first stop on the road: Seattle

Jun trying to push a Melinda-flavored donut down the hill.

First stop in Washington camp was great. It was a relatively easier program to do, but more significant for MAX2007 because it allowed the team members to finally feel out some definitive roles on the retreat. Up until now, we've been on retreat ourselves, getting ourselves ready to hit the road, attuning ourselves to the spiritual tone of the tour (through Pope Benedict's 2007 message to youth), getting to know one another by living in community, and driving all over place (and getting snowed in between California and Oregon). It showed me how people will work in a retreat environment, and how we can deliver the theme of "Love one another as I have loved you" (John 13:34). It was satisfying to start doing what we set out to do, and then see the love and camaraderie and prayer come together in a cohesive, effective way. The miracles along the way have been numerous and astounding just to get to this point, even getting the vehicles to ride in. Situational poverty has never been this fun.

We head out for Corvallis tomorrow.

flags + letters

Last week, saw Flags of Our Fathers in the second run theater nearby (can't beat $2 for a movie), then saw its (not sequel) companion? Counterpart? in Letters from Iwo Jima yesterday.

I don't remember an instance where two movies that came out in a very short space of time showed two sides of the same event, so that, and the war stuff, got my attention. Neither of the films is really pro-American or pro-Japanese (or anti-, either). Like most poignant war films, the point was more about the universal suffering that goes on regardless of political or ethnic affiliations in armed conflicts, including the moral ambiguity, the homesickness, the red tape that can rears its head at the most inopportune times, and the camaraderie. The treatment never felt sentimental, or pretentious, or unnecessarily glorifying of the hero ethic. It hit the emotional notes just right.

Flags of Our Fathers:


Letters from Iwo Jima:


Taking Sunday for the west coast, warm weather, the ocean, and getting ready for retreats. Here we go.

new addiction

Finetune, for those of you who like making playlists for online radios and finding out about new music that matches your taste. Pandora is fun, also.

Warning: totally, hopelessly addictive for music lovers.

a word from Ed

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

Dear Friends in Christ,

Each morning I slowly recite, "Our Father... thy will be done" of the Lord's Prayer as I ask God that that which I know in thought and profess in words may become realized in deed. Holiness consists one thing: complete loyalty to the will of God. The saints who lived came in all shapes and sizes: men and women, consecrated and married vocations, young and old, yet their uniting characteristic was that of perfect obedience to God's will during their lifetime. Complete loyalty to the Divine Will may be the single greatest challenge known to man precisely because it involves the renunciation of our will. Humans tend to tenaciously guard their free will and unyielding when opposed. A brief examination of our preferences, daily choices, manner of doing what we want, when we want, and how we want it, illustrates this point. I recently heard a meditation entitled, "The Maturation of the Vocation", dealing with vocation in reference to the Divine Will. The speaker referred to vocation as the response to God's calling and that unwillingness to renounce your own plans for responding to the vocation would ultimately destroy it. One cannot serve love affirming oneself...

I have been absolutely enamored with Sanctity ever since I realized that it was the one pursuit in life worthy of investing my every endeavor. I never cease to be inspired in reading the lives of the Saints and in zealous moments swear that I will not settle for anything less than His infused presence in the Transforming Union in this life. The meditation I heard served as a good examination of conscience. Jesus tells us, "Not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in Heaven" (Mt 7:21). I thought about the fact that many people serve God, but how many serve Him in the manner in which He desires to be served by adhering to the Divine Will? For a servant unwilling to listen is of no use to his master. "Do I really love the will of God? Am I willing to do whatever it takes in being loyal?" I realized that as noble as my desire for holiness may be it is still in need of purification. I reflected upon the life of Maurice Bellière (the adopted spiritual child of St. Thérèse of Lisieux), a man with whom I could identify who was filled with magnanimous aspirations in serving God on the missions through preaching the Gospel in Africa and gaining the crown of martyrdom. His life didn't unfold quite like he would have expected. He was never considered to be a great man of heroic virtue by anyone who knew him while his experience in the missions left him somewhat deluded. He would eventually contract a fatal disease which would definitively conclude his missionary career and toward the end of his life went out of his mind passing away in relative obscurity in an insane asylum at the age of 33. I desire to be the type of saint John Vianney and Thérèse of Lisieux lived to be, but would I be willing to forego my glorious notion of sanctity for a humiliating one like that of Maurice Bellière if God so willed??? Even for the saints, it was not always easy deferring their will to God's. Three times, St. Paul asks for liberation from a thorn in the flesh (2 Cor 12:7-9) which God does not grant. St. Louis IX preferred the monastic life to being a ruler and only out of obedience to the Divine Will was King of France. Saint John Vianney, who heard the confessions of penitents for over four decades sometimes up to 17 hours daily, several times fled from his parish seeking a more contemplative life yet always returned in obedience. If we are not completely loyalty to the Divine Will, let us ask God to at least make us want to be loyal to Him. "Lord, help me want to be what you want me to be".

On this World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life, let us pray for all Priests, Religious, and Consecrated persons, that they may be a witness of the total self-donation to God they have professed and live their vocation to Holiness through complete loyalty to the Divine Will.

In Jesus and Mary,

Edward

Super Bowl magic

Actual email exchange between me and Max this week (I'll take out the smiley faces to protect the identity of the innocent):

Max:
it just hit me, your team [Sox] won when you were unemployed. Now that we're
both unemployed, the Bears have to win!

me:
Also, in 98 when we graduated, and when I was FIRST unemployed, even the fricking Cubs made it to the playoffs as the wildcard, and I was unemployed when the Chubbies won the division in 2003, and then there was 2005 of course, and now. Weird.

Max:
Ah, the Cubs curse develops further. If the Cubs make it to the playoffs & want to win, they should make sure the Gat has a job.

Other than us and most of Chicago, there isn't anyone in America that gives the Bears a chance. I know better than to prognosticate, but here's what the BEHRS need to do to see if Coach Ditka can still shuffle:

1. Peyton Manning knows all about the Cover 2, since Lovie got it from Indy coach Tony Dungy. The teams that have given Indy and Manning the most trouble have been 3-4 teams like Pittsburgh and New England. Lots of pressure on Urlacher and the safeties to make every tackle, because I don't think there'll be much of a pass rush generated by the front four.
2. Rex will need to deliver in some difficult situations, mostly due to the fact that the Bears' line hasn't faced a speed rusher like Dwight Freeney off the edge all season, meaning fumbles/interceptions. Staring down the barrel of a 3rd or 4th and long, can he do it? If the Bears get down late, can he bring them back?
   
3. A big one from the Windy City Flyer.
   
4. The one or two horrendous passes Manning throws into the numbers of the defense (he ends up outsmarting himself, and throws a laser right at a corner, almost Favre-like), they gotta catch and score it, not just get good field position.
   
5. Hopefully Peyton can choke on the bile from tasting his own legacy being cemented, after never beating Florida in college, and taking 4 attempts to beat New England. You know he's thought about all of the magazine articles and TV pieces if he doesn't get this one. Heck, he even has to win for his dad. That's way too much pressure on one guy, and I'm thinking he'll pull an A-Rod. Even A-Rod doesn't have to win for his dad.

I could use some good luck on Saturday at the job fair, too.

meh

Darin Erstad, the ersatz loot for the once-proposed deal for Jon Garland, signed a one year deal with the Sox last week. This is good news in the light of Podsednik out for 6-8 weeks with sports hernia surgery. Erstad is a lefthanded bat off the bench that can play above average defense in all outfield spots and first base. Basically, he takes Gload's role, with + defense and - offense. I think anyone watching Rob Mackowiak, poor soul, "play" center field last year realized that the Sox needed an upgrade. Erstad is also a Gold Lover (TM) at first base, and although he shares Podsednik's crappiness against lefties, at least he can catch the damn ball, and he should be a more than adequate fourth outfielder. An outfield of Pods, Anderson, Dye with Erstad backing up is great, and Erstad, Anderson, Dye is an excellent defensive outfield.

Please note that said "FOURTH" outfielder above. Ozzie demonstrated very often last year that he had no problem taking Anderson out because of his offensive deficiencies, which ended up hurting the team more than he seemed to realize. Now with a shiny piece that has the Proven Winner tag on him, I think Ozzie might be even more tempted to sit Anderson and keep Erstad in the lineup even after Podsednik comes back. Just in case anybody is still hung over from Erstad's breakout 2000 season, he hasn't been an above average offensive contributor (OPS+ under 100 since 2001) since then, or been particularly healthy. It's not too hard to fathom that freaking Erstad could be an obstacle to Anderson, Ryan Sweeney, AND Josh Fields.

So, basically, I'd like to see lots of this:



And not a lot of this:


This is ok, though:


Darin Erstad is the intelligence litmus test for Ozzie. Are we doomed to see the same Ozzie mistakes from the past, or has the newer, less openly homophobic Oswaldo turned a new leaf.

how i spent my friday

credo

"The Last Judgment," Michelangelo, 1541, detail

"Christianity is through-and-through an eschatological faith. It holds that the murky transactions of our sin-clouded history stand under the gaze of a divine justice that will assert itself in final confrontation at the Ultimate Moment (to Eschaton)... To have an eschatological faith is to have a 'synchronic' faith, one in which eternity is continually intersecting -- literally, cutting across -- time. We are created now, at every now. Christ comes now; the Incarnation is now. The great judgment is now. 'The accomplishment of everything impends' (1 Peter 4:7). That is the good news Jesus came to bring. Believing it is what makes me Catholic."

-- Garry Wills, Why I Am A Catholic

miami. my mammy.

I got everything I wanted on Sunday. Well. Just two things:

1. The Bears going to the Super Bowl, and
   
2. playing the Colts when they get there.

BEHRS can't pass block, but the run blocking was superb as TJones and Cedric rolled to almost two hundee on the ground. Conversely, the D was stout against the run, holding Bush/McAllister to 56 yards.

Rex didn't screw anything up.

Colts, with the legacy wobbly Manning at the helm, finally exorcised the Patriot Mystique (TM), with quarterback/philanthropist/golden boy Brady throwing the game sealing interception. I wanted the Colts to win because Sprint/MasterCard schill Peyton Manning will discover that if he thought the pressure to GET to a Super Bowl was intense, wait until he feels the pressure to WIN one if he's favored (the early line has the Colts favored by 7). I think he's going to shrivel up like a cold day at the beach.

Predictions for the Big Game later. Right now, I'm bathing in the euphoria.

If the BEHRS can actually pull this thing out (can it happen?! are we actually talking about this?!) then the onus falls more squarely on the Cubs to win something, the Chicago media being the killjoy it is.

This feels similarly magical to the White Sox postseason run in 2005, although baseball sustains a longer tenure of intensity because of the mulitple game format, whereas football is more spastic. The common denominator being my lack of employment. 2005? No job. Spring of 2007? No job. If the BEHRS get this one, it's a little bit of a weird coincidence. I will be looking to be permanently employed, mostly for the benefits of having a job, but also so it ensures that another Chicago pro team won't win something. The obvious hole in this argument is that I'd like for the Sox to win it again, but at the cost of being unemployed again... ? We'll think about that later.

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.