Tonight was one of those nights at work that made me wonder why I’m even there. I took a total of 5 calls after 6pm, none after 8pm (I’m there until midnight). I received four emails, all of which were irrelevant. No tickets were opened. What did I do instead? Avoided writing additional policy and procedure like my boss asked. Instead I:
I used to do this awhile back but I stopped. I thought I’d try it again.
Best TV Show I Watched: This one is a toss up. I loved both of these shows for entirely different reasons. I finally caught up with “Mad Men” which is fucking STUPENDOUS. The characters are great. The costumes are awesome. I want to live on the set…or steal the furniture and props. The new season starts Sunday on AMC.
I also really loved “Spaced”, which was written by Simon Pegg (of Shaun of the Dead fame) and Jessica Haynes. I read that this show was pitched as the “The Simpsons” meets “X-files” and “Northern Exposure”. That description doesn’t do it justice really. It’s a shame there were only 14 episodes. Damn those Brits and their short lived series! Better to burn out than to fade away I suppose.
Best Movie I Saw: Time to be obvious. The Dark Knight was the tour de force that everyone out there is saying it was. Heath Ledger’s Joker is perfect. It usurped all other Jokers before it. It sucks that we won’t get to see him do it again in a sequel. Two complaints about the movie: the Two Face / Harvey Dent angle didn’t really work for me. Everything seemed too fast with him. Second, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s face looked weird. She can act circles around Katie Holmes but there was something not right with her face. I can’t really explain it. Everything else was near perfect.
What I’m (re)Reading: I started reading High Fidelity again. I couldn’t decide what I wanted to read next so I picked something light, funny, and British. I don’t really remember reading it to begin with so it’s sort of new to me. I have tons on my “to read” list but none of those sounded good to me right now so High Fidelity it is. If you have suggestions for a light and funny (it doesn’t have to be British) book I should read next let me know.
Things I’ve Heard: I bought a ukulele about a month ago and I’m currently in the process of learning “Five Foot Two” in the style of this old lady:
I can only hope to rock that hard. I know the chords (there are five in the first verse…two more than a Ramones’ song). I have problems with the changes and the strumming pattern. Once I get that down I’ll be golden.
In Other News: The Yankees are currently only three games out of first place after being 9 1/2 back on July 4th. They’ve won their last six and are looking strong. Hopefully they’ll pick up a pitcher by the trade deadline. We could also use a catcher. If you have an extra one send him our way.
Also, today I got a promotion. To celebrate I typed up this post on company time. They can give me a title but they can’t make me change.
So baseball season has reached the halfway mark. My team, the Yankees, are laying in the weeds 6 games out of first place in the AL East. It’s been a rough year with injuries, pitching issues, and dead bats. Hopefully the doldrums will end and the Yankees will scratch and claw their way into the playoffs for a 14th consecutive year.
More importantly, the Texas Cabezas find themselves atop the standings of the “True Baseball Fans” ESPN Fantasy League. I am currently steering this team to an 18 point lead at the All Star break. This may be the best fantasy league I’ve ever fielded top to bottom.
It’s your typical 5×5 fantasy league. Here are my current rankings in each stat:
Runs Scored – 2nd
Home Runs – 2nd
Runs Batted In – 2nd
Stolen Bases – 1st
Average – 7th
Strikeouts – 2nd
Wins – 2nd
Saves – 3rd
ERA – 1st
WHIP – 1st
If I were giving out fantasy awards, my MVP would definitely be Josh Hamilton, who I picked up in the 13th round. Not only is he putting up great fantasy stats (ranked 4th by ESPN), his life story is a tale of addiction, fighting it, and making an amazing comeback. He’s quickly becoming one of my favorite players in the league. He’s doing way better than my first round choice Miguel Cabrera. My Fantasy Cy Young Award would go to one of my sleeper picks, Joakim Soria. Pitching for a dreadful Kansas City Royals doesn’t matter when it comes to fantasy stats. He’s given me 25 saves, 46 strikeouts in 43 innings and a stellar 0.72 WHIP along with a 1.47 ERA. Not bad for an 18th round pickup.
It’s been an incredible year in the fantasy baseball department. Hopefully reality will catch up soon.