illinigirl

2009-05-28T21:03:00.002-05:00

So one master's degree and one little baby later, Illinigirl is still out here and considering reviving the blog. I'm so frustrated by everything going on in Washington DC and Springfield that I'm thinking about reviving my political blog here to make some arguments. I feel like I need to take some action before the economy completely tanks as a result of all the statist policies being bandied about...what do you think? Anyone still out there?

2007-07-23T21:31:00.000-05:00

Pardon my foray into tonight's debate

I know this is part of Obama's shtick as a calm, cool reasonable guy, but this is ridiculous. In tonight's debate (which I watched part of and thought the format was weird btw), Obama pulled something that seemed straight out of Hans Blix's playbook in Team America: World Police. Obama promised in his first year in office to meet one-on-one with basically the three most hideous dictators the globe has to offer: Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro, and Kim Jong Il.

I know I'm not a foreign policy expert (although neither is Obama in comparison to other candidates), but this just seems like appeasement at its worst to me. I must say I agree with Hillary on this one -- words you never expected to see on this blog, I know. Let's take the three lowest of the low, known as oppressors of liberty and tyrannical leaders throughout the free world, and validate their approach with an in-person meeting with the president of the United States. Like these are reasonable people that are going to swoon at the recognition and cut out their antics as a result of a meeting with Barack?

Folks, there are arguments to be made for liberalism. I can understand the tack behind Edwards' Two Americas and Hillary's universal everything entitlements....but this? I think Obama made quite the faux pas this evening, and I'm curious whether it will show up in the MSM tomorow. Now all of this is not to say that I have decided which candidate to give my support next year. A lot of this depends on the degree of libertarianism exhibited by the Republican nominee and whether this TBD candidate has a snowball's chance of beating the Democratic nominee. But after comments like that, I am all the more certain who it will not be.

2007-05-12T11:59:00.000-05:00

Ideal Weekend So Far

Thought I would check in since I finally have a few minutes free. Woo hoo! My last full semester with work and two classes is behind me. I am finally in the home stretch for my degree here. Two things this summer then a capstone class fall semester and I done.

So to celebrate being done with classes for a while, I'm trying to celebrate what is good about my life. Thursday evening, I went out with friends from my program and had a lot of fun. Last night, the hubby and I grilled out and then went for ice cream. (And I won some Dancing with the Stars tickets, which is exciting for someone like me who really likes watching ballroom dancing.)

This morning, I got to spend some time with my hubby, work in the yard, and go to the gym. Beautfiul weather here in the low-to-mid 70s and clear...just the way I like it. This afternoon is looking for home remodeling stuff, perhaps a bit of shopping, and visiting with my hubby's family. Tomorrow, it's church, then back south to see my family for a few hours, and maybe squeezing in some home decorating and/or scrapbooking.

I really enjoy learning, and I do enjoy my classes. But if anyone ever tells you how hard it is to work full-time and do a graduate degree in the evenings...I'd believe them. It's okay for a term or two, but when you hit year two or three of that stress load...it's exhausting. I just haven't had it in me to write much lately. Thankfully, my load is starting to lighten a bit, so I am hoping to get back into blogging more. Stop by and hopefully there will be more here soon!

2007-04-26T21:27:00.000-05:00

Woo-Hoo

Despite all appearances, I am alive and well...just swamped. However as a die-hard Illini fan who grew up watching the Bulls play for championships and a woman with a husband who has actualy suggested naming any potential firstborn son Michael Jeffrey, I can't help but log on to post this:

Jeff Jordan reportedly headed to the Illini

Jordan will reportedly start classes during summer session and enter as a preferred walk-on. Michael Jordan at the Assembly Hall for games! Jeff has supposedly made great strides this spring. And who knows where he can be after a few years under Weber's tutelage...his dad didn't really blossom as a player until college. This also puts Illinois in the hunt for Marcus Jordan in a few years. After all the hardships this spring, I find this a very exciting development for the fans this evening. Welcome to the Illini Jeff!

2007-03-17T20:53:00.000-05:00

NCAA Tourney so far...

Well, last night was a roller coaster for Illinois fans. The partygoers who did not care about basketball had a grand time watching the rest of us. I was so happy when Illinois came out like real men, defensively intense and actually showing some offensive aggression. I was happy until about halftime when I just had this sense of dread as the lead started slipping and I felt the onset of the "hurry down, run around, pass a lot until the person stuck holding the ball with five seconds left on the shot clock has to take a shot" offense. The last 8 minutes of the game were painful to watch. We had some questions about the fouls that VT was getting away with and the calls going against Illinois, but let's just face it...the Illini let it slip away and sullied the Big Ten's almost-perfect opening round record. Here's to hoping one of next year's recruits actually wants the ball when the going gets tough.

Watching Michigan State put up a hell of a fight against Tyler Hansborough (whoops North Carolina) at the moment. MSU up by 1! Izzo is just such a class act and seems to inspire his players in the tournament. I'm never going to change my colors, but MSU is officially my second favorite college basketball team now. Go Spartans! And should they not survive, I will turn my support to the Salukis. Should they both take down #1 seeds UNC and Kansas, I would still be a pretty happy camper.

2007-03-13T21:20:00.000-05:00

Bracket-blankrophy

Is anyone else really having trouble filling out their brackets this year? Mine just seems so boring at the moment. Lots of 1s and 2s making it to the Final Four, and we all know that hardly ever happens. I feel a little bit disconnected this year, because usually the hubby and I make a trek to the 1st/2nd round games or even the Sweet 16. Alas, this year there will be none of that due to the impending family nuptials and academic commitments. And my schedule's kept me from having the time to do my brackets justice. Watch this be the year I rock the pools!

I will admit I'm still more than a little angry with Illinois for the whole Carlwell/Smith/Frazier mess. I understand that they are just teenagers, but there has to be some common level of responsibility, decency and humanity that I'm still upset they were missing that ugly snowy night. But somehow I can't stop my orange and blue loyalties from rooting for these kids, and I still want to pick the Illini to upset Virgina Tech. Although it kills me to watch them try to generate offense, I still think the Illini are a dangerous #12 seed. If everyone shows up offensively on Friday (Frazier, Carter, Pruitt, and perhaps even Randle and McBride), then I think the Illini have a good shot. Weber has generally been a great tournament coach. But Virginia Tech has also beat Duke and North Carolina this year...and a hard-fought win over a quality ranked program is something this Illinois team does not yet possess. And after reading about the adversity Virginia Tech has faced off the court the past few years, I have a feeling I won't hate their team if they win either.

I also think Illinois would also give Southern a run for their money. As someone who has been to and watched a number of Missouri Valley games over the past few years, I can't help but think the conference is overrated. However, they can generate offense...which is more than I can say for the Big Ten most nights so who knows! David Mihm has some interesting commentary on how the brackets fell over at his Bracketography site. They also have a discussion board at the site for those of you who can just not get enough speculation.

In other news, my household officially despises the U of I board of Trustees' cowardice, and my husband is buying up all the Chief merchandise he can get his hands on... He almost bought a baby blanket today, and we don't even have a kids on the way yet. I'm headed down to campus tomorrow and may just pick up a few goods myself. Darn them.

2007-03-10T16:06:00.000-06:00

Thoughts on life and the Chief's departure...

I apologize for the long absence from the blog, but things are nuts here again as per usual. The big news in my neck of the woods is that we are quickly approaching a family wedding. Almost exactly two weeks from now, my sister will be married off and I'll be gaining a pretty great brother-in-law. So that's exciting and the last few months have been a flurry of showers, parties, dress fittings, and what not.

I've meant to post on Chief Illiniwek's retirement, but I must say that I lack the time to give this the appropriate consideration it deserves. I understand why the university felt they had to make the move, as the NCAA dictatorship was going to ban them from hosting events and potentially, eventually the NCAA tournaments. But at the same time, I feel cheated by the hypocrisy of this whole thing. It's fine for Florida State to keep their nickname, because they pay the Seminole tribe on a regular basis and were able to receive their okay...but it's not okay for Illinois to keep its symbol because they have no tribe to pay off?

I think part of this problem is that people do not understand the true role that Chief Illiniwek played at the University of Illinois. I was surprised to find this interview with the final Chief (Dan Maloney) on CNN/SI On Campus, but I thought it did an excellent job portraying his true role. The chief is not like the Cleveland's Indian or even the Atlanta Braves mascot. He's not a caricature that dances around when good and bad things happen during sporting events. He was more of a symbol or an icon at the university, making his appearance only at the halftime of sporting events in an incredibly dignified manner.

I think what makes me the saddest about the Chief's departure is that the NCAA has arbitrarily stripped our state of a celebration of its heritage. Perhaps it was not a 100% accurate portrayal, but it was better than nothing. This angers my husband to no end, perhaps because of his 1/8 Fox ancestry and his family's past involvement with athletics at the university. He was incredibly proud of Chief Illiniwek, the Three-in-One, and the reverence it received in this state, and he was incredibly angry when the Chief's retirement was announced. He's upset that he won't be able to take his children to football games and explain the significance of this tradition and their heritage.

I know college sports are just a game, and I know that Chief Illiniwek is just a symbol. But as I watched his final dance a week and a half ago, I got goosebumps and I felt incredibly sad. Sad that an honorable celebration of my state and its heritage had to go. Sad that our society is so incredibly overly-sensitive that the discomfort of a few has caused the removal of a tradition that truly celebrated our state's heritage and was so beloved by so many.

Updated 3/12: To correct my labeling slip in an ongoing fit of tiredness.

2007-02-13T12:11:00.000-06:00

Mother Nature's in charge

She's bearing down on Central Illinois at the moment. I woke up this morning to howling wind and a half foot of snow. Work wasn't called off initially, but an hour after we arrived we were all sent home. Driving home was a kick -- almost a complete whiteout with 1 inch of snow in some spots and 3 feet in others.

You really forget that you are at the mercy of the weather until storms like this interfere with your everyday life. They are a pain in some ways, but I think I would miss snowstorms if I lived in a milder climate. It's kind of nice to hole up at home, crash on the couch in PJ pants and with your laptop, get to spend extra time with the family, that sort of thing.

In more serious but seemingly weather-related news, Illini basketball players Jamar Smith and Brian Carlwell were in an accident last night when their car ran off the road and into a tree. Jamar has been released with a concusssion. Brian was critical but is rumored to have been upgraded to serious condition. If you are the praying type, please keep them in your thoughts today.

2007-02-04T13:58:00.000-06:00

For Da Bears

I will preface this post by saying that I am morally opposed to praying for the outcome of any sporting event. For big football fans though (and Bears fans in particular), I thought this humorous and worth a post:

A PRAYER FOR THE BEARS

Our Papa
Who art a bear,
Hallowed be thy fame,
Thy championship come,
Thy play be run,
At home as it is away,
Give us this day our Sunday win,
And forgive us our turnovers,
Though we pounce on those who turnover against us,
And lead us not into fourth and long,
But deliver us from Manning.

In the name of Ditka,
Butkus, and the holy Payton.
As it was in 1985,
So shall it be in 2006, reign without end.

DaaaaaaMen!!!!

2007-01-23T22:33:00.000-06:00

Gut-Check W

Okay, I will admit -- I've had a bit of a hard time watching my Illini lately. First the Michigan State loss -- a beautiful first-half and a disheartening second half. Then the heartbreaker to Wisconsin, which somehow I managed to miss. THEN I had class tonight, and I didn't get to see the Indiana game until I got home...

But the wonderful hubby had DVRed the game for me, and I must say that I agree with the ESPN announcers here. This was a gut-check win. It was a game that had to be won to keep NCAA tourney hopes alive, and it was a game that the whole team so clearly WANTED to win to beat Kelvin Sampscum. And although it was the subject of much debate this evening for the announcers, I will salute Bruce Weber for even touching that man's hand twice. I will salute the crowd for simply booing the man and not the team. For a minute or two, I felt bad for how overwhelmed that man looked tonight. He actually looked kind of frightened at several points, but to be fair there were about 10,000 people in that dome who were letting them know how they felt about him. But then I thought, you know he's royally screwed this program at point guard for the next couple years. Maybe he will think twice before his next shady recruiting stunt...or soon no one in the Big Ten will be shaking his hand.

Aside from the theatrics though, let me say that this game made me somewhat hopeful for the rest of the season. The Illini played entirely without Brian Randle and still put up an incredible defensive effort. They held Indiana scoreless for something like 14 minutes of the game. Offensively, Illinois might have struggled if Indiana had maintained its usual shooting percentages. However, I was a bit encouraged on this end as well. Shaun Pruitt continues to play like a beast, even while hurt. Warren Carter has really matured and is becoming a leader before our eyes. And even if it was only for 8-10 minutes, it was so nice to see McBride find his shot again.

This is the kind of win this program needed right now, and I salute the Illini and Bruce Weber for making it happen. Now how about turning this mojo into a road win at Purdue?!?

2007-01-03T22:55:00.000-06:00

Um...Happy New Year

Although it's not the happiest one here from IG's house. First of all, the last two Illini basketball games have us in a bit of a funk. We won't even mention the Xavier game, because it was incredibly painful to watch. However, the Michigan game this evening was not much better. The first half was fairly palatable, but I am worried about whether this team is going to be healthy and practiced enough to gel. Their defense and rebounding has been solid, but they cannot score to save their lives at the moment.

Shaun Pruitt showed his potential to be a beast in the first half, but he was mysteriously absent from the court most of the second half which triggered injury worries from the hubby. Randle seemed like he is still not healthy and on the ball as he usually is. You can't have repeated games with less than 6 points from your leaders and expect to win. You just can't.

Game nights are starting to get a little stressful around here. We are Cubs fan (and Bears fans) in this house, so we should be used to this. We shall eventually overcome, or we will wait until next year. As much as I love the game, it is just basketball.

Otherwise, it's been a hectic couple weeks of getting details wrapped up before the holidays, traveling to spend time with friends and family, and cleaning up the house from Christmas. We had a health crisis over the holidays with my husband's grandmother, so it was a bit muted in these parts. Our prayers have been answered so far though as she pulled through a stroke and surgery and is doing fairly well. I am looking forward to a nice weekend off to really relax. Perhaps I can eke out a politically natured post then, as we have been having some interesting discussions in these parts on smoking bans, trans fat bans, and individual liberties. Hope all is well with you and yours, and I will see you again soon.

Updated: Man, last night just stunk for the Orange and Blue faithful. Poor Rev: http://www.sltrib.com/jazz/ci_4949253. Reading that article just makes me miss Deron and Dee more. As Roger well knows though, all things happen for a reason. Perhaps it just was not his calling at this time.

2006-12-19T23:23:00.000-06:00

Social networking and TV

Instead of blogging, I just went and wasted time on Facebook. I may possibly be one of the oldest people doing this whole social networking thing, but who cares right? It's kind of a slick user interface, and it's a nice way of keeping in touch with people. My biggest problem is that no one I know over the age of 28 is on it! Well, that's not quite true, but it seems it is a bit too young for all my college friends. So I am left to my own devices with my grad school buddies and younger sister's friends. Now people my age seem more into Friendster, but they don't really update their sites constantly like these others seem to... Regardless, it's an interesting societal phenomena.

But what had I thought about writing about as I am still in wind-down mode? Well, I'd been considering writing a post about my favorite TV shows for quite some time. I'm in this odd little phase right now where I can hardly find a movie that I want to see, but there's way too much TV for me to keep up with. Good TV, honest! Fairly well done, very little of the reality show or "I'm just flipping channels and want to watch something" variety.

I'm finally starting to crash a bit and really need to get to bed, but here are the new fall shows that have me hooked at the moment.

Brothers and Sisters -- Somewhat soapy but well-done TV with a stellar cast. Great family drama that gives me a regular Greg Berlanti fix so I miss Everwood a litle less.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip -- I quit watching for a couple weeks, but I tuned back in to see the John Goodman and Christmas episodes...and now I'm hooked. I never liked the West Wing, but I think I like this. And I definitely like the portrayal of a Christian character as sane and intelligent...so points there.

What About Brian -- Not exactly new and a total soap opera, but between the young cast and relevant storylines for someone my age...definitely worth a look.

The Class -- It's a somewhat formulaic but rapidly improving sitcom on after How I Met Your Mother. Stellar cast again, including Jason Ritter and Lizzie Caplan.

Heroes -- I was late to the party, but I'm definitely interested. The plotlines are complex but intriguing, and darn it if I'm not hooked on this X-Men ripoff.

And in terms of existing television, How I Met Your Mother, New Adventures of Old Christine, The Office, and Scrubs continue to impress and be appointment television at our house. Except that the appointments are made several days later, usually on the weekend, when we have time to sit down and catch up with all the shows we have taped. Don't even get me started on what happenned when the DVR died here last week! With that, I will draw my giddy basketball-induced ramblings to a close. Good night readers!

2006-12-19T22:37:00.000-06:00

Oskee-wow-wow

Now that's what I call Bragging Rights! Nevermind that I thought the officiating was atrocious and Nolan Richardson was obnoxious beyond all belief, this was a quality basketball game. Perhaps the best Illinois basketball game I have seen this year, as they kept their heads up, fought hard, and played well in difficult circumstances. Having Brian Randle and Jamar back on the court made a big difference in the flow of things, and Shawn Pruitt and Warren Carter both had exceptional games. (That being said, I hope to hear good news about Carter's leg tomorrow. He left the game after a hard foul with 3-4 minutes left and couldn't get it relaxed enough to come back into the game)

Now, I realize my eye is biased. Despite my love of the game, I must admit that I still do not know all the ins-and-outs of college basketball refereeing. But my somewhat practiced eye thought that Mizzou's players were mauling Illinois at times (several intentionals should have been called) and that the Illini players were charged with a lot of nit picky, nonexistent fouls. Was it just me? Did anyone else feel this way? Of course, I thought quite a bit of traveling went uncalled on both ends.

But hey, that was a doozy. It kind of makes me wish we'd tried harder for the tickets this year. I entered the Bragging Rights ticket lottery in 2004 and 2005 trying to win a birthday present for the hubby but to no avail. I must say that the game from my living room did not disappoint! Now I just have to get past my little vicarious adrenaline rush and get to bed...but more posts may follow until that happens.

2006-12-01T20:44:00.000-06:00

Snow day!

Apparently, they happen out in the working world. Thanks Mother Nature, I needed it. Nice time for an unplanned three day weekend. Now if we could just get my parents' power turned back on...

2006-11-30T20:28:00.000-06:00

Weather outside is frightful...

Well, it's that time of year again. All day long at work, central Illinois has been fretting over the winter storm to come. 8-14 inches! A half inch of ice! We'd better leave early today! We shouldn't have come! Now they are only saying 4-6 inches of snow, now it's back up 14, now they are predicting whiteouts! Everyone gets into the game and monitors NOAA all day long -- it's really somewhat comical.

In some ways though, it's really somewhat nice. All curled up at home with our books and computers and favorite TV shows, a great excuse not to go outside. Pop a pizza in the oven, spend some time with loved ones. It's not helping me get ready for my finals, but I am enjoying it quite a bit. The ice isn't letting up, 6-10" snow still expected. I would not be at all sad if we're snowed in by a blizzard tomorrow -- as long as our power stays on!

Aside from the roads, the other thing that kept me from cocooning at home is that I was packing up my desk. Same company but a new opportunity, a bit more strategic and high-level. It's also a little bit sad as I love what I've been doing these past few years and will miss my co-workers, but it's gotten a bit stressful and repetitive for me lately. It'll be nice to have a break from IT and a stretch assignment. At the same time, I kind of feel like I'm getting ready for the first day of high school or college.

I told a friend the other day that I'm feeling more and more apolitcal these days. More and more libertarian I would say as well. I think it's mostly a lack of ideas and candidates to be inspired by at the moment, and perhaps overall disappointment at the political climate and state of affairs in the world. I'm not angry at the current adminstration or anything like that, as I think they have done the best they could in the given circumstances. I don't feel like any party quite stands for my principals either though, so pardon me for the lack of politics lately.

And as for Illini basketball, I still love my orange and blue. It's been a bit tough to watch the games so far. I've seen a few flashes of brilliance, but the boys have been plagued by injuries and subpar play for them. I sat on the edge of my seat and breathed a sigh of relief when they pulled it out during the Miami (OH) and Bradley games. I wasn't home for Maryland, but the hubby said it was a heartbreaker. I've been encouraged by Jamar's small amount of play, Shaun Pruitt's inside presence, and occasionally Warren Carter's performance. They are definitely missing Brian Randle right now. I know that it's not going to be quite like last year and more losses will probably occur, but I'm still looking forward to the season. I just wish watching the offense was not so painful.

In other news, one of my best friends is being induced this evening. We're eagerly awaiting the arrival of the little guy and praying for you W&J!

2006-10-31T21:20:00.000-06:00

Trick or treat!

None of that for me tonight. I was wrapped up in things at work, jumped into my car, headed to class, and hit McDonalds for sandwich. Headed to class, headed home around 8:30...and I didn't see one single trick or treater :(

I wasn't pleased about having class tonight, as I get a big kick out of answering the door and handing out candy. We usually dress up at my house, and the hubby lets all kinds of Star Wars related silliness rip -- showcasing talking Yoda, putting forth some nice lightsaber action, wearing all black and a Darth Vader voice changer...you get the drift.

Tonight my costume watching was limited to two princesses and perhaps a vampire dining at Mickey Ds. But I did get home to find a picture of my baby niece looking adorable in a pumpkin suit, which made up for almost all of it. It's funny how what you appreciate about the holidays changes at you get older...

Happy Halloween ladies and gents!

2006-10-13T21:25:00.000-05:00

Friggatriskaidekaphobia

I'm usually not superstitious, but this Friday the 13th went downhill fast about a half hour ago when I heard the EJ news. Somehow I managed to avoid the Internet and radio all day until my sister told me. Some fan I am. If I was a true fanatic, I'd be rolling into the Hall in Chambana right about now for Midnight Madness...alas I couldn't put in the time to drive down and pick up tickets last month.

I will however be in Assembly Hall or in front of a big screen tv loudly somewhere loudly booing the first time that dirtbag Kelvin Sampson takes the floor in Champaign as "coach" of a program that I hope continues to be an overrated embarrassment for its state in years to come. And I'm not the only one I know who feels that way...that's for certain in my family.

I don't really fault the kid so much, but the way his family handled the whole situation was ridiculous....deny, deny, deny, switch! How about just reopening recruitment if this was a serious consideration. Instead, Illinois is left up a creek for '07. However, I still believe that the reason Illini basketball has been so successful is that it has not attracted the "one and done" attitude-laden superstar recruits. It takes solid second-run recruits and turns them into superstars. Deron, Luther, James, Lucas, Roger Powell, Damir, even Jamar...with Dee being the one big name exception.

So perhaps it's a good thing to look for someone who fits the program better. It's not to say that it won't make a little more superstitious about Friday the 13ths that fall near Midnight Madness in the future.

2006-10-08T21:57:00.000-05:00

What's going on...

Yet again, I find myself stumbling back to the blog after about a month's absence. Real life just seems to be getting in the way of posting lately, and I rarely am I charged up enough to write something new about the issues. Work, school, and nonstop baby showers seem to be keeping me busy presently. Just a few random notes on my weekend tonight...

I went to my 10-year high school reunion this weekend. Ten years! It seems like just yesterday that we all graduated, and yet it seems like it was so long ago at the very same time. I had a fabulous time visiting with the friends I'm still in touch with and got to see some long-lost acquaintances. However, I was struck by how cliquey and high-school the whole scene still was. As you think you've moved beyond it all, you still sit at the same lunch (reunion) table as you did at age eighteen. You still dig the same people and have little patience for others. So the more things change, the more things stay the same? Or did I just have a weird high school class? I'm not sure.

Reasons not to vote for Blago: 1)$1500 birthday "present" for a 7 year-old? 2) Aversion to debating the issues..."The negotiations are over". Reason to dislike HotRod less: this picture proves he at least has a sense of humor.

Reasons to vote for Judy: She'd live in Springfield. She's not Rod. She'd probably be a bit more business-friendly than Blago. That's about all I'm coming up with presently. I'm kind of embarassed this is the best the state could do. I'm so politically apathetic at the moment that I disgust myself.

What About Brian premieres tomorrow! Want a soapy yet seemingly quality relationship drama about young adults to get hooked on? This could be the one. Season premiere is tomorrow on ABC. It stated to middling reviews/ratings last spring, but I'm expecting it to get even better as the show brought on Josh Reims to write after Everwood's untimely cancellation last spring.

That's it for the time being, but I will try to post more morsels as I come across them. Take care readers!

2006-09-11T21:44:00.000-05:00

Five and counting

I wanted to write something today to commemorate September 11th. Something profound. Something reflective and thoughtful. Something appropriate. I'm not sure I have it in me at the moment, but here are my thoughts this evening nonetheless.

I watched a lot of documentaries about 9/11 this weekend. Not the overhyped docudramas on ABC and CBS, but the raw Discovery Channel footage interviewing the survivors. The stories of those trapped on the upper floors and how they called their loved ones to say goodbye. The stories of those lucky enough to step onto the right elevators and survive the collapse. The stories of the police officers' handcuffs returned to their spouses and infant children. These documentaries didn't really dwell in the horror of the day but rather the humanity of it all...and I found it impossible to turn them off.

In many ways, I think September 11th caused me to appreciate life a bit more, to take a few chances. We decided to get married, for my husband to go back to grad school. We took a few chances, because hey...you don't know what could happen tomorrow. But the bigger chances, like packing it all up and moving to DC to work on intelligence issues and help in this battle, we never took for a variety of reasons. Our families, friends, church, and lives here.

Some days though, I feel we are a little too comfortable. Like we haven't done enough to help and we haven't done enough to protect ourselves as a nation...even though I'm not quite sure what enough is. I don't believe WWIII is right around the corner, but some days I question that assertion. Jihad is jihad. These people who corrupt Islam in this way -- they don't believe in living peacefully with one another. They believe in dividing and conquering, massacring people until everyone submits to their barbaric way of thinking. How do you convert people who believe in that sort of insanity?

Five years later and we still do not really know. 9/11 changed everything, and it changed nothing at the same time. For a short time we really came together as people and thought about what was in important -- in our lives and how we wanted to live as a society. Most of that has faded away now. Our government has foiled plots and managed to keep us safe, even as Britain, India, Russia, Spain, Thailand and other countries have been subjected to terrorist slaughters. This week though, the nation has relived the memories and some of the questions from that day have been dragged back into our collective consciousness. Politicians nitpick and use the war to attack one another, but significant thoughtful discourse on what needs to be done is nowhere to be seen.

What will it take for this sort of discourse to return? I really do wonder, and I hope when it does that it will not be too late.

2006-09-08T20:57:00.000-05:00

On Twenty-something Disaffection

I'm one of the biggest Scrubs fans you will find anywhere. I liked Garden State, and I'm sort of looking forward to seeing The Last Kiss. But I still find this rundown of Zach Braff’s 10 Easy Tips for Writing Films About Twenty-Somethings® spot-on and amusing to boot.

2006-08-10T23:23:00.000-05:00

Hey government?

Listen to my phone calls. I really don't care. There's really nothing you are going to be that interested in hearing, unless you're into what colors bridesmaids' dresses should be and what my hubby and I should buy for the next baby shower gift and the latest so-called crisis at work.

But really....keep doing what you're doing. And keep catching these guys, okay?

(The libertarian in me is somewhat embarassed tonight and will return at an unspecified date in the future. Perhaps months after I've seen World Trade Center and ceased to be perturbed by today's revelations. War is hell, but what are you supposed to do when there are wackos like this out there planning to blow up thousands out of hate. I really don't know.)

2006-06-28T23:37:00.000-05:00

A Smidge of B-Ball

Is it wrong for me to think that the Magic and the Jazz were big winners tonight? I realize I am a biased observer here, but I am happy to see James Augustine and Dee Brown drafted in the first two rounds, although they were both taken a big low imho. And the prospect of Dee and Deron rushing down the court and playing off one another again gives me chills.

I'm already scheming up ways in my head to plan wintertime vacations to Utah (skiing?) and Orlando (Disney?). We shall have to see what transpires. Shannon Brown to Cleveland is also an intriguing posibility. I may have to start attending NBA games if all my favorite collegiate players keep graduating :)

I'm also getting ready to leave on a much-needed vacation tomorrow. This whole working 50 hours a week and trying to handle a graduate summer class thing...it's way overrated. Plus we've had a lot of minor, yet annoying health issues to deal with lately and have a surgery fast approaching here. Zoning out on a southeastern beach for a week starting tomorrow, but I may try to post a few thoughts if Internet access allows and my brain has sufficient unwound.

Happy Independence Day a bit early to you and yours!

2006-06-05T23:34:00.000-05:00

Big Day in Galesburg

Okay, so it's not exactly a post on something meaningful and important...but Stephen Colbert's commencement speech at Knox College this weekend was big news in these parts. You can read the whole thing on the Knox College website. The speech is really quite witty and is getting Knox some great national press this week.

A few choice excerpts:

"There are so many challenges facing this next generation, and as they said earlier, you are up for these challenges. And I agree, except that I don’t think you are. I don’t know if you’re tough enough to handle this. You are the most cuddled generation in history. I belong to the last generation that did not have to be in a car seat. You had to be in car seats. I did not have to wear a helmet when I rode my bike. You do. You have to wear helmets when you go swimming, right? In case you bump your head against the side of the pool. Oh, by the way, I should have said, my speech today may contain some peanut products."

"On a beautiful day like this I’m reminded of my own graduation 20 years ago, at Northwestern University. I didn’t start there, I finished there. On the graduation day, a beautiful day like this. We’re all in our gowns. I go up on the podium to get my leather folder with my diploma in it. And as I get it from the Dean, she leans in close to me and she smiles, and she says...[train whistle] that’s my ride, actually. I have got to get on that train, I’m sorry. [Heads off stage.] Evidently that happens a lot here. ..." (Incredibly funny only to those who are very familiar with Galesburg, Illinois)

"But the best reason for me to come to speak at Knox College is that I attended Knox College. This is part of my personal history that you will rarely see reported. Partly because the press doesn’t do the proper research. But mostly because…it is not true! I just made it up, so this moment would be more poignant for all of us. How great would it be if I could actually come back here—if I was coming back to my alma mater to be honored like this. I could share with you all my happy memories that I spent here in...Galesburg, Illinois. Hanging out at the Seymour Hall, right? Seymour Hall? You know, all of us alumni, we remember being at Seymour Hall, playing those drinking games. We played a drinking game called Lincoln-Douglas. Great game. What you do is, you act out the Lincoln-Douglas debate and any time one of the guys mentions the Dred Scott decision you have to chug a beer. Well, technically 3/5 of a beer. [groans from audience]

You DO have a good education! I wasn’t sure if anybody was going to get that joke."

Regardless of whatever Colbert's political stripes are, he is one funny guy and I thought he gave a thoroughly enjoyable and appropriate graduation address. And apparently last year's commencement speaker Barack Obama had a witty retort to Colbert's shtick...use hand sanitizer after the Pumphandle... I wish I could say the same for the speaker that Knox hopes to land next year. (Insert snarky comment about next year's graduates carrying the Purell here)

2006-05-17T19:46:00.000-05:00

And so it continues...

I'm having trouble keeping up with everything at the moment, but just wanted to check in. I've been so busy lately that National Review has redesigned their website, and I have no idea when. If you know me, that's somewhat uncharacteristic. But travel, finishing up my semester, overtime at work, some minor health problems...they can keep me away from the computer for extended periods of time. And don't even ask me how often I made it to the gym last month! But I do have opinions about certain things....immigration and the NCAA's ridiculous stance towards Chief Illiniwek are posts that I see coming in the near future.

My husband thought I was getting on here to complain about how Everwood has likely been cancelled for next year yet Seventh Heaven was renewed. Sadly, this is one of my more well-reasoned opinions at the moment. I'm still sort of sad the WB is going to be gone, as that network and its shows are so closely and fondly associated with my college years. On another note though, my guilty pleasure One Tree Hill was renewed and the promising What About Brian (yay for JJ Abrams dramas). Tradeoffs I suppose. My TV habit will likely continue.

Hope to be posting something thought-provoking soon.

2006-04-28T20:07:00.001-05:00

Returning

I've just experienced a couple VERY busy weeks -- attending a conference the past six days and all the related crazy hours at work that normally precede such a trip. Couple this with the fact that it's almost the end of the semester. I'm wrapping up a research project this week, which hopefully will leave me with a bit of downtime to enjoy (and blog) before summer classes begin. Looking forward to the breather!

As someone who digested about four newspapers AND flew on United this afternoon, I spent a lot of time today mulling Flight 93. The movie opens nationwide today, and the overall reviews have been very positive. In fact, Rotten Tomatoes has it at 93% positive at the moment. I think part of why I dwelled on it today was I was up in the air and spent a lot of time with security. In some respect, every time I have travelled since September 11th, I have thought about it. But today it just seemed particularly poignant somehow.

The reviews I read today were Canada Globe and Mail (3 stars - registration required), USA Today (4 stars), Chicago Tribune (4 stars), National Review. I'm not particularly wanting people to go see this movie to get angry or remember what the troops are fighting for at the moment. Rather, I'd recommend seeing it as a tribute, a reflection on the day, and a reminder that the problem sect of militant, radical Islamists has has not ceased to exist.

Darfur, Iraq, London, Bali, Egypt, Afghanistan, Iran, Beslan -- this sort of intolerance continues to rear its ugly head all around the world. We have been fortunate that planned attacks on American soil have not been successful since 2001. But it's all too clear that the problem has not disappeared. Are we going to be ready when it comes for us again? What can we do to help those it's coming for now? That's the question that sprung into my mind this afternoon. The Flight 93 passengers did not just sit back and wait for the "inevitable" to happen. Is that what we're doing now?

I doubt I will make it to the film this weekend, but I will see it soon...no matter how painful and disconcerting it might be. It's not too soon for America to reflect on this again. We need to have movies that deal with the difficult issues and truly make us think. Instead of focusing all our attention on high gas prices and how 'rough' we have it, perhaps we need to step back a bit and remember what that day felt like...and think about what we can do to stop people from feeling this way again.

2006-04-09T22:17:00.000-05:00

Da Bleachers

So I must report that Saturday afternoon I saw my first-ever baseball game from the Wrigley Field bleachers. Excuse me, now the newly-renovated Bud Light bleachers. But I must give the beer tycoons credit that the bleachers were a lovely place before the game got started. They were completely covered in beer and peanut shells by the end of the game...but such is life. In many ways at 28, I think I am a bit too old and boring for the most of the shennanigans that go on there...at least the ones that go on at bachelor parties seated directly to our right.

It was actually a pretty good game. A bit slow except for the Cardinals' 6th inning and the Cubs two home runs. We were sitting about 8 rows up between right/center field, and both the home runs came down within about 40 feet of us. We watched the game later on TIVO looking for ourselves, but we were only little flecks of blue and red, if anything, on the broadcast. It also didn't show the several cups of beer that we were showered with after the 2nd home run in the 8th -- intended for the Cardinals fan to our left.

We dressed for football game weather, but some ominous clouds rolled by and there was hardly a cloud in the sky by 1:20 pm. The sun kept us nice and toasty all game long and had us looking like lobsters by game's end. Even if the thermometer said 41F, it felt like 65F at times. However, I heard a much different story from my friend in the shaded stands who was frozen out before the 7th inning stretch. And guess who sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame"? John Cusack. Every girl who ever watched Say Anything as a teenager is swooning a bit right now, even if she won't admit it. Of course, we were about as far across the park as we could possibly be -- I got a better glimpse on TiVo after the game.

So anyways, I must thank my sister for a very enjoyable day at the ballpark. And for putting up with a bunch of overly-cocky, asinine Cubs fans running around Wrigleyville all afternoon. But all in all, fun game and the Cubs swept the series...a good weekend.

2006-03-30T21:15:00.000-06:00

Couple interesting links

Note 1: For once, I agree with the French -- Apple should shy away from such proprietary music formats . Although I don't necessarily support the government passing a law to BAN this format, I'd like to see the industry trend towards a universal digital music format in the near future. WAV, MP3, RealPlayer, ITunes...it's all a little much for me. I don't really blame the company for trying to get ahead of the curve and basically to pull a Microsoft on the industry. I just have trouble figuring out how the ITunes music format works in turns of burning CDs, putting it on non-IPod players. Part of this is that I simply don't have time to figure out digital music software, since the only time I mess with it is when I need new tunes to listen to while traveling.

I considered getting a IPod video this spring when I thought I was going to be traveling for work about a third of the time, but ultimately I decided they were overpriced and after some discouraging reports about battery life, I decided I'd rather have a player where I could just pop in a AAA battery when my juice ran out. I bought a SanDisk 512MB player for about $60, and I haven't had any problems yet.

Note 2: South Park last night on hybrid cars and the smog/smug associated with them was pretty darn humorous. At one point the smug from San Fransisco, hybrid-friendly South Park, and George Clooney's Oscar acceptance speech all came together to form a "perfect storm" in the west. Iain Murray has a great description of the episode and some commentary on the problems with expecting everyone to drive a hybrid at this point, noting that low-tech non-hybrid cars also play an important role in helping the poor enter the labor market and evacuate in the face of disasters.

Interesting thoughts for the evening...signing off. Between work and school, I'm a bit strapped for energy lately.

2006-03-22T20:09:00.000-06:00

Assorted thoughts....

Reviewing the blogs of PeoriaIllinoisian and Polly Peoiria this evening, I discovered a couple posts worthy of mention.

1) Visual proof that Bradley's NCAA tournament run may be over, as the Sports Illustrated cover jinx strikes again. Of course, Dee Brown had the cover all to himself last year, and Marcellus Sommerville is sharing it with players from a few other Cinderellas like George Mason...so possibly its effect will be lessened. I know a couple analysts have them picked to beat Memphis, and my husband had the Tigers going down already. Go Braves!

2) Great post linking to some of the rather amazing pictures of Springfield's tornado damage last weekend. (Then they got 10 inches of snow yesterday; bet those folks are loving Mother Nature right now). For readers familiar with this area, it ripped into the strip malls by White Oaks and Wabash road beyond it. The head was ripped off the Paul Bunyan like Lauterback man statue and the Barrelhead lost its roof. This picture might look familiar to some of my childhood friends and associates: the torn up signs for the Pasta House/old Fuddruckers and Best Buy. What is it with tornados ripping the roofs off electronics stores? If I recall right, a tornado in Bloomington did the same thing to Best Buy there about two years ago.

And as PeoriaIllinoisan notes, don't bother worrying about Governor HotRod! He wasn't in Springfield when it hit. Surprise, surprise.

3) As for Edwin Eisendrath, he may have only garnered 30% of the populace vote, but he's provided me with some amusement this evening. Check out the Blago Game. Can we leave this up until fall to help educate the people of Illinois? Hat tip to Polly Peoria as noted.

2006-03-19T21:25:00.000-06:00

Still Reeling

Both my brackets and my Illini pride are still reeling from this weekend's NCAA events. There are plenty of articles out there (Illiniwonk, Tupper) analyzing the foul disparity in the Washington game. I don't think that takes much away from Washington, they played a good game and made the necessary plays down the stretch. However, I was pretty sad to see James and Dee end their careers that way in a game that was less than a hard-fought, evenly-officiated battle.

Also, major props to Bradley and Wichita State for winning their way into the Sweet 16 today and doing their conference proud. These teams have played hard and exceeded their potential the past few days, and it's nice to see someone from the area doing that at this point in time. As for my Illini, there's always next year (or more likely the year after that). I am a Cubs fan after all; I know how this part works.

I hope to post more on the matter after I've had a day or two to digest, but I also have a massive midterm coming up early this week...so look for me Wednesday or later.

2006-03-17T17:23:00.000-06:00

Just a Game

While I realize that the NCAA tournament is just basketball and theoretically all in good fun, reading all the rabid Jayhawk fans commentary about rock-chalk and jayhawks at the Peoria Journal Star site has me rooting for an upset this evening. Go Bradley Braves! Do the Missouri Valley proud!

Have I mentioned this is my favorite weekend of the year? Tip-off starts in an hour again. Happy St. Patty's Day everyone!

Updated 11 pm CST: Booyah Braves! Bucknell Bill has transformed into Bradley Bill and his team has made its exit at the hands of another intrepid mid-major. Heck of game there Bradley. You can lose to Pittsburgh next round if you must, but you've done the Missouri Valley Conference proud and made a few alumni I know very happy campers this evening!

Although, I must note that this killed one of my brackets tonight. I very nearly put Pittsburg to the Sweet 16 in both sets, but I changed my mind in the more important one and changed it to Kansas losing in the Elite 8...because after the Missouri Valley tournament championship I was not very confident in BU's chances. But hey in this case, I can deal with being wrong even if it costs me bragging rights.

2006-03-15T22:02:00.000-06:00

Anticipation and frustration

Just spent forty-five minutes writing a nice long post on my brackets and finalizing them...and had it eaten by Blogger. Frustration. Too late to recreate the whole thing, but I will offer a Cliff Notes summary of what my post was about.

I'm still finalizing my brackets this evening and second-guessing my earlier picks. I'm having trouble picking upsets and who will make it to the Final Four. It seems like there are far too many teams this year that either could choke and fizzle out in the second round OR make it to the Final Four if they come to play. Duke, Villanova, Kansas, Texas, Gonzaga, and North Carolina are all giving me some fits.

My sister's boyfriend is headed up to Rochester Hills tomorrow to watch his alma mater try for the second-biggest Kansas upset of the century. Let's go Bradley Braves! I must confess that I have Kansas in the Sweet16 in the most of my brackets, but I will not be sad if this doesn't happen...the same way I will not be sad if Illinois advances past the Sweet 16. At this point, my Final Fours look like this: Duke, Pittsburgh, UConn, Villanova/Ohio State. I'm still mulling changing one of the Pittsburghs to Kansas or Gonzaga though. Or maybe UCLA or Memphis. See the trouble I'm having?!? The Oakland region clearly looks the weakest to me though - perhaps that's why I'm having such a hard time picking a winner for that.

Back to my dear Illini, I would not be surprised if Dee Brown and James Augustine come out like men on fire, playing to keep their NBA draft hopes alive. If everything clicks at the same time and the offense actually gels (like it had been doing decently in the Minnesota and Michigan State road wins at the end of the season), I could see Illinois edging Connecticut. That being said, I'd say the odds are 80%/20% against it happening, and my bracket reflects that fact. I'd be happy if my boys in orange proved me wrong!

Finally, I was recently made aware of Bracketography, a really cool site run by two old high-school acquaintances that was recently featured on ESPN2's Quite Frankly. While they didn't have a great year predicting the seeds and brackets, I think many of us will agree with them that the committee had to be smoking something this year when it made some of these decisions. Great place to consult for some last minute insight though, and I know that it's run by a few good people. Keep an eye on it, and remember me when you're rich and famous boys!

2006-03-10T22:11:00.000-06:00

Disappointment

I wouldn't mind being wrong about this one (like the Arizona miracle performance last year), but I'm close to giving up on the game this evening. My hubby likes to talk about how hard it is to beat a team three times in a year (let alone two times in a week), but this is still pretty disappointing. He's hollaring at the TV at the moment, but all Big Ten officiating stinks according to him.

Illinois has played a stellar game defensively, but this is the worst I've seen them look offensively (at least in the second half) in quite some time. While Michigan State is playing better than I've seen them do in a while, Illinois basically gave this game away with their freethrow missing and lack of good rebounding. While Dee has run the team well, you can't just offensively opt out for 90% of the games when you are the offensive firepower on the team.

Disappointing way to head into the NCAA tournament, but maybe this will help them to focus in the big dance. It's going to be tough filling out a bracket though, as I really don't have a clue where I think the Illini will exit. I could have sworn they would come out ready to play and had a decent victory this evening...because James and Dee have to be worried about their draft status at the moment. One thing's pretty much for certain...I don't plan on being in Dayton this next weekend, as I think there's about a snowball's chance in he-double-hockey-sticks of securing a #2 seed after this.

2006-03-09T21:00:00.000-06:00

Hey, I sat there and enjoyed it!

Big Ten Wonk / Nittany Lion lover David Jones: "Kudos to oracular Nittany Lion observer David Jones for coining the definitive term for today's festivities in Indy: for the first time in the conference tournament's history, Michigan State has indeed been 'forced to sit at the dork table in the Big Ten cafeteria.' The Spartans are playing on Thursday."

Penn State, Minnesota, and Michigan State have escaped today, while Northwestern, Purdue, and Michigan (bubble team so possibly) may have played their final game of the season. It's a bittersweet time of year here for Illinigirl, as the only sport I enjoy watching is about to wrap-up. But you know what that means! March Madness pools start Monday! I may set one up on Yahoo or CBS Sportsline and link to it here, so if you are inclined dear readers, fill out a bracket and play along!

On the other hand, we eagerly await tomorrow's Illini-MSU game. My husband is a bit anxious, as he thinks it's virtually impossible to beat a team three times in one year. However, I think the Illini deem this touranment title important in getting a good NCAA seed (perhaps a #2 in Dayton), and I think they will come out playing that way tomorrow. Only time will tell if my MSU-fan co-worker is bringing in the doughnuts for the fifth consecutive time in a row next week!

2006-03-08T18:14:00.000-06:00

Political catch-up

I had a challenging yet friendly comment on my Oscars post from Douglas early Monday that I feel compelled to respond to this evening. He'd been reading some of my posts back from 2002 and particularly noticed this comment:

"I think the vast majority of Americans respect Bush's presidency and will reward him with another term in two years."

He went on to ask if I still feel the same sentiment behind it, specifically the following: "Do you still support this man after Katrina, the Iraq fiasco, the ports give-away, the give-away of nukes to India, etc.?"

I thought it was an interesting question that deserved a response, as I do generally enjoy thoughtful debate of the issues. This blog used to be much more political in nature than it has been the past year or so. I will admit that I am less keen on this administration than I used to be. I've lost a lot of the fire in my belly over the past couple years, and I believe a lot of this is because I think they could have done things better. If not in execution, at least how they communicated their decisions and rationale to the nation. Most importantly, I don't feel like the president has tackled issues that I feel are important, such as Social Security and making permanent earlier tax reflief & reform.

There are a few major administrative accomplishments that please me. Numero uno -- the fact that we have not been sustained a terrorist attack on American soil since 9/11. Dos -- the fact that we have two new, extremely-qualified Supreme Court justices that I believe truly are concerned with upholding the Constitution as it is written.

As for the points that Douglas outlined, those are not major points of contention with me, as I'll outline below.

Katrina: Emergency response fell first within the jurisdiction of state and local authorities. I do think response could have been better executed on a federal level, and I hope planning for future disasters is improved in the future...but Bush or Michael Brown could have stopped the outdated levees from breaking. I was down there 18 months ago, and New Orleans knew it was horribly at risk when Ivan missed. I feel the biggest fault lies with evacuation plans and emergency response horribly executed at a local level.

Iraq: I am discouraged about recent events in Iraq, but more in the respect that I'm not sure that we get these people to accept democracy and modernity and quit viciously attacking one another. I realize it has been a costly effort both in terms of dollars and sacrificed lives, but I think the motives and intentions of the mission were good. If successful, I do feel this effort will benefit the world in the long run. Only time will tell.

Ports giveaway: I felt this story was an unfortunate entanglement, but partially the result of living in a global economy. UAE-owned DP World bought British Peninsular & Oriental. I'd be very concerned with screening the workers in case radicals slipped in under the original proposal. I'm actually feeling fairly comfortable with the turn-it-over-to-a-US-entity resolution that was reached today.

Nukes to India: Outsourcing the nuclear power that no Americans want in their backyard, helping power India's economy...doesn't bother me. India is our friend and ally, a great nation that peaceably blends Hinduism, Islam, and several other religions. I think they will do their best to protect the technology. In my opinion, they're one of the more trustworthy nations out there right now.

So overall, do I still support this man? I guess my answer is a qualified "sort of." I haven't changed my political stripes or beliefs, but I don't believe the administration has handled everything as well as they could. I'm not alone in that belief -- Red State and other seem to harbor many with similar sentiments. Do I believe we are better off than we would have been under a Kerry administration? Personally yes. I know others will disagree, but that's how I feel.

End of political post -- I've more than made up for my silence lately this evening.

2006-03-07T21:46:00.000-06:00

Billy in the Court of Law

"Mr. Madison, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."

Cited as a footnote by an actual judge in Texas bankruptcy court recently -- one of my favorite quotes from Billy Madison's "Jeopardy" sequence. I wasted far too many hours watching this movie the summer before I started college; it's nice to see that I'm not alone.

And if you need more SNL-related funnies this evening, may I suggest SNL's digital short of Natalie Mathers from Saturday evening. (Warning: lots of satirical bleeping ahead). Could Andy Samberg be the next Adam Sandler? Discuss.

2006-03-06T20:33:00.000-06:00

Sad Day for Twins Fans

I was a big tomboy back in elementary school, a died-in-the-wool Cubs fan who watched as many games as she could. But occasionally I would find myself rooting for other teams stars, and Kirby Puckett is one that I for some reason always remembered fondly. Puckett's death at 44 today following a stroke seems somewhat unfair, perhaps because he was so young, but it's a reminder of the fragility of our lives and that we should live every day to its fullest.

Updated: Okay, I had no idea that Puckett was of questionable character off the field until today, and I in no way endorse what was described in the allegations in this article. However, he did good things for his team and gave twelve year-olds like myself someone to root for...and I will remember him that way too.

2006-03-05T17:22:00.000-06:00

The Red Carpet

I really don't care much about the Oscars this year. I don't think I'm entirely alone in this sentiment, at least not in this neck of the woods, red-county-within-blue-state middle America where we are unhappy that Greys Anatomy has been pre-empted this evening for a night of self-congratulatory back-slapping by Hollywood. This Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn writer captures my sentiments on this Oscar night quite well, albeit a bit snarkily.

Part of this is because I haven't seen any of the Best Picture nominees. I basically quit caring after Walk the Line was shut out of the Best Picture race. I found that movie enjoyable and inspiring and thought-provoking, unlike much of the propaganda (again imho) nominated this year. My husband is more upset that some of his blockbuster favorites like The Chronicles of Narnia and Star Wars Episode III were shut out entirely. But we're both rooting for Reese Witherspoon to win best actress, so we may have to turn it on for a bit towards the end. I'm watching a bit E! at the moment, as I like seeing the dresses.

I was mildly interested in seeing Munich, but several of my Indian friends from work advised against it, saying it was violent, depressing, and lacking a point (in their opinions). I might see Brokeback Mountain once it comes out on video and I can fast-forward through certain scenes, but that's just the part of me that squirms at all graphic sex scenes in general. I am kind of rooting for Michele Williams to win best supporting actress. I always thought she and Josh Jackson were the creme de la creme of Dawsons Creek acting...although gosh I really do not love her pumpkin-dijon frock they just flashed onscreen.

But anyways, I do have an exciting evening planned regardless -- cooking a great dinner and watching my freshly-purchased Walk the Line DVD. So I'll at least be celebrating this year's best picture according of the illinigirl household!

2006-02-20T22:27:00.000-06:00

Thoughts on Sunday's Indiana game

Just a few brief notes on Sunday's game against Indiana. It was nice to see Illinois turn on the gas and not let a big lead slip away. It was nice to see Augie and Brian Randle come out of their shells and play like the confident, big men they are. It was nice to see Illinois shoot over 70% on free throws. It was nice to see Marco Thuggingsworth pretty much get shut down on the floor and get dunked over by Randle. Mark Tupper calls it a solid but not great performance, and I'm inclined to agree with him.

So overall, I must say that I enjoyed this game...but darn it if Illinois's offense isn't painful to watch these days. I must say that I agree with Big Ten Wonk's assertion that they are not confident in their outside shooting. I was guardedly optimistic about their progress earlier in the season, but I am a bit nervous these days. Here's to hoping that complete understanding and utilization of the motion offense lurks deep within these men and is just waiting to bust out as they start a tough 4-game stint against Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota, and Michigan State to end their season.

There are some great pictures -- tons of orange -- over at Illini Loyalty, if you are interested.

2006-02-20T22:19:00.000-06:00

Something of little importance but much emotional resonance

But I must say that Grey's Anatomy is one of my favorite diversions at the moment, and its writer's blog Grey Matter is to die for. (Although the web designer in me hates that the link has a different name than the page, but that's a whole other neurotic tangent).

What a neat idea to have the writers actually communicate with the fans this way. If only the fans had this kind of input a couple seasons ago, perhaps we could have saved Joey from that doomed hook-up with Dawson and gotten her back to Pacey a little sooner.

Now granted I know these are all fictional characters, but if you watch Grey's, how much did you feel for George last night? Almost everyone I know has misguidedly poured their hearts out to someone who did not love him/her back and had similarly disastrous results. I've sucked my husband into Lost now, and I'm getting closer to having him hooked on this dramedy as well.

2006-02-17T16:02:00.000-06:00

Perceptions

Meredith has introduced me to the Johari Window concept, and I must say that I am intrigued. This kind of reminds me of performance feedback at work -- an attempt to find out if others see you, your strengths, and your weaknesses the same way you see yourself. Interesting concept from a psychological point of view. I thought I'd put one together for myself, and you can fill it out if you are so inclined.

2006-02-14T22:10:00.000-06:00

happy heart day

So the blog has been inactive for a while. For once, it's not really work or school -- just a host of personal issues to deal with lately. It's made the last ten days of painful-to-watch Illini games look inconsequential and left me uninspired blogwise.

I won't go into all the details, but my husband lost a very young uncle last week, less than 2 weeks after he was diagnosed with lung cancer. I've had a loved one recenly diagnosed with lymphoma, and it just kind of hurts my heart to feel like there's so little I can do for her. It's all just kind of wait and see at the moment, determining whether she has a fighting chance or whether she is even up for visitors as she has started treatment. Granted she's had a good long life, but it's still kind of hard to accept the pain she's going through. All I can do is call, send cards, and pray for her...and somehow that's hard to accept.

I'm not really a believer that bad things happen in threes, but it's been one of the months when it feels like life has dealt you several crummy cards in the same hand. I'm trying to keep it all in perspective -- to the tune of God works in mysterious ways and he won't give me any more than I can handle. But I'm a control freak who hates feeling like there's little she can do, and I am struggling a little at the moment.

But regardless of all that, I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day. If you're one of my personal friends and loved ones (you know who you are), I didn't get cards sent this year but you are dear to me and in my thoughts. Somehow it also seems appropriate to count my blessings today: great friends, family, and a husband who surprised me with the works this morning (roses, candy, music, stuffed animals, et cetera) and shows me his love in all sorts of acts of kindness, patience, and support every day.

2006-02-09T22:28:00.000-06:00

Save Our Bluths Friday Night

For those of us who could probably not care less about the Olympics opening ceremonies (just how I feel), there is another wonderful television option tomorrow evening. Arrested Development's 2-hour finale will be airing on Fox. The episode features guest appearances by Judge Reinhold and William Hung, potential awkward romantic scenes between Jason and the guest-starring Justine Bateman, and incredibly misleading image of the cousins George Michael and Maeby Bluth at the altar in a tux and wedding gown.

I don't know how to explain the pure zaniness and humor that we find in this show. Except for maybe Scrubs, nothing has made me laugh so consistently over the past 3 years. Wanda at E Online has a column on its chances of return. If you're home tomorrow evening, help us send a message to the powers that be (Showtime and ABC specifically) to bring back this show -- watch Arrested Development on FOX.

2006-02-04T21:59:00.000-06:00

Unbelievable

For Illini fans in the house this evening, all good rides come to an end sometime. But to have a 33-game home win streak and have it end with such a questionable call? That really stings. For those who didn't watch, Illinois inbounded down one with 2.2 seconds remaining. Rich McBride hit the 3-pointer, but after review the officials said it had not left his hands and took it away. I'm not 100% convinced it was out of Rich McBride's hands at the buzzer, but from the angles shown...I'm just as unconvinced that it was IN his hands too. As my husband says, the NFL rule is to call it cautiously in the face of inconclusive evidence. I'm not sure that was the case tonight. Poor Rich played his heart out, and I really wish he got to be the hero this time.

That said, kudos to Penn State for playing a good game. Except that for a few players looking like jerks (Luber and the guy who got the double technical with Randle), Penn State was fairly clean and played a heck of a inspired game. Great shooting. Maybe they were emotionally unprepared after the win at Wisconsin, but it didn't look like most of the Illini really wanted it tonight. It was the stand around, pass, and watch offense at its worst. The bench was nervous from midway on...it looked like they were just preparing themselves. Illinois looked so offensively timid in the second half, and their defense was just not up to snuff. I was suprised that Dee Brown and/or James Augustine didn't step up and provide some senior leadership to seal it at the end here. And the ticky-tack fouls really have to come to an end. If Augie or Randle hadn't spent so much time on the bench, I doubt it would have been quite so close with 19 seconds to go.

Disappointing evening here, but I guess that's the way the cookie occasionally crumbles for everyone in the Big Ten these days. It is just a game...but as an Illini fan, I have been spoiled these past few years and generally enjoy them much more than this.

2006-01-29T20:24:00.000-06:00

Is SNL Getting Funnier?

My husband and I have been having this debate lately. The past two new episodes we've watched, those hosted by Scarlett Johansson and Peter Saarsgard, have actually been very funny.

Then someone at work forwarded me the Chronic(What?)cles of Narnia skit...and I must say it's worth a couple minutes if you haven't seen it yet. I'm not hip enough to know whose rap video it's ripping off, but it's funny just the same. Headphones strongly encouraged if you're at work.

And yes, I am online doing schoolwork today...hence my third post of procrastination this evening.

2006-01-29T17:15:00.000-06:00

Illinois's Saturday Showing Against Purdue

I must hand it to the Purdue Boilermakers -- they played pretty darn well yesterday considering they only dressed nine players for the game. Matt Painter has done a good job with this squad and the tough hand he's been dealt. The Boilermakers got off to a fast start at the Assembly Hall, and I believe they were leading for the first 10 minutes of the game. I was a bit concerned as Dee wasn't hitting his shots and the defense seemed a bit out of rhythm, both offensively and defensively.

Some of you may recall that Purdue was the last team to win at the Assembly Hall, 58-54 on at the beginning of Coach Weber's tenure two years ago. This was shortly after the locker room funeral for Bill Self and shortly before Illinois bought into the "motion offense" wholeheartedly. Given that Illinois has been struggling with the offense a bit since Big Ten play began this month, I was still on the edge of my seat well into the first-half.

It wasn't a fabulous game, but Purdue was playing well for its level of talent...and Illinois figured out what they had to do to win. Dee couldn't hit his 3s, so he started taking fast break opportunities. Rich McBride shot something besides a 3, which was refreshing to see. Brian Randle and Augustine both played well on defense, although the ticky-tack fouls they continue to draw are of some concern. Jamar Smith threw in a couple threes and even grabbed rebounds. Chester Frazier provided a spark of energy. Pruitt and Arnold didn't score much, but they got the job done inside.

Overall, no one had me raving after the game, but it was a fairly impressive, high-quality performance. True it was against a Big Ten basement dweller this year, but it was a fun game to watch. If Illinois can keep firing on all cylinders like this, it could make this week's game at Wisconsin pretty fun to watch. And to Purdue, many thanks for playing good clean basketball and putting forth such an impressive performance given the limited bench.

Off to Madison! As Mark Tupper so nicely puts it, the stage is set. If this team wants to be special, it has an opportunity to do so Tuesday night at 7 pm. Unfortunately, I will be arriving home about the time the game ends...but I will do my best to watch and comment in a timely manner.

2006-01-29T16:46:00.000-06:00

Unexplained absences & fondnesses

So yes, I have been offline for a few more days. It's been an eventful couple weeks here in Illinigirlland. I have officially became another year older, celebrated our one-year anniversary in our new home, happily learned that the hubby's ligament is not torn and surgery is being put on the back burner for a while, started up my night classes again, and just been swamped at work.

However, this swamping at work culminated in a trip to Vermont last week, and darn it if I am just not smitten with the place. Dean screams and bike trails aside, I really liked Burlington. I toured the Ben & Jerry's factory and sampled the fabulous new Dublin Mudslide flavor. I tried an assortment of stellar restaurants downtown near Church Street. The UVT campus was beautiful, and the scenery was gorgeous even in the midst of a January thaw. I can't imagine what it's like in the fall, but I hope to go back and see it sometime. I ran into a few hoity-toity East Coast university types, but I met just as many salt of the earth wonderful people in my work there.

Of course, some of this is perhaps colored by stellar shopping options available to this town of less than 60,000 residents. While I am somewhat of a cheapskate, I tend to have champagne taste on a soda pop budget and am a born shopper. As someone who drives 2 hours to Chicago for such window shopping, I may have been somewhat swayed by the sight of an Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn nestled away in such a charming little downtown.

I really only had one afternoon and a few dinners out to enjoy the town, as I was putting in 12 hour days, but my initial impressions were very positive. Enough navel gazing for the moment, just thought I'd offer up a quick update on goings-on to those who are intersted.

2006-01-17T21:20:00.000-06:00

Quick thought on tonight's Illini showing

I have been out this evening, so I'm just now in the process of watching the Illinois/Indiana game...in 4x speed on the DVR because I'd already heard the outcome.

I do have one point to make though. Anyone who calls themself an Indiana fan should be embarassed to have such a classless thug as Marco Killingsworth winning games for their team. As my hubby pointed out, he should have been tossed from the game with his second (uncalled) technical throwing the ball at Pruitt with 2:40 left in the first half. His third (uncalled) technical came before the end of the first half when he blatantly slapped Warren Carter.

This my friend, is why I despise Indiana, Mike Davis, and all the dirtiness this program recently represents. Relying on cheap, dirty transfers to come in for a year and magically save your team's season. (Apologies in advance to my one Hoosier fan friend Julie, but that's how I perceive it). And it makes me appreciate programs like Tom Izzo's Michigan State squad all the more. Even Tommy Amaker and his Michigan squad seem far and away cleaner players. Iowa didn't play this dirty. Heck, who doesn't look good when up against this kind of sportsmanship?

I haven't seen enough of Illinois's play to comment at this point. I'm disappointed, but much less than I was with the outcome of the Iowa game. Two-point Big Ten road losses, while not two-point Big Ten road wins, are respectable these days...but not dominating performances like those put forth by last year's squad. My feeling is that Illinois still has a lot of work to do offensive and definitely on free throws, before they can be a real Elite Eight contender in March.

2006-01-08T18:27:00.000-06:00

It was the best of games...

Then it was the worst of games. If Dickens wrote about basketball, he couldn't have composed this one better. After Dee's amazing performance and the Michigan State victory Thursday, Illinois looked terrible losing up at Iowa less than 48 hours later. It seemed apparent that this first loss was inevitable -- given the high quality of Big Ten Play, this was probably going to happen sooner or later. But in my husband's opinion, it shouldn't have happened like that.

That game was just horrendous to watch. I was at home watching it most of the first-half, and no one on either team could find the basket for minutes at a time. My hubby actually questioned whether the rims had been adjusted/tightened at both ends of the court. Well if that was the case, Iowa figured out how to make adjustments and actually went on a few scoring runs in the second half. No one from Illinois could come close to making that claim other than James Augustine, who fortunately broke out of his funk but unfortunately spent about half the game on the bench in foul trouble. I was a stamping party (I'm quite the domestic maven when I have time to do so), and I actually quit watching with several minutes left to play. It's easy to forget what that's like when your favorite basketball team has only lost five times in the past two years.

As Mark Tupper notes, this game exposed the flaws in Illinois's play that we already knew about, flaws that have made fans nervous during the first fifteen games. Tepid offense, horrible free-throw shooting, a tendency to stand there and look at Dee to make things happen. But as he also notes, Weber is too good a coach to let these things go on unaddressed. Hopefully they will make some progress before next Saturday's games against Michigan and the January 17th session at Indiana. We shall see.

2006-01-05T22:09:00.000-06:00

Sweeeeeet

What a game! A defensive slugfest so to speak, somewhat of a nailbiter until the last two minutes, but that was some quality Illini basketball. 60-50 Illinois -- it turns out my prediction was not quite generous enough. I am a bit concerned about the offense, but it did seem like it started to gel in the last ten minutes of play. And I heart Rich McBride hitting those three pointers when they were needed. Keep it up big guy, we need you!

Thanks to Dee's unbelievable 34 points and an impressive defensive effort, I do not have to buy the Krispy Kremes tomorrow. As always, I salute Michigan State for being a class act...with one exception. Paul Davis and his repeated dirty digs at Augie were not well recieved at my house. Other than that...hoorah for a great game. Bring on the rest of the Big Ten, and let's see what Illinois can do in terms of a team offensive effort. ILL!

P.S. Just trolling message boards for post game feedback, and I had to amend this post to salute another class act. Mr. Daniel Brown in the Daily Illini -- thanks all his coaches and teammates and then drops this quote below. Illini fans can read the whole letter here.

"To all the fans I have to say this: Thank you so much for the support and love you have not only for me, but for the whole program. To see orange on road trips, sellouts at The Hall, fans traveling around the country, it means so much to us and YOU are the reason we compete at such a high level. Love always outweighs the hate, positive overshadows the negative, and in this business when expectations aren't met or struggles occur, what keeps me motivated and positive are the fans that wear my shirt, jerseys and hats. I really appreciate that, and it's really a blessing to play in front of wonderful fans that care about the program and this kid who wears a headband.

I have to say that if it weren't for the love I have for the coaching staff, Athletic Director Ron Guenther, the fans and the excitement of playing in The Hall, I would have gotten an agent and turned pro. The University of Illinois was so deep in my heart, and God made me understand how much love people have for me. Well guess what? I love y'all too!

I knew by coming back to school it would only help me send a positive message to the youth that education is essential. If people don't think I'll be a pro, I still can smile and say I have my degree from one of the best public universities in the country.

I hate to say this, but I'm kind of glad I broke my foot last summer because it made me a better person and made me realize my destiny and purpose in life. Thank you for the opportunities, and I will forever love the University of Illinois. I hope No. 11 lives on after I'm gone. Until then, I will continue to play my hardest and represent my school."

2006-01-04T20:36:00.000-06:00

On a more serious note

I wanted to note that I will be praying for Ariel Sharon tonight, as it has been reported that he suffered a massive stroke this afternoon and is clinging to life. While I don't necessarily think Israel is blameless in the current Middle Eastern situation, he has always struck me as an admirable, well-meaning man trying to do what he feels is right.

On a related note over at Opinion Journal, Mark Steyn has a long, thoughtful, distrubing piece on the greatest threat to Western Civilization. The declining birthrates in Western nations, the skyrocketing birthrates in radical Islamite countries, and the misguided notion that we should not be intolerant of any beliefs, even horrible ones that encourage suicide bombings and Islamic legal codes that allow for men to rape women at will. I cannot do the piece justice in my description as I have limited time available tonight. However, I encourage you to read and consider Steyn's arguments. It makes one of the better cases I have seen for actively encouraging liberty, democracy, and modernity in Radical Islam practicing nations.

This piece should make anyone who values their freedoms as a human, as a citizen of a democracy, or as a Christian stand up and take note. On a lighthearted note, it also makes me want to have lots and lots of babies. But pretty much everything does lately.

2006-01-04T20:09:00.000-06:00

Big Ten play starts tomorrow...

...Big Ten play starts tomorrow! And not with a whimper but with a bang, as last year's conference Final Four contenders take one another on at the Assembly Hall in Champaign. It's a game I always look forward to, because try as I might to detest them because they are the enemy tomorrow night, I deeply respect Tom Izzo and his program. (This is basically the consensus in Illini Nation as well, as this thread over at IlliniBoard demonstrates). I can't get as excited about Indiana and Iowa because I just don't like their coaches and leadership quite so much.

Michigan State is a high-quality team. They've had two losses to good teams (Gonzaga and Hawaii) as their record states, but without Dee Brown's heart a few key free throws, Illinois could have the same win-loss numbers. Michigan State also owns clutch wins Arizona and Georgia Tech. With the exception of North Carolina and perhaps Xavier, Illinois has not seen what they can do playing a team of this caliber yet.

All that being said, I have to believe that this team has improved substantially in the past month or so since squeaking by Xavier. Dee has really started to gel at point guard, and the defensive intensity witnessed in the first half of the Illinois / Tennessee Martin game was incredibly impressive. If Illinois comes out with that defense tomorrow night -- if Augie and Randle can both control their men -- I think Illinois could surprise everyone and put out a very impressive showing. If Dee keeps running things like he's doing or Rich McBride has another hot shooting game, who knows what could happen. A win against MSU tomorrow would definitely silence some of the naysayers and force the ACC/Big East loving pundits to take this team seriously. I'm pretty sure it will be a hard fought battle, but ultimately this game is at Assembly Hall and I think Dee and boys want this one too much. With the sea of orange all hyped up, I'm going to basically agree with Mark Tupper and predict a 5-point victory for Illinois decided in the last few minutes of the game.

I do have a veiled interest in tomorrow night's game. Two boxes of doughnuts for my coworkers and the opposing screen's team saver on our monitors for a day per point of the victory margin ride on the outcome of this one. Let the game begin! As my favorite Illinois underclassman Jamar Smith said at practice Monday, "I’m pretty sure it’s going to be bananas!”

2006-01-02T21:44:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year!

I mulled a post about the best and worst of 2005 most of the weekend. Other than pop culture hits and misses, it was hard to categorize everything into bests and worsts. Instead, I'll just offer up some things that will stand out in my memory about 2005. Not necessarily the best or worst or most important things, but things that resonate in my mind in no particular order. Keep in mind that I don't get out much or stay that abreast of the newest trends unless they are televised.

Favorite TV Shows of 2005: American Dreams (RIP), Arrested Development (SaveOurBluths.com), The Comeback (RIP), Entourage, Everwood, Gilmore Girls, Grey's Anatomy, Jack and Bobby (RIP), Joan of Arcadia (RIP), Lost, My Name is Earl, Scrubs, Six Feet Under (RIP)

Favorite Movies of 2005: Mad Hot Ballroom, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Star Wars Revenge of the Sith (in there for the hubby), Walk the Line, 40 Year Old Virgin. (I really didn't see many movies this year. To be fair, I think Chronicles of Narnia, A History of Violence, Kung Fu Hustle, Me You and Everyone We Know, Munich, Shopgirl, and several other films might have made this list if I'd seen them)

Least Favorite Movies of 2005: Fever Pitch and Must Love Dogs. Promising films that could have been much better, just disappointing given the actors.

Favorite Albums of 2005: From Under the Cork Tree (Fall Out Boy), Wreck of the Day (Anna Nalick), Illinoise (Sulfjan Stevens), Why Should the Fire Die? (Nickel Creek), Nothing is Sound (Switchfoot)

Moments to Remember from 2005:

Watching the New Orleans levees break and the stranded citizens after Hurricane Katrina. Feeling pretty dismayed because New Orleans had known what could be in store for them...but the evacuation failed, mass chaos and calamity ensued regardless.
Meeting my friends' adorable babies -- and coming to terms with the fact that many of my friends are now having babies! Max, Yeva, Elizabeth, and Mason, welcome to the world!
Watching the Supreme Court nominations unfold after O'Connor's retirement and Rehnquist's passing. The process was somewhat messy, but overall I was pleased with the well-qualified justice and nominee that were eventually put forth.
Witnessing Mike and Alecia's lovely wedding at the Wash U chapel in St. Louis and the wonderful weekend, road trip, and company associated with the event.
Watching Illinois come back from 15 down to defeat Arizona in an incredible performance, after even I had written them off on my blog.
Vasher's 108-yard punt return during the Bears-49ers game this fall.
Visiting the Atlantis resort in Nassau and snorkeling off Port Lucaya with my family this spring.
Thanksgiving weekend in Ohio with my mom's extended family. It was an annual trip growing up, but I never really realized how special it was until we were able to reassemble the whole crew for the first time in ten years.
Feeling a bit sad when the Nick and Jessica separation was announced Thanksgiving weekend. The hubby and I were married just a few hours before them in 2002, so I was pulling for them to make it.
Pope John Paul's passing and Pope Benedict XVI's selection. I'm not Catholic, but it was fascinating to witness from a historical perspective.
Watching coverage of the Pakistan earthquake in October and realizing how many thousands perished there...
Seeing the sheer joy on the faces of Iraqis after voting in their election this December and realizing just how many Americans, myself included, take this privilege for granted.

Have to work tomorrow, so that's it for now but I will try to return soon.

2005-12-15T23:27:00.000-06:00

Argh...

Semester is almost over. Final paper turned in? Check. Finance spreadsheets? Finished. Studying for an exam tomorrow that's almost half my grade? Uh, just starting that one. It's 11:30. Not my finest hour.

Luckily, I did work a bunch of the covered problems earlier in the week before writing madness set in. I do also have all day to study before an evening exam tomorrow. There's a pesky little thing called work in the way, but I only have to do that until noon.

Wish me luck and some energy. Even more energy to get my house cleaned for company Saturday night. Is Christmas here yet? With the semester truly over, I hope to soon resume light blogging (do I have any other kind lately?).

There's lots to blog about though. Good news from Iraq. Josh on John Mayer, which cracked several of my coworkers up yesterday. (But I do own a Jack Johnson CD now, so I can't talk. It's quite soothing and good for making me sleepy at work). All sorts of good stuff witnessed lately by the Illini basketball team. Eric Gordon, Billy Cole, the game against Oregon where it all started to come together. Hope to see you back here soon.

2005-11-20T18:57:00.000-06:00

On the NCAA's recent Illini verdict

I must give the Bloomington Pantagraph props for pointing out that Illinois is no different than Florida State's Chief Osceola except Chief Illiniwek has no Illini tribe to ask for support.

It's a good sensible editorial, at least according to my Fox-descendant hubby. Incidentally, he's not one you really want to get started on this subject, although it might make for an entertaining guest blog someday.

2005-11-19T21:35:00.000-06:00

Privilege, Sam's Club & Pro-Family Policy

I noted several months ago that I'd been reading Ross Douthat's book Privilege: Harvard and the Education of the Ruling Class. It's a highly entertaining, somewhat insightful book that I'd recommend as a look at contemporary college life and snootiness within the Ivy League dwellers. A couple weeks ago, I stumbled upon a piece he wrote with Reihan Salam called "The Party of Sam's Club: Isn't it time Republicans did something for their voters?". I'm convinced it's one of the more insightful conservative policy-related pieces I have read lately.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not one of those Chicken Little, "the sky is falling" conservatives. I realize that economies are cyclical, but I also agree with their point that recent research has indicated that Americans' incomes are not keeping pace with inflation at the moment. Paychecks aren't going as far these days. Lost manufacturing jobs are often replaced with more low-paying service jobs, and this is ultimately causing economic uncertainty for the middle and working class. While I support free market economic policies and think ultimately the entire world will be better off with them in the long run, I understand that American families right now are concerned about making ends meet for housing, food, transportation, paying for college tuition, and saving for retirement.

I won't waste time summarizing it in depth, but the basic jist of it? Given the political landscape at the moment and the fact that Bush seems set on remaining a "big government conservative", why not develop a coherent and sustainable "pro-family" agenda for the second term? Don't dwell on class warfare, but instead provide family-friendly assistance such as generous tax-credits related to child rearing, market-friendly health care reform, discouraging illegal immigration, and changing our approach to taxes. I lack the time to do it justice analysis-wise, but it's definitely worth a read for political wonks.

(And yes for those of you who are wondering, I'm technically online to do research for paper at the moment. Hence two posts tongiht. Obviously I'm being very productive...sarcasm intendcd)

2005-11-19T21:06:00.000-06:00

One down, three dozen to go

Yes folks, it's college basketball season again! I couldn't let Illinois's first regular-season basketball game pass without comment. Earlier this week, Mark Tupper ran a commentary on the swagger that Dee Brown was hoping to see from Augie and the younger Illini-men. That article noted that Augustine had the attitude in several key performances last year, particularly in the Big Ten Tournament and early NCAA games, where he did just that.

My husband and I were at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis for the games against Farleigh Dickinson and Nevada, games in which Augie played like a man on fire. He had the superstar treatment that night -- the crowd roaring and chanting his name the whole evening -- and he seemed to revel in it at the time. That was one of the things that made his lackluster play later in the NCAA tournament even more confusing and disappointing. But the guy seems to have a good attitude though it all. I can't help but dig him.

That said, I was greatly encouraged to hear about Augie answering Dee's challenge and "playing with swagger" in Illinois's 90-65 win over South Dakota State last night. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to catch the game, but Mark Tupper has the high and low lights. Here's another take from the Herb Gould at the Sun Times as well. It appears that Shawn Pruitt and Rich McBride were pretty impressive in their first starting performances, while Dee Brown had some lackluster play most of the night.

But overall, Tupper notes that it was far from perfect but a decent start. They don't have last year's rhythm down, the motion offense isn't gelling yet, too many turnovers and not enough assists. Obviously they aren't going to be last year's team. They aren't going to go 37-2. They are going to lose, and my couch will have to adjust to more abuse from my husband. But I really enjoy Bruce Weber, his style, and the attitude he's imparted into his teams. Somehow, I have confidence in this coach. I expect to see them overachieve and eventually surpass expectations...but it may take some time. Until then, it should be fun to watch!

2005-10-24T22:51:00.000-05:00

To paraphraise Twain...

The rumors of the death of the Illinigirl blog have been greatly exaggerated. I am still around as is my forlorn, rarely posted-upon site. I have had a heck of a busy month, personally, professionally, and academically as well. Let me tell you, this balance is getting tougher and tougher to achieve.

On the personal side, I have had quite a few lovely visitors in town, kept up a busy social calendar with friends from church and work, attended my five-year college reunion, and spent quite a bit of time with family. Illinihubby and I are getting ready to celebrate our third anniversary this week, which we still find unbelievable. Time really is flying!

On the professional side, I have received a promotion of sorts the past few weeks. No additional prestige or money, but more responsibility as I have taken the reins on a project and become a mentor for someone in my area.

On the academic side, school is just kicking my tail. Not because it's so hard, but because midterms have been demanding an inordinate amount of study time the past few weeks. If I had about 40 hours in my day, I'd be enjoying it. :)

But if nothing else, let me allay your fears to report that Illini basketball starts in just about a week. My fan perspective on Dee, Augie, and the new crew will be reported to at least some degree. We were hoping to attend the Orange and Blue scrimmage this Friday evening, but out tickets fell through. In the meantime, Mark Tupper will keep us in the loop with the latest on Bill Selfish's magical recruitment of Sherron Collins, the misfortune that b-ball recruit Eric Gordon had in attending Saturday's Homecoming football massacre by Penn State, and any other exciting developments. Until then...

2005-09-25T15:32:00.000-05:00

Fall TV Part I

I've been a bit overwhelmed at the prospect of blogging lately. It's not so much the task itself or the writing. It's the daunting prospect of getting my thoughts on important subjects organized enough to express them in a logical, informed manner. This is somewhat difficult given my schedule at the moment, as work has picked up dramatically at the same time as my family commitments, graduate classes, club meetings, church business, and other things in my life at the moment. So when I do get a few free moments to myself, it's hard to hype my tired little brain up for blogging.

But I'm rarely too tired to veg out in front of the TV for a little R&R. So here I am to blog about what I know well at the moment -- fall TV premieres. My husband and I rely on television for a lot of our entertainment. Not the kind of TV that you just flick channels and happen to watch for hours on end (although I love HGTV for this purpose), but of particular television programs. Somehow be it in book or television or movie or comic strip or comic book format, we are just big fans of serial storylines. He tends more towards sci-fi shows while I tend more towards dramas...and we both enjoy a good comedy to make us laugh on a regular basis.

Given our busy schedules right now...we videotape a bunch of things and plow through shows that we both like on the weekends. The summer was pretty easy...because there wasn't much that we both enjoyed watching. Other than a guilty pleasure episodes of the Real World and Hogan knows best, we both really enjoyed HBO's Sunday night line-up of Six Feet Under, Entourage, and The Comeback (RIP). I also caught a few episodes of the thoughtful and well-done Iraq war dramatization Over There on FX, and that was about it for summertime.

The fall viewing season has made things more complicated though, as we have way more shows we are interested in viewing and many are stacked up against one another (particularly Monday and Thursday nights). Hence here I am to provide a little commentary and insight on the shows I have seen so far. Anything I mention here is worth giving a chance, unless otherwise noted.

Sunday -- We'll be watching Desparate Housewives this evening, possibly some snippets of Grey's Anatomy while half-working. My household is always tuned to the Simpsons at 7 pm. In terms of new shows, we've watched The War at Home twice. The pilot was clever, the second episode not so. I've seen it described as a cross between Married With Children and Everybody Loves Raymond. It's politically incorrect as all get out, but still somewhat amusing. The verdict is still out as to whether it's too crass for my tastes.

Monday -- This looks to be the evening where quality comedies will all be on at the same time and slay one another. Arrested Development is one of our absolute favorite shows. If you enjoy challenging comedy with a touch of sarcasm, please turn it on and give it a chance! It needs all the help it can get ratingswise. I will warn you it's one of those shows with lots of inside jokes regarding past episodes -- consider renting the DVDs of the first couple seasons if you want to catch up.

Kitchen Confidential's premiere was humorous if a bit predictable. Bradley Cooper from (Wedding Crashers, Jack & Bobby, Alias) is charming though, and I think it shows promise. Against it up on CBS, we have How I Met Your Mother featuring Willow from Buffy (Alyson Hannigan) and Doogie Howser MD. Nice comedic timing and really cute show. Why put some of the best new shows up against one another? I just don't think I will ever understand network execs.

Tuesday -- Of course, there's the ever-watchable Gilmore Girls. At this point, it's looked forward to by both members of our household. As a huge Kevin Smith movie fan, I also forced my husband to give My Name is Earl a try. Kind of hokey but also charming and amusing. I understand that the premise of a redneck lottery winner trying to make amends with everyone he's ever wronged in his life may not appeal to everyone...but darn it if that show didn't just work.

That's it for this post, but hopefully I'll get around to blogging the rest of the week soon. Anyone else seen an interesting show they'd like to comment on?

2005-09-11T22:07:00.000-05:00

Note of Remembrance

Just a quick note of prayer and remembrance tonight for the families who lost loved ones four years ago today. Hard to believe that it has been quite that long. Some days it feels like a lifetime ago and sometimes it feels like yesterday. However it's starting to slip into our national consciousness sort of like a Pearl Harbor, a D-Day, a day in the past on which we fly flags to remember but are less likely to consider its true emotional impact. Still, I am thankful that today was a relatively uneventful day...and I remember the thousands that perished and others that have put their lives on the lines since to keep America safe.

Michelle Malkin and Instapundit have nice link round-ups for anyone who is interested.

2005-09-03T22:31:00.000-05:00

Hail to the Chief

I can't remember a time when William Rehnquist was not Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. He'd been on the Supreme Court since 8 years before I was born. I was about 8 years old when he was elevated to the post by President Reagan, so the words "Chief Justice" and "Rehnquist" are somewhat synonymous in my mind.

That said, my heart just sank when my husband came downstairs and told me the news that Rehnquist passed away today. Still all things being equal, it's how I always imagined he would go. Especially since his cancer diagnosis, I have just imagined him working up until the very last second he was able...assumedly because he could not step away from work of such significance. Fittingly enough, I was working to draw up a contract of sorts for our junior high Sunday Schoolers when I heard the news.

Sadly enough, the AP has already started to politicize his loss. The article linked to off Drudge Report editorializes Rehnquist's key career accomplishments as "oversaw the court's conservative shift, presided over an impeachment trial and helped decide a presidential election." Nevermind that these are merely a journalist's opinons and regardless of political position, this was a civil servant and an honorable man who donated decades of service to establishing law and upholding justice in our nation. That's how I will remember him. Rest in peace Justice Rehnquist.

2005-08-31T23:21:00.000-05:00

No Relief

So I almost got on Monday night and blogged that it appeared my fears had been unmerited and New Orleans had been spared Hurricane Katrina's wrath. I decided not to because I didn't want to jinx the situation. Alas, one of the worst-case scenarios with the levy breach has come to pass and the pictures coming out New Orleans are devastating. Not to mention the basic leveling and devastation that the Gulfport Mississippi area seems to have suffered.

I've been trying to reconcile the horror stories with my simple, fortunate day-to-day existence at the moment -- in all its 9 hours of work with a lovely house to go home to, a yard to putter around in, and Felicity reruns to watch -- and it's just hard to really grasp the devastation down there. My prayers go out to all those who are stranded, awaiting rescue, without a home, or have lost someone in the last three days. I can't even grasp what it must be like. Watch enough news right now, and it will remind you that high gas prices are nothing in comparison to what these people are facing.

There are some interesting questions about if and when New Orleans will rebuild. I have a friend who used to be in the military who said tonight that rebuilding the city on top after it has been flooded with the "toxic soup" of lake water, refinery offshoots, sewage, and decay would be against every EPA regulation in the book. Granted there's a good argument to be made that a city that could potentially suffer hurricanes should never be built in a bowl below sea-level. I have such fond memories of the city though that it's going to be difficult to imagine it not being rebuilt. My husband and I left on our honeymoon cruise from that port after a whirlwind two-night tour of the French Quarter, Pat O'Brien's, and Cafe DuMonde. I spent a week at a conference there last year during which we sampled all sorts of wonderful local cuisine - from the Redfish Grille to Mr B's Bistro to Emeril's NOLA to K-Pauls. Sure it was smelly and sweaty and had its share of problems...but it was a charming place to visit nonetheless. I wish all its residents, past and present, some relief this evening.

2005-08-28T21:14:00.000-05:00

Prayers for the Big Easy

Major prayers tonight going out to the City of New Orleans and its inhabitants. I happenned to be in the Big Easy last year after the near miss with Hurricane Ivan. Just around that time I toured the hurricane preparedness center down there and viewed a variety of simulations of what would happen if a weak Category 3 storm hit the city dead-on. I believe they'd predicted 19 feet of standing water on Poydras Street in that scenario.

For those who aren't familiar with the city, New Orleans is basically a giant hollow bowl below sea level. There are approximately 19-feet levies surrounding most of the city to block storm surge...but right now Katrina's is predicted to be 28-feet. A direct hit would leave incredible structural damage and the city would be submerged in several feet of toxic sludge for weeks. I'm not sure where a preferable alternative strike location would be, but my prayers are definitely with anyone hunkering down there this evening...especially those with no way to evacuate the city.

2005-08-28T20:45:00.000-05:00

Personal update

So I just realized that the blog has been dormant for almost 3 weeks. If it's not one thing, it's another at the moment. I finished up finals for a killer summer session class and at about the same time Illinihubby took an injury to his right foot during a rec league flag football game. After an initial doctor visit and two weeks of crutches with little improvement, we found out that he really has stress fractures in two metatarsals...so we're in for a few more weeks of this.

You don't realize how much your spouse does around the house until they're laid up. Suddenly I'm the chauffeur, gardener, and runner of all errands in the household. Couple this with the fact that I've lived a wussy-girl existence and never mowed a lawn before last week and we hosted two parties the past three weeks, and it's a bit overwhelming. All part of that for better or worse bit though, so I'm happy to oblige.

That being said, my class schedule has settled down a bit and his foot is improving. I'm hoping to be online a bit more in the next few weeks. I've just got to figure out what I'd like to cover. I'm leaning towards a more local, economic, and pop culture focus at the moment. As much as I'd like to, I don't have the time required to do the thoughtful analysis that would be required for intelligent posts on the war and political issues. We'll see though, as the Roberts confirmation business should provide some interesting fodder in weeks to come. And of course the Illinigirl household is waiting with baited breath to see what happens with Illinois's appeal to the NCAA. If the university has to change its nickname, does the state have to change its name as well? Because that's the only way that ruling makes much sense. Coverage (and perhaps a guest column by Illinihubby on the matter) soon to come here at Illinigirl, stay tuned!

2005-08-08T22:10:00.000-05:00

Comic relief

I received this article about Kim Jong-il from a coworker a couple days ago, and on first glance I thought it was from The Onion. Did you know that Kim hit 11 holes-in-one during his first round of golf? And he memorizes computer programs and cemetaries full of tombstones in one fell swoop!

For those who are interested in more satire and irony, Team America: World Police does a fabulous send-up of our favorite Korean dictator. Aside from sending Hans Blix down a chute to meet some sharks, Kim is loveable little furball whose rendition of "I'm so wonwey" steals the show. North Korea attempted to ban the film several months back in the Czech Republic of all places, because it harms their image. Well, it doesn't call Kim Jong-il a superhuman like their local squawk box, so we'll just assume it's not up to snuff.

Just a little random humor from a sleepy woman trapped deep in the throes of final exam writing and needing a little levity at the moment.

2005-08-01T21:08:00.000-05:00

Really...

Other than buying cars, I do things with my life at the moment. Really! Right now they involve 40 hours of work each week and way too much time with my nose stuck in Harvard Business Review and Business Week. The class I've been taking since early July is a bear, and it's been eating up most of my time and desire to...well basically to think.

It seems this is a pattern in the blog world. A lot of the bloggers that I "came in" with have either closed up shop, combined to a group blog, or are taking hiatuses because their lives demand it. Some are child related, some work, some health, some other. I really enjoy having this little blog as my soapbox and way of communicating with many friends and family, but I don't have the time I'd like to devote to it at the moment. Things should improve a bit in a few weeks, but I'll post sporadically as I'm able in the meantime. Hope all is well with you readers!

P.S. We are still enjoying the new "baby" and got 26.4 mpg on our trip down to Central Missouri this weekend...so hooray for Honda and our new little CR-V!

2005-07-17T20:45:00.000-05:00

Finally

A decision has been reached, and a purchase has been made.

From this...

To this...

2005 Honda CR-V SE in Pewter Pearl. The deciding factor over the Mitsubishi Outlander ended up being the lack of a center console, blue-grey color that I really liked, and better resale. We haven't had it long yet, but we're happy so far! It's the first car with "fun" features that I've ever had -- sunroof, leather, CD changer, and heated seats -- not to mention air conditioning...so I doubt the novelty will wear off anytime in the near future.

Now that the car drama is over, I hope to find some time for real postings in the near future. The summer class drama continues though, so posting still may be a bit light for a few weeks. See ya!

2005-07-13T19:51:00.000-05:00

A Not-So Difficult Choice

There's an interesting article up over at NRO by Alykhan Velshi, a student at the London School of Economics. Velshi has some experience with radical Islamist groups at his university in London. He writes intelligently about the choice facing young Muslims today -- the need for moderate Muslims to "openly repudiate Islamist extremism" in light of the recent attacks on Spain, London, and the United States. It's a good read IMHO, and I recommend checking it out.

2005-07-11T19:21:00.000-05:00

Vehicle Run-Down

For those who actually have an interest in such things, Illinifam still hasn't purchased the new vehicle yet. Instead of blogging, I've been spending my few free moments between work and school running around town to dealerships...a few outside of town even. After almost a month of test-driving, it appears we may have narrowed down the field to one car. Or three. It depends on when you ask me. I'm really not good with decisions sometimes, as I like to overanalyze things on occasion.

I think some of my issues are that I see this as my one fun vehicle where I can get some of the features I want before being practical. My parents swear I will want a minivan someday, but I can't see it happening soon. We're hoping to start a family within three years or so though, so I still have to keep safety ratings and carseats and the like in mind. I don't want to spend a ridiculous amount of money, but this is the one vehicle I kind of get to choose for me...so I should like it right? Also, I like boxy cars and wanted something that sits higher off the ground, so that eliminated a few well-recommended choices like the Santa Fe and Malibu Maxx. All that being said, here are my thoughts on some of the vehicles we've driven.

Pontiac Vibe -- I have always liked the design of this vehicle, and it's what I thought I was going to buy. It drove fairly nicely and had a decent amount of pep, but it just ended up being way too small for my husband.

Mazda 6 wagon -- Nice little wagon but the hubby kept hitting his head at every bump. I kind of liked it though. Definitely had that Mazda zoom zoom factor. I think I'm more a station wagon person than a minivan somehow.

Mazda Tribute -- Solid smallish utility vehicle with a peppy engine. I really liked it on first drive, but Illinihubby wasn't comfortable in the back and thought the road noise was pretty loud.

Chevy Equinox -- I like how these look from the outside (and I like GM's employee pricing approach), so we drove one. It handles pretty nicely, kind of felt like a minivan ride, but the inside fit and finish seemed subpar.

Subaru Forester -- This handled the best of perhaps everything we drove, but we just didn't love the styling/design and the price for the options (such as several thousand extra for leather with LLBean stamped all over it).

Toyota Highlander-- Second runner-up? Honestly, we would have bought one of these by now if it wasn't quite so pricey. You could almost buy its Lexus RX330 sibling for what they are asking for a sunroof or leather. Really nice vehicle, good handling, good gas mileage for a 6-cylinder, but they seemed to be asking a terrible lot even a two-year old used model. Sharp Bluestone Metallic color though.

Mitsubishi Outlander LTD -- A strong second. I really like the exterior styling, and the engine and ride were impressive for a four-cylinder. My dad was riding with and couldn't tell it wasn't a six. Between this and the smart new Eclipse design, Mitsubishi seems like it may be turning things around. Alas, the cargo hold is a bit smaller, and while we'd be paying significantly less the resale value is still a bit disheartening.

Honda CR-V SE -- It wasn't even on our original list, but we stopped by the dealership two weekends ago just to check out all our options...and it's now the leader. Nice storage and ergonomics and a thoughtful design; no center console so one of us can someday reach the backseat if necessary to take care of (presently theoretical) kids. It has the leather and sunroof I wanted, decent price, great resale value if we need to trade soon, and a nice blue/grey color.

So that's where we stand right now. A vehicle that wasn't even on my original list of choices may prove to be the best fit for us. Now it's just down to making a definitive choice and the nitty gritty negotiations. Internet quotes are already proving to be quite helpful. I'd highly recommend them if you have to embark on this task anytime soon. I appreciate all the thoughts and discussion on the topic lately and hope to talk about something different soon!

2005-07-11T19:13:00.000-05:00

Waiting for Dennis's Leftovers

You know you must be in the middle of a drought when you go to work on Monday and main source of excitement is that it's going to rain all week! We're awaiting the remnants of Hurricane Dennis here as I speak. The sky is a steely gray and looks quite promising, but no rain has started to fall from it yet. There are flood warnings out in Southern Illinois this evening, and my parents said there was quite a downpour as they drove through the Mt. Vernon area this afternoon.

My heart goes out to the people on the Gulf Coast who had to face this again just nine months after Hurricane Ivan...but every cloud has a silver lining, especially for the farmers here in Central Illinois this evening. Other than the Fourth of July, it's been an incredibly dry few weeks here in the heartland of Central Illinois. I know of more than one farmer that will be mighty glad to see this rain.

2005-07-04T22:54:00.000-05:00

Happy Independence Day

Just touching base after a nice relaxing Fourth of July weekend here in Central Illinois. One of my classes for this summer finished at the end of last week, so I had a nice relaxing 4-day break to take care of everything I've been neglecting the past month or so: serious cleaning of the house, visiting with the family, spending time with Illinihubby when he came home from a business trip.

Anyways, things that did not get done: e-mail, blogging, buying a car. All of which really need to have action taken on them soon. For the Fourth though, spending time with family and friends and reflecting on what freedom and independence really mean to me...it made for a good weekend. Hope your holiday was lovely as well.

Hope to be around in the next couple weeks though. O'Connor's resignation and the replacement process should make for some interesting analysis in weeks to come.

2005-06-26T22:58:00.000-05:00

Still Alive, Still no AC

Well vehicle searching, class work, and a project implementation at work have prevented me from doing much of significance this week. I appreciate all the hints and tips on the vehicles. We almost bought a couple used Highlanders, but to no avail. At this point, the leaders are the Toyota Highlander, Mitsubishi Outlander, or Mazda Tribute. However, I did stop and look at a bunch of Subaru and VW wagons today, and there's still a chance a standard car or 4-cylinder "cute ute" will come back in the running. Overall, I've determined that I really hate all the uncertainty, haggling and badmouthing that comes along with the entire process.

This purchase is an interesting conflict between my heart and my head. In my heart, I really want the profits from any vehicle I purchase to benefit an American corporation. In my head, I keep finding all the features I want on the foreign cars (ie high reliability/resale, good gas mileage and roomy interior). Of course, you can also look at all those employeed by foreign automakers here in the US, such as the Mitsubishi plant in Normal, and make a case for buying those products and supporting those workers as well.

I supposed I can attribute all the car-buying confusion to living in such a high-tech age and having perhaps TOO much information at my fingertips. It's either that or extreme caution about a purchasing decision after spending 8 years with a Dodge Intrepid with a sound engine/tranny but constant disappointment with almost everything else on the vehicle. :)

2005-06-17T18:05:00.000-05:00

Auto Advice?

Sadly Illinigirl's vehicle is nearing its final days. The AC/air circulation system has kicked the bucket, and the repair is worth about 70% of Edmunds True Market Value of the car. I'm looking for something in the compact wagon to smallish SUV range - Vibe, Matrix, RAV4, Highlander, Equinox, Freestyle, Escape, Tribute, Mazda 3/6 wagons, Outlander, and Magnum are all contenders. We need cargo room.

Haven't done this whole purchasing a new vehicle thing before, and the thought of shopping on top of work/school is stressing me out a bit. I've got the newest Consumer Reports Auto issue, but otherwise no direction on the matter.

Central Illinois readers -- any dealerships to avoid in the Decatur, Peoria, Springfield, Bloomington, Champaign area? Any you recommend? Any dealerships worth driving up to Chicago for? All tips appreciated.

2005-06-17T17:40:00.000-05:00

Free Katie!

Regular readers of the blog and longtime friends of Illinigirl will recall that my favorite television show was once Dawsons Creek. Now I'd like to say it was because I was young and impressionable, but I can still watch the reruns today and enjoy them completely...so I can't pass it off as that. Pass it off as a love of teenybopper TV (which has now resurfaced in guilty addictions to Everwood and One Tree Hill), pass it off as an adolescent crush on Joshua Jackson's mug, pass it off as what you will.

You can't pass it off as an admiration of Katie Holmes though. Something about this Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes thing though, it really just grosses me out. Best of luck to them if it's really sincere, but how many people get engaged on at sunrise at the Eiffel Tower and announce it at a news conference just a few hours later? Or spend their entire life as a practicing Catholic but toss it out the window for Scientology six to eight weeks after meeting a new beau? Or sit there and deny that it hasn't crossed their minds that this man is 16 years old than they are, that he has stepchildren half your age, and you don't find that weird at all? Now the rags are reporting this creepy bit that she was at she was his fifth choice for the role behind Scarlett, Lindsay, Jessica, and Kate Boswoth.

Count me among the doubters. The whole business just strikes me as very conveniently timed and staged for public consumption, and I'm sick of hearing about TomKat as the gossip pages call it. Of course, I have just wasted 10 minutes of my life posting about it...so I'm probably part of the problem. But I still think the Free Katie t-shirts are funny. Just what my mind wanders to when it's trying to avoid serious thought I suppose.

2005-06-15T22:55:00.000-05:00

Celebrity Sports Columnist Alert

Now I know this pretty far from a post of substance, but college basketball groupies like myself will probably get a kick out of Nick Lachey, Sport Journalist and his defense of Bob Huggins in the Cincinnati Enquirer a couple weeks ago. I particularly dig the byline "Nick Lachey co-starred on MTV'S "Newlyweds," and he is a former 98 Degrees band member". But I'm stressed out and easily amused at the moment, so don't mind me! :)

Of course, this is girl that ran all over the RCA Dome trying to get a good shot of the world's biggest Bearcats fan. It was for my little sister though, really! Seriously, I know it's not imporant in the grand scheme of things but it's a good thing I don't live in Los Angeles, or I'd be carring along my digital camera looking for "Stars, They're Just Like Us!" candids to sell to US Weekly.

2005-06-09T22:41:00.000-05:00

Bad for Dee, Good for We (Illini Fans)

IowaWineGuy has already blogged on the big news of the day here: Dee Brown in all likelihood will be returning to the Illini basketball team next year due to a broken fifth metatarsal in his right foot per the scoop from Andy Katz today.

I am sorry for Dee, because it sounds like he'd been working his butt off to have a shot at a late first or second-round pick. However, I tend to think that the big guy upstairs has a way of making these decisions for you sometimes. Perhaps Dee is destined to return and lead the Illini next year, make a solid run of things int he Big Ten, help the next-generation Illini establish their chemistry together. Maybe he's meant to return and lure Brandon Rush to Champaign. Maybe he's meant to excel next year and go in the first round...guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Either way the thought of Dee back in an orange jersey and on the court with Augie next year, it made my pulse race a bit. This basketball junkie can't wait until November!

2005-06-06T21:26:00.000-05:00

Quarterlife questionings

So I was lucky enough to have a short visit with my good friend Iowa WineGuy over the weekend (and his wife and adorable baby boy). Along with another good friend of ours, we had some interesting discussions on where our lives have gone in the almost 10 years (?!?) since we graduated from high school.

Alas, I am not lost at sea after my all too-short cruising vacation, I'm merely swamped. When you graduate from college initially, you think there are all sorts of options. Work forever, quit in a few years and go back to school full time, keep working and go to school part-time. I think I realized all those choices when I graduated, but my renaissance-man curiosity kept me from deciding on a field in which I wanted to seek higher education...whether it was artificial intelligence or computer science or logistics or business or I/O psych or possibly even law. And so I headed into the working world and figured I'd go back to school later.

Today's my five-year anniversary at my job dear readers. Somehow that's hitting me a lot harder than turning 25 (hang in there Meredith!) or turning 27 even did. I guess I'm just not where I envisioned I would be after 5 years working. Don't get me wrong -- I do love my job most of the time. The documentation angle of being in technology may drive me crazy, but it's challenging, problem-solving work that I think I do pretty well. It's just the slowness of projects progressing and the lack of appreciation or understanding by "higher-ups" that sometimes gets to me.

Which brings me to school and the fact that my MBA classes are completely the opposite -- projects progressing too quickly, interesting subject matter but a complete lack of time dig into it all. I really feel that I may have a knack for this (which would make sense given that I was raised by two-generations of small-business owners), but I lack the time to knock assignments out of the park. Then there's my husband that I don't get any quality time with and feel like I may be short-changing. The devotions I've hardly had time for and the prayers I fall asleep saying. The friends I've been neglecting and that parties that I haven't been hosting or attending. The interesting topics that I haven't had time to research and the blog debates I haven't the time to begin.

No real point to this post folks, other than to point out that everyone experiences a "quarterlife crisis" of some sort these days. If you ask me, it has something to do with ALL the choices we face. Women in particular have so many more opportunities than we did thirty-years ago, but we also have so many more difficult choices to make. Should we go to graduate school or work? If we do both, will we be able to balance it well? When's the best time to get married? After we have kids, should we keep working and if so how much? What kind of impact will this have on our family's financial future if we don't work? What effects will it have on our kids, both positive and negative, if we do?

There have been a lot of books written on the subject lately that I believe hold some insight...such as The Two-Income Trap or the Quarterlife Crisis books themselves. But ultimately I think we all really have to search for these answers individually and find what works for us on a personal level...and the way we answer these questions may change over time.

As for myself, I'm struggling to find that balance on a personal level at the moment...so the blog has been neglected a bit. For that I apologize, because I really do enjoy the discourse and interaction that I get from my friends and perfect strangers who enjoy my writings. Despite all my complaining, I do feel blessed to be living the life that I have, even though I struggle with it at times. Thanks for stopping by and I hope to be back in a more frequent and thorough mode soon.

2005-05-29T21:18:00.000-05:00

Your World View?

Interesting quiz compliments of Meredith over at Inner Monologues... Shockingly despite my cynical tendencies, I am an idealist :)

You scored as Idealist. Idealism centers around the belief that we are moving towards something greater. An odd mix of evolutionist and spiritualist, you see the divine within ourselves, waiting to emerge over time. Many religious traditions express how the divine spirit lost its identity, thus creating our world of turmoil, but in time it will find itself and all things will again become one.

Cultural Creative

63%

Idealist

63%

Postmodernist

44%

Fundamentalist

38%

Existentialist

38%

Modernist

38%

Romanticist

31%

Materialist

25%

What is Your World View? (updated)
created with QuizFarm.com

2005-05-10T21:30:00.000-05:00

Note to myself

Full time job, two finals, and selling off a house...not something to be attempted at the same time ever again. My family has had a pretty crazy time here lately. Last final is tomorrow though, and then I'm off for a relaxing couple days on a great big boat in the Caribbean. Early next week we hope to sign away our old place, and then hopefully posting will resume a bit.

While I'm in "notes" mode, Mark Tupper writes about the notes he's been taking as he rides shotgun across Central Illinois with Bruce Weber. For those Illini fans who can simply appreciate this season's incredible ride and forget the words "rebuilding year" that are being bandied about lately, it should be a fascinating read. For those of us obsessing over the dreaded "rebuilding year" label, perhaps it may be a smidge reassuring.

2005-05-02T22:02:00.000-05:00

Monday night laughs

Okay, it's sophomoric humor at best. Even if you think the Vagina Monologues is the best thing since sliced bread and National Review stinks, you'll probably still find this funny...hilarious mental picture that proves turnabout is fairplay at the very least. Just a quick note from a slap happy and swamped (paper and exam to do by Wednesday PM) Illinigirl here in the Heartland.

One of these days I will post on something of significance. Promise.

2005-04-30T20:04:00.000-05:00

The runaway bride story

There's much rejoicing Duluth, Georgia today as missing bride-to-be Jennifer Wilbanks has resurfaced in New Mexico. At first her story was that she had been abducted, but she later admitted that she got cold feet and took off. A wedding party of over 30 and 600 invitees? Even if she loved the fiancee dearly, I can understand how that kind of pressure could make a young woman head for the hills.

As much grief as her family may have gone through, I'm really happy that this story turned out this way. I was worried it was going to be another Mark and Lori Hacking situation. As the minister in the article notes, their prayers from yesterday have been answered -- it turned out she really was just a runaway bride.

2005-04-25T21:30:00.000-05:00

Culture-Whipped

There's an interesting article at National Review by a Gil Reavill about the coarsening and hypersexualization of American culture that particularly pertains to how hard it is to avoid children losing their innocence too soon in today...whether it's "tween" shows with seven year-olds trying to shake it or nine year-olds singing along with Eminem. Even if you aren't a conservative in any way, shape, or form, it's an interesting article with a lot to say from a cultural standpoint and worth a read.

2005-04-25T21:26:00.000-05:00

Native environments

Kind of neat little quiz over at Blogthings -- although it isn't telling me much I didn't know already. We'd recently kicked around the idea of seeking jobs in the Austin/San Antonio, visit Atlanta pretty regularly, and the hubby loves San Diego. Hat tip to Accidental Verbosity.

American Cities That Best Fit You:

60% Austin

55% Atlanta

50% Denver

50% Miami

50% San Diego

Which American Cities Best Fit You?

2005-04-23T15:41:00.000-05:00

Force Widow this Weekend

You know how some people are hunting widows in the fall or golf widows in the spring? I am a Star Wars widow this weekend, at least for another seven or eight hours or so. My big, strapping college football playing, high-school quarterback of a hubby is at Celebration III in Indianapolis with his animatronic talking Yoda figure in his napsack.

Early reports are that people were lined up for blocks at 6:30 am, the hubby had to wait four hours to get a talking Vader at the gift shop, and he just hopes that George Lucas's appearance and Hayden Christensen's video feed draw people away from the autograph tables...for whatever it's worth. According to USA Today's blog, Lucas spoke today and announced there will be two live action Star War shows.

Anyone know where we can get a Darth Tater at list price? These are the big pressing issues at my household at the moment, for which I am very grateful.

2005-04-19T21:34:00.000-05:00

Tuesday notes

I'm not Catholic, but I really found the selection of the pope today fascinating. We were in the car on our way to lunch when they broke in to our regularly scheduled pop-music programming and announced that in Rome bells were ringing and white smoke was spewing. By the time we made it out of lunch, it had been announced that Joseph Ratzinger had addressed the crowds and his name would be Pope Benedict the 16th. Stop by my friend Josh's blog for some interesting perspective on the pope's election from Catholic seminarians in Missouri.

On a less serious note, tonight Illinigirl must offer up a bittersweet farewell to Deron Williams, who today declared for the NBA Draft by signing with an agent. (For the basketball-impaired, this means there's no turning back for him. Deron, thanks for three great years of memories and best wishes in the future. I'll always be a bit bitter that he didn't stick around for a 4th year and give Illinois another shot at the title, but for that kind of money...who can really blame him? Mark Tupper offers up some fitting commentary on Deron's departure.

2005-04-18T18:51:00.000-05:00

The taxman cometh...

The hubby and I paid about $50 this year, which is annoying in itself. I know that's the way you are supposed to do taxes -- make things equal out to zero so the government doesn't have your cash interest free all year. It's still very annoying to have to send the IRS a check come April.

While I wasn't able to post on my blog on Tax Day itself, I had the best of intentions to do so as I came across some interesting articles about income taxes. Regular readers will know that my libertarian tendencies come into play here. Just in general, I prefer that the federal government be in charge of as little of my money as possible. I prefer to specify the charities and programs that it goes to fund myself.

That being said -- here are a couple interesting articles to ponder:

Brian Riedl presents a fascinating analysis of how the government's $22,039 in tax money per household will be spent in 2005. $7245 spent on Social Security / Medicare -- Riedl notes that taxes would have to be raised $5200 by 2030 and $13,500 by 2050 per household if the systems is not reformed. here aren't enough workers to support all the Baby Boomers retiring. This is a simple fact that America must face sooner or later. I'm not saying that Bush's present solution has all the answers, but it is at least a start and I appreciate his attempts to make it viable for future generations.

Deroy Murdock discusses ideas for alternative tax structures that are worth some thought.

TechCentralStation's Andrew Coors offers up "Withholding an Opportunity Society: Why We Need Personal Tax Savings Accounts". A way to show Americans what they are really paying in taxes each year by making them write a big fat check at the end of it and letting them earn interest on their tax dollars in the meantime. Perhaps if we had more awareness of what we were pouring into the system we would ask the government to be more accountable in its spending. It's a thought at least.

Finally on a personal note for anyone keeping up on such things, Illinigirl and fam may have an offer on their old place. Our days of two mortgages may be numbered. Keep your fingers crossed for us! I'd say pray for us, but somehow it seems like there are much more important things you could be praying about, in my humble opinion at least.

2005-04-12T22:31:00.000-05:00

Springtime musings

There are some incredibly heartening things about spring. It's the season of Easter, of new beginnings, of forgiveness. It gives you several hours more sunlight each day, which tends to make me at least less of a grouch. It's somewhat liberating to realize that you can go outside in just a sweater and not freeze your tootsies off.

Then things start blooming...and allergies find us here in the Midwest. The trees here in Central Illinois are gorgeous at the moment, but walking outside leads to seasonal allergies slapping me upside the head. Ow.

Funny article over at NRO about My Sharona on the presdient's IPod. Personally, I find it kind of humorous because I dig that song. I will admit that I am somewhat of a prude, and I fell in like with that song after seeing Reality Bites at age 16. Just because I dug a song and knew the lyrics word for word doesn't mean you secretly want to run out and do such things...or no parent in their right mind would let their teenage daughter listen to Ashley Simpson's La La lyrics. (Another catchy song that I can't help singing along with even though I would advocate very little of what the lyrics convey.)

Speaking of pop princesses, another sign of the apocalypse came about today. Good heavens. Any bets as to how far along she'll be when Mr. Britney takes off? Sorry to be such a pessimist, but I've been a bit cranky from headaches all day. Hope to be back and more chipper soon.

2005-04-05T22:27:00.000-05:00

Turn, turn, turn

Over at IowaWineGuy, my friend Gregory offers up an great first-hand account of what it was like in St. Louis at the championship Monday night and some Edward Jones Dome pictures to boot. A couple nice shots of Brian Cook and Sergio McClain, but I must admit I am a bit miffed that he got to see one of my all-time favorite players Lucas Johnson and there are no pics of him?

Nevertheless, it's a nice upbeat tribute to the Illini...which is kind of nice after the mopey, disappointed faces I saw all day long. Alas, our neighbors down the street have it in perspective -- the Illini flags have been replaced with Cardinals (boo!) and Cubbies (yay!) gear. To everything there is a season...and we're into baseball's now. My blogging may turn a bit more political/cultural in the near future, but I'll break in with basketball tidbits as applicable.

Finally be you liberal or conservative, Illini fans must love National Review Online today because it has financial columnist and Illini grad Stephen Moore feeling our pain in St. Louis this morning, albeit a bit too negatively for my tastes. Yet I feel his pain.

2005-04-04T22:32:00.000-05:00

Twenty minutes later

I've regained my composure a bit since the game, but I am pretty sad and likely will be for some time. I think Illini fans will always wonder if it would have been different if Luther hadn't turned the ball over and missed the threes, if Augie had been able to play more than 2 minutes in the second half, if more fouls had been called and Illinois had gotten to shoot more free-throws.

Stat of the game in my opinion - North Carolina free-throws attempted 18, Illinois free throws attempted 6. I must agree with Bruce Weber and say that how the game was called had a major effect on this game. This wasn't Illinois circa 2001 where the classic complaint was that Lucas Johnson, Robert Archibald, and Damir Krupalija were too physical. I'm not sure why there seemed to be such a disparity in this game.

This was a magical season, and I will always remember it fondly. Watching such a diverse, fun-loving, well-meaning group of guys play together like this and achieve like this was incredible. I wish they could have won it, for Bruce Weber and his mom, for Illinois's 100th season, for Lou Henson. Regardless, they have done a tremendous amount for the program and showed that Illinois basketball is not to be taken lightly and can be successful on a national stage.

Now bring on the quality recruits. After his performance in the tournament, I think that Dee will probably stick around another year. The three-guard magical offense will be gone, but I'm interested in seeing what Bruce Weber dreams up next. Illini fans will have to adjust to losing more next year, but there's still a lot to root for in this program's future. For this year, Clockwork Orange it is.

"That's what we get for rooting for a classy program. Good guys finish last...or second" -- Illinihubby

2005-04-04T20:32:00.000-05:00

Liveblogging St. Louis

Intros: I can't help it. I look at North Carolina, I see a bunch of tough guys pumping up one another's egos. I look at Illinois, I see a circle of nice, everyday guys cheering one another on. Of course, if you can't tell by the name of this blog, I'm not the most impartial, unbiased source.

First half

At 15:13 just after the first TV timeout, quote from Illinihubby "I think they TV timeouts are going to help North Carolina, because the longer you keep them away from Roy Williams the dumber they play"

Illinois has had some great opportunities since that TV timeout and failed to capitalize. Felton just got his second foul though.

Sean May just intentionally ran down Roger Powell, and they didn't call the charge. I am further convinced that May is somewhat of a thug. Our tubby guy Deron doesn't use his body to hurt people like that. And Augie draws a charge? Ridiculous.

On a related note, an IU graduate that I work with today said he'd never forgive Scott May for showing up at Indiana-UNCs last game wearing an entirely Carolina blue outfit. Granted the guy's supporting his son, but I know what he's saying.

Overall perception at 10 minutes in? They're calling ticky-tack visible fouls against Illinois and letting UNC get away with some extremely physical play.

8:55 -- RIDICULOUS timeout. I can't believe they called that.

6:30 -- My husband thinks that was too long to leave Nick Smith in the game and on May and that Dee is taking some crummy shots.

I really dig Jack Ingram. Can I say it again? They made such a big deal out of his three-point shots earlier this year, but he's been hitting them repeatedly in the tourney. And way to get Manuel to pick up his third.

Ummm over the back on Sean May instead of Augie? Are they afraid to call fouls on him? And the mauling of Roger Powell continues. This is sort of unbelieveable refereeing. 32, 21, 34?

Not really happy with Illinois's play the past couple minutes. Quite a few defensive breakdowns and no one is getting it done offensively.

Interesting how they haven't reshown Sean May stripping Jack of that ball, perhaps because he mauled him? And the traveling that they've let May and McCants get away with the past few minutes is incredible. I know refs can't see everything, but come on people.

Not happy about this shot-clock ticking away. Hopefully Weber will be giving them a nice kick in the pants at the half. My husband's comment? "They're only down by 13 as crappy as they've played. If they're down by 13 with 10 minutes left, then we'll start worrying"

I just received a half-time phone call from my Michigan State friend whose message is "Calm yourself". What's happening when die hard Illini fans start talking like this? My response "What should I say? Way to go not make about a dozen of those 3-pointers you took in the first half?"

Second Half

Really sad for Augie, but they have got some momentum now.

Apparently someone turned the lightswitch from off to on for the Illini's three-pointers during the half. So should they keep taking them? Fortunately North Carolina's automatic switch has flipped off for a while.

13:46 -- Mark it in your calendars folks -- they finally called a foul on Sean May.

Illinihubby is fairly happy with the position Illinois has clawed back into with 10 minutes left. He is not happy with the fact they aren't calling many fouls on Sean May underneath the basket.

You call that foul on Jack Ingram (but not until he has a hand on the ball I might add), and then don't call anything on Sean May?

They've got keep this up. Strong and steady. Good anticipation by Deron on that last turnover, then Roger Powell grabs that rebound.

I am really sad for Augustine, out on three ticky-tack fouls with no points. We'll see him next year though and how about Jack Ingram. Felton just grabbed his fourth and Dee gets to shoot to tie! He did it. Hooray for Dee and his mom, who has the same hairdo incidentally!

Little bit worried about Ingram now. We think Powell's getting moved over to May. Hope the Reverend prayed at halftime. Felton & Manuel both have 4.

I'm getting a bit jittery -- this may be it until game's end. Luther just tied it again, 2:32 to go.

Darn Luther for not taking it to the basket. 26 seconds, not feeling good about it yet. It's over. A dream season over.

2005-04-04T19:22:00.000-05:00

One hour to go

I'm nervous for the Fighting Illini, but I'm also excited. Win or lose, Illinois is making history today with its first ever championship game. But I'm guessing they haven't been shooting for second place all year. Team versus Talent kicks off in just over one hour! The fact that Illinois has been spun as the underdog the past few days -- it was me hopeful that we are about to see some amazing basketball. When the Illini feel they have been disrespected, they come ready to play and prove them wrong.

It's been a rough day for me (family funeral), and I hope the Illini come out ready to play and give me something to cheer about. It'll be a little bittersweet regardless, because I have gotten incredibly attached to this squad of players as I've watched them the past couple years. So Dee, Deron, Roger, Luther, James, Jack and the bench...give me something to remember you by! I'm home, so I'll be live-blogging as available.

Clockwork Orange or Destiny's Illini? The debate over which nickname is more appropriate should be settled in about three hours.

2005-04-04T19:15:00.000-05:00

Brief political interlude

I stumbled across a couple excellent posts just now, and I must link to them. Over at asymmetrical information, blogger Jane Galt has up some thoughtful, reflective libertarian reflection on both the pros & cons of the argument to legalize gay marriage as well as a nice post on issues with privitization of marriage. She doesn't pretend to know the right answers to this question, but she provides some very thought-provoking analysis that should appeal to individuals on both side of the aisle.

2005-04-02T22:21:00.000-06:00

My sympathies

Before I sign off for the evening, let me express my condolences to all my Catholic friends and visitors on the death of Pope John Paul II. While I have never been Catholic, I hold tremendous respect for the majority of his views and appreciate all that he did to help eradicate Communism.

2005-04-02T22:08:00.000-06:00

Finals Note

Finally, I must send my congratulations out to my buddy Iowa Wine Guy. Aside from offering up a great assessment of tonight's game and thoughts on Monday night, his younger brother's HORSE shooting prowess has landed him a ticket to the Edward Jones Dome action Monday night. I am WAY jealous, but unfortunately I don't have the extra moolah not time to journey to St. Louis Monday.

I'm very happy for him though, and I hope he gets to witness history firsthand. And if I haven't mentioned it here before, I must also congratulate him and the missus on the birth of their adorable son Max, the cutest little Illini fan ever!

2005-04-02T21:24:00.000-06:00

Following the action

I'm working on an Illinois post, meanwhile Michigan State seems to be falling apart against UNC before my eyes. Hang in there Spartans! The Big Ten is pulling for you.

Michigan State just hit a 3-pointer with over 11 minutes left. Let's see what they can do...

2005-04-02T20:59:00.000-06:00

Amazing Evening Under the Arch

It's finally happened. For the first time in it's 100 years of basketball, Illinois will be playing in the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship game. It's still kind of hard to believe.

The game against Louisville tonight -- it wasn't necessarily pretty or showy, but it was impressive. It was Illinois basketball at its best. Not every Illinois player was having an great game, but as a team they figured out what they had to do, who to pass the ball to, and how to systematically dismantle the Louisville defense and offense. Key people stepped up and made the shots, and the rest of the team played really solid defense.

Once again, Deron Williams pulled off the defensive miracle, shutting down Fransisco Garcia in a Stoudamire-esque manner. Luther Head turned in an impressive offensive performance with little-to-no sign of the hamstring problems that plagued him last week. Jack Ingram had a hellacious game Dee Brown made a couple free throws, Nick Smith turned in a couple points

And the playmaker of the game, the man on the cover of every sports section's website at the moment...Roger Powell. You have to love the Reverend's heart. There was a point just after halftime at which this was a close game. Then came Roger Powell's three-pointer-into-a-monster-slam-dunk. Once CBS gets up their poll, I'm voting for that as the game-changing play of the semi-finals. Roger Powell refused to quit. At one point, I turned to my husband and said, "It's like John Belushi in the Blues Brothers. I think he really believes he's on a mission from God".

The jubliation of last Saturday night isn't present tonight, but there's something much more rewarding at the core of this. Pride. Pride in a team that plays so unselfishly and fluidly. Pride in a team of young men that even if they didn't start that way have turned into gentlemen on and off the court. Pride in such a diverse, varied group of young men that have come together as a family, and in some little way encouraged Illinois citizens to do the same. Pride in a once-unheralded coach that has made Illini Nation love him, has done so much with these young men and has been through so much in the past few weeks. Pride in a team assembly that win or lose, I will miss watching in this form after Monday night. Up at the Daily Herald, a Mike Imrem column describes my sentiments perfectly.

Bring on the Tarheels! (Or Michigan State if they can pull together the comeback. I have not given up on them!)

2005-03-28T22:26:00.000-06:00

More Illinois coverage

Can basketball fans in Central Illinois get enough right now? Of course not! Work was buzzing today, and they had the navy and orange Illinois flag flying right beneath the stars and stripes. Let's face it -- Illinois hasn't had a sports team to root for in a while. We're primed and ready and this will be a crazy week.

Want to know what the bus back to Champaign was like Saturday night? Adam Rittenberg has some details at the Daily Herald. What were the Illini up to Sunday morning? Mark Tupper has some details. It includes a prediction for an Illinois-Michigan State final. Wouldn't that be sweet?

Overall media consensus is that the public wants to see our Fighting Illini meet UNC in the final.

Mike DeCourcy at the Sporting News names Jack Ingram's steal the play of the weekened.

Finally, congratulations to my buddy Iowa Wine Guy whose younger brother's HORSE shooting prowess has landed him a ticket to the Edward Jones Dome Final Four action. I am WAY jealous, but unfortunately I don't have an extra thousand dollars lying around at the moment. I'm very happy for him though and hope he gets to witness history firsthand.

2005-03-28T21:55:00.000-06:00

Wasting time

Distracted from my work this evening, I have tuned into the first episode of the new Bachelor run. Long-time readers of this blog know that I enjoyed the first few season of this show, but that fascination ended around the time of . I watched the Season with Bob's castoff Meredith as the Bachelorette, but I haven't been an avid fan since.

I watched some of the Bachelor premiere tonight, and I feel like I just wasted an hour of my life. They have turned it into a bunch of shallow cheerleaders catfighting over a cocky a**. (Pardon my french). It saddens me that this show rolls on while quality television shows like Arrested Development and Jack & Bobby (not to mention American Dreams & Joan of Arcadia) may be nearing their final episodes.

American Dreams season (and possibly series) finale airs on NBC Wednesday at 7 pm CST. Watch good ones folks, please...especially since there's no basketball on!

2005-03-27T22:43:00.000-06:00

Recovery

First and foremost, I would like to wish everyone a Happy Easter. Hope you had a glorious, awe-inspiring, life-affirming holiday.

After last night's incredibly exciting game and an Easter day spent running around Central Illinois to see family, I am spent (and hopefully not sick). Happily though I turned my assignment in two hours before the deadline and proceeded out into the blogosphere.

Great links for Illinois coverage
BigTenWonk's great summary of the entire game
UnderScoreBleach on media reaction to the Illinois comeback
Jay Mariotti admits this one was unforgettable
As always, Mark Tupper is great here and here

Also, hooray for the Big Ten! Big kudos to Michigan State for knocking off Kentucky today in 2OT. We really thought the KY player's toe was touching the 3-point line at the end of regulation. Props to Wisconsin for a valiant effort against North Carolina as well. Who can say this conference is down after watching the games this weekend? Very few me thinks.

2005-03-26T22:31:00.000-06:00

What a night

I have been trying to work on homework for my mba classes, but I can't stay off the net and am not getting much done. The adrenaline from the game has kept me distracted, but it's start to wear off.

I highly recommending checking out ESPN's heart-wrenching pictures from the game and its aftermath in their Illinois-Arizona photo gallery.

2005-03-26T20:37:00.000-06:00

WOO HOO! 90-89!

That is all -- a comeback for the ages. Wish they had started playing like champs earlier, but I am so excited right now. First Final Four since I was in 5th grade -- how I am kicking myself for not getting in the ticket lottery last year now!

And you have to love Roger Powell for dancing in front of the camera giving credit to where credit's due.