The Amazing Race
Finally, season 5 of the best reality show is on. I don’t know who to root for. I think the twins! We’ll see how it shapes up. Right now I can’t stand the Texas queen. This is going to be so fun. My TiVo is ready.
Le Tour de France
It’s July therefore we must go to France to see one of the greatest spectacles in all of sports, the Tour de France. This year Lance Armstrong is gunning for a record setting sixth straight Tour win. Although a clear favorite to win it again, he must contend with former teammates Tyler Hamiliton and Roberta Heras, as well as the always runner-up Jens Ullrich.
I have always rooted for the Texan since his stunning and inspiring comeback and win in the 1999 Tour, but this year I have to root against him. Let no one rider be bigger than the Tour itself. If the great Eddie Merckx could not win six, then no man should. This is not to take away from the champion that Lance is. I will pull for him. I hope that a worthy challenger gives him a run for the yellow. I will cheer if he wins his sixth, but I am hoping for that not to happen. Allez, Lance! Allez, le tour!
Catch the action. It’s awesome!
Recent movies
I don’t have the time to review the latest movies that I have seen. Not that my reviews are all in depth and all. But I recently am going through a whirlwind of movie watching in recent days, 4 in the last week alone. Here then are the movies I have seen and a quick rating:
- Saved. 3 of 5 stars.
- Fahrenheit 9/11. 3 of 5 stars.
- Spiderman 2. 5 of 5 stars.
- The Terminal. 3 of 5 stars.
Relegation
Slate discusses the economics of soccer. The best part of the article is their discussion of relegation — awarding those teams that at least are trying to win (and winning). I don’t see what is wrong with that concept. Basketball and baseball seem to be best to use it. Baseball with their talk of small market teams not being able to compete with the big market teams, and basketball with their lazy teams. It would also make the games at the end more meaningful for the players. They would have to play out the season.
European Vacation 2001: On Screen
Aug. 10, 2001
22:00 Has been a while since I filled this out. Yesterday, the Hermitage. Why come all this way for a few Impressionist paintings? At least, we saw some Rembrandts. Last night, craps with beautiful girls. Trying desperately to meet them, but being Asian, they travel in packs. This morning went to Tallinn, Estonia. Girls just as beautiful in Russia, but seem more clean. Our guide was sexy Anna. A real woman. Lame American come-ons. Tonight more gambling. Losing in five minutes @ roulette.
Hmm. I didn’t journal too much about Tallinn, Estonia. Amazing place. Loved the fact that the Finns and Swedes go there for the cheap liquor. Anna. Sexy, Anna. How did we get this pretty girl to be our tour guide? Did I put a move on her? No. I just asked her a question. She had the funniest excuse to not vote for the inclusion into the European Union. They didn’t allow her to park in their parking lot. Amazing. Tallinn.
European Vacation 2001: Just minor works.
Aug. 9 2001
13:20 Going the the Hermitage. Tamarra. Helen. Vladimir. No flash photography. Hermitage — a place of solitude. Catherine II. 1764.
16:25 Done with the Hermitage. Saw French Impressionists? Winter Palace. Bye St. Petersburg.
The Hermitage was cool. My brother said it was filled with minor works. I think it had some good stuff. I remember Rembrandt’s Prodigal Son, which we had seen in our 10th grade art appreciation class.
Nice shiny metal. And Big!
Apple just introduced their new cinema displays. Sweet! Is 30″ too big for the desktop?
To Russia With Love
More about the first time in St. Petersburg, Russia. We had visited the Palace Catherine the Great. It was huge. We had lunch in touristy restaurant. They had vodka. I sat next to an elderly lady who challenged me to keep up with her. The vodka had a funny after taste. The old lady got me drunk. The food was strange. I had fun.
Jeebus Saves!
The Christian school Mean Girls, Saved is one of the better movies that I have seen this summer. It makes you think about religion and approaches the question of how do you incorporate religion into your modern life.
The only problem is the tone of the film. Was it satire? I thought it started out as such, but morphed into a straight morality tale by the end. I had laughed lots at the start, but was somewhat melancholy at the end.
Watch it. It is good.
3 of 5 stars.
This is Jeopardy.
Remember yesterday I was talking about the unstoppable Jeopardy champion? Well on today’s show, he finally received a worthy challenger. His challenger was knowledgeable and quick on the button. He also was very ballsy betting all of it for a true daily double during double jeopardy with very few answers left. He nailed it and closed the gap with the champ. Unfortunately, they gave an easy answer in the final jeopardy which everyone and his mother could answer. (My mom got it.) All throughout the game, his challenger was nervous knowing that he had the champ in a close match. Thumbs up to this challenger, he deserves to come back in the champions league.