MADISON, Wis. — Seeing Nick C. for the first time in years made me realize how much he looks like Sam Levine (who played the role of Neal Schweiber in Freaks and Geeks).
For that matter, both of them look like Dominic Cooper (who played Dakin in History Boys).
A few years ago, Marnie, Sarah & I drove across the country for our high school reunion.
We had a great time, equaled in nostalgia perhaps only by the past few days.
I wrote earlier this month that it would be ironic if Wisconsin and Arkansas players received free Xboxes for playing in the Capitol One Bowl, given that Badgers DB Jack Ikegwuonu is accused of trying to steal an Xbox.
Well, it won't happen. Jack and the rest of the players will come away instead with a 15-inch flatscreen TV with DVD player.
Of all the bowl game gifts, I think the Orange Bowl's are the best: a video iPod with Bose headphones.
Alexis, who returned to her anthem-swinging ways last week, has said she would like to have Erin Andrews's job as a sideline reporter.
Interestingly, Andrews told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution today that she wants to be like her colleague Michele Tafoya.
Tafoya isn't a bad role model, I suppose. She certainly works hard -- last night she did the Miami Heat vs. Los Angels Lakers game for ABC in the afternoon and the Miami Dolphins vs. New York Jets game for ESPN at night.
History is just one fucking thing after another.
(I also learned that West Gate isn't the hot Christmas ticket that Point Cinema is.)
GREENBELT, Md. — Santa Claus just gave Marnie and me a free ride to the airport.
Santa was waiting for us at the bus stop and asked Marnie where we were going. "Uh, to the airport," she said.
And then Santa paid our fare.
It's too bad Marnie didn't tell him we were going to Wisconsin.
About a year ago, I gave clear instructions on what not to do when I retire: don't erect an ugly phallic sculpture in my honor that looks a bit like an eroding Washington Monument.
After violating that rule for Barry Alvarez last year, Wisconsin has unveiled a sculpture in his likeness at the south end of Camp Randall. For some reason, the sculpture Alvarez looks about 10 years older than the real-life version.
I don't remember how much the first Air Jordan sneakers cost when they went on sale in 1985. Chris T. had a pair and let me wear them. Sometimes.
These days, Air Jordans cost $180 per pair.
Earlier this year, Stephon Marbury of the New York Knicks partnered with Steve & Barry's University Sportswear to unveil a line of basketball shoes that sell from $9.98 to $14.98.
Marbury has been wearing his Starbury Ones all season long, and so far he has sold more than 3 million pairs. Granted, Marbury's NBA contract is worth $104 million, but this shoe venture is pretty unselfish.
Anyway, how are the Starbury One shoes so cheap?
They are made in China.
Solve one problem, create another...
While in New Zealand earlier this year, Marnie & I tried to use a phone card that was about to expire. We were 17 hours ahead of the U.S. East Coast, but we timed the call to coincide with the early evening back home.
Unfortunately, we were greeted with a lot of voice mailboxes — no one wanted to pick up the phone with the caller ID displaying such an unusual number.
It was quite frustrating. But last month I returned the favor.
As you'll see in the video below, Jason was looking for guidance in finding the World's Longest Sofa, which is perched atop Forte di Belvedere in Florence, Italy. (I had passed along the recommendation from JQB to go in search of this couch. Unfortunately, JQB reported it to be at the adjacent Piazza de Michelangelo.)
You'll notice on the video that Jason tries unsuccessfully to call me. At that moment (10:48 a.m. ET), I ignored a call from "0552345025."
I'm very sorry.
I passed through the metal detectors at the Moultrie Courthouse at least six times in the last few days. I set the damn thing off every time.
At first, I thought it was my belt, so the next day I didn't wear a belt. But that didn't do the trick. I still had to step aside for some "personal hand wanding," which sounds worse than it is.
As for security itself, the jury room was locked and guarded by U.S. marshals while we were in the courtroom. However, a sign said the court is not liable for lost belongings, and the bailiff told us we would be smart not to leave anything valuable in the room.
Meanwhile, I was elected jury foreman and have let it go to my head. I only wish my term in office lasted longer than this trial.
WHEATON, Md. -- Brookside Gardens has about 600,000 lights in its Winter Garden of Lights Walk, most of which are in better focus than my picture.
My only complaint is that Brookside Gardens requires visitors to arrive by car. A sign reads: "Pedestrians cannot be admitted due to safety regulations."
As SAL pointed out, they need to bring in money somehow (they charge $15 per car). But safety regulations?
Remember the 3-D lane lines? Well, they've been removed in place of a lane thickener. That's probably not the right term.
But at least it looks nicer now.
Reese Witherspoon is shooting a movie scene in front of my office building. The film is "Rendition."
I, of course, am stuck in the jury box. (Or at least I will be once the trial resumes in a few minutes.)
My punishment for making fun of the D.C. court system's refusal to implement a buzzer system? I was picked for a week-long trial.
This will be my first time on a case, having been discarded during two other trips to the Moultrie Courthouse. Marnie has served twice (including a two-week-long murder trial) and has never been discarded.
I feel bad for the folks at my office who will have extra work thrown at them, but I am happy to serve.
The Moultrie Courthouse should learn from the restaurant industry and hand out little buzzers to the petit jury pool that go off when the juror is called to a case.
Not that juror room 3130 isn't a fun place to spend a full day waiting to be called, of course.
But if I had a buzzer, I wouldn't have to sit here while they show us "The Net" and "Seabiscuit" over and over. At least the wait has allowed me to finish my David Maraniss book ("When Pride Still Mattered") and began the new Michael Crichton novel ("Next").
I'll spare you the photographic image, but I learned a fundamental lesson recently after buying an item at the grocery store that boasted of containing no preservatives:
Food that has no preservatives does not preserve very well.
The Washington Post reported today that D.C.'s subway system will have to spend millions of dollars to retrofit its fare collection machines to accept the new $5 bill.
My own picture isn't too shabby, thank you very much, but the Washington Post has a nice photo spread of its own today.
Click here to take a look.
In 1997, the Washington Redskins moved out of D.C. to Landover, Maryland.
Nine years later, Mayor-elect Adrian Fenty and D.C. Councilman Jack Evans reportedly want to bring the team back to the city.
It turns out that RFK Stadium sits on federal land. The city owns the lease to the land until 2036, but the lease stipulates that the land must be used for a sports venue.
Under the proposal:
Jodi's brother, stationed in Iraq, sent her a few dinars as a souvenir of his tour of duty. Well, actually he sent her 1/4th of a dinar.
At press time, this note is worth $0.00017, which seems pretty small of a denomination for which to print bills.
At first, I was surprised to see palm trees. Then I remembered that date palms are a big part of Iraqi tradition, so they must have date palm orchards somewhere. And Iraq's southern marshlands between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers are the purported location of the biblical Garden of Eden.
Meanwhile, I can understand why they include the Western (Arabic) numerals, but do they really need the English words?
This summer, the folks at the Navy Memorial put chemicals in the fountain to fight algae growth. The problem was that the chemicals turned the water blue, leaving some locals to dub it the "Ty-D-Bol Memorial Fountain."
Officials said the blue water would be gone by August.
But it's still there.
And now that I've grown accustomed to it, I don't want them to get rid of it.
Josh spotted Bob Novak at the Verizon Center the other day.
Now, Josh is someone who does not like Novak. (At least when I'm around, Josh has a tendency to spot celebrities he dislikes. At an event this summer, we sat one row in front of Ralph Nader. Josh spent the whole time seething.)
Stumped at the best way to heckle Novak at the game, Josh would wait until someone scored and then yell, "TAKE THAT, NOVAK!"
Confused?
I was too.
Is it possible to buy just one clementine?
I mean, I know they are small.
But why do they have to be sold by the crate?
During bowl season, the NCAA gives each player:
Thanks to Wisconsin's 13-3 victory over the Nittany Lions last month, I won a bet with WFY. My winnings were a box of Grilled Stickies, which I'm told is a staple of The Diner in State College and a Penn State tradition since 1929.
Stickies are sort of like a combination of French toast and Morning Buns. Or perhaps, for those unfamiliar with Ovens of Brittany, a combination of French toast and Cinnabons.
Anyway, they're very good.
Thank you, WFY. Same bet next year?
Friday night, the Fractured Prune offered free create-your-own donuts to drum up business at its new shop on P St. in Dupont Circle.
I have clothes for 70° weather.
I have clothes for 37° weather.
They are not the same clothes.
Question: When is 99 more than 100?
Answer: On a microwave.
A microwave display lists the cooking time in minutes-and-seconds format. But punching in "1-0-0" will get you one minute and zero seconds of heating, while punching in "9-9" gets you one minute and 39 seconds.
