/mike

The playoffs begin tomorrow. Best out of three, Angels vs. Athletics. Here's hoping the good guys beat the big three.

Even a nice Lobster dinner in scenic Redondo Beach couldn't keep my disgust contained for long. The Angels lost.

Three games back.

Nine left to play.

I hate to stick a fork in them when there's still five head to head games against the A's, so I won't. I'll hold out hope for a few more days.

But how did this happen? And what will it take to turn it around? Weren't the Angels supposed to dominate the AL West?

That was hype. And hype is their true enemy. See, the problem with this team is NOT that there isn't enough time. It ISN'T that the other teams are significantly better. The real problem is that the Angels are choking under the weight of their own expectations. They are afraid of losing. They are scared. They are waiting for something bad to happen. They are worried what others will think of them if things don't go right.

That's no way to compete in professional sports.

Put simply, the Angels need to stop thinking about themselves and focus on how much they want to beat the crap out of the other team.

Why am I still up? Not sure.

Cindy and I saw a Sarah Silverman comedy set in North Hollywood. She was great! I also saw a guy who has the exact hair style that I would wish for. Of course, my hair is completely untrainable.

I've reached the third level of Metropolismania, the Urban Planning PS2 game that Cindy got for me. The added challenge to this level is the "crazy cult" that starts to brainwash all the people of my city. What's with that? Where's the church that makes everyone a better person?

So we were going to go to the Lobster Fest in San Pedro, but church was hosting an olympic competition! I'm glad we stayed. Cindy participated in the Bible Word Search, and I joined in on the Avocado Spitting (lost) and Speed Watermelon Eating (won) events.

Our group won the overall gold. Cindy and I took a picture together with our medal.

[Update:] How did I forget that Cindy also was in the Toothpick Relay. She won too!

We went to a wedding this past weekend. Congratulations to Bear and Francisco! She is an absolute miracle and he is one wonderfully blessed man.

Highs and lows always seem so important in the moment. A few hours ago, I was stuck in worse-than-expected-traffic. Couple that with a variety of issues, including work stress and lack of sleep, and I was ready to do something crazy.

Instead, I went to the local comic shop and had dinner at Zankou. It's all about knowing what floats your boat and these are the things that float mine (Powers trade paperbacks, Daredevil, and butter-garlic spread).

The maintenance work at the basketball court has finally finished. And as much as I'd like to go play tonight, I need the sleep more than I need the exercise (and I desperately need exercise).

Celebrated the big brother's birthday yesterday with a surprise party. It was a prime opportunity to bring out the EyeToy. I originally thought we'd embarrass him by making him dance on screen but I ended up playing the most. At one point, everyone was having their conversations and I would go two, three times in a row. "Anyone wanna go? Ok. My turn again!"

I'm part of the fantasy football masses. Unfortunately, I overthought my draft. The conventional wisdom is to load up on running backs early but I foolishly devised an elaborate mathematical formula to put together my team. Haha. But that's part of the fun isn't it? Now if I can only find that great sleeper off the waiver wire...

In another arguably big waste of time, I played LOTR Risk yesterday... and won! It was so lucky. You know, I keep trying to think of new rules that will make the game based on "skill". Basking in my (sure to be short-lived) glory, I found a site that is also trying to come up with new rules:

Combat in standard RISK relies heavily on the luck of the die roll, and lightly on strategy... I have therefore added a similar strategic component to LOTR: Risk by adding a "Rings of Power" resource...

Of course, some of what they say is just crazy-talk!

Many people have reported problems with the length of the game, mostly that the game is too short with 4 or more players. [emph. added]

I'm looking forward to the next game.

UPDATE: I just realized that we've been neglecting a rule! During the reinforcement phase, each stronghold you occupy is to receive a new battalion! Geek talk like this makes me laugh.

I went to a meeting in a historic office, designed by Richard Neutra. Planning consultants are very glamerous to me, though I have a sneaky suspicion that the grass looks greener than it really is. I'm up now because I fell asleep immediately after getting home from work. Oh yeah, I also ate two french bread pizzas.

I'm halfway through my third book of the Planning reading list. You know, I assumed that most of the reading would be about planning expertise and history, but instead, it's adherence to the AICP planning code, or planning ethics. Right now, I'm reading endless case studies, which can be summed up as don't let anything or anyone keep you from fighting the man!

OK. OK.

Maybe my blog dilemna is part and parcel with my career concerns, which all go to my identity crisis. I'm falling apart!

No, I'm not.

I've replaced my picture with Cindy's dog. Afro is all I've ever wanted in a dog and more.

Trying to add blogrolling to /mike. Test test test...

The AICP Exam will be on November 19th, 12 noon in Glendale.

Of the political blogs that I follow, it has become clear that Powerline is the cream of the crop.

My staple is still Betsy's Page, and whenever I get depressed, Hugh Hewitt cheers me up.

Tickets purchased!

Monday October 11, 2004
Los Angeles (LAX) to Tokyo (NRT)
Depart 12:50 pm
Arrive 3:55 pm +1 day

Monday October 25, 2004
Tokyo (NRT) to Los Angeles (LAX)
Depart 4:25 pm
Arrive 10:15 am

Replacing the Mariners as the best team to not make the playoffs?

Quite a full Sunday.

Woke up early to take my Dad to the airport. Had breakfast with James. He's my "advisor in everything". This time, he's helping me sort through career angst.

Went to church afterward. Pastor John talked about the difficulty of character transformation, especially when our core values don't necessary line up with our beliefs. Is it me or is growing up in a church fertile ground for that sort of cognitive dissonance? Oh, it's just me!

Took a nap after lunch and woke up in time to do some reading for the upcoming AICP exam. At my brother's suggestion, I made a rough reading schedule. Looks like it's a book a week for September.

By the time Cindy and I then went to have dinner, it was 8pm but why was it still so hot? We got home at 10pm and the news reported that it was 90 degrees! Thank goodness I bought an air conditioner. Can't trust those landlords worth a damn.

The team seems to be on a roll. They say that it's not how you start but how you finish, so I hope things go well tonight. For old times sake, here's one of my all time favorite President George W. Bush stories from Salon.com.

I've just turned in a vaction slip for October 11th to the 22nd! And much thanks to Cindy, who has taken the lead in our Japan trip planning. It's going to be great.

Yesterday's Angel loss to Boston was discouraging, but watching Arnold's speech and hanging out with Chih made me forget all about baseball.