I’m looking at you, ACLU

“The shallow consider liberty a release from all law, from every constraint. The wise see in it, on the contrary, the potent Law of Laws.” –Walt Whitman

Joining the insanity

Official NaNoWriMo 2005 Participant

So I’ve decided to give it a whirl this year, and join Danno and fifty thousand others at taking a crack at churning out 50,000 words in 30 days. Should be fun. Blogging may drop off considerably.
Think you have a novel in you that’s just dying to get out in the thirty days of November? Join us.

Three-way tie for first

The game before ours this past Sunday was important for us: we were tied with one of the teams playing for first in the league. They lost.
Then, so did we.
Now, instead of a two-way tie for first, we find ourselves in a three-way tie, because when we handed the win to the gang from Flower Mound UMC, they joined us and Trietsch Memorial UMC at the top of the standings.
It was a good game, a lot of back and forth. Both teams were hitting well, both teams made their share of flubs. In the end, we made more flubs, and they hit better, besting us by three runs.
I only fielded for half the game, and didn’t see much action except for a couple of forced outs at third, and one runner who turned his double in to a triple when the throw to me was a hair too slow. Some of my teammates were upset at the call of safe, but it honestly could have gone either way.
I didn’t help the team or myself at the plate, going one for three for the second game in the row. I really need to hit the cages again.

“I have overactive sweat glands.”

AOL is still a crappy way to Internet, in my not-so-humble opinion, but their latest commercial (“Too much information”) had me in stitches.

French military victories

  1. Go to Google.
  2. In the search box, type “French military victories.”
  3. Click the “I’m Feeling Lucky” button.
    [Via Tommy.]

No more Hullitzer

The third-leading goal scorer in NHL history has retired. Brett Hull made the announcement yesterday, two hours before he would have played with his Phoenix Coyote teammates against the Detroit Red Wings. At 41 years of age, as Hull put it, “the mind is willing but the body isn’t.”
Which is a true shame, because with the type of high-speed game the new NHL rules have created this season, Hull would have had the chance to really shine on the ice. This style of play is tailor-made for players like Hull, his former Dallas teammate Mike Modano, and many others. Hull, even at 41, still has, I’m sure, one of the best one-timer shots in the game. He was so effective and powerful with the one-timer when he played here in Dallas, it lead Stars color man Daryl Reaugh to nickname Brett “the Hullitzer.”
My first year in Dallas was also Brett Hull’s. He had signed with the Stars in the off-season, coming over from St. Louis. I have a Brett Hull #22 jersey I bought the night of the first Stars home game of the 1998-99 season, a game my wife and I attended. Many people were surprised Hull was not wearing his customary #16, but when Hull arrived in Dallas, that number was already being worn by Pat Verbeek. This could have been an occasion for ego-flexing, but Hull showed a lot of class and chose another number. This is an extremely underrated side of Brett Hull; most people, when they’re not discussing his playing prowess, focus on his big mouth.
My only druther is we seem to be discussing Hull as being dead, instead of merely retiring. Take this quote from NHL Commissioner Bettman (good job on that OLN TV deal, Gary; I’m sure it will bring in tons of new viewers):

“The National Hockey League will miss Brett’s skill, his scoring touch and his fun-loving attitude,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said. “He was a splendid athlete, a passionate player and someone who never hesitated to speak his mind. His achievements further cement the Hull family legacy of hockey greatness.”
Um, Commissioner, last time I looked, Hull is still a splendid athlete, he is still very passionate about the game, even if he will no longer play, and I seriously doubt he is ever going to hesitate to speak his mind, now and in the future. He’s retiring as a player of the game at its highest level; he’s not dead. He has expressed interest in working in management. Seeing as how his best friend is coach of that Phoenix team, and a part-owner in same, that may be closer than most think. Brett Hull is retiring as a player, but I expect we will see him around NHL circles for a long time to come.
Thanks, Brett, for some great memories.

Don’t screw with the librarian

Damien shared this gem with me via instant message. I had no words other than, “That is totally awesome.”

The ultimate auto accessory?

You can now add a flamethrower to your automobile–as a theft deterrent–for less than seven hundred dollars.
In South Africa.
[With a wave of the phin to Michael, who gave me a chuckle with this via IM.]

Keep your iCal window the same size

King of Mac OS X Hints Rob Griffiths has a great tip for keeping your iCal window the same size no matter which view (Day, Week, Month) you’re using. Very handy.

Less than half a season to go

This past weekend marked game six of our fall season, so now we only have four to go. I missed game five, due to a shin injury I sustained in game four. The team lost a heartbreaker, so at the midpoint of the season, we were 4-1.
With game six, we started over playing against the other teams in our league, and just as with game one, this go-around we were up against the kids from First UMC of Lewisville. We’re going to have to keep our eyes on these boys and girls; they’re getting better the more they play, and we had to fight every inning, eeking out the win by three runs.
I was at third the entire game this time, but didn’t see much action, other than some forced outs at my bag. My time at the plate was barely above the suckage level, as I went one for three, a bunt single that wasn’t intended to be a bunt. Apparently, I’m faster than I look, too, managing to leg that out to get on base. One of my teammates remarked, at the end of the inning, “Man, you were fast!” Somebody clock me next time.
So the team stands at 5-1, and through the miracle of math multiples, my season batting average and my lifetime average are the same: .583. I’m 7-12 for the season, and 21-36 lifetime. See, kids? Math is cool. Study hard.