My Ears are Burning - Superbowl Thoughts

The Steelers fizzled at the playoff dance this year.  There was a brief mourning period but I'm better now.

It's down to a few teams - Baltimore Ravens vs New England Patriots, and the NY Giants against the San Francisco 49ers.  The winners of each game will be meeting in the superbowl.

If only they would end at the regular season and let the computers pick the superbowl teams - would that be excited.  The BCS has something going for it. 

So I'm not really rooting for any team.  I like the 49ers as a squad.  I'm conditionally opposed to the NY Giants due to a loudmouth Giants fan in 3rd grade.  Not a grudge the guy just made me instinctively resent that team, plus the token jerk at work likes them too.  To me that confirms it, jerks like the Giants.  Or at least they will strut around loudly proclaiming their team is the best team ever.

So I'm for the 49ers UNLESS it ends up as a Harbaugh brothers superbowl (49ers vs Ravens).  The sappy coverage of brothers facing off in the big game would be sickening.  To the point of wanting to be sick.  Just in hopes that the burn in the back of your throat might somehow make your ears burn and you won't be able to hear the crappy, sappy coverage.  I'm not sure I could watch that game.

I want to see the Ravens rather than the Pats because Tom Brady is a jag and it's the Pats.  Also the AFC North is a strong, tough, gritty conference and it getting proven again is a good thing.  UNLESS the noted Harbaugh brothers matchup is about to occur.

So my preference for the superbowl:
49ers over New England
Ravens over Giants
Giants over New England (I'll tolerate the John the jerk).
49ers over Ravens (although my back will hurt for weeks from all of the vomiting).

Stickin to the Man on MLK Jr Day

Today is MLK Jr Day.  Yesterday I had a great discussion with Beth regarding why she has off school and who he was.  She was shocked that someone could be driven by hatred to shoot a pastor.

Sometimes I get ornery and crazy thoughts just to stick it to the system.  Whatever the system is, if it seems outrageous or dumb I have some internal churning to make it break.  This doesn't always do well within companies or governments and I've learned to let my fantasy "stick-it" idea sprint for 20 seconds and then fall over and die in the wastelands far from the fields of reality.

Today I'll share it before it dies.

My current "stick-it" idea is to make a huge banner with a MLK Jr. quote and hang it from city hall to celebrate the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  This is more of a "stick-it" to the anti-Christmas atheist crowd.  But also to the schools teaching how MLK Jr stood against segregation and omitting how he stood in front of a church Sunday after Sunday.

This isn't to slight MLK Jr. at all. It is to remember how many great things he was able to accomplish and pave the way for, because he loved Jesus. That should not be forgotten.

My banner would read -

"Man is a sinner in need of God's forgiving grace. This is not deadening pessimism; it is Christian realism." - Martin Luther King Jr.

Thanks Dr. King.

Hunger Games - My stomach's talking

So this my review/thoughts on "The Hunger Games" trilogy.

Review -
Good story and well told.  I found the characters to be flawed and believable.  There are plenty of discussion points on politics, remembering history, tyranny, right and wrong, basic decency.  Some of the scenarios are probably too much for the 10 y/o crowd I'd recommend it for 13+.  I read through the book very fast and for a few days neglected the anklebiters too much.  It is an addictive story through all three books.

The setting is a post civil war nation with a central capital region (rich) and 12 subordinate districts that are forced to send their children to compete in a deathmatch.  A friend called it the Running Man meets Lord of the Flies.  Pretty close.


Discussion - Spoilers from here on out.
This will be full of spoilers.  I want to discuss it fully so I don't plan on shying away from any details.

List-en Here

I've seen a few top lists of 2011.  Here's mine:

Books -
Hunger Games (I still need to write a review)
The Chosen by Chaim Potok
My Name is Asher Lev  by Chaim Potok
Father Brown Mysteries GK Chesterton.
my top has to be "William Tell" by PG Wodehouse.  It was VERY good; and at the end Wodehouse shares an epic poem version of the tale.  Superb.

Music - my toughest category

Josh Garrels keeps getting re-played at work - and Jill Phillips and The Civil Wars
Jason Gray "See in the Dark" has been running a long time in our kitchen music machine.
Slugs & Bugs Underwhere? has been steadily played.
A very close second goes to the Andy Osenga pre-release of "Leonard the Lonely Astronaut"
Bluebird by Randall Goodgame has been my favorite gem of this year.

Movies - apparently it was a forgettable movie year, not much is jumping to to me.
I saw "Dark Knight" this year.  It was impressive.
"The Muppets" was very good.
"Sherlock Holmes" I think is my top pick of the year.  I only saw the first one but I was impressed with the story and development.

TV -
Phineas & Ferb is still going strong.
Psych.
I'm late to the game but "Firefly" was superb.