Some random stuff…

Listening

Due to a recent AmazonMP3 sale I acquired the new Coldplay EP (99 cents) and the new release from Metallica ($5).

Coldplay’s Prospekt’s March EP is fine, nothing to get too excited about. It’s basically a few leftover songs that didn’t make the Viva La Vida, plus a few remixes of songs that did. It’s nice, and easily worth the 99 cents I paid for it. If you like Coldplay, then it’s a nice addition.

As for Metallica’s Death Magnetic, I wasn’t initially impressed, but it’s getting better. It’s certainly better than what I heard of their last album, but they set the bar pretty low with that one. Anyway, I’m starting to like it more. It won’t be on my year end list since I cut that off before Thanksgiving. It will have to wait until next year for consideration.

I have 41 downloads remaining on eMusic and haven’t even looked very hard at what I might get. I have a little over two weeks, so we’ll see what comes along before then.

Reading

I recently borrowed a couple of books that people keep telling me I need to read. Same Kind Of Different As Me (Ron Hall & Denver Moore) is the one I’ve started first. I’m about 20% through it as of this morning. People keep calling it “life-changing”, so I expect a lot from it. I’ll see if it delivers.

The other is The Shack (William Young), which, it seems, everyone I know has read and continues to babble on about it. You’d think Rick Warren had written it. Anyway, I haven’t read a fiction book this year, so this will be my only one. I can’t possibly imagine that it will live up to the hype, but I’ll see.

Watching

I realize I’m late to this party, but I’ve taken up watching 30 Rock this season. After abandoning Heroes a few episodes into this season, I really wasn’t watching anything regularly (beyond late night stuff) since LOST and all of the USA Network programs I watch are not back until January. So far, I’m really liking 30 Rock and am not really sure why I never watched it until now. I intend at some point to catch up on the previous seasons.

BCS

Also watching as much college football and basketball as possible. College basketball is just getting started as football is coming to a close.

The BCS, as usual, is a complete mess. The Big 12 tiebreaker is making it worse, by sending the highest ranked team to their title game. In this case it’s Oklahoma who goes, depsite the fact that they lost to the next team in the rankings, Texas. An argument can be made for either team, and there was a three way tie. However, since Texas Tech clearly cannot be in consideration since they lost by, like, a hundred, it seems Texas should get the nod over Oklahoma considering they beat them. Oklahoma has been impressive in wins over Tech and OSU – they hung 60+ on both of them. But they still lost to Texas, and on a neutral field.

I could really care less, and granted, this was the fifth tiebreaker. The first four couldn’t solve the problem, and I’m sure the Big 12 didn’t think they’d ever have to bring the much-hated BCS into the mix. But here they are, and now the Big 12 sucks, too. Now Texas’ only hope is for Missouri to upset OU in the title game and then Texas might be in the BCS title game. Then, of course, you’d have a team that didn’t win their conference or even play in it’s title game in the BCS game. See how it just gets worse? The BCS sucks.

The winner in all of this could be Alabama. It seems like nobody is talking about them, and when they do, it’s in the context of the talking head assuming a Florida victory this week. I’m inclined to think Florida will win as well, but when everyone is overlooking you, it sometimes gives you a bit more motivation. That coupled with Alabama having been out of the national picture for a while, they may very well poised to take this whole thing. Oh, and they are the only undefeated team in the mix and the #1 team. And as much as I despise him, they have a pretty good coach as well.

If Florida is to win, they’ll have to work hard. It won’t come easy at all, and certainly can’t be assumed. I’m just hoping for a good game.

In the end, if USC is not in the BCS title game, I think that would be one success for the BCS this season. Other than that, let’s pitch this crap and have a playoff. Seriously, we might as well draw names out of a hat at this point.

The year end posts are coming

Later this week, I intend to begin a three-post series on my favorite music of the year. I’ll post an introduction and a handful of albums that didn’t quite make the cut, and then in two posts next week, I’ll reveal my top 20 albums.

My book list will probably not come until the final week of December, since I plan to finish the two books mentioned above (and one other) before finalizing it, just in case they will have a spot. I read far fewer books than I wanted to (again) this year. So many books, so little time…

Sporks

I just used a spork while eating lunch. I just wanted to say that I love sporks.

Okay, that’s all I have for now.