End of (Another) Era

Tomorrow, at 3:00pm, I get married. I'd elaborate on what that means to me, and how it affects the world I live in, but I'm sort of running to and fro trying to get everything organized and whatnot. I'll probly write up something after the honeymoon.

Here goes nothing everything.

Finish the Fight...

Being a video game nerd, I decided to join in the fun of a 'pre-order and wait in line' grand unveiling of Halo3 at the local video game store. Sitting down and reading the credits in the manual, I've found that Nathan Fillion, Adam Baldwin, and Alan Tudyk (from Serenity) are among the voice cast, as are the entire cast of Red vs Blue.

This makes me very happy inside.

I have a feeling I won't be getting all that much sleep tonight.....

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

Hoodie Weather

I know I go over this every year, but I need to say it again...

I love fall.

I love walking outside, and realizing it's just a little too cold to be wearing a T-Shirt. The time's soon coming when the first snow will be coming (my official favorite day is whichever day the first snow falls). It would actually be a real nice birthday present if the first (albeit temporary) snowfall would happen on the 18th.

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...Speaking of Birthday Presents...

Apparently the band Fono is giving me one this year. I've enjoyed Fono's music for quite a while. I was a fan of their debut, and their EP was absolutely great. From what I've heard of the new CD, the jury is still out, but I have hope. Besides, it's free.... right?

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Turbulent Times

It seems a bit strange to bury this beneath Fono and my enjoyment of the September through March months, but whatever.

Change is coming, obviously in the form of my upcoming marriage, but also in the form of me quitting at Unicel and taking a new job at the local hospital. The job will be doing pretty similar things to what I've been doing now (computer work), only now I'll be working days and few (if any) weekends. The idea of leaving my co-workers behind sucks, but I guess that time would be coming anyway (see: It's the End of the World as We Know It). The new job is a good chance to expand on everything I've been doing thus far, and (hopefully) is the same type of nice step forward that Unicel was.

A lot of change, here's hoping the stress level stays down.

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The AP Era Begins...

The Vikings looked good on Sunday. Last year, the defense were a crutch for the team to keep them going even when the offense was pathetic (which was almost always). That only carries you so far, and towards the end of last year, the Vikings were pretty much unwatchable. That looks like it could change this year. Granted, it was the Falcons - who could honestly go winless this year - that we were beating around, but we thrashed them. Tarvaris even looked okay. He scares me, but at the very least, he looked like he belongs in the NFL. He had a couple of real nice, in stride passes, and even if his touchdown pass wasn't really all that much his doing, he still got one...

...which of course brings us to the real story of last Sunday. Adrian Peterson is the real deal. It's only week 1 - which is too early to really say anything - but he looked like a seasoned pro. I'd watch him burst up the middle for what looked like a 1 yard gain, only to find he had picked up 6 yards.

It may just be fun to watch the Vikings this year....

Say Hello to My Kitten

This is Zoë.

She is adorable...

The Flying Squirrels

I'm in Jada's fantasy football league again this year, and I had my draft on Monday, but haven't gotten the chance until now to post my team. So here goes.

QB
Carson Palmer
J.P. Losman

RB
Brian Westbrook
Marshawn Lynch
Ladell Betts
Adrian Peterson

WR
Torry Holt
Donald Driver
Lee Evans
Plaxico Burress
Calvin Johnson

TE
Antonio Gates
Jeramy Stevens

K
Josh Brown
Josh Scobee

D
Raiders
Broncos

I like my chances at QB, and if Losman doesn't pan out, there's still a fair bit of depth at QB. RB is marginal, but could look nice if Marshawn and A.Peterson are as good as advertised, or if Portis has any health issues. WR is a little banged up right now, but considering Evans is my 3 string, I've gotta be happy with how that turned out (plus if Calvin Johnson does make a difference, then he was a steal in the 11th round). Might have jumped the gun on Gates, but he basically adds a 3rd WR, so it's hard not to. Not really all that happy with the Kicker or Defense, but really... unless it's Vinitieri or the Chicago defense, who cares?

I'll post updates every so often. Hopefully they're full of optimism and positive news.

Coincidentally... "The Flying Squirrels" is my team name, so in case you were wondering what the title pertains to...

Almost Perfect

Yesterday night, after a pitiful first game of the scheduled doubleheader, Scott Baker went out and sat the first 24 batters he faced down without a single one getting on base. Then came a walk, then a hit, but still... one of the best games pitched in baseball this year. Scott was classy in his interview after the game, too.

My viewpoint on Baker had already changed quite a bit from when he was first brought back into the rotation (for the last time, we all assumed at the time, having had a couple of less-than-stellar trips up in previous years). He's pitching with a lot more confidence now, and it's starting to show.

I still have no idea how he gets away with some of his pitches. He's constantly pitching around the plate, which would seem to be sure death for a pitcher with is velocity, but he consistantly gets guys out, strikes out fair numbers, and has probably been our 2nd best pitcher since he caught fire.

This might be a lost season, but that was an awesome game.

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Michigan 32, Applachian State 34

I'd be remiss to not mention one of the biggest sports upsets of any kind in recent memory. A top 25 team losing to a Divison I-AA?? I don't even follow College Football that much, but that kind of stuff makes you take notice.

Maybe not getting invited to last year's BCS Championship wasn't quite as much of a 'snub' as their fans thought. (Being even a casual Gophers fan, I have to enjoy this...)