Twenty down, another ten to go as the VSO 100 Blogs...100 Typos countdown enters the swinging 70s. By now we've gone through most of the briefer entries and fluffier fare (because you know most of my other entries are hard hitting political and social commentaries) and now we're really getting into the meatier posts. I do have to warn everyone that we are still a bit of a ways off from the halfway point so there's no need to get overwhelmed by the sudden influx of posts. It's best to pace yourself, take frequent water breaks, breath, and basically take it one entry at a time; there's still plenty of list to go around.
So with a sense of moderation in mind, on with the blogs!:
May 5, 2008
79. Notes from the Library 1: Rewards
April 23, 2008
78. We've Only Just Begun...
August 25, 2007
77. What do we become? Assholes or something?
April 16, 2007
This is a fairly recent entry from just last month, during my finals period. My "Notes from the Library" series can basically be summed up as the ramblings of a painfully bored man trapped in a dark, hopeless, fortnight of forced studying. It's a little Kafkaesque in a way; however, I'm not familiar enough with his work to probably be throwing that phrase around. I did read "Metamorphosis" in high school and tried in vain for many years to finish "The Castle" (and if you got that joke the first time around, I commend you). I have yet to get my final grades back so there's no vindication thus far for all my random acts of karma hording.
79. Notes from the Library 1: RewardsApril 23, 2008
It's really no surprise that another "Notes" entry followed the last one since they're pretty similar in terms of quality. I guess it may be a little surprising to some that note two is actually promoted later on (perhaps later on in this countdown) before note one. While the entry sincerely expresses my personal views on the futileness of attempting to reward yourself, I have to admit a big part of the entry was built around talking about that Bud Light commercial. It's so memorable and ingenious because that is EXACTLY how all dogs would sound like if you could speak to them; completely blows away the talking animal commercial tradition!
78. We've Only Just Begun...August 25, 2007
A little over eight months and the new top five iTunes songs are as follows:
- Goodbye to Love - The Carpenters (28)
- Frankly, Mr. Shankly - The Smiths (25)
- Coffee and TV - Blur (22)
- Here Comes My Baby - Cat Stevens (22)
- Diamonds On the Soles of Her Shoes - Paul Simon (21)
77. What do we become? Assholes or something?April 16, 2007
Now we are a mere 7 years away from Robert Zemeckis' Utopian vision of the future. The clock is still ticking and we have yet to see any progress in developing the wonders of the Hill Valley of tomorrow. There's got to be a Cafe 80s style nostalgia eatery somewhere in the world (perhaps not with Max Headroom-style robot screen waiters). My degree will also be quite useless if things go as planned and they abolish all lawyers. One thing's for certain, with the current runaway increases in food, energy, and inflation, a Pepsi will cost roughly $50 by 2015.
76. Notes From The Library 2: CaffeineApril 27, 2008
Yep, that's where that extra note was hanging out on the countdown. Two reasons for the entry's slightly overachieving position compared to the other two in the series: (1) I enjoy getting hopped up on caffeine, but mostly it's because (2) of the classic Jessie freak out! What more can I say about the defining shared cultural experience of our generation? We'll be telling our grandchildren about how excited and scared we were at the same time. It'll be an interesting day when stuff like this and the O.J. chase and the White House blowing up in "Independence Day" will replace all the iconic images of our long dead baby boomer parents.
75. 10 Random comments about me I found on the InternetJuly 12, 2007
It just doesn't get any more straight forward than the title. Right after VH1 aired out first round Victor, the one where I come off as a total hero, I got the first taste of pseudo-internet fame and boy was it surreal. Everyday I'd wake up and google myself and find a whole new slate of congratulations and criticisms of my team and I. That really was (to borrow a VH1 phrase) the best week ever. In the end I was just as happy to have read the hate mail as I was the love letters and as I look back on that whole experience, I totally agree with Oscar Wilde, "the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about."
74. I'll take Envy for $1000, AlexMay 19, 2007
I think everybody has at least one major "Sliding Doors" moment in their lives, when a simple "A or B" decision could have set off a chain of events that could have completely changed their lives. My definitive moment is me on that podium, staring at my telestrator in the low light with the Jeopardy theme quickly coming to an end. I have two answers in my head. I pick Austria, get the Final Jeopardy right, win the game and roughly $16,000, take out Andrew Rostan in an epic showdown, then go on a major week or two roll, end up well north of 200 grand, put off law school, pay off my loans, and spend a year writing my novel as I ride the Trans-Siberian Express. Or I pick Poland and I get...
73. Lovely Parting GiftsAugust 1, 2007
A third place $1,000 check that covered airfare and lodging and a framed picture with Trabek. It really took me a while to get over that loss, but what can you do (aside from constructing a time machine and desperately warning yourself before the show starts)? The check eventually made up most of the cost of the very laptop I am writing this entry on right now, so I guess some good came out of it. I will, however, forever carry a slight personal grudge against the nation of Poland.
72. It's Just a Fantasy...March 10, 2008
My team is currently wallowing in mediocrity in 8th place out of 12th. Just as I've predicted, my offense is solid but my pitching staff has completely underperformed (Chris Young, C.C. Sabathia, Trevor Hoffman, Rafael Soriano, Oliver Perez, Aaron Heilman...barf!). There is still time to turn it around but there definitely needs to be some major changes; so I'm essentially like the Cleveland Indians.
71. It's Just a Fantasy...Part IIMarch 15, 2008
In contrast the my previous team, Fantasy Team II, is actually in first place with a healthy lead (knock on Kerry Wood); although a lot of the credit has to go to some previously undrafted waiver wire superstars (Ryan Church, Xavier Nady, Edinson Volquez , Jon Rauch). I wish my fantasy teams had feelings so I can tell my first team how disappointed in it and how much I prefer its overachieving sibling...I should never be parent.
"Frankly Mr. Shankly"???
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