Good Ol' Bone

Lil' Troy is pretty observant when it comes to my past stories on my old web site and how I incorporate his name into the little things (like Tecmo Super Bowl records).

One such instance was my NHL kick in video games. NHL 2K2 was popular on the old Sega Dreamcast and I formed a team. Troy, or should I say "Turkish" ("it's not a free shop, now is it? Now, fuck off!" -- Doug the Head), remembered the old 2K2 page. It's a helluva page -- visually appealing. I often surprise myself!

Now, nothing really became of it. Although I had all of the time in the world, it was a painstaking process to record everything and import it to the site. It was just a dream of being a sports journalist (which has now carried over to my NASCAR Dynasty Manager).

But that was not the end of my NHL run with video games! The next installment was EA Sports' NHL 2003 for the Nintendo GameCube. I again incorporated friends and myself into the game, then let the computer "sign" the players from free agency into the game. John (Nee-Nee) was particularily proud of this, signing with the Vancouver Canucks. I recorded all of the stats and they can be seen here. I even included awards -- but that season was pretty unfair, due to that I had control over myself and the Detroit Red Wings, with who I set records that are unreachable by realistic standards.

With no hockey this year, no NHL 2005 for me on the PS2. I'll have to get everybody into the mix again with another sports game -- see how they play out -- but I'm going to have to decided which game that will be.

A Sweet Victory

There is nothing like watching a stupid Blue Teamer fall all over himself in shame and watch him walk away weakly.

Tonight, that has happened.

Katie and I are sitting at "The Cock" for dinner and a couple of Blue Teamers walk in. Right off, everybody can tell that they are drunk, due to their LOUD TONE OF VOICE. On top of that, this one guy -- let's call him "Teeth" -- starts talking about some of the dumbest topics.

One such topic -- was the name of the establishment, "Lon's Cocktail."

"Teeth" was laying into the fact that "Cocktail" was a stupid name. Lon must have a 'long dong' to come up with that, he said. All of us, including Katie, the bartenders, and the waitresses, just rolled our eyes. We were trying hard to keep back the laughter.

Then, "Teeth" steps into the shit again. Again, he berates the name "Cocktail" and again questions who could have been stupid enough to come up with the name. Katie couldn't take it any more.

"My parents did -- what do you think about that?!" Laughter ensues.

"Teeth" immediately backpedals. "Well, uh ... it's an okay name ... uh ..." Boy, did that fucker's face get red! He finished his beer and walked out.

Why did I call him "Teeth"? Because he needs a new set -- take that, you buck-toothed Blue Teamer, slammin' my future in-laws establishment! Eat it, cunnie!

Men of History

I'm currently sitting in a lab, working on my educational web page, then I decided to take a break. I was looking through my other pages on my FrontPage server and I came across the "Raft Trip Journal."

I laughed on the spot and opened it up. It was then that I am glad that I am a student of history, along with Mike and Robb -- that they were smart enougth to write down and catalog their events on the make-shift raft on the Yellow Medicine River in the summer of 1994.

I wasn't along for the first trip -- Mike, Robb, and Mike's younger brother Kevin were on the maiden voyage of the ... well, I guess the raft itself did not have a name. I went along in 1995, it was a blast!

I'm a guy who likes to keep history alive, especially with things that I was actively involved in with other people. Sure, people called me a "dork" for carrying a video camera around to our road trips and such, but look who's laughing now! Everybody now days is asking me to watch whatever. I just enjoy watching how different everybody was and how people have changed. I consider the past the greatest days of our lives, days in which we had no inhibitions whatsoever and we got away with EVERYTHING. Well, except for the Pizza Ranch event, we pretty much got away with things.

Anyway, the Raft Journal was written and put together by Mike, Robb, and Kevin in 1994. In 1997, Mike gave me "publishing rights" to post the journal on a web page. Unfortunately, Mike had provided images in the journal regarding different events, but I did not have scanning capabilities at that point. I took a lot of grief, but I managed to get the writings in on the web page.

Here is a small excerpt from the journal as Mike writes:

I got the stove and pancakes, but we forgot sausages, then I went back to get butter and syrup so I am not very happy. Luckily the pancakes will calm me down. Yea!

First pancake - sticks to pan

Robb's quote, "I hope these damn pancakes work."

Kevin's quote, "I hope these sausages work."

After eating their first pancake --

Mike, "Yum, that hit the spot, the syrup is a little cold."

Kevin, "Yummy."

Robb, "Pretty good if I do say so myself."

Sausages are delicious. It looks like she'll be a beauty out today. The sun is out hopefully it will get nice and hot.

"Good pancakes, Robb," Mike said after finishing up his last bite.

Robb replied, "Thanks."

Fire is about out. we will soon pack up and be on our way. It will be a little chilly in the water this morning.

When Robb was asked why his pancake looked like Kristen?

He said, "I like big Knockays!"

Yes, silly as it is -- and the rest of it is just as unappropiate, but it's a wonderful read and the memories will last forever.

San Andreas: Done at Last

I actually finished the story portion of GTA: San Andreas. Sad? Eh ... who knows. With Big Smoke dead (along with Ryder), it's basically C.J., Sweet, Kendl, and Cesar to run things in Los Santos.

The last mission is just one big pain in the butt. My advice? Splurge and buy an M4. It's well worth the $4000 (in Los Santos Ammu-Nation) and spend even more on more ammo since you're going to need it. Be prepared to walk through 4 flights of hell at the Crack Factory, where Big Smoke is pimpin' out on the 4th floor.

Smoke is easy to kill, although he had body armour on. Afterwards, that prick Tenpenny shows up, taking all of the money made from the Crack House. In the process, he blows up something of the other and starts the place on fire! Run like hell, but you have to put out the fires with readily-available fire extinguishers while the few remants of the Ballas Empire are still trying to gun you down. This took me three times to get out of that place -- don't worry, if you manage to kill Big Smoke but die on your way down to the first floor, go back to Sweet's house on Grove Street (Ganton) and you'll start the last mission right after killing Smoke.

There's a pretty cool chase scene afterwards, as Sweet and yourself are chasing Tenpenny who's gained the services of a fire truck. Chase him down and keep up with him (all the while gunning down Ballas and rogue police officers) and you'll have the story complete.

With that, the riots are done and you are free to do whatever what. I've got all my quarry and truck missions complete, but I still need to complete my courier missions. Otherwise, I'm hanging out in Las Venturas, gambling.

It is also with great honor that I know what people are searching for, especially when it comes to San Andreas. Some questions that people search for are: where can I get the harrier? or where are the girlfriends at? or how do I do the valet missions?

All I can say that is comes in due time. As for the girlfriends, I do not know. You're better off buying the guide, but in my opinion, that's cheating! Otherwise, a great source is IGN.com and their on-line strategy guide. 'Nuff said!

And So It Begins...

It seems like I am walking into the depths of Mordor, with a heavy burden chained around my neck. In other words, December is approaching with the news of more and more work to be done to be assured of good grades for the Fall semester.

December and May are always the deadliest months of a typical college students' year. With the last few weeks left on the semester calendar, the evil professors love to pile on the last minute work like I love to call, "Stupid Work."

"Stupid Work" is when professors run out of time to present certain material, but then they realize: shit, I'm out of time -- so they cram their own assignments and push them on to us. Thus, it's stupid and ultimately stressful.

That is the case in my poor situation in the dark reaches of Mad-Town, as I am constantly pummelled by assignment after assignment.

Do I ask for pity? No. It's my own damn fault! But this happens to everybody, and sooner or later, it seems like I want to cower away in some lonely bar downtown, content with drinking ales and lagers with my comrades.

It'll get better. At least I hope so.

The LONG Week

I had decided to take a week-long sabbatical, I guess I really do not know why. I guess it is the fact that everything is crashing down upon me -- as it seems like -- as things are finally catching up with me, like OLD AGE.

With the holidays, middle school work, and other assignments that I still have to complete, I'm starting to shrink under all the pressure. I generally do much better under pressure, but this time it seems like I'm starting to get disoriented and I do not know what to do. It's probably the fact that I am currently unemployed and I'm not really getting my fat paychecks any longer -- just a weak "pity you" check from the state of South Dakota.

Then I look back on my week -- it was fairly easy. I only had to go to the middle school on Monday, played badminton in class on Tuesday, and pretty much did not have anything to do on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. I kept promising myself that I have to get some work done -- but the ol' PS2 took over priority, as I finally finished GTA: San Andreas and am now currently playing MVP Baseball and NASCAR.

Thanksgiving -- it's a great holiday. Even though Katie's overall family puts mine to shame (like 30 people in one house), the food was great, almost to a point that I ate too much, too fast, that I thought I was going to be sick. The football games on that day were boring, except that my fantasy wide receiver Brandon Stokley had 3 touchdown receptions.

Friday was my crash day. I was crabby, ornery, what-have-ya. I just did not want to do anything. I did not want to be around anybody, even Katie. We got into a mini-fight over the telephone that day about her family wanting to go to Sioux Falls to shop. For one, the day after Thanksgiving is nuts, wherever you shop. I did not want a part of it -- and this is coming off from paying the local co-op over $300 in propane just to heat the house for the winter. Yeah, not in the best of moods.

So I sat at home, ate leftover ham from the day before, and watched "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" and the all-time classic, "A Christmas Story." Oh, and I watched "The Fellowship of the Ring" and "The Two Towers", both extended versions back-to-back that day. I'm gearing up for the extended edition release of "The Return of the King" in December.

To top it all off -- I'm currently writing this in Minnesota. I came back with Katie yesterday for a wedding in my home town. The reception was in Wood Lake -- and just for the special occasion, I purchased some Captain Morgan Private Stock, some smooth-smackin' rum. For a .750 mL, it's $20 in South Dakota. Today, I've noticed that it's 3/4 gone and yes, I'm a little shaky today. I had lots of fun at the dance, talked to people I haven't seen in years. It's nice to play "catch-up" with certain people, but I'll always remember how big of an asshole that certain person(s) was back in high school.

Well, I'm going to wrap this bugger up. I'll go into more detail on other events later on next week -- I will make the time to post some more stuff. I'm working on my fantasy team for today's games right now.

Also -- I'll probably be back in Minnesota NEXT weekend -- parents are away, farm house to myself, it could be a party time. I'll let ya know later!

Response to John's (Nee-Nee) Comment

"Sting" sounds like "W"?

Where did you go to school? Dell Rapids? Oh, yeah. Their mascot is the "Queeriers" (is that how you spell it?). Ha ha!

At least you're not a "Pheasant".

You're right, though. "Kilowatts" still has that ring to it.

Fantasy Football -- Update: What Nerve!

I was blind-sided last night when I found out that I was offered a trade. The other party was none other than the opponent that I will be facing on Sunday.

He wanted my David Givens for his Warrick Dunn, who's been sitting on his bench pretty much all season long. Also, Dunn is injury-prone, so I'm not going there.

His reason: he's in need of a good wide receiver. But he's already got Reggie Wayne, Chris Chambers, and Brandon Lloyd. Granted, Lloyd isn't a huge playmaker for the 49ers, but he's good enough to get Tim Rattay's attention to grab 30 balls for 385 yards and 3 touchdowns.

My reason: If Moss was healthy, I would give the trade consideration. Reports are that Moss won't even see the field until December 5th ... so yeah, reject the trade.

Weekend Plans -- Nov. 20 - 22

Besides yawning, as I'm doing right now, I'm going to sleep.

Big day on Saturday, as it's the 101st meeting between Big Ten rivals Michigan and Ohio State. This time, the game is going to be played at Columbus, where Michigan lost two years ago. Michigan won last year at The Big House, 35-21.

On Sunday, there's the Big Finale at Homestead-Miami, where the first ever NEXTEL Cup champion will be crowned. The "Chase for the Cup" has been an unexpected success, with the tightest points race ever. 5 different drivers are in contention to win it -- but on the downside, Ryan Newman is not one of them.

Vikings - Lions also on Sunday. Vikings better damn well win (again without Randy Moss).

Middle School Madness: Not Bad!

Damn, it was a pretty good day today at the middle school, if I do say so myself.

The teacher was gone, a substitute was there, so it was all up to Brett and I to dominate the classroom with our Access assignment.

Some people call it a "responsibility" -- I call it a "power trip." It's about time that I have people do what I tell them to do. I tell Katie to do something, I get shot down.

A few more days of this and we'll be done with our Level III's. Not too shabby!

GTA: San Andreas Update

New surprises just keep on poppin' up.

First off, on a humourous note -- I was pimpin' out in Las Venturas when I decided to go see what my girlfriend, Millie, was up to. I still needed to wine and dine her to get that pass card so I could rob Caligula's Casino.

For some reason, I had a bunch of flowers in my hand. I'd figure I would knock her socks off by giving them to her (I still cannot figure this out), but my dude CJ just nailed her with the flowers and I get the message, "This date is over! You have abused your girlfriend."

She takes off running and I go after her. Before you know it, I'm stomping the crap out of her and she's dead! I get a phone call from Woozie and CJ explains that she's dead -- so all I have to do is "break in" to her house and get the pass card. Whoopee. With that, I could complete the casino mission.

Back in Los Santos, I now have 100% control of the gang territories. The map is green and basically, you don't get anything for it -- not that I know of, anyway.

Over in San Fierro and Las Venturas, I completed all of the tests -- like the boat, motorcycle, and now the driving tests. With that, I could buy a car dealership and steal cars to sell -- kind of like in Vice City. I had three missions to complete there and I breezed through them.

Meanwhile, I'm stealing cars -- taking them to the Easter Basin Docks in San Fierro (loading them on a ship) and getting cars to modify them for street racing.

I highly recommend the ever-stressful "Bloodring." It's at the arena in San Fierro. Crazy shit!!

There is also rumors of a "bigfoot" in the "Back O Beyond" area on the map ... also some aliens. I haven't seen anything yet.

Fantasy Football -- Update, Nov. 18

Real quick like --

• I dropped Ike Hilliard for Amos Zereoue, running back for the Oakland Raiders. I still haven't heard anything on who's going to be the starting running back for the Vikings against Detroit, but for right now, it's Ontarrio Smith and Zereoue. I still have Michael Bennett.
• Randy Moss is doubtful. Which means, he's not going to start.
• My opponent has some big guns, like Brett Favre, Drew Brees, Reggie Wayne, and Edgerrin James. I have a jump on him though, he sits at 4-6 while I'm at 6-4. HUGE WEEKEND!!!

I need huge results from my guys this weekend, so I can stay in contention for the playoffs. Sitting at .500 is not going to cut it! My wide-outs and my qb's will again be my heavy contributors, but I need solid games from my running backs and my tight ends. Pittsburgh will again carry my defense against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Middle School Madness

Oh, for crying out loud. I damn near forgot what junior high is like -- it's basically hell.

Brett and I are "team teaching" at the Mad-Town middle school, observing a class of 8th graders. Our first day was yesterday morning. Already, I've got a list of kids who I would love to smack up-side the head. Like Brett said, "I would like to take the computer monitor and smash it over their heads."

Eh, it's not that bad. They're learning MS Access in one class, MS FrontPage in the other ... and this stuff is really "beginner". The teacher is an ex-Blue Teamer from here and she handles the class pretty well.

Then, she throws the monkey-wrench into our world.

She's going to be gone on Friday, so basically Brett and I are going to be the substitutes for the class. Oh, dear Lord. On top of that, our computer education methods instructor is coming in to observe how we teach -- talk about stressful.

It should be gravy -- not a whole lot to worry about. We just need our 24+ hours and we're done. Tomorrow should be a busy day.

School Business

Well, I've finally registered for the Spring 2005 semester.

With the addition of regular student teaching, I'm also taking two four-week courses that covers technology in the classroom and secondary education class management. Total: 12 credits, plus I have to pay more just because I'm student teaching. It's kind of a gyp, but what isn't at this place.

Later on today, they're hitting me up with this Tek.Xam, which everybody has to take during their assessment tests. Since I have been around here for nearly 7 years, I didn't have to take it since it wasn't even implemented back then. Now, since I'm going to finally graduate in May, they're telling me I have to take it. I've heard this test is a joke -- monkeys could pass this thing. At least I don't have to pay for it.

I also found out that while I was registering, I am one class short of getting my Computer & Information Systems minor, if I could have taken Database Management. Crap. I've already got three minors: Computer & Networking Security, Networking, and History. Do I remember anything? Nah. Except for maybe the OSI Model.

I've just been so damn lethargic lately. I really do not feel like doing much. I've been putting off my Operating Environments class, except for the test I aced last Monday. My partner Brad and I need to get something done with our Knoppix project, but that really hasn't been paid attention to.

And we get to start badminton today! Yay!

Gran Turismo 4 Delayed

Gran Turismo 4 (screenshot from IGN.com)

GT4 was supposed to be released on December 14th ... but it's being pushed back until the first quarter of 2005, meaning sometime between January and April 2005. Poop.

This is a must-have since I love driving games. I still haven't picked up Burnout 3: Takedown yet, but it's a little arcady. Gimmie a sim anyday.

Now the GameCube released Metroid Prime 2: Echoes this week. Man, I wish I had time and the money.

GTA: Fartin' Around

GTA: The Brown Streak Railroad (screenshot from Gamespot.com)

Without having to complete the last mission yet, I'm finishing up on some of the "minor" missions that one person can do. One of these includes the train mission, in which you only have to deliver cargo to different stations around San Andreas. I highly recommend doing this when there is absolutely no riots in Los Santos, because the people there during the riots are completely nuts and will throw you out of the train. To do this mission, simple wait at a station and highjack the train.

I'm also working on the quarry missions -- just southwest of Las Venturas. I've also completed my valet missions in San Fierro in which I will be making a "hefty" $2000 if I go back and pick it up.

But I'm still working on a mission on where I have to get all hooked up with Millie, a groupier at Caligula's Casino. I need to sleep with her to get a pass card, but my last two dates ended up in disaster -- she threw things at me -- so my progress with her dwindled from 30% to 9%. Yeah, not too good. Take her to the restaurants, not to any diner or fast-food joint!

I've also heard that there are other girls out there that can be your girlfriend. So far, I know of only 3 -- Denise, Millie, and Michelle. This Michelle chick is a total mystery -- I cannot even remember where I got hooked up with her.

I'm also trying to work on the "Snapshots," pictures that you can take of certain areas in San Andreas. Supposedly, there is a little picture icon (like you see at DisneyWorld) and you would take a picture of a building or something. I'll have to work on that.

Fantasy Football -- Update

I had a huge week this Sunday, dominating in every fashion possible. It also helps when my opponent has a few players not scoring any points whatsoever, plus he did not start a defense.

I had huge games from almost everybody, including Michael Vick, Tom Brady, Brandon Stokley, Jermaine Wiggins, and my Pittsburgh defense.

I only had poor performances from Ike Hilliard (who I'm going to drop this week) and Michael Bennett.

So, after Monday's night game, I will be 6-4 with some impressive point totals. If I keep this up, I will be good to go for the playoffs.

More on this later.

Vikings Lose Again

Daunte Culpepper is sacked by Packers defensive end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila.

I will admit, I didn't give the Vikings much of a chance in this game, especially when they were down 31-17 in the 4th quarter.

What really makes me upset is the KFAN radio station -- the flagship station for Vikings radio football. They've got two guys -- Paul Allen and Joe Senser (a former Viking) calling the shots. I can handle Paul Allen, since he's simply the play-by-play guy, but Senser -- what a pessimist.

He was ripping on the Vikings left and right -- not even giving a shit -- then the Vikings start their comeback.

Even Greg Coleman, the sideline reporter and another ex-Viking player -- apologized for his lack of faith when the Vikings tied it up at 31. Did Senser? Nope. "I've never seen so much heart in a team in my life." Basically, he was covering his own ass without apologizing. It made me sick -- your typical bandwagon fan.

Whatever. The Vikings should make the playoffs, only after Randy Moss is back in the line-up.

Newman Blows Engine Late at Darlington, Out of "Chase"

Ryan Newman

Being a Ryan Newman fan and having high expectations for him and the rest of the ALLTEL/Mobil 1/Sony crew after his impressive 8-win season in 2003, it is a disappointing thought to know that Newman is now mathematically out of the running for the first-ever NEXTEL Cup Championship.

This past Sunday, Newman and 42 others suited up at the "grand-daddy" of the superspeedways in Darlington, South Carolina for the last-ever running of the Southern 500. Darlington has always been a favorite of Ryan's, always running very well until something comes up to bite him.

Newman, starting 7th, was going for the lead early. He was trying to pass Kurt Busch on Lap 21, then a tire blew. Newman limped back around the track to pit road and fell a lap down (this was then I left to go pheasant hunting).

Listening to the race on the radio, Jimmie Johnson became the dominant car, leading the most laps and going on to win the race. Newman did make it back on the lead lap and was passing cars left and right, until with about 30 laps left in the race -- Newman's engine blew (while he was in the Top 5) and he had to settle with a 34th place finish.

Newman still sits in 7th in points, but he's so far back now that he won't make a difference. There's one race left -- next Sunday at Homestead-Miami -- for the last race of the 2004 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season.

Then, withdrawl until SpeedWeeks.

The LONG Weekend Wrap-Up

It was a pretty easy going past few days for me, since I has no classes on Thursday and Friday, due to Veteran's Day and Assessment Testing.

So on Friday, I headed home for the big state football tournament -- first round -- which was being played in Minnesota at the Old School. They haven't been to the state tournament since 1990 (that's a guess), so I figured that this team would be worthwhile to watch.

I met up with Robb quickly that Friday night, as he was projecting a fairly big crowd to watch the game. As it turned out, it wasn't as big as expected -- as temperatures dropped big time and we really started to freeze out there. I was predicting an Eden Valley-Watkins win, due to their impressive performance through their Section playoffs, but Robb kept the faith, saying that the Old School would pull one off.

The EVW team had some pretty big boys on that team, a couple reaching in size of 6'7" and weighing over 250 lbs., so the Old School boys had their hands full. The first half was pretty exciting, although they fell behind early (with a blocked extra point) 6 to 0 -- but the backbreaker was with 13 seconds prior to halftime, when EVW scored to make it 13 to 0.

Things started to fall apart in the second half. The Old School could not stop the pass and their running game started to pick up. Although EVW turned the ball over 5 times in the whole game, the Old School could not capitalize on the turnovers. In the end, the Old School ended their great run for the 2004 season by losing 28 to 0. Robb and I left early with about 6 minutes left, since our feet were basically frozen.

On Saturday, I even surprised myself. I got some homework done -- I had a test due on Sunday -- so I spent the morning doing that until my grandfather showed up and hired me on for some work at his place. After I got back, my dad got me into some pheasant hunting around the area, in which I had to buy my license on the Internet. No problem -- cost me $31, though.

We did see a couple of roosters; one of our party did shoot one down. We saw mostly hens all afternoon, then we decided to call it a day when the sun finally started to set.

Katie showed up that night, and my family got something to eat -- then drove to town to visit Mike and Lacey -- just get a little drunk. Katie and Lacey were talking wedding plans, then Schruppy showed up, then we had a little fun. We were watching CMT's sexiest 20 country males singers thing (we were all pretty upset who got #1 -- Keith Urban), then we were watching the 20 sexiest country videos. They had this annoying chick -- Melissa Rivers (daughter of Joan) giving her "two cents" over how the video looked. She got so damn literal on certain things, like Faith Hill's sheets in her video "Breathe." Mike then, came up with the quote for the weekend at which I am still laughing over.

"Shut the fuck up ... APE!!"

After Schrupp left, Mike and I watched "This Is Spinal Tap", which I have not seen in a long time -- but damn, it's probably one of the most funniest flicks I have ever seen.

Saturday was over when Katie and Lacey were done with their wedding stuff -- then Sunday rolled around. I finished up my homework and prepared for a day of football, NASCAR, and getting my fantasy team together. But dad had other plans -- "let's go pheasant hunting again!" so I obliged.

Again, we did manage to shoot a few roosters (but lost two of them, even with dogs) but saw a boatload of hens. I left early to head back to watch football and NASCAR, then later took off to South Dakota that late afternoon.

And that is all Tony wrote for the weekend!

GTA: San Andreas Update -- Takin' Over

It appears that the mission at the Big Smoke's Crack House is the very last mission of the story portion of the game. I've decided to put that one off until I take care of a few things.

First, I'm still eating away at the Ballas territory, takin' over their territory to spread my Grove St. Families madness throughout Los Santos.

Also, I took up gambling at The Four Dragons Casino in Las Venturas, but I'm still working on an uncompleted mission there in which I have to get a passcard from a chick who I'm seeing that works at Caligula's. We are planning our own little version of "Ocean's Eleven", where we are going to rob the casino.

Other than that, the riots are still going down in Los Santos, while I'm trying to stay alive and making money on the side so I can buy my weapons and armor at the local Ammu-Nation to take care of those Ballas fools. But in the meantime, I'm pimpin' out in the small towns, buying up property (safe houses) and doing whatever.

It's simply awesome.

Fantasy Football Update -- A Few Changes

Coming off the loss last weekend wasn't no big deal. In Week 10, things seem to be back at normal, although one of my starting wide receivers, Ashley Lelie of the Denver Broncos, are under a bye week for next Sunday.

With two defenses on my squad, Atlanta and Pittsburgh, I let the Falcons go. With that, I picked up a new wide receiver to fill Lelie's spot. I got the less-that-spectacular Ike Hilliard from the New York Giants, due to the fact that I am still burned by the Randy Moss hamstring injury that could still sit him out for another couple of weeks.

After I dropped Mewelde Moore, he was placed in waivers and will not be available until the 12th. Michael Bennett is also on waivers until the 12th, so I'm not really too sure on who to pick up. I will most likely drop Moe Williams in favor for one of those two.

"Mean Girls"

After the whole cat fiasco, Katie and I decided to rent a few movies at the new location in Mad-Town.

First, we picked up "Shrek 2," then she decided to get "Mean Girls." I'm pretty much warped now.

"Shrek 2" was not as good as the first, in my opinion. Still, I love those computer animated flicks, even though they're geared towards a younger population -- but you'd still be surprised by a few suggestive themes.

"Mean Girls", on the other hand, was just scary to watch. It was just odd how Katie and I both related to that certain clique in high school. First off, I just wanted to kill that "queen bee" type -- thinking that whatever she does is right and everybody should just look up to her. Ish.

The movie is dead-on in its timeline. The junior year of high school is crucial -- cliques reach their max as friends are continually back-stabbing one another. A few of the ladies in our junior class; I simply could not stand or bear to be in their presence. Although situations did not become all dramatized as they did in the movie, the atmosphere was right for a massive meltdown, especially around Prom.

Then the senior year rolled around. The clique evaporated and everybody was friends with everybody. Soon, it was observed that the senior girls where very hypocritical of the younger classes, especially towards the freshman for being "all pretty and the urge to show off your belly-button" and all that crap. "Mean Girls" captures this at the end of the movie, at which everyboby gets along.

It was just a weird movie to watch because it was just so accurate how high school is portrayed. I'm glad those years are over and behind me and already I am bracing myself as my career as a high school educator begins to unfold.

Good-Bye, Ya Little Buggers...

As of today, we will be getting rid of three cats -- Teddy, Franklin, and Ellie.

Besides the pressure from our landlord of having too many cats in the house, I suddenly "blew up" yesterday when I found a big, stinkin' pile of shit on our carpet once again, for the THIRD TIME. From that point, I left Katie an angry e-mail, stating that we have get rid of these cats.

Katie will be returning the cats back to the original owner this afternoon. I will have to admit, it will be sad to see them go -- especially Franklin. He was probably the best one of them all -- Teddy was the lil' shit that pissed and shit everywhere -- but that darn Franklin. I called him a "little football" because he was getting pretty tubby. He was always good enough to lay on you and didn't have to "meow" or go nuts when he is hungry.

If we would have gotten these cats fixed, it would be a different story. But the original owner wanted them to be farm cats, makin' babies with other female farm cats. They're just spreading their "scent" around -- but in the house? That is where I draw the line.

Katie is taking it pretty hard. I feel bad, but it's the right thing to do.

GTA: Hard as Hell

I've seem to hit a wall in difficulty in GTA: San Andreas. All of a sudden, it got pretty hard.

I'm out to kill my old Grove St. gang-pal Big Smoke for running a Crack House. I have to steal a S.W.A.T. vehicle and bash the door down, then charge up 4 floors to the penthouse to gun down Big Smoke. The only problem is that I've only made it up 2 floors, then I get my ass kicked.

I'll probably work on it a little more tonight.

Fantasy Football Update -- Loss

I have now fallen to 5-4 on the season, with the loss greatly expected from my opponent's huge performance in Week 9.

As for the Vikings/Colts Monday Night game -- eh. Again, no pass defense, injuries are taking its tool on the Vikings roster and it seems to be a carbon copy season compared to last year. The New York Giants game always seems to be the downfall for the Vikings; they simply cannot beat 'em and they'll never recover.

Next Sunday -- Vikings at Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers. No prediction as of yet, and the Vikings simply to not have the momentum to win in an opposing stadium.

Cats and Exhaustion

With five cats running around the house, it is simply driving me nuts.

Katie has a thing for cats, always have, and probably always will. I have no problem with cats -- unless they're pissing and shitting on the floor. That is where I step in.

Our landlords also do not take too kindly to it. Since we moved in, we started with two cats -- Bubba and Chloe -- and our landlords were cool with that. Now, a co-worker of Katie's wanted to give away a couple for the winter AND TAKE THEM BACK in the Spring, which really does not make a whole lot of sense. A fifth cat was later added to the bunch.

Now, with these cats smelling up the place, pissing and pooping on our carpet (due to Katie's lack of motivation to clean the litter box), I finally put the foot down. Our landlord stopped by and said that "five cats are just too much," and I agree. By next week, we should be back to our original two.

Also, I'm just bloody tired. The weather is pretty good here in the "Stupid Red State", wind is gusting today but overall, a good fall temperature. Lately, I've been swamped with homework as I am preparing for my Level III experience for teaching next week in Mad-Town.

The great thing is that I do not have class on Thursday or Friday, due to Veteran's Day and Assessment Testing ... so I'm going to head to Minnesota on Friday in time for the Old School football game.

From the Desk of Sir Michael Wallace

Written: May, 1995

Human touch, soft and soothing words, tender heart, friendly smile, cheerful handshake, loving hug, and the passionately affectionate kiss.
All part of being in love, finding your way to love, and discovering what love is all about.
A broken heart that yearns for better times.
The aching chest that feels partially dead.
The body may just want to lie down and put the body to bed.
It hurts, but then it's over.
Then it gets better and better.
You move on and start to enjoy life.
You forget as quickly as you yourself wish.
You move on as soon as you decide to.
You return to love with a new love whenever you feel it is time.
You decide.
You control your heart for the most part.
Don't live life in the past.
This goes for all things, not just love.
But never forget the past.
The good, the bad, and the ugly.
As long as you remember you are capable of avoiding thing and even finding things in the future.

Wow!
Where did I come from?
Where did that come from?
It doesn't hurt to stop and think.
It doesn't hurt to glance over into a friend's eyes.
Look deep and feel what they feel.
Try to know what they want and need.
By doing this you will better understand this person and all people.
And most importantly do it to yourself.
Look into the mirror each night.
Smile, cry, whatever you feel.
Look deep into your eyes.
There you will find your mind and heart.
Then you are capable of examining both.
You will better understand what you yourself are striving for in life, love, and happiness.
You will know what to do after.
You will know what to say.
You will relieve stress and feel healthier.
You will know that you happen to be one hell of a person.
And if you want you can even enjoy life more.
Always remember, you decide.
It is your own attitude so do with it what you want.

Why don't you step right up, go right ahead, take that chance, jump off the deep end, step on the nail, slip of the tongue, watch your step, smell red roses, duck, head's up, smell the coffee, open your eyes, close your ears, put on some deodorant, hang on the rim, dive for the end zone, yell for some help, smile at some chick, punch him in the face, get an 'A' in class, listen to that punk rock, do some audio dubbage on the VCR, on the radio, make some music videos, make a raft, go camping, build a gym, graduate from school, get a job, make a million a year, build a mansion, live life on the edge, take the plunge, jump off the high board, walk the plank, juke the skunk, kick the bear in the balls, give a woman a hug, drive the tractor, cut the chase, turn up the radio, die in vain, sing in the rain, or shower, or bath, be what you want, dream what you want, imagine, all the time, to feel good, anyplace at all, with your mind, about anything at all, smile when you're happy, cry when you're sad, hug when you're hurt, hug when you're happy, eat when you're hungry, die when you're dead, live when you love, shake when you're scared, hold hands when you want to, be what you please, live where you want, live how you like, live when you like, live with who you like, hit a homerun, or strikeout, bowl a perfect game or just have fun, get an ace or another double fault, get a hole in one or don't play at all, spike the ball or whiff big time, hunt and shoot a deer or just watch it run by enjoying life to the fullest wonder what is going through its head and how it would feel if you ended its life right there and then, but you don't control it if it lives or dies do you?

You don't decide if they're happy or sad?
You don't decided to imagine or forget?
You don't decide whether to dream, wish or live life plain?
You never can decide can you, it isn't even up to you?
Or is it?
I'd like to think you have a simple clue as to what in the heck you are doing, why you're here and not over there, what you will next expect, who will you next see or want to, how you will live another day.
Can you tell me?
I didn't think so.
You have no clue, either do I.
We just sit, watch, eat food, and wonder or some may sit, close their eyes, and pray.
We all have our way and we all do it everyday.
The one thing is true and that is we're all here and should try not to fear.
Why not get along?
Or should I just tell you to eat it?
Yea, let's do it, why not I will ask you?
I love life and everything in it, on it, around it, and having to deal with it, but I love the brain the best.
The capability we all have to do what.

Great Day for Newman -- Finishes 2nd

Ryan Newman (#12) leads the field to the Green Flag in Phoenix.

Not a bad day, considering what happened to Ryan Newman during the race and how he rebounded back to finish 2nd, behind winner Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

Newman, again, started from the pole position with a record-breaking qualifying time and then led the first 59 laps of the 312-lap event until Earnhardt, Jr. took over the lead.

The race was a mix-up of different pit strategies and multiple cautions. While Newman was on the lead lap, one of his tires was off, so he pitted under green flag conditions and fell a lap down. He later got that back during the "lucky dog" rule.

Since then, it was a charge through the field for Newman, passing Jeff Gordon on the last lap to take second. A huge points day -- as Newman still sits in 7th place behind points leader Kurt Busch, 150 points back.

Next race will be a good one as they visit the historic Darlington Speedway in Darlington, South Carolina. Newman always runs good here, and in the past two races, he should have had wins but problems have always come up to bite him (last year -- kill switch; past spring -- spun out on pit road).

Fantasy Football Update -- Takin' the Loss

Unbelievable.

I knew I didn't have a chance to begin with, just by noticing some of my opponent's players' stats as they scrolled across the bottom of the screen on CBS.

Most of his players are already in double-digits, including huge games from Clinton Portis (who threw a touchdown pass) and Antonio Gates, the tight end from San Diego who caught 3 touchdown passes.

As for me, I was screwed over by a bye weeks, injuries, and simply not picking the right person to start. My biggest bone-head play of Week 9 was not selecting a defense. I already had Atlanta, which who was riding a bye week, but they had been solid for me. I decided to keep them rather than take a new defense -- so I benched Atlanta. The next best defense I could have selected was Pittsburgh, but they were playing Philadelphia. I got burned on that, a lot of hindsight -- as Pittsburgh only gave up 3 points to the previously-undefeated Eagles.

I decided to start Daniel Graham for the Patriots against the St. Louis Rams -- big mistake. Graham now has not caught a pass in two straight games. I benched Jeremy Shockey, who caught 6 passes for 64 yards and a touchdown in their loss to the Chicago Bears. There goes 18+ points.

As for injuries -- Randy Moss still isn't playing, Mewelde Moore is out with a sprained ankle. I'm benching Moss, dropped Moore from my roster and picked up Moe Williams (again).

Points going into the Monday Night game:

The Champs: 167.54
Nine Years: 71.52

Yes, my roster is filled with Colts and Vikings players, like Brandon Stokley, Ontarrio Smith, Moe Williams, Jermaine Wiggins, and Mike Vanderjagt. So I can make up a few points there -- but my opponent is starting Marcus Robinson and Dallas Clark. With Moss out, Robinson is going to be the go-to guy on the Culpepper passing attack. So, I basically screwed.

As far as the game goes -- a huge shootout. If there was ever a team with a worse pass defense than Minnesota, it's Indianapolis. We're probably going to see 70+ points scored in this game; Culpepper and Peyton Manning probably throwing 5 touchdown passes each.

Another GTA Update

It was getting to the point that I was playing this game WAY TOO MUCH that I was getting headaches.

But damn! What fun! Never before in a game such as this, I have so much freedom to drive around (or fly) and do whatever. My newest addiction in the game is the gambling feature -- just go into a casino in Las Venturas and play a little video poker. Simple as that!

Yet another great thing about this game is that none of the missions are the same. I've already completed several missions (unlocking the whole map) and there's always something new. One mission in particular is that I have to fly a jet to Liberty City (yes, the city in GTA3) to knock off a few mobsters. I was thinking, "You're kidding, they put the city from GTA3 in this game?!" No, but just a small area that is familiar to GTA3 fans.

So far at my own little airport at Verdant Meadows, I've got a harrier, a huge-ass helicopter, a jet-pack, and a small little WWII fighter.

As far as the story line goes, riots have broken out in Los Santos. Sweet is out of prison, and I'm back fighting the gang wars against the Ballas. I'm currently trying to fight them off, gain as much territory for the Grove Street Families as I can while fighting to protect territories that I have already gained. That's where the headaches come in. I usually have to fight off 3 waves of attackers and they get stronger each wave. Luckily for me, hearts and armor are available when fighting, you just have to find them before they kill you.

I will more than likely play some of this tonight, hopefully I can get a little farther for another great update.

And -- if you haven't picked this game up yet -- GET IT.

Old School Wins Section -- State Tournament

Section 6AA Champions

Well, what do you know?! The Old School has finally made the state tournament -- it's been since '89 (I think), but it looks like the ol' ball coach has finally taken the team back to glory.

With that in mind, I just might be heading back to the great state of Minnesota to watch this one. They are going to be playing Eden Valley-Watkins, the Section 5AA Champion in Granite Falls on Friday night.

EVW's final ranking was 3rd in state Class AA. They have mowed over their opponents in the Section 5AA playoffs, scoring 137 points in 3 games while only giving up 16. One of their victories was a huge 49-2 win over Atwater-Grove City-Cosmos, a team that had previously defeated the Old School in 212 Conference action.

I'm not taking anything away from the Old School, they had an impressive playoff run also, with a huge first-round win over Ortonville 54-20, moving on to beat Benson 20-13 and defeating Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 34-6 in the Section championship.

My prediction? This is new territory for the Sting. They'll most likely be a bit "bug-eyed" going into this one on Friday night, facing the 3rd ranked team in the state. Momentum is on both sides of the ball, both teams coming off impressive playoff runs. Even though the Sting will have home-field advantage, they'll fall to EVW -- 35 to 12.

Hopefully they can prove me wrong.

GTA: San Andreas Update

After nearly 30 hours into the game, I've finally uncovered the whole map.

Like I said before, this thing is huge. I finally picked up my pilot's license at Verdant Meadows (doing a bunch of flying tricks with planes and helicopters -- hard as hell!), so I can get from here to there in no time at all.

Las Venturas is the new town I'm currently pimpin' out in -- modeled after Las Vegas with its lavish casinos. The missions are becoming increasing harder, plus I now have two girlfriends. Getting this second one was a little unexpected -- I followed her to a sex store and she was trying on these leather outfits, so I put on a "gimp" outfit and beat the crap out of the guy she was orginally supposed to hook up with. The "weapon" I picked up? A long, double-sided purple dildo. I'm not kidding.

I really want to go back to the whole gang wars again, taking over territories and such, but I'm making money hand over fist, buying up properties (safe houses) and completing my missions.

I'm just still so impressed by the size of this game -- driving out in the desert, visiting the small towns ... then hitting the interstate and pulling into Los Santos, San Fierro, or Las Venturas.

Fantasy Football -- What a Freakin' Mess

Yesterday, I dropped Moe Williams to pick up Craig Krenzel, the new quarterback for the Chicago Bears due to Michael Vick's bye week.

Then, I find out that Mewelde Moore might not even play on Monday night against the Indianapolis Colts, due to a sprained ankle. He is currently listed as probable. So, I looked for Michael Bennett and he was just picked up this morning, so I'm hoping that Moore gets some playing time Monday night.

On top of that, Randy Moss might be sitting out a couple of weeks. He is currently my top-points getter, and without him, it might be a tough Sunday and Monday night for me.

No Deer Hunting

I'm going to pass this up this weekend -- no, it's not because of the freak accident last Monday -- but it's just a huge time-crunch for me.

I've got lots to do next week, especially just coming off Mid-Terms and crap, and the load does not get easier.

So, I'll be at home doing some more homework, projects and the such.

Finally -- The Election Is Over

No more phone calls, no more junk mail, no more countless radio spots, no more TV commercials.

All is well and done, with Bush getting another 4 years and Thune defeating Daschle in the South Dakota Senate race.

I would have never thought that would have happened -- the Thune Victory.

I didn't stay up very late to watch the election results; I probably went to bed around 11:00 p.m. that night, waking up early for class and seeing who would get the "swing" states, like Ohio, Iowa, and New Mexico.

But it's all over with, finally -- another four more years of Republican Rule.

Damn Near Died...

I'm one hurtin' unit today.

It was a fairly eventful evening last night, as Lon (Katie's dad) and I decided to attend a high school playoff football game. We were going to watch Chester play Canistota-Bridgewater (casa de Troy) in Bridgewater.

We were on Highway 81, approaching Salem. Lon and I were just sitting back, shooting the bull about sports and such, then all of a sudden, out of the misty black -- shot out a streak of gray. We both knew what it was, as every Midwestern driver knows that they would prefer not to hit one of these...

...a big, stupid white-tailed deer. A doe.

We saw it for a split second. This wasn't no little puny Bambi, this was one huge mama. There was absolutely nothing Lon could do, we were going to hit it. For that split second that we saw it, it appeared that it was going to attempt to JUMP us. Instinctively, I ducked and prepared for impact. Lon hit the brakes.

Boom.

I looked down and there was glass everywhere. I was covered in it. It didn't occur to me later that the dome light was on inside Lon's Ford Explorer. I looked up -- the whole front windshield was smashed and caved in. There was a huge hole right in front of Lon, the glass cutting into his hands. The front part of the roof of the Explorer was pushed back from the impact. All of these thoughts went through my head in a matter of milliseconds.

I looked at Lon, his baseball cap missing and the driver's side window blown out -- he looked dazed, still screeching on the brakes and trying to regain control of the vehicle. I reached over and grabbed the wheel, not really knowing how Lon was at that point, but just trying to provide some assistance if we were going to go into the ditch. After the vehicle was stopped with a few curse words, I told Lon that we should pull over on the shoulder. It was then that I turned around and noticed that the back window was also blown out.

Luckily for us, there was no traffic coming from either way and we were only about a mile and a half north of Salem. We drove slowly into town and reached a gas station, where we got some help. Lon's hands were cut up pretty bad, including small scratches on his face. The person working at the convienence store called the Sherriff Deputy and he came later. He asked us if we wanted the deer, we prompty said, "No."

Besides being covered in glass, there was deer hair EVERYWHERE. It covered the inside of the cab, especially all down the outside of the driver's side of the Explorer. I almost had to think that the deer was with us inside the cab from seeing all of the hair.

While Lon was talking to the deputy, I called Glenda (Katie's mom) and informed her of the accident. She was relieved that we were all right, but behind us was Katie's two younger brothers, Matt and Mike. Glenda called Mike and told them what happened, and Mike called me. I told him to see if they could see the deer, let us know.

They pulled into the gas station and immediately they told us that there was nothing left of the deer. The carcass literally exploded and the remains were spread over two lanes, including the shoulders. Later on at the football game, word had spread that we were involved in an accident with a deer, and a few people thought that a semi-truck had hit it.

"Nope," Lon said. "It was us."

Going through the vehicle and getting our stuff, I noticed that the driver's side mirror was in the back seat of the Explorer and again, the glass was everywhere. The steering wheel was bent out of shape, and we couldn't even shut the headlights off because the knob was broken. I still cannot figure out why the dome light came on when we hit.

After all was said and done, with Lon patched up -- being the sports fan we are, we got a ride from the deputy and he drove us to Bridgewater to watch the football game.

On the way home, we got a ride from Katie's uncle and aunt. We saw the remains north of Salem and it was probably the most gruesome sight that I have ever seen. I could not believe that an Explorer, travelling the speed limit, could do something like that. Blood and entrails everywhere.

Lon thinks he has a broken finger or hand, it swelled up pretty good. As for me, no cuts on me whatsoever. Today, I've got a pretty sore neck -- I'm thinking when I ducked I hit the dash with my head.

Overall, that was probably the most scariest moment in my life up to this point. The deer jumped and damned near joined us in the front seat. Lon kept the vehicle straight and I reacted right away, checked to see if he was alright and helped him get his bearings back.

As for Katie, she was cutting other people's hair when she heard from her mom about the accident. She was a mess upon hearing of it. She was finally glad that I returned home at around 11:30 last night, then things returned to normal, just like they should be.

Hopefully I can get some pictures of the vehicle -- it's totalled, never to be driven again.

Election Day

Yep, got up early and voted.

I drove north of home to a small town in voted at the Fire Hall. I guess it's not to hard to imagine who I voted for President.

I hope all of you got registered and got out there -- it looks like it's going to be a record turn-out.

More GTA: San Andreas

Still, no end in sight.

Now it seems like I'm getting somewhere in the game. Since I didn't have class today, I put in a good 5 hours of solid GTA play time and I'm finally expanding the map a little.

I'm not even pimpin' out in my hood of Ganton in Los Santos anymore -- so far, there are no more gang wars (I still don't know what's up with that -- like the "colors" are gone) and I've been out West in Angel Pines and now I'm exploring a whole new experience: San Fierro.

San Fierro is basically the metropolis of the West, based off the real San Francisco. After a few street races, I got hooked up with a garage in San Fierro and starting to make my living. I'm also playing "undercover" with a pimp, who's in the cahoots with with one of my Grove Street homies -- I'm not really sure what that's all about, either -- but I've been battling Vietnamese gangs and even touching my "nerdy" side by having RC wars with one of my employees -- "Zero."

I cannot help but laugh while watching the cut scenes prior to and after the mission is over. Where do they come up with this crap?!

Overall -- still gots a long way to go. The whole northern portion of the map still needs to be explored yet. I kind of want to get back to the old gang wars and take over some areas, but I'm sure my time will come. I'm just starting to earn money -- and that's about 20 hours of game time.

Time will tell!

Michigan - Michigan State: 3 Overtimes

Braylon Edwards catches a touchdown pass late in the 4th Quarter of the Michigan-Michigan State Game.

I watched on and off this game on Saturday afternoon.

One, it was the interstate rivarly for the Paul Bunyan Governor's Trophy.

Two, it was being played in the Big House in Ann Arbor.

And three, Michigan was getting their butts kicked. Michigan was down 27-10 in the 4th Quarter, then all hell broke loose. Michigan kicked a field goal, then recovered an on-side kick, then a touchdown. 27-20.

Michigan scored later on to tie the game up and sent it into overtime.

First OT: field goals. 30-30.

Second OT: touchdowns. 37-37.

Third OT -- now you have to attempt a 2-point conversion: Michigan gets theirs, Michigan State comes up empty -- Michigan wins, 45-37. Bedlam in The Big House.

Probably the most exciting game this year, besides Miami and Florida State getting upset in their games on Saturday. But damn ... Michigan is on a roll!

Other notes: Minnesota lost to Indiana. For crying out loud!

The Weekend

Good Lord, I gotta stop getting drunk.

I finally pulled myself away from playing GTA: San Andreas and drove into Mad-Town for karaoke night at The Cock. To start off, the DJ sucked, but we made the most of it.

I had some old friends down there, like Chris and his newly-wed wife Jeanine were downtown, along with Holly who went to school here a couple of years ago and is now teaching out somewhere in West River. From then on, I started to drink beer.

After a while, another buddy of mine, Tate, came in and said that we gotta start singing. He was already plowed, so I caved and decided to hit it up. Our regular song, "Man of Constant Sorrow" by the Soggy Bottom Boys ("O Brother, Where Art Thou?") was NOT in the song list, so I chose to sing a little "Turn the Page" by Bob Segar. RIPPED IT UP.

A sang a few more songs after that, like another Segar tune "Old Time Rock 'n' Roll" and Doby Gray's "Drift Away," songs that I had never sang before. I did the best I could, considering I was feeling a little woozy.

Katie got a little ill as the night went on, so we left early. I've got lots of pictures from that night and I should get them developed today.

Sunday -- felt fine. I got ready for the race in Atlanta and the Vikings game -- don't start. The Vikings were a big waste of time to watch. For crying out loud, everybody on offense sucked ass. Remember, it was the Giants game last year that started the downward spiral for the Vikes -- hopefully it won't happen this year.

Tony Caves -- Picks Up GTA: San Andreas.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (screenshot from IGN.com)

One word to describe this game: Wow.

How can anybody put so much into a game? How do people come up with some of these missions that you have to do? It's beyond comprehension.

Good thing that this game is rated "M" for Mature -- 'cuz there sure is a lot of killing and a lot of stealing.

First off, this game is HUGE. This game simply puts GTA 3 and Vice City to shame. The map alone is 3 times bigger than the old Vice City map. I've played roughly 10 hours into the game (after buying it on Friday) and I'm not even close to covering the whole map. I've probably got it 25% covered. Just when I thought I was at the most northern point I could get -- nope, another huge-ass city just across the river.

Some of these missions are great -- especially the mission where I have to hijack a luxury car who has to pick up a rap icon in Los Santos and kill him. After I pick him and his woman up after an awards ceremony, I'm just supposed to drive it off a pier and let him drown. Genius.

Besides that, you can customize your character. Work him out, like build up muscle and stamina; buy clothes representing your gang colors; and get some ink done.

Already I've got my own territory in which I have to protect it when it comes under attack, plus I even have a girlfriend in the game! Crazy shit!

Highly recommend picking this one up ... if you're old enough!

Fantasy Football -- Opponent "Lays Down"

A fairly easy week for "Nine Years," as my opponent apparently did not make any changes to his team from the week before. He was stuck with 4 players on bye weeks -- I went on and took the easy win. I am now sitting at 5-3.

Total Points for Week 8:

Me: 140.62
Him: 86.10

I had big games from Michael Vick (finally!), who threw 2 touchdown passes and ran for over 100 yards. Big day from New England Patriots wide receiver David Givens, who scored twice in the loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Also, my individual defensive player Rodney Harrison of the Patriots had a big day, recording 10 tackles with 8 assists.

Bad day from Mewelde Moore, who fumbled a backwards pass from Daunte Culpepper early in their game against the New York Giants. He saw limited action after that, paving the way for a Michael Bennett touchdown later in the game. I also started Randy Moss -- got burned -- he didn't catch a ball in the first half and didn't even dress for the second half.

Next week for Week 9, Vick and the Falcons are having a bye week. Since I got rid of Kyle Boller, I'm on the prowl for a replacement. I'll probably drop Moore or Moe Williams (Ontarrio Smith should get the starting nod for the Vikings in Week 9) and pick up whoever is available. Maybe Craig Krentzel of the Chicago Bears, but I'm not sure.

Update on this later.

Tough Day for Chase Contenders - Newman Gains Points

Ryan Newman (#12) Leads the Pack to the Green Flag in Atlanta.

Things were looking good for Ryan Newman and the Mobil 1 Dodge team early in the race, until a pit stop messed things up a little. One of Newman's tires was chattering so much, that he made an early green flag pit stop and that pretty much ruined his chances to finish in the Top 10. One of the Goodyears that was on his car was off-balance -- a defect -- and that cost him. Newman ended up finishing 17th on the day, 2 laps down -- but on the bright side, he gained a butt-load of points due to bad finishes and car problems for the leaders throughout the day.

"Chase" points leader Kurt Busch blew an engine, as did his Roush Racing teammate Matt Kenseth. Jeff Gordon experienced transmission problems, and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. crashed in the closing laps of the race. Elliott Sadler had steering problems after a run-in with Joe Nemechek in pit road. Jeremy Mayfield had a cut-tire early in the race that set him back.

Overall, Mark Martin, Tony Stewart, and Newman had the cars that really gained the points, besides having Jimmie Johnson winning an emotional victory -- his 3rd straight. Martin clearly had the car to beat, but was up-in-the-air about a decision to pit late in the race during a caution. Martin stayed out, while the rest of the field pitted with fresh tires. Martin was quickly overrun at the restart until Earnhardt, Jr. crashed, then Martin and everybody pitted once again. Martin couldn't catch Johnson, a Hendrick driver whose upper management big-wigs perished in a plane crash near Martinsville, Virginia a week before.

Newman nearly gained 90 points for the day, bringing him within 186 points behind points leader Kurt Busch. Next Sunday is Phoenix!