Catching Ducks

About my upcoming test, that is. (I still haven't completely gotten over this cold.)

I reviewed lessons all day, and tonight I took a practice test and got 89%. (75% is the minimum to pass.) Some more studying, some more practice tests, and I think I'll do ok!

Labels: health, work

From a post on Monkey See back in 2009, in which Linda Holmes discusses upcoming movies:


"Terminator Salvation, which I used to think was Terminator: Salvation, but it turns out that it does not contain the colon, meaning that it is about the salvation of terminators or possibly salvation by terminators, as opposed to just being the next movie in the Terminator franchise and also named Salvation. (This may seem like a small point, until you realize that, for instance, Batman Returns would be a very different movie if it were called Batman: Returns, which would almost certainly make it about whether you can write off your cape as a business expense if you are self-employed as a late-night doer of good deeds.)"

Labels: grammar, Linda Holmes, movies

I'm taking my licensing exams (Federal and State!) on Monday, so the next few days are going to be BUSY BUSY BUSY!

In the meantime, please enjoy a compilation of all of Troy & Abed's end tags from season two of Community. (The first one will always be my favorite.):




"Nothing's impossible in here..."

Labels: Community, work

From "Beggin' on Your Knees":


Jade: I'm just saying... A dude that hot and that perfect has to be hiding something.

Andre: So, I bet you think Beck is hiding something.

Jade: He was until I found out.

Beck: [confused] What was I hiding?

Jade: That you were born in Canada!

Beck: It wasn't a secret!

Labels: Victorious

From "It Hurts Me Too" (3.03):


Jason: Werewolves [exist]?

Sookie: Yes.

Jason: Shit. Bigfoot, is he real too?

Sookie: I don't know; I guess it's possible.

Jason: Santa?

Sookie: Jason, focus.

Labels: True Blood

From "Dangerous Prey" (6.11):


Prince Morlock: If I had known how much fun you Amazons would be, I'd have come to this country years ago.

Xena: I'm not an Amazon.

Prince Morlock: But you're so tall!

Xena: It's the boots.

Labels: Xena

Probably one ABBA's silliest songs (and that's saying something!), here's "Sitting in the Palmtree" to cheer us up from the Storm's sad, sad loss:

Labels: ABBA

It's not like I expected the Storm to beat Minnesota....

And they didn't. But I am still sad.

They better beat Tulsa, though! I mean, it's TULSA. And it's they day before Iris's birthday! If they lose on Friday, I might seriously have to cry.

Speaking of crying, it looked like Sue Bird was close to tears a couple of times in today's game. She had a pretty bad game, so she was probably mostly mad at herself.

Labels: Seattle Storm

From "Dear Louise" (1.07):


Elliot: How's the writer's block?

Dan: You're gonna need to get someone to fix my computer.

Kim: What's wrong with it?

Dan: It's in several pieces on my floor.

Labels: Sports Night

Yay! I finished my online class! I scored 94% on the final exam!

To celebrate, let's watch this awesome clip from Stargate SG-1, of "Farscape":




"Piece of advice? If you're going to rip something off, think of something a little more obscure."
"Oh, ok."
...
"Ok, you got me. I have no idea what that is."

Labels: Farscape, Stargate, work

I've been a fan of Joss Whedon since I discovered Buffy the Vampire Slayer back in the late 90's. With each new project (Angel, Firefly, Dr. Horrible, Dollhouse...) he proved his awesomeness to me. In the land of Hollywood, he was the quirky producer, who made shows with "cult followings".

And then he got hired to direct The Avengers. And it is a HUGE hit. Right after it came out, and the box office was going through the roof, here's (part of) what he posted on Whedonesque.com -- a fan website that he uses to occasionally post stuff for his fans, since he is (self-admittedly) too lazy to get his own website:


"What doesn't change is anything that matters. What doesn't change is that I've had the smartest, most loyal, most passionate, most articulate group of -- I'm not even gonna say fans. I'm going with 'peeps' -- that any cult oddity such as my bad self could have dreamt of. When almost no one was watching, when people probably should have STOPPED watching, I've had three constants: my family and friends, my collaborators (often the same), and y'all. A lot of stories have come out about my 'dark years', and how I'm 'unrecognized'... I love these stories, because they make me seem super-important, but I have never felt the darkness (and I'm ALL about my darkness) that they described. Because I have so much. I have people, in my life, on this site, in places I've yet to discover, that always made me feel the truth of success: an artist and an audience communicating. Communicating to the point of collaborating. I've thought, 'maybe I'm over; maybe I've said my piece'. But never with fear. Never with rancor. Because of y'all. Because you knew me when. If you think topping a box office record compares with someone telling you your work helped them through a rough time, you're probably new here. (For the record, and despite my inhuman distance from the joy-joy of it: topping a box office record is super-dope. I'm an alien, not a robot.) So this is me, saying thank you. All of you. You've taken as much guff for loving my work as I have for over-writing it, and you deserve, in this our time of streaming into the main, to crow. To glow. To crow and go 'I told you so', to those Joe Blows not in the know. (LAST time I hire Dr. Seuss to punch my posts up. Yeesh!)"

Labels: Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dollhouse, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, Firefly, random awesomeness

From this article about USA basketball:


Auriemma is the dominant figure at the practice. He holds a cup of coffee in his left hand and is always kidding and encouraging, encouraging and kidding. When Tamika Catchings's shot bounces off the rim, over the backboard, and nails Auriemma in the head, he pokes fun at the rivalry between Connecticut and Tennessee: "See? That's Tennessee shooting. You did that on purpose."


This bit was good, too:

"I have two problems," he continues, gaining the attention of the whole team. "Number one is everybody wants to shoot and they're selfish. Number two is nobody wants to shoot and you're not selfish enough. When you're open and you get the shot that you normally take, take it. Don't ever pass up on an open shot, ever."


BTW, the article says that when the team was in Seattle, they practiced against the Seattle Storm men's practice players. That's pretty neat!

Labels: Olympics, Seattle Storm

BBC had a competition for kids to write a mini-episode of Doctor Who. There were all sorts of restrictions (like it had to involve the 2012 London Olympics), and here's the winner:


[h/t io9]

Labels: Doctor Who

Richard Cohen at WNBAlien writes (of the Seattle Storm and New York Liberty): Are You Worried Yet?:

"I hate overreacting to early season results. Plenty of teams start off slowly and gain steam, and in a competition where a ridiculous two-thirds of the league makes the playoffs, finishing well in September can mean a lot more than starting hot in May. But barely a week into the WNBA regular season, some fans in Seattle and New York are showing signs of panic. And if you’ve watched their performances so far, frankly it’s not hard to understand why."



The Storm website promises Storm Focuses on Process:

"The Seattle Storm went through a hard practice that lasted nearly three hours, including film, Thursday at Seattle Pacific University in their first workout since losing to the Los Angeles Sparks Tuesday at the Staples Center, 74-61. However, to Head Coach Brian Agler, the Storm's focus on getting better would be the same if the team was 2-0 rather than having started the season 0-2."



Considering their next game is on the road, in Minnesota (land of the defending champs that essentially returned their entire team), I'm not hopeful.

But the game after THAT is at home, against Tulsa. I want Tulsa to win more games this season (last season they won three), but not that one, ok?

Labels: Seattle Storm

From season four:


I didn't ask to be a prophet. Nope, you see one day I just heard a voice say, "Hey, Ted! Ted! No, over here, Ted!" And I turned and I saw the very bright lights. And I said, "Hi," and God said, "Hi," and I said, "So you're God huh?" and God said, "Yup, how you doin', Ted?" and I said, "Okay, how 'bout you Lord?". "Pretty good. What's new, Ted?" I said, "Oh, nothing much, what's new with you?" And He said, "Well, you know, same old, same old. Well, I guess I'd better be running along, you must be busy." And I said, "No, God, I'm not doing anything." And God said, "Well, I better be running, anyway." And I said, "Wait, God, is there anything you'd like me to tell the people?" And God said unto me, "Just tell 'em I said, 'Hi.'"

Labels: The Kids in the Hall

Well, you didn't, but I'm going to tell you anyway.

I am sick, and I am trying to finish my stupid time-limited schooling while sniffling, coughing, and drinking copious amounts of tea.

Blech.

Labels: health, work

From "Hurry" (2.05):


Gollum: May I ask you a question?

George: That is a question. Would you like to ask me another one?

Labels: Dead Like Me

From her article about tonight's game. (That I didn't watch because I was studying.):


"Same opponent. Different location. Same result."


[In other words: Bah humbug; the Storm lost. Again.]

Labels: Seattle Storm

Community!



"Once it was obvious the dean had orchestrated everything, it was even MORE obvious the dean was too stupid to orchestrate ANYTHING."

Labels: Community

Before the 2012 draft, I went through the WNBA player list from 2011 to see which colleges produced the most WNBA players.

Here's my results:

1. UConn (11)
2. Tennessee (10)
3. Duke (8)
4. Rutgers (6)
5. [tie] LSU, North Carolina, Stanford (5)


Apparently Swish Appeal had the same idea. Here's their list for 2012:

1. UConn (11)
2. Tennessee (10)
3. [tie] Duke & Rutgers (7)
4. Stanford (6)
5. LSU (5)

UConn added one player this year (Tiffany Hayes) and Tennessee added several (including the Storm's Shekinna Stricklen), but I have no idea who dropped off the list to keep their numbers the same!

That same article had lots of other fun info, like the oldest players (Taj McWilliams is oldest: born 10/20/70) and the youngest (Shenise Johnson of San Antonio was born 12/8/90), and a breakdown by draft class (only one from the first in 1997: the Storm's Tina Thompson).


In a different article, Swish Appeal looked at games started (as a percentage of games played). Nine players have started every game they have ever played:

1. Sue Bird (324 games, Seattle Storm)
2. Lauren Jackson (308 games, Seattle Storm)
3. Diana Taurasi (261 games, Phoenix Mercury)
4. Sophia Young (200 games, San Antonio Silver Stars)
5. Cappie Pondexter (197 games, Phoenix Mercury & New York Liberty)
6. Cheryl Ford (196 games, Detroit Shock)
7. Vicky Bullett (186 games, Charlotte Sting & Washington Mystics)
8. Seimone Augustus (164 games, Minnesota Lynx)
9. Cynthia Cooper (124 games, Houston Comets)

Sue Bird is, as always, RIDICULOUS!

Labels: Seattle Storm, UConn basketball, WNBA

Sarah Quin is one-half of the musical duo "Tegan and Sara". (As quoted on tegan rain quin banter):


"I’ve said this before. I don’t want to be around when shit goes down. I do not have a survival instinct, this is probably what makes me an inadequate partner romantically -- I don’t want to. I don’t care. I don’t want to fight. I don’t want to live without electricity. I don’t care. If it comes down to it and you wonder to yourself as you scramble from cave enclosure to cave enclosure looking for shelter, fighting for survival -- If it ever crosses your mind, I wonder if Sara from Tegan and Sara is still alive, too? No, I’m not. I absolutely am not."

Labels: music, random silliness

USA's got a new buddy-cop show called "Common Law". Two episodes have aired so far, and it has promise. This is from the second episode, "Ride Along". (Travis and Wes are the detectives.):


Travis: So you stole money from a Texas gunrunner?

suspect: Look, I know in retrospect it sounds kind of stupid.

Wes: There is no retrospect needed there. That was stupid the moment you did it.

Labels: TV

A little more pre-season stuff:


WNBAlien's Storm write-up.

Swish Appeal's Storm preview.

Sue Bird on KJR (5/17/12).

Sue Bird interview on NW Sports Tonight:

Labels: Seattle Storm

From ESPN's write-up of the LA/Seattle game:



The Seattle Storm opened the 2012 season Friday night by scoring the game's first 11 points, extending their lead to 21 points in the third quarter and taking a commanding 56-42 lead into the fourth. At which point, they kicked back, put up their feet, grabbed some water bottles and began writing a very nice postcard to the absent Lauren Jackson.

Dear Lauren -- Hope you're enjoying your Olympic training in Australia. We're having a great time here in Seattle, whipping Los Angeles by double-digits, so no need to hurry back, we've got everything under -- whoops. Wait a second. Kristi Toliver just stole the ball again and is taking a 3-pointer. Damn! OK, gotta go...

Labels: Seattle Storm

I know a lot of y'all don't like her, but I thought this was pretty funny -- and Diana Taurasi's a surprisingly good actress!


[h/t S#*! my mouth says]

Labels: WNBA

The first quarter was great... The Storm jumped to an early lead (11-0), things were running smoothly, Ann Wauters was AMAZING, life was good.

The second and third quarters were ok. They kept ~10 point lead, Shekinna Stricklen made some good plays, Tina Thompson was sinking long-range three pointers, Sue Bird took over whenever L.A. started to get close...

And then there's the fourth quarter. When everything went to pot. Blech.

The Storm lost, 72-66.


If you asked me, before the game, who I thought the leading scorers would be, I think I might have picked Sue Bird, Ann Wauters, and Tina Thompson for the Storm.

But I never, EVER would have picked Kristi Tolliver for the Sparks. Either she had a freakishly good game, or she's gunning for the Most Improved Player award this season!

Labels: Seattle Storm

From "I Know What You'll Do Next Summer" (3.08):


Mac: Love makes me lazy. It's a dangerous drug. Kills more brain cells than crystal meth. How's your cell count these days?

Veronica: Mmmm, I can still do long division, but I can't quite remember all the continents.

Mac: So, "Piz"-neyland is the happiest place on Earth?

Veronica: Happy enough. There's no rollercoaster, but I think I can do without the adrenaline and nausea.

Labels: Veronica Mars

The game will be on TV: KONG (channel 6), 7:00 pm.


Season preview stuff!

Dishin' & Swishin' 5/17/12 podcast featuring (among others) our Jayda Evans and my favorite WNBA commentator, Richard Cohen! (At 16:30 Jayda Evans discusses the Svetlana Abrosimova situation.)

Mechelle Voepel's preview.

The Storm's versatile lineup.

The 2012 GM Survey.

(Also: The Storm's final roster "not necessarily final".)

Labels: Seattle Storm, WNBA

From "The Top Hat Job" (2.06):


Eliot: [over comms] Hardison, we got a problem.

Hardison: What kind of problem?

Eliot: They're MRI-ing my pizza and their stance says ex-CIA.

Hardison: You can tell somebody worked for the CIA just from how they stand?

Eliot: It's a very distinctive stance!

Labels: Leverage

Seriously, this story is awesome.

Story of a Five Year Old Avenger, Meeting The Avengers

Labels: random awesomeness

The Storm website had a slew of cool articles about the players:

The Veterans: Tina Thompson & Katie Smith

The #1 Picks: Sue Bird & Ann Wauters (& Lauren Jackson)

The Next Generation: Shekinna Stricklen & Victoria Dunlap


The Storm had their media days, and lots of fun pictures have been posted.


Recently ESPN.com did a nice piece on Camille Little.


The final roster! They've kept the rights to Silvia Dominguez, so maybe she'll show up later? And kick Alysha Clark off the team??? Or will they wait till next year for her? So many questions....

Labels: Seattle Storm

Stupid school... Making me late for my QotD....


From the first episode of series 2, "A Scandal in Belgravia":


Little Girl: They wouldn't let us see Grandad when he was dead. Is that 'cause he'd gone to heaven?

Sherlock Holmes: People don't really go to heaven when they die. They're taken to a special room and burned.

Labels: Sherlock

I really want this to happen:


[h/t Wil Wheaton dot Tumblr]

Labels: Community, Doctor Who

From The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Attend BAFTA Brits To Watch Event:


"Oh, William. We were not going to ignore you. You look very handsome in a tux (a tux is hard to screw up). Also: now might be the time to note that the shorter hair is flattering and the best way to handle your Balding Situation. Don't stress: there is many a Hot Baldie in the world. Look at country-man Patrick Stewart! (Who I just called, before I fixed it, 'Jean-Luc Picard,' and then I said to myself, 'that's a FRENCH name. Is he FRENCH? Oh. Wait. No. He's FICTIONAL.' NOTHING TO SEE HERE.)"

Labels: Star Trek, The Fug Girls

Box score for the USA/China game.

Thanks!

Labels: Olympics

...in reading speed, apparently.

Source: Staples eReader Department

Labels: random silliness

From "iPear Store":


[Carly is trying to flirt with a nerdy boy; he is clueless.]

Carly: What are you doing tomorrow night?

Trey: There's a Doctor Who marathon on TV.

Carly: And?

Trey: I'm going to watch it.

Carly: Oh. Well, I wouldn't mind watching a little "Doctor Foo".

Trey: "Who".

Carly: Me.

Trey: No, "Doctor Who".

Carly: I don't know, you brought it up.

Trey: I'm confused.

Labels: Doctor Who, iCarly

Last few Team USA items (until July, of course!):

A very nice non-Jayda Evans Seattle Times article: "Everyone understands the importance [of the Olympics]. It's why Team USA has won 33 straight Olympic games and four straight gold medals. It's why the WNBA, which was born 16 years ago partly because of stellar Olympic performances, rearranges its schedule every four years. It's why the Storm isn't fussing because star forward Lauren Jackson will miss half the season to train with the Australian team. In women's basketball, the desire to be the world's best will never be seen as inconsequential."


Post-game interview with Diana Taursai:




Post-game press with Sue Bird, Geno Auriemma, and Swin Cash.


The Storm website had a liveblog of the game, and they noticed the same thing I did: "Geno Auriemma has gone to his bench, bringing in Seimone Augustus, Swin Cash, Angel McCoughtry and Maya Moore. They're joined by Diana Taurasi in a lineup that is about the same size at every position, which is an interesting strategic wrinkle."



Today was the Storm's home pre-season game -- yay! And I couldn't go -- boo!

The Storm website had a liveblog of the game, and they agreed with Ped's assessment (he went to the game in my place):

* "If she keeps shooting the ball like this all season, [Shekinna] Stricklen will earn heavy playing time despite the veterans in front of her on the roster."

* "Victoria Dunlap has once again been the standout off the bench. She's got six points and has really wreaked havoc on defense, coming up with five steals."


After the game, the Storm waived two players (Ashley Gayle and Lindsay Taylor) and according to Jayda Evans' twitter, Silvia Dominguez isn't going to join the team because of her visa issues. While she agrees this opens the door for Svetlana Abrosimova to come back, the Storm's official twitter cautions excited Storm fans that Abrosimova would cause salary cap problems.



In non-game news, the Storm website has a lovely article about Ann Wauters and motherhood.

Labels: Olympics, Seattle Storm

As usual, from her twitter:


My 3-yr-old son woke up with big questions.

Him: "Why Superman wear a belt?"

Me: "I don't know."

Him: "He likes belts?"

Labels: random silliness

Lots of good stuff!

Let's start with before-the-game items:

Sue Bird interview after their first practice:




Interview with Coach Auriemma after their first practice.


Two nice articles about Tamika Catchings (I love her!!!): "Yet just as the seven-time WNBA All Star plays like someone who looks like she's still just out there trying to earn minutes in the rotation, Catchings hasn't lost that fundamental joy that comes from doing that thing she loves."


Jayda Evans had a great article about Maya Moore, and how she's matured since the 2010 World Championships (when she was still a college student): "'She looks like she has a better demeanor on the floor with the other good players,' said Auriemma, who also coached Moore to two NCAA titles at Connecticut. 'When she came to the World Championships with us and was a junior in college, every time she stepped on the floor, she shot it. The other kids would be rolling their eyes, thinking "Oh, boy here she goes," because she really didn't know what else to do with the ball. At Connecticut, every time she'd get the ball, she'd shoot it. Guys (at Worlds) were going, "Yo, dude, you don't have to do that all the time here." Now, after playing as a pro and being on a team in the Spanish league with really good players, she's a lot calmer. She understands when to and when not to. I can tell mentally, she's grown.'"


Jayda Evans also wrote about the "UConn" connection: "The most impressive stat is that in the 13 years from Bird's freshman season through Maya Moore, who graduated in 2011, the six players combined for a 443-35 record and won six NCAA championships."


The Storm website has "Rivals Become Home Team in USA Showcase": "The general consensus among the players who gathered at Seattle University for the first of three days of training that is highlighted by the exhibition game is that KeyArena is one of their favorite places to play, but it might be nice to have the Storm Crazies on their side."



Finally, after-the-game items:

Jayda Evans' liveblog: "Well, just in case you were wondering, the Key's favorites to hate -- [Diana] Taurasi and [Candace] Parker, are getting tons of love. Former Storm guard Swin Cash was also given a reception equal to Bird's during player introductions."
[The only player I couldn't bring myself to cheer for was Angel McCoughtry.]


Jayda Evans' Seattle Times article: "A highlight on Saturday was Zenngyu Ma's drive baseline into the teeth of the Americans' defense. Ma simply flung the ball overhead to a waiting Wei Wei in the pocket. The 6-foot-10 center easily banked a jumper that inched China to 29-23."
[That play was made of win.]


I haven't been able to find a box score anywhere. Anyone else seen found it?

Labels: Olympics

Just got home from the Team USA vs. Team China exhibition game -- it was AWESOME!!!

At halftime (I think it was halftime...) Storm announcer Dick Fain interviewed USA (and UConn) coach Geno Auriemma. He asked the coach what came to mind when he thought of "women's basketball in Seattle". Geno's response?

"Sue Bird"

Good answer!

Labels: Olympics, Seattle Storm

From "Some Assembly Required" (2.07):


[Max is trying to find out information about a gang called "steelheads".]

Original Cindy: Steelheads? Sketchy!

Sketchy: You bellowed, your Originalness?

Original Cindy: Tell Max what you told me about those guys that kicked your butt.

Sketchy: It's been a pretty violent month for the Sketchmeister. Could you be a tad more specific?

Labels: Dark Angel

50 famous last words in less than four minutes!

Labels: random awesomeness

From "The King of Assassins" (3.08):


Autolycus: [regarding Joxer] Why is he here?

Gabrielle: He knows Jet.

Autolycus: No, I mean on a grander scale, why is he here?

Labels: Xena

From "The Carnival Job" (4.06):


[Hardison is instructing Eliot on mixing some chemicals.]

Hardison: Now mix and run like hell.

Eliot: [sets off a minor explosion with thick smoke] Dammit Hardison! A little warning next time!

Hardison: What did you think "run like hell" meant?

Labels: Leverage

Labels: Community

From "Rimmerworld" (6.5):


Cat: All in all, a 100% successful trip!

Kryten: But, sir, we lost Mr. Rimmer.

Cat: All in all, a 100% successful trip!

Labels: Red Dwarf

From "Credit Where Credit's Due" (1.02):


Veronica: I printed out the entire browser history from Logan Echolls's computer in his fourth period computer lab class.

Wallace: So is he guilty?

Veronica: Well, of wanting desperately to see pictures of Alyssa Milano naked, yes.

Labels: Veronica Mars

Labels: Being Human

From "The Rescue" (1.08):


[Ryan's getting a tour of his fancy new (private) school.]

Ryan: You guys have tennis courts and a swimming pool?

Seth: I'm guessing you didn't at your old school.

Ryan: Well, we had a basketball hoop.

Labels: The O.C.

From "Let's Kill Hitler" (6.08):



Rory: What's wrong with you? What has she done to you?

The Doctor: Poisoned me, but I'm fine ... well, no. I'm dying. But I've got a plan.

Amy: What plan?

The Doctor: ... Not dying! See? Fine.

Labels: Doctor Who

Labels: Community

From "iCook":


Freddie: You're cooking a steak in your locker?

Sam: Well, I'm not going to eat raw meat after what happened last time. Stupid parasites.

Labels: iCarly

I saw this on Life is good & bad:


"Grammar is the difference between knowing your shit and knowing you’re shit.”

Labels: grammar

Labels: Seattle Storm

From her twitter:


Me : "Just a minute. Hold your horses." 3-yr-old : "But I don't have horses." #goodpoint

Labels: random silliness

From "Send in the Clown" (2.01):


[Mason, George, and Rube are all grim reapers.]

Mason: Nah, five deaths is not a disaster.

George: How many deaths is a disaster?

Mason: More than five. Five's bullshit.

George: How many?

Mason: 16 to 20: disaster. 21 and up: catastrophe. 8 to 15 is a calamity.

Rube: 7 and under?

Mason: That's a cryin' shame.

Labels: Dead Like Me