SB Nation User Blog: GreenNGoldGirl

DLD 27 de Octubre del 2008

GreenNGoldGirl — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 17:06:55 -0000

MORNING!!!!

It's Monday, October 27, 2008! While I SHOULD be celebrating the fact that my first class of the day was cancelled, I'm slightly annoyed because I'm locked out of my building and my room until my roommate gets out of class. So, that means you guys are stuck with me until then :]

October 27th is the 301st day of the year. There are 65 days remaining until the end of the year.

Today on this date... well, actually, today was a very violent day in the history of the world, so we'll disregard that tidbit.

Happy birthday to Erik Kloeker (American juggler), Brady Quinn (the next Aaron Rogers), Brad Radke (pitched clincher of ALDS 2006) and Kelly Osbourne ('nuff said).

Happy deathday to Joe Niekro, Princess Sophie von Hohenberg, and Rod Roddy.

Now that we've got all that out of the way...

How High School Musical Conquered the World

There may be someone on earth — a cloistered abbess, perhaps, or a Taliban soldier in a particularly remote post — who has yet to learn that High School Musical 3 opened last Friday. (It promptly leaped to the top of the box office, to the tune of a $42 million weekend take.) But it's a rare human who hasn't at least heard of the Disney tween hit, given the passion of its fans and the zeal of Disney's promotion. What began two years ago as a made-for-cable kids' movie about American teens playing basketball and putting on a show has mushroomed into a global phenomenon, with followers from Caracas to Cambodia and a breathtaking range of platforms: a stage show, a concert tour, reality shows, a book publishing series (50 million copies sold in 24 languages) and scores of tie-ins from breakfast cereals to Bible study guides.

I'm guilty of going to see High School Musical 3 this weekend... twice.

Rockies' Vizcaino arrested on suspicion of drunken driving

TAMPA (AP) — Colorado Rockies pitcher Luis Vizcaino is behind bars after police in Tampa say he was driving under the influence.

Vizcaino was arrested around 1:30 a.m. Monday. Officers said he was speeding in a 2009 Cadillac — 71 mph in a 45 mph zone — when they pulled him over.

Ovechkin to miss game to be with ill grandfather, report says

Alex Ovechkin's 203-game streak will end Tuesday as he misses at least one game to spend time with his ailing grandfather in Russia, the Washington Times reported Monday.

Ovechkin, who has missed only one game in his four-year career with theCapitals, will be replaced on the top line by Brooks Laich.

Men nabbed after playing 'chicken' with police car

Three Oklahoma City men were arrested after playing "chicken" with a police car. Police said a 23-year-old man drove his car at the oncoming patrol car driven by Capt. J.D. Reid and didn't move until Reid swerved out of the way. Reid then chased the car until it crashed. The driver was found inside the car, another 22-year-old man was found lying outside the vehicle and a third man was found hiding behind a traffic sign.

British pub-goers may buy their beer a new way

Britain's beloved pint may be facing a downsizing.

The office that sets measurement standards said Friday that its proposed two-thirds pint measure for draft beer and cider could be on tap as soon as April.

Proponents of the new glass size say they like it because it would give consumers more options at the bar.

The pint is so much a part of British life that it survived the European Union switch to half-liters. And there already is a half-pint glass for those who want a lighter lunch or a clearer head.

Supporters of the new-size glass hope it will appeal to female drinkers, who traditionally eschew a full pint.

"It's hard ordering a drink on a date," said Emma Ross, 28, a postgraduate student having a beer with lunch in a London pub. "If I order a half-pint, it's ladylike, but where's my sense of adventure? If I order a pint, I know how to have a good time, but I don't want to advertise it to every guy standing at the bar."

700-Pound Man Marries in Mexico

MONTERREY, Mexico (Oct. 27) - The world's heaviest man has tied the knot. Manuel Uribe, who hasn't left his bed in six years, married his longtime girlfriend Claudia Solis Sunday in northern Mexico. Wearing a white silk shirt with a sheet wrapped around his legs, Uribe smiled as Solis, 38, walked down a flight of stairs wearing a strapless ivory dress, a tiara and hot-pink lipstick. He later broke into tears as a notary declared the couple husband and wife in a civil ceremony attended by more than 400 guests. For the traditional first dance as newlyweds, Uribe and Solis held hands and swayed to a romantic ballad.

OH! And congratulations to Cupcakes :] He deserves a round of applause!

via imgs.sfgate.com

via cache.boston.com

via i37.tinypic.com

Dump awayyyyy :]

DLD!!!! 8-18-08!!! AHHH!!!!

GreenNGoldGirl — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:42:40 -0000

Morning!!!!! Wake up!!!! It's August 18, 2008!!

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY BEFORE FRESHMAN MOVE IN AT UOP!!!!

AHHH!!!!!

Okay. I'm calm.

August 18 is the 230th day of the year (231st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 135 days remaining until the end of the year.

On this date today, helium was discovered, Jimi Hendrix played the last unofficial day of Woodstock, and Dennis Rader was sentenced to 125 years in prison.

Happy Birthday to Frances Bean Cobain (daughter Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love), Selena Silver (don't say anything if you know who she is), Edward Norton, Felipe Calderon, and Robert Redford.

Endorsements pure gold for Phelps

Having completed his Olympics gold rush, U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps is now poised to make another haul -- this time of the endorsement variety.

Phelps already is collecting about $5 million a year in endorsement checks from companies like Visa -- payments that came after he won six gold medals during the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.

His performance in Beijing, where he won a record eight gold medals, puts him in line to earn much more.

"He may be at $30, $40, $50 million a year in endorsements after all this is said and done," said David Harrow of the National Sports Lawyers Association.

Lost baby whale thinks yacht is mom

Australian media say a lost humpback whale calf has bonded with a yacht it seems to think is its mother.

The 1- to 2-month-old calf was first sighted Sunday in waters off north Sydney, and on Monday tried to suckle from a yacht, which it would not leave.

Rescuers towed the yacht out to sea, and the calf finally detached from the boat but still swam nearby, Australian Broadcasting Corp. and Channel 10 television news reported.

Converting gas-powered cars to electric

Larry Horsley loves that he doesn't buy much gas, even though he drives his '95 Chevy S-10 back and forth to work each day.

Horsley, a self-described do-it-yourselfer, simply plugs his truck into an electric wall outlet in his Douglasville, Georgia, garage and charges it overnight, instead of buying gasoline refined from mostly imported oil.

"If I can keep a dollar from going overseas, I'll spend two dollars," he said. The whole conversion, including the truck, cost him about $12,000, which parts dealers say is about standard.

...

The entire process is "basically straightforward," he said, after four months driving it on electric.

"Anyone who has basic mechanical skills can build one of these," Horsley said. "But it takes time," he said, about three months. Most of that period was spent waiting for the parts to be shipped.

Bear maulings up around Anchorage

Most times, in Alaska, the bear eats you.

But this summer, in a record year for maulings, Devon Rees managed a draw with the grizzly that leapt onto him as he sauntered home between a stream brimming with salmon and the busiest highway in the state.

"Bear comes flying out, gets its fight on," said Rees, 18, nursing his wounds on the couch of his grandmother's trailer perhaps 60 yards from the scene of the Aug. 4 battle. Bandages covered puncture wounds on the inside of both his thighs. His left eye was puffy from the swat of a massive paw.

"She was moving around like a dog will when it's fighting," said the 5-foot-11-inch, 215-pound Rees, who had been at a friend's house until 2 a.m. watching a movie called "Never Back Down." "It was fist to claw."

Ethier's home run gets Dodgers into tie for first

SI Scouting Report: Brad Ziegler

Bonds likely won't play in '08; grievance unlikely too

Woman accused of beating up fiance at prenup party

A Poulsbo woman was jailed after being accused of beating up her fiance at their prenuptial party. Kitsap County sheriff's deputies said the woman's 12-year-old son told her he saw her fiance kissing one of her women friends early Thursday morning.

Deputies said the woman, 31, gave her friends the boot, told her fiance to leave, too, and then started hitting him in the face.

When he left the house, they say, she tackled him football-style, punched him some more, threw his watch into the bushes and broke his glasses.

RAWR.

Seattle relieved to lose its high tech toilets

Cops say alleged robber locked keys in getaway car

Egyptian septuplets' mom hopes to hold them soon

DUMP! :]

DLD: August 9, 2008

GreenNGoldGirl — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 16:00:30 -0000

I know people don't post as much on the weekends, but no matter. There's some very sad news today.

Bernie Mac Dies at 50

Comedian and Chicago native Bernie Mac died early Saturday morning from complications due to pneumonia, his publicist confirmed.

Mac, 50, had been hospitalized for about a week at Northwestern Hospital, according to his spokeswoman. A few years ago, Mac disclosed that he suffered from sarcoidosis, a rare autoimmune disease that causes inflammation in tissue, most often in the lungs.

The comic born Bernard Jeffrey McCullough could cut an imposing figure. He stood 6-foot-3, was built like a fullback and carried himself with a bouncer's reticence. But perhaps the strongest weapon in the Chicago comedian's arsenal was that voice, that amalgam of thought and a delivery that could rise like a tidal wave, outpace a Gatling gun and remained, to his last days, loud and unapologetic.

I'm at a loss for words. The guy was fantastic. May he rest in peace.

August 9 is the 221st day of the year (222nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 144 days remaining until the end of the year.

Happy Birthday to Jason Fraser, Mike Lamb, Matt Morris, Troy Percival, Juanes, Deion Sanders, Whitney Houston, and Eric Bana.
Continuing the morbid tone...
American at Olympics stabbed to death

A Chinese attacker stabbed two Americans, killing the man and wounding the woman, who were attending the Olympic Games on Saturday, according to the U.S. Olympic Committee.
The man also injured a female Chinese tour guide before leaping to his death around noon from the second floor of the Drum Tower, a popular Beijing tourist site, the official Chinese news agency Xinhua reported.

The USOC said the two Americans were family members of a coach for the U.S. men's indoor volleyball team. No other information about them was released.

However, the Olympic Opening Ceremony was SPECTACULAR. Those freaking drummers were mesmerizing :]

38 dead after being bitten by vampire bats

At least 38 Warao Indians have died in remote villages in Venezuela, and medical experts suspect an outbreak of rabies spread by bites from vampire bats.

Laboratory investigations have yet to confirm the cause, but the symptoms point to rabies, according to two researchers from the University of California at Berkeley and other medical experts.

Be afraid, Batman. Be very afraid.

Clay Aiken is a father

Former "American Idol" runner-up Clay Aiken is a father.

The 29-year-old crooner from Raleigh announced the birth of Parker Foster Aiken on his Web site's blog Friday

"No hyphens. One first name," he wrote. "One middle name. One last name."

I THOUGHT HE WAS GAY!!!!

Oh, and I must include my Olympic lust.

Phelps breaks Olympic record to advance in 400 IM qualifier

Michael Phelps opened his quest to win eight gold medals by qualifying 1.44 seconds faster than his rivals with an Olympic-record time in the 400-meter individual medley preliminaries Saturday night.

The American won his heat in 4 minutes, 7.82 seconds -- 0.44 second better than his gold-medal-winning time four years ago in Athens. Phelps was under his world-record pace after 150 meters of the four-stroke race, but eased off to save something for Sunday morning's final.

"I am pretty surprised," he said. "I didn't think that I'd be first to get it, not until the finals."

Zito stop Manny, but not the rest of Dodgers

ith the Olympics beginning a 17-day run, the Giants face more competition for their attention. To keep the sporting public interested, they will have to do much better than their drab showing in a 6-2 loss to the Dodgers on Friday night.

Barry Zito established a career high (or low, depending on your point of view) when he lost for the 14th time this season. He picked a good night to do it, with many regular Giants viewers no doubt watching the Opening Ceremonies from Beijing or attending the always mesmerizing Raiders-49ers exhibition game.

Manny Ramirez made his Dodgers debut in San Francisco and was the last player in blue to reach base, on a sixth-inning Rich Aurilia error. He went 0-for-5 after starting his Dodger career 13-for-23, but no matter. The rest of an all-right-handed lineup did more than enough damage to help Los Angeles win for the 15th time in its last 18 games at China Basin.

Don't judge me. I've been feeling lonely.

Bacon makes everything better--even chocolate?

Here are three little words that might give the staunchest snacker pause: Chocolate-covered bacon.

It sounds so wrong. But it tastes just right, says Joseph Marini III, a fourth-generation candy maker who is selling the bacon bonbons at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk seaside amusement park.

"It's not just for breakfast any more," he says with a grin.

And this isn't just a wacky West Coast thing.

This year, Famous Dave's at the Minnesota State Fair is rolling out Pig Lickers — dark chocolate-covered bacon pieces sprinkled with sea salt.

"It's just like the most bizarre combination," says fair spokeswoman Brienna Schuette. "I actually really liked it. It was a good combination of sweet and salty."'

Um, ew.

Dump away.

080808

GreenNGoldGirl — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:48:11 -0000

Happy August 8th! I'm not at work today, but since I woke up at an indecently early hour this morning (in proportion the the atrociously late hour that I went to bed last night), I decided to give you all a little happiness in your day. I mean, what would you do without a little GNGG in your morning? :]

August 8 is the 220th day of the year (221st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 145 days remaining until the end of the year.

Happy Birthday to Roger Federer, (the reject tennis player) Drew Lachey (the reject 98 Degrees brother), J.C. Chasez (the reject *NSYNC Some Girls Dance With Women perv) and Emiliano Zapata (the BA Mexican with a sick moustache).

106 mpg 'air car' creates buzz, questions

You've heard of hybrids, electric cars and vehicles that can run on vegetable oil. But of all the contenders in the quest to produce the ultimate fuel-efficient car, this could be the first one to let you say, "Fill it up with air."

That's the idea behind the compressed air car, a vehicle its backers say could achieve a fuel economy of 106 miles per gallon.

...

New York-based Zero Pollution Motors is the first firm to obtain a license from MDI to produce the cars in the United States, pledging to deliver the first models in 2010 at a price tag of less than $18,000.

I've got my doubts... but that would be pretty fantastic. It would save a TON of gas driving back home every weekend.

Lizard love: 110-yearl-old dinosaur descendant to become daddy

At well over 100 years old and showing no interest in sex for over four decades, Henry is on his way to becoming a dad.

...

At about 110 years old, Henry is the oldest tuatara ever to mate at Southland Museum on the country's South Island.

"I had given up on old Henry," said curator Lindsay Hazley.

He kept Henry in "solitary confinement" because the animal not only showed no interest in females but attacked them when they were looking to mate.

The beginning of Henry's libido rebound came in 2002, when veterinarians realized that a lump in the animal's nether regions was a cancerous tumor. They removed it and, over the next few years, his attitude began to change.

"I say that he had a personality transplant at the same time," Hazley said Thursday. "If I had a tumor underneath my [genitals], when girls were passing by, I'd be a very grumpy boy too."

Fat people get online chance to lose weight

People who are obese in the real world will get the opportunity to participate in a research project conducted entirely in the virtual world to help their avatars - and hopefully their real-life selves - lose weight and get in better shape.

The University of Houston's Texas Obesity Research Center is using Second Life, the 3-D virtual world created by San Francisco's Linden Lab, to offer participants incentives for healthy dietary habits and to increased physical activity.

"The avatar is actually going to get on a treadmill and get on a bicycle and perform these activities in Second Life," said Kristen McAlexander, a doctoral student and research assistant at the obesity research center.

Eight People Bought Useless $1,000 iPhone App

Eight people had $1,000 to burn on a useless iPhone application before Apple removed it from the App Store, according to a story in the LA Times.

Of those eight, six reside in the United States, and the others are in France and Germany. Not shocking: We all knew some people out there would be rich (and wasteful) enough to throw away money at Armin Heinrich's "I Am Rich" application, which does nothing but display a red ruby.

And to think I was getting annoyed at having to pay $1.99 for some of my apps. If you went to the app screen on this particular one, it said "The red icon on your iPhone or iPod touch always reminds you (and others when you show it to them) that you were able to afford this." Please.

44-pound cat adopted; gets good vet's report

Fat, happy and no longer homeless.

That describes life for the 44-pound New Jersey cat who became an overnight sensation.

A vet has found "Prince Chunk" healthy aside from his weight. The big cat doesn't have a thyroid condition, after all.

The vet also has prescribed a high-protein, low-carb diet for the tubby tabby, who is within three pounds of the heaviest on record.

Killer gets life sentence plus pizza in a plea deal

A New York man who pleaded guilty to murder in Oregon in exchange for buckets of fried chicken will get calzones and pizza to go with his life sentence.

Tremayne Durham, 33, of New York City, admitted last month that he fatally shot Adam Calbreath, 39, of Gresham, in June 2006. Durham wanted to sell ice cream and ordered an $18,000 truck from an Oregon company. He later changed his mind, but the company wouldn't provide a refund.

...

Durham agreed to plead guilty to murder — but only if he could get a break from jail food. The judge agreed and granted Durham a feast of KFC chicken, Popeye's chicken, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, carrot cake and ice cream.

Dump away.

Oh!! I almost forgot. There's something big starting today in China. I'm not really exactly sure what it is, but it's apparently one of the biggest events in recent years. Anyone want to help out here?

DLD. August 5, 2008.

GreenNGoldGirl — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:38:28 -0000

With exactly TWO WEEKS left before I move into college, therefore beginning my life (or ending it, in some's opinions), I decided to terrorize AN with a true GNGG DLD. WOO HOO!

August 5 is the 217th day of the year (218th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 148 days remaining until the end of the year.

Happy Birthday to Carl Crawford, Mark Mulder, Eric Hinske and John Olerud. Oh, and Princess Irene of the Netherlands, too!

U.S. baseball finishes with a win over Canada

Mike Hessman hit two home runs Monday night to lead the Beijing-bound U.S. men's baseball team to a 17-5 win over Canada. The game was called in the seventh inning because of a 10-run lead rule in effect during international play.

Matt LaPorta homered for the third time during the four-game series that the U.S. won, 3-1. Terry Tiffee drove in three runs, and Hessman finished with three RBIs.

The Americans hit 11 home runs during the series and outscored Canada 33-8 during the final three games. Both teams travel to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, where they will change planes and wing their way to the Beijing Games.

Now I see why Rich decided to join us here in America. If only the A's could call for the ten run lead rule, eh? Or maybe just a two run rule. That would save us the other seven innings.

Baseball caps replace Gandhi topi in Congress

The Congress has decided to look young, at least as far as its youth wing is concerned. Therefore, it is out with the Gandhi topi and in with baseball caps.

Jawaharlal Nehru wore it as did his grandson Rajiv Gandhi.

For years, the Congress kept alive Gandhi's legacy by using the Gandhi topi as its trademark headgear. But on Tuesday, the party's mass organisation, the Seva Dal, made the sartorial decision of replacing Gandhi topi with baseball cap.

The members will wear the cap while carrying out relief work. The Gandhi topi will now be worn only on special occasions.

More than 100,000 rare gorillas found in Congo

An estimated 125,000 Western lowland gorillas are living in a swamp in equatorial Africa, researchers reported Tuesday, double the number of the endangered primates thought to survive worldwide.

...

The last census on the species, carried out during the 1980s, estimated that there were only 100,000 of the gorillas left worldwide. Since then, the researchers estimated, the numbers had been cut in half.

Acting on a tip from hunters who indicated the presence of gorillas, Rainey said that the researchers trekked on foot through mud for three days to the outskirts of Lac Tele, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the nearest road.

"This is the highest-known density of gorillas that's ever been found," Rainey said.

Think they can play baseball? I'd take my chances.

German police women get "bullet-proof bras"

Thousands of German police women will receive what media have labelled "bullet-proof bras".
Made of white cotton and featuring the word "Polizei" (Police) along the seam, the bras are meant to better protect police women who wear bullet-proof vests.

Seriously, I would love one of those for college. Who knows with dating in Stockton these days?

Farmer send message to neighbors with car fence

HOOPER, Utah - A farmer has erected a backyard fence made of three old cars sticking up in the air to send a message to new neighbors that he can do whatever he wants on his property.

"This is just a fun way for me to say, `Hey boys, I'm still here,'" Rhett Davis said. "This is my redneck Stonehenge."

Tourist survives 25-foot slide down Big Sur cliff

A tourist is nursing only cuts and bruises after sliding 250 feet down a cliff on California's coast.

Twenty-year-old Jost Ben of Wilnsdorf, Germany, had been tossing a football with friends Sunday at a traffic pullout perched 400 feet above the Pacific. After a stray toss, he climbed over the edge to retrieve the football.

I have nothing to say to that.

Now, dump away!

via www.reviewjournal.com

Sports, Life and College

GreenNGoldGirl — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 03:58:08 -0000

I'm attempting to think of something witty, baseball related that I could write here, but it's impossible. I have nothing. I don't have something funny to write about. I don't have a poignant story that parallels the situation in my life right now. I don't have a thought-provoking question that causes you to doubt life's purpose. I just don't.

However, I do have a recollection to share with you. A few months ago, I was talking to my mother. She asked me about my college plans, what I wanted to do with my life and what would make me happy. During this time, the A's weren't doing too well. It was late July, after the horrid losing streaks, after the Jason Kendall trade, and after the hopes for 2007 had been thrown out the window, and I had been contemplating everything in my life. I didn't know what I wanted, where I wanted to go, what I wanted to do or who I wanted to be. I knew that I had worked incredibly hard in high school to get somewhere, but this somewhere was unknown. I told my mother that I knew I wanted to be involved in something that required me to talk and to be around people, but as to where I was going, I had no idea. She just stared at me and kept cooking. In the week that followed, my life began to take a turn for the future.

For the next week, my life revolved around baseball. I went to six baseball games in seven days, which included Root Beer Float Day and AN day. At Root Beer Float Day, I had an hour and a half long conversation with some pretty cool fellows from an A's show. I talked about what I wanted out of life and where I hoped to go and these pretty cool fellows guided me in the right direction. They talked to me about the internships they offered and what types of people they were looking for. They talked about the industry and what was required to succeed and how they believed I had what it takes. As with any high school student in the summer of their junior year, this conversation caused me to re-prioritize my goals and needs and threw my college ideas for a loop. AN Day was a major eye-opener. Special thanks to those of you who sat around me for what seemed like hours discussing what I should do. I spoke about my classes, my goals and my aspirations and you guys interjected advice, ideas and a plan for action. I left AN Day much more sure of myself and my future.

In the next few months, my senior year began, I wrote my UC personal statements and college applications were the whirlwind of conversation. Everywhere I turned, I was faced with the questions, "So where are you going to go to college?", "What do you want to do with your life?", "What are you going to study?", "Where are you applying?" Fuck, man, it was INSANE. I was sick of it. I didn't want to answer the questions anymore. By the end of November, I had finished applying to my modest three schools, all of which had high praise from my counselors and teachers, and proceeded to block myself from the never ending questions and queries. No more college and career talk for me.

The second weekend in December, I left the Bay Area and went down to Orange County for the Sports and Entertainment Conference for my DECA class. We were going to go to a conference put on by the marketing management of the Clippers and we were going to get the opportunity to meet the best of the best of the company. I got the chance to talk to the head of fan relations, the group sales event specialist, the inside sales rep, and most importantly, the director of sales. Each person gave their perspective of the sports industry, telling of their jobs and responsibilities. Each rep emphasized the same thing over and over, time and time again.

The most important thing in the industry is passion and dedication.

I have that. I have the passion and dedication this sports industry needs. I have what it takes and I believe I will go far. The sports industry needs more women and I can bring diversity to a man-concentrated business.

Oh, and by the way, I got accepted into all three of my colleges. Including my first choice, the University of the Pacific in Stockton.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas :]

This is just an excuse to distract me from my future

GreenNGoldGirl — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 05:34:14 -0000

I cried on Thursday afternoon. They weren't tears of sorrow or tears of joy. They weren't tears of excitement or tears of confusion. On the contrary, these were tears of apprehension. My AP English teacher had given us the UC admissions essay prompts.

It's funny, really, how a simple piece of paper with a few words written on it can shape your life so greatly. Upon gazing at the prompts that could make or break my UC admission, I was overcome with a sense of dread that I hadn't felt before. I didn't realize such trepidation was etched on my face until my teacher looked at me and said, "Don't worry so much. You'll do fine." Surprise, surprise, those words did nothing to console the racing beat of my heart. I looked around the room and to my dismay, it seemed like I was the only one who was so distressed. I took a deep breath, attempted to regain my composure and proceeded to search for the paper I had so hastily shoved deep into the depths of my binder.

As I took the crumpled sheet out, the thoughts rushing through my mind were overwhelming. I was confused as to why I was having such an averse reaction to a simple essay question. It wasn't like I hadn't written an essay before--quite the opposite, really. If I'd done rather well on essays in the past, why should this one be any different? After letting the UC questions sink in, my teacher directed the attention of the class towards the white board where there were eight different columns, all labeled with the different topics from the prompts. For the next thirty minutes, we wrote. We wrote and we brainstormed, erased and devised ideas. It wasn't until the bell rang that my english teacher dismissed us, releasing our aching brains and heavy hearts into the crowds of blissfully unaware freshman, sophomores and juniors.

When my feet no longer touched the carpet of the classroom, it was as if a switch had been turned in my head. The tears started flowing and since I didn't want my friends to worry, I walked away from my group, ignoring the questioning looks and the passing glances. I allowed my feet to carry me and ended up in the only place I knew I could find peaceful solace--the baseball fields. After making sure no one had followed me, I found the hole in the fence that I had used in so many instances in years past and made my way to the dugout. I sat on the bench and gazed at the beautiful field that the baseball dads and coaches had so lovingly created. Everything about the school baseball field was flawless. The grass was carefully manicured, flaunting a shade of green that only existed in postcards and the dirt on the infield was immaculate, surrounding pearly white bases and a picturesque mound. I took another deep breath and inhaled the scents of the scene around me, instantly feeling relieved and relaxed. All thoughts and worries about college had escaped my mind, leaving me to enjoy the moment and the memories the field had brought me. After a few minutes of tranquility, I stood up and decided that only one place would help me in my time of need. With a last glance at the field, I crawled through the opening and rejoined the real world. Weaving through crowds of freshman, groups of sophomores and throngs of juniors, I made my way to the Career Center to get help on organizing my life.

At the beginning of my senior year, it seemed like baseball would be inconsequential in my journey to applying for college. I was afraid it would become a distraction made for a time and a day when finding a university didn't occupy my every waking moment. In the past month, I hadn't watched a more than a game a week. My days were filled with AP homework, college prep books and meetings with counselors that provided no help or hope. I had overlooked my baseball life in attempts to prepare for the most nervewracking months of my life, getting ready for college applications and admissions essays, reccomendation letters and scholarship searches. My life had become a place devoid of the greatest passion of my exsistence and filled with panic aimed at what was yet to come. My little adventure to the baseball field made me realize that shutting out the things I loved and overanalyzing my college situation would only bring about many bitter moments surrounded by panic attacks like the one I had experienced on Thursday. With that fact in mind, I set aside my college search and went to the baseball game Friday night, fully hoping I would be able to set aside my worries and allow myself to enjoy the game with the fervor I usually possess.

I didn't realize applying for college would have such an impact on the stability of my heart. Being at the Coliseum last night helped me rationalize and put my situation into perspective. While I was watching the game, I became conscious of the fact that I would drive myself to the point of insanity withing two more weeks if I didn't stop worrying so much and start asking for help when things seemed too stressful. I understood that even though I was working so hard right now, eventually it would all pay off. And you know what? I know I'm intended to do great things. College is just a step on the way to my destiny. :)

This was just a long diversion from my essay. How exciting.

DLD. August Fourteenth. Yeahhhh :)

GreenNGoldGirl — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 17:20:24 -0000

HAPPY AUGUST FOURTEENTH!!!!!!

Today is the 226th day of the year. Happy birthday to...

Cupid Childs, Paul "Daffy" Dean, some guy named Steve Martin, hot stuff Halle Berry, baseball player Juan Pierre, soccer player Jared Borgetti, and this other dude named Magic Johnson.

In the United States, today is National Creamsicle Day. Forget the diet. Have a Creamsicle :)

Yankees' Rizzuto Dies at 89

Rizzuto, known as "The Scooter," was the oldest living Hall of Famer. He played for the Yankees throughout the 1940s and '50s, won seven World Series titles and played in five All-Star games.

"Phil was a gem, one of the greatest people I ever knew. A dear friend and great teammate," said Hall of Famer Yogi Berra, who frequently visited Rizzuto in his later years.

"He was a heck of a player, too. When I first came up to the Yankees, he was like a big actually, small brother to me. He's meant an awful lot to baseball and the Yankees and has left us with a lot of wonderful memories," he said.

At 5-foot-6, Rizzuto was a flashy player who could always be counted on for a perfect bunt, a nice slide or a diving catch in a lineup better known for its cornerstone sluggers. He played 13 seasons alongside the likes of Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle in a career interrupted by Navy service in World War II.

Man gets mad at ex, castrates cat

EUGENE, Ore. - A man who was frustrated with his ex-girlfriend took his anger out on her cat by castrating it with a box cutter, Eugene police said. erry Caswell, 31, was arrested and charged with multiple counts stemming from the incident.

Caswell was angry at his ex-girlfriend for not coming to his house Friday night. So Caswell drugged her cat "Romeo" with human medication and then castrated it with a box cutter.

Man Tries to Take Crocs, Snakes on Plane

CAIRO, Egypt - It was very nearly a real-life version of "Snakes on a Plane." A man was stopped at Cairo's airport just moments before he boarded a Saudi Arabia-bound plane with carry-on bags filled with live snakes, as well as a few baby crocodiles and chameleons.

Security officials became suspicious of the 22-year-old Saudi man's bags when the X-ray machine at the departure gate gave odd readings. Police said they opened the bags and found a large number of reptiles, including at least one cobra, squirming to escape.

Hey. The 49ers lost.

Teacher Resigns After Porn Star Date.

Woman Finds Skull in Auction Purchase

Travis Buck is a hot-ass psycho.

Meyer wants to prove the wait was worth it

Regarding the Tim Hudson trade, Dan Meyer has something to say.

"I'm still left," he said.

Who can blame Meyer for feeling a little pride for being recalled from Triple-A Sacramento on Monday? Not only did he outlast Juan Cruz and Charles Thomas - the other players acquired in the December 2004 trade that sent Hudson to Atlanta - but he overcame shoulder surgery, rehabbed the entire offseason and posted the third-lowest ERA in the Pacific Coast League.

I don't know about you, but the italics bug the crap outta me.

Anyway, dump. :)

DLD 8-8-07: not MORE on him...

GreenNGoldGirl — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 16:55:31 -0000

Welcome to August 8th, 2007. On this day in...

1908 - Wilbur Wright makes his first flight at a racecourse at Le Mans, France. It's the Wright Brothers' first public flight and the French public goes wild.
...
1974 - Watergate scandal: U.S. President Richard Nixon announces his resignation, effective the next day.
...
1988 - The lights are turned on at Wrigley Field for the first time, making it the last major league stadium to host night games

Barry Bonds anyone?

Just in case you've been living under a rock, Barry Bonds hit 756 yesterday.

I thought it was funny that the baseball was caught by a dude from New York (Mets fan) who was in San Francisco on a layover on his way to Australia.

And at least Barry Zito was happy they weren't talking about his mediocre start.

There. No more now.

In other news...

Airline asks, 'Is that a monkey in your ponytail?'

Apparently, a man hid a monkey in his hair.

A passenger who originally departed from Lima, Peru, and connected in Fort Lauderdale had been hiding the small monkey in his ponytail, under his hat, according to Spirit Airlines spokeswoman Alison Russell.

During the flight, the monkey crawled out of its hiding spot, forcing the owner to hold it in his hands, where the unexpected visitor was soon spotted by fellow passengers and crew members, Russell said.

That's really pretty funny.

A-Rod plunked, Clemens tossed, but Yankees still roll

Rodriguez was hit on his left leg by a pitch from Toronto's Josh Towers during the New York Yankees' 9-2 victory over the Blue Jays on Tuesday night, and Clemens plunked Alex Rios in the middle of his back.

Benches and bullpens emptied twice after Rodriguez was hit in the third inning. Clemens and Yankees manager Joe Torre were ejected by plate umpire Angel Hernandez after Rios was hit by the first pitch of the seventh. Clemens and Torre likely will be suspended.

In a way, I wish we had that kind of excitement in an A's game. Blah.

Wrongfully deported California man found

A U.S. citizen who was wrongly deported in May was found at a border crossing and could be reunited with his family soon, an American Civil Liberties Union spokesman said Tuesday.

Pedro Guzman, 29, has been in Los Angeles County sheriff’s custody since being detained over the weekend in Calexico, just across the border from Mexicali, Mexico, ACLU Southern California spokesman Michael Soller said.

He was expected to attend a hearing Tuesday where he could be released to his family, Soller said.

I laughed for about an hour after I read this for more reasons that one. My friends always joke about me getting deported because I'm Mexican, and they're always like, "Too bad you were born here." They're gonna have a field day when they find out.

Release of Anna Nicole Tape Blocked

judge has issued a temporary restraining order that prevents the release of a 1994 videotape documenting a breast augmentation surgery for Anna Nicole Smith.

Superior Court Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff granted the order Friday at the request of Smith's former attorney and executor of her will, Howard K. Stern. The injunction prevents the sale, distribution or dissemination of the videotape.

In court documents, first obtained by CelebTV.com, Stern accused Gerald Wayne Johnson, the Texas doctor who performed the surgery, of sending a tape showing the procedure to Thomas Riccio, a Los Angeles-based memorabilia dealer. Stern claims the surgery was taped without the former model's consent.

Go go Anna!!! Even though she's gone, she's still here.

Woman's ashes sold at yard sale

A New York state woman who was quick with the bargains at her rummage sale mistakenly accepted 50 cents for a ceramic turtle with the ashes of her husband's previous wife inside.

Now, Anita Lewis is desperately searching for the buyer who said she planned to use the urn as a cookie jar.

How effed up is that??

Pencil lodged in woman's head for 55 years

woman who had a pencil lodged in her head for 55 years after a childhood accident has finally had most of it removed, which should end her chronic headaches and nosebleeds, her doctor said Tuesday.

Margaret Wegner was 4 when she fell while carrying the 3.15-inch pencil, which went through her cheek and into her brain.

"It bored right through the skin and disappeared into my head," Wegner, now 59, told Germany’s best-selling newspaper, Bild. "It hurt like crazy."

Oh dear Albert Pujols...

Anyway, dump. I know I won't be hearing much of anything since I'm in the city all day, so let's talk :)

D.L.D.8.4.0.7 :)

GreenNGoldGirl — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 14:49:01 -0000

WOO HOO!!!! FINALLY!!! :) Hopefully someone doesn't post a DLD before I post mine. I think I'd cry.

Ladies and Gentlemen, today is August 4, 2007.

In a day of milestones, Tom Seaver of the Chicago White Sox becomes the 17th pitcher to win 300th career games and Rod Carew of the California Angels becomes the 16th player ever to collect 3000 career hits. Seaver pitches the White Sox to a 4–1 six-hit victory on Phil Rizzuto Day at Yankee Stadium as 54,032 New Yorkers cheer him on, while Carew bloops a single to left off Frank Viola in the 3rd inning of the Angels 6–5 win over the Twins. It marks the only day in which two men reach these two milestones on the same day. Phil Rizzuto was knocked down by 'Huckleberry' the "Holy Cow" during the pregame salute.

linklink

Happy Birthday to Dylan and Cole Sprouse!!

Oh, happy birthday to some guys named Jeff Gordon, Roger Clemens, Barack Obama and Billy Bob Thornton.

We'll start with some A's headlines.

A's steal Guerrero's thunder for a night
SF Chronicle

Vladimir Guerrero and his rejuvenated bat nearly sent the A's tumbling to another defeat Friday night - and then he helped propel them to victory with a wayward throw.

Guerrero crushed two home runs, just as he did a night earlier, but the A's happily turned this power display into a footnote. They rallied for five runs in the eighth inning, aided by a Guerrero throwing error, to earn an 8-4 victory over the Angels before 21,552 spectators at the Coliseum.

But, unfortunately, as I screamed in anger, remembering what happened the last time this happened, our very own Kurt Suzuki was a victim of the Angels pitching staff.

The win came at a cost: Catcher Kurt Suzuki was hit by a Scot Shields pitch during the decisive rally and will have X-rays on his right hand today. Manager Bob Geren had an animated conversation with plate umpire Ed Rapuano while Suzuki tried to shake off the pain - clearly remembering Bobby Crosby's broken hand on an inside pitch against the Angels on July 24 - but Geren later said he did not think Shields intentionally hit Suzuki.

EEK!!! That's all we need. Another injury. Number 20? Hopefully NOT.

Big inning proves difference in A's win
A's Official Website

Speaking of injuries...

Left side of the infield left without Chavez

The A's finally surrendered to Eric Chavez's back spasms Friday and placed the third baseman on the 15-day disabled list. The move is retroactive to July 27 -- Chavez already had missed the team's previous seven games -- so he will be eligible to return one week from today.

It seemed curious for the A's to wait so long to put Chavez on the DL, but manager Bob Geren said the club hoped he would recover sooner rather than later. By Friday, it became abundantly clear Chavez's back was not improving, so the A's summoned infielder J.J. Furmaniak from Triple-A Sacramento.

I bet everyone is happy that Furmaniak came up :)

In other news, this lady just had her 17th kid.

An Arkansas family has just expanded to 17 children.

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar welcomed their seventh daughter into the world Thursday.

Jennifer Danielle weighed 8 pounds, 8 ounces.

Thirty minutes later, the Duggars were talking about having number eighteen.

All the children's names start with the letter J. They're home-schooled and range in age from 19 right down to the newborn.

I'm not even going to say anything. That's just a nightmare.

Vets set to put down seven-legged lamb

lamb with seven legs was born in New Zealand but so badly deformed that it was to be destroyed, a local newspaper reported.

The lamb was born with an extra set of front legs and three back legs, the Ashburton Guardian newspaper, at Ashburton on the South Island, reported.

Farmer Dave Callaghan found the lamb in his field. Two of its legs hung useless behind the forelegs. The lamb walked using its two forelegs and three healthy hind legs.

Poor lamb :(

Living, breathing Harry Potter weathers storm

Sometimes it’s a hassle being Harry Potter.

Especially when you’re a 78-year-old man who happens to share the name of a certain fictional boy wizard who is famous the world over.

Each time a new Harry Potter book or movie comes out, Bradenton resident Harry Potter starts getting phone calls from children, interview requests from the TV networks and autograph requests.

"The kids want to know if I’m Harry Potter," he said with a chuckle. "I tell them I’ve been Harry Potter for darn near 80 years!"

THAT IS SO COOL. HIS NAME IS HARRY POTTER. I bet it's a pain in the butt, man :)

And guess what???

AN DAY TODAYYYYY!!!!!!

Dump.