The Frogurt Is Also Cursed

To Help You Get Up for Monday

Lovely Ami is back!

8:03 PM

I Hate Easter

Easter is the suckiest of all holidays.

The stores are closed, so it can be difficult to get things done. For instance, let's say you put in a new laundry basin in the basement and it started leaking when your wife did the wash on Easter morning. Thank Jeebus for the heathens at Home Depot being open today 9-7.

Another reason Easter sucks is that you don't get a day off of work. It always lands on a Sunday. And you can't do anything on that Sunday but go to grandma's house and eat ham. So, basically all Easter does is rob you of a prefectly good weekend day. One of only two days of sloth I am alotted per week. As the current World's Greatest husband and dad, I covet the tiny scraps of free time I can scavange.

Also, you don't GET anything on Easter. If you are a kid you get candy, but that's a hollow gift. It doesn't last long and leaves you with a tummy ache. It's nothing you can really use or really want.

So, there I am sitting with family today, annoyed, my wash basin leaking on the floor at home, piles of work waiting for me on my laptop, precious minutes ticking away from my weekend, and I all I can think about is all the work I could be doing and how much I hate Easter. I don't know what I would have done without the elite eight.

Shockingly, some people seem to love this holiday. Numerous people said "Happy Easter" or "have a good Easter" this week. What gives?

Out of all the holidays we have here in the US, Easter clearly sucks the most ass for all the reasons I mentioned above. Yet, some people seem to love it. I don't get it, but at least it is over and I can get back to the greasing the soul-crushing gears of software documentation.

7:45 PM

Missed It

The Journal actually did cover the sleeping Shermbutt picture on Sunday March 6 in the Sportsday column that appears on page 2. It was reported without wit or comment, but it was briefly reported. The picture was amazingly not reprinted, and the short snippet seemed to be a chance for Bob Wolfley to take a shot at Maurice Clarett.

Oooo. Take that, Ohio State fans!

3:52 PM

Scarface

The new Scarface video game slated for a September release has gotten a first sniff over at Gamespot.

One of my initial concerns was how they were going to make a game about a character whose whole life story has already been told? I assumed it would kind of be a replay of the movie, which is less than exciting.

To my suprise, they came up with a real clever way to continue the Tony Montana story line.

It looks promising. Not, drool on my keyboard promising though.

11:50 AM

Looks like Favre will be back

If you are retiring, why would you attend a fan and media event in Green Bay for the team? Favre will be in Green Bay Friday for Fanfest.

Also, he will address the media, where he will certainly be asked THE question.

6:25 AM

Shermbutt Asleep at the Switch

In case you live in Wisconsin where the sportcasters are lazy, butt-kissing, morons, ...here is the picture from Profootballtalk.com last week showing Shermbutt asleep during the Indy combines.



In a city with a real newspaper, this would have at least been used for a humor piece.

BTW, profootballtalk.com is a daily MUST READ.

If you aren't reading it, you are behind the curve. Humor, insight, and blatant speculation, what more could you want? Also, this guy seems to like pissing off coaches and atheletes, so you won't get the usual media limp-dick schlock.

So, what do I make of the picture? It explains a lot. Most of his draft picks probably seemed really good in his dreams. It's a mystery they didn't pan out.

A real mystery.

9:13 PM

Belated Japan Pics

Here is a crop of belated Japan pics.


First, here is the entrance to the Asakusa shrine/marketplace/tourist battle zone. This giant bell/lantern hanging in the gate faces a busy street that is infested with bicycle rickshaw drivers who are more persistant than a tick. They humourously evoke a driven salesman-ish friendliness that disappeared from the US in 1972. Think Gill the salesman from the Simpsons. (where else?)


A closer look at the latern reveals some symbols written on the base. At first blush I stupidly thought it was a swastika, but it is reversed. That means it is a symbol for Good Luck that predates Nazism.


If you walk straight through the gate and keep going, you pass what seems like hundreds of vendor stalls hawking an amazing variety of fried rice crackers, toys, postcards, traditional mumbo jumbo, clothes, and candies. Keep going and you come to another gate that contains the actual Asakusa shrine. This courtyard is immediately flanked by two long buildings that serve as fortune telling machines (see pic). The buildings have a long table running along it. On these tables are various cylinders about the size of a pringles can. Inside are numerous sticks with numbers on them. You shake it until one comes out. The number on that stick matches a small drawer on the side of the building. Inside that drawer is your fortune for the year. Mine was the best possible fortune.

Don't believe me? To quote:
No.87 THE BEST FORTUNE
You will meet good luck by chance just like getting a gem from the rocks while you are digging.
Even if you are righteous and have a chance to be successful, nothing can be achieved unless you work hard.
*Your wishes will be realized. *The patient will get well. *The lost article will be found. *The person you are waiting for will come. *Building a new house and removal are both good. *It is good to make a trip. *Both marriage and employment are good.

Of course, the wife's fortune was pretty bad. Everything's going to fall apart. I kidded her that this proves I'm doing all the heavy lifting in the relationship.

In the middle of this courtyard is a smoking cauldron that is burning some kind of incense. You are supposed to lean over it and wave the smoke onto your body for health and good luck. If you want knowledge, wave the smoke onto your head. Your ass hurts, wave it down below. I waved some on my head. You can see this smokey pot in the pic above. In the foreground of the pic is the entrance to the actual shrine looking back onto the courtyard. The big box is for donations. I tossed in a few yen for the good fortune.


Another view of the entrance to the courtyard. In the background is the towering Five Story Pagoda.


All around the courtyard are other shrines and monuments. This one is for the children who were killed or orphaned during WWII. People who had lost children or family members in the war bring hats and scarves for the children statues on cold days. They also bring them milk and warm tea, as you can see. The heart-breaking inscription on the monument explains that this is for all those who died in the bombing and fires, for the mothers who lost their children, for the children who lost their parents, and for all the families who were seperated, never to see each other again.


Another monument. I can't remember what this one was for.


Entrance to a small shrine for a famous warrior.


This great old bell is located on a small hill that overlooks a playground. Children use the hill, the ancient stone markings, and the bell tower as a hide-and-seek haven. At least they were when I was there. If I remember right, this bell is rung on new years.


A better look at the Five Story Pagoda.


Located in the courtyard, this statue/fountain has something to do with luck. I don't remember the particulars, but there is a ladel in the water and you are supposed to actually drink this water. I saw a foxy young lady actually drink this water, though her two cute friends did not. Not wanting an intense intestinal bug, I did not drink it.


Spidering out from the walkway to the Asakusa shrine are these tiny indoor/outdoor malls. These passageways sit inbetween buildings and sometime stand on their own without building around them. They were too numerous to fully investigate, but they contain an assortment of shops and restaurants. We bought some nice luggage and had dinner in one of these alleyways.


And finally, here is the WND visiting the location where they shot the Hoth scenes in Empire. Actually, that's our backyard a day or so before leaving for Japan.

7:59 PM

Gail Kim

Someone finally came up with a sensible reason to watch wrestling.

via fleshbot

9:03 PM

Asleep

With defensive free agent signings burning up the sports pages from DC to AZ, one wonders, what about the Packers?

Last week many defended the decision to hook up the Kevorkian machine to the offensive line because it would enable the Pack to go after defensive free agents.

This was offered up as "insight" on many local sports talk shows despite the fact that the Packers apparently aren't going after anyone good and the new GM has stated repeatedly that he prefers draft picks to free agents.

Well, today we finally got wind of these great free agents that will transform the worst defense in the history of professional, amateur, and improvised sport.

You'll notice that the headline and biggest name mentioned in the article is an offensive player, professional malcontent and turnstile, Freddie Jones.

To be fair, the Packers are looking at some defensive free agents:

There's the middle linebacker who was let go by the Browns. If you're not good enough to make a 4-12 team as a backup, rest assured that you will be allowed to compete for a starting job here in Green Bay.

There's the undrafted safety from powerhouse Wyoming that was out of football all last year. Might he be the answer? Might he be the missing piece to lead us back to the Super Bowl? When your AGENT has this to say about you "Basically, he?s a backup safety and nickel-type guy", odds are against it.

Then there's, ...oh, that's it.

Splendid.

It's clear what's going on here.

1. Harlan bought a GM on the sole opinion of a former employee who is now retired and admits to being out of the loop on personnel. He did not interview anyone else. He may have made a BIG mistake in scooping up Boy Thompson.

2. Thompson is re-building. Period. End. Of. Story. Re-building teams look to the future, not to today or tomorrow. Re-building teams do not compete for division championships, do not make the playoffs, and have no Super Bowl aspirations. Re-building teams do not convince great, veteran QBs to stretch out their career for a few more frustrating years hoping against hope to play .500 ball.

3. This season, she is going to suck.

Why would Favre want to come back to this? Sure, Elvis went to Vegas, Montana went to KC, and Teddy Roosevelt started a new political party, but I just don't think Favre will want to put up with it. The team is in shambles. Tattered, eroded, shambles.

Favre is the last load-bearing wall in the once great franchise. When he casts off, nothing will be left but a pile of bodies in the backfield.

And I now think he will retire.

The fact that he's waited this long suggests he might not retire, but he's always said he's only interested in playing if the team will be able to compete for the Super Bowl. He has no interest, apparently, in taking more lumps for a sinking ship.

Part of me wants to see him play again, just to give him a proper farewell. Another part of me wants him to go now, rather than be sullied and harassed on a floundering team.

What I'm sure of is this. I don't think he can help this team anymore.

We're tearing it down and building a new team with college players.

So, get used to it Packer fans. You have your Sundays back, ...not that you wanted them.

1:41 PM