Nobody ruins my college football season before it starts!!!

Okay, I've got the Mississippi State/LSU game on TV right now—the very first game in this college football season—and I'm too pissed off to enjoy it.

Why? Two reasons: DirecTV, and the Big Ten Network. Reason? Because it seems neither has their shit together.

This is a particularly touchy issue with me right now, because:

1. Two of Penn State's September games are being broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
2. The Big Ten Network surprised everyone by not only coming into existence this summer, but they're going live tonight, two days before the goddamn season even begins! And if it's not already bad enough that this channel is being shoved down our throats (i.e., if we want to see our two September games, we have no other choice than to have this channel), the Big Ten Network it isn't being carried by any of the other major cable carriers, like Comcast.
3. DirecTV is carrying the Big Ten network, but they doesn't seem to be able to give consistent answers on how to actually acquire this channel. I've heard some say they've had to actually sign a contact to purchase it, while some have said they were able to get it automatically by being a DirecTV customer, while others have said they have to pay something like $39 to get the overflow channels, yet even some others have said the overflow channels come automatically.
4. Because I'm the co-chair of the PSU alumni chapter's viewing site committee, it's my responsibility to ensure that all viewing sites are carrying this Saturday's game . . . which just so happens to be on (yup, you guessed it!) the Big Ten Network. So in a worst-case scenario, if for some reason DirecTV falls through on its obligation to carry the suddenly-existing Big Ten Network, then I'm going to have a lot of pissed-off DC-area PSU fans leaving angry voice messages on my phone, wondering why they weren't able to watch the game at their friendly neighborhood viewing site.

I tell ya, this is bullshit I don't need to deal with right before my favorite sports season of the year begins. I do not need DirecTV and the Big Ten Network ruining my college football season just as it's about to start.

A trend has been started

Blasting Scotty's ashes into space was one thing. This is a totally different ballgame. Somehow I don't think the force will really be with them.

Metro: the summer of their discontent

I almost didn't notice the Post article yesterday about various Metro fires that took place in the District on Sunday night, but last night when I turned on the 10:00 news and saw them talking about smoke at the Pentagon City station, I thought to myself, "Yeah . . . I think I'm driving to work tomorrow." Supposedly, several of these fires were caused by overheated rails, but so many at once? Just bizarre.

I tell ya, this has not been a good summer for Metro: a security scare that shuts down three Red Line stations during rush hour, a domino-esque series of breakdowns on the Orange Line a few weeks ago (again during rush hour), at least one train derailment, and several deaths from people being hit by trains. And from being a daily commuter on Metro, I can honestly say that some days it just pays to drive, because trying to take Metro can be more nerve-wracking than trying to navigate through stop-and-go traffic. People shove their way onto trains, crowd around you uncomfortably, converse at inconsiderate volumes, run you over mercilessly when trying to make the faregate or catch a train, stand on the wrong side of the escalator, sit in the aisle seat and refuse to move so someone can sit in the empty window seat (or only do so grudgingly, as if you're grossly out of line for asking to sit there), yell at you for not moving fast enough . . .

And if that's not enough, you have to deal with poorly air-conditioned stations, trains that run on illogical schedules, or trains that don't arrive at all! And when incidents hit, however big or small, they shouldn't have to be felt system-wide.

Like I said, some days it just pays to drive.

Baseball on the Barn

On Saturday night, I finally partook in a summer activity that I've been looking forward to since baseball season started: Baseball on the Barn!

Baseball on the Barn is organized by Nats blogger MissChatter and her husband, and I first learned of this fun event last year when I bumped into Will and Erica in Pentagon City one night (this was before I moved there), who were on their way to one such party and invited me along. To describe Baseball on the Barn is no easy task, but it's nevertheless very easy to visualize. Basically, MissChatter and her husband have a very large old house on a lovely piece of land in Falls Church, and right next to their house is a sort of carriage house/barn. And on certain nights, they access the Nats game through their laptop's streaming audio and video, connect their laptop to a projector, and project the game onto the side of their barn—essentially turning a regular old baseball game into something akin to a drive-in movie! And just like a drive-in, the experience becomes more thrilling as the sun begins to set.

This weekend was the first Baseball on the Barn I've been able to attend this season, mostly because I've had other commitments (like London) spring up during their other scheduled parties—and since it was the last Baseball on the Barn for this season, I made sure that my calendar was clear for it. Saturday's game was against the Rockies, and though rain threatened to turn it into an indoor event, our determination to remain outdoors won through (courtesy of the tent MissChatter set up, plus the lightning storms managed to skip around us for most of the evening).

The Nats did lose 5-1, but it was still a memorable experience overall, and I'm gratified I was able to make it out to one before Penn State football season began.

Predictions

My father sent this to me over the weekend: the predictions for this coming season by the Harrisburg Patriot's three Penn State sports reporters. (I couldn't find an online link; hence, the picture.)


Between the three, I align more with Nick Horvath's predictions, with the following exceptions: I don't think Illinois will be a loss. Why all three of them predicted a loss against Illinois I don't know, but I really can't see us losing to them. The other exception is Michigan State—which, in all candor, I'm undecided about. Historically, Michigan State has proven to be a worthy opponent, insofar as they're neither a pushover nor easily beatable. They present a good challenge to the Nittany Lions without being as pompous or overblown as Michigan or Ohio State, so I can see it going either way with the Spartans. Though if we do gain a victory over them this year, I think it'll be a close game.

My own prediction: 9-3.

Eastern Market finds a new home

I caught this on the news this morning, but nearly four months after the Eastern Market fire (can you believe it's already been four months???), the tenants from the south building are relocating across the street for the next two years. Since the fire, everyone's just been huddled up outside in little tents along 8th Street SE (reminding me in a lot of ways of the temporary bus station in Pentagon City after 9/11), but now they'll be moving inside a massive, reinforced tent that'll be equipped with many state-of-the-art facilities.

I have to say, the resilience of the Eastern Market tenants has inspired me greatly! I've managed to get down there a few times this summer (I even have a photos that I badly need to post on Flickr), and it's done my heart so much good to see the perseverance of everyone, their single determination to maintain the business of this local landmark.

I may be in the neighborhood of Eastern Market this weekend, so hopefully I'll get a chance to see this new, temporary home. I'm fully confident that it will be an adequate home for the duration of the renovation, but I nevertheless await that glorious day when we can step foot back inside Eastern Market and re-embrace this local landmark's heritage.

A group of WTFs

I get a big laugh out of reading some of the oddest, craziest news stories each day, but on some days, they cross the line from funny to the full-fledged "WTF". Like these:

• Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't this the basis of a recent Simpsons episode?
• And for this one, I'm totally—totally!—at a loss! I can't even think of a smart-ass joke to go along with it. (Well, I can, but I'm not entirely sure it would be appropriate.)
• And lastly, I think Lorena Bobbitt has finally been topped.

FINALLY!!! Progress on the escalator etiquette movement

I almost couldn't believe it when I saw it, but according to the Post, Metro is finally putting the word out that on DC-area escalators, you walk to the left and stand to the right!

I'm so very pleased that Metro is finally heeding the calls of local riders—and tourists—about escalator etiquette. Though not to be a wet blanket and rain on my own parade, but I have to wonder how much their efforts will work—because Metro is choosing to put the word out not through signs or leaflets at various stations, but through station announcements. Now you might say, "What's so bad about that?" And as a frequent Metro rider, I can tell you that it's often rather difficult to distinguish what's being said over a station's intercom. Sometimes you can, sometimes you can't. (The Post article even points this out!) And if you're anything like me, you often ignore them if you can't make out what's being said.

Don't get me wrong—I'm very happy that Metro is taking a big step in the right direction with getting the word out on walk-left/stand-right, but I still think they would benefit more from signs rather than station announcements.

2 weeks and counting!!!

It wasn't until someone pointed this out to me last night that it fully dawned on me: Penn State football begins in exactly 2 weeks!!!

Note to Roy Pearson: give it up!!!

Well, Roy Pearson has effectively told the Chungs to take yesterday's peace offering and stick it where the sun don't shine. In other words, Pearson is not taking the high road, and instead has opted to appeal his dismissed lawsuit.

I wish I knew what this guy was smoking, but apparently he thinks that fighting for the principle is going to vindicate him. Hardly!!! He has no credibility anymore, his lawsuit has been mocked and ridiculed from here to ya-ya, he's barely holding onto his job, and if he continues to fight this to the bitter end, he's barely going to come away from this with his dignity intact (let alone his name).

If I may say so, the Chungs showed an amazing act of kindness in offering Pearson an olive branch, and it's truly unbelievable that Pearson had the nerve to take that kind act and throw it back in their faces. If he was smart, he'd just let the whole thing drop and let everyone get on with their lives.

The Chungs have granted clemency

According to the Post, the Chungs (the dry cleaners sued in DC's infamous pants lawsuit) are withdrawing their request that Roy Pearson (he who was doing the suing) cover their rather hefty legal expenses.

Their rationale: they just want it all to be over and done with. Can't say I blame them! If I was in their place (God forbid), I'd want it all to be behind me as well.

Now the question is, will Roy Pearson accept the situation as it is (the smarter move, in my opinion), or will be press on and make an even bigger mockery of himself?

Bringing home the DVD bacon!

While getting ready for work this morning, I had my TV turned to Fox 5 News (no, I don't take their news seriously; Fox just happened to be the active channel at the time I turned the TV on) and was quite surprised by a particular interview they conducted this morning: with Miss Piggy! She was being interviewed in follow-up to the recent DVD release of Season Two of The Muppet Show, and she was reflecting back on her years with that, plus her long relationship with Kermit.

During this interview, I found Miss Piggy's demeanor noticeably toned down from how I remember her on the show—as the vain, arrogant, self-righteous diva-wannabe who yearned for Kermit's unrequited heart. Here, though, Miss Piggy was composed, reflective, almost sentimental! She was quick to say that her fondest memory of the show was singing a duet—and sharing a wardrobe!—with Elton John, and she attributed her long relationship with Kermit to the fact that they didn't create some gaudy, God-awful name combination, like TomKat.

Seeing this interview actually made me very sentimental for The Muppet Show, which I followed religiously when I was little. I can remember many Saturday nights where my father and I would plop down in front of the TV with a big bowl of Jiffy Pop and watch Kermit, Fozzie, Gonzo, Miss Piggy, Scooter, Animal, Floyd, Dr. Teeth, Janice, and the rest of the crowd chew the scenery with that week's guest star. Let me just say this now: Jim Henson was truly a visionary, and he died well before his time.

But in closing, I'll treat you to that Miss Piggy/Elton John duet, which is a good one.

Reflections on the summer heat

And for his next lawsuit: wrongful dismissal!

I don't know how many of you have been following the whole "pants" lawsuit down here, but just to give you a quick recap, in 2005, local administrative law judge Roy Pearson filed a lawsuit against a family-owned dry cleaner for "losing" a pair of his pants. The dry cleaners, owned by the Chung family, either gave him back the wrong pair or said they lost them (I don't remember which), but either way, Pearson sued for somewhere in the neighborhood of $54 million (and if I'm not mistaken, this was reduced from $65 million originally).

The grounds for Pearson's lawsuit were based on merely the principle of customer service—i.e., satisfaction guaranteed, which the Chungs advertised. Pearson wasn't satisfied, so his rationale was that he should be amply compensated. In principle, it sort of makes sense, but the way he went about this was all wrong. He tried to make the impression that he was "standing up for the little guy," taking a stand on the principle of good customer service and fighting for those who have had bad customer service experiences. But when you break into tears in the courtroom over the "trauma" caused by the loss of a pair of pants, I don't think that adds to your credibility. Rather, I think that makes you a laughingstock!

Plus . . . $54 million for a lost pair of pants??? That's just ludicrous.

In the final analysis, the judge hearing the case pretty much laughed the lawsuit right out the window, and hopefully struck a serious blow to the litigiousness of our culture. Pearson is of course appealing the decision, but given all the legal fees incurred, both he and the Chungs are pretty much broke right now (though I believe the Chungs have received quite a lot of contributions to help cover their fees).

As for Pearson himself . . . well, right now his future as a judge is in some serious doubt. I almost have to wonder if he'll file a wrongful dismissal lawsuit if he isn't reappointed.

Completing the circle

Today's the day that the space shuttle Endeavour lifts off and takes Barbara Morgan into orbit—thus completing the cycle that began 21 years ago of putting a teacher into space! I'm sure some may say "whoop-dee-do" to tonight's shuttle launch, but it does my heart good to see such spirit remain, particularly when we remember the tragedy that befall the space program in 1986 with the Challenger, and again in 2003 with the Columbia breakup.

Where's a Vulcan mind meld when you need one?

I've had this song running through my head for the last several days, and rather than fight it anymore, I've decided to simply go with it.

A teacher in space!

I got wind of this story a few days ago, and was surprised that it was getting such little press!

But 21 years after the Challenger disaster, NASA is finally going to launch a teacher into space. Barbara Morgan will be part of the Endeavour crew this Wednesday, and what amazes me is . . . she was actually Christa McAuliffe's backup astronaut on the Challenger in 1986! Boy, talk about dodging a bullet.

I hope this story gains more traction, because it would be a good homage to the Challenger crew to finally fulfill its original promise—putting a teacher in space.

Agnes Skinner lives!

Living proof, right here! The only thing that would have been more unbelievable is if the son in this news story had been named Seymour.

The day it all began

This is more of a sentimental anniversary than anything else, but it was 13 years ago today, at exactly 4:30 pm on Tuesday, August 2, 1994, that I began my first paying job.

At the ripe young age of 16, I officially entered the working world as a grocery store clerk at Kocher's IGA, the privately-owned local grocery store nestled in a tiny shopping plaza a mere two miles west of Elizabethville, PA.

I actually worked there for close to six years—spanning most of my high school era, as well as summers and Christmases home from college. My final stint there was a short week in March 2000, during a short Spring Break away from Penn State. After that, I never punched a timecard there again, as I began interning at Stackpole Books that following summer, and moved to DC two months later.

My time at Kocher's, while typical of the abysmal, minimum-wage, morally-downbeat, customer-service job that Kevin Smith glorified in Clerks, is still one I hold near and dear to me. I made many friends there, I have many happy memories from there . . . and my only regret is that I never had the chance to see the owner, Fred, without his toupee.

Kevin Smith's golden year?

I just discovered that today is Kevin Smith's birthday. One might argue that today's his "golden" birthday—but not because he would turn 50 (because he doesn't). Today he turns . . . 37!!!

Food for thought?

Through my mentally exhausted haze yesterday, I somehow managed to catch an interesting bit of information from Barry Svrluga's Washington Post chat.

Barry Svrluga: . . . Also: Aramark, I'm told, is out as concessionaire next year. Not sure who's going to win.

If true, this would be fabulous news!!! Aramark has been the food vendor at RFK since (I think) the Nats' inaugural season—and in all that time, service has been anything but smooth. During the first season alone, concessions frequently ran out of food within the first few innings (though at the time, I think we all blamed it on MLB's lack of managerial willingness), and I think matters came to a head this year when people had to wait in line for an hour on Opening Day, just to get a hot dog.

I think food service at RFK improved greatly last season with the opening of the food court above the main entrance (though I wish Hard Times had remained), but given the prices on most items ($6 for nachos or beer, $8.25 for a chicken tender platter), my strategy of late is to buy a hot dog at one of the street vendors outside the stadium. A much better hot dog, for maybe a quarter of the asking price inside RFK.

But if Aramark is indeed out as food vendor next year, I'm sure that'll earn the Lerners some strong points—though with the strong PR campaign they've been pushing for the new ballpark, hopefully the Lerners will be smart and hire a food vendor that's competent, capable, and able to fulfill their promised new-and-improved-night-at-the-ballpark experience. Because after three years at dank, rundown, outdated RFK, fans are going to want to step upward in a big way. So let's keep our fingers crossed that replacing Aramark is a major step in the right direction.

For my part, I'm also crossing my fingers for a Five Guys stand at the new ballpark.

The word for the day is "Duh!"

I'm too tired this morning to post anything of major significance . . . except for this one Yahoo article that caught my attention. After reading this, I'm afraid I must borrow one of Will's lines in response: that I haven't been this surprised since that day the sun came up in the East.