Presidential Debate Part I
I thought Kerry did real well in the debate last night, confident and articulate, but his necktie looked pretty French to me, so I guess that I'll just have to vote Bush.

Everyday Life Post
Since most people just like to talk about themselves on blogs, I figured that it was time for a self-centered post myself. Hey, every once in a while you gotta take a break from five consecutive Panthers posts, or insane Ebay bidders, or other equally insane topics. Besides, I'm worth it.

Basically my life goes like this. Everyday I wake up and try to eat breakfast and perform "hygiene" so people will like me. Then it's off to class, and no matter what the class, teacher, or topic, an epic struggle to stay awake ensues. It didn't always used to be this way, yes, I once was able to stay awake and listen to whatever was deemed important. But not now...nodding off is my new favorite hobby. Maybe there's something to this "caffeine" thing after all.

One thing that I am sure to notice in class is, assignments. I'm taking 17 credit hours right now, plus Model UN and probably Pre-Law Society. More work? Sure! Why the ---- not. I'm up for it! The problem is, this work cuts into my one true addiction, Final Fantasy Tactics. Been playing a lot recently. The depth of the battle system is so addictive... must not play. Must not play.

I actually talked to some Japanese people out of the blue the other day. It's worth it to see the looks on their face when they realize you can speak some Japanese. Plus, the people I've talked to seem to be pretty cool too. And, it's good practice. Besides, maybe they can help your Japanese, and you can correct their english, and maybe make a friend too.

Speaking of which. I miss my g/f dearly. Maybe I should have thought out this whole "living in different continents thing" out a little bit more earlier. Anyway, I was supposed to call her today, but like a common thug, I forgot. Sorry Ayana.

Some of you may know, I like the fantasy football. I'm just a big stats nerd, what can I say. I still haven't won a league in about 3 years of competition, but I think that this is the year I finally pull it off. Well, I got 3 teams, so I should have a chance at least. Last week was brutal though... My QB's and RB's underperformed badly. When that happens, it's like suing Microsoft or famous basketball athletes. You're not going to win.

So that's it. School, falling asleep, work, and Tactics. It's a pretty full life, I guess you could say. But I'll still find time to update this blog for all my fans out there though.

Got one of these laying around?
Sealed original copy of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night sells for $355. Wow.

Link

There are some crazy people on Ebay, not that I needed to tell you that anyway. By the way, I used to have one of these, sealed original designs, that I bought for $20 about 6 years ago. Actually, there was a whole row of them on sale at the old Wal-Mart on Hwy. 29. Lesson? Keep your eyes peeled for deals where ever you are, as most people wouldn't know a good game if it hit them in the face. If I only had a DeLorean...

Beastie Boys in fine midseason form
Apparently, according to this article. Just try not to laugh while reading it, I dare you.

I'll be going to the Beastie's concert in Atlanta next month, should be great. Expect a full report here.

Jake Delhomme and Keary Colbert have a man-to-man moment together. (AP)

Week 2
Time for the weekly Panthers post. And, I'm very glad to say that I'm discussing a win this week. I mentioned that this was going to be a real challenge to see what the core of this team was all about, and playing on the road with their stars injured, and they came out on top. Unlike the past, we've got winners on the team, not losers. It didn't hurt that KC has a laughably pathetic run D either.

The key to the win was the first drive after halftime. The Panthers came out on offense and controlled the ball for 7 minutes, made several key third down plays, kept Priest Holmes off the field, and took the crowd out of the game. Contrast this with Steve Smith's turnover last week and we can start to see the differences in how the team executed. On defense, the D-line wore down the Chiefs as the game went on, the LBs kept Tony Gonzalez covered, and the secondary intimidated KC's receivers like usual. Holding KC's offense to zero second half points was quite an accomplishment.

Let's not forget Deshaun Foster either. I was worried he was gonna get "dance-itis" and take to long to hit holes in the D, but as the game progressed he made several electifying runs. He didn't fumble either. I wouldn't go give the starting position just yet though.

Also, why do people care about the Ryder Cup? GOLF IS NOT A TEAM SPORT. It's about as individual as it gets, actually. If we're gonna do this, why not play team bowling? Or team chess? I hope you see my point. That, plus it's just Europe. Evidently people get upset if we lose, but cmon, it's really not that big of a deal people. What is it, like 5, 6 countries against the US? We'll play em next year too. It's ok.

Also, enjoy this nice fall weather while you can, after the hurricanes and before the cold. It may be one of my favorite weather periods of the year, but the looming specter of winter takes all the enjoyment out of it for me.

Procrastination Sucks
More Football.

Well, this past Sunday I got to do something really great that I've been waiting to do for a long time- spend all day watching football. And with the pre-game shows, 1 oclock and 4 oclock games, and the night game on ESPN, you can in fact watch football all day. And with the Monday Night game too, that's another 3 or 4 hours. So thats about 8 hours of football, with 4 hours of beer and 4 hours of truck commercials. I guess you have to take the good with the bad. And if you can, definitely watch football on HDTV, it's made for this kind of thing and worth it too. The next few months should be a lot o'fun.
I'd like to post my thoughts about every Panthers game, that is if I get the chance to watch the game after volunteering for the Model UN, and all that. So, stay tuned for Monday installments of SportsTalk Radio 490AM The Fro.

MNF Thoughts
Well, I just watched the Panthers get manhandled by Green Bay, and I can't say that I'm too happy. When your team gets outmuscled, outpushed, out-thought and outplayed, it kind of puts you in a bad mood. Add to the fact that Michaels and Madden were in a typical game-long (plus a halftime special!) Favre Love fest, and it doesn't help things. As my esteemed colleague Tim said to the announcers, "Get off your knees already!".

But, I have a couple of reasons to feel more positive about the game then I should be. In my view, Carolina was generally in control of the game until the back-to-back turnovers. Once that happened, they started to push a little bit too much on offense and got tired on defense. These turnovers were quite avoidable, by the way. I mean a bobbled pass into the hands of a defender, that can take the fight out of any team. Delhomme overall looked generally solid, you can't fault him too much for what happened today. Muhammad and Proehl looked sharp when they could, and Smith was doing alright until his injury which hopefully is not serious.

Also, New England got blown out 31-0 at Buffalo to start the season last year, so it's not the end of the world. The question is, where does the team got from here? There's a lot of challenges, but this is where we see if the team can separate itself from the mediocre Panthers squads of the past.

A Wise Preson Once Said
It sucks when you're gone. I couldn't agree more. My girlfriend left to go back to Japan early this morning. Saying goodbye is never fun, especially when you don't know the next time that you'll meet someone again. At least, we had the chance to have a lot of great times hanging out in North Carolina. Ayana, I'll miss your easygoing personality and sweet smile. At least there's email. I hope we can meet again soon.

5,600,000,000
Gallons of fuel wasted, average 46 hours a year wasted in traffic jams in the United States. $829

cost per motorist per year. Man, traffic sucks. Charlotte with it's sprawl can be pretty bad, but at

least it ain't Los Angeles.

story here.