In Eckleburg's Eyes - 3/2/2009, Part 1

News & Notes from Friday-Saturday, February 27th-28th, 2009

-I spent the better part of Friday setting up a Facebook account. Yes, it took me that much time. As many of my friends have teased on the site, yes, I finally caved in. You can access my page here.

-On Saturday afternoon, JTH and I ate at the Texas Roadhouse where we inadvertently instigated a brawl amongst the kitchen staff. Believe it or not, I am not exaggerating.

-On our way out of the restaurant we waved to our friend GAB, who works in the kitchen. JTH playfully pushed a tray towards him, which GAB jokingly threw over his head. Unfortunately the tray hit a co-worker who proceeded to hit GAB in the back of the head with the tray. Hard. Very hard. GAB responded by shoulder blocking him into the oven! (Thankfully, It was closed.) It was one of those playful, maybe not so playful, moments that can only occur where testosterone is involved. I would love to tell you how it turned out, but JTH and I fled as the two were rolling on the floor.

-JTH and I parted with plans to meet later. In the meantime, I headed to Bearden High School to watch the Bearden Bulldogs play in the opening round of the Region 1-AAA basketball tournament. As a West High alum, it pains me to admit that Bearden may have the best high school team I have ever seen and that I actually enjoy watching them play. I am not the only one. I got to talk to ESG and RWW from church who were also there to support the local team.

-Bearden played the Powell High School Panthers. Bearden uncharacteristically started four sophomores. I was pleased as I had two of them in daycare at the church, (Ron)rico White and Will(iam) Winton. I am old.

-It did not matter who Bearden started. They rotated five players at a time most of the game and they would have won regardless of who played. It is not that Powell is that bad. After all, they qualified for regionals. They even shot the ball fairly well, hitting a lot of deep three-point baskets as they could not penetrate Bearden’s defense. Bearden is just that good. Even starting the sophomores, the score at the end of the first quarter was 25-5.

-For some unknown reason, I sat amongst the Powell fans. This proved amusing. The man behind me repeatedly implored Powell players to “make it rain on ’em”. He has clearly not seen Along Came Polly or he would realize how ridiculous he sounded. Well, probably not. Just before the end of the first quarter he mumbled, “This is gonna get ugly”. I did not have the heart to tell him that it was already ugly.

-Bearden is not only really athletic, but also fields the best coached team I have ever seen. Their synchronisation is truly impressive, especially when they incorporate a zone defense. I have seen them play twice this year and a slaughter rule was invoked both times. In an attempt at not prolonging the opponent's agony, the clock is not stopped in the fourth quarter. I never even knew high school basketball had a slaughter rule before I saw this team.

-Bearden, leading 75-40 entering the final period, also attempted to show mercy by playing its third string in the fourth quarter. Their third team was well matched with Powell’s first team. My coach at West, CDL, was right. Bearden’s second team could have won the district. The Bulldogs won the game, 86-49.

-On Saturday night, JTH and ALK came over to watch a movie. Being some of the most indecisive people alive (not the most, that guy shops at MoFoS), we decided to let IMDb make the decision as to which movie to watch. At my suggestion, we used 10 Things I Hate About You as a base movie and then had IMDb suggest recommendations. From the choices offered, ALK chose She’s The Man. Both movies are Shakespearean adaptations with She’s The Man being based on Twelfth Night.

-Note: You own too many DVDs when you can use this method of selecting a movie with the assumption being that you already own any film the computer suggests.

-I had seen the movie before but my friends had not. We all enjoyed it despite the fact that ALK struggled to stay awake. She has given up caffeine for Lent and its absence was quite evident. I can definitely attest to the fact that has not cheated on her vow.

-Finally, Friday was JS’s birthday. Happy birthday, Joycee!