Blazer Believer

Those of you who know me know that I am many things; a gamer, a Japanophile, a greasy wop, an エセ外人, a powerhouse in the paint, an educator, etc. But chief amongst these things is without question "a Blazer fan." Now, I'm no sports writer, but still I feel compelled to say a few things.

First, yes I am pained greatly by the temporary loss of Greg Oden. Key word: TEMPORARY. However, it has done next to nothing in terms of damaging my hopes for the season. People seem to forget that this house was being built before he even stepped in the door. Even if Oden came in and performed to every one's expectations, it was still going to be Lamarcus' scoring that carries the team. As such, everyone just needs to take a breath, and wait a bit longer. That and pray we work on our fast break offense and defensive boards. That and Bust a Bucket.

Second, though a bit unrelated, I would like to address the so-called "fair weather fans." I use quotations here because I do not accept the validity of this term. It is inherently contradictory and thus invalid terminology. You see, a fan isn't someone who likes a certain team. A fan is someone who needs their team, and in return is needed by the team. Becoming a fan is strikingly similar to entering into a symbiotic relationship. While it is not for me to say which is the host, it is clearly a relationship of mutual reciprocation. A fan lives and dies with the ups and downs of his team. A fan will risk the sometimes-life-threatening repercussions of scorning a lover by choosing to watch the game rather than spend time with him/her. A fan has broken at least one of his own personal possessions as a result of his team's misfortunes (or at least seriously considered it). A fan shun and even refuse to acknowledge the existence of another human simply for being a fan of a rival team (read: Lakers fan).

A fan doesn't need to know stats or numbers, though. They simply need to have that love, that connection, with their team. So I ask you all: Are are you a fan, or are you just watching the game?



Bust a Bucket who'd a dunk it Blazer duty Super sunk it Slamn' Geez it Killer Three's it go up get got it good

A Mystery Unravelled

There's something about October that makes me want to fling money away like an angry monkey and his, well, you know. In one month alone I have purchased a car, a Playstation 3, and plenty of new software. All that aside, my most prized purchase has to be my new TV. 34 inches of high definition 1080i LCD glory. Though the pictures hardly do it justice, go ahead a take a gander. I've placed a standard DVD case in the picture to give some size perspective.



The real issue here, however, is not how great the device itself is but rather how much is cost: a mere $650 at the used electronics shop. I use the term "used" loosely, because as anyone who has lived in Japan a "used" item would pass for fresh off the factory line in America. A quick trip to Amazon.com shows that this guy's little brother, a 32 inch 720p LCD still goes for $800, or $670 slightly used. Though the riddle of why this particular unit was so cheap bothered me for several days, I had just about given in to the idea that it was just pure luck when the answer presented itself.

While talking to a coworker I mentioned in passing how great a deal I thought I had gotten, at which point she inquired as to the brand of the TV. "Samsung," I replied. "Sam-san? Your friend makes TVs?" Long story short, apparently Samsung doesn't carry the brand recognition here that it does in America. After asking around, I eventually figured it out. Remember earlier when I was describing the TV? Well, I left out one important adjective. What I should have said was: 34 inches of Korean high definition 1080i LCD glory. Yes, that's right. Who knew that the ethnicity of a TV set mattered? I mean, come on Japan, judging people by the color of their skin is one thing, but a TV? Are her images not just as crisp and vivid? If you prick her, does she not leak some form of liquid crystals? I was reminded of the time when my host-father told me that the reason no one eats at the Lotteria burger chain was "Because it's owned by Koreans." But really, who am I to complain? If Japanese industrial jingoism leads to me getting a dirt cheap, cutting edge TV for half the price of a Sony, what's wrong with that?



In my mind and in my car, we can't rewind we've gone too far.

Creative Differences

I'd like to briefly discuss an incident I had last week during one of my middle school classes. The activity of the day was the standard affair: The students were to listen to me dictate a description of a picture I was looking at and attempt to recreate it themselves. The picture was supposed to be of a young girl dressed as a cowboy swinging a rope in front of a house while her little puppy romps around playfully and her grandpa watches lazily from the porch (a bit Rockwellian, actually). Well, among the more creative entries was this beauty. I'm sure he must have had some other things going on in his head. Maybe he'd just seen Superbad one too many times. I really have nothing else to say, as no words can really do it justice. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then I'm pretty sure most of this one's aren't suitable for children. And without further ado, I present you, Yamato's magnum opus in all its glory.

I dub thee...Penisaurus Dix!