Quick Hits

* After what happened at the Red Sox-Yankees game, I think it's inevitable that more of a buffer zone will exist between fans and the action at sporting events in the future. What's more sad is that the people who fork over the large amounts of cash to sit close to the action don't do so to enjoy the action, they do so to be PART of the action. They willing fork over hundreds of dollars for tickets just so they can affect the game in some way.....be it heckling a player or an official, trying to distract a coach, or physically disrupting the game. I can almost guarantee that fan went to the game tonight HOPING that there would be a play in the right field corner that he'd be able to be a part of. Although I know it will never happen, I'd be content with a ban on alcohol at sporting events. It's easy for me to say that since I don't drink....maybe if they could somehow scan ID's and only allow two drinks per person or something.

* I got a call back from the Central Willamette Community Credit Union today...they want to interview me. Apparently the fact that I knew that 200-8 equalled 192 was enough to convince them that they should hire me. Tough beans though....I already have a job, and it pays more than they would.

* Now, more than ever, driving a truck with a single digit MPG ratio is a bad idea. I put $25 in there on Monday, and it was gone by today....had to put $25 more in. That's $50 in a week, and all I do is drive from my apartment to work and back...a round trip of about 10 miles. I'd say tops...I've put 100 miles on the car this week. By my calculations, that's 10 miles a gallon. That's if I made it 100 miles. I doubt it.

* Speaking of jobs, I haven't looked forward to a weekend this much since I don't know when.

* I checked my graduation status online yesterday....I actually did it. The funny thing...it takes 180 credits to graduate. I had 120 unused credits. Those are credits I either failed, withdrew from, or didn't need to meet my requirements. That means I almost wasted a whole degrees worth of credits. I don't think I'll ever tell my children this.

* It took me so long to graduate that my brother and sister, both of whom were in middle school when I got my drivers license, almost beat me to a degree. They're graduating at the end of this term.

* While watching the Women's Curling World Championships the other day, Rachel realized that she sat next to one of the US Curlers on the plane from Madison to Minneapolis last month. Pretty cool. We watched most of the competition.....Sweeden came from behind to win in the 10th end. Exciting stuff....renewed my affection for curling. Just wish I lived closer to a curling club.

* My favorite baseball player of all time is Tris Speaker. I think he stopped playing about 50 or 60 years before I was born, but I love the guy. All I know about him is that he hit a ton of doubles and played extremely shallow in centerfield because he was confident he could catch anything hit over his head. Awesome. Plus he's in a lot of crossword puzzles for some strange reason.

* TiVo and other DVR devices may be the best invention since television itself.

* Had this conversation with Rachel the other night:

Me: Hey, want to go see Sahara?
Rachel: Is that the one with Matthew McConaughey?
Me: Yup.
Rachel: I don't know...I can't figure out what it's about.
Me: I can't either. Want to see it?
Rachel: Why would you want to see it if you don't know what it's about? It just looks like explosions in the desert to me.
Me: Exactly!