Rumblings...

There I was at work, minding my own business, when I felt a wobbling in my desk chair.  I immediately dropped all of the important things I was doing to assess.  Seconds later, I felt the same, barely-perceptible shaking in... what?  My chair?  The floor?  My ass?

Shortly thereafter, coworkers, with the help of Twitter, confirmed that, yes, after apparently sleeping through seismic activity in two different hemispheres in my youth, I had experienced my first earthquake.

A truly sad compromise?

Let's hear it for our heroic congresspeople who have averted an apocalyptic federal default!  ...Ignoring for the moment that it was a crisis of their and their colleague's own making.  But now that the deal has been all but approved, all that's left is for the talking heads to determine who won and lost in this whole debacle.

I've come across an old saw that "a really good compromise is the one that leaves both sides equally dissatisfied" in a few different and eclectic contexts recently -- the NFL lockout, A Dance with Dragons.  So potentially, both sides should be and, indeed, are "find[ing] fault with [the] bill."  However, not all of those opinions are easy to reconcile with each other or the standard partisan storylines.

From the CI cutting room floor...

I've officially gotten the kibosh on a recent post intended for the CI blog.  It's disappointing to have a somewhat interesting topic (referencing an article in which I was quoted, no less) rejected because it has a small potential for controversy.  I sincerely think CI's loss to not have it published, and the debate has made clear the blog's lack of potential.

It was still a worthwhile mental exercise to look at the two contrasting data points and compose a few succinct reflections, though.  The only way to get the post published on the CI blog would have been to neuter it, replacing all the interesting bits of outside data with something vague like, "Other poll data indicates..."  In my mind, that would take away the whole point of the post and make it just unsolicited self-promotion.  I wouldn't want to put out a blog post in my name that just does that.

My work won't make it onto the CI blog this time, but to keep it from totally going to waste, I've surreptitiously posted a version right here:

Turning change into real money

That, times like 40

Coins are basically useless.  After a few unproductive minutes, I couldn't come up with stats on the breakdown of credit, debit and cash purchases.  But even that cash portion is mostly paper.  And don't get me started on the silly dollar coins.  Change is dead weight, until you find a reasonable way to cash them in in bulk.

With an impending move and pounds of currency, I figured it was time to do so.  I really should have taken a picture of my pile of cash, but didn't think of it.  So the left will have to do, with some imagination.  In that quantity, it was worth a thorough consideration of the hassle of counting and rolling coins versus the usurious rates charged by counting services.

The Striker's Mentality

The Beautiful Game.  Well, it might not live up to the appellation when the Terrible Tiggers take the field, but we do what we can.  And in my case, that involves little else than putting shots on goal.

In my other sports -- basketball, frisbee, etc. -- I've developed the skills to patiently work the (flat)ball for high-percentage scoring opportunities.  However, despite so many semi-hungover mornings watching the EPL, my soccer skills are still in their adolescent phase.  I'm generally good at watching my betters and synthesizing what I see for my own use.  That said, my best attribute as a soccer player is probably my willingness to simply send the ball toward the goal.

Long live rock and roll?

Supposedly, these are not good times for rock and roll.  Are there any bands that have made it big in recent years keeping up the tradition of the greats?  But, if the caliber of music is lower, then maybe it takes less of an expert to have an opinion.  So why not take a shot at a small music review?

I'm not nearly as attuned to the contemporary music scene as some, but I do like to keep my ears open for new stuff, and my tastes definitely lie in the rock genre.  I'm not sure why I first took a look at My Morning Jacket, but after checking them out, this is probably my favorite song of theirs:

Philosopher-Athlete... Champion

What a great end to the NBA season.  I haven't been too enamored with the Dallas Mavericks in a few years.  But after the untimely demise of the Knicks' postseason, it was a pretty easy bandwagon to get on once they met the Heat.  And Dirk, Jet, and Marion and Co. really came through.