Raw Biz

First-year law student at UW-Madison. Graduated from there with B.A. in Zoology a couple years ago.

This is just a really crazy coincidence but on Jeopardy yesterday (the day he died), he was the "question" to one of the "answers." I just thought that was really weird since the shows are taped ahead of time and how many questions have to do with him.

I'd have to say the coolest name situation to be Optimus Prime and Megatron, who are now forever linked as enemies. One guy changed his legal name to Optimus Prime seven years ago and last year a different guy added Megatron as his middle name. http://transformerslive.blogspot.com/2007/07/my-name-is-megatron.html

Metamucil and a warm bath definitely helped me out when I first got it. I've had a few episodes since then where it will hurt for a day or so but nothing as bad as the first time I got it.

Yeah I've had the same problem. Once you get one, it really doesn't go away. It can heal on its own but will probably come back. Every now and then I'll spend a couple of days in pain but the worst was the first time I got a few years ago. There really are no words to describe how painful it is but just think about what it is. It's so sensitive down there, imagine what a tear would feel like, then add in the constant wiping. It also sucks because I have IBS so if I have both of those at the same time, it's just extreme pain and I basically can't do anything for the time that I have them.

Yeah the cellphone was an easy clue. And just because only 6 (of the Oceanic) survivors got off the island does not mean that everyone else is dead. Jack was obviously lying when he was on the stand in Kate's trial. Everyone probably stayed back on the island and that is why Jack said "we have to go back."

The whole flashforward/flashback tonight was completely obvious. It wouldn't have proved anything if Jin had been in the same flashforward as Sun. Although the episode as it was really didn't prove that much either, other than the fact that Jin is "dead."

IMDB, the greatest site ever.

Francoeur for sure, even though I never really considered him a sleeper because he produces, albeit under the radar. I believe Kemp and Kouzmanoff will have solid years as well. Some guys to take a chance on in the late rounds would Adam Jones, Brian Bannister, Shaun Marcum, and Josh Fields. And I've found it somewhat surprising but Buerhle has gone undrafted in a couple of leagues even though he's an ace. He puts up a solid ERA and WHIP and should get 12-15 wins. He just won't strike too many guys out but he's generally dependable for 3 categories. Another guy I like is Yunel Escobar. He won't put up big HR or RBI numbers but he hits for a solid average and will get some runs.

Idiocracy would have to be added as a new classic. It's too bad it wasn't released in the theaters because it is hilarious. It's probably watched best drinking with a group of friends. The first time I saw it I laughed non-stop.

I'll second (or third) the MVP '05 point. But I've been playing 2k8 for xbox a bit today. I struck out my first guy with the new pitching but then proceeded to give up something like 12 runs before turning it off. I switched back to the precision pitching and still didn't have much luck, giving up something like 9 runs. Then I figured I'd give the new pitching another shot to get used to. Well my second game (my first full-game) I ended up shutting out the Cubs with Yovani going 7 innings with 4 k's. I actually really like the new pitching because it's more than just holding down a button. Every now and then a pitcher makes a mistake (like real life) and throws up a meatball. I don't really like the hitting with the analog stick because it's hard to get the timing down and it hurts my thumb. I also don't like the throwing because the analog stick is too sensitive. One wrong slip and you're screwed. So I switched both of those back to the classic way. The only problems I've had so far are on defense. I've only played a few games but in one, I'd have my player in position under the ball and it would just land a few feet behind him. I don't know if it was because of the wind or what. You also have to call off other players or they will run into you. Braun and Cameron collided on a routine fly ball to left. And I hope this isn't signs of things to come but Braun had a couple of errors and a few misplays in one of my games.

I was doing some research on Baseball Manager last night cuz I'd like to get back into it. I used to a few lightning seasons (54 games) because they were free but then they started charging even for those. I would love to do it again but i think it's almost $100 for a basic league with essentially no award for winning. I think they said that the overall winner (or possibly top 3) will receive a plasma tv but that's overall winner of every single person who plays (not just your league). That would be like being the best player on yahoo out of all the yahoo public leagues. Obviously there are a lot less who play Baseball Manager but there is still a large amount and the chances of actually winning are slim. It sucks that you have to pay because I bet there are a lot of people who love something like this. I bet it could rival yahoo's fantasy if it were free. They should go back to offering lightning seasons for free so people can get a feel of how it works and if they like it. They should also change it then so that the winners of each league get money back. I really want to do it again but I don't have the money to spend.

Last year I had 2k7 for the 360 and thought it was the best baseball game I've ever played. The actual gameplay was fun but so was everything else they added (graphics, animation, etc.). I know a lot of games now tend to use the analog stick to throw/pitch but I just usually switch back to the older way. Honestly, I'm not looking to have realistic 3-2 games because they end up not being that fun.

Is Baseball Manager the one that used to have newspaper articles for your team? If so, I used to play and I have to say, it was probably the coolest fantasy stuff I've ever done. But I think they started to make you pay and I stopped doing it. That must've been like 8 years ago.

I was thinking about Heat but I wouldn't consider it in the gangster category, it's more a crime drama.

The first three are obvious but they're too good to be left off. 1. Goodfellas 2. The Godfather 1 3. The Godfather 2 4. Snatch 5. Gangs of New York (if counted, otherwise Donnie Brasco or Once Upon...America) On the subject, I have to say that The Departed and Scarface (remake) are overrated. That's not saying that they're bad movies because they're not. I like The Departed a lot but I know a lot of people who say that it is one of the best movies to come out in the past 10 years. One might think this after the first time but it just doesn't hold up on repeat viewings. I think what made it so good the first time was how unexpected the ending was. When you know what's going to happen, the suspense is lost. One might say that this is true with any movie you've already seen but I think there are a lot of movies that can still hold suspense even when you know what's coming next. I think The Departed failed to do so. It's a good movie, no doubt, but I would have to say it's overrated and probably one of the weaker Best Picture winners in a long time (Crash being the weakest, I didn't think it was anything special at all). But last year's best picture nominees were weak overall so I guess you can't fault it for that. And I don't know what the appeal is with Scarface. I guess it's just lost a lot with me because every single rapper/athlete/anyone who's ever been on Cribs owns it and talks about it. As for something not yet mentioned, I'll throw in Road to Perdition. I haven't seen it in a few years but it was awesome the first time I saw it. But it, too, might not hold up on repeat viewings because of the ending. But it's still a solid movie.

1. Gary Crosby -- Play a Simple Melody 2. Jim Reeves -- I Guess I'm Crazy 3. Tanya Tucker -- Between the Two of Them 4. Huey Smith & The Clowns -- Don't You Just Know It 5. Gustav Holst -- Mars 6. Motion City Sountrack -- Everything is Alright 7. Jan & Dean -- Baby Talk 8. Anthrax -- Caught in a Mosh 9. Burning Airlines -- Back of Love 10. Averi -- This Liminal Life 11. Rammstein -- Du Hast 12. Rooney -- Kristen 13. Clutch -- 10001110101 14. ABBA -- Fernando 15. The Temptations -- Since I Lost My Baby 16. Willy Porter -- Rita 17. Iron Maiden -- Hallowed Be Thy Name 18. Paul Revere & The Raiders -- Hungry 19. The Gufs -- Happily Ever After 20. Marty Robbins -- El Paso 21. The Shirelles -- I Will Follow Him 22. Jackson Browne -- The Load Out & Stay 23. Superdrag -- Who Sucked Out The Feeling 24. Merle Haggard -- Mama Tried 25. Dion & The Belmonts -- Little Diane

I never really have that problem in baseball leagues because it's actually difficult to do most of the time. Most teams should be good enough so they can't afford to drop someone every day. And even if that were to be the case, those are only two categories and you're not guaranteed a win every time out. Plus that could end up hurting era and whip in the end. We could just make an unwritten rule too where we say if someone is picking up guys every day to just get starts out of them, that there will be some kind of action taken. I just think that making roster changes to weekly for the sake of stopping something that could potentially happen and that probably won't have that big of an effect in the end would be a bad idea. Plus, people should have the opportunity to pick up players and have them play the next day if they want. I have been in other leagues where guys do that (mainly basketball because everything is based on numbers, not averages) but I've still wound up beating them and even winning the league. I think if you draft well enough and make your pickups, you should do fine. Plus this isn't for money so it shouldn't be taken that seriously.

I was checking out the Lost Wikipedia (not Wikipedia, but a separate one that is just Lost related) and from what I've read, it looks like I'm mistaken. The general consensus is that the four so far are Jack, Kate, Hurley, and Sayid and that Ben and Aaron have also survived but are not included in the 6. Also, as for Claire, Desmond did tell Charlie that he had a vision of Claire and Aaron both getting on a helicopter so she could still be one of the 6.

The only reason I said Aaron was one of the 6 is because last week I'm 95% sure they said that in this week's episode another member of the 6 would be revealed. And the only person that the flash forward added was Aaron. So therefore, if they did say that another member of the 6 would be revealed, it is Aaron.

But I'm pretty sure that last week they said this another member of the Oceanic 6 would be revealed. And he could be considered a passenger since he was inside Claire on the plane. And so they could've used that same logic and just said Kate was already pregnant when she was on the plane. Or none of that and they're just lumping everyone who was rescued into the 6. Anyway you play it, I still think he counts as one of the 6. And I think he might be the one that Kate and Jack were talking about waiting up for Kate at the end of season 3. I really don't think Sawyer would be the last one because that's too easy.

Jack Burton, the greatest man ever. If you throw at knife at him, you better make sure it hits him in the head, otherwise he will catch it out of the air and throw it in your forehead. Then one of your friends will see you with this knife sticking out of your head and proceed to fill up with air and ultimately, explode. Then he will proceed to make out with Kim Cattrall, then leave in the rain driving the Pork Chop Express.

Dude Dio rules, as does Kiss and Motley Crue. I would not consider them guilty pleasures. Maybe Kiss. But Dio and the Crue definitely rock.

I guess I should have rephrased my answer. The reason I hate Nickelback is because there are people who actually think they are good, yet provide no basis for this belief. There have been countless posts explaining why they are terrible, yet I haven't seen anyone explain why they are in fact "good." It's certainly not their "profound" lyrics or their "innovative" music. So what is it? And to me, saying "I like the way they sound" or "I like listening to them" means exactly that. You like them, it doesn't explain what is good about them.

I guess I have another point to make about Nickelback. If you like Nickelback fine. I guess I really don't have a problem with that. Hell, some of their earlier stuff I used to actually like. My problem comes with the people who actually believe they are a good band or worse yet, the people who say Nickelback is their favorite band. To me, there's a big difference between simply liking something and thinking it is good. For example, I like some boy band songs but I wouldn't call it "good" music. I guess in that sense, it's similar to a guilty pleasure. I also like the American Ninja movies but again, I wouldn't exactly consider them cinematic masterpieces. The real problem is people who geninuely believe that Nickelback is a good band who makes good music and can do no wrong.