Canto XX

I just wanted to get this in right now. So the Ducks are off to the Las Vegas Bowl. Disappointing year for the Ducks I feel, but can only be summed up in one word: turnovers. Hopefully a month of hands drills will ensure a bowl win over BYU. Note the key subplot for this is Gary Crowton taking on his old school. We're all intrigued. I also love that the Pac-10 has set up all it's bowls, including UCLA. They have basically already conceded that they will lose this weekend's matchup with USC. How can the athletic director do that? Who made that decision?

Canto XIX

So if I wasn't trying to get to 100 (C) for my titles, I think the title for this one would be "The Great Equalizer". Which, in this case, is the bathroom at work. It's a decent bathroom, although only 1 soap dispenser works (out of 3). But it's great because I can pee standing next to Nobel Prize winners. Also, otherwise intimidating faculty member will come in and start to raise holy hell in one of the stalls. I mean, it was like one of those comedic scenes with gratuitous farting sounds and lots of splashing. He does drink a lot of coffee, so maybe this is par for the course for him, but after that incident, I've had a hard time not thinking about this whenever I see him. The reason why I'm writing this now, though, is that yesterday a certain faculty member was urinating hands free! I don't think I've gone hands free since second grade. There's always a concern that there could be some kind of backlash and suddenly you can't control where the flow is going. I respect and admire this man, but now suddenly everything is thrown into question. He does wash his hands, which is more than I can say for some people around here, but this is really screwing with me. Are there any other hands-free people in this world?

Canto XVIII

No more weekend. Man I hate mondays. Not that I don't love my work. But still, hearing the alarm on a monday morning will certainly be one of my (many) punishments in Hell.

But it was a good weekend. Got some school stuff done, but not enough to feel "ahead". Did some work around the house, but there's still plenty on the to-do list. We need to get some lights and a Christmas Tree. I insist on getting a cheap smallish plastic one, so it won't burn down our place while were gone. But Steph thinks this is akin to worshipping Baal. She's against it. We also went to the mall for a while doing some window shopping and get gift ideas. And saw the new Bond film. We went to the 10:45am showing on Sunday, which means cheap tickets! In fact, just $6 a piece, cheapest I've been to the movies since Eugene. And the movie wasn't too bad. Too long by a good 20 minutes (very noticable when you have to go to the bathroom), but fun. Would have been more enjoyable on a friday or saturday night, but the price was right. I think I can recommend this. If you like action films. Finally, the leftovers. I made it through the mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, regular stuffing (the vegetarian stuffing is still around), and Steph finished off the beans. Looks like it's just the mountain of turkey that's between me and a new meal. Got to keep eating...

Canto XVII

So Thanksgiving was pretty awesome. It turns out that my starving Indian officemate's plans fell through for Thanksgiving (some "friends" were suppose to come up and visit, but bailed because a bus trip is too expensive from Penn State), so he and his special lady friend came over for some turkey. Of course he's vegetarian, so he missed that part of it (the 3 of us, on the other had, barely made a dent in that bird). But even with twice the number of people Steph planned for, we still have a mountain of leftovers. And you should have seen Indian man eat - like there was no tomorrow. (Not kidding, he made it through 4ths!) I managed two large platefuls and some pie and ice cream. But I was (and still am) stuffed. I introduced them to Alice's Restaurant. And we played some Trivial Pursuit and Monkey Ball 2. Good times all around. I love Thanksgiving. And I just finished up all the dishes, so that leaves the rest of the weekend to watch the Ducks, Jets and everything else. For those gambling, take the over on the turnovers line for the Civil War. Maybe I'll post again after the game. If I'm feeling up to it. It's televised out here, so at least I'll be able to watch it.

[After the game]

So they lost. But at least it was a thrilling ending. I don't really begraudge the Beavers. But the Ducks should have won that game. 2 turnovers -> 14 points. 3 (!!!) missed FGs. Another missed PAT. (Which was made up because the next time they didn't trust their kicker and went for 2 and got it, but still...) Also, the officiating left something to be desired. I think overall the Ducks benefitted, but definitely not the best day for the zebras. The Pac-10 really needs to work on their offciating crews. Stewart was having a monster day. Two huge kickoff returns, and a decent day running the ball (the only thing holding him back was the playcalling, he really needed to get some more carries). The Ducks should have won that game. Arg.

Canto XVI

So it seems that the whole Cube gang is getting this going, so I must carry on. I'm not going to complain about the Ducks on this post though. What's the point. They just like to give the other team the ball. Very thoughtful of them, when you think about it. And a good lesson for kids everywhere this holiday season. We'll see how they do this weekend against the Beavs.

In school related news, there's a bunch of stuff going on. This term seems to be shaping like I had hoped, and I'm getting a lot done. My "oral exam" is "coming up" in just 2 1/2 weeks (Dec. 8th). It's on g-2. Did you know that, in fact, it's not zero? But it's pretty damn close. Real close. I'm also doing a part-time TA to earn some extra cash. That, in turn, let me buy this laptop I'm typing on right now. I love my new MacBook. Sooo pretty. I found an advisor to work with. I need to come up with a clever name for him on my blog. Hmm. Maybe that will be my blog post contest over this weekend. I've still got a while left in the term because I'm taking a few classes at that school up Mass Ave (Harvard, for those who don't know the Cambridge geography), and they go into January for no good reason. So I'll be busy with that crap for a while.

Thanksgiving is coming up, and Steph went a little crazy with the dinner plans. We have a 14 pound turkey in our fridge, plus various veggies, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, cranberries (for the sauce, but there will be extra), rolls, stuffing, gravy, ... you're getting the idea. THIS IS JUST FOR THE TWO OF US!!! I don't think between the counter and kitchen table we'll be able to hold everything. I like Thankgiving, and I like leftovers, but I think after this year I may never need to eat turkey again. But it promises to be good.