Couple's Conundrum

There's been one thing on my mind over the past 36 hours. Fast forward to about the 6:00 mark of this video and you'll get a clue as to what.

Quiz time: Geography

I had been meaning to do this geography quiz that I found via kottke.org a few months ago. It involves naming all 192 United Nations member states in only 10 minutes. Even though typing quickly for me is hampered by my bum shoulders I was able to correctly name 100 out of 192. (Phew!)

So without further adieu here it is; try it you might like it:

192 UN Member States in 10 Minutes

Learning is power (supposedly).

"Oh Lorraine!"

Though it's only Wednesday this past week has been like being stuck on a bad roller coaster ride. Thankfully, I've relaxed to some really nice music from the likes of Juana Molina and Neko Case.

Yet there is one song that has revved me up enough to continue with this week and whatever twists and turns I should face.

I present you with a live version of "Lorraine's Car" by Cake Like (whom I've mentioned before):



"Right now!"

Lo bueno, lo malo y lo feo – Red Bull New York vs. Houston

I’ll make this quick since my arms are tired from typing as well as from clapping during tonight’s match.

LO BUENO

+ Jozy! Jozy! Jozy! Strength, speed, and confidence. It’s hard not to become presumptuous, but can you imagine what he could do in a few years’ time for the senior men’s national team?

+ Sometimes minimalism is best, and the Virginia Tech insignia on RBNY’s jerseys spoke volumes.

+ Off-topic: Lionel Messi. Supergenious.

Comparativa gol de Messi y Maradona
Uploaded by cariacolov

(Hat tip: Who Ate All the Pies?)

LO MALO

- Poor officiating tonight for the most part. The penalty against DeRosario was correct, but the ref missed several hard tackles against Jozy, was too harsh on giving Cletus the red card, and even missed a penalty call against RBNY with ~15-20 minutes to go.

- Cletus’ penalty miss. Tried to be slick (I guess) and it ended in an easy save for Garlick.

LO FEO

! Jozy’s unsportsmanlike celebration in front of the visiting Houston fans. Careful man, karma can be a bitch.

p.s. I’ll discuss RBNY’s signing of Juan Pablo Angel and the shipping of Marvel Wynne north of the border at a later time. Maybe. Perhaps. Possibly.

Svengoolie in Platforms

Simply put, Chicago-based comedian Rich Koz is a genius. I hadn't heard of him until just a few days ago but his incarnation as the Son of Svengoolie is pee-in-your-pants funny.

Compare and contrast the following ads, one for Empire Carpeting with Koz acting as several characters and the other with the fictional Vampire Carpeting.

Heavy hearts

Today I was going to write yet another post on mundane minutiae but the shooting today at Virginia Tech put a stop to that. No matter how down I may’ve felt over the past few days it is only a scintilla of the suffering and sadness that families and close friends of the victims must be feeling. I cannot bear to imagine how anyone can have their mind(s) so warped that they feel the urgent need to indiscriminately murder innocent people in cold blood.

Tragic. Utterly, truly tragic.

May all the victims rest in peace, and may we properly reflect on what occurred today.

Linkage dump

Over the past year I’ve collected dozens of links on different subjects that for one reason or another I’ve never posted. Rather than let them continue to collect dust, I will list some of them below. Enjoy!

• The New York Times review of a restaurant called BarBossa near the Puck Building. There was a small job fair a few weeks ago and I was trying to find out if my dear friend Venegas would accompany me. Not because I wanted to drag someone with me during a job fair, but instead to take her out to eat at BarBossa. Alas, she declined since she said she was super busy job hunting and getting personal things settled. Another day, maybe?
• Speaking of job fairs, I went to one about a month ago near Penn Station with my bros. I got several great contacts but more importantly they made a killing with many prospective employers. That will make job hunting for them so much easier and I’m glad for them.
• All I know is that I copied these three links with this notation: “Metroshits fucking it up more and more.” Bad grammar aside, I’m more peeved at their administration than the Thomas/Dolan wrecking ball with the Knicks.
• I really don’t understand the great need behind revamping Washington Square Park. Though I would like to see the fountain raised to ground level I disagree with spending millions of dollars on the other modifications.
• There are many things that I have to take advantage of before I finally bid adieu to NYU; discounted film vouchers are one of them.
• I have a funny feeling that I may have already linked to this before: “The Top 136 Albums or So of the Nineties.” I will discuss this list more thoroughly though I will say this- #1 is absolutely right and I’m surprised Bossanova didn’t crack the list.
• I wrote a while ago that VivirLatino is one of my favorite blogs and this post is one of the reasons why.
• Lastly, I adore satire and this article from The Onion pretty much sums it up.

English or Ingles?

So perhaps you've heard of ex-House Speaker Newt Gingrich's comments last Saturday calling Spanish the "language of living in a ghetto."

And maybe you know that a few days ago Gingrich posted a quasi-retraction via YouTube.

Well I have mixed feelings about his remarks and the brouhaha surrounding it, but I'll discuss it in greater detail in a future post either here or at The Latin Americanist.

However I will say two quick things:

1 - I'm really happy that The Latin Americanist was mentioned in a WaPo article on the subject. I hope that the exposure in the "traditional" media can translate in more readership of a blog that I've worked very hard on for over a year.

2 - Gingrich wrote a follow-up article on Sunday about his remarks; judge for yourself whether he's correct, wrong, or a bit of both.

Lo bueno, lo malo y lo feo – Red Bull New York @ Columbus

Image of Claudio Reyna via MLSnet.com

LO BUENO

+ Though the game ended in a nil-nil draw, there were some positive signs for RBNY. Dutch boy (or should that be “man”) Ronald Waterreus made several huge saves in goal and I was impressed with his effort. Claudio Reyna was solid in his debut in the Reds’ midfield and I was impressed by Van Der Bergh.

+ Kudos to those that those few thousand fans in Columbus who came out to watch the season opener in spite of sub-freezing weather and some nasty flurries.

+ Also kudos to the Crew for the simple tribute to Lamar Hunt on their unis and mowed onto the turf.

+ Off-topic: Houston’s outstanding effort against Chivas during the CONCACAF Champions Cup semis. Though they eventually lost the series, they never gave up and played extremely well even in front of a packed crowd at Estadio Hidalgo.

LO MALO

- RBNY’s unis: like the dark blue color and monochromatic look but ode the superfluous piping on the sleeves.

- The defense was about as bad as I had anticipated. We were lucky a few times that the Crew didn’t score on us from several close chances including dead ball opportunities. The defense did improve somewhat during the last quarter of the game but that was due to a change in strategy where the midfielders stayed back more than usual.

- Off topic: Julie Foudy’s blunder during this afternoon’s DC-Rapids game when she said that Fred’s previous team was “the Melbins.” (Maybe this is being too nit-picky, but critiquing Dave O’Brien would’ve been too easy and I’m not in the mood to discuss Eric Wynalda’s seemingly latent homosexuality).

LO FEO

! I agree wholeheartedly agree with Martha over at The Offside’s RBNY’s blog: it is inexcusable for broadcasters to be stuck at the Garden while the team’s playing away. It looked like RBNY’s admin is running a second-rate equipo de potrero by having Shep and whoosits giving the play-by-play from midtown west. I can’t imagine the inane banter they will have if the video feed ever goes on the fritz. (On the other hand, maybe Shep can give more anecdotes of his time playing with Pele and Chinaglia way back when!)

! Mind you, the broadcasting team would’ve been freezing their asses off in Ohio if it weren’t for the fact that the team has lost a lot of money. (No, I’m not falling for de Grandpre’s spin on RBNY’s financial losses; it makes no financial sense to have zero sponsors and to have blown half-a-mil on expenditures during the ’06 home opener like having Shakira warble a single song. Perhaps it is all part of a plan to build a winning squad by the time Red Bull Park opens in summer of 2008, but it would seem that a proper rebuilding process takes longer than a year and change).

I heart Julieta Venegas

This is Julieta Venegas:Eye candy aside, she is an award-winning singer/songwriter from Mexico whose becoming increasingly popular in the genre of rock en español. She tends to sing in a very melodic, catchy style though some of her tunes can have a hard edge to it. Did I also mention that she can kick musical ass with an accordion? (Just trust me on that one).

As evidence of her awesome awesomeness I submit the following YouTube vids as evidence:

Andar Conmigo

Limón y Sal

Me Van a Matar

Sería Feliz

If I am lucky I might be able to go to her concert Thursday night at B.B.King's with C. and her friend. I'll go if I can get over the somewhat prohibitive cost of the concert and depending on some repairs being done in the apartment. I really hope I can make it!

“Denial” isn’t always a river in Egypt

I have just sent to several of my closest friends a message that has taken me months to formulate. After I returned from Colombia in January one of the messages left on my answering machine was of the death of a very dear and amazing teacher I had in elementary school. I have not been as tough as I used to when dealing about matters related to death which makes writing the message so much more difficult. It hurts too much to fathom that she’s gone and I don’t wish to imagine how my friends react to the grave news I will tell them. However I must be responsible and deal with it and do the honorable task of informing them.

I regret not having the willpower to have called him, especially since my answering machine doesn’t have his message anymore.

I just don’t know how I will come to grips with this.

Quick thoughts on the fifth season of "Reno 911!"

Image via this site

T-Minus 25 minutes until debut:

1. I wonder if Wiegel will give any hints at who's the father of her not-yet-born child? (My money's on one of the Reno firemen. It makes little sense, but I figure it could be a dark horse compared to some more obvious choices).
   
2. I'm really hoping Maria Bamford's given a role on the show since that would complete the "Comedians of Comedy" exacta. Perhaps as a "friend" of Deputy Kimball, hmmmm?
3. "And the installation is freeeee!" (I have no idea why that just popped into my mind).
   
4. "Reno 911!" ought to be a lead-in for "Halfway Home", not riding on the coattails of Ned the joke-stealing shmuck.
   
5. For some unknown reason I am worried that this will be "Reno's" last season. I have no idea why.
6. Not to give too much away but I can't wait to see the episode where Dangle's ex-wife returns.

It's been about half a year since the last season ended. I can't wait for the new season to start!

11:05pm: After watching the season debut the following thoughts came to mind:

1. In the scene before the opening credits did anybody else notice that the ad on the side of the bus was for High Sierra Carpeting? (See comment#3 above).
2. Of the Hotty's girls I found the redhead to be most attractive.
3. Best of luck to Reina and the KKK guy. (Hell, if they can make it then anyone can!)
4. Trudy Wiegel + pink and white uni = delicious!
5. Speaking of Wiegel, the biggest belly laugh of the night for me was when she squeezed her right boob when trying to get Joe's attention.
   
6. Too bad there was no Police-Tek advert in this episode.

I can't wait until next Sunday's episode when Clemmy gets baptized. High-larious!