sames and opposites

In Roman mythology, Janus was the god of gates, doors, doorways, beginnings, and endings, usually depicted with two faces looking in opposite directions. A perfect image for the worst 13-3 team in the history of the NFL, the 2006 Jekyll and Hyde Chicago Bears. Beating the Seahawks was far from perfect (dropped passes, Rex's predilection for panic under pressure, Hester's adventures in returning), but they were stout on 3rd-and-short situations, the offense was mistake-free, and the linebackers and corners played particularly well.

The Bears don't have any semblance of the stability that most championship teams have, but maybe the fact that they're so volatile makes it that much more fun. I have no idea whether they'll beat the Saints, but, staying true to the Janus-like nature of this team, what can be an advantage to the Bears can turn around and bite them in the collective rear. To whit:

Point 1: NO's suspect secondary

Pro: New Orleans' D is not a world beater. Bernard Berrian and Rashied Davies can get open deep on a suspect secondary, especially after Jones and Benson can gash them for big runs like Philly did in NO's opening playoff game.

Con: A suspect secondary may tempt Mssr. Grossman into trying his luck on the deep routes, which means more chances of getting intercepted, and more chances of getting sacked as he holds onto the ball longer in hopes of a receiver uncovering deep.

Point 2: The weather

Pro: The Saints' high-powered offense, which plays in the cozy confines of the Superdome, will bog down in the mucky winter weather of Soldier Field.

Con: The Bears have given very little evidence that they're any more acclimated to the cold, dropping lots of catchable passes against the Seahawks (including some crucial third down conversions) and Hester on punt returns and Grossman on sacks both having problems securing the ball. It's only going to get colder, so it's only going to be more difficult to catch a slick, rock hard pigskin. Gloves, kids.

And if they can get past the Saints, who are the kings of good-feelings mojo this season...? I don't even want to say Super ----. All I know is, I hope Indy somehow beats New England, cuz I'd rather face a crap-the-bed Peyton Manning feeling the weight of legacy on his shoulders instead of 3 time SB MVP Tom Brady, making it look so easy that it's boring.

Also, the first half of the 24 premiere was fricking awesome. Come on. You were all thinking it. Kumar? Oh, and that guy from The Matrix Reloaded? And the guy that always plays any prominent Arab speaking role?

Then it was followed up by the Demetri Martin special on Comedy Central, which you can still catch clips on their website. And more 24 for tomorrow. Great day to stay home.

a word from Father Edward

Feast of the Epiphany (1/6/07)

Dear Friends in Christ,

I recently saw the first of the Lord of the Rings trilogy for the first time since it came out in theatres. This time around I was able to pick up on some of the more obvious Christian symbolism in Tolkien's storytelling. The focal point of the story is the Ring of power, the universal representation of the sin that is within every person. To the righteous (Aragorn, Gandalf), it is evident that the ring is treacherous and must be destroyed at all costs. To those whose consciences have been cooled and have "lost the sense of sin" (Boromir), the ring is more ambiguous, perhaps even a good thing which shouldn't necessarily be destroyed. I drew parallels to the Christian journey distinguishing two types of persons, the humble and the arrogant. Since the ring represents sin the presupposition here is that every person is susceptible to being tempted by it without exception. At least in this story no one is immaculate or above sin. The humble person is the one who recognizes this reality, that he is weak and susceptible to sin, that he will inevitably fall but shouldn't be surprised by his fall. Just as Aragorn and Gandalf distrust themselves and are vigilant in the presence of the ring, the humble person is vigilant and on guard against temptation. The arrogant person is the one whose pride blinds him from acknowledging his own frailty, choosing to rely on himself and thereby rejecting God. Likewise, Boromir is seemingly convinced that he is immune to the ill-effects of the Ring, rejecting the proposed solution by Way of the Cross (the journey to Mt. Doom) insisting rather on bringing it to Gondor. Boromir commits the Pelagian heresy by relying on the strength of his own arm and failing to see that salvation can only come from God for "there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

The only proper response to sin is that of humility, which prompts us to get up immediately after every fall, and by patiently bearing the Cross which serves to mortify concupiscence and destroy the sin within us. I likened Frodo to the exemplary models we have in the Saints. Frodo is ordinary, not one who is perfect and without sin. Throughout the film, he noticeably feels the effects and burden of the Ring, even bearing a shoulder wound which "he will bear the rest of his life" resembling humanity's woundedness in original sin. Like Frodo we too feel the effects and burden of our own sins. At times the going may seem too difficult and we may be left wondering if we will ever be liberated from the sins that ensnare us. But just like Frodo we too can count on the Fellowship of the Ring, that is, our siblings in Christ that God has gifted us. The Way of the Cross is difficult, but we have the aid of others like ourselves who are making the same journey in the collective effort toward Salvation. During our times of weakness and difficulty we can be assured of the company and support of friends like Samwise. Just as Aragorn and Gandalf realized that the only way of defeating Sauron definitively and achieving Final Victory was by journeying to Mt. Doom in order to cast the Ring into the fire, so too must the Christian disciple journey his entire life by taking up the Cross whereupon reaching the foot of that Cross, he will already have been assured of Victory over death and sin.

Christ repeatedly tells us in the gospels, "Whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me". And what is this cross of which He speaks? The Way of the Cross signifies the self-denial that is necessary as a means of self-donation. It is the lifelong combat against the poison of sin countered through the antidote of practicing virtue. It is graciously accepting the difficulties that come your way by generously offering the suffering that has been invested with redemptive value through Christ. It is patient endurance with confident faith, unfailing hope, and merciful love while keeping your eyes fixed on the King who has tread the journey before you.

Your brother in the Fellowship of the Christ through Mary,
Edward

treasure

This sucks, I thought. Got to the theater late from dinner, so there weren't very many seats available except for front and right-under-the-screen center. I was staring down the barrel of creaky neck and movie motion sickness right off the bat. Plus, in the trailer, director Alfonso Cuaron is heralded for being the director of Y Tu Mama Tambien and, ahem, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Say what you want, but that's not something I put on my resume when trying to sell a movie about a Macchiavellian future.

For all of the relentless bleak outlook on the future, Children of Men still celebrates and values that which is most precious: life. It does it in a way that isn't necessarily predictable or overly sentimental, but still, without a doubt, shows what is most important, and I don't have to traverse some iffy moral territory to agree with that. And I didn't puke from all the handheld shots.

Happy Christmas/New Year from Huggy Bear &T-Bone

christmas interrupted by the white sox

I heard Sisqo was releasing a single for the holidays, called "Perfect Christmas," forgetting just a minute the inherent lunacy of a short black man calling himself "The Dragon." Dude needs some serious help with his Asian culture fetish.

I got even MORE excited when I read the headline "Gload traded for Sisco" because my temporarily malfunctioning brain thought that the celebrity stock exchange game had come to life, and suddenly acquired the ability to trade in professional sports, and started wondering, hmm, is this a fair trade? Who wins in that? A useful spare part that can hit linedrives off the bench, or the "thong th-thong thong thong?"

I woke up to realize that Sisco was Andrew Sisco, a 23-yr-old lefty who's as tall as Randy Johnson, throws about the same, and if he's a third as good, this trade's awesome. Has a similar profile to Matt Thornton, a tall lefty with 95-98 velocity but control issues (which always makes me think his coworkers would say "he's too bossy" or "he never shares"). He'll probably start the year in Charlotte to see if he can continue developing as a starter, but if not, it's still a nice piece to have for Gload, whom Ozzie never used correctly anyway.

A more interesting trade is BMac going to the Rangers for precious, precious, minor league arms, the most notable being John Danks and Nick Massett. I like Baseball Prospectus' breakdown of the trade, which says the Sox get in Danks an equally talented piece as McCarthy. It just seems weird to make what looks to be a parallel move in a market where starting pitching is so valuable. I think the most viable explanation is that the Sox are looking to move one or more of the young pitching arms (TM) for a shinier piece (please Carl Crawford, NO Rocco Baldelli). So, a lot of the outcry seems unnecessary until the bigger move is made.

At least we know BMac had his Christmas dream come true, getting that starting rotation spot that he always wanted. Unfortunately, his craptacular home run rate (30 HR in 150+ IP) is going to be even more inflated in the Rangers' home park. It's not like last December, when the defending champs traded for Javy (I can't believe he's still on the roster) and re-signed Paulie, but, they're not the defending champs anymore, either.

Merry Christmas

Ikon of the Nativity of the Lord

"[The artist being aware of his own vulnerability within his art] has in it all the mystery of the relation of the maker with things made. There falls on it from afar even some dark ray of the irony of God, who was mocked when He entered His own world, and killed when He came among His creatures."

-- G.K. Chesterton, Chaucer, 1932

"Elder father, though thine eyes
Shine with hoary mysteries,
Canst thou tell what in the heart
Of a cowslip blossom lies?"

"Smaller than all lives that be,
Secret as the deepest sea,
Stands a little house of seeds,
Like an elfin granary."

"Speller of the stones and weeds,
Skilled in Nature's crafts and creed,
Tell me what is in the heart
Of the smallest of the seeds?"

"God Almighty, and with Him
Cherubim and Serpahim,
Filling all eternity --
Adonai Elohim."

-- G.K. Chesterton, "Holy of Holies," 1927

things i learned over the weekend

In teacher school, being a "lifelong learner" was always emphasized as something necessary to maintain a positive attitude toward the industry and students (although at the same time, it was an unwritten rule that this sort of canned answer was not very welcome in interviews).

So, in the interest of continuing education at the school of life, here is what was on the curriculum over the weekend:

Caroline collects her toenails when they fall off. To answer your questions, yes, it's happened more than once, and yes, it happened right in front of me. And yes, she will drive to come and pick it up if you just "happen" to find it on the floor, you know, just in passing.

Trying to think of gifts for under-2 yr olds is not easy. I mean, sooner or later, I will run out of books from my childhood to get for my goddaughter. Mike Mulligan and your Steam Shovel, you're up next.

Stranger Than Fiction is well worth two hours out of my life, and I will probably sacrifice two more hours at some point to it again. Just on a gut reaction level, I haven't watched a film in a long time where I felt I could relate to so many of the characters. Harold, because, well everyone is lonely at some point. Karen, because I have similar writing-induced neuroses. Professor Hilbert, because I would love to be that kind of oddly scholarly sage. And of course, the whole thing is about writing a book and how it's so strangely yet uniquely tied to sacrificing a part of your life (which is the way writers see it, usually).

jillapalooza

Things that Jill should demand for Christmas, sipping the champagne while her suitors haggle over her like a Japanese starting pitcher:

1. White Sox tickets - an Ozzie plan sounds about right. Also, the cancellation of the 2006 season from collective memory.
   
2. A copy of U2 by U2. Also, a restraining order on U2 best of collections, compilations, or use on popular American dramas.
   
3. Definitely some tshirts cuz it's getting colder outside.
   
4. Some new music, especially Clipse, or The Hold Steady, or Bloc Party's new one in February.
5. Oh, and something to play all that new music on.
6. Definitely not a copy of GuitarHero for PS2.
   
7. The restoration of Bob Dylan's good name.
   
8. Something to read. My sleeper favorite is Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog.
   
9. A soccer jersey. Wait, that's what I want.
10. Being home for Christmas.
    

hot stove: dooby dooby doo

Philly granolas rejoice as their number is increased. First inning Freddy and his hemp necklace shipped for uber-prospect Gavin Floyd and former Thome swag Gio Gonzalez. No word on whether Freddy will find a line on a reliable guy.

Floyd and Gonzalez is decent swag for Garcia, who's in the last season of his contract. (Basically we're getting Floyd + Gonzalez for the Phillies getting one year of Garcia + trying to re-sign him.) I guess I'm disappointed and briefly furious because the going rate for starting pitching seems so high (Ted Lilly to the Cubs for 4/$40 mill, which apparently made some people faint), so it seems like the Sox could've gotten more. The positives slightly outweigh the negatives, even if it's not a big splash. I'm not super thrilled. I guess this also means the market for Vazquez is bigger than for Freddy which is odd, since Garcia, overall and of late, has been the better pitcher.

Bad things:

• I'm hearing a rumor that Crash might be a throw-in on this trade. No, no, a thousand times NO. Let my Brian Anderson free.
  
• Seriously. Ted Lilly, never pitched 200 IP, never won more than 15 games, never had an ERA under 4.00 (not that these are the most important stats, but these are the ones idiot GMs go by), is getting $10 mill per, and Garcia's been steady with the innings, wins, ERA, and strikeout rate, has the shiny Proven Veteran (TM) tag, the even shinier Proven Playoff Starter (c) tag, and we just get two prospies? I was hoping to land a Carl Crawford with the Garcia bait.
  
• Didn't we get rid of Gio Gonzalez on the premise that prospects are expendable? And here we go getting him back. Our farm system must stink to high heaven.
• Floyd's ERA, walk rate, and WHIP look terrible.
  

Good things:

• Finally, an open spot for Brandon McCarthy in the rotation.
• This means also about $9 mill in savings in salary, which hypothetically can be used for a NEW. LEFT. FIELDER. Hint, hint.
• Floyd is only 23, lefthanded, and has a wicked curve. Coop did well in turning Matt Thornton around, so hopefully he can work the same magic with Floyd.
• Garcia was in the last year of his contract, and trying to re-sign him in the current ludicrous market would've killed the payroll, and dude was clearly on a decline.

I'm sad because I wanted a king's ransom in this pitching-crazed free for all, and all we got was... stock options. And we need upgrades in left field, backup C, and maybe center field. The best signings so far have been by the Dodgers (Schmidt, not Gonzo) and the A's (Piazza, the new hotness for fantasy baseball because he DHs with catcher eligibility).

bloggery

Stereogum put two things I like together: San Francisco Cure-wannabes Film School and comic Demetri Martin.

Fimoculous put out a list of the 30 best blogs you're not reading, including three standby timewasters (I mean, favorites): t-shirt critic, Pop Candy, and indexed.

This is going to be hellish week for grading. Yay, grading. I feel a certain solemn dignity in being the one to introduce to my future productive citizens of the world the concept of in-text citations. Hopefully, in said future, none of them will shake their fists in impotent rage at my dim memory.

Hot Stove: suckiness

Scott Podsednik signed for 1 year, $2.9 mill. Seeing how spare parts are signing for 5/$50 mill, and other overrated former Sox leftfielders are getting 6/$100 mill, this is quite the bargain. The problem is, now the Sox are set in the one position they can very obviously upgrade. I am hoping that K-Dub can hype the sellability of Pods' light contract plus a pitcher for some useful Christmas loot. Because I really don't want to sit through another summer of getting tagged out at second and helplessly flailing away at lefthanded pitchers.

Ozzie showed last summer that he's an awful lineup juggler. 2005 worked because he didn't have to make any choices; his everyday guys were clearly the best options defensively and offensively at their positions. Yes, Carl Everett sucked, but there wasn't anybody around that was any better. I wonder if K-Dub has to do something similar; construct a roster that leaves no doubt in Ozzie's mind who the best guy is. I don't need to see Mackowiak/Anderson Part Deux, cuz Ozzie doesn't know anything about defensive value.

The ridiculous free agent market is driving teams to look for starting pitching elsewhere, and the Sox have pitching to trade. I'll be disappointed if we don't upgrade before Christmas, cuz last year's was pretty great. Should be an interesting set of winter meetings this week.

mom and dad and mexico

Mom and Dad in Mexico. In pictures.

1.



2.



3.

movie time over the holiday time

One of my coworkers was telling me about the habit she and her husband have gotten into on Saturday mornings, which is to go and see a matinee show at the Barrington AMC. Ever since that conversation, I've gone from seeing one movie over the summer to seeing four in the last month.

The Departed is a great mobster movie, and the main thing from it, aside from Jack Nicholson's ridiculous performance, is whether Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio are becoming Scorsese's new DeNiro and Pacino. This is further underscored, probably unintentionally, in Damon's next film, The Good Shepherd, which includes DeNiro. Which is funny, because I had a hard time remembering Damon in any of his characters, aside from being the non-descript, nice white guy, the only time he broke the mold being Will Hunting.

Borat can be summed up in one sentence: "My mustache still smells like your testes." I was surprised that it actually had some semblance of a coherent storyline, and creatively skewered Baptists, frat boys, and southerners.

The next day I parked myself to see Casino Royale, which I was really hoping would be good, because the Bond franchise has been treading water, mostly due to crappy scripts. I didn't mind Pierce Brosnan, but Daniel Craig has a physical violence to him that makes up for any lack of social polish. There was some spy stuff, there was a twisty plot, and the Bond trademarks at the right moments with the right touch. Highly entertaining. The poker scenes are totally ludicrous, however.

Just got back from watching Deja Vu. Denzel makes it a lot more believable than it should be, with all the time shifting hocus pocus, and I don't buy the love story, but heck it's Denzel, and if it's ok with him, then it's ok with the audience.

On the docket for the weekend: football, grading, shopping, Stranger than Fiction, The Prestige.

new bloc party

New track ("Prayer") off of Bloc Party's new album, coming out in February.

Hot Stove: Adios Neal Cotts

I remember once there were rumors of Cotts being groomed for a starter's role, but that's gone by the wayside on the Sox, considering that they're already trying to find room for McCarthy. He should do ok filling in the Glendon Rusch role on the north side.

Speaking of which, despite the ridiculous number of year on the contract, the Chubs might actually be serious about contending (or at least putting butts in seats) with the signing Alfonso Soriano. Yes, they gave a 30 yr old too many years (8 year for $136 mill). Yes, they will probably stick him in a brand new position (center field, on a team filled with rookie pitchers that need all the help they can get). Yes, he is a little sensitive to getting his own way, like never taking pitches, and preferring to waste his 40+ home runs batting leadoff, but still. Sounds like another Dominican slugger we know.

The NL Central division leader won 83 games, a scant 4 games above break-even. A healthy season from Derrek Lee, along with the addition of Soriano, could make up a lot of ground in a very mediocre division (and a very weak league) could have the Cubs in the hunt late into September. Whether they get a playoff spot or not probably depends more on the pitching than the hitting, but a staff headed by Carlos Zambrano and Rich Hill is a good start.

The positional lineup looks set for the Chubs:

1. Soriano, CF, R
2. Murton, LF, R
3. Lee, 1b, R
4. Ramirez, 3b, R
5. Jones, RF, L
6. Barrett, C, R
7. DeRosa, 2b, R
8. Izturis, SS, S


Piniella will probably go with the nonsensical Baseball Lifer (TM) logic of having the small fast guy hit near the top of the lineup, so Barrett will probably bat lower, and Izturis, OBP sinkhole though he may be, will hit second. Piniella also has the non-logic of Izturis being "a lefty hitter to break up the block of righthanded hitters" to back him up. Anyway, it's still decent, although only Lee and Barrett take pitches with any regularity. Now all the Cubs need is some pitching (closer, then starter) and they're set.

"Everybody wants to win, so that's the most important for me." -- Alfonso Soriano, former Texas Ranger.

Form. blazing. sword.

Voltron coming to Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. Or, online. Yesssss. One of the only things I liked about growing up in the 80s.

Speaking of the 80s, Slate asks: are you an REM person or a U2 person?

Happy birthday to my dad, the nicest man in the world. Who is now 10 pounds heavier thanks to Brazillian barbecue.

yawn

Anyone looking to get published should look into Lulu.com. You can upload what you want to publish in simple MS Word format and a cover in .jpg, .gif, or .png, and they'll make it into a book for you. How cool is that? Other people can even buy your stuff. I am actually mulling over publishing my Master's project on Asian American Lit; it's the only thing I've written that is important enough to "publish." With 65 pages, it's thick enough to flesh out a book. Hmm.

In other news, my soccer team is on a 10 game unbeaten streak. I did not know that following a team that I cannot regularly watch live, on another continent, could be so fun. (Wait, this is exactly like fantasy football). The pageantry of European soccer is unequaled by anything in the States, except for maybe the NCAA basketball tournament or rivalry week in college football. The plethora of teams and levels in so many different countries lends itself to all sorts of interesting tournament formats like the Champions League, the UEFA Cup, and the Carling Cup, and that on top of the normal domestic schedule. There are lots of legitimate complaints about the Bears racking up wins on a easy schedule, but that can't really happen in European soccer; if you're good, then you'll have to prove it against very good clubs regularly. The Bears have maybe 4 games out of their 16 that are "big games," whereas a top flight English Premier League team has Champions League games (which is a round robin tournament), Premiership regular season games, Carling Cup matches, and FA Cup. Crazy. It's like playing 4 different seasons at once.

Unseasonably warm November. I can't believe Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and I somehow have a month to get research papers prepped and done. Eeep.

Democratic Congress? Who cares. More of a slap in the face of the current administration than an endorsement for Democrats, I think. They ARE, who we THOUGHT they WERE!

One of my coworkers, on being told about the K-Fed/Brit split, said "I hate people like him! I hate people who advance socially without doing anything! Like Paris Hilton! I hate her!" I helpfully pointed out that people did it all the time in 14th century. I mean, so there's precedent.

tidings

My weekend in a few thousand words.
Number 1:

Number 2:

Number 3:

countdown to 30: last thirty...

music purchases.

1. Mew "And the Glass Handed Kites"
2. Joshua Radin "We Were Here"
3. Junior Boys "So This is Goodbye"
4. Sufjan Stevens "Avalanche"
5. Beirut "Gulag Orkestar"
6. Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Fever to Tell"
7. Sleater-Kinney "The Woods"
8. Wolf Parade "Apologies to the Queen Mary"
9. The Walkmen "Bows + Arrows"
10. Lupe Fiasco "Food and Liquor"
11. Kanye West "Late Registration"
12. Common "Be"
13. Gnarls Barkley "St. Elsewhere"
14. I'm From Barcelona "Let Me Introduce My Friends"
15. Rhymefest "Blue Collar"
16. The Hold Steady "Boys and Girls in America"
17. Beach House (self-titled)
18. Film School (self-titled)
19. Dirty Pretty Things "Waterloo to Anywhere"
20. Broken Social Scene (self-titled)
21. Jens Lekman "Oh You're So Silent Jens"
22. Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan "Ballad of the Broken Seas"
23. The New Pornographers "Twin Cinema"
24. LCD Soundsystem (self-titled)
25. Camera Obscura "Let's Get Out of This Country"
26. Band of Horses "Everything All the Time"
27. Tapes 'n Tapes "The Loon"
28. Regina Spektor "Begin to Hope"
29. Pinback "Summer in Abaddon"
30. Yo La Tengo "I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass"

countdown to 30: movies that I'll yell at you for if you haven't seen them

But first, time-wasting movie-guessing games.
Viking's Stationery Movies (out of 20)
M&Ms "Dark" Movies (out of 50)

1. Charade - I already yelled at a coworker who teaches a cinema class about this. What is wrong with me.
2. Fight Club
3. Memento
4. The Matrix - they should have just stopped after this one.
5. Raiders of the Lost Ark
6. Star Wars
7. The Empire Strikes Back
8. North by Northwest
9. Rear Window
10. Seven Samurai - or watch the bastardized Magnificent Seven
11. Fellowship of the Ring - I didn't like the other ones nearly as much.
12. The Usual Suspects - it's questionable whether the plotline is feasible. Who cares?
13. Braveheart
14. The Godfather
15. The Godfather Part II
16. Aliens
17. The Sting
18. Hero
19. Fist of Legend
20. The Shawshank Redemption
21. Saving Private Ryan
22. The Pianist
23. From Russia with Love
24. Goldfinger
25. Roman Holiday
26. The Princess Bride
27. Bull Durham
28. Cool Hand Luke
29. Silence of the Lambs
30. Brazil