Drive or Fly?

The house where I'm moving to in Crystal City, VA

Greetings. And happy holidays. After 3 months of roughing it the house at 8300 finally got internet from the putzes at Cox Communications. Unfortunately, I'll have only exactly 3 days to enjoy it--I'm moving to DC for a job with The Carlyle Group starting Jan 7 and the movers are coming to pick up my stuff on Dec. 20th. (Please note, this lack of household internet has been a key reason for Trifecta's and my recent blogging inactivity--Trifecta was even inspired to write a post about it titled, "Facts about not wanting to write on your blog cause you don't have internet", but this never panned out due to deterrents previously mentioned.

So now I'm faced with a difficult decision of driving or flying and I'm looking for advice from the readers. I've had some people say it's the chance of a lifetime to drive across country on somebody else's dime (I have a relocation allowance) and then I've had other people tell me a drive that long would be "torture" and "idiotic". Let me paint the picture:

1. I can fly out on Jan 3 ($500) and have my car shipped up ($1900) for a grand total of $2400.
   
2. I can drive across the country with my brother Des B. for the cost of gas ($50 x 9 gal = $450) + Motel ($100 x 4 nights = $400) + Food ($60 x 5 days = $300) + Flight back for Des B ($500) for a grand total of roughly $1650.

• Day 1 (Dec 30): Phoenix to San Antonio
• Day 2 (New Years Eve): New Orleans
• Day 3 (Jan 1): Pensacola, FL, and Charleston, SC
• Day 4 (Jan 2): Outer Banks, NC
  
• Day 5 (Jan 3): Washington DC

What do you recommend? What are my oversights? What are your PR's for distances traveled? I have to decide by Wednesday 12/17.

I Want This Car

My pal Trifecta is keeping his fingers crossed for the Saleen S7, but I’m willing to settle for this little gem making its USA debut sometime in the Spring of 2008. The BMW 1 Series will come in two models—the 128i and the 135i. The 128i features a 220-hp engine and will start at roughly $26k. And the 135i boasts a 300-hp engine (0-62 mph in 5.3 seconds) and starts at $31k.

Basically, the 1 series is BMW’s USA-friendly version of the European compact car. It’s about time Americans got on board with the less is more philosophy. I can understand wanting a Suburban or a Club Wagon for big families or if you’re hauling stuff, but the average U.S. consumer needs to reevaluate his/her roadway needs. Every time I see a single-manned H2 or Ford Expedition or some other gas guzzling behemoth, I cringe at the inefficiency. Little known fact: Millionaire and litigator extraordinaire, Leo Beus, owns several sport and luxury cars but his transportation of choice for his daily commute from Ahwatukee to Scottsdale is the Toyota Prius, because it allows him access to the HOV lane and it gets between 40 and 60 MPG.
Mercedes made its US compact foray in 2001 with the Sportcoupe, a smaller, three-door version of the popular C-class, but they experienced lackluster sales due to high prices and (at that time) less sensitivity to fuel prices and environmental conditions and they stopped selling the model in the U.S. in 2005. But since then the Mini Cooper—which is made by BMW and was launched in the U.S. in 2002—has proved consumers will buy well-designed premium small cars. In 2006, the company sold 39,171 of its Mini Cooper models, currently the smallest car on the U.S. market. The 1 Series will fill the void between the zany Mini Cooper and the pricey 3 Series, both in size and in target markets.

I’m still not sure what the fuel efficiency statistics are for the BMW 1 Series but from what I’ve seen so far, I want this car.

Notes:

Motor Trend Review - BMW 1 Series

Wall Street Journal Article - "Small is Big in Luxury Cars"
I also think the new Honda Accord is pretty cool. And it’s surprisingly powerful to boot.

RE: RIP MLB

So JTL couldn’t see the beauty in the Red Sox’s road to the championship. I guess he wasn’t impressed by the (h)uuuge Manny Ramirez walk-off homer in game 2 of the ALDS off one of the toughest closers in K-Rod, or by Boston overcoming a 3-1 deficit thanks to one of the more brilliant pitching performances (Josh Beckett 8IP, 1ER, 11K) I’ve ever witnessed, or by doing what no National League team could do: slay the purple Barneys and put an end to the Rockies’ incredible (but annoying) streak of 21 wins in their last 22 games. Admittedly, it was an amazing feat and I’m glad that the people of Colorado were able to witness it (though I would bet about 80% of the fans didn’t even realize they had a streak going until they won about 10 straight) but by no means was the baseball world ready to accept the COLORADO ROCKIES as its crowned victor. That would have been the real tragedy. There are few things worse than a team building up momentum, dominating their opponents, and then inexplicably crumbling on the championship stage (see 2006 Detroit Tigers, 05/06 Dallas Mavericks). The Red Sox were the right team to win the 2007 World Series. They were the best from the beginning to the end and they had the character, the talent, and the drive to be the champs.

OK, so you’re going to say, “yeah, they deserved to be the champs, but only because they paid the hefty price tag”. Well that may be true but can you blame a team for making every attempt to reward its devoted fans with the one thing they covet: a championship. The MLB, just like the NBA and the NFL, is a business, and to the extent that spending gobs of money makes sense from a business model perspective and you can absorb the payroll and handle the 40-cents-on-the-dollar luxury tax, then why not play to compete? I applaud the Red Sox and the Yankees and the other high rollers for finding creative ways to work around the barriers (TV contracts, merchandise revenue, paying $51 million non-refundable just so your opponents can’t negotiate with an international pitching phenom, etc.). The one thing the MLB has taught is that teams that want to win will find ways to win.

And if you’re upset about the Yanks & Sox snatching all the attention, you should be happy to hear about all the drama being shifted over to L.A. I’ll admit, the 07 series was a downer if you didn’t happen to be a Sox fan or a Rockies hater, but that’s no reason to blow up about the state of the game. The Red Sox were bound to get all the attention they did by sweeping the World Series, and when the sport’s biggest superstar decides to stick it to one of the most storied franchises at the same time, then as a sports fan you’re just going to have to endure some Sox/Yanks coverage.

Let’s take a look at the most recent winners of the World Series and where they ranked on the highest team payroll list:

2001 (Diamondbacks #8)
2002 (Angels #15)
2003 (Marlins #25 at $48MM)
2004 (Red Sox #2)
2005 (White Sox #13 vs Astros #12)
2006 (Cardinals #11 vs Tigers #14)
2007 (Red Sox #2 vs Rockies #25; runners-up: Diamondbacks #26; and Indians #23)

Comments:

Out of 30 total MLB franchises, the 25th highest-paid team, the 2003 Florida Marlins, beat the Yankees in 6; In 2007, 3 of the final 4 teams were in the BOTTOM quartile salary wise; Only one team has won twice since 2000
In the NFL, the Patriots won 3 years straight until the Colts won last year. This year? Looks like it will be the Colts or Pats.
In the NBA, the Spurs have won 3 times in the past 5 years

Here are some things that suck about the NFL that don’t suck about MLB:

• Too often, the final outcome comes down to a pesky, little, single-coil-helmet, mismatching-shoes, cupless, padless, field goal kicker who probably used to get picked last on the playground. The NFL needs to enforce a rule that field goals are illegal once you reach the 2-min mark in the 4th quarter.
• The Challenge thing has gotten out of hand. So the game already lasts like 4 hours with only 20 or so minutes of real, onfield action. Now some dude throws a little red flag out of his pocket and the refs go into some space travel simulator machine and spend like 5 minutes watching replays even though everyone in America already knows the real outcome. I hope baseball doesn’t allow for replay reviews. Being subject to the refs/umpires and their human imperfection is part of sports.
• The whole calling a timeout right before a field goal attempt is annoying
• Helmet-banging, muscle-flexing, touchdown-dancing abound…much too much.

Here are some things that suck about the NBA that don’t suck about MLB:

• Contact sport. I think they should reduce the foul limit to 3 per player. Too many players just break up the flow of what would otherwise be a beautiful game when they hack someone going up for a bucket just because they have 6 fouls to give. Nobody ever thinks they committed a foul and they always think they got fouled when they’re running back up the court jawing off to the ref. That’s why I’ve enjoyed watching Kevin Durant so far. He just plays his game and leaves the officiating to the refs. I wonder how long it will last. I also hate the charge/block call. I don’t know what the solution is for that one.
• The tattoos are getting out of control. I think the Denver Nuggets have like 200 tattoos between them. The only cool tattoos are Tom Gugliota’s barbed wire tattoo and Stephen Jackson’s new tattoo of the Warriors logo across his torso.

I’m not down on the NFL or the NBA. I just think that baseball is still beautiful and the Red Sox winning is no reason to think less of the game. 4 straight lopsided world series just has people in a tizzy.
Red Sox payroll
NBA 06/07 Team Salaries
NFL 2006 Team Salaries
MLB 2007 Team Salaries

Back On Top

Congratulations to the 2007 Boston Red Sox, winners of the 103rd World Series. Now with their 7th title they are only 19 away from the Yankees’ 26 titles. Suddenly, with the way these two teams are heading, that doesn’t seem like such an insurmountable disparity. Since losing to the Diamondbacks in a game 7 come-from-behind victory, the Yankees have reached the postseason 6 times and have lost all 6 times, advancing to the World Series only once. Last night, as the Sox were about 6 outs away from winning their 2nd world series in 4 years, Ken Rosenthal reported that Alex Rodriguez, who is widely considered “the best baseball player”, would opt out of his contract and would be leaving the Yankees based on uncertainty about the organization’s future—namely the expiring contracts of Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, and the departure of Joe Torre.

As I digested what this news implied about the Yankees-Red Sox dynamic, the Sox’s 4-1 lead narrowed to 4-3 in the 8th inning off a Garret Atkins 2-run homer served up by Hideki Okajima (who just happened to be overworked but otherwise had a phenomenal postseason). Fortunately, the new and improved curse-free Sox don’t let anything break their spirits in this post-2004 ALCS era, and they called on Jonathon Papelbon who came in and shut down the Rockies plain and simple, retiring 5 straight batters, including a strikeout on Seth Smith to seal the victory.

In the post-game analysis Peter Gammons was asked about the irony of an A-Rod announcement on the same day as the clinching game of the World Series and called Rodriguez out as a “buyer beware” commodity who’s more into the A-Rod show than the game itself. He went on to basically call him a loser who isn’t able to win the big game. With a potential vacancy at third base for the Red Sox in Mike Lowell (who, thankfully, Theo Epstein says he’s sure they’ll resign), is this the kind of guy I want on the team? I’ll pass. Better to let him exit the AL East and do his regular season damage elsewhere just in time to forget his bat when the postseason rolls around.

Anyways, I’m getting off topic here. The important thing to note is that the Red Sox dominated the 2007 regular season just as they dominated the 2007 post season, and the emergence of their young players (Pedroia, Ellsbury, Papelbon, Lester, Buchholz) along with their incorporation of the Asian world (via Matsuzaka and Okajima and their interpreter who gets to sit in the dugout) and the consistency of their veteran players all indicate that they’re just going to get better and better. Meanwhile, the Yankees just had an ugly fallout with one of the most successful managers of all time, had their collective face spat upon by the game’s best player, and are left just hoping that some of their unsigned players still value the Yankee mystique enough to re-sign. The Yanks still have plenty of up-and-comers stashed away and I’m sure the Steinbrenner Sons won’t just squander the franchise but it will be interesting to see not only if the Evil Empire has the patience to sacrifice some championships to develop their youngsters, but also if they can regain their former swagger.

Here’s to 19 more titles in my lifetime.

Music Review (10/10/07)

Radiohead: In Rainbows

Yes, the new Radiohead album is out, and it’s solely available through their website. If you haven’t heard, the band have established their own distribution model, allowing consumers to pick their price. In case you’re curious, I elected to pay £4 (with a £0.45 service charge). I wouldn’t worry too much about reports that the files are below cd-grade quality; at 160 kbps you’re still getting pristine sounding files that are superior to the 128 kbps mp3’s most of us are accustomed to.

There comes a point when you have to concede that Radiohead is the best act around. I realize that band comparison requires some measure of subjectivity but with the works of art they put out one album after another, nobody else can even touch them. ‘In Rainbows’ is no exception to their long streak of non-disappointing LP’s. In fact, I’m surprised at how good it is, even given their track record. After first listen (and without accounting for the bias of not compensating for the discounting factors of time and repeat listens) I’m ready to declare that ‘In Rainbows’ is the best album EVER. Yes that's right. Ever. OK, maybe that's a little extreme but I don't remember ever connecting with an album this fast. Give me another week to qualify my declaration.

The record has an eclectic blend of jazzy guitar riffs and dance-pop drum beats—I’m guessing Thom Yorke is really into his one-handed, open-palmed, wrist-twisting dancing these days, and a lot of the tracks appeal to that dancy, head-shaky feel. The sonic experience is incomparable. I read an article about how the band were working to incorporate this technology where the tracks are recorded through a true-to-life dummy head (making the proper calculations for the distance between human ears and such) so as to create the illusion that the listener is actually in the recording studio with the artists. Radiohead have mastered sound layering and this album in particular does a phenomenal job of layering strings and basslines and drums and computer beats and Thom’s melodic voice into one ethereal sound experience. And the best part is: they have 8 more songs to be released (hopefully through the same distribution system) sometime around Dec. 3. Long Live Radiohead!

Key Tracks:

15 Step – They always know how to start their albums off with a kick-A track #1. This song features an excellent guitar riff and an infectious beat throughout. I could listen to this one on repeat for a long time.

Weird Fishes/Arpeggi – This track is a more gentle version than I was expecting based on the angular, guitar-heavy version I heard live. But I love it all the same. I’m baffled as to how Jonny/Thom can sustain that intricate picking pattern through the whole track.

Faust Arp – I dig how they blend the acoustic guitar in with the strings ensemble. This is one of their more feely, melodic songs, and I think it might even be about love. Imagine that.

Reckoner - This has to be my favorite song from the album. I lose it when the piano kicks in. As Chris J. noted, "Betta Reckonize!!".

Rating: 9.8

Twain-Thousand-and-Seven MLB Playoffs

Let us collectively cleanse ourselves of the 2005 (White Sox vs. Astros) and 2006 (Tigers vs. Cardinals) World Series and start anew with this promising cast of 2007 players. Let’s take a look at the matchups and make some prognostications, shall we:

American League:

LA Angels @ Boston Red Sox: These two teams faced each other in ‘04 and the Angels were swept thanks to a game 3 walk-off homer by David Ortiz to combat Vlad Guerrero’s grand slam. Both these teams feature a strong 3-man pitching rotation and deep bullpens, but where the Angels attack with small-ball and opportunistic baserunning, the Red Sox counter with sluggers and new-and-improved defense. This series will make me nostalgic for the days when Orlando Cabrera played shortstop for the Sox.
Prediction: Red Sox in 4

NY Yankees @ Cleveland Indians: The Indians have the best 1-2 punch pitching tandem (of late) in C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona, but the Yankees have the most intimidating lineup in baseball. Look for Bobby Abreu to take some 40-pitch AB’s, Derek Jeter to hit some flare singles the other way with runners in scoring position, and Giambino to inject some HGH in his buttocks and cue-shot some go-ahead dingers over the short porch in right. Just thinking about the dreaded Yankees gets my blood pressure rising. Let’s hope they get eliminated early enough that I don’t need to watch them play in the later rounds at all. Everyone will be watching A-Rod, who is roughly 5 for 46 since the Dave Roberts stolen base in game 4 of the 2004 ALCS, but has also had one of the most amazing seasons statistically in baseball history.
Prediction: Yankees in 5

National League:

Colorado Rockies @ Philadelphia Phillies: A miraculous comeback for the Rocks winning 14 of their last 15 to leapfrog the Padres into a Wild Card berth. I’m excited for them, but not that excited. They still wear purple. Both teams are riding hot streaks coming into the playoffs and both rely on their heavy hitters to win ballgames. But I’ve got to give the advantage to the Phils since they have a big lefty by the name of Ryan Howard, and arguably the NL MVP in Jimmy Rollins (139 runs scored and 88 extra base hits from a NL shortstop).
Prediction: Phillies in 5

Chicago Cubs @ Arizona Diamondbacks: What a great matchup. I can’t get over how cool it is that the Baby Backs made the playoffs—and won the NL pennant no less. The D-backs have at least 4 extremely bright, young talents in Chris Young (nearly a 30HR 30SB man), Stephen Drew, Mark “Reynoldinho” Reynolds, and Justin Upton (still making the transition to the bigs but a 5-tool, raw athlete with huge upside). The pressure will be on the AZ pitching staff fronted by Brandon Webb to contain the big bats of Alfonso Soriano (who had a monster September), Aramis Ramirez, and Derrek Lee. I’m not too worried about the Cubs pitching staff but the youthful bats of the Dbacks could go cold at any minute; let’s hope they don’t.
Prediction: Dbacks in 5

The most exciting part of all of this is the prospect of a heartbreakless Dbacks - Red Sox World Series. But the awkwardness between my brothers, my dad, and me might be too much to bear. Watching the Red Sox – White Sox series in 2005 with Chris J. taught me never to watch with friends when your teams are opposing each other with the season on the line. The worst case scenario this year would be a Rockies – Yankees World Series with the Yankees sweeping. I’ll be at the Dbacks games tonight (10 ET) and tomorrow (10 ET) so look for me on TBS.

In the words of the immortal Dane Cook, “There’s only one OctOber.”

RE: Someone Very Special

Please disregard the contents of the post under the above title dated September 6, 2007. In my 8 months of blogging I have never had to print a retraction but after receiving yet another hate-mail message, I am left with no option. For protection of the anonymous blogger-to-be I will not reveal the identity of the anonymous blogger-to-be. I wish to remind my readers that making the leap into the blogosphere is no small task. Many would-be-bloggers get right up to the edge and then find themselves unable to commit.

Apologetically,

2F

Music Review (9/11/07)

This 9/11 was not marked by the war between the United States and Al Qaeda, but by the battle between 50 Cent & KanYe West. Both released their new albums ('Curtis' and 'Graduation') today, and both guaranteed to outsell the other with 50 Cent at one point offering to stop writing music if KanYe moved more units (though I believe he has since reneged). In the past, 50 has been far more successful comercially than West but if sales of the pre-release single, "Stronger", from Kanye's 'Graduation' are any indication, this latest record from the self-proclaimed Louis Vitton Don may reach record sales. I stopped by Best Buy on my lunch break and picked up 'Graduation' for $9.99 (I love this program of new releases for $10 which rewards the aficionados and leaves you with DRM-free songs), opting to leave 50's 'Curtis' album on the shelves. Not saying that 50's stuff is trash, I've just never thought of him as making great records, just hit singles.

KanYe West: Graduation

So far, I'm thrilled with the album. This dude must have stockpiles of the latest & greatest mixing & production equipment. Who else can take a Daft Punk techno song and make it cooler by mixing and digitizing it even more? Not to mention the genius lyrics he throws in. KanYe understands sound engineering and he hires the best (e.g. Jon Brion) to put out a good product. The only song I haven't liked is "Drunk and Hot Girls" though, admittedly, it is kind of humorous. This album features oodles of clever rhymin'. "Bow in the presence of greatness. You should be honored by my lateness..." I thought the album would have more political themes than it does, given his politically controversial track record and what with the 9/11 release, but unless I'm just obtuse I didn't notice hardly any anti-Bush/anti-war material. I'm bummed Lupe didn't make a guest appearance on this record but Mr. West reeled in some cool guests like DJ Premiere who does some pretty dope scratching on "Everything I'm Not", and on "Homecoming" he brought in Chris Martin of Coldplay and what sounds like Michael McDonald or Phil Collins or something playing on a Casio. On a scale from -10.0 to 10.0 (Neil Young: 'Arc' being a -10) I would give this album the following rating:

Rating: 8.2

Liars: Liars

Don't let the self-titled eponymousness fool you, this is not their first album. The NYC band, Liars, recently released their 4th (or so) album. It's less of a mood piece than its predecessor, 'Drum's Not Dead', relying more on drum machine beats and conventional rhythms. But their signature low-voice, atmospheric melodies are in tact. Whereas with 'Drum's Not Dead' I didn't like it a ton at first but enjoyed it more and more with every listen, I instantly fell for 'Liars' and it's yet to be determined what my take on it will be after numerous spins, but for now, I haven't grown tired of it one bit.

Rating: 8.0

M.I.A.: Kala

The British-born Sri Lankan follows up her moderately successful tribal dance pop album, 'Arular' with this latest gem. Now that she's hit it big (i.e. Timbaland collaborated on this album), she's able to produce some sounds that she couldn't attain on her last album. On the whole, I don't like this particular album as much as 'Arular' but it's got 3 or 4 songs that are fantastic (Jimmy, 20 Dollar, Paper Planes). She is known for being eclectic and taking bits and pieces of all the unique musical sounds of the world (Brazilian, Congo, Indian) and putting her Electronica twist on them. The liner notes referred to her as a "citizen of the world whose religion is doing good to others."

Rating: 7.1

Someone Very Special

Avid readers of my blog will recall the 'Trash Talking' post in which Trifecta made reference to "someone very special" he was going to be adding to his links, baby. Links! Links! Links! etcetera and so forth. Well I would like to take this opportunity to announce that I will now be adding someone very special to my links...baby. Please keep an eye on 'Twainfecta's Sponsored Links' if you'd like to take part in this person's blogosphere foray.

Twainfecta's Log: Part III (Berlin and Back Again)

Before arriving in Berlin we had a brief tour of the former bombed out city of Dresden. I should mention that two important events transpired on the bus ride from Prague to Dresden. 1) We pulled into a gas station in the back where the big rigs go and saw a German trucker going cowboy style in the parking lot. We parked in the spot behind him and had a good laugh. But then, as if straight out of a National Lampoon's movie, another bus packed with Chinese tourists drove in and took the parking spot in front of the trucker. I could tell they had an even bigger laugh than we did. 2) I broke out of a Tetris funk once we crossed the Germany border and set a new record for consecutive times beating Level 9 High 5. In Dresden I picked up the indispensable German phrase, svi veiner bitte (literally, "two hotdogs please" but understood in the local tongue at the braut stands as "the really long hotdog folded in half and placed inside a french roll"). It was cool to see the buildings in Dresden how they had just used recycled limestone left over from the bombings in their rebuilding process.

Berlin - Here we finally got set up in a proper hotel, complete with bidet and sauna. It also had a flat-screen TV ideal for watching MTV Germany's top 20 including a Tommy Reeve video who everyone kept saying looks like a sexier version of me. Walking around Unter den Linden street was pretty nice. It leads to the university square where the Nazis burned the thousands of books, and to the Berlin Schloss castle along the River Spree, and eventually to the famous TV tower and Alexanderplatz. The shopping was meant to be like Rodeo Dr. or something but I wasn't all that impressed. I guess the fact that the dollar is sucking it up these days made it hard for me to make good overseas purchases (the only souvenirs I ended up hauling back were a Manchester United hat, an extended shoe horn at the All-A-Euro store, and a free pen from the hotel). We also took a tour of Potsdam and saw Frederick the Great's summer Sans Souci palace, as well as the Cecilienhof where Stalin, Churchill, and Truman met to decide the fate of post-war Germany. Touring the Berlin Wall was cooler than I expected. The countless murals spread out all over the wall are surprisingly decorative for such a somber, morose site.

The flights back were a drag, as they always are--a missed connection in JFK and a 3-hour delay on the runway. But it's good to be back. "We are American, because you're in America, okay. Greatest country on the planet."

Miscellaneous Highlights:

• We lose sight of Desi in his forest-green outfit

• Exact Change: The Berlin Miracle(s) - When it came time to shed our Euros I went into a market with all my remaining change (E3.77) and picked up 2 bags of Gold Fischli, a Cherry Coke, and some Yoghurt Fruchtbonbons. When I got to the cashier she said E3.77. Later, at the airport, we all chipped in with our bills and coins and bought a communal Burger King order. We each put in our order and took our E10.56 to the counter. The total came out to...E10.56.

Favorite Albums of the Trip:

• Sonic Youth Rather Ripped
• Liars Drum's Not Dead
• Bob Dylan The Times They Are A Changin'
• Arctic Monkeys Favourite Worst Nightmare
• Elvis Costello My Aim Is True

Twainfecta's Log: Part II (Salzburg - Prague)

Salzburg – If you’re a ‘Sound of Music’ fan at all, this is the place for you. Here we cruised the lush gardens and sparkling fountains of the Schloss Mirabell, and strolled through the very cemetery where the Von Traps made their quick escape. Lah Dee Dah. In all actuality, though, Salzburg was very cool, and not just for the thespian types. We got to see the birthplace of Mozart and one of his houses, though apparently he despised Salzburg, feeling that the residents didn’t appreciate him and that the town couldn’t even provide a decent opera house, so he took the first train to Vienna, so to speak. Strolling the banks of the Salzbach River and taking the scenic €2 elevator ride by way of the 5-story parking garage (even though I could have ridden it for free since I snuck past the gate with a pack of Chinese tourists but then let my conscience get the better of me) gave me a good sense of the picturesque layout of the city and its impressive baroque architecture.

Cesky Krumlov – A brief stopover en route to Prague, the Cesky offered mediocre seafood, speedo-donning Czechs in river rafts, an overabundance of specialty souvenir shops, and “trash ice” (their translation of shaved ice). But for all its inconveniences, C.K. was quaint beyond belief (rivaling Intercourse, PA), and the cool weather, the flowing river, and the surrounding castles and cottages just took you instantly back in time…and you didn’t want to leave. After trekking up the steep trail to catch a superb view of the city, Crato decided he didn’t feel like walking back down so he offered Des 20 krohn to piggy back him all the way down (fooling Des with the 20:1 USD exchange rate). Interestingly enough, Crato was the one who sustained injuries in the treacherous ride.

Prague – This had to be my favorite city of the whole trip. The St. Vitus Cathedral had an incredibly ornate exterior and an even more detailed interior with stained glass windows made out of 20-some-odd thousand pieces of glass. The walk down Charles Bridge was “a walk to remember” with its countless catholic statues and adornments. This was one of those places where I could just lean up against a wall with the right book and relax for hours. The astronomical clock in the city square added a nice touch and the looming threat of being pick-pocketed by the Gypsies at any given moment made it all the more exciting [I tried to reach for Sue’s purse here posing as a Gypsy but she wouldn’t have any of it. I quickly regretted trying]. One of the nights we dined at a nice restaurant with a view of the city, and a nice piano and keyboard. Our waiter, a young Czech fellow, started doodling around on the little Casio keyboard (I think I recognized the sound loop as Samba 27). He was just one-fingering it and trying to jam out. No one wanted to look at him, thinking it might cause embarrassment or something, but Des and I peeked over and when we made eye contact he did one of those neck-shrug and grin things. Other than that he was a total pro. Once the regular pianist came in and finished his set, my mom took the reins and Dvoraked all over his face with Symphony #9 (From the New World). Though he did come back and counter with the Loveboat Theme.

Miscellaneous Highlights:

• Getting really close to buying male capris

• Remote Control PPV mishaps by not one, but two of my brothers


• Saw Mozart's 'Don Giovanni' at the Prague Estates Theatre


• Toured the old Prague Jewish Quarter (pre-WWII population: 120,000, post: 20,000)


• Crato fits his head through the other side of a castle wall

Twainfecta's Log: Part I (Munich - Linderhof)

Now that I’m back from Europe and no longer disoriented by European time zones, I can get back to my favorite pre-Europe activity: blogging it up.

Countries: Germany, Austria, Czech Republic
Dates: July 17 – July 28, 2007
Members: 7 Barkers + Sue, Miguel & Josefina, Derek (guide), Alex (driver)

Munich - There's one glaring memory from our 2 days stay here and that is Courteney fainting in the town square in Marienplatz. Luckily she was able to break her fall with her forehead right on the cement sidewalk. One of the most painful things I've ever witnessed. Fortunately, she ended up OK and may even have some recollection of the rest of the trip. We also saw BMW headquarters and the Olympic Stadium.

Went on a lovely drive up the Bavarian Alps where we stopped in Oberamergau and had possibly the worst meal of my life. 4 courses. Started with Vegetable soup (predominantly spinach I think), then vinegar-cured vegetables, then some sort of roasted lamb that was so salty it reminded me of the times I mistook the salt for the sugar when piling it on my cereal. This is where Crato learned the "No thank you. Thank you." phrase with the accompanying hand gestures. It would come in handy throughout the rest of the trip. We also spotted a fly in one of the drinks so the waitress took it in the back room, spooned out the fly, and then returned the glass. My dad assured us this is not the typical German dining experience.

From Oberamergau we continued on to the Linderhof Castle, the hideaway summer palace of Mad King Ludwig. Here we got to walk through the floral tunnels (a la Secret Garden movie), and cool down in Ludwig's domesticated cave where he chilled in his little pond boat and listened to Wagner symphonies.

When Worlds Collide

*The race for the inside scoop

Last week I made a trip out to San Diego to spend some quality time with Trifecta. Our adventures included: Red Sox @ Padres (Matsuzaka vs. Maddux), eating at Ruby's, competing on the Nintendo DS's, 2-on-2 water basketball, softball, analog 'Catch Phrase', watching 'Hellboy', and trying to download lots of music before my flight but the computer saying, "Time Remaining: 5:15:42:23". Pretty much what you'd expect from a meeting of the blogosphere masterminds.

Sadly, the Nelson's are moving out of the Poway house on Crestwood. This meant we had to leave no trace of human life every time we left the house--something I've grown accustomed to since my parents are also selling our house and we have to go to such extremes as hiding the trash can when someone is coming to look at the house. We have had some great times there and it will be sad to see it go. Some fond Crestwood memories:

• Go-Karts
• Street Hockey (but do NOT let the ball roll down the hill)
• The "Bonus Room" (only the Lambert "Game Room" can compete for the best-title-for-a-room award)
• The rod-throwing contest
• "One Command" (When Blake got simultaneous commands from Ron & Ellen)
• Wimbledon. Barbara Walters interviews
• Mrs. Bogus, Kramer
• The ever smaller roll
• Stereo while you shower

I've uploaded a video series entitled 'Drunk Padres Fan' which showcases one of the highlights of the trip.

Drunk Padres Fan: 7th Inning
Drunk Padres Fan: 8th Inning
Drunk Padres Fan: 9th Inning

Bonus Footage - By Popular Demand

Pace Barker: Not Bruce Bowen

Pace Barker: Not Bruce Bowen from pace barker on Vimeo

This should set the record straight once and for all. This clip clearly shows that my opponent's injury was caused by his own doing. I may be a pesky defender, but never dirty.

Trifecta Video Series: Episode 1

Age Does Not Matter from pace barker on Vimeo

This is the 1st in a series of videos featuring Trifecta. This video is titled, 'Age Does Not Matter', taken in Courteney & Mely's apartment in Newport. Trifecta & Mely were locked in a heated debate regarding the importance of a person's age and their abilities. You be the judge on who won this argument.

PS3 v. Xbox 360 v. Nintendo Wii

*Picture not to scale

I realize that my review on the latest series of new gaming systems might seem a little late but now that each console has had a chance to stabilize, and get some games to back it up, and now that you can actually find and purchase the various systems, I think now is as good a time as any to review and compare the competing models.

Playstation 3: The sexiest of its class. You could almost justify shelling out the $600 for the Play-trois just for the aesthetical value it will bring to your room. Not to mention, a Sony/Samsung/Panasonic Blu-Ray disc player with specs essentially identical to those of the PS3’s is likely to run for somewhere between $800 and $1000. Free access to the online network as opposed to $50/year for a slightly superior online community with the Xbox 360 is good, I guess, but the real deterrent seems to be the fact that game manufacturers haven’t kept pace with the Sony system itself by providing us with games that really showcase the PS3’s capabilities, and in the cases in which they have, it has only been through games that aren’t especially fun—war games and the like. The PS3 is purportedly much quieter and runs cooler than its 360 counterpart and generates power from a single cord (no unwieldy 360 behemoth power brick). The SixAxis controller with tilt capabilities in select games is a nice bonus, but still does not measure up to the Wii’s motion-sensitive interface.

Xbox 360 Elite: You have to go with the Elite if you are in the Xbox camp. Only an $80 premium ($480) and it comes equipped with an HDMI connector and a hard drive upgrade from 20GB to 120GB. The big plus for the 360 is its extensive library of hi-def games. EA’s next-generation-graphics version of FIFA ’07, for example, has a 12-month exclusivity agreement with Microsoft. And the 360 version of Guitar Hero II checks out (I was always bothered that the Xbox version of Dance Dance Revolution plays so differently than the Playstation version). HD DVD’s (similar to Blu-Ray DVD’s, though slightly inferior) can be played on the 360 but only with the purchase of an external HD DVD player which runs for about $200 [frowny face]. But as I mentioned earlier, the 360 offers a portal to a stellar online network and an expansive media hub. Here you can buy TV episodes in hi-def, and rent HD movies (2 weeks, $5-$10), and even download original arcade games in high resolution (e.g. Street Fighter II). This brings us to the heated debate (which my colleague, Trifecta, so eloquently presented in a previous post) of ‘Physical HD versus Digital HD: Which way is the market headed?’. Being, as it is, a Microsoft product, the Xbox 360 doesn’t seem to make any efforts to cooperate with macs. If you’re a PC guy you can wirelessly stream your computer content to the console and play movies/music/slideshows on your TV (a la Apple TV). For me, the big Ace in the hole the Xbox 360 has is that I have friends that own it. If I “join in” as the commercials have instructed, I could instantly be competing or cooperating with a proverbial ‘friend in Vietnam’.

Nintendo Wii: Innocent, clean, YSA enjoyment right out of the box; all for only $250. Where the 360 and the PS3 promote lethargy with their everything-remote system, the Wii requires constant interaction through oft intense hand and arm motions. Wii Sports sounds like a blast but other than that, I don’t see too many titillating titles except for maybe Zelda. I fear that the novelty of this unique console could wear off really fast, but maybe I’m wrong. One big plus, however, is the Virtual Console offered through the Wii Shop Channel. This is the place to go to buy replicated versions of classic NES, Super Nintendo, and N64 games. By simply turning your Wiimote sideways you are ready to knock out Soda Popinski in Mike Tyson’s Punchout or crank a dinger off of B. Sbrhgn in R.B.I. Baseball II. This would be an immediate fix to my brother’s and my NES woes since someone recently sabotaged our player 2 controller and effectively rendered the whole system worthless (we’re now relegated to watching the computer play against itself, and poorly at that—worthless Boggs groundouts become triples in computer play). I’m disappointed that only a select few games offer an online multiplayer option; even the DS Lite allows for Wi-Fi multiplayer on most all of its titles. And the online Wii channels are pretty lame. They offer AP news updates and weekly weather forecasts, but who wants to get their news from Nintendo? I can just picture it: “In today’s news, Luigi is released from prison after his 8-year sentence and Princess is enjoying her stay in the Koopa Beach Promises rehab center”.

So what’s my recommendation? I think the only feasible solution is to buy all three systems. PS3 for the Blu-Ray and the tech specs, Xbox 360 for the library of games and the fantastic online network, and the Wii because you can’t afford not to, and it’s so small and cute.

Admittedly, I’m getting pretty close to buying the Xbox 360 Elite but I’m curious to see what my readers have to say so please, chime in on the ‘Comments’ link below.

R.I.P., 2006/2007 Phoenix Suns (10/31 - 5/18)

61 Wins, 21 Losses, .494 Field Goal Percentage (1st), .399 Three Point Percentage (1st), .808 Free Throw Percentage (1st), 110.2 Points Per Game (1st), 0 Championships.

It's a shame that in the end, that final, pesky statistic is the only one that matters. The 06/07 Phoenix Suns assembled one of the most exciting seasons the NBA has seen in quite some time. But for 3 or 4 games when Steve Nash and Shawn Marion were plagued with injuries, the team treated its audiences night in and night out to a masterful offensive obliteration of its opponents. With their blazing speed, uncanny chemistry, and international style, I've said all season that the Suns are the sports equivalent of the Brazilian national soccer team. It's a tragedy that they got some tough breaks in the playoffs and weren't able to secure a championship. Had they gotten over that hump, they would have proven dozens of naysayers wrong, and would have earned the respect that is long overdue. But, thanks to some questionable rules and league officials who allow themselves to be controlled by their own institutions it will always remain a "what if...?".

Alas, it is not my intention to post a bitter rant, but these are the thoughts on the forefront of my mind, and I have to get it out if I want to expel my blogger's block. My intention is to pay tribute to this team of skilled athletes who provided so much joy for so many fans.

These are some of the players and performances that stood out during the regular season and into the playoffs:

• Amare Stoudemire - An amazing recovery from microfracture knee surgery. He said the right things in all of his interviews and played with passion all season long. The man is a beast on the court and was possibly the strongest, most agile finisher in the league. A real asset in playoff style basketball. 15 straight 20-point postseason games is an awesome stat. He seemed truly poised to win a championship this year but also showed great maturity and understanding when things didn't go his way.


• Leandrinho Barbosa - The Brazilian Blur had a breakout season and was the 3rd leading scorer on the Suns. Hit his first game winner against the Chicago Bulls on the road and had one of the best game-winning reactions I've ever seen, unphased as his teammates mobbed him. Well-deserved 6th Man of the Year award. His older brother, Arturo, disciplined him as a Brazilian youth to make it to the NBA.


• Shawn Marion - The underrated $15 million man. Put together another great season and was an integral part of the team's success. We appreciate you and your praying mantis shot, Marion. Hope you can stick around another year.


• Steve Nash - One of the coolest and greatest athletes of all time. Some athletes are gifted, some are skilled, and others just think they are gifted or skilled, but still play sports, so technically they are still athletes, while others concede that they are neither gifted nor skilled, but still consider themselves athletes, or in some cases not. Steve Nash has incredible skill. He made countless, jaw-dropping feeds to his teammates and was the ultimate teammate. He is enormously skilled with both hands, and has an unbelievable sense of balance which allows him to shift his weight in the air and still get off virtually the same shot he would get if he were set on the floor. He is a gritty competitor and a sports hero of mine. No matter what it takes, I hope he gets a championship before his career is over.


• Tom Leander - The Suns announcer whose cheesy lines and cheerful personality never grew tiresome. "Rises to the 10th floor", "Elevates and detonates", "a tasty dish", "straight but strong", "a thing of beauty", etc. He and color man, "EJ" Eddie Johnson were always enjoyable to listen to, especially the time when EJ (a long time NBA veteran) asked Tom to explain what a "baby hook" (a common shot) was.


• (12/7/07) Phoenix 161, New Jersey 157 (OT) - An amazing game that went to double overtime thanks to an unreal fadeaway 3-pointer from Nash at the end of regulation. This game featured an unforgettable battle between two of the premier pointguards of this era. Nash ended up with 42 points, and Jason Kidd had 38 points, 14 boards, and 14 assists.


• (3/14/07) Phoenix 129 - Dallas 127 (OT) - Another double OT battle and another Nash 3-pointer to send it into the first OT. Nash posted 32 points, 8 boards, and 16 assists and outdueled his former teammate, Dirk Nowitzki, in a battle that should have given Nash the upperhand in the battle for MVP, but ultimately did not. Amare Stoudemire was an impressive 16-19 from the field and put up 41 points.

Sorry you couldn't win it all Suns, but for what it's worth, I don't blame you. In fact, I embrace your style of play and I hope you have the guts to stick with it until you do win the title. "Joga Bonito".

"Hey I Was Wondering If You Have These:"

Some time ago, Trifecta asked Chris and me if we listened to these artists and what we thought of them:

• Notorious B.I.G., Mike Jones, Warren G, Dr. Dre, Kanye West, 50 Cent, Bone Thugs N Harmony, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Ice Cube, Ghostface Kiliahz, 3 six mofia, 2 Pac

Also, my two brothers recently brought up my piqued interest in hip-hop music, so I think it's only fitting that I address this matter via the blog platform. Keep in mind that I consider myself only a casual hip-hop listener and I tend to filter a lot of what I listen to based on explicitness.

First of all, in my opinion, rap music seems to cyclically perpetuate in a given locale. For instance, it used to be that the East Coast had the stronghold on rap music and all the good original material was coming from that area. Then, with the emergence of groups like N.W.A., suddenly you had a California-based hegemon running the show (my first real exposure to the hip-hop scene--most notably when my older brother surreptitiously bought 'Doggpound', and Trifecta bought 'The Chronic'). Then guys like Ice-T, Easy E, Snoop D-O-Double G, 2Pac, and a bunch of others started to put out their own records and they all fed off of each other's creativity. The scene was at an all time high but slowly began to decline as consumers grew tired of so many songs all about scoring chicks and hatin' on other gangstas.

Eventually, the East side regained some of its popularity through rappers like Puff Daddy, Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, and Common. But an unnecessary battle broke out between the two coasts featuring countless disses from the opposing rappers. The stakes escalated too high and ended in the death of Tupak Shakur and the retaliatory assassination of Biggy Smalls. This was a dark time in Hip-Hop and the music suffered as a result.

Fortunately, some new names have busted out onto the scene and have really redefined and improved the industry. Most notably in the Chicago scene where guys like KanYe West, Lupe Fiasco, and Rhymefest are taking new approaches and with the help of some skilled producers are incorporating dope beats and some orchestral arrangements and the like to produce more musically-intensive rap tracks, without sacrificing the rappin' and rhymin'.

So in response to Trifecta's question, and with some additional commentary on some others, here is my take on the following hip-hop artists:

Trifecta's List of Artists:

• Notorious B.I.G. - Not a fan of his era of rappers. He's got a few songs that are OK but I don't really care to listen to his stuff
• Mike Jones - One awesome, narcissistic song ("Who Is Mike Jones").
• Warren G - Don't know much about him. Don't really care to either.
• Dr. Dre - Dude's a genius. Released what is probably the biggest hip-hop record of all time (The Chronic), and kickstarted dozens of rappers' careers. ("Let Me Ride" and "Forgot About Dre" are some of my favorites)
• Kanye West - The guy understands music and isn't afraid to crossover with guys like the lead singer of Maroon 5. Two great albums and his forthcoming record should be great as well.
• 50 Cent - Hasn't put out anything great in a while but he's got some classic raps on his resume ("In Da' Club", "P.I.M.P."). The quintessential street gangster who happens to have survived 5 or 6 or 7 bullet wounds.
• Bone Thugs N' Harmony - Haven't ever gotten into these guys. Should I? Is it worth my while?
• Snoop Dogg - His act is tired but his voice and style are so unique that he'll always have a place in the industry. ("Beautiful" on the new Heineken ad is pretty sweet).
• Eminem - You don't want to mess with Shady...cause Shady...will kill you. This guy scares me. Some of his beats and tunes are so unique and cool, but his lyrics are off-the-charts descriptive/violent/venomous/abrasive/etc. Years from now, someone will write an amazing biography on him and I will probably still be afraid to read it.
• Ice Cube - I would give an opinion on him but I can never keep him and Ice T straight.
• Ghostface Killahz - Don't know enough about them
• 3 Six Mafia - Never heard 'em
• 2Pac - "How Do You Want It" and "California" are both fantastic. Other than that they all sound like disses--except for "Changes" which I'm not a big fan of anyways.

Additional Artists:

• Lupe Fiasco - Peach fuzz buzz but beard on the verge. This kid rocks. Pulls out some obscure loops and is heavy on the strings. 'Food & Liquor' is one of my favorite albums of '06. Gotta love "Kick Push" and "Kick Push II".
• Rhymefest - Another Chicago rapper. He's got a huge voice and lots of charisma. (Check out "Bullet")
• MF Doom - I'm late in the game with this guy but his stuff is dope. Comes from the UK. 'Madvillainy' is an awesome record with tons of heavy-layered tracks, all of which sound very unique. Always wears the Gladiator metal-face mask and his voice is as smooth as they come. (I recommend "Accordion", "Raid", and "Supervillain Theme")
• Spank Rock - These guys put out some pretty sweet underground hip-hop. They're hit and miss with me but overall I dig 'em. They only have one album out ('YoYoYoYoYoYo').

So I hope that answers your question, Tri.

We Believe

The Golden State Warriors have pulled off the biggest upset in NBA playoff history thanks to inspired play by some pure ballers and a stadium full of believers. This was no fluke. These guys came out to play every night and there was never a moment where they were intimidated or even nervous. It was truly a joy for sports fans everywhere to witness the beautiful play by the Warriors as they outdueled the 67-win Mavericks team in 6 games. Just read some of the reactions I got from personal friends of mine (first names only to protect their identity):

• "I'm naming my son Baron" - Chris
• "All I know is that the score is 71 to 57 for GS and that it's exciting" - Sarah
• "I feel like that game strengthened my testimony" - Trevor

Steve Kerr, the TNT announcer, repeatedly mentioned how shocked he was to see an NBA game with the fans standing the entire 2nd half and how that demonstrated how special this game was. There were some interesting post-game interviews--and in case you weren't aware there's a scintillating love-hate triangle between Coach Avery Johnson, Coach Don Nelson, and Owner Mark Cuban (with some especially bad blood between the latter two)--but I was impressed with Stephen Jackson's (who is notorious for his nightclub & gun incident and his role in the Artest brawl - [video]) comment regarding the concern when Baron Davis left in the 1st with a hamstring pull. He talked about how important Baron is to the team and said "I'd die for him right there on the court". That statement shows the love between this team and the reason for their phenomenal chemistry.

And in case you're wondering what Trifecta has to say on the matter: "I think that the Warriors did Annihilation".

2006 World Cup

For my readers who for one reason or another were unable to watch the 2006 World Cup in Germany, I am providing a quick recap of the event.

Team USA stunk up the place and failed to advance by not scoring a single goal (except for an own goal in the match against Italy). Landon Donovan was a huge letdown and didn't even come close on any of his shots.

Brazil joga bonito'd until they met France's defense. Ronaldinho had flashes of brilliance but never did net a goal. Ronaldo (Fenomeno) proved he could still score (3 goals in the tournament) but may have been a hindrance to the team's fast-paced offensive attack.

France advanced to the finals on the outstanding play of Zidane and Henry (3 goals) but lost to Italy on penalty kicks when Trezeguet hit the inside of the crossbar and the ball barely bounced out. For the last minutes of play France was without their star, Zidane, who received a red card for head-butting Materazzi.

Italy played well throughout the cup and never surrendered a conventional goal. They beat Germany in the semi's in overtime play on a beautiful bender and a Del Piero rainbow shot.

• USA draws with Italy (Video)
• Brazil defeats Japan 4-1 (Video)
• France defeats Brazil 1-0 on Henry goal (Video)
• Italy defeats Germany 2-0 (Video)
• Italy defeats France in Finals on PK's (Video)

Biggest Sports Weekend Ever?

Probably not but here's a quick rundown of the events to look forward to:

1. Saturday Night: NCAA Final 4 (CBS)

• Georgetown Vs. Ohio St. [6:07 pm ET]
• Florida Vs. UCLA [8:47 pm ET]

If you want to know who I like to win it all the answer is none of these teams. After going 8-8 on my Elite Eight picks I followed that up with an 0-4 on my Final Four picks. So I am unqualified to judge any of these teams, but I'm rooting for UCLA. When are they going to ditch the 35-second shot clock?

2. Sunday Noon: Mavericks @ Suns [3:30 pm ET] (ABC)

Possibly the biggest regular season game of the season. The Suns will attempt to tie up the series between the 2 most explosive teams the NBA has seen this side of the 21st Century. If either Steve Nash or Dirk Nowitzki steps up and has a significant game-winning impact they could seal the deal for their MVP candidacy. I'm just glad the game's not at Dallas so we don't have to endure the testicularly-proned Jason Terry's eagle-soaring, ape-stomping antics.

3. Sunday Night: MLB Opening Night - NY Mets @ St. Louis Cardinals [8:05 pm ET] (ESPN 2)

Baseball is back. Last time these teams met Endy Chavez made one of the greatest playoff homerun snags of all time, but the Metties still lost on a Yadier Molina dinger and an Adam Wainright curveball. Biggest stories to follow this season:

• Daisuke Matsuzaka (松坂 大輔) for whom the Red Sox paid $51.111MM just to talk to his agent will make his major league debut later next week (TBD). The young pitching phenom features 8 pitches (including the "shuuto") and has no pitch count, and as far as I'm concerned no ceiling for potential.
• The Baby Backs (AZ Diamondbacks) added some quality pitching, including the Big Unit (Randy Johnson), and will look to their highly-touted young stars to carry the load in their quest for a playoff spot. Meanwhile, I will look to my dad to carry the financial load in my quest for a seat at the ballpark.
• Sammy Sosa is back and playing for the Texas Rangers. Will he hit 50 homeruns? Will he hit 2? I have no idea. The HGH era has made it really difficult to gauge performance on some of these players (particularly the ones with perpetually increasing head sizes)

--Throw that sensational sports batch in with Saturday & Sunday LDS General Conference and factor in the marvel of the Tivo era and I'm looking at roughly 20.5 hours of TV over a 48-hour period (for which I'll be awake for only 32 hours give or take--that's a 0.64 TV/Waking Hours ratio). But if I cut out all MoTab sequences and all "shoulder-pad" talks I can cut that down to about 18.5 hours.

Apple TV - A must have??

Apple TV

NY Times Review

• $300
• 40GB of memory
• Streams up to 5 other computers
• Brings iTunes to your HDTV

I love the concept and I'm a huge proponent of non-physical collections (except for baseball cards) but at least in my case, I'm not on board until iTunes begins offering 720 resolution HD movies, TV shows, etc. Why exclude non-HD households from the market (apple TV doesn't communicate with standard TV sets) if you don't even offer HD programs? I'm sure it's just a matter of time before high-res programming becomes available. Apparently video recording capabilites are on the horizon as well. Intriguing, but on the Buy/Wait/Don't Buy scale, I'm giving it a "Wait".

26

Having let 26 days come and go since my last post, today I will cite 26 examples that define Blake's greatness, on this his 26th birthday. (What's the name of that new Jim Carrey movie?)

1. Just a great guy
2. The Trifecta blog, I mean c'mon
3. Cap'n Overtime
4. Douchey Doucheying it
5. Age Does Not Matter. It does not matter.
6. Voicemails
7. Jack N' The Box: Chicken Tenders Combo
8. All the unfinished Coke cans
9. The Brown Lexus
10. Writing the Owner's Manual
11. Traveling with Surge Protectors
12. Always leaving something behind
13. Miracle Gro
14. Great Golfer
15. Public Relief
16. Knows how to Bilbo Baggins it
17. Still uses Case Logic products
18. $30 steaks - knows how to fine dine
19. Knows good music
20. The Congratulatory Prize
21. Spango Dango
22. Understands Politics
23. Loves to spoon
24. Sports Buff
25. Stuffed Pockets
26. A true friend

Comfortable Man Hug (CMH)

3F and I recently invented this maneuver for those times when you want a hug but you just don't need any more discomfort in your life.

Trash Talking

The following was taken from a blog-related voicemail from Trifecta:

"Did special P enjoy his entertainment blog that he has created? Oh wait, no. I am the one that added a special link to. I will be adding a link to somebody special who i know very dearly and he is going to have a blog going to be started. And guess what? You'll have to wait and see because i am going to be the first one to add him to my links baby. Links links links links links. My name is special p body. I am special. I mean what? Oh wait. I mean no. Spicy corn nuts. Did i say corn nuts? Pace, did you just say corn nuts? Alright man well hey. You must be doucheying doucheying it. Alright now captain call me back. Later."

Hopefully this provides some good insight into the lifestyle of us bloggers.

Caught in the Act

A nice promotion from my good friend, Trifecta (3F)

Composite Best of 2006 Albums

The following list was created by Matt Nelson through compiling top 50 ratings from over 17 magazines, critics, websites, etc. Methodology and an expanded list can be provided upon request.

Artist
1 TV on the Radio 2 Joanna Newsom 3 Ghostface Killah 4 Clipse 5 Neko Case 6 The Hold Steady 7 Scott Walker 8 The Decemberists 9 The Knife 10 Destroyer 11 Mastodon 12 Belle and Sebastian 13 Grizzly Bear 14 Bob Dylan 15 Liars 16 Yo La Tengo 17 J Dilla 18 Tom Waits 19 Gnarls Barkley 20 Band of Horses 21 Cat Power 22 Hot Chip 23 Boris 24 Lupe Fiasco 25 Jenny Lewis 26 Beirut 27 Bonnie "Prince" Billy 28 The Roots 29 Junior Boys 30 Sunset Rubdown 31 Converge 32 Art Brut 33 Arctic Monkeys 35 Sonic Youth 34 Lily Allen 36 Yeah Yeah Yeahs 37 Justin Timberlake 38 Wolf Eyes 39 Mission of Burma 40 Herbert 41 Girl Talk 42 T.I. 43 Enslaved 44 Califone 45 Celtic Frost 46 M. Ward 47 Iron Maiden 48 Isis 49 The Thermals 50 Current 93

Recent Celebrity Sightings

Year; Celebrity; Location; Distance
2003; Kevin Bacon; Park City Ski Resort; One ski length
2004; Steve Buscemi; Park City Albertson's; One shopping cart
2005; Tom Young (Steve's brother); Palo Verde Ward; Zero distance
2007; Jeff Hornacek; Phoenix Suns game; One row

Trifecta is not all he appears to be

In a personal attack, which I can only conclude was spawned by Twainfecta's Blog's sudden surge in popularity, Trifecta viciously declared the following:

"oh so you think that you are a good king of blogging. You only started because of me. So i think you copy-catted me. Oh lest i say more your balls are showing."

You be the judge.

Paid for by Twainfecta over Trifecta 2007 (c).

Welcome

Here at Twainfecta's Blog we strive to do everything that Trifecta's Blog does...but even better.