90º and Raining

mmmmmmm. I like the DC.

Heed the Sheed

Congrats Rasheed Wallace! You did it!



After you retire, you should be a referee. Wouldn't that be fun?

Four Thousand Eight Hundred Calories

What a wild, wild night. No, I'm not talking about the game, I think I was a bigger beast than Luke Walton ;-). I'll just let the pictures tell you about my adventure:


The Dirty Thirty

Half Time

Crunch Time

My Trophy

Victory!
*Note: This last smile in the end was very forced.

Oh mama, all 30 tacos in one sitting. I don't want to eat for the rest of the week. My roommate says I smell like taco, I think I can't taste anything now but taco.

I win Jeremy.

Enjoy the Pastie and Vernors

This is the only cool thing that our governator has done so far.
Calif., Mich. governors bet on NBA finals

If the Lakers capture their fourth title in five years, Schwarzenegger will send Granholm a meal featuring such California produce as wine, asparagus, strawberries and an In-N-Out burger from a fast-food chain famous in the state, which Granholm must consume while wearing a Lakers jersey.

Should Michigan's Pistons triumph, Granholm will treat Schwarzenegger to some of the state's favorite food: a warm baked meat and potato pastie, a Vernors carbonated soft drink, and chocolate covered Michigan cherries - all to be eaten by Schwarzenegger while wearing a Pistons jersey.

I propose next year, that if any states bet again, that the loser has to fund the winning state's public education and transportation for the next year. That will be very awesome!

Page 2 Spelling Bee Coverage

Haha, even more spelling buzz. I love it. I should change my background to yellow and black.

Please read Darren Rovell's Page 2 article!

VIKTORY

I'm going to have to get myself a David Tidmarsh poster.

The 2004 National Spelling was so intense. I watched it all yesterday and today. If there's one thing that I would want my kid to participate in besides ice hockey, it would be to participate in the National Spelling Bee.

I must explain why the Bee is very exciting. First off, I'm a horrible speller. I'm very glad blogger comes with a spell check, these kids and spell check really impress me. Second, half of the words that are tested I never knew existed (some of them aren't even in dictionary.com, gasp!). These kids are superhumen for studying so freaking much. To me it's the same amazement I get from seeing Chinese gymnasts fit in vases that I can hold in my hand.

Between all the greek roots, definitions, and please repeat the word, please repeat the word, please repeat the word, each year this event reminds how complicated and strategic this sport is. I'm also very glad that they have adapted a 90 second shot clock for kids. This is much better than last year where I would leave for class and come back with the same kid still asking, "may you please repeat the word?"

I also love the pressure, these kids have balls. National TV, months of preparation at stake, 250 competitors that want to bite you, and the chance of quick elimination must be psychologically unhealthy for some of those ten year olds. And talk about the grand prize! $12,000?? If only kids knew about trust funds and google. Kids don't know what to do with that money! So that pressure from the parents must be there too. I'd give them a gameboy if they won or $12,000 worth of ice cream, that makes more sense.

The Spelling Bee is heavy stuff, I was about to cry with some of those kids when they misspelled words. I wanted to cry even more when I saw the kids returning to angry parents. I kid, I think all the parents were very supportive.

So if you start hearing me use sophrosyne and lagniappe in my vocabulary, it's only because I want to apply what I have learned from these past two days.

I'm inspired by their blood, sweat, and tears. I hope to become a better speller. That is my velleity.