You ever screw anything up with some one
So badly, so just unbelievably badly, that words escape you? I mean, it's beyond your limits of comprehension as to how you could have ----ed up so badly? So bad that's all that's left is an emotion of despair and the taste of bile in your mouth? How could I, a person that I have confidence and believe in, could have acted so such a gutless, unexplainably dumbass kind of way? Yeah, it was like that for me today. All damn day.

On the positive side, I did get my playoff picks right- somebody give me a cookie.

Hut one
Well, I almost forgot to put up my championship round playoff picks. I did fairly well last week, going 3-1 and calling the Pats game when everybody else jumped on the Peyton bandwagon. So after going 2-2 for my wild card picks, that puts me at 5-3 for the playoffs. With the only three games left, they've all got the potential to be epics, or complete blowouts. Most times, it's fun to have an underdog hanging around to make things interesting, but every once in awhile it's nice to see the two clearly best teams from each conference square off to decide the champ. Now, on to the picks:

AFC. New England at Pittsburgh. I've said it before, and as much as I wish that it wasn't true, the Belichek Patriots really are special. I'd sure love to see them lose, but they seem to be able to break all the rules that say in this day and age of parity that teams shouldn't be excellent game-in and game-out. So, yeah, they are going to beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh, potentially quite badly, and probably go on to win the Super Bowl. Again.

NFC. Atlanta at Philly. Break out the Maalox because you know Eagles fans are getting ulcers over the thought of Vick and Co. coming to town to deny them yet another Super Bowl shot. But they need not worry. A tough pick, but this is the year the Iggles get it done. They'll find a way to contain Vick in the snow, making him pass, where we all know he isn't that great. When that happens, the Eagles can punch their tickets to Jacksonville.

Just a thought
I was just thinking, wouldn't college be soo much better without internet or tv, or videogames? Think about it. People would be out and about, talking to each other, and doing something instead of just sitting in their rooms all day chatting on AIM or posting photoshops on somethingawful. A dull campus like UNCC could definitely use a shot in the arm like this. So, whattaya say Charlotte? I think it's a great idea that would make the campus community better as whole.

With that said, I'm off to play some Halo 2 on Xbox Live. Chow!

Cold is not fun
Phew, nothing like waking up at 630am to bone-chilling temperatures- it does wonders for your constitution. It was a harsh welcome back to school with a wonderful and frigid walk to class at 8 this morning. Sad to say, once I finally arrived at my class 15 minutes late, my face was numb and the snot was running full force. Not a pretty sight, and I'm sure that it didn't impress the teacher much either.

Fortunately, I made it through class and then took a nice, long nap in my warm bed. You know what else is nice? Having central heating. A lot of people may not know this, but most houses in Japan lack heat and a/c as we know it in the States- opting for weaker, room-sized units instead. Combine this with a deceptively cold and dry winter, and basically, you freeze your balls off.

It's cold outside, and then once your inside, expecting the warm, comfortable blast of heated air, well, it's just not there. Japanese houses have a more open design to stay cool during the summer months, however that means that they do not retain heat well at all when it's freezing out. Insulation? No, I don't think so. The lack of carpet in Japanese houses also feels great on your feet in the winter. My host family's house had essentially one heated room, the tiny kitchen/tv/dining/living room, and that was it. I had a gas heater in my room at first, but the smell led me to request and even weaker electronic heater that made only a small difference. Better pile on those futons!

My estimate was the room was no warmer than 50 degrees F during the winter months, and was one of the reasons that led me to move into an apartment with better heat. 50 may not seem like much, but when it's consistently that temperature or lower 24-7, through all your daily activities, it can get to you. I imagine it's tough to understand for those who have had heat their whole life, it's not something that such a person would really think about. And of course, most of the Japanese folks I stayed with grew up that way, and dealt with it well enough. So maybe I'm just complaining.

Most people have an opinion on whether they'd prefer to be in hot or cold temperatures. Previously, I always preferred to be in cooler temperatures, but my experience in Japan has really led me to respect and fear consistently cold temperatures. Don't take it lightly. When you're extremely hot, it can be quite uncomfortable (and debilitating to the vulnerbale), but when you get cold, I mean really cold, it kind of feels like you're dying a little bit. The cold doesn't mess around, and you shouldn't either. Stay warm out there.

Too much Halo 2
I planned on typing a much longer blog post today, but I got playing Halo 2 on Xbox live, and one Team Slayer game turned into another, and pretty soon... it's one o'clock and you really haven't gotten anything accomplished all night. Other planned activities included working on some homework and going to the gym. Guess I will have to work on that for next time. Kind of like Chris needs to work on some new entries for his blog, *cough*.

Anyways, more NFL playoff picks. We're in the divisional rounds now, and things are getting exciting. Four games full of top-notch competition (well, except for the Rams and Vikings) and a potential game of the year candidate in the Pats-Colts matchup. So, onto the picks.

AFC:
Pittsburgh over Jets. And the Roethlisthghrberger bandwagon continutes.
Pats over Colts. I know Peyton is lightning-hot but I can't see anybody beating the Pats this year. They're just too sharp and too playoff tested to lose at home, even to the Colts.

NFC:

Falcons over Rams. Atlanta has the worst fans in the world, sadly, they'll get to enjoy a home playoff win.
Vikings over Eagles. My upset special. Too long of a layoff, plus too much pressure and no T.O., leads to another miserable offseason in Philly.

For some comic relief, check out "The Christies" TV show script, courtesy of ESPN here. The Christies have, a, um, interesting relationship. Men, don't let this happen to you.

Odds and Ends
After deciding I'd had enough of my crummy apartment for awhile I moved all the furniture in my bedroom today. I moved the computer desk to the opposite wall, shifted the bed, got some shelves, and threw a bunch of stuff out. I should get some posters or wall decorations up stat. I think the room is an improvement in general but we'll see if I can adjust to it.

I feel decent about my NFL Wild Card Round Picks. I got the easy ones right- Colts crushing Denver and Seattle not being able to get it done when it counts. I should have known better about the Packers though- they've played too many atrocious games this year and it catches up with a team sooner or later, especially against a dangerous squad like the Vikings. About the Randy Moss touchdown "mooning" issue, I've got nothing to say, since it seems like it's all being blown a little bit out of proportion. Guess they gotta have somebody to pick on since T.O. is injured. And about the Chargers, look at the coach, enough said. Schottenheimer is cursed in the playoffs, there's no other way to describe it.

And I feared this would happen eventually, and it did. Checking my hit counter (that little bar graphic on the right), there were actually a couple of days where Squared Sevens Blogging Corp. didn't get any hits. Now, I know, family, holidays, etc., but I'm gonna need to see a little bit more dedication from the blog readers here. I've targeted only the best in readership, and I expect to see some results. So, no more zero-hit days. Can I count on you guys?

Home Improvement
My apartment is so crummy. It's so messy and grimy, it makes me depressed just being in here. Now, make no mistake, I'm glad to have heat and a roof over my head, but I gotta do something to spruce up this place stat. Unfortunately, I don't think Extreme Home Makeover would be interested in helping (there's no ratings in helping out college bums). I suppose I could go to Lowe's and drop $100 on shelves, but I don't know if that would really solve the problem of staying in a crummy apartment. So plans are-

-More posters. Movies, Chicks, Xtreme Zombies, abstract art, that old Zo Mourning poster, anything to make the walls look better.

-Organize. Stuff's just piled up on top of one another. The kitchen is especially atrocious. I need to learn to utilize space more efficiently. Or just make better piles.

-Move furniture. Maybe I'm in a Feng Shui rut. Lord, I hope not- anything but that :x

-Add some plants. Increase the oxygen level in here, get rid of that carbon mess. Plus something nice to look at. And by plants, no I do not mean marijuana. No way, not at all.

-Move into another apartment. Well, sometime down the road eventually. Then, with effort and perseverance, I can turn that one into a sh*thole as well.

We want the ball, and we're going to score
It's time for some playoff predictions. After losing my fantasy football playoffs by 5 points, and the Panthers missing the playoffs, it's time to have a little fun for a change. So, here it is- Fro's 2004 NFL Playoff Predictions version 1.0. I'm gonna focus on the Wild Card (or Mild Card, as one columnist has called it) games coming up this weekend.

First, the AFC. J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets at Chargers, and I'm sorry Derry but San Diego is just too good this year. San Diego wins this one by two scores. Then, Broncos at Colts. Denver has Champ Bailey but it won't be enough to stop Peyton Manning and his quest to lose to the Patriots. Colts in a blowout.

Now, onto the NFC, or No Factor Conference as another witty columnist has said. Gotta love those guys, getting paid to write about sports and stuff. Tough job. I mean, everybody talks about how spoiled and overpaid athletes are, but how about sportswriters? They get paid to go watch some of the hottest sports events in the country, hang out with a bunch of ball players, then write a little article about it. Seems to me like a lot of people would love to do that for free. But I digress...

Rams at Seahawks- Seattle has shown they clearly don't have the heart of a champion, this year or probably any other. So, unbelievably and pathetically, I'm choosing the 8-8 Rams to win a playoff game. Then, Vikings at Packers. At least this one should be interesting. Out in the Lambeau cold, Fahv-ray and Co. over the self-destructing Vikes seems like an easy pick. Packers roll.

FYI, I'm still picking the Patriots to take it all home again this year. Nobody can beat them when it counts. And Green Bay is my dark horse team from the NFC this year. They can be very dangerous. So those are my picks, let the games begin.

Back From Ohio
I just got back from visiting relatives in Ohio for the holidays. It was nice to finally get back to Grandma's house and do the Christmas thing after missing out on it last year. There were some changes, but it looks like a case of the more things change, the more they stay the same in a way. I'm sure anyone with a family can understand what I'm talking about. Doing the Christmas thing remains fun, and seeing how it's my family, we all pigged out on ham and cookies.

We got to do some fun stuff too, like meet one of my Grandpa's old WW II buddies and go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. It was interesting to go to the hall because, seeing how Rock music and behavior has been pretty extreme from society for most of its existence, the Hall itself was quite the middle-of-the-road, family friendly affair. There was a ton of artifacts, my favorites included Jimi Hendrix's clothes and John Lennon's weird high school newspaper artciels.

Gift highlights included the Star Wars DVD set, a nice big coat and lots of Under Armor brand sportswear apparel (protect this house). Overall it ended up being a pretty long trip, full of enjoyment and laughter but also pain and anguish. Of course I'm talking about the Panthers losing to the Saints of all teams at home to miss a trip to the playoffs. Even worse, being in Ohio I couldn't watch the game, so I was stuck with monitoring the ticker every 5 seconds to see if the score changed. Not fun. It wasn't helped at all by my sister reminding me "it's just a game" every five seconds, yes, I know, it's just a game, thank you very much. Still, even though the Panthers lost, it's better than the Bills, who lost a must-win game to Pittsburgh's thrid-string scrubs.

Now I'm back in NC, and after slogging through a foot of snow in Ohio a week ago, it's 70 degrees outside and I'm wearing shorts and a T shirt.. Hmm.

Whoa. Christmas is like, this week.
I just realized that Christmas is on Saturday of this week. Coulda fooled me. Sadly, it doesn't seem like I really care at all. Could going to Japan and missing a year, combined with me getting older, really make much of a difference? Christmas decorations just look tacky to me. I haven't been able to stomach much Christmas music on the radio. Then again, most radio Christmas music is sung by Mariah Carey, Peobo Bryson, or some dreaded combination of the two. So I guess that explains that part. Still, i enjoyed Christmas so much when I was a kid. I'd like to still enjoy it now, but maybe the Grinch is catching up with me.