Wednesday, January 28, 2004
Runnin', gunnin' and...funnin'?
VS.
Last night I caught the Supes game live at the Key w/ homie Kevin...real fun, thrilling contest. Thanx to Chong for providing the tickets. They faced the Mavericks, a team who's just as equally adept as the Sonics at being "perimeter oriented" i.e. runnin' the open floor, finding the open cutters and goin' berserk from 3 point land. Unlike the Sonics, the Mavericks are a team that's loaded w/ All-Stars that can all shoot and put points up on the board in a flash. The Sonics have that capability too, but the hometown squad is decidedly less heralded in sports media, on top of bein' occasionally disrespected...
Settling into our seats, I fully expected the Supes to be systematically pummeled off the court by the Mavs high-octane offense, but bein' a fun game to be a part of since both teams are offense minded. The 80's idea of shoot first, play defense later. But even before I could see if this expectation would come to pass, I got mildly surprised by a question a fellow fan approached to us:
Can I borrow your shoes?
At first, I thought dude was just BS-ing, but after I gave him the patented "interrogation glare" and asked "what for?" he said that he'd be playin' a game of HORSE w/ Brent Barry at the end of the 1st quarter, and to win up to $500 if he made all three shots. I would have lent him my shoes, but he said he wore a "9" and I sport an "11." 9-1-1, haha...that's real fitting, 'cause after seein' him shoot it got real apparent that the only thing that could help him would be a call for some "divine intervention". Yup, he missed all three shots, but he did come close to nailing the last one from the charity stripe, facing away from the bucket no less. Just clanged off the lip of the rim...
The Supes broke out to a 12-4 lead, as Rashard hit 2 trifectas and a lay-up in that span. But quicker than you could say "Sonics upset streaking Dallas," the Mavs promptly tied it up 14-14. The first half confirmed expectation of an exciting back and forth offensive barrage, as the score ended 61-58 at the half, w/ the good guys up! The Supes statistically should have been throttled at this point judging from the rebound and charity stripe numbers, but the fact they shot lights out [60% FG] especially from 3-point land really bailed them out. Looking at those figures alone, you'd think that they'd be up double digits...
The Supes started the 2nd half promising, pulling ahead by 8 points. That lead would soon evaporate as the MVP of the night Dirk Nowitzki got his trifecta jiggy on and burned the Sonics w/ 3 after 3 after 3 after...yup, it got repetitive. The 7-footer was dealin' fire, and the Supes didn't have a feasible extinguisher. James? You're kidding, right? Booth? Please. Potapenko? The cream of the Supes mediocre "C" squad, but I really don't specialize in shinin' turds...
Despite gettin' the Nowitzki treatment, the Sonics kept in close and thrilling until the end. Knotted at 116-116 w/ 15 seconds on the clock, Ray-Ray had a one-on-one on Finley, and as the clock winded down to 3 seconds Ray tried to slash his way to the basket and the Mavs jugular...but his lay-up fell short. 1.6 seconds left, and the Mavs had their own opportunity to wield the dagger. Finley chucked a pass the length of the court to Walker, and w/ Radmanovic right on him, Antoine shot an off-balance jumper from the corner in front of the Sonics bench and hit nothing but cord, sending 15,000 fans silently stunned out the Key Arena corridors...
This is the type of game that's so fun to see in person...just too bad that the underdog heroes didn't prevail. If I could sum up the contest in 3-word phrase, it'd be:
"Supes got Nowitzki-ed"
Their goal tonight is to bounce back from this draining loss, and put up a similar fight against the Lakers...
And 'cause it's good to have goals...
[*51's 2004 goals]
1. start on apprenticeship as an electrician [commercial] in February...
2. start on nursing program this September...
3. play in / win more tennis tournaments this spring / summer, keep climbing up in the rankings...
4. have 25K stashed in account by September...
5. cut body fat percentage down to 6% [currently at 11%] by watchin' diet, physique sculpting at 24 Fitness, and copious cardio on the elliptical machine, b-ball and tennis courts...
6. partake in the celebration of a Mariners World Series triumph, Seattle's 1st major sports championship in a quarter century...
Ain't so much to gun for... =]
VS.
Last night I caught the Supes game live at the Key w/ homie Kevin...real fun, thrilling contest. Thanx to Chong for providing the tickets. They faced the Mavericks, a team who's just as equally adept as the Sonics at being "perimeter oriented" i.e. runnin' the open floor, finding the open cutters and goin' berserk from 3 point land. Unlike the Sonics, the Mavericks are a team that's loaded w/ All-Stars that can all shoot and put points up on the board in a flash. The Sonics have that capability too, but the hometown squad is decidedly less heralded in sports media, on top of bein' occasionally disrespected...
Settling into our seats, I fully expected the Supes to be systematically pummeled off the court by the Mavs high-octane offense, but bein' a fun game to be a part of since both teams are offense minded. The 80's idea of shoot first, play defense later. But even before I could see if this expectation would come to pass, I got mildly surprised by a question a fellow fan approached to us:
Can I borrow your shoes?
At first, I thought dude was just BS-ing, but after I gave him the patented "interrogation glare" and asked "what for?" he said that he'd be playin' a game of HORSE w/ Brent Barry at the end of the 1st quarter, and to win up to $500 if he made all three shots. I would have lent him my shoes, but he said he wore a "9" and I sport an "11." 9-1-1, haha...that's real fitting, 'cause after seein' him shoot it got real apparent that the only thing that could help him would be a call for some "divine intervention". Yup, he missed all three shots, but he did come close to nailing the last one from the charity stripe, facing away from the bucket no less. Just clanged off the lip of the rim...
The Supes broke out to a 12-4 lead, as Rashard hit 2 trifectas and a lay-up in that span. But quicker than you could say "Sonics upset streaking Dallas," the Mavs promptly tied it up 14-14. The first half confirmed expectation of an exciting back and forth offensive barrage, as the score ended 61-58 at the half, w/ the good guys up! The Supes statistically should have been throttled at this point judging from the rebound and charity stripe numbers, but the fact they shot lights out [60% FG] especially from 3-point land really bailed them out. Looking at those figures alone, you'd think that they'd be up double digits...
The Supes started the 2nd half promising, pulling ahead by 8 points. That lead would soon evaporate as the MVP of the night Dirk Nowitzki got his trifecta jiggy on and burned the Sonics w/ 3 after 3 after 3 after...yup, it got repetitive. The 7-footer was dealin' fire, and the Supes didn't have a feasible extinguisher. James? You're kidding, right? Booth? Please. Potapenko? The cream of the Supes mediocre "C" squad, but I really don't specialize in shinin' turds...
Despite gettin' the Nowitzki treatment, the Sonics kept in close and thrilling until the end. Knotted at 116-116 w/ 15 seconds on the clock, Ray-Ray had a one-on-one on Finley, and as the clock winded down to 3 seconds Ray tried to slash his way to the basket and the Mavs jugular...but his lay-up fell short. 1.6 seconds left, and the Mavs had their own opportunity to wield the dagger. Finley chucked a pass the length of the court to Walker, and w/ Radmanovic right on him, Antoine shot an off-balance jumper from the corner in front of the Sonics bench and hit nothing but cord, sending 15,000 fans silently stunned out the Key Arena corridors...
This is the type of game that's so fun to see in person...just too bad that the underdog heroes didn't prevail. If I could sum up the contest in 3-word phrase, it'd be:
"Supes got Nowitzki-ed"
Their goal tonight is to bounce back from this draining loss, and put up a similar fight against the Lakers...
And 'cause it's good to have goals...
[*51's 2004 goals]
1. start on apprenticeship as an electrician [commercial] in February...
2. start on nursing program this September...
3. play in / win more tennis tournaments this spring / summer, keep climbing up in the rankings...
4. have 25K stashed in account by September...
5. cut body fat percentage down to 6% [currently at 11%] by watchin' diet, physique sculpting at 24 Fitness, and copious cardio on the elliptical machine, b-ball and tennis courts...
6. partake in the celebration of a Mariners World Series triumph, Seattle's 1st major sports championship in a quarter century...
Ain't so much to gun for... =]
Friday, January 23, 2004
If you happen to be a karaoke nut who has a PS2 and 15+ pals, then brother, you must buy this disc. It's a laugh riot...
[*haiku! A, B, or C?]
A
on stage, take 1-2...
solitude, life's one refuge
h e l l? other people...
B
emotion's gamut
love, heartache's lust, dangling on
Indifference prevails
C
Angelic echo?
anaheim gets "vla-di-mir!"
M's can't stand idle...
[*haiku! A, B, or C?]
A
on stage, take 1-2...
solitude, life's one refuge
h e l l? other people...
B
emotion's gamut
love, heartache's lust, dangling on
Indifference prevails
C
Angelic echo?
anaheim gets "vla-di-mir!"
M's can't stand idle...
Friday, January 16, 2004
Thank you, Lord, for providing my brother with friends who truly care. In Your eternal hands he is embraced...
Tests...
Ripped this test off a friend's BLOG, it's called an enneagram test. This thing supposedly gives you an accurate reflection of your both your conscious and unconscious personality style. Here's the results, aka the confirmation that I'm certifiably 2 tomato slices short of a taco salad...
Conscious mind...
Unconscious mind...
Took it a 2nd time, but this time I tried to answer based on what I thought was ideal since I didn't agree w/ it fully the 1st time...
Conscious...
Unconscious...
Imaginative, conformist dreamer w/ a high libido? Heh... =p
[*BLOG note]
What in the h-e double hockey stix happened to the comment function??!! I'm irked...that's like the 2nd time this month it's gone Houdini...
Ripped this test off a friend's BLOG, it's called an enneagram test. This thing supposedly gives you an accurate reflection of your both your conscious and unconscious personality style. Here's the results, aka the confirmation that I'm certifiably 2 tomato slices short of a taco salad...
Conscious mind...
Unconscious mind...
Took it a 2nd time, but this time I tried to answer based on what I thought was ideal since I didn't agree w/ it fully the 1st time...
Conscious...
Unconscious...
Imaginative, conformist dreamer w/ a high libido? Heh... =p
[*BLOG note]
What in the h-e double hockey stix happened to the comment function??!! I'm irked...that's like the 2nd time this month it's gone Houdini...
Thursday, January 08, 2004
Go Sonics! They absolutely torched the Kings last night 104-93, a Kings team holding the best record in the NBA goin' into last night. The Supes played brilliant defense which led to a myriad of wide open shots for their resident sharpshooters Allen, Radmanovic, et al. They also exploited the Kings vulnerability of suspect transition defense by dishing the rock like a hot potato in their 2004 run-gun-and-fun scheme.
6-2 record since Allen's stint on the DL, not too shabby. Gary who? =p
6-2 record since Allen's stint on the DL, not too shabby. Gary who? =p
Friday, January 02, 2004
Dreams...
My dearest Gabriella,
I miss you, my darling, as I always do, but today is especially hard because the New Year's ocean has been singing to me and the song is that of our life together. I can almost feel you beside me as I write this letter, and I can smell the scent of blueberries that always reminds me of you. But at this moment, these things give me no pleasure. Your visits have been coming less often, and I feel sometimes as if the greatest part of me is slowly slipping away.
I am trying, though. At night when I am alone I call for you, and whenever my ache seems to be greatest, you still seem to find a way to return to me. Last night, in my dreams, I saw you on the pier near the beach. The wind was blowing through your hair, and your eyes held the fading sunlight. I am struck as I see you leaning against the rail. You are beautiful, I think as I see you, a vision that I can never find in anyone else. I slowly begin to walk, toward you, and when you finally turn to me, I notice that others have been watching you as well. "Do you know her?" they ask me in jealous whispers, and as you smile at me, I simply answer with the truth. "Better than my own heart."
I stop when I reach you and take you in my arms. I long for this moment more than any other. It is what I live for, and when you return my embrace, I give myself over to this moment, at peace once again.
I raise my head and gently touch your cheek and you tilt your head and close your eyes. My hands are hard and your skin is soft, and I wonder for a moment if you'll pull back, but of course you don't. You never have, and it is at times like this that I know what my purpose is in life.
I am here to love you, to hold you in my arms, to protect you. I am here to learn from you, and to receive your love in return. I am here because there is no other place to be.
But then, as always, the mist starts to form as we stand close to one another. It is the distant fog that rises from the horizon, and I find that I grow fearful as it approaches. It slowly creeps up, enveloping the world around us, fencing us in as to prevent escape. Like a rolling cloud, it blankets everything, closing, until there is nothing left but the two of us.
I feel my throat begin to close and my eyes well up with tears because I know it is time for you to go. The look you give me at that moment haunts me. I feel your sadness and my own loneliness, and the ache in my heart that had been silent for only a short time grows stronger as you release me. And then you spread your arms and step back into the fog because it is your place and not mine. I long to go with you, but your only response is to shake your head because we both know that it is impossible.
And I watch with breaking heart as you slowly fade away. I find myself straining to remember everything about this moment, everything about you. But soon, always too soon, your image vanishes and the fog rolls back to its faraway place and I am alone on the pier and I do not care what others think as I bow my head and cry and cry and cry....
-miab [n. sparks]
My dearest Gabriella,
I miss you, my darling, as I always do, but today is especially hard because the New Year's ocean has been singing to me and the song is that of our life together. I can almost feel you beside me as I write this letter, and I can smell the scent of blueberries that always reminds me of you. But at this moment, these things give me no pleasure. Your visits have been coming less often, and I feel sometimes as if the greatest part of me is slowly slipping away.
I am trying, though. At night when I am alone I call for you, and whenever my ache seems to be greatest, you still seem to find a way to return to me. Last night, in my dreams, I saw you on the pier near the beach. The wind was blowing through your hair, and your eyes held the fading sunlight. I am struck as I see you leaning against the rail. You are beautiful, I think as I see you, a vision that I can never find in anyone else. I slowly begin to walk, toward you, and when you finally turn to me, I notice that others have been watching you as well. "Do you know her?" they ask me in jealous whispers, and as you smile at me, I simply answer with the truth. "Better than my own heart."
I stop when I reach you and take you in my arms. I long for this moment more than any other. It is what I live for, and when you return my embrace, I give myself over to this moment, at peace once again.
I raise my head and gently touch your cheek and you tilt your head and close your eyes. My hands are hard and your skin is soft, and I wonder for a moment if you'll pull back, but of course you don't. You never have, and it is at times like this that I know what my purpose is in life.
I am here to love you, to hold you in my arms, to protect you. I am here to learn from you, and to receive your love in return. I am here because there is no other place to be.
But then, as always, the mist starts to form as we stand close to one another. It is the distant fog that rises from the horizon, and I find that I grow fearful as it approaches. It slowly creeps up, enveloping the world around us, fencing us in as to prevent escape. Like a rolling cloud, it blankets everything, closing, until there is nothing left but the two of us.
I feel my throat begin to close and my eyes well up with tears because I know it is time for you to go. The look you give me at that moment haunts me. I feel your sadness and my own loneliness, and the ache in my heart that had been silent for only a short time grows stronger as you release me. And then you spread your arms and step back into the fog because it is your place and not mine. I long to go with you, but your only response is to shake your head because we both know that it is impossible.
And I watch with breaking heart as you slowly fade away. I find myself straining to remember everything about this moment, everything about you. But soon, always too soon, your image vanishes and the fog rolls back to its faraway place and I am alone on the pier and I do not care what others think as I bow my head and cry and cry and cry....
-miab [n. sparks]
