As I promised earlier, here are the highlights from today's 4-1 victory over Arsenal.

I know that it will be tough match against PSV on Tuesday in Eindhoven, but I couldn't have asked for a better result today. Have a great rest of the weekend everyone.

Secretly, I Want You Buried in the Yard

It's no fun to wake up on a Saturday morning at 5 a.m., but sometimes our bodies just tell us that it's time to wake up and it is no use fighting that message. Well, some of you might beg to differ, but I simply cannot outlast the affliction. With that said, I enjoyed finishing up John Adams by David McCullough this morning and watching Liverpool completely dominate Arsenal 4-1 at Anfield thanks in large part to a hat trick by Mr. Peter Crouch. For those of you who are not familiar with Mr. Crouch, he might be the most gangly sports star since Manute Bol graced us with his presence. That notwithstanding, Crouch turned in an outstanding performance today against the Gunners with a left-footed goal, a right-footed goal, and a header. All in all, not a bad day's work. The Reds also got a goal from defender Daniel Agger in the 59th minute.

I'll be sure to provide a video of match highlights when one shows up on YouTube, but for right now, you'll just have to enjoy a video detailing Crouch's goal-scoring celebration. That's right. It's "The Robot!!!"

I'm not sure that he surpasses Damon Wayans' version from Major Payne, but then again, Crouch is a 6 ft. 7 inch Englishman, so maybe I should cut him some slack.

You Can Lose Yourself in Your Courage

Congratulations to Mr. Andrew Tuegel for correctly naming "Kingdom Come" by Coldplay as the Thursday Song of the Day.


Well, Mr. Mike May and I live to fight another day, as you can read here.



Thanks to Jonathan Swanburg at the world famous "From Malibu to Waco" for the bracket.




Also, since I've had law school on the brain for the last 7 months, I thought all of you out there might like to know that it's not nearly this much fun.


Well, it may not be this much fun, but at least no one is undergoing any "Code Reds".

"You want me on that wall, you need me on that wall."

I'll be back tomorrow with a recap of the Liverpool-Arsenal match and my thoughts on the Final Four.

Steal My Heart and Hold My Tongue

Congratulations to Mr. Stephen Baker, the man behind Poseur, for naming "Fake Tales of San Francisco" by the Arctic Monkeys as the Wednesday Song of the Day. Stephen's post yesterday regarding the spring training hopes of Orioles fan looks very similar to something that I might compose as a Rangers fan.


My good friend and former roommate Jonathan Smith said that he initially thought yesterday's Liverpool post was going to be a baseball post, but I've been thinking about writing something about the Rangers for a few days now, but I just can't bring myself to do it right now. It's almost as if I have reverted back to the sports fan methodology that I utilized as a 3rd grader.


See, in the summer of 1993, I was 9 years old and I had just discovered the greatness that was the Chicago Bulls. As you will remember, this season was the final piece to the initial 3-peat, but in the NBA Finals the Bulls were up against a very tough Phoenix Suns team. This was the season that Charles Barkley won the MVP, thereby infuriating the ultra-competitive Michael Jordan. When I sat down to watch the Bulls battle the Suns in the NBA Finals I had a fool-proof method to ensure victory. You might ask yourself, "What 3rd grader has the cognitive ability to influence the outcome of a game that is taking place at least a thousand miles from his home?" Well, I did. Or at least I thought I did.


I was utterly convinced that if I wore my Bulls hat with pinstripes and a black bill, they could not lose. If you're struggling to picture the hat, think of the hat that Indy's sidekick wore in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. You know, the kid who ran around saying, "Dr. Jones!!" That kid.


Anyway....I had worn my hat during the entire Eastern Conference Finals as the Bulls defeated the hated New York Knicks, but for some reason, I did not wear the hat during the first 3 games of the series, because I believed the Bulls were going to dominate the Suns. After Phoenix's 129-121 triumph in Game 3, I grew a bit nervous. I donned the hat again for MJ's 55 point performance in Game 4, but I guess I grew a bit too confident because I took the hat off again for Game 5, which was a 108-98 Phoenix victory.


Here's where things got dicey. The series was headed back to Phoenix with the Bulls holding a tenuous 3-2 lead. If you're asking yourself how a little kid could get this wrapped up in a sporting event, just remember this, I cried when the Cowboys were losing 13-6 to the Bills at halftime of Super Bowl XXVIII. This mattered. I knew that I would have to summon up all of my powers to help MJ, Scottie, Horace, Phil, and the boys defeat the Suns. The hat went on my head at beginning of Game 6 and didn't come off until John Paxson's game winning 3 with 3.9 seconds left.
I say all that to say this: I somehow still believe that if I can alter the outcomes of sporting events by things that I do. I know that sounds crazy. You might even say irrational, but somewhere in my psyche, it makes sense. I'm choosing not to write about the Rangers because when I've written about them in the past, things have gone oh so badly.


I've been watching the Rangers since...well, since I could focus on a television. I still remember trying to watch games at Arlington Stadium and realizing that a dark-blue backstop is a terrible thing to stare at from a centerfield camera. I've watched Palmeiro, Sierra, Kevin Brown, Pete Incaviglia, Pudge, Juan, Kevin Elster, Charlie Hough, Nolan Ryan, Kenny Rogers, A.Rod, Hank, Tex, and Michael. I know that we don't have the tortured history of the Red Sox, but in our case, I just wish that I knew what playoff heartbreak felt like. Oh, and don't tell me that those series in the late 90's were "playoff heartbreak". That was something closer to the word "streamrolled."


Here's all I'm asking: Don't break my heart again by tanking in August. I want to know what the pennant race feels like. I want to be able to call my friends and talk about what a genius or moron that Ron Washington is. That's all I'm asking for. Now, that's not too much, is it?

Proof that Love's not Only Blind but Deaf

The inspiration from today's post comes from longtime reader Cris Carpenter. For those you who don't know, Cris is going to Brazil in September as part of Let's Start Talking. I asked Cris how much I would have to donate in order for her to influence the young Brazilian soccer phenoms to play for Liverpool and she gave me the following response: "That depends...how much is it worth to you? unfortunately for you, i am a consistent reader of your blog, therefore I am well aware of how much that team means to you. what to do, what to do?" Now, that's the kind of response I expect from an intelligent woman.

I realize that I have not written about Liverpool lately, but this is not from a lacking of caring, rather it arises from a lack of action. The Premiership is currently on a break that will end on Saturday as the Reds take on Arsenal at Anfield. Unfortunately, Arsenal striker Thierry Henry is currently nursing an injury and will not be able to play. I say that is unfortunate because Henry is probably still the world's greatest goalscorer, but I am glad that the Liverpool defense will not have to discover new ways of stopping him.

After the match with the Gunners on Saturday, the Reds will have a short break before they take on PSV Eindhoven in the first half of the Round of 8 matchup in the UEFA Champions League. For those of you who don't know, the Champions League is a competition between the football associations that make up UEFA, or the Union of European Football Associations. A certain number of teams from each country's top league make it into the Champions League tournament, which takes place each year. The Champions League Final is the biggest event on the "football" calendar each year for the rest of the world. Last year, FC Barcelona took home the title with a 2-1 victory over Arsenal at the Stade de France. After knocking out Barcelona earlier this month, hopefully the Reds can make a run at their second Champions League title in 3 years. They won the 2005 Champions League with a victory over AC Milan in Instanbul (or is it Constantinople?). The Reds were down 3-0 at halftime, but came from behind to tie the match at 3-3 and forced penalty kicks. After winning the penalty shootout, Liverpool captured its 5th European Cup and completed what many have called the greatest comeback in modern soccer.

I'm not sure if any of you have any desire to begin following the Reds as well, but if you do, I have a great place for you to start. ESPN2 will be airing the Round of 8 match live from Eindhoven on Tuesday. Don't worry, I've already anticipated one of your biggest questions. No, you don't have to wake up extra early to catch the telecast. Since the match is played in the evening in Europe, it will air at 2:30 p.m. est/1:30 cst. See, that takes away an excuse from all the sleepy head bums who read this blog. Not that any of my friends are sleepy head bums. That's a reference to all of you lurkers who peruse but never comment.

If you needed another reason to watch the match, just listen to this. Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard (soccer teams use "skipper" instead of captain) is playing very well right now. Today, he scored two goals for England in the second half of a European Championship qualifying match against Andorra. Andorra!! If you are not impressed by a guy who can score multiple goals against a tiny nation lodged between France and Spain, then I guess you just can't get excited about anything.

In the End They Traded Their Tired Wings for the Resignation that Living Brings

Richard Cohen of the Washington Post has an interesting column today on Barack Obama. In the column, Cohen notes that the Chicago Tribune's extensive research of the figures and stories detailed in Obama's Dreams from My Father revealed that one of the pivotal moments in the memoir may not have happened in quite the manner that Obama explained.

Specifically, Obama recounts the story of seeing an article in Life magazine during the time that he lived in Indonesia as child which described how a black American had attempted to bleach his skin in order to become "white". Obama describes this event as one of his first encounters with the ugly consequences of racism, but as the Tribune's research revealed, no such story ever existed. When asked about this fact, Obama stated that perhaps the magazine was Ebony, but alas, no such article ever appeared in Ebony either.

Now, I'm not going to call Obama a liar. It would be very interesting to sit down with my friends and family and to ask them about their perspectives regarding certain events from my past that I believe I have a total grasp of. I'm sure that there would be certain instances where my recollection of what took place in a given instance would differ from what my sister or friend would recall, but shouldn't there be a higher standard when you are putting something into print?

It would seem that if you are going to put a story, which is portrayed as incredibly pivotal to Obama's racial awareness, into your first published work, wouldn't you want to determine whether or not that story had any factual inconsistencies? I agree with Cohen's point that sometimes we reach a point where we believe that something is absolutely true or occurred in exactly the way that we believe it occurred, even if that is simply not the truth. Obama may have dealt with that memory so extensively that he believed that it was the gospel truth and did not give the act of placing the story into his memoir a second thought.

If anything, such a story demonstrates that those who choose to run for President in the United States are consenting to a process that will run through their entire life with a fine-toothed comb. Welcome to the vetting process Senator Obama.

With the Words You've Borrowed From the Only Place You've Known

Congratulations to Mr. Dan Carlson for correctly naming "Decatur, or Round of Applause for Your Stepmother!" by Sufjan Stevens as the Sunday Song of the Day. You'll remember Dan as one of the proud majority shareholders in Team Jodayyy and as the current leader of the "Palace and Friends" March Madness (NCAA Trademark) Pool. Dan, if you think this isn't a conscious attempt to jinx you, well you have another thing coming.

This afternoon, as we sat and listened to a presentation from an attorney at Hunton & Williams during LAPP, something pretty neat happened. This is not to say that the presentation was not interesting, but something really good was happening outside of Room 127. I love those moments when the heavens just open up and rain comes pouring down in what can only be described as a deluge.

I began to think about how I view rain in the different contexts of life. When I was younger, rain was something that stood in the way of playing outside, but when the rain stopped, oh, that's when the fun began. We would go out and ride our bikes through the huge puddles that would develop on Gatewood. I'm pretty sure that my Mom didn't like doing laundry after those days due to the fact that I would have a racing stripe up and down my back from the muddy spray that came off of my back wheel, but when you are doing laundry for a young boy, your standards can't be too high.

I thought about all the times on Trek that I have spent a rainy night under a crew fly or in a tent. Out on the trail, the rain was often the thing that I dreaded the most. Well, besides the token kid who wanted to complain about eating Vienna Sausages. Trust me, that argument carries no merit with someone who has to eat them throughout the summer. If you ever have me on trail (which this summer is probably the last time), don't even try that sob story with me, but I digress.

Today, as I sat in the classroom, I was reminded again that spring has arrived. Besides seeing the bluebonnets bloom along the roadways, nothing signals the beginning of Spring better than a good, soaking rainstorm. As I observe the changes in the seasons and the renewal of the earth, I am reminded that my life is an everchanging process. Just as sometimes we must walk through the winter, Spring is always around the corner. I can't wait to see what it brings.

Stephen A. Douglas was a Great Debator, Abraham Lincoln was the Great Emancipator

I'm not really sure why, but I've always been fascinated by history. In this space, I've expressed my love for Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire" and you have probably observed that a large portion of my "Current Reading" selections are history focused. It seems that there is some type of value or comfort in knowing that Solomon was correct when he told us that "there is nothing new under the sun."

As much as the world changes and evolves, there are some challenges and joys that are simply an intrinsic part of the human experience. As I have been reading through David McCullough's John Adams recently, I was struck by a quote from Philadelphia physician Benjamin Rush expressing his less than enthusiastic outlook on the American moral landscape. In 1789, Rush wrote to Adams, "A hundred years hence, absolute monarchy will probably be rendered necessary in our country by the corruption of our people."

It is always easy to look back and dream wistfully of the "good old days", but we cannot forget that although the world has changed a great deal in the 218 years between Rush's statement and today, the "good old days" were probably filled with the same doomsday prophecies and apprehension that characterize our current state of affairs.
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Today's U2 video is the classic opening track to 1987's The Joshua Tree, "Where the Streets Have No Name". I've chosen the video from U2's performance at Super Bowl XXXVI, which was the first Super Bowl played after 9/11. I still remember that this halftime performance, along with Michael Jackson's at Super Bowl XXVII, was one of the best ones that I have ever seen.


I've also decided to include the version from the Slane Castle concert that I keep mentioning. Something great was happening that night in August 2001.

I Just Had to Look Having Read the Book

Congratulations to Ms. Courtney Varner for correctly naming "Misunderstood" by Wilco as Friday's Song of the Day. Courtney, you were also correct in stating that Wilco has a new album coming out very shortly. I was able to acquire a copy of the Sky Blue Sky a week or so ago from Mr. Jeff Giddens, and I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to it.

Well, today's offering on the U2 song list is "One" from 1991's Achtung Baby. I've provided links to two different performances of the song. The first video is from the Slane Castle concert in 2001 that I mentioned in yesterday's post.


I'm not sure which concert the second video is from, but the "football" fans out there will enjoy ABC's work in pairing the song with highlights from the 2006 World Cup.


Earlier this year I posted the horrid remake of "One" that was perpetrated by some MBNA/Bank of America hacks last year in the name of corporate cheerleading. Out of respect for the greatness that is "One", I have decided to refrain from again posting that heretical material.

Current Reading

John Adams by David McCullough

When You're Back in Your Old Neighborhood...

I know that in yesterday's post, I said that the U2 songs were not going to be posted in any type of preferential order, but I should note that today's song is probably my favorite U2 song. I should note that for a long time, yesterday's song, "Running to Stand Still", occupied the top spot, but "Kite" from All That You Can't Leave Behind has risen (sorry, bad pun) to the #1 spot.

The circumstances of the concert at Slane Castle in August 2001 make this performance of "Kite" particularly special. You'll note that Bono tells a humorous story about his father and The Edge's father walking down Madison Avenue in New York singing a drunken duet and then he dedicates the song to his father, Bob Hewson.

What I didn't know until I did a little research is that Bono's father had been buried the day before the concert. You can see the memories welling up in his mind as he looks over at The Edge during his solo midway through the song. I'm also pretty sure that Bono belting out "I'm a man, I'm not a child, a Man who sees the shadow behind your eyes" might be the most powerful moment in their entire catalogue.

Well, I wrote all of that before I went to link to the video from YouTube and found that it had been removed from the site due to terms of use violations. In lieu of the video from the Slane Castle performance after Bob Hewson's death, I'll give you another performance of the song from a Chicago show during the Elevation Tour in 2001.

I mentioned in Tuesday morning's post that I woke up with the melody to U2's "With or Without You" running through my head, and it seems that this week has turned into a U2 week. I don't know about you, but I'll have these weeks where I listen to one album or artist/band almost compulsively.

Some weeks I will listen to David Gray's White Ladder constantly, but then another week finds me listening to Sufjan Stevens' Illinoise on repeat. This week, I have been listening to U2's All That You Can't Leave Behind again and again. In my opinion, All That You Can't Leave Behind stands somewhere just below The Joshua Tree in U2's discography, but then again, it's hard to top what some have called the best album of the 1980's. Perhaps it's because there are some very strong themes presented in the album regarding resiliency, hope, and loss, but for whatever reason, the album has quickly risen towards the top of my High Fidelity "Desert Island" albums list.

With that said, it seems that since I have already presented you with a video from one of my favorite U2 songs earlier in the week, I should give you another one today. Think of the videos that I am going to post over the next few days as my five favorite U2 songs, but they are not necessarily in any order.

Today's song: "Running to Stand Still" taken from the 2005 Vertigo Tour DVD shot in Chicago.

Keep Me in a Daydream, Keep Me Going Strong

Congratulations to Joey Halbert for naming "Orange Sky" by Alexi Murdoch. I think I am stating it mildly when I say that I like this song more than Joey. At least that's what I gathered when he described "Orange Sky" as a song that "Makes Me Pee all Over my Self and Weep and Go into a Funk for Days." Strong words Joseph, strong words indeed. I'm not really sure how a song can make a person incontinent, but I'll just have to trust you on this one.

I just got off the phone with my good friend Heath Huston, and he told me about the blog that his brother, Chad, has set up to chronicle his time in Osaka, Japan as an English teacher. You can find a link to Chad's blog here.

I'm not really sure what it is with people that I know going overseas to teach English in foreign universities, but I am thankful that I am friends with people like Patrick and Noel Vincent and Heidi Hipp. It is inspiring to know that my friends are the type of people who are willing to forgo comfort and the lives that they have always known in order to impact and change the world in some manner. English teachers of my life, I salute you!

(This includes you, Mrs. Falls. Just in case you are reading somewhere out there.)

Sister, Here is What I Know Now, It Goes Like This

I'm not sure where this restlessness that has overtaken me lately is coming from. Perhaps it is the fact that I see my friends settling down into relationships, jobs, and new cities, but I know that I am still in transition for a few more years. Then again, aren't we always in transition?

Something funny happened last weekend when I stayed at my friend Brandon's house in Boerne for the weekend. On Sunday morning as we sat down to eat breakfast, I looked around the table. I looked to my right at my friend Garrett and his wife, Michelle. I looked further down the table at Shane and his wife, Crystal. I looked to their right and saw Brandon and his fiance', Amber. Finally, I looked to my left and saw Jacob and his wife, Emily. Then I quasi-looked at myself, the single guy.

Now, before you yell at me to stop having my own pity party, don't worry, I've already decided that's not going to happen. I make that observation for this reason. I realize that I am at this point in my life for a reason. The secret to a happy life is learning to become content with where you are and not simply wishing that you were always with someone or somewhere different. Is this process an easy one? Certainly not, but it seems that the truly good things never are in this life.

I was talking to one of my friends this weekend, and he told me that they had watched a video featuring Bono in his International Business class. He said that the most interesting part of the video was Bono's statement that his gift from God is to be able to wake up each morning with "the melody in his head" and then being able to put that melody into a song.

Somehow this morning I woke up with the tune to U2's "With or Without You" in my head. I've always been fascinated by the song and how the music, lyrics, and Bono's voice all tread that treacherous line between joy and despair. I'm beginning to resolve that I'm willing to do almost anything to see U2 live before the end of their career, and I'm probably not alone in that sentiment.

Sleeping is Giving In, No Matter What the Time Is

Congratulations to Mr. Andrew Tuegel for correctly naming "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine" by The Killers as Sunday's Song of the Day. As Andrew pointed out, we both have a friend named Jenny, but I'm pretty sure that Brandon Flowers was not singing about Ms. Nofsinger. I could be wrong though.

I'm not sure that I needed more good news out of Rangers camp after hearing story after story about the love-fest created by Ron Washington (don't take the preceding clause too literally), but the news that the Rangers decided to dump the name Ameriquest Field is outstanding.

According to the story, which you can read here, the Rangers are changing the name of their stadium to Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, which is essentially the same as the ballpark's original name. Now I will not have to stare at the bizarre, pseudo-Liberty Bell that sat in the leftfield bleachers during the period that Ameriquest owned the naming rights to the stadium. There is some justice in the world after all.

Picture of the Day

Gamma Sigs at the Williams/Blair wedding. If you can't find me, just look for the guy who is about get his head bashed in by Hayden Reid's massive elbow.

We Had a Fight on the Promenade Out In the Rain

Congratulations to Mr. Joey Halbert for correctly naming "Daft Punk is Playing at My House" by LCD Soundsystem as the Friday Song of the Day.


So this is what free fall feels like. I'm pretty sure that my prophecy about jinxing myself after a first day of perfection has come true in spades. I don't know who I angered with my hubris, but I'm apologizing right now for my pride just so this streak of bad luck does not run over into other facets of my life. Even though all of the teams I picked for the Final Four are still alive, I've given up all hope of even sniffing the 25 grand that Facebook is paying to the winner. Easy come, easy go.


I think I speak for everyone when I say that the Williams/Blair wedding was a great event. It was so good to see many old friends. I was even able to observe one of the eternal truths of weddings at the reception. What is this rule?

The rule is: If there is a dance floor and dance music, bridesmaids must always dance. It is almost an immutable law of weddings that bridesmaids must be the ones to get things started and to keep everyone involved on the dance floor. I think it has something to with an act of rebellion for being forced to buy and wear a dress that they will never wear again, but I could be wrong.


I'll leave you with a photo of what Mr. Shane Spencer described as the "Best Table at the Reception". Now that's saying something!

I'll Show You the Ropes, Kid, Show You the Ropes

This is why I don't gamble. Considering that none of my own money is on the line, I watched the games today with a level of paranoia comparable to a crack dealer who thinks the Feds are on to him. As we speak, I am currently tied for 3rd among Baylor students and 1st Place among ACU students. Jake Wardell is talking trash to me even though I am currently ranked somewhere in the 700's on Facebook and Jig is in the millions. I'm pretty sure at some point today I actually uttered the phrase, "I think everyone is out to get me." Again, this is why I don't gamble.

Enjoy a little Jackson Browne:
This video makes me wonder why the White Man's Afro never truly swept the nation. Maybe it's just waiting for the right person to take it to the top. Ryan Hise and Kyle Miller, this is your mission.

Her Chevrolet Broke Down, We Prayed It'd Never Be Fixed or Be Found

Somehow I have made it thought the first day of the NCAA Tournament with a perfect bracket. I'm sure that by writing this I have accomplished the literary equivalent of talking to a pitcher during the late innings of a no-hitter, but I'm doing it anyway. How often do you get to field calls from your friends that begin with the phrase, "You're a bracket god." Little "g" there folks. I don't want to face eternal damnation just for bragging rights.

Just in case you were wondering what I might do if I win the $25,000 that Facebook is giving to the person with the most correct picks, it has already been pledged towards funding Lance Agan's bachelor party. That does not necessarily mean that said bachelor party will be one of ill repute, but the possibility would exist.

How Long Have I Been Sleeping?

Well, I have returned to the homeland after a short trip to Colorado for a little skiing adventure with my Dad. I'm pretty sure that in the future a dermatologist will tell me that my decision to not wear any sunscreen for the entire first day was one of the poorer choices in my life, and I'll probably agree. With all that said, my skin is not too crispy and I am looking forward to a couple of relaxing days at home before my voyage to Boerne for the Williams/Blair nuptials.

Mark Twain once remarked, "When I was eighteen, I thought my father was the dumbest man in the world, and when I turned twenty-one, I thought he was the smartest man in the world. I was amazed at how much he learned in just three years." Now, I never thought my parents were the dumbest people in the world, but there is something special in seeing how my relationship with my parents has developed as I have grown.

We're not peers by any means. My Dad still harasses me about driving too fast, my Mom worries about what I eat, but all in all, they know that I have to take care of myself now, and their time in that role faded into the past a few years ago. It's always insightful to listen to the music that your parents love and to think about why this music means so much to them.

The only album that we listened to twice during the trip was Jackson Browne's Greatest Hits. In my opinion, Browne is one of the more underrated singer-songwriters of the 70's and 80's. I've always known that my Dad loved Browne's music and I still think of my Dad each time that I hear Browne's signature tune "The Pretender".

Music is such an intensely personal thing that frequently escapes our descriptive abilities. It is often difficult to precisely define why a certain song or band evokes a given emotion, but when we share the music that we love with others, we are ultimately sharing a small piece of ourselves with them.

Telegraph, Telegram, Telling You I'll Be Home Soon

Well, Spring Break is looming on the horizon, but there's this little thing called a brief that is due tomorrow for all of the LARC III students at Baylor Law. As you might have already guessed, I happen to be one of those people. The good news is that I have a great partner to work with in Mr. Mike May and that makes what could have been a very stressful, trying situation that much easier.

I think that's a huge lesson to learn in life. The value in working with the right kind of people on the things that matter. Currently, this brief is consuming a large part of my thought processes, but let's be honest, in five years, I may be able to tell you what it was about and I may not, but I will be able to tell you that I worked with a good person on it. It seems that after the details fade from the various activities that dominate our days, we remember certain things. We remember the highs, we remember the lows, and we remember those that participated with us in those activities.

My Spring Break plans include a quick trip back home before my Dad and I leave to go skiing for a few days in Wolf Creek, Colorado. I guess the females in our family just do not enjoy winter sports. It is either that or the fact that my sister had a traumatic crash on our first ever family ski trip when she was 10. Don't worry, she's okay, but it seems like it was all downhill from there. (Bah-doomp cha!) That was the written sound of the drum/cymbal combo after an outstanding joke if you were scoring at home.

After returning from skiing, I will be headed to Boerne, Texas for the Emily Williams/Cody Blair wedding on St. Patrick's Day. If you think that I am not going to pinch folks at the wedding for not wearing green, well, you have another thing coming. Maybe another pinch.

That's all I have for tonight. You've been great.

Picture of the Day:

I'm Hiding Out in the Big City Blinking

The Champions League Round of 16 is complete. The Final 8 looks like this:

• Liverpool
• Bayern Munich
• Manchester United
• PSV Eindhoven
• Chelsea
• AC Milan
• Valencia
• Roma

The draw for the Final 8 and Final 4 pairings will be held in Athens on Friday. That's Athens, Greece, not Texas. Maybe all of you did not need that clarification, but I know that I have enough East Texas readers of this blog that some might be confused. Not that East Texans are easily confused. Sorry for the digression.

I'm not sure about anyone else, but I am going to watch 300 at some point over Spring Break. It looks like it might be a bit too "comic-booky" (if that's an adjective) for me, but the Battle of Thermopylae is one of my favorite historical events, so I'm going with my heart on this one. If you haven't seen the trailer yet, and honestly if you haven't, you've probably been living under a rock or with Thoreau out on Walden Pond, here it is.

I'll say this about the trailer. Much like you knew that the boat was going to sink in Titanic, you know that all of the Spartans are going to die in 300, but you want to go see the movie anyway.

Since I'm feeling generous on this Wednesday evening, I will also give you a peek at what some people have called the worst commercial ever. I can't decide if it's the worst or the best, but I know that it falls nowhere in between. Enjoy.

We Closed Our Eyes Whenever We Kissed

Congratulations to Mr. Ben Grant for naming "Eclipse" by Pink Floyd as the Monday Song of the Day. I'm honestly disappointed in my blog readership on this one. You would think that a song from a monumental album such as "Dark Side of the Moon" would generate be a more hotly-contested Song of the Day, but some days are not made for strife. I could just be overestimating the value that the Song of the Day contest has in each one of your daily lives, but I'm sure that is not the case.


I knew it had to come to and end sooner or later, and it looks like the answer is sooner. Ex Parte in My Pants lost this evening to The Bush Leaguers by the score of 15-10. I'm not sure if the Bush Leaguers draw their name from our 41st and 43rd Presidents, Bushwood Country Club of Caddyshack fame, or their botanical affinity. Nonetheless, Ex Parte in My Pants' collective will has been challenged but shall never be broken. We will recoup over Spring Break, let our wounds heal, and be back to deal out punishment after the revelry.

In better news from the sports world, Liverpool advanced to the Champions League Round of 8 despite losing 1-0 to Barcelona FC at Anfield. I know, I know. Some of the soccer-haters reading this blog will wonder how a team can win for losing. It's a little thing called "away goals".

In Champions League matches that are played on a home and home basis, the initial tiebreaker is the aggregate score. If the aggregate score is equal, then the second tiebreaker is which team scored more "away goals" during the course of the matches. Since the Reds scored 2 goals in their victory at the Nou Camp and Barca could only score 1 at Anfield, Liverpool receives the benefit of the tiebreaker formula.

I'm pretty sure this is how we need to restructure the Electoral College.

Everything Under the Sun is in Tune

My good friend Mason Orr shared the following quote with me recently and it seems very applicable at this season in my life.

"When nothing seems to help, I go look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that blow that did it, but all that had gone before.”--Jacob Riis

Some days you just have to go out and pound the rock.

So Alive with Wild Hope Now

Congratulations to Mr. John Middleton for naming "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles as the Friday Song of the Day and to Ms. Heidi Hipp for naming "Young Pilgrims" by the Shins as the Saturday Song of the Day.

This afternoon, I was lucky enough to catch the 2nd half of the UNC-Duke game. The game was humming along pretty well in the second half (unless you're a Blue Devils fan) until Tyler Hansbrough went up for a layup with about 14 seconds left in the game. That's when things got a bit chippy. Hansbrough, who had been killing the Devils all day, was fouled on his way up by a Blue Devil defender, but apparently Duke's Gerald Henderson thought that wasn't enough.

Now, I know that there may be some of you who agree with Billy Packer that Henderson's elbow meeting the bridge of Hansbrough's nose was merely an accident, but each and every time that I watched the replay (trust me, CBS showed plenty) it just looked like Henderson was taking out his frustration on his archrivals. Henderson may not be a dirty player, but the way that he led with his elbow seemed to indicate that he was seeking out contact instead of putting his hands up to block Hansbrough's shot. I could be wrong here, and please tell me if you think I am.

I guess it just wouldn't be Duke-Carolina if someone didn't have to leave the floor bleeding.

Fly the Whole Mess Into the Sea

I know that I am still in my early days as a Liverpool supporter, but something tells me that I have already been taken by the sickness. This morning as I watched the ESPN Gamecast of the match against Manchester United, I let out a loud "Nooooooooo!" when John O'Shea scored for the Red Devils in the 90th minute to give Man. U. the victory at Anfield.


Let's look at this more closely. I was watching the gamecast, not even the real game. This meant that I was staring at a computer screen with graphics detailing shots, cards, and substitutions. I couldn't even see the actual game. All I saw on my screen was "John O'Shea: Goal 90th minute", and I still yelled. I'm also in Waco, Texas. The game was played in Liverpool, England, and I still yelled. I'm beginning to worry about myself.


Note: Aunt Nancy, Uncle Gary, and Richard, I'm sorry if I woke you up. I know that I should probably not be yelling early on Saturday mornings, especially in response to soccer matches being played on another continent. I'll work on it, but there are no guarantees of improvement.

Added at 2:26 p.m.

Here's footage of O'Shea's goal. I'm already learning to hate Manchester United.

I Heard You on My Wireless Back in '52

Well, since I have my inaugural brief due in less than a week, I thought it would be a good idea to add something to my research pile. Seems wise doesn't it?


I may have told some of you this already, but pending a Justice Department background check, I will be interning for two months this summer at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Texas-Tyler Division. Ever since I contemplated the possibility of interning at the U.S. Attorney's office, I have been doing some research on what the various U.S. Attorneys are involved in across our country. My perusal of various websites and magazines has led me to this story.


For those of you who are not lovers of the law, U.S. Attorneys are appointed by the President in the same fashion as Federal judges. (This applies to the U.S. Attorney for the various Federal Districts across the U.S. and not necessarily to the Assistant U.S. Attorneys who work in each office). The article that I linked to above details the fact that 8 U.S. Attorneys across the country have recently been dismissed from their posts.


There are some who believe that the dismissals are related to the prosecutors' decisions to not pursue cases that are very politically sensitive, but members of the Justice Department have stated that the dismissals were related to a mutual disagreement over the direction that should be pursued at the various offices. A large part of the speculation that the dismissals were politically motivated centers on the fact that a majority of the dismissed prosecutors had received recent positive evaluations regarding their workplace performance.


Maybe some of the readers of this blog may not be excited about my decision to pursue this story, but my education has continued to show me that many executive branch departments have the tension-laden task of balancing between the political aims of the President and the need to be a neutral, faithful enforcer of the laws of our nation. We can learn a great deal about our national values when we examine the intersection between politics and law enforcement.

I had to stop myself before almost using the "Irresistible force/Immovable object" analogy. I'm pretty sure that Prof. CrimPro would not have been able to contain his glee if that had come to pass. Sorry, Professor. I just could not bring myself to do it. Maybe next time.

'Cause That's What Livin' Is

At such a time as this, when my brain is fried from writing a brief, it helps to remember that life is a game of inches.

"We claw with our fingernails for that inch."