The Alternaverse: College Football Style-Powered by NCAA 2007

Uh, disclaimer, I guess: This is all based on my so-called dynasty that I'm playing on my trusty old Playstation 2 with EA Sports' NCAA 2007 Football. They give you the option to name the players, and, as Sam Keller sure pointed out (and we all knew anyway) you can put the players from real life in the game! Awesome.

Nate's teams (in bold):

USC Trojans: 14
Washington: 0

This was a defensive battle from the beginning. Actually, this was USC's defense showing Washington's quarterback what dirt tastes like. Sacked him so many times I lost count. Knocked out the first-string quarterback. Trojan offense failed to execute on third downs. Punted after the first two drives. Maybe it was the rain. Or maybe these guys are starting to enjoy LA a little too much and aren't focusing enough on football! You know those women will leave you as soon as you don't get drafted, right? Sheesh.

Texas A&M Aggies: 10
Colorado Buffaloes: 31

Pre-game notes: Colorado's punter, Matt DiLallo is suspended for three games due to his inability to turn in classwork on time. Far be it from me to be overly harsh on a student-athlete, but the last time I decided to reduce the punishment from what ol' EA Sports recommended, I was slapped with two years of probation.

Colorado lost a tough one in their Big 12 conference opener to Oklahoma State last week. They've gotten close to the National Championship game the last two years but haven't quite been able to make it in. The loss to the Cowboys is a setback but Coach Hawkins doesn't seem worried. He certainly made the right decision last season in benching his decidedly average son, Cody Hawkins, at quarterback and going with the true freshman Demetrius Johnson. Johnson presents many more challenges for defenses, as he is able to not only throw the ball, but also runs the option well.

Colorado had no problem with A&M in this game. Two early interceptions thrown by the Aggies sealed their fate. The only glimmer of offense came on a long pass play that went for a touchdown towards the end of the first half.

San Jose State Spartans: 28
Utah State Aggies: 3

No problems here. Lots of interceptions. Long TD passes. Now if only I can get the Spartans into the Top 25 . . .

The Top 25:

1. Florida State
2. Nebraska
3. Oklahoma
4. Penn State
5. USC
6. Notre Dame
7. West Virginia
8. Oregon
9. Colorado
10. Texas
11. Ohio State
12. Texas A&M
13. Louisville
14. Alabama
15. LSU
16. Virginia Tech
17. Auburn
18. Michigan
19.UCLA
20. Missouri
21. Utah
22. Northwestern
23. Tennessee
24. Arizona State
25. Oklahoma State

Alas, it's not San Jose State's week. Maybe they'll be up there in time for the first BCS Standings to come out. Until next time: Stay true to your dorky selves.

That Damn Boy

The boy spent all of his childhood days waiting impatiently and dreaming of that Day. The day when he would, at long long long last, be all grown-up and ready to get on with his life. No more summers of boredom or nights full of television and discontent. He was going to be a fighter pilot. And then an astronaut. He would pilot a ship to Mars. And then become a professional football player. All the while he dreamt of glory and romance. Adventures and poignant moments with a woman with no face and yet as many faces as he could picture every night when he closed his eyes.

As he grew into an older boy, he fancied himself a writer. Full of feelings and fears and frightful images that no one had ever felt or imagined before. Or if they had, never as intensely as he. And girls! Oh the Girls were the subject of many of his musings. Those queens, those untouchable ladies seen from afar. How he longed for one and then another to know the contents of his heart! But those Girls lived only on the page. The boy felt unworthy and ill-prepared for the real girls.

This boy is now a bitter boy, full of bile and self-hatred. Discontent, still. That Day was still coming. Now his dream was less well-defined. Only to leave the confines of his father's house, to be his own man! He would travel far away for his College Experience. He sent off for information to many esteemed institutions, determined to put his mark on his life and on this world. He would experience everything he was supposed to and have the time of his life. Yet, when the time came, he settled in at the nearest school where all (or most) of his familiar friends attended.

"What to do now?" He wondered. Perhaps he would see where this place would take him.

My Dad, a Husker?

As I browsed through some of the Nebraska Cornhusker football rushing records, I discovered that there was a Craig Johnson (which is also my dad's name) who holds the single-game record for yards-per-carry. He ran for 192 yards on 10 carries against Kansas on November 4, 1978 for a 19.2 yard average. I'm pretty sure my dad wasn't a Husker I-back but I still think it's cool. My dad was a basketball player and hails from McCook, Nebraska. The Husker CJ is from Omaha. Perhaps more investigation is warranted, since I wasn't around back then to validate that it wasn't him. Hehe.

Vinny Testaverde = Hall of Fame?

Just spending some time on Pro-Football-Reference.com looking at the career rankings for quarterbacks. Vinny Testaverde ranks:

The good:

7th in passes completed (3,787)
6th in pass attempts (6,701)
6th in passing yards (46,233)
8th in passing touchdowns (275)

Not so good:

92nd in passer rating (75.0)
4th in interceptions (267)

Career record: 90-123-1

I would think he'd have a good shot at getting in. He retired in 2007, so we'll have to wait until after the 2012 season when he becomes eligible for the Hall of Fame.

First Test

Tomorrow night is my first accounting test. This is the first class I've taken since graduating in May 2007. I'm fairly confident since it is my only class, but I'm also a little nervous. I tried to study some tonight, mostly by taking practice tests on the online resource that came with the book. I took a break and Wanda and I went for a walk. Then she helped me study a little bit by quizzing me out of the book. I'm not feeling too bad, I guess we'll see how it goes. For now, sleep (World of Warcraft?) beckons.

WoW characters:

-Gibraltir: Level 24 Human Paladin on Nazgrel.
-Wandy (actually made for Wanda, but she makes me play her): Level 9 Night Elf Druid on Nazgrel.
-Catopulis: Level 4ish Undead Warlock on Balnazaar.

In other news:

I'm trying, yet again, to exercise some more. I've ran three times this week so far and surprisingly, it's been in the mornings and I've actually felt pretty good. I think some leg stretching would do me some good and make it easier for me, but I've been content to trundle through the pain so far. Farewell!

My Library

I'm in the process of cataloging my book collection online. This is something I've had an itch to do for a while, and now on this Sunday afternoon, I'm doing it! In doing so, I've come across quite a few books I've had for a long time. Books I remember reading during many a long, boring, lonely summer as an only child growing up in Kearney, Nebraska. Good times, good memories. There's also plenty of books I have that I haven't read yet. And, there's some that elicit a chuckle or two. Like, Smooth Operators. A birthday gift from my early days of knowing Wanda. She sure knew just what to get a guy like me with such little fashion sense.

I'm probably doing more work than I need to be doing, but I'm cataloging both on Facebooks visual bookshelf and Library Thing. Check them out, it's a fun way to spend some time and maybe it will come in handy someday. Maybe, if I forget what books I own. Or something like that.

The Really Updated List

Annoying Crap Pseudo Music Unofficial Standings (Only artists lucky enough to be on here more than once):

Colbie Caillat: 3
Daughtry: 3
Taylor Swift: 2
Duran Duran: 2
Everyone else: 1 each

Every day - Hilary McRae
These Days - Bardot
Summer Sunshine - The Corrs
Young Folks - Peter, Bjorn, and John
Talk to Me - Stevie Nicks
Say What You Need to Say - John Mayer
Just Dance - Lady Gaga
Bleeding Love - Leona Lewis
Sorry - Buckcherry
Shiny Happy People - R.E.M.
Shine On - Ryan Cabrera
Love Story - Taylor Swift
Chasing Pavements - Adele
The Show - Lenka
Realize - Colbie Caillat
Thing Called Love - Bonnie Raitt
Come Undone - Duran Duran
We Are All Made of Stars - Moby
Silver Lining - Rilo Kiley
When You Look Me in the Eyes - Jonas Brothers
One Step at a Time - Jordin Sparks
Just Feel Better - Santana featuring Steven Tyler
Bubbly - Colbie Caillat
I Wish the Best For You - Emerson Hart
Falling Down - Duran Duran
Stay Beautiful - The Last Goodnight
Love Song - Sara Bareilles
Teardrops on My Guitar - Taylor Swift
Tuff Kid - Shawn Colvin
Built to Last (not the actual band in this video) - Melee
Be OK - Ingrid Michaelson
New Soul - Yael Naim
Best Days - Graham Colton
Last Request - Paolo Nutini
Oxygen - Colbie Caillat
Extraordinary - Mandy Moore
Walk Through the World - Marc Cohn
Suddenly I See - KT Tunstall
Millenium - Robbie Williams
What About Now - Daughtry
Feels Like Tonight - Daughtry
Over You - Daughtry . . . Basically, anything by Daughtry is going to make the sucktitude list.

Wii Fit

Wanda and I bought a Wii Fit this past weekend after experiencing one at my aunt and uncle's house this past weekend. So far it's pretty fun and can be quite the workout. The balance games can be challenging but it really gets hard with the yoga, strength, and aerobic exercises. Wanda's been in constant pain since her first night of lunges. If you have a Wii I'd highly recommend getting the Fit. It's been a good way for us to dust off our rarely-used Wii. This is really starting to sound like a shameless plug for Nintendo, but I haven't blogged in a while other than my crappy music list. Get the Fit!

Look Down!

The crap list grows.

The Updated List

I'm going to start compiling a list here (and updating every so often) of really annoying pop songs. Songs that make me want to kill myself. Mostly, songs I hear over and over again over the loudspeaker at work. But they're just so darn catchy I can't stop singing them! Aaaaahhhhh! I think I'm going crazy! Anyway, here we go, in no particular order:

Every day - Hilary McRae
These Days - Bardot
Summer Sunshine - The Corrs
Young Folks - Peter, Bjorn, and John
Talk to Me - Stevie Nicks
Say What You Need to Say - John Mayer
Just Dance - Lady Gaga
Bleeding Love - Leona Lewis
Sorry - Buckcherry
Shiny Happy People - R.E.M.
Shine On - Ryan Cabrera
Love Story - Taylor Swift
Chasing Pavements - Adele
The Show - Lenka
Realize - Colbie Caillat
Thing Called Love - Bonnie Raitt
Come Undone - Duran Duran
We Are All Made of Stars - Moby
Silver Lining - Rilo Kiley
When You Look Me in the Eyes - Jonas Brothers
One Step at a Time - Jordin Sparks
Just Feel Better - Santana featuring Steven Tyler
Bubbly - Colbie Caillat
I Wish the Best For You - Emerson Hart
Falling Down - Duran Duran
Stay Beautiful - The Last Goodnight
Love Song - Sara Bareilles
Teardrops on My Guitar - Taylor Swift
Tuff Kid - Shawn Colvin
Built to Last (not the actual band in this video) - Melee
Be OK - Ingrid Michaelson
New Soul - Yael Naim
Best Days - Graham Colton

Just in The Nick of Time

Damn, looks like we unloaded the Grand Prix at the right time. lol.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/gm_recall

2007 Nissan Altima 2.5 SL

Wanda and I finally decided on the new(er) car that we would purchase. After much thought and quite a few trips to different dealerships that sucked up a number of our evenings, we made our decision. It almost seemed like we wasted a lot of time because we ended up picking a car that we've both liked from the start: a Nissan Altima. We actually started there, but went from there to a Nissan Murano, and then to a new Hyundai Sonata, then a new Nissan Altima, then a new Honda Fit, then a 2005 Nissan Maxima, and we finally arrived back at Sid Dillon Nissan and back to the 2007 Nissan Altima Wanda had first spotted on their lot when our adventure began so many weeks ago. We did gain quite a bit of valuable dealership hob-nobbing/test-driving experience from all of the time we spent. After all was said and done, it's fair to say that Wanda is a better hardball player than I. I have a tendancy to ramble ceaselessly on many a mundane topic and she, very tactfully and firmly, kept us out of many a bad decision. So, a salute to Wanda! My wife and negotiator extraordinaire.

Here's a stock photo of our car:

I'll have some pictures of the actual car up soon.

P.S.

And here's a picture of me that was taken by the mini's integrated webcam!

Netbook!

Wanda and I got our new Dell Inspiron Mini today and I've been playing around with it all evening. In fact, I'm blogging from the couch right now! Hooray for technology!

Zombie Jesus

This weekend I had a thought: Jesus Christ is the ultimate zombie! Apparently, I wasn't the first to come up with this: http://www.zombiejesus.com/

More on this later.

Twitter

It's odd how first, came Myspace. Then Facebook. And now, Twitter. I pretty much accepted Myspace whole-heartedly when I stumbled upon it. Facebook, I resisted for a while. But now I use almost exclusively Facebook for my pseudo-stalking and social (egocentric) updates. I even delved into Twitter. But I really don't see the appeal. There's plenty of hype, with businesses and athletes using it to communicate to potential customers and fans, but I just don't see the appeal. Twitter is pretty much just one big status update, that thing that Facebook pioneered and made it so even the most casual, thirty-times-removed types of friends can see just what it is you're up to at various points throughout the day. Twitter's just the latest craze, that's my opinion. A fad. I don't see the appeal. I guess we'll see, right? Perhaps I'll even get sucked in.

The List

I'm going to start compiling a list here (and updating every so often) of really annoying pop songs. Songs that make me want to kill myself. Mostly, songs I hear over and over again over the loudspeaker at work. But they're just so darn catchy I can't stop singing them! Aaaaahhhhh! I think I'm going crazy! Anyway, here we go, in no particular order:

Every day - Hilary McRae
These Days - Bardot
Summer Sunshine - The Corrs
Young Folks - Peter, Bjorn, and John
Talk to Me - Stevie Nicks
Say What You Need to Say - John Mayer
Just Dance - Lady Gaga
Bleeding Love - Leona Lewis
Sorry - Buckcherry
Shiny Happy People - R.E.M.
Shine On - Ryan Cabrera
Love Story - Taylor Swift
Chasing Pavements - Adele
The Show - Lenka
Realize - Colbie Caillat
Thing Called Love - Bonnie Raitt
Come Undone - Duran Duran
We Are All Made of Stars - Moby
Silver Lining - Rilo Kiley

Fickle

Fickle:
 /ˈfɪkəl/ [fik-uhl]
–adjective
1.
likely to change, esp. due to caprice, irresolution, or instability; casually changeable: fickle weather.
2.
not constant or loyal in affections: a fickle lover.

(P.S. That was from Dictionary.com)

A word (or two) about me being fickle. Yes, I am a fickle person in many regards, I always have been. It's one item on my laundry list of character flaws. In this post, I'd like to address my fickle nature in regard to cars. In one of my previous posts I blogged about how I was going to lose a bunch of weight and then buy my dream car, a Mustang. Well, as I've always known (but never cared much to change) and Wanda has become painfully aware, I'm always changing what my dream car is. Really, it's a car, and it's kind of dumb to dream and lust about them, anyway, but I do. When I was searching for a new car a few years ago, I decided that a Pontiac Grand Prix GT was the car for me and it was so wonderful so I was going to stop at nothing to make that my next car. And so I bought one. And it's been a very nice car for me, very reliable, comfortable, and attractive transportation. Don't get me wrong, it has it's flaws, but overall it has been a very fine car, solid transportation to get me from Point A to Point B. But, about a month after I bought it (and financed it), I decided I didn't like it anymore and was lamenting that to Wanda and saying that I should have bought something else. And on and on from one car to another while still being unhappily chained to my ol' Grand Prix. Wanda is such a good woman to put up with all of my bullshit (not just about cars, but everything).

Anyway, I eventually progressed down the line: Monte Carlo, Ford Mustang, Mitsubishi Eclipse/Eagle Talon/Plymouth Laser, Nissan 350Z, Nissan Maxima, Nissan Altima, and most recently, a Nissan Murano. Again, knowing that in the end a car is just transportation, I've come to the conclusion that there is nothing wrong with my car and I can be just fine and dandy with the one I have. Besides, Wanda has had her car for much longer than I've had mine and she's had her eye on a newer Nissan Altima for quite a while. It's her turn to get a car, and it's probably not healthy to be indulging in my flavor-of-the-month fancies for different cars and going to hell-in-a-hand-basket trying to sell my old car, finance new car, sell new car, finance newer car, etc. etc. It's an opportunity for me grow, to appreciate the things I have, and to learn some patience. So, Wanda, let's find a kick-ass Altima for you to drive and the ol' Grand Prix will be there to cheer it on!

Flash; Thunder

There's nothing quite like the tickle of anticipation and slight unease in the pit of your stomach as you await the arrival of an impending summer thunderstorm. It's almost as if the hairs on the back of your neck are standing up and you've been kicked in the gut. Standing out on someones porch or talking nervously in a parking lot while you feel the charge of all the particles in the air and a filmy haze seems to descend upon you and your surroundings. The coming storm, ready to unleash a violent and yet gentle lashing upon the earth. Scouring the soil of all its troubles and your mind of all its heartache and pain, if not for just a little while. Again, there's nothing quite like it. The crazed yet silent calm of a blizzard is close, but still no match for the thunderstorm. It's mesmerizing and therapeutic to sit at a window and watch, or to stand out amidst the deluge.

I hear there are some storms that are supposed to come to Lincoln tomorrow. It may only be March, but I hope we get something that's at least close to a summer storm. I could use some good weather therapy.

My Goal, My Dream

Ah, the Mustang. A car that elicits hatred from my wife and drooling from me. Yet, tonight, my wife uttered those magic words: "You can get a Mustang." I know she hates them and views them as trashy ("Arkansas," in her words) and impractical. I don't necessarily agree with the trashy, though I won't argue against the fact that owning a Mustang is probably the pinnacle of many a good ol' boy's life. I also see that it's an impractical car, but come on! It's a Mustang and it's also mostly a guy thing. Oh well. Anyway, my point is that Wanda gave me the go-ahead to get one of these if I wanted to; she will no longer (verbally) judge me for wanting to have one.

Under one condition:

That I drop about fifty-five pounds from my fluffy frame and get down to 180 pounds. And I also have to stay at that weight. As far as how long I need to remain at that weight is concerned, we've decided on six months for now. I suppose we'll have to see how well I do in my weight loss program and how much I've actually changed my diet and exercise practices. I mean, I'm not going to crash-diet and lose half of the weight by next week! No, this is something that's going to take me a while and that's okay. Weight has become a problem of mine in the past few years and I think something solid like this is a good goal for me to have. Nevermind that the thought of having a heart attack in ten years and dying at thirty-five doesn't seem to motivate me to watch what I eat and exercise. No, it takes the thought of owning a car that gets me ready to jump back on the moderation train with gusto. Oh well, I suppose it's progress.