Thursday Stuff

Make sure you sign up for thesharkey.com Bowl Challenge. We need more people. At least tell me if you're interested and just waiting for a good time to make your picks, so I know there are people interested (or reading this site).

"My baby takes the morning train, he works from nine 'til five and then..."

I'm beginning to get into super-excited mode concerning the 2006 World Cup. The 2002 World Cup was the first I really truly followed, and it was great. I was up at 3, 4, 5am every few days to watch the US games, and my buddy Logan & I even spent an entire morning at a bagel shop watching their quarterfinal loss to Germany (this year's host).

Of course, we were 19 then. So bagel shops were the only places we really could go. Now... 23. God, I'm old. But that also means I'll be at a pub for every single US soccer match in this years World Cup. And God am I excited. Since it's in Germany, games won't be starting at 2am-6am this time around. There may actually be a game or two that starts around noon-time. More than likely, they'll be in the early morning hours, but it's never too early to start drinking, I say.

Tomorrow is the grouping announcement. 3pm on ESPN. Make sure you're watching. I know I'll be. One word for you. Togu! Togu! Togu! Since one of Italy, Germany, Brazil, Argentina, or Spain is likely to be in the US's group, we need a weak team like Togu in our group. As for the 4th team in the group? Just pray it's not the Dutch or the Czechs. If it is, US may not make the second round.

God I love the World Cup!

"People say I'm lazy dreaming my life away..."

Sent in my resume to the Philadelphia Phillies today and am going for a couple of different positions. Not really likely to get any of them, but it's worth a shot. None of them have anything to do with the culinary world, or anything restaurant. And I gotta tell you, I'm stoked. God how I'd love to get into the sports world, even if it's just as a statboy. Tomorrow (or sometime this weekend), the Yankees & Mets, two other easily accessible teams, get to hear from me.


"There are places I'll remember
All my life, though some have changed
Some forever, not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places had their moments
With lovers and friends, I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life, I've loved them all..."

25 years ago today John Lennon was murdered. I can't sit here and give you the "wow I can't believe it's that long, seems like only yesterday" speech, because simply put, I was born nearly two years after this happened.

Just the same, that doesn't mean this day doesn't mean something to me. Growing up, my father was a huge music buff. For the longest time he tried to get me to like The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Allman Brothers and a handful of other bands that were a huge part of his life. I wanted no part of it. Give me Kris Kross or Tom Cochrane.

Then, one day in 7th or 8th grade, I don't remember when, this girl who I had a huge crush on started talking to me about some new Pearl Jam song. She's like "I know you're a Zep fan, doesn't this song sound like 'Going to California?'" Of course, I wanted to impress her, so I said "Oh totally." That day, I went home and dug Zeppelin IV out of my stepfathers collection to listen to the song. GREAT SONG. Listened to the rest of the CD. Loved it. From that day on, I listened to any musical recommendations my father gave me, and thus became the huge music fan I am today.

And in the 10-11 or so years since that happened, the one musician who has stood above all the rest for me has been John Lennon. I'm not sure what it is, but there was just something special about this man. He was it. That's really all there is to say.

So today we honor his life, and wonder how different the world could have been if he hadn't have been murdered on that cold Monday night.

Imagine that.