do you think i should trust you with my english to navaho dictionary?

as i have become tired and annoyed by about 95% of adult reality "stars", i realized that kid nation would provide a refreshing cast of characters that didn't fit into the 5 or 6 of the general cliches found in every reality show. what's that? 40 kids are gonna be left alone in a ghost town to fend for themselves? oh...it won't be like jamie kennedy's child island? that's ok...i guess.



well i am pretty much hooked and have watched every show. first of all, it is very nostalgic in reminding me of my younger days at summer camp. in that sense it is fun to imagine how you would personally interact and fit in with these kids, say at age 12. secondly, these are kids, and while they have some sense of self awareness and the cameras, it's much less forced and viewed as a chance to become a celebrity, as it would in shows with adults as the stars. thirdly, there is a class system based on competition performance. the upper class gets paid the most and have no work to do, then the merchants get paid half of that and have the easier, cleaner jobs, then the cooks, get paid half of that and have a tough but not awful job, while the lowest class are the laborers who have to do all the shitty manual work and get paid the least. it's fucked up, unfair and awesome all at the same time. lastly, the producers did a very good job of casting many kids that you either love or hate. sounds wrong...i know.

kids that are cool

• laurel - the leadah from baaahstun
• alex - genius 9 year old with missing tooth
• sophia - also way smarter than everyone, independent thinker, acts and sounds like she is older than me
• michael - smart, very nice, a little too "teacher's pet-ish"
• jared - the kid who is from outer space

kids that are lame

• mike - deposed leader, spaz, is it wrong to call an 11 year old a loser?
• taylor - little beauty pageant, annoying and obnoxious
• divad - every week she hilariously (unintentionally) nominates herself for the golden star (weekly prize)
• kelsey - taylor's mindless cronie
• greg - biggest kid, bully, in love with 2nd biggest kid

anyways, the episode that aired last night was pretty indicative of why i enjoy this show. sophia, who i think a 12 year old kevin would have an unrequited crush on, decides that the town should have a big chicken feast. that meant killing a bunch of chickens that taylor had befriended. while i am against killing animals, i am for upsetting awful children.

the town receives some history books, which many realize would be integral to that day's challenge. well everyone in town is studying, taylor and one of her cronies decides they don't like school and refuse to participate. the leaders tell them that they won't be able to share in that weeks prize as a result. i think 12 year old kevin would go along with the crowd and study, hate it, but secretly love it.

then there is the challenge where the host would ask questions based on the history books, and then team members used sling shots to pop balloons that had the incorrect answers, leaving only the correct answer. ok, this was lame, but i know 12 year old me would really like shooting the slingshot...actually, 29 year old me wants to do that as well. anyways, teams win and lose, but the town as a whole wins the big reward, which is a choice.

option #1 - a library
option #2 - an arcade (where all the games are free)

well the choice is quite obvious to me as even the 29 year old me would choose the arcade without hesitation, but the 12 year old me? i would have crapped my pants. this is seriously the kind of thing i dreamt of as a kid. meanwhile, taylor is stewing on the side, hoping that they choose the books since she won't be able to participate. well the town's leaders make the obvious choice and the kids go apeshit. taylor is about to cry and i smile like when the grinch's heart grew. is that wrong?


hahahahahahahahahaha






the kids are unprepared for the effect of the arcade as it essentially becomes a drug. nobody is doing their work. sophia wants nothing to do with the arcade and decides to start her own makeshift tee-pee library, which prompts adorable alex to pop his head in and ask "do you think i should trust you with my english to navaho dictionary?" yes alex, you should.










at the same time, we get to see more of this southern kid, hunter, who was a beast in the challenge with his slingshot skills. he's the quiet, polite kid that works hard even when he doesn't have to and never makes a big deal about it. well he ended up winning the golden star that week and had a sweet conversation with his parents afterwards.

so this show gives me entertaining, but mostly unfiltered, non-manufactured personalities, fighting, villains, kids to cheer for and a chance for me to imagine how i would interact as a kid. there's still a few more episodes left, but i believe they are already filming kid nation 2. yes!

wwedmption

dave and i were chatting online today when he passed along this video gem:



it got me thinking...what are most of these guys up to these days? we should propose a show about old wwf wrestlers from the 80's and 90's living in a house together working on making comebacks to vh1. they have done very similar shows, and i could very easily see them putting this show on the air. with the writers' strike continuing with no end in sight, the demand for addictive reality shows is high.

preliminary pitch:

a group of 6-8 former wwf/wwe stars sign up to live in a mansion in an effort to revive their wrestling/entertainment/other careers. along with general training, they are put through a series of varying (and sometimes comical) tasks and competitions that show the home viewers new sides of the former wrestlers. it helps humanize them to their fans and viewers.

all of this progresses as the former wrestlers work to reach their own specific goals. some of the younger wrestlers would obviously want to return to the ring. some may want to pursue acting or some other profession. some may want to simply be of relevance again and enjoy the media exposure. others (and this may be a bit of a stretch, wishful thinking...i dunno) may want to use their publicity to bring a cause/charity/issue to light.

potential wrestlers i would want in the show:

• the ultimate warrior
• the honkey tonk man
• the iron sheik
• the junkyard dog
• jimmy superfly snucka (sp?)
• koko b. ware
• rowdy roddy piper
• bam bam bigelow
• big john stud
• ricky the dragon steamboat
• rick flair
• jimmy hart
  

potential hosts

• jim mcmahon
• the fabulous moolah (i have a sneaking suspicion she is my next door neighbor)
• that old wwf ref with the moustache
• some current wwe superstar
• the rock (he would be the #1 option i think)

tasks/competitions

• dance contest
• working with kindergarten kids
• baking competition
• karaoke
• debate
  
• other dumb stuff that is funny since really big wrestlers are doing it

ideally there would be a good blend of drama, fighting, hilarity, bonding, heart-warming moments and silliness. many people who grew up in the 80's and 90's would want to revisit their favorite wrestlers from back then. others would simply tune in to watch people with crazy personalities clash and argue and compete. as i mentioned before, i could see this as a show on vh1, and i have no doubt that it would be very successful. phil and dan have already raised their eyebrow in skepticism, but that's all phil knows. hate hate hate. i know i would watch every episode. dave and i will need to tighten up the premise and details and then submit it.

i'm pretty sure that's not an appropriate use of "torrential"

i've been kinda slackin on my blog a little after my torrential start this month. i guess there have actually been more things than usual to blog about, thus making it tougher for me to focus on anything specific. thanksgiving was good, although i had to go to 2 thanksgiving meals...ugh. i learn that gilbert arenas had surgery on his knee, thus severely hurting both the wizards and my fantasy team. matt "the terror" serra gets a herniated disc in his back and has to pull out of his fight with matt "the douchebag" hughes. i was so looking forward to serra smashing hughes and his chipmunk smirk. gsp, my favorite mma fighter, will be filling in as a replacement and will undoubtedly destroy hughes, but i am still torn since i have been so hyped about seeing serra vs. hughes. injuries are part of the game, and really gsp was the only replacement that made any sense.




matt hughes senior picture checklist

1. neatly coiffed mullet - check

2. trusty, reliable suspenders - check

3. stylish bolo tie (for the ladies) - check!






on a very serious and sad note, redskins safety sean taylor passed away this morning after being shot in his leg during a break-in in his home. he will be missed. he was an intimidating force who was having his best season ever before getting injured a few weeks ago. he made a few mistakes off the field, but by all accounts was maturing and becoming a leader on the team. it's a shame.

so, yeah, there have been a lot of things going on that would normally lend themselves to their own entry. instead i will mash them all up here and try to end on a positive note, mainly, this picture below that made me smile.

awesome ref

wow! that was awesome! my favorite penalty call of all time. i'm glad he announces the call with a straight face. i also hope that he was planning on calling a normal penalty, but after witnessing the play, he realized that that was a more fitting call to make.

hopefully this trailblazer of a ref will open the door for more expansive and descriptive calls. how about "personal foul..offense...#32...he was up in his grill..." or "personal foul...defense...#72...for not backin up off..."

anyone else have one?

it's tofurkey time!

thanksgiving in 2000 was the last time i chose to eat meat. it's kind of crazy to think that i have been vegetarian now for 7 years. and while i have softened my stances on most subjects political and ethical, choosing to not eat meat is one thing that has remained constant and unflinching in my personal actions and views. during my early 20's i had a political fire lit under me. i was extremely liberal, idealistic and angry about not only the way our government dealt with issues both abroad and domestically, but also the way many people just went along with everything, never questioning what the government was doing. well eventually i realized there was not much i could actually do. i know, that sounds awful, but it was true. i was tired of arguing with right-winged idiots about the war, all of the anger burned out and i became much more indifferent to all of the shit.

it seems a little inconsequential compared to wars, corrupt governments, food and water shortages, other awful things, but being vegetarian is something tangible to me. it's something that i have direct control over (except for the time i accidentally ate crab dip at the rivetti christmas party). it hasn't been much of a struggle for me, like my parents probably assumed it would be. my reasons for being vegetarian remain sort of the same as when i started 7 years ago.

ethical - i love animals, and while i used to love eating turkey sandwiches, hamburgers, etc. i no longer think of animals as food. there are many excellent meat substitutes as well as other good forms of protein available in every grocery store due to the growing number of vegetarians. i just could not justify killing an animal when it is not necessary...and it's not. we are not living in a world where humans need to eat animals in order to survive, and if it's not necessary, i would obviously rather go the route that didn't involve killing an animal. while the animals are living, many live very painful lives in horrible conditions.also, most of the animals that we eat are cute and smart. seriously...pigs are like big dogs. having a pet like jessie has given me a new appreciation for animals in general. although i don't ever like hearing the standard vegetarian question "would you eat meat if you had to kill the animal yourself?", it is something i think about whenever some meat eater is eating something that looks appetizing to me.



environmental - animals take up a lot of space. they need to graze. we breed them at abnormal rates. in order to handle all of this, a lot of open area must be used and forests are cut down. i forget the exact numbers, but basically the land, water and food used for breeding animals could be used to grow vegetables and grains that could feed everyone and end starvation. the large amount of animals housed on these farms also generate a lot of methane which contribute greatly to the destruction of the ozone. the runoff from their waste is getting into our waterways, polluting our water.

personal health - admittedly, this was one aspect that barely concerned me 7 years ago. i considered it more of a positive side effect. now, as i become more health-conscious, it matters more to me. ideally, eat lots of plants and vegetables, while still making sure to eat sufficient plant-based protein. staying away from meats means you eat less saturated fats, lower your cholesterol, your risk for many types of cancers and a whole bunch of other health perks. i guess for a while i somehow managed to be an unhealthy vegetarian. i am working at getting better about that, staying vegetarian, but eating a more balanced diet, not just a lot of empty carbs.

so that about breaks down why i am vegetarian. it hasn't been too tough, though i have been tempted. i hope to continue this for a while, but there are moments, where i consider trying things like raw sushi. i am interested in the health benefits of eating fish. while i was not a big seafood fan before, i think that my sense of taste has evolved and matured over the years to the point where i would enjoy eating fish. i dunno. we'll see.

this thanksgiving, i will eat my green bean casserole, potatoes and possibly some tofurkey and be happy that i am doing something that i think is right; good for me, the planet and many animals, and also be proud that i have stuck with something that would be so easy to give up for so long.

fantasy update

it was another downer of a week for me in fantasy football. i had originally thought i lost all 4 of my matchups, as i closed my laptop in disgust. but then t.o. started to go off. too bad it was against my redskins and he was the main reason why we lost...but it did help me salvage the one victory in my keeper league. the redskins are awful and do not deserve to go to the playoffs...thanks again dan snyder...(i know you can't be fired so hurry up and die so we might be good again...hmm...that's much harsher than i intended...)

instead of my failings in fantasy football, i prefer to focus this week's update on my success in fantasy basketball. after winning week 1 by the score of 7-2, i narrowly edged out my week 2 opponent 5-4. this week i dominated my opponent 8-1, only losing the category of turnovers to my overwhelmed foe. the west laurel cogs now currently reside in 1st place with a record of 20-7, 2 games ahead of the 2nd place team, blumpkin.

while i have been very pleased with my team's early success, i had a few minor issues. first and foremost, my 2 top draft picks have not performed as well as i had hoped. both arenas and bosh have been slow to return to form following their injuries. also, my team is very deep, where all of my players have value to my team. now this might not sound like a problem, but i am a fantasy player that likes to make moves. i enjoy having a roster spot that serves mainly as a spot for taking a chance on a hot player.

luckily arenas and bosh have been improving and the wizards have won 3 straight. arenas actually sat out the last game, but i am keeping my fingers crossed that this will help in the long run. also, one of my players, john salmons, who had had such a hot start to the season due to ron artest being suspended, was placed back on the bench, did not play well and had a tantrum after the game. well i decided to go ahead and drop him and pick up the new starting point guard for the kings, beno udrih. he played ok.

then i discovered that the new jersey net rookie, sean williams had just started his first game and responded with a team-high 22 points, eight rebounds, two steals, two blocks, shot 7-11 from the field and made 8-of-10 free-throws. wow. while i already had an overabundance of very good centers (bosh, chandler, kaman and hawood) who all produce rebounds and blocks, i had to grab this kid and dropped udrih. i am a sucker for upside.



now if he works out and starts to average 16/8/2 with good percentages, i will have some decisions to make. that would be 5 top 20 centers on my team. ideally i could trade one for another point guard to pick up any slack in the assists category, although arenas, iverson and rondo have all been quality contributors there.

looking ahead to this week, i am facing 9-18 chicago hustlers. his noteable players include:

• pg deron williams - ok, this guy is a beast in just about every category, particularly points and assists, but so far has been having an erratic season
• sf lebron james - superstar, top 5 player in the nba, contributes everywhere, not as funny as shaq, etc.
• c ben wallace - former defensive stud...is looking real old now
• sf luol deng - he is a future all star, but has been hampered with injuries, and really all of the bulls have looked bad this year

that's about it. the rest of his team is pretty scrubby. he's got darko, brad miller, mopete, nene, luther head, ryan gomes and white chocolate. my team should seriously crush this one...but you never know. arenas could stay hurt, my guys could get cold and we could see lebron and deron carry his team to victory....but i doubt it. i predict a 7-2 victory for me, losing the turnover category (which i will probably lose every week due to the baller status of all of my players) and maybe a shooting percentage or possibly assists.

in the meantime i will keep up with the hot players, constantly decide who my most expendable players are (right now stojakovic, due to his streaky play, although i would hate to miss out on the potential 10 3's any given night) if i have to grab a hot player and make the best lineup calls i can make. fantasy is a lot of fun when you are winning.