- Paul Lotman inches closer to the Thousand Kills Society
- The crowd ooohs, aaahs, and everything in between.
- The Revenge Tour continues.
- Athleticism...Le Sexy Volleyball revived!
- The explanation behind, "There are ALTERNATIVES."
- Yours truly bounces, bends, falls flat, sings, dings, bangs, hangs and rises, adjusts his frowns a la Yin from Darker than Black, dons faces, and even gives the Masters a tongue-lashing for nearly letting USC successfully back into Game 2. (And also flings shirt off.)
- New single from the Beach Band: Muse's "Knights of Cydonia."
- Side adventures of Brigham Young against Cal State Northridge.
- Dean Bittner avenges Trojans' Dirty Tactics of violation "Dahleeeng"
- Who is Dahleeeng!?
- No, seriously, who is Dahleeeng!!?
- USC's men miss the Wench from Wroclaw, Asia Kaczsor (who is still a whore for single-handedly breaking our hearts last autumn).
- JR's take on USC women, and their impurity in the eyes of the Beach
- The spinaround...and the Night Boat to Cairo!?
On the next exciting episode of "The Masters of Le Sexy Volleyball..."
.........medic!!!!!!!
Speak of Josh Ooogaboogakingon, that was a terrible way to get violated. So much for the New Deal. 91-75, the Dumbos from Pachyturd City come trampling down on us. I learned a few things.
When it comes to playing our game:
Our team won't even stand a chance a chance against Long Beach City College. Or the Breakers. Of even the isters of Mercy. When it comes to doing the nasty, I am the Master of my Myd. And when it comes to making an explicit comparison, Blogger tanks for cutting some of my text. Bastard, the lot of them.
Oh god, please, please, PLEASE, for the love of Barack O'bamama Shabooboo, let it be different against the scum. Or else, when it comes to my precious surfboard, in the words of Weezer...
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................medic.
EDIT: This just in...the women lost too. In the words of Nozomu Itoshiki...
When it comes to playing our game:
Our team won't even stand a chance a chance against Long Beach City College. Or the Breakers. Of even the isters of Mercy. When it comes to doing the nasty, I am the Master of my Myd. And when it comes to making an explicit comparison, Blogger tanks for cutting some of my text. Bastard, the lot of them.
Oh god, please, please, PLEASE, for the love of Barack O'bamama Shabooboo, let it be different against the scum. Or else, when it comes to my precious surfboard, in the words of Weezer...
Oh no,
it go,
it gone,
bye bye.
Do I?...
I think,
I sink,
AND I DIE!!!
it go,
it gone,
bye bye.
Do I?...
I think,
I sink,
AND I DIE!!!
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................medic.
EDIT: This just in...the women lost too. In the words of Nozomu Itoshiki...
"I'm in despair! The fact that there is no one on any of our teams other than Donovan Morris playing close-to-decent basketball, making as look as if they are a couple bunches of ragtag rec team rejects who haven't played a single game in their fucking lives has left me in despair!"
A perfect January of sexy volleyball comes to a close
And so, a successful, exciting, and most importantly, PERFECT January of sexy volleyball from Long Beach State's men draws to a close. Excuse me while I get some tissues, my nose is bleeding.
It should be noted that McDannald used to write for the Viking at Long Beach City College. Another example of the connection between LBCC and LBSU. This was a fun game for our gentlemen, but are just getting started.
As always...fasten your seat belts.
Men's volleyball keeps the winning record
LBSU, 7-0, defeats Pepperdine in three matches.
By: Tracy McDannald
Posted: 1/31/08
In an early-season battle of two top-5 teams in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 15 national rankings, No. 3 Long Beach State swept visiting No. 5 Pepperdine, 3-0 Wednesday at The Walter Pyramid.
The 49ers (7-0 overall, 5-0 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) extended the Waves' losing streak to three matches, winning 30-21, 32-30, 30-21.
"We come in to win," LBSU senior outside hitter Paul Lotman said. "It doesn't matter who we play or where we play."
Coming off 12 days rest, LBSU received a strong effort from Lotman, who posted a game-high 16 kills despite not recording any kills in the first game. He wasn't alone, though, as sophomore middle blocker Dan Alexander posted a double-double with 11 kills and 10 blocks, while hitting .562 to lead the team. Freshman setter Mike Klipsch added 36 assists and eight digs in the victory.
"[The players] have worked hard to be better," said head coach Alan Knipe. "The best thing is their eagerness to be better. Now we have to focus our attention on USC."
Last season, LBSU finished with just an 11-17 record, but Alexander said the time in between seasons was anything but time off.
"We worked really hard to get strong and [this year we're] not going to take a day off," he said.
The Waves (4-3 overall, 4-3 MPSF) were led by outside hitters J.D. Schleppenbach and Cory Riecks, who recorded 11 and 10 kills, respectively.
LBSU was led by Alexander in game one, as he posted five kills and hit a perfect 1.000 to jumpstart the 49ers.
Then, Lotman came alive and he recorded 10 kills in game two - the only game the Waves challenged the 49ers. Alexander provided the exclamation point in the game, giving LBSU a 29-21 lead with an emphatic return for the kill.
The frenzied crowd at The Walter Pyramid jumped on Pepperdine early in game three, eliciting a chant of "o-ver-ra-ted" as the team cruised past the Waves to keep its record perfect.
The 49ers stifled Pepperdine with a combination of Alexander and sophomore opposite Dean Bittner dominating and blocking balls at the net. The Waves, playing without injured outside hitter Paul Carroll, registered a -.065 hitting mark.
The two teams will meet again at Pepperdine on Feb. 13.
LBSU came into the match losing just two games all season (3-1 wins at Hawaii and UCLA), while sweeping its other opponents.
"[The stat] isn't nearly as important as it is just a nice stat," Knipe said. "We've played well early and some crucial games went our way."
LBSU returns to the net to host the No. 11 Trojans (4-5 overall, 3-3 MPSF) on Feb. 1 at The Walter Pyramid at 7 p.m.
The 49ers swept the Trojans 3-0 in the season opener at the UC Santa Barbara Collegiate Invitational on Jan. 4.
"We played them early in the fall and won," Alexander said, "but they're a lot better now."
© Copyright 2008 Daily 49er
It should be noted that McDannald used to write for the Viking at Long Beach City College. Another example of the connection between LBCC and LBSU. This was a fun game for our gentlemen, but are just getting started.
As always...fasten your seat belts.
Tsk, tsk, tsk.
Well, it looks like Dan Monson is going to finally clean house now. I mean, the season is already a bust, and we are going through a depression. Might as well pull out a page from Franklin Delano Roosevelt's playbook and bring out the first New Deal while you're at it, Coach.
For both these guys, it was an opportunity taken away. I don't know the details, but I reckon that when you start up a fight and badmouth the coach after you get humiliated by Bakersfield (man, that loss REALLY hurted), you gotta be gracious in defeat.
I say, though, go one step further: take all the players off scholarship and have them walk-on. Make them earn their scholarship back. Otherwise, they can always transfer if they feel like they don't want to take the initiative.
---
49ers depleted, defeated at NorthridgeCSUN romps; LBSU's Gant, Porter have been dismissed. By Frank Burlison, Staff writerArticle Launched: 01/26/2008 11:21:23 PM PST
NORTHRIDGE - A basketball team with an extremely narrow "margin for error" was repeatedly pushed over that margin Saturday evening.
The Long Beach State 49ers needed to limit their turnovers and keep the host Cal State Northridge Matadors out of their transition offense but they came up well short in each endeavor and were handled, 100-61, in a Big West Conference game in front of 1,471.
A deep, quick and fast CSUN squad improved its conference-leading record to 6-0 and overall mark to 14-4, while a Long Beach squad thinner in the depth department after the dismissal of junior Artis Gant and redshirt freshman Darnell Porter, and lacking in the quickness and speed categories, dropped to 1-5 and 4-14 respectively.
Coach Dan Monson's decision to dismiss Gant and Porter (who were averaging 7.4 points apiece) wasn't made public until LBSU sports information director Steve Janisch distributed a one-paragraph release approximately an hour before the game's 4 o'clock tipoff Saturday.
Afterward, Monson refused to disclose many specifics about the dismissals, other than to say that the players were informed of their dismissals on Thursday - the day after the team dropped an 80-77 decision to Cal State Bakersfield in the Walter Pyramid - and to acknowledge that the decisions were made independent of one another.
"They were dismissed for attitudes detrimental to the team," he said, echoing the reasoning in the release. "I will say that they are good kids and I hope they stay in school (spring semester classes begin Monday) and make the most of it and get an education. Their scholarships will be good (honored) until the end of the (school) year."
Even before Monson dismissed Gant and Porter - who, despite Gant missing eight games with a knee injury, had combined to start 15 games - he knew coach Bobby Braswell's team, because of its ability to pressure opponents, defensively, and score in spurts in transition and via a multitude of quality jump shooters, was going to present a litany of issues for the 49ers.
But after the first television timeout, with 15:07 to go in the first half, and despite five Long Beach turnovers, the Matadors held a 3-1 lead.
"We have athletic limitations and we were playing a team that wanted to get the pace going (fast)," Monson said. "During the (first) timeout, I told our guys, 'This is great!"'
And when Brice Gallow, a walk-on junior who scored a career-best 17 points, hit a 3-pointer from the left wing the 49ers were still within six points (at 22-16) of the hosts with 8:44 to go in the first half.
But the Matadors, who ultimately got double-figure scoring from five players - led by former Cabrillo High and Long Beach City College standout Deon Tresvant with 19 off the bench - outscored the visitors 25-10 the rest of the half.
Donovan Morris scored 13 of his game-high 25 points for the 49ers after the intermission when only the final margin was in doubt.
frank.burlison@presstelegram.com
----
And another thing: Shame on you, Artis Gant. You could have been a senior leader next season, had you not shown your lack of charisma, your lack of composure. You wasted a good opportunity to lead this team. I put a damnatio memoriae on what you did after the game.
You not only disappointed your team, and Coach Monson, but you disappointed me. For shame.
For both these guys, it was an opportunity taken away. I don't know the details, but I reckon that when you start up a fight and badmouth the coach after you get humiliated by Bakersfield (man, that loss REALLY hurted), you gotta be gracious in defeat.
I say, though, go one step further: take all the players off scholarship and have them walk-on. Make them earn their scholarship back. Otherwise, they can always transfer if they feel like they don't want to take the initiative.
---
49ers depleted, defeated at NorthridgeCSUN romps; LBSU's Gant, Porter have been dismissed. By Frank Burlison, Staff writerArticle Launched: 01/26/2008 11:21:23 PM PST
NORTHRIDGE - A basketball team with an extremely narrow "margin for error" was repeatedly pushed over that margin Saturday evening.
The Long Beach State 49ers needed to limit their turnovers and keep the host Cal State Northridge Matadors out of their transition offense but they came up well short in each endeavor and were handled, 100-61, in a Big West Conference game in front of 1,471.
A deep, quick and fast CSUN squad improved its conference-leading record to 6-0 and overall mark to 14-4, while a Long Beach squad thinner in the depth department after the dismissal of junior Artis Gant and redshirt freshman Darnell Porter, and lacking in the quickness and speed categories, dropped to 1-5 and 4-14 respectively.
Coach Dan Monson's decision to dismiss Gant and Porter (who were averaging 7.4 points apiece) wasn't made public until LBSU sports information director Steve Janisch distributed a one-paragraph release approximately an hour before the game's 4 o'clock tipoff Saturday.
Afterward, Monson refused to disclose many specifics about the dismissals, other than to say that the players were informed of their dismissals on Thursday - the day after the team dropped an 80-77 decision to Cal State Bakersfield in the Walter Pyramid - and to acknowledge that the decisions were made independent of one another.
"They were dismissed for attitudes detrimental to the team," he said, echoing the reasoning in the release. "I will say that they are good kids and I hope they stay in school (spring semester classes begin Monday) and make the most of it and get an education. Their scholarships will be good (honored) until the end of the (school) year."
Even before Monson dismissed Gant and Porter - who, despite Gant missing eight games with a knee injury, had combined to start 15 games - he knew coach Bobby Braswell's team, because of its ability to pressure opponents, defensively, and score in spurts in transition and via a multitude of quality jump shooters, was going to present a litany of issues for the 49ers.
But after the first television timeout, with 15:07 to go in the first half, and despite five Long Beach turnovers, the Matadors held a 3-1 lead.
"We have athletic limitations and we were playing a team that wanted to get the pace going (fast)," Monson said. "During the (first) timeout, I told our guys, 'This is great!"'
And when Brice Gallow, a walk-on junior who scored a career-best 17 points, hit a 3-pointer from the left wing the 49ers were still within six points (at 22-16) of the hosts with 8:44 to go in the first half.
But the Matadors, who ultimately got double-figure scoring from five players - led by former Cabrillo High and Long Beach City College standout Deon Tresvant with 19 off the bench - outscored the visitors 25-10 the rest of the half.
Donovan Morris scored 13 of his game-high 25 points for the 49ers after the intermission when only the final margin was in doubt.
frank.burlison@presstelegram.com
----
And another thing: Shame on you, Artis Gant. You could have been a senior leader next season, had you not shown your lack of charisma, your lack of composure. You wasted a good opportunity to lead this team. I put a damnatio memoriae on what you did after the game.
You not only disappointed your team, and Coach Monson, but you disappointed me. For shame.
Nutella Day
.jpg)
.jpg)
Twenty-twenty-twenty four jars to go, I wanna eat nutella.
Nothing to do, and nowhere to go-oh-oh, I wanna eat nutella.
Just put it on my muffins, put it on my bread,
hurry, hurry, hurry, before I'm left for dead.
I want it on my fingers, I want it on my head.
Ohohohohoho~~~~!
Twenty-twenty-twenty four jars to go, I wanna eat nutella.
Nothing to do, and nowhere to go-oh-oh, I wanna eat nutella.
Just put it on my crackers, put it on my bread,
hurry, hurry, hurry, before I'm left for dead.
I want it on my fingers, I want it on my head.
Ohohohohoho~~~~!
Twenty-twenty-twenty four jars to go, I wanna eat nutella.
Nothing to do, and nowhere to go-oh-oh, I wanna eat nutella.
Just put on some berries, put it on my clothes,
hurry, hurry, hurry, I want some more of those.
I want it on my body, I want it on my toes.
Ohohohohoho~~~~!
Twenty-twenty-twenty four jars to go, I wanna eat nutella.
Nothing to do, and nowhere to go-oh-oh, I wanna eat nutella.
Just put in on my biscuits, put some more on my clothes,
hurry hurry hurry, I want some more of those.
I can't control my cravings, I've got it on my nose.
Ohohohohoho~~~~!
N-U-T-E! L-L-A-HEY! I wanna eat nutella.
N-U-T-E! L-L-A-HEY! I wanna eat nutella.
N-U-T-E! L-L-A-HEY! I wanna eat nutella.
N-U-T-E! L-L-A-HEY! I wanna eat nutella!!!
Bonzo goes to Bitburg...
So I sang as I headed back home via Route 1,
---
These locks a lock to remain uncut
Article Launched: 01/25/2008 02:10:11 AM PST
I went out to the Walter Pyramid Wednesday night to witness what I thought would be a rare victory by the
Now nothing against the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners, who came in 6-13, but they had always been a Division II entity until this season.
They are so modestly regarded in the sporting orbit that
They are so lightly regarded that they were considered distinct underdogs - honestly! - against 4-12
Why, they are so lightly regarded that the Big West - perhaps the weakest Division I basketball conference in the country - is actually hesitant about admitting them into its low-profile lodge.
As I walked into the eerily empty arena that seemed to have more band members and cheerleaders and dance team participants than patrons, I could have sworn there were more people working out upstairs at Frogs than were in the stands.
"It's a shame a rainstorm keeps so many fans away," said
Yep, I'm sure there would have been at least, oh, five or 10, maybe even 15 more people who would have shown up had the weather not been lousy to observe what quite frankly were two lousy teams.
"We're going to win tonight," promised the former
49er booster extraordinaire.
"Are you kidding?" I asked incredulously.
"We can beat this team," he asserted, bravely.
Well, before I reveal the horror that was to ensue, I want to say a few positive things that surrounded Wednesday's event just to prove that I'm really the milk of human kindness and always try to view matters through rose-colored lenses.
I want to publicly applaud the human beings who sat at courtside without paper bags over their heads. Although this might cause some of these fine folk civic embarrassment, I feel it's my duty as a journalist to reveal their identities.
Their names are F. King Alexander, Perry Moore, Norma Poe, Glen Bickerstaff, Michael Walter, Arline Walter, Barry Sher, Thadd MacNealy, Morris MacNealy, John Chavez, Craig Matheny, Bob Seynour, Jim Young, Bad Stu Ledsam, Marilyn Bohl, Jamie Mulligan, Whit Lacimer and the immortal Rick Bryson.
There was once the infamous
For a while, I didn't spot the Long Beach AD, Vivacious Vic Cegles, who has developed this bizarre obsession in recent times about wanting me to shave my head for the benefit of his favorite charity.
"Is Vic on the lam from the basketball team?" I asked Cegles' bodyguard and marketing guru, Dangerous Dave Benedict.
"Oh no, he's here," claimed Benedict, ever the loyal employee.
And a few moments later, before the proceedings commenced, lo and behold, ol' Vivacious Vic made an appearance, and the first thing he said to me was, "We can auction off your hair at the Jewels of the Night fund-raiser. We'd raise at least $5,000."
I know Vic Cegles is quite the Bucknell Man, but I never realized he perceived himself as some sort of comedian.
I felt like telling Mr. Cegles the 49ers had a better chance of finishing with a .500 record than threads of my hair being peddled for $5,000, but I didn't want to hurt his sensitive feelings.
The game finally started, and Dan Monson, floor commander of the 49ers, knew right away that this could be another frustrating evening for him and his team when he yanked out all five starters before even three minutes had elapsed, albeit, blessedly, he didn't pull their scholarships on the spot.
So out went Messrs. Donovan Morris, Greg Plater, Brice Gallow, Cornell Williams and Brian Freeman and in came Messrs. Artis Gant, Darnell Porter, Maurice Glady, Brandon Johnson and Arturas Lazdauskas.
Sorry, guys, for divulging your names, but I have to be fair and balanced in my reportage. You must understand I already have mentioned the names of those brave souls willing to display their faces without masks in courtside seats.
As usual, the 49ers were getting terrific support from Super Fan, aka Jo-Ryan Salazar, a recent
If only Monson's players were as animated as Mr. Salazar, or even as animated as the Long Beach dance team members who recently finished second in national competition at Walt Disney World in Orlando. As always, they were exceptional, although they didn't perform enough routines to divert my attention from the uneven play unfolding on the hardwoods that included some ghastly shooting, ghastly ball-handling and ghastly decision-making.
Still, despite it all, the 49ers somehow seem destined to make Perry Moore's bold prediction come true, as they held a 68-62 advantage with just 56 seconds remaining.
I thought I was witnessing a bit of history - the 49ers actually walking off the court with a victory.
I should have known better.
A 6-5 sophomore from Bakersfield named Trent Blakley hit a couple of dramatic 3-point shots in the late stages to send the match into overtime - and you just knew what evil fate awaited Monson's troops as they inevitably went on to drop a 80-77 verdict that was even more galling because of the quality of the competition.
"This ranks among our toughest defeats," said a downcast Perry Moore.
"We have a long road to go," said a disappointed King Alexander.
"This is a rough one to take," said despondent Vic Cegles.
"We just don't know how to close out games," said a depressed Dan Monson.
"How tough is this what you're going through?" I asked the first-year coach who succeeded Larry Reynolds, who was fired for having too many of the kind of seasons Monson is now enduring.
"I knew it (the losing) was coming, but, well, this is like going into surgery," he says. "You know it's going to happen, but it still is painful and you just have to live with it."
I walked outside the locker room where Monson had met the press, and spotted Vic Cegles, and tried to inject some humor into a dark situation.
"I'll shave my head if your basketball team winds up with a .500 record," I said, and that's quite possible if the 49ers win 11 of their final 13 games, the likelihood of which is roughly tantamount to my stealing Gisele Bundchen away from Tom Brady.
"Why don't you do it if we win 10 games?" persisted Cegles, momentarily forgetting about his basketball team's miseries and once again discussing what suddenly and weirdly has become one of his favorite subjects.
Actually, to be truthful, ol' Vivacious Vic should spend more time and energy worrying about the future of his basketball team these harrowing days than he should about the future of my disheveled locks. ...
One of the delights of watching the AFC title game between the New England Patriots and the San Diego Chargers was that the officials decided to let the players decide the outcome and kept their hankies in their pockets.
One of the irritations of watching the NFC title overtime classic between the Green Bay Packers and the New York Giants was that the officials reverted to meddlesome form and made a bunch of marginal calls that unnecessarily disrupted the flow of the memorable game. ...
Can't believe all the fuss about LaDainian Tomlinson deciding to pull himself out of his team's game last Sunday against the Patriots. How could anyone doubt his courage and toughness?
Obviously, the guy was hurting badly - he had a knee injury - or he would have continued playing. ...
In the fourth quarter and in overtime, Brett Favre looked every bit his 38 years against the Giants. ...
Had a blast at Dennis Gilbert's Baseball Scouts Foundation dinner last Saturday night, and the memorabilia was terrific, including everything from a proclamation signed by the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, to a signed baseball by the 28th president, Woodrow Wilson, to a signed baseball by Babe Ruth.
Actually, I was set to purchase the Ruth item for the Press-Telegram's executive editor, Rich (Mr. Cub) Archbold, who has a sizable collection of baseballs autographed by Hall of Fame players.
But earning brownie points with the boss has its financial limits. The price tag was $10,000.
One of the highlights of the night came when the former USC and NFL tight end Jim O'Bradovich introduced Bad Stu Ledsam to Hall of Fame third baseman George Brett, who took one look at the strapping, ruggedly handsome
For the first time in his adult life, Mr. Ledsam was left speechless. ...
One of the nice guys in the area, Brian (Spyder) Binder, a Los Alamitos High graduate and ReMax real estate whiz, has been passing out cigars since 7:30 Wednesday morning when his wife Natalie gave birth to a seven-pound, seven-ounce boy. The thrilled
Dick McGree was a big man - 6-4 and in the 270-pound region - with a soft heart who liked to paint and sing, which he did in his younger days when he was a maitre d' at the old Hawaiian Restaurant near the Traffic Circle.
He was over the years a member of the Century Club - was even its president in 1979 - the Committee of 300, the Rotary Club, the Southern California Tuna Club, the Long Beach Yacht Club and the Alamitos Bay Beach Preservation Group.
He was a graduate of Jordan High, Long Beach City College and Long Beach State and a Marine aviator who went on to fly for Western Airlines and then Delta.
He was a charismatic character who enjoyed all the pleasures of life, and there was a room in his home on the
He was a gourmet cook who actually owned a restaurant on
He was for a time a member of the Long Beach Fire Department and even owned a beer bar, as he and a partner opened the 49'rs Tavern on
He was a smiling, gregarious, affable fellow whose widespread popularity was reflected in the large turnout for his 1994 retirement affair at Cohiba.
More than 600 people showed up to toast Dick McGree, who passed away the other day at 73 after a long illness.
"Dick had a lot of nicknames - `Major,' `Captain,' `The Big Guy,' - but I thought `Larger Than Life' fit him best because that is what he was," says one of his closest friends, Roland Scott, himself a former commercial airline pilot. "He ate, drank, smoked and lived life to its fullest. He was one of those people always fun to be around. Never a dull moment with Dick."
"Dick always staged the greatest Christmas Eve parties at his house on
I used to see Dick McGree often at Kelly's, but in recent years he and his wife - the former Ruth Yeargin - spent a lot of time in
"Dick was one of those rarest of individuals - no one had a bad word to say about him," says Steve Folger, who lived across the street from McGree for 15 years and was a regular at the Aero Bar.
A nice epitaph for a nice man. ...
---
That Doug Krikorian, always bringing quality articles onto the Press-Telegram. A tough act to follow, too.
I could not believe how easy-going I was today. I could actually breathe, and I didn’t need to wear my vpoice again. You know, there is a reason why the basketbimbos from Northridge are winless. It puts Hegarty’s season in perspective.
Quick hits: 1/24/08
Not very often you see rain falling while the sun is shining. If that's not typical SoCal January weather, I don't know what is.
---
So now I am waiting for my final meeting with Elie today, and I am thinking myself: it was only three years ago that I was wrapping up all that JC stuff, and getting ready to transfer here. A good year, that. Three years before that, I was getting ready to finish my high school diploma from Lakewood.
Six years of higher education at the undergraduate level. All put to good use in one way or another. I look at my watch. Six minutes. The rain clears.
---
It's all surreal. You go through all these occurances in life. We call them "events". You can call them whatever you want. An event can be anything: a game, a meeting, a lecture, a concert...a walk down a pathway in the Central Quad. All those are events, but those aren't the only ones.
---
The Academic Advising Center opens shop. Looks like we're close to getting this final meeting out of the way.
---
After my meeting with Elie Johnson, I straddled over to the University Student Union second floor. Now, I owe a lot to my good friend Elie. Without her advice and guidance, I would not have been able to make it this far. Heck, I would still be taking upper division courses here. God knows I don't want to go through that again.
Back to the second floor. At the Carl's Jr: I ordered a couple of Westerns, before taking my seat, and picking up a leaflet bearing the news that Carl Karcher, the man with the plan, was dead at the age of 90, over three times that of Heath Ledger's age when he passed away. Such was life.
I met a guy with religion named Steve. We talked a bit, and we went our own ways.
I then went down to the Library to drop my books, before killing some time on the University computers at the Spidell, next to the Starbucks. I remember being the first customer to order something at the Starbucks, a Green Tea frap, Venti-sized. A great thirst-quencher and eye-opener with my nickname, "Super Fan", on it.
As I listened to my iPod, a young skinhead Goth came up to me and asked, "What are you playing?"
I replied, "Ramones."
"Rock on."
At least there are people here at the Beach who actually KNOW who these guys are.
---
I'm watching some randome love scenes on YouTube. Oddly enough, it's three weeks to Valentine's Day. A coincidence is in order.
---
...
...
.
.
.
Dammit. It's raining again.
---
So now I am waiting for my final meeting with Elie today, and I am thinking myself: it was only three years ago that I was wrapping up all that JC stuff, and getting ready to transfer here. A good year, that. Three years before that, I was getting ready to finish my high school diploma from Lakewood.
Six years of higher education at the undergraduate level. All put to good use in one way or another. I look at my watch. Six minutes. The rain clears.
---
It's all surreal. You go through all these occurances in life. We call them "events". You can call them whatever you want. An event can be anything: a game, a meeting, a lecture, a concert...a walk down a pathway in the Central Quad. All those are events, but those aren't the only ones.
---
The Academic Advising Center opens shop. Looks like we're close to getting this final meeting out of the way.
---
After my meeting with Elie Johnson, I straddled over to the University Student Union second floor. Now, I owe a lot to my good friend Elie. Without her advice and guidance, I would not have been able to make it this far. Heck, I would still be taking upper division courses here. God knows I don't want to go through that again.
Back to the second floor. At the Carl's Jr: I ordered a couple of Westerns, before taking my seat, and picking up a leaflet bearing the news that Carl Karcher, the man with the plan, was dead at the age of 90, over three times that of Heath Ledger's age when he passed away. Such was life.
I met a guy with religion named Steve. We talked a bit, and we went our own ways.
I then went down to the Library to drop my books, before killing some time on the University computers at the Spidell, next to the Starbucks. I remember being the first customer to order something at the Starbucks, a Green Tea frap, Venti-sized. A great thirst-quencher and eye-opener with my nickname, "Super Fan", on it.
As I listened to my iPod, a young skinhead Goth came up to me and asked, "What are you playing?"
I replied, "Ramones."
"Rock on."
At least there are people here at the Beach who actually KNOW who these guys are.
---
I'm watching some randome love scenes on YouTube. Oddly enough, it's three weeks to Valentine's Day. A coincidence is in order.
---
...
...
.
.
.
Dammit. It's raining again.
Lord Voldemort, send help!
It's times like these where I would love to be in Lord Voldemort's shoes. You know who Lord Voldemort is, right? The guy who does that "Avara Kadavra" spell? Yes, you know who.
Boy, I would love to use that spell on my men's basketball team. It's one thing to rip up an opponent in a game that I couldn't see because the calendar stiffed me. It's another thing to make that win a flat-out lie against Cal State Bakersfield, a team that is not even through its first provisional year of four.
Way to deceive me, you bastards. Not ever Dr. F. King Alexander, not even a fan telling me "it was a good game," not even the sympathetic bus driver taking me home, giving out a "Go Beach" cheer as I left, could console me from the inescapable fact: our men's basketball team, for all the losses it has accumulated, has hit ROCK BOTTOM.
At least that's what I told Doug Krikorian of the Long BEach PRess-Telegram after the game, or rather asked. "Hey Doug, is it fair to say...that we've hit rock-bottom tonight?"
He just shrugged his shoulders, as if to say, "The way we've played, I don't think we've seen the worst of this team just yet." And I have a meeting with my old friend Elie at 10:00 a.m. at the Academic Advising Center. And I will be in a somber mood, pending the effect of my pills.
Dispute it all you want, people who read my blog, but the reality is this: if our economy is in a recession (admit, you GOP bastards on the hill; you admitted preventing a two-thirds override of a veto of an important bill at least once today!), our men's hoops team is going through a DEPRESSION.
The next victory we have (if we even have the guts to WIN a game; give up your scholarships if that's gonna be your mentality, to NOT win a game), I may not be able to see it. That's gonna be on the road, this Saturday against Northridge. God knows if our guys are even going to be motivated to even do anything right the rest of the year.
That said, the warlock formerly know as Tom Marvolo Riddle, I could use a little help here..."As you wish."
49ers post a victory worth savoring
Couldn't believe that the last time we won at Pauley's house, I was in my last semester at my community college.
49ers post a victory worth savoring Win at Pauley Pavilion lifts their record to 6-0. By Frank Burlison, Staff writer
Inside SOCALArticle Launched:01/19/2008 03:39:57 AM PST WESTWOOD - After taking the momentum of a 2-0 advantage into Game 3 in Pauley Pavilion on Friday night, the Long Beach State volleyball players looked across the net and, quite frankly, had a difficult time identifying the players in the UCLA uniforms. That because Bruins coach Al Scates had dipped into his very deep roster "and suddenly we're playing against a bunch of guys we hadn't prepared for," his Long Beach counterpart said afterward, shaking his head.
But Alan Knipe was smiling while shaking his head, because his 49ers, despite some Game 3 struggles, bounced backed assertively in Game 4 and left the building with a 30-27, 30-18, 24-30, 30-28 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation victory over the No. 4-ranked Bruins.
Long Beach, rated a slot behind UCLA in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 15, improved to 6-0 overall and 4-0 in the MPSF while the Bruins dropped to 5-2 and 3-1.
Senior outside hitter Paul Lotman had a match-high 25 kills for the 49ers, just two nights after he accounted for 17 in his team's MPSF 3-0 victory over defending national champion UC Irvine in the Walter Pyramid.
It's just three weeks into the a long season and the Bruins will get a return match more than two months from now (March 29 in the Walter Pyramid).
But any time an opposing volleyball team can visit Pauley Pavilion and leave with a victory over a program that has won 24 national titles, there's no way to soft-peddle the accomplishment.
"It's a great win, especially since we're now 6-0 and have only played one home match so far," Knipe said after his program's first victory in Pauley in three years.
"But now our next match (in the Walter Pyramid on Jan. 30 against currently second-ranked Pepperdine) becomes our most important match."
After Long Beach blasted a .438 attack percentage (with Lotman getting seven kills and sophomore opposite Dean Bittner four more) to roll in Game 2, Scates put four non-starters on the floor.
It wasn't totally unexpected, since Scates isn't reluctant to mix and match his players, especially this early in a season.
"We didn't know what to expect (with the new faces on the floor) in Game 3," Lotman said, "and we never adjusted."
Those adjustments game in Game 4, especially after Knipe called a timeout after the Bruins jumped out to a 6-3 advantage.
"Once we were able to get our passing going again," Knipe said, "we got back into a nice rhythm."
bloody asthma...ay carumba.
For the first time in a while, I am ill. An asthma attack has confined me to my bed. It hurts to even cough. And to this this all started when I was trying to back up my data onto a DVD. This will be the last time I back up my data on a laptop. With a mouse for my desktop, I will be backing my stuff using my desktop. I wrapped up downloading my torrrents, but I'm going to be doing some long-term seeding to get my ratio back to where it should be.
The South Carolina Democratic debates will begin soon, and I am looking forward to it with a clear "Meh." I'm more concerned about working the polls in my precinct during Super Tuesday, which will be coming in three weeks.
I hope my cough goes away. I hate being under the weather like this. Seriously.
The South Carolina Democratic debates will begin soon, and I am looking forward to it with a clear "Meh." I'm more concerned about working the polls in my precinct during Super Tuesday, which will be coming in three weeks.
I hope my cough goes away. I hate being under the weather like this. Seriously.
Mac is back and Austin heads south
As I left the Walter Pyramid after we swept Irvine, the winds of change were blowing, and they were strong. This morning, I wake up to the news that Greg McMackin, the defensive coordinator for the Hawaii Warriors, is now the head coach. On the other side of the country, Kent Austin, the head coach of the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
I'm thinking to myself...could this be the end of the January from hell for the Warriors? And how will the Roughriders adapt to not having their head coach who led them to their first Grey Cup title in nearly two decade call the shots? Stay tuned...
I'm thinking to myself...could this be the end of the January from hell for the Warriors? And how will the Roughriders adapt to not having their head coach who led them to their first Grey Cup title in nearly two decade call the shots? Stay tuned...
The Beach is back.
So we are currently, as of this post, all square at 9 in the B&B battle for the surfboard. We swept Irvine, 3 games to nil. What made this satisfying for our crew was that in Game 1, UCI was never able to get a game point of their own, while we had to go to 36 to finally take it. Paul otman never missed a beat, getting 8 of his 17 kills in that game. Ironically, he is 88 away from reaching the 1,000-kills club. Go figure. I reckon he will come close to after our first tangle with the Waves.
The Anteaters were effectively taken out of the match in Game 2, thanks to the heroics of one Tommy Pestolesi. When he got onto the court, down 27-23, the Threefold Law came into effect. I asked the question during coach Alan Knipe's last timeout of that game: You can make two choices: 1. Make this a best-of-three, or 2. Rally back and put their backs against the wall. To my delight, Tommy, on behalf of the guys, chose Choice 2. Good decision.
Down 27-23 due to two hitting errors and an ace by the Zots, Pestolesi got the Beach back through Irvine imploding off the serves with three straight aces, a kill, and a couple of hitting errors from the visitors in blue. Hey Kari, you are welcome to fall in and transfer here with your big bro...if you want to.
Mentally, and physically, UCI never recovered from the 49er rally. This was where the leadership of the seniors from last season were missed. With most of the team returning for my guys, we took advantage. A funny thing happened at the end of the game. I flung my shirt off after the sweep...and by sheer luck, it landed on Kevin Cape's head. Now, Kevin had a great, if not illustrious, career at Long Beach State, and now he was standing in the student section with me. I've already graduated, and I STILL am making some memories here at the Beach, for good or for bad.
Next up is UCLA at the Pauley. If we can improve on our consistency...roll up, and as Lord of the Dance Michael Flatley likes to say, fasten your seat belts, 49er Nation, because we're The Beach, we're The Beach, and The Beach is back (sorry Elton John), and the Magical Redemption Tour is up and running. All aboard!
The Anteaters were effectively taken out of the match in Game 2, thanks to the heroics of one Tommy Pestolesi. When he got onto the court, down 27-23, the Threefold Law came into effect. I asked the question during coach Alan Knipe's last timeout of that game: You can make two choices: 1. Make this a best-of-three, or 2. Rally back and put their backs against the wall. To my delight, Tommy, on behalf of the guys, chose Choice 2. Good decision.
Down 27-23 due to two hitting errors and an ace by the Zots, Pestolesi got the Beach back through Irvine imploding off the serves with three straight aces, a kill, and a couple of hitting errors from the visitors in blue. Hey Kari, you are welcome to fall in and transfer here with your big bro...if you want to.
Mentally, and physically, UCI never recovered from the 49er rally. This was where the leadership of the seniors from last season were missed. With most of the team returning for my guys, we took advantage. A funny thing happened at the end of the game. I flung my shirt off after the sweep...and by sheer luck, it landed on Kevin Cape's head. Now, Kevin had a great, if not illustrious, career at Long Beach State, and now he was standing in the student section with me. I've already graduated, and I STILL am making some memories here at the Beach, for good or for bad.
Next up is UCLA at the Pauley. If we can improve on our consistency...roll up, and as Lord of the Dance Michael Flatley likes to say, fasten your seat belts, 49er Nation, because we're The Beach, we're The Beach, and The Beach is back (sorry Elton John), and the Magical Redemption Tour is up and running. All aboard!
Habemus musum
Thanks to help from my mom, I was able to escape a bit of a Catch-22, although I need a new stack of empty TDK DVD-Rs to make it complete. I am typing from my desktop, which I simply call Haruhi'S Hard Drive (a tribute to the great woman of legend from Nishinomiya North Senior High...or is it East? I have no idea.), and I am relieve that, after over several weeks of being in limbo...I finall have a mouse for my desktop.
You see, my optical mouse died, even with the battery change. It is now lying about in the room in my house called simply The Old Room, with the DSL modem that preceded the current one in use. So, I had to ask my mom (a great preschool teacher of three decades plus) for a new mouse. Since my current desktop, an old VPR Matrix, still had the mouse plug a la pre-USB, an expendable mouse from her work would suffice.
And as a result, I am now able to clean my desktop, download and install some critical updates, uninstall some unnecessary programs, and eventually convert it into a seeding station for a number of torrents. It was brought to my attention that my ration had gone down. Luckily, I was still seeding at the time, so I wasn't banned from the tracker. But since the people at the tracker upped the minimum to a 0.3 ratio (thanks a lot for making it hard for the rest of us, you abusing leecher pricks!), I decided to go ahead and recall the torrents I backed up on my DVDs, because I knew that if times called for desperate measures, it was imperative that I was prepared for this.
So now Haruhi's Hard Drive, my desktop of over 6-ish years (yes, it IS old), is now a seeding station, while LOveGen is primarily for leeching. Every now and then the bandwidth will switch between HHD and LoveGen, because both of them are leeching torrents. One thing is for sure: my hard drive on my desktop is going to be on for a long period of time. And I have to thank my mom for finally giving me a mouse.
NOw, if only I can muster enough money to back up some more torrents on DVD...
You see, my optical mouse died, even with the battery change. It is now lying about in the room in my house called simply The Old Room, with the DSL modem that preceded the current one in use. So, I had to ask my mom (a great preschool teacher of three decades plus) for a new mouse. Since my current desktop, an old VPR Matrix, still had the mouse plug a la pre-USB, an expendable mouse from her work would suffice.
And as a result, I am now able to clean my desktop, download and install some critical updates, uninstall some unnecessary programs, and eventually convert it into a seeding station for a number of torrents. It was brought to my attention that my ration had gone down. Luckily, I was still seeding at the time, so I wasn't banned from the tracker. But since the people at the tracker upped the minimum to a 0.3 ratio (thanks a lot for making it hard for the rest of us, you abusing leecher pricks!), I decided to go ahead and recall the torrents I backed up on my DVDs, because I knew that if times called for desperate measures, it was imperative that I was prepared for this.
So now Haruhi's Hard Drive, my desktop of over 6-ish years (yes, it IS old), is now a seeding station, while LOveGen is primarily for leeching. Every now and then the bandwidth will switch between HHD and LoveGen, because both of them are leeching torrents. One thing is for sure: my hard drive on my desktop is going to be on for a long period of time. And I have to thank my mom for finally giving me a mouse.
NOw, if only I can muster enough money to back up some more torrents on DVD...
Illegitimum non carborundum
So, after finding out that the game against UC Davis was rescheduled (still a bit riled about that, but out here, who give's a rat's rear end about them anyway?), I am back at my laptop, blogging. I suppose I will have to put the added wakey-wakeyness from my Rockstar Punched to use one way or another. I am sitting in front of Love Generation, the name for my personal laptop (LoveGen for short, named after the Bob Sinclar song of fame), watching the 2007 Harvard University Commencement Morning Exercises.
Ahhh, the power of RealPlayer. What is so good about this is that when it's streamed, there is a record button where you can record the stream downloaded. That's something you don't see in previous editions. Now, if you're watching something in its entirety, you can record it, save it, and watch it over and over again if you want to. Sweet.
If there was ever a band that wanted to be a scatter band, I hope they pattern themselves after the Harvard University Band. I love their cadences, and the simple, ageless melodies they play. For a band decked in blazers when blaring out the classics at the Harvard Stadium during the fall...you're all right.
I don't believe my university can top all this. Out there in Cambridge, they have Morning and Afternoon Exercises, as well as a ceremony where the local campus guy who's got religion give some final words of advice. At that Class Day, Bill Clinton spoke to the candidates. At this Commencement, guys like Bill Russell and Bill Gates were in attendance, and the latter spoke. And the way the chorus sings the commencement hymn (and alma mater?), "Fair Harvard"...it sounds like the gates of heaven have opened, and all worthy shall proceed into the promised land. Sweet.
It's great stuff like this that encourages me to forget the fact that UC Davis's basketball team sure looked like an overmatched group of rec students against the Dream Team from Barcelona, and I didn't get to see them unravel. I suppose they should stay that way when we head up there. Hmph.
Now I'm thinking...Associate in Arts at Harvard!? I can't believe that there is a community college side to this university. IT DOES EXIST. To those nine who got the AA degree there, there are community colleges that have better value...I think they're just here for all the pomp and circumstance.
Let it be known that rescheduling the times of events, and athletic events at that, after they have been printed on the calendar at the time given is criminal, a waste of ink on the grounds of blatant inaccuracy (why print it if the time is going to be wrong anyway?), and defeats the purpose of having those events printed in the first place. It's a sobering thought, for example, that I actually wished for my team to LOSE the game than win it.
Ahhh, the power of RealPlayer. What is so good about this is that when it's streamed, there is a record button where you can record the stream downloaded. That's something you don't see in previous editions. Now, if you're watching something in its entirety, you can record it, save it, and watch it over and over again if you want to. Sweet.
If there was ever a band that wanted to be a scatter band, I hope they pattern themselves after the Harvard University Band. I love their cadences, and the simple, ageless melodies they play. For a band decked in blazers when blaring out the classics at the Harvard Stadium during the fall...you're all right.
I don't believe my university can top all this. Out there in Cambridge, they have Morning and Afternoon Exercises, as well as a ceremony where the local campus guy who's got religion give some final words of advice. At that Class Day, Bill Clinton spoke to the candidates. At this Commencement, guys like Bill Russell and Bill Gates were in attendance, and the latter spoke. And the way the chorus sings the commencement hymn (and alma mater?), "Fair Harvard"...it sounds like the gates of heaven have opened, and all worthy shall proceed into the promised land. Sweet.
It's great stuff like this that encourages me to forget the fact that UC Davis's basketball team sure looked like an overmatched group of rec students against the Dream Team from Barcelona, and I didn't get to see them unravel. I suppose they should stay that way when we head up there. Hmph.
Now I'm thinking...Associate in Arts at Harvard!? I can't believe that there is a community college side to this university. IT DOES EXIST. To those nine who got the AA degree there, there are community colleges that have better value...I think they're just here for all the pomp and circumstance.
Let it be known that rescheduling the times of events, and athletic events at that, after they have been printed on the calendar at the time given is criminal, a waste of ink on the grounds of blatant inaccuracy (why print it if the time is going to be wrong anyway?), and defeats the purpose of having those events printed in the first place. It's a sobering thought, for example, that I actually wished for my team to LOSE the game than win it.
UC Davis men's basketball sux...
Not for the fact that they didn't bother to show up against our guys, but for the fact that I didn't get to see them NOT show up (due to the people who make the schedule changing the time to 4:00 p.m. instead of originally planned 7:00). Get your sorry asses back to Division II where you rightfully belong, you have no business playing in our league. And by the way, your men's water polo team owe us one.
Do it. Do it naoughw. You fucking cunts.
Do it. Do it naoughw. You fucking cunts.
It's a process
Indeed, as I began the process of applying for grad school, I had some stuff to do. First, I submitted my FAFSA, applied for a fee waiver, sent out some reference forms, asked for official transcripts...and applied for a job on a kiosk in a library.
So I went out and about on the town with my assuming persona, my black trucker hat, some shades, and the quest for some graduate work underway. Right now, I am studying some material for the GRE, the Graduate Record Exam. Actually, it's similar to the SAT, only geared to those who have already completed their undergrad work, or are very close to it. Mine's is scheduled for the 20th of March. And I also have to work the polls in between that time on the fifth of February.
Today I stopped by Long Beach City College, my old stomping grounds, talking with some old friends. I told one of my advisors the news, and he said, "Get out of here! Did you!?" I said, "Yes, and now, I got graduate school up next. A nice, big thesis on the way." Also, I told him, "You owe me a drink." He said, "I am a man of my word, and if you go to XXXXXXX XXXXX at my house with the club, I'll have one ready."
The lure of libations, as this point in my life, is useless to resist.
---
If I were to compare pinkberry's smoothie with a comparable one from, say, Surf City Squeeze, what the former lacks in variety more than makes up for it in taste. I visited one of the shops on Pine Avenue, and as I slowly guzzled the treat down, my ears listened to some loungecore melodies with nonsensical lyrics and hooks from below. I also found out that the name of their yogurt is called pinkberry, hence the name of their store. Go figure.
---
My arms seems to feeling rather sore, and I seem to be a bit fatigued more than often. Is it the fact that we're still in winter?
---
And I've got a nasty blister on my big left toe. My mom says it's that darn ol' gout again. I should ease off the Vitamin C tablets, and flush the poor sucker out. Yeesh.
So I went out and about on the town with my assuming persona, my black trucker hat, some shades, and the quest for some graduate work underway. Right now, I am studying some material for the GRE, the Graduate Record Exam. Actually, it's similar to the SAT, only geared to those who have already completed their undergrad work, or are very close to it. Mine's is scheduled for the 20th of March. And I also have to work the polls in between that time on the fifth of February.
Today I stopped by Long Beach City College, my old stomping grounds, talking with some old friends. I told one of my advisors the news, and he said, "Get out of here! Did you!?" I said, "Yes, and now, I got graduate school up next. A nice, big thesis on the way." Also, I told him, "You owe me a drink." He said, "I am a man of my word, and if you go to XXXXXXX XXXXX at my house with the club, I'll have one ready."
The lure of libations, as this point in my life, is useless to resist.
---
If I were to compare pinkberry's smoothie with a comparable one from, say, Surf City Squeeze, what the former lacks in variety more than makes up for it in taste. I visited one of the shops on Pine Avenue, and as I slowly guzzled the treat down, my ears listened to some loungecore melodies with nonsensical lyrics and hooks from below. I also found out that the name of their yogurt is called pinkberry, hence the name of their store. Go figure.
---
My arms seems to feeling rather sore, and I seem to be a bit fatigued more than often. Is it the fact that we're still in winter?
---
And I've got a nasty blister on my big left toe. My mom says it's that darn ol' gout again. I should ease off the Vitamin C tablets, and flush the poor sucker out. Yeesh.
The collapse of the Warriors? Already!!?
We are not finished with the first week of January, and already the month has become a bust for Hawaii Warrior football. As if getting ripped apart by Georgia, 41-10, in the Sugar Bowl, was not bad enough...it only gets worse.
It looks like I am looking forward to Mike Wilton's boys getting their comeuppance by an angry 49er men's volleyball team that just got flat-out embarrassed last year. Rip em apart, Paul Lotman.
A last-ditch effort to keep Jones in charge was made yesterday morning. As usual, crisis management rules in the 50th state, leaving the players left behind wondering just what the hell is going on.
Jones could have kept this thing from flying off the tracks by not going to Big D and realizing that what he's about to do is a huge mistake. Money aside, SMU is not a good fit for a guy who wears aloha shirts and plays golf in his bare feet.
As a person who grew up in Dallas and whose high school graduation was at Moody Coliseum, let me be the first to say that Jones' act won't be allowed in this upscale community where he'll be the poorest person in the room. Granted, the facilities are topnotch and the on-campus stadium is practically new, but the team sucks, has sucked and will continue to suck no matter what Jones tries to do to improve it.
It looks like I am looking forward to Mike Wilton's boys getting their comeuppance by an angry 49er men's volleyball team that just got flat-out embarrassed last year. Rip em apart, Paul Lotman.
The Iowa caucus
As I got on Mark Andrews's van heading out of the Thunderdome after watching Long Beach State put up a valiant fight against the preseason favorite UC Santa Barbara Gauchos, I knew that Barack Obama won the Iowa caucus on the Democratic side. What I didn't expect was a humble Arkansas guy by the name of Mike Huckabee supplant Mitt Romney for the Republican victory. Now Romney spent millions of dollars on winning Iowa. This is the first state to decide who they want, followed by New Hampshire, and then the rest of the other states. My state's primary isn't until the fifth of February, and already we are getting a feeling of who might win end up getting the nomination.
There are some also-rans that didn't stand a chance at this caucus, as Andrews talks about his father, an accomplished tennis player, and one-time shoulder-rubber with Andre Agassi, on the ride home from Goleta. I am wondering why Rudy Giuliani is running this race. At his age, he should be done with politics. And why is Bill Richardson trying to get the nomination. Now, granted, Hilary Clinton is not out of the race, because the other states have her ahead, but is Obama racks up state after state after state, then all the chips will fall. Same for Mike Huckabee. He only spent just over a million dollars on Iowa, and look what happened.
Yes sirree, the 2008 race is in full swing. But I can't wait to see if Long Beach State's Canadian sweep in Florida was a fluke or not when they try to snap a losing streak to a resurging USC side.
There are some also-rans that didn't stand a chance at this caucus, as Andrews talks about his father, an accomplished tennis player, and one-time shoulder-rubber with Andre Agassi, on the ride home from Goleta. I am wondering why Rudy Giuliani is running this race. At his age, he should be done with politics. And why is Bill Richardson trying to get the nomination. Now, granted, Hilary Clinton is not out of the race, because the other states have her ahead, but is Obama racks up state after state after state, then all the chips will fall. Same for Mike Huckabee. He only spent just over a million dollars on Iowa, and look what happened.
Yes sirree, the 2008 race is in full swing. But I can't wait to see if Long Beach State's Canadian sweep in Florida was a fluke or not when they try to snap a losing streak to a resurging USC side.
The morning after
Hawaii 10
Georgia 41At least I warned my folks on YT about the trolling remarks that will follow. I'm sure the people up top are also aware of the spammers who constantly pollute YT with their garbage.
Back to mulling about the Beach, then.
Calling out the dissenters
I stumbled upon an article regarding the introduction of Hawaii's current logo, and I found some interesting dissent regarding the then-new logo.
It should be noted that Kajiyama is currently the student assistant for the 2007 Hwaii Warrior football team, if you have been following them.
Given the fact that this logo has been helping Hawaii Athletics more than harming them, AND that this is the logo the Warrior football team has been wearing on their undefeated regular season campign, and into this year's Sugar Bowl, the Bedlam edicts a fatwa to the people mentioned here.
I call out these people listed in this entry.. You know who you are, and if you have a Blogger account, I would like to know if, after seven years of this new logo, you still feel the same way, or if you've changed your mind to the fact that you recant on what was mentioned, and you were proven wrong.
Step up, be honest, fate willing, and post in the comments section below by clicking on the link. Mahalo from BoBA, and Hauoli Makahiki Hou.
Rex Horita, Palolo: "I like it. You know, it's very nice. It's trendy. It has the Hawaiian kapa print. That's a good touch to it. The only thing I object to is black. I don't think black should be in the color of the scheme of the rainbows of green and white."
Eric Olmos, Makiki: "I don't have much to say about the new logo. It's just ugly, and I like the old one better."
Alice Kamahele, Kaimuki: "I like the old logo because it says UH and the Rainbows. It just goes together. The other 'H' doesn't do anything. It's just 'H' nothing."
Priscilla Brede, Kailua: "I do not like this new University of Hawaii logo. It does no justice for the University of Hawaii Rainbows, and I like the old symbol and changing it might not bring good luck for the team. And right now we have a good team, all good coaches, so please don't change that logo."
Elsie Hollingsworth, Pearl City: "I want to register my disgust with the new Hawaii logo. I don't know how they got to the stage where they're actually painting it on the floor. It's static. We are Hawaii Rainbows. I don't see anything that was wrong with the logo that we had. They need to come up with something that actually reflects. It's very static looking. It has very little to do -- that sharp points and angles -- that doesn't even to me reflect kapa. There's a lot of kapa designs that would have been better suited. I don't know who came up with this, but I think it's a lousy design. We are the Hawaii Rainbows. Let's get a rainbow in there some place."
Becky Fitzgerald, Aiea: "The University of Hawaii athletic department will no longer get any of my money from the purchase of apparel or other souvenir items with the new logo. The new logo does not appeal to me at all. Just looking at it annoys me and I find something about the design very irritating. Bring back the rainbow!"
im Risser, Makiki: "They paid money for this?! The rainbow best represents the multi-ethnicity of Hawaii. The rainbow is prevalent in Manoa Valley. Does June Jones hate the rainbow?Kimberly Vierra, Waipahu: "As a UH graduate, I am somewhat disappointed to find out the old logo changed, but when I really look at and compare the two, I like the new one better -- it's definitely bolder and more collegiate looking, not whimsical like the multi-colored rainbow logo. So change isn't necessarily bad. I could get used to this one."
Louise Langley, Ewa Beach: "I like the old logo better because it's alive. The new logo looks real dead, boring."
John Iwashita, Waialae-Kahala: "I think the new logo is ugly. The rainbow is synonymous with UH, especially the Manoa area."
Scott Lum, Seattle: "My gosh, how ugly can you get! As a UH grad living on the mainland, I'm always concerned at how the people on the mainland view things in Hawaii. This logo has got to be the worst. How many people outside the islands will know that the design is an old Hawaiian kapa pattern? After seeing the poor attempt to incorporate it into the university's logo, how many people will care? Our logo is an important part of our brand and usually one of the first impressions made on people. Rainbows, the ocean, native foliage and flowers -- these things represent Hawaii."
Brian Kajiyama, Kailua: "Bring back the old one. The UH with the rainbow scheme made people notice us. Rainbows have a special significance here in Hawaii and our environment lends itself to showcase this aspect of nature, rainbows. The rainbows made us unique!"
Randolph Hack, Kaimuki: "I don't like the new logo. Hawaii is the Rainbows. We are the rainbow state."
Nobu Nakamoto, Aiea: "I hope I can still buy stuff with the Rainbow logo. And why, since they've dumped the rainbow, are they selling the new stuff at the RainBowTique? Shouldn't they be sold at the H-tique?"
Pam Toyooka, Makiki: "I don't mind the way 'Hawaii' is shown on the floor of the 'Stanley.' It has a classy, 'Hawaiian-ish' feel to it. But I don't think I would like just the 'H' by itself. ... And I really don't like the jagged 'H' that is shown by itself. I much prefer the old logo with the 'UH' next to the rainbow."
Aaron Lau, Nuuanu: "If you take out the Rainbow piece of the logo, what will our nickname be? The H's? The block letter is supposed to have a kapa print trim. I do see a slight hint of what they tried to do, but the Hawaii theme is not obvious. If I were from the mainland and I saw this 'H', I wouldn't connect Hawaii with it at all."
Judith Lewis, Nuuanu: "You're right: Love it or hate it. I hate it. Destroys what Hawaii means to many, on many levels -- warmth, colorful, paradise, unique, close to nature, multiethnic (rainbow coalition). ... I know the new image, especially with black and silver, was to give the impression of brute force, strong and scary -- not Hawaii at all, maybe football to some, but the U of H is not only football to many of us. The new logo is a sellout, a PR nightmare and false, false, false!"
Charlie Colburn, Ala Moana: "Why? What was wrong with the Rainbows? I have to believe many, if not most, are not going to approve. Bring back the 'Bows."
Rich Figel, Kailua: "If the rainbow isn't a symbol for the people of Hawaii to rally around, what is?"
It should be noted that Kajiyama is currently the student assistant for the 2007 Hwaii Warrior football team, if you have been following them.
Given the fact that this logo has been helping Hawaii Athletics more than harming them, AND that this is the logo the Warrior football team has been wearing on their undefeated regular season campign, and into this year's Sugar Bowl, the Bedlam edicts a fatwa to the people mentioned here.
I call out these people listed in this entry.. You know who you are, and if you have a Blogger account, I would like to know if, after seven years of this new logo, you still feel the same way, or if you've changed your mind to the fact that you recant on what was mentioned, and you were proven wrong.
Step up, be honest, fate willing, and post in the comments section below by clicking on the link. Mahalo from BoBA, and Hauoli Makahiki Hou.
Sitting on the hill with Father Time keeping watch
As 2007 draws to a close, I look back at the year that was Long Beach State Athletics. We had a very strong start to the season with our men's basketball team, and we ended up dancing for the first time in over a decade. Unfortunately, the coach was not able to perform consistently, and in spite of being named Coach of the Year, it was a pyrrhic award; he was fired soon after the 49ers lost to Tennessee. Men's volleyball fell far short of expectations. For the first time in a while, Alan Knipe's boys would not be in the MPSF tournament, much to my disgust.
In softball, we were improving under Kim Sowder, but in spite of having a wining record, the NCAA snubbed us. Bastards. Meanwhile, we get to see UC Irvine advanced for the first time to Omaha, while suffering a season-ending loss to UCLA in the Blair Field Regional. This from a season which saw us choke against the like of those hated Zotfags and the UC Riverside Highlanders. Underachieving year, and a season with too much Sheryl Crow. There's nothing more galling than hearing overplayed garbage from one of Lance Armstrong's ex-girlfriends. Well, maybe expired David Sunflower Seeds.
Actually, both of them would be topped in the fall, as the track teams plotted through their course, and the women's tennis team got the Big West crown once again.
The women's soccer team was overhyped and overrated. Losses to Cal State Fullerton (again), and UC Irvine (WTF!!?) and Cal Poly in the tournament (which probably was predictable to start with) made this another bridesmaid year for Mauricio Ingrassia. Contract extension may need to be on hold, and talks of perhaps finding a new manager to get them to the next level may be in order. As if things weren't screwed up enough, one of the losses was to USC, who ended up winning the national title. Another reason to hate Ali Khosroshahin, and pray that he takes over the program here when Ingrassia's contract is up.
Men's water polo (oh that's right, I forgot to talk about the women. Just as futile. Nuff said.). Oh man, Here I was, hoping we would get win number 18. It never came, and it probably should never have come at all, after playing like patsies in the MPSF tourney in Berkeley. Dropping matches after matches to UC Irvine, to the bigshots from Cal, USC, UCLA, and even a stinker to UC Davis is not going to be a good sign for Gavin Arroyo. He should be in the hot seat next year.
Women's volleyball. At last, something to cheer about. A solid year, save for some ugly efforts against Cal Poly, was the story of the season. Great year for Alexis Crimes, Misha Hasalikova, and newcomer Ashley Lee. Also, the regular season's biggest was against Florida. And we also defeated first-time entrant and Mountain West champions UNLV before being had single-handedly by Asia Kaczor, the Wench from Wroclaw, and the USC Women of Troy in the second round, and a five-game thriller.
Cross-country, it was more of the same, and we even won the Santa Clara Invitational. That was the only high point of the year, sadly.
Which brings us to the current things going on...men's and women's hoops. New coach: Dan Monson. The Rainmaker. Low expectations, and a work in progress. He said before the season started, "We are a work in progress." He was right. Maybe too right.
And that brings me to the women, who are currently 2-9 as this goes to blog. I have just witnessed the type of effort we put in against a team that's not ranked, but with a decent record, against Utah. During the shootaround, I was looking at both sides, and I saw a stark, bleak comparison...and perhaps a sign of things to come. On the Utah side of the warm-ups, their shots were falling in. Most of them. Very few misses. On the other side, I saw rimmed shots, rimmed three-point attempts, even rimmed lay-ups. It's as if these poor schmucks have never played a single game of basketball in their life. I was with my buddy Paul Lwin (who got his grades, and passed all of them, while I sit, stewing in waiting for one last grade to come), and we were the only two students in Section 111, the student section. All the others were on their break, and/or were out of town for the holidays. I said to him, "We're in trouble."
As the game ended, I met a sympathetic guy wearing a Rutgers women's basketball sweater, and I said to him, "We gotta have Vic Cegles call C. Vivian Stringer." He laughed, and I shook my head as I left the Walter Pyramid.
The decision should be easier for Dr. Cegles. Mary Hegarty is on the hot seat, and when you have a team that plays like they have never even played a single game of basketball in their lives...it's never a good sign. In this day age, people around the world who know the business of sports know that losses means less people going to the games. Less people means less money flowing in. And the coaching staff are going to be a huge liability. And they know that the chances of them not getting their contracts renewed, and being fired increase with every loss.
That's the thing. In a "perfect world", wins and losses don't mean a thing. Every game is just an exhibition and recreation, and not serious competition. However, in reality, Ws and Ls mean a lot. This is a program that historically, during the 70's and 80's, were actually GOOD. Those days are long gone, but then again, Long Beach City's basketball teams aren't faring any better. In fact, the Long Beach Breakers are playing decent basketball, and they are a fledling team, and I haven't even been to ANY of their games at the Hall of Champions gym yet!
I am confident we can start the new year off right. But maybe I am asking too much this year. But then again, it will be the Year of the Rat (I was born in that year)...so you never know.
Happy new year from BoBA, and Go Beach.
511 over 164
I have completed all my coursework at Long Beach State. I took five demanding courses, after a number of counseling sessions at the College of Business Administration's Academic Advising Center, and these were the last courses I needed to get my Bachelor's.
One course I was repeating/deleting, and that was IS 380, the Database Management course that I had a D in last Spring. This Fall, I had done remarkable better, and I ended up with an A. According to the university's repeat/delete policy, I am entitled to repeating the course if I receive a D, F, or a WU (unauthorized withdrawal), and since I got a grade better than a D, that grade will count in the overall GPA. Unfortunately, the D will remain on my record. I don't know if I will be able to successfully remove that class from my transcript. I suppose it can't be helped.
The capstone class, MGMT 425, Business Strategy, was one where I nearly paid the price for plagiarizing my colleague's SWOT analysis. Nevertheless, I completed the course, and on the Final Exam, I did remarkably better than my other two midterms, and my score was well above the average. I finished the course with the grade of a C, but it could have been better, or worse.
I received a couple of B grades. In MKTG 437, the Internet Marketing course, I did well on just about every assignment, but I will regret bombing the last exam of three, having a paltry 64 out of 100. Because of this, I ended up finishing the class with a B, even with the curve. In IS 445, the ASP.NET course, I did not do very well on the midterm, but I rebounded on the final assignment, and finished the course with 865 points out of 1000 for the second B of the semester. This was the first course grade recorded.
So far, I have an A, two Bs, and a C. Dividing course credits by credit hours, as well as making adjustments, leaves me at 511/164, or a 3.11 GPA. But that leaves one course whose grade I have yet to hear, as of the time of this blog post.
That course was IS 484, the Electronic Commerce course. Ironically, my track as an Information Systems major is Electronic COmmerce. All my other professors have sent out their final grade. My instructor for IS 484 is the only one who did not. I've e-mailed him twice regarding the lateness, even though technically he has until January 4 to submit our grades, and I haven't received any thing from him. I've even e-mailed Twintel's good ol' Will Scogin, one of my group project colleagues, regarding the delay, and even he hasn't heard from the instructor regarding the final grades.
This is problematic.
It's agonizing because if I received a D or an F from this course after waiting days after the fourth course grade was recorded, I have to repeat this course, and I would have to delay the graduation date another semester. At the same time, I am hopeful that I did very well on the final exam to get at least a grade of a C, if not better. It's also galling because one would expect an instructor to put closure on his or her students by posting the grades well ahead of the deadline. Some students may be celebrating their presumed graduation, thinking, "Hey, I passed four of my five classes with one yet to go, and I know I also passed the last." And then, in the middle of the revelry, it comes to a screeching halt when you find out on Beachboard, MyCSULB, or e-mail that you did not pass the course with a C or better.
I am still waiting for the grade. I want to be 520 over 167, or 523 over 167. Instead, as of now, I am still stuck at 511 over 164.
Giving new meaning to the epithet Rose Queen...or queen in general...
Dusty Gibbs is crowned as the 96th Rose Queen for the Rose Parade next Tuesday. That's nice...name your daughter Dusty and she will end up turning Pasadena into a complete laughingstock [sic] of its own tradition by being crowned Rose Queen.
Does this scream FIX!!!!1111!!1!111/"I don't think that's a woman." or what!?
Who is the first name of the next Rose Queen going to be next? Jake? Spike? Papillon!!?
Ohhhh, my head is spinning at a jizzillion Dean screams per minute. Someone get me tape and bandage me up Abiru-style. I have been mentally scarred to start the new year. Thanks a lot for taking away my interest, you Tournament of Roses bastards. And congratulations [sic] to Gibbsy, I guess.
Even though I am convinced that you are a guy in a girl's outfit. You lucky motherfucker...
Does this scream FIX!!!!1111!!1!111/"I don't think that's a woman." or what!?
| |
Contact: PASADENA TOURNAMENT
OF ROSES ASSOCIATION
Caryn Eaves or
Vanessa Flores
(626) 449-4100Devon Gebhart
(316) 371-1500 or
ROSE QUEEN® DUSTY GIBBS CROWNED AT OFFICIAL
CORONATION CEREMONYAs Her First Official Act, Queen Dusty Joined Tournament of Roses
President CL Keedy to Kick Off the Art-Inspired Roses on Parade Program
PASADENA, Calif. (October 25, 2007) – The Pasadena Tournament of Roses crowned the 90th Rose Queen, Dusty Gibbs, today in an official Coronation ceremony at the Tournament House presented by Citizens Business Bank. As her first official act, Queen Dusty helped Tournament of Roses President CL Keedy unveil Roses on Parade, a new initiative designed to provide art for the public and funds to support art in Pasadena-area schools.
“I can’t think of a better way for Dusty to begin her reign than by joining me on stage to usher in this exciting art program,” said CL Keedy. “Rose Parade floats are a unique American art form. Supporting art education for our children through Roses on Parade will help us foster their unique and creative talent and hopefully inspire the next generation of local artists.”
Queen Dusty and the six Rose Princesses were selected from more than 1,100 Pasadena-area young women based upon a combination of qualities, including public speaking ability, poise, academic achievement and community involvement. Dusty is only the fourth Rose Queen to wear the recently designed crown made by Mikimoto featuring 10 white South Sea pearls, 632 Akoya pearls and 6.09 carats in diamonds set in sterling silver. The handmade crown is valued at $100,000. Each of the six Princess tiaras are valued at $45,000, bringing the total value of the crown and tiaras to $370,000.
As an official ambassador of the Tournament of Roses, Queen Dusty, a 17-year-old Senior from Arcadia High School, will participate in approximately 100 community and media functions along with Rose Princesses Zena Brown, 18, Alverno High School; Chloe Ghoogassian, 17, Pasadena High School; Kelsey MacDougall, 17, La Cañada High School; Katie Merrill, 17, Pasadena High School; Courtney Rubin, 17, San Marino High School and Gaelen Stanford-Moore, 17, South Pasadena High School.
Roses on Parade
The Tournament of Roses launched Roses on Parade with the unveiling of the first rose in the collection by President CL Keedy and Queen Dusty. Sponsored by Citizens Business Bank and designed by local artist, Peter Adams, this rose will reside at Tournament House through New Year’s Day before moving to Citizens Business Bank in Pasadena.
“We are so pleased to be sponsoring the first rose in this important initiative,” said Chris Myers, President and CEO, Citizens Business Bank. “Supporting art programs for our children is so very important and we encourage others to join us and build another beautiful rose garden for Pasadena.”
The Tournament invited Southland sponsors to purchase the remaining 29 roses throughout 2008. Each sponsored rose will be 5’8”. Each rose will be painted by a different artist and displayed in a public area, creating a new rose garden throughout Pasadena. Sponsors will have the option of keeping their rose or submitting it to the cause to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. All of the roses will be brought together for one day to form a “new rose garden” at Tournament House next year during the Coronation ceremony. All proceeds will go through the Tournament of Roses Foundation.
“As a long-time resident of Pasadena and as current President of the California Art Club, I am honored to be the first artist to paint a rose for the Tournament of Roses Foundation and support our children,” said Peter Adams. “I chose to pay honor to Pasadena’s commitment to the arts and sciences, and have created vignette paintings on the rose and its vase to pay tribute to many of Pasadena’s famed landmarks, cultural institutions and important creative minds.”
In addition to the professionally painted roses, local students will be invited to promote their budding talent and paint smaller roses. The roses will be made available through the generosity of the John Hench Foundation and will also be auctioned off to support the arts. John Hench, a member of the Walt Disney Imagineering team and a member of the Disney creative team for 65 years, was passionate about art and animation and he wanted students of all ages to have an opportunity to learn these programs in the schools.
The 119th Rose Parade themed Passport to the World’s Celebrations will take place Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2008 at 8 a.m. (PST) featuring majestic floral floats, high-stepping equestrian units and spirited marching bands from throughout the nation. Following the Rose Parade, at 2:00 p.m. (PST), the 94th Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi will feature an exciting match up between two championship teams, showcasing the best of collegiate football. For additional information, please call (626) 449-ROSE, the 24-hour information hotline, or visit www.tournamentofroses.com.
Who is the first name of the next Rose Queen going to be next? Jake? Spike? Papillon!!?
Ohhhh, my head is spinning at a jizzillion Dean screams per minute. Someone get me tape and bandage me up Abiru-style. I have been mentally scarred to start the new year. Thanks a lot for taking away my interest, you Tournament of Roses bastards. And congratulations [sic] to Gibbsy, I guess.
Even though I am convinced that you are a guy in a girl's outfit. You lucky motherfucker...
Long Beach State..a top 500 university?
One of the most interesting things I stumbled on: Long Beach State ranked in the top 500.
From this site...
From this site...
Ironically, I am watching FAU's win over Memphis in the New Orleans Bowl, as I am posting this.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)