SB Nation User Blog: RemorsefulBruinBabe

The Grease Factor

RemorsefulBruinBabe — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 21:43:30 -0000

Ever since Jahvid Best joined our Sturdy (cough cough) Golden Bears, I have been convinced of something I call The Grease Factor. That is, the secret behind Best's "slipperiness" (he's just so slippery! or at least he was.) is that Tedford greases him up before each game. It makes perfect sense, really. Cover him in grease, and nobody will be able to catch him!

[insert well-crafted highlights video here. aka: use your imaginations.]

I'm serious, guys. I really think he is greased up. His arms usually look pretty shiny, and sure that could be sweat, but I am convinced that it is grease. Perhaps vegetable oil.

Don't believe me? That is understandable. I hardly believe me. But folks, I have photographic evidence.

via lh4.ggpht.com

Best being greased up. You'll just have to trust me that it was Best, because it is basically impossible to simultaneously do a closeup of the grease-action on his legs and show his jersey or face. Please ignore the crappy picture quality.

Ok, ok, the TV announcer said that they were "icing" his knees. But is sure looked like they were greasing him up! Of course they had to say it was ice...we wouldn't want to give away any of the secrets to our success, would we? Um, just imagine I'm saying this two games ago when we had success. Seriously though, if Tedford really was covering Jahvid Best with grease (animal fat? EVOO?), it's not like we would want everyone to know. Then the other teams would start developing special sawdust-covered gloves, or football arm sleeves covered in friction-inducing-anti-grease bumps. You know they would. Because oh boy, the threat we pose. (just kidding! love you, bears!)

But fine. What if the announcer was telling the truth? What if it was, in fact, mere bits of frozen water that were being rubbed all over those capable legs? That would certainly explain his lack of slipperiness at this game (was he "iced" instead of "greased" in Oregon as well?).

The real question: Why did we switch to ice? BRING BACK THE GREASE, TEDFORD! Best just wants to run (it's what he does...best)!

Obviously, I believe that the only reason we haven't been playing well is because Best is not as slippery as he used to be. Obviously, my theories are bulletproof. It has nothing to do with Cutiepie Riley or Cuddlybear Tepper or any of the other Bears for whom I do not have nicknames.

The moral of the story? There is none. Only that I was unnaturally excited to see the greasing in action. CBKWit, I was right. So there.

Poll

Am I crazy?

Nah, you're cute! And funny! And you totally know everything about football!

14 votes

You know nothing about football, but you're not crazy. The Grease Factor is totally legit.

3 votes

Yeah, you are completely nuts.

6 votes

This post makes me wish FanPosts weren't allowed. I just wasted precious minutes of my life reading this crap.

5 votes

28 votes | Poll has closed

I'm shaping up to be quite a geek.

RemorsefulBruinBabe — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 23:29:41 -0000

Remember all those cool tech-type things I told you about last week? No? Go back and read this.

Now that you've justified my existence on this blog by boosting my post's pageviews, here's one more fun little webthing...since I know you CGB Readers are of a competitive nature...

College Football Trends

Google tracks how many people subscribe to each team's calendar, and displays them in a lovely little graph.

Cal is currently at #17 (last updated on September 10, 2009). Nope, I didn't include a picture because it was too big, and I am too lazy busy.

Not super-thrilling piece of game-related-techstuff, but I thought I'd pass it along.

Best Fanpost Ever? YEAH!

Google Tips for Gameday!

RemorsefulBruinBabe — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 22:40:58 -0000

Hey CGB readers! What a game last weekend! Riley was supercute (as usual), and Anger kicked the ball so hard! Yeah! Go Bears! (Ok, CBKWit's recap may be a little more detailed than mine)

Anyway, Google has a couple of great college football-related things going on right now, and I thought I'd share 'em with the CGB community.

College Football Calendar - If you use Google Calendar (and I sure do), you will find this very, very handy. You can subscribe to the calendars of your favorite teams (in virtually ANY sport), and the schedules will appear in your calendar list. But that's not all, folks! It appears with a cute little football icon (baseball icon for baseball, etc)! I know, this is more than enough to push you over the edge of excitement. I mean, a cute little football icon! Who could ask for more? Oh, you want more? Well, howzabout if that calendar entry updated the score for you in realtime? Yeah, I thought so. Badass.

via 3.bp.blogspot.com
Google Earth KML's for college football stadiums - If you use Google Earth (I'll admit, I only use it occasionally), and you're a fan of college sports, you'll love this. 3D visuals of the stadiums. Here's an example from the Google LatLong Blog post. Perfect for reliving those glory days, now that you're all grown up...especially if you can't make it to the game in person.
via 4.bp.blogspot.com
Google Scoreboard for Android - I haven't used this, as I do not have an Android (or even an iPhone - gasp!), but I've heard it's pretty good.

via androinica.com

If you do a Google Search for "California Golden Bears Football" you get a nice little link to add a gadget to your iGoogle page...it looks like this:

California Golden Bears Football (1-0)

- Add to iGoogle

Last game: Sep 5, California Golden Bears 52 - Maryland Terrapins 13

Next game: vs. Eastern Washington Eagles, Sep 12 5:30pm ET

Those are the four I know about for now...if you've heard of any others, feel free to let me know!

2009 Women's Huddle Roundtable

RemorsefulBruinBabe — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 04:14:48 -0000

2009 Women's Huddle Roundtable
Participants: BearBallCarrier, Calnet, Kittwin, OskiWeeWee, RemorsefulBruinBabe

Note from RemorsefulBruinBabe: I have tried for the last two hours to adjust the formatting so the captions will be centered under the photos. Even with Engineer Troatie's help, and after two hours of "playing" with html, it still won't work. SBN, you need an alignment button in your Visual View. Or you need to make your HTML View work for me. Thanks. Anyway, ignore the fact that the captions are all left-aligned, but please revel in the glory that is center-alignment for photos!

Without Further Ado...

It's the day we Cal women look forward to every year: The Women's Huddle! On July 31, 2009, we all made our way up to Memorial Stadium to mingle with the players, coaches, and staff of the Cal Bears. It's the best $35 you'll ever spend: all you can eat, drink, and ogle! Plus a free t-shirt! Read on for our roundtable review of the 2009 Women's Huddle. (And check out our 2008 post for a review of last year's festivities.) Go Bears!

RemorsefulBruinBabe: Overall, this year was a teensy bit mellower than last year, but there was still plenty of debauchery to go around. I appreciated the addition this year of the players hanging out in the pre-huddle eating and drinking area, even if they did take up half of the tables. Hey guys, what happened to chivalry? Stand up and give your seats to the ladies! We took advantage of the try-on-a-uniform station, and wriggled in and out of the jerseys with ease. Mostly. One large hot dog (that's what she ate), a piece of chorizo quesadilla, a large chocolate-dipped cookie, and oh yeah, 5 glasses of wine later, it was time to hit the field!

Your 2009 Golden Bears: Kittwin, BearBallCarrier, RemorsefulBruinBabe, OskiWeeWee, Calnet

OskiWeeWee: Don't forget little Golden Bear Proudfoot holding the football! :)

Kittwin: Getting into Memorial Stadium was an adventure in and of itself this year! Kind of like a rat maze, with the reward being food, wine, and football players! One thing I felt was lacking this year was a chance to really talk with the players--the drills go by sooo quickly and only Fullback Brian Holley showed up at the post-Huddle reception. Breaking up the big circles of football players at those tables would have been a good thing! I know some of the ladies went up to them anyway, but I didn't have the courage. And I may have been too busy getting chardonnay refills!

Calnet: I thought the try-on-a-uniform station was fun. And at least a few players actually mingled with the ladies. Offensive Lineman Mike Tepper in particular really seemed to make an effort to talk to people. There was a big contrast between him, surrounded by ladies in the middle of the room, and the tables of players keeping to themselves off in the corner.

BearBallCarrier: This was my first time putting on the pads and jersey. Pretty sweet. I went for the darker color, more slimming! I wished I had mingled more with the players at the beginning. But my liquid courage didn't kick in till Sauvignon Blanc #4.

OskiWeeWee: My first time too! Luckily, jerseys can fit over pregnant bellies. Back to Tepper... he is a sweetheart. I friended him on Facebook last year after the huddle, and he actually started a Facebook chat with me! He learned that I worked for CAA and attempted to attend the Emerald Bowl tailgate party, texting me asking for directions and such. Luckily for me, he didn't make it. :D (sidenote: tailgate was a disaster!)

Kittwin: Tepper is great! Glad to see him back in action this year--at the Huddle and soon on the field as well! His pecs look fully recovered to me! I also did a tactile inspection, as you can see by the photo below. I'm no doctor, but I think he's good to play!

We love us some Tepper!

OskiWeeWee: The Huddle was different for me this year because I was completely sober at 6 1/2 months pregnant. Besides not imbibing, I didn't participate in most of the drills, but watched and took pictures. I probably should have paid more attention to the football part, but that didn't happen. ;)

BearBallCarrier: Well, my camera only took 130 pics! Seems awfully low by huddle standards, but I might have done more of the drills this year. It was pretty sweet that other huddlers recognized us from the post from last year. We are Huddle famous! I think I'd like to claim Brian Holley as my fake BF this year. Totally cute pics with him. I got my football signed by a lot of the players, but in my "fuzzy" state ended up getting most of the sharpie on myself, and all over the ball. If only I could remember more...refresh my memory!

Does this refresh your memory of Brian Holley's tongue, BBC?

Kittwin: The pictures definitely brought moments back to me! My camera took 406 pictures this year; down from 770 in 2008. Does that mean this year's Huddle was 42% less photo worthy?

OskiWeeWee: I only had 240 pics, which seems way low by Huddle standards. And, since I didn't do most of the drills, I should have taken more pictures. Oh well. Maybe we are getting old or something and didn't want to embarrass ourselves so thoroughly? Nah, that can't be it....

BearBallCarrier: Well, Zack Follett was missing this year. That's 20 pics right there! (Kittwin: True! And also no Alex Mack! So sad!) (BBC: DeCoud needs to jet out here from Atlanta next year too!)

OskiWeeWee: Oh, also don't forget that we didn't visit Tedford's office (he was in there, wtf!) or the equipment room (jerseys haven't arrived yet since we are sort of a week early) this year. That's at least 100 pictures per camera!

RBB: I took zero pictures, because I figured there would be 1,000 pictures from you ladies...and it looks like I was right! I did a lot of participating as well...I think there was less fawning over the players this year--maybe because last year was my first year and the novelty had (slightly, only slightly) worn off? Maybe because I wasn't drinking wine straight out of the bottle during the drills this year? Maybe because it finally hit me that these ~~guys~~ kids are like, 18 years old? Ok, so maybe some of them are 21, and yes, they're still legal...but wow they are totally still in college. I think I'm too young to be a cougar.

OskiWeeWee: Never too old or too young or too pregnant to be a cougar, I say. Me-ow.

Kittwin: Can we get beyond this whole cougar thing? Having PG-rated fun with hot football players does not make any of us cougars! Personally, the only thing I was downright predatory over was the chardonnay! And that was flowing in such abundance it was like shooting fish in a barrel.

A wine predator in action!

RBB: I was more of a Sauvingnon Blanc Predator myself! Anyway, on to the football! I missed the "push the sled" station with the offensive line this year--bring it back next year, oh Huddle-planners who totally read this blog! I also missed the "tackling" station. But hey, it's not every day that Quarterback Kevin Riley laughs at your toe thumbs as you try in vain to hold a football! I did throw it over the practice net though--that's better than making it in one of the holes, right? ;-)

Riley has a proposition for us all: Get a grip, girls!

Calnet: Of course! At least, it is definitely better than throwing the ball under the net like I did. Anyway, I didn't mind being terrible at throwing, since I got to ask Riley for tips.

OskiWeeWee: Just the tip?

RBB: That's what she said. (Still funny!)

Kittwin: Ahem, ladies! Did we like Riley's hair better this year--the emo Caesar--or last year--the soft buzz cut?

Which Riley hairstyle reigns supreme?

BearBallCarrier: Definitely last year. And the adorable band-aid!

Calnet: Yeah, I vote buzz cut. But I don't think these pictures accurately show how cute he is in person (unless the wine goggles ruined my judgement). (OskiWeeWee: nope, they didn't!)

RBB: I think Riley lost weight--he looked leaner this year to me.

OskiWeeWee: Riley is adorable every year. Hands off my fake boyfriend, ladies!

Kittwin: Riley gets us all riled up! Haha, I slay me!

BearBallCarrier: I think what makes the event so much fun is how much we get to mingle with the players and all the hands-on drills. I mean, after four huddles I still can't explain the nickel defense to you, but I have countless good times to remember. We are afforded this inside look at a world we usually just cheer for from high up in the stands. Every year we discover new blood, and we cheer for them even louder when they make it on that field. Safety Sean Cattouse is a perfect example of that from last year.

Kittwin: Totally, I would never have known to root for Cattouse if not for last year's Huddle. And it was so great to see him all grown up this year! He really looked like a football player! But he still has that sweetheart smile.

RBB: Agreed! Last year, he earned the nickname Cattouse Caboose, but this year I barely noticed his caboose at all! He was really friendly and I think I remember what he was teaching us? Something about bending over and running backwards? No? Ok, maybe there's a reason he got that nickname...

We love you Cattouse! And not just for your Caboose!

Kittwin: Cattouse taught us about ball scoopage. How to pop the ball loose and then scoop it up. Scoop those balls, ladies! Scoop!

BearBallCarrier: There is nothing I enjoy more. Duh!

Some Huddlers demo the "Pop and Scoop"

RBB: Bryan Anger was really helpful when I unsuccessfully tried to kick a field goal. Three times. I never got it more than 6 inches off the ground, but he patiently gave me tips to improve my kick.

Just kidding, Anger, we know this wasn't your fault!

Calnet: Anger was great! No wonder Tedford called him a puppy at Pac-10 Media Day. I didn't spend a lot of time taking pictures and chatting with the players (didn't want to miss any of the drills!) but I'm glad I made an effort to talk to Anger.

Kittwin: I totally scored a field goal this time! Woot! It was the highlight of my Huddle career! OskiWeeWee makes them every year--even 6.5 months preggos--but I've never even come close! Until 2009! It may have been a line drive that barely cleared the crossbar, but it still counts. Now I know what the kickers feel when they accomplish this feat. Like me, in that moment, times a thousand! I'd like to thank Bryan Anger and OskiWeeWee for making this happen!

OskiWeeWee: Props to Kittwin for joining the field goal kicking team. RBB, that attempt at kicking a field is just sad. I'm going to have to hold my own clinic next year...

It's not just her baby who can kick!

Calnet: I am jealous! The kicking station was my favorite, even though all of my kicks went below the crossbar. The wide receiver station was a close second--it was way fun running into the endzone (and watching everyone else do their victory dance).

BearBallCarrier: I seriously need help with kicking. I might have broken a (toe) nail. And I need Jahvid Best to choreograph me an endzone dance!

RBB: I liked learning about the 3-point stance and running at the blue thingies...I don't remember what it was all about, but I had fun pushing and running. I didn't like the one where we ran at the guys holding the blue pads as much--the guys were awesome (guy in the glasses? adorable!), but it kinda hurt my weak little wrists. (OskiWeeWee: At this point, RBB was heard saying "I'm just a dumb ol' Bruin..."--that's literally What She Said!)

Calnet: Yeah, I definitely don't have the upper body strength for all that shoving. I was surprised to find that my legs could handle all running and crouching, but my arms were sore the next day.

Kittwin: It was funny how, at several of the stations, they said we could use these techniques for self defense. Good to know, but I hope I don't have the occasion to try it!

"Defending" ourselves from the Blue Sleds of Evil Intent!

RBB: I missed most of the equipment/locker room station this year, because Calnet and I somehow got lost, going the wrong way around the belly of the stadium and popping accidentally into the Athletic Training station. Whoops! I blame the wine. Any highlights from the Locker Room?

OskiWeeWee: I missed most of it as well as I decided to take a long, relaxing bathroom break in the men's bathroom. Turns out a pregnant lady can get pretty tired by running around and acting like she's 25.

Kittwin: Umm, there was a demo on the two different types of shoulder pads. I got distracted by the awesome Gatorade dispenser--like four different colors of Gatorade! I had a glass of the blue.

BearBallCarrier: Go Blue! I skipped most of this and instead went to hunt for the gold "gatorade." No, not that kind. The white wine kind!

Calnet: Wait, I missed a Gatorade dispenser? At least I made it back in time for the training room. Most of the people in our group were preoccupied with asking about the hot tub at that station. But, now we know where to take OskiWeeWee if she goes into labor at the USC game.

OskiWeeWee: Yes, I had that cleared with the training room guy! He says the EMTs at the games are great and they could shoot me up with morphine pretty easily. Memorial Stadium baby, here we come!

Kittwin: He really did seem sincere about how easy it would be to deliver a baby at the stadium, which was hilarious! This was from the same guy who was so excited about not killing anyone last year.

RBB: I didn't run into a glass door this year, so I think the training room visit was a success! (OskiWeeWee: although you did think 2600 + 2400 = 5400...Silly Bruin!) (RBB: I was just repeating what Kittwin said! Guess I'm silly for parroting, anyway...) But hey, what happened to the station where they teach us about the recruiting/videos? I didn't pay enough attention last year, and I was looking forward to learning something!

OskiWeeWee: Basically, the room where the videos were shown last year is under construction this year. I hear they are constructing some kind of fancy new Student Athlete Performance Center--although I thought it was supposed to be completed already? Ha. Back to me...Baby Golden Bear Proudfoot got to lift a dumbbell, so that was pretty cool. Maybe a bored ZooNews can photoshop the weight stand/thingy out of the picture and some weights on to the ends of the pole so it actually looks like baby GB is doing the heavy lifting? ;)

It's the strongest fetus in the world!

Kittwin: The locker, training, and weight rooms are pretty interesting. But it's still all about the players and coaches for me! I thought the difference between the Huddle veterans and virgins was marked. The Huddle veterans were so much more relaxed and outgoing with us crazy ladies. I think they knew more what to expect, i.e., a drunken flurry of females. In fact, Tepper told us at the reception that he loves this event because "women get a little too inebriated, and after an enthusiastic group moves on to the next drill, we look at each other and say 'what just happened?!?'" For more of Tepper's views on the Huddle, check out his awesome blog.

OskiWeeWee: Yeah, I agree, they seemed to know the drill. The newbies thought they were actually going to teach us football plays or something. ;)

Calnet: As a huddle newbie myself, I can sympathize with the new players. No matter how many stories you hear beforehand, it is impossible to imagine the awesomeness of the huddle until you experience it for yourself.

Kittwin: Kudos to these Huddle veterans: Holley, Riley, Tepper, Cattouse, and Cornerback Darian Hagan. Also coaches Jeff Tedford (of course!), Bob Gregory, Ron Gould, Tosh Lupoi, and assistant Tag McCurdy. And to Director of Operations Mike McHugh, who does such a great job coordinating this event, despite being totally air horn happy!

OskiWeeWee: Mike is awesome, I have to give him major props. He lets me set up my own group, has us start on the field where I want, and for the last couple of years has done a private tour of Tedford's office (which always makes him super nervous). Thanks Mike! :)

Kittwin: We've talked about the veteran players a lot already here, because they are awesome! But I'd also like to highlight some Huddle newbies. For instance, both the linebacker and tight end stations were, somewhat sadly, filled with new blood. At tight end, we had #45 Spencer Ladner, he of the glorious platinum mane; #44 Tad Smith, the shaved head/dark goateed dude; and #89 Garry Graffort, the other shaved head/dark goateed dude. (Seriously, I didn't even know there were two of them until I looked back at the pictures.) These guys all did a great job lobbing us easy TD catches!

Tad Smith, who should be starting this year, gives us the "Tight End Experience"

TOUCHDOWN BEARS!

BearBallCarrier: I'm pretty sure it was the first huddle experience for Tyson Alualu as well. (#44 is my favorite number too!) Pretty sweet score for the ladies. Love the hair! He can tackle me any day.

OskiWeeWee: When the players announced themselves at the beginning, I think he got the biggest ovation from the crowd. He's definitely a fan favorite.

Kittwin: I was excited to see Alualu for sure! He's so dreamy! Nice smile and such big hands! (I don't know how those two things go together necessarily...) Also, he was at the pushing-the-blue-sled-dummies station, which was one of my favorites.

Alualu = Adorable in Hawaiian!

OskiWeeWee: How long is this blog already? Are people still reading? Have we lost everyone except for Twist who reads every inch of this blog approximately every 10 seconds? Don't we have some fancy awards to give or something? Kittwin, help us!!

Kittwin: Okay! Last year we rated a lot of the players on a cuteness scale from 1 to 10. So shallow! So 2008! This year, we've given out some awards. Based on a very complicated set of parameters. And similar in prestige to the Heisman trophy.

OskiWeeWee: Phew! Another awesome Huddle. Next year, I plan to win the wine-drinking contest and have someone else drive me home! (BBC: Not it!)

Kittwin: Only ~359 days until the 2010 Women's Huddle! I can't wait! Good thing we have the 2009 football season to tide us over. Go Bears! Beat the Terps!

Calnet: Go Bears! I cannot recommend this event enough. I had an amazing time and I am already planning on coming back every year. Forever.

BearBallCarrier: Seriously, this is still the best event around. It combines my many loves: Cal, football, wine, endless yards of ankle tape, and boys. You can't ask for much more. Can't wait for Huddle 2010! Go Bears! Kick some butt in 2009!

RemorsefulBruinBabe: Thanks again to Mike McHugh and his team for another awesome Huddle. Thanks to CGB reader Troatie for helping me with some late-night coding to make sure these photos are beautifully centered, even if the captions still wouldn't work. ;-) And a big thanks to you, for reading our humble recap. If you've gotten this far, we have a special treat for you (sort of)!

For your pleasure, please enjoy these anonymous quotes:

"Red meat and whole milk. Get him big!"

"I'm not going to open my mouth."

"It's not only a football lesson, but a life lesson."

"In and out, that's how you got there."

"You're like a bolt of lightning!"

"Just bend over and throw it between your legs."

"Don't want it too hard, don't want it too soft."

"We're going to start fast and finish strong."

So, so true. Roll On You Bears...

How Do You Pick Your Picks?

RemorsefulBruinBabe — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 16:35:46 -0000

On the morning of this Saturday of Madness, I have been wondering how everyone creates their brackets.

Yes, I am still pretty much in last place at this point, having only correctly picked 17/32 games so far. Yes, the only people doing worse than I am at this point are RollOnYouBears667 and mikeA. Yes, the only reason I am doing better than they are is the simple fact that they did not submit brackets. No, I am not seeing a huge comeback in my future.

But hey, Obama and I picked the same team to win the NCG, so I feel somewhat validated. Even though I am pretty sure I picked them because I thought "Tar Heels" was a funny name.

So...inform me. How do you make your picks? (pics?) (pix?) (pickx?) Poll below.

Poll

How do you Pick your Picks?

I perform agonizing research, analyzing the previous season/s of each team, player strengths/weaknesses/injuries, etc.

3 votes

I spend just enough time reviewing the teams to have a decent idea of their histories so I can make an educated guess.

11 votes

I use a haphazard method of picking, using whatever criteria I want (player cuteness, team colors, funny mascots, schools I've heard of) to determine my choices for the outcomes.

4 votes

I pretty much just close my eyes and throw a dart. There is absolutely no method to my madness.

1 votes

What are you talking about? I don't know what "NCAA Bracket" means.

1 votes

20 votes | Poll has closed

RemorsefulBruinBabe Enters The Ring. Does She Know What She's Doing?

RemorsefulBruinBabe — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 18:58:32 -0000

I wrote about this on my blog, but I thought I'd reshare here as a fan post for those of you who (aka all of you) who don't read my little blog. I don't know anything about this Bracket Tournament thing, or about picking teams or anything like that, but I do know when I like a school's mascot or team name. Or when someone I know has gone to that school. Or when 99% of users have picked a school. So read on, if you want a completely ignorant explanation of who I think is going to win this thing.

Note: I only wrote in detail about MidWest because I didn't realize how many "categories" (divisions? regions?) there were when I started writing, and it took way too long. I don't understand how it works...or why UCLA is in the "East" but Connecticut is in the "West" - seriously, what is that about? Someone please explain!

If you have any questions about my picks in the other "sections," just ask. I'll gladly explain myself. Just know that the answer you get will probably sound something like the justifications you are about to read. Think you can guess why I picked certain schools over others? Leave your guesses in the comments...

After the break are my picks, and my reasons for picking. Enjoy!

First Round (taking place March 20):

Louisville Cardinals vs. AL. St./Morehead St. - I choose Louisville Cardinals because I don't understand the AL St./Morehead St. thing (do they still not know which team is going to play?), and because my little sister played for a T-ball team called the Cardinals when she was little.
Ohio St. Buckeyes vs. Siena Saints - I choose Siena Saints because my little "niece" is named Sienna, and because I don't really care about the Buckeyes.
Utah Utes vs. Arizona Wildcats - I choose the Utes because I like saying it. Utes! Go Utes! Uterriffic!
Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs. Cleveland St. Vikings - I choose the Vikings, mostly because the description on Yahoo says "Pillage, plunder, steal - that's what the Vikings do best." And I thought it was funny. Also, my friend's dad is a Deacon (a real one), and I don't think he would appreciate a team that associated Deacons with Demons. Even if the two words do *sort of* rhyme (...with a great deal of artistic license).
West Virgina Mountaineers vs. Dayton Flyers - I choose the Mountaineers. The Flyers' description says they are "defensively lopsided" - that doesn't sound good. I'm picturing a bunch of guys hopping up and down the court with one leg shorter than the other...
Kansas Jayhawks vs. N Dakota St. Bison - I choose the Kansas Jayhawks because their mascot is awesome. What a funny little bird!
Boston Coll. Eagles vs. U$C Trojans - I choose Boston College! Even if U$C is good at basketball, I just can't root for the Trojans. Plus, Becka and Josh went to Boston College, so I root for them whenever I can.
Michigan St. Spartans vs. Robert Morris Colonials - I choose the Spartans because the Spartans were my junior high school mascot. Also because "Robert Morris Colonials" is a really awkward name for a team.

Second Round (March 22):

Louisville vs. Siena: I choose the Louisville Cardinals because of this line in the description: "To use a horse racing analogy, the Cardinals are brimming with defensive Seabiscuits." Nice!
Utes vs. Vikings: I choose the Utes, because like I said, I want to yell "Utes! Utes! Utes!" at some point. Also because their description says that "Australian import and Mountain West Player of the Year, Luke Neville, has feasted on opponents like a Great White Shark does chum." And y'all know that Great White Sharks feast on chum hardcore!
Mountaineers vs. Jayhawks: I choose the Jayhawks, because I still like that little bird they have as their mascot.
Eagles vs. Spartans: I choose the Eagles, again, because I like rooting for Boston College. They're really the only team besides Cal that I hear about on a consistent basis, and are therefore the only other team I have any information about.

Semifinals (March 27):

Louisville vs. Utah: I choose Louisville because 99% of users picked Louisville and those are intimidating stats. Sorry, Utes.
Boston College vs. Kansas: I choose Boston College for loyalty's sake, even though only 6% of users pick it. Sorry, Jayhawk, you're cute, but you're no Eagle.

Finals (March 29):

Boston College vs. Louisville: Why not? I'm going to choose Boston College. Their description says that "the wildly erratic Eagles have taken their fans on a metaphorical bungie jump," and I'm going to hope that they bungie jump to victory! Yeah, only 1% of users pick them, yeah, they may not make it to the end, but what the heck? I'm picking them! On the pure basis that they are the only school in the tournament that I know anything about! Go BC! Go Eagles! Go me!

So there you have it. I clearly know what I'm doing, and obviously have high hopes for my tournament picks. Think I'll win the Bracket Challenge?

my full bracket. click to enlarge.

What is CGB Talking About the Most? There's this new thing called Wordle, that I'm really liking....

RemorsefulBruinBabe — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:06:46 -0000

What is CGB Talking About the Most?

There's this new thing called Wordle, that I'm really liking. You can put in the URL of a website that has an RSS feed, and it takes all the words and makes the most frequently-used words bigger. It's cool.

Anyway, this is the Wordle image for CGB.

Quotable Quotes: Berkeley City Council Meeting

RemorsefulBruinBabe — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 17:41:01 -0000

As some (five) of you may know, I am dating the stunning specimen of a man known as CBKWit. And like any good woman, I stand by my man (giving all the love I can). Lately, my man had both bad and good times (sing it, Tammy), from the tree sitters and the long bo's to the continuously canceled city council meetings, and I've waited with two arms to cling to (this is the end of the "Stand By Your Man" references, I promise), as he blogs late into the night to bring you all the breaking news stories from the fault lines.

After reading his recent post about the world-changing city council meeting last week (and seeing that TwistNHook referenced a video of the event), I decided I had to check it out for myself.

Holy Christ. I had always thought the hippies in his stories were wild caricatures, highly exaggerated for comic effect. I was wrong. I was so, so, very wrong.

You can see it for yourself here, or read on for my favorite quotes. Many people were well-rehearsed, as if they had crafted their monologues and rehearsed at home ("time me, honey!"). Some just blathered on, somehow fortunate (for them, not for us) enough to have multiple minutes donated by their fellow hippies (minions).

Please note that I have edited for readability, but certainly not for content. Enjoy.

"The ZAB will recess! Respect contrary points of view!" (Mayor Bates

Zachary Running Wolf of the Black Feet Nation: "Know that the world is in flux, and that we need to look at the children...it's about the Seven Generations which my people live by. Anyone who wants to commit a hate crime, not only to the native people, but to the World War I vets and then as I spoke to the hate to the children, because our children are going to have to inherit the global warming...I'm ashamed to give these children the world right now. That's why I'm up in those trees." Oh, is that why? He went on to say, "Yeah, we are eating our own children right now." Um, ok buddy.

Raccoon Eyes of Cherokee native pride: "In our ways when the creator made us from the sacred time, creation time, first man first woman time, the creator made us all the holy people...I now approach you from a spiritual perspective...the idea basically being that this is a struggle for human and civil rights in Berkeley, California...remember to take, to remember, it's an honor and a prigilege to be an elected official and it is an honor and privilege to address you with our concerns." Huh?

Corner Brightman of United Native Americans Incorporated: "Look into your hearts and really look at the issue that is at hand...look into your hearts and do what's right...up there at that grove there is an Indian burial ground. it is proven, it is proven through a lot of different ways through western society that there is a burial ground up there, not to mention there is a fault line up there. what is going to happen the next time there is a huge earthquake...what is going to happen to all these people [that come to the stadium]? they're going to end up hurt and sick and dead." Because of the burial ground or the earthquake?

Peter Chranuf of himself: "I'm not here to ask anything to anyone that is beholden unto mammon. And to those within the sound of my voice, this is not a request, this is not a demand, but from on high a command that there will be the great general strife come this full moon, it will be a new tune. [something about farm labor "shutting it all down"] Those of you who are involved in maintaining the game of mammon, you will be found on the ground, on your knees, as the rest of this country within 40 days and 40 nights, of the Great American General Strike, for this is the time, and we are the power, and we are the flower, we are the awesome blossom. I have said it , it shall be so. aho." We are the awesome blossom? You mean like at Chili's? Aho!

Mayor Bates (wise man): "I should have said this at the outset, but you have to actually keep your remarks to the lawsuit. it's not open for any other topics at this point, ok?" you would think this would be obvious, but apparently not. Thanks for the all-too-necessary clarification, Batesy.

And finally, a poem (ish) from "Jim." I'm only posting quotes from the first approximately 1/10th of the meeting, but please forgive me. I'm at work, and there is just too much gold in this video for one woman to mine while pretending to file expense reports.

go bears, go bears, go bears. when the oaks are cut down - how many ohlone and native american graves will they unearthen with the caterpillar tractors? how many skeletal remains will they find? go bears, go bears, go bears. when the next big - um - loma prieta - erm - when the next big one hits on the hayward fault, how many students will be killed by falling debris and collapsed bleachers? go bears, go bears, go bears. and how many games will uc berkeley win, and how many games will uc berkeley lose between now and then? and how much does a football coach earn in comparison with a phd professor? go bears, go bears, go bears. cause at the in the end it's all about winning. go bears, go bears.

I think that just about says it all.