I knew on Sunday that this was going to be a critical week and so far I have executed. Monday was the busiest day of the week. I had a meeting with an applicant of the UNH Psychology professor job. I am part of a student representative panel that interviews the applicants and I have been doing it for the past week and a half. I review the applicant's cover letter, resume and then figure out questions to ask. It will very informal, which is nice. I go to the meetings on select days that the counseling center coordinator, David Cross chose for me, so I have only had to go to three meetings thus far and I have one more on Friday. After that, I interviewed with Shaunna Kaplan, a tri-captain for the UNH Lacrosse team and her two teammates Ilana Cohen and JoJo Curro for my feature story for my Sports Writing class. She just so happens to be a two-sport athlete at UNH. She plays lacrosse and soccer. I thought this was a cool idea for my feature story because from what I know of there are no other athletes at UNH that play more than one sport. Shaunna carries herself well. She is honest, selfless and her teammates are crazy about her. She is a senior and is a kinesiology and a sports studies major. So far so good. I had my Sports Writing class at night and it was cool because my professor brought in a guest, Karen Gregon, who is a writer for the Boston Herald. We talked about gender and she also told us some stories that she did. It is always enlightening whenever I learn about Journalism from a real professional.
Tuesday was also pretty busy. I went to my Germs class and then went to the Commencement Fair. I went there to get my cap and gown and a Life is Good shirt. The Life is Good shirt is really cool. It is light blue, long-sleeved and in the front it says "Class Dismissed" with Jake smiling wearing a graduation cap and in the back it says "Do what you like. Like what you do. UNH 2010." They were giving out Life is Good shirts because the founder of the company, Bert Jacobs, is the Commencement speaker. After the fair, I went back to my dorm to do some homework and then went to a class, went to the gym and then went to my two classes, which are back-to-back. After class, I went back to the dorm had to do an online quiz for Germs. I got an 80 which isn't bad. After that, I relaxed for the rest of the night.
Wednesday was the only day that was mellow. I didn't have class which always makes my day easier. The only two things that I had to do was to go to a meeting with my Sports Writing teacher, David Cataneo, and went over a couple of assignments. I did an opinion piece about the new NFL playoff overtime rules and that was mediocre. We also went over my column about the New Jersey Nets' CEO Brett Yormark and a fan, Chris Lisi, having a "brown bag summit." That also turned out to be just average. The good thing is that I can edit them and send them back to David. The other thing I had to do was to talk to the UNH soccer manager, Michael Jackson, about Shaunna. At first he said a lot of the same things about Shaunna and it got annoying. So before the interview ended I asked Jackson, "Is there any questions that I didn't ask that I should have?" At first Jackson was hesitant and then said a couple of more things about Shaunna and then we hung up the phone. Three minutes later, Jackson called me and then said all of these things about Shaunna that I wanted to hear. After he said the additional stuff he said, "I'm glad that you asked that question. It seemed like I didn't have a lot to say at first but when you asked that question, that was when I figured out what I wanted to say. Good for you." I was very pleased.
Yesterday was an ordinary Thursday. I had three classes and also went to the gym with my friends Melissa and Kendra, which was productive. Smith Hall also had a Men's Floor Hockey game at 8:30 p.m. Of course, for the second consecutive week our opponent did not show up, so we won by forfeit. We actually scrimmaged against another team that also had a forfeit. The opposition won 10-3. It wasn't as bad as the score says but we did play a lot better, which it doesn't say a whole lot.
Today will also be busy. I have an interview with Michael Daly, UNH lacrosse head coach. Hopefully he can give me some good input about Shaunna. I also need to talk to Shaunna again and ask her a couple of more questions. At 1:15, I have a meeting with an applicant of the UNH Psychology professor job. After that, I have an interview with cookbook author Gina Stipo, who is going to use her recipes for the Tutto Toscana Gourmet dinner at a UNH dining hall. UNH hospitality majors will host the dinner and I am writing the story for the school newspaper "The New Hampshire." After that, hopefully I can go to the gym. I have to go back to the dining hall again tonight and take some pictures and maybe interview more people. It is a cool assignment because I love food and I am curious about what kinds of recipes the chef will have. After that, maybe I will get to see my friends. This weekend will be tough because I have a lot of homework, but it's okay because I need to be busy anyway.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
First Lady visits Haiti, more students in college waiting list
These two stories are reported by the New York Times. In her first solo trip overseas as first lady, Michelle Obama made an unannounced visit to Haiti yesterday, flying in an Army helicopter over Port-au-Prince, the earth-quaked-damaged capital, meeting with Haiti's president and first lady in the ravaged National Palace and dancing with young children trying to get beyond the destruction of their homes. She was also accompanied by Jill Biden, the wife of Vice President Joe Biden. Mrs. Obama entered a safe area set aside to provide therapy to traumatized children living in a giant squatter camp in the Champ de Mars, Port-au-Prince's central plaza. The goal of the trip was to keep attention focused on Haiti's plight, "We're at the point where the relief efforts are under way, but the attention of the world starts to wane a little bit," Mrs. Obama told reporters. I am surprised to hear that this was only Michelle Obama's first solo trip overseas. I'm a little disappointed that she did not go to Haiti sooner, but at least she gives a crap and actually went to Haiti. She made a difference with helping children, starting with the "Let's Move" campaign, which began in February, that is supposed to focus on spending money to help solve problems with the high rates of children who have obesity. I hope this is the beginning to more of her travels because with her intelligence and her dominant personality, the world needs a person like her and she should continue to visit more countries in need because I think her advice can make a difference.
This is the time of year when college start accepting students or put them on their waiting list. Late last month, Duke University announced that it had 3,383 applicants on the waiting list, which is about twice the size of the entire incoming freshman class. They had a record 27,000 freshman applicants and have place 856 more on the waiting list than it did a year ago. Duke's best guess is no more than 60 will be admitted from the waiting list. Most Ivy League colleges had sharp jumps in applications, as did the University of Chicago, Northwestern, Stanford and M.I.T. M.I.T., which had a 6 percent increase in applicants, increased its waiting list by more than half to 722. Last year, it accepted few than 80 from that list. Yale, which had a slip dip in applications this year yet still admitted fewer than 8 percent of the applicants, placed nearly 1,000 others on the waiting list, an increase of more than 150. Dartmouth increased its list by about 80 to 1,740. These numbers show two things, the first thing is applying to colleges is getting so competitive that there will not be any room left in the college for incoming freshman. It is an issue because it will force colleges to spend more money that they may not have to expand. That is what happens when there is a recession, students would rather go to college, get a bachelor's degree and start out fresh rather than just start working. The second thing is this is good timing for me to leave college. I have noticed that UNH is accepting more students and it is starting to get more crowded than usual. When I leave college, I won't have to deal with even more snobby freshman, I can just go to the real world and probably not get a job for months. Hooray for life!
This is the time of year when college start accepting students or put them on their waiting list. Late last month, Duke University announced that it had 3,383 applicants on the waiting list, which is about twice the size of the entire incoming freshman class. They had a record 27,000 freshman applicants and have place 856 more on the waiting list than it did a year ago. Duke's best guess is no more than 60 will be admitted from the waiting list. Most Ivy League colleges had sharp jumps in applications, as did the University of Chicago, Northwestern, Stanford and M.I.T. M.I.T., which had a 6 percent increase in applicants, increased its waiting list by more than half to 722. Last year, it accepted few than 80 from that list. Yale, which had a slip dip in applications this year yet still admitted fewer than 8 percent of the applicants, placed nearly 1,000 others on the waiting list, an increase of more than 150. Dartmouth increased its list by about 80 to 1,740. These numbers show two things, the first thing is applying to colleges is getting so competitive that there will not be any room left in the college for incoming freshman. It is an issue because it will force colleges to spend more money that they may not have to expand. That is what happens when there is a recession, students would rather go to college, get a bachelor's degree and start out fresh rather than just start working. The second thing is this is good timing for me to leave college. I have noticed that UNH is accepting more students and it is starting to get more crowded than usual. When I leave college, I won't have to deal with even more snobby freshman, I can just go to the real world and probably not get a job for months. Hooray for life!
Monday, April 12, 2010
NHL Playoffs start this week
After a long, grueling 82 games, the NHL playoffs is finally here. Some teams were meant to be in the playoffs and others made a late rally to make it in the big dance. In the playoffs, the regular season doesn't matter anymore. The 121 points the Washington Capitals got this year doesn't matter in the playoffs anymore, neither does the Boston Bruins being last in the league in goals scored matters either. As much as the NHL has made me angry this year and in years past, I am actually happy with these Quarterfinals match ups. Here are the match ups and I will choose who wins the series and why.
Capitals vs. Canadiens
The Capitals have the best offensive player in the league in Alex Ovechkin, have seven 20 goal scorers, two of them scored 40 goals and are first in the league in power play success rate with 25.2 percent. However their goaltending situation is a little iffy. Neither Jose Theodore or Semyon Varlamov played spectacular this year so choosing which one will play will be interesting. The Candiens are actually second in the NHL in power play success rate with 21.8 percent, so they have that going for them. They also have a solid goaltender in Jaroslav Halak who could potentially be a series changing player. Even though the Candiens direly underachieved this year, they are in the playoffs which means something. The Capitals surplus of talent will be too much for the Canadiens to handle, so this series should not last long. Capitals win series in five games.
Devils vs. Flyers
The Devils have Martin Brodeur playing in net. The Flyers have Brian Boucher or Michael Leighton countering him. Definitely a mismatch in that department. The Devils finally have a scoring punch with Ilya Kovalchuk and Zach Parise that can play with anybody. Even though the Flyers were inconsistent all season, they fought and grind into the playoffs and they deserve to be there. As long as any team has Chris Pronger (in this case the Flyers do), they will hang around with anybody. However, the Devils will prove to the Flyers that they made the wrong decision winning in the last day of the season to get their ticket punched into the playoffs. Devils win in five games.
Sabres vs. Bruins
This will be the best goaltending match up in this round. Ryan Miller vs. Tuuka Rask. Both goalies are #1 and #2 in the NHL in goals against average and save percentage, Rask is #1 in both categories and Miller is #2. It will be quite a treat watching both goalies play but Miller gets the edge because he has more playoff experience and he will build on his Olympic tournament MVP performance. The Bruins did win the season series 4-2, but their lack of offense will be an even more glaring weakness once they face Miller. It doesn't help that they lost their top three defenseman and their top scorer for the playoffs due to injury either. Sabres win in six games.
Penguins vs. Senators
Even though the Senator have some injuries throughout the year, they played well enough to make the playoffs. Although, having Alexei Kovalev missing the playoffs with a torn ACL will be a major blow to their playoff chances. Daniel Alffredson and Jason Spezza will be the keys to their playoff hopes. The Stanley Cup Champions Penguins, like the previous two years, are just too deep to match up with. Their top three centers are Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal. No team will be able to counter that kind of talent. Penguins win in five games.
Sharks vs. Avalanche
On paper, the Sharks should crush any opposing team in the Western Conference. Since the Olympic break, the Sharks mediocre 11-7-2 record shows they can be beaten. This is the year the Sharks go deep in the playoffs or there will be a major team shakedown. The Sharks have the top first line in the league with Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Dany Heatley and one of the top goaltenders in the league in Evgeni Nabokov. The Avalanche are a solid team all around. They have Craig Anderson in between the pipes who had stellar season with 38 wins and seven shutouts. They also have a good nucleus with Paul Stastney, Chris Stewart and Milan Hejduk that will play with anyone. They will give the Sharks quite a battle, but it may not be good enough to overtake their talented roster. Sharks win in seven.
Blackhawks vs. Predators
I chose the Blackhawks to make the Stanley Cup Finals this year and I am sticking to it. Their goaltending situation is a major issue that they have to address. Christobal Huet was their guy coming into the season, but vastly underachieved so Antti Niemi will most likely take over the starting goaltending duties. Even though they have scoring talent that can counter anyone, their defensive play is just as dangerous. The Predators are a pure defensive team and they will stick to the play in this series. They don't score a lot of goals, but they have balanced scoring to make up for it having nine players who scored 10 goals or more. Pekka Rinne had a solid season with 32 wins and seven shutouts. This will be an excellent defensive series, but the Blackhawks offense will score enough goals to get past this round. Blackhawks in six.
Canucks vs. Kings
The Canucks are built to succeed in the playoffs this year. Henrik Sedin played over his head this year winning the Art Ross scoring title with 112 points. They also have a good offensive group in Henrik and Daniel Sedin, Alex Burrows and one of the well-known Olympic players Ryan Kesler. The player that may hold them back is Roberto Luongo. Even though he is an elite NHL goaltender, he has a resume of choking in the playoffs. Just a thought. The Kings are a weird team to me. They are sixth in the NHL in power play success rate with 21 percent but 20th in penalty kill with 80.1 percent. What are the odds that they are a playoff team with an awful penalty kill? This is a young talented group with a combination of veteran players. To me, Anze Kopitar will be the key player of the series. His massive size and offensive skills will be a difficult match up for the Canucks. They also have a good young goaltender in Jonathon Quick who posted 39 wins this season. This will be a fun series to watch, but the Canucks playoff experience will be too overwhelming for the Kings to handle. Canucks win in six.
Coyotes vs. Red Wings
The Coyotes are great story in the NHL this season. With several threats that they might move to another location and the NHL owning the team, they fed off the adversity and played like an elite NHL team all year. They have the pieces to make a deep run in the playoffs. Goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov is scary good, posting 42 wins, a .920 save percentage and eight shutouts. He also has some experience in the playoffs. Even though their offense may not scare anyone, don't forget about Shane Doan, Radim Vrbata and newly acquired Wojtek Wolski and the fact they have four 40 point scorers. The Stanley Cup runner-up Red Wings struggled throughout the first half of the season with injuries and inconsistency. But once they got healthy, they caught fire and took off with a 16-3-2 record after the Olympic break. Goaltender Jimmy Howard opened some eyes this year with his terrific play the Red Wings desperately needed. He will keep them in the season because he is tough and a gritty player. The Red Wings are at full strength with Pavel Datsyuk, Nicklas Lidstrom Henrik Zetterberg, Tomas Holmstrom and Johan Franzen all healthy and ready to go. This will be the best series in this Quarterfinals. Both teams are evenly matched and fun to watch, but someone has got to win. Coyotes in seven.
Capitals vs. Canadiens
The Capitals have the best offensive player in the league in Alex Ovechkin, have seven 20 goal scorers, two of them scored 40 goals and are first in the league in power play success rate with 25.2 percent. However their goaltending situation is a little iffy. Neither Jose Theodore or Semyon Varlamov played spectacular this year so choosing which one will play will be interesting. The Candiens are actually second in the NHL in power play success rate with 21.8 percent, so they have that going for them. They also have a solid goaltender in Jaroslav Halak who could potentially be a series changing player. Even though the Candiens direly underachieved this year, they are in the playoffs which means something. The Capitals surplus of talent will be too much for the Canadiens to handle, so this series should not last long. Capitals win series in five games.
Devils vs. Flyers
The Devils have Martin Brodeur playing in net. The Flyers have Brian Boucher or Michael Leighton countering him. Definitely a mismatch in that department. The Devils finally have a scoring punch with Ilya Kovalchuk and Zach Parise that can play with anybody. Even though the Flyers were inconsistent all season, they fought and grind into the playoffs and they deserve to be there. As long as any team has Chris Pronger (in this case the Flyers do), they will hang around with anybody. However, the Devils will prove to the Flyers that they made the wrong decision winning in the last day of the season to get their ticket punched into the playoffs. Devils win in five games.
Sabres vs. Bruins
This will be the best goaltending match up in this round. Ryan Miller vs. Tuuka Rask. Both goalies are #1 and #2 in the NHL in goals against average and save percentage, Rask is #1 in both categories and Miller is #2. It will be quite a treat watching both goalies play but Miller gets the edge because he has more playoff experience and he will build on his Olympic tournament MVP performance. The Bruins did win the season series 4-2, but their lack of offense will be an even more glaring weakness once they face Miller. It doesn't help that they lost their top three defenseman and their top scorer for the playoffs due to injury either. Sabres win in six games.
Penguins vs. Senators
Even though the Senator have some injuries throughout the year, they played well enough to make the playoffs. Although, having Alexei Kovalev missing the playoffs with a torn ACL will be a major blow to their playoff chances. Daniel Alffredson and Jason Spezza will be the keys to their playoff hopes. The Stanley Cup Champions Penguins, like the previous two years, are just too deep to match up with. Their top three centers are Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal. No team will be able to counter that kind of talent. Penguins win in five games.
Sharks vs. Avalanche
On paper, the Sharks should crush any opposing team in the Western Conference. Since the Olympic break, the Sharks mediocre 11-7-2 record shows they can be beaten. This is the year the Sharks go deep in the playoffs or there will be a major team shakedown. The Sharks have the top first line in the league with Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Dany Heatley and one of the top goaltenders in the league in Evgeni Nabokov. The Avalanche are a solid team all around. They have Craig Anderson in between the pipes who had stellar season with 38 wins and seven shutouts. They also have a good nucleus with Paul Stastney, Chris Stewart and Milan Hejduk that will play with anyone. They will give the Sharks quite a battle, but it may not be good enough to overtake their talented roster. Sharks win in seven.
Blackhawks vs. Predators
I chose the Blackhawks to make the Stanley Cup Finals this year and I am sticking to it. Their goaltending situation is a major issue that they have to address. Christobal Huet was their guy coming into the season, but vastly underachieved so Antti Niemi will most likely take over the starting goaltending duties. Even though they have scoring talent that can counter anyone, their defensive play is just as dangerous. The Predators are a pure defensive team and they will stick to the play in this series. They don't score a lot of goals, but they have balanced scoring to make up for it having nine players who scored 10 goals or more. Pekka Rinne had a solid season with 32 wins and seven shutouts. This will be an excellent defensive series, but the Blackhawks offense will score enough goals to get past this round. Blackhawks in six.
Canucks vs. Kings
The Canucks are built to succeed in the playoffs this year. Henrik Sedin played over his head this year winning the Art Ross scoring title with 112 points. They also have a good offensive group in Henrik and Daniel Sedin, Alex Burrows and one of the well-known Olympic players Ryan Kesler. The player that may hold them back is Roberto Luongo. Even though he is an elite NHL goaltender, he has a resume of choking in the playoffs. Just a thought. The Kings are a weird team to me. They are sixth in the NHL in power play success rate with 21 percent but 20th in penalty kill with 80.1 percent. What are the odds that they are a playoff team with an awful penalty kill? This is a young talented group with a combination of veteran players. To me, Anze Kopitar will be the key player of the series. His massive size and offensive skills will be a difficult match up for the Canucks. They also have a good young goaltender in Jonathon Quick who posted 39 wins this season. This will be a fun series to watch, but the Canucks playoff experience will be too overwhelming for the Kings to handle. Canucks win in six.
Coyotes vs. Red Wings
The Coyotes are great story in the NHL this season. With several threats that they might move to another location and the NHL owning the team, they fed off the adversity and played like an elite NHL team all year. They have the pieces to make a deep run in the playoffs. Goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov is scary good, posting 42 wins, a .920 save percentage and eight shutouts. He also has some experience in the playoffs. Even though their offense may not scare anyone, don't forget about Shane Doan, Radim Vrbata and newly acquired Wojtek Wolski and the fact they have four 40 point scorers. The Stanley Cup runner-up Red Wings struggled throughout the first half of the season with injuries and inconsistency. But once they got healthy, they caught fire and took off with a 16-3-2 record after the Olympic break. Goaltender Jimmy Howard opened some eyes this year with his terrific play the Red Wings desperately needed. He will keep them in the season because he is tough and a gritty player. The Red Wings are at full strength with Pavel Datsyuk, Nicklas Lidstrom Henrik Zetterberg, Tomas Holmstrom and Johan Franzen all healthy and ready to go. This will be the best series in this Quarterfinals. Both teams are evenly matched and fun to watch, but someone has got to win. Coyotes in seven.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Six weeks and counting...
Every day I look at my calendar and count down the days of when I am graduating. 44 days left! As happy as I am about graduating, I am finally realizing that I am going to miss being a college student. There is so much free time and I take advantage of every minute of it. But there is still plenty of time left, so I have to make it count.
My classes this semester are so easy, I'm getting bored. Although I really like my Sports Writing class. David Cataneo tells a lot of cool stories about athletes and coaches that he covered over his career as a sports writer. He tells a lot of stories about former Red Sox outfielder Mike Greenwell, former third baseman Wade Boggs and former Celtics great Robert Parrish. It is so surreal to hear stories about athletes my dad looked up to. Whenever I tell my dad those stories, he is always surprised and excited to hear about them. What that class provides me is not just learning how to become a better sports writer but believing in myself. Confidence is an issue for me sometimes and that is something I need to overcome. Throughout my whole UNH career as a journalism, all I hear from current journalists and editors is that the journalism job market is going down the tubes and we should have a backup plan. Come on, your role is to encourage us to carry the torch that you handed down to us and have us report the news. We are the future of journalism and you guys are afraid of keeping your jobs. If you are worried about the future, at least say some good things about today's journalism that could be beneficial, not all bad things.
Speaking of journalism, the UNH journalism program had a special guest, Dana Jennings, a 1980 UNH graduate on Wednesday. He works at the New York Times as an editor and also used to worked for the Concord Monitor. He seems like he really enjoys being is journalist, which is something I need to hear. The main reason why he was there was because he read a memoir about his life during prostate cancer. I don't know the title or how many pages there are, but what I do know is that it is powerful, emotional and breath-taking. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer on April of 2008 and it seemed like it was a very difficult time of his life. Jennings explained when you have prostate cancer, you experience hormonal things like a woman, hot flashes, really emotional but fortunately does not get a period. At one point it was stage 3 cancer, which it could have taken his life. It took about a year for the cancer to go into remission but still has to have a checkup with the doctor every three months. He wrote a blog about writing about his cancer and it was a big hit. Jennings explained that too many people write about having cancer instead of writing about how having cancer changes you. What I learned is whenever you are facing adversity you have the urge to become a better writer. You write about all of your thoughts and it surprises you how good your writing can be. I felt like I improved as a writer when I studied abroad. I know that I am not the greatest writer in the world but what I do know is that I will keep trying to improve and someday I will be the best because I am extremely competitive and will do anything to win.
The Red Sox season is finally underway, which means my life is finally relevant again. They did lose two out of three to the Yankees which stinks. The good thing is that they have 159 games to go and have plenty of time to improve. I am really excited of how this team develops since they are built for pitching and defense this year. I bet that Red Sox fans and the Boston sports media is already complaining about the first three games but I'm not. I get to hear the crack of the bat, see hitters get called out on strikes, see controversial calls and see awesome diving catches. This will be my my 12th season watching the Red Sox. It's hard to believe it has been that long. I am just stoked that baseball is back!
My classes this semester are so easy, I'm getting bored. Although I really like my Sports Writing class. David Cataneo tells a lot of cool stories about athletes and coaches that he covered over his career as a sports writer. He tells a lot of stories about former Red Sox outfielder Mike Greenwell, former third baseman Wade Boggs and former Celtics great Robert Parrish. It is so surreal to hear stories about athletes my dad looked up to. Whenever I tell my dad those stories, he is always surprised and excited to hear about them. What that class provides me is not just learning how to become a better sports writer but believing in myself. Confidence is an issue for me sometimes and that is something I need to overcome. Throughout my whole UNH career as a journalism, all I hear from current journalists and editors is that the journalism job market is going down the tubes and we should have a backup plan. Come on, your role is to encourage us to carry the torch that you handed down to us and have us report the news. We are the future of journalism and you guys are afraid of keeping your jobs. If you are worried about the future, at least say some good things about today's journalism that could be beneficial, not all bad things.
Speaking of journalism, the UNH journalism program had a special guest, Dana Jennings, a 1980 UNH graduate on Wednesday. He works at the New York Times as an editor and also used to worked for the Concord Monitor. He seems like he really enjoys being is journalist, which is something I need to hear. The main reason why he was there was because he read a memoir about his life during prostate cancer. I don't know the title or how many pages there are, but what I do know is that it is powerful, emotional and breath-taking. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer on April of 2008 and it seemed like it was a very difficult time of his life. Jennings explained when you have prostate cancer, you experience hormonal things like a woman, hot flashes, really emotional but fortunately does not get a period. At one point it was stage 3 cancer, which it could have taken his life. It took about a year for the cancer to go into remission but still has to have a checkup with the doctor every three months. He wrote a blog about writing about his cancer and it was a big hit. Jennings explained that too many people write about having cancer instead of writing about how having cancer changes you. What I learned is whenever you are facing adversity you have the urge to become a better writer. You write about all of your thoughts and it surprises you how good your writing can be. I felt like I improved as a writer when I studied abroad. I know that I am not the greatest writer in the world but what I do know is that I will keep trying to improve and someday I will be the best because I am extremely competitive and will do anything to win.
The Red Sox season is finally underway, which means my life is finally relevant again. They did lose two out of three to the Yankees which stinks. The good thing is that they have 159 games to go and have plenty of time to improve. I am really excited of how this team develops since they are built for pitching and defense this year. I bet that Red Sox fans and the Boston sports media is already complaining about the first three games but I'm not. I get to hear the crack of the bat, see hitters get called out on strikes, see controversial calls and see awesome diving catches. This will be my my 12th season watching the Red Sox. It's hard to believe it has been that long. I am just stoked that baseball is back!
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Shoppers are spending again, a man dead at John Lennon Airport
According to the New York Times today, retails sales have gone up last month comparing to March 2009. Luxury goods have increased by 22 percent, home furnishings, furniture by 13.8 percent and specialty apparel by 5.2 percent. When the financial crisis hit in late 2008, consumers retrenched heavily. That was a problem because customer spending accounts for more than two-thirds of all economic activity in the United States which led to the economy's decline. Total industry sales are predicted to increase by 10 percent compared with last year, which would make March the seventh month of growth in a row, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers, an industry group. The most meaningful sign of recovery is that employers added 162,000 jobs last month, although the unemployment rate is still 9.7 percent. This is very good news. For about two years, several Americans were saving money in case they lost their jobs or they were looking to buy lets say furniture on sale. The fact that customers are spending more is a good way to boost the economy. The retail sales for Christmas and any other shopping season has gone down significantly, which slows down the economy. Seeing that job hiring has gone up is a sigh of relief, but the recovery is not over yet. Just because things are getting better doesn't mean the economy is saved. This time has and will continue to test our patience about with the economy. The number said it all in the beginning, two-thirds of our economy is on customer, so keep spending if you have it, but don't go crazy.
At Liverpool John Lennon Airport, three passengers, Willi Jarant, Gitta Jarant and daughter Anke Anusic had a flight to Germany on Saturday. The problem was, Willi Jarant was not breathing. Mrs. Jarant and Anusic claimed that he was sleeping, but when he was checked on, he was dead at age 91. The Greater Manchester Police arrested Anusic and Mrs. Jarant for suspicion of failing to give notification of death. They have been released on bail and are to appear in court on June 1. Some reports suggested that Mr. Jarant might already have been dead for 24 hours and that Mrs. Jarant had been trying to smuggle his body back to Germany, where the couple is from, to avoid the considerable expense and hassle of formal repatriation. Both Anusic and Mrs. Jarant said that he was breathing when they left their home in Manchester for the airport. Mr. Jarant suffered from Alzheimer's disease, had been treated for pneumonia in a local hospital and that they had waited until he recovered to go back to Germany. He was wearing sunglasses because he had wanted to shield an unsightly eye from fellow passengers. This sure is an unusual story. It is something that you don't hear of everyday. What Anusic and Mrs. Jarant is saying is very believable. If Mr. Jarant had as many illnesses as the reports said he did, both woman should have been more aware of his health. Being dead for 24 hours is a long time. I was surprised that they didn't know he died in the first place.
At Liverpool John Lennon Airport, three passengers, Willi Jarant, Gitta Jarant and daughter Anke Anusic had a flight to Germany on Saturday. The problem was, Willi Jarant was not breathing. Mrs. Jarant and Anusic claimed that he was sleeping, but when he was checked on, he was dead at age 91. The Greater Manchester Police arrested Anusic and Mrs. Jarant for suspicion of failing to give notification of death. They have been released on bail and are to appear in court on June 1. Some reports suggested that Mr. Jarant might already have been dead for 24 hours and that Mrs. Jarant had been trying to smuggle his body back to Germany, where the couple is from, to avoid the considerable expense and hassle of formal repatriation. Both Anusic and Mrs. Jarant said that he was breathing when they left their home in Manchester for the airport. Mr. Jarant suffered from Alzheimer's disease, had been treated for pneumonia in a local hospital and that they had waited until he recovered to go back to Germany. He was wearing sunglasses because he had wanted to shield an unsightly eye from fellow passengers. This sure is an unusual story. It is something that you don't hear of everyday. What Anusic and Mrs. Jarant is saying is very believable. If Mr. Jarant had as many illnesses as the reports said he did, both woman should have been more aware of his health. Being dead for 24 hours is a long time. I was surprised that they didn't know he died in the first place.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Baseball is back. What will be the standings?
Last night's game between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox starts the MLB season off with a bang. A ferocious game between the hated rivals was over when the last pitch was thrown. Neither team had a right to be comfortable throughout the game. Just ask the Yankees pitching staff who failed to hold a four run lead in the fourth inning and a two run lead in the seventh inning. Even though the Bronx Bombers' bats started out hot, they cooled off in the 8th and 9th innings when it counted. Last night's game showed Bosox fans that their offense is a lot better than they think. Even though they don't have a proven 30 home run hitter, they still have players in the middle of the order that can drive in big runs. You saw that from Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Adrian Beltre and even Marco Scutaro. Beckett didn't pitch a good game last night. I think he had the opening day jitters and he wanted to start his season off by beating the Yankees. His command of the curveball was way out of whack, which led to him relying heavily on his fastball and changeup and the Yankees took full advantage. If there is anyone on the team that I am not worried about this year, it's Beckett. He'll bounce back because that is what good staff aces do. You'll see.
I know that this is late, but I am going to predict the final standings for the baseball season. I will mark down the teams and a brief summary why.
American League East:
1) Red Sox: Three pitchers who have won world series clinching games makes Terry Francona's job that much easier. Good bullpen and their offense will find the big bopper within their organization or by trade. And they can catch the ball
2) Yankees (Wild Card winner): Remember these stats for the World Series champions, C.C. Sabathia pitched over 266 innings, A.J. Burnett pitched over 234 innings and Andy Pettite pitched over 235 innings. That's going to wear them down and the Yankees are going down with them.
3) Rays: Good young arms, a legit closer and a terrific young offense. Competing against the Red Sox and Yankees is going to be too much for them once again.
4) Orioles: They have a great nucleus in Nick Markakis, Matt Wieters and Adam Jones, but the young arms will let them down once again.
5) Blue Jays: Trading the best pitcher in baseball is going to hurt them, but it cuts payroll and it finally leads them to a new direction, sound player development.
American League Central:
1) Twins: Losing Joe Nathan is going to kill their bullpen but they got the arms to fill in the void. Starting pitching will be unpredictable but their offense is lethal and playing in a new outdoor ballpark will fire these guys up.
2) White Sox: Great starting pitching staff led by Jake Peavy and Mark Buerhle but a new transition in their offense my not be enough to win 90 plus games.
3) Tigers: Justin Verlander and Rick Porcello are a scary 1-2 punch, but having two rookies Austin Jackson and Scott Sizemore in the every day lineup is too many outs to risk.
4) Kansas City: They have some great pieces in AL Cy Young winner Zack Grienke, Billy Butler and Joakim Soria. They just don't have anybody else to help them out.
5) Indians: Having Jake Westbrook back should help the young staff. Four players in the starting lineup with two years or less with major league experience will have some road bumps on the offense.
American League West:
1) Mariners: Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee leading a staff would make any fan base pumped up for the season. Adding Milton Bradley is a solid high-risk, high-reward move. With Ken Griffey Jr. in the clubhouse, Bradley will be fine.
2) Texas Rangers: The offense will be a better offensive club this year now that Josh Hamilton will be healthy, Julio Borbon be in the lineup everyday and Elvis Andrus in his second year of development. They have a good bullpen and adding Rich Harden is a bold move.
3) Angels: The departures of Vladimir Guerrero, John Lackey and Chone Figgins are very important names and it will hurt the team. Who will replace them? They have a nice team, but this will be the year that they will have a setback.
4: Athletics: Signing Ben Sheets for $8 million was a big gamble. They have a lot of upside in their starting rotation in Sheets, Brett Anderson, Trevor Cahill, Justin Duchscherer and Dallas Braden. Although, their offense doesn't have enough thump for them to be a threat in the division.
National League East:
1) Phillies: With the addition of Roy Halladay, the Phillies just got a lot scarier. With their uber powerful offense, Halladay will have a chance to win 25 games.
2) Braves (Wild Card winner): Their back end of the bullpen in Takashi Saito and Billy Wagner will be much more dependable than last year. Their starting pitching is among the National League's best and their offense has enough thump to be a major threat to the Phillies.
3) Marlins: Best move of their off-season? Signing Josh Johnson to a long-term extension. With Hanley Ramirez coming off with a batting title, he is evolving into an elite hitter. Their starting rotation is pretty good, but their bullpen terrifies me.
4) Mets: Getting Jason Bay was a good addition, but how will he react to playing in Citi Field? Who will step up behind Johan Santana? Will Francisco Rodriguez bounce back from a 6.75 ERA in the second half?
5) Nationals: Two words, Stephen Strasburg. He will have to wait until June, but he will sell tickets.
National League Central:
1) Cardinals: Any team that has Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright, Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday will always be a world series contender. The question is, can they get there?
2) Cubs: They have the roster to compete. With the departure of Milton Bradley, the clubhouse and the organization is pumped. The problem is, they got Carlos Silva. Talk about lose-lose.
3) Brewers: Adding Randy Wolf will help their rotation a lot. Having an another year of Trevor Hoffman will help their bullpen. They will hit, but their pitching will let them down once again.
4) Reds: They have the pieces to get to the playoffs, but losing Edinson Volquez until August is going to hurt them.
5) Astros: Too many bloated contracts to players out of their primes and the worst farm system in baseball equals total disaster.
6) Andrew McCutchen looks like he will be a superstar. Hopefully they won't trade him for an average veteran player like they usually do. They have no one to protect him either.
National League West:
1) Rockies: This team is loaded with good, young talent. Troy Tulowitzki is back to his elite self, the offense is stacked and Ubaldo Jimenez is a true ace. If they get anything out of Jeff Francis, that would be a major boost.
2) Giants: Two-time NL Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum paired up with Matt Cain will keep any team in a race. Did I forget that their pitching behind them is filthy? Who will step up and help Pablo Sandoval? How will Aaron Rowand perform in the leadoff spot?
3) Dodgers: With Manny Ramirez showing his age and Clayton Kershaw as the only proven starting pitcher, this team could be in a lot of trouble.
4) Diamondbacks: Getting Edwin Jackson was a smart move. With Brandon Webb starting the season on the disabled list, Dan Haren needed someone to back him up and Jackson will rise to the occasion. A.J. Hinch is still an inexperienced manager and will hurt their team. At least they have Justin Upton and Mark Reynolds as their big boppers.
5) Padres: They had a great finish last year winning 37 of their final 62 games. Can they do it again? When will G.M. Jed Hoyer trade Adrian Gonzalez? When will Heath Bell get traded?
I know that this is late, but I am going to predict the final standings for the baseball season. I will mark down the teams and a brief summary why.
American League East:
1) Red Sox: Three pitchers who have won world series clinching games makes Terry Francona's job that much easier. Good bullpen and their offense will find the big bopper within their organization or by trade. And they can catch the ball
2) Yankees (Wild Card winner): Remember these stats for the World Series champions, C.C. Sabathia pitched over 266 innings, A.J. Burnett pitched over 234 innings and Andy Pettite pitched over 235 innings. That's going to wear them down and the Yankees are going down with them.
3) Rays: Good young arms, a legit closer and a terrific young offense. Competing against the Red Sox and Yankees is going to be too much for them once again.
4) Orioles: They have a great nucleus in Nick Markakis, Matt Wieters and Adam Jones, but the young arms will let them down once again.
5) Blue Jays: Trading the best pitcher in baseball is going to hurt them, but it cuts payroll and it finally leads them to a new direction, sound player development.
American League Central:
1) Twins: Losing Joe Nathan is going to kill their bullpen but they got the arms to fill in the void. Starting pitching will be unpredictable but their offense is lethal and playing in a new outdoor ballpark will fire these guys up.
2) White Sox: Great starting pitching staff led by Jake Peavy and Mark Buerhle but a new transition in their offense my not be enough to win 90 plus games.
3) Tigers: Justin Verlander and Rick Porcello are a scary 1-2 punch, but having two rookies Austin Jackson and Scott Sizemore in the every day lineup is too many outs to risk.
4) Kansas City: They have some great pieces in AL Cy Young winner Zack Grienke, Billy Butler and Joakim Soria. They just don't have anybody else to help them out.
5) Indians: Having Jake Westbrook back should help the young staff. Four players in the starting lineup with two years or less with major league experience will have some road bumps on the offense.
American League West:
1) Mariners: Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee leading a staff would make any fan base pumped up for the season. Adding Milton Bradley is a solid high-risk, high-reward move. With Ken Griffey Jr. in the clubhouse, Bradley will be fine.
2) Texas Rangers: The offense will be a better offensive club this year now that Josh Hamilton will be healthy, Julio Borbon be in the lineup everyday and Elvis Andrus in his second year of development. They have a good bullpen and adding Rich Harden is a bold move.
3) Angels: The departures of Vladimir Guerrero, John Lackey and Chone Figgins are very important names and it will hurt the team. Who will replace them? They have a nice team, but this will be the year that they will have a setback.
4: Athletics: Signing Ben Sheets for $8 million was a big gamble. They have a lot of upside in their starting rotation in Sheets, Brett Anderson, Trevor Cahill, Justin Duchscherer and Dallas Braden. Although, their offense doesn't have enough thump for them to be a threat in the division.
National League East:
1) Phillies: With the addition of Roy Halladay, the Phillies just got a lot scarier. With their uber powerful offense, Halladay will have a chance to win 25 games.
2) Braves (Wild Card winner): Their back end of the bullpen in Takashi Saito and Billy Wagner will be much more dependable than last year. Their starting pitching is among the National League's best and their offense has enough thump to be a major threat to the Phillies.
3) Marlins: Best move of their off-season? Signing Josh Johnson to a long-term extension. With Hanley Ramirez coming off with a batting title, he is evolving into an elite hitter. Their starting rotation is pretty good, but their bullpen terrifies me.
4) Mets: Getting Jason Bay was a good addition, but how will he react to playing in Citi Field? Who will step up behind Johan Santana? Will Francisco Rodriguez bounce back from a 6.75 ERA in the second half?
5) Nationals: Two words, Stephen Strasburg. He will have to wait until June, but he will sell tickets.
National League Central:
1) Cardinals: Any team that has Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright, Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday will always be a world series contender. The question is, can they get there?
2) Cubs: They have the roster to compete. With the departure of Milton Bradley, the clubhouse and the organization is pumped. The problem is, they got Carlos Silva. Talk about lose-lose.
3) Brewers: Adding Randy Wolf will help their rotation a lot. Having an another year of Trevor Hoffman will help their bullpen. They will hit, but their pitching will let them down once again.
4) Reds: They have the pieces to get to the playoffs, but losing Edinson Volquez until August is going to hurt them.
5) Astros: Too many bloated contracts to players out of their primes and the worst farm system in baseball equals total disaster.
6) Andrew McCutchen looks like he will be a superstar. Hopefully they won't trade him for an average veteran player like they usually do. They have no one to protect him either.
National League West:
1) Rockies: This team is loaded with good, young talent. Troy Tulowitzki is back to his elite self, the offense is stacked and Ubaldo Jimenez is a true ace. If they get anything out of Jeff Francis, that would be a major boost.
2) Giants: Two-time NL Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum paired up with Matt Cain will keep any team in a race. Did I forget that their pitching behind them is filthy? Who will step up and help Pablo Sandoval? How will Aaron Rowand perform in the leadoff spot?
3) Dodgers: With Manny Ramirez showing his age and Clayton Kershaw as the only proven starting pitcher, this team could be in a lot of trouble.
4) Diamondbacks: Getting Edwin Jackson was a smart move. With Brandon Webb starting the season on the disabled list, Dan Haren needed someone to back him up and Jackson will rise to the occasion. A.J. Hinch is still an inexperienced manager and will hurt their team. At least they have Justin Upton and Mark Reynolds as their big boppers.
5) Padres: They had a great finish last year winning 37 of their final 62 games. Can they do it again? When will G.M. Jed Hoyer trade Adrian Gonzalez? When will Heath Bell get traded?
Friday, April 2, 2010
Back in good spirits
Is it me or does time go faster ever year? It is now April, which means there will be a lot of showers to bring May flowers, yuck. This was one of the best weeks that I have had this semester. I got all of my work done that I needed to do, I went to the gym with Melissa Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, I got to see all of my friends that I wanted to see and I was productive. It was a great week because I came back in good spirits. For a long time I felt down on myself. I shouldn't have been because I am going to a great school, I am performing well in school, I have great friends who care about me and I have the best family support in the world. For such a long time I felt that I wasn't myself. I was grouchy, cynical and very sarcastic to a lot of my friends and they didn't deserve that from me. Going home last weekend was the best thing for me. I didn't go home all semester and I really missed it. I got to see some of my family and friends and it was great to see them all. I went to the movies, I went to Boston and I hung out with my friends I just needed to go back and figure things out and I felt like I did.
I am actually back home again this weekend for Easter. It is easily my favorite holiday because Jesus resurrected from the dead three days after his crucifixion and there is a lot of candy. I did not get a chance to celebrate Easter with my family last year because I was in Scotland. That was the hardest part for me being abroad last year knowing that I couldn't celebrate holidays with my family. But now I am back in the 'States this year with my family and I am very excited about it. Another significant thing about Easter this year is the first game of the baseball season headlined by the Red Sox and Yankees. Having the best rivalry in sports to kick off the baseball season was a wise choice by the MLB committee. This weekend should bring a lot of festivities. I am going to Boston tonight for my brother's ex-girlfriend's 21st birthday party. It has been a while since I have made fun of her, so I have to prepare for insults, just kidding. Tomorrow I am going to my grandmother's house for Easter dinner and then watching the Final Four tomorrow night. On Sunday my dad is going to have an Easter party which most of my family will be coming. My dad will drive me back to UNH in time to watch the baseball game. I do have to study for a test that is on Tuesday, but that can wait. This is going to be the best weekend of the semester, I can feel it.
I am actually back home again this weekend for Easter. It is easily my favorite holiday because Jesus resurrected from the dead three days after his crucifixion and there is a lot of candy. I did not get a chance to celebrate Easter with my family last year because I was in Scotland. That was the hardest part for me being abroad last year knowing that I couldn't celebrate holidays with my family. But now I am back in the 'States this year with my family and I am very excited about it. Another significant thing about Easter this year is the first game of the baseball season headlined by the Red Sox and Yankees. Having the best rivalry in sports to kick off the baseball season was a wise choice by the MLB committee. This weekend should bring a lot of festivities. I am going to Boston tonight for my brother's ex-girlfriend's 21st birthday party. It has been a while since I have made fun of her, so I have to prepare for insults, just kidding. Tomorrow I am going to my grandmother's house for Easter dinner and then watching the Final Four tomorrow night. On Sunday my dad is going to have an Easter party which most of my family will be coming. My dad will drive me back to UNH in time to watch the baseball game. I do have to study for a test that is on Tuesday, but that can wait. This is going to be the best weekend of the semester, I can feel it.
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