As Craig pointed out, yesterday was the 25th anniversary of the Miracle on Ice hockey game, wherein a bunch of American college kids beat the Soviet Union's Red Army machine 4-3. Place it in the historical context of the Cold War as you wish; there's at least one Russian man out there who cites it as one of the three causes of the collapse of the Soviet Union (and was surprised to find that Boston University, the school that created some of the Soviet giant-killers, was not some sort of hockey player factory - or at least wasn't in the way he was thinking).

I did spend part of last night watching the game again, and was reminded of one of my favorite parts of the rebroadcasts. The one reasonably famous person ABC can find in the crowd?

Jamie Farr.

Those of you over the age of 30 will remember him as Max Klinger on M*A*S*H. The rest of you probably don't know him at all.

It's pretty random, actually. At some break in the action they cut to a crowd shot, and there's Farr. He's looking pretty agitated, and is clearly into the game. It's a nice juxtaposition to what you get when a network "finds" a celebrity at an important sporting event today. Someday, I hope the shmuck that has to do the seatside interviews covers the celeb's eyes with one hand and asks "OK, hot shot, who all is playing in this game again?"

I mean, they'd get canned, but it'd be a great way to go.

(As Craig also noted, yesterday was the 20th anniversary of Bobby Knight throwing a chair across the court at Assembly Hall during a game. I'm sure Viktor Tihkinov wishes he thought of that.)

While I can't join in on the memorializing for Hunter S. Thompson (like others linked at left I never really "got" him, though I really liked Joe's excerpt), I would note the passing of Reggie Roby.

Roby had a long and highly successful career as a punter in the NFL, and even though he played many years for the hated Miami Dolphins, I always enjoyed watching Roby kick. Not only did he have tremendous leg extension - often looking like he was going to knee himself in the face - but his punts had amazing hang time. As has been often mentioned in articles about him, Roby liked to wear a watch during games so he could measure hang time.

Don Shula also noted that when the Dolphins played in domed stadiums, Roby liked to try to hit the roof with a punt, and was successful more than once.

Roby did something that none of the guys who punt today can do - make punting fun to watch. Like Reggie White, he died early - he was only 43 - which makes me think that other recent NFL retirees should get themselves to the doctor for a check up ASAP.

Some equal time for those of you who didn't find the Stock Car Challenge that interesting: an Oscars pool from Yahoo.

Go to Yahoo Movies to join my group:

Group name: Rock the Oscars (group number: 2234)
Password: award

Considering I only have three people in Stock Car Challenge (it's not too late to join! They're only one race into the season!), I'd like to think we can do better here.

So the owners and players managed to kill the 2004-05 NHL season again yesterday, as reports about an agreement to a $45 million salary cap saving it were, at best, premature. And you know what? I don't really care.

I know, this is a pretty dominant stance, and one widely mentioned in media coverage of the lockout. In my case, college hockey passed the NHL some time ago, so it's not a major revelation. As also mentioned in some circles, the lockout can only help me by keeping college players in college longer (or at least those players who decide life in the minors is preferable to going to class).

It'd be cool if the NCAA did something to promote college hockey more to fans in NHL cities who have an option, but I don't think they're doing so (though I live in a market where the college teams get pretty strong support, so perhaps any effort put forth is being done elsewhere). This would a great boon to some of the newer D1 teams like Niagara, Robert Morris, and Wayne State, who play in or near NHL cities.

But back to the NHL. I don't claim to understand the financial issues underpinning the dispute, but I do tend to agree with the ESPN.com writers that the owners seem to be trying to break the union. The players seem to have made all of the concessions, and the idea that the owners can't move $3 million on the salary cap is ridiculous. The real test, to my thinking at least, will be the decision to start the 2005-06 season with replacement players. Should that come to pass, there's a part of me that hopes the players extend the collective middle finger to the owners and go play in Europe or barnstorm or something. I can't think that the Scab Hockey League would last all that long. On the other hand, if enough people come to see enhanced minor league hockey, the NHL just might persist - for a while.

Either way, I know BU won't get locked out.

The start of a new NASCAR season is just around the corner (so to speak), and in my usual nod to a sport I only follow for fantasy purposes (now that I don't have a boss who is a NASCAR fan), here's the sign-up info for ESPN.com's Stock Car Challenge:

Group name: Vroom!
Password: vroom

Only had four people sign up last year; let's see if we can at least get one for the thumb this year!

Last night was the Westminster Kennel Club dog show, and if you missed the coverage on USA, a German shorthaired pointer named Carlee won best in show.

I mention this not only to further my own pro-dog agenda, but to recall the times when my dad would watch the show with our daschund Abby, all the while reassuring her that she was much prettier than the dogs on the TV.

To be fair, Abby was a cute dog. On the other hand, I don't know if she was all that threatened by the show dogs.

I wasn't the only one who ran across the dog show last night and watched a bit thanks in some part to my dad. My sister pretty much did the same thing. In fact, it sounded like we watched the exact same things on TV last night, which I wasn't expecting.

Unrelated to matters canine, Lent started last week. As many of you remember, I usually have some trouble coming up with something to give up, and even when I do I then sometimes have trouble actually giving it up (remember back to the Lent where I tried to give up cursing, to expected results).

This year I came up with something pretty quickly: nail biting. I've done pretty well so far, managing to not chaw on a single nail so far. They're growing out pretty quickly, which just ratchets up the temptation that much more. It may help that I stopped biting my nails a couple of weeks before I got married in deference to the soon-to-be missus. I think I wound up biting them on the wedding day itself (big surprise), but at least I didn't draw blood like some people who shall remain Rosenberg.

I just wrote a big post on last night's Beanpot final - and it got eaten by an "internal server error." So here's the skinny:

BC beat Harvard in the consolation game, the least attractive regular season college hockey matchup of the season. No one cares. Harvard played like they didn't care, as they were down 3-0 and being outshot 35-10 when we showed up at the start of the third period.

My dubious stat for this game: BC hadn't lost to Harvard in a consolation game since 1981.

BU beat NU for the title, bringing their total to 26 over the 53 years of the tournament. They didn't play all that well, despite taking a 2-0 lead on a shorthander and a power play goal. The Terriers let NU hang around in the offensive zone too much, making it not that surprising when they tied it up with 2 minutes to go.

Chris Bourque put in the winner in OT, and got the MVP award for his tally. Didn't think he'd really earned it - Bryan Miller had the shorthander and got the assist on Bourque's goal, and seemed like a better choice - but I think the media remembered his dad's goal to win the 1996 NHL All Star Game... at the Fleet Center.

The two stats of note I had here: BU's not lost an OT Beanpot game since 1963, and NU has never won a Beanpot in a year where '8' was not its third digit. Could be a long wait over on Huntington Avenue.

Spent a lovely Valentine's weekend in Salem, here's your recap:

Friday we checked into the Hawthorne Hotel, which is highly recommended if you ever decide to sightsee around here. It's right downtown and very close to most of what you'd want to see. Didn't have any plans, so we decided to get a quick bite to eat and see a movie.

That movie wound up being Sideways, which I thought was pretty good. I was afraid that my general lack of wine knowledge would be a problem, but it wasn't. We saw this at the local Hollywood Hits theater, the "cheap" theater. We paid $8 a ticket. Not sure when that became cheap, but there you go.

Saturday dawned with the main plan to go check out the newly-expanded Peabody Essex Museum. The museum grew out of Salem's maritime history, with the bulk of the collection being either maritime-related or items picked up by sea captains and the like while on voyages. If you're interested in Asian art, or various forms of pottery get you going, it's the museum for you. There's also a pretty good collection of local furniture. We also took a house tour where we got to see a house from the 17th, 18th, and 19th century.

We didn't do too much else, though we had a very nice dinner in the hotel's restaurant. After seeing the movie I was too self-conscious to order the pinot, so I went with the shiraz. No complaints there.

Sunday saw us return home and pass a pretty typical Sunday. We wound up watching the Grammys, which was OK if a bit predictable. The all-star version of "Across the Universe" was pretty gruesome, but sales do benefit tsunami relief. The NARAS president was a little less irritating on the issue of downloading music, but still unbearable. It didn't help that he was put in towards the end of the night, which meant he got to be dead weight at what should have been the height of the ceremony.

Two things I didn't know about Jamie Foxx until last night: he has a tattoo on the back of his head and he is a reasonably good musician. He'd have made a better halftime entertainer at the Pro Bowl than former American Idol finalist Jasmine Trias. Jasmine Trias! I can't believe anyone thought it was a good idea to let her sing on national TV again. Ugh.

In the interest of meme generation:

Where I've Watched the Super Bowl

XXXIX At my sister's house in New Hampshire. They just got a big screen TV (hadn't planned on having it in time for the game, but it was delivered early), so it was a better viewing experience than I'd had at home. Mostly family.

XXXVIII At home, which is how I wound up doing dishes during Nipplegate.

XXXVII At my neighbor's apartment at Babson. Wound up being a small gathering of work types, with none of us having a very strong interest in the game.

XXXVI At the house of the director of my former office. This worked out pretty well, as if there was going to be any rioting on campus after the game, all of us who'd have to respond were in the same place. There were a few non-Babsonites there, one of whom I don't think had ever seen a football game (live or televised).

I also got drink very old wine, bottled when the Pats first made the Super Bowl and saved by a co-worker who was, easily, the most ardent Pats fan I'd ever met. Still holds true.

XXXIII, XXXIV and XXXV Honestly, I have no idea. Home, probably. Though I have vague notions of seeing the final play in the St. Louis-Tennessee game on a large screen. So perhaps I went out for that one.

XXXII The then-apartment of the fabulous DeVeaus. Quite a game.

XXXI Went to a party at the American Legion hall in Manchester. Most notable here was the small card table set up in a corner and decorated in Packers colors - for my father. He always hated the Pats, mostly due to the Sullivan family.

XXX Home again, I think.

XXIX In the basement of a house belonging to the brother of someone I'd worked with. Pretty sweet set-up, a ceiling-mounted projection unit with a wall-sized screen. It was much more appreciated with a post-game viewing of Tombstone than during the game itself, given that it was over early.

XXVIII I may not have even watched this one, given how sick I was with the Cowboys. I don't recall doing anything special, at least.

XXVII For this one I spent most of the game in bed, the victim of food poisoning thanks to a Connecticut McDonald's. The blowout status of the game didn't help matters. I did manage to rouse myself at some point in the second half, but spent most of the time getting back into something resembling death warmed over rather than watch the end of the blowout.

XXVI Watched it at T's Pub, or watched as much as one could in such a crowded atmosphere. A fun time, at least.

XXV Headed for the student ghetto in Allston to watch the game at the apartment of a friend of a fellow RA. Proving that I don't learn, I also watched the BU-Norhern Michigan NCAA hockey final in this apartment. Where everyone else thinks of wide right, this Super Bowl reminds me of hitting posts in overtime.

At least Dave Emma didn't get his Hobey until sometime around 11 pm.

XXIV One of the small lounges on the second floor of Sleeper Hall used to have a ceiling-mounted projection TV. We got it going and figured it'd be a great place to watch the game. One problem: the projector would go out of focus when there was some sort of vibration (such as opening and/or closing a door). We muddled through, but part of me thinks the decline in my eyesight started this day.

I've never really cared for Denver, so I did watch all of this blow-out. That it erased the Patriots' record for biggest Super Bowl blowout was a plus as well.

XXIII Home or dorm room. Not sure.

XXII In an unusual move, I decided to take the train back from home to BU during the game. The logic, I think, was that there'd be fewer people, thus a quicker trip and less of the game missed. For the trip I had a Walkman with radio, so I could listen.

Except for that whole part of the trip from North Station to Kenmore Square when you're underground. Care to guess when Doug Williams went on his tear?

XXI Home, likely.

XX A bunch of us gathered at my friend Dean's house to watch what we thought would be a once-in-a-lifetime event. I mean, given what we'd seen of the Pats to then, who'd have expected a return trip?

The game was off by halftime. We spent the second half watching The Looney, Looney, Looney Bugs Bunny Movie. A vast improvement.

IV through XIX Home, most likely, to the extent that I could watch the game for the earlier ones. The first one I really remember watching was XIII. I do remember missing a goodly chunk of XVIII thanks to CCD, as I was very surprised to hear that the Raiders had won.

I through III I suppose I could have caught some of III in utero, not by watching of course. Not even that was possible for I and II.

Somewhat lost in the Patriots' hoopla was that yesterday was the first Monday in February. Which, to many of us in the Boston area, is better known as the first round of the Beanpot.

This year, the games had two clear "favorites," if you went by the polls. Nationally-ranked Harvard opened with under .500 Northeastern, while the nightcap pitted top-ranked BC against lower-ranked BU. If you went by the numbers, a Harvard-BC final was in the offing.

It should come as no surprise, then, that BU and Northeastern will square off for the Beanpot title, a pair of red-hued teams on Valentine's Day.

How did this happen?

Harvard-Northeastern started in front of a crowd of dozens with a 5 pm face-off. The early game is always quiet, but is even moreso when the two least-followed teams take the ice first. NU has a vocal but small fan base, but it was more than enough to best the scattering of Harvard supporters.

Even so, the Crimson put up the first goal of the game with less than a minute off the clock. They then proceeded to doze through the next 80-some-odd minutes of hockey, allowing NU to tie it up and then take the win in double OT.

It was not a thing of beauty. Much of the third period looked like it was being played at three-quarter speed. The extra frames pushed back the start of BU-BC by an hour, though it felt like much, much more.

Harvard has played pretty well this year - they've beaten BC and BU in earlier games - but they had no spark last night.

Reasonably pointless statistical note: Harvard hasn't made a Beanpot final since 1998.

Almost pointless statistical note: Harvard hasn't won a Beanpot in a year where there was no change in the US Presidency since 1974. Since then, they've won the title in 1977, 1981, 1989, and 1993. Spooky.

BU-BC had a late start, but the delay didn't diminish anyone's energy. BU came out looking like the Philadelphia Eagles - carrying play but not scoring. BC got their first goal just after they went off a power play, on a knuckling screen shot. BU managed to dampen momentum by tying the score on a goal with less than a minute to go in the period.

BU went ahead on a nice goal in the second period (both goals scored by John Laliberte), and hung on to win despite being outshot by something approaching a 2:1 margin. BC's coach noted that very few of their shots were good scoring opportunities, but I think he's trying to downplay things a little. After all, his team couldn't solve BU's backup goaltender (as our walk-on turned starter is still out with a separated shoulder).

Reasonably pointless statistical note: BC hasn't beaten BU in an opening round of the Beanpot since 1981 - a year before BU goalie Stephan Siewec was born.

Somewhat less pointless statistical note: BC hasn't won back to back Beanpots in 40 years.

So the good news, depending on how you look at it, is that the missus and I will be spending a romantic Valentine's Day at the Fleet Center. That's better than the alternative if we'd lost, which was scalping my finals tickets to buy flowers.

The idea of a New England Patriots dynasty has, like jumbo shrimp or Swiss cheese, an oxymoronic quality to it. While never quite the Gridiron of the Absurd you'd find in Arizona or (until late) Cincinnati, the checkered past of the Patriots - from abortive moves to St. Louis and Hartford to their former cesspool of a stadium to the many years where watching the game brought with it the color commentary of Beasley Reece - makes contemplation of a Foxboro dynasty a slippery thing to hold.

But I'm warming up to the task. They may not have sealed their destiny by blowing someone out (as the 49ers did to the Broncos or the Cowboys did to the Bills), but three Super Bowls in four years, in an NFL set up to defy dynasty-building, speaks volumes. What speaks even louder is that, loss of coordinators notwithstanding, there would be very few people surprised to see the Patriots play for a fourth title in five years on a February 2006 night in Detroit.

Thinking about the game more specifically, I think I would have opted for Rodney Harrison over Deion Branch for MVP, though it was a close-run thing in my mind. Fitting for the Patriots, there wasn't one clear-cut player to go with.

I'm also still trying to sort out Philly's clock management strategy late in the game, but I think there are plenty of people related in some fashion to the Eagles who are trying to do the same thing.

Now for the commercials. According to the USA Today Ad Meter thing, Bud won the night with their ad about the pilot who ditches the skydivers to go after the Bud Light that's been thrown from the plane. I thought it was a pretty good ad (better than Bud's usual parade of flatuent animals and single entendre sex humor), but the best of the night? Not so much. I'd have given that to Ameriquest's ad involving apparent felinicide. I also thought the FedEx ad with all the required Super Bowl commercial elements was better than its Ad Meter ranking. You can decide for yourself by taking a gander at the ratings.

In the run up to the Super Bowl, Freddie Mitchell of the Eagles said he had something he wanted to give Rodney Harrison. Given the result and the two players' relative performance (Mitchell had one catch for 11 yards, Harrison two picks, a sack, and at least seven tackles), what did Fred Ex have for Rodney? A congratulatory ham?

Tonight's game at least helped prove one thing: I can pick winners, but not details like the winning margin. Several years of ESPN.com games can back this up.

More on the game tomorrow.

With the Super Bowl being this Sunday, it's time for my fearless prediction: the Pats will win.

Were you expecting anything else?

Now, I don't have the cockiness that some fans do. I expect the game to be close. I hope the win won't come down to Adam Vinatieri's foot again, but it wouldn't shock me if it did, either. My thinking is that it'll be close for most of the game, with the Pats winning by a two-score margin thanks to some late points. Given the players and coaches that each team brings into the mix, though, there's very little that would surprise me.

Well, the Pats running the wishbone. That would surprise me.

I've managed to miss most of the hype these last couple of weeks by not watching televised sports news (or "news"), especially avoiding the half-hour specials our Fox affiliate has been running in place of the 7:30 Simpsons. No way I'm going to reward that sort of scheduling.

The one story I've found reasonably interesting is Jacksonville's performance as host. The gist of most of what I've heard is that the city isn't up to the challenge, which makes me worried that the game will fall into a regular Miami-New Orleans-San Diego orbit (with occasionall forays into Tampa and perhaps the Rose Bowl). I like the idea of non-traditional cities getting the game for variety's sake. After this year, though, the pressure will be on Detroit and Arizona to provide more amenities.

(That being said, I do wonder how much of what's being said is accurate and how much of it is media grumbling; Jon's posts on his work trips lead to some doubts on this topic.)

Still don't know what, if anything, I'm doing for the game. I don't even recall where I watched last year's game (I think it was at home; yup, I remember doing dishes during the "wardrobe malfunction"), so it's not like it's a huge concern.

I'm going to hell: I'm about to wax snarky about a funeral.

I went to a funeral today for a family member on the wife's side who I'd never met. Unfortunately, the minister presiding over the funeral had never met him, either, and said as much during his opening remarks. In total, his remarks had an unorganized feel that made me wonder if he'd been called in late to sub for the funeral home's regular minister.

The first five minutes or so also included an inordinate amount of information about the preacher himself, leading me to wonder if he was running for office. He also jumped from his self-referential remarks to reading the obituary (or parts of the obituary) to other remarks given to him (I assume) by family. Some of those remarks, such as the one that referred to the deceased as a puppet master (not sure if that term was used or not, but "pulling the strings" was), seemed unusal to start with, never mind including them in the eulogy.

And while it's been remarked in a kind of kidding fashion in some areas, noting that it was at least good timing for a Red Sox fan to pass after they'd won the World Series is not something best done in actual funeary circumstances. Asking the mourners for a show of hands to find other Sox fans is similarly problematic.

Part of the problem, perhaps, was that we weren't vocal enough. More than once the minister said that whatever sentiment he'd recently voiced would have gotten an amen from the deceased had he been with us. That none of us felt moved enough to do so may have made all of us seem lacking.

Towards the end of the service, a family member sang "Amazing Grace," but was unable to finish the last stanza as she'd started to cry. The rest of us pitched in and sang, perhaps the first touching moment of the entire event. The preacher then returned to the podium and had all of us sing the song again. It's a fine hymn, but that seemed like overkill.

So my three pieces of advice should you ever get called in to officiate a funeral on short notice:

1. Make a quick outline of the service so you don't jump around like you tried to cure your ADHD with a handful of No-Doz.

2. Try not to elicit biographical and genealogical information about the family during the service. Take a second to sort out who is who beforehand.

3. If you really are trying to comfort the bereaved, try not to say things like "I wish you had called me so I could have met him while he was alive." They may feel guilty after you say that.

So the last headline on Yahoo comes through once in a while - it's currently reporting that Sammy Sosa is about to be traded to Baltimore. Because, really, the Orioles need a 36 year old outfielder whose offensive number have fallen in every category (except doubles, go figure) every year since 2001. I suppose I shouldn't complain, as if the numbers hold to form it'll play to the Red Sox's advantage.

Interesting to note that the union is OK with Sosa voiding his 2006 salary (which a trade would make a guaranteed $18 million), given their problems last year with A-Rod taking a pay cut if he went to the Red Sox. I assume it has something to do with where Sosa is in his career; teams are more likely to employ an aging slugger if they don't have to pay him a small fortune. The more baseball-savvy out there are more than welcome to provide further explanation or correct me as needed.

UPDATE: MLB.com is now saying that the Cubs GM is denying that a deal is in place with Baltimore. He does say that serious talks occurred with several teams. Most interesting: Washington (who could use a marquee name) and KC (where Sosa would be making more than the rest of the team combined, I think).

I love the last headline spot on the front page of Yahoo. Where else would I learn that more musicians than ever are playing live gigs, and that SpongeBob's creator offficially declared the character's asexuality?

Really, that headline spot is worthy of a blog like the dearly departed Amazon World. Or maybe Amazon World needs to make a comeback. Either way.

Yeah, the Oscars. Have I seen any of these movies? No. In fact, based on the reminder list I've only seen six of the movies open for consideration. And, to be honest, none of them were especially award-worthy. Not Seed of Chucky unworthy, but nothing special, either. Clearly, I need to work on spending my movie dollars more wisely.

There was a time when I made a point to see all the Best Picture nominated films before the awards were given. I've not done that in some time. In fact, the last year for which I've seen all the nominated films, in the theater or not, was 1997 (for the 1998 ceremony - Titanic, As Good as it Gets, The Full Monty, Good Will Hunting, and LA Confidential). Still, I've usually seen about half of the nominated films, at least until now.

Not sure why the change, though living near movie theaters definately helps. When I was at BU there was almost always a theater within walking distance (not to mention the dear departed Nickelodeon, which was on campus). Then again, 1998 was the year I moved back to Boston, and my viewing habits dropped off anyway.

The good news, I suppose, is that there is a second-run house around the corner from where we live now. Hopefully they'll run some of the nominated movies soon, though they seem to focus mostly on foreign films and stuff they can get on the cheap (for example, they've got Shall We Dance? going now, but will be showing The Incredibles next week, so it's not all bad).

Greetings from Ice Station Zebra, where it looks like the snow is finally beginning to taper off. Still a fair amount of wind, so it's hard to say if what's in the air now is falling or just blowing around.

We're up around 30 inches now, and at one point this morning we had the high score (so to speak) for Massachusetts, though it looks like places on the South Shore will wind up beating us (some places are expected to get the full yard of snow). With the wind there are a number of high drifts. We had one in our driveway that was up around 5 feet. Thanks to a deal with our landlord, we got to shovel it away for a break in our rent (and an even bigger thanks to him for doubling the amount of that break when he saw how much snow we were going to get).

Somehow, in all of this snow, the wife thought it would be a good idea to go to church. Even more surprising, the priests at St. Mary Star of the Sea thought it would be a good idea to remain open. So we walked over, not that we had a choice. I've not seen a plow on our street since last night, and there was a 2 to 3 foot snow pile we had to climb over at an intersection the next street over.

The walk was brisk, but apparently worth it as we made up fifty percent of the congregation this morning. Not surprisingly, Mass was short.

Not much else to say storm-wise, other than to note it's almost time to get back out shoveling. I've managed to get the driveway about half open, which will be handy if our upstairs neighbors actually try to get home tonight. For their own sakes, I hope they're hunkered down somewhere and not planning on returning until tomorrow.

I will take a second to note the passing of Johnny Carson. I don't think I could come close to doing justice to his long and storied career, but will simply note that whatever interest I have in late night TV and topical humor I generally got from him and the Tonight Show before Jay Leno screwed it up. Please join me in a memorial imaginary golf swing.

So I never made divisional playoff picks for last weekend. I will say that I would have picked all 4 winners; I didn't see either St. Louis or Minnesota hanging with Atlanta or Philly, and there was no way I was going to pick against the Pats and for the Jets. So let's just say that I'm "6-2" so far.

Regarding tomorrow:

Philly finally breaks through and wins the NFC. I don't think the Falcons will be able to run on the Eagles as easily as they did on the Rams, and I think the Philly secondary should be able to handle the passing attack. The wild card that is Michael Vick always leaves the door open for an upset, but I'm saving that for the ACF.

Although, really, picking the Pats isn't an upset, at least by Vegas standards. But they're the lower seed playing on the road, so odds be damned. I have to think that the Pats have been working on a defensive scheme for tomorrow since sometime in early November.

I'm not expecting a lot of points, and would be surprised if the winner cracks the low teens. The foot of Adam Vinatieri will, as usual, play a vital role in the game somehow. Hopefully in a good way.

As you might have heard, we're due for some snow in this neck of the woods. I can say that as of now, we have enough show to shut North Carolina down for a solid week. :)

We've got somewhere in the 3 to 4 inch range, so there's quite a ways to go. We'd planned on killing some of the night watching the second BU-Maine tilt (the first being last night, a 1-1 tie), but NESN apparently can't show it. Not sure why; they'd listed it earlier, but now have this terse message saying they can't. I'm assuming it's weather-related.

In an unrelated TV note, if you get a chance on Monday tune in Jeopardy to see Brandeis' own Ted Stratton defend the champion status he earned yesterday. Go Ted!

If you're like me, you've never wondered what it would sound like if you crossed Coldplay with the Dave Matthews Band. If you have wondered, I would direct you to the group Blue Merle, which I first heard on the radio yesterday.

The song I heard is the one you can play on their home page. Not sure if I like it or not, feel free to give your opinions.

The third "season" of The Apprentice kicked off last night, featuring a "book smarts" versus "street smarts" theme. I think I'm going to be sick of this theme really soon, as there's only so far that "slobs versus snobs" can get you. Compare Caddyshack to Caddyshack II, for example.

Otherwise, no real obvious changes from the other seasons, other than they brought in a hipster doofus for entertainment purposes. Considering how close he got to being fired last night, I'm not expecting a deep run for him. I won't miss his colorful leisure suits.

In unrelated news, I'm taken with one of the current Yahoo headlines, "Inch of show cripples North Carolina's capital." Reading the article, it appears that there was a lack of readiness due to forecasts only calling for a dusting. Really, if the margin between a dusting and an inch is what sends you from business as usual to chaos, there may be bigger problems than the weathermen being off a bit.

Sorry for the absence, was away over the long weekend and got off of schedule a bit. As is usually the case during the MLK weekend, I was in Ann Arbor for a tournament. We won, woo! I also got to try Ethiopian food for the first time, and would highly recommend it if you don't mind eating with your hands.

So American Idol is back, and for all the talk about changes it's pretty mucht he same. People who can't sing are mocked, those who appear to have talent are sent to Hollywood, and Seacrest is still a tool. One change that does seem to be working out is having the celebrity judges during the auditions rather than the finals, as they seem more willing to be critical. Mark McGrath made more critical comments in one show than all the celebtrity judges did all of last season. That, and judging kept him from singing, which isn't a bad thing, either.

We also tuned into the premiere of Point Pleasant last night, or as I like to think of it, What Ever Happened to Rosemary's Baby? Turns out she became a Maxim model who can start fires with her mind (imagine what that photo shoot would be like).

If you've not seen the ads, the show is about the looming battle between good and evil that will apparently involve this young, toothsome "child of darkness" who is now living in a coastal New Jersey town. That power she seems to have also appears to affect people's actions, as we've been promised some hanky panky.

I'm sure debuting after American Idol isn't going to hurt ratings for last night, though its regular slot is Thursday at 9, where it gets to butt heads with CSI and The Apprentice. Hope they can wrap up Armageddon in six episodes.

Full answers for my completely adequate lyrics quiz are available below (I tried to link to the entry, but it winds up taking you to the comments; odd). The songs that didn't get identified were on the tough side, and my hints only helped a little. In any case, I do plan on trying this again in the semi-near future. I'll leave out the non-English songs. Maybe.

OK, I've added some hints to the music quiz below. Not sure how helpful they'll be, as they're (a) off the cuff, and (b) still trying not to give away direct info about the performer or album.

Full answers will go up in 24 hours.

I suppose it's a sign of my growing comfort with the dentist that I did not write beforehand about my visit this morning to finish off my root canal.

From what I could tell it was pretty routine, although my endodontist doesn't really say too much while he's working. Given the instruments used, it was less of a dental procedure and more of a craft project. At one point he used what appeared to be a soldering iron (which seemed to be used to soften the gutta-percha used to fill the canals), and he used something like a hot glue gun to give me another temporary filling. Were my root canal televised, I don't know if it'd be on Discovery Health or HGTV. I suppose if I were good with mirrors and somewhat sadistic it could be on DIY.

Now all that's left is to get the post and crown, which will start in March. They've not taken any impressions, so it looks like I won't be finally done with this whole thing until sometime in April or even May. Huzzah.

Stealing from Craig and the Bruce, and looking to break the monopoly that sports have had on the blog in '05, here's my own 20 song lyrics quiz. These are the first 20 songs played at random when I fired up iTunes yesterday afternoon. I didn't use party shuffle; should that somehow violate the spirit of things, I promise to use it for a follow-up should this one go OK (which is an even money thing, I suppose).

Some notes about the songs:

1. I did leave in what I would consider album cuts, but where I did I tried to use opening lines (unless they include the name of the song or I think there will be a likely participant who knows the band pretty well). Songs I'd lump in here: 3, 6, 15, 18, and 20.
1a. You will notice that 18 is not in English. I will note that (a) the vast majority of the album the song is from is in English, and (b) the album did spawn one of the most popular songs in the year it was released (which is within the last 5 to 7 years).

2. Covers: 4, 5, and 14. The first two are reasonably well-known covers, while 14 has been done by a number of different people. Hint: this one is unplugged.

3. Email or comment answers, when a song is gotten (title and artist) I'll italicize it and give props. I'll give partial props where appropriate, but leave the lyrics in regular text.

4. Not sure what the protocol is for web searching. I assume it's frowned upon. Not like I can check.

5. Oh, yeah, groups are repeated. Assuming that matters.

Good luck!

(PS: I've never been sure what's the proper way to put lyrics into text like this, so I've done what seems most appropriate. If there's some sort of convention I've missed, please let me know.)

1. He roller coaster, he got early warning, he got muddy water, he want mojo filter. ("Come Together," The Beatles; Paul)

2. Oh give your love girl to whoever you choose, how can you lose with the stuff you use now
("It's Your Thing," Isley Brothers)

3. Lately I’ve been feeling low, a remedy is what I’m seeking, I take a taste of what’s below, come away to something better ("Jimi Thing," The Dave Matthews Band; Boggie)

4. What's the use of trying, all you get is pain, when I wanted sunshine I got rain ("I'm a Believer," Smash Mouth; Greg)

5. These people 'round here wear beaten down eyes, sunk in smoke dried faces, they’re so resigned to what their fate is ("Come on Eileen," Save Ferris; Ted)

6. You know you made me cry, I see no use in wonderin' why I cry for you
("Not a Second Time," The Beatles)

7. Rover was killed by a Pontiac, and it was done with such grace and artistry that the witnesses awarded the driver both ears and the tail. ("In Old Mexico," Tom Lehrer; Paul)

8. The fast guys get paid, they shoot, they score; Protect them, Buddy, that’s what you’re here for ("Hit Somebody! (The Hockey Song)," Warren Zevon; Greg)

9. Bye bye babe it’s been sweet love, though this feeling I can’t change, but please don’t take this so badly, ‘Cause Lord knows I’m to blame ("Free Bird," Lynyrd Skynyrd; Paul)

10. Time after time, you refuse to even listen, I wouldn’t mind, If I knew what I was missing ("You Won't See Me, The Beatles; Brian)

11. I’ve been sleeping a thousand years it seems, got to open my eyes to everything ("Bring Me to Life," Evanescence; Boggie)

12. Months went by with us pretending, When did our light turn from green to red,
I took a chance and left you standing, Lost the will to do this once again
("Wasting My Time," Default)

13. I'm in the sky tonight, There I can keep by your side, Watching the whole world wind, Around and round ("Next Year," Foo Fighters; Greg)

14. Days may be cloudy or sunny, We're in or we're out of the money, But I'm with you always ("Come Rain or Come Shine," Glenn Frey; Paul on song, The Bruce on artist)

15. Lie beside me, Whisper to me that you want me, Arms around me, Whisper to me that you want me, There's nothing here to be afraid of
("Just the Morning," Lyle Lovett; Greg on artist)

16 Did you lose yourself somewhere out there? Did you get to be a star? Don't it make you sad to know that life, Is more than who we are ("Name," Goo Goo Dolls; Allyson)

17. I mean about future calamity, I used to think the idea was obsolete, Until I heard the old man stamping his feet. ("Hell," Squirrel Nut Zippers; Greg)

18. Herido y abandonado, Aber aber tu sabes dime mi amor por favor, Que dolor nos quedo
("Corazon Espinado," Santana)

19. I thought you’d come through, I thought you’d come clean, You were the best thing I should never have seen
("Human," The Pretenders)

20. We live in a beautiful world, Yeah we do, yeah we do ("Don't Panic," Coldplay; Boggie)

NFL playoffs start today. So, my off the cuff and highly unscientific picks:

Indy v. Denver I think Indy can score more points off of Denver's defense than the Denver offense can score off of what passes for Indy's defense. Pick: Indy

San Diego v. New York Part of me really thinks the Jets can pull this out. Then I consider that I'd be picking the Jets. That's almost as bad as picking the Dolphins for a Pats fan. I keep hearing how under-rated the Bolts are, and thus will give them the benefit of the doubt. Pick: San Diego

Green Bay v. Minnesota Green Bay's won both games this year in close fashion. But Minnesota is something like 2-20 in their last 22 outdoor games. I don't suppose plucky Vikings fans have tented in Lambeau Field? Didn't think so. Pick: Green Bay

Seattle v. St. Louis St. Louis won both match-ups this year, but they're 2-6 in away games. Both teams have won their last two games. Both teams have beaten higher seeded NFC teams recently, but in both cases opposing starters didn't always play the whole game. It's a toss-up, except that Matt Hasselback used to play at BC. That'll do. Pick: St. Louis

On Jeopardy tonight, Tucker Carlson read a clue and introduced himself as being from "CNN's Crossfire." Now, less than an hour later, I read that he's off the show, as his contract's not being renewed.

Sadly, I couldn't gain too much mirth at this. Seems that Carlson's going to wind up on MSNBC, while Crossfire is getting rolled into other programming as a segment rather than staying its own show. Must be the bow tie.

Another college football season is in the books, and it didn't so much go out with a whimper instead of a bang as much as it went out with the muffled thuds of an old-fashioned beat down. Did Oklahoma send their actual first string to the Orange Bowl?

I didn't watch must past the first half, and to be honest I don't think I needed to watch as much of the first half as I did. If I were an Auburn fan (or even a Utah fan), I'd be feeling a little ticked this morning, as I'd be thinking that my school could have given USC more of a run than what they got from the Sooners.

Last night also marked the end of ESPN.com's bowl pick-em game, in which I fared a bit better than last year, when it looked like I intentionally tried to pick losers. I finished with a winning record (barely; 15-13) and in points in the middle of the pack. My main nemesis was the MAC, as I think I only picked one of their bowl games correctly. I also continued my perfect streak of picking the loser of the New Orleans Bowl. To that, I can only say that we don't get a lot of Sun Belt games up here, so it's hard to judge.

I'm also a little ticked at myself for not taking UConn in the Motor City Bowl. I can only plead temporary insanity there, as at this point they are my default regional divison 1 team. I'm further ticked at the confidence point system the game uses, as in changing some games I wound up only getting 2 points for Georgia Tech's pasting of Syracuse, a game I'd originally assigned a 26 or 27 to. I'm specifically to blame for losing the 28 point game; I took Cal over Texas Tech.

Keeping the two game set with Minnesota from being a total loss, the BU hockey team won the opener in Agganis Arena, prevailing by the same score they'd lost by the previous night, 2-1. Fans of symmetry will also enjoy that the same BU player, Brad Zancanaro, scored the last goal at Walter Brown and the first goal at Agganis.

One game in, there's very little I can say in the negative about the new place. The biggest problem I encountered was that the concessions staff didn't seem to know how to work the registers. Fans are also going to have to learn that it's not good form to stop in the middle of the concourse to chat, as it slows everything down.

I did read in a USCHO story that some people complained about the rows being too long in the sections, and about a lack of leg room. The rows are long, but no longer than those you would find at the Fleet Center. Hopefully, people will begin to realize that you should spend less time getting up and more time watching the game. As for leg room, I'm often in need of it, and didn't find it wanting from my seat. I don't think we get any extra room as premium seat holders, but I could be wrong.

(That being said, I could use a skosh more hip room. Of course, I could do something about that my own self.)

There were some opening night issues, as people get used to operating things. With all the new technology I figure it will take a few games for everyone to get ramped up, regardless of any practice they've had previous to opening. Heck, the team is still trying to get used to the bigger ice surface (it's 5 feet wider) and they've been practicing there for a couple of weeks.

Not much else to complain about. The wait to get out of the parking garage under the arena was longish, but not unlike what you get in any parking garage after an event. It was certainly shorter than any time I've been to a game up at BC. I don't think I've ever gotten out of their garage in less than 20 minutes.

On the tooth front, I am a little sore where I had the work done yesterday but nothing approaching actual pain. And to some extent I think the soreness is my own fault, as waited a little longer to take my ibuprofen so my last dose would be closer to bed time.

Between the game and the dentist, things actually went much better than expected yesterday. Hopefully the job I applied for in the afternoon will work out as well.

I'm home, with what I'm told is about 80 percent of the root canal completed. Next week I get to go back in to finish it off. It should be a fun time for all.

The procedure wasn't too bad, I was pretty well numbed up. The worst part was the novocaine shot by the cheek; it didn't hurt too badly, but more than expected. Actually, the worst part was having to listen to a whole Avril Lavigne song on the radio the dentist had on. That sucked.

I'm still pretty numb now, so I assume the pain that stems from what took place is en route. I've already taken a bunch of ibuprofen, and have been told to keep doing that for a couple of days.

More later.

I feel like I should say more about the Walter Brown Arena swan song, but I've got nothing. I suppose tonight's experience (or, maybe more realistically, a few games' worth of experience) in Agganis will give me something by way of comparison.

Or it could be that I'm too on edge for my root canal, which will start in about an hour. The kind words of you commenters were good to hear, though I've also heard some less pleasant information from others. I suppose it's all fear of the unknown; it's not like I've had one of these before. On the plus side, I've already had the tooth drilled out, and I don't think the guts of the tooth are that badly off.

I did do some reading on the subject on-line, which was somewhat reassuring although almost all the pages belong to dentists or dental associations. I wouldn't expect a lot of worrisome words from them. I will say that seeing the phrase "titanium rotary files" caused a bit of a blood pressure spike, what with visions of Marathon Man and Brazil. OK, it's not going to be that bad - I don't know that my endodontist is a sadist, and I don't think anyone believes I have information (rather than pulp) that needs extracting.

An era of BU hockey ended with a whimper tonight, as the Terriers lost their last game at Walter Brown Arena, dropping a 2-1 decision to Minnesota.

There was not a lot of pomp to the final game. The team that won back to back national titles in the early '70s was introduced before the game, and all former and current BU players in attendance had a photo op on the ice after the game. Apparently the pomp is being saved for tomorrow, as there'll be a 45 minute ceremony of some sorts.

I took a few pictures, and plan to write something up. Someday.

It being the last day of 2004, here are my top 10 news (or "news") stories of the year, in no particular order.

Nation forced to watch as some guy is arrested, tried, and given the chair for killing his wife.

If I did a list of the least essential news stories of the year (a thought for 2005), the Scott Peterson thing would likely top the list. That this passed for a major national news story makes me ache.

Trampy pop star and home-wrecker marries future alimony recipient, have least classy nuptuals ever.

But did we expect anything less? I'm just happy the bride decided to wear shoes.

Red beats blue, most of Cabinet resigns in celebration.

I think the Dems really missed a campaign theme by not hitting on the fear that all of Bush's competent Cabinet members were leaving. I have to think that some moderates in Ohio would have lingered longer over their ballot if they knew that Rummy would wind up being one of the few to stay.

Athletes found to be taking performance-enhancing drugs.

As much as the revelations with Giambi and Bonds lead to questions, at least they had the sense to not fake a motorcycle accident to avoid the issue. Lost in all this is Tyler Hamilton's story, which hopefully won't be the doping equivalent of trying to find the "real killers."

Americans suffer more casualties in trecherous post-victory declaration period of Iraq war.

I shouldn't make fun here, but the irony of declaring victory and then engaging in siege warfare is hard to pass by.

I Love the '90s goes political as Ukranian incumbent tries to steal election; opposition candidate poisoned with dioxin.

In my former Soviet republics pool I had them as "transitory democracy" rather than "ruled by strongman." Hope I win the tiebreaker.

Puritans buried in King's Chapel, Granary cemetaries heard rotating as Bostonians find enjoyment in first Red Sox World Series win since 1918.

And some football team won its second Super Bowl. But why dwell on reasonably consistent success?

Americans react with outrage as the cost of a gallon of gasoline skyrockets to almost 40 percent of prices in the rest of the industrialized world.

Yet it's still cheaper than a gallon of milk, which doesn't have to be shipped halfway around the world and refined. No wonder the cows are so contented; they're raking it in!

Naked women ruin TV, male rank and file mull reasons for continued living.

All of this under the watchful eye of our modern-day Savonarola, Michael Powell. Thanks, dad.

Tsunamis kill thousands upon thousands in Asia.

There's nothing funny about this.

And, while we're at it, the top five personal news stories of the year.

First wedding anniversary celebrated in romantic vacation with extended group of in-laws.

It was actually much better than it sounds. We had our private celebration on our own before the actual day, and on the day of shared the frozen top of the cake with family. The cake actually survived the freezing really well.

Special "in by 9, out by 5" kidney stone service proves painful, put on (hopeful) permanent hiatus.

Hydrate, people. Hydrate.

Chinese attempt to thwart another national TV appearance, are partially successful.

Would $64,000 converted into yuan sound more impressive? In a related story, syndicated Millionaire adds a "change question" lifeline a season too late.

Babsonian captivity ends, Garden City tenure marked by diminished earnings in third and fourth quarters of CY'04.

Like Hannibal Smith, I love it when a plan comes together. And this one is coming together much like an A-Team plan, but without the neat wrap-up by the end of the hour. Thankfully, it also follows the A-Team plan dictate of not killing anyone.

Geico gecko cackles with glee at the thought of a newly-minted 35 year old Massachusetts driver.

The sad thing is, even at my level of experience, I'm still in the top half of all drivers in the Bay State.

Hope your 2004 went as well as hopes. Best wishes for 2005.

And for those of you depending on me for your world juniors update (which is a really bad idea, given that I missed most of last night's game to take in BU's 4-1 win over Nebraska-Omaha), the US lost to Belarus 5-3. Not sure how that happened, other than Al Montoya was supposed to get the night off, but had to sub in for the other guy at some point. Not good.

Even worse - we're losing to the Czechs currently. Outside of a big comeback (the US would have to beat the Czechs by 4 goals), a date with the Slovaks awaits. Hard to say how that'll turn out; the Slovaks shut out Germany and Finland, but got thumped by Canada and Sweden.

In non-hockey news, the DSL means that I'll finally get to update my links in a more meaningful way. I've started this already, most notably in Shawn's benching and the deletion of Web Test Central. More later.

Greetings from the house, where we finally have our DSL up and running!

It proved to be a bit trickier than just taking everything out of the box and plugging it in, but the Verizon folks were very helpful (outside of that automated thing that first answers the phone) and we should be all set. Keep your fingers crossed.

Just as I was going on the other day about not missing action in the US-Switzerland tilt at the world juniors, I fell asleep just as the offensive onslaught started. A 2-0 US lead to start the third period saw a flurry of goals and an eventual 6-4 US win. No-Doz may be the order of the day for tomorrow's game against Belarus. It starts at 9:30 EST, and Belarus has been outscored 15-2 so far.

In Agganis Arena news, the statue of Harry is now outside, on the corner of Comm Ave and Harry Agganis Way. Looks pretty good.

It's a little more than a white Boxing Day in Beverly, where we got damn near a foot of snow while we were gone. Even more joy from getting to shovel out our parking space, which had been plowed in by the city.

I can report that the iTrip is pretty sweet, though it's a battery hog. I will be getting the thing to plug it into the outlet later this week. I think there are some minor interference issues from power lines, but nothing serious.

So while we didn't have a white Christmas in Maine, we are having a white Boxing Day. I suppose that's fitting given the Anglocentric household.

Favorite present: an iTrip from Griffin Technology. You may remember the trouble I had with their iMic earlier in the year, but the iTrip worked the first time out. Haven't tried it in the car yet (used a radio in the house), but I have high hopes for it. I now just need a docking unit that will allow me to keep the thing charged while driving.

(Had I been really smart I would have asked for this thing and taken care of all my needs at once. How did I miss this?)

Not much else to report outside of the usual Christmas stuff. We did have an interesting occurance at Mass on Christmas Eve - a guy passed out in the middle of the service. He was fine, just a little overcome by being packed in as we all were. I would also pass along this bit of advice for choir directors, though: don't put the young boy who's going through "the change" in front of the microphone. Let's just say it can make the season a little less joyous.

Got to watch the first game for the US team last night at the World Juniors hockey tournament, a 5-4 win over the Russians. Of course, I was making an attempt at being social when BU's Chris Bourque tallied a goal and an assist in the first 6-plus minutes of the game. I will not make the same mistake when the US takes on the Swiss tomorrow (ESPN2, check your local listings).

So I had the radio on a couple days ago, and the DJ was asking about over the top Christmas presents. A guy called in and said his brother spent $300 on a Harley Davidson leather jacket and a $100 pair of Oakley sunglasses - for his dog. This seemed excessive for about six hours, when I heard about the Dallas woman who spent $50,000 to clone her cat.

I can't say I'm in favor of this. I know it's her money to spend, but with all the other animals out there who need help, I'd rather have the opportunity to bring a new pet into my house.

(In the interest of full disclosure, I wouldn't spend five cents to clone a cat. I'm a dog person. Even so, I don't think I'd have cloned any of our past dogs for the above reason.)

Having grown up seeing the chocolate Monopoly sets, furs, and luxury cars in the Neiman-Marcus Christmas catalog, the idea of such conspicuous consumption by residents of the Metroplex during this Yuletide season doesn't exactly shock me. I just think that there are probably hundreds of animals in the Dallas area that could have had a nice holiday season if a kindly woman helped put food and water in their dishes.

In any event, Merry Christmas to those of you for whom it's appropriate. Happy Saturday to the rest of you.

My fantasy football season ended after the NFL's week 14, as I limped into a 10th out of 12 finish. The top four teams made the actual playoffs, while teams 5 through 8 made consolation playoffs.

While my team didn't play, I did get to see that my team would have scored 95.77 points last week. I'd have beaten any of the teams in the actual playoffs. Of course.

Not that I have the most to complain about. The team that finished fifth, and thus just out of the money, scored over 100 points. That sucks.

I've just read that the AP is pulling its poll out of the BCS formula. Given their original concern about making news rather than reporting it, that's probably a good thing. Consider the Alabama sportswriter who, voting Auburn third on his ballot, was taken to task by his editor - in print. Also consider the Texas sportswriters who moved the Longhorns up on their ballots just in time for Texas to pass Cal in the BCS standings.

Clearly, if you don't want to make the news, not being part of the BCS formula is logical.

What worries me about this is the possible idea that a "blue ribbon" panel will select the teams that play for the national title. Unlike (I believe) Carl Carlson, I am not appeased.

At this time, what college football least needs is to put the decision of who plays for the national title into the hands of a self-interested (and self-selected) committee.

But what of the committees that pick the teams for other events, like March Madness? Three significant differences:

1. Those committees pick teams for a playoff. Two teams do not a playoff make. Well, OK, they do, but it's a really crappy one.

2. Most or all conferences get an automatic bid in those playoffs.

3. The NCAA has authority over those playoffs, and thus to some extent has oversight over the selection committees. The NCAA doesn't award the national title in division 1 football, so no oversight.

To sum up, committee bad. Bad bad bad bad bad.

On Friday last I had the opportunity to attend the dedication gala for the Agganis Arena, the future home of BU hockey (and to a lesser extent, for now basketball). Let's just say that it's pretty much the anti-Walter Brown Arena, in any number of ways:

You can hear the PA, whose crystal-clear tone is a 180 degree change from the WBA set up, where it sounds like Charlie Brown's teacher trying to read Finning through a Dixie Cup and string arrangement.

The video equipment is much improved, which is to say there actually is some. There are replay screens on the center scoreboard, and one of those ribbon displays around the perimiter for ads and such.

The seats are padded, all of them, which some premium seat holders area little miffed about given that padding seemed at one point to be exclusive to premium seat holders. I can't say I care.

It's less murky, with great lighting and a higher ceiling, which opens things up quite a bit. That will deaden the sound a bit, and there is an echo present which does not bode well for concerts.

There are luxury boxes, which are pretty nice. They're at the top of the seating area, so they're not as separate as they are in pro arenas. If the box I got to see was representative, they have leather seating, a sink and counter area, and a phone.

The red line has paw prints on it, which is cute.

Player recognition areas are better, with nicer displays for All Americans, BU players in the NHL, and BU Hall of Famers.

There's a club room, which premium seat holders get to use. It has lounge areas, some food and beverage service, and a number of displays so you can keep track of the game. It's also the current home of the Harry Agganis statue, which I think is being relocated to outside at some point.

Oh, Harry's number is now retired, which I can't imagine will mean much given that the school "retired" the two sports he playedat BU some time ago.

Anyway, I can now say without hesitation that BU has the second-best college hockey facility in the country, after North Dakota.

As for the gala, it reconfirmed that when BU wants to put on a party, it knows how to do so. The food was outstanding, and free drinks are always welcome. The arena appears to have Harpoon IPA as an offering, which puts my stand against buying stadium beer to the test. No idea what they'll charge, but I'm sure it'll be pricey. BU does have a building to pay off, after all.

Oh, something caught my eye from Tom Ridge. He mentioned a couple days ago that it may be a good idea to do something with the color-coded terror alert system. In its current form, he noted that it leads to “questions and even occasional derision."

Occasional derision? I'd say it's a lot more than occasional. Out of all the things Homeland Security has put in place over the last few years, the color-coded terror alert system may be the least effective. How many people actually take it seriously? And of those who do, how many take it perhaps a bit too seriously?

Ridge also mentioned that the lack of information about why levels were changed was a problem, too. Glad to see he figured that out before he left. There really was nothing like hiking up the alert level and then being vague about the reasons why. Keeps us from having to tap the strategic paranoia reserve.

All that said, it does irritate me that Ridge will be gone while Rummy will still be kicking around. At this point it's like, who, him and the Veterans Affairs secretary left from the original Cabinet? And can't we get whoever is in that spot to take Rummy's place?

(NOTE: the current Secretary of Veterans Affairs is Anthony Principi. He looks like a swell guy, and would make a hell of a SecDef.)

Thinking about TV and seeing the Bruce's post about the charity diner getting take out, Gordon Ramsey (the chef at that gala event) has a show on BBC America now called Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares, where he spends a week at a restaurant trying to turn it around.

Unlike The Restaurant, where it seemed like nothing happened that wasn't approved by producers, the problems in the restaurants Ramsey visits are quite real. That or they've trucked in moldy ingredients and scum for the cook surfaces.

I will say the kitchen in the second episode wasn't too badly off - mostly an issue of communication - but the first one was pretty bad (they even had to close for a day to correct things the health board would take a dim view towards). Ramsey himself is fun to watch, and has good ideas when trying to point out problems and suggest solutions. He curses a lot, so if that bothers you be forewarned.

The show is on Tuesdays at 9 pm EST.

I've written precious little on The Apprentice this time around, and with good reason. It's been pretty dull.

None of the contestants were particularly interesting, and those that did generate some interest either got lost in the shuffle or fired quickly. We got left with flavorless corporate-wannabes, whose interchangability was visually demonstrated by Jennifer and Sandy's appearance when they sold aMazing Bars.

Based on what reality shows I do watch, this seems to be a common problem. Subsuquent groups of contestants aren't as interesting or talented as those that came before. American Idol seems to prove this in spades (that's the only way to explain half of last season's finalists), and Eva seems a far cry from her forebears as America's next top model.

It could also just be that the bloom goes off the rose quickly with reality programming. I assume part of it is that the concept becomes less novel, giving viewers less to be interested in with the mechanics of the show. I also think that reality programs self-select the best group of contestants first, meaning that the people who best suit the show are the ones that are initially interested and booked. Later groups bring in prior knowledge of the show, which colors the application process and eventualy participation if they're cast.

Anyway, The Apprentice's second go 'round closes with a three hour finale tonight. That's at least one hour too long, especially when you consider the third installment of the show will start in January. At least we'll get to see what happens when Trump's hair goes into hibernation for the winter.

Pedro a Met? Did he ever meet Mo Vaughn? I know, different balky joint, but still.

Schilling apparently doesn't think he'll be ready for opening day. I get the feeling the starter will be chosen by drawing a name out of a hat.

Some movement on the job front to report. I'm now doing "content analysis," which basically means I read articles about a certain product, and tally various items as requested by my employer (such as what product is mentioned, the tone of the article, etc.). It's not the most glamorous work, but it's reasonably well compensated and it's been interesting. I also get to work at home, which has been less distracting than expected. Not sure how much work they have for me, but hopefully it'll last until I find something permanent. Whenever that may be.

Before you ask, even with Pats offensive coordinator Charlie Weis going to ND they're still going to be on my personal probation. They may even get more of it if the hiring backfires on the Pats. Sorry, Chaz.

Mike Tice must be the saddest guy in football right now, between the Vikings home loss to Seattle and the UW job being a done deal for Willingham. Given the former, Tice could really have benefitted from the latter not happening.

He should still start polishing up his resume, though.

There was some non-football content to the weekend (though I did get to see parts of both 1-AA semifinals - go JMU! - and a big chunk of the div 2 final), as I went Christmas shopping with my wife and her sister. That went about as well as you think it would, especially as I bought almost nothing.

We're doing something interesting on Sarah's side of the family this year. All six of us drew names, and we're only buying presents for the person we drew. It's making things a lot easier (or it will when I finally start buying), as we also used the time over Thanksgiving to put together a list of what everyone wanted.

Unfortunately, that sort of game plan wouldn't go so well with my side of the family. The kids tend not to see the beauty of drawing names.

While it wasn't on TV for some reason, I was happy to see that the Icedogs took out RPI, as we've been having problems racking up non-conference wins (BU now stands at 2-5 outside of Hockey East, and has three more non-conference games coming up). I was also impressed that Harvard beat Maine, they're now 3-0 versus Hockey East teams. Sadly, they don't play BC in the opening round of the Beanpot in 2005.

So I've made a couple of decisions regarding college football.

1. Notre Dame is on my personal probation list. I'm not rooting against them per se, but I'm not going to be going out of my way to watch, either. They get an exemption against BC, of course.

2. In their place will be the collected teams of the service academies. I've always been an Air Force fan (comes from growing up when the wishbone was king), and like the resolve Navy's shown over the years. I can only think positive thoughts about Bobby Ross and what he's trying to do at West Point, as hard as it'll be to turn things around.

There's the Coast Guard Academy, too, should they crop up on TV. I'll have to look at the Comcast channel lineups more closely from here on out.

Oh, just thought of a third.

3. I'll have to root for any team that plays ND coached by Ty Willingham. Not sure about taking it to the next level and including other coaches done wrong like Ron Zook or that Cutcliffe guy from Mississippi. Nah, just leave it with Ty, although it looks like Mike Tice might beat him to UW (in case you missed it, Tice was quoted the other day saying he'd like that job assuming he winds up looking for a new one, which may very well happen if the Vikings fade again).

Like so many others, I had my real life and blog life intersect recently when my brother, apparently on a break from apprehending wrong-doers, apparently came across my little presence here. While I'm glad all the mean stuff about him is somewhere else (kidding!), I will honestly note that he replied to three or four different posts, which is a lot more than most of you do. Just saying.

He would not be my brother, however, without noting that I should perhaps stay away from the Moon Pies. Point taken.

I know it's old news by now, but Urban Meyer going to Florida is perfect. Notre Dame gets what it deserves, and hopefully their AD, Kevin White, will as well.

Speaking of places south of here, I got to spend the weekend in Chattanooga, fun as always. As part of any trip to the south, I try to eat some things that we don't really have up here.

I got sweet tea at dinner on Friday, nice and sweet but still could taste the tea. Grits came along on Sunday morning with breakfast.

The problem, oddly enough, was the Moon Pie and RC Cola combo. On Friday night I found the RC but no Moon Pies (which are made in Chattanooga!). Sunday as we were leaving I got Moon Pies but no RC (except in 2 liter bottles, which is really overkill). So I wound up washing the Moon Pie down with Double Cola, another Chattanooga product, thinking that the local drink should be able to compliment the local baked good.

Well, not so much. I don't think I'd buy Double Cola again.

Not much else to tell from the weekend. Team finished third in the tournament, I played very well at times and horribly at others, including what has to be my first 0/3 performance in a game ever (though I still think I got rooked on one question, such is life). I did get a couple of really horrible CDs as prizes, one of which was actually requested by my wife. Musical taste was clearly not a deal-breaker in our relationship.

I've just been witness to one of the more inane arguments I've seen in some time.

The guy on the computer next to me was looking at job listings, and wanted a definition of "telecommute." While it seems kind of obvious to me, he may have some age-related intechnoracy (patent pending), as he said something to that effect to one of the librarians.

The librarian said she could give him a dictionary to look the word up, but couldn't "interpret" what he was reading. This led the guy to throw a hissy fit (quietly, we are in the library after all) about how it wasn't "interpreting" anything. The librarian was not moved.

At this point the disagreement petered out, the modicum of sound and lack of fury signifying pointlessness.

My thought for the guy: any on-line dictionary is going to have telecommute. If the definition there still isn't clear, write the person who posted as the librarian suggested. True, this may demonstrate that you're not quite the candidate for any job that requires telecommuting, but that may be for the best.

My thought for the librarian: things may have gone better if, rather than saying you couldn't "interpret" the information. That's a little cold/impersonal. Help the guy find a definition, but then stick to the point about contacting the poster for more detail.

Hey, I said it was inane.

While it's not at the Twilight Zone level of the Ron Zook or Frank Solich firings, I'm annoyed at Notre Dame's firing of Ty Willingham today.

Willingham becomes the first Notre Dame head coach to get fired before the end of his initial contract. I don't necessarily find that annoying, but it's irritating to think that lesser coaches (hello, Gerry Faust) got that consideration when they probably didn't deserve it.

More annoying is that Willingham spent three years installing a new offense, only to get canned just as he's starting to get all of the players recruited specifically for that offense into the starting lineup. Then again, the problem may be more defensive in nature (see the late losses to BC and Pitt and this past weekend's thumping by USC, which proves that I should watch the whole game as I didn't think it got that bad).

Most annoying - I don't think Willingham would have gotten the gate if Urban Meyer wasn't out there. Not that it's his fault; that lies squarely with the alumni, tout sheet writers, and other loudmouths who've been fueling the fire since September.

What it comes down to, I suppose, is that I'm irritated that Notre Dame is allowing itself to fall prey to the same inanities that bedevil other division 1A programs. I know they're not perfect, but the idea that Notre Dame approaches college football differently from other schools is in the ICU and fading. I suppose it was only a matter of time (and, of course, money).

Stealing a page from Craig, here’s my 24 hours of football (from over the last 4 days):

HIGH SCHOOL: While I didn’t see the game, it is my sad duty to report that the Manchester-Essex Regional High School Hornets fell to our hated rivals from Georgetown, thus tagging the Hornets with a 0-11 record for the season. I’m not sure if it’s the first winless season in school history, but I have to think it’s the first 11 loss season they’ve ever suffered. The team was very young, having graduated many of the players who led the team to the conference title last season. Better things have to be ahead for 2005.

COLLEGE: When did Craig James become the BCS’s bitch? It seems like every time I saw him talk he was spouting off on why the teams from outside of the BCS arrangement didn’t deserve to make it. He felt very strongly that BC deserved to make it over Utah or Boise State – this before BC got slapped around at home by Syracuse, keeping the Orangemen alive for a BCS berth at 6-5.

Nope, nothing wrong with the BCS at all.

I was rooting for Texas A&M against Texas, both because they’re my default Texas team and because it could get two non-BCS teams into the mix. I didn’t expect A&M to win, but I thought they played pretty well. I had the same reasons for rooting for Notre Dame over USC (ok, they’re not my default Texas team, but you get my drift), and they more or less went the same way as the Aggies.

Oddly enough, the BC-Syracuse game is probably the one I watched the most of, primarily because the result was so unlikely. I had resigned myself to seeing BC in the Fiesta, but should have taken my lesson from the Sox and kept the faith.

I felt badly about Louisville beating Cincinnati 70-7, as the Cardinals went the Bob Stoops route to trying to impress voters to hopefully make up ground in the polls. Because, really, it’s not going to work. Voters know that the Bearcats stink; you don’t get extra credit for pounding that sort of team (or shouldn’t). I suppose they may have had Texas lost.

And I’d like to call a quick truce with northern New England to give kudos to the UNH football team, who won their first 1-AA playoff game ever by handing Georgia Southern its first first round loss ever (and doing so in Statesboro, no less).

PRO: My viewing of the NFL today was impeded by the drive back from Maine and some playing of one of those vintage video game things that have the games loaded into the controller box (the wife got one for her birthday that includes Ms. Pac Man, Xevious, Galaga, and Pole Position – I’m not sure why Pole Position is included with a handset of Namco games, but I’m digging it).

I did see most of the Pats game, and the real story there was the field. It seems like every year at this time the pounding brought by the MLS and NFL make the field a quagmire when there’s rain.

And there was rain today. Boy howdy, was there rain (I think it was the rain the UNH got to play in last night).

The Revs have to find a new home. I happen to know a place where there’s a new turn field paid for by the WUSA. They’d need to put in some new seating, but it’s a nice Boston location in an area with a lot of students. You just have to make sure you don’t have any home games during finals, lest there be more riots.

Address all inquiries to Dr. Aram Chobanian, 2 Sherborn Street, Boston.

I did watch goodly portions of both Thanksgiving games, even that ugly Dallas-Chicago match up. I had picked Dallas as one of my teams in Craig’s cut-throat league, so it was the one time during the year that I lean for the Cowboys to score enough points to beat another team I don’t care about in a situation that will not lead to a playoff berth.

Then again, the way the NFC is going Dallas may still have a shot if they win out.

I also picked Miami in their tilt against the 49ers. I liked the way they played against Seattle the week previous, and figured I had to take them at some point. Why not now?

I’d considered taking both Miami and San Francisco as a strategic two points. Probably a good thing I didn’t, though at some point before the end of the season I’ll still have to take the Niners. Ugh.

I’d thought the Bengals-Browns game went to OT when I saw the score there, but then reminded myself that the NFL doesn’t use the NCAA tiebreak. It’s games like this that make fantasy geeks all tingly.

Now that Eli Manning is 0-2, are we ready for Warner’s second go ‘round? Will they try to get Kerry Collins back from Oakland? Do they have Vince Evans’ number in their Rolodex?

There’s also been an unusual amount of confusion by announcers today. Jim Nantz called Corey Dillon “Warrick Dunn” a couple of times, and Phil Simms had trouble keeping Chester Taylor and Travis Taylor separate. Mike Patrick also noted that it was still odd seeing Warren Sapp in any other uniform than Denver’s – I think the orange confused him.

Are condos evil?

Admittedly, this is kind of an unusual question, given that I know a few people who own condos and they all seem to have made out fine on the deal. But these people own condos in an urban context, where condos make a good option when put against the smallish stock of houses and the lack of return one gets from renting.

My question comes from my current suburban context, where there are plenty of houses and even a few places where one could build more. On some level, I'm thinking that the condo market, purposefully or otherwise, is propping up the high cost of houses by being the only affordable option that results in actual property ownership.

Now, if people didn't want condos you'd assume they wouldn't sell. But they seem to be (based on what I see being built), so I'm trying to sort out whether they're popular or people are just giving in. Like with the root canals, I may be talking through my hat and looking for a scam where none exists.

My concern here may be fueled by condo projects that went up in my home town when I was in high school and college, many of which struggled to find full occupancy. I suppose they're full now, but the years of seeing places with as few as four units only half full makes me skeptical.

In any event, thoughts on this are welcome. Happy Thanksgiving to all where a Happy Thanksgiving would apply!

I think the person who came up with the metaphor of herding cats for a difficult task was, at some point, a middle school gym teacher.

At least, that's my theory based on my experiences this week, where I was involved with trying to corral up to 60 7th and 8th graders. Thankfully, there are three teachers, and the weather's been nice enough that outdoor stuff is available.

I think that gym has been the hardest subject to sub for so far given that the students are (a) semi-anonymous, and (b) in a large room with several exits, some out of the locker rooms. It went OK, but it was much more touch and go than regular classroom assignments where the students have work and there's one door.

Anyway, here's one for the P.E. teachers.

So there's good news and bad news relative to my just-completed trip to the dentist.

The good news is that one of the fillings went off without a hitch. The bad news is that the other was worse than expected and a root canal, with a post, crown and all the trimmings, is in the offing. Can't say I'm thrilled at the prospect.

(And for all of you who are planning on posting saying that it's what I get for waiting so long to return to the dentist, Sarah's beaten you to it. So don't bother.)

While I am disliking both the likely pain and certain cost of the procedure, there's also a feeling that I'm pretty much throwing money down a hole. It seems like anyone who's had a root canal has pretty meagre results. I'm wondering if it wouldn't make more long-term sense to chuck the tooth and get an implant. Granted, this could be the inexperience with things dental talking.

I'll open the floor to discussion - do I have any options here, or do I just suck it up and get the root canal?

OK, I've really got nothing to say, but I'm trying to kill some time before going to the dentist to get some cavities drilled. I'm told that most of what's coming is minor, but given my continuing stance on the lack of progress in dental technology since the 15th century, I'm not looking forward to this.

Given what some of you've been through recently (hello, Greg), I have no right to be a baby about this. On the other hand, having a blog gives you a licence to whine, doesn't it?

I've not said anything about reality TV in a while (and I know you've missed it), but there is one particularly annoying thing that's become more obvious on The Apprentice. There's an increasing amount of post-taped boardroom dialog from Trump (and at least once from Carolyn), which stands out given that it sounds different. I don't know the technical terms to use here, but it just sounds remarkably different. Content-wise it sounds a little scripted, too, given Trump's usual off the cuff remarks. You'd think with the two-plus hours of boardroom they'd be able to get 10 good minutes, but apparently not.

Greetings from the computer in the lobby of the Hampton Inn in Voorhees, New Jersey! Sarah and I are here for a wedding, as fellow BUCBer Chris Rosenberg takes the plunge.

This is a very positive end to a week that saw me attend a funeral on Tuesday for a family friend and former co-worker of my mother. She had the same cancer as her husband, which was also the same sort of cancer as my mother. As you can imagine this has raised some warning signs regarding unusual environmental exposures (especially as we all live near the town Highway Department yard), though my mom and the friend's husband were both long-term smokers. Not sure if it's time to go all A Civil Action on people or not.

In a lot of ways, Tuesday marked the end of our neighborhood. The people I remember growing up are all pretty much dead (outside of one family that moved in next door when I was in late elementary/junior high). As much as I went to mourn this woman, I also went to mourn the end of where I grew up. I suppose this happens to everyone eventually, but I'd not really considered it until Tuesday.

This was also the first non-Catholic funeral I've ever attended (not counting graveside-only funerals), which suggests I'm a little closer to Mike Kellerman's Irish Catholic cocoon that I'd imagined previously. For those of you who don't get that reference, please peruse an episode guide for Homicide: Life on the Streets and don't expect me to say anything about wanting to plotz.

Anyway, more positive focus tomorrow for Chris and Ali. It should be a joyous time!

I am proud to announce that, like one of the Coreys (Haim, I think), I am now licensed to drive.

This may come as a surprise to some of you, assuming that most people of my age got their license years ago. I managed to avoid this through a curious mixture of disinterest and city living.

Unlike many of my fellow teens, I didn't care all that much about driving. I was fortunate enough to have older friends who had their licenses, so as I neared the usual age the lack of a license didn't weigh on me as much. So I didn't really do too much to get one (though I did eventually take driver's ed and take a lackluster go at the driving test).

Then there was the good decade or so that I was living in Boston, where having a car is often a disadvantage. I got an ID to take care of the various things that require one, but never really thought about driving.

This did make the time I lived at home a little dicey, not to mention my time out at Babson. There was only so much I could do on foot in either location.

As it is with so many things, it was the wife that got me moving towards actually obtaining my license. And as it is with many of those things, it's probably for the better.

Not that getting it was that easy. In Massachusetts you take the road test with a state trooper (they took over the Registry police force about 15 years ago), and they don't often pass you the first time around. In fact, the first time I took the test the trooper who rode with me didn't even get the stamp that they use to endorse the learner's permit until my test (bad luck for the 2 or 3 people who went before me). Not that it mattered; I was told that I needed more experience. This based on a test whose trickiest element was a three point turn.

The second test went well - until I hit the curb in front of the Registry at the end of the test. The third time proved to be the charm, ironic in that (a) I had a different trooper this time, and (b) I think I drove better during my two other tests.

I've not really taken the car out on my own too much, as I don't often go places without the wife and gas is too expensive to go joyriding. At some point I'll get out on the open road. I'll try to warn you before that happens.

After a couple days of processing, there's not much more I can add to what some of my fellow bloggers at left have said about the election.

But there was one interesting statement made by Tucker Carlson during the CNN coverage. He noted that after Goldwater lost, the GOP spent some time "in the woods" so to speak, writing and thinking about the party and conservatism, setting a base for the GOP success over the last 20 years or so.

I'm wondering if it isn't time for the Dems to do the same. Not that they need to cede the playing field, of course, but rather that it may be a good time to stop and really think about long-term focus and direction. Right now it's kind of a mess. While he was speaking in a different context, I think Danny Concannon had a point about Dems being bumfuzzled a bit.

Going back to suggestions made by Cooch and Boggie, if you really are concerned about where our government is taking us, just showing up to vote every two to four years may not be enough. I was heartened to read about a number of people my age (and younger) taking time to work at polls, which is a nice break from the string of retirees who usually inhabit polling places.

I would also like mention Dwight and Craig's burgeoning Mascot Party, of which I think I'd have to be a charter member given my Yahoo profile picture. Please note it is the only picture I've ever used.

Sticking with Dwight's comments for a second, I was also disappointed with the skating rink turned electoral map on NBC. Horribly underutilized. I mostly watched ABC and CNN. You'd think it was ABC's first time covering a Presidential election, given the overall lack of coordination. Peter Jennings also seemed to be having a lot of trouble with the touch screen that accessed maps and such. Good thing he's Canadian; his lack of touch screen prowess could have messed up a polling place big time.


CNN was as CNN does, though they were being very cautious with calling states. On the other end, the first call for New Hampshire that I heard came from a guy on our local NBC affiliate. I suppose he had less to lose than a national anchor.

While I can't speak for other locations, I can say that voting in ward 2, precincts 1 and 2 in Beverly, Massachusetts is going swimmingly. Having the flexibility to vote in the early afternoon, after lunch and before work lets out, is a real plus. No lines, no lawyers trying to disenfranchise me, and no chads.

Speaking of which, I'm not sure why more locations don't use optical machines. I imagine there's a technology investment to make, but the tech is pretty straightforward. Not to mention that if you've ever had to fill out a form, or went to kindergarten, you understand the single most important principle to voting this way: color in the lines. Even I, as someone who could never stay in the lines in my youth, can get the hang of these ballots.

There's really nothing I can say about the process here, too easy. The benefit of living in a state where the results were never in doubt, if you can call it that.

With election day looming, I'm picking up where I left off in 2002 and giving out my official Blogalicious endorsement. There's only one this time around, given that all the other races on my ballot are state or county. If you want my view on the Essex County sheriff's race, feel free to drop me a line.

Of course, the one race is pretty important. In the first post-9/11 Presidential election, you get the sense that the choice we make on Tuesday will shape America's long-term direction to a degree we haven't seen since Reagan was in office. Unlike 2000, there is a much more distinct difference between Bush and Gore. Not that those two were twins or anything, but the hot-button issue this time around - the whole terror and security thing - has made it much easier to see where these candidates diverge on all issues.

Even so, there's a great similarity to 2000 in that it seems like there's a healthy percentage of folks who aren't thrilled with Bush or Kerry. For every person who is voting for a candidate, you get the sense that there's someone else whose vote is against that person rather than for their opponent.

Or, to recognize another group, you have voters who feel like they have to vote for the major candidate that comes closest to their world view, even though their support is, well, uninspired. It's hard to get really excited by either Bush or Kerry. Which means we have to settle.

Well, I don't think you have to settle. You do have choices.

That is why for the 2004 Presidential election, Blogalicious endorses the third-party candidate of your choice.

For those of you to the left of center, that'd most likely be David Cobb of the Green Party or independent/Reform candidate Ralph Nader. For those of you on the right side of the aisle, Libertarian Michael Badnarik is probably a good choice, though social conservatives may find themselves opposed to some Libertarian positions. If Michael Peroutka of the Constitution Party is on your ballot, they may be more to your taste.

There are a number of smaller party candidates out there, especially of the Socialist variety. Check your state website to see your local ballot.

I know that a number of people get nervous voting for a third party candidate given the whole "vote for Nader is a vote for Bush" vibe from 2000. It's a legitimate concern. My personal belief is that neither major party is going to give us better candidates if we keep voting for the ones they currently give us. Of course, what we probably need is better people going into elective office, but that's another problem for another time.

Anyway, if you do have this concern, I have two suggestions:

1. Vote pair. For those of you living in states that are pretty much spoken for already, you can try to get someone who lives in a swing state and would vote third-party if they weren't in a swing state to swap votes. For example, a Massachusetts Kerry voter would vote for a given third party candidate while an Ohio Nader voter would vote for Kerry.

While vote pairing is best known in a left of center context, it's also set up for conservatives.

If you're interested in this, there is a link to a vote pairing website on Julie's blog.

2. Vote for all the third party candidates in the other races on your ballot. It doesn't send the same message, but it's something. I'd suggest even writing people in where you don't have a third choice, but given the possible ballot scrutiny after Tuesday, you may not want to put your ballot in jeopardy of getting bounced because you didn't use blue or black ink to write in your brother for county commissioner.

So that's it. I normally would urge you to vote early and often, but the way things are going that could be misconstrued. So vote your legally-allotted one time at the point in the day that makes the most sense for you.