Coast to Coast, Around the Globe

Truly Coast to Coast, Around the Globe

2010-01-23T21:20:00.000-08:00

The founders of this blog decided that we needed to put our money where our mouths are - and truly make this blog "Coast to Coast, Around the Globe". And what a better way to do so than to send our bloggers all over the world to find some good stuff to discuss. As you have seen, George traveled over to Melbourne for Assignment: Australia and will be bringing you stories and videos from the site of one of tennis' majors. In addition, the blog sent two contributors off to Argentina and Chile for Assignment: South America. Since George is on site in Melbourne for the 2010 Australian Open, we thought it would be important to relay the feel in the streets of Buenos Aires as Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina competes in Melbourne. Likewise, we'll jet over to Santiago, Chile and check out the hometown of another Australian Open participant, Chilean Fernando Gonzalez (aka "El Bombardero de la Reina"), and see what his fans are saying in his home neighborhood of La Reina.

Shifting to the political arena, Chile held a presidential election last week and ushered into office conservative Sebastian Pinera, who has pledged "change" in Chile away from the policies of former leftist president Michelle Bachelet. We'll get the latest on the new political landscape at La Moneda in Santiago.

In addition, while in South America, I will find at least one legit New Orleans Saints fan and ask for the proper Spanish translation of "Who Dat!"

And lastly, what's an assignment in South America without a little World Cup discussion? As we are a little over four months from the world's greatest sporting event kicking off in South Africa, we'll check out what the "fanaticos" in Chile and Argentina are thinking about their countries' chances in South Africa this summer.

Brian, another blogger on Assignment: South America, will be checking in as well with an update on what he has discovered during his time on the Southern Cone.

Stay with "Coast to Coast, Around the Globe" for a truly global perspective on these issues and more. I'm off to Buenos Aires tomorrow night and will arrive Monday morning...que les vaya bien y nos vemos pronto!

Dateline Australia, Day Two

2010-01-15T02:04:00.001-08:00

The view from Flinders St. Station, 8:30 PM on Friday...

Report from Australia, Day One

2010-01-14T00:28:00.000-08:00

Eventually I'll figure out how to make the iPhone camera bend to my will and magically change it's frame from portrait to widescreen. Until that time, apologies in advance for the image going completely sideways. I could claim it was some sort of bold experiment in dutch-angle photography but we all know that's a crock of s&*t.

Going Global

2010-01-11T21:31:00.000-08:00

Off to exotic locales that span the farthest reaches of the globe.

Or...

"Land down under baby! We're gonna get drunk with Russell Crowe and head-butt some God*&mn kangaroos!!"

HOW DID I MISS THIS?

2009-09-22T21:56:00.000-07:00

Blog's been on "radio silent" status for almost four weeks (a month at the most). Figured we kick-start back into gear with a little humor. This has to be one of Darrell Hammond's finest Post-2000 Clinton performances. How did I miss this back in January?

Meeting the Brooklyn Cyclones

2009-08-15T21:09:00.000-07:00

@ Coney Island. Nice place, KeySpan Park.

The View from Our Window

2008-11-26T14:47:00.000-08:00

...in Maui. Irish hoops tonight in the championship game vs #1 North
Carolina. Watch and love. Aloha.

A Little Post Election Political Humor

2008-11-05T01:23:00.001-08:00

In the long history of Darrell Hammond's fantastic impressions of political figures on both sides of the aisle, his Bill Clinton stands alone. Particularly for his most recent performance:

Genius.

Learning to Fly

2008-06-19T12:18:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the dedication and excellence of training by one Lorenzo Centioli, I am proud to say that I am the world's newest private pilot! I went for the flying test with the FAA yesterday, because I figured nobody would be cruel enough to fail me on my birthday. I had to fly for two hours showing what I would do if the engine quit, if I had to land in a cotton field, how to communicate using words like Bravo and Foxtrot, and how to fly only using the instruments. The examiner said I was "ready to be released on the world" and signed my pilot's license. As scary as it might seem, I'm now allowed to carry passengers and fly wherever all by myself. Everybody get ready for a ride this fall so that we can fly into South Bend for a game just like the VIP alumni do, us in our single engine propeller Cessna, and them in their Lear jets. Thanks for all the birfday messages yesterday. Hope everybody is enjoying the summer
Over and out,
Capt. Seabass

Little Victories for the city of Los Angeles

2008-05-01T07:03:00.000-07:00

It has recently come to the attention of some members of this blog that one frequent poster/creator has a particular disdain for the city of Los Angeles. His reasons for this negative opinion are many, some holding more water than others. Along with the citizenry that doesn't live in the real world, the sports fans who believe that the 6-inning little league rules apply to major league baseball games, and the traffic that causes many weekend visitors to be stranded at the airport for an uncomfortably long time, our fellow blogger has raised issue with the city's dirty air that has topped US charts and blackened US lungs for decades. Well, my friend, there is hope. LA no longer tops the lists for all three measurements of pollution. They have been supplanted atop the coaches' poll by a city that not a one of holds near nor dear to our hearts: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

While Sidney Crosby's arrival into the city of Pittsburgh brought with it playoff appearances and legitimate Stanley Cup contenders, it appears that the Kid fell short on his promise to lower the levels of short-term particle pollution. Maybe these particles will settle in the lungs of said Stanley Cup contender, thus giving the Buffalo Sabres a chance at the 8 seed in the East in 2009. There's always an upside, right?

Another Satisfied Customer in Franzia Nation

2008-04-29T22:35:00.000-07:00

Greg Oden, come on down. The BoomBox is ready for you...

Talk Amongst Yourselves

2008-04-28T19:04:00.000-07:00

Let me paint this scene for you. Last Friday, Bishop Dunne held its Senior Prom, a wonderful affair filled with butt grinding and teachers (read: me and Ms. B - are we that old?!?) standing around the perimeter not dancing and missing the Backer like the deserts of Africa! miss the rain. We were able to convince the students that we would only dance to 1 song of our choosing. After much debate, we settled on 2 requests: "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" by Whitney Houston or "Ignition (Remix)" by the great Robert Sylvester Kelly. Although the student DJ claimed that he got Ignition from the Tooth Fairy or his 13th birthday party, he never played it, and Ms. B and I never hit the dance floor (Angelo, no use prepping that lawsuit).

I bring up prom only to accurately describe what happened today, The Monday After Prom (TMAP). TMAP has become Senior Skip Day, and faced with ONE senior and 3 juniors out of a class of 26, I was faced with only one option that an ACE teacher could consider: show Rudy. And show Rudy, I did.

Here's a free tip for those of you like me who tend to get worked up over things: Be careful where and when you watch Rudy. I found myself at multiple scenes blinking away some of the dust in the room. Not only was there the traditional time to get choked up ("My son's going to Notre Dame!"), I found myself waxing nostalgic over an SDH shot, a view of the Grotto, video/audio of the ND band, TD Jesus, and even O'Shag (well, maybe not that, but Waddick's did serve a great green tea). Needless to say, when Mr. Ruettiger walks into ND stadium and says, "This is the most beautiful sight these eyes have ever seen", I had to have my back to the kids writing the night's homework on the board (yes, I gave homework on Senior Skip Day). Thank God the lights were off and 3 of the 4 students were asleep or texting or probably reading this blog on their iPhones.

Anyone up for a summer visit? Otherwise, 130 days until kickoff ...

A New Contender

2008-04-22T08:26:00.000-07:00

In the celebrity doppelgänger sweepstakes:

Sean Calloway

Celebrity dopplegänger
Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol

Amazing scruff, Sean. Good luck the rest of the way in the playoffs.

Multimedia message

2008-04-18T16:58:00.001-07:00

Didnt think id ever see this sign again in puerto rico; enjoy that game tomorrow. -- Seabass

A trip down memory lane ...

2008-04-15T15:30:00.000-07:00

I was going to post this on Section 29, but I guess it's a fancy-pants ND blog now, so this might be the right avenue. George's introductory post on Section 29 (congrats go entirely to him, by the way, for putting out a marvelous product). I started clicking on the archives and came across this gem. Remember how things used to be?

From Angelo Suozzi, July 20, 2005 (emphasis added):

Second, while I did participate in my first official games of BeerPong ... I do, however, wish to announce my retirement from the sport; I will go out undefeated and untied, with a flawless 2-0 record (though a Ricky Williams-style comeback might be in order, if the opportunity presents itself).

Are you trying to say that Ricky Williams is going to come back some year and rush for 23,000 yards? Or are you saying you were high and doing yoga for your entire senior year? I am confused.

2:19 AM

2008-04-12T23:19:00.000-07:00

Had he been in Denver, this is what Brian Fallon would've done to the replay official who waved off Kyle Lawson's goal.

Perfectly executed crush of what I believe is a Miller Lite tall-boy. Nice silhouette effect on Charlie in the background there. NCAA hockey replay officials, beware: Brian Fallon is coming to get you.

Follow Up

2008-04-01T21:02:00.001-07:00

The Chicago Red-Eye (published by Chicago Tribune), the paper where the article appeared, only published exactly what I copied in the original post. It was one of those short "blurbs" that they publish when talking about 'random' stories from around the world.

If you recall, I was one who argued that a human would NOT be able to survive a cheetah attack. Given that this attack took place in a non-wild location (a "wildlife sanctuary", whatever that means), I said this didn't necessarily prove the truth...I just felt, as a former student of quality journalism, that the story should be exposed, even if it goes against what I argue. Perhaps the conversation should resume...

In researching this some more, some accounts of the incident say that other humans intervened after the woman was getting dominated for a while and that they were able to pull her out and get her to the hospital. Perhaps if she really was in the wild with no help (aka no other humans/modern medicine) then she wouldn't have survived?

Whatever the case, as Mr. Suozzi stated, Mr. Devitt would have put up a nice fight if he were facing the cheetah(s). At least I would have bought it on Pay Per View.

Follow-up required

2008-04-01T19:20:00.000-07:00

Let it be known, the article said that she was "hospitalized with about 40 puncture wounds to her extremities and back." I don't think it said, "unfortunately, she died from the attack." And she was attacked by TWO cheetahs, not just one. T-mac, I expect some follow-up on this story later. For the sake of this argument, it is imperative that we know how this woman fared. I'd also like to state that all arguments aside, I still hope that she survives, as she is a real person and not just an inanimate case study from a grade school algebra book.

Cheetah Attacks Woman

2008-04-01T16:41:00.000-07:00

So I'm riding the train to work yesterday and was reading the paper. I'll let this short article I read speak for itself:

MAULED WOMAN EXPECTED TO SURVIVE

Wellington, Fla. (AP) - The owner of a wildlife sanctuary in Wellington, Fla. was attacked by two cheetahs Saturday and hospitalized with about 40 puncture wounds to her extremities and back, authorities said. Judy Berens owns and operates Panther Ridge Conservation Center, which provides homes for exotic cats, authorities said.

While this isn't technically the "wild", I guess we are a little closer to the truth after all.

Lost in the Shuffle

2008-03-11T00:42:00.000-07:00

As teased in Kev's season wrap-up post - and, at a cursory glance Kev, it sounds like there's nothing wrong with your team that more scoring, better defense, and being taller couldn't cure - there's an acute conflict of interest this Thursday night - do we tune in at 9 PM sharp for the last installment of LOST before the show goes on a six-week break? Or do we honor allegiance to ye olde alma mater and tune into the Worldwide Leader in Sports for what is sure to be an epic showdown between the #14 Irish basketball team and the winner of Marquette/Seton Hall? (In the interest of full disclosure, know that there is no wrong choice here, especially for the Walt Disney Company, since they own both ABC & ESPN.)

Rather than try to answer that question for you, I figured there had to be some way to fuse the two worlds together, and luckily the Washington Post was thinking along the same lines. Click here to experience LOST MADNESS, with a bracket that makes the NCAA Selection Committee look like an all-mensa squad. Locke vs. Walt in the first round? Sawyer v. Hurley? Mr. Eko v. Dr Arzt? The point of a tournament field is to save these juicy matchups for the Elite 8, not have all the kick-ass characters cancel each other out in the early rounds while Bay-Bay Aaron and Jack's b&*%h of an ex-wife to advance into the later rounds.

Personally, I am all too happy to avoid this conflict since the basketball game airs at 6pm west coast time, but for those who cannot avoid it, I would advise staying true to Lost, since this is the last new episode until April 24th. The real tournament doesn't begin until next Thursday for the Irish anyway.

Season Recap

2008-03-09T22:11:00.000-07:00

Above, you'll see the final 6 Bishop Dunne falcons. Keep in mind that #41, the tall kid in the red undershirt, was ineligible for most of the season as well. Eventually, the parents decided to stop making the joke that I should shave my beard and suit up and play power forward in the 7th grade league. I know I've been pretty mum on the postings. The season just concluded last week, and our bubble burst with a 29-18 defeat in the last week of the season, falling to 3-9 and 9th place, missing the 8 team tourney field. The season's major problems are thus:
- Academic ineligibility (teachers)
- Lack of rebounding (size)
- Horrible coaching (my assistant's fault)
As you can see, I pretty much deserve none of the blame.

As George brought to my attention, this week brings about a huge debate: Lost or ND? Commentary to follow.

Haggis will seem generous...

2008-02-11T21:34:00.000-08:00

Alternatively:

Seriously, Nobody Thought of This?

2008-02-11T20:23:00.000-08:00

I was gonna put this up in the comments to Kev's post, but like Kev I found that impossible since comments forbid the use of visual aids.

First off, Kev, my sincere apologies. I guess I miscalculated - I never figured one would consider being compared to the creative force behind "Walker, Texas Ranger" as an insult. But to explain the madness behind my method, the real equalizer here was the presence of the chinstrap. Few celebs have ever pulled it off successfully, and appreciable chinstrap-ness was essential in determining your celebrity look-alike. That pulled Mr. Haggis to the front of the pack.

Meanwhile, I did have a self-deprecating look-alike ready to include in the original Sunday evening post, but it was (at least in my mind) so obvious and previously discussed that I decided to leave it out, figuring somebody would hit me back with it. And no, it was not Artie Lang, who I must concede I have an unsettling resemblance with, though not when clean-shaven as seen in that JPW picture. If I develop a little bit of scruff over the course of about 10 days, Mr. Lang and I could quite easily be confused (whether that's to my detriment or not, I leave to people smarter than myself...namely everyone...to decide).

Anyway, I must say I'm surprised that given the previous track record of this particular comparison between myself and another bulky quasi-famous person, that after 24 whole hours nobody came back with it (especially disappointed in Paul, Kev, Angelo, & Pat). Without further ado...

George Heidkamp

Celebrity Doppelgänger
White Sox closer Bobby Jenks (The Wide, Tall Guy)

Maybe it was too obvious. I really don't know.

Additionally, I have to say I'm flattered you would consider my calves in the same league as Mr. Maraby's. I don't who he is, but he must be on every single anabolic steroid known to man. And lastly, due credit must be given to Thomas McCall, who pointed out some time ago that Mr. Girouard & Mr. Steves might as well have been born from the same test tube.

Two Potential Challengers

2008-02-11T18:56:00.000-08:00

Paul Jacobs...

...Graduate star and Oscar winner Dustin Hoffman

And....

Brian Fallon...

...Minnesota Twins slugger and 2006 AL MVP

Justin Morneau

Judge not ...

2008-02-11T17:45:00.000-08:00

... lest ye be judged. While this is set up for a comment, I couldn't include pictures in that, so here goes. I've spent most of the day worrying about George's celebrity look-alike, and this is my best shot. Artie Lange? Feel free to recommend others.

Unfortunately, I could not find a cleanshaven Artie Lang pic (warning: be careful googling Artie Lange, he's a perv) or a bearded/mustached Georgie without logging onto the Great Satan. George, if you object, I have 2 words: Paul Haggis??!?

A close second? Rob Maraby's calves

Great work on Rick Steves, by the way. Pat, does that give you some clout in Jenkins' administration?

Double Takes

2008-02-11T00:07:00.000-08:00

Inspired by a post over at our companion sports-only blog (hat tip to the esteemed Richard J. Long), I figured it was high time when embrace the true purpose of this blog - by engaging everybody in lunatic conversation over who has the coolest celebrity resemblance among us. Herewith, the nominees...

Mike Devitt

Celebrity Doppelgänger
Rainn Wilson (Dwight Schrute) from "The Office"

Not like anybody would mistake them for twins, mind you. But it takes a rare gift to pull off the American Badass-in-glasses look as well as these two, which makes me think a least a cousinly link could exist.

Aly Baumgartner

Celebrity Doppelgänger
Natalie Zea, "Dirty Sexy Money"

Although Ms. Zea is apparently a natural blonde, which puts a bit of a dent on what is otherwise about a 9.7 on the similarity Richter scale.

Joe McKenna

Celebrity Doppelgänger
New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada

It's a little scary, to tell you the truth. If you're interested to see what Surls will look like at the age of 36, watch a Yankee game this season.

Lauren Bugos

Celebrity Doppelgänger
Chronicles of Narnia actress Anna Popplewell

Conversely, if Ms. Popplewell wants to know what she'll look like after graduating college, Lauren can be reached in Dallas, TX.

Angelo Suozzi

Celebrity Doppelgänger
Irish actor Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood, Gangs of New York)

The real test is, "Can Angelo morph his appearance so completely as DDL does for his one movie every six years?"

Sean Calloway

Celebrity Doppelgänger
New York Giants QB Eli Manning

Different hair styles (Sean has some natural curls, Eli must use a straight-iron) throw people off, but you can't disguise a mutual ability to be in your 20s and still look about six years from puberty.

Paul Jacobs

Celebrity Doppelgänger
World famous psychiatry expert Tom Cruise

Also: Cruise's height, 5'7". Could these two be separated at birth?

Luke Maher

Celebrity Doppelgänger
Utah Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko

Luke would need to spike his hair to complete the duplication. Also considered renown Soviet pugilist Ivan Drago, but since Kirilenko is a Drago clone only one could be picked.

Pat Girouard

Celebrity Doppelgänger
European travel expert/PBS personality Rick Steves

No explanation necessary.

Meghan Charlebois

Celebrity Doppelgänger
TV star Angie Harmon (Law & Order, Women's Murder Club)

Ms. Harmon is also married to a football player (Jason Sehorn, aka The Last White Cornerback), so Meg could exploit the resemblance as a way to get close to Tom Brady.

Katie Jackson

Celebrity Doppelgänger
Actress Bridget Moynahan

Not to be outdone, Katie could probably pull off the act of not just getting close to Tom Brady, but convincing him that she carried his child. Probably need to straighten the hair, though; Tom picks up all the little details (unless it's the New York Giants pass rush).

Emmanuel Zervoudakis

Celebrity Doppelgänger
TV & Film actor Hank Azaria

But can he replace Hank as the voice of Apu, Chief Wiggum, Moe, Comic Book Guy, Professor Frink, Superintendent Chalmers, and Duffman on The Simpsons?

Lisa Fetta

Celebrity Doppelgänger
"Friends" star and ex-Mrs. Brad Pitt Jennifer Aniston

Reportedly the citizens of Chicago (especially Vince Vaughn) got the two of them confused dozens of times during the filming of The Break-Up.

Kevin Braun

Celebrity Doppelgänger
Oscar-winning writer/director Paul Haggis

Once Kev goes bald and makes a movie commemorating how much Los Angeles sucks, that is.

Thomas McCall

Celebrity Doppelgänger
MSNBC pundit Tucker Carlson

Also eerily similar in political philosophy and sartorial style (now that Tucker has ditched the bow-ties).

Sebastian Lara

Celebrity Doppelgänger
Pioneering country/gospel singer Tennessee Ernie Ford

If you thought they broke the mold with Sebastian Lara...remember they thought they broke the mold with ol' Tennessee Ernie Ford.

Brian Fallon

Celebrity Doppelgänger
Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre

If that last throw in the NFC Championship game was truly your last......."WHAT THE
F&*K WERE YOU DOING?!?!?"

So there you have it, folks. In terms of an overall winner, I think you all know where my vote goes. Drop your own in the comments section. And Brian, if you're reading this, just know that you have to come back for one more year. Retiring after throwing a game-sealing pick in overtime when you're one drive from the Super Bowl would be the equivalent of Chuck Norris ripping his own heart out. Terrible way for it to end, not to mention possibly against the laws of physics.

There's a TIMEOUT on the floor

2008-02-04T19:54:00.000-08:00

It started innocently enough, with an email titled "Anything going on tonight?". Dunne's baseball coach and resident Pats fan flew to Glendale for the aforementioned Super Bowl, leaving the PA gig for Senior Night at the varsity basketball game. So I was able to get my Jon Thompson on and get behind the mike.

The moral? That job was a lot harder than it looked. I stumbled through Senior names and service projects and completely bombed mom's names such as Lacracha and Sophronia, off to a brilliant start. I stuck to the basics - baskets by X, foul on Q, etc. And of course, "There's a TIMEOUT on the floor." At halftime, I was able to announce the Drill Team (for non-Texans: think the ND pom squad with the white boots of the Cowboy cheerleaders) who waited at halfcourt for THREE MINUTES for music to come on. There was none. Awkward!! The game got tight in the 2nd half, and Dunne made a thrilling comeback. It was tough to stay impartial but I was working the "for THREEEEEEEE". Dunne (actually, one of my students and the laziest kid ever there, and completely hyper-nuts on the court) is fouled with 2.1 seconds to play in a tied regulation game. I am told by the AD to make the obligatory "At the end of the game, fans (students) are reminded to STAY OFF the court." Classic jinx. Brandon shoots the first FT 3 feet long, and missed the 2nd just short. Overtime. I'm pretty sure at this point that there will be a HS fight after this game if the Falcons lose. In a back-and-forth period, the Falcons are down 2 with 10 seconds to go, and able to score a bucket with 0.9 seconds to play to tie it. After a timeout, the opponent draws up a play, runs the baseline, and heaves it downcourt. The ball hits a rafter on the roof, giving Dunne possession underneath the basket. A buzzer beater GOES IN! And Dunne wins 81-79 in Overtime, crowd goes wild, and all the PA announcements about not rushing the court are soundly ignored.

Overall, it was quite a rush, and very revealing to be in a perspective where I could see and hear just how much crap refs have to take, even at a HS game. My only regret? That I didn't throw in a neat-o safety announcement after the 3rd quarter.

"Falcon fans, remember ... "

So long everybody.

The World According to Surly...

2008-02-03T21:49:00.001-08:00

A series on internet conversations between myself (Gipper1@mac.com) and Joe McKenna (joemck30), starting January 15, 2007, just after the New York Giants had been eliminated from the playoffs:

Gipper1@mac.com: In other football news, Tom Coughlin fired his offensive coordinator with a week left in the season, then fired his defensive coordinator a week after losing in the playoffs...and then got a one-year contract extension. Apparently everyone on the Giants' coaching staff is to blame for what happened this season except Tom Coughlin! Stated another way, the people Coughlin hired did a terrible, horrible, awful job -- but Coughlin did a fine job of supervising them!

joemck30: i am with you all the way on that one george
joemck30: i hate him

Then, after the boys in blue got their mojo back and upset the Buccaneers in round one of the playoffs four weeks ago...

Gipper1@mac.com: so, can the "GEEEEEEE-MEN" take down the cowboys on the third try?

joemck30: with the way they've been playing, i think they can
joemck30: am i hopeful? no
joemck30: eli will poop himself

And after Eli & the Gang beat the Cowboys to make the NFC Championship...

Gipper1@mac.com: so, what say you are the odds of the g-men being a "team of destiny" ala the 2001 patriots and 2005 steelers? 50-50?

joemck30: 30-70
joemck30: eli sucks in bad weather

Eli helped the Giants win in -23 degree windchills.

So, this evening in Glendale, AZ, Tom & Eli have just one thing to say:

How do you like us now, you surly bastard?!?!?

Joe could not be reached for comment. (PS - I hope I speak for everybody here, except maybe the aforementioned surly one, in extending Meg and Patriot Nation our deepest condolences.)

Meg, you probably would've found this a little funnier had the Pats won:

Gas Line Break

2008-01-17T13:05:00.000-08:00

How, you might be asking, could I have posted this and be posting right now when it's not even 3:00pm local time? Lauren (Ms. B, that is) and I were the fortunate "victims" of a gas line break this morning. Although it was the coldest day so far in all of our Texas stay (a frigid 27 degrees was the low), we were skipping across the street at 8:30. After some adult responsibilities I had never imagined (calling parents, signing waivers, etc.) we were out having lunch and a drink at 12:30pm.

Hope everyone's school/life/work/whatever is going well. If not, just strike a gas line.

Dallas

Around the globe and off the wall

2007-12-25T21:15:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Time changes and all considered, it seems to me Christmas is officially over. I hope it treated everyone very well! I'm sure you're all quite pleased and all with a day off at least, but in case you still feel like your Christmas experience was still missing a certain something, Im including the recipe to my first Japanese Christmas below:

1-Preheat climate to a mild 50 degrees and sunny all day.
2-In the upstairs room of a Thai Restaurant (owned by a Chinese man) mix 5 Japanese people, 1 American, and 1 50 year old Brazilian man (also should include a dash of his 22 yr old Japanese girlfriend)
3-Add Kentucky Fried Chicken (legit KFC, no substitutes), Thai beer and alcoholic green tea to taste.
4-Let simmer in Japanese conversation for 4 hours while adding bingo, cake slices the size of George's head, sparklers, confetti poppers (no less than 50), and drinking games.
5-Garnish with prizes (a t-shirt with cartoon crocodiles doing 69 works well), sprinkle with Jose Cuervo, let cool, and serve!
Voila! There you have a standard Japanese Christmas experience. It's savorous and goes well with either a side of "WTF?" or "Where the hell am I?". Until next time, all my best of Japan and Merry Christmas!

An Old Friend

2007-12-20T10:16:00.000-08:00

Digging through the archives, I found this gem (image courtesy Sebastian Lara). It has been over a year since that fateful evening. I would ask if everyone could please take a moment to pour out a bit of the sixteen-cent, quasi-cidery goodness you are sure to be sipping this Christmas in honor of the casualties of that night, including, among others, Mike Devitt's lunch, Welworth's toilet seat, and Kevin Braun's dignity.

Merry Christmas folks; hope to see some of you soon.

Galactic Greetings!

2007-12-14T20:04:00.001-08:00

Galactic Greetings Space Ranger,

You have received an intergalactic transmission from a friend who has just completed a mission on the new Buzz Lightyear Astro Blaster interactive experience at Disneyland(r) park in California.

To Infinity and Beyond!

http://www.disneyland.com/Buzz

Yep, that's me and Brian dueling on the Buzz Lightyear ride at Disneyland. Brian won, but like Thomas says in discussing the South's defeat in the Civil War, "I know I lost. I just choose to deny it."

We're still missing a foot...

2007-12-13T06:48:00.000-08:00

I stumbled upon this little cartoon. It is sort of amusing. Enjoy!

http://www.nd.edu/~humorart/bgprof3.html

Lost in Translation

2007-12-08T05:22:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone,

Despite what you may have assumed, I am still alive. Who'd have thought that with all my adventures through Asia my greatest challenge would be getting George's blog to work in English? (see pictures) So, my apologies for tardiness and keeping horribly out of touch but it seems that Japanese is the going rate out here, in the real world and the virtual one.

That being said, its been a pretty crazy time since leaving the states on July 25th. My month with the Chilean Navy was an experiance, and theres no better way to describe it than that. Beforehand I was joking about hoisting mainsails, climbing the mast and swabbing the deck, thinking the whole time that as an invited guest I wouldnt be expected to do much. I was wrong. Day 1 indoc involved climbing up and over the mast, sans any semblance of safety device. Lets just say, wow. I never quite got used to that aspect of shiplife, but it was an interesting month nonetheless. With them I got to practice alot of Spanish, stood too many late night watches, saw some cool places (we went to Shanghai, Beijing, the Great Wall, and Korea), and drank a substantial amount of Pisco. Like I said, it was an experiance.

However, it gave me an image of what a Navy could be, and soon afterwards I was immersed in what US Navy life really is. I wont go on about it, but lets just say that Im not sad that my committment is only 4 years, vice anything longer. We havent had any grand adventures yet but I really can't complain too much because next year looks very promising. Not able to say too much on a blog but Im pretty excited for next Spring and by the 4th of July I will have knocked off over half a dozen more Asian nations.

And so here we are in December. All you school folks are finishing up semesters while us working folks are looking forward to a few days off over the holidays too. Hopefully everyones doing well and will get some time to relax. Pending the good work of Mr Tomasito and Sr Falcron, I hope to be in Chi-town for New Years Eve and hope to see as many of you all there as possible! Until then, sayonara from Japan, peace in the far east.

For Sale: Full Bar (W/ Liquor License)

2007-12-04T16:08:00.001-08:00

No, it's not a Monday night or the "Violence" section of the local news. But this classic watering hole is making headlines again. Anyone interested in going in on this with me? Check it out...

http://southbend.craigslist.org/off/492143911.html

For 695K, I feel like it could potentially be a great investment as alumni of Our Lady's University. I heard they even include the karaoke machine with the down payment and are waiving pending legal action against the establishment.

VICTORY!!!!

2007-11-24T16:31:00.000-08:00

Hey, Now We Can Mobile-Blog!

2007-11-18T17:10:00.001-08:00

Send crap to the blog with your phone. For example, here I am at the
Burbank 7-Eleven that was redone as a Qwik-E-Mart for a promotion with
"The Simpsons Movie".

Karaoke Awards

2007-11-11T20:48:00.000-08:00

Seabass here with an update and some treasures I found on my phone's video player. After the great europe trip, I am back in Memphis helping old people learn how to use the computer to earn coin. Applying to medical school for next year, planning a bit more travel, and teaching Spanish for the city schools in January. I am enjoying the year off, but miss times like the following very very much.

Remember when we owned the Hilton Beach Resort for a week? Mack the Knife does...

Quality (of the video) is no good, but Mike D works it (what is that move you do to Megs on the words 'makes me so horny'? and George overloads the speakers, just great memories.

Sorry I haven't gotten the chance to call everybody and catch up in person! hope to see you soon
-Seabass

Superman that OHHH!!!

2007-11-08T19:32:00.000-08:00

Lauren and I have gotten pretty wrapped up in high school life down here in Dallas, so it can be hard to gauge what's going on outside of homerooms and cafeterias, but I'm pretty sure, judging by every NFL TD celebration I've seen lately, that Soulja Boy is spreading beyond high school hallways and Finnie's to places where real people live and work.

Anyway, after learning Soulja Boy's moves during Bishop Dunne pep rallies and homecoming, Halloween brought a special treat as Dunder Mifflin learned to crank that (as George alluded to).

A revelation I had today. Teaching has made me super-conscious of words, gestures, actions and so today I wore the Kriss-Krossmas shirt to basketball practice. I paused and wondered, "Did Kris and Kross do anything during their tenure that makes this shirt taboo?" Then I realized that these little twerps probably don't even know about the backwards-pants wearing phenoms. My worries of the week instantly went from "How can I teach kids precalculus if they don't even know the quadratic function?" to "How can I communicate with kids who don't know 'Jump'?"

Any suggestions?

Pencils Down means PENCILS...DOWN!!

2007-11-07T20:22:00.000-08:00

The Writers Guild of America has done what thousands of guerilla terrorists, shadow governments, evil family members, tanks, suitcase nukes, handcuffs, warlords, drug dealers, planes, trains, and automobiles could not do: It has killed Jack Bauer.

That's not entirely accurate, since Jack can't really be killed. But he has been told to take an extra-long vacation.

To cope with the writer's ongoing strike and the expected loss of original programming, the new season of "24" will be indefinitely postponed, possibly until next fall or even January 2009. Kiefer Sutherland was not available to comment, though odds are pretty good he will soon be masterminding a way to sneak into the offices of studio chiefs everywhere, screaming, "WHERE'S THE MONEY!?!?" Your guess is as good as mine, Kiefer.

No word at this hour how the former residents of Welworth were taking the news. Say - Fallon, you are now a savvy business consultant, and Luke & Angelo are aspiring lawyers. Several others of you are now immersed in the world of corporate America - since you now work for "The Man", you tell me: what's the most effective way for management to break the union stiffs and get back to thinking up ridiculous escapes for Jack Bauer to pull off with ease?

Of course, the testosterone-driven audience of "24" is not the only one which will suffer. Gentlemen and Ladies, enjoy this month's new episodes of "The New Adventures of Old Christine" (shut down yesterday), "The Office" (shut down production today),"Desperate Housewives" (shuts down production tomorrow), "Grey's Anatomy" (shutting down on Friday), "Two and a Half Men" (yesterday), "Family Guy" (already shut down) and all versions of "Law & Order" and "CSI" (shutting down sometime next week).

And what of that one particular show which a high-concentration of this blog's readers watch? No word on how the strike has affected production out in Hawaii, but all the people I've talked to at the Disney lot say "Lost" is in a particularly hard position, since the co-showrunner, Carlton Cuse, sits on the negotiating committee for the Writer's Guild. They do not expect ABC to follow in Fox's footsteps and shelve the new season indefinitely, but they also know that "Lost" will have only 8 of the scheduled 16 episodes completed before they too are forced to shut down because of the strike.

Put it all in a nutshell: as of 12:01 AM Monday, every writer's pencil in Hollywood was put down. Every laptop was switched off. That means no new content. No new content means the networks will flush the remaining episodes they have and then see how many reality TV shows & game shows (like the one I just finished working on) they can put on the air before advertising dollars run away and the audience stops watching all togehter. Quickest way to get back to the island (remember...WE HAVE TO GO BACK!) and let Jack resume his terrorist ass-kicking is to turn off your TV once November ends. Just let it sit there and die. Because somebody has to cave in this fight, and the networks/studios will only do it once it becomes clear they have nothing left which the viewing public wants.

Don't you just love good-ole fashioned labor knock-down, drag-outs?

Thoughts?

2007-11-07T16:52:00.000-08:00

Currently interested in a girl who, in the words of the great Keith Jackson, "is ONLY a soph-o-more." Criticisms, praises, "you disgust me"s, and "go get 'er, Tiger"s are all welcome. Just keep in mind: Judge Not, Lest Ye Be Judged.

St. Adalbert's debuts on Westwood One

2007-11-06T19:40:00.001-08:00

According to two sources I spoke with today, during the Notre Dame Football post-game radio show on Saturday, an older gentleman, most likely from the South Bend-Mishawaka area, phoned in to express his disgust with the current state of Notre Dame Football. Apparently, he ranted for a while and, at some point, mumbled the following words live on the air:

"Right now, the Notre Dame football team probably couldn't even beat St. Adalbert's."

Congrats, Eagles. You really are, as your alma mater says, "West side leaders true" (imagine young Juan Rangel making the interlocking "W" sign with the 4 fingers of his hand and shaking it around in a ghetto-like fashion).

I Didn't Think There Was Gonna Be Any Medicine in Med School...

2007-11-06T09:41:00.000-08:00

I would like to announce to the world that I have survived Gross Anatomy. It was 7 weeks of absolute hell. I spent an average of 14 hours a day at the medical center. It made me second guess my decision to become a doctor. It tested my will to live (kidding.... sort of). Now, it is over and that is all that matters. I am glad to be back to a relatively normal class schedule. So now that I have a little time, here's an update on what's been going on with my life.

I moved in to my apartment in Muncie at the end of July and got settled in for medical school. I am living with another MS 1 (code for Medical Student 1st year) from Indianapolis who I met over the summer. My classmates are a great group of people. Despite the fact that there are only 22 of us, we manage to have a collection of people from all walks of life. From former Marine helicopter pilots to doctor's sons and daughters to a guy who is only just now 21. As a whole everyone has tried to help one another, which has been a pleasant surprise. I figured it would be a group of people who saw everyone else as competition for the best grade, but it has been far from that.

I spent the first 4 weeks of school in Histology. It was a nice beginning to medical school. The material was nothing new and I didn't have to spend my life in front of a book. So I spent a lot of time socializing and getting to know some of my classmates. Then Anatomy happened. As I said earlier, it was a 7 week course. Let me say this now, that is way too short for anatomy. Luckily, our test schedule allowed me to make it up to several ND games to see some of you guys, so life wasn't quite as terrible as I make it out to be. Though, I studied more in the past 7 weeks than I did in any single year at ND, including junior year with the MCAT. It was quite an adjustment for me, especially with my study buddy Sean. Now I have moved on to Molecular Biology/Biochemistry. I have only had two days of class, but I can already tell that its going to be a lot less work.

During the entire school year I have an Introduction to Clinical Medicine (ICM) class every Monday from 7-9am. Surprisingly, I don't mind getting up for this class because it is where we actually get to go out into the hospital and interview patients and reminds me that being a doctor is about a lot more than book smarts. One day I was interviewing a lady who had come into the hospital for chest pain. As we are talking about her emergency angioplasty and family history, she starts to lose focus and got really distant. I realized something was wrong and when I asked her, she said that the chest pain had returned. I went a got the nurses and they took care of the women. It was quite an experience to have a person having a mild heart attack while your talking to them. I just can't wait until the day when I'm able to do something for a person in need of care.

Well, I realize that this is getting long. There is a lot more that could be told, but I will save it for another time. I hope everyone is doing well!

Mike D

Welcome, Bienvenidos, Benvenuto

2007-11-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the new site. We just thought this might be easier to talk, joke, rant, or entertain in an informal manner, such as wondering why Lisa Fetta felt the need to text me at 5:38 AM this morning.

The First Post

2007-11-05T00:30:00.000-08:00

Designed to show that the blog exists. And you can post on it. And that the fact I'm doing both at 12:31 AM Los Angeles time merely confirms how far from the path I've managed to stray.