| Why is it necessary that we are obliged to refer to those in the medical profession as doctors whenever humanly possible? I mean, is there any other career field that requires we call them, for example, "Banker Smith"? The next time I am introduced to a "Doctor [last name here]" I think I will call myself "Student Adams." (This will work more effectively when I have an actual job). |
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| When you are working outside in 100 degree heat, clouds start to look pretty nice after a while. |
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| If I was making a list of the top five best card games, I cannot decide whether I would put Euchre or Hearts first. I figure I have to give Hearts the nod because when it comes to cards, there is nothing better than shooting the moon. Spades, Omaha High-Low Poker and President would round out the five. |
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 The cream of Canada's VJ crop |
I have yet to find an Internet game more addictive than Rockstar Game. Sure, I will never have a single hit the Top 40 charts, but I still can't get enough of this thing. Highly recommended.It really says a lot about Canada that the best VJ on our top music television station is a sock puppet. |
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| "Lose You" by Pete Yorn has got to be one of the most beautiful songs I've heard since The Microphones' "The Glow Pt. 2." It is the best song on a very good album in Musicforthemorningafter. |
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| Karen O is a great singer, but I am not quite ready to buy into the hype surrounding New York's latest garage-rock band, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, just yet. Sure, they are catchy, but they are not even in the same league as former tourmates The Strokes or The White Stripes. |
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| Random thoughts on this year's MLB All-Star teams: |
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 The newest Yankee |
I was a bit surprised and disappointed to see that Robert Fick was selected over Jeff Weaver, who has been excellent this season. Also, Vincente Padilla probably deserved a spot on the NL team (prior to being selected as a replacement for Tom Glavine). Benito Sanitago? Jose Hernandez? Come on. |
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| It is painful to see Randy Winn and Robert Fick as the American League's fifth and sixth outfielders when guys like Magglio Ordonez did not make it. When is baseball going to get rid of this stupid "every team must be represented" rule? |
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| I think Joe Torre probably took all five AL shortstops (Jeter, Vizquel, Tejada, Rodriguez, and Garciaparra) so that he wouldn't be questioned for taking Jeter over one of the others -- especially since Jeter is having, arguably, the worst season of the five. |
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 Best AL third baseman |
It was a bit amusing that Torre took Robin Ventura over Eric Chavez, considering they are having similar seasons, but with Chavez just a little ahead in pretty much every important offensive category (not to mention playing great defense). Ah, the perks of being a Yankee. |
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| No middle relievers this year for the AL team, I see. However, Minnesota's duo of J.C. Romero (4-1, 47.1 IP, 20 holds, 1.71 ERA) and LaTroy Hawkins (3-0, 52.0 IP, 42/7 K/BB ratio, 1.56 ERA) are doing quite a bit better than Stanton and Quantrill were last year. You have to figure that one of these guys at least should have made it after Pedro Martinez opted out, but Torre decided to keep appeasing those crazy Boston fans by including the less-deserving Ugueth Urbina. |
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| Bartolo Colon has got to be wishing that Cleveland held that trade off just a little while longer. |
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| On the subject of baseball trades, can't someone stop the Yankees? They picked up Raul Mondesi and Jeff Weaver within the span of a week. I like to think that all of these large contracts that they take on and the prospects that they trade will come back to haunt them someday, but it probably won't. |
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| The Eric Gagne bandwagon is getting a bit too full for my liking. |
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| When it comes right down to it, have you ever heard anyone use the term "low-speed collision"? |
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 Julianne Moore makes movies better |
As far as movies I've seen recently go, I have been pleasantly surprised in most cases. The Shipping News was not nearly as bad as the general consensus made it out to be. It could just be that Kevin Spacey and Julianne Moore are two of my favourite actors, but I thought it was rather enjoyable. |
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| The other two films I watched were perhaps the polar opposites of the straightforward and feel-good The Shipping News. Mulholland Drive was probably the most obscure movie I've ever seen -- I am still not even sure if I liked it, or, for that matter, understood it. The answer to both questions is likely to be the same, whichever it turns out to be. |
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| Waking Life, on the other hand, was quite good. Not only was the animation incredible, but the ideas and theories presented by the various characters that the protagonist encountered made it interesting, if not gripping. |
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 It's hard to find a picture of Anna playing TENNIS. |
Watching an Anna Kournikova tennis match is like watching Wile E. Coyote pursue the roadrunner. You know what the outcome will be, but you are entertained nonetheless.I was going to comment that the Williams sisters were becoming to women's tennis what the Yankees are to baseball, but then I realized there were two of them. So imagine what baseball would be like if the Mets were as free-spending and aggrevating as the Yankees, and you have a clearer picture. |
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| After trying to determine how exactly Kid Rock could possibly be considered "popular," I have come to the conclusion that there is no logical explaination. This mystery of nature can be applied to a few celebrities, so I think one of my running gigs in these Ramblings will be making you, the reader, aware of some of them. Now I just have to decide whether to name this particular phenomenon after Kid Rock or Tom Green. |
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| And finally, the top three news stories from the last few days: |
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| 3. Five-year-old boy rips up dad's monthly salary -- Lesson number one on why you don't say things like, "Money is garbage" to young children. I'd like a follow-up on this story; how would you react if you were that dad? |
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| 2. Accusations hurled at hot dog contest -- Because, hey, there is nothing better than a line like, "Footage captured by ESPN confirms that some hot dog slush did spill through Kobayashi's fingers and pieces of liquid bun spouted out of his nose." |
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| 1. Man speared in head survives -- According to this article, the guy was floating in the water for six hours with a SPEAR IN HIS HEAD. This is going to give me nightmares. |
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| - Luke Adams |
