasting their money on losing choices! Come to think about it, by establishing a public service record like that, I might be qualified to run for office some day (insert frustration over current political campaigns here).
The re-birth of Volkswagen's Westfalia camper may not be news, but news of the technical upgrades just crossed my path this morning.
"...a Montreal, PQ-based design firm has announced that they have won a special jury prize at the Caravan Salon Dusseldorf in Germany for their solar-diesel hybrid Westfalia camper concept. So far the camper seems to exist only as a series of computer generated images and a video. It's modeled after the old type 2 Westfalia campers with the pop-up top."
This is a far cry from the 1973 version that my familiy enjoyed so much (in spite of the orange and gray primer paint job). Stay with me for a second... equipped with a satellite uplink, a small portable generator with appropriate power scrubbing options, a built-in computer and wireless hardware... and my office (or classroom) might be a mountain meadow somewhere with a panoramic view and the evening's meal just a fly cast distance away. It just seems like the perfect prescription for the technically-addicted-but-outdoors-loving geek. Yes. I am there (if only in my dreams) *sigh*.
You may have already heard from Umaoru, his email spam arrived in my mailbox at the stroke of midnight. As strange as it may seem (ok, geeky as it may seem, I have been collecting scams like this for three or four years. I have seen them get more and more creative, even convincing. Mr. (I am guessing gender) Umaoru has picked up on recent news, blended it with a Nigerian 419 Bank scam flavor, and spiced it up with a flattering recommendation of me from someone in our embassy (yea, right). I have terms for Mr. Sadiq's proposal and they are non-negotiable:
Dear (good-buddy) Sadiq:
1. You must charge-up your magic carpet and arrive in Nashville by opening of business today.
2. You must bring a token of your sincere desire to do business with me, in cash, small bills, unmarked, say $50,000...that, would open our lines of communication...and cover expenses (cough, cough)
3. You must agree to a video tape review of items one and two (above) by two of my old friends: one FBI agent and one US Custom's agent, before we do business...it's for your safety and mine *wink*
Sincerely,
Paul "Make-my-day" DeFraudless
I am guessing that items one through three would be deal busters...it's just a guess.
In our last ITS meeting, our network people reported on a problem that they were having with the university's spam filtering system...it sounded a lot like the poor thing just needs a vacation. Every day at Belmont, roughly 35,000 pieces of spam email are stopped at the mail server and never delivered to their unsuspecting targets. They run the complete gamut from pharma to mortgage offers to ring-tones to penny stock tips to instant weight loss miracles. They are all spam...harmless for the most part.
The scam-spam, like the Umaoru Sadiq email is much more insidious. Someone, somewhere will probably get entangled in this scheme and suffer financial and/or legal consequences. If it looks like a scam, smells like a scam, and sounds like an its-too-good-to-be-true scam...then guess what? It's a scam.
(end of rant, end of sermon)
Last evening's meet-up of local bloggers is the kind of activity that needs to happen more often. Why in the world do we allow weeks at a time to pass without sitting (or standing in this instance) with other writers from our area...it is a great mix of humanity and really interesting people to be around.
I didn't stay long enough to witness any earth-shattering events, but heard the news that WKRN is engaging/challenging the citizen journalist crowd to get more involved and that they are willing to pay/support that effort. I know they wish that they could predict where all of this is headed. I'll weigh in on the side that it is worth a try...the first person who churned milk probably had no idea what they started...anyway, kudos to WKRN for investing in something besides a helicopter.
Personally, I was just happy to re-connect with local blogger friends/associates and to meet some of the new faces on the local blogging scene. It is amazing to see how the ranks have grown...social networking with an emphasis on the social aspects, I like that..it is sooo non-geek-like!
But then, there is this scary old-guy picture taken by a fellow Baptist Sunday School Board escapee from BTN days...wow, where'd all that white hair come from!?!
Yes, this is WAYYYYY off topic for CTDT, but I cannot miss this opportunity to say something about Belmont University's Men's Basketball team and yesterday's championship that will take Belmont to the NCAA tournament for the first time in the school's history.
First of all, I would like to apologize to my next door neighbors...for the seemingly endless overtime period of yesterday's game, I was standing in my living room, yelling and screaming at the television like some sort of painted-up fan at courtside. Thank you for not calling the police or the guys in the little white coats.
As for this team of men, I could not be prouder. Their achievements in the classroom, on the court, and in the real world are a true reflection of Coach Rick Byrd, his staff, and a commitment to Belmont's Mission. Several times in yesterday's game, the Belmont team playing on the court was full of last year's Sports Evangelism Team who traveled to Ukraine. I cannot begin to describe the depth of caring, compasion, and spirit that Deb & I witnessed personally during that trip...the passion and intensity of their play yesterday might give you some idea of how these men live all aspects of their lives.
The journey to this day began nine years ago when Belmont moved from the NAIA to the NCAA. It has been a long road. The teams that preceded this group built a foundation, often with painful defeats and personal disappointments, and those early teams are as much of this championship team as the men who were in yesterday's A-Sun tournament championship game.
Belmont will likely play a much bigger program with a number 1 seed at the NCAA tournament. I know, without doubt, that these men, coaches, and staff will represent their university, their faith, and themselves well. My neighbors will just have to get over the noise coming from my living room during Belmont's tournament experience.
And for our friends at Lipscomb, right down the street, I can imagine how disappointed they are. The Bisons had a great season (that included a victory over Belmont) and they will have an opportunity to see post-season play. The Lipscomb program has moved incredibly fast to get this far and my hat is off to the players and leadership who brought them this far. I wish them the very best and hope they make their school, conference, and Nashville proud as they make their first trip to the NIT.
And to the ESPN commentators who did not do all of their homework yesterday, I am hopeful that they might choose to redeem themselves by sponsoring a campus celebration DANCE... Of all the stupid things that I have heard sport's commentators say, yesterday's clearly stereotypical description of Belmont as a Southern Baptist institution that somehow prohibits dancing ranks pretty high with me. I cannot image what ESPN thinks of Belmont's students who study Dance as an academic minor...heathens among us, I suppose (just kidding). At Belmont University, it IS time to dance!!
GO BRUINS!
When my distinguished friend and professor, Dr. Hutchins*, named this blog Chasing the Dragon's Tale following a discussion of what it is like for teachers to keep up with technology, I wondered if I would ever see an actual picture of a dragon chasing its tail...that wasn't my first thought, but it was among several. Well, it is in print, it is blurred, and it comes with a tale.San Francisco Chinese New Year Pictures...(Do you suppose there is particular technological significance to a 'blurred dragon'?) Happy New Year!
* I think this is the kind of 'kiss-up' stuff grad students do when they know they're in deep doo with their departmental advisor...and I am there! (sigh)
This is simply an effort to end my blog-year on a positive note and wish everyone a joyous New Year! I will be away from the dragon chase for a few days. You can find me and a mission team Reporting from Honduras (if all goes as planned).
...but she rolled over and went right back to sleep (insert rim shot here). No, seriously. If you are prone to nightmares, I wouldn't recommend that you sit through 3 hours of King Kong. It is an absolutely incredible film and effects work and deserves award recognition.... but there are scenes that can frighten the bejesus out of you. This is a work that takes the Jurrasic Park and Indiana Jones genres to a whole new level of believability that includes a sprinkling of classic Hitchcock-leap-outa-your-skin fright. I was exhausted by the end of the movie, but not willing to take a nap with Kong images still bouncing around in my head.
I heard an early review of the movie as being some sort of 'three hanky' rollercoaster...should you do as I did and watch the movie following a meal that included several glasses of water, I definitely recommend the hankies.
Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming.
The article is about India's President, A P J Abdul Kalam, and his efforts to network with 15 major-league-academin US universities. The collaborator on the Indian side is (take a deep breath) the...Mata Amritanandamayi Math's Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham Indian Space Research Organisation. Just a suggestion, but I would make my first research project something to do with a shorter name or acronym.
The Continental Air debacle is getting a little better...and I wanted to be sure to say thank you to those who have (and are) helping out. I haven't done the best job of getting the word out, but I hope to let a few more supporters know of our problems today.
Interestingly enough, I heard from an American Airline employee who is sending in a check... if that works best for you, make your check out to Belmont University and write Honduras Mission in the comment line. Mail it to Paul Chenoweth, Belmont University, 1900 Belmont Blvd., Nashville, TN 37212 I will make sure that you get your tax deduction receipt.
It is true. Here is the background, the facts, and how you can help:
Upon receiving a September invitation to take a group of Belmont University students to Honduras with the KidSake Foundation, I immediately began developing budget information on trip expenses, particularly airline fares. On the advice of a travel agent, I adjusted travel dates in order to get less expensive seats. I was also advised that New Year's flights were filling rapidly and that reservations should be made as soon as possible. We were able to reserve 10 seats on Continental for $785 each, without placing names on tickets, and by paying a $100 deposit per ticket for the ten tickets we felt that we would need ($1,000).
Fast forward to the last week of November, just 30+ days from our anticipated departure: Our need for mission team tickets drops from 10 down to 4. We have names to place on the four tickets and the originally quoted, $785 per seat monies in hand. Then, the call from our agent who explained, "Continental will sell us four tickets, however, since there are no longer 10 people going, the ticket price will be $1400+ each." To be clear and fair here, I expected there to be a penalty for not filling all 10 reservations. The nearly double fare increase was not something that I could take back to students who had been raising funds for the last couple of months. I was given no choice, considering the deadline for payment, but to let the reservations go. That also meant forfeiture of the full $1,000 deposit...a perfectly legal move on the part of Continental.
Instead of cancelling the trip, I made a quick inquiry online to check out ticket options. That search revealed the following: there were anywhere from 20 to 40 open seats available on several flights. Secondly, there were equivalent connections and available seats on American Airlines that were were $70+ cheaper, per ticket, than the original deal that Continental gave us. I made the reservations with American and had confirmation within a few hours.
At this juncture, what I have to say from here forward may be considered whining. My conscience bothers me over the evaporation of $1000 and the good that it could have brought in Central America and the impact that trips such as this have on the students involved. I am guessing that there are others who have faced this issue and that there may be others in the future So, here is what I am asking:
Continue reading "Continental Air keeps $1000 deposit from Honduras mission team" »
I confess to a priority problem today...trying to decide if it is more important to do my duty to hold down the recliner and protect the TV from excessive HGTV and Food Network viewing OR to actually get up off my, uhh seat, and actually do something productive.
Happy Thanksgiving!,
What time is the Detroit game, anyway?
Someone at NBC is probably laughing themselves silly over tonight's Medium in 3D. Just look at this! How nerdy can you possibly make your viewers look? How can we, as intelligent consumers, buy into something this crazy? OK, I'm in it for the fun and I am on vacation...that's my story...
If tonight's episode doesn't live up to the hype, the phrase Jump the Shark comes to mind.
UPDATE: Evidently, several people weren't impressed with the repetition, the idea of one pair of glasses per TV Guide, or their efforts at creating their own 3D specs...Saturday Night Live, where are you?!? This has comedy sketch written all over it!!
Well every blog stoops to a new low sometime...in honor of that occasion here on CTDT, I have added a Funny, Weird, and Off-topic category just to monitor my tangents. The award for having too much time on their hands goes to the people who noticed that Paris Hilton seems to have one facial expression only...I'm wondering if that site shouldn't come with a seizure warning.
Pratie Place has a great post on facial hair competitions..with several pictures. Nashville needs a similar competition for the guitar-pickin, pony-tailed, dread-locked, ducktailed, and otherwise coiffured music and entertainment crowd. We're missing out. With as much diversity in folicle adornment that we see here on campus, surely there's a college credit available of the hair raising variety...with minors in rear facing ball caps (what's with that anyway?)