I’ve been pretty quiet on my Dodgers for the last couple weeks, so here’s a little update. THEY ROCK!

Now granted, about a week ago I would have said they were the worst team to ever exist. But amazingly they’ve turned things around after their post all-star break slump. Playing .500 ball after the slump wouldn’t be enough to cut it, so they’ve gone out and won 8 straight. They went 1-13 after the break, so they’re still digging themselves out of that hole. They’re 2 games back in both the West and the Wild Card, but don’t show any signs of cooling off.

I’m not superstitious, and I’ll be the first to tell you how pointless it is. However part way through this streak, I decided it would be fun if I developed a superstition: I have to wear my Dodger hat. I woke up this morning and Saenz was already up when i realized I didn’t have it on! I had to race upstairs and get it to make sure the Dodgers continue their streak.

Something else I’ve been contemplating is what pair of broadcasters do I most prefer? I have to say I love Steve Lyons. He’s entertaining, self-deprecating, and has some good insight. Vin Scully of course is great. Charley Steiner has grown on me since he first started. I’ve gotten used to his voice and delivery, but he’s a little too verbose for me. It seems that he says a lot and most of it doesn’t matter. I’m not sure I’ve ever heard Rick Monday with Steve Lyons, but I might like that better. Jerry Reuss isn’t very exciting. Vinny of course is always solo, and even with his frequent brain farts, you gotta love him. So in order:

1) Vin Scully
2) Steve Lyons
3) Rick Monday
4) Charley Steiner
5) Jerry Reuss

And finally, because Baseball is the only sport I really care about, I decided to become as big an expert as possible. I bought the Baseball Field Guide from Amazon. Basically a couple guys took the MLB rulebook which is very hard to read, and turned it into an organized guide to every rule in baseball (and with pictures too!). What happens if a runner is hit by a thrown ball? What different ways can a pitcher be credited with a save? How does the infield fly rule work? Answers to all those questions will be at the ready on my coffee table. Hardcore baseball fans, check it out!

Let’s talk some Dodger baseball!

With 20 hours of time to myself, here is what I chose to do.

1. Get sick. I woke up with a sore throat and runny nose, but it got worse as the day went on.
2. Had In-N-Out with Luna, and then watched The Fantastic Four. It was ok, but could have used a better story line.
3. Took Luna home, and then watched The Exorcism of Emily Rose. Almost more of a courtroom drama than scary movie, but it was good.
4. Went to bed, woke up around noon (even more sickly than before) and watched Red Eye. It was entertaining, but talk about a simple plot line.

That was about when the wife got home. So basically I watched three movies, drank a whole cartoon of OJ, and hung out with Chris and the dog. Now I’m in the process of finishing all of my Christmas shopping online at Amazon. I will be thrilled if I can complete it all without stepping foot in a store. Wish me luck.

This is the first night I will spend alone at our place without my precious wife since we’ve been married. I went off to Palm Springs for a night a couple months ago, but this is the first time she has gone to do something while I stay home. She’s off to an all-nighter for Girl Scouts. The big question of course is not will I miss her, but what am I going to do with the next 20 hours of loneliness?

I could take up field hockey.
I could watch the entire season of Firefly.
I could play 10 games of MVP Baseball ’05.
I could lesson plan. (HA!)
I could finish buying presents on Amazon.
I could make posts about what I could be doing.

Or I could clean the house, be overcome by the smell of ammonia as I mop the kitchen, and take a break and come post on here.

Back in August I posted about a cool comic book I ordered from Amazon, and it finally came! It’s called Rising Stars. Turns out the publish date was pushed back, so that’s why I had to wait. The book is really high quality, and I’m loving it. Hardbound, a cloth thingy to keep your place, and every page is packed with beautiful color printing and story.

Another book I’m dying to read is almost here: A Feast for Crows. This is book 4 in the Song of Fire and Ice series, and I’ve got my fingers crossed that the series stays strong. I wanted to read the first 3 books again, but I only got a quarter of the way through book one. Oh well, after book 4 comes out I’ll have plenty of time to read them all over again!

Back when I interned at the ad agency I had the opportunity to look at a lot of comic books that we advertised in. There was one in particular that caught my attention called "Rising Stars." The jist of the story is that a town is hit with a meteor or something, a bunch of kids are born with special powers, and as some start to die, the abilities of the others grows stronger. This leads to bad ones trying to kill the others, and the good ones trying to protect them, something like that.

For the last week I’ve been browsing Ebay trying to find a good deal on all 25 or so issues, but then I found THIS. Just two months ago they came out with a 600+ page hardcover book that has every issue in it. SWEET! I already ordered it and can’t wait to read it. At the ad agency I think I only got to read the first 8 issues or so. I’ve never been into comic books, but maybe that will change?

UPDATE: Turns out it doesn’t come out for another month or two I think. I’ve looked at a ton of other bookstores and they all say 4-8 weeks, and Amazon sent me a mail saying it will ship in September. Oh well, at least I’m on the list.

As of today I am half-way done with my new fantasy book. I have the next two books, which are even longer than the first one, but 350 pages down, and over 2000 to go! haha. So far it’s been awesome. It’s got everything…cool battles, kings and queens, impending doom, and lots of questions! There seems to be a major battle between two families coming up, but I’m not sure what’s going to happen. I know you’ve read it Nick, so don’t blow it for me.

I found this on Amazon…it gives a good description of what goes on in the book.

Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom’s protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens.

Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; and a determined woman undertakes the most treacherous of journeys. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.

I started reading this book recently, and so far it’s awesome. The idea of a huge epics series sounded fun, sort of in the spirit of Lord of the Rings. This is book one in an epic six book series, of which the fourth book is to be released in July. So far it appears to be a great fantasy story full of action, betrayl, love, and war. The first 50 pages were daunting as character after character was introduced, but now that I am familiar with them, I’ve become engrossed in the story. It might have been wise of me to not start reading until all six books were out. Take a look over at amazon to read more about A Game of Thrones.

So I decided to make a Wish List on Amazon.com of stuff I wanted for Christmas. So far I’ve got a few movies on it…but otherwise I’m having a hard time thinking of anything. Maybe I just don’t want that much for Christmas…which wouldn’t be a bad thing. Anyways, post some comments about stuff I should ask for, maybe a light will go off.

If you’re someone that wants to buy me something on this list…you don’t have to buy it at Amazon. This is just a cool way to inform people of things I might want.

My Wish List