harleymae

Oh man, it's been a busy week at work. I worked 15 hours on Monday and it didn't let up all that much after that. :P Looking forward to getting some rest on the weekend. Most people look forward to the weekend because they plan to go out and do fun things. I look forward to the weekend so I can bum around Saturday watching hockey and Sunday watching football, haha.

Last night's episode of FlashForward was pretty awesome.I actually got weepy at the end of it. Last week it was Dollhouse that made me weepy. One of the episodes of SGU made me weepy. Science fiction has gotten so emotional lately!

I was watching a Fringe video podcast and they included a clip about the Two Slit Experiment mentioned by Simon in FlashForward and I started thinking about it on the way to work this morning...

( Spoilers )

I usually don't do much speculation and theorizing about shows. I like listening to podcasts where other people do it, but I usually don't have any thoughts at all. :P But this was actually fun and interesting to think about.

So, as expected, Noah Lowry is gone. *sniffles* From here:

In another move that was expected but might carry some emotional weight, the Giants cut ties with popular but injured pitcher Noah Lowry by declining his $6.25 million club option for 2010 and placing him on outright waivers.
...
The Lowry move ends a sad saga for the Giants and the 29-year-old left-hander. A first-round draft pick in 2001, he became one of the team's most popular players and led the team with 14 wins in 2007, when his season was curtailed by arm numbness. He has not pitched since then, but agent Damon Lapa said Lowry now is "completely healthy" and throwing three days a week.

I hope he does well wherever he ends up.

I'm always skeptical when I read stuff about Petr being angry. Sulky? Yes. Grumpy? Yes. But angry? It's just hard for me to imagine. Apparently he was "fuming" about being scratched for a game. The Minnesota beat writer was like WTF the team is struggling to score goals and you scratch the goal scorer? :P

Anyway, he's gotten much more... cuddly in recent years. He throws his arms around someone's neck (usually someone who's tall, so he has to LEAP) and clings to them for a while. Or if it's Sidney Crosby, he would nuzzle his neck. Or if it's Marty he leaps on him and wraps his legs around his waist... It's a good thing his teammates generally love him.

( Sykora, one riled Wild, takes it out on Rangers )

From Petr's agent's Twitter:

P. Sykora on tonight's game, "I played hockey with my boy before the game. I got 2 or 3 goals against him + it carried over to the game."

So basically Petr gets ready for games by OWNING HIS TWO-YEAR-OLD SON beforehand.

Stephen Curry had a nice debut with the Warriors even though they lost. He's almost enough to lure me back to following the Warriors again. *coughs* Ahh, if there were only more hours in the day. I'll settle for watching highlights.

Cliff Lee pitched out of his mind last night. I wonder why Pedro Martinez is starting tonight instead of Cole Hamels. I thought he was the Game 2 starter in the previous series?

I may have jumped the gun by adding an Alex Smith icon again, but Singletary did say that this wasn't a flavor of the week type thing, so ideally I can use this until the end of the season, at least. :)

( More Alex Smith articles )

Anyone watching FlashForward? It's not bad so far. One thing that struck me while watching the show was that Joseph Fiennes really reminds me of Christopher Meloni, which is weird because he really doesn't look like him at all. But then somebody on a podcast said that he really reminded him of Christopher Meloni too!

Sporting News named Timmy NL pitcher of the year. :) He was picked by a panel of GMs and assistant GMs.

I thought he was even better this season than he was last year, even though his win total is lower. That's really the fault of the offense, though. :P He induced a lot more ground outs and fly balls, instead of getting all of his outs by strikeout (even though he got a lot of those too) which let him go much deeper into games. I think he only had one complete game last season and that one was kind of arduous. This year he had a few. He also stopped wilting as much in hot weather. :P

I can't really compare him to Carpenter or Wainwright because I haven't watched them pitch enough. It would be nice if he wins the Cy Young again, but I'm not going to be upset if he doesn't.

And and and... Alex Smith has been named starting QB for the next game. ( I am so proud I could burst! )

Ugh, I can't find the article again, but I read something that was pretty accurate about the Texans game. Alex was coming in down 21-0 and there wasn't any pressure on him. It's a good situation. The team that's up tends to relax a bit, and the team that's behind feels free to play loosely and try creative things. So the real question is how does he perform when he knows he's going in as the starter?

It's not that I dislike Shaun Hill. I just think he's a placeholder and I think the longer he's in there, the more of a waste of time it is when the real QB (whoever that may be) isn't playing. Alex has the potential to be something more than a placeholder, and that's why I support him on a football/practical level. On an emotional level, I just like the guy. :)

The latest episode of Dollhouse was so amazingly good. This is why I will watch anything Joss Whedon does. :)

Was sitting through yet another 49ers game of ineptitude today (which I'd thought wouldn't be happening anymore) and I thought, man if Alex Smith was the QB, at least this would be unbearable. Instead I was just sort of resentful of Shaun Hill.

And then they put Alex Smith in the second half!!! :D He could have been just as inept and I would have been happy, but he went and like... threw 3 touchdown passes to Vernon Davis (♥ ♥ ♥) and I kind of exploded with happiness. Would have been nice to have won the game, but really, wouldn't have made things all that much better. :P Just seeing his confidence and quick decision-making was really rewarding.

I liked what I saw from Michael Crabtree. Yeah, he's a diva, but the best wide receivers all have a little diva to them. I don't know if the 49ers just feared good wide receivers after the TO experience, but it's so nice to have someone who looks like he's going to be able to reliably make plays.

After the team's performance, I pretty much knew that the analysts and fans were going to be abuzz with talk of a "quarterback controversy" and starting Alex Smith in the next game. I got kind of excited at the prospect at first, then I found out we're playing the Colts. *gulp* Perfectly fine with having Shaun Hill start that game! :P

From what seems to be a legitimate web site:

Taiwan is a real melting pot.

98% of people are Han Chinese, while 2% are Taiwanese aborigines.

LOLOLOL!!!

Havlat and Sykora are both out with groin injuries.

I don't even know what to say.

Just read an article from the Mercury News that started with "Marc-Edouard Vlasic ran a hand through his thick, dark hair" and immediately was concerned that it was going to launch into some unfortunate PWP. I'm conditioned!

It turned out to be a really nice article about him being a young veteran and stuff and aside from the trauma of Rob Blake saying that Vlasic is "so good with his stick", I'm very proud.

[Edit: Sad that Christine Lahti is (most likely) at the end of her guest stint on SVU as the ADA. Her character was super annoying but I loved the interaction between her and Stabler, especially when she slapped him and then he just sort of smiled at her.]

It is perhaps a testament to my fiercely pure and undying love for Marc-Edouard Vlasic that I was able to read the following article about him and glow warmly about his emerging offense while squelching the more unsavoury aspects of the article...

( Putting Up Points from the Blueline )

That is an obscene, completely unwarranted, amount of slash (and self-slashing!) for such a short article. :(

"Yesterday, I scored on a half-slapper and (Dany) Heatley was in front. It found a hole and went in."
*weeps piteously*

"I see a lot of him," Vlasic said.
Please stop looking at Rob Blake. :(

Vlasic hopes he can keep Blake excited about the game and playing more than just year-to-year.

"Hopefully, he like skating with me and it will make him want to play longer and feel younger," Vlasic said of their near 20-year age difference.
This is like some kind of horrific set up for a Viagra commercial.

So I woke up early yesterday feeling like ( my head was spinning. )

In conclusion, having sex with Barry Zito makes me throw up.

In more cheerful news, it appears that the pairing that never was (except in some other world *coughs*) and had no basis in reality is... becoming? After like... 6 years.

I got so excited last night I almost gave myself another vertigo attack when Petr scored on the give-and-go with Marty and then fell down (Petr always ends up on his ass at least once per game) and then got up to leap on Marty! A leap on their first goal together! Usually it takes a few goals before Petr jumps on people!

From Havlat's Twitter:
Going to shut it down now....off to LA after practice. Me and Siki..like old times!

Also, he did this Twitter Q&A thing and answered like 7 questions out of 600+ people asked and this was one of them:
Who is more handsome? Me or Petr Sykora? Giving credit to Siki here. LOL

The Wild beat writer is starting to make them his OTP:
I'm sure Havlat would love to still be with Koivu, but I can guarantee he loves the fact he’s with Sykora. He even tweeted early this morning how it felt like old times. The two have played together in a number of international tournaments and definitely showed on that one give-and-go goal that they’ve got chemistry.

I'm contemplating getting the MLB iPhone app for $5 so that I can listen to playoff games...

I could not be more proud of Vernon Davis and Patrick Willis. :D Vernon had some key catches, including a touchdown and Patrick Willis got an interception he returned for a touchdown, 2.5 sacks and was just really solid with his tackling, as always. Glen Coffee is not Frank Gore, but he did a decent job and got a few long runs in.

The first half was really painful to watch. Both offenses were terrible. The only reason the 49ers scored any points at all was that one of the Rams kicked the ball on a punt, making it a live ball, and one of the 49ers dove onto it in the end zone.

I'd like to think of that half as therapy for last week when Favre threw that winning TD pass with 2 seconds left in the game. :P The 49ers played much better in the second half. I'm glad that they got to play a crappy team this week and not say... the Colts. *shudder*

The Giants won their last game of the season in the 10th inning on Pablo's home run with Brian Wilson getting the save. I haven't watched the game yet as I was watching the 49ers. A nice way to end things I think, for a team that surpassed everyone's expectations this season.

I don't feel sad about their season being over. I have the 49ers and... the Minnesota Wild (presumably Petr will not be invisible for the next 81 games) to follow. But I did feel sad when we drove past the empty ballpark on Friday, knowing it would stay that way until next March.

[Edit: You know how you can recognize your favourite hockey players by the way they skate? I can now recognize Vernon Davis by the way he jumps and catches balls. Scary.]

So tonight there's a ton of TV shows I'm interested in watching: Bones, Fringe, The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural, FlashForward and The Mentalist. The Sharks season opener is tonight too. At least the Giants are playing a day game so there isn't a conflict with that as well.

WTF? I know that Thursday commercial slots are more valuable because it's the day before movies come out but did they really have to cram everything on one day? :P Move some stuff to Wednesday!

I don't think I could possibly be any less enthusiastic about the start of hockey season as I am right now. I mean, I hated Joe Thornton but I was aware on another level that it was a good trade. But this? I've been good at burying my head in the sand but when I saw the article headlines that the Sharks were going to name a new captain it all caught up to me and I started crying. It just hurts because Patty and Cheech are the two guys who most represent the Sharks to me.

I briefly thought about watching Bones and Fringe live instead of the Sharks game because I get them in HD if they're live, but decided against it because I'll have to sit through commercials. Am I going to feel this bad before every Sharks game this season?

LOL, Olesz the new Ocho Cinco.

Just watched last week's episode of Supernatural and I really liked it! Now that they're ripping off quality stuff like The Prophecy and comic books like Hellblazer and Preacher (and Castiel's trenchcoat brigade wardrobe is straight out of The Books of Magic) the show is so much better.

Unfortunately, the scene with Lucifer kind of showed that Jared can't act either. :( I don't know, maybe I just blocked that out cos' I loved Dean from Gilmore Girls but I was embarrassed for him. Maybe they should have asked Mark Pellegrino to make his acting worse so he wouldn't make Jared look so bad. :P

My only complaint about the episode would be the implausible behaviour of the hunters at the end. Threatening to kill an innocent girl because... your best friend just died? Really? Don't hunters die like ALL THE TIME?

But overall, really liking the direction the series took from season 4 onwards.

(... still concerned that the series finale will be one colossal kick in the crotch that launches me into space, though.)

Got the latest Sporting News magazine yesterday and when I opened it, I went straight to this full page photo of Timmy and Matty smiling gaily together. Then I read the title of the article - a quote from one of them "I just LOVE watching him pitch" - and then I started choking and had to stop reading.

( GAY GAY GAY )

The 49ers played a really good game today, I thought, especially given that they lost Gore on the first play. They definitely didn't embarrass themselves (which was all I was hoping for) and even would have won the game if not for Favre's TD pass with 2 seconds left. I'm so so proud of Vernon Davis (he's a Terp, flanneryflyer!) finally emerging as a reliable target for receptions. This is definitely a game to feel good about. :)

Alex and Tessa went to a B&B on Thursday and Friday night so I ended up babysitting overnight. :) They were concerned that she might be terror baby and cry a bunch and not go to sleep, but she slept through the night on Thursday. She woke up at 4:30 AM on Friday night but after I found her pacifier and gave it back to her she just went straight back to sleep. Other than that, we just had fun playing and hanging out and she was a very good baby.

Then last night after dinner she gave me a "nose squish" which is basically pressing her nose lightly against yours as a display of affection. She hasn't done that with anyone else but her parents. *sniffle*

Why is Timmy making BJ face at Matt Cain? :(

Wild beat Blackhawks 3-0 in the preseason debut of Marty and Petr. Marty scores 2 goals and Petr scores 1. I think the Czechs are getting along. :D

I watched the first two episodes of Supernatural yesterday. I thought the season premiere was pretty good until the Wincest fan appeared. I don't understand the point of drawing attention to the bad parts of fandom: bad writing, Mary Sue self-insertion. Are they trying to acknowledge the support of the slashers? There are nicer ways to do it. Are they mocking slashers? What's the point? Some boring Sam/Dean argument angst. Has nobody working on that show noticed that Jensen can't do dramatic acting? Zzz...

As always with the show, I liked the little touches they put in. Like the way the angels just disappear and everyone is left just looking around. I enjoyed the Needful Things rip-off from the second episode. I think the show is at its best when ripping off good stuff. :)

Really proud of the 49ers today. I love the increased role of Vernon Davis and that he's becoming more dependable. Patrick Willis was great as usual, and OMG Frank Gore with the 2 75+ TD runs. Insanity. Still not liking Shaun Hill, but he's an adequate guy to have until we get a real QB. Next week will be a really big test against the Vikings. Even if they lose, I hope to see a good showing, i.e. they don't embarrass themselves.

Giants lose, Rockies win. Didn't watch the Giants game (49ers in HD was on at the same time) but sad that Timmy lost. Getting excited for the MLB playoffs to start regardless of whether the Giants are in it or not. :)

Without a doubt, the best, most exciting thing that's happened for me this season is this:
Wild signs Sykora

The quickest “tryout” in NHL history came to an end this morning when the Wild signed winger Petr Sykora to a one-year contract for $1.6 million.

“I’m shocked,” Sykora said sarcastically. “I guess my practice yesterday made them sign me.”

Now, it's not that I love the Wild or anything, but... they have Marty Havlat, and for years and years I've thought that the universe would implode if the two of them ever played on the same team and... they're going to. They just seemed like the only 2 Czech players who weren't best of friends with each other!

(And some of you know how they're linked in... other ways. :P)

Seriously, the timing couldn't be better since I was going to be pretty miserable about this off-season/season otherwise. Or maybe just bitter, heartbroken, betrayed, disgusted, etc. etc. I have a team I can watch without wanting to throw up. (I'm not even exaggerating about this, I woke up this morning and turned on the TV and the press conference with Heatley was on and I saw his face, and him holding up the Sharks jersey with his name and number on it, then my tummy felt funny and I retched. He literally makes me want to throw up.)

Wednesday's game with fightgravity was fun! We went to Palomino before the game and they had a happy hour with half-price appetizers and some $4 drinks. I had an awesome cranberry mojito that I actually finished half of. That's a lot for me! The game itself was kind of depressing until the 9th inning. I totally thought that Renteria was going to repeat his home run against the Rockies to take the lead, just like he did in the previous series, but it was not to be.

We had lots of fun watching other things, though. Like talking about how much the Rockies outfielders hate each other. On every other team, when there's some kind of break in the action (like when everyone gathers to counsel the pitcher), the outfielders run to each other and start chatting. The Rockies outfielders just stare ahead of them, hands on their hips in stony silence. After a particularly long break the right fielder ran over to the center fielder to hang out, but the guy barely acknowledged his presence so he ran away.

Archiving various Havlat and Sykora articles:
( Sykora Extra )

I knew that Petr was injured even though they never said it. You can always tell. And of course everyone loves Petr. He's like a puppy!

( Wild Signs Sykora )

I know Russo said he was 100% sure that the Wild were going to sign Petr, but I don't take anything for granted! I wonder if Petr will take the Petrling fishing. :P

( Sykora takes to new team right away )

I like how Petr starts out by declaring that he's a big slut.

( There's a lot to like about Wild's Havlat, on and off the ice )

I wonder if Marty will do fun things with his Facebook page, or if it'll just be a place for him to cross-post his tweets. I'm glad that they're both somewhere with a lot of hockey coverage and that their (inevitable) rolling around on the ice together will be well-documented.

Went to the Giants game yesterday with lastcatastrophe and fightgravity. ♥ It's crazy how Timmy goes out there, strikes out 11 and gives up only 1 run (on a wild pitch) and somehow it's still a slightly shaky performance for him.

And Zito is insanely good against the Rockies again. I've never seen him strike that many guys out before. The "let's go, Zito" chant made me kind of weepy. Going to tomorrow's game with fightgravity! :D

Today has been a good sports day! I went to the Giants game with x_caligirlx3 and they won 7-2. :D The Rockies lost and I stayed in the park to catch the last 4 minutes of the 49ers game on one of the TVs. A bunch of other people stayed to watch it too and we were an impromptu cheering section.

I have also traumatized x_caligirlx3 for life by telling her that Schierholtz looks like he could play an alleged rapist on SVU, muahahaha!!! Zito could also be an SVU perp. He'd be the sneaky rapist who gets evidence excluded on technicalities and stuff.

The Giants offense was surprisingly not terrible today! And then towards the end, the Dodgers just gave up defensively, which probably earned the Giants another 2-3 runs. I have tickets for tomorrow's game against the Rockies. Timmy is starting. :D

(Still ignoring that trade.)

[Edit: I got really excited watching the most recent version of SVU cos' Matt Saracen, the QB from Friday Night Lights was in it! I was like OMG MATT SARACEN IS A CHILD MOLESTER!!! But then they arrested another guy so I thought that maybe he just had that small role in one scene, but then there was a twist and I was like OMG MATT SARACEN IS A CHILD MOLESTER AFTER ALL!!!