I've never seen that before!

I saw something yesterday that I can only assume is pretty rare.  While keeping tabs on the final day of the MLB season and watching games with playoff implications, it was announced that Henderson Alvarez of the Miami Marlins had a no-hitter going through 7 innings.  Naturally, I put that game on to watch as well.  (MLB.tv lets me watch four games at once!)  The one issue Alvarez was facing, though, is that his team had not scored a run for him yet.  The game went to the 8th inning and he continued to hold the Tigers hitless, but his team was still scoreless.  So to the 9th inning we went with Alvarez looking to continue his no-hitter and possibly ending up with a no decision if the game went to extra innings.  He got the first two outs, walked the next batter and then finished off nine innings of no hit baseball!  Now all his team had to do for him to secure the no-hitter was score a run in the bottom of the ninth.  I have to admit, I was pulling hard for a walk off no-hitter.  I mean, how often does that happen?!  I've never seen it.  The Marlins managed to get runners on second and third with one out and it was looking good.  An out, a walk, and no run later, we had bases loaded and a pretty interesting scene shaping up.  Alvarez, the pitcher, was now on deck.  Now, it would be impossible for him to actually come to the plate as either the winning run would score or the third out would be made, but it was still pretty surreal.  Sure enough a wild pitch was all it took and the Marlins won allowing Alvarez to celebrate his no-hitter while coming from the on deck circle instead of the pitcher's mound.  A rare occurrence indeed.

This is one of the reasons why I love baseball.  On any given day you are likely to see something you've never seen before.  Yesterday was one of those days.  And the rarity of a walk off no-hitter got me curious to see how often, if ever, it has happened.  Turns out, not that often.  It has only happened five other times, the last time in 1997.  That game was a 10 inning affair with two pitchers combining on the no-hit effort..  The last time it happened in nine innings was May 15, 1952 when a Vic Wertz home run gave the Detroit Tigers and Virgil Trucks a victory over the Washington Senators.  So in the last 61 years this has only happened three times.  I think it's safe to say I witnessed history yesterday!

What happened to TV?

The topic trending most in my life right now happens to be about a TV show that I don't watch.  It seems like everyone keeps asking me about Breaking Bad.  I understand the final episode airs this Sunday, and people are freaking out about it.  From what I can gather, it's a really great show.  But I don't watch it, and here's why.  First, I didn't start watching from the beginning and trying to start in the middle of the series is near impossible because you would be completely lost as to what's going on.  Second, I don't have Netflix or any of those other similar subscriptions, so I can't get caught up that way.  This makes it difficult to watch any serial-based television program.  And it seems like that is the direction many shows are heading these days.  There has been a decided shift from the episodic-based shows to serial-based.  Think about it, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Walking Dead, Sons of Anarchy.  Not to mention all those premium channel shows that I don't watch because I don't get the premium channels.  But if you don't start from the pilot episode or don't have a way of catching up then you can't really get into these shows.  I feel like I got really lucky randomly catching the second episode of Sons of Anarchy.  I was instantly hooked and have been watching ever since.  In my opinion, it's the best show on TV.

But my question is, what happened to cause this shift?  How did we go from Law and Order and CSI, which were easy to watch just a single episode to where we are now?  And how do people keep up with all these shows?  I mean, you can't miss a single episode or else you're behind and lost.  Plus, you really have to pay attention while watching or you might miss something.  Don't get me wrong, I like many of these shows, especially Sons of Anarchy (have I mentioned that before?), but sometimes I just want to casually watch a show and not worry about what might happen in the next episode.  That's why I'm glad there are still shows like Psych to keep me entertained in an episodic way.

Please, tell me how to do my job

So I got an email today from a parent basically telling me what I should be doing as part of my job.  Don't mind the fact that this is a parent emailing me about their college student.  But this is not the first time something like this has happened in my line of work.  And that got me thinking, why do people feel that it is OK to tell teachers and educators how to do their jobs?  Everybody else seems to know how best to do this job, but they're not willing to actually do it themselves.  And most of the time it's parents telling me what to do with their kids when whatever it is they have been doing at home has put the kid in bad position to begin with.  So what makes people think they are experts when it comes to education?

I don't tell anybody else how to do their job.  And that makes me wonder if there are any other jobs that people feel the need to offer suggestions for.  For instance, I don't tell my dentist how to better clean my teeth.  I'm not emailing my mailman telling him how he should be delivering mail.  So why is education so different?

I know most people will say it's because people are protective of their kids and just feel that they know what is best for them.  Well, if that's the case then maybe they should just home school their kids.  If you don't trust the trained and certified professionals to do their jobs then take your kids somewhere else.  The bottom line is that it's rude and demeaning to tell others how to do their job.  You wouldn't want people to do that to you, so don't do it to them.

They're Baaaaaaackkkkkk!

It's that time of year again, the time every Arizonan dreads.  That's right, the snowbirds are descending upon us again.  I first noticed it this weekend when I couldn't figure out why everyone on the road seemed to forget how to drive.  Then a friend reminded me that they were back.  And sure enough, that explained it.  They come down every winter, clogging up our roads, abusing the turn signal, and misunderstanding normal speed limits.  Even though it happens every year, you never get used to it.  But what's even more disheartening is that my dad is one of them. :(

Recently I was driving with my dad, and I actually feared for my life.  For starters, he cannot carry on a conversation and drive at the same time.  He will miss his turns, veer into other lanes, and forget to brake.  And don't even get me started on his speed regulation, or should I say lack thereof.  Sometimes I'm not even sure he is fully aware that there are other cars on the road.  It's scary.  And, of course, like every other snowbird driver, he keeps his turn signals on for miles.  That's right, keep those other cars guessing as to when you might actually turn or change lanes.

What this means for me and the other good drivers in Tucson, if any of those actually exist, is that we have to be extra careful on the road.  So watch out Tucsonans, they're baaaaaaaaaaaackkkkkkk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You look familiar. Do I know you?

Do you ever wonder why some people look familiar to you?  As if you've met them before and recognize them, but in reality you never have?  That seems to be happening to me a lot lately.  I see people who look familiar, but not necessarily that they look like someone I know, just familiar.  I try to figure out where I know them from or who they remind me of, but typically to no avail.  A brief Google search on the subject has provided no real answers.  But I'll offer some of my own thoughts on the subject.  I think people have certain facial characteristics that are quite similar to others.  Because the brain doesn't perceive the whole face but rather picks out recognizable features sometimes it triggers the notion that one person looks similar to someone else you have seen or met before who possesses similar features.  Did you get all that?  Now don't mistake me for a neuroscientist or anything, but this makes sense to me and I might have heard something similar on TV before.  So it might not be that you recognize the person as someone you know, but perhaps that you have just seen others in passing that share similar facial characteristics.  And that causes you to think that you may have met them before.

On a somewhat related, yet probably completely implausible note, I sometimes get the same feeling with names.  I see a person's name and it looks familiar, even though I have probably never seen the name before in my life.  But I try to figure out where I have seen their name before.  It could just be that the pattern of letters is similar to another pattern of letters I have seen before.  It could also be that I'm full of crap and just over thinking these random occurrences in my life.

But if any of you have your own theories on the subject please feel free to share.

More Haikus For You!

It's been almost a week since I've written anything and if I want to make it to 100 posts I have to post more often.  While I have a lot of ideas for what to post about I haven't had much time to flesh a lot of those ideas out.  But I still wanted to post something tonight, so here are some haikus!

Pennant race baseball
Occupying all my time
Better than football

Sons of Anarchy
I hate waiting til Tuesday
Best show on TV

Georgia on my mind
Not really, but it fit 'cause
It's five syllables

Angry Birds Star Wars
Blasters, Light Sabers, Force Push
New game coming soon!

Haiku number five
I am really creative
Let's see you do this

Zoltar Machine

I watched Big the other night and it got me thinking about what I would wish for if I came across a Zoltar Machine.  Then I remembered I did find a Zoltar machine a while back!  It wasn't quite the same though.  I didn't have to land a quarter in the genie's mouth and it worked just fine while plugged in.  And as of yet my dream has not come true.  Not quite the fantasy that was the movie.  But maybe it only works for physical wishes.  Perhaps I had to wish for something that would cause some sort of physical change.  Or maybe it only works when a kid uses it.  Who knows.  And of course, as I'm writing this I realize that I can't reveal my wish or else it will never come true.  I also won't ask any of you to reveal yours either.  But I do challenge you to think about it.  And maybe I'll ask you to think back to when you were a kid and what you might have wished for then.  I probably would have wished to be better at baseball.  That's not my wish now, though!  Don't fail me Zoltar!  Anyway, it's just something to think about.  Also, go watch Big if you haven't seen it in a while.  It's a really great movie.

I need an It's A Wonderful Life Moment

George Bailey proclaims in It's A Wonderful Life that he wishes he'd never been born at all.  He is promptly visited by an angel who proceeds to show him a world without George Bailey.  And what a different world it is.  Well I'm having one of those moments right now.  Not so much wishing I'd never been born, but really just wondering if I've actually made an impact in the world.  Were my students better off having me as a teacher?  Have I made a positive difference in the lives of my friends?  I hope I haven't made a negative difference.  But these are the things I wonder.  I just want to know that what I'm doing in life is worth it, because right now I'm just not sure.  I kind of feel like nobody would know if I disappeared.  Would anybody's life really be worse off without me in it?  It really would just be nice to have an angel show me some of these things.  Plus it would be cool to meet an angel.  But I figure maybe a moment like that would make me feel better about the things I've done and the things I'm doing in life.

My Hierarchy of Sports Teams

Now that NCAA Football and the NFL have both kicked off their seasons more people seem to be talking about sports.  And while I love talking sports, football isn't exactly at the top of my list of favorite sports.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy watching football, but I don't live and die with every snap of my favorite team like some people.  This did get me thinking, though, about my hierarchy of sports teams.  Which teams do I care more about and take more of a vested interest in?  For the sake of keeping this concise I will keep it to the four major professional sports and two major college sports.  Here we go!

1. Philadelphia Phillies
I'm pretty sure most of you saw that coming.  I live and die with this team.  Baseball is my favorite sport and the Phillies are my favorite team.  I watch every game that I can.  I plan my days around when the Phillies play.  I hate it when they lose, I mean hate it.  This year has been exceptionally difficult.  But even though the Phillies have no hope of making the playoffs this year, I won't give up on them and won't stop watching.  Even during the offseason I read articles about the Phillies and follow their moves.  The start of Spring Training excites me and I live for Opening Day.  That's why they are at the top of my list and always will be.

2. University of Arizona basketball
Bear Down!  College basketball is the perfect winter sport for me.  The season starts pretty much right after the World Series and the Final Four ends right around Opening Day.  That makes it perfect to occupy my time when there's no baseball to watch.  It also helps that I went to a school with a big time basketball program.  I love watching Wildcats basketball.  This is another team that I hate to see lose.  It just puts me in a bad mood.  And I hate missing a game.  I watch every game and I expect us to win every game.  But they are still just a notch below the Phillies because it's not baseball.

I had a hard time setting the order for numbers 3-5.  They kind of all blend together.  While I like all three teams and follow them all during season, I don't live and die with their results.  Since I can't really decide how to separate them, I've decided to lump them all together.

3-5. Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Clippers, University of Arizona Football
The Eagles seem to continue to disappoint every season, but I keep watching and keep hoping they catch lightning in a bottle one year.  I'm not a huge football fan, but as a Philly sports fan I do love the Eagles.  But seeing as the beginning of the NFL season runs over the end of baseball season and the end of the NFL season runs through the middle of college basketball, the Phillies and Wildcat basketball tend to occupy more of my time.
I'm one of a few people who can proudly proclaim that he was a Clippers fan before their recent run of success.  Since they haven't really been very good up until a couple years ago it was really easy to casually root for them.  Now that they are better and more of their games are on TV it makes it easier to watch them.  But in the end they are still the Clippers and I don't keep my expectations too high.
Finally, UA football is another team that I don't really expect too much from.  For the first ten years I was in Tucson the team was abysmal.  They have been much better the past few years, and a lot more fun to watch, especially with Rich Rod as coach, but I'm still not as invested in every game like I am with the Phillies or Wildcat basketball.  I do still watch every game though.

6. Philadelphia Flyers
Finally, we have the Flyers.  I follow their progress throughout the year and watch them in the playoffs, but that's about it.  It was exciting when they were in the Stanley Cup finals a few years back, though.

So there it is, my hierarchy of teams.  What does yours look like?  What teams do you live and die with as opposed to just following casually?  Feel free to share.

Why do people dislike YouTube videos?

This is something I've been wondering for a long time.  I watch my fair share of YouTube videos, probably not as many as some, but enough for my liking.  And naturally, I don't like all of the videos that I watch.  But when I don't like a video I just stop it and go on to the next one.  I don't feel the need to hit the little thumbs down button or write some nasty comment expressing my dislike.  Yet I see that people do that all the time.  So I have to ask why?  I could understand if the video was horribly offensive in some way, but most of the time they are just stupid, innocent videos of foxes on trampolines or pandas.  So what is it that people dislike so much about all these videos?  And why do they feel the need to express their dislike so vehemently?  I'm really befuddled by this, especially when one of my videos gets a dislike.  I mean, most of my videos are just useless facts.  I can understand why people might not want to watch them.  They're not terribly exciting after all.  But to hit the dislike button?  That seems a little harsh.  Just move on to the next video.  If someone could please explain to me the appeal of disliking YouTube videos I would very much appreciate it.  I'm just really curious because it doesn't make sense to me.  But maybe I'm missing something, or maybe I'm just old fashioned, who knows.  Either way, I encourage all of you to buck the dislike trend and really make a video earn a dislike.  No more frivolous dislikes!  Something tells me this won't catch on.  But seriously, what's not to like about this video?!

I Challenge You!

The more and more cell phone commercials I see, the more appalled I am.  Almost all of these commercials show people walking around in public with the face in their phone.  They advertise how fast the service is and how much better connected you will be.  All I see is a bunch of people so disconnected from the actual world they are living in that they escape into the world of their phone.  Another commercial shows a girl taking a picture at a concert and then spending time zooming and panning to find the image she likes before sending it to all of her friends.  So basically, she is more concerned about sending a cool picture of the concert to all her friends than actually enjoying the concert that she is attending!  The sad thing, though, is that these commercials are rooted in reality.  I see this in real life all the time.  Walking around the campus of the university I work at, people are constantly on their phones and it's a wonder more of them don't run into walls, trees, or other people.

So here's my challenge to you.  Try to spend a day where you only use your phone as needed.  Wait until you get home to check your messages or go on Facebook or Twitter.  When out in public instead of looking at your phone as you walk, try paying attention to what's going on around you.  Make an effort to notice at least five things that you've never noticed before.  If you see something cool that you want to take a picture of, resist the urge.  Instead, talk to someone about it and try to describe it in your own words.  Think of it as a way to work on improving your creativity.  Basically, I'm challenging you to reconnect with the physical world and disconnect with the virtual world, if only for a day.  Who knows, you might end up liking it.