I am home for the day trying to get some papers done for 3 classes that are due on Monday, and I’ve been feeling the need to post. All is generally well, there is not much news.

My fantasy football team got off to a very slow start in my friends league, mostly due to drafting Daunte Culpepper in the first round. Big mistake! Daunte threw 3 interceptions and fumbled 2 in week one, and he threw 5 interceptions in week two. Of course I decide to bench him in week three when he gets 4 touchdowns and 300 yards passing with no interceptions or fumbles. However, I made a pivotal trade during week five that secured Santana Moss (for Drew Bennett and Mike Anderson). Moss had been doing well, and I actually was trying to get Joe Horn instead of Moss. Lucky for me, Tatum Bell had his break out week so Mike Anderson is now splitting carries, and Drew Bennett got hurt last week and is out for the next 3-4 weeks. Meanwhile, Moss has been the best receiver in football, amassing 38 catches for 743 yards and 5 touchdowns. The his first week with me he caught 8 passes for 115 yards, his second week a wopping 10 catches for 173 yards with 2 touchdowns, and last week 5 catches for 112 yards and a touchdown. So although I started out 1-4, I am now 3-4. Another key pickup was getting Mark Brunell off waivers. He has scored at least 2 touchdowns and 300 yards per game. The last two weeks he has turned in 3 touchdown/300 yard performances. Suddenly, I have a new team. So my roster looks like:

Starters:
QB Mark Brunell
WR Santana Moss
WR Donald Driver
WR Kevin Curtis
RB Corey Dillon
RB Stephen Davis
TE Ben Troupe
K Shayne Graham
DEF Jacksonville
DB Brian Dawkins
DB Terrence McGee
DL Jared Allen
DL Dan Morgan

Bench:
QB D. Culpepper
WR D. Mason
WR A. Bryant
RB W. Parker
DB Dangelo Hall
DL Keith Brooking

A very funny thing is that one of the guys in our league had a free voucher from Godaddy.com so he started a league website: www.jasonapoling.com. It is hilarious. He’s got pictures representing our team names. Teams in our league include: Thundercats, Pillbury Doughboys, Lovable Losers, Mighty Platypi, Scary Clowns, Your Mamma, Durandel, The Pupergesas, Still Pending, and myself, Razor Toe. This will give you a clue as to Jason’s picture selection.

For those of you sick of fantasy football talk, I do have a number of things in the hopper so stay tuned…

So reads the title (save for the colonized word) of one of my favorite Radiohead songs on their album Kid A. I suppose the best way to disappear completely in blog world is not to blog. Often in the past few weeks I have lamented my blogging absence, wondering if I would ever return. The one thing that has kept me from blogging is fantasy football, believe it or not. I am in 3 leagues: the league I played last year, a work league, and a public league. All of my spare web energy beyond work goes to my beloved fantasy teams that I have dubbed Razor Toe, Razor Toe, and Platinum Sox respectively. This happens to be what Kalila calls my toe nails when they accidently (or purposefully) cut her feet at night. To bore you with the fantasy details, my current roster consists of:

League 1

My Starters
QB Daunte Culpepper
WR Drew Bennett
WR Donald Driver
WR Derrick Mason
RB Corey Dillon
RB Willie Parker
TE Ernie Conwell
K Shayne Graham
DEF Jacksonville
DB Robert McGee
DB Brian Dawkins
DL
DL

My Bench Players
QB Ben Rothlisberger
RB Steven Davis
RB Michael Anderson
WR Kevin Curtis
WR Antwaan Randle El
WR Antonio Bryant

League 2

My Starters
QB Donavan McNabb
WR Isaac Bruce
WR Joey Galloway
WR Mushin Muhammad
RB Tiki Barber
RB Lamont Jordan
TE Randy McMichael
K Nick Kaeding
DEF Jacksonville

My Bench Players
RB Steven Davis
RB Michael Anderson

League 3

My Starters
QB Daunte Culpepper
WR Reggie Wayne
WR Donald Driver
WR Mushin Muhammad
RB Tiki Barber
RB Lamont Jordan
TE Ernie Conwell
K Rackers
DEF Pittsburgh

My Bench Players
QB Brian Greise
RB willie Parker

“It has become increasingly difficult to secure a broadcast location…” or something like that. So says Morpheus at the beginning of The Matrix: Reloaded. It doesn’t really apply to me for location but for time. He says this after the crew of the Nebuchadnezzar show up late for a meeting and he says, “My apologies to all…” I myself have realized recently that I have not blogged at all this month. I’ve been incredibly busy working, spending quality time with my wife, and giving birth to school work due for the seminary. Good news is, it looks like I will soon be joining the normal first shift people in the world within the next few weeks. The job I’ve been waiting for all summer to open at the seminary bookstore is finally available and, Lord willing, I will be starting as soon as things there get cleared. Same pay, same benefits, except I’m accessible and off the phones aside from the calls I make. Kalila started at my work last week and has the same shift, so it has been weird taking her to work with me as an employee.

I am a sinner; I’ve thrown my lot into 3 fantasy football leagues: 1 with friends, 1 with work, and 1 public. My first draft is tomorrow for the public league. Next Sunday is my friend’s league, and the following Saturday, my birthday no less, is the work league’s draft in the morning.

Steve Stockman has updated his book Walk On: The Spiritual Journey of U2 that he published in 2001. This is a welcome update since their newest ablum would be a significant contribution to that theme. He’s added about 5 new chapters and is definitely worth checking out. Stockman is a Presybterian chaplain at Queen’s University in Belfast. He has a pretty groovy sight worth checking, http://www.stocki.ni.org/. However, I still prefer Bono’s conversation book.

Yes, I have done it. I have beaten my fantasy football league and I am the champion. The only reason I played and wanted to win was so I could boast about this very fact. I am the top dog. I had the best sleeper pick in the draft (Curtis Martin) who had his best season ever. I scouted the best wide receivers available in the early season: Muhsin Muhammad was the best fantasy receiver, Nate Burleson capped 1000 yards and 9 TD’s, Michael Clayton will probably be the rookie of the year, and Ashlie Lelie had a breakout year. Everybody doubted Brett Favre, but he was fourth in TD’s and fantasy points for QB’s. I had the best kicker, New England’s own Adam Vinatieri (2-time Superbowl gamewinner), the best ranked defense, Pittsburgh (who is 15-1 because of their defense), and some of the best defensive players in the league, including Julius Peppers who had an unbelievable second half. Finally, after sweating over the Yahoo Fantasy page for 4 months, I have conquered. Everybody doubted my strategy, rejected my trade offers, and never fully appreciated the potency of my team week in and week out. You all suck and I’m glad you lost.

Sorry, I had to get that out of my system. Needless to say it was a good weekend which ended a good holiday season. Let’s review some sweet gifts:

The Gandolf Pipe (I’ve wanted for 2 years, thanks honey), check Pipe Room link
Magazines with U2 covers and articles (sorry James)
U2 Book charting their touring history
A nice shirt from my sister (even though it’s from the GAP)

As you can see, I’m not a tough person to please. I will say these were my only gifts. But I like simplicity and appreciate when people look for things they know I will like, or if they don’t know ask me. Holidays just aren’t too eventful for me anymore, especially Christmas. I like a smaller, less decorated tree, lighting provided by a small gallery of white Christmas lights, instrumental music, eggnog n rum, seasonal beers, and fellowship by the fire. Gift-giving should be optional. In fact, I only gave one gift this year: to me beloved Kalila I gave a boxed set of the Lord of the Rings that we will read to each other once we are married. Awww.

Car Update: My car should be ready by Wednesday. The exterior damage is still there, they quoted me somewhere between $1000-1200 to get it mint again. Not gonna happen. At least not now.

Oh, Yeah. I showed James the Gandolf pipe today, which he liked. We hung outside for a while and we both enjoyed a clove cigarette. It occurred to me while I was smoking that I hadn’t inhaled a cigarette type substance in seven years. After we got back inside and got back to work, I was sick to my stomach. My face was green and I thought I was going to hurl. It took me about 2 hours to recover; I thought I would have to leave work. It wouldn’t have mattered, I was in no condition to drive home, I could barely take a phone call.