This week’s iTunes purchases

• “That’s Good” by Devo
• “T.V.O.D.” by The Normal
• “Tight Rope” by Leon Russell
• “I Predict a Riot” by Kaiser Chiefs
• “My Mathematical Mind” by Spoon
• “Reason is Treason” by Kasabian
• “Eanie Meany (Radio Edit)” by Jim Noir

World Cup picks

I sent in my entry for Jack Bogdanski’s pool last night.

My toughest choices were between Portugal and the Netherlands in the first round and Germany and Argentina in the second round, because I figured that the teams who win those games will be the finalists. I chose Argentina to beat Portugal for the Cup.

Thanks to TiVo, I hope to watch all 16 games (well, maybe not Switzerland-Ukraine). Also, I’ve been following Dylan Wilbanks’ World Cup blog.

And, of course, go England!

Sunny skies in Portland

A beautiful day: Highs in the 70s, and sun, sun, sun.

I took a stroll in Laurelhurst Park this evening. When I walk down the asphalt path that parallels Oak Street, I like to look up through the tall trees and focus on the shifting patterns the green foliage makes against the blue sky.

And1 in Portland

A year ago, I was sitting in a motel room in Ogden, Utah, on my way from Houston to Portland. I turned on the television, flipped to the sports channels, and started watching a program on the Deuce about a basketball team called And1 that travelled from city to city, taking on a pick-up team of the best local players at every stop. The Deuce had a marathon of the show that night, so I ended up ordering a pizza and watching four or five shows in a row.

I have watched the show only a couple of times since then, but I remembered it well enough to be taken aback when I saw the And1 players milling around outside the Finish Line shoe store in the Lloyd Center yesterday. They are playing tonight at the Rose Garden, but, unfortunately, it’s on a work night and there are other things I do on Sunday evenings.

(By the way: Saying The Professor is 5-foot-10 turns out to be generous.)

Footie chat for Lucy

England wins, and a West Ham goalie saves the draw for Trinidad and Tobago.

Can I guess you’re having a better day today?

Trinidad and Tobago 0-0 Sweden

The 0-0 soccer match is a metaphor for boredom, but this game was anything but.

Trinidad and Tobago lost a player to a red card at 46 minutes and were a man down for the rest of the match, but held heavily favored Sweden to a draw anyway. Trinidad and Tobago combined a conservative formation (4-5-1) with smart, aggressive, and energetic individual play. Sweden played well in the midfield, but couldn’t convert any of their 23 shots on goal.

Three Lions!

England 1-0 Paraguay

I woke up at 5:45 this morning to watch the game. England dominated the first half, but couldn’t convert anything (the only goal of the game was a Paraguayan own goal). The second half was more evenly matched, with Paraguay almost getting a goal in the closing few minutes.

The N stands for “gNarly”

When was the last time the NBA playoffs were more exciting than March Madness? I have watched more NBA action in the last month than I had in the preceding 10 years.

(This post’s title is an homage to my favorite kNebraska joke.)

Today’s iTunes purchases

“Not a Crime” by Gogol Bordello
“Don’t Listen to the Radio” by The Vines
“I Was Never Young” by Of Montreal
“Go All the Way” by The Raspberries
“Technologic” by Daft Punk
“Ein bisschen Frieden” by Nicole
“The Vice and Virtue Ministry” by The Happy Bullets
“Hippie Hippie” by France Gall

Perhaps pick a different cause, John?

I received a mass-mailed advertisement from John Edwards, asking me to contribute money to help the Democrats re-gain control of the Senate.

If Edwards were so concerned about that, shouldn’t he have run for re-election to the Senate in 2004 rather than giving up his seat (which the GOP picked up) to run for President?