[Editor's Note: the office's 28.8 dial-up modem is on the fritz this morning, so I apologize if there are any issues with this week's Link Dump. I have not been able to confirm whether are links are still active. Feel free to let me know if you come across a dead link.]
Did anyone else out there feel like this week was never going to end? Bueller? Bueller? Anyone? Anyone?
I do not know about you, but I thought Friday was never going to get here. So, when I woke up this morning to discover that it was, in deed, Friday, I was a little excited. Who am I kidding, I was a lot excited. And now I have all of you thinking "What does BAP have planned for the weekend?" We all have things that get us a little extra amped for the weekend, and this weekend is no exception.
Some of you out there probably have special plans for this evening. Others probably just want to celebrate the fact it is weekend. But I am amped up for a completely different reason. For starters, I am driving up to my parents tonight after work (crazy exciting, I know). The reason I am driving up is twofold: (1) I desperately need a haircut and, as a creature of habit, still go to the same stylist I have been going to since high school; and (b) I finally get to use my Boom Stick. Get your mind out of the gutter people. It is not like I am going to Senior Prom or anything. I got a new driver last weekend [2009 Taylor Made (You Hooked Up With a) Burner] and I am finally going to unleash the beast tomorrow late-morning/early-afternoon when I play a round of golf with Dad. Is it sad that I get this excited about a new golf club? Probably. But just remember, there is no better sport for sexual innuendos (in-her-end-OH?) than golf, and I know those last two sentences made you giggle just a little. No? Bummer. More importantly, I am just excited about the opportunity to spend some time with Dad. Do not get me wrong, I see my parents quite frequently, but there is something about being able to spend five hours with Coach.
So, while I am busy spending the afternoon thinking about driving my wood right down the fairway (ba-ZING), here are some things you might have missed:
- Someone took the time to write the most amazing Lions draft recap ever . . . and that someone was me.
- You would think there are better ways for Congress to spend its Friday.
- Mike Leach wants you to know how feels . . . not once, but twice (bonus points if you can spot the irony).
- Your tailgate will never be the same.
- Hey ladies, let me know if you have a birthday coming up.
- Chris Cooley continues to be one of my favorite NFL players.
- I do not care when the first round of the NFL draft is next year, from here on out, I am a NFL Network guy.
- Strange things are afoot in the desert.
- Pittsburgh and Washington will have, at most, four periods to decide game.
- With the Kentucky Derby going off this weekend, let us look back at some of the . . . err . . . "more memorable" horse names in Kentucky Derby history.
- NBA to Ohio State blogging sensation Mark Titus (of Club Trillion fame): "Don't let the door hit you on the way out."
- The new (and improved?) John Daly.
- And just like that, women's' tennis is relevant again.
- A word of advice: if you are going to sleep with a teenager, it is best that you do not argue with your husband over it.
- Like, cheerleading tryouts are, like, always so dramatic and stuff (sadly, my high school was no exception)
Enough of the petty high school drama, let us get to the important stuff. Do not think I am stupid; I know the real reason you stop by every Friday. It is the videos, and I do not blame you (and I hope you enjoyed the extra two are already threw in for you):
Have a great weekend everyone!
I always thought it was nice that the Joker took the time to remind Lieutenant Eckhardt it is important to think to about the future. Of course, he followed up the advice with an immediate gun shot to the chest, so there was not a lot of time for Eckhardt to actually think about said future. But still, there is a lot to be said about planning for the future, so it was good advice nonetheless. In today's society, a society that strives on instant gratification, we often forget about the importance of looking towards the future. From time-to-time, I can be as guilty of this as the next person, and that is after four years of economic classes that pounded the importance of long-term planning down my throat.
Take my job for example. My feelings for my present position have been well documented on the pages of GameTime, TBD©; after all, they are the reason I started this little beacon of wonder. I definitely have a love/hate relationship with my job (love might be a strong word, but the saying isn't like/hate . . . ). I may not like the specific type of law I am currently practicing, but I really do enjoy the people I work with and the laid back office environment is a plus. I have realized, however, that whenever I think about work, I tend to focus on my day-to-day dissatisfaction as opposed to the long-term perspectives I have. Staying here means that I am only three to four years away from making partner, something not possible at the others firms I have been looking at. I also have failed to notice that there are short-term changes I can make that would make it possible to achieve my long-term career goals here, with people I enjoy working for. By focusing on my long-term career goals, and making the necessary changes in my day-to-day activities to point toward those goals, I can have everything I want here. That is like winning the lottery (or not . . . a Mega Millions jackpot that would net me about $141.3 million is probably a little better, but if I only have a one in 175,711,536 chance of winning that, I probably should just stick with the job thing . . . thoughts?)
Of course not all long-term planning is planning for the rest of your life. "Long-term" is a very subjective phrase. Long-term planning can be anywhere from a few hours, a few days, to many years (as with my career). My good friend Barney Stinson, for example, is a man who always seeks to accomplish his short-term goal (finding an attractive woman to hook up with) with his long-term plan in mind (how to escape in the morning undetected and without fear of future concentration). Barney's conquests are, in a word . . . wait for it . . . wait for it . . . legendary. His long-term planning may only be for ten to twelve hours in advance, but by making those necessary plans, he executes his game plan with near perfection.
But here is the best part about long-term planning: if you establish clear, reasonable goals and make smart decision with those goals in mind, it is possible to achieve what you thought might take many years much sooner. And that, my friends, is where we find the 2008-2009 Los Angeles Kings. Clearly, this young team still has a long way to go (as evidenced by Tuesday night's 6-1 drubbing at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche), but they have come along way already.
You may recall back in early October, I boldly predicted that the Kings would be contenders for a playoff spot late into the season but would ultimately fall short. What was I thinking? I am here today to amend that prediction: the Los Angeles Kings will be the eighth seed in western conference come playoff time. I know the Kings are currently one game under .500 (11-12-4 . . . personally I count that as 5 games under .500, they are overtime loses after all . . . but that's not the lingo of the league), and currently sitting eleventh in the west, so please allow me to explain.
The early months of Murray II's reign have been nothing short of fantastic. He has managed to convince this younger team that the key to winning is not just scoring a lot of goals, but playing defense in all three zones of the rink. As a result, the Kings rank among the league leaders in shots against per game and penalty killing, an area of their game that was abysmal over the past two season. Murray II is so confident in his young team, he managed to beat me to punch, calling his team a playoff team a full five days before I did so here today.
Everything has not as well as I predicted back in October. Jason LaBarbara struggled in his first ten games as the number one goaltender, and Brian Boyle was sent back down to the Monarchs to develop his game more. Thankfully, Erik Ersbery, last season's late surprise has risen to the challenge and established himself as the Kings' clear number one goaltender. And Boyle's time with the big club was not terrible, he just needs to learn to use his huge six foot six inch frame to his advantage. I am confident he will get a call up soon and will show that his numbers from the last month of last season were no fluke. While the Kings are certainly not lighting the lamp at a record pace, the return of Boyle's offense would only be an added bonus. Frolov continues to show prove that he is a 35 to 40 goal scorer, regardless of what the "experts" say, and Brown is on pace to set career highs in all categories for the fourth straight season. Kopitar just continues to do what Kopitar does (that is, of course, leading the team in scoring) and O'Sullivan has shaken off his slow start and is starting to regain his 2007-2008 scoring form (missing training camp during a holdout doesn't help). And I have to mention Kyle Quincey, a defenseman claimed off of waivers from the Detroit Red Wings. He has added much-needed depth to the defense, proving to be a top-four NHL defender, and brought some offensive punch to the blue line (leads the team in assists).
But the Kings' all-star for the first third of the season has got to be rookie defenseman Drew Doughty. Doughty, you may recall, was the Kings' first round pick (2nd overall) in the 2008 draft. He turned nineteen (you read that right, 19) two days ago. All he has done over the first 28 games is lead the Kings in average time on ice, play a solid two-way game, play significant roles on the power play AND penalty kill, and has put up a respectable ten points (3 goals, 7 assists). Did I mention this kid was only nineteen? It is crazy to think that he is only going to get better as the season goes on and the scoring touch he showed in the juniors will come around.
A real man is able to admit his mistakes and must I do that now. I wanted Dean Lombardi to take offense with the number two overall pick. I thought we needed someone who could make an instant impact, and I did not think a young defenseman could do that in the NHL. I thought the transition from juniors to the big league was much easier for an offensive player. Well, apparently there is a reason DL's master plan is working, and I am here blogging about it. DL has stuck to his rebuilding plan, never wavered, stared down angry season ticket holders, and put together an amazing group of young, talented players. He asked the fans to be patient for three to five years, and most were patient for one. Well, here we are, three years into DL's plan, and the future is nothing but bright for my favorite franchise. DL though in the long-term, put together a plan, made all his short-term decisions based on that plan, and we are now beginning to see the results of his plan sooner than we anticipated.
Do you think Lombardi knows anything about professional football? I know of an NFL team that is in need of some solid long-term advice . . .
Finally, I have found my calling. It only took me twenty-seven years, two degrees, and one attorney's license. Ironically enough, those achievements had nothing to do with me finding my calling; that privilege belongs to my Monday night television viewing schedule, more commonly known as How I Met Your Mother ("HIMYM" for those of you who are in the know).
For those of you familiar with the show (having recommended this show to anyone willing to listen, I know there are at least a few of you out there), I am sure you think you know where this is going . . . but you do not. This is not a post about a open casting call for three people to form a group of friends who sit at a bar every night, drinking beer and making memories (though, come to think of it, my Better Half and I do make the perfect Marshmallow and Lilypad, and there's a great bar not too far from our place . . . so if you're a moderately successful guy who gets stuck in his head too much, an attractive Canadian female, or a super-sketchy womanizer, feel free to drop me a line). Oh no, my dear readers, the purpose is much greater than that.
Since I do not want to ruin last night's episode for those of you who may not have seen it yet, I will be as careful as possible with what I am about to say: Barney is the man! There, I hope I did not ruin it for you.
If you watch HIMYM, you undoubtedly love Barney Stinson; women want him and men want to be him (some men might want him as well . . . don't worry, I won't judge). Over the course of the first two-and-a-half seasons, we hear Barney recount conquest after conquest over women who might not be the sharpest pencil in the box or have the highest self-esteem, but we do not mind. It has just come to be expected from Barney because he is the most awesomest, and he lives by "The Code." We hear it referenced throughout the first two-and-a-half seasons, but last night we were officially introduced to The Bro Code. Written around the same time as The Constitution, The Bro Code is a code we (we as in all men) have lived by since our birth; it is in our genes. The Bro Code, according to Barney, includes the obvious [Bros before Hos, or, A bro will, in a timely manner, alert his bro to the existence of a girl fight (or the UCLA Cheer Squad try-outs . . . you can thank me later bro)] and the not-so-obvious [Though the mom of a Bro is always off limits, the step-mom of a Bro is allowed if she initiates it and is wearing at least one article of leopard-print clothing].
As I spent last night reflecting on the episode, I began to realize that there just might be something to the theory that The Bro Code is in our (men) blood. No one ever taught me the ways of the "wingman", I just knew; no one ever taught me not to sleep with my friend's ex, I just knew. But at the same time, I could remember countless instances where friends, relatives, and fraternity brothers nearly came to blows (well, in a few instances, did come to blows) over something that may or may not have happened . . . usually involving a girl. This, of course, made me realize that, like the laws I interpret everyday, this genetic "bro code" we have inside of us has a lot of gray areas; what we need is a concrete set of rules, rules to guide us through the ins and outs of being a bro.
Turning to the old reliable internet (if it exists, Google will find it), I discovered that no one has created the all-encompassing Bro Code. Sure, there is the lame "Man Law" (I'm sure we all remember those awful commercials that Miller Brewing Co. subjected us to), but that does not cut it. So this, ladies and gentlemen, is my calling: I will write The Bro Code. But I will not write it alone, oh no. The burden of writing such a historical document (like the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bible) is too great for one man to carry. So I have (am) turned (turning) to my friends and family . . . nay . . . all men to join in this quest. It shall be a living document, fluid and ever breathing. If you would like to be a part of this monumental undertaking, do not hesitate to contact to me.
The Bro Code, it is my calling . . . and I shall answer.
