<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23533153</id><updated>2009-12-24T03:15:58.321-05:00</updated><title type='text'>The Life of Brian</title><subtitle type='html'></subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><link rel='next' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default?start-index=26&amp;max-results=25'/><author><name>Brian</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10232696045746102419</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>352</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23533153.post-4228847781215115944</id><published>2009-12-23T15:30:00.005-05:00</published><updated>2009-12-23T15:50:43.724-05:00</updated><title type='text'>On Christmas...</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SzKB1SN8iwI/AAAAAAAABGY/FTZJ4GURDWs/s1600-h/christmastree.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SzKB1SN8iwI/AAAAAAAABGY/FTZJ4GURDWs/s400/christmastree.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418536054103509762" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;It's been well documented on here that I love Christmas.  From the songs, to the movies, to the presents, what's not to love?  However, the reason I love Christmas so much has changed as I've gotten older.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I'll be honest, when I was younger my favorite thing about Christmas was getting presents...in fact I still love getting presents.  But, once my older brother went away to college, Christmas changed for me.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When Ben went away, I loved Christmas so much because it meant he was home for 2 weeks or so.  Not only was he home, but he didn't have anything to do...so we got to hang out large amounts of the time and play video games, watch movies, etc.  It was awesome having him around.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Then, once Ben was set to move back to Louisville...I moved to Danville.  So Christmas was once again wonderful because I got to come home and be with family and friends and enjoy being home.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Finally, now I've moved back home...but Taylor is away for most of the year.  Not at Christmas though.  She's home now and she will be for almost 2 more weeks.  It's wonderful.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Christmas is so great to me because I get to be with all my loved ones.  Even my Aunts, Uncles and cousins who I don't see nearly enough, on christmas...we're all together and happy (even if I have to deal with some UK fans).  For a few days, we're all in good spirits and anything that may have caused friction suddenly doesn't seem to matter.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Growing up and going to Catholic School our teachers always drilled it into our brains that Jesus was the reason for the season and it's the birth of Jesus that's the true meaning of Christmas.  While, I agree that's true...I honestly think Christmas has a different meaning to everyone.  For me, Christmas means being surrounded by loved ones, celebrating life and just being happy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So, while the presents, songs, movies and cookies all make the season more fun...for me, it's the people that make it my favorite time of the year.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I'm off now to go enjoy my favorite stretch of days in the whole year.  I hope each and everyone of you enjoy the next few days.  Be safe and be happy!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And finally, I'd like to wish you all a very:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);font-size:180%;" &gt;MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Song of the Day: Joy To The World&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23533153-4228847781215115944?l=brianusell.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/feeds/4228847781215115944/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=23533153&amp;postID=4228847781215115944' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/4228847781215115944'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/4228847781215115944'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/2009/12/on-christmas.html' title='On Christmas...'/><author><name>Brian</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10232696045746102419</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='01125513509754153352'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SzKB1SN8iwI/AAAAAAAABGY/FTZJ4GURDWs/s72-c/christmastree.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23533153.post-5243768435272114662</id><published>2009-12-22T15:14:00.003-05:00</published><updated>2009-12-22T15:37:39.100-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Tuesday Tidbits...</title><content type='html'>I don't care what your &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&gt;mamma&lt;/span&gt; says, tidbit time is near...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* C-R-A-P-B-A-G-S! GO BAGS GO! After a weird regular season, the Bags got hot at the right time and earned a 4 seed in the playoffs.  Then, by some Christmas miracle...Ben &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"&gt;Roethlisberger&lt;/span&gt; was left on the Bags' opponent's bench and the &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"&gt;CrapBags&lt;/span&gt; found a way to win again!  Now, the Bags will play in their third title game in three years!  Plus, we'll have a chance at some revenge this year too!  Go Bags!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* The &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"&gt;Juwanna&lt;/span&gt; Men went 3-0 this past week.  Now, they lead the league by 7 games.  If I pull off a Fantasy Football and a Fantasy Basketball championship, I think I'm a front runner for fantasy coach of the year.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Has anyone seen the Target commercial where the Dad and his son are making their own socks that form to their feet?  I can't find it online anywhere, but it's hilarious.  When the little boy tries to walk at the end, I crack up every time.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Here's some Christmas awesomeness from Jimmy Fallon, Horatio &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"&gt;Sanz&lt;/span&gt;, The Roots and the Strokes' Julian &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"&gt;Casablancas&lt;/span&gt;:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;object height="285" width="410"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/en2cXWkwTBHQki_yhHJRCA"&gt;&lt;param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/en2cXWkwTBHQki_yhHJRCA" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="285" width="410"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I love the Strokes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Also, here's my winner for "Best Christmas Lights 2009":&lt;br /&gt;&lt;object height="285" width="410"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bXjbMIZzAgs&amp;amp;hl=en_US&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp;color1=0x5d1719&amp;amp;color2=0xcd311b&amp;amp;border=1"&gt;&lt;param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"&gt;&lt;param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bXjbMIZzAgs&amp;amp;hl=en_US&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp;color1=0x5d1719&amp;amp;color2=0xcd311b&amp;amp;border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="285" width="410"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sadly, that kid also won the "2009 Least Likely to Score New Year's Eve Date" award as well.  Sigh, you win some...you lose some.  Still pretty cool though.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* This past weekend, the Cards actually looked like a team that knows how to play basketball!  Here are some highlights:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;object height="285" width="410"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9QIlmcjglLk&amp;amp;hl=en_US&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp;color1=0x5d1719&amp;amp;color2=0xcd311b&amp;amp;border=1"&gt;&lt;param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"&gt;&lt;param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9QIlmcjglLk&amp;amp;hl=en_US&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp;color1=0x5d1719&amp;amp;color2=0xcd311b&amp;amp;border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="285" width="410"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Of course, just when things were looking up, it was announced today that Terrence Jennings will be suspended one game because of a violation of team rules.  However, The Card Chronicle is claiming that the suspension might actually be because of his decision to wear this shirt in public:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SzEs0WuO92I/AAAAAAAABGI/RI5Z7KBPxQY/s1600-h/TJ.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SzEs0WuO92I/AAAAAAAABGI/RI5Z7KBPxQY/s400/TJ.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418161104667735906" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;For crying out loud.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Finally, today is the beginning of my Christmas celebrations. I look forward to these few days all year and I'm sure some of you do as well.  So, in case your festivities begin today, I want to go ahead and wish you all a Merry Christmas!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Song of the Day: Otis &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"&gt;Redding&lt;/span&gt; - White Christmas&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23533153-5243768435272114662?l=brianusell.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/feeds/5243768435272114662/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=23533153&amp;postID=5243768435272114662' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/5243768435272114662'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/5243768435272114662'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/2009/12/tuesday-tidbits_22.html' title='Tuesday Tidbits...'/><author><name>Brian</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10232696045746102419</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='01125513509754153352'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SzEs0WuO92I/AAAAAAAABGI/RI5Z7KBPxQY/s72-c/TJ.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23533153.post-2286678562149665731</id><published>2009-12-21T16:11:00.002-05:00</published><updated>2009-12-21T16:27:51.872-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Christmas Week!</title><content type='html'>Good Monday Gang!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;How is everyone?  Good Weekends?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My time in Charleston was great, visiting with Taylor and Christmas shopping took up most of the time.  Friday we drove home through a ridiculous blizzard.  It sucked.  I'm not lying to you when I say that it either rained or snowed the entire time we were driving and the usual 9 hour drive took us 14 hours...it was grand.  But, we're here now and we're safe!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Saturday Taylor, &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&gt;Lautaro&lt;/span&gt; and I traveled to Murray, KY to visit Will's home town.  Danielle and Roy Lee came along and we enjoyed seeing Will's home town and dining at the Big Apple Cafe.  Also, &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"&gt;Laut&lt;/span&gt;, Taylor and I beat the other three in a gingerbread house contest.  Boom!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Yesterday was a day of relaxing and such to get ready for this week!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This week always is my favorite week of the year.  Lots of fun, food, smiles, and booze!  Here's how my week is looking.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Today:&lt;br /&gt;Finish Christmas shopping, possibly go see "Fantastic Mr. Fox"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Tomorrow: Drinks with Mom and Ben to celebrate &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"&gt;Pop's&lt;/span&gt; birthday after work.  Followed, by Christmas with my step-mom's family.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Wednesday: Dinner with much of the &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"&gt;fam&lt;/span&gt; for my grandma's birthday.  &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"&gt;UofL&lt;/span&gt; vs. LA &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"&gt;Laf&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Thursday: Christmas Eve.  See the &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"&gt;fam&lt;/span&gt;, wear &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"&gt;Christmas&lt;/span&gt; sweater, open a present or two, watch Christmas Story while I try to fall asleep...hoping Santa will be good to me.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Friday: CHRISTMAS!  Open presents, give presents, play with new toys, visit with family, have a few holiday cocktails, be merry.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Saturday: Sadness sets in.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sunday: Sleep.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There's obviously much much more to this week, but that's the Cliff's notes.  Anyway, I'm excited for Christmas week to be here and I hope all of you have wonderful holidays as well.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Merry Christmas Week!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Song of the Day: Frank Sinatra - The Christmas Waltz&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23533153-2286678562149665731?l=brianusell.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/feeds/2286678562149665731/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=23533153&amp;postID=2286678562149665731' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/2286678562149665731'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/2286678562149665731'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/2009/12/christmas-week.html' title='Christmas Week!'/><author><name>Brian</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10232696045746102419</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='01125513509754153352'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23533153.post-5302654906811462098</id><published>2009-12-16T16:33:00.002-05:00</published><updated>2009-12-16T16:39:00.348-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Charleston!</title><content type='html'>Hey gang, I just got into Charleston about a half hour ago.  It's sunny and about 60 degrees!  My flights were pretty good and right on time.&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Also, a memo to Santa...&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;I hope you bring the gentleman next to me on my first flight a stick of deodorant...for &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&gt;everyone's&lt;/span&gt; sake.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;In addition, if you could bring the chick in front of me on my second flight a dictionary, textbook or muzzle...I'd appreciate it.  Super loud, super dumb.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;But yeah, other then that it was a great trip.  Taylor and I are off to a couple Holiday parties in a bit...&lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"&gt;tis&lt;/span&gt; the season.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Probably won't post again until Monday, so have a great weekend.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Song of the Day: Leon &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"&gt;Redbone&lt;/span&gt; - Christmas Island&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23533153-5302654906811462098?l=brianusell.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/feeds/5302654906811462098/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=23533153&amp;postID=5302654906811462098' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/5302654906811462098'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/5302654906811462098'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/2009/12/charleston.html' title='Charleston!'/><author><name>Brian</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10232696045746102419</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='01125513509754153352'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23533153.post-6041570664264784663</id><published>2009-12-15T15:14:00.003-05:00</published><updated>2009-12-15T16:01:34.148-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Tuesday Tidbits...</title><content type='html'>Oh yes we need a little tidbits, right this very minute...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Playoffs?  You want to talk about Playoffs? Playoffs, you kidding me?  Yes, it's true...the &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&gt;CrapBags&lt;/span&gt; continued they're magical run by dashing past the &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"&gt;Zuckercorns&lt;/span&gt;, grabbing the tie breaker over the Chain Gang and securing the fourth and final playoff spot.  Ryan Grant and Andre Johnson got us off to a hot start and Frank Gore closed the deal.  Also, I made the decision, which paid off, to sit Tom Brady.  It needed to be done.  He'll be back in the starting spot for the playoffs though.  Go Bags!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* The &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"&gt;Juwanna&lt;/span&gt; Men took 3 out of 3 from the second place &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"&gt;Monstars&lt;/span&gt; in the fantasy basketball league.  It's early in the season, but we already have a 6 point lead and &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"&gt;Lebron&lt;/span&gt;, Nash, T-Will and company don't appear to be letting up anytime soon.  I smell dynasty.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* I got Chinese food from the egg roll machine last night for dinner and it was the best Chinese food I've ever had.  I don't know why it tasted so good, but it was unbelievable.  Just thought I'd share.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* So I watched part of this "Sing Off" show last night and it was awful.  It's like an American Idol show, but the contestants are all A Capella groups.  The reason I watched was because Ben Folds is a judge along with the Pussy Cat Dolls girl and the skinny dude from &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"&gt;Boyz&lt;/span&gt; II Men.  For the record, Ben Folds is the best judge I've ever seen on a show like this, he uses real musical terms to analyze the performances and gives honest and useful feedback.  The same can't be said for the Pussy Cat Doll who often &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"&gt;referred&lt;/span&gt; to the songs as "dope" and kept stating her amazement that there were no instruments....in an A Capella competition.  Good to know she's a more famous "musician" then Ben Folds.  Sometimes I hate America.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* 23 days and it's back to school for me...crazy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Can we all agree that this commercial is hilarious:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;object height="285" width="410"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NjMUfIKktWU&amp;amp;hl=en_US&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp;color1=0x5d1719&amp;amp;color2=0xcd311b&amp;amp;border=1"&gt;&lt;param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"&gt;&lt;param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NjMUfIKktWU&amp;amp;hl=en_US&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp;color1=0x5d1719&amp;amp;color2=0xcd311b&amp;amp;border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="285" width="410"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The first couple times I saw it I feared it would eventually get on my nerves, but now I laugh uncontrollably every time I see it.  Also, I say "You're Tire's all flat 'n junk" and "Cause I'm a pot hole....&lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"&gt;Soooooooooo&lt;/span&gt;" at least 20 times a day.  I love it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Remember No-Shave November?  Remember how I had to scrap it like two weeks in?  Well, without telling you guys...I've been having No-Shave November/December and my month was complete two days ago.  Here's the damage that was done in a month:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/Syfz22V8tYI/AAAAAAAABGA/MSt6mO6WEgc/s1600-h/100_1000.JPG"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/Syfz22V8tYI/AAAAAAAABGA/MSt6mO6WEgc/s400/100_1000.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415565200562369922" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Not bad, eh?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* I love Christmas shopping.  Well, I love doing it when I know what I'm going after and I get it.  There's something about the rush that I get when I just spend tons of money in a short period of time...it's crazy.  A few more things and I'll be done.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* &lt;a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger"&gt;Roy Williams is a pansy&lt;/a&gt;.  Apparently, during the second half of &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"&gt;UNC's&lt;/span&gt; 30 point win over Presbyterian, a fan for Presbyterian yelled, "Hey Dion, don't miss it!" while Dion Thompson, of &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"&gt;UNC&lt;/span&gt;, was shooting a meaningless free-throw in front of the home &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"&gt;UNC&lt;/span&gt; crowd.  Roy Williams immediately turned around, pointed out the fan and had security kick him out.  Are you kidding me?  That's the nicest heckle of all time!  As it turns out, good &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11"&gt;ol&lt;/span&gt;' Roy just doesn't want anyone to pick on his players because this is what he said, "I don't think anybody should yell anything negative at our players. Period. Let's don't make it a bigger thing than it is. But I just don't think anybody should yell negative things toward our players"  Get a grip Roy, you're a great coach but come on, that's awful!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Is anyone else just &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12"&gt;completely&lt;/span&gt; blown away when realizing that 2010 is just over 2 weeks away?  It's so crazy.  I mean 2010!  Where the hell are my flying cars!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Off to Charleston tomorrow and then back on Friday, it's gonna be great!  These next 2+ weeks are always such a whirlwind and this year that will &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13"&gt;definitely&lt;/span&gt; be the case.  However, it's the best stretch of the whole year!  I can't wait!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Song of the Day: Ray Charles - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23533153-6041570664264784663?l=brianusell.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/feeds/6041570664264784663/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=23533153&amp;postID=6041570664264784663' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/6041570664264784663'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/6041570664264784663'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/2009/12/tuesday-tidbits_15.html' title='Tuesday Tidbits...'/><author><name>Brian</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10232696045746102419</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='01125513509754153352'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/Syfz22V8tYI/AAAAAAAABGA/MSt6mO6WEgc/s72-c/100_1000.JPG' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23533153.post-1728087810366529293</id><published>2009-12-14T16:21:00.003-05:00</published><updated>2009-12-14T16:36:10.549-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Weekend Recap</title><content type='html'>Alright, let's recap the weekend and look ahead at what this week has in store.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Weekend:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Friday night was my work Christmas party and I have to say I had a good time.  Free booze never hurts.  Also, I got to know some co-workers a little better.  Good times.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Saturday I went to the &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&gt;UofL&lt;/span&gt; game.  Ugh.  We're a young team that has lost all of our confidence, it's not looking good.  I'm not giving up on the team, like lots of people around here...but if we don't start playing better, Christmas is cancelled. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* I watched It's a Wonderful Life on Saturday night.  It's kind of embarrassing that I've never seen it before, especially because it's so &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"&gt;friggin&lt;/span&gt;' fantastic.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Yesterday was filled with football watching, wing eating, and Christmas cheer.  I got some more decorations from my mom and began getting together the &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"&gt;Chrismix&lt;/span&gt; for this year.  Also, the &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"&gt;CrapBags&lt;/span&gt; won this week, but need a big night from Frank Gore and a quiet night from Vernon Davis and the Cardinals defense if we want to make the playoffs.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* The Muffin tray has been delivered at work!  Each year clients send us gifts at the firm.  We get lots of fruit baskets and cookies...but nothing is better then the mini-muffin tray...and it came today.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This Week:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Tonight I'm going to do some Christmas shopping after work, mainly because I haven't bought any presents yet.  It's simply something that must be done.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Tomorrow, I have a guitar lesson and then I might have to do some more Christmas shopping.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Wednesday, I'm flying down to Charleston.  Woo-&lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"&gt;hoo&lt;/span&gt;!  Also, the Cards are playing Oral Roberts...if they don't win I'm going to the nearest mall to kidnap Santa.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Thursday, Christmas shopping and Christmas parties in Charleston.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Friday, Taylor and I will drive home for the Holidays.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Saturday, Taylor, &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"&gt;Lautaro&lt;/span&gt; and I will head to Murray, KY for some Christmas fun with the college gang.  &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"&gt;UofL&lt;/span&gt; plays &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"&gt;WKU&lt;/span&gt;.  If the Cards lose, I'm going to tell everyone what they're getting for Christmas.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Sunday, Christmas at my Step-Mom's family.  Unless &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"&gt;UofL&lt;/span&gt; loses, in which case that will be called off....by me.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As you can see, it's all happening!  Now, I hope everyone is getting in the Christmas Spirit because you've only got 11 more days, then you'll have to wait a whole year. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Merry Christmas!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Song of the Day: The Irish Rovers - Christmas in &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"&gt;Killarney&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23533153-1728087810366529293?l=brianusell.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/feeds/1728087810366529293/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=23533153&amp;postID=1728087810366529293' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/1728087810366529293'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/1728087810366529293'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/2009/12/weekend-recap.html' title='Weekend Recap'/><author><name>Brian</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10232696045746102419</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='01125513509754153352'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23533153.post-2860587883143746217</id><published>2009-12-11T16:26:00.004-05:00</published><updated>2009-12-11T16:41:40.863-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Friday Festive Facts...</title><content type='html'>Flip-Flip-Flip-&lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&gt;adelphia&lt;/span&gt;!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;1.) I can't stop saying "Flip-Flip-Flip-&lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"&gt;adelphia&lt;/span&gt;" and doing the Charlie flip dance.  If you didn't watch last night's season finale of "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" you missed out.  You think you’re wicked awesome doing that, and how about them apples, and all that garden wood business?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;2.) Preston and Peyton are back in for the Cards!  We get two guards back and Jerry's return should be soon, but George &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"&gt;Goode&lt;/span&gt; appears to be done for the season now.  Someone give me a &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"&gt;friggin&lt;/span&gt;' break.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;3.) I'm going to my work Christmas party tonight. I'm not really sure how to feel about it.  It could be lots of fun or it could be one of those things where you just wonder how long you have to stay before you can leave without hurting &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"&gt;anyone's&lt;/span&gt; feelings.  There are some pretty fun people at work though, so it should be pretty fun.  Plus, I'm not driving.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;4.) I'm having an awful time Christmas shopping this year.  Usually, I think of some really good gifts for people and I enjoy going out and getting them.  This year...I've got nothing.  The gifts I end up getting will be good and the folks on the &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"&gt;receiving&lt;/span&gt; end will like them, but I'm just not thrilled with any of my ideas.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;5.) Flip-Flip-Flip-&lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"&gt;adelphia&lt;/span&gt;!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;6.) Charlie Strong is my hero.  One day on the job and he locks up the #1 recruit in the state (4 star QB from Seneca).  He's apparently going to be at the basketball game tomorrow and so will I...if security isn't too tight, I'm gonna try to touch him.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;7.) It's a Wonderful Life, White Christmas, Holiday Inn, Rudolph and Charlie Brown are all movies that will be watched by me this weekend.  I better get on it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;8.) I've cast another role in my movie.  Bret McKenzie as &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"&gt;Lautaro&lt;/span&gt;:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SyK75Y4GBRI/AAAAAAAABF4/yczoCwsKG44/s1600-h/Bret.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 251px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SyK75Y4GBRI/AAAAAAAABF4/yczoCwsKG44/s400/Bret.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414096296657421586" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;9.) The &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"&gt;CrapBags&lt;/span&gt; must win this weekend for any shot at the playoffs.  In Tom we trust!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;10.) Have a great weekend all!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Song of the Day: Frank Sinatra - I Believe&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23533153-2860587883143746217?l=brianusell.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/feeds/2860587883143746217/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=23533153&amp;postID=2860587883143746217' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/2860587883143746217'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/2860587883143746217'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/2009/12/friday-festive-facts.html' title='Friday Festive Facts...'/><author><name>Brian</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10232696045746102419</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='01125513509754153352'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SyK75Y4GBRI/AAAAAAAABF4/yczoCwsKG44/s72-c/Bret.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23533153.post-8450455152995965693</id><published>2009-12-10T15:59:00.004-05:00</published><updated>2009-12-10T17:21:15.370-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Sports, sports, sports...</title><content type='html'>As you guys know, I love sports. They're kinda my thing. So, today I thought I'd just catch everyone up on my thoughts on different sports news.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* There is really no telling how Charlie Strong will do as the Cards Football coach, but things got off to a fantastic start yesterday.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SyFjKaPaQpI/AAAAAAAABFw/tGVgSIWqMOs/s1600-h/charliesmile.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413717257569845906" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SyFjKaPaQpI/AAAAAAAABFw/tGVgSIWqMOs/s400/charliesmile.jpg" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;The Cardinal football program is getting a lot of &lt;a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&amp;amp;id=4730681"&gt;good press&lt;/a&gt; around the nation...and that hasn't happened for quite some time.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* With the hiring of a new head coach...the 2009 NCAA football season is officially over as far as I'm concerned. Even though I'll watch a bowl game or two...I hate them. College Football drives me crazy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* So the talk of the College Basketball world these days is John Wall. He's a freshman for UK, you've probably heard about him. Let me go ahead and just say, the kid is a damn good. I'm not going to crown him the next Michael Jordan, but that kid has loads of talent and as much as I hate UK and him (because he goes to UK)...he really is fun to watch.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Now that I've admitted that John Wall (a UK player) is pretty bad ass...I want to take care of two things:&lt;br /&gt;1.) A quick memo to UK fans: If I pay your player a compliment...the correct thing to say is, "yeah, he's something else, isn't he?" or something like that. In no way should this turn into you bashing my team and explaining to me why I'm somehow jealous of you and your team. I know &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error"&gt;UofL&lt;/span&gt; has bad fans too and I know not all UK fans are bad...but honestly, stop being such annoying morons. Deal? Deal.&lt;br /&gt;2.) Since I've admitted that John Wall is a helluva basketball player, can we all admit that "the John Wall dance" is really stupid and in reality, John Wall is a pretty crappy dancer (assuming that's the best he's got). For those of you that don't know, John Wall did this "fist twist" move earlier in the year and now it's "sweeping the nation." I actually looked at the &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error"&gt;Facebook&lt;/span&gt; group/page for "The John Wall Dance" the other day, just to see if I was missing something and there's this post about how some dude on the TV show "Cougar Town" was playing basketball and did the John Wall Dance afterward. I mean really? Cougar Town? I'm not trying to hate because, like I said, Wall is a great player...but when people start bragging about a fist move (I won't call it a dance) on Cougar Town...well I think that we should probably put the trend to rest. However, if Don Draper does the "John Wall Dance" on the next season of Mad Men...I'll take back what I said and admit that it's pretty cool.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* It's been decided that Steve Nash is my favorite NBA player. I'd like to say that &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error"&gt;Lebron&lt;/span&gt; James is my favorite, but he's been kind of a punk lately. He's constantly dancing on the court and doing things to show the other team up...I mean, he's the best player in the world...there's no need to dance. Also, Steve Nash not only likes to help others, but he's also hilarious:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;object width="410" height="285"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZEB9a6boK3A&amp;amp;color1=0xb1b1b1&amp;amp;color2=0xcfcfcf&amp;amp;hl=en_US&amp;amp;feature=player_embedded&amp;amp;fs=1"&gt;&lt;param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"&gt;&lt;param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZEB9a6boK3A&amp;amp;color1=0xb1b1b1&amp;amp;color2=0xcfcfcf&amp;amp;hl=en_US&amp;amp;feature=player_embedded&amp;amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="285" width="410"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;object width="410" height="285"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_zcE1q4J7PQ&amp;amp;color1=0xb1b1b1&amp;amp;color2=0xcfcfcf&amp;amp;hl=en_US&amp;amp;feature=player_embedded&amp;amp;fs=1"&gt;&lt;param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"&gt;&lt;param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_zcE1q4J7PQ&amp;amp;color1=0xb1b1b1&amp;amp;color2=0xcfcfcf&amp;amp;hl=en_US&amp;amp;feature=player_embedded&amp;amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="285" width="410"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;object width="410" height="285"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wb4lkUvxdhE&amp;amp;color1=0xb1b1b1&amp;amp;color2=0xcfcfcf&amp;amp;hl=en_US&amp;amp;feature=player_embedded&amp;amp;fs=1"&gt;&lt;param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"&gt;&lt;param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wb4lkUvxdhE&amp;amp;color1=0xb1b1b1&amp;amp;color2=0xcfcfcf&amp;amp;hl=en_US&amp;amp;feature=player_embedded&amp;amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="285" width="410"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Dick &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error"&gt;Vitale&lt;/span&gt; is an idiot. I used to really love Dick &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error"&gt;Vitale&lt;/span&gt;. I thought his passion for the game was unmatched and he really brought a great deal of knowledge and excitement to college basketball. However, after hearing him call a few games this year...he's lost it. His whole routine is so played out. He just talks to make noise and he rarely if ever says something intelligent about the game he's being paid to talk about. I really wish he'd hang them up.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Pardon the Interruption is the best sports show on TV. For some reason sports journalists always seem pretentious to me. They talk about athletes and coaches as if they're all terrible and they themselves could do better. Here's a tip, sports journalists are journalists because they weren't good enough to coach or play. Tony and Mike on &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error"&gt;PTI&lt;/span&gt; get that. They constantly make fun of themselves and they show their knowledge and understanding of sports on a daily basis. It's just a great show.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Speaking of &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error"&gt;PTI&lt;/span&gt;...I complimented UK earlier and now I'm going to rip them. Yesterday, John &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error"&gt;Calipari&lt;/span&gt; was interviewed on &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error"&gt;PTI&lt;/span&gt;. Because &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error"&gt;PTI&lt;/span&gt; is a good show, they didn't kneel down and worship him like others do, they asked him good, strong, fair questions...including one about his 2 final fours that have been vacated. Here is what &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-error"&gt;Calipari&lt;/span&gt; said: He said that when you're a head coach of a basketball team, you are "Responsible for everything that goes on, from the top to the bottom" but, "You can't be held accountable for everything that goes on" because there is so much that occurs from top to bottom. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;WHAT? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Do me a favor, open a word document and type "accountable" then highlight it, right click and get some &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-corrected"&gt;synonyms&lt;/span&gt; for the word.  You'll probably see the word "responsible" right there. Hell, here's the online definition of accountable, "responsible for having done." So he's responsible for everything but he can't be held accountable, I get it. He then was asked what he would do to make sure it would never happen again. He said: We run a top notch, high class program...but there is no way for me to sit here and tell you something like this won't happen again, because you just don't know. There's just so much that goes on in a basketball program and sometimes things happen that you can't control.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Are you kidding me?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He should have just come out and said, "I'm cheating...it's kind of my thing." So here's how I'll end this...I hate John &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-error"&gt;Calipari&lt;/span&gt; with every ounce of my being. It's not because I'm jealous of UK, it's because he represents everything that is wrong with college athletics. He's the most desperate, pathetic, fake coach that I've ever seen. I would rather punch myself in the face for an hour then admit that he's a quality basketball coach.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* I'm really looking forward to the Cards playing again. I've had far to many people ask me about UK, Wall and &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-error"&gt;Calipari&lt;/span&gt; this week and it's impossible for me not to form an opinion. So, UK fans...enjoy your season. You've got some great players and all signs are pointing to a really great year for you guys, congrats. I'm done talking about UK, I don't like to get things started...I just needed to get some things straight today.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rivalries are fun!&lt;br /&gt;Go Cards!&lt;br /&gt;I love sports and so should you!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Song of the Day: &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" class="blsp-spelling-error"&gt;Statler&lt;/span&gt; Brothers - Carols those Kids Used To Sing&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23533153-8450455152995965693?l=brianusell.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/feeds/8450455152995965693/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=23533153&amp;postID=8450455152995965693' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/8450455152995965693'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/8450455152995965693'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/2009/12/sports-sports-sports.html' title='Sports, sports, sports...'/><author><name>Brian</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10232696045746102419</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='01125513509754153352'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SyFjKaPaQpI/AAAAAAAABFw/tGVgSIWqMOs/s72-c/charliesmile.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23533153.post-1586270323289499614</id><published>2009-12-09T16:26:00.005-05:00</published><updated>2009-12-09T16:41:54.438-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Boom Goes The Dynamite!</title><content type='html'>Well, that didn't take long.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;With all apologies to George &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&gt;Clooney&lt;/span&gt; and Tom Brady...there is a new name atop the "Man-crush list"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-family: courier new;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" &gt;CHARLIE STRONG&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:180%;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SyAW7ywi8dI/AAAAAAAABFQ/PWtvRZzxVGY/s1600-h/strong.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 329px; height: 329px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SyAW7ywi8dI/AAAAAAAABFQ/PWtvRZzxVGY/s400/strong.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413351968592818642" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;What a &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"&gt;freakin&lt;/span&gt;' stud.  Also, he's been the &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"&gt;UofL&lt;/span&gt; football coach for about 15 &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"&gt;mins&lt;/span&gt; and he's already shown more emotion then Steve &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"&gt;Kragthorpe&lt;/span&gt; did in 3 years.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When he talked about the opportunity to be a head coach, he got choked up...so did I.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When he talked about UK, assistant coaches and some other topics...he cracked a few jokes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When he talked about the how he plans to fix the football team...he spoke with determination and passion.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I'm mean I was going to talk about Christmas shopping today, but after that press conference...no way.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I'm not going to go overboard like some fan bases do and call him a savior and predict national championships and undefeated seasons...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SyAYUayyVSI/AAAAAAAABFo/DQ4hqzh1vH0/s1600-h/BillyGsaves.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 358px; height: 243px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SyAYUayyVSI/AAAAAAAABFo/DQ4hqzh1vH0/s400/BillyGsaves.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413353491168122146" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SyAYUDTSqsI/AAAAAAAABFg/N9IWBfgWAf4/s1600-h/BillyGesus.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 203px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SyAYUDTSqsI/AAAAAAAABFg/N9IWBfgWAf4/s400/BillyGesus.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413353484862008002" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But I will say this...I'm totally pumped for August!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Go Cards!  Welcome aboard Coach Strong...sir!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SyAW8C0ckWI/AAAAAAAABFY/cQRX2hyl2jQ/s1600-h/strongville.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SyAW8C0ckWI/AAAAAAAABFY/cQRX2hyl2jQ/s400/strongville.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413351972904145250" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Song of the Day: Leon &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"&gt;Redbone&lt;/span&gt; &amp;amp; Dr. John - Frosty the Snowman&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23533153-1586270323289499614?l=brianusell.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/feeds/1586270323289499614/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=23533153&amp;postID=1586270323289499614' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/1586270323289499614'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/1586270323289499614'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/2009/12/boom-goes-dynamite.html' title='Boom Goes The Dynamite!'/><author><name>Brian</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10232696045746102419</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='01125513509754153352'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SyAW7ywi8dI/AAAAAAAABFQ/PWtvRZzxVGY/s72-c/strong.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23533153.post-5035678831773973976</id><published>2009-12-08T15:52:00.004-05:00</published><updated>2009-12-08T16:23:52.518-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Tuesday Tidbits...</title><content type='html'>We wish you some merry tidbits, we wish you some merry tidbits...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&gt;The CrapBags&lt;/span&gt; pulled out a tight one this week with a last minute TD catch from Percy &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"&gt;Harvin&lt;/span&gt;!  Now the Bags play the &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"&gt;Zuckercorns&lt;/span&gt; (Ben) with the winner going to the playoffs (I think).  We'll probably lose, but you got to love the never say die attitude the Bags have displayed this year!  Also, the &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"&gt;JuwannaMen&lt;/span&gt; won 3-0 and now sit alone atop the standings.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* I had two cheesy &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"&gt;gordita&lt;/span&gt; crunches for lunch.  Those things are fantastic.  As much as I love Taco Bell I had never had one until recently...now I can't stop eating them.  Becky's happy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Am I the only one who doesn't really care about this whole Tiger Woods thing?  A lot of really famous people do kinda mean stuff...it just happens.  I'm not saying it's right and I'm not saying we should all view Tiger the same as we used to...but I just don't care anymore.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"&gt;UofL&lt;/span&gt; athletic board meeting tomorrow at 3, followed by a press conference to name Charlie Strong the new Football coach...that's what the latest rumor is anyway.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* T-Will is coming back to Louisville!  Woo-&lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"&gt;hoo&lt;/span&gt;! Hope restored for the b-ball team!  What?  Come again?  Beg your pardon?  Oh, he's not allowed to play for us anymore?  That's dumb.  Anyway, he's coming back into town to talk with the team before playing the Pacers of Friday and he's going to be doing an autograph signing at...&lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"&gt;Angio's&lt;/span&gt; Pizza!  For those of you who don't know, &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"&gt;Angio's&lt;/span&gt; is a tiny (semi-rundown) Pizza joint that's in an old gas station.  However, T-Will is going to charge 8 bucks for his &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"&gt;Hancock&lt;/span&gt; and give the money to the local business...which could use it.  The whole things kinda weird, but it's cool of him to help out a local business.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* I really don't have a lot to talk about today...but check this out from fail blog:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/Sx6-iM1ZTgI/AAAAAAAABFA/4cvD0wiuTWE/s1600-h/parentingfail.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 396px; height: 223px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/Sx6-iM1ZTgI/AAAAAAAABFA/4cvD0wiuTWE/s400/parentingfail.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412973296915926530" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;If you can't read it all...the link is&lt;a href="http://failblog.org/2009/11/24/parenting-fail-19/"&gt; here&lt;/a&gt;.  For the record, I've been to a &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"&gt;Bon&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11"&gt;Jovi&lt;/span&gt; concert (it was free) and there were thousands of ladies just like this...including a few who invited me and my friends (we were 17 ,they were pushing 50) back to their hotel room.  I smiled and informed them that they seemed lovely, but &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12"&gt;STDs&lt;/span&gt; and acid wash jeans on 50 year &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13"&gt;olds&lt;/span&gt; just ain't my &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14"&gt;thang&lt;/span&gt;.  Then I ran away. Good times.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Here's another gem from &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15"&gt;Failblog&lt;/span&gt;.org&lt;br /&gt;&lt;object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" id="viddler" height="285" width="410"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.viddler.com/player/ee6e50c9/"&gt;&lt;param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"&gt;&lt;param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"&gt;&lt;param name="flashvars" value="fake=1"&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.viddler.com/player/ee6e50c9/" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="fake=1" name="viddler" height="285" width="410"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;That's fantastic.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Now that we got a few laughs in, I have to &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16"&gt;acknowledge&lt;/span&gt; that today is the 29&lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17"&gt;th&lt;/span&gt; anniversary of John Lennon's death.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/Sx6-ipqeQTI/AAAAAAAABFI/67rIOHFB9fk/s1600-h/johnlennon.gif"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 290px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/Sx6-ipqeQTI/AAAAAAAABFI/67rIOHFB9fk/s400/johnlennon.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412973304654741810" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Everyone has their influences and idols growing up and to say that John Lennon was one of mine wouldn't be doing it justice.  Paul McCartney has always been my favorite &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18"&gt;Beatle&lt;/span&gt; and he always will be...but each year John gets closer and closer.  The reason I've always been fascinated with John Lennon is not because of his &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19"&gt;unbelievable&lt;/span&gt; music gifts, but because of the way he was able to affect people's lives in so many ways.  Some look at him as a Rock legend, others see him as a symbol of love and peace, there are even a few that see him as a savior type figure.  For me, John Lennon has always just represented music as a whole.  I can't even imagine what my musical tastes would be like if John, Paul, George and Ringo hadn't gotten together to play some songs over 40 years ago.  Actually, I can't even imagine what my life would be like.  The Beatles made me love music and I'll always be thankful for that.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Long Live John Lennon!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;object height="285" width="410"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/aNMhPQoEbJE&amp;amp;hl=en_US&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp;color1=0x5d1719&amp;amp;color2=0xcd311b&amp;amp;border=1"&gt;&lt;param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"&gt;&lt;param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/aNMhPQoEbJE&amp;amp;hl=en_US&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp;color1=0x5d1719&amp;amp;color2=0xcd311b&amp;amp;border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="285" width="410"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Song of the Day: John Lennon - Imagine&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23533153-5035678831773973976?l=brianusell.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/feeds/5035678831773973976/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=23533153&amp;postID=5035678831773973976' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/5035678831773973976'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/5035678831773973976'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/2009/12/tuesday-tidbits_08.html' title='Tuesday Tidbits...'/><author><name>Brian</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10232696045746102419</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='01125513509754153352'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/Sx6-iM1ZTgI/AAAAAAAABFA/4cvD0wiuTWE/s72-c/parentingfail.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23533153.post-178411592630075285</id><published>2009-12-07T16:25:00.003-05:00</published><updated>2009-12-07T16:37:38.774-05:00</updated><title type='text'>What the What???</title><content type='html'>Remember when I said I loved my neighborhood?  Well, the karma gods got me back for all that bragging because as I was parked in my little lovely neighborhood on Saturday night, someone stole the &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&gt;UofL&lt;/span&gt; wheel cover off of Francisco!  Merry Christmas to you too....sons of bitches.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Anyway, the biggest problem is that the theft, combined with a terrible horrible no good awful &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"&gt;UofL&lt;/span&gt; loss has pretty much all but killed my Christmas spirit.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here's what it is...I'm putting too much emphasis on Christmas and not enough on &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"&gt;UofL&lt;/span&gt; basketball.  Because of this, I'm getting burnt out on Christmas and the Cards are playing like crap.  I mean I didn't even watch the &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"&gt;UofL&lt;/span&gt; game on Saturday.  It was on, but I was too busy trying to be jolly at a bar.  That's just not me. I'm not even going to mention the fact that I turned down a ticket to the game.  WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME?!?!?!?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So, from now on here's how we'll roll.  We're going to take the Christmas cheer down a few notches and turn up the Cardinal cheers a few notches.  Nothing drastic, I'm still going to love Christmas and have a Merry one...I just need to focus on my Cardinals right now.  I need to get a clothing rotation down, I need to establish a game watching spot and by god...I need to get to Freedom Hall on Saturday and help my team!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I'm not really sure what the point of this whole post is...or how it has anything to do with my tire cover being stolen.  I just know I'm in a funk right now and it has to do with the Cards losing, people stealing from me and my Christmas cheer being a tad overwhelming.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nevertheless, we shall march on gang.  GO CARDS!  MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Also, my tire cover has a slash at the bottom of the Cardinal's face (below his beak), My Mom stitched it back up, so it's not super noticeable.  But, if anyone happens to see a car riding around with a Cardinal head wheel cover with a stitch across the bottom...knock the car off the road and grab the wheel cover off the back...or at least get the plate number and call me.  Then, I'll give them the beating of a lifetime.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Have a great day.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Song of the Day: Elvis - Blue Christmas&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23533153-178411592630075285?l=brianusell.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/feeds/178411592630075285/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=23533153&amp;postID=178411592630075285' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/178411592630075285'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/178411592630075285'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/2009/12/what-what.html' title='What the What???'/><author><name>Brian</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10232696045746102419</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='01125513509754153352'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23533153.post-2247946123926587419</id><published>2009-12-04T16:24:00.002-05:00</published><updated>2009-12-04T16:46:12.470-05:00</updated><title type='text'>My Neigborhood...</title><content type='html'>To put it simply, I love my neighborhood.  Being a &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&gt;twentysomething&lt;/span&gt;, I honestly don't think there is a better place to live.  Sure, New York and Chicago might have more going on and LA and other beach towns have...well, the beach.  But, my little highlands neighborhood offers me so much.  This weekend is going to be a perfect example of this.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Tonight:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;At 6, Dave &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"&gt;Rawlings&lt;/span&gt;, Gillian &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"&gt;Welch&lt;/span&gt; and members of Old &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"&gt;Crowe&lt;/span&gt; Medicine show are playing a free concert.  200 yards from my house.  Literally, I will walk to the end of my street and go inside a building and hear them play. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;After that, I'll probably get some food...which is exciting because of all the many many options to choose from.  I could get a Italian, Mexican, BBQ, Chinese, and more all within a block or 2 of my apartment.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Tomorrow:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Tomorrow just up the road there is a Beer Festival that will feature beer from over 50 breweries.  I'll &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"&gt;head up&lt;/span&gt; there with mi amigos and then I'll walk up and down &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"&gt;Bardstown&lt;/span&gt; road...because tomorrow is &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"&gt;Bardstown&lt;/span&gt; Road Aglow. Aglow is a &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"&gt;festival&lt;/span&gt; that goes from dusk until about 10-11 and most of the hundreds of shops, pubs and restaurants on &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"&gt;Bardstown&lt;/span&gt; road have sales, free food, live music, etc. in order to celebrate the holiday season.  In addition, there will be &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"&gt;trolleys&lt;/span&gt; riding up and down &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"&gt;Bardstown&lt;/span&gt; road with elves and live music on them.  The &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11"&gt;trolleys&lt;/span&gt; are free to ride! &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I don't mean to brag about all of this, I'm just really excited because all of this stuff is in my neighborhood.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There are certainly drawbacks to living where I do (the houses are old...and in the winter...cold) and there aren't super fun things to do every single day.  But, this weekend is proving to be a pretty good one in my neighborhood....and I'm pumped.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Have a great weekend everyone.  If you see me out, say hello!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Song of the Day: Straight No Chaser - 12 Days of Christmas&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23533153-2247946123926587419?l=brianusell.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/feeds/2247946123926587419/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=23533153&amp;postID=2247946123926587419' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/2247946123926587419'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/2247946123926587419'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-neigborhood.html' title='My Neigborhood...'/><author><name>Brian</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10232696045746102419</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='01125513509754153352'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23533153.post-3333746347028398322</id><published>2009-12-03T16:30:00.003-05:00</published><updated>2009-12-03T16:45:38.328-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Life of Brian: The Movie</title><content type='html'>Not the Monty Python movie...A movie about my life!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The other night while watching Scrubs (which is kinda weird now) Zach &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&gt;Braff&lt;/span&gt; said something and the way he said it reminded me of my little step brother Ryan.  I then thought, if Zach &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"&gt;Braff&lt;/span&gt; got a shorter haircut, he would totally play Ryan in a movie.  Then I started thinking about a movie about my life and who would play my family and friends...now I can't stop thinking about it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So, now I'm on a quest to cast an actor/actress for everyone in my life. I'm not going based on looks only because then I'd have to be the guy who plays Tag on Friends and I don't want him to play me.  Instead, I'm going for a combination of looks and character. I've only got a few so far and here they are.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;THE LIFE OF BRIAN&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Starring:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: center;"&gt;Paul Rudd as Brian&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/Sxgurz9MkmI/AAAAAAAABEY/iHJZC68om34/s1600-h/Paul+Rudd.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 370px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/Sxgurz9MkmI/AAAAAAAABEY/iHJZC68om34/s400/Paul+Rudd.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411126282501788258" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Sometimes he has a beard, he's about my height, he probably blogs and he's my favorite actor.  It makes sense.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: center;"&gt;Ben Stiller as Ben&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SxgusMUMgII/AAAAAAAABEg/Sawm9u2UOGY/s1600-h/BenStiller.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SxgusMUMgII/AAAAAAAABEg/Sawm9u2UOGY/s400/BenStiller.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411126289040703618" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;They look similar, he's named Ben, they're both funny in the same way.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Zach &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"&gt;Braff&lt;/span&gt; as Ryan&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/Sxgus0WswOI/AAAAAAAABEw/iw2bN2vSvBY/s1600-h/ZachBraff.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 288px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/Sxgus0WswOI/AAAAAAAABEw/iw2bN2vSvBY/s400/ZachBraff.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411126299788624098" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;For reasons already explained.  If I could &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"&gt;photoshop&lt;/span&gt; a haircut to show you the &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"&gt;resemblance&lt;/span&gt; I would.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Tom &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"&gt;Selleck&lt;/span&gt; as my Dad&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SxguspCIspI/AAAAAAAABEo/a0Lg14fwj1Q/s1600-h/tom_selleck.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 230px; height: 330px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SxguspCIspI/AAAAAAAABEo/a0Lg14fwj1Q/s400/tom_selleck.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411126296749585042" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;My dad used to have a mustache and now he has a goatee.  Tom &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"&gt;Selleck&lt;/span&gt; used to have a mustache...now he has a goatee.  It just works.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;John &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"&gt;Cusack&lt;/span&gt; as Dude&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SxgutJUPx6I/AAAAAAAABE4/YnkcXQ2sslg/s1600-h/John+Cusack.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 339px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SxgutJUPx6I/AAAAAAAABE4/YnkcXQ2sslg/s400/John+Cusack.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411126305415481250" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;This one is not that close looks wise (but not too bad) but character wise I think it's spot on.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I've got some ideas for others, but these are the only ones set in stone.  Obviously, I've got some work to do as some major roles still need to be cast (Taylor, Mom, etc.) However, I think it's coming along pretty well so far.  Who wouldn't want to see this movie with an already stellar cast?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now, if you're reading this blog there's a pretty good chance that you'll be in the movie.  So, if you want to give me a suggestion for an actor/actress to play yourself then go ahead (or if you have other suggestions).  I plan on thinking about this until I have at least 20 total cast members.  I'll keep you guys updated.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Have a great day.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Song of the Day - John Lennon - Happy X-Mas (War is Over)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23533153-3333746347028398322?l=brianusell.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/feeds/3333746347028398322/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=23533153&amp;postID=3333746347028398322' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/3333746347028398322'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/3333746347028398322'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/2009/12/life-of-brian-movie.html' title='Life of Brian: The Movie'/><author><name>Brian</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10232696045746102419</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='01125513509754153352'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/Sxgurz9MkmI/AAAAAAAABEY/iHJZC68om34/s72-c/Paul+Rudd.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23533153.post-5284150831399570958</id><published>2009-12-02T16:33:00.003-05:00</published><updated>2009-12-02T16:53:12.057-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Christmas Update...</title><content type='html'>Last month I wrote a list of goals for this Christmas season.  I've been keeping those goals in mind as I've been getting into the Christmas spirit and today I want to catch you all up on how it's going.  So here we go.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here's the list, I'll write a comment after each thing.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Decorate my apartment indoors and outdoors: &lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;Finished, I posted pictures of the inside yesterday and you can come see the outside for yourselves.  It's Merry!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;* Watch the following Christmas movies: Elf, Christmas Vacation, Home Alone, Home Alone 2, Love Actually, White Christmas, It's A Wonderful Life, Charlie Brown Christmas, Christmas Story, Christmas Carol: &lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;I've watched Elf, Home Alone, Love Actually and The Santa Clause(which isn't on this list).  I've still got some work to do on this one.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Make a gingerbread house:&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt; Boom!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SxbeASAHfnI/AAAAAAAABEQ/cP87sFeunos/s1600-h/gingerbread.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SxbeASAHfnI/AAAAAAAABEQ/cP87sFeunos/s400/gingerbread.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410756098745925234" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;* Make Christmas cookies: &lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;Haven't done this, not sure what kind to make.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Send out Christmas Cards: &lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;Bought some cards, need to send them.  I'm only going to send a select few because it can get expensive.  If you don't get one...I'm sorry, I still want to be your friend.  If you do get one...feel Merry, but don't rub it in.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Create a new holiday cocktail: &lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;This one is getting tricky, I think I may just try to find a cool Holiday cocktail recipe instead of making my own.  I'll keep you updated.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Ring the Salvation Army bell: &lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;Not Yet, not sure how to go about doing this.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Participate in the Angel Tree: &lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;Taylor and I adopted a kid from the tree and we'll be buying stuff soon.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Speak only with Buddy the Elf quotes: &lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;This place reminds me of Santa's workshop. Except it smells like mushrooms and everyone looks like they want to hurt me.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Make a new &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"&gt;&lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&gt;Christmix&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"&gt;CD&lt;/span&gt;: &lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;It's about half done, but I'm getting Ray Charles' and Bob Dylan's Christmas Albums today and I need to pick a song from each to go on there.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Go caroling: &lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;Started singing Christmas songs during the &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"&gt;UofL&lt;/span&gt; game the other day, got about 10 people to join in.  Also started singing them in line at &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"&gt;Qdoba&lt;/span&gt; at 3a.m. Friday night.  I think that counts.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Go to &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"&gt;&lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"&gt;Bardstown&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt; Road Aglow: &lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;Saturday!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Learn to play at least 4 Christmas songs on the guitar: &lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;Silent Night and Rudolph are down...need two more.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;* Eat a candy cane: &lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;Done.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;* Send someone a fruit cake: &lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;I may not do this, fruit cakes are gross&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Make it snow: &lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;You're welcome Texas&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Drink Egg-&lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"&gt;&lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"&gt;nog&lt;/span&gt;: &lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;Yeah buddy!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Write a letter to Santa: &lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;Coming soon to the blog.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Decorate the blog: &lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;Easy to see&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;* Decorate my cubicle at work: &lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;Icicle lights are up and looking festive!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Put a wreath on Francisco: &lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;I still need to get one&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Spread Christmas Cheer to everyone I encounter: &lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;I think I've done this so far&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As you can see, I'm doing pretty well...especially since my goal was only 80% of the list.  This weekend will be big because I don't have a lot to do, I'll knock out at least 4 more.  Also, I made my Christmas &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"&gt;powerpoint&lt;/span&gt;, which I like to call "Brian's Christmas Wishes" or "Brian's Christmas List" for you literal bunch.  Nothing too fancy this year...clothes, ukulele, backpack, &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"&gt;world peace&lt;/span&gt;, robot twin...same old drill.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hope your enjoying the Holiday season as much as I am.  If you're not and you need a boost in the right direction, feel free to call me...we'll talk.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Merry Christmas!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Song of the Day: Ron &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"&gt;Sexsmith&lt;/span&gt; - Maybe This Christmas&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23533153-5284150831399570958?l=brianusell.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/feeds/5284150831399570958/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=23533153&amp;postID=5284150831399570958' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/5284150831399570958'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/5284150831399570958'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/2009/12/christmas-update.html' title='Christmas Update...'/><author><name>Brian</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10232696045746102419</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='01125513509754153352'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SxbeASAHfnI/AAAAAAAABEQ/cP87sFeunos/s72-c/gingerbread.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23533153.post-8956212906599451931</id><published>2009-12-01T15:43:00.002-05:00</published><updated>2009-12-01T16:20:18.396-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Tuesday Tidbits...</title><content type='html'>Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color???&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* C-R-A-P-B-A-G-S!  Go Bags Go! Don't look now but the &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&gt;CrapBags&lt;/span&gt; have risen from the dead and have won two in a row to put themselves one game out of the playoffs with 2 weeks left.  We'll need to win the final two to make it probably, but at least we've got a shot.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* The &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"&gt;Juwanna&lt;/span&gt; Men are rolling as well.  We're tied for the lead in the league after getting a 3-0 sweep this past week.  Fantasy Brian is a helluva coach.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* So, December is here now, Woo!  I love this month...but I don't love having to scrape my windows in the morning, like I had to today.  Anyway, you best get your Christmas going people...24 days!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Here's how Sherwood Forest is looking this Holiday season:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SxWFMbPwNSI/AAAAAAAABDw/FsburwI9LeM/s1600/100_0934.JPG"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SxWFMbPwNSI/AAAAAAAABDw/FsburwI9LeM/s400/100_0934.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410376975874274594" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SxWFM3jSo6I/AAAAAAAABD4/WVoDVRfLUvM/s1600/100_0937.JPG"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SxWFM3jSo6I/AAAAAAAABD4/WVoDVRfLUvM/s400/100_0937.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410376983472415650" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SxWFNvZO8vI/AAAAAAAABEI/dVUM3q5Jezs/s1600/100_0942.JPG"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SxWFNvZO8vI/AAAAAAAABEI/dVUM3q5Jezs/s400/100_0942.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410376998462616306" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SxWFNJBp5xI/AAAAAAAABEA/lDnmrQB0sJA/s1600/100_0941.JPG"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SxWFNJBp5xI/AAAAAAAABEA/lDnmrQB0sJA/s400/100_0941.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410376988163172114" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;* It's time to start thinking about the Best of 2009 mix.  There were lots of great albums released this year: Monsters of Folk, &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"&gt;Wilco&lt;/span&gt;, &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"&gt;Avett&lt;/span&gt; Brothers, Dan &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"&gt;Auerbach&lt;/span&gt;, etc.  Feel free to send me some suggestions and let me know what your faves were this year.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Speaking of Monsters of Folk, check out this video for their song "Say Please":&lt;br /&gt;&lt;object height="285" width="410"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0oM4Y21SV4I&amp;amp;hl=en_US&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp;color1=0x5d1719&amp;amp;color2=0xcd311b&amp;amp;border=1"&gt;&lt;param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"&gt;&lt;param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0oM4Y21SV4I&amp;amp;hl=en_US&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp;color1=0x5d1719&amp;amp;color2=0xcd311b&amp;amp;border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="285" width="410"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Pretty weird video, but I dig it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* So the search is on for a new &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"&gt;UofL&lt;/span&gt; football coach and there have been several names tossed around.  However, the one name that excites me the most is Charlie Strong, the defensive coordinator for Florida.  If we hire him...there will be much celebration and little pants wearing.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Preston Knowles and Peyton Siva will probably miss at least the next two games for the basketball Cardinals due to injury.  Deep breaths, Brian....deep...breaths.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Full update tomorrow on the status of my Christmas cheer spreading.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* For those of you in Louisville, there's a beer festival in Mid-City Mall this Saturday, I'm going to head up there with some of my amigos...you should join.  It's also &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"&gt;Bardstown&lt;/span&gt; Road Aglow...which is awesome.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"&gt;UNC&lt;/span&gt; vs. Michigan St. tonight...should be a good one.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Also, Scrubs makes its return tonight.  Some of the main characters are gone and they've added some new characters.  I feel scared.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;That's all for today.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Song of the Day: The Beach Boys - Little Saint Nick&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23533153-8956212906599451931?l=brianusell.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/feeds/8956212906599451931/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=23533153&amp;postID=8956212906599451931' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/8956212906599451931'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/8956212906599451931'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/2009/12/tuesday-tidbits.html' title='Tuesday Tidbits...'/><author><name>Brian</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10232696045746102419</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='01125513509754153352'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SxWFMbPwNSI/AAAAAAAABDw/FsburwI9LeM/s72-c/100_0934.JPG' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23533153.post-4702595331566810692</id><published>2009-11-30T16:20:00.005-05:00</published><updated>2009-11-30T16:45:12.728-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Holiday Weekend Recap...</title><content type='html'>I hope you guys all had a wonderful Holiday weekend,  here's what the last few days have been like for me...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Wednesday:&lt;br /&gt;- built this gingerbread house with Taylor and &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&gt;Lautaro&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SxQ5Goy_6-I/AAAAAAAABDI/yD7dtdajyTw/s1600/gingerbread.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SxQ5Goy_6-I/AAAAAAAABDI/yD7dtdajyTw/s400/gingerbread.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410011838572129250" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;You can't really see it, but that's a graham cracker basketball goal, I made.  I'll post a better picture soon.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Thursday:&lt;br /&gt;- Ate wonderful food and hung out with wonderful people.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Friday:&lt;br /&gt;- Started Tailgating for the &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"&gt;UofL&lt;/span&gt; game at 9 a.m....it was cold.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SxQ8GTb07iI/AAAAAAAABDo/GG-66ouMo4w/s1600/taylortailgate.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SxQ8GTb07iI/AAAAAAAABDo/GG-66ouMo4w/s400/taylortailgate.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410015131372678690" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;- The Cards lost and it was sad for the seniors...but then I gave them hugs to make them feel better.  I'm not kidding.  The players were pretty appreciative and thought it was pretty funny.  Here are some pictures:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SxQ5HOfCgxI/AAAAAAAABDY/VTRDwyL4JMg/s1600/trenthug.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SxQ5HOfCgxI/AAAAAAAABDY/VTRDwyL4JMg/s400/trenthug.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410011848688960274" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;That's me hugging Trent Guy.  You can't really get a feel for the emotion in this picture.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SxQ5HEFnc7I/AAAAAAAABDQ/Avq9GEX4vh4/s1600/trentguy.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SxQ5HEFnc7I/AAAAAAAABDQ/Avq9GEX4vh4/s400/trentguy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410011845897974706" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Yeah, he's my best friend.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Also, I hugged some other players and I kept saying, "I'm hugging Trent Guy before I leave here"...then this person walked by with dreadlocks and a sweatshirt that said "Louisville #3" so I ran over and yelled "Trent, give me a hug!" then I gave that person a hug...and it was Trent Guy's sister.  She laughed and pointed behind her...where Trent was standing.   Then he laughed and gave me a hug.  I think I invited them to Christmas dinner at my house...but I can't remember.  Nevertheless, we're totally &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"&gt;BFFs&lt;/span&gt; now.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;- Friday night I had some friends over and then we went to Molly Malone's.  I normally don't like Molly Malone's but I had a really great time...it was probably because Todd was wearing his shirt like this:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SxQ6UwiodJI/AAAAAAAABDg/qiZugTEqmh4/s1600/todd.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SxQ6UwiodJI/AAAAAAAABDg/qiZugTEqmh4/s400/todd.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410013180680762514" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;He likes to let those &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"&gt;chesties&lt;/span&gt; breathe...I can't explain it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Saturday&lt;br /&gt;* Woke up and felt awful...but then found out Steve &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"&gt;Kragthorpe&lt;/span&gt; had been fired!  Woo-&lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"&gt;hoo&lt;/span&gt;!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Then the Cards took a loss in B-ball.  I wasn't really that mad.  It was on the road, we played crappy and still almost won.  Plus, &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"&gt;Kragthorpe&lt;/span&gt; got fired.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Later that night we went out with some friends to celebrate a bit since Taylor was leaving the next morning.  The Zeppelin Cafe is awesome by the way.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sunday&lt;br /&gt;* Taylor headed back to Charleston in the morning&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* I laid in the dark and watched TV for several hours...it's my normal "mini-bender" that I do when Taylor leaves.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Then I made meatloaf (it was &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"&gt;ok&lt;/span&gt; for my first effort), watched Home Alone and drank Egg &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"&gt;Nog&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Then I woke up with a stomach ache in the middle of the night.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now it's Monday and things are back to normal.  It was a great holiday and it was good to see some old friends.  It's on to Christmas now, Taylor's back home in 2 weeks and I've still got some work to do to complete my list of Christmas goals.  I hope you guys are getting into the spirit, I'll give you an update of my Christmas cheer soon.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Song of the Day: Leon &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"&gt;Redbone&lt;/span&gt; - Christmas Moon&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23533153-4702595331566810692?l=brianusell.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/feeds/4702595331566810692/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=23533153&amp;postID=4702595331566810692' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/4702595331566810692'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/4702595331566810692'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/2009/11/holiday-weekend-recap.html' title='Holiday Weekend Recap...'/><author><name>Brian</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10232696045746102419</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='01125513509754153352'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SxQ5Goy_6-I/AAAAAAAABDI/yD7dtdajyTw/s72-c/gingerbread.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23533153.post-1301866800959295041</id><published>2009-11-25T15:34:00.002-05:00</published><updated>2009-11-25T15:55:02.808-05:00</updated><title type='text'>There is a lot going on...</title><content type='html'>Of all the times to get sick...now is not a time I would pick...not even close.  However, I'm feeling better...not great...but better.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now then, let's just run through some bullet points to get us set for Thanksgiving.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Being sick when you have a job is way less fun then being sick when you are in school.  I'm not really sure why, but it just makes you feel irresponsible.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* I hate taking medicine.  A lot.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Please everyone refrain from saying "Turkey Day" when talking about Thanksgiving.  I can't stand when people say that. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* I have a lead on a possible internship in the &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&gt;UofL&lt;/span&gt; athletic department.  BOOM!  I'll be AD in no time.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* I decided the other day that radio commercials are possibly the thing I hate most in the entire world...why are they so loud?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* I watched Gangs of New York while I was sick yesterday.  Seriously, is there a bigger bad ass then Leo?  Maybe Liam &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"&gt;Neeson&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* The &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"&gt;CrapBags&lt;/span&gt; won and got high score in the league this week!  We're still in dead last.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* I love the holidays&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* The &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"&gt;Kragthorpe&lt;/span&gt; era at &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"&gt;UofL&lt;/span&gt; will probably be over by the time we talk again.  &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"&gt;Yay&lt;/span&gt;!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Start thinking of things I might want for Christmas, people are starting to ask and I can't really think of too much.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Being sick is lame.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* I get to leave work early today though!  Woo!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* The Christmas decorations are up at my apartment, I'll share next week.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* You better be in the Christmas spirit by Monday..or else.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Thanksgiving is a great holiday, enjoy it with those you love.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Song of the Day: Bing Crosby - It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23533153-1301866800959295041?l=brianusell.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/feeds/1301866800959295041/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=23533153&amp;postID=1301866800959295041' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/1301866800959295041'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/1301866800959295041'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/2009/11/there-is-lot-going-on.html' title='There is a lot going on...'/><author><name>Brian</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10232696045746102419</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='01125513509754153352'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23533153.post-7724556933708201848</id><published>2009-11-24T17:28:00.002-05:00</published><updated>2009-11-24T17:31:14.308-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Tuesday Tidbits...</title><content type='html'>Blah...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* I'm still sick&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* I'm feeling better&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* I still don't feel great&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Taylor gets home in a few hours!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* I'm pissed that I'm sick&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* I'm hoping to be 85% tomorrow and 100% by Thursday&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* I'd say I'm running at about 70% today&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* I hope your weeks are off to better starts&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* I'll talk to you guys soon&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Song of the Day: Bing Crosby - White Christmas&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23533153-7724556933708201848?l=brianusell.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/feeds/7724556933708201848/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=23533153&amp;postID=7724556933708201848' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/7724556933708201848'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/7724556933708201848'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/2009/11/tuesday-tidbits_24.html' title='Tuesday Tidbits...'/><author><name>Brian</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10232696045746102419</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='01125513509754153352'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23533153.post-1333716385647348504</id><published>2009-11-23T16:41:00.002-05:00</published><updated>2009-11-23T16:41:55.018-05:00</updated><title type='text'>I'm Sick...</title><content type='html'>Hey, it's Brian.....whatever.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I'll blog again when I feel better.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23533153-1333716385647348504?l=brianusell.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/feeds/1333716385647348504/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=23533153&amp;postID=1333716385647348504' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/1333716385647348504'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/1333716385647348504'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/2009/11/im-sick.html' title='I&apos;m Sick...'/><author><name>Brian</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10232696045746102419</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='01125513509754153352'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23533153.post-1091232383484840378</id><published>2009-11-20T16:23:00.002-05:00</published><updated>2009-11-20T16:46:58.669-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Friday Facts</title><content type='html'>It's Friday..woo!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;1.) I just finished my &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&gt;FAFSA&lt;/span&gt; form for Grad School and it was the opposite of fun.  They ask you ridiculous long/wordy questions.  Regardless, check it off the list.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;2.) The Cards have three games in three days starting Saturday.  Should be a good measuring stick of our fitness...but the opponents aren't that grand.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;3.) Taylor comes home in 4 days.  She's pretty busy from now until then so I'm not sure how much she's focusing on coming home...but I am pretty pumped about it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;4.) Christmas time is here.  If you haven't hummed Jingle Bells or put up a Christmas decoration...this weekend is the time to start.  Christmas is only 35 days away.  Make sure you enjoy every second of it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;5.) I don't really have anything too exciting going on this weekend.  I'll probably end up cleaning my apartment tonight, pretty sad, huh? The saddest part is that I'm really excited about it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;6.) Starting Monday and continuing through December, the song of the day will be a Christmas song.  Feel free to send recommendations.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;7.) I'm not happy with the results of Project Runway.  Luckily, the new season starts in January.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;8.) The Ear X-&lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"&gt;Tacy&lt;/span&gt; Holiday Gift Guide is out.  Color me excited.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;9.) I need to get my oil changed.  Someone try to remind me of that next week, please.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;10.) I still haven't seen the Office from last night.  Keep the info to yourself until I tell you it's &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"&gt;ok&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Have a wonderful weekend everyone!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Song of the Weekend: Cake - Opera Singer&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23533153-1091232383484840378?l=brianusell.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/feeds/1091232383484840378/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=23533153&amp;postID=1091232383484840378' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/1091232383484840378'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/1091232383484840378'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/2009/11/friday-facts.html' title='Friday Facts'/><author><name>Brian</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10232696045746102419</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='01125513509754153352'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23533153.post-7399774384748243748</id><published>2009-11-19T16:29:00.003-05:00</published><updated>2009-11-20T00:01:04.398-05:00</updated><title type='text'>10 Things I Like and Dislike These Days...</title><content type='html'>Haven't done this in a while...I'm feeling lots of likes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* LIKE: CHRISTMAS. I'm getting in the mood, people! As you can see, I've decorated the blog for the holidays. I've put up the tree in my room and I plan on decorating the rest of my apartment this weekend. Also, I'm buying this &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error"&gt;cd&lt;/span&gt; soon...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;object width="410" height="285"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qVs6X9yIM_k&amp;amp;hl=en_US&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp;color1=0x234900&amp;amp;color2=0x4e9e00&amp;amp;border=1"&gt;&lt;param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"&gt;&lt;param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qVs6X9yIM_k&amp;amp;hl=en_US&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp;color1=0x234900&amp;amp;color2=0x4e9e00&amp;amp;border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="285" width="410"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* DISLIKE: FANTASY SPORTS. It's been well documented that The &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error"&gt;CrapBags&lt;/span&gt; are having a bit of an off year...but now it seems the &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error"&gt;JuwannaMen&lt;/span&gt; are headed a bit south too. I mean we're losing to &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error"&gt;Lautaro&lt;/span&gt; for crying out loud! Hopefully it gets better.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* LIKE: GRAD SCHOOL. Did I mention that I got into grad school? It's totally awesome. I registered for classes today and it looks like I'll be in class from 4:30-7:00 on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. I'm jacked.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* LIKE: CHILI. I made a pot of chili last night and used hot everything...including cheese. I overcooked the meat a bit, but overall it was outstanding! However, it was really &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error"&gt;friggin&lt;/span&gt;' hot. I like spicy things, but this bad boy was on fire!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* DISLIKE: &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error"&gt;FACEBOOK&lt;/span&gt;. What are they doing? It's so junked up now. I don't care what the chick I went to grade school with scored on her "Which Twilight Character Am I?" quiz, I just want to look at pictures of her trip to St. Louis without anyone knowing! Seriously, &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error"&gt;Facebook&lt;/span&gt;...you're making it hard for us all to be creepy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* LIKE: TWITTER. The more I use Twitter...the more I like it. I wish more of my friends used it...because it's sweet.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* LIKE: END OF THE YEAR/DECADE "BEST OF" LISTS. I'm not really sure why...but I've always loved these things. It's so fun to look back at the year and remember what happened. The whole end of the decade thing is blowing my mind. Paste magazine continues to have awesome lists everyday.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* DISLIKE: DICK &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error"&gt;VITALE&lt;/span&gt;. I know his whole gig is to be this wacky, animated guy...but just give it a rest. His knowledge of the game is really slipping and he rarely, if ever, says things that are actually helpful. Stop talking about the Yankees, stop talking about Kenny &lt;span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error"&gt;Chesney&lt;/span&gt;, Stop talking about teams that aren't playing...just tell me about what's happening on the giant basketball court 3 feet from your face.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* LIKE: THE WEATHER. It's cold, it's cloudy, it's magical.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* LIKE: THIS VIDEO. It's basketball season. GO CARDS!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;object width="410" height="285"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bk7goNIiQnQ&amp;amp;hl=en_US&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp;color1=0x234900&amp;amp;color2=0x4e9e00&amp;amp;border=1"&gt;&lt;param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"&gt;&lt;param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bk7goNIiQnQ&amp;amp;hl=en_US&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp;color1=0x234900&amp;amp;color2=0x4e9e00&amp;amp;border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="285" width="410"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Have a great day gang.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Song of the Day: Ben Folds Five - Fair&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23533153-7399774384748243748?l=brianusell.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/feeds/7399774384748243748/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=23533153&amp;postID=7399774384748243748' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/7399774384748243748'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/7399774384748243748'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/2009/11/10-things-i-like-and-dislike-these-days.html' title='10 Things I Like and Dislike These Days...'/><author><name>Brian</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10232696045746102419</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='01125513509754153352'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23533153.post-4428752492638660032</id><published>2009-11-18T15:53:00.006-05:00</published><updated>2009-11-18T16:29:37.383-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Back to School...</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SwRnHdGvn8I/AAAAAAAABC4/15dCAp6HWa0/s1600/Cardslogo.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 396px; height: 423px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SwRnHdGvn8I/AAAAAAAABC4/15dCAp6HWa0/s400/Cardslogo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405558830521098178" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Ladies and Gentlemen...I'm going to grad school!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Yesterday at 5p.m. I received an e-mail from the head of the Sports Administration department at the University of Louisville that said this:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;I am pleased to inform you that we have recommended that you be admitted to the Master of Science program in Sport Administration&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Boo to the &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&gt;Yah&lt;/span&gt;!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I can't tell you how good it felt knowing that I got in (It was similar to when Rudy found out he was going to &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"&gt;Notre&lt;/span&gt; Dame).  It was a sense of relief mixed with pride and excitement.  The reason I was so excited was because the more I started thinking about getting into grad school the more I started to really really want it!  I wanted it for so many different reasons...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* I wanted it because I had made a new plan for my life and career and I had worked hard to put myself in a position to make it possible.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* I wanted it because now there's a pretty darn good chance that I will get to spend my career working in sports...something that I truly have a passion for.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* I wanted it because I wanted to have a degree from the University of Louisville.  Things didn't work at so well for me when I attended &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"&gt;UofL&lt;/span&gt;, it wasn't &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"&gt;anyone's&lt;/span&gt; fault...but it just didn't work.  However, that University is very important to me and it just feels right that I will have some type of degree from there.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* I wanted it for many other reasons that I want bore you with now.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So yeah, I know people get into grad school all the time and maybe my getting in isn't really that great of an accomplishment.  But I just got into to the grad school that ESPN called, "The best in the nation for a career in collegiate athletics" and I'm all kinds of excited.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now then, the crazy thing is...I start in like a month and a half.  I haven't done homework since May of 2008 and I haven't gone to class since then either...but it's a welcome return back to the classroom.   I've enjoyed my year and a half of being a working man and it's given me a better outlook on a lot of things...but it's time to go back to school!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I'll keep you updated on news, registration, classes, etc.  It's gonna be a wild ride.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Song of the Day: Vampire Weekend - Campus&lt;span style="text-decoration: underline;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23533153-4428752492638660032?l=brianusell.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/feeds/4428752492638660032/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=23533153&amp;postID=4428752492638660032' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/4428752492638660032'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/4428752492638660032'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/2009/11/back-to-school.html' title='Back to School...'/><author><name>Brian</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10232696045746102419</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='01125513509754153352'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SwRnHdGvn8I/AAAAAAAABC4/15dCAp6HWa0/s72-c/Cardslogo.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23533153.post-4198148312410150095</id><published>2009-11-17T15:55:00.003-05:00</published><updated>2009-11-17T16:27:21.270-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Tuesday Tidbits...</title><content type='html'>Duh &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&gt;na&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"&gt;na&lt;/span&gt;, Duh &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"&gt;na&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"&gt;na&lt;/span&gt;...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* COLLEGE BASKETBALL!!!!!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* I'm not sure if you guys are aware but since last night at midnight ESPN has been showing live college basketball games and they will continue until tonight at midnight!  UCLA already lost in 2OT, Michigan St. vs. &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"&gt;Gonzaga&lt;/span&gt; and Memphis vs. Kansas still to come.  It's simply amazing!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Oh yeah,  these guys play tonight:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SwMPPF8mx1I/AAAAAAAABCI/rOMQbohNa-I/s1600/0910.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 262px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SwMPPF8mx1I/AAAAAAAABCI/rOMQbohNa-I/s400/0910.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405180729743558482" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;7:30 on ESPN2.  GO CARDS!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* On another basketball note, people keep asking me what I think about &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"&gt;UK's&lt;/span&gt; buzzer beating win last night.  Honestly, I'd love to just say no comment and stay focused on the Cards...but I'll give you guys something.  It is not and should not be shocking to anyone that a group of Freshman and Patrick Patterson struggled with a new coach, new defense and new offense...it's college basketball...it happens.  Now Cardinal fans, keep your yappers shut because UK is talented this year and probably will have a very fine season.  However, Cat fans...why don't you stop talking about undefeated seasons and national championships for a little while because here's the truth...UK has done next to nothing for the past 5 years.  You're going to be better then you have been in a long time...but maybe try waiting until you win a significant game before acting as if you could beat the 1997 Chicago Bulls.  &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"&gt;UofL&lt;/span&gt; will be good this year, UK will be good this year...it's an exciting time for the rivalry...but let's just stay out of each others business until January 2&lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"&gt;nd&lt;/span&gt;...sound good?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;*On a lighter note, did anyone watch that Monday Night Football game last night?  Man, if there was ever a game that needed a heroic Wave...that was it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* The &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"&gt;CrapBags&lt;/span&gt; suck.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* The &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"&gt;Juwanna&lt;/span&gt; Men lost 2-1 last week, losing in points and rebounds, but winning in assists (we like to help!).  Hopefully, new &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"&gt;Juwanna&lt;/span&gt; Man, Mo Williams, will help with the scoring this week.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Taylor comes home for Thanksgiving break one week from today! Woo!  I'm &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11"&gt;muy&lt;/span&gt; excited.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* It's like 50 degrees and rainy in Louisville right now.  It's &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12"&gt;da&lt;/span&gt; best.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* When I realized that Bill &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13"&gt;Bilicheck&lt;/span&gt; (&lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14"&gt;Beeel Beeeeeelicheck&lt;/span&gt;) was going for it on 4&lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15"&gt;th&lt;/span&gt; down the other night, I was pissed for one reason...I knew that if they missed I would have to listen to washed up NFL players and idiotic sports &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16"&gt;analysts&lt;/span&gt; talk about how dumb the decision was.  Here's the real kicker...I liked the call.  &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17"&gt;Bilicheck&lt;/span&gt; is a winner and his &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18"&gt;superbowl&lt;/span&gt; rings speak for themselves (So eat it Trent Dilfer).  People whining that the Pats defense should have their feelings hurt need to grow up.  It's the NFL, feelings don't get hurt.  Anyway, I've always like &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19"&gt;Bilicheck&lt;/span&gt;...now if I could just figure out "how to reach these &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20"&gt;keeeeeeeds&lt;/span&gt;"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* I've just been talking about sports through the tidbits today in an effort to cover up the fact that I thought it was Wednesday until about an hour ago.  Needless to say, my tidbits are lame today.  I'm sorry...blame college basketball!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Have a good day today!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Song of the Day: Jay-Z - Public Service &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21"&gt;Announcement&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23533153-4198148312410150095?l=brianusell.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/feeds/4198148312410150095/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=23533153&amp;postID=4198148312410150095' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/4198148312410150095'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/4198148312410150095'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/2009/11/tuesday-tidbits_17.html' title='Tuesday Tidbits...'/><author><name>Brian</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10232696045746102419</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='01125513509754153352'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SwMPPF8mx1I/AAAAAAAABCI/rOMQbohNa-I/s72-c/0910.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23533153.post-6176113274431851148</id><published>2009-11-16T15:33:00.004-05:00</published><updated>2009-11-16T16:13:21.554-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Waving Goodbye to Kragthorpe...</title><content type='html'>I attended the &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&gt;UofL&lt;/span&gt; v. Syracuse football game on Saturday.  I did this for one reason...to see Greg &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"&gt;Paulus&lt;/span&gt; get laid out.  Luckily, that happened a few times, see:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SwG3rMHO31I/AAAAAAAABCA/FwvY_DwixVc/s1600/Campa.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 252px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SwG3rMHO31I/AAAAAAAABCA/FwvY_DwixVc/s400/Campa.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404802980435124050" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Now then, while I was just attending to see &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"&gt;Paulus&lt;/span&gt; get rocked...I was also attending with hopes that the game would be exciting and we might actually get a win.  Well, the game was not exciting...in fact it was the most boring &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"&gt;UofL&lt;/span&gt; game I've ever seen...ever.  There were &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"&gt;approximately&lt;/span&gt; ZERO chances to cheer through the first three quarters and when Syracuse scored a touchdown...it appeared the Cards were headed for a gross defeat!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;That's when I turned to &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"&gt;Lautaro&lt;/span&gt; and said, "This crowd needs the wave!"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What followed can only be described as the most exciting thing to happen to &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"&gt;UofL&lt;/span&gt; Football since the Orange Bowl in January 2007.  Normally, I'm not a gigantic fan of the wave.  You usually only get about 50% participation and it takes away from what's happening on the field. Now then, since the stadium was only about half full and the taking attention away from the game was my number one goal...I figured it was the perfect chance to make a difference.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"&gt;Lautaro&lt;/span&gt; and I stood up and yelled and waved...and then stood up and yelled and waved...and then stood up and yelled and waved.  Soon about 100 other fans around us joined in the fun.  We continued standing and yelling and waving, standing and yelling and waving and soon the wave began to make the full loop of Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, skipping effortlessly over the open end of the field.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As the wave grew...so did our enthusiasm.  We stood and yelled and waved, stood and yelled and waved and stood and yelled and waved some more.  With each rotation the wave gained steam.  Syracuse fans even joined in (they were winning after all).  Soon, the whole stadium was whipped into a frenzy and the wave was going like I've never seen before.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The funniest part was the fact that it just kept going and going and going.  Normal waves last about 5-6 times around the stadium but I'm not exaggerating when I say ours was pushing 20!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nevertheless, it got the crowd excited and what followed can only be described as a miracle.  Trent Guy put the Cards a head with a 92 yard punt return for a TD...and then it was overturned because his knee was down when he caught it. (Although I hear the -1 yard return was actually the play of the game on TV...I'm not kidding).  But then, the Cards got the ball back again, with the crowd still buzzing from the wave, and scored a TD to win the game 10-9!  It was magic.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;While one would think the talk of the town would be about the players big plays and the unexpected Cardinal win...the Wave was actually making headlines.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It was mentioned twice in the Courier Journal:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Shortly after that, a large portion of the announced crowd of 33,223 in Papa John's Cardinal Stadium started doing the “wave.” As out of place as it seemed at a point when the Cards were trailing, it was hardly the only time a double-take was in order." - &lt;a href="http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20091114/SPORTS02/911140340/1028/SPORTS02/Cardinals+edge+Syracuse+10-9+to+escape+Big+East+cellar"&gt;C.L. Brown&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;" (Trent) Guy didn't come to &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"&gt;UofL&lt;/span&gt; to listen to complaints about a coach who didn't recruit him or to watch the home crowd resort to tricks like the “wave” cheer for fourth-quarter entertainment, the way Cardinals fans did Saturday." - &lt;a href="http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20091115/COLUMNISTS01/911150336/1028/SPORTS02/Louisville+football+s+Trent+Guy+opens+everybody+s+eyes+but+his+mom+s"&gt;Rick &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"&gt;Bozich&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Also, the awesome blog &lt;a href="http://www.cardchronicle.com/2009/11/16/1159453/louisville-10-syracuse-9"&gt;Card Chronicle&lt;/a&gt; mentioned the Wave in his post game recap:&lt;br /&gt;"I wasn't there but I heard the wave exhibition put on by Louisville fans was the most impressive one in sports since circa 1988 in the &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"&gt;Astrodome&lt;/span&gt;."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The wave also dominated the talk of Cardinal fans on the message boards:&lt;br /&gt;From &lt;a href="http://louisville.rivals.com/showmsg.asp?fid=658&amp;amp;tid=128174471&amp;amp;mid=128174471&amp;amp;sid=923&amp;amp;style=2"&gt;&lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11"&gt;CardinalSports&lt;/span&gt;.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;"Who said The Wave was dead? Doing the wave for almost a hour yesterday was more interesting and fun than watching what was going on in the game."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;"I have never seen a &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12"&gt;fanbase&lt;/span&gt; start a wave after falling behind in the 4&lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13"&gt;th&lt;/span&gt; quarter. The game was tied up 3 to 3 and then Syracuse scored a TD. Next thing I know a wave cheer begins! What the hell was that all about? Don't you usually start a wave cheer when the game is in hand? You guys are really strange"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;This is Louisville football; nothing makes much sense right now. At least the fans that were there had some fun."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;2 idiots in front of us in section 211 started it. They wouldn't stop either and it was wearing everybody out. I've never heard boos during the wave...thought that was pretty funny. I guess that's more like a Tsunami??"-&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;When our hopes for a scoreless tie evaporated, there was nothing left to do but start a wave. &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14"&gt;Kudo's&lt;/span&gt; to the "idiots" in section 211. I thought it was great..."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;With a boring game, the wave sure did wake me back up"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=17&amp;amp;f=2759&amp;amp;t=5123677&amp;amp;p=1"&gt;From &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15"&gt;Insidetheville&lt;/span&gt;.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;"Does anybody know how long the longest wave EVER was?  I'm thinking we were close today - it must have gone around 15-20 times?   Is this a clear message to the administration of how the crowd was so bored with what was happening on the field this kind of distraction just went on and on?  We're thinking LOTS of big &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16"&gt;beachballs&lt;/span&gt; for the final home game. "&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"I think the wave was the most fun i have had all year at a game...&lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17"&gt;thats&lt;/span&gt; pretty sad."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"It's not how many people, it's the fact that it went on and on around the stadium, through several sets of plays... on and on... and it was the most fun I've had in the stadium all season especially when it just didn't die..."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"I was sitting behind those that started the wave and it was &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;(out of) &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;total boredom."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Man, harsh critics on here. That wave was AWESOME! I mean, when was the last time you even saw the wave, it had been years for me. I thought it showed great &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18"&gt;spirit&lt;/span&gt; by the fans. We were going to have fun regardless of the game. I'm glad we won too. Can't lose to Syracuse 3 years in a row. I actually had a great time at the game yesterday."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"My daughter came to the game, that was the first wave she ever saw, and she had a blast doing it."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"(The wave) Was EPIC, started out as boredom but turned into a pretty neat unified effort."&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As you can see, there are some who didn't appreciate it (especially if you read the threads I linked).  But overall it threw some life back into the game and &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19"&gt;ultimately&lt;/span&gt; led the Cards to victory.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The best part were the two guys behind us that kept saying, "You guys are legendary!  You can tell your &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20"&gt;grandkids&lt;/span&gt; about this!"  You should sit here every game, usually the people who have your seats never show up!"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So yeah, while I'll still give the players the majority of the credit for the win...I'm certainly taking more credit then &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21"&gt;Kragthorpe&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Go Cards!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Song of the Day: The &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22"&gt;Supremes&lt;/span&gt; - Heat Wave&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23533153-6176113274431851148?l=brianusell.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/feeds/6176113274431851148/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=23533153&amp;postID=6176113274431851148' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/6176113274431851148'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/6176113274431851148'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/2009/11/waving-goodbye-to-kragthorpe.html' title='Waving Goodbye to Kragthorpe...'/><author><name>Brian</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10232696045746102419</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='01125513509754153352'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rEEQ-4hyuf0/SwG3rMHO31I/AAAAAAAABCA/FwvY_DwixVc/s72-c/Campa.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23533153.post-1577405793680648537</id><published>2009-11-13T16:21:00.003-05:00</published><updated>2009-11-13T16:42:20.794-05:00</updated><title type='text'>365 Days...</title><content type='html'>...until Taylor and I get married!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Pretty crazy/exciting/groovy, eh?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Yeah, when Taylor was in town over Halloween we went ahead and booked the Gillespie in downtown Louisville for the wedding on November 13, 2010.  Also, we've created this website with lots of wedding info.  Actually, Taylor deserves most of the credit...I just did a few things.  But, anyway...here it is:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://weddings.theknot.com/pwp/pwp2/view/MemberPage.aspx?coupleid=7881883923390685&amp;amp;pid=5205423"&gt;Wedding Site&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It's all very exciting and it's pretty crazy to think that not only will Taylor be home a year from now, but also we'll be getting married!  I'm very &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&gt;excited&lt;/span&gt; to have a date and a place set for the wedding and I'm looking forward to getting the other details out of the way so we can focus on celebrating with our family and friends.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So yeah, 2010 is going to be a big year!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Also, I had my grad school interview today and it went really well (at least I think it did).  I had a solid answer for all of their questions and they seemed to respond well to the questions I asked them.  I was kind of hoping that they would just tell me that I was in at the end of the interview...but no dice.  I still have to wait like 2 more weeks, so I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Man, grad school (hopefully)...marriage...2010 is gonna be a wild ride!  I better enjoy the rest of 2009 because 2010 is gonna be jam-packed!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Have a great weekend people!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Song of the Day: The Avett Brothers - January Wedding&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23533153-1577405793680648537?l=brianusell.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/feeds/1577405793680648537/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=23533153&amp;postID=1577405793680648537' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/1577405793680648537'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23533153/posts/default/1577405793680648537'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://brianusell.blogspot.com/2009/11/365-days.html' title='365 Days...'/><author><name>Brian</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10232696045746102419</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='01125513509754153352'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry></feed>