Man, I am no good at doing things in a timely manner.

So here we are, two weeks after I said I'd start doing my other blog topics besides football and it hasn't been done yet. To top it off, I didn't get my next week's of predictions in on Tuesday! So let's jump right in to that, and we'll figure out what to do when it comes to video games here shortly.

This last week was a turd of a week for the NFL, wasn't it? I don't think there was a single game which really caught my eye. Goodness knows all the ones on basic TV were either blowouts or just ugly, ugly football. As a result, I only got 7 of the 14 games right. Worst week yet. I feel really bad because half my picks don't even count as the St. Louis Hams, Miami Tunas and Indianapolis Clots are still winless. Yeesh.

But, this past week has made me come to a realization: The first three games of this season totally didn't matter. I mean, they will when it comes to the end of the year determining who goes to the playoffs, but none of the teams in the first three weeks are really indicative of that team. I'm blaming the short pre-season for making some bad teams look good and some good teams look bad.

My take on last week's action by game:

• Broncos 18 - Miami 15

All I have to say is Tebow has some crazy lucky breaks, man. I know the kid is getting all the credit for the ridiculous comeback, and he does deserve some because those last two drives were pretty awesome, but the biggest swing play was the recovered onside kick and Broncos fans better realize it. Tebow was awful for 57 minutes. It was great to watch him win, though. Also, Miami: You guys are so bad. Why did you go for that 2 point conversion when you were winning in a shutout? If you make it, yeah okay it makes it a 3 score game no matter what, but missing it meant the other team just needed two TDs, and only one of which (rather than both) would need to be a two point conversion. I honestly think Miami is throwing the season on purpose because the support for their head coach Sporano in the head office is nonsensical at this point.

• Chargers 21 - Jets 27

The Chargers, Ravens and Texans all have a problem like no other teams in the league: They straight up cannot finish games. They had this one, and totally blew it. I want to give the Jets credit, but I actually watched this game, and I can't. Other than Derelle Revis, no one on that team really played particularly excellent football. Well, okay, let's give Plaxico Burress some credit for finally getting his freedom legs back under him. Still, it wasn't so much great football on the part of the Jets as it was a total second half meltdown by my boy Phillip Rivers. It's bizarre how that guy has totally melted this year. He's been one of the top 5 QBs in the league since he's been a starter.

• Texans 41 - Titans 7

This game more than any other is the reason I'm thinking the first three weeks totally don't count. The Titans looked surprisingly excellent for awhile, but have turned back into the turd sandwiches I initially thought they'd be this year. I want to give credit to Houston for rebounding from losing two key players, as well. Good game, gentlement.

• Falcons 23 - Lions 16

Falcons are starting to find their stride, and the Lions injury problems are creeping back up. Remember how I said the first three weeks don't matter? Falcons are 3-1 since with their only loss in that span coming to Green Bay, while the Lions are just 2-2. If there is any franchise capable of looking like something really special and then coming crashing back to reality, it'd be Detroit. I really don't think it's going to happen and I'm sticking by my predictions they'll make the playoffs, but they need to get out of this slump soon. Chicago has started to play pretty consistent, and they are a good team. They're creeping on Detroit's heels and I'm not sure the Lions will be able to hold them off.

• Redskins 20 - Panthers 33

You know, Cam Newton is really good. He's playing elite level QB as a rookie, coming on to one of the worst teams ever in last years Panthers squad. Seriously every time a Carolina game is on, it's a treat. Kid has a rocket, he's accurate, and he can scramble. He's like a black Steve Young, but with even better legs. Also, the Redskins are starting to do what they do best and that's play mediocre football. I bet they have yet another 8-8 season.

• Bears 24 - Buccaneers 18

This game was played in London. Why? I don't rightly know. I mean, it'll be great and all if we can expland the American Football brand beyond our own country and all, but it still seems gimmicky to me. Anyway, as to the actual game, Matt Forte is an animal. I heard a stat off the television he's responsible for over 50% of the team's total offense numbers. That's seriously crazy. He had 180ish yards from scrimmage with a crazy amount of jet lag. Impressive. I also feel bad for the Bucs. They had a decent run game plan when the year began, but Blount's injury and now the season-ending injury to Graham are going to be difficult to overcome. I think Blount returns this week, but we'll see.

• Seahawks 3 - Browns 6

You know how I like to come up with derogatory names for bad teams by now, I'm sure. I'm going with Collin Cowherd by calling Seattle the Seachickens. And I was going to come up with something clever for Cleveland, but I mean they are already the Browns. You don't need to stretch far into the 5 year old child in all of us to giggle at them anyway. Sadly, this wasn't even the Game of the Week Weak because the MNF matchup was just horrible to watch. These teams can't even get a break by being the worst game to watch, how sad is that?

• Steelers 32 - Cardinals 20

Remember preseason when people were all like "Kevin Kolb is a good quarterback!"? I do. At least Cowherd's had the integrity to call himself out on having thought that. I never bought it, personally, because he was a backup for Donovan "I can't complete a pass" McNabb for years. If this guy was really any decent, he'd have started for Philadelphia before Vick came along. I'd also like to point out that Groepslithsberger has put together 2 and a half weeks of really good football. (His second half against the Jags was pretty bad but Jack Del Rio must have something about my division figured out considering the red-assed beatdown they put on the Ravens on MNF.) Just saying, Steelers are still a serious threat to anyone, anytime, anywhere. Mike Wallace is also just about the fastest dude in the NFL.

• Chiefs 28 - Raiders 0

A lot of people in Oakland are mad for the move to bring in Carson Palmer because he had a bad game, but it's not his fault. He was barely getting reps at practice, hasn't played in a game since the end of last year, and hasn't been with the organization even an entire week before being asked to bail out who was supposed to be your backup QB. Kyle Boller was amazingly bad. At least Palmer has an excuse. Notice how I'm only talking about poor QB play and not anything about the Chiefs? It's because I'm still not sold on them. Okay, they pitched a shutout. I'll give them that. But, they only scored 28 points? They had 6 damn turnovers, two of which were already returned for TDs. Those pick sixes were half of their offense? You mean they only managed two touchdowns off the other 4 turnovers, and 0 points on all their other possessions? Sad. Just sad.

• Packers 33 - Vikings 27

I love how people are still saying the Packers will go undefeated even though two rookie QBs have totally demolished their secondary this year. Yeah, they have the most efficient offense in the league. I absolutely don't want to take away from the Packers greatness, as I still am never picking against them all season. I just know they'll lose a game. Your defense can't give up that many points every week because eventually someone will actually make a stop to Aaron Rodgers. I also think the Vikings completely made the right decision to start Christian Ponder. Kid played really well in his first start, and against 17 of the other teams in the league, they'd have won this Sunday. It's just difficult to outscore Rodgers.

• Rams 7 - Cowboys 33

Rams are so bad. I love how people are saying "Oh gee golly, the Cowboys have done figur'd out durr problems 'n are gunna get back to winnin' footsball." It's the Rams. Sort of like what I said last week with the Jets, beating a bad team convincingly just means that other team is really bad.

• Colts 7 - Saints 62

Guys, I think I'm gonna move to Indiana and work out for the Colts. I mean, I've never done anything remotely athletic in my lifetime but even I've gotta be better than some of the players on this team. They are so bad. They are so, so bad. The Saints managed to get two more touchdowns in the 4th quarter when they weren't even trying anymore. And it still cracks me up just how much their QB looks like Sean Penn from Fast Times At Ridgemont High. 

Look at this:

And finally, the Monday Night Game:

• Ravens 7 - Jaguars 12

The Jaguars are one of the worst teams in the league this year, and yet they held the Ravens, one of the best teams so far, to ZERO first downs the entire first half. Yeah, they couldn't get in the endzone themselves, but they've got Scobee who hit 3 50+ yard field goals. Pretty impressive boot if you ask me. This was the most entertaining bad game ever. I saw "highlights" if you can even call them that put to the Benny Hill theme song. If you don't know what that is, it's called Yakety Sax and I guarantee you've heard it. They could have had this playing the entire actual game and it'd have fit. Whoops, fumble. Whoops overthrown pass. Whoops, dropped pass. Whoops 20 yard sack. Whoops 4th and 46 (yes that seriously happened.) I hope we have another inept offense to mock next week because this was fun.

Here comes the fun part.

PREDICTIONS WEEK 8

Baltimore over Arizona - No way Baltimore lays two turds in a row. Unlike Jacksonville, Arizona doesn't at least have a defense. They'll bounce back and win big. Maybe.

Minnesota over Carolina - I know Carolina had an impressive win last week but they still aren't a complete team. Minnesota has underperformed all year, and I think Ponder gets his first win.

Houston over Jacksonville - Maurice Jones-Drew hasn't played well, and Blaine Gabbert just doesn't strike me as a legit NFL starting quarterback. Houston is supposed to get Andre Johnson back soon, too, so if he plays that's pretty much the game.

New York Giants over Miami - I wonder if there's anyone who doesn't have this pick? I'd take St. Louis or Indianapolis over Miami right now.

New Orleans over St. Louis - Who does the NFL scheduling? New Orleans gets to crush two winless teams back to back. I love it.

Tennessee over Indianapolis - Titans has under-performed the last two weeks in a major way, but the Clots have done it all season. I'm going with the team with the veteran QB, but I wouldn't be surprised if Indy squeeks out their first win this year and lose out on drafting that Stanford kid.

Buffalo over Washington - Washington's QB situation turned messy. I think benching Grossman was a mistake. Yeah he had one really bad game, but to throw him under the bus like that to a guy who's just as inconsistent sends the wrong message to your team. Buffalo is also coming off a bye week and the team is legit enough this year I think that extra preparation time helps them here.

Detroit over Denver - Tebow's magic surely can't affect Detroit... can it? I think Suh and Avril are out for blood, so Tebow's arms are going to have to win it for their team and I just don't see that happening.

Pittsburgh over New England - Man this is a tough game to pick, probably the most difficult one this week. The New England Bradys have owned the Steelers in Heinz Field classically. Thing is, Big Ben is playing his best football right now, Mike Wallace gets better every week, and New England's secondary is really bad. This is going to be a shootout, and I always take the team with the better overall D in a shootout. Turnovers win this matchup, period.

Cincinnati over Seattle - The Seachickens are a mess, and Cincinnati is quiety having a really good year. It's weird they got rid of just about their entire offense and are clicking this well. I'm rooting for Dalton to have a game.

San Francisco over Cleveland - This whole Peyton Hillis thing is destroying the Browns. That contract dispute is single-handedly ruining what was supposed to be a much improved season for a historically bad team. San Francisco is playing legit, too. Frank Gore has a huge game, mark my words.

Philadelphia over Dallas - Eagles need this to save their season. Sadly, if they win they are actually up on Dallas in the standings for that division. With the slide of the Redskins, it means they have a shot at getting to the number two spot in just another week should they streak harder and win again.

San Diego over Kansas City - How fitting the MNF game lands on Halloween and features two of the most inconsistent teams in the league. I hope this ends up being a real Jekyll-Hyde match up with a bajillion turnovers. Still, end of the day I think San Diego wins because they can score points without relying on luck or exceptionally bad play by the other team.

NFL Week 6 in review + Rant on why Skip Bayless sucks

Well damn it, I missed a week. We had midterms and as a result, Wednesday was the last day any of the faculties on campus were open. I was planning on getting my weekly blog post in but could not, which is quite unfortunate. That means this is a long one because not only do I have to talk about week 5, I have to tell you whom I predicted, and then talk about week 6. Let's get to it.

Week 5: I went 10/13 picking this week. How awesome is that? I was also relatively close with my Denver over San Diego pick, too, although that's mostly because of TIMMAY! I've been saying for awhile that Tebow is going to be a legit player in the NFL. Why? Because he's got physical abilities and EVERYBODY doubts him. Talk about a guy with a chip on his shoulder. The thing is, the talking heads at ESPN and every other sports news program keep doubting because he's a nice guy and the opinion in the football world is you can't be a nice guy and play like you've got something to prove. I'm calling bullsnot on that notion right now. Just because the kid is a proud Christian and wears it on his sleeve? The rest of the world needs to remember that Christianity is an aggrieved religion, same as all the others. It's become rather domininant in terms of numbers of followers world-wide, so folks forget about the dark ages. They forget about the stories of what actually happened to the followers of Christ during his actual time on earth. Keep doubting Tebow, people. Please. It's just fuel for that kid to come out and put on a show. I can't wait for week 7 to see him obliterate Miami. Can. Not. Wait.

I'm also glad to say Roethlisberger finally showed up. Watching him carve up Tennessee made me so happy. Screw my predictions, I just want to see my team win and win they did. And the other game I got wrong was just because Indy's defense quit. They're offense actually looks fairly competent with Painter under center. Now it's the undersized defense letting them down in crunch time. It's a dysfunctional team and I'm starting to think they'll be lucky to win more than a game or two.

Other note to point out: Remember what I said about the Giants being inconsistent? Seattle proved it. It's like I know something.

Instead of talking directly who I think was going to win in week 6, I'll just comment on in as I give a recap of each game so you'll actually believe me rather than think I retroactively picked teams just because we all now know who won them all.

Carolina @ Atlanta: Man, I am so mad at the Panthers. I totally had them winning this one, and cam Newton let me down. People are still defending him but I'm sorry, he had a bad game. 3 INTs, no passing touchdowns, and roughly 250 passing yards is all? Any other QB, we'd be torching the guy but because it's been the wonderboy story of the season so far, the media is giving him a pass. I'm not. Cam, I doubt you read some no name kid out of Nevada's blog, but if you're reading this: Decision Making. That's your goal this week. Don't throw the game away.

Indianapolis @ Cincinnati: My friend Craig has dubbed Andy Dalton the "Red Rocket." Kid is baller. Seriously, I'm rooting for that kid (and Kellen Moore when he gets drafted this upcoming year) more than any other player outside of the ones directly on my team for the simple reason everyone doubted him coming out of college because he didn't play for a BCS team. SCREW COLLEGE FOOTBALL! Every time someone gives me some run down on why the SEC is the only college football conference worth following, I want to pop them in the mouth. College football's system is inherently flawed because opinion decides the ultimate victor. It's total crap, and everyone who really likes it only really likes it because the talking heads in the industry happen to really like that school too. It seriously makes me rage. Oh, and btw, I would have had Cinci in this game just because Indy dropped the ball so badly last week. They did so again. Poor Clots fans.

San Francisco @ Detroit: What a game. I'm a Lions fan and all (they are my second favorite team and have been for a long time. I'm not bandwagoning, I swear!) but even in a loss, it was fun to watch. The Lions stadium is quickly becoming the new 12th Man. And I have to give credit to the Niners. If you'd have told me they'd have a bajillionty penalties like they had and yet would still win the game (and off of a beautiful perfect pass by Alex Smith to boot), I'd have laughed at you. Yet, that's exactly what happened. Niners are legit. Detroit is also legit, but needs to figure out some way to be more consistent on offense rather than rely on the big play all the time. Also, you heard it here first: This is going to be a Wildcard Weekend match up in the playoffs, except at Candlestick Park as the Niners are going to win that division hands-down and therefore get at least that first home field game.

St. Louis @ Green Bay: You guys believe me when I say I had Green Bay, right? Because who didn't. The Rams are trash tier. It's really, really sad watching that team regress from last season. But, on the bright side for them, they acquired Brandon Lloyd from Denver this week so that should help their passing game out a bit.

Buffalo @ New York Giants: This game made me >:( face several times. BUFFALO, HOW COULD YOU? I swear, the Giants are such an enigma. When they play good football, they look like the team who surprised the world by beating the invincible Patriots back in '07. When they don't, they look like they are in the same tier as Carolina (close games, but too many turnovers and they lose.)

Jacksonville @ Pittsburgh: And yet again, a week I've got my team winning, they barely squeak by. First half, it looked like we were still playing as we did against Tennessee the week before, which is to say Super Bowl caliber football. Then the mysterious Super Bowl Hangover afflicted us again. And to top it off, Palomalu suffered a concussion so who knows how that'll affect our team. This season reminds me so much of the year directly after we beat the Cardinals in the SB. We're just inconsistent in a dangerous way so we'll be lucky to make the playoffs.

Philadelphia @ Washington: I was all ready to crown the Redskins as come-back kings of the year, too, and they had to go lose to Sillydelphia. I guess it doesn't shock me THAT much because there is still way too much talent on the Eagles for their record to be as it currently is. They'd been putting up a lot of offense against everyone but just couldn't find ways to win games. I'm not ready to say they've righted the ship, but it's a start for them. We'll see if it carries over.

Houston @ Baltimore: I knew the Ravens had this one as soon as I heard last week that the Texans best defensive player in the history of that franchise, Mario Williams, was out for the season. Houston has been on the fence since they entered the league, but the one thing you could rely on was the very few star players they had. Now, two of the big three players for them are injured now with Williams and Andre Johnson. It might not be Houston's year after all, everyone. If you asked me who I thought would win right at this moment on a neutral field between them and Tennessee, I'd bet money on the Titans. And to talk about Baltimore for a second, this was another game where they looked excellent. Ray Rice is a cannonball and that offense is explosive enough now that team can actually come from behind. Considering how good that defense is and how good their run game is, that's pretty scary because they are designed to hold on to leads.

Cleveland @ Oakland: I had Oakland in this one, and the only reason it even really got close is because Campbell suffered a broken collar bone. I was scared for the Raiders when I heard that news, but then today, they made a massive trade for Carson Palmer. It's reportedly a first round pick in 2012 and another in 2013 if they win a playoff game (or a second round pick if they don't). I know a lot of people gave up on Palmer, but he actually had a pretty decent season last year. 61.8% pass completions, 3,970 yards and 26 touchdowns. Interceptions were a problem with 20, but still it was a pretty good season. (Tom Brady, the league's MVP, was only about 4% better in completions and actually had 70 fewer total passing yards. He had 10 more TDs and 16 fewer interceptions, though, which is why the guy totally deserved the MVP. I'm only comparing him to the best here so you guys can say Palmer had a decent year.) If this works out, the Raiders, who were already pretty scary, have the potential to go the distance. It doesn't make them the best team in the AFC, but it does make them good enough to win any given Sunday and that's all you can really ask for.

Dallas @ New England: I had the Patriots winning this one because you don't beat Tom Brady at home. The Patriots haven't lost in Foxborough during the regular season since 2008, the year Brady was out with the knee injury, and before that I think you have to go all the way back to 2006. Something like 33? 34? regular season home victories in a row. That said, Dallas did what only the Texans do better and that's lose a game they should have won. You have to play to win. Don't get conservative and play the field position game against a Tom Brady team, especially when the crowd is behind them. It's just stupid. That's just stupid, stupid football.

New Orleans @ Tampa Bay: No way I thought Tampa was going to win this one the way the Niners obliterated them last week, but they did it. The QB Freeman is a baller and has ice in his veins for sure. It helps New Orleans lost a head coach during the game to injury (seriously, how often do you hear that? What a freaky thing). The Saints still win that division, though. I don't think the Bucs make the playoffs.

Minnesota @ Chicago: Can we agree that Jay Cutler is a tough son of a bitch? Because he is. Dude takes more hits than any other QB and yet still plays really well. If he's not the toughest football player, he's the toughest QB, and if he's not the toughest QB, he's goddamn the toughest diabetic you've ever known. Meanwhile, McNabb should just go retire now because he's done. His days are a player are over. Ponder played pretty decently and did what McNabb hasn't been able to do all season which is throw a ball with a tight spiral.

Miami @ New York Jets: Obviously I had New York winning this one. Weirdly, I think this one is a loss for the Jets because they should have won this game much more emphatically. The Miami Tunas have quit. They've just straight given up. I've never seen a team with less heart. Even the 0-16 Lions played with more passion. The thing that did it for me was going into half time, Miami still had a time out and could have easily got within field goal range as they had like :36 left on the clock. They just walked off the field. I was sickened by that amount of quit. I was angrier at the Dolphins, who I don't even really care about, than I was during week 1 when the Steelers got shellacked by the Ravens. It's obvious the team has thrown in the towel (especially with Tim Tebow day planned for when they play against the Broncos next week) and are just hoping to do bad enough they can draft Andrew Luck out of Stanford. It's disgusting behavior and I hope Sporano gets canned right now.

So what's that make me for week 6? 8 for 13? Ew. Worst week yet. Let's see if I can rebound.

Predictions week 7:
San Diego over New York Jets - Chargers are winning ugly but they are winning, and the Jets look... soft? Can it be said? They just don't look like a quality team.
Tennessee over Houston - If the Titans want to prove they aren't just pretending this year, this is the game. Probably the most important game for either team all season up to this point.
Denver over Miami - Timmy Tebow! It's going to be a home game for the Broncos because Miami, in one of the weirdest PR moves of all time, are celebrating the 2009 Florida Gator national champion team, quarterbacked by none other than the new starting QB for the visiting team. This better be on TV because I want to watch this more than any other game next week.
Chicago over Tampa Bay - I'm still not buying the Buccaneers. Chicago seems to look better every week, too, and Cutler is getting sharper as time goes by.
Detroit over Atlanta: The Falcons are pretenders. Detroit will find the endzone as Atlanta won't be able to stop the Big Play. Expect Megatron to get back to form.
Cleveland over Seattle - I still don't think Tavaris Jackson is going to be able to play well with that pectoral injury he had, even though he had the bye week to rest. The Browns SHOULD be able to pull off a much needed win here.
Washington over Carolina - Grossman was awful last week and all, but it's hard to be awful against Carolina's secondary. Washington in a bounce back win, and yet again, Carolina will keep it close but no cigar.
Pittsburgh over Arizona - My friend Craig and I are calling Arizona the "Pigeons" now because the only thing they are good for this year is laying turds. As inconsistent as the Steelers should win, this is a game even a bad team can have a field day against.
Oakland over Kansas City - Even if they had Terrelle Pryor start, I'd have Oakland over Kansas City. The Chiefs can't stop the run, and McFadden can run all day. Key stat of this game is time of possession. Watch Oakland have the ball for like 40 minutes of the game.
Green Bay over Minnesota - The Purple People Eaters look more like the Eaten Purple People at this point. Like I said before, I'm not picking against Green Bay all season even though I am pretty sure they'll lose a game.
Dallas over St. Louis: They can't drop another one to a such a crappy team, can they? No way Dallas blows it... right? ...Right?!
New Orleans over Indianapolis: Saints don't lose against teams who turn the ball over. Indy stands no chance here.
Baltimore over Jacksonville: I thought Gabbert was a bad choice to begin with. If they still had Garrard, I'd have given Jacksonville a puncher's chance but Baltimore is playing too hot right now to lose to a rookie QB.

Lastly, there's a couple "big things" those in the Football world are talking about right now. I watch a lot of sports analysis shows, and some of the things that get talked about drive me up the friggin' wall.

Firstly, the debate over who's better between Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady is the most pointless, asinine, stupid argument in the world. You're trying to tell me either team would rather have the other guy? Hell no. Patriots fans are 115% behind Tom Brady and Green Bay fans are 115% behind Aaron Rodgers. If you're asking me which guy I'd rather have behind center in Pittsburgh? Doesn't FREAKING matter, for the love of all that's good and holy. This is why we have fantasy football, Media types. The rest of us who actually care about the teams we cheer for don't have the luxury of spending our afternoons pointlessly debating things that aren't going to happen and that don't matter. Tom Brady is a first ballot hall of famer. Aaron Rodgers is looking like he's bound for Canton as well. Drop the stupid debate. It's so pointless. It's just an excuse for Skip Bayless to make himself look like more of an asshole than he already is.

Second, can we just decide "Handshakegate" is a non-issue? For those who don't know, there was a verbal altercation between the head coaches of San Francisco and Detroit after the game was over because the 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh, super jazzed and mega pumped for the big victory as he should have been, was too aggressive in the way he shook the hands of the losing coach, to which Jim Schwartz took offense. He chased the other down the field a ways and they were separated by a PR guy or two. Just shut up about it, media. It's such a minor thing and a total non-issue. How about we talk about the game? It was the most exciting game this weekend. There's plenty of headlines we could take from it. How about how Alex Smith is finally showing he warranted being drafted, or how the previously unstoppable Ndamakong Suh got shut out by the offensive line for the Niners, or how about it's the first game of the season Calvin Johnson has been held without a touchdown catch? I mean, seriously. We're an entire society talking about how some guys after an emotional game got a little hot-headed. Pardon my french, but BIG FUCKING WHOOPTY GODDAMN WALLY.

Lastly, people are talking about Green Bay running the table, or which team between the currently winless is going to finish without a win. Neither of those are going to happen, people. Folks are just in a tizzy thinking it's going to happen again simply because a 16-0 and an 0-16 team have both happened within recent memory.

Let's go look at schedules for every team involved. Green Bay has one of the toughest remaining schedules of any team in pro football. They play the Chargers at San Diego, play the Lions twice (one of which being the Thanksgiving game and you better believe that crowd is going to go nuts over that one), play the Giants at MetLife Stadium, have to take on Oakland and Chicago late in the year, two teams likely to be attemtping to make playoff runs. Every one of those is a legit threat, people. If you disagree, you're wrong. Even Tom Brady last year with his nearly perfect passer rating managed to lose a few games. Aaron Rodgers is totally playing out of his mind right now, but it's a long-ass season and he'll inevitably have one game that's just mediocre if not bad. There's absolutely 0% chance they win them all.

As for the winless teams, the only one I feel is just completely hopeless is Miami. The Rams have a good QB but are just banged up as a whole team so injuries are really what's destroyed their season. More or less the same reason is why Indianapolis is in the gutter. Curtis Painter has played better every week, so they'll sneak in a win there somewhere. Indy gets Jacksonville twice still, gets a game against Atlanta and Carolina, and play the Texans late in the season. By that time, the Texans could potentially have the division shored up so they rest their players as the team is currently banged up with injuries. All of those, winnable games. The Rams can potentially win as early as next week playing against the highly inconsistent Dallas Cowboys, and they still have two games against Arizona and Seattle to play, as well as a game against Cleveland. They'll win one of those. The Dolphins get Denver next week (I think they lose it big but if they manage to win, it won't shock me because Denver is one of the 5 worst teams in the league in my estimation), get to play against Kansas City, Washington, Dallas, Philadelphia and final game of the season against the Jets. Every one of those is a game they can win. No way any of them go completely winless. 1 win only, quite possibly, but no way they go winless.


FINAL RANT ALERT:
So basically, get serious sports media. Quit making stories out of nothing. Quit blowing things out of proportion. Quit ruining the integrity of the game. Get back to reporting stories and trying to make people feel good about sports again. THAT is your job.

And to all media, I'd just like to leave you with this one final thought: Your job is not to create stories. I know that's what every professor you had in a Journalism major told you your job was, is to report stories. But that is not what it is. It is so much more. Your job is be better than everyone. It's to ignore what is a non-issue. You are the driving force behind the topics discussed as a nation, and when you micro focus on shit that doesn't matter, you're ruining the country and making it a worse place. You're the reason everyone feels oppressed. You're the reason people get run out of jobs for making one tiny mistake and showing the flaw of being Human. You're the reason so many otherwise wealthy people are desperately unhappy with their lives simply because everything they do is under the microscope of bullshit bottom feeding crappy people. I loathe you. And I loathe the people who sign your checks. Skip Bayless does not deserve to make money, because he's the most negative piece of shit on television.

And it's our own damn faults, America. Too often we tune in to television because we can't turn our eyes away from people too far out in Crazyville. The media is so full of themselves, they think they don't have to behave the way the rest of society does, that they can just go out to "get a story." Well, to be a good person you should strive to make other people happy. I don't care what industry you're in. If your goal is not to attempt to bring some joy into the lives of others, you're doing it wrong.

NFL Week 4

I feel like I'm totally missing the mark on this season, which is a great thing! It feels a lot like last season. Just when you think you know what to expect, the opposite happens. It's a great thing as a fan because you're always on your toes. Did anyone expect the Lions, Bills and 49ers would be where they were a month into football? Absolutely not. All three have been turd sandwiches for the better part of a decade so to see them get going so strongly is awesome as a fan of the perennial underdogs.

My predictions went 10/15 (the MNF game hasn't been decided at the time of me posting. It's tied 17 all with 6 minutes left in the 4th quarter, so worst that can happen is I repeat 10/16 like I did last week). Not all together that bad, and other than one egregious wishful thinking on my part, nobody really predicted the games I didn't get right.

(Edit: Looks like Tampa is going to win, up 7 with the ball and just 2 minutes left to go. We'll go ahead and say 11/16.)

I don't know what I was thinking picking the Raiders of the Pats because the Patriots never lose back-to-back games. I thought the Raiders were going to keep up that epic running game, but as all the ESPN talking heads point out daily, the Patriots are okay with allowing you to play offense against them. It just isn't going to be the offense your team is used to playing, because they take away your best weapon. Oakland can't rely on their passing game. I'll give Campbell some credit for showing he can still be a legit starter in the league. He's playing much better for the Raiders than he ever did for the Redskins. Still, he's not a 300 yard a game type of guy and never will be.

I'm utterly shocked Cincinnati won a game against upstart Buffalo. How can you circle the wagons against New England and lose to the Bungles?! Just unacceptable. Buffalo couldn't get any offensive production out of anyone, and it was eerie. Cincinnati defense is bad. I'm not surprised the Bengals scored 23 points; I'm surprised they limited the Bills (who've been playing great thus far) to just 20.

Minnesota is bizarre. I've never seen a team so completely different in each half of the game. Another game off to a good start, another game lost in the second half. Except this time to the Chiefs, formerly the 32nd ranked team in the league in pretty much every single possible category. It's a headscratcher. You have arguably the best running back in the league. You've got amazing talented wide recievers. You've got some of the best pass rushers in the league between the Williams brothers and Jared Allen. And you lose. Every game. They are totally done for the season now because the two BEST teams in the league are in their division, and Chicago is pretty decent themselves. It's a hole they can't dig themselves out of. I feel bad McNabb's otherwise great career is dead, because he's never getting another job again. David Garrard will find a backup position even if he doesn't play this season faster than McNabb will after he gets released from his contract at the end of this season.

How about them Eagles, eh? I remember when they had all those big signings. I was excited to see them play. And it's just a wreck in that town. Unlike the other losses here, it wasn't necessarily their game to win because San Fran is playing really, really well. Those Harbaugh boys really know how to coach a team and it's kind of cool having brothers head coach two different teams in the NFL. (How great would it be if the Manning brothers were the QBs on each respective team? Total pipedream but I'd love it.) Still, the Eagles are garbage on defense. People are laying the blame on Vick and that's unacceptable. He played out of his mind this Sunday, and all the games up to this point, his team was up until he got hurt every time. That defense is just bad. I lay the blame on the D-Coordinator, because seriously it's ugly. You have the second best cover corner in the league, another star corner in Rodgers-Cromartie, and yet your passing defense is atrocious. Makes no sense. Figure it out, Philly.

That Miami over San Diego pick looked solid until Henne got hurt. I swear to god watching a Chargers game sets me on edge as I consider myself a fan of the team. They just do not look sharp at all. It's amazing to me they've actually won 3 of the first 4 games of the year for the first time since Norv Turner took over. Proof that scheduling helps a ton.

Notes on other games:
Steelers, where has the O-Line gone? Big Ben is one of the best QBs in the league for getting out of trouble once a play breaks down but he can't do it literally every single down. I'm surprised this game was even as close as it was. It's painful to watch my team, and that makes me sad.

Dallas = choke artists, and I couldn't love it more.

Matt Hasslebeck defies age. I've always liked him as a QB and watching his resurgence in Tennessee is kind of neat.

Carolina had another close game. They feel very Lions-esque from a few years ago. Couldn't win a game but everyone recognized there was a lot of talent on the offensive side of the ball and the young stars are due to break out soon.

The Denver/Green Bay game wasn't as lopsided as the final score indicated. Two key turnovers early is what catapulted the lead, plus a super tricky onside kick call made the lead insurmountable early, but Denver hung in there and still put up numbers. Green Bay has the same problem as the other "best teams in the league" and that's a suspect defense. I actually think New England is the better team, and both are extremely similar. We can throw New Orleans in that mix as well, because they are all opportunistic defenses who can afford to give up points because the guy under center can cover just about any deficit your team can incur. If Aaron Rodgers was the slightest bit human Sunday, Denver could have actually pulled that one out and I really believe that.

That Baltimore/New York game was just ugly. What gives, Flacco? At least the Jets have the excuse of missing their pro-bowl center for all the offensive line breakdowns they've had. What about you? Missed a ton of easy passes, overthrew a zillion guys, and just played terrible. Inexcusable. And San-chise, stop buying into the hype around yourself. You're a USC Quarterback. The last bajillion of them have all been NFL busts. Rex Ryan needs to stop coddling you and go ahead and shock your confidence level for a week. I'm not saying he needs to be thrown under a bus but other guys on the team need to specifically say "Sanchez needs to step it up or we're not going to win many games." Because it's the truth. They will only go as far as he can take them, and right now that looks like it'll be a 6-10 season.

Predictions for week 5:

New Orleans over Carolina: Another close game for the Panthers, but you're not going to beat Drew Brees with the shoddy defense you've got. Sorry, mates.
Indianapolis over Kansas City: If there's ever a team for Indy to finally beat and get out of the winless column, this is it.
Buffalo over Philadelphia: Buffalo can't afford to drop two in a row. Philly can't stop the passing game if the Buffalo offensive coordinator can come up with a decent game plan.
Seattle over New York Giants: The Giants are still playing inconsistent football. By all rights they deserved to lose this week. I just think the sloppy play catches up to them finally against a team desperate to not lose another close game.
Cincinnati over Jacksonville: This should be an interesting game. I hope it's on TV so I can watch it, but either way its another battle of rookie QBs. Dalton is the better of the two so I think they're safe.
Tennessee over Pittsburgh: Could it be I picked against my own team two weeks in a row? Seems that way. Pittsburgh's time in the spotlight is over. They need a change at QB and younger guys on defense.
Oakland over Houston: Oakland is still playing solid football, and Houston's best offensive weapon is likely out with a hamstring injury. Oakland's D-line is big and physical and can stop the run.
Minnesota over Arizona: I am just selling my Cardinals stock is all. Minny can't really go 0-5, can they?
San Francisco over Tampa Bay: Comes down to which team I think is streaking versus which team I think is shrinking.
New England over New York Jets: Jets were abysmal in a way you can't fix in a week and they are about to meet the Cyborg. Expect the Brady Machine to roll.
Denver over San Diego: Denver's offense looked as good as it has since Jay Cutler left against Green Bay. If they can keep it up and play minimal mistake football, San Diego's inability to play consistent football is going to catch up to them.
Green Bay over Atlanta: I'm not picking against Green Bay until they meet a team with a legitimate defense. Falcons look terrible this year, too. Aaron Rodgers is playing other-level football right now and so I'm buying them over anyone until they show a sign of weakness.
Detroit over Chicago: Part of me wants to pick Chicago just because it feels like it's time and it's the only legit threat Detroit will face until Thanksgiving against Green Bay. I think it's the first game in a few weeks Detroit doesn't fall behind epic bad early and doesn't have to play heroics to catch up, though. Jay Cutler will be breathing through a straw when Suh rips up that weak O-Line, too.

More football talkings

Just because everything else I can think to talk about right now is serious in nature and I don't feel like being serious right now, let's go talk more football.

I got 10 of the 16 games predicted correctly. Considering this last week set a record for games decided by a touchdown or less, I'm going to declare this a win for me. Parity is the word; NFL is the league for it. It's kind of cool when every week, even though you "know" something about a team, a person can get surprised each and every time.

I want to give a shout out to the Bills and the Lions for being legit contenders this year. It's got a feel-good quality to it. I don't know anyone who hates either of these teams because neither of them have ever really been worth hating. Neither team has made the playoffs in this last decade, and the Lions hadn't really been a legitimate team since before the Super Bowl era while the Bills had that 4 year streak of making the Super Bowl just to lose each and every time. I'm a sucker for a good underdog story so seeing two perennial loser franchises at least off to a hot start makes great headlines.

Rather than gloat over which games I called correctly, let's pick apart where I missed the mark:

Cincinatti let me down. Maybe the new head coach in San Fran has that team working together fairly well, but still. Dalton had his first wake up call in the NFL... against the Niners? Weird. That team hasn't been a viable franchise since Alex Smith.

Philly let their QB get blown up again, and it looks like New York found they had a decent receiver in Victor Cruz. It's kind of fun watching the Eagles get dismantled with all the pre-season hype surrounding them. I have to give the Giants credit for playing solid football, too. They are going to sneak up on people because they don't win flashy, which as a Steelers fan I totally respect.

Looks like Matt Hasselbeck is trying to prove he's still got it. Guy is playing exceptional, especially for being 36,000 years old. There's no run game to speak of for the Titans (seriously, Mr. I'm Going To Hold Out Til I'm The Highest Paid Player In The League Chris Johnson, put up now). I knew that Denver was crappy, but I didn't know Tennessee had any kick. Also speaking of Denver, use Tebow in short yardage situations already. You've got the highest paid 3rd string QB in the league. He isn't the most accurate thrower in the league, so use him as an H-Back in short yardage or goal-line situations because it serves the purpose of helping your team and making your fan base happy.

Oakland, who'da thunk? I know McFadden is deliriously good, but I'd have balked at the notion any team was going to have 100+ yards running against the Jets. It was beautiful to watch, even though it made me wrong this week. Easily the most exciting game I watched all weekend.

Hey, you remember when Arizona traded away it's only legitimately good defensive player to get a Quarterback hailed as the savior of this franchise? I still think that was the dumbest, dumbest thing they could have done. It looks like the team is still going to fail hard and have the opportunity to draft one of the handful of pro prospect QBs coming up next year. How can you only put up 10 points against Seattle?! I mean, I know there's the whole 12th man thing and all playing the Seahawks at home but it was just ugly, ugly offense on the part of the Cardinals.

Tony "I Can Regenerate Limbs" Romo played well enough to not lose them the game. I give him all sorts of credit for hanging in there with a busted up rib and still getting 255 yards against a fairly solid defense. Still, if it wasn't for a bungled snap on a field goal on the part of Washington, the Redskins would have won. Huge win for the Cowboys, huge loss for the 'Skins.

Picks for week 4:
Chicago over Carolina - As great as Newton has played, Carolina's defense isn't very good. I expect Cutler to show up and play well this week.
Buffalo over Cincinatti - The Bills are circling the wagons, and the Bungles are still in rebuilding mode. Easy call here.
Tennessee over Cleveland - Time for me to not hate on the Titans so bad. Browns are still out their best running back so I don't know if they'll be able to get it going offensively.
Detroit over Dallas - Dallas is still banged up, while Detroit has the chance of getting back their legit rookie D-linesman Nick Fairley.
Houston over Pittsburgh - I don't even want to talk about this one because it's painful picking against your own team. Pitt almost lost to the friggin' Clots, one of the worst teams in the league this year. Houston has an explosive offense and any defense can get a pick off Roethlisburger so I think Houston in a landslide.
New Orleans over Jacksonville - Easy call here. The real question becomes how badly will the Saints destroy the Jags, because this one shouldn't be pretty.
Minnesota over Kansas City - Even Minnesota won't blow a 20 point lead going into the half against Kansas City.
Philadelphia over San Francisco - No way the Eagles can afford to drop this game. San Fran is playing pretty well for the Niners but they are still a pretender team this year.
Washington over St. Louis - Redskins are solid, St. Louis is totally decimated in terms of injuries. I kind of feel bad for the Rams, really.
New York Giants over Arizona - Arizona couldn't beat Seattle for crying out loud. Besides, Western teams tend not to play well out East so I'd have taken a solid Giants team over even a good Cardinals team due to home field advantage.
Atlanta over Seattle - Is it sad I don't feel comfortable with this pick? The Falcons are not playing solid football this year. Still, talent wise, they are the better team on nearly every position.
Green Bay over Denver - It's a win for Denver if Tebow touches the football. Only way they garner any sort of favor with their fans, because the Packers are gonna win big.
Oakland over New England - I'm calling it! I'm calling the upset. New England's defense is made out of butter so as long as McFadden stays healthy, he'll have another big game. Typically, teams with running backs dominating control the clock and the longer the ball is out of Brady's hands, the more of a chance Oakland has of pulling this off.
Miami over San Diego - Chargers are playing so damn soft, and Miami's players are fighting to keep a head coach around. Henne wants to stay in the NFL so he'll need a big game.
Baltimore over New York Jets - Jets still look banged up while Baltimore is firing on all cylinders. Both teams need this win to prove they are legit. I expect a close one.
Tampa Bay over Indianapolis - Indy is ranked 31th on the power rankings NFL.com put out this week. They are that bad. Tampa Bay is at home, too, so that should help the young line up rev up and play their best. Oh, and it's Monday Night. Home team advantage, check.

Two weeks in: NFL Predictions now and how they stack up to my initial beliefs

I feel pretty confident in what I said before the season started! It's almost like I know something.

Okay, so I just got lucky. Deal with it.

DIVISION BREAKDOWN:
AFC East - Looks like the New England Bradys are rolling. I know Tom Brady is good, but geezy chreezy. It's insane what kind of offensive numbers they are putting up in Beantown this year. The Jets, whom I predicted to win that division, also look pretty good but the problem is they aren't healthy right now. If they drop a number of games because their linesman are all banged up, it'll definitely put a crimp on my pre-season predictions.

And hows about them Bills? Looks like Buffalo is circling the wagons pretty legit right now. Fitzpatrick had a handful of really good games last year, but he's looking like a pro bowl candidate right now. It'll be awesome if they make it to the playoffs. We could be seeing both the wild card slots in the AFC go to AFC East teams at this rate, especially because the rest of the AFC divisions seem really weak this year. I know I'm rooting for them to play well; just not well enough to beat the Jets for top spot in the division! (I like to be right.)

AFC North - My football friends here in St. George tell me I really need to let week one's total beatdown of my Steelers go, but it's really hard. Ever have your team drop a 35 to 7 blowout AT HOME to the only legitimate division rival you have? It's not a good feeling. However, Steelers went to shut out the Seahawks, while the Ravens dropped a game to the flippin' Tennessee Titans and their 400 year old quarterback. I'm hoping that means week 1 was a fluke.

Cincinatti is looking better than I thought they would. Gotta give props to my red-headed love child Andy Dalton. I predicted he'd be the best QB long-term out of those taken in this year's draft because he was a baller for TCU, a team the media gave no credit to simply because they weren't in a BCS auto-bid conference. (He hasn't thrown an INT yet and has been extremely efficient. Only reason he's not talked about more often is because Cam Newton is throwing for a bajillion yards a game.) I also like how college football analysts are in love with Andrew Luck and give Kellen Moore no credit as a legit NFL prospect. Not to take away from Luck, who is straight baller himself, but seriously. Boise State is the real deal, Kellen Moore is the real deal, and the BCS should change it's name to the BSC: Bull Shit Crooks.

AFC South - Wow, what a mess this entire division is. Seriously. The Clots are horrendous, the Jags are still in rebuilding mode as they have been since Tom Coughlin left, and Tennessee can't run the ball despite having one of the best RBs in the game. I will be totally shocked if Houston doesn't win that division this year as they are the only legit team. Honestly, they might be the only one in their division to finish above .500 win percentage.

AFC West - Told you this would be an interesting division, and I told you the Raiders were legit. That Darren McFadden kid is ridiculous. Jason Campbell is doing a good enough job quarterbacking they'll be in every game this year, even if they don't win all of them.

The Chargers are up to the same old shenanigans, too. They are clearly the most talented team in the division from top to bottom, and they can't seem to win a game. It's quite sad, and really frustrating as a fan. I hope they can figure it out, but at this point the only team in the entire division playing well is Oakland. Kansas City looks like turd of the league and Denver's fans would rather lose games behind their third string than give their starter the benefit of the doubt. Totally disfunctional.

NFC East - I dub this division Injury Central. The Giants might as well be starting Pop Warner players because of how often their guys go down with injury. Hell, two guys tried faking an injury at the same time. It's like they wanted to jump on the bandwagon of the other teammates who are legitimately out for the season.

Vick of the Eagles got concussed in a freak accident last week. Total shame, because I was looking to him play well this year. He'll still start this week but if he's going to suffer brain injury while in the pocket doing what QBs are supposed to do, I don't see him lasting the whole year scrambling as only he can pull off so well.

And what is this Wolverine-like regenerative ability Tony Romo's lungs have? He goes out with a busted rib and A HOLE IN HIS FRIGGIN' LUNGS for an impressive come from behind win against the Niners, and reports are the lung has already healed up. No wonder everyone says he's tough: He's a super mutant. When Romo sprouts admanatium claws mid-game and shanks a foo, make sure you let people know you heard it here first.

Looks like I have to eat my words about the Redskins, too. Remember when Grossman was laughed at by all members of the sports media for saying he felt his team could win this division this year? I was one of those nay-sayers, but I got to give the DC Boys some props. They are playing solid football, and Grossman is looking more like he did when he led the Bears to a super bowl than he has since he led the Bears to a super bowl. With all the injuries to the other teams, they are looking like they might steal into the playoffs with a divisional championship this year. Craziness. Vick's brain is currently paste, Romo's adamantium ribs are sticking into his lungs, and Eli Manning is throwing to high school kids. They have the best air attack in that division? Are you kidding me?

NFC North - Looks like this is on track to be the division to beat. Minnesota is the only weak link out there, as McNabb looks like just about the worst QB in the league at this point. Chicago's O-line is terrible and yet they still find ways to win games so I give props where it's due.

And good grief, Detroit and Green Bay are rolling teams. I can't wait for them to play each other. I hope there's 17,000 sacks that game. Seriously, Detroit is my dark horse to win the Lombardi trophy this year and you can't count out the returning champs. It's exciting football.

NFC South - Carolina is still a bad team, but how about that Cam Newton? Sure he's turning the ball over a lot, but 420+ yards back to back for a ROOKIE. Totally insane, especially considering one of those games was against the returning champs. Absolutely not going to win even 6 games this year, but it's pretty exciting. That team has a bright future with this kid at the helm. Build around him and look out, they'll be like Detroit in 3 or 4 years.

Saints are still looking dominant. Falcons haven't shown up this year, though. I recall hearing a weird statistic that Atlanta hadn't had two back to back winning seasons in like ever until just this past two years, so maybe that trend picks back up. Tampa Bay looks alright, so we'll see if they can win against Atlanta this weekend.

NFC West - Told you this division would be difficult to predict. Looks like Arizona is back to form, though. Kolb has played really good, and unlike their guy last year, he can actually get the ball into the hands of Larry Fitzgerald. You wouldn't think that'd be a difficult thing to do as Larry has the best hands in the sport.

Seattle's offense is looking atrocious so they aren't going to be as competitive as I thought. The Rams look okay at times, but they are without their star RB now so I don't see them repeating even the 7-9 season they had last year. The Niners are actually looking fairly legit, though, as they won in impressive fashion week 1 and if it wasn't for Wolverine coming back into the game, they probably would have beat the Cowboys. It's a division to keep your eyes on, at the very least.

Week 2 predictions:
Buffalo over New England - Pats are a scoring machine but their defense "can't stop a nose bleed." The 15 game losing streak is snapped this Sunday.
Carolina over Jacksonville - I expect yet another 400+ yard game for Newton.
Cincinatti over San Francisco - I'm telling you guys, Dalton is legit.
Cleveland over Miami - The Browns have a really solid D and I just don't see Miami breaking the hump this year.
Detroit over Minnesota - McNabb is gonna get a face full of Suh this weekend and it'll be glorious pain and obliteration.
New Orleans over Houston - You don't beat the Saints in the Super Dome. Sorry, Texas.
Philadelphia over New York Giants - Vick might be concussed, but the Giants are throwing to little kids.
Denver over Tennessee - I am selling all my Titans stock, despite their impressive win against the Ravens last week.
New York Jets over Oakland - This was difficult to choose, actually. I think this is game of the week. Still, I think the Jets squeak it out despite a beat up O-line.
San Diego over Kansas City - I'd pick the Dixie Red Storm over Kansas City right now. Team is awful.
Baltimore over St. Louis - No way the Ravens drop two weeks in a row to bad teams.
Green Bay over Chicago - Chicago's offensive line won't stop the blitzing you know Green Bay is gonna throw at them.
Arizona over Seattle - Time to see what Kolb and Fitzy-Fitzgerald can do against a bad secondary.
Tampa Bay over Atlanta - Just don't see that spark in the Falcons this year.
Pittsburgh over Indianapolis - A team with no offensive continuity can't beat Troy Palomalu and the Steelers.
Washington over Dallas - Dallas' X-Man of a quarterback isn't going to play this week if the Cowboys are any sort of smart, and Washington is hungry.

NERD RAGE!

Remember when customer service was good?

Me neither. I didn't live in the golden era of gas station attendants. All my life, a bunch of people just in it for a paycheck frequently ignored the needs and desires of customers. And for what? I don't even know.

I'm ranting about this because I pre-ordered Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine off THQ's website. The game came out Tuesday. It still isn't here today, and to top it off, the product tracker is no longer working. I checked it yesterday, and it shipped from a warehouse in Indiana ON Tuesday. You would think it'd be here by now.

I hate how the video game industry has universally adapted a "Buy it before it's out!" model. I blame GameStop for this, mostly. Back when that type of service was introduced, it actually mattered. Gaming wasn't as big as it is now so reserving yourself a copy of a huge title to avoid gigantic lines was pretty awesome. However, with as large as the video game industry in, guaranteeing yourself a copy on the first day of release is no longer necessary. In fact, the only times it's worth it is if you're trying to get your hands on some indie game title, something with a limited release as it's not expected to do all that well.

Because it's just expected people are going to pre-order the game they want, it no longer carries with it any sort of responsibility on the part of the store. Think about it. I dropped nearly $100 bucks on a game three weeks ago, and it's not in my hands despite it going out to the general public on Tuesday. Total nonsense. You think they'd be able to ship my copy of the game along with the hundreds of other copies which arrived at Best Buy, Wal-Mart, GameStop and any other brick-and-mortar store which sells electronics.

I want to be REWARDED as a customer for being loyal and excited about that company's products. It only makes sense. The people you want to keep happy are the ones who will willingly come back for more. Bioware has done an excellent job of that over the years. THQ? Not so much.

So my plans for this weekend are a tad on the ruined side. I was going to sit in my room and fight off the enemies of humanity as an 8 foot tall super-human. Looks like it's back to Rock Band.

Don't talk anymore.

It's no secret I'm a manic depressive person. Sometimes, the weight of how low I feel is so crushing on my soul I contemplate suicide. I see my brains splattered on sidewalks near tall buildings, or my guts impaled on otherwise non-lethal objects, or a million other things just walking through the day. The only safe haven is under the covers in my room, because even though I've tried to suffocate myself with my own pillow before, it's pretty much impossible so I haven't tried it since that one time. I just shut myself in and panick the entire night long til my body gives up.

For the record, it's incredibly PHYSICALLY painful. It's not just mental. I woke up this morning and it felt like I my kidneys had shut down. I had fever-like symptoms despite not having a virus, and I know it's not an actual fever because I feel fine right now.

I tell you this so you guys understand what I go through. When I ask you if you wanna hang out and talk for even just a little bit, it's desperation. I attempt the best I can to hide how much I need that human contact, and pretend to play by the rules of society but at the end of the day, I'm not well when I'm turned down so often. How many of you who've actually spent time with me in any capacity have regretted it this year? These insecurities melt away as soon as someone says "Oh yeah that'd be fun to hang out!" Which rarely happens, but the very few times it does, I absolutely feel ecstatic.

A lot of people have given me a bunch of hollow advice the last few days. And to be honest, most of it has made me feel even worse about things. I'm going to go over a lot of the common "helpful advice" clichés and tell you why they don't work on me.

1) Everything happens for a reason.

If there's any one phrase you shouldn't utter around me, it's this one. Everything happens. That's the truth. And there are always consequences and results of any given thing that happens. This saying is based on the myth that current trials and tribulations somehow equate to future happiness through mysterious mystical means. I don't buy that for a moment, and never have. God's plan is not "This kid is going to be beside himself with grief and doubt to the point of wishing I'd let him die in his sleep, because it'll make him appreciate the good times more, so he'll eventually be happier than anyone else could be." That's not how it works, and I'm tired of people telling me that's how it works.

2) Keep up the faith/hope.

Why on earth would I want to show the attributes that lead to my very, very, very sour moods? A lot of people think I'm a pessimist, but that's because I'm more vocal about when I'm unhappy than when I'm happy. That is a problem I should work on, but we'll save that discussion for another time. I'm actually quite optimistic. I believe in other people. I believe if you challenge others with their shortcomings, the vast majority of them will rise up and turn weaknesses into strengths. There are so many people who probably think I hate them or think they are stupid, but I seriously love everyone. That's why when that optimism is never rewarded I have such hard crashes. I feel like a puppy waiting for the owner to come home from vacation a lot of the time. I wait at the door and keep thinking "Maybe today! We can have fun! I get to spend time with the people I love and adore!" But, it so rarely works out that way. The fact I spend so long waiting and hoping and praying and it never, ever works out the way I believe it should crushes me. I'm a pessimist because I'm an optimist most of the time.

3) Oh, that person just wasn't right for you / You deserve better friends.

Absolutely hurts to hear this crap. It's crap, and the people who say it are facetious little deviant monsters for suggesting it. How dare you insult my judgment of character. By telling me that other person isn't right for me, you're saying that about yourself. I see things in people that no one else sees. Like I said, I really believe in the human spirit and it's power for kindness. Ask me sometime what I really think about you, even if you're someone I rarely talk to. Please. I dare you. You'll be shocked to find out how much I care about you, I guarantee it. By telling me I deserve better friends, you're just setting me up to be disappointed in you for not rising up to be that friend yourself. Every time someone tells me I need better friends, they inevitably decline my invites to spend time together. Hypocrisy doesn't suit anyone.

And a bunch of people want me to talk. Hell no. I don't want to talk about my problems, are you kidding me? I'm sure it'll come up if we have a long enough conversation, but I'd rather just talk about something else entirely. Let's talk football. Let's talk video games. Let's talk about beautiful women. Let's talk movies. Let's talk about your friends. Let's talk about your dramas. Let me focus on ANYTHING other than myself, please. That's why I'm always so desperate to get out of my house, to get out of my own head, to hang out with other people. My problems totally go away if I can concentrate on yours. If I can feel like I matter to you, then it all melts away and I feel at peace.

At the end of the day, the reason I feel so miserable all the time is an extremely low sense of self worth. I believe I have value and I can make the lives of other people better, and the fact absolutely no one seems to want that is slowly killing me.

One final thing: Don't think that just because you read my statuses on facebook or even read my blog that you are a part of my life. If you're just networked friends with me, then you don't friggin' matter and I hope you do me a favor and remove me from your network. If you're a friend on facebook, that means I believe we are friends. That means if you ask a favor of me, I will do everything in reasonable commendations to help out. It means I expect you to occasionally respond if I text you. It means I want you in my life, in a real tangible way. If you tell me "Oh I would be really sad if you were gone. I always read what you have to say" or some other such total bullshit, I'm angry at you. You might feel connected to me, but I don't feel connected to you. You gotta talk to me. You can't passively be a part of my life. That's not the way things work.

NFL Predictions for 2012

I love football. I almost wept tears of joy when the lockout was ended. (Almost. I am emotionally dead inside, after all.) And I've actually watched a fair bit of preseason football for the first time in my sports fan life.

Here's my predictions for this upcoming season by division.

AFC East:
Miami is still down. They'll be lucky to get 6 wins. I actually think Buffalo is the better team at this point. Poor Miami Tuna fans.

The Pats are predicted to win the division with 12+ wins according to Vegas oddsmakers and ESPN talking heads, but I'm confident the Jets will win the division this year. I dunno why, but something about the Patriots just feels off this year. It's not the dropped balls in pre-season. It's just the signings and trades they've made. It smells somewhat desperate.

AFC North:
I'd like to predict the Steelers are going to win the division. Because they are. It's not just because I'm a fan. The difference between the Steelers and Ravens is the Steelers have a legit wide receiver core and the Ravens have Anquan Boldin. I don't want to take away from Boldin (toughest player in the NFL) but he's all they have. They lost their Mormon at tight end (oddly, to be replaced by another Mormon guy) and Derrick Mason is gone.

Cincinatti is going to be garbage this year. I feel bad for Andy Dalton, who I think could make a solid NFL quarterback. Coming in this season of all seasons and immediately being expected to change the franchise is near impossible, though.

I think people will need to pay attention to the Browns this year. Solid run game, and Colt McCoy is just a winner. Kid is seriously good. I think their sine wave of badness is about to swing back up. I genuinely think it's possible to are a 7-9, possibly 8-8 team this year. No joke.

AFC South:
Indianapolis has had a lock on this division since Peyton Manning got drafted. Thing is, he might miss games or at the very least parts of games due to his recovering neck. They are a 3-11 team with Painter or Collins under center.

That leaves the Titans, Jaguars and Texans. Of those teams, the Texans are the only ones who've demonstrated flashes of brilliance the last few seasons. Titans are running a new scheme too, so they won't be much of a threat. The Jags just lack any sort of cohesiveness. They haven't been a legit team since they made the playoffs a couple years back.

AFC West:
I think this is going to be the most interesting division this year. I don't know what I'm going to get out of any of the teams in it. They are all so wildly inconsistent. The only thing I feel safe with is proclaiming the Broncos to be the turds of that division this year (sorry to all my Denver fans). On paper, the Chargers should dominate. On paper.

I am going out on a limb and saying the Raiders are going to win the AFC West. Crazy, right? They were undefeated inside their own division last year, though. If they make it to .500, I think they've won the division. Sadly.

NFC East:
A lot of people say this is the most competitive division in football year in and year out, and usually I agree. However, the NFC North has taken over that spot by leaps and bounds. The Redskins are possibly the worst team in the league and will be lucky to win 5 games. I'm not sure the Giants have what it takes to reach the .500 mark this year, either. They just seem tired and lifeless.

The Eagles will win the division, if their quarterback gets hurt. That's right; I think Vince Young will help Philly win more games than Michael Vick. Nothing against Vick, because the dude is a baller, but I'm never going to proclaim an injury prone quarterback who tapers off the last half of any given year to be conference champs. I'm going with Colin Cowherd; Dallas is going to win the division.

NFC North:
Top to bottom, this is a scary division. Chicago is the only team I'm not high on right now, with Minnesota being right behind. Everyone says I'm nuts, but I really feel like it's the breakout year for Detroit. That D-Line is straight up frightening. Ndamakong Suh is without a doubt the best player taken in the first round of the draft in 5 years. And if you believe the preseason can equate to regular season, Matthew Stafford is going to kill it. If his shoulder holds up all 16 games, they'll at least playoff bound. I really believe that.

Still, you can't pick against the Super Bowl champs. My only beef with Green Bay is people forget how close a lot of those games were. They were the come-back kids and it was a little on the ridiculous side.

NFC South:
Hey, this division looks pretty competitive too. The Panthers are turd sandwiches, but the other three teams all have legit playoff aspirations. I expect the Saints to have a great year, and I expect the Falcons to make wild-card. Tampa Bay has the chance to make something of themselves, but I think that's next year. Having such a young team (youngest in the NFL by average age, I believe) is going to hurt them more than most not having OTAs and pre-pre-season workouts.

NFC West:
Does it really matter who wins this division? They are awful, top to bottom. Trying to predict who wins it is like picking between which type of dog poop you're going to stick in a flaming bag to leave on the gym teacher's front porch.

I think Seattle will repeat as the winners of the division, simply because I feel they have the best coach. That's really all it comes down to for me here.
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Hope you guys enjoyed reading my picks. Feel free to comment with yours!

GIMME NAO!

Well, finally settled in to my new place.

Let's get back to blogging.

I want to talk video games, because I haven't really had the chance to in awhile. The video gaming season is officially here, now that blockbuster title "Deus Ex: Human Revolution" has hit the shelves. Just about every week from now til the end of the year has something coming out, so I'm going to do my top 5 "GIMME NAO" list.

5) NBA Jam: On-Fire Edition
NBA Jam defined arcade sports games. It was such a big phenomenon back in the day, I recall hearing stories of big name athletes buying multiple arcade coin-op units to install them in all the places they would stay while out on the road. Some of the Marv Alberts inspired calls from the game are still legendary, redefining how my generation literally saw someone on a shooting streak as "on-fire." An updated disc version came out last year, but is now going to be released as a direct download Xbox Live Arcade/Playstation Network title, meaning we're looking at a $15 title instead of a $50 one. How awesome is that? Preliminary reports have promises of roster updates and whatnot, so this is looking really awesome to me.

4) Awesomenauts
I first heard about this game during E3, and it looks like my kind of title. Again, it's going to be an arcade title so it'll be $15 tops. It looks like someone decided to combine the mayhem of 2-D action shooters (think Metal Slug or Megaman) and make a team-based game out of it. Two teams go head to head in 2d Arena Shooter combat. There's multiple classes. At the end of the day, I'm a sucker for simple games who understand the 2nd dimension built the video game industry and can still totally rock its world.

3) Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Alright, so sue me. This one is technically out already. I picked it up and have been enjoying it. The first DX game blew the minds of everyone by expanding how we approached looking at first person games. Without it, we don't have FPS games outside the scope of run/jump/shoot. The story is complex and twisted and genuinely gets you to think. The fact the combat actually runs pretty smoothly now (the only real downside to the original) is just icing on the cake.

2) Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
As any fan of the Elder Scrolls series can tell you, the games keep you occupied for months, if not years at a time. The depth of exploration and sheer amount of things to do in the games are pretty astronomical, and unlike a lot of other sandbox titles where you can run around and do whatever whenever you feel like it, they have always had just enough direction to keep me interested in playing. My biggest issue with the Grand Theft Auto series is openness to a fault. I hate games that are so open, I lose interest due to being overwhelmed by options. Elder Scrolls, while having more to do in most cases, always seems to have a course of action in it. Plus, Bethesda does pretty solid RPGs. I trust the dev team.

1) Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine
Hnnnnnnnggggg. I am probably the only person nerding out hardcore about this title as it's going under the radar of a lot of folks. I absolutely love the Warhammer 40k fanchise and it's grimdark darkiness of grim proportions. Basically, the game is like Gears of War except faster paced, in a richer sci-fi setting, and with a better dev team. Nothing against Epic, but all their games lack a tactile feel to them (as in when I am shooting something, I often don't feel like I'm accomplishing anything). The demo for it is out now, so I recommend you all go give it a shot. When you punch the head off an ork twice the size as you (which is saying something as Space Marines are 8 feet tall superhuman badasses), hopefully you'll get the same case of the "THAT JUST HAPPENED" giggles I experienced.

Nobody likes moving

There isn't anything quite as depressing as moving out on your own, whether it's your first venture out from the nest or a repeated attempt to get away for good.

Seeing the entirety of my belongings fitting in my beater truck kind of makes me take a step back. It's cool, though. I'm not one to dwell on materialistic things. All I really have is clothing, a bed, my video game crap and a television. That's enough for me. That's more than enough for me, really. The only thing I'd like to add to the mix is my own personal computer and I'd be set up.

The only thing I wish I could bring with me was the friends I have, but then again I rarely see them as is. Maybe I should develop some sort of cloning shrink ray device so I can have little pocket versions of the people I like. I'd patent it as the "Ne'er Be Lonely" or something equally atrociously named. The point of inventing something is to give it the stupidest name you can possibly think of. I mean, how else did we get the "Magic Bullet" which is actually just a single-serving sized blender?

I won't be sad to leave Vegas. Never did care much for this town. You either embrace the two-facedness of it and sell your soul to sex, drugs and rock 'n roll, or you you stay inside all day too scared to look out the window at the bad things being done in your back yard.

Everyone I know here is a flake. It's a shame no one has developed a dandruff shampoo for cities. It takes me weeks upon weeks to plan seeing people even if it's just to schmooze for an hour. I'm thankful for those times, don't get me wrong. But I feel the effort required into spending such little time with people is rather monumental.

So, let's look ahead. Back to southern Utah. At least everyone is a meth head instead of a coke head in Utah. Meth heads tend to be easier to deal with. The facetiousness of Mormon culture is easier to handle than Vegas' brand of lying in your face.

And the best part is, gorgeous women. Everywhere. None of the haggard sagging bodies of years of alcohol and tobacco abuse. It's a place where folk for the most part take care of themselves, and it is infectious living in a society where people give a damn about themselves. I'm looking forward to living in a place where I can say hello and smile and wave to someone and get a smile and a wave back.

Remember, it's the little things that make the biggest difference.

In other news, I won't be available for awhile to update this blog. Busy moving and what not, and then once I get there, I'm going to need to track down a computer of my own. It's going to be exciting times.

I am woefully tired of this kind of stuff.

I wonder why it is people are so afraid of being honest.

The cowardice of others irks me to know end. I can't stand operating under false pretenses, so how is it other people make a habit of doing so?

I've mentioned before there is a girl I care about a lot. She is having marital issues. Her husband is emotionally abusive to her in the extreme, and HE left HER to go stay with his folks for a week. He issued an ultimatum that if she didn't change to give him what he needs when he returns, he's leaving her.

I understand that it sucks for her in the immediate sense, but seriously, this is a GOOD THING. But no. She's going to do what she always does and stay in a shitty relationship and make her own life miserable even though a person willing to do literally anything for her, a guy she also cares about, is there waiting in the wings. That person being me.

This sort of thing always happens to me. I cannot tell you the number of times I've been emotionally supportive, the best friend of some girl, just to have her decide to remove me out of her life and go with the guy that makes her miserable. I feel like the world is conspiring against me, as paranoid as that sounds.

I know I'm a great guy, damnit. I know it. I'm so tired of not feeling it because of crap like this. I know I can be the greatest boyfriend/husband/whatever to someone that's ever been. I know I am capable of deeper love and devotion to another person than anyone in the history of mankind. I am tired of feeling so unwanted because all the good people in my life choose to exile me from theirs.

It's doubly hard when that guy they chose over me doesn't really care about them. There's a situation that happened last semester where a guy I know chose partying and getting drunk over a childhood sweetheart friend of his that might I mention is ridiculously beautiful and extremely sweet. (She's a freakin' beauty pageant winner.) I lost all respect for this guy. He threw away such a powerful connection for booze. He threw away the kind of relationship that would bring me to my knees with tears and weep over, for alcohol. He's got women lining up to date him, and I can't even get a girl who's told me how much she cares about me and how much I mean to her to be with me for a hour.

I've taken several rage-induced slumbers since all this has gone down. I've thrown up at least 3 times. I feel so infinitely small and alone. It's hard to not focus on all the little things about everyone that's bothered me in the last couple months.

But I don't want to dwell on that. I always dwell on that, and I don't want to. I want to move on with my life, but I can't. Not right now. I need someone just to give me a chance. That's all. No more post-dumping-me-for-another-guy women telling me how awesome I am and how lucky some girl is going to be if she dates me. Because it's bullshit. It's so much bullshit to tell someone that, ladies. You have no idea how much it hurts to tell a guy who finished runner-up in the sweepstakes of your own heart he's got value, because it obviously wasn't enough value for you. You're gonna try and tell me some other girl is going to be lucky to have me? Then why the hell wasn't it you? How arrogant must you be to tell some other girl she's going to end up with the runner-up. That's disrespectful to other women, to think you're better than them, that you deserved a better man and they don't. It's plain cruel to me because I can't process that. I can't process the kind of nerve it takes to look someone in the eye, and offer comforting words, but only after having broken their heart.

So I'll tell you what I'm going to do: I'm going to change nothing. I'm going to remain the intensely loyal friend I am. I'm going to continue to tell people how I see it. I'm going to even keep waiting for this girl. That's how deeply I love. You can cast me aside a hundred times and even play the fucking field, and I am not going to begrudge her, or anyone else I might be intersted in. I'll be here waiting. I'll be here waiting to be the best thing that ever happened to you. I know I can do it. I know I can make someone else happy in the way I want for myself.

Someone give me a chance.

On the topic of Super Teams

Still got my mind on sports. The Nnamdi Asomugha singing by the Eagles got me thinking a lot about what looks good on paper and what works in reality.

Of course, the whole LeBron "I'm bringing my talents to South Beach" thing from last year is still looming in the minds of all sports fans. The ripple effect has been huge. It seems like every owner or general manager of every team in every sport thinks he'll be able to sign a bunch of great players for cheaper because they'll all want to play together to win rings.

I suppose in basketball, they're right. Just look at everything New York did last year. They went from nothing to a team with at least two pretty big names and the salary cap space (assuming it doesn't change drastically under whatever new CBA gets done) to sign at least a third. The Heat with their big three went to the NBA finals a year after getting demolished in the first round of the post-season. To everyone that said the "experiment" was a failure, I say grow up. They'll be right back in it next year and you better believe LeBron is gonna dig deep and fix his shaky 4th quarter confidence.

Back to football: There was talks Asomugha was going to the Jets. That would have meant the two best corners in the league would have shared the backfield, which I imagine would have made the already formidable Jets the favorites to win the AFC. It didn't happen (thankfully, as I would not want my Steelers to run into a Jets team with that backfield) but now he's with the Eagles with the very talented Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. The Eagles are looking absolutely loaded this year. That's a super dangerous backfield, and if they resign DeSean Jackson with a contract the kid deserves (he's absolutely beast-mode), it's looking like an offense as potent as you can get.

I don't know how I feel about this. Obviously it's a win for the general manager of Philly. Fans of the Eagles are probably rejoicing as they well should. This doesn't equal the LeBron thing by any measure, but it's in the discussion because it's loading a lot of talent in a place where they wouldn't make as much as they probably deserve.

I suppose this is another reason I love football, though. You can't just sign 3 super guys and suddenly go from a barely viable team to reaching the finals. It takes so many pieces, and a team can go from terrible to awesome in just a few years. I think the Lions are proof of that. Literally the only team to go 0-fer in a season (I don't count the first year Tampa Bay Buccs as they were an expansion team in a weird era of football), some people have them as favorites to win that division this year. I do. As crazy as it sounds, I think they're gonna be +.500 for the first time since I can't even remember.

Are you ready for some FOOTBALL?

I've wanted to do a post a day for this site, and already fell short of that the second week having it. Sad!

Thankfully, it's because of how busy I've been mentally prepping to move, getting ready for a new semester at school, being an e-flirt, lots and lots of Warhammer 40k, and following coverage of football's lockout ending.

I've been salivating. It's so delicious. Watching this quarterback carousel, all the free agent talk, imaging how crazy this season will be for the team fielding lots of rookies and rookie head coaches... God bless the NFL. Honestly, it's the best televised sport ever.

Football wins the sports battle for some very key reasons. Let me give you why I think it succeeds over other sports.

5: It's a real team game.

This is where basketball falls short. It's a game dominated by individuals rather than team fundamentals, although I suppose the latest NBA champions might argue that one. Still, look at the greatest teams in the history of the game. The casual fan can't remember more than maybe three names off any given roster in champions past, and with teams currently.

4: Danger

There is the risk of injury in all sports, but none so prevalent as football. Guys run as hard as they can and knock the stuffing out of each other. It's brutal and unforgiving. The average career of NFL players is significantly lower than in the other major sports, so we're more ready to accept greatness however fleeting it might be.

3: Watchable

When the action is happening, it's hard not to stay glued to the screen. Granted, the fact a play happens once every 40 seconds as all and is often and anticlimactic dropped pass or short yard run can be a little slow but overall, there's just action and explosive moments the other sports lack. Baseball, you have diving catches and the longball. Great when it happens, but the build up to it is not quite so exciting. Hockey, you've got guys checked into glass doors, the occasional fight, and goals often times missed by the naked eye. I think the fact the athleticism of hockey is lost to a large majority of people (I know how to run and catch a ball, however slowly and clumsily I do it, but I can't skate on ice) is a major hinderance for the sport's popularity. Basketball probably has the most action of any sport and requires the most sheer athleticism of it's atheletes, but because it's so constant, there isn't as much build up to the big amazing exciting over-the-top crazy play as football has. It's the right combination of excitement and lulls in the action to make excellent television.

2: Strategy

Watching the battle plans of a headcoach as he chalks up the X's and O's of how he envisions a play to progress is simply incredible. It's wartime tactics, except with human battering rams instead of catapults and crossbows. There is definintely strategy in the other major sports, but it's less "Okay, we're gonna do this. Damn, didn't work. Well, let's run the same thing again but alter this here and oh man we just got a giant play! Woo!" Baseball's strategy is all about the pitcher/batter duel. Great stuff, but it's individual, more tennis-like than grand scheme. The strategy in hockey and soccer and basketball, as all three of those sports is pass the ball/puck around until there's an opening or simply be more athletic than the other guy as you put it in the scoring receptacle. It's great to watch, and I appreciate the sheer talent of the guys that do it.

But it's not a mind-game. It's not a thinking man's spectator game. The fact it appeals on a cerebral level as well as the kind of thing you can enjoy while drunk and disorderly is awesome. That generates more mass appeal than a 7 hour baseball game that ends in a score of 4-3.

1: Less is More

Simply put, football is the most fun of the other sports to watch on TV, and we only have to do it once a week for 4 hours a time. The rest of the week, you get to soak in the highlights and salivate over the next match up. Every game has such high stakes the emotional investment, the highs and the lows, is that much greater. Your team loses a baseball game? No biggie; 160 to go. I remember the Red Sox started out abysmal this year and people were freaking out because they didn't play well the first two weeks and now they're stomping people and crushing fools. A team starts 0-4 in football, it's nearly impossible to recover. The other sport seasons feel so long, and it's impossible to care about every single team. The fact I've got an entire week of football highlights to soak in means I can feel connected to every single team, every single game, every single player in a way the others can't offer.

Here's to hoping for a great season. Let's go Steelers!

The importance of being earnest

If only I was talking about the Oscar Wilde play. That'd make for a much more silly post.


But no. This is about one of my unshakable principles. Dictionary.com's second definition is the one I want to focus on. "Showing depth and sincerity of feeling."


Being sincere is lost in our society. It's funny a guy who considers himself to have a very sarcastic, dry sense of humor is all about being sincere as much as possible, but it's true. There's nothing worse than trying to get a group of people over for a party and having hugely positive okays, emphatic most definitelys and undoubted for sures from others just to have them all bail when the event comes around.


Is it that hard to just mean what you say? I know it's difficult to be self assured to the point one can stand behind his or her words because failing to meet your own expectations sucks. No one wants to be a hypocrite. Hypocrisy is universally hated. The fastest way to get on people's bad sides is to have the appearance of being a hypocrite.


I suppose I would encourage those who feel someone is a hypocrite to give that person a chance. Everyone makes mistakes, even those with conviction and power behind their words.


The event in my life making me think about this topic is pretty messed up. Long story short, I'm in love with a girl who's married to a guy that completely changed after they got married. It seems to me there's a complete lack of functional communication between the two of them, and it drives me nuts. There was a specific situation that happened yesterday that caused a lightbulb to shatter. Not just turn on, but overheat and just burst with a "!" moment.


You just have to say what you mean, and mean what you say. Nothing is worth being unsaid forever. I'm not saying don't exercise tact, but if something is burning a hole in you, it's not worth worrying about the reactions of other people. People always show their true colors when you don't allow them to play games with you.


Sorry this post was pretty serious. I'm simply at my wit's end with a situation. The outcome is massively important to my happiness and I have absolutely no control over it. I suppose these are the type of occurances which cause the best times to think, though, and discover what really matters to one's self.