It would be bad form to not have a post ready for a Monday, but I'm kind of running dry at the moment. Bear with me.
The weekend
The holidays are here, and that meant Saturday we were able to attend a lovely get together at Matt and Nicole's place. Sweaters were worn, cocktails embibed, and a cold front hit just before the party, so it didn't feel odd or unseasonal.
I learned a lesson in trying to be a safe driver: if you're planning to cab it around town - do not decide its time to call a cab at 2:00 AM on Saturday night/ Sunday morning during the middle of holiday revelry. They will never, ever show up. And you will spend an ugly hour regretting that last cocktail with SyFy Channel on mute showing some horrendous movie with Alan Cumming painted blue, and Jamie just staring at the window and repeating "where are they?", only to give up and force a sober Nicole to drive you all the way back to your house at 3:10 AM.
Today was fairly lazy. Played with the dogs. Read. Cleaned up a bit. Walked the dogs. Fixed the fence. Slept for a while in the afternoon, facedown on the sofa. Denied the fact that I need to go to Lowe's and do a few last bits of Christmas shopping (I am way, way out ahead on Christmas shopping). Met up with Matt and Nicole at a sort of Italian bistro near Nau's, ran into Keora and Laura (wife of SimonUK).
And now I'm sitting in front of the fake fire with sleepy dogs.
Big 12 and Longhorn Football
OU won the Big 12 Championship, which is secretly good news to me (as OU is my second favorite college team, but we do not say such things in Austin).
And it looks like UT's long-bemoaned Offensive Coordinator, Greg Davis, will be leaving UT's coaching staff by hook or by crook early this week.
I don't know much about Davis. He doesn't get in front of the mics or cameras very often, but I know that in a city that screeches to a halt on game days, I have never heard one person who didn't second-guess or immediately leap to chip in to question Davis's coaching and play calling. That's not an exaggeration for dramatic effect, that's a fact. And it seems that UT's great recruiting of the past 10 years finally wasn't able to overcome the deficit in offensive coordination. At some point, you can't have 100K people in the stadium all slapping their foreheads, and everybody but the Offensive Coordinator knowing that the play called was not going to work.
That's not to say people aren't warily eyeing Will Muschamp (UT's Defensive Coordinator), his millions per year and the fact that UT oddly already anointed him Mack Brown's successor despite the fact that Brown isn't scheduled to retire or leave Texas. I don't think Muschamp is on the chopping block quite yet, but if UT is giving up as many touchdowns next year as they did this season? That sweetheart deal is going to dry up pretty fast.
Anyway, strange days for Texas football.
On the positive side: Looks like Oregon will challenge Auburn for the National title spot! Very happy for our man in Oregon, Fantomenos. The Ducks have been building to this point for a while, and I'm personally planning to dress in green and watch that one.
Jackie Chiles returns
Back in the 1990's Seinfeld was (and still remains) one of my favorite shows. Many will remember the OJ-case inspired character, Jackie Chiles, loosely based on now-deceased showboating attorney Johnny Cochrane.
A colleague of The Signal Watch is a contributor to award-winning legal blog Abnormal Use, which recently swung an interview with the actor who portrayed Jackie Chiles, Phil Morris. We encourage you to read the interview.
I confess that, yes, I do still watch Smallville on the CW (I'm quite a fan of Ms. Durance who plays Lois. Rowr.). For the past few years, Morris has guest-spotted on the program as J'onn J'onzz/ John Jones (aka: The Martian Manhunter), and he's been a real highlight in a show that I usually enjoy semi-ironically (because, man, Smallville...). I figured it was too much to ask that they spin the character off into his own, better show, so I take what I can get.
You can also see Morris in new clips as Jackie Chiles on Funny or Die!
Congrats to Abnormal Use for a great 2010!
Spider-Man play suffers another injury
An actress playing a major role as a villain suffered a concussion when a rope smacked her in the head. This same actress has to sit in her harness 6 hours per day.
I really do think people will turn up to watch the show, but its for the same reason you go to NASCAR races: horrendous accidents.
Never Assume
You people can enjoy the malarkey that is The League in small, bite sized chunks and opt in or out of dealing with me as you please. Even Jamie has the option to tell me to shut it, and/ or leave the room. But there is a person who does not have any options. 8 hours per day, 5 days per week, my officemate (who also reports to me in the org chart) has to sit and listen to whatever I say. And I kind of just talk. And talk. And talk and talk and talk and talk and talk all day every day.
And its kind of unfair. Literally nobody else on the planet has to put up with my monologuing or fear for their livelihood. And so it came to pass that I was completely under the impression that my officemate and I were on the same page that KANYE WEST IS THE GREATEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED, EVER.
Apparently, not so. So, if anyone else has some ideas for what to get an officemate for Christmas that isn't the new Kanye West album, please let me know.
Film. Comics. Sci-Fi. Superheroes. Pulp. Noir. History. Superman. 20th Century Archaeology.
3 comments:
Yay! 12-0!
Oh and I know commenting on the captcha is played out but mine is sporstes, which seems appropriate.
Anyone have a good reason why the National Championship is on 1/10? I figured it would get New Year's based on its prominence, but even if it has to be later than the other bowls, why a Monday? Don't people have to, you know, work? And not be hungover the next day?
Oddly enough, I've heard way more people on Austin talk radio standing up for Davis now, then I have heard in forever. Him taking a hike has to be a good thing, right? I mean, maybe the next guy will understand the point is to move the ball forward, and not to the sidelines. Might also be good to get a run game churning.
As far as Muschamp goes, I would think he'd be fairly safe, most of the defensive woes this year seem to have been because they were just worn out because the Offense couldn't put together many sustained drives.
As far as the officemate gift goes...earplugs?
@Fantmenos: I don't know why they do the Championship so late, but its been after New Year's for a while. I don't remember it being quite so late before, but I assume the NCAA and everybody else wants to clear the boards before the big champeeenship.
@PaulT: I am not surprised Davis has supporters. I recognize UT has been to two championship games and won a ton of games under his coaching. But watching NCAA football, this season was kind of inevitable if UT didn't change its tune. And it didn't, nor did UT show any real signs of being able to adapt once the jig was up.
I sincerely hope Davis remains on staff in some capacity, but we'll see.
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