Eclectic Like Me: 2005

Sunday, October 30, 2005

I love the UFC.

Ultimate fighting is my newest fascination. I first became interested in it about a year (or so???) ago, but it wasn’t until recently that I really started following it. I blame this rediscovery on Spike TV which airs UFC Unleashed and The Ultimate Fighter 2 right after reruns of CSI (which I sometimes watch out of boredom). So, why do I love Ultimate Fighting? Well, it is, as they say, “as real as it gets.” We’re not talking any pansy fighting here. It’s a combination of striking, grappling and submission holds which combines techniques from many different fighting styles. (Learn more at the Wikipedia entries on UFC and mixed martial arts or at the UFC site.) The variety in styles makes the fights more interesting (in my opinion) and also requires the fighters to be more versatile. I think it’s great that you can watch two different fights that hardly resemble each other. One may be fought entirely on the feet with punching and kicking and the other could be fought entirely on the ground.

I haven’t learned much about different fighters yet, but my current favorite is Rich Franklin. He’s a great fighter (and current middleweight champion), but the real reason he’s my favorite (at least for now) is that he used to be a math teacher. Since I’m a math geek, that certainly makes him stand out in my mind. Obviously, he’s cool because math is so cool. :) My other favorite fighter is Georges St. Pierre for another completely superficial reason. I was amused when I saw him start break dancing after winning a fight. So obviously, he’s cool because breaking is so cool. :) Hopefully I will eventually find better reasons to like (or not like) different fighters. But regardless of who is fighting, I’m always happy to watch an ultimate fight. I love the UFC.

Monday, August 08, 2005

My First Post

It's my first blog post! I (inexplicably) found myself with nothing to do this evening, so I thought, "Why not start a blog?" Of course, after signing up, I realized I had absolutely nothing to say. So, this post will be short and sweet, and later, when inspiration strikes (or something like that), I will fill my blog with many interesting things... For now, thanks for reading, and check back later for more. :)

Random Things About Me

I don’t like talking on the phone.
At some point in school I had to read “To Build a Fire” by Jack London. I hated it. Ever since then, I have disliked all books/movies/TV shows about cold, snowy places.
Sometimes I use pivot tables in Excel. I don't know whether to be proud of this or ashamed (because it means I use Excel way too much!).
I don't like mangoes.
In the course of talking through a problem with another person, I often have that “aha!” moment when I answer my own question. In order to waste less of other people’s time, I keep a rubber ducky, named Johnny Mustang, on my desk, and I talk through problems with him instead.
When I get cravings, it’s most likely for one of the following foods: chocolate, onion rings, cheese, or buffalo wings.
My father and both grandfathers all have names that start with E: Eldon, Emory, and Elias.
I think the spread of cell phones has introduced a whole new way for people to be rude to one another. If cell phones weren’t so incredibly useful, I wouldn’t have one.
I love to laugh. A lot. I’ve never laughed so hard I peed my pants, but if I did, I would probably laugh about it.
I defined my own “Hierarchy of Cleanliness” for assessing which guests my house is clean enough to host. The categories are: (1) me, (2) family and close friends, (3) acquaintances and strangers, (4) hot date, and (5) the president. To date, the cleanest my house has ever been is level 4. I hope one day to achieve level 5, but as presidential cleanliness is about so much more than just getting rid of dirt and clutter, I have my doubts.
Most of the best cakes I've ever eaten were cakes I made.
I can't bring myself to wear black and khaki together even though I think it looks fine (even good) on other people.