ABC Family Challenge

About once a month, or possibly every weekend, ABC Family has a Harry Potter movie marathon.  There are not enough words to express the love that I have for the Harry Potter books.  On the other hand, the movies make me want to hurl something at the tv.  I wish that I liked the movies.  By that I mean that I wish that the movies were likable.  They at best rush through the story just trying to hit the main points and at worst completely rewrite the story violating those sacred texts.  I realize all movies based on books have to make changes to the story and drop less important side plots to make the movie fit the desired time limit.  I believe that instead of leaving out important parts of the story, they should just make the movies longer.  All of the movies should be at least three hours long, and most need to be at least six.  Despite the problems, I can't keep myself from watching them.  They, at times, come close to getting things right.  But that only makes their failings that much more heartbreaking.

I never watch live tv, with the exception of sporting events, because I hate commercials.  So the Challenge that I set myself was to see if I could watch the movie until the next commercial break.

The first time that I flip to ABC Family, Harry and Ron are following the spiders into the forest.  I watched from there until they left the chamber.  There were some changes but nothing major.  It was strange that Fawkes did not heal Harry until after the diary was destroyed.  Basilisk venom must be slower acting than I have been led to believe.  It does destroy the diary instantly.  That seems like a long stretch of movie.  I might have even watched through the commercial break.

The next time I turned the movies on, the trio are leaving Hagrid's cabin.  My first complaint is that there was no Crookshanks.  Then after too little discussion in the Shrieking Shack, Snape ("Professor Snape, Harry") runs in with no invisibility cloak.  Then only Harry curses him.  I could not take any more.  That is the best scene in the book, and it was going horribly wrong.

Later when I flipped back over, Hermione and Rita Skeeter were in the champions tent for no good reason.  Then Mr Crouch came in with a very unCrouchish demeanor.  Harry is then chased all over the school grounds by the dragon.  I turned it off before he even got the egg.  It was a great action sequence that I would have loved if I had not read the book.

Right when I turned it back on the Order were apparating into the ministry.  This was the worst possible time for me to turn it on because there was no chance that I could watch this scene for long.  The Deatheaters and the Order members were flying around the room without brooms (something only the Dark Lord can do).  Then Bellatrix hit Sirius with the AK, and he floated through a shadowy doorway.  I changed channels in disgust vowing never to watch these terrible adaptations again.

I guess I got busy doing other things because I did not flip the channel back to HP the rest of the day.  So my final record was 1-3.  Or maybe my record should be 4-0 because I did not throw things at the tv during any of the movies.

Here's What You Missed

Or, more likely, did not miss at all.  You may have noticed that I did not write anything this weekend.  It was not because I was super busy.  In fact, it was the exact opposite.  I was a giant slug this weekend and completely ignored my blogging duties.  So here is a brief summary of the posts you should have read this weekend.

I finally got my oil changed on Wednesday.  I had not been intentionally putting it off, I just never remembered at a convenient time that it was overdue.  My plan was to write about how the world had change during those six months while I was driving those seven thousand four hundred miles.  I never got any further than that premise because everything important that has happened this year has already been written about here.  I thought about putting together some boring statistics like the price of gasoline has gone up thirty-seven cents a gallon and the national debt has gone up infinity trillion dollars.  But doing the research for that was more than my laziness was prepared for, so I gave it up as a bad job.

My other unwritten post was about the rapture that did not happen Saturday.  My plan was to write a diary of my last twenty-four hours on this earth.  Starting with the Cubs first visit to Fenway Park since 1918 when they lost the World Series to Red Sox who were led by their star pitcher Babe Ruth.  Then ending it right in the middle of a sentence, implying that I was raptured before I could finish the post.  I had a couple of descent jokes in mind for this.  I vacuumed the house and was going to compare that to people who think you need to die wearing clean underwear.  The main reason I ended up not writing this is that it was such a lazy boring Saturday that I had no confidence that I could make it interesting to read about.  I mostly just played on the playstation, watched some tv, and read some comic books.  That is a great day in my opinion but hardly blog inspiring.  I am pretty disappointed in myself for not at least starting this post.  It had enough comic potential that I think it would have made a nice post.

I apologize for failing to stick to my blogging schedule this weekend.  I probably will not be writing next weekend either, though for much better reasons.  I look forward to the day that writing becomes second nature to me instead of something that I have to force myself to do.

New Kid in Town

Last night I was wandering about on the internet and decided to see if I could find any rumors about who might fill the coaching vacancy at Murray State.  My first stop was ESPN.  Since I am not an ESPN insider I was unable to read the rumors article.  However I did find a very complimentary article from Andy Katz.  My next step was a google search that made me forget all about not having a coach.  Belmont University is leaving the Atlantic Sun Conference to join the Ohio Valley Conference.  This is a huge get for the OVC.  For those of you who do not speak mid-major basketball, this is like when a few years ago the Big East brought in Louisville, Marquette, and Cincinnati.  Often teams come to the OVC straight from division II.  Belmont, on the other hand, has been the best team in the Atlantic Sun for the last six years with four appearances in the NCAA tournament.  The addition of Belmont plus wins in the NCAA tournament three years in a row puts the OVC closer to my dream of going from a one bid to a two bid conference.

Here We Go Again

I have been dreading this day for over a year.  Ever since Danero Thomas hit that buzzer beater to defeat Vanderbilt in the first round of last year's NCAA tournament, I knew that it was only a matter of time before a larger school that could offer a larger salary would come knocking on Billy Kennedy's door.  Yesterday Texas A&M and their sacks full of cash lured Coach Kennedy away from one the best coaching jobs in the country.  Kennedy had just signed a contract extension that would have raised his salary to $225,000, which pales in comparison to the $1.3 to $1.5 million that A&M was reportedly offering.  I wish him the best of luck in his new job and now have a new favorite team in the Big 12 Conference.  Hopefully he will have more success that his predecessors.

Ron Greene (1978-1985) was before my time but is a good place to start.  His MSU record was 119-78, 63-35 in the OVC.  He won 3 regular season titles and reached the NIT 3 times winning 2 games.  He left Murray State for Indiana State where his teams went 31-79.  He later coached both Calloway County and Murray High.

Steve Newton (1985-1991) was 116-65 with a 57-21 OVC record.  He won 4 regular season and 3 tournament titles.  In 1988 he beat NC State in the NCAA tournament then lost by 3 to the eventual national champions Kansas.  That was the closest game that Kansas played in the tournament which, in my opinion, makes MSU the national runners-up that year.  In 1990 the 16th seeded Racers took #1 seeded Michigan State to overtime.  No 16 seed has ever come closer to beating a 1.  He had an NIT appearance to go along with his 3 times in NCAA.  Newton left Murray for South Carolina.  His record there was 20-35.

Scott Edgar (1991-1995) 74-40, 48-14, 3 regular season titles, 2 tournament titles.  He left Murray for Duquesne University, where he went 29-55.  Later he coached at SEMO going 15-48.  He is currently the head coach of Eastern Oklahoma State College.

Mark Gottfried (1995-1998) 68-24, 40-12, 3 regular season, 2 tournament.  His 210-131 record at Alabama looks good but he went 83-82 in the SEC.  The Tide reached the post season 8 of his 10 1/2 seasons.  They reached the elite eight in 2004 and for 2 weeks in 2002 was the #1 ranked team in the nation.  He was recently hired to coach NC State.

Tevester Anderson (1998-2003) 103-52, 50-24, 2 regular season, 2 tournament.  Anderson then went to Jackson State where his record is 112-115.

Mick Cronin (2003-2006) 69-24, 42-10, 1 regular season, 2 tournament.  Cronin is 87-76 at Cincinnati and won a game in the NCAA tournament this year.

Billy Kennedy (2006-2011) 107-53, 70-24, 2 regular season, 1 tournament.  That is the second highest winning percentage of anyone to coach 100 games behind only Carlisle Cutchin (267-101) who started it all back in 1925.

So far none of our former coaches been able to establish a program that compares with the one that they left.  Murray State has had 24 consecutive winning seasons, the fourth longest streak in the nation.  We will continue to win no matter who the new coach is.  But we will never reach the national success of a Gonzaga unless we can get a coach who will spurn the bigger schools to build the program at Murray.  I do not know how much Mark Few makes at Gonzaga but I am sure that he could at least double it if he was willing to leave.

That is why I would like to put in a plug for John Pelphrey.  He has had only moderate success as a head coach, 149-126 at South Alabama and Arkansas, but I think he would be a good fit for us.  He is from Kentucky and already has a bank account full of SEC money.  That is the perfect resume to get a long term coach.

#1 Threat to the NBA

I first discovered professional basketball in the mid eighties.  Being from KY, I had of course been playing basketball for years and had even been to Rupp Arena a few times.  Not knowing anything about the teams playing, I cheered for the Lakers simply because others in the room were for the Celtics.  Later when I started following the NBA, I feel victim to the marketing campaign that was Michael Jordan.  I am disappointed in myself that I was once so susceptible to advertising, but in my defense I was very young at the time.  I was a really big Bulls fan when they were losing to the Pistons and through the first two championships.  By the time they won their third, I was tired of them.  My dislike of front runners had finally overcome my desire to stick out my tongue while playing basketball.  I came back to the Bulls the next year after Jordan's first retirement.  Then when Jordan came back and Grant was replaced by Rodman, I was through with the Bulls for good.  I moved my allegiance to Seattle with Kemp and Payton.  Over the next few years I drifted away from the NBA.  Eventually I stopped watching the NBA altogether.  Even when I started playing fantasy basketball, I rarely watched any games.  I think the reason that I have stopped watching the league is because I no longer have a team to cheer for.

I have watched more games this playoff season than I have any time in recent memory, and I have found myself drawn to the team from Memphis.  Conley, Randolph, Gasol, and Gay have all spent time on my fantasy teams the last two years, so I was already used to cheering for some of the Grizzlies.  Their eight over one upset of the Spurs sparked my love for the underdog.  Since Memphis is only a couple of hours away, it is likely as close as I will ever get to a home town team.  Plus the Grizzlies have a great mascot.  (Editors Note: This would be the perfect place to put a picture of that bear crossing sign I saw in Missawippi.). If that was not enough there is the added drama of the flood that threatens the city.  Regardless of the outcome of game seven tomorrow, I have found a new team and a renewed interest in the NBA.

The Mighty Thor

This is my third attempt at this post.  The theme of my first version was that the movie would have been much better if none of it had taken place on Midgard (Earth).  In the rewrite I agreed with Kenneth Branagh that Thor needed to travel to Midgard to learn humanity.  I am currently undecided.  The magnificence of the Asgard and Jotunheim sets in the movie reinforced my desire to see more of the Golden Realm instead of just another movie set on Earth.  But there is also the need for Thor to learn to be a hero and not just a warrior.

I have finally come to a conclusion.  I want two Thor movies.  The first one like my original plot.  Open with a big battle scene.  A plot is discovered.  Thor is manipulated by Loki into defying Odin’s command.  Asgard is attacked by frost giants and nearly falls.  Thor comes to the rescue and saves the golden realm.  Because of Thor’s disobedience, Odin banishes Thor to Midgard.  That is the end.  After the credits roll, show a scene similar to the one at the end of Iron Man 2.  Then in the sequel, Thor, exiled to Midgard, falls in love with the human race.  He becomes their champion and protector.

Unfortunately, there is only enough time for one movie before Joss Whedon’s Avengers comes out next year.  That being the case, Branagh made a really good movie.  My only real complaint is that Volstagg the Voluminous was not large enough.  The rest of the cast and the look and feel of the movie was great.

After my healthy lunch of popcorn, I stopped at Cold Stone on the way home.  I got home in time to see the Cubs blow a lead, then get a walk-off win.  Then I watched the end of Verlander’s no hitter, the Kentucky Derby, and the Grizzlies comeback overtime win.  I hope the rest of the day continues to be as good.

Potential Hundred Thousandaire

Once upon a time, let’s say it was in March, I was given a survey at work.  This happens from time to time.  Usually the questions are about how bad management is or how much I am sexually harassed.  This survey had questions regarding savings, retirement, and finance in general.  The last question asked if I would like more information.  My knowledge is this area is very thin, so I checked that box.  I expected to get a pamphlet in the mail with either very basic information or stuff way over my head.  So you can imagine my surprise, when a week or two later, a phone call wakes me up.  The voice on the other end of the line wanted to set up a meeting with me.  The conversation was over before I was completely awake, so I did not ask any questions about the nature of the meeting.

The next week a guy came to my house and explained to me the ins and outs of my financial future.  He was about half way through his presentation when I realized that this was not a tutorial but a sales pitch.  He told me that he could take the change from under my couch cushions and turn me into a millionaire.  I have no desire to be a millionaire.  But since my savings account and my TSP (the government employee equivalent  of 401k) are making very little money, I decided to give him the chance to make more money for me.

The ironic thing here is that I hate money.  I did not try to explain this to Leon because he did not seem like the type of person who would understand that concept.  I will explain my disdain for money using this hypothetical scenario.  If I was in a sinking boat with money and a goat and could only save one of them, I would save the goat and let the money drown.  That is how much I hate money.

Unfortunately there may come a time when I am not healthy enough to continue working.  So I will need to have some money saved to pay for a good nursing home.  But I still feel guilty about every dollar that I save.  It always makes me feel like I am tearing down my barns to build bigger ones.

Lazy Is As Lazy Does

I realize that Lent ended over a week ago, so I apologize for the lateness of this post.  As I mentioned last time, I have not made time to write lately.  Easter almost snuck past me this year.  If I had not spent part of the day with a family of purple clad Norsemen, I might not have even known it was Easter last Sunday.

For the past few years I have been observing Lent.  Last year when I gave up meat for Lent, I did not miss it at all.  I had some withdrawal symptoms at first, but after I started eating protein bars and even more peanut butter than usual, they went away.  My mind stayed focused on planning meals without meat and finding meatless options on menus.  It turns out that I can be very self disciplined at times.  I think that is mostly due to my extreme competiveness and hard headedness.  Since I have mostly abstained from foods (soft drinks, chocolate, meat) in previous years, my observations were public knowledge to the people with whom I routinely eat meals.  Having people to hold me accountable added to my motivation to stick to my dietary restrictions.  I have always treated Lent more like a dare than a religious observance.  Obviously this is not the point of Lent, so I tried to do things differently this year.

My plan this year was to give up laziness.  Living alone makes being lazy a very easy trap to fall into.  I tend to let clutter pile up around the house.  So one of my goals was to put things away when I was done with them.  This included things like washing the dishes every night and putting away laundry as soon as it is done.  My attitude was to be one of not leaving stuff undone or only half done.  I was fairly good at accomplishing this.  I also wanted to clean my house more often, but I have never been able be do that with any consistency.

My plan to start working out again did not go as well.  I did not want to spend the time and gasoline to drive all the way over to west Little Rock to use the gym that is located at PV.  I wanted to start running outside but, February and March are not the ideal months for that.  So that left me just doing push-ups and sit-ups here at the house.  I kept up with this ok but often had trouble coming up with any motivation to do it and then completely abandoned it during hospital week.

I realize that this sounds more like New Year’s resolution stuff than Lent.  I have never been good at keeping New Year’s resolutions.  So if I was going to make these lifestyle changes, I was more likely to make them stick during Lent than in January.  Even though I was able to more or less accomplish my Lenten goals, I still was not able to make any spiritual connection through my actions.  I think I may be done with Lent.  Hopefully I can find some other means of drawing closer to God.  I do not want to leave you on that down note, so I am including a Lent recap from one the elders at my church.

Lent is not a Bible commanded discipline.  Rather it is a discipline that allows someone during the time of the Easter holiday to deny oneself something in order to focus on Jesus and his sacrifice.  I gave up iced tea for Lent this year.  As I understand, as thoughts related to iced tea have entered my head, I am to use those thoughts to think back to some aspect of the cross and the sacrifice that Christ made for me.  Here are some of the thoughts that have entered my head over the past nearly 40 days since I had iced tea.

1) I messed up.  In my routine, it is not unusual for me to have iced tea with lunch and supper.  While I had committed to giving up iced tea, without even thinking, twice in the first week, I drank tea at lunch without even thinking about it.  Thought that came from the error?  I am grateful for grace that covers my sin.  I sin at times without even thinking, like I drank the iced tea.

2) My head hurts.  Without the caffeine from the iced tea, I developed horrible headaches the first few days.  Yet, that was nothing compared to the pain that Christ suffered for me on the cross.

3) I really want a glass of iced tea.  On several occasions, I have had great iced tea placed in front of me.  I said, “No thanks.”  But, oh how I really, really wanted it.  I could taste it going down my tongue, the back of my throat and into my stomach.  It made me think about how much I should long for heaven and how the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus made it possible.

4) I really haven’t given up much.  While I love the taste of iced tea, giving it up was not really much of anything; especially when you compare it to what Christ gave up for me and for all of us.  He left heaven.  Lived on earth.  He was beaten, whipped and crucified.  He was buried in a tomb.  He rose.  And he lives in heaven with God and lives today in His church.

I am not sure I will do Lent again.  I kind of think that I will.  I like how God has allowed me to use iced tea to help me think about God’s great gift of grace and the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.  It is good to be more mindful of the sacrifice made for us.