Category Archives: Version 1.0

Posts from the first version of this site, thebrownone.wordpress.com… if anyone’s curious.

I hate the DH

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I’m consider myself a pretty middle-of-the-road kind of guy.  There are some things about which I consider myself fairly progressive (or liberal or non-traditionalist…whatever the label): gay marriage (absolutely for) and marriage for Catholic priests (that’s a whole other blog entry), for example; and there are other issues about which I consider myself a purist: English grammar and classroom education (online education lacks the essential teacher-student interaction).  Another issue about which I consider myself a purist is baseball, particularly the designatied hitter (DH).  Phil Rogers’ column in today’s Chicago Tribune got me thinking about the DH again.  Here’s how I really feel about it: I HATE THE DH.  There it is.  I said it.  I know I’m not alone in this sentiment, but it feels really good to say that and get it out in the open.  I agree with Rogers’ assertion that both the American League (AL) and the National League (NL) should adopt universal rules, much like the two conferences in both the NFL and NBA.  However, I wholeheartedly disagree his notion that NL should adopt the DH rule.  To the contrary, the AL should abolish the DH.  Here’s why:

  • The DH was instituted in the early 1970’s to increase the number of runs scored per game and make the game more exciting for the casual fan.  Now, I don’t know about the rest of the baseball fans out there, but for my money, I’d much rather see a 2-1 pitcher’s duel than a 9-7 slugfest.  Don’t get me wrong: few sights are more beautiful that watching a towering home run clear the fences.  But part of what makes the home run so special is that it’s ridiculously hard to do.  And this post-steroid era, when athletes are naturally bigger, stronger, and faster than their counterparts of 35 years ago, there’s no need for the offensive boost provided by the DH.  Players are hitting homers and teams are scoring runs just fine.
  • Roger’s makes a point that pitchers’ batting averages, on the whole, are pathetic.  And it’s true.  But that’s because of several reasons.  First, they only bat once every five games, so naturally they don’t get a chance to establish any kind of rhythm at the plate.  Second, pitchers are treated like such prima donnas that most of them don’t feel the need to practice batting.  Hey, fellas, here’s a something you may have forgotten: you’re a professional athlete.  Sorry if it cramps your style, but hitting and running are *GASP* are part of the game.  In fact, they essential parts of the game.  Take some BP every once in a while, talk to the hitting coach once or twice a week and perhaps your average would crack the .100 barrier.
  • Baseball is a sport that requires its players to have basic athletic skills, regardless of their position.  Professional athletes who get paid millions of dollars should be required to thrown, catch, run, and hit in each game they play, regardless of their position.  That’s the essence of baseball: throwing, fielding, and hitting.  It’s not a pick-one-or-two-of-these-components type of game.  Kids in little league don’t play much (if at all) if they can’t do all of these things.  Why should it be any different at the professional level?
  • Rogers’ mentions the need for an NL DH because the Cubs’ Carlos Zambrano strained his hamstring running to first base during Sunday’s game and is now on the DL for a couple of weeks.  And you know what?  I’m OK with that.  Z was hustling down the line like he’s supposed to, like we’re all taught in little league.  Player’s get criticized for not running out ground balls, but when a pitcher (my God, a pitcher!!!) runs and hurts himself, people get up in arms about it.  Hank Steinbrenner, in his infinite “wisdom,” went on a simliar rant last year when one of his star pitchers strained his knee rounding third base in an interleague game.  After the game, he criticized the NL for being behind the times and old-fashioned.  Hey, Hank, hate to break it to you, but running is part of the game.
  • Rogers mentions that pitchers are at risk every time they step on the field and at even more risk when they bat.  Well, aren’t all the players on the field at risk of injury?  Straining a hamstring running toward first is just as unpredictable as a blown ACL chasing down a flyball.  Should Zambrano have been given preferential treatment just because he’s a pitcher?  What about catchers?  What about outfield who risk their bodies by diving to the turf or crashing into the wall to get an out or save a run?  What if Reed Johnson had injured himself while making his amazing catch last year?  Would “outfielder proponents” be in favor of wearing pads or changing the rules to protect the outfielders from scrapes, strained muscles, broken bones?  I think not.  There are inherent risks in any sport, which is part of the reason these athletes get paid so much.
  • The DH extends the careers of mediocre defensive players who have lost (or never really had) range in the field.  The way I see it, if you can’t field a position adequately, get off the roster and make way for someone who can.
  • The DH also makes the game of baseball 10 vs. 10, when it’s a game of 9 vs. 9.  There are nine players on the field, so those 9 should be the ones who come up to the plate.  Simple as that.
  • The DH has glorified the power game.  And while it’s exciting to see 50- and 60-homer seasons, other aspects of the game have suffered, such as the art of the stolen base, how to properly execute a (sacrifice) bunt, and situational hitting.  Balance is a good thing, and I long for the day when the five-tool player is valued like he should be.  A player who can hit for power, hit for average, steal bases, field his position well, and throw out some runners should be the centerpiece of any team.
  • The DH has created two different games of baseball.  The AL is vastly different from the NL.  Each league has its own intricacies, but the way I see it, the AL is a bastardization of the game of baseball.  And of the big three sports in the United States, baseball is by far the most conservative, the one that values tradition the most, with an eye on its own history at all times.  The DH essentially scoffs at baseball history, and in effect, disrespects many of the players who played in the AL before the rule was institutued.

Come on, Bud Selig.  If you do one thing rigth in your tenure as MLB Commissioner, abolish the designated hitter.  The DH “experiment” has run its course.  Please get rid of it.

Lesson from the Bulls/Celtics series

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Here’s what I learned from the Bulls/Celtics first round playoff series:

  1. Derrick Rose is going to be a phenomenal player in the NBA.  He has the potential to be an all-time great.  His penetrating ability will only afford him and his teammates countless scoring opportunities.  If he develops a consistent mid-range jump shot, or even a decent three-point stroke, watch out everyone.
  2. Rajon Rondo is turning into Isaiah Thomas or John Stockton, and not in the good way.  That is, he’s almost as dirty as he is good.  I saw his skills come through in last year’s playoffs, and he really blossomed this year, averaging a triple double in the series.  But what irks me about Rondo is that he’s so good he doesn’t need to take cheap shots, such as the obviously flagrant foul on Brad Miller in Game 5 or his tossing Kirk Heinrich in Game 6.  He doesn’t need to be a dirty player to succeed.  I hope, for the Celtics’ sake, that he cleans up his act in the next series.
  3. Kendrick Perkins is the real “Big Baby.”  I can’t ever remember his facial expression having anything other than a scowl or a puzzled “Who, me?” look.  He criticized the refs midway through the series, saying the refs don’t like the Celtics.  Yeah, like that’s going to help your case come game time, Kendrick.  I have an idea for you: grow up, shut up, and just play basketball.  Quit your bitchin’, already.  Fouls happen, especially in the paint.
  4. Speaking of Big Baby, Glen “Big Baby” Davis is really good.  He’s got good range for a big man, and moves very well without the ball.  If he could improve his defense, he could be the integral player who helps transition the Celtics after Kevin Garnett leaves (I’m not saying that’s happening anytime soon, just that he’s got a lot of potential.)
  5. I hate the last minute of an NBA game.  Those final 60 seconds of game time could last 15 minutes, with all the timeouts and fouls.  I think the NBA should look into rule changes, limiting the number of timeouts a team can call in a certain period of time or heavily penalizing a team for employing a “foul-right-away-so-we-can-get-the-ball-back” strategy.  Perhaps they could treat those intentional, late-game fouls like they do flagrant fouls, and have the fouled team shoot two free throws and retain possession.  Anything to speed up the closing moments of a game.
  6. The Celtics run screen-and-rolls as well as anyone in the league.  Those plays killed the Bulls, who had trouble switching or rotating after switches.  It was especially effective when Paul Pierce or Ray Allen found their shooting touch early.
  7. Ray Allen is better than Reggie Miller was.
  8. It was obvious to me which team was the experienced, veteran team and which team was still wet behind the ears.  The Celtics showed great poise down the stretch of every game, and played great team basketball.  They didn’t panic whenever the Bulls would make runs or jump out to leads; they just kept their composure and weathered the storm by making good defensive stops or chipping away at the deficits one basket at a time.  On the other side of the ball, the Bulls showed their inexperience by not being able to put away the Celtics on several occasions.  You could tell the Bulls wanted to thrown down that dagger shot or that they tried to get fancy at critical junctures, when all that was necessary was to milk the clock and set up a good play that would result in an open look or a foul call.  All that being said, the Bulls showed tremendous heart, courage, and potential in this series.  A little patience and some polished execution and the Bulls could contend for titles for years to come.
  9. Holy crap, can Tyrus Thomas get up.
  10. Derrick Rose needs to use his athleticism even more.  Since he hasn’t yet developed a consistent outside jumpshot, he needs to drive to the hoop more to force defense to collapse into the paint, thereby leaving someone open on the wings.  Also, Derrick Rose needs to the handld the ball more.  Too often, Ben Gordon or John Salmons would run the ball upcourt, with Rose off the side.  Derrick, you’re the point guard and the future of the franchise.  Take control and be the floor general.  You can do this.
  11. Ben Gordon needs to learn how to more better and more efficiently without the ball.  Too many times I saw him standing around while Rose was at the top of the key, trying to find passing or driving lanes.  Take notes from the great Ray Allen, Ben.
  12. Vinny Del Negro earned his paycheck this year.  Imagine being a rookie head coach, with a rookie point guard, and the youngest team in the NBA, and taking the defending champions to the limit, after starting the year 18-30.  This playoff experience can do nothing but help him run the team even better next year, as well as establish some chemistry and rapport among the players and coaching staff.
  13. What Joakim Noah lacks in pure physical skill is made up with his heart and intensity.
  14. While I’m still a baseball and football guy, this series did a lot for my basketball fandom.  In the late-1980’s and through the 1990’s, I was a huge Bulls fan, thanks in no small part to the one and only Michael Jordan.  But, in recent years, I’d lost interest in the NBA, perhaps because the style of play changed slightly from when I watched it regularly.  Perhaps it was because the Bulls didn’t do much in the decade following the Jordan era.  Or maybe, it just wasn’t as compelling to watch in 2004, for example, as it was in for me in 1997.  The way I see it, this playoff series was compelling, competitive, interesting, hard-fought, dramatic, and made even more exciting because it played between two of the NBA’s marquee franchises.

Welcome back to the big time, Chicago Bulls.  It’s good to have you back.

Easter 12 of 12

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Happy Easter, everyone!

9:23am Bundled up on Easter morning. It LOOKED like Easter outside, but it sure didn't FEEL like Easter.
9:23am Bundled up on to take out Oreo. It LOOKED like Easter outside, but it sure didn't FEEL like Easter.
9:24am Yup, you're reading that correctly: Bright sunshine and 35 degrees, with a wind chill of 25 degree. Like I said, it LOOKED spring outside, but it in no way FELT like spring.
9:24am Yup, you're reading that correctly: Bright sunshine and 35 degrees, with a wind chill of 25 degrees. Like I said, it LOOKED spring outside, but it in no way FELT like spring.
11:09am Just before going into the church for Easter morning mass. Notice the lovely Easter wreathes on the doors.
11:09am Just before going into the church for Easter morning mass. Notice the lovely Easter wreathes on the doors and the fresh haircut.
12:24pm The beautiful Easter decorations in the church.
12:24pm The beautiful Easter decorations in the church.
2:48pm Giving Oreo a long overdue. She was great--very calm and relaxed in the tub.
2:48pm Giving Oreo a long overdue bath. She was great--very calm and relaxed in the tub.
3:36pm Loaded up the dishwasher with a week's worth of dishes. I use a lot of dishes when I don't eat out. Plus, I'm lazy.
3:36pm Loaded up the dishwasher with a week's worth of dishes. I use a lot of dishes when I don't eat out. Plus, I'm lazy.
6:25pm Grading some Theory 2 papers. Ah, the deceptive cadence: one of my favorites.
6:25pm Grading some Theory 2 papers. Ah, the deceptive cadence: one of my favorites.
8:20pm Oreo hanging out in front of the fire.
8:20pm Oreo hanging out in front of the fire.
8:30pm Watching the Brewers' Ryan Braun bat in the bottom of the first inning. God, I hate that guy.
8:30pm Watching the Brewers' Ryan Braun bat in the bottom of the first inning. God, I hate that guy.
9:53pm Done with grading, I record the grades in the gradebook.
9:53pm Done with grading, I record the grades in the gradebook.
10:36pm iShoot for the iPod Touch is made the "Naughty Bits." (Mike, that one's for you. BITS)
10:36pm iShoot for the iPod Touch is made by "Naughty Bits." (Mike, that one's for you. BITS)
11:34pm CUBS WIN!!
11:34pm CUBS WIN!!

Really? Seriously?? Honestly?!?

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Rep. Betty Brown: Ugh.
Rep. Betty Brown: Ugh.

Great.  Awesome.  Fantastic.  Just when I think this country is making progress in the realm of the racial divide, Texas Representative Betty Brown opens her big, rich, white mouth and craps all over the progress made by the election of President Barack Obama.  (Click here for the story)  In a nutshell, Rep. Brown was hearing testimony regarding voter identification legislation and voters of Asian descent, testimony from Ramey Ko, a representative of the Organization of Chinese Americans.  Essentially, some Asian-descent voters had trouble voting because of their transliterated names and their forms of identification.  Rep. Brown proceeds to say the following to Ko: “Rather than everyone here having to learn Chinese — I understand it’s a rather difficult language — do you think that it would behoove you and your citizens to adopt a name that we could deal with more readily here?”  Rep. Brown shoved her foot even farther down her mouth when she continued, saying, “I see a need here for young people like you, who are obviously very bright, to come up with something that would work for you and then let us see if we can’t make it work for us.”

(Now, before I go on my tirade, allow me set the record straight and say that I don’t believe in turning every little quote or statement into a racial issue.  I’m not that sensitive.  Further, I believe that racism is often a two-way street and that reverse racism is much more rampant that is openly acknowledged.  Therefore, the only way to eliminate such insensitivity is for EVERYONE — regardless of skin color, political affiliation, ethnic heritage, sexual orientation, economic standing — to stop all this “us vs. them” nonsense.  How about instead of “versus,” we change it to a “with” or an “and.”  “Us and them;” “you with me.”  It may sound trite and idealistic, but the way I see it, a little idealism, a little hope, is never a bad thing.  Differences will abound, there’s no denying that.  But part of what has made America great is that we have embraced our differences and made those individualities work for the common good, not against it.)

OK, back to the regularly scheduled rant.  (Also check out Rachel Farris’ editorial about the story here.)

First of all, “you and your citizens?”  Thanks for separating “you” from us.  Translated: you = minorities, us = the white majority in position of political power.  Ugh.  Wake up, Mrs. Brown, it’s 2009!!  Your “us” and “them” statement, no matter how it was meant, is soooo 1950’s.  (Then again, so is your haircut…yup, it’s gettin’ personal.)

Secondly, last I checked, no one is “behooved” to changed their name in this country.  EVER.  If that were the case, Mrs. Brown, we’d all have Native American names, or have you forgotten the fact that European settlers weren’t the first ones here?

And then Brown’s spokesperson, Jordan Berry, had the gall to say that Democrats are blowing the statement out of proportion.  Um, excuse me, Mr. Berry, I don’t really see how else to interpret Mrs. Brown’s statement other than as racially insensitive.  And what’s even more disturbing is that your saying just the Democrats are blowing this out of proportion.  What about other Republicans?  Aren’t they upset about this?  If not, they should be.  But politicall party affiliation is clouding the real issue here; it has nothing to do with Republicans vs. Democrats.  EVERYONE should be incensed by Mrs. Brown’s remarks.  It’s unacceptable for someone in public office, someone who was elected by the very people she just insulted, to even think about saying what she did, much less openly suggest it on the floor of the Texas House.  Brown’s remarks represent such a myopic, closed-minded view of how American society functions.  Don’t like all the diversity, Mrs. Brown?  Then America isn’t the place for you.  I hear Iceland is nice and homogeneous (nothing against Iceland).

Granted, some Asian names are tough to pronounce.  Then again, names like Neugebauer, Luetkemeyer, and Sensenbrenner (these are all real names of HoR members; look ’em up here) — clearly names of European descent (read: white) — don’t exactly roll off the tongue.  Sorry, Mrs. Brown, was “Ko” a little to difficult to pronounce?  I have an idea, ma’am.  Since you are the representative, why don’t you change your name to something more familiar to your constituents.  “Bigot” sounds about right.

Angry?  You’re damn right I am.

Opening Day 2009

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In what is becoming an annual tradition, I'm sporting my Cubs "BELIEVE" bracelet.
In what is becoming an annual tradition, I'm sporting my Cubs "BELIEVE" bracelet.

Ah, Opening Day.  The best day to be a baseball fan, no matter which team claims your loyalties.  The Cubs championship drought has been well-documented, so I won’t get into that again.  But what makes Opening Day so great, especially for us Cubs fans, is the hope that this year is THE year.  We all hope that “next year” is finally here.  And at the start of this day, our team is in first place and poised to make a title run.  It’s plainly obvious from the picture and from previous entries that I’m die-hard, lifelong Cubs fan.  And to that end, I DO BELIEVE that this year is the year.  We say it every year, but looking at the numbers, it’s tough to see the Cubs not making it deep into the postseason, let alone winning the whole thing.  The Cardinals are going to challenge the Cubs for the Central title, which is think is good for the North Siders.  But in the end, the Cubs starting rotation is too deep and the lineup is much more balanced than last year’s 97-win team.  The bench is pretty deep, too.  My only concern is middle relief; the back end of the ‘pen, anchored by Marmol (MARMOL!!) and Gregg, is killer; it’s just a matter of getting to those two guys.

And I’m not alone in my prediction of the Cubs going all the way.  Click here for yet another reason why I like Tim Kurkjian, of ESPN‘s Baseball Tonight.

“Go Cubs, go!  Go Cubs, go!  Hey, Chicago, whaddaya say?  The Cubs are gonna win today!”

Why I go to mass

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I’ve been slacking on my mass attendance lately, only having gone a handful of times in the past six months.  I’ve felt bad about not going, and considering it’s now Lent, the Catholic guilt has been extra strong the past months.  I went to mass this morning, and it felt good.  Sitting there, as the church filled up, I thought about why I haven’t been going lately, why I felt guilty about not going yet chose not to go anyway, and why I had chosen to go to mass in the past.

I first went through a mass attendance drought when I first moved to Tallahassee in 2003.  The first two years I was in Florida, I lived right down the street from a church.  Literally, it was a block away.  But I didn’t really go much on Sundays.  There was something about the parish and about the space that didn’t sit well with me.  I guess I was thinking too much about my churchgoing experience in Chicago, which was nothing short of amazing.  The masses we had at Loyola at the campus chapel were great: I sang with great friends under the direction of an amazing musician (Miss you, Rudy!), the preaching was excellent (Miss you, too, Fr. Jerry!), and the space was great (Ah, Madonna della Strada).  So, I was comparing my Florida mass experience with my Chicago experience, and that just wasn’t fair: the life I started in Tallahassee was the next stage in my professional and personal lives, and so I (eventually) realized that it was unrealistic of me to have the same church experience in Florida as I did in Chicago.  Once I got over that, I found a parish in Tallahassee (Good Shepherd Catholic Church) and had a great experience there.

I went through a similar mode of thought here in Lowell.  It took a me a couple of months to find a parish that suited me.  I was delighted when eventually found St. Michael Parish last fall.  The priests are extraordinarily friendly and give wonderful sermons, the community seems very cohesive, and the music ministry is pretty good and has potential to be even better.  But, for reasons I just now discovered, I only went to mass consistently for about a month, then let my attendance fall by the wayside.  I’m not proud to admit this, but the main reason I didn’t go was because I was lazy.  No sugar-coating it, the dancing around that fact.  It was cold, I didn’t feel like getting out of bed, and just plain didn’t want to go.  Not surprisingly, being raised in the Catholic tradition, the guilt about not going to mass–especially since I no longer had the “I-haven’t-found-the-right-parish” excuse–was always there.  Despite that guilt, I didn’t go regularly.  Maybe once a month, if that.  The laziness, I think, stemmed from a bout of selfishness.  I didn’t want to make paltry the sacrifice of a hour and a half every week, getting up (relatively) early, and driving through the snow.  Also, mentally and emotionally, I was so focused on myself and what was going on in my life (school, relationships, the fact that was I pretty lonely) that I couldn’t muster the energy or the discipline to go to mass.

After mass, the view of the inside of St. Michael Parish.
After mass, the view of the inside of St. Michael Parish.

But I found that energy this morning.  And it felt good.  I had forgotten that going to mass helps keep me centered.  The way I see it, it helps me put things into perspective; the preaching is good for me.  I don’t necessarily agree with everything that’s said in the homily, buy for the most part, lessons contained in the readings and sermons hit home, either directly or indirectly.  Going to mass also provides a bit of structure to my weekly schedule.  My personality is the type that needs structure and discipline otherwise I’d get nothing done; I actually do better when I’m busier because I don’t have the spare time to sit around.  Having lots of spare time inevitably leads me to wasting most of it doing nothing.  In addition to the structure, going to mass helps give me a sense of belonging, a sense of community.  I’ve struggled with that since I’ve moved up to Massachusetts because I don’t have many friends up here yet.  St. Michael is very welcoming, giving me a little of that sense of community.

Making the transfer

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Today was one of those teaching days when everything seemed to go well.  And just when I thought things were going swimmingly, my second Theory 2 class surprises me and makes the day even better.  We were reviewing for their exam that’s coming up on Friday by doing some longer part-writing examples (rather than just isolated chords/resolutions).  I guide the class through the example.  After its completion, I’m standing at the piano, playing pairs of voices together so that they can hear the various counterpoint combinations and one of the students shouts out, “Can we sing it?”  I was so taken aback by the request that I had to pause for just a moment to process what I just heard.  Normally, asking an Aural Skills class to sing anything is like pulling teeth: the students are there to sing, but are reluctant to do so for a number of reasons.  The hesitation is only magnified in Theory class because, well, it’s not Aural Skills, so many of them are of the mindset that the singing should be confined to Aural Skills and left out of the Theory classroom.  What I try to do is help them make the transfer from Theory to Aural Skills: because the two classes are inexorably linked, there should be as much mention of Aural Skills in Theory (and vice versa) as possible.

The fact that one of my students voluntarily suggested singing through a part-writing example–and the fact that the rest of the class actually got excited about doing so–flabbergasted me, in the best way possible.  The way I see it, they’re starting to make the transfers on their own.  Connections are being made between classes, thereby making the experience of studying music are more complete and more enjoyable.  For all parties involved.  I’m always proud to be a music teacher.  But today, I’m walking just a little taller than usual, and my smile is just a little wider, thanks to my students.

Get On Your (concert) Boots

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As a long-time paying member of U2.com, I got access to the “Horizon” level of pre-sale tickets to U2’s concert tour this fall.  And now, I’m the proud owner of a pair of tickets to see U2 at Gillette Stadium on September 20th.  Section 107, thank you very much.

u2-boston-concert-seats

They’re just a bit farther from the stage than I originally planned, but I didn’t have the $250 it would have cost for each seat in section 111 like I wanted.  Oh well.  The way I see it, these seats are just fine.  Just being able to see them again is enough for me.  This tour promises to be huge, and with the innovative stage setup and supposed 360-degree viewing angles, there’s likely not a bad seat in the house.

Get excited!!

March 2009 12 of 12

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It’s been a couple of months since my last 12 of 12.  But I remembered this month…and what a day it was!

img_0725 7:42AM  I don’t teaching on Tuesday or Thursday, so I slept in today.  Only until 6:30, however, because I had to drop off my car to get my oil changed and get the SRS light checked out.  Little did I know it would end up costing me much more than I intended to spend.

img_0729 7:43AM  Oreo’s used to the morning routine by now.  She got in her bed in the kitchen without me even having to tell her.  Note the look on her face that says, “OK.  Fine.  Leave me…again.”

img_0737 9:03AM  I rearranged my office again (for the 7th time…literally).  I’m trying out a new floorplan, with the desk against the wall.  It really opens up the space and makes the office seems quite big.  (And yes, that’s Optimus Prime on my wall.)

img_0734 9:27AM  My new dry erase/cork board combination that I hung up on my wall this morning.  Now I can write and post notes to myself without having to scotch tape them to the lovely cinder block walls in my office.

img_0736 10:16AM  The view from my desk, while grading papers and listening to Pandora.  Man, I love Pandora.

img_0741 1:31PM  Taking a break from grading (and waiting for the Honda dealer to call me about my car), I practice a little piano.  I’m playing the celeste part for Copland’s Lincoln Portrait.  If you look closely, you can see that it’s very simple part that oscillates on an E major chord for 10 measures.  Ah, my kind of accompanying.

img_0745 2:56PM  The Honda dealer STILL hadn’t called me.  I was getting frustrated.  They called me about 15 minutes later to tell me that my car needed a new battery, and that it would be done in an hour and cost me more than initially quoted.  Great.img_0749 3:14PM  Finally having a timeframe of when I’d get my car back, I scramble to finish my lesson plan for Theory 2: cadential and passing 6/4 chords.  Fun times.  (You can really tell it’s my office by all the U2 posters on the walls.)

img_0750 4:12PM  I run to the duplication room in hopes of picking up my Theory 1 Proficiency Exams before the Honda shuttle picks me up, only to find out Arlene left early today.  Great.  So I rush back to the Music office to try to make copies there, only to find that it’s closed early, too.  This is the view of the office from the outside of my mailbox.  I go into school on my off day and stay much later than I should, while others who normally work later than I leave early.  The irony of the whole afternoon was not lost on me.

img_0751 4:46PM  The Honda dealer finally picks me up and drops me off to get my car…8.5 hours later!!

img_0754 4:48PM  What was initially going to be a $30 oil change ended up costing me nearly ten times that much.  All to get the stupid SRS light to shut off.  It took the service department almost nine hours to figure out that my car needed a new battery.  *SIGH* I miss Proctor Honda in Tallahassee.

img_0753 4:51PM  I’m finally back in my car.  Notice how the SRS light isn’t on any more.  Not bad for $300.  Ugh.  What a day.

BONUS:

img_0757 11:40PM  The way I see it, regardless of how crappy my day went, it ended nicely, with my packing for FriendFest 2009 Part a in DC.  I’m driving to visit Mike, then going to Houston to see Xan and my parents.  And, yup, that’s a Guitar Hero guitar, packed and ready to rock!  Bring on the Expert level!!

My lament

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*SIGH*

U2 is in Boston tonight (Somerville, technically), giving a special not-so-secret-anymore Q&A/performance for a lucky 900 or so people.  Unfortunately, tickets to this event were not put up for sale and were only given away by local radio stations.  So close, yet so far.  It’s a bit frustrating, seeing as I’ve worked with their music so much these past two years.  In fact, I feel very confident in saying that I don’t think there’s anyone in New England, perhaps even the country, who deserves to get up close and personal with the band more than I.  Conceited and a bit self-centered?  Sure.  But I wrote a freakin’ dissertation on their music, so I’d like that counts for something.

Oh well…I’m trying to think positively.  The way I see it, I’m happy to think that, although I’m missing an opportunity to see them tonight, I’m eligible for pre-sale tickets to their concert tour this fall.  So, while the rest of the Boston area is waiting for tickets to go on sale on Monday, 30 March, I’ll already have my seats already reserved for their September 20th show at Gillette Stadium.  I just knew that being a U2.com subscriber would really pay off eventually!