1) This Suns-Spurs match up is too good for the first round. Superstars out the wazoo: Stoudemire, Nash, O'Neal, Duncan, Ginobili, Parker. Even the role players are former stars: Grant Hill and Michael Finley. After watching a season's worth of boring, crappy, Big Ten basketball and maddening Bulls basketball, watching these two teams play is just heavenly.
2) I'm taking my parents to authentic German restaurant Bayern Stube this weekend. I've never been there in the ten years I've lived in Champaign, and that needs to change. Check out these pics ... looks yummy.
3) All you El Taco Tako fans out there, it sounds like we've (or at least I've) been neglecting the excellent Mexican food right under our noses.
4) Speaking of good food, it's about time to get the grill out of the basement. M is very anxious for the first grilled food of the year.
5) I've gone running four times in the past eight days. I'm hardly up to my old high school pace or distance, but tonight I completed about a 1.5 mile jog. For me, that's significant progress. All my friends (and now co-workers) are running marathons. I've got to play catch up.
6) The Pennsy primary was disappointing. I wasn't anticipating a win for Obama, but I had hoped that he'd finish within five points. Here's to hoping Obama can seal a big win in Indiana and North Carolina and send the Clinton campaign into further debt. I don't care who you root for — or who you blame for it — but this negative campaigning and back-and-forth bickering has become so annoying and distracting that it needs to end soon before the Democratic party disillusions not only independents and disgruntled Republicans, but also its own base.
7) So far my new job is a lot of fun. I signed up a college basketball book that I'm very excited about. It will deal with mid-major basketball in an entertaining fashion and be written by an authority on the subject. (The odd twist to this author: He's a Guided By Voices, Pavement, and Silver Jews fan. Go figure!) My ease in gaining the confidence of authors has always been a strong suit, and it's helping me out immensely as I discuss potential book ideas with writers.
8) I'm finishing up a pair of sports books: Tom Adelman's Black and Blue, on the 1966 World Series between the O's and the Dodgers, and Paul Shirley's humorous diary of his pro basketball career, Can I Keep My Jersey? The latter features Shirley's self-deprecating personality and is presented in Ball Four style. Shirely's name probably doesn't ring a bell for you, because he is what could best be called a fringe player. Still, his insights into the ludicrous world of pro sports — including mini-manifestos on the anti-intellectualism of the modern athlete — are worthwhile reading. Adelman's book is not quite as enjoyable as his first tome, The Long Ball, but is still a good read for historical purposes. I enjoy his prose, and his research and insights are often revealing of both a team's character as well as its characters. If anything, this book feels a bit short.
9) Still hoping that a trip to NYC is in the works for late June. Hopin' and wishin' ...
10) Lately, I've been kicking the tires on ORGANS!, the follow-up to HORNS! I just need to pin down the desired tone for the compilation. I'm leaning toward mid-Sixties mod-era rockers and blue-eyed soul. The trick is finding some modern tunes to blend in.
4.05.2008
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