mississippi state's newly hired head football coach, dan mullen, will be a busy man in the month of december and the early part of january. and i'm not just talking about the business that accompanies the christmas holidays and the advent of the new year. mullen has agreed to return to gainesville to help prepare his old team, the florida gators, win the bcs national championship game. that's on top of the work he's already been doing in the week or so that he's been at state (he's been racking up the cell phone minutes with recruits like crazy, as well as trying to assemble a staff). fortunately, the week brings the "dead period" in college football where coaches are not allowed to recruit and when most coaches who would be considered for staff positions would be focusing on bowl games of thier own.
this has actually caused some debate around the nation. some say that this situation is unfair to florida because thier offensive coordinator can't fully devote his time and concentration to helping florida win a championship. some say this situation is unfair to mississippi state because our new head coach cannot "strike while the iron is hot" so to speak, and drive in (and possibly improve upon) what was already looking like a pretty good recruiting class. others say this is a good thing for state because it gives mullen's hiring credibility and gives state fans a reason to brag, especcially the morning after mullen hoists the crystal ball over his head. it might even give state an edge in the recruiting department.
this exact discussion was had on one of my favorite sports shows, around the horn, today. i found myself going against my very nature and agreeing with bill plaschke over woody paige. here is the discussion...
one of the many changes being made a mississippi state is the creation of a somewhat different school logo. for as long as i've been at state we've had a myriad of different logos for different activities and organizations. the baseball team had their logo, the football team and basketball team had the same m-state banner logo, a lot of people (including me) are still attached to the interlocking msu logo that the football team used to have (the copyright is owned by nike, who isn't manufacturing our uniforms anymore), there was the walking- or more accurately described as "strutting"- bully, and there was the university seal. athletic director greg byrne commissioned the creation of a new logo, which looks pretty darn similar to the m-state banner logo, and along with it some cool new "spirit logos" like the ones bellow... i'm pretty excited to see how we use these logos. i like the new depiction of bully, it gives him more of a bite. i also think it's awesome that we've incorporated the cowbell into a logo, especially since the sec banned those things at football games a few years back...
the gift given on the third day of christmas, according to the song, is a trio of french hens. i've always wondered what made french hens more grandiose than the ordinary hen. do french hens have superiority over all hens? are french hens used because the french are generally perceived as lovers and this carries over to their poultry? does the person receiving the gift really care what nationality the hens are? and more importantly, where is the person receiving these gifts putting all the birds? we've already got turtle doves, now hens. and we're not even getting to the calling birds or the geese who are a' laying...
the traditional gift given in the song "the twelve days of christmas" is a pair of turtle doves. if you've ever seen the movie home alone 2: lost in new york, you'll remember that the turtle dove is a sign of love and friendship. if you take each line of the song to mean that each day "my true love" gives you each gift mentioned in the song, you'd end up with 22 turtle doves. that's a lot of love. i think true love would be cleaning those bird cages as well...
so on this, the second day of christmas, i give you ::
everyone knows the christmas song "the twelve days of christmas". it's been recorded by countless people, sung endlessly during this season, and even recreated for laughs when i was in high school (one of the good memories from high school). but did you know that every year people add up the cost of the gifts found in that song and use it as an economical barometer, in jest of course.
so, here on the americanized first day of christmas, i give you this gift ::
today is the last day of classes here on the campus of mississippi state university. it's a crazy thought. this semester is already over, and it really doesn't even feel like it's gotten under way yet. i'm finding that as i get older, time passes more quickly. that doesn't mean that some days just feel like they take forever. but weeks end in a blink, months come and go before you fully get adjusted, and years are starting to feel much shorter.
is this happening to you?
i'm not sure how i feel about this strange passage of time. i think there is a part of me that wants to get out of college, to get married, to start seminary, and to see what god's got in store for me. but another part of me doesn't want to get too carried away with tomorrow and miss today. it's a catch-22.
luckily, this time of year usually serves as a nice re-focusing time for everyone, especially me.
with that in mind, let's look at things both factual and quick...
current time :: 11:20pm
current location :: the apartment chair (that's right. take that, corey!)
currently watching :: "food detectives" on the food network
current atmospheric conditions :: 36°F, clear and cold.
recently listened too :: my christmas playlist, specifically "baby, it's cold outside" by dean martin.
fact :: i have a job interview at barnes and noble next week. it's just for a position at beginning of the semester, but hopefully it will lead to more. i've always wanted to work there. and i'm poor, i'll take any opportunity i can get...
fact :: i've been catching up on the shows in my hulu queue. that includes 30 rock, house, and fringe. all great shows. check them out.
fact :: there are 29 more days left in this year...
current cerebral flatulence :: "why do they call the last study day before the start of exams 'dead day'? i hope this is not foreboding..."
today in history ::
in 1930, president herbert hoover asked the united states congress for a $150 millon public works program to help generate jobs and stimulate the economy. the problems stay the same, the dollar figure just inflates...
in 1939, la guardia airport opens. delays begin immediately.
in 1942, enrico fermi initiates the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction, eventually leading to the development of the atomic bomb. our current president still can't pronounce half the words in the previous sentence. "nukular!"
in 1977, the first world series cricket "supertest" match is played between australia and west indies. and i'm positive that no one watched it...
in 2001, enron files for chapter 11 bankruptcy. the people behind the enron fraud scandal join the list of the biggest corporate douchebags in history as more than 22,000 people are laid off.
born today in history ::
georges seurat
charles ringling
otto dix
lucy liu
britney spears
aaron rodgers
video of the day ::
as previously mentioned, i frequently enjoy the nbc comedy 30 rock, starring tina fey, tracy morgan, and alec baldwin. i think you might like it too. so, take some time and enjoy a great episode featuring funny man steve martin....
(a note for those reading this on facebook :: to get the daily video and other goodies, you'll have to head over to the blog...)
over the holiday break, i missed a few days of posting here on the blog. during that time there were some notable news stories that i feel the need to address. so, let's do some catching up.
wednesday, november 26th ::
being the first official day of my break, i took the opportunity to rest. i woke up at 12:30.
i got to hang out with my brother and sister. i also get to hang out with roxanne and watched the simon pegg movie "run fatboy run". roxanne and my sister talk me into going to see the vampire love story "twilight" which i didn't hate as much as i anticipated.
prior to seeing twilight, i get to eat some great mexican food at los tres amigos, the best place to get mexican food in slidell.
terrorists carry out coordinated attacks in 10 locations in india's financial capital and largest city, mumbai.
thursday, november 27th ::
thanksgiving day starts later than i expected. i missed a portion of the macy's thanksgiving day parade. i also missed the traditional biscuits and country gravy. but i did catch rick astley rick roll the nation...
i went to my friend steph's house for thanksgiving lunch/dinner. lots of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and crescent rolls. oh, and pie.
i watched a lot of "house" as there was a marathon on the usa network.
friday, november 28th ::
people everywhere wake up way to early and go shopping. we covered this in an entry on friday, but one man was trampled to death. two others were shot dead in a toys 'r us. that bring the death count to 3. wow.
i slept in late. take that crazy early shoppers.
i attempted to watch the egg bowl, the annual rivalry game between the football teams of my mississippi state bulldogs and the ole miss rebels. this didn't turn out too well. i stopped watching mid-way through the second quarter. my bulldogs lose the game 45-0. it's a sad day in starkville.
my brother and i sit back and watch the new morgan spurlock documentary, "where in the world is osama bin laden". i thought it was pretty awesome, very eye-opening, and informative.
later, my bulldogs basketball team plays washington state. the sporting news doesn't get any better for the dawgs, as they lose their first game, 63-52.
my brother, dad, and i go see the newest james bond movie, "quantum of solace". it was my second time seeing it, but i still enjoyed it.
saturday, november 29th ::
becca buys a cool new computer. it runs windows vista, unfortunately, and becca spend the rest of the day authorizing vista to carry out basic functions such as "open window", "look at clock", and "deactivate annoying authorization system"...
news breaks that plaxico burress, wide-reciever the new york football giants, was shot in the leg at a night club the night before. upon closer inspection of the story, it's revealed that he accidentally shot himself in the leg. that's a major dive in street cred... then, it was revealed that he accidentally shot himself in the leg with a gun he was not licensed to carry. uh-oh.
more news breaks, this time that mississippi state head football coach, sylvester croom, resigned. some people are happy, some are upset. i'm just glad it's basketball season again.
unfortunately for me, my basketball edition of the mississippi state bulldogs are handed their second loss of the season by texas tech, 77-73. and my previous hatred for the texas tech basketball team grows...
i fill up my gas tank. it cost $24. that's shocking. not getting my hopes up for things to stay this way.
i go to a birthday party for my friend ryan, where i eat sushifor the fist time. it's actually pretty good. can't wait to get more.
becca, my sister, and i watch the will smith movie "hancock". while most of my friends panned this movie, i liked it. it was an interesting take on the superhero genre and had a pretty nice script. the fact that it starred smith, jason bateman, and charlize theron helped too...
the attacks in mumbai ended when indian security forces regained control of the attack sites. 172 people have been confirmed dead, and at least 293 people were injured.
sunday, november 30th ::
i woke up early enough to get to sunday school on time, but still get there late after waiting for my brother and sister to get ready. i love them anyway...
after church, i get to eat more great mexican food at los tres amigos.
the saints lose to the tampa bay buccaneers 23-20, essentially ending their playoff hopes.
becca and i drive back to starkville and listen to a lot of christmas music.
well, that was the recap. hope your week was as eventful and restful as mine.
it's the first day of the end of your year. it's also the first official day you can listen to christmas music. i know, some people started listening to christmas music before it was even thanksgiving. some people were able to hold off until the day after thanksgiving. i made it until yesterday. i actually listened to a whole heck of a lot of christmas music.
i'll post a guide to some good christmas music tomorrow or wednesday, in case you're having trouble finding some.
i'll let you in on a little secret. i love this time of year. it's now officially them christmas/hanukkah/kwanzaa/holiday season, and that makes me very happy. i love listening to christmas music. i love the cold weather, even though there is rarely any snow. i love the mood that the collective populous seems to get into. i know jesus probably wasn't born this time of year, but i'm glad we celebrate it now.
and because i love this time of year so much, i'll be posting stuff about christmas a lot. like the afore mentioned guide to christmas music, artist of the week christmas edition, a look at "the twelve days of christmas", fun stuff like that. stick around, it'll be fun.
now that we got that out of the way, let's get to the quick facts ::
current time :: 11:34pm
current location :: the apartment couch
currently watching :: nothing at the moment, just trying to find something mildly interesting.
current price for a gallon of gas in starkville :: $1.78
current price for a gallon of gas in slidell :: $1.66....
current rambling thought :: "man, i'm going to be driving/riding a lot this week."
current atmospheric conditions :: cloudy, cold, and windy. current outside temp. is 37°F
today in history ::
in 1955, rosa parks refuses to give her bus seat to a white man and is arrested for violating the city's racial segregation laws.
in 1981, the aids virus is officially recognized.
in 1982, barney clark becomes the first person to receive a permanent artificial heart.
in 1988, benazir bhutto is appointed prime minister of pakistan.
in 1998, the world's largest company is formed when exxon announced a $73.7 billion buyout of mobil.
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