it's all about the benjamins

i do have a lot of opinions on politics... but, i don't share them on the blogosphere.

that being said, it irks me every single time the dollar falls far below the euro as reported here. first, it was the whole canadian dollar getting to be the equivalent of the greenback. now, the euro is at an all time high against the dollar.

yep, there is something wrong with the economy (and it ain't just a slowdown). cutting interest rates won't help increase the value of the dollar either.

bottom line - i can't travel wherever, whenever. and that is the most irksome of all.

it's the arizonas

i am crossing my fingers for tomorrow and saturday.

the first 2 of the last four games before the pac-10 tournament.

both the sun devils and wildcats are currently on the bubble and would want a big win against ucla to ensure entry into the big dance.

ucla better get its defense together -- it has not been as impressive as the past 2 years (i know people are saying that the bruins have been better defensively in terms of points allowed, etc.; i still think tho that they have not been as shut-down as last year)... but then again, bruin defense in the past 2 years has been phenomenal!!!

i know the bruins beat ASU big last time, but ASU should have learned from the last game and may have sharpened its zone. ...and we all know how UCLA plays against the zone.

one thing to look forward to: i don't think we will see a slacker effort from kevin love anytime soon as quoted here:

Without offering an absolute explanation for what he called his "low energy level," UCLA freshman Kevin Love promised he would not have another game in which his enthusiasm and focus seemed away from basketball, alluding to UCLA's victory over Oregon last Saturday. Love said he talked with Bruins Coach Ben Howland and with his family afterward. "It wasn't that I had a bad attitude," Love said. "It was just one of those games where I was out of it and I have to apologize to the team about that because I shouldn't let my actions affect my team. Another game like that is not going to happen. It's not fair to me, not fair to my teammates, not fair to my coaches and not fair to fans."

this kid is just great!

quotable quotes

i have heard plenty of random and/or strange (for a lack of a better word) "quotables" in my lifetime. some i poached from other people's experience -- because they are worth sharing. either way, all these "quotables" amuse me and/or make me go "huh?" they are not really "lines," as you shall see...

so, here are my favorites:

1. "you're ugly and nobody loves you anyway." my personal favorite.

2. "do you know anyone who committed suicide?" i swear to you, someone actually said this at a very lively bar... as recently as last friday night.

3. "vocé está brenquendo con meu coração." portuguese for "you're toying with my heart." a local brasilian boy said in earnest to my friend. wow, someone really says $hit like that in real life.

4. "i hope your attraction brings you joy." a friend to a psycho needy date. i love it!

5. "you remind me of a dolphin." does this ever work? what does it even mean? and i don't care if you work at sea world!

6. "you're old." this requires more explaining, but funny nonetheless.

i'll probably keep on adding/deleting "quotables" as time goes by. it makes me laugh.

i am not even a fan of jimmy kimmel

...and yet, i love these two clips!


WARNING: lots of sexual content and profanity.







nothing really to ramble about. these are just hilarious!

ramblings on a whirlwind trip to ciudad de mexico over the president's day weekend

first, the ruins of teotihuacan. aztec architecture is different from inca architecture. however, both displayed amazing craftsmanship and engineering skills. both also shared a love (or at least a fascination) with steep and narrow stone stairs. ouch!

this was part of the "edificios superpuestos" (superimposed buildings)

view from pyramid of the sun

this guy was one of many vendors selling wares at teotihuacan

second, the one time home of diego rivera and frida kahlo was also pretty interesting. these people were not your typical poor starving artists. they lived well in a lovely home, which by the way, was nice. the courtyard had a nice feel to it with lots of artistic accents. it also had a calming fountain. no wonder they were so inspired...

the courtyard of the one-time home of diego rivera and frida kahlo.

third, i just enjoyed the "walk" sign. the green person is actually runing and not walking. hilarious!

fourth, the cathedral was.... well, a cathedral.

more on coach wooden

there is just something so special about coach. here, he talks about the dunk and how he hates it. i can understand it because it focuses the attention on the individual player as opposed to the team play.

with all due respect, however, i love the dunk. it is spectacular. most recently, was this one courtesy of russell westbrook during the cal game.

that being said, i love coach's philosophy on life and his devotion to his nell.

as much as i enjoyed the video below from espn, i still hated hearing the interviewer's voice. you know, he-who-shall-not-be-named-but-is-the-one-who-destroyed-the-ucla-basketball-program-before-coach-howland-came-in. ugh!

hopefully, bruins take care of business tonight in beating the 'cats. GO BRUINS!

11th hour

the bruins beat the sun devils tonight 84-51. unfortunately, i was on the ucla campus but not at pauley.

i was watching 11th hour - a movie produced by leonardo dicaprio - about global warming, the grim future we and the planet could be facing and things we could do to change the downward spiral.

i like the idea of lowering income taxes and raising taxes for gasoline and oil and anything that encourages the overuse of natural resources. this way, it would encourage me to actually use public transportation and ways to help reduce pollution. mad, i know. as david suzuki (some dude in the movie) said, it's "hippie dippie."

back to basketball, i wonder if the den was chanting, "josh is better" when younger brother jerren shot the ball for asu...

!!!!

i am still stinging from saturday's debacle, which i am still not ready to talk about.

that being said, norm chow got hired as ucla's offensive coordinator!!!! sweet!

ucla's college basketball and football programs suddenly are looking great!

i am so glad i am keeping my football season tix next season!

wtf?!?!

just saw this.

There is no such thing as a pretty win for the Cardinal these days, but Stanford will take a hard-fought victory over an Arizona team it hadn't beaten in the last six tries.

"I'm going to quote (USC's) Taj Gibson," Robin Lopez said. "'Wins are like women. You always want to get a pretty one, but sometimes you get ugly ones.'"

as if.

here's taj gibson:

picture courtesy of: http://www.insidehoops.com/pictures/taj_gibson.jpg

again, as if.

it's a perfect day

granted, it is only 3 pm and the day isn't even close to being over.

granted, it is 73F degrees, the sun is out and it is just a flat out beautiful day.

granted, i have a nice buzz going at 3 friggin pm.

yes, it is a perfect day.

and the reason is:

ucla 81 v. washington state 74.

but for some defensive lapses in the last 5 minutes of the game, the bruins' lead over the cougars should have been over 10.

love posted another double double.

love had 2 3-point friggin shots. a friggin center with 2 3-point friggin shots!

yes, love is going to be pac 10 POY AND pac 10 FOY. i would not be surprised if he is national POY and/or FOY either.

i give wazzu its props. but the cougs never led the entire game. as it should be.

the only reason the bruins have that one loss to date is.... i still remember it so clearly. friggin luc decided he is a 3-point specialist even though he has been bombing it all game. yes, that texas loss - which was close - but more importantly, occurred earlier on in the season when collison was still coming back from a hiatus due to injury.

nation, be very afraid. the bruins are legit and have been since coach howland came into town.

my only concern (other than all the injuries) is that all starters (except for aboya) plus westbrook have been playing over 30 minutes per game. and today was no different.

of course, this has to do with all the freak injuries that have plagued the bruins.... for 3 or so years! it was freaky to see love with all his scratch marks on his back and arms. but that is how they practice. physical. point is, playing that many minutes per game can't be good. roll needs to be healthy. drag needs to learn how to play so he can get some minutes. and stanback needs to mature soon and earn his minutes.

otherwise, perfect day.

GO BRUINS!!!!


Highlights: Washington State - UCLA