So in the last three minutes I learned that Randy Moss is now a New England Patriot, having been shipped out of Oakland for a fourth round draft pick. That seems like a bargain, except that we're talking about Randy Moss here. He's still a top-level talent, but as he only tries on about half the plays he's even in the game for, I'm wondering if picking him up is such a good thing.

On the plus side, on the plays where he is sufficiently interested to play, the Pats now have a pretty lethal combination in Moss and Donte' Stallworth. The Pats also have a developing track record for being able to host problematic stars, given the recent Corey Dillon era. Moss is a whole level or two above Dillon in being problematic, though.

I guess I'm just very confused. This is either going to be one of the personnel coups of the Scott Pioli era, or Moss is going to obliterate the good karma surrounding the team and they'll finish 4-12, kicking off a new decade of Patriot futility.

I did not watch last night's debate in South Carolina, as it is April 2007 and I am already sick of the 2008 election. It does not help that, out of the eight announced candidates, I cannot get excited about any of them. The best I can do is nominal interest; will 2008 be the year that I - gasp! - vote in the Republican primary?

Probably not. My only motivations there would be to (a) continue my string of voting against Mitt Romney, and (b) being the only guy in Beverly to vote for Sam Brownback. And even then, I think the guy who drives around with the "ARREST ALL CRIMINALIENS" sign on his car may be a Brownback voter.

I was just on the Massachusetts secretary of state's website, and have discovered that it only takes 2500 signatures to get on the Presidential primary ballot. That's tempting.

Book Log 2007 #13: The Philosopher and the Druids by Philip Freeman

In the first century BC, the Greek philosopher Posidonius wrote about his experiences with the various peoples in and around the Mediterranian, including several Celtic tribes. That work is lost, but through surviving fragments and other writings, Freeman tries to put together what Posidonious would have written about the Celts he encountered.

It's a valiant effort, but I can't say it's a wholly successful one. The book winds up being an overview Celtic life in that time period, which is interesting but not exactly groundbreaking. Biographical information about Posidonius is more interesting, while the reaccounting of how Julius Caesar defeated the Celts that appears at the end of the book is pretty standard. To be honest, I got kind of bored halfway through.

So not something I'd recommend, but it may be worth a look for those with a particular interest in the subject.

So like a true friend, I've been sitting on these interview questions from Paul for a couple of months. Thanks for nothing, right? Anyway, here's the interview, and if you'd like to revive this meme leave a comment and I'll send you five interview questions.

1) Now that you've entered into the homeowners club, what do you miss most about being a renter?

Not having to fix stuff. The combination of not being handy and buying a house in need of TLC is a great thing if you like to spend. I worry about getting to the point where we'll put too much money into the house and not at least break even on the resale. Of course, we could stay there for the duration, but that seems unlikely.

2) In your opinion, who is the best former Terrier hockey player that did NOT make it to the NHL?

This is a tough one, given how many former Icedogs had a cup of coffee (which is more of a baseball term, but I'm at a loss for hockey equivalent; feel free to suggest one) in the NHL. I actually went back and looked at some stuff on the Internet Hockey Database (which is a fantastic resource), and have determined that the best player who I've seen play who didn't make it to the NHL was Mike Pomichter, who had three seasons with great point totals, but who left to go pro the season before we won our last title. He then went on to have a long and not particularly successful minor league career.

I'd also considered Petteri Koskimaki for this, as he had a couple of strong seasons while playing on teams loaded with future NHLers (McEachern, Amonte, Tkachuk, among others). He doesn't appear to have played anywhere after BU, even in Europe. That's surprising, though given his senior year numbers I wonder if he took an injury that put him out of hockey for good. I honestly don't remember; the seasons are starting to run together. Google doesn't even return post-BU stats for him.

Another possible answer: Jack Parker. I've occasionally wondered how things would have gone had he actually taken the Bruins job back in the early '90s. I'd like to think he'd have found success, but given that the average tenure of a Bruins coach seems to be about three years, the idea that he'd have wound up back at BU before too long isn't unlikely.

3) Among all your quiz bowl journeys, away hockey games, etc.., what was your best road trip (elaborate)?

In terms of actually getting to see things, I'd have to go with last year's TRASHionals trip to Austin, as we took a couple of extra days and actually saw things in Austin and San Antonio. Usually on these trips you don't see anything more than the host school and your hotel, but on this trip I actually got to see the Alamo and a bunch of other stuff. It was a nice change.

For weekend quiz bowl trips, there's more trips to the Philadelphia area that had at least one funny story than I can remember. For hockey trips, I do fondly recall our fan van trip to Lowell (well, Chelmsford, actually) where we wandered up the street and found that Chinese place. How we didn't get lost or hit by a truck I don't know.

4) If you could design a flavour of ice cream for Ben & Jerry's what would it be called and what would it include?

I was coming up with one when I saw that Dairy Queen kind of beat me to the punch with their Kit Kat Blizzard. But I'll do them one better with Kat Food: dark, milk, and white chocolate Kit Kat pieces in a combo of vanilla and chocolate ice cream. I was considering cinnamon as a secondary flavoring, which would pretty much make this my standard Angora Cafe frozen yogurt order from about 1993 to 1995.


5) Favorite Seinfeld episode and why?

A tough one given the options. There's "The Strike," which precipitated all the Festivus nonsense late last year. There are also some of the iconic episodes like "The Contest" and "The Chinese Restaurant." And after the two months I've had to come up with something, it turns out I don't have a favorite episode. There are several that I really enjoy, but none quite reigns supreme. Aren't you glad you waited for that answer?

According to Google Maps, the distance from Boston to College Park, Maryland is 435 miles, which, at highway speeds (or perhaps just a shade over them) would take about 7 hours to cover. The return drive to Beverly is a little longer, 455 miles, but at similar speeds would take 7 and a half hours to cover. Of course, the problem is the assumption that you can drive at highway speeds during the entire trip.

This was an especially bad assumption this weekend, as our drives to and from College Park took between 9 and a half and 10 and a half hours.

I blame myself for the delay on the drive down, as given our departure time I should have known that 95 through New York on a late Friday afternoon was an invitation to gridlock. I remember passing the exit that would have taken us to the Tappan Zee Bridge and wondering if I was making a mistake. I did not have to wonder for too long. We entered New York state just at 5 pm, and didn't get on to the George Washington Bridge until after 7 pm.

I'll also assign some blame to AAA, whose Trip-Tik didn't seem to think this would be a problem. On the other hand, it's not like you enter a time for your trip, so perhaps that's a suggestion I should make. In any event, I don't know if the Tappan Zee would have saved us any time, but I can't imagine it would have cost us any more.

And for what it's worth, traffic was pretty bad from New Haven to about Newark, so it's not like this was a New York-only problem. I also encounted what might have been the most empatic stop-and-go traffic ever in New Jersey, as we'd be moving right along at highway speeds and then have to come to a complete halt in about 100 yards. Not good.

On the trip home, the Jersey Turnpike was busy from exit 5 on up, though it moved pretty well from exit 9 to the tolls by the Meadowlands... after which things jammed up nice and tight. It took us about 20 minutes to get from the tolls to the exit for the Vince (perhaps longer), a distance of about two miles. Things didn't really thin out in the time during our stop, but we were at least given good information about the local route being the best way to get back over the GWB. We could have easily added another hour to our trip if we stuck to the "express" route.

I did learn during this trip that I do get agitated pretty easily at driving in such delays, I think from a combination of losing time and not being able to actually drive. On the positive side, I do not then resort to horn honking, multiple lane changes, or driving in the breakdown lane. So I've not completely lost it.

As you can imagine, it was a tiring weekend, but a fun one.

Book Log 2007 #12: Uncommon Carriers by John McPhee

In this collection, McPhee turns his eye towards transportation, following an independent long-haul trucker, crews from freight trains and barges, and even himself as he makes a canoe journey in the oar strokes of Thoreau.

The essays are full of his usual beautiful prose, but I never quite felt connected with his subjects as in some of the older books - even when he was his own subject. I'm not sure where the problem lies; in one way I found the people in the books fairly similar in their oddball character, so perhaps there was a repetitive aspect that was turning me off. I'm also not sure if the essays brought about the same sort of revelations that the books on more offbeat subject did.

If you're a fan, you'll probably get something out of this, hopefully more than I did. For a first-timer, though, this may not be the place to start.

Book Log 2007 #11: The Ethical Assassin by David Liss

Liss is better known for historical mysteries with a financial bend, like The Coffee Trader that I'd read previously. But he's also pretty adept at mysteries in the present, as this book demonstrates. It follows a kid whose selling encyclopedias who gets caught up with the sort of Floridian criminal element that Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiassen have made popular. I don't read much by either of those authors, so it's hard for me to say if my enjoyment would have been diminished by comparison.

Even with that caveat, I'd recommend the book highly. Fun story, good characters, and better written than the usual commuter fare.

When I was working in residence life, the one issue that caused more personal discomfort than any other was student mental health. I was OK with the other difficult issues, but psychological issues always made me a little uncomfortable as I'm not a mental health professional. Even with the good guidance and support from other on-call staff, I always felt a little out of sync when working on these cases.

Not surprisingly, I've been thinking about this a bit this week. I've not come to any good conclusions, though. I have had the feeling that securing a college campus is next to impossible, which is hardly comforting. And I'm also pretty cheesed at the Boston Herald for their use of one of the photos sent to NBC as their front page. It's one where the gun is pointed at the camera, so you can imagine how that looks. I didn't need any confirmation that the Herald has lost what little taste it used to have, but there it is.

And to close, I'll pass on a request. The folks at Virginia Tech have asked that people wear orange and maroon tomorrow as a sign of solidarity with their community. That seems like the least we could do.

How lucky am I? We're having a phone problem on campus right now that's affecting 16 phones - and one of them is mine. You know this is stealing the karma that was going to land me a major lottery jackpot.

Funny thing is, today's the first day of fall registration using our new information system, and for all of the concern and the late nights put in over the last few weeks, it's working fine (so far). Not that anyone could call me and tell me otherwise.

Book Log 2007 #16: The Sack of Rome by Alexander Stille

I'd read Excellent Cadavers, Stille's book about Italy's war against the Mafia in the 1980s and early 1990s, and enjoyed his mix of biography, politics, and story-telling. So I was very pleased to see this book, in which Stille examines the rise and eventual fall of Silvio Berlusconi.

In a way, it's a particularly Italian story, as Berlusconi is able to use the existing system - both legal and extra-legal - to enrich himself and gain control over commercial TV, and then get the system changed so he can take political power. As an object lesson for what can happen to a political system is dominated by such a figure, it's instructive in what's been happening in some of the developing democracies and, to a point, here in the US.

That being said, the book does repeat information a little too much, and it does go on for a bit too long. Even so, the story it tells is engaging, informative, and worth reading. And I'd certainly recommend Excellent Cadavers, too.

While I don't support the message that Michigan State is our reigning national champion in (div 1) college hockey, I will admit to a fist pump due to the demoralizing nature of the game winning goal. Anything that helps tar the folks up the street with the "can't win the big one" brush is OK in my book. Can we talk a little bit more about how they went from 1949 to 2001 without winning one, too? And how their rink has a lousy sound system and ample seating without back rests? I don't know how that's related, but it couldn't hurt to throw that in.

(I know, I said I wasn't going to watch, but between the game, a Sox game that went from uninteresting to laughable way too quickly, and a desire not to embarras myself at spades yet again, I had no choice.)

Easter, for what it's worth, was about as much fun as it can be. We went to the church where we'd gone the last couple of years for Christmas, and it was interesting in that:

1. They get a much bigger crowd for Easter than for Christmas, though there are more options at Christmas. That being said, we somehow got a whole pew to ourselves. Either we were too recognizable as outsiders or we should have sat at an end rather than in the middle.

2. While this church has a regular priest, I don't think we've ever seen him. He has three parishes to tend to, so I think we keep getting a pinch hitter while he's off at one of the other churches. This isn't necessarily a bad thing - we actually had a couple of great subs at one of the Wellesley churches - but this guy was, well, rambling. I am still not sure I understand the theme of the homily, even when he revisited it before the benediction. He also called for a hymn before that that wasn't listed as part of the day's music; given the relative lack of confusion among the musicians, though, I'm assuming it was planned. It certainly made more sense in context than the homily did.

3. Kids at midnight Mass tend to sleep. Kids at Easter Mass have clearly dipped into their Easter baskets. Chocolate before 10 am is problematic in kids under five. Or over five, I suppose.

4. During Communion, one of the servers ran out of wafers. I don't think I've ever seen that. This led to several minutes delay (all while I was trying not to think about how badly padded the kneelers are) while they tried to find some more. In the end, the priest gave the server some out of his bowl, and resorted to snapping the ones he had left in half. A good solution, albeit a little tardy.

Wrapping up Easter and the Lenten season, my attempt to give up swearing was better than the last one, but not particularly successful. Part of it was that while I didn't say as many swears, I thought more of them. Anyone who wants to give a ruling on the spirit versus the letter of the thing is welcome to do so.

I was also marginally more pleased with the recurring personal bit, as there were more interesting stories and less talking about someone who may not have actually existed. Plus, I got to talk about an inappropriately sexy children's TV host and a cadaver that was put on trial, so how bad could have it have been? I just have to find a way to combine the two for next year.

Sioux lose, Hyph wins. With North Dakota losing a wild national semifinal to Newton College, our Frozen Four pool ends with the points unchanged from the last update. So ends a less than enthralling year of the pool.

It doesn't help that this year's Hockey Christmas (tm Craig Barker) has turned into Hockey Passover, with many of us who were in the pool playing the role of the Egyptians. Going into the title game, I have no options: can't root for NC for obvious reasons, and was turned off enough by Sparty in its native environment to not want to root for them, either. I'm reduced to rooting for rolling blackouts or some sort of non-lethal disruption that would force them to call things off. It's a sad day when that's the best we've got.

On the other hand, I now have three free hours tomorrow, so I've got that going for me.

Lentorama 2007: The Non-Canonized Catholic Person of the Day

Today's person is Italian Renaissance master and turle namesake Raphael, who was both born on and died on this day, both of which were, like today, Good Friday. On the less holy side of things, Georgio Vasari claimed that his death at age 37 came about when he developed a fever after a night of "excessive" lovemaking with a woman named Margherita who was the subject of La Fornerina, and not wanting to tell that to doctors was given the wrong cure, which killed him. I don't know which I find more amusing, Vasari's explanation of Raphael's illness or the idea that any of the usual 16th century cures would have done anything but hasten the artist's demise.

And even though he died young, Raphael left behind an expansive body of work. He's best known for painting, of course, but also worked as an architect and provided designs for some early engraved prints.

Lentorama 2007: The Non-Canonized Catholic Person of the Day

Today's person is Albert "Cubby" Broccoli, who is best known for producing the James Bond movies. Born on Long Island, his family moved to Florida when he was young, but he moved back to New York after his father died. Living with his grandmother in Queens, Broccoli held a number of jobs before getting a job as a gofer on the set of The Outlaw, where he met Howard Hughes for the first time.

After a stint in the Navy, Broccoli moved to Hollywood, where he worked for a talent agency. In the 1950s he moved to London, and soon thereafter formed EON Productions, benefitting from government subsidies for films made in Britain with British cast and crew. Interesting fact: the only non-Bond movie from EON was the Bob Hope film Call Me Bwana (an advertisment for which is seen on a wall in From Russia With Love - it is co-star Anita Ekberg's mouth that serves as a bolt-hole for a baddie shot by Bond and Karim Bey.)

Broccoli spent the rest of his life involved with EON and the Bond franchise (with a side interest in thoroughbreds), up until his death in 1996. He was often noted as being a kind and generous person, which is interesting given his implication in the 1937 death of actor Ted Healy. Healy was apparently beaten to death by three men outside the Trocadero nightclub on the same night his wife gave birth to their first child. While the beating was blamed on "college boys," it's been thought that the actual assailants were Broccoli, actor Wallace Beery, and thug Pat DiCicco. Healy, for his part, was a heavy drinker and there were reports that he picked a fight with the trio, so it's not the most clear-cut case of violence out there. If he only had an umbrella that doubled as a rifle...

Lentorama 2007: The Non-Canonized Catholic Person of the Day

Today's person is Pope Formosus, who was Pope from 891 to 896. Trouble seemed to follow him, as he ran into trouble before, during, and after his reign.

He was bishop of Portus (a suburban area of Rome), but left the city due to "political complications," and was ordered to return to Rome by Pope John VIII to face a variety of charges, from leaving his bishopric without permission to despoiling the cloisters of Rome, or be excommunicated. Formosus avoided excommunication by promising to never return to Rome and to not act as a priest again.

But then John VIII died, and Marinus I OKed Formosus to return to Portus. This favor seemed to last, as witnessed by Formosus being elected Pope.

That favor quickly turned, as Formosus was embroiled in struggled for the crowns of Rome and France, the usupration of the patriarchy of Constantinople, and a dispute by a couple of bishops over the see of Bremen.

You would think things would have quieted down for Formosus when he died, but Pope Stephen VI had his own plans. A year after he died, Formosus was exhumed, dressed in papal regalia, and tried on the charges leveled by John VIII. Formosus was found guilty, had his robes torn off, three of his fingers cut off his right hand, and his corpse was thrown in the Tiber (where it was recovered by a monk). Stephen nullified all of Formosus' acts and orders.

Then Stephen died, and Formosus was quietly reburied in St. Peter's. A few years later Sergius III reaffirmed the findings against Formosus, and demanded that the bishops consecrated by Formosus be reconsecrated. Which led to the question of whether or not they'd have to redo everything they'd done, like ordain priests and such. Confusion, as you might imagine, was widespread.

Eventually, Formosus would have his work reaccepted, and for good measure trying corpses was given an official stamp of disapproval. Just a little too late.

And no, Formosus wasn't Polish, but it's hard to pass up a story where a corpse goes on trial.

Lentorama 2007: The Non-Canonized Catholic Person of the Day

Today's person is Hanna Suchocka, who to date is the only woman ever to serve as Prime Minister of Poland, holding the position for a little over a year in the early 1990s during Lech Walesa's presidency. From what little I've read it seems like she was a compromise choice for the job, but she replaced and was replaced by the same guy, so it doesn't seem like much of a compromise.

She was named Poland's ambassador to the Vatican in 2001, a role she still fills.

Hmm, maybe I'll make this an all-Polish week to wrap things up.

Lentorama 2007: The Non-Canonized Catholic Person of the Day

Today's person is Pope John Paul II, who went to meet the boss on this day two years ago. I'll spare you the career recap, as you likely know the bullet points (so to speak, given how 1981 went for him). If you don't, I'd suggest you watch the news every once in a while.

What I am going to mention is the drive to make JP2 ineligible to appear in future editions of this feature. At a ceremony held today in Rome, five cases of documentation were sealed in preparation for their delivery to the Vatican's Congregation for the Causes of Saints, who will take up the investigation. Most notable in their work will be seeing whether or not the French nun who claims to have had her Parkinson's disease cured by praying to (or for, I've read both) John Paul beat the disease by medical or theological means.

If they determine that what happened was a miracle, and if they agree that JP2 led a virtuous life, they'll pass his case on to Benedict for beatification. And considering that he already mader reference to hearing John Paul's voice among the communion of saints, I think we know how that will go. JP2 would not be canonized as a saint until they come up with a second miracle attributable to him, which probably won't take too long, either.

As you may be able to tell, I'm a little uncomfortable with the speed of things, which is ironic given that the usual problem with the Vatican is their glacial pace. There have been several assurances given that the investigation will follow all of the usual steps, but when I see the current Pope already hears JP2's voice among those of the saints, I'm not sure I'm buying it. Then again, John Paul was a driving force behind the simplification of the saint-making process given work he did in 1983. So I suppose I shouldn't begrudge him being judged by his own rules, even if in an expidited fashion.