My old man and I have a pretty good system worked out now where we exchange CDs as soon as we get them. Thanks for today's music selections, dad: JJ Cale & Eric Clapton's "The Road to Escondido," and The Best of Randy Newman. So far, me likey.

"Short people got no reason..."

1. Not being able to use my NCG gift card. "New" movies don't count. Pssh.
2. Precipitation: Yesterday we had rain, freezing rain, and snow. Blech.
3. I Am Amway ads: Still? For real? Please go away.
4. Car issues: oil changed, light fixed, but now my tire pressure is low. Grr.
5. People waiting to buy PS3: I'm a nerd, but get a life, losers.

There's a lot of things on the agenda this weekend, but nothing is firmly in place right now. We've talked about seeing a movie this afternoon (I'm crossing my fingers for Casino Royale), but haven't decided for sure. There has been talk of going downtown for Silver Bells in the City tonight, but if the weather is anything like it was last night, that could get scrapped. Tomorrow is obviously the big OSU-UM game at 3:30, and like any red-blooded football fan, I'm really looking forward to watching that one on TV. The thing is, we have tentative plans to get together with some of Stef's friends for dinner at 5ish. I'm pretty sure the dinner will still happen, but the timing is up in the air right now. Personally, I'm gunning for a later time so I can watch the entire game, but I promised not to make a stink as long as we go out to a place that has the game on TV.

So yeah, who knows what we'll actually end up doing. Maybe everything I mentioned, maybe only some of it. Whatever we end up doing, I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun. Plus, next week is Thanksgiving, so ya gotta love time off for the holidays. Anyhoo, that's it for now. Have a good one!

Didya see that finish last night? Hoo boy! Drew Neitzel is the best skinheaded shrimp to run the floor for Michigan State since Scott Skiles. Man, I was really skeptical about what we might accomplish this season, but I have a newfound optimism after yeseterday's performance against Texas. Maryland won't be a cakewalk tonight after they dismantled St. Johns, but that win against the Horns was a huge step forward for this team.

GO GREEN!!

Michigan State fans take pride in their hatred of Michigan. I think we're pretty damn good at hating the Wolverines of Ann Arbor Community College, but man, I have to admit that Ohio State fans hate Michigan more than we do.

This exchange between a Buckeye and a Wolverine on Slate is hysterical. If you have some time, go give the whole thing a read. Here are some of my favorite excerpts:

Aaron (the Michigan fan): In many ways we are alike, but we are different in one critical respect: Ohio State fans are insane hooligans. Not all of them, of course. Not even most. But enough of them.

So, the interesting sociological question is: Why are Buckeye fans so insane?

I have two theories. The first is that the Michigan-Ohio State game is more important to Ohio State. Michigan has secondary rivalries with Notre Dame and Michigan State, and these drain some of the focus that Ohio State fans reserve entirely for Michigan. OSU players get a special gold trinket if they beat Michigan. The team has a sign asking, "What Have You Done to Beat Michigan Today?" in its weight room, year-round. One of OSU's most popular school songs is titled "We Don't Give a Damn for the Whole State of Michigan." When a Buckeye coach is fired, it is generally for failing to beat Michigan, regardless of how well he has done overall. I don't think any of these things have a parallel in Ann Arbor.

My second theory is that OSU, unlike most campuses, is located in a major city, one lacking in professional sports teams. Therefore, the whole city is wrapped up in Ohio State football, and you get a working-class fan base that's absent in most college towns. Professional sports fans tend to be angrier and drunker than college ones. (In my youth, I took many trips to watch the Detroit Tigers, and for a $4 bleacher seat you could watch not only the game but shirtless, mullet-wearing ruffians hurling racial insults at the other team's outfielders and, occasionally, beating the crap out of each other.)

The irony is that most Michigan fans respect Ohio State more than any other rival. Most of us root for OSU to win all its games leading up to The Game and consider our southern neighbors a worthy foe. And indeed, most Buckeye fans I've met are nonviolent, sober, and generally act nothing like a protest mob in Damascus. So, why do you think your side has such a sizeable crazed fringe? Can't we all get along?

Jonathan (the OSU fan): No, we can't. I might be inclined to believe what you're saying about the mental state of Ohio State fans, except for the fact that I've personally attended the Ohio State-Michigan game in Ann Arbor three times. In 2003, I sat in the Michigan student section dressed entirely in OSU garb and was subject to vivid, profanity-laced tirades. I was also physically threatened enough times that I felt I would surely experience the end of the game from the inside of an ambulance.

You are right about one thing: Ohio State fans care more about The Game than Michigan fans. The gold pants, the song, the "What Have You Done to Beat Michigan Today" sign—guilty on all counts. What you fail to recognize is that this is completely rational. First, Ohioans care more about football than people anywhere else in the known football universe. (Sit down, Texas.) There are small towns here where your eternal worth is defined by how well your high-school team did your senior year. Plus, there are no other big-time college-football programs in Ohio. As a consequence, there are tons of Buckeye fans across the state who didn't go to OSU. (I went to Ohio University in Athens, for example, but as a Columbus native, I consider the third Saturday in November a high holiday.) The lack of worthy state schools also means that we have to look across the border to find a legitimate rival. Do you know how hard it is to get up for games against Cincinnati and Toledo?

I also don't think that the working-class roots of the Ohio State fan base has anything to do with the bitterness of the rivalry. It's more about geography and history. We hate Michigan because they wanted to fight in 1835 over a sliver of turf that the Michigan Territory and the state of Ohio had competing claims on. No shots were fired in the Toledo War, but Michigan and Ohio militias did get close enough to lob insults back and forth for several days. And then there is the more recent history of near-misses for Ohio State in Michigan games where we had everything on the line. Buckeye DB Shawn Springs falls down one year. Michigan running back Tim Biakabutuka runs for 313 yards against our vaunted defense. Kiss two national titles bye-bye.

I agree that the 10 Year War between Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler made this rivalry larger than life, but I don't think it really had that much to do with that Buckeye castoff Bo. Woody gave this rivalry its real passion—tearing up yard-line markers one year, refusing to let the almost-out-of-gas team bus stop in Michigan. And then there's the time Woody went for a two-point conversion in 1968 when Ohio State was up 48-14. When someone asked why he did it, Hayes said, "Because I couldn't go for three." Ohio State fans whisper that to their first-born sons when they place them in their cribs at night.

That last little bit about Woody is priceless. "Because I couldn't go for three." Man, that's hatred.

This article was a lot of fun to read, but it also makes me feel kinda left out. Aside from a few blips on the radar at the end of the 80s and 90s, the MSU football program has been at the bottom of the heap for most of the last four decades. The "rivalry" with Michigan is still near and dear to every Spartans' heart, but let's be honest, it hasn't been competitive for well over a decade. When it comes to basketball, the opposite is true -- MSU has been dominant for the last twelve years (in reality, it's even longer, since the successes of the "fab five" have been stricken from the record books). Hockey is really the only major sport where both teams are still pretty evenly matched, but as a game, hockey isn't nearly as prominent as it was even ten years ago.

It's painfully obvious that our rivalry with Michigan doesn't carry the same weight that it once did.

I guess my point is that the massive buildup to this monumental game on Saturday just reminds me that it's not my team playing. Sure, I have an emotional investment in this one, since I would love to see the Buckeyes deliver a painful beating to the Wolverines, but it's pretty pathetic that this tragic season of ours will be ending in the shadow of such an historic match-up between Ohio State and Michigan.

But hey, there's always next year, Spartan fans...

(hangs head)

Okay, I'm officially excited about seeing this movie after reading Own Gleiberman's review in Entertainment Weekly:

In many ways, though, the attitude of Bond, the internal quality that makes him tick, has long been reduced to just another trapping. The moment, really, that Sean Connery left the series, Bond became a jokey superhero in a dinner jacket, a guy who never flinches because he knows that he's sure to come out in his favorite position: on top.

Casino Royale, which is based on the first of Ian Fleming's British spy novels (it was published in 1953), relaunches the series by doing something I wouldn't have thought possible: It turns Bond into a human being again — a gruffly charming yet volatile chap who may be the swank king stud of the Western world, but who still has room for rage, fear, vulnerability, love. Daniel Craig, the superb British actor who has taken over the role, has small, wounded-looking eyes of coldest android blue, ears that stick out, and a mouth that puckers into a scowl. With his blondish hair trimmed to a thatchy bristle, Craig is handsome, and buff as hell, but not necessarily the most handsome guy around — he looks like a dyspeptic Steve McQueen. The fact that he isn't tall adds to the sense that he's always working a bit harder, that he's a badass with too much eating away at him to bother playing pretty-boy games. Craig's 007 has an itchy trigger finger, he treats M (Judi Dench) like a meddlesome aunt, and he growls at a bartender who asks if he wants his martini shaken or stirred, ''Do I look like I give a damn?''

I basically quit caring about James Bond movies after Tomorrow Never Dies came out. The whole series just seemed to get more and more preposterous with all the crazy, over-the-top shit they had Pierce Brosnan doing. These movies just felt like they were trying way too hard to one-up themselves.

In many ways, the franchise had become a parody of itself, almost like an Austin Powers spoof. While I really hate the idea of re-starting a franchise from scratch, since the whole point of a big movie series like this is to build a mythology, not tear it down, I think this might've been the only way to salvage the James Bond brand. As much as Daniel Craig deviates from the traditional notion of Bond, the dude's clearly a badass, and it sounds like he does a great job of re-introducing such an immortal character.

So yeah, I'm pretty excited about seeing Casino Royale now.

Lovely party. Pity I wasn't invited...

Here are some pictures from my work's Evening for Economic Justice dinner last Thursday. I doubt you'll recognize any of the people (if you even bother to look at the pics), so I'll save you the trouble of searching for the cutest photo in the set:

I would expect this kind of crap from A.C. Slater, but you have the most rushing yards in NFL history. You don't see O.J. Simpson pulling shameless stunts on television just to get extra attention, do you? Oh, wait a minute...

In case you needed another reason to hate Fox News and/or O.J. Simpson, well, here you go. The Juice's new book "If I did it" goes on sale in a couple weeks, and Fox News will airing a two-part interview with Mr. Murder on November 27 and 29.

I'm sure Geraldo is getting massive wood over this.

No one seems to know what O.J. is getting paid for either the book or the interview, but somehow I doubt any of that money will find its way back to the family of Ron Goldman.

Seriously, is this a joke? Sad thing is, I'm sure this will get huge ratings. Oh, what a world we live in!

That's all I'm gonna say.

This weekend is, without a doubt, the biggest regular season football game of the week month season decade century millennium ever played during the existence of mankind. Yep. Michigan and Ohio State. It's the most heated rivalry in college football. Both are undefeated. A national championship game is on the line. It doesn't get any bigger than this.

Here's the ironclad rule I inherited from my old man: my two favorite teams are (1) Michigan State and (2) Whoever's playing Michigan. By that logic, I'm a Buckeye fan this weekend. Normally I like to complain about the State of Ohio, mostly because I hate having to drive four hours through some of the most boring terrain in America to visit my mom and step-dad in Columbus. But you know, Ohio isn't such a bad state... it's kind of like an inbred version of Michigan, with a slower speed limit. And Brutus Buckeye isn't a total pussy compared to our beloved mascot, Sparty. I mean, get a load of that picture! Who knew an oversized nut in sweats could deliver such a beating?!

My prediction: OSU 138, Michigan 17.

Okay, it might be closer than that. Seriously though, this is going to be one hell of a game. As a football fan, I'm so happy that both teams have had such stellar seasons, because this game will be one for the ages. In all honesty, I think they're both so evenly matched that it's too close to call at this point. That said, I think home-field advantage definitely gives Ohio State an edge. Still, whatever happens, this is gonna be a fun one.

Oh, and as a footnote, Michigan State is looking to close out its worst season in 18 years with another painful loss at Penn State on Saturday. Yawn.

Err, strike that. It's actually called "Silver Bells in the City." I haven't gone to the downtown Lansing tree lighting/parade/holiday explosion in several years, but it sounds like we might be going on Friday.

My dad always used to refer to this glorious event as "Burning Bags in the City" because the Jaycees used to (maybe still do?) light rows of white paper bags with small candles in them along the roads during the parade. Inevitably, the bags would catch on fire whenever it was a windy night (basically every year), and make this huge mess. I can remember running around downtown with my old man when I was four or five to help pick up the charred remains of the white bags. Ahhh, memories.

Seriously though, Silver Bells is always a lot of fun, and seeing them light the tree in front of the capitol is always a great way to get in the mood for the holidays. If you're around Lansing on Friday, it's definitely worth checking out.

Check out this short bit in today's Free Press. They're saying that the Cleveland Browns Defensive Coordiantor, Todd Grantham, is being considered for the MSU coaching job. Grantham was one of Saban's assistants during the 90s.

The article also points out that Mariucci has talked with the university about the job. Supposedly he's not interested... just offering some advice.

Okay, I don't know anything about this Todd Grantham, but what worries me is that we seem to be hearing a lot of coordinator and position coaches getting mentioned for this job. Why aren't we attracting more big-name talent, ya know, guys who have at least been a head coach at some level?

I'm glad that Mooch has taken himself out of the running, but why do we need his help? If he's not a good fit for the job himself, then it's for a reason. Why are we taking his advice? The board of trustees might as well get Matt Millen's $.02 on our coaching situation while they're at it.

Come on, State. Don't screw this up.

Okay, that was a short-lived brush with optimism. Here are the top five thing that are annoying me this week:

1. My eye exam fiasco: Jesus H. Tap-Dancing Christ, this is ridiculous!
2. "I am Amway" Ads: Dick lost. Get over it. Go away for another 20 years.
3. Stuffy nose: seriously, wasn't I already sick this fall?
4. MSU football: Bad season gets terribler. Still no Smith replacement.
5. Car issues: I got my oil changed yesterday. Now my brake light is out.

Holy Hell, I'm beginning to think this is never going to happen. Originally I had an eye exam at SEE about a month ago. When I got there the lady said they didn't take my insurance (even though they told me they did on the phone). Technically I could've gotten part of my bill reimbursed, but I didn't want to deal with the hassle. So, I made an appointment at the only D.O.C. in town that takes my specific kind of vision coverage for today at 4:30. It's way the hell down on South Cedar, but I thought it would be no big deal to leave work a few minutes early for my checkup.

Well, it turns out that our staff meeting that was scheduled for this morning got pushed back into the afternoon, so we won't be done until about 3PM. Under normal driving circumstances, that would still give me plenty of time to drive back for my eye exam, but that's right around when the wall of traffic hits I-696 during rush hour, so it'll be at least 5 PM by the time we get back. Sigh. So yeah, I tried to reschedule my appointment for tomorrow, but they're booked up until next Monday. What a pain. I just want to get my damn eyes checked!

Ah, well. It's been seven years. A few extra days won't hurt.

Um, wasn't this supposed to be an open and transparent process?

MSU is continuing its search for a new football head coach, but no front-runners have been announced.

Officials have remained tight-lipped about the hiring process, despite rumors the university has interviewed three coaches for the position.

On Nov. 1, university administrators announced MSU football head coach John L. Smith would not return next season.

The Detroit News reported Friday that MSU's selection committee interviewed Central Michigan football head coach Brian Kelly, Florida defensive coordinator Charlie Strong and Louisiana State defensive coordinator Bo Pelini.

On Saturday, Kelly denied being interviewed for the position at MSU, adding he had not even been contacted by the university, The Detroit News reported.

Steve Orlando, a spokesman for the University of Florida, said Strong also had not been interviewed by MSU, although he could not confirm if he had been contacted by the university. Louisiana State officials could not be reached Sunday.

MSU officials said they would not confirm, deny or react to any rumors about football head coach candidates.

I've read lots of these rumors about the coaching situation, but nobody seems to know anything definitive yet. It's pretty much wild speculation at this point. I suppose it's possible that the university has asked the candidates it has already interviewed to keep a lid on things, but if that's the case, then this process clearly hasn't been as "open" as we were promised. Hopefully they start talking soon. The longer they keep fans in the dark, the more antsy we'll get.

Anyone got any dirt? Share in the comments...

James Taylor is probably one of the most laid-back guys in the music world, but he's made some pretty amazing music over the years. My Best of James Taylor CD gets a lot of face time on my iPod while I'm at work, but it never gets old. The first clip today is Taylor doing "Fire and Rain," and the second one is Carole King's "You've Got a Friend," with King playing piano in the background. Enjoy!

Check out this article in the NYT (gracias, dad).

Hey, Vegas might be a place where Celine Dion, Barry Mannilow, and Carrot Top went to die, but not the Purple One. Prince can do whatever the hell he wants, and make it cool. The guy wears heels for cryin' out loud. As far as I'm concerned, Prince is now the King of Vegas. I just hope he keeps his shop at the Rio open long enough for me to see him there sometime.

It was a pretty low-key affair. I was bachin' it until late in the afternoon on Saturday, which meant I pretty much sat around and watched DVDs all day. Friday night I popped in Kill Bill, Vol. 1 and then I finished up Vol. 2 on Saturday. In-between I tore through a handful of episodes of "The Awful Truth", and an episode or two of Star Trek (this is why I love TiVo).

Of course, I wasn't a complete coach potato this weekend. I spent most of Saturday morning and afternoon doing some heavy duty fall cleaning. Every month or two I have to go through the apartment and dig out all the useless crap that has accumulated, but this was even more intense than usual. For the first time in about a year I went through all my old magazines and tossed the oldest ones. I also went through my closets and hauled out a pile of old clothes that I no longer wear. Throwing out old magazines is one thing, but throwing out old clothes is another. I always feel kinda guilty when I'm doing it, but once it was finally done I felt a lot better. Plus I have all this extra space in my closets now!

Stef got back from her trip home at about 6PM on Saturday night, and we were both starving by then, so we went out to Champps for dinner. The place was crammed, but the nice thing about having a party of two is that the wait is never long. Things got even better when I saw that they now had meatloaf on the menu, so that pretty much made my day. Now, for the record, no meatloaf will ever compare to the one my mom makes. Sorry, but it's just unbeatable. That said, this was some good-ass meatloaf. There wasn't any bacon, so that was a strike against it, but that meatloaf was yummy in my tummy. Plus I had a ton leftover, which made for a tasty lunch on Sunday.

Yesterday was pretty low-key, but Stef and I did venture out to go see The Queen at NCG at around 2:30. I don't know that I would tell people to race out and go see it right away (unless you're as obsessed with seeing every Oscar bait film as we are), but it was a very good movie. I thought it was especially interesting that they chose to make a movie like this about people -- like Tony Blair, Prince Charles, and the Queen -- who are still alive. My memory of Diana's death is a little fuzzy since I was only twelve at the time, so I don't really remember the "controversy" about the Queen not saying anything after she died. I've always thought the monarchy was a little silly and out-of-date, but I've never really had a problem with the Queen, per se. As an American, she's just another rich-ass, old white lady to me, but I guess that's why it was interesting to get a British perspective on the whole fiasco of the Queen's response to Diana's death. I'm definitely curious to learn more about what they based the dialogue in the film on, in terms of how much was fact of fiction.

Anyway, we went to Meijer for some grocery shopping after the movie, and the place was a freakin' zoo. I've been shopping at Kroger more and more lately, so I haven't been to Meijer since they finished remodeling, but after almost getting killed in there yesterday, I doubt I'll be going back anytime soon. Life's too short to deal with that mob.

So yeah, that was the weekend in a nutshell. Hope you had a good one.