I was sitting around on Wednesday with Max, deciding or not whether to go watch a movie. We flip the TV on to MTV, and lo and behold, Dismissed, one of those date elimination shows is on. I'm about to switch channels when I recognize the guy talking. "Hey isn't that (former NU basketballer) Geno Carlisle?" I ask Max, who would know because we lived on the same floor with Geno sophomore year. Next scene, the dude introduces himself as Geno, and there are clips of him shooting baskets to confirm it. "What the heck is Geno Carlisle doing on a dating show?" asks Max. Who knows, maybe D'wayne Bates will be on next.

Not much today. I'm off to Rhode Island. Have a good weekend!

ACK
This is why he wears a surgical mask.

Happy birthday to my dad! We stayed in for dinner and ate like kings (one of his favorite things to do). As I was running around during the day, picking up the cake and his gifts, I thought about how part of his purpose on this planet is me, in being my parent and being responsible for me. In a sense, I am justification for his life, which is a big thing to carry around with you. Not that I always think about it in that sort ofo magnitude. It does make me want to be a better person.

For all us Zoolander fans. Don't make fun of the 12-yr-olds.

Spent the rest of the night watching a rented Monsters, Inc. (really good) and looking through the extras on the Attack of the Clones DVD.

Robber Blinded by Own Mask Sent to Jail
For whatever reason I'm reminded of the "Peanuts Halloween" when Charlie Brown went as a ghost, but he cut too many holes in the sheet because he had "trouble with the eyes."

Was treated to dinner by the Derfman, and afterwards learned more about tea then I ever thought I'd know. Earlier in the day, got U2's The Best of 1990-2000 and Attack of the Clones in the mail as belated birthday presents. So a pretty good day.

Here's the list of 50 places to see before you die I blogged about yesterday.

Todd Watermann, is this you?

So you want to learn Japanese...
...then you should talk to my buddy David first.

Largest Meteor Shower of the 21st Century to Light Up Mid-November Sky
A once-in-a-century space event will create a virtual storm of meteors over North America Nov. 18 and 19. Cool.

Freak Watchers Textbook
This one's a keeper. In related news, Manute Bol is to join the CHL's Indianapolis Ice minor league hockey team. A secondary career for Yao Ming exists. Why didn't he try out football? I've had a pet theory that every football team should carry a really tall guy just to come in and block field goals. Who better than Manute to do that, and he would actually give his team a competitive edge.

Top places to see before you die
Grand Canyon? Been there. Australia's Great Barrier Reef is a good choice. But Disney World? Please. Personally, I'd want to see more of Europe. Wine country in Italy, the parts of Greece right on the Mediterranean, the Alps. I'd definitely want to visit Jerusalem some time. Where would you want to go? I wouldn't want to go anywhere near THIS.

I'm hobbling around doing the "old man walk," where I take little baby steps because I can't bend my legs much. Maybe this is why we play football every other week.

Deer hunting goes high-tech
GPS? Laser-calibrated rifles? Where's the challenge in "hunting" deer? You should call it shooting deer. And it reminds me of that Simpsons episode where Homer, Barney and Moe take Bart out deer hunting because they're afraid he might turn gay. To which Bart responds "Bunch of guys out in the woods, all alone? Sounds pretty gay to me." Ha.

Comingsoon.net is a great place for movie trailers. It'd be more useful to me if I wasn't on the mighty dial-up connection.

I want to run out and get the Platinum edition LOTR DVD. Soon. Very soon. I might be running out of cash, but I have to get that. Helps to have Best Buy gift cards.

A belated thanks to veterans on Veterans' Day. Commemoration of war veterans makes me think of Abraham Lincoln's letter to Mrs. Bixby (which was quoted beautifully in Saving Private Ryan), especially "...that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom."

For you work slackers, try out Ghostzilla. Although it does seem more work than it's worth.

Jennifer Lopez Announces Engagement to Ben Affleck
Breaking the hearts of black men everywhere. Well, I guess not just the black men. First Ed Norton, now this. Well PLLAAAAAYYYEDDD.

Jack McCracken Fights Dirty is only maybe marginally funny, but I like the picture on the opening page. Who knows why I laugh at this stuff. I never got into a fight at school (probably because I was quiet, which draws no attention, and Asian, which gives me no natural advantage in a fight) but there were plenty of times I'd wish to knock the snot out of somebody.

Check out PopCult Magazine. As in short for "popular culture," not "Branch Davidians."

I just had a 2 hour conversation with my brother. Who knew that we had that much to talk about? I mean, you figure you know everything after being brothers for 18 years or so.

ESPN.com: MLB - Red Sox hire Bill James as advisor
Good news that the Demigod of Baseball statheads finally is getting a shot at the big leagues. For one thing, there'll be a lot less throwing away of $7 million at stiffs like Darren Oliver.

I took a lot of pride in coming up with nicknames at my previous office. The Work Nickname Generator will in no way endanger anyone, who, like me, enjoyed coming up with the perfect handle.