On the Hall of Champions

In my days at Long Beach City College, I remember serving guests during a couple of dinners for the Hall of Champions. As a member of Thane and ASB Cabinet, I had the privilege of serving these guests. I had to be dressed in a suit and tie for this one, and I would serve these plates, pour some wine, and what not. It was the form of service your upscale fine dining establishments were made of.

Mind you, the floor was hardwood, and this was a gym that the guests were dining in. It was like a high-school gym in a way. But the reason the gymnasium, which was the home of Long Beach City’s men’s and women’s basketball teams, was called the Hall of Champions Gym was because there was a Hall of Champions, which celebrated the accomplishments of its many athletes who went on to bigger and brighter things in their respective sports, as well as in life.

As I was off duty, I would nibble at a dessert or two or and hors d’oeuvre (an acquired taste for some), before watching the event unfold. One time I was so tired and exhausted, and hungry, that they gave me some leftovers that the guests couldn’t stomach. Energized with a shot of water, I got back on my feet and watched the rest of the event, before feasting on some pizza afterwards.

So many great stars have been enshrined in the Hall of Champions. This year’s class is not different in terms of feathers in its caps. John Gonsalves was already enshrined in the Long Beach State Athletics Hall of Fame, and had his jersey retired, and he was given a place in the Hall. Tom Clark, an accomplished cross-country and track star, is currently on the LBCC Board of Trustees. And Myisha Delaney helped the Vikings win their first state title in women’s soccer, and lead them to National Championship honors as a assistant under then-head coach Mauricio Ingrassia.

Looking back on my days at Long Beach City, I would do anything to experience it again. And to participate at the Hall of Champions dinner is something I will remember for the rest of my life.

“Summer hasn’t arrived yet.”

While I was savoring the news of my compadre and colleague, Mark Andrews, winning the ASI Presidential Runoff Election, I saw someone sunbathe. A moe complexion to go with a rather plain yellow T-shirt bra top and a blue denim string bottom. After 10 minutes, she put her clothes back on, and said to her friends, “It’s not hot enough,” and then left.

Looks like summer hasn’t arrived yet. Well, that’s because it’s early Spring, and April hasn’t even arrived yet! And that’s why many people head to the Caribbean, Cabo San Lucas, or somewhere along those lines, maybe even Ibiza, for Spring Break! Obvious, ojousama, obvious!

Speaking of which, something happened at last year’s Spring Break in Aruba. A young girl named Natalee Holloway disappeared on the island. She must have been turned into some type of saint. I assume she was a moekko worth fapping to, but I haven’t seen her in person. Therefore, I advise you, to whoever is bent for a week of love, sex, drinks, and more sex, please be safe, and don’t disappear or do anything beyond the ordinary, lest you become one of my personal Saints of Spring Break.

And congratulations to Mark Andrews. You are the man, and don’t you know it!

Djobi, Djoba...

Interesting dream. I was with my business partners, and they were talking about the fact that my belly was shrinking, and that the fat had gone instead to my chin. I was in a hotel in Vegas, when I found out this was the hotel were the Gipsy Kings would be the main event for a celebration of flamenco music. I passed my murals and photos of the performers, and even passed by a tribute to the band. I saw the band pass by, all of the Reyes and Baliardo brethrer, and was able to travel with them to the third floor, but in the nick of time, because I slipped on the surface, and I had to jam my arm to open the door.

When we got to the third floor, the band passed by some security. I thought they were preparing for the concert later tonight (they had 5 to 6 hours before the show began), but one of my colleague explained that they would be having lunch in Wyoming first, then come back to do the show. He also pointed out that my dress was a bit less professional, since I was wearing khakis instead of black slacks. I told him my slacks are 3 hours away in my house in North Las Vegas. I had to get them back.

And then I woke up, finding out I slept for nearly 12 hours, at 2 p.m. in the afternoon and waking up at 1:00 a.m. in the morning. Ironically, I saw an article on Diego Maradona overeating and getting hospitalized.

Could you believe that?

orz

Why is it that I fail at exams every time? I got a 63 out of 100 in my IS 340 class, in spite of blazing through the homework sections on a 97.25 average.

I want to be given my comeuppance by a moe girl from Amaenaideyo...or something. I am awaiting liftoff.



orz

On bubble gum

Whenever I’m in an ordinary mood of pure state of concede of reality, I like to go to the local convenience store and buy some Trident bubble gum. Unlike most bubble gums on the market, this bubble gum has a good helping of xylitol, so I know I’m getting the good stuff.

I like to chew two pieces per serving, so I know I’ll be blowing bubbles left and right. Like most gum, it starts soft, and then it gets a bit stiffer, due to prolonged mastication. This makes the bubbles snap harder, and louder, waking even a bored, sleepy class. It wakes even the professor from his or her funk.

In the past, the gum bases were made of chicle, but now, they are simply made with polymers. I suppose they are similar to that type of compound used for balloons. I have no idea.

I usually chew Trident bubblegum during an afternoon session, and keep the wad in my mouth during my Monday night class, where it gets hard enough to cause some loud snaps. It is said that gum is a great way to ease boredom, and a good stress reliever. The scene of a veteran coach, chewing on bubble gum while watching his players on is the mood I am in right now, as I assume I’ve seen all there is to life, but I know I lie to myself as I go through my period of assuming.

I’m on my second serving of 7. There are 14 pieces per pack, meani ng 7 servings, meaning this one will last 2-3 days, at $1.00 a pop. As I am chewing the savory blend of polymers, softeners, vanilla, cinnamon and other spices softly blended into a manufactured mastication device, I am playing Tommy February6’s “Lonely In Gorgeous,” segueing to Seal Samuel’s “Crazy.” I like playing syhtesizer-heavy tunes with the hooks during the evening run home.

UCLA’s going to look for a little bit of revenge against Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Taurean Green, Lee Humphrey and the rest of the lucky scumbags from Florida. Hope they do it, and do it right. No excuse to be choking like Long Beach City did against Antelope Valley, okay?

Air Force is taking on Death Valley, South Carolina, in Big Apple City tomorrow. To prepare, I’ve been downloading some comic strips from eDodo, one of the satirical web sites run by Air Force Academy graduates, and frequented by other grads and current cadets. Sorry to say, the Grunion can dish out better equivalents, but I do commend their effort.

Seriously, I hope Air Force and UCLA win their respective tournaments. That means the Beach lost to two teams that won their dances. More impetus for a rising assistant to make his move.


But how did Landon Donovan dish out the goods against Ecuador that effortlessly? With 2 goals in as many minutes, no less? Simple: He grew up. As in: he got married. Let’s see if he will smash Eric Wynalda’s record in internationals in the Gold Cup, as well as translate his forays to big ones as the G-Men open play against Houston Dynamo.

The April wave of new anime classics is upon us. This means Alpha Nu Iota alums (ANI – my imaginary sorority of moe anime girls) Nanoha Takamachi and Fate Testarossa are sending in a new wave of pledges in Nanoha StrikerS. Add some other new candidates to push in this year’s Saimoe, and we got some good ones up in store. Question is: from this new crop of new shows, what will Anime Club play via raws or subtitles? Stay tuned…

It seems very effortless to draw women in the moe aesthetic these days. Hope the COTA (College of the Arts) makes a course of it for the freshies rolling in next year.

Lately, I have been hungry to look at the history of failed web sites. eFront, LoanCity, and several other big companies that are NOT Enron have been my style of corporate necrophilia. I may have to find some way to be the infrastructural coroner for my upcoming IS 355 project.

Speaking of which, I have two other project besides the IS 355. For IS 380, I have to set up Oracle SQL code from the top down, while in IS 340, I have to create a program using purely Visual Basic code. Farewell Spring Break, and diving into a harem of hedonism…till summer.

Oh Carolina...

While my compadre and colleague Ryan Kobane of the Union Weekly is compiling a special on me for an upcoming issue, I have to express my condolences to North Carolina, and not that they were upset by Georgetown. The guy who plays as their mascot died due to an accident before the game against USC.


Oh Carolina.

Uncontrollable? Coming…

I tried out the love tester at the Claim Jumper after my meal with my sister and her new fiancée. The light pointed to the highest spot, Uncontrollable. I think I need to go through that again. The urge to do so must be felt now. If the moon is in the seventh house and Jupiter aligns with Mars, then it must be true: I love the color red.

I have nothing but scathing remarks to say about our effort against USC in volleyball. To be honest, they wouldn’t stand a chance against Long Beach City.

I think my voice is coming back. Two weeks! Two frustrating weeks without my voice. Thank god the Fortnight of Silence is now silenced…for now.

San Berdoo...why do you fail? <_<#

I have heard of Cal State San Bernardino at least once or twice in my life. And that was when I was looking for the right place for me to get a college education after I was done with Long Beach City College. At San Bernardino, their athletic teams are called the Coyotes. They were established only recently, and they are younger than the beach by a few decades, so their enrollment is small, Division-II quality. As of this writing, they have never won a national championship in anything, but their men’s basketball team was poised to be the first from San Bernardino to bring home their first piece of real hardware.

Their head coach was Jeff Oliver, a Cal Poly grad who worked with then-head coach Larry Reynolds as an assistant before ascending to his current role. They had some good payback, defeating Humboldt State to get to the Elite Eight in Springfield, Massachusetts. Springfield is home to the YMCA that welcomed basketball to the world via one James Naismith. Yesterday, they thumped Wingate by nearly 30 points, also scoring 100 in the process. Today they face the Bulldogs of Barton College. This school is small, with an enrollment of barely over 1,000. How this team is even Division II is beyond me. My high school has higher enrollment than this.

The kicker is that they are Division II’s “Beasts from the East,” having been seeded first in the East Regional, and winning it as well. If San Bernardino wins this game, they take on either Central Missouri or Winona State for all the marbles.

Unfortunately, they didn’t. They lost 80-79 to the Bulldogs. Which means: they fail basketball. Which also means: Who fucking cares?

Nice way to fail, Coyotes. Enjoy not getting a national championship in any sport for the next 100 years.

A Master Plan for Hedonism

As the 2006-07 rugby season wraps up, and I see some changes coming at my university, I feel obligated to think of something to do for Spring Break, which, here at the Beach, falls on the first week of April, when the cherry blossoms are going through their usual serenade by aspiring young otaku troubadours in Tokyo.

I have a few assignments that I have to do that week; namely, group projects. I have to come up with a program using Visual Basic for a group project, while I also have a project to do in Business Telecommunications. I plan to utilize either Bluetoth, Wireless LAN, or on Ethernet. I’m going to have to prepare something big, else this can make or break my grade.

Not to mention, the week before sees me go through the midterm runs, so making some drawings will be on the back burner until my midterms are done next week.


I’m starting to warm to Meyrin Hawke from Gundam SEED. Maybe it’s the twintails, or what she uses as casual gear, but outside of Lacus Clyne, she gets my vote. Her sister Lunamaria is a close third.

I’ve been listening to Tommy February6’s “Lonely In Gorgeous for over a year know, well over a year to be exact, and I never seem to get tired of listening to the song. Maybe it’s the refrain to the chorus, the hooks, the beat, the synthesizing melody, or the fact that Tomoko Kawase simply knows her synth pop, but it’s a timeless song that is great when cruising down Akihabara, and the neon ads, on a decked-out, sleek Mistubishi...for a commercial on NHK or TBS.

I haven’t fasted this frequently since way back when. With the Lenten season closing up, I have been unconsciously skipping meals to get to my classes. Even surprising, I am still conscious, after not eating for over half a day. Maybe those darn Quaker Oats from hell had something to do with it.

And one wonders, how does one make Quaker Oats from Hell? Simple: pour 8 to 10 packets of Quaker Oats into a large bowl, add 6 cups of milk, flavored syrups if desired, then pop it in the microwave for 6:66. It’s a bit dry, but quite filling. And no hot sauce needed!

The biggest victory of the season: Reynolds is out!

This may be the biggest victory of the season. I’ve been waiting for this to happen after we got killed by Tennessee last Friday, and it has come true: Larry Reynolds has been fired as Long Beach State Men’s Basketball coach. Everyone who knew the Beach knew this was inevitable; Dr. Vic Cegles and Dr. F. King Alexander just needed to make it official.

Oddly, I has a bad dream today, in which I was with a mob of students for Spring Break, and I was about to ride a roller coaster sponsored by seniors on my high school’s football team. They wanted me to ride it. But I found out before I could ride, that this was a roller coaster to hell, and I asked all the passengers to leave the park as quickly as possible. In other words, we had to flee. The seniors didn’t want us to leave, but most of us were able t, after I stopped the switch from closing the gates completely. They were able to kill a few of the fleeing students, though, and blood was everywhere: on our faces, our clothes, on the sidewalks. Some were carrying their loves ones, already dead, out of the park. Many were wailing.
The Riot Squad came and killed the culprits with machine guns issued by the LAPD before they could kill anyone else leaving the park, or the Riot Squad themselves.
It was surreal, a bad dream, a nightmare. And seeing this news felt like I woke from one of the biggest nightmares I’ve ever seen in my life.

St. Patrick, meet Lady Milfeulle Sakuraba-Meyers.

St. Patrick’s Day, for the most part, was a bit of a huge pill to swallow. It started ominously-our university’s rugby team lost-again-this time to UC Santa Barbara by the sound of 46-7. Also, our baseball team saw their last seven batters go through a futility spell in an 8-7 loss to Wichita State, forcing a rubber match on Sunday.

So, as I ate lunch at the Carl’s Jr. on PCH and Ximeno to get energy for the volleyball match against Penn State, I thought; could this weekend become any worse for me?

The answer: Yes, but with a reprieve, and a big one at that. While Cal Baptist could not replicate its sweep of Penn State the other night against IPFW (who we defeated in a 3-2 barnburner), our volleyball team took on a Nittany Lions side that was angry that they got humiliated by an NAIA team (albeit the best in the NAIA), and I knew that this was going to go the distance-again.

Thank god for Dan Alexander of Arcadia. The redshirt freshman, along with diaper dandies Tommy “Cretino” Pestolesi and Dean “Dino” Bittner of Lakewood, pounded the lazy lobs from Penn State with authority, as if he were slam-dunking his opponents into submission.

Unlike our basketball team against Tennessee on Friday, our volleyball team actually showed some defense to go with the offensive kills, aces, and blocks off the touch. We went the distance, and won the fifth game 15-13. All the while, visions of King Leonidas of Sparta at the Battle of Thermopylae were on my mind.

As I went over to take a look-see at the Jack Rose Relays at the track of the same name, a few reporters from Cerritos College stopped me for a quick interview for their project. It had to do with race relations. I said that it was a good thing we have diversity on campus because it raises our profile for tolerating people of different persuasions. They asked me a question about the beating, and I said, “This was a backwards step for our university. I feel that justice was not served, and it was a huge step backward. But, in life, as a society, we have to learn to move backwards in order to move forwards. Everybody on campus has talked about this situation, and there will come a time when both sides reconcile about this situation, and put it behind them for good. Going backwards to go forwards: this is, I think one of the interesting, if not one of the best things about life.”

My alma mater, Lakewood High School in Lakewood, CA, is known for having a consistent baseball team. They are one of the best in the state, if not the nation. In their recent game on St. Patty’s Day, they defeated their opponent 16-1. In an outcome like this, the mercy rule came into effect. Oddly enough, I don’t know who they faced, but it didn’t seem like one of the strongest teams in the league. Either that or it was one of the pansies in the Moore League.

They are currently 9-1, ranked first in the Southern Section Division I. And they are the defending champions, having edged the Agoura Chargers in a nailbiter at Angel Stadium many moons ago. If we win the title again, I would issue a challenge to the winner of this year’s summer Koshien to face them in a friendly series down the road. While the timing may be a bit off, in a perfect world, this would be possible, and it would be Japan’s best team against one of California’s best teams.

I don’t know how we would do against them, but I think we would put them in their place. The laurels of victory will shine on Lakewood if they get the job done like they did last year. I’m going to make it a habit to come to at least one of their games later in April.

Speaking of which, I remember when I first went to the state championships in Anaheim last year. I’m talking five baseball games, all championship games…for the ridiculous bargain of $8.00. I was able to sit at the very front, behind home plate, watching teams like Quartz Hill, Palos Verdes, St. Francis, and my Lancers, among the participants, fight to the end. I remember when they were giving the trophy to St. Francis, and I saw on of the Franciscan monks watch the event, I said “Get Friar Tuck off the stage!” A St. Francis fan said, “Patience Lakewood. You’ll get yours.”

Well, I just had to laugh.

And wouldn’t you know it: in the last sign of proof that I went through St. Patrick’s Day, I picked up a dollar bill off the sidewalk. Not sure who would drop this, but I think this is going to make printing my codes for my Oracle and Visual Basic assignments easier.

I finally found who the Lancers beat the next day. Woodland Hills Taft. One of their aces, Omar Jimenez, struck out eight batters in the Redondo Tournament.

The Times They Are A Changin'...

As I passed by a few Utah Valley State distance runners warm up for the world-famous Jack Rose Relays tomorrow, with a background of field athletes going through run-throughs, I knew that Larry Reynolds’ time at Long Beach State was up. It wasn’t because they lost to Tennessee in a 121-86 blowout. It was because of the first three seasons that proved to be his undoing.
Those who have been exposed to how things work in college or professional sports, especially business majors like me, know that a coach is signed to a contract, and the coach, after the contract is completed, is judged by the performance during the the seasons on his contract. If they are very good, i.e. titles (regular season and conference tournament), great wins (i.e. 4 or 5 at the minimum over top 50 RPI), and progress in the Big Dance was satisfactory (at least winning the first round), then you will be offered a contract extension. If you have the last season be your best season (more wins than the other five), as well as win the conference, but get destroyed by 35 in your first appearance in over a decade, WITH senior leadership, and have the first three seasons be losing seasons (10 wins or less), you’re not going to be kept. Add also the looming cloud of the NCAA who will investigate two students who will be graduating from the university this Spring over transcript snafus, and the season could be a bust. Meaning, all the effort I put into the last two seasons may have been in vain.
For some people, it’s a cruel decision. But for many who have followed a team-heck, alumni and boosters who exert just as strong, maybe even stronger, influence over a university’s basketball program than the students, this would be the right decision.
And while this is going to be at the expense of Reynolds, an up-and-coming coach can see this record and capitalize on the success, and make it better.

All that has to happen is for Dr. F. King Alexander and Dr. Vic Cegles to make it official on Monday.

Volleyball captain Teddy Liles asked to give me an update on the game between Arizona and Purdue in the first round. 45-34 Purdue in the second half during first media timeout.

Liles is from Tucson. The Boilermakers would hold on.

This day is not without some good things happening. Our baseball team defeated Wichita State 2-1, winning in the ninth inning, while our men’s volleyball team held off a comeback by IPFW to win 3-2. But perhaps the biggest surprise outside of Winthrop actually winning a game in the Big Dance or Duke getting kicked out by Virginia Commonwealth was that Cal Baptist, an NAIA team, swept the #6-ranked Nittany Lions of Penn State in volleyball. While the Lancers (who we earlier defeated), are the best team in the NAIA, the stigma of being an NAIA team should have made this a cakewalk for Penn State. I didn’t count on it to be the other way around.

They’re going to be hell bent for leather when they take on us on Saturday.

Twilight Zone time for Tennessee

Tennessee was in ther Twilight Zone, playing perhaps their best basketball even this season. High-flying offense with opportunistic defense resulting in one of those old-school 70's and 80's style overs, a 121-86 win over Long Beach State.

Wonder if this makes the decision for Vic Cegles to be a bit easier, or harder. I don't what's going through his mind. I don't even want to know.

Dirty deeds, done with sheep.

I can't believe that Duke fell in the first round tonight to Virginia Commonwealth. George Mason's mojo didn't really die; it just turned into VCU.

Now we really don't have anything to lose from this tournament.

The truth about Long Beach Guesthouse...

Well, as the men's basketball team play with nothing to lose down in Ohio, and the Dirtbags go on an expedition to shock Wichita State in awe, the men's volleyball team is hosting the Active Ankle Classic. Interestingly, the secondary sponsor is Long Beach Guesthouse. On the site, they look spic and span.

When I looked at the reviews for the hotel, most reviews were very negative, some were even graphic in their presentation. Could have used a better choice of wording, but the surrealism may add to the fact that it probably wasn't the best choice to be secondary sponsor to the Active Ankle.

Might as well just called it the Active Ankle/Hotel California Invitational instead. Colitas over a played Felder and Walsh riff anyone?

Going to the candidates' debate...part 3

Rounds 1-5: Oh god. I can’t believe the responses. Boring, empty rhetoric. Predictable clichés. Monotonous tones. Quite a change from the presidential debates, which had some semblance of flavorful dialogue. The treasurer debates feature Virindiana Sanchez, Shelena McClinton, and another candidate by the name of Swann, whose first name I cannot find from the Daily 49er. You fail me again, you rats.
Round 6: Hironao Okahana, current VP, is grinning across the room from me like the smug bastard he is. Bloody oath. Okahana is finishing his limited term, as is outgoing treasurer Zaira Tinoco, a childhood friend of mine who, like me, isn’t looking for love yet (but would love the seize the opportunity when the time is right!). And the predictable rhetoric from the three candidates continues. I’m starting to get disinterested in this debate, because it is B-O-R-I-N-G. This looks like an interview more than a debate. Simon Cowell, you are a fool. Even though I did agree with a few of your statements, especially with Jordan, speaking in that clichéd British accent, praising her efforts, you are still a fool.

Predicted winner: Toss-up, but I’m leaning toward McClinton. Enough said.

Going to the candidates' debate...part 2

Next up is the presidential candidates, and this one should be a doozy. Mark Andrews, incumbent Shefali Mistry and Joel Barber. The other candidate was feeling ill from the step show. This should have plenty of fireworks.
Round 1: Mistry starts this one. Her savvy that got her as the incumbent in the first place sets the pace. Natural, and effortless. Andrews follows through, keeping the pace, and turning it up. Interesting fact: Andrews is in a similar position I was with Long Beach City College's ASB Executive Board in 2004-05. Barber is running a bit off. Ever heard of Fat Albert? Mistry is slowing down a bit, though.
Round 2: Andrews anticipated this one, no question. It's as if he read a football or basketball play and capitalized off the turnover he forced. Barber is concurring with Andrews. Not good for him, and he stopped short. Mistry fires right back with prioritizing students. Her point seems to hit a fallacy, and Andrews is making her pay for that. It seems that the fourth candidate came, Ashley Marie Stanton. She is suffering from laryngitis, like me. That's what this weather has done to a lot of people who saw Long Beach go to the big dance last Saturday.
Round 3; Stanton makes her move, and makes things interesting. Barber goes in, but he is speaking too monotone. Mistry now makes her move, but is speaking a bit too quickly. Not all the people here are from New York, Madame President...Andrews is blasting the other three with his move. Moss-Stanton's laryngitis isn't being an issue with her rebuttal, but not too compelling.
Round 4: Barber still being monotonous. I've observed that from him, Stanton, and Mistry, while Andrews is using his poise, and everything other than monotonousness to state his case. Mistry is concurring, but she's trying to rebound from the heavy competition, and doing it well. In turn, Andrews concurs to an extent, and adds his point. Pure effortless delivery, emphasizing advocacy. Everyone's agreeing with one another. Boring. Now it's all about how they deliver, rather than what they deliver.
Round 5: Textbook question (no pun intended, unless you ask for it (pun intended)). Mistry starts this one, and uses her experience working with the 49er Shops. Andrews, unlike Mistry, does not accept the high prices of textbooks at the University Bookstore, and delivers his point with authority. A slam dunk. Stanton concurs with Andrews' point, while Barber does the same. Adding scholarships to ease the high prices, as long as a cap, might be problematic. Perfect-world scenarios. Mistry is a bit realistic.
Round 6: AB286 question. Land mine alert. Andrews dismisses this question, adding the importance of AB540 and the inferiority of AB286. Risky move. Stanton does not approve of this bill, either. Okay, guess it wasn't so risky. And so are Barber and Mistry.
Land mine =====> Consensus. No clear winner of this round. Andrews would be the virtual one, adding the importance of AB540.
Round 7: Parking question. Stanton approaches with parking off-campus. Already done, at Vets Stadium, but she wants to increase the amount of spots. Barber is trying to salvage his sinking ship, with a "focus group," and other dubious options. Smoke and mirrors. Mistry makes her move with faculty and staff permits for students., as well as financial aid, as well as concurring with the other two candidates. Flashbacks of ECON 333. Meanwhile, Andrews suggests reduced costs, paying for specific numbers of days. I think that's a sign of weakness, as other students may want to be on campus during days that they don't have class. Stanton makes a rebuttal, with a half-arsed effort.
Round 8: Barber prioritizes checks and balances, and asking for ASI to follow the US federal system. Mistry concurs, but to an extent, stating that corporate and government do not mesh. She is not finding a way to solve this though, beating around the bush. Andrews, goes on the attack, with a bit of a joke on the side, emphasizing local government as the way to model ASI's Executive Branch at. Playing it safe, Mikey boy? Stanton dismisses echoing state, local, or federal forms, emphasizing serving the students. Now Barber is swaying away from his point, concurring with Stanton. Big mistake. His ship already sunk.

Projected winner: Andrews. He made his point across, reduced tired cliches, and fought off most rebuttals, although he seems to be a bit tired from going through the rounds.

Whew! What a mouthful. Next up: part 3!

Going to the candidates' debate...part 1

So says a lyric from Simon & Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson." I went to the debates today at USU-224. First were the Vice-Presidential candidates: Chris Chavez vs. Lucy Montano.
Round 1: Montano seems to concede the first round, concurring with Chavez. Nothing too compelling from Chavez...the usual cliches.
Round 2: Montano seems to be reading from a script at times. It doesn't seem very natural. Chavez is speaking naturally, and is even like a professor at times. Not staged. He emphasizes Students First. Montano is cornered.
Round 3: The usual explanations for not being active in ASI. Good attacks from Chavez. Textbook. At last, Montano is actually doing something to prove her case. But again, it's merely adding to Chavez's case. Yawn. Chavez knocks on the table, and goes in for the kill.
Round 4: Montano is still reading from the script. Again, not compelling. I can't believe she's on the podium. Was she even ready for this one? Chavez, meanwhile, rolls along...but also gets a little hiccup from reading the script. Great recovery from Christopher, though.
Round 5: CSSA question. Chavez plays it safe, quoting "middle of the road." Monthly basis and see how it goes. Montano, however, does not believe in a vote, but how the students feel...which is a vote. Oxymoron. Chavez, however, is weakening a bit.
Round 6: Reading from the script. I suppose this is Senator Montano's comfort zone. Academic Senate and ASI is a priority for Chavez. Montano is conceding this one.

My projected winner of the debate: Chris Chavez. He did his homework, and also was sportsmanlike.

Stay tuned for part 2...

Nothing to lose. Definitely.

I like taking a little trip over to Atlanta to see how things done there on business, but it's not a high priority.

Today, I just received an e-mail that I have been selected in the Coca-Cola Human Bracket, and they said if Long Beach State win the South Regional, I'm going on a trip for two to Atlanta.

While that is nice, I'm not going to moan over blowing the opportunity if my team loses in any of the first four rounds. I mean, I will go to Atlanta one day in my life. It may not be the time yet.

Mr. Salazar,

Congratulations! The Coca-Cola Company selected you as Long Beach State’s biggest fan in the Coca-Cola Most Devoted Hoops Fan contest.

Fans whose teams earned a berth in the 2007 NCAA® Men’s Basketball Tournament, as announced by CBS on “Selection Sunday,” March 11, 2007, are featured in the outdoor and online versions of the “Coca-Cola Human Bracket.”

The giant outdoor bracket is hanging from the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, and fan photos will advance with their teams throughout the Tournament. The four fans representing the Final Four teams will win a trip for two to the biggest weekend in college basketball to cheer their favorite school to victory. We will be in touch with those winners on March 26, following the Regional games.

Looks like I won't have to nag Chance Decker, my right-hand assistant from the BPC (Beach Pride Center) about what I have to do. As for me, I gotta brush up on my homework, and get ready for some exams.

Nothing to lose from this one. It's up to the team to see how far we will go.

The BoBA dictionary defines...

Expert: Another name for a pretentious overpaid tard who is intoxicated from drinking too much power conference Kool-Aid and fapping at Florida's efforts to get their mojo back. See also: Joe Lunardi.

Seriously, though, I hope we impress on Friday and make a good game out of it, cause it seems we have some unbelievers among the heathens who pollute ESPN.

Dance floor open

When I got on the bus during the Saturday game, my voice was already spent, but I had a focused look. Ironically, our women's team defeated UC Irvine and Cal Poly in succession before bowing out against UC Riverside, the eventual Big West champs. So, the situation looked good.

As I jogged over to my seat, I saw the roar of the crowd, the people chanting "Superfan! Superfan!" over and over. I nodded, took my seat, and watched the drama unfold...while standing up.

Cal Poly proved to be a bit pesky, leading by 5 at the break. I'm chewing bubble gum as I go along with this post. (Inside joke: bubble...bubble bursting.) I then asked the players to realize why they are here, and what they should do.

Eventually, the guys: Aaron Nixon, Kejuan Johnson and the gang, they all would take over in the second half. We would win, 94-83, and the whole student section fell over in a dog pile before celebrating mosh pit style.

I wonder how far we will go. The journey to get here was an accomplishment in itself. Can they go farther? I leave it to the players to decide that.

Orz...der of Tong

Those fools from Tong failed me again in their mission, not winning Sweepstakes in Spring Sing. No excuses for that. They have no one to blame but themselves for that.
-_-#

I need to buy a Singapore rattan cane bad. Those guys deserve it for their transgression on Friday.

Big West champs!?

Ah, Long Beach State. We make our glorious return to the dance, defeating Cal Poly.

More details to follow.

No miracle needed on Friday

Well, the guys took care of UC Irvine, without needed last-second heroics.

We would win 77-63, and while out perimeter shooting leave much to be desired, the great thing was we didn't need to havwe the game go to a miracle shot. If there was one closest to it, it would go to soon-to-be-captain Artis Gant, who drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer in the 1st half. Afterwards, the 49ers played their game.

When one of our guys attempted a 3-pointer, I turned to my folks to see their reaction, if they were leaping the the air, eliciting a roar, I nodded my head, then slowly turned to the other sides of the crowd, nodding my head. As the final seconds ticked, I inspected Pete's Posse, congratulated Prospector Pete, who I like to call "Boss" as I am his right-hand man, and thanked the UC Irvine folks for their participation.

And as I got on the the band bus, I changed my expression to a focused look. Our work at the Anaheim Convention Center was not done yet. We would have to beat Cal Poly first.

UCLA got cuffed by U-Dub Saturday.

Louie Louie, oh no, said me gotta go.
Louie Louie, oh baby, said me gotta go.

A fine little girl, she waits for me.
Me catch the ship across the sea.
I sailed the ship all alone.
I never think I'll make it home.

Louie Louie, oh no, say me gotta go, oh no,
Louie Louie, oh baby, said me gotta go.

Three nights and days I sailed the sea.
Me think of girl constantly.
On the ship, I dream she there.
I smell the rose in her hair.

Louie Louie, oh no, I said me gotta go.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
Louie Louie, oh baby, said me gotta go.
(Okay, let's give it to them right now!)

Me see Jamaican moon above.
It won't be long me see me love.
Me take her in my arms and then
I tell her I'll never leave again.

Louie Louie, oh no, I said me gotta go.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
Louie Louie, oh baby, said me gotta go.

I said we gotta go now...
Let's go!

Got yours, Westwood scum? I need ganja wit me apfel.

An ordinary day? More like a day of mourning

It really sets you off your comfort zone when you've got really good things get outweighed by really bad things. That happened today.

While the only good thing that happened was our men's basketball team exacting revenge over UC Irvine 86-80 on Senior Night, at the same time, three crappy things happened.

First, our women's tennis team, who everyone thought would run the tables, saw their season turn into disarray, losing to...wait for it...UC Irvine, 4-3. When I got home, I learned that my older sister forgot to tape the game, AND not tell me beforehand that she couldn't do it, so I could transfer the duties to my mom.

As if things weren't bad enough, danbooru, an image-hosting site that features moe images of every persuasion, was dead. Long like akibakko. Ultimately, the lack of servers, combined with traffic beyond control, was danbooru's undoing. Akibakko.net is now its successor. May she (it means Akiba[hara] girl) reign as the moe image hosting site of the Web from this point forward. Rest in peace, danbooru. You will not have died in vain as we mourn your loss. *plays Taps*

The right choice.

I knew there was something unique about the students here at Cal State Long Beach. One of the great things about Long Beach State is prioritizing health and wellness to complement their education and putting their knowledge to work in the real world. When I heard today that the students voted yes to the referendum on having a new Student Recreation and Wellness Center, I pointed to the heavens, and taped a video thanking them for making the right decision.

This center is going to be packed every day. With Frog’s Club One being inadequate, this will add to more people working out at the university. And with this being a part of tuition, the students here at the Beach will be utilizing it, probably more than the other services here. Not to mention more work opportunities.

With the students making the right choice, Men’s Fitness would be hard pressed to still give us the unenviable epithet of America’s Fattest University. I think they’re going to back off for the long haul.

I’m ready to see the guys off against Irvine till I meet with them on Friday at the ACC. That’s the Anaheim Convention Center, not the big power conference of the same abbreviation.