More random notes

I'm back! It's been a while. Thanks for the encouragement and feedback from various folks from my last post. You know who you are.

Associated thoughts from the last week...

On the Finals...
- The Pistons didn't lose the title, the Spurs won it. Game 7 was hard-fought the whole way through. Duncan took over in the 3rd quarter, almost as if he realized, "Wait a second - I'm the best player out here!" Some argue that he did his work against second-string defenders due to foul trouble, well, true, but it was his hard work fighting for position against Rasheed and McDyess that got those guys into foul trouble in the first place, leaving Big Ben with no one to give help defense on the inside. That hot stretch was crucial because it forced the Pistons to double down in the fourth quarter on post-ups, leading to uncontested three-pointers by Manu and Bowen to seal the game.
- Bowen's block on Billups' three-pointer was probably the play of the game. Totally clean, and with the off hand too, just like coach tells you how to play defense.
- Give Detroit credit for putting up a remarkable fight after going down meekly in games 1 and 2. The last 3 games, neither team ever had a double-digit lead - now that's tension.
- Any number of Spurs could have won MVP, but in the end, the trophy is on its way back to Texas, and they potentially have the best ballplayer in Europe coming over next season (Scola, Ginobili's teammate on the Argentinian national team).
- I watched almost all of Game 7 on DVR, eventually catching up to live action with 5 minutes left. Both Byron and Maria were over. It was quite satisfying to actually see the Spurs come through in the clutch while I was watching. Maybe I can put some of my superstitious viewing demons to rest!
- I recorded a retrospective on the '99 Spurs title team, and it was kind of surprising to see how much thinner and quicker Duncan was back then, as a second-year player on a team of veterans like Robinson, Avery, Elliott, Elie, etc. If anything, he was even more "textbook" than he looks today. He really needs to get his rest this off-season and let those ankles heal.

On the draft...
- Warriors picked up Diogu, Ellis, and Taft. Not a bad haul. As I followed the draft online from work, I was initially disappointed that they didn't spring for Gerald Green at the 9th spot since he was projected to go from 4-6, but big-picture wise, they accomplished most of their goals for the draft - pick up some reliable interior presence and pick up some potential.
- I'm still hoping that they'll be able to swing a trade for a premier big man. My pipe dream is putting together a package to pick up KG, which of course won't happen, but hey, if the Warriors offered, say, JRich/Murphy/Diogu for KG, Minnesota would at least have to think about it, no? He's turning 30 soon!
- With the draft now over, the NBA offseason has officially started, and I feel a little anchorless with regard to being a sports fan. Usually I'd take this opportunity to get caught up in baseball, but there don't seem to be any compelling storylines to get involved in, particularly with the hometown teams stinking it up. Perhaps I'll take a break from actively following a sport this summer and keep up the NBA interest by playing an occasional game of 2K5. Also, JT recently invited me to join his fantasy football league. I've never done fantasy football before. Anyone have any tips?

5824 bbq...
- Went up to 5824 on Saturday to kick off the summer with a bbq with the old college buddies. JLau's marinated tri-tip was excellent, and he also grilled up a sausage that I hadn't tried before, from Costco - consisting of chicken, apple, and Gouda cheese. Very rich, but quite tasty. I was also stunned to see Cal without Pepsi, Safeway Select, or Costco brand soda in the house.
- See Gina's blog to hear an amusing story of why her archives got privatized. It was quite amusing to hear it in person. I'm sure Karen and all her nickname-giving buddies didn't see this particular consequence of their actions coming.
- Some of JLau's friends have two cute, active, somewhat tomboyish daughters - one 5 years old, the other 2 years old. John, Cal, and I took turns dueling with them using the lightsabers Cal has in his room. After the requisite slash-parry-slash-parry, they took to stabbing straight ahead at the body. Unfortunately for each of us, since they're pint-size, stabbing straight ahead results in the lightsaber going into our crotches. I had to quickly learn how to do a circle block.
- After dinner, I had my first experience with the current incarnation of the 5824 poker club. It was a $2 buy-in, tournament style, with 11 players at the table, and first three finishers get paid off. Although I don't play very much at all (which was reflected in several rookie mistakes like flipping my cards over on my last all-in before I actually got called), I did better than I expected, finishing 3rd out of the group of experienced players. I think I generally do relatively well in the early stages of a game, when the blinds are low and there are many players at the table, because I'm fairly patient and disciplined enough to only play decently strong hands. It's when the numbers dwindle and the blinds are high where I do much more poorly since I'm not aggressive enough. I was most unhappy with a loose call I made on a hand midway through, against the eventual winner. I had just taken the chip lead and he had gone all-in, and I called with Q-J unsuited on the off chance I might be able to knock him out. He turned over K-10 and it held up. He won a couple other coin flips on the way to winning the table, but that gave him the momentum to get started.

Random other notes...
- The article about geeks making better relationship material also caught the eye of "FoxTrot" writer Bill Amend, who drew a series of strips where the nerdy Jason attempts to de-geekify himself since he doesn't want to attract the attention of the opposite sex. My favorite dialogue from the week's strips:
Paige (sister): What's with the trucker hat?
Jason: It's my new look. Now that I know that women like nerds, I'm determined to be as ungeeky as possible.
Paige: A leopard can't change its spots, Jason.
Jason: Mac OS X 10.5 will have spots?
Paige (rolling eyes): As I was saying...
Jason: It was a momentary slip! Ask me about Stallone films!
- Quote of the week: from an interview with musician Nichole Nordeman:"I think it was Bono who once said in an interview that you don't really understand the word "vulnerability" until you have a child. Everything becomes scarier-the evening news, health issues. But the opposite is true too. When you see through the eyes of that child, everything is so much more amazing. It changes your whole perspective on life."

Hypothetical questions for the post, both raised and discussed at the 5824 bbq:

1) Would you rather tear your ACL or your rotator cuff?
Cal opted for ACL, since the rotator cuff is used for all arm motions (swinging a golf club/baseball bat, throwing), and the ability to perform athletic feats with arms was more important than ones involving legs.

2) Would you rather be hungry all the time, or lose the ability to eat (i.e. you don't get to, or need to, eat anymore)?
Basically, this came down to, how much do you enjoy eating? If you never needed (or could) eat again, would you be willing to do that? For the most part, the guys were willing ("It frees up so much time for other stuff!") while girls couldn't bear to give up the pleasure of eating.

Heavy laden...

Came across this old journal entry today (from over 3 years ago) and am somewhat distressed that I haven't learned much:

January 30, 2002, 1:40 am

Realized today that I have trouble sharing my burdens.

Stemmed from a couple of conversations at work - with the new folks who are coming in... I've just felt a bit uncomfortable letting go of my previous work. I don't know why, maybe it's b/c I still have ideas I'd like to follow through with, or because I still feel like I have ownership/responsibility over those things... so when my boss told me to 'wash my hands of it' and my other coworker said (in response to my 'I don't want to leave (the new guy) out in the cold') 'if he's competent, he'll get it'... I'm going to have to learn that when my responsibilities switch, my old ones will be done by someone else. I don't need to worry about it anymore. But I think I still volunteer quite a bit... i.e. going into the office last Saturday, even though I'm not 'officially' covering that area anymore, I still feel like 'I'm needed' there or something. Maybe it's a desire to be needed.

Outside of work I can see this too... I'm the guy that people come to when they want to vent. I'm a sponge... I totally identify with Pastor Tim when he said that listening is more tiring than talking... when X tells me about his girl... when Y vents about inconsiderate people... when other people are feeling frustrated or difficult, they can IM me or something and I'm more than happy to listen, and maybe help if they so desire. However, this has resulted in my not being able to talk about myself, evaluate myself, how I feel, etc. to talk to other people about... basically, since I'm so willing to listen and I'm the first person to ask, a 'conversation' ends up being me listening. Which is totally cool, and I hope that I'm a blessing. But an end result I think is that I take on other people's burdens, gladly, but I'm unwilling to share mine. Also, maybe because I'm an older bro or something, but I feel like when something needs to be done and no one else wants to or has time to do it, I'll do it. Like if no one is leading a study, I'll lead it; if no one is teaching, I'll teach, if no one is serving, I'll serve. Don't get me wrong, whatever it is, I really enjoy it and love it, but the end result has been a rather large burden... like today, on top of all the work stuff, I also had to prep for tonight's men's group study, and also organize worship team. I need to learn to share my burdens, otherwise I'll be crushed... but it'll take time for me to learn how to be willing and to trust.

Ever get into a state where you feel guilty for doing something recreational? That's basically where I'm at right now. I came home from work, ran an errand, watched most of Game 6 of the NBA Finals (Detroit deserved it... this is shaping up to be a decent series after all), and now, I'm sitting in front of the computer late at night for the x-th day in a row trying to get some logistics and planning done... and I feel guilty for watching the game and spending time doing something I enjoy that's not on my to-do list. I'm trying to plow through this mental malaise like I have in the past, but it's getting harder with each passing day, and things I've involved with are not getting my best quality effort as a result.

One of the Biblical truths that's been repeated over and over again in WCC, Cat & Dog theology talks, and other material is that the higher the level of revelation, the higher the level of accountability God holds you to. In other words, the more God shows you, the more you're responsible for. Well, it seems that in the last three weeks, on top of my regular eventful life, God's been suddenly revealing more and more needs to me - people to follow up on, people to pray for, people to disciple, groups that need leading, things that need doing... and my gut-level instinct is to do them because I know I could. Thing is, the "should I?" paralyzes me, and I'm struggling to pray for direction.

I've been going through 2 Corinthians during devotions, and I realize I'm not being obedient to 9:7 - "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver" - since I haven't really been giving of myself cheerfully for a while. I'm really hoping for the grace hinted at in verse 8 - "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work" - but I think there's something I need to do first... just don't know what.

I think I need help, but I'm not sure how to ask for it. I know my friends already have their own burdens to carry, and critically speaking, I should be able to handle my own load. I'm just tired. I have a suspicion that at least a part of the answer I'm looking for lies in Matthew 11:28-30 - "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" - but I haven't figured out how to apply that yet.

Back to planning...

Weekend recap

In honor of Eric, this post will be in the form of bullet points with no more than 2-3 sentences each...

- Congratulations to Andy and Jenny on their wedding! 'Twas fun seeing a whole bunch of familiar faces, some older and some younger, at the reception. Thanks to all the ushers for not getting too annoyed with my ordering them around as head usher.
- Andy had the biggest smile on his face all throughout the ceremony.
- Quote of the weekend: "Hey guys, want to play some poker? I need about an hour." -- Andy, 10 pm, after the reception
- Finally got to take out some frustration after Game 4 on the court yesterday - overall I was fairly pleased with my defense and decision-making, and moved well enough without the ball to get open for jumpers. Good to see Alvin back out there after rehabbing the broken thumb.
- Sign of aging: since I didn't stretch after playing hoops, after Father's Day dinner, I stood up too quickly from the table and got a muscle cramp in my left leg.

Thoughts on Game 5
- Robert Horry is a credit to all Roberts/Robs/Robbys/Bobs/Bobbys out there. Cold blooded.
- Parker and Ginobili took my advice and began occasionally faking the use of the screen on screen and rolls. This wrinkle, accompanied by more aggressiveness and less intensity on the part of the Pistons' D, accounted for many layup opportunities and offensive rebounds in the first half.
- Interesting strategy by Popovich at the beginning of the game - rather than posting Duncan in his usual spot on the left side of the lane, he was posted on the right side. This allowed him to spin to his right-handed jump hook two-three times towards the baseline, away from the help defense of Big Ben and the guards. I'm not sure why they went away from this after the first quarter.

It's after games like these where I just want to go out and play in a game right away, take out some frustration by locking a man up on D and draining jumper after jumper on them. I had to settle for pumping out a lot of pushups. The Spurs got dominated tonight for the second game in a row, and perhaps I'm a little too emotionally involved right now. The Pistons played a masterful game, and their role players stepped up like the Spurs' did in the first two games.

Some adjustments that I think need to be made:
- In game 3, the Pistons began aggressively showing on the pick and roll, pushing the handler well out beyond the free throw line. In games 1 and 2, Parker and Ginobili were able to defeat this occasionally by faking on using the screen and driving hard at their own defender. I think they need to get back to this kind of aggressiveness because too many possessions were short-circuited by getting pushed out too far.
- On offense, I'd like to see some more decisive moves by Duncan in the post. When he holds the ball too long, the D can set up and wait for him. I think he needs to begin making moves immediately after the cutter goes by him.
- On defense, Parker and Ginobili need to do a better job of keeping penetrators out of the lane, because they are drawing the shot-blockers and leaving the Pistons' bigs open for offensive rebounds or short jumpers. This is what the Spurs were able to do to Detroit in 1 and 2.

Game 5 on Sunday is critical.

On fandom

Why be a sports fan? What is it about athletic competition at the highest level that enchants people into being emotionally attached to people that they don't know at all?

At the risk of sounding like a TNT commercial, I think it's the drama. Humans are storytelling creatures, and sometimes we like getting lost in someone else's story, with the highs, the lows, the triumphs, the mistakes, the bloopers, and the folks you worked with. Being a sports fan is like being a soap opera fan. There are heroes, villains, double-crosses, unexpected turning points, and rising to the occasion. Oh, and Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives is basically a soap opera, no?). Following a team over the course of a season, living through the wins and losses and injuries and emergences, it's almost like you make their story your own... even though you really have nothing to do with those athletes on a personal level.

Some people watch Korean soap operas. Others watch sports. It's pretty close to the same idea.

This is bad news: "Eva Longoria told Fox Sports Net's 'Best Damn Sports Show Period' that she's made a wager with host John Salley over the Spurs-Pistons series. 'I have a bet,' said Longoria, reputed to be the girlfriend of Spurs point guard Tony Parker. 'If the Spurs lost, I would come on ('Best Damn Sports Show Period') in a bikini. If the Spurs won, he's coming on ('Desperate Housewives') in a Speedo.'"

Now all of America is going to be rooting for the Pistons...

Oh, and also, there's no superstition that's 100%... heheh... although, I did actually see about 30 seconds of yesterday's game on accident while the DVR was being reprogrammed. Also, I ended up watching the replay with Eric and Karen. Maybe I'm not supposed to watch these games live and without anyone else... or maybe I'm just being stupid. The Pistons just played better and with more energy... they totally deserved to win and win big.

To answer my own poll question from the last post, I kinda wonder whether I would actually make use of a hypothetical 2 month break. Speaking as a guy whose largest chunk of paid time off used in the last two years was 3 days last fall to study for the GRE, I wonder if I'd make the effort to plan trips and the like. Maybe I just need to go on a vacation to remember what it's like to actually relax - I've heard it said from older and wise working folks that for a real vacation, it takes 5 consecutive days just to exonerate all thought about work from the mind before you begin to rest.

Today's hypothetical question, taken from the Sports Guy's mailbag: in essence, would you rather have a career as a superstar at the highest level of your profession, with fame and fortune up the wazoo, or would you rather be the key role playing guy who helps the actual person/team to the championship/absolute highest level, with a decent amount of fortune and some fame? Here's the way it was worded, in sports terms: Would you rather have a sports career like Karl Malone/Charles Barkley/Patrick Ewing or Bob Horry? Hall of Famer with obscene amounts of cash or a clutch performer with five rings who's rich?

Weekend recap

Thoughts on game 2:
- Loved, absolutely loved, the two long bounce passes from Ginobili to Parker (from halfcourt) and from Parker to Ginobili (off the back cut). Those were gorgeous. The first half ball movement was wonderful in general.
- When did Robert Horry become 5 years younger? He's swiping steals, swooping to the basket for right- and left-handed layups, and playing his usual excellent defense both in the post and on the perimeter.
- Why is Ginobili having success against the Pistons team D, and the general stoppability that Prince possesses, where the more-talented Kobe couldn't do anything last year? I think it boils down to 2 subtle things:
1) Kobe's pride was his downfall - he couldn't accept that any defense could stop him and kept forcing drives and shots into the long arms of Prince and the Wallaces. Ginobili is much more willing to drive, draw the help defender, and kick to the open man.
2) Manu is left-handed. This is significant in the sense that since most players are right-handed, you generally learn to play D that direction, and in Prince's case as a left-hander, he actually has a slight advantage D'ing up on right-handers because his dominant hand is the one he'd use to challenge shots, and it's closer to the offensive player's shooting hand. To a defender, Manu would just be too confusing.
- Since Manu is clearly balding (despite the long locks), I wonder if he'll eventually shave his head? Now that would be a different look. Can you imagine a shaved head with that nose?
- Admittedly, the Spurs got the benefit of a few calls on the defensive end - there were several Pistons possessions where I would have sent them to the line for foul shots. However, the whining after every Pistons defensive foul has got to stop. Replays conclusively showed arms and heads getting whacked. Most of the fouls, the Spurs generated with their energy and aggressiveness.
- It's gotten to the point where I can identify offensive and defensive sets, where players are going to be on a particular possession, etc. DVR is particularly useful for this because I can rewind and pause on certain camera shots to study defensive positioning or offensive movement without the ball. I'm seriously thinking of burning this series to DVD for future education when I'm coaching hoops.
- The series gets much tougher in Detroit. The Pistons have too much talent to go quietly.
- I wonder if girls think Tony Parker is cuter than guys think Eva Longoria is hot?

To celebrate the beginning of summer vacation for the high schoolers, George and I went on an outing with the youth leaders yesterday. We started out at Malibu Grand Prix in Redwood City. Going around one-by-one on a track, even in relatively large cars, is not nearly as fun as go-karts where you can race your friends, passing them up and giving them little bumps in the process. We then headed up to the City where we walked through the Haight Street Fair (for the Berkeleyans, think Telegraph Avenue on Saturday afternoon, multiplied by 100 and fed anabolic steroids or "cream") and browsed used CDs at Amoeba Music. I ended up picking up a 3-pack of old-school Sixpence None the Richer - The Fatherless and the Widow, This Beauitful Mess, and Tickets for a Prayer Wheel for $8 - not bad at all.

We finished up the evening by dining at Memphis Minnie's, one of the top-rated "authentic" BBQ joints in the City. I haven't really had "real" BBQ from the south before - most of my rib-eating has been at places like Everett and Jones, or Tony Roma's - in other words, slathered in sauce. According to articles on this restaurant's website, sauce is for wussies. They specialize in smokey meat that slow-cooks over several hours (their brisket is the product of 18 hours of labor). Sauce is available on the table, but the owner prefers that people try the meat without sauce first to get the full impact of the flavor.

I ordered the two-meat combo ($15) with pork ribs and beef brisket, with cornbread, mac and cheese, and sweet potatoes (potatas) on the side. The sides weren't bad, nothing to write home about. The pork ribs, on first bite, seemed to be overcooked, based on my previously-developed taste for tender, sauce-marinated ribs with meat falling off the bone. These were not those. As I chewed though, I noticed a very pleasant, smoky flavor that blossomed after a few chews. The brisket was a real winner. Also with a rich smoky flavor, they were actually fork tender and very good. I also tried a piece of tri-tip, which was also excellent. This was my first experience with dry rub smoked bbq, and while I think at this point I still prefer juicier meat with sauce, that opinion could eventually change. If and when I get the chance to eat here again, I'll probably go for the brisket and tri-tip. I'm sure George will eventually have some pictures up.

Today's hypothetical and fantastical poll, for the working folks: Would you rather have the student-like 2 months off during the summer, or would you rather have 3-day weekends all year long?

Random Notes

Congratulations to the high school class of 2005! At Canaan, that would be: David, Kristin, Becky, Joe, and Rubina. May God meet you in a way that you've never experienced before while you're in college.

I went to Lynbrook HS's graduation last night. Used to be that going to HS graduations, I could see people around my year because their siblings were graduating. Now, even the siblings of my friends are graduating college.

Two separate people asked me if I was watching the first quarter of the Spurs-Pistons game last night, due to the 17-4 lead Detroit stormed out to. Nope, I didn't watch any of the game till I got home at 10 pm, and even then I had kept myself from knowing the outcome of the game until the end. Even considering the bad call where BWallace was called for the block rather than drawing the charge, Manu completely and utterly took over in the second half. Steals, rebounds, threes, and the ever-popular off-balance forays into the lane with either hand. Top this all off with a move I haven't seen in a game situation before - late in the quarter, he drove hard from the right wing to the hoop, extended for a finger roll, then thought better of it and jammed it down. You've gotta have some big hands to do that.

This series could probably be recorded and used as a coaching instructional manual in later years. I greatly enjoy breaking down defensive rotations and substitution patterns, adjustments that need to be made due to time and foul situation... unlike many media members, I felt that last night's game was anything but boring.

Looks like Duncan is getting some instruction from the Dream himself. Maybe he can add the Dream Shake to his repetoire.

This article (plucked from Alvin's site) gives hope to geeks like me. Maybe I do have a chance!

Why women live longer than men.. Why think through potentially bad consequences if something's gonna get the job done?

"Revenge of the Sith" in short. Even though I enjoyed RotS as a whole, this was pretty funny. And at least Lucas acknowledges that he is the king of wooden dialogue.

Quick take on the NBA Finals coming up...

- People are fickle. Everyone complains that the NBA is full of gangsters and thugs and high schoolers who don't know how to play the game. So when two teams of solid, mature people and smart, well-coached basketball players make it to the pinnacle of the sport, what do people say? "Borrrrrrring!" Make up your mind!
- For my money, this should be a great series to watch on both sides of the ball. Offensive and defensive coaching strategy will play a big part. Changing tempo, changing matchups, everything will have a great impact because the players themselves are so consistently effective at executing what they're supposed to do.
- Detroit makes me nervous. In my opinion, they seem more consistent than the Spurs. This could be colored by my unfortunate track record of watching every bad performance by SA. They also have the depth to counter the Spurs' big 3. I'd have preferred a matchup with the Heat, since the matchups would have been better.
- Check out the year-long stats here. The near-identicalness of almost every stat is stunning, down to a .2 difference in average assists per game. This'll be a tight series.
- I think the Spurs' chances will depend on their role players' ability to step up. Horry will need to hit big shots and play big on defense. Barry needs to hit open shots and create a few more. Fortunately, they have home court advantage.
- I'm excited. This is the series every basketball "expert" predicted before the season began, before the surprise emergence of Miami and Phoenix as elite teams. These are two quality organizations with great people and a minimum of extracurricular drama.
- I can't stand Rasheed.
- One of the things I like best about Duncan - his unassuming nature, as illustrated in this quote from a feature article: "Think about it: He's one of the best, if not the best, player in the NBA, he's winning championships, he's getting paid like a Sultan and he's playing for the best organization in the league. What is another $10 million in endorsements going to do for his life? How are more screaming fans going to make him happier? Why in the world would he want to be a superstar, if what we really mean by that -- and by 'we' I mean the media and the fans -- is a marketable superstar? It may seem unlikely in celebrity-saturated America, but Duncan is opting out of the culture of idolatry. And, in spite of his superior skills, that may be the most remarkable thing about him." - Chris Ballard, Sports Illustrated
- Finally, you know that I'll be doing my best to send some good luck the Spurs' way. The DVR has already been set and I'll have a HS graduation to go to so I'm not distracted!

Celebrated entry into the late twenties by playing a whole lot of sports this past weekend - by my count, a total of 9 hours:

On Saturday, at the Canaan Sports Day, played hoops in the morning (along with old high school buddy Tunhow - he's still got mad skills), bbq lunch, then played softball from 1:30-4:30 or so. First time playing softball in quite a while... 'twas a lot of fun. The most interesting positions to play: pitcher, first base, third base, shortstop, rover, left field. I was left field, made one running catch and basically just tried to not let anything go by me. After showering, went out with the parents for dinner at Sushi Kitscho (corner of Wolfe and Stevens Creek) - the sashimi quality was pretty good, but their spicy tuna roll and hamachi kama (grilled yellowtail cheek) was excellent. I thought about doing something at night after dinner, but the weariness from a day of physical activity and the various responsibilities at church the next day, along with the prospect of watching the Heat-Pistons game on DVR, conspired to keep me at home.

On Sunday, pulled triple duty at church (leading worship, teaching Sunday School, leading missions training), then hoops from 2:30 to 6:15. Sign of aging: a few weeks ago, I tweaked my left knee playing defense when I stopped and planted laterally. Ever since then, after a few hours of athletic activity, if I stop moving or stretching, the knee will stiffen up and become quite painful to move. This week, it took me until this morning (two full days) for the soreness to go away. I really miss my physical prime. At least I think I'm smarter now.

Kinda scary to think that when my parents were my age, they already had me. I tried imagining what it would be like living my current life with a wife and kid. Yikes... honestly, I still have so much growing up I need to do.

Continuing on this topic, came across this article today - "Is 40 the new 30?" In short, it takes the "big picture" approach that aging should be measured not by how many years you've lived, but how many more you expect to live. Since the quality of healthcare has helped raise the average life expectancy, this would affect "A lot of our skills, our education, our savings and the way we deal with our health care depend a great deal on how many years we have to live."

You Are an Old Soul

You are an experienced soul who appreciates tradition. Mellow and wise, you like to be with others but also to be alone. Down to earth, you are sensible and patient. A creature of habit, it takes you a while to warm up to new people. You hate injustice, and you're very protective of family and friends A bit demanding, you expect proper behavior from others. Extremely independent you don't mind living or being alone. But when you find love, you tend to want marriage right away. Souls you are most compatible with: Warrior Soul and Visionary Soul

What Kind of Soul Are You?

Late twenties, here I am.

Current feeling: overwhelmed

Mind's occupied with a ton of things tonight. Work, ministry, people to invest in, errands, finances, self-education, short-term plans, long-term plans - the business of life has been weighing heavily. I'm trying to remember the last time I had just a few days where I had no responsibilities, where I could read a good novel or watch a good movie without feeling vaguely guilty about whether I should have spent my time administering this or planning that. I can't remember any such time.

Perhaps I need to take this to heart tonight:
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." -- Matthew 11:28-30

See, I'm not the only weirdo sports fan out there (go to BugMeNot if the site bugs you about a login). I got home from work and, in a very disciplined manner, ate dinner and took care of a couple of other errands, all with the full knowledge that the Spurs had a chance to go to the Finals tonight. I finally flipped the TV on at about 9 pm to the beginning of Sportscenter, where I was greeted by the words, "You've just finished watching the Spurs put away the Suns...", which was my signal to fire up the DVR and watch how they did it. I swear, the last few seasons whenever I'm watching live, it seems as though Duncan is having his worst game. On recording, it's much easier to see why he's considered by all to be top 3 in the league. He did it all tonight... on O, post play, facing up from 15 and driving (with either hand) or dropping the banker, grabbing offensive rebounds and loose balls and capitalizing, and drawing double teams and finding the open man... on D, shutting down the baselines, helping to stifle anyone not named Nash or Amare, and containing Stoudemire until the 4th.

At first I thought that Amare was a product of Nash's sublime PG skills. After watching him take over in the 4th quarter of the last two games, I'm revising my opinion. The guy's a monster - one of the few who can't be stopped when he gets on, even by double teams. However, I don't think he'll ever have the defensive impact on a game that a KG, Duncan, or even Shaq can have... he's just not long enough, even if he does have the occasional exciting spike block. Offensively though... he could turn into a bizarre combination of a prime Shaq and prime Mailman.

The Sports Guy has this amusing section in his mailbag today:

Q: In the "More Cowbell" update on 5/23, you sort of implied you hadn't yet seen the new Star Wars movie (which is understandable, having a new baby and all). I'm sure many readers are curious as to your thoughts, but I'm specifically wondering as to your thoughts about its impact on sports. How many kids, from 1977 to this week, shunned sports growing up, either as participants or observers, because they were watching "Empire" for the 50th time, or were playing with their action figures or were discussing script rumors on the Internet? Now that the series is finally over, will the youth return to sports in record numbers? Or will they just latch on to something equally as tragic?
– Adam Woodyard, Dallas

SG: It's tough for me to comment since I was the same kid who probably watched 1,000 hours of pro wrestling growing up. And I don't know if everyone's elementary school worked like mine did. But in my school, the kids who liked "Star Wars" didn't like sports, and vice-versa. There were no crossovers. I just remember being totally confused by the whole thing – they kind of kept to themselves, almost like cross-dressers in a penitentiary, and it was like they were talking another language. Nobody really bothered them. But after elementary school, I made at least 4-5 friends who were sports fans and loved "Star Wars." So I think it depends on the school.

I look at it this way: Everyone needs something growing up. For some kids, it's sports. For other kids, it's "Lord of the Rings," "Star Wars" and whatever goofy fantasy thing is out there where you get to watch something 20 times, dress up like the characters and say things like, "The movie is coming out in three weeks, wanna go to our local theater and wait in line with 250 other guys?" Again, since I count Superfly Snuka and Hulk Hogan as two of the 10 most influential heroes from my childhood, I'm in no position to judge.

(As for your question, "Will they just latch on to something equally as tragic?" – the answer is obviously, "Unquestionably.")

Based just on my last five posts, you can probably tell that I'm one of those sports fans who has also become quite into Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. That probably didn't (doesn't?) leave me many mental cycles to expend elsewhere to make me a more well-rounded person. That reminds me, I have a longer opinion post to write on sports fandom, but that will have to wait until another time.