Kinetic

You went to school in Athens, didn't you? Were I not past the point of no return, my two football seasons there would have gotten me to swear the sport off forever. I had always romanticized the idea of college football Saturdays in southern college towns, but man was the reality ever a fucking nightmare. Goddamn Auburn almost killed my cat.

Agreed, but everything else in that segment was both conceived and executed really well. Orton is fantastic. And I'm digging the HBK/JBL thing a lot, too. Good show tonight.

And rightfully so. Remember his brief tenure as Giants starter? He was terrible. That's what makes his phoenix-like (har har) rise from the ashes so remarkable. But the thing with Warner is that he doesn't handle pressure that well, and he has a tendency to fumble when hit. You would think that would play right into Pittsburgh's hands, although you would have thought that about Philly, too.

I called Pittsburgh getting to the Super Bowl sometime late in the season, either after the Dallas game or the second Baltimore game. Their presence doesn't surprise me at all, and I fully expect them to win. Arizona is obviously a complete shock, and I absolutely would have ranked them as the NFC playoff team least likely to make it to Tampa. I'm on the Cardinals bandwagon right now, but, like I said above, I doubt that they'll be able to beat Pittsburgh.

Fucking A+ game there. I'm actually somehow excited about seeing the Cardinals in the Super Bowl.

I thought about making the subtitle "and don't say this thread." If only I had it to do over again.

I am not perfect in this regard, either. I've been known to clear a room (or at least a corner of a room) discussing draft prospects or the finer points of Bowie's 70s output. But, y'know, it's interesting when I'm talking about it.

It's good to see so many people mention cars here. There's this assumption from a lot of guys that all dudes are into cars, but I always suspected that being interested enough in cars to actually want to have a conversation about an engine was really more of a fringe thing.

We've all had this experience: you're having a friendly conversation at a party, orgy, beheading, or other social event. Things are going just fine. Then, suddenly, two or more of the people you're conversing with start discussing something that you couldn't possibly be less interested in. You start to lose focus. Your eyes glaze over. You smile and nod politely, but you're really focusing on an exit strategy. What does this to you? For me, it's: -Cars. Anything to do with cars. I couldn't care less. -Stereo equipment. Also, musician's equipment. Many's the time that I've been run off by a couple of undesirables discussing the FartHammer 757 ExciteX sub-woofer or whatever the fuck. It's boring. -Any detailed account of someone's job. Unless you're a lion tamer, no one cares. Your office or lab job isn't even interesting to other people who work in offices or labs.

I do live in Bremerton. There's a real dearth of nubile college girls here, so that would be much appreciated.

Raheem Morris is officially the new head coach of the Buccaneers. I'll let you know how I feel about this sometime in late December.

The Grover Cleveland of TSM, perhaps?

I've really only been active on this board for two full, nonconsecutive years: 2002 and 2008. In '02, I won POTY as part of an awards ceremony that I threw for myself. In '08, I won this thing. I'm forced to conclude that I'm really good at message boarding.

I'd like to be thrilled about this, but it's just so puzzling that the Glazers would wait until 3 weeks after the season ended to make the move. You would imagine--and it's obviously been speculated on, given how sudden and unexpected this was--that they've got a Shanahan or a Cowher lined up. Otherwise, why do you fire a guy who, despite his weaknesses, is at least a proven commodity? I'm not at all upset to see him go, but just a little concerned that they won't be able to find an adequate replacement. Harley's point is fair enough, although it should be pointed out that Gruden inherited both Brad Johnson and Michael Pittman and that they both won a Super Bowl with him. Earnest Graham is still young and only got on the field due to injuries. Ike, Galloway, and Bryant have all had good seasons in Tampa. I'm torn on Garcia. Bringing Griese back the second time was totally inexcusable, as was signing Charlie Garner and Tim Brown. And having Tim Brown return punts! Fuck. Good riddance.

Oh, yes. The Decline of Western Civilization Part ll would have been the inspiration for Metal Ed, had I not done that before seeing the movie. I remember being particularly impressed by Paul Stanley's interview. I sort of dig "Talk Dirty to Me" and, to a lesser extent, "Once Bitten, Twice Shy." I heard a hell of a lot of hair metal growing up, because my dad was a major proponent of the stuff. To this day, he considers it to be the best form of rock music and that whole period to be rock's golden age.

You could make that argument about any Blur album. They had that whole 90s syndrome, where the ability to fit 80 minutes of music on one disc became a justification for doing so. For me, The Great Escape is really their only album where they approached consistency. I agree with Byron on the two songs he mentioned, but then you've also got "Country House," "Best Days," "Charmless Man," and "The Universal." I've got a lot of weird sentimental stuff tied up with this album, though, so it's possible that I'm not to be trusted.

lolz.

Mercifully, no. There were plenty of times when it could have happened. There was once instance when I was about 13 where I jerked off in the middle of the day at my great-grandparents' house, only separated from my entire family by a door. I could hear everyone milling around outside, and any one of them could have walked in at any time. I shudder when I think about it now. Getting caught would have destroyed my adolesence.

At the same Wild Wilderness Drive-Thru where that goat picture was taken, I met this guy: Coolest bear ever. Highlight of my 2008. Oh, and I'm voting for me. I'd advise everyone else to do the same.

FWIW, Here Come the Warm Jets is the Eno album I find myself coming back to the most often. It falls off a little in the second half, but that three song run from "Needles in the Camel's Eye" through "Baby's On Fire" is fantastic stuff.

I heard a Robyn Hitchcock cover of "More Than This" recently. A very pretty song, and it translated to an acoustic version extremely well. Someone could have a huge hit covering that song today. T-Pain, maybe?

I don't even remember what the explanation for Crash Holly's existence was. He was Bob Holly's cousin or something??

Where's the first 'i' in my username in that sig? Me'Shell N'dege-K'Netic.

6'0", 140 pounds. I don't understand why you guys don't just lose some weight. Never been a problem for me. My wind, though. Man. Years of smoking have rendered me incapable of doing anything particularly strenuous for more than a few minutes without becoming a hyperventilating mess.

It's quite all right. You're still my boy, Spiff. I'm going to go with myself vs. Venkman, although I wouldn't be at all upset if he won. This was absolutely my most challenging year of boarding, and there were certainly times when it felt like an obligation. My life was crumbling around me, but I still managed to put in a solid 4-6 hours a day. The girlfriend's birthday? "Sorry, babe. I gotta finish this bob_barron video." Important job interview? "I've almost got the chorus to 'Gas Station,' I can't stop now." Last conversation with a dying grandparent? "Sorry, Grandma. I got Patrick Spoon on the other line." I don't have a lot of money. What I do have is a very specific set of skills that will make life extremely difficult for someone like you. If you let my daughter go, that will be the end of it. I will not search for you. But if you do not, I will find you. And I will kill you. I'll take Agent in the other matchup. Both of these guys are great. It's like choosing between testicles.