Sunday, November 18, 2007

It's Been Awhile

Oye, I hate when it feels like I haven't posted in awhile. School has kept me terribly busy, and I kinda hate it. Being the lazy son of a bitch that I am, anything that keeps me from doing what I love (blogging, video games, television, master-, well, you get the gist) by making me do real work makes me unhappy. So boo school.

I was down at the inner harbor in Baltimore this past weekend with Grace. It was a good time. We went down to the ESPNzone for lunch and the UofM/OSU game. I was thoroughly disgusted with Michigan's performance (I was hardcore rooting for the Wolverines) against the Buckeyes. You could have slapped some green and white jerseys and a big 'S' emblem on the helmets, and I could have sworn it was MSU against OSU all over again. OSU running the ball like crazy mother fuckers? Yup, check. A non-existent passing game? Check. Absolutely no running game? Gotcha. Seriously, the Wolverines looked awful. They were lucky that the final score was only 14-3, as OSU did not have to sit on the ball for the ENTIRE SECOND HALF. I'm guessing it was Ohio State's gift for Lloyd Carr- another loss, but a respectable score. Have a nice retirement, Lloyd.

ESPNzone. We ate at the restaurant, and I have to say I was a little disappointed. We started with an order of nachos with queso (can't go wrong with that, right?), and my only request was no tomatoes (because they're fucking disgusting) on the top. Sure enough, my request was denied. I spent the next half-hour picking through tomatoed nachos while watching Chad Henne sail pass after pass over his wide open receivers. Good times. My lunch (the BBQ smokehouse burger) was devoid of everything that a burger should have- lettuce, pickles, onions. It should just be assumed that every decent burger should include these things. I should not have to request half the shit for my burger. Maybe that's just me though.

I did like the arcade though. I loved playing the 'Supershot' basketball game. That's the game that has the moving basketball rim, and you have to make as many buckets as possible in a certain amount of time. I have to toot my own horn, because I'm pretty damn sweet at that game. There were six games next to each other, and they'd have competitions between the six players. During my fifteen minutes of playing, I did not lose once. In fact, I smoked every opponent that played against me. By smoked I mean I would have 80 points, while they'd be in the 30's. As I told Grace, it's all about having the competitive spirit, being in the zone, and being just damn good. Toot toot!

All around the Baltimore harbor there are trash cans with the label "litter" on them. This bothers me to no end. What's supposed to go in these trash cans? Trash. Can litter go in them as well? Sure. But let's say I have an empty pop bottle and I want to throw it away. Should I throw it in these cans marked litter? Or should I drop it on the ground, making it litter, then come back and pick it up and put it in the litter can? Of course the word litter sounds nicer than trash (I think), and I'm pretty sure that's why they're labeled that way. But still, not all trash is litter. It just irked me seeing one of these trash cans, excuse me, litter cans, every fifteen feet. I can already picture Grace shaking her head going, "Of course something stupid like that would irk you..." Damn straight.

I know I haven't pushed Michael Crabtree in awhile, so lets look at his stats with a game to go:
125 Receptions
1,861 Yards
21 Touchdowns
Not too shabby. Heisman esque? Probably not, but his numbers are absolutely ridiculous for a freshman. The surprising part about his season is that he hasn't struggled against the teams we all thought he would- Texas and Oklahoma. Against Texas he had 9 catches for 195 yards and 2 touchdowns. Against Oklahoma he had 12 grabs for 154 and a touch. The only teams to keep him under a 100 yards receiving were Baylor and Missouri. Other than that, he's fucked up everyone he's played, including the big boys. The kid has skills, and since I don't see one clear unanimous Heisman winner out there, Crabtree still gets my vote.

Michigan State basketball is 2-0. I haven't seen any of their games, but I've been reading up on each afterwards. I'm really curious to see a game live now, because it looks like these freshmen, Allen and Summers, are for real. They've been getting minutes, and they're producing. Come tournament time, if these guys can keep producing and have gone through their "growing pains", then we could be a dangerous team. Anything that can alleviate the pressure on Neitzel being the only dominate scorer on our team is a good thing. For the first time in awhile I am excited about the front court. Morgan, Summers, and Gray- that's a lot of energy and athleticism. Having Naymick and Sutton there gives us great depth and experience. I like it. I think this team has a lot of potential, and I think once everybody finds their place and knows their role, this team could be damn good. So my prediction is a couple close games against some teams we shouldn't be that close to, a couple losses to some teams we should probably beat, a big run to start the Big Ten season, at least a sweet sixteen berth, and who knows the rest. I would not be shocked to see this team in the final four, but I'm not going to go their yet. I want to see them live first.

I saw a little bit of the Pistons/Lakers game last night. I have a very uncomfortable feeling about this team. It feels like this is the year the rest of the East catches up with us. Anybody else get that feeling? Rip doesn't seem to be as dynamic, Rasheed and Chauncey are older (and Rasheed is still our only low-post threat), and Tayshaun, and I hate to say this, doesn't seem like will ever be that guy we can count on to step up in a game when we need him to. It just feels like Detroit is in this awkward transition phase trying to infuse the youngsters (Maxiel, Johnson, Stuckey) while still giving enough minutes to the deserving vets (Billups, Hamilton, Wallace, McD). What does anyone else think?

Grace and I have to bring a vegetable platter to Thanksgiving at her brother in law's house. We got broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, and cucumber. I also got green olives. Aren't olives a fine addition to any vegetable platter? I think so. I would like to eat olives. Grace just looked at me funny when I suggested them. Olives seem like a wonderful compliment.

Okay, when I start talking about vegetable platters I know I'm done. Good long post. Football day today, and I'm going to enjoy it. Hollllllllla!

~Mikey D

21 comments:

Adam said...

"Of course something stupid like that would irk you..."
That's really funny. I can definitely imagine that situation.

I was pretty disappointed in Michigan's performance. On the first drive, they had a lot of intensity. After that, they looked defeated. I think they're just all running on empty... especially Carr, Henne, Hart, and Jake Long. They've been through a lot this season and I think they were just worn out. I knew OSU was going to come out with a fire under them after losing to Illinois.

A BBQ Smokehouse burger usually lacks pickles and lettuce, but not onions. Typically it would include grilled onions. (Stupid Johnny Rockets)

Tim Tebow will win the Heisman and we all know it.

Bill Simmons, in his analysis of the Pistons said something to the effect that this year's team is pretty much the same team we've had for many seasons except they're another year older. I think it is a little bit of craziness to do the same thing over and expect a different result. They need to eventually try something new and I think that means getting rid of Chauncey, Rip, or Sheed. Keep Tayshaun no matter what.

Are they cold vegetables for hour' dourves? If so, green olives make perfect sense. My family would definitely include them.

Did you watch the MSU/PSU game? It was very encouraging to see them be able to come back from being down 24-7, especially since the commentator said "this MSU team isn't built to come from behind". It is good to see them rebound from losing a close one to U-M by closing the season strong and securing a bowl bid. I like that they should be returning Devin Thomas, Hoyer, and Ringer. They must get a better secondary at some point.

Grace, Money Smart Fashion said...

ok..
1.) i already told you, they put litter on the garbage recepticals because it sounds classier then trash.

2.) i don't like green olives.. thats why i made that face. not because it sounded strange. olives= vegetable, obvi. i just hate olives, so it wouldn't be my first choice of veggie.

3.) you're my super shot hero :)

Mikey D said...

Adam~
-I think I have to agree with what you said about Michigan. They just wore out, you are right.
-But all the burgers there didn't have stuff on them. Ridiculous!
-Boo Tim Tebow!
-Cold vegetables. I know, pefect sense!
-I agree with you and Simmons. Prince is definitely my choice of one player to keep, but he's not the type of player who can be the face of a franchise. You know what I mean?

Grace~
-I am your Supershot hero, aren't I? Yours and many others in this world.
-Recepticals! That's the word I was looking for when I was typing this post! Sounds a lot, I dunno, "classier", than 'can'. =)

Adam said...

Of course Tay isn't the "face of the franchise". But he is the one player that is young and one of the best at his position on both ends of the court. Are there other Rip Hamiltons and Chaunceys out there? Yes. Has Sheed passed his prime? Yes. Are there other Tayshauns out there that are as good as he is at his age? No. I do like the young talent they have, but they should be happy with making the Conference Finals again.

I don't like Tebow either, but I am willing to bet next month's rent that he wins it. The Heisman has turned into one of the top 5 most irrelevant, overrated aspects of sports.

Mikey D said...

I'm trying to remember, but didn't we all have a giant arguement/debate about the Heisman winner (not who would win, but what the award meant) last year? I can't remember exactly what we were talking about...overhyped and overrated sports events?

With all the fantastic discussion we have had over the years, I'm surprised I don't remember every single one. =)

Kevin said...

Litter means trash. They are synonyms. I don't understand the problem.

I agree that most burgers should include lettuce, pickles, and onions, but BBQ burgers are an exception to the rule. I can't fault ESPNzone for that one. And tomotoes are good, you should eat them.

I think the conditions really hampered the Wolverines against OSU. If they played on a warm, sunny day, I think things would have been different. That's not to excuse the Wolverines not being unable to stop OSU from running all over them, but Michigan relies on the pass more than OSU does, and that was reflected in the game.

The come-from-behind win against PSU was a huge stepping stone for our team. If we can win our bowl game, we should have a lot of momentum going into next season.

Right on about the Pistons. I've watched a few games and they look like the same old team from years past. They remind me of the Red Wings two years ago. They have too much experience! I don't see any intensity or passion from the Pistons, probably because the older guys have seen it all before and already have their ring. I predict another conference finals loss this year, unless we make a big move. We should trade either Rip or Rasheed.

Green olives are fine, but black olives are better.

And the Heisman is definitely overrated.

Mikey D said...

Except litter doesn't mean trash.

Litter: objects strewn or scattered about; scattered rubbish.

Trash: anything worthless, useless, or discarded; rubbish.

Litter is only litter when trash is "scattered about". Me throwing away junk mail is not me throwing away litter, it is me throwing away trash, or rubbish, not scattered trash.

Kevin said...

According to my dictionary, litter as noun means rubbish.

Litter as verb means to strew rubbish about.

Mikey D said...

I've looked at Dictionary.com, Merriam-Webster, and the Oxford American Dictionary, and under litter (the noun) they all have the definition that I have given.

Mikey D said...

We are not strewing the rubish, it's already rubish that has been strewn.

Grace, Money Smart Fashion said...

maybe, the recepticals had "litter" on them to encourage people to pick up trash they has been strewn about and dispose of it properly. Maybe for most people it was obvious that it was a trash can, but not obvious that people could throw away things that was not their trash to begin with. It is an all inclusive can, not only does it accept trash, but litter too.

i don't know, just a thought.

and i agree with kevin, tomatoes are good, and you should eat them.

Mikey D said...

"It is an all inclusive can, not only does it accept trash, but litter too."

So you're saying there's a difference between trash and litter?

And I do have to agree with you. That makes reasonable sense why they are labeled 'litter'.

And tomatoes are gross. Forever and always.

Kevin said...

I'll leave aside the argument about whose dictionary is correct.
Let me argue from a different angle, using your definition.

At what point does something become trash? I would argue that it's at the moment you decide to discard it, not when it enters the trash can.

In the same vein, when does trash become litter? I would say that it is once the decision has been made to discard the item in a public place (strew).

So in a public place, once you decide to dispose of whatever it is that you are carrying, it is litter while it is still in your hand.

Therefore, "litter" written on the side of the receptacle is entirely appropriate.

Mikey D said...

I'm not sure if I follow, so correct me if I'm wrong.

"In the same vein, when does trash become litter? I would say that it is once the decision has been made to discard the item in a public place (strew)."
I don't understand. When you say the trash is being discarded in a public place, you do not mean that it is put in a proper place (trash can), but rather strewn, or scattered on the ground surface, right?

"So in a public place, once you decide to dispose of whatever it is that you are carrying, it is litter while it is still in your hand."
So if I have the thought of throwing it on the ground, the trash in my hand is not trash, but in actuality litter.

***

Again, correct me if I'm not understanding it all correctly.

Litter does not become litter until it is on the ground. To litter (the verb) is to strew trash on the ground. In order for something to be litter (the noun), it must be already strewn across the ground. Because I plan on littering doesn't mean what I have is litter. It's trash until I have strewn it, or until it is strewn (across a ground surface).

What I intend for the object doesn't determine its identity as trash or litter. For example, I could intend to kill somebody, but that doesn't mean I'm a murder. Until I actually kill someone, I am not a murder. Regardless what I plan on doing with an object, it's still that object until I have done something to it.

If I hold an empty juice box in front of a hundred people, how would they identify it? More often than not, most would identify it as a juice box. If I showed the juice box in a trash bag, more people might say it was trash. If I showed a juice box next to a trash can on the ground, people would call it litter. There are distinct differences. To hold up a juice box and say that it is litter because you plan on throwing it on the ground doesn't mean anything until it is on the ground. To hold up a juice box and say it is litter and then to throw it in a trash can implies that you have picked up the item off the ground and are now depositing it in a receptical.

Mikey D said...

We have the weirdest debates/arguements/discussions ever.

Adam said...

I can't tell if I miss this or not.

Grace, Money Smart Fashion said...

i'm not exactly saying that i agree there is a difference. I was just saying based on the definitions you allegedly got from those dictionaries.

Anonymous said...

dude, juice boxes are neither litter nor trash; they are fully recyclable and should never see the bottom of a garbage/litter/trash can.

seriously though, i hope you recycle.

Kevin said...

What I am trying to say is that just because something is in a trash can, does not necessarily mean it is trash. And something in my hand, like an empty juice box, can be trash before it is put in the can.

The tricky part here is that, to quote the cliche, "one man's trash is another man's treasure." So from my point of view, the same object can be both "trash" and "not trash" depending on the mindset of the observer.

Mikey D said...

I can give you the whole "one man's trash is another man's treasure" cliche.

But you still cannot consider the trash in your hand litter unless it has already been strewn on the ground. I again reference my murder analogy.

Mikey D said...

We may just have to agree to disagree, like always =)