1584 NBA Basketball Report

1584 NBA Basketball Report

With the NBA season just over 30 games in, Justin Sweeney and I review the Utah Jazz, NBA, and give you a forecast of things to come in the rest of the NBA season. If you want to become a smarter NBA fan, you'll want to listen to this podcast. https://soundcloud.com/justinsweeneyla/1584-report-episode-1-12-24-13

Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Nap!

HO-HO-HO!  MERRY CHRISTMAS!

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house
Some creatures were stirring, but not the mouse.
All the children were nestled in their beds
With visions of presents running through their heads.

Mommy and Daddy in their frenzy did wrap
Hoping no child would awake from the flap.
Rolls of wrapping paper, scissors and tape
Were passed between them at a great rate.

Mommy wrapped while Daddy tagged
The puppy dog's tail she did wag
Getting in the middle with nose to ground
Looking for dropped cookie crumbs she found.

When to their wondering eyes did appear
Many presents all wrapped, the bill they did fear.
Soon placed under the tree, the presents were placed
A short winter's nap the parents they faced.

All too soon, the sun arose
And the children added more to this prose
For they awoke an hour too soon
Mommy and Daddy hoped they could sleep till noon.

It was time to see what Santa added
For the all the children were ecstatic!
All gathered in one child's room
For the first Christmas present, from whom?

The birth of Our Savior was given
From a loving Father in Heaven
The present he gave?
His Son with the power to save!

The simple phrase "Come Unto Him"
And repent of all your sin
Remember this refrain
So that we may live with him again!


I am not a poet by any stretch of the imagination, but I hope that all here in the Underground have a wonderful Christmas!

Why Survivor is still worth watching

Here we are one night removed from the 27th season of "Survivor." Yes, it's true - "Survivor" is still on TV. And yes, it's true - I am still watching faithfully. Now, why would I do a thing like that? Didn't "Survivor" stop being cool like eight years ago? The answer to that is, quite simply, no. Thirteen years later, "Survivor" continues to prove why it's still one of the top shows on television.

**Some spoilers to follow. And yes, I'll be mentioning the name of the Sole Survivor.**

In its most recent incarnation, "Blood vs Water," "Survivor" pitted ten returning castaways from previous seasons against a tribe of their loved ones. On more than one occasion, I, a fan of the show since the very beginning, have thought to myself, "That sounds like a stupid idea." I initially thought that the "Blood vs Water" concept seemed pretty dumb. I didn't want to watch parents and their children play together. I couldn't care less about sibling rivalries or family reunions. But as the season progressed, I think that having relatives play with and against each other didn't just work - it excelled.

Right off the bat, Rupert Boneham, one of the most popular players to ever grace the sandy beaches of  "Survivor," practically ousted himself from the game in an attempt to prolong his wife's life in the game. Then, one of the elements that really got me hooked early on in the season was, to my surprise, the often hit-and-miss Redemption Island. The rivalry between Candice/John and Brad Culpepper was intense, frequently censoring language and blurring out middle fingers as the three interacted at Redemption Arena. Later on in the season, there was the storyline with Laura Morett and her daughter, Ciera. We may never see another moment like the one where Ciera was faced with the decision of whether or not to vote out her mom. After her ouster, Laura kept winning duel after duel after duel at Redemption Island to eventually be reunited with Ciera. The looming threat of a power couple (Laura/Ciera, Aras/Vytas, and Tina/Katie) being reunited that late in the game made each Tribal Council a potential game-changer.

"Survivor" gets my heart pumping. It is unscripted drama at its finest. Obviously, Mark Burnett and company can edit the show however they want, but the way the show is set up, with its challenges, hidden immunity idols, naturally-developing alliances and rivalries, and occasional Tribal Council blindsides have made up countless conversations at my dinner table for over a decade. Its unpredictability can be terribly frustrating at times, but, when your favorite contestants win that crucial challenge or pull off a last-minute stunner at Tribal, there are few greater feelings for the prime time TV watcher.

One of the very few knocks I have on the show is that there have been a handful of undeserving winners. Tina, Vecepia, Natalie, Sandra (TWICE), and Sophie come to mind immediately. That's pretty frustrating. Sadly, in the season's final episode, the jury that votes for the winner often suffers from something my mom and I have dubbed "Bitter Jury Syndrome." Symptoms may include belittling a finalist for personal, non-Survivor-related flaws; unnecessary rudeness and/or profanity; extreme jealousy; and occasional, intentional humiliation (think Dawn/Brenda in Season 26). Bitter jury members often vote for a less-ruthless, less-deserving player simply in order to prevent a certain contestant from winning. This is typically because one finalist led the charge to vote out said bitter jurist. ("You voted me out, so I'm not voting for you.") Just ridiculous. That's something I hate about "Survivor."

The real payoff comes when a deserving player wins. Thankfully, such was the case in "Blood vs Water." The best player won. Tyson dominated from start to finish, but especially after his girlfriend, Rachel, was (arguably) pre-maturely voted out of the game. Rachel wasn't that good and there was no chance that she'd win the game, but seeing her leave early on flipped a switch in Tyson. He really never looked back after that, despite tearing a rotator cuff during one of the more physical challenges. He was the only one who found hidden immunity idols and somehow got other players to think that the idols were still out there, anyway. He sat there and watched as they searched in vain, which was both clever and kind of hilarious. He was strategically a step above everybody, except for maybe Gervase, who was right there with him most of the time. Tyson called the shots, Tyson got the blood on his hands, and then Tyson stepped up and won two huge immunity challenges during the finale. Tyson was the best and, deservedly so, walked away with a million bucks to prove it.

Finally, I've got to give props to my man, Jeff Probst, who yet again proved that he is the best host in all of reality television. He's the king of the loaded question and always knows what to say in difficult situations. He put Colton in his place by calling him out as he quit, he always leads Tribal Council in a controversial direction (once leading up to the dreaded drawing of rocks), and he marvelously handled a tough situation with Tina and Katie in the reunion show. Jeff Probst is money in the bank every single time.

"Survivor" never ceases to entertain me, even 27 seasons down the road. If you have never seen the show or if you've watched it in the past and given up on it, I recommend that you give it another shot. Mr. Probst and a crew of all-new castaways will be back in 2014 with a new twist, pitting brawn against brains against beauty. Allegedly, this will entail a three-tribe premiere: a muscular tribe, an intelligent tribe, and an attractive tribe. There will be no returning players and no Redemption Island. Just good, old-fashioned "Survivor" - and you know I'll be watching.

Coming, 2014.

Good costume / Bad costume

With Halloween less than 24 hours away, there is a good chance you've procrastinated your planning and are in desperate need of a last-minute costume. Are you worried about what your colleagues and associates will think of you tomorrow? Is your little outfit a potential flop? For your benefit, some friends and I have come up with a quick cheat sheet of good ideas and bad ideas for this year's Halloween costume. Hopefully this helps.

Good costume: Robin Hood. Bad costume: Robin Thicke.
Good costume: Katniss Everdeen. Bad costume: Katniss Evergreen.
Good costume: Batman. Bad costume: A bat boy.
Good costume: Dick Tracy. Bad costume: Dick Clark.
Good costume: The Rock. Bad costume: A rock.
Good costume: Gumby. Bad costume: Gumbo.
Good costume: Richard Nixon. Bad costume: Richard Simmons.
Good costume: The Terminator. Bad costume: The Taxidermist.
Good costume: Craig T. Nelson. Bad costume: Craig Ferguson.
Good costume: Harry Potter. Bad costume: Jerry Potter.
Good costume: Al Borlen. Bad costume: Al Gore.
Good costume: Al Capone. Bad costume: Al Roker.
Good costume: Elvis Presley. Bad costume: Elvis Grbac.
Good costume: John Wayne. Bad costume: John Wayne Gacy.
Good costume: Guy with a crossbow. Bad costume: Guy with a crossword puzzle.
Good costume: Bigfoot. Bad costume: Bighand.
Good costume: Jabba the Hut. Bad costume: Jabba the Slut.
Good costume: Willy Wonka. Bad costume: Free Willy.
Good costume: Yoda. Bad costume: Yoga.
Good costume: Devil. Bad costume: Deviled egg.
Good costume: Horse front end. Bad costume: Horse back end.
Good costume: Karl Malone. Bad costume: Karl Marx.

And finally, for you last-last-last-minute costume planners, here's an easy one for you. Try this little equation on for size:

Bike helmet + Ski goggles = Big Papi



You're welcome.

Happy Halloween from everybody at The Underground!

Back from the Blog's Black Hole

Good afternoon one and all!  I have returned from an unexpected absence from this blog.  I wish that I could say that I have been too busy to blog or that I have been asked to head a new commission to solve all the world's problems thus preventing me from blogging, but alas, I have simply not taken the time to compose a few thoughts to share in this glorious forum.

So, let me catch up with a few thoughts on a few things.

Government Shutdown, etc. - bunch of whiny little children, trying to boss others around and control the entire sandbox.  To them I say, if you can't get along and you can't figure out how to work together, then go home and let someone else take your spot who will.  Republican, Democrat, Tea-Partier, Independent, doesn't matter.  If you won't take the time to run this country ACCORDING TO THE WILL OF ITS PEOPLE, then get out and let someone in who will.

BYU-Utah Rivalry:  I wish I could say that this was a great game, but it wasn't.  Congratulations to the Utes on winning the game, but it was ugly every which way you look at it.  Neither team looked better than the other.  Neither team played well.  There wasn't really a good flow to it.  BYU ran around the field and then did something stupid.  Utah tried to run around the field and then made two plays.  The refs ran around the field dodging trash.

Let me expound on that last statement.  I have been to several of these games. I have seen poor officiating and have seen some great performances come out of these games.  Where this rivalry has turned the ugliest is on the fans.  There is a select faction of red and blue fans that have ruined this great tradition for the rest of us.  These are the ones that have decided that it is ok to mock, ridicule and denigrate their fellow man.  During this past game, I saw BYU fans ridiculing Utah fans and the Ute-heritage.  NOT ACCEPTABLE!  I saw Utah fans dressed up as characters from scripture and mocking sacred belief.  NOT ACCEPTABLE!  I saw fans from both sides get into arguments with the other.  NOT ACCEPTABLE!  I saw BYU fans throw trash at the officials because they felt they had cost BYU the game.  News to you idiots.  BYU put themselves in that position.  They are the ones that had to go into desperation mode at the end.  Whether a call should have been made or not, doesn't matter.  You put yourself in that position, most times, you are not going to win the game.

Ordain Women:  This one to me is just sad.  Here is a woman who, for all intents and purposes, believes that she has received an answer for the entire Church.

Before I go further, let me make this abundantly clear.  I believe that a man and woman are equal.  Anyone who believes that a man is greater than a woman or woman greater than a man, stands in violation of God's law.  There are things that a man's body is more apt to do (i.e. physical labor) as is a woman's (i.e. child birth.) I believe that, along with  the physical make up, that there is a spiritual/emotional make up.  A man tends to be more a problem-solver (mostly because we tend to cause a lot of problems.)  We see the issue, devise a plan of attack and carry out that plan.  (Think Marine's tendency of "See the hill, take the hill.)  We have difficulty in expressing emotion or thoughts.  We are thinkers, but we just keep it to ourselves.  Women have that emotional ability that is simply amazing.  There is a natural ability for nurturing and teaching.  When any child stubs their toe or scrapes their knee, they immediately want their "Mommy." Women are problem solvers too. (They generally have to clean up the man's mistakes.)  They are natural born leaders, teachers, doctors, etc.  Their very nature is care, understanding, faithfulness, commitment, determination, drive, and other super-human powers (see. wife/mother in dictionary)  I fully believe, and this is a doctrinal point of the Church, that neither the man nor the woman can achieve their fullest potential without the other.

What is sad about this is that this woman does not understand her divine nature, her divine gifts that have been given to her.  Gifts that no man has.  Gifts that men wish they could understand.  This is why, as has been said in this forum before, men have been ordained to the Priesthood; to help us gain that understanding.  My wife has every right and claim on the Priesthood in our home as I do.  She has every right and ability to call upon Heavenly Father to bless our home, to bless a sick child, to receive revelation for our family.  She is as much a leader in our home as I am, if not more.  The only difference is that ordination part.  Could she do the same things without me in the home, yes.  Would it be as complete, no.  Can I do the same things in the home without her, yes.  Would it be as complete, no.  It takes the two of us to accomplish the nurturing, the teaching of our children.  It takes both of us to complete the other.  The only gift I bring to that of any eternal worth, is my worthiness / righteousness in honoring the Priesthood. 

Well, I've pontificated long enough.  Thank you for bearing with me as I shared these thoughts.  Till next time.

Walking a mile in someone else's shoes

People often use a certain expression about walking a mile in someone else's shoes. If I understand correctly, the phrase is meant to imply that you shouldn't judge a person unless you personally understand what they're going through in life. I was thinking about it and I thought that I'd like to walk a mile in somebody's shoes - literally - just to say that I had done it. (Plus, once I'd done it, I'd have free reign to judge that person forever and ever, which would be awesome.) However, the more I thought about it, the less plausible that idea seemed and the more difficult the plan became. Let me elaborate:

Problem 1: Finding somebody who would allow you to borrow their shoes in the first place.

I like my shoes. If somebody came up to me and was like, "Hey, can I walk a mile in your shoes?", I'd be like, "......Heck no, you freak. Get away from me."

Problem 2: Finding somebody that is not only willing to sacrifice their shoes but that also has the same size feet as you.

...because there's no way in Hades that I'm strolling around in a pair of Size Sixes.

Problem 3: Destination.

Once you find a person with the same size feet that also doesn't need their shoes for an hour or so, where the heck do you even go?? I guess I'd, like... walk to the store or something? Maybe take a couple laps around the block? Come to think of it, I don't ever really walk anywhere! ... Scratch that. I DO walk a lot. From the couch to the refrigerator and back. But that's really just about it. Once I got those elusive shoes, where would I go?? Not a clue.

Confusion: What does walking a mile in their shoes actually even do? Do their shoes somehow transmit some type of magical power that helps you understand their issues? If you wore a business man's shoes, would you suddenly feel richer? If you borrowed the shoes of somebody that was starving to death, would you immediately feel hungry? If you walked a mile in the shoes of someone who just got dumped by their long-time significant other, would that walk take you right off a cliff or something? Like... how does literally walking a mile in their shoes really teach you ANYTHING about their life, apart from their preference in sneakers?

Conclusion: Walking a mile in someone else's shoes is not a good idea. It's not plausible, it's not practical, and, you know, it's just plain stupid.

Also, "Christmas Shoes" is the worst Christmas song ever written. Period. Just thought I'd throw that in there.

Follow me on Twitter. @atownmania

The End of Summer Time

      Hello Again! It is that time again, time for the end of my summer, though we are in October and it is cold and rainy. I just wanted to hold onto my summer a little longer, hence the next blog in my installment of magical music! I am a huge supporter of my friends and my friends just so happen to be in bands, not all of them, but many of them so some of my blogs will include their bands. So to start this blog off I am going to go back to the end of August it was my friend Tiffani Barney’s birthday and she was having a birthday bash of sorts. The new band she and her husband Mike Barney, have joined called Johanna Johanna was amazing. 

        They regaled us that evening with their Eisley like music and spunky attitudes. They quickly became one of my new favorites, I know it seems like I say that a lot but I like to focus on the positive and bands I like, not so much on ones I don’t.  The night was truly incredible! My other friend Rob Alvord also played with his band Fat Candice, which I think is a pretty stellar name. Johanna Johanna was one of a kind and their music was very inspiring, I can’t wait for them to release their album. Soon J until then they have a place where your ears may enjoy the magnificentness that is them!  Your ears can be mesmerized by their musical glory! Here> http://johannajohanna.bandcamp.com/#zplays. I personally recommend the song “when we were young” to get you started. Also know I write a lot about different friends bands and there are two reasons why, I LOVE LOCAL Music, seriously and because I really enjoy what many of my friends have to share with the world.  Many of my blogs will be mainstream and local mixed together or sometimes just straight local and not always my friends because I want to make it equal. I hope you can appreciate all of it and if you ever have any suggestions on what to listen to hit me up, I always love finding new bands to listen to.

Johanna Johanna

          Last but not least to end my epic summer of music I had the opportunity to go to Park City, well technically Deer Valley, and see some of the most inspirational singers to me. Sara Barellies and One Republic (NOT to be confused with One Direction who I personally do not care for.) It was an unforgettable night, I love them both so much I was just in awe of their musical beauty and in the mountains, it was so breathtaking! One of my favorite songs by Sara is actually quite ironic because it sounds very similar to Katy Perry’s Roar. There was an article released  not to long ago about both artists reaction to it and they say that it is cool that they sound similar. 

       

         Anyway the song is called Brave and it is meaningful because sometimes I just need to be Brave and share how I feel or what I think and let it go from there. She ended performing this song and I couldn’t help but sing along, what an inspiration! As far as One Republic, I have seen them 4 or so times and they have NEVER disappointed, Ryan Tedder is just fantastic live! His energy, his sound, the way he interacts with the audience I could not ask for a better artist, he is right up there with Ben Kweller for me. I took a friend from Cali  with me and it was her first Utah concert, I was so excited to share it with her and she seemed to have just as much fun as I did! It was an unforgettable summer and I can’t wait to see what fall brings with Imagine Dragons, The Fictionist, Macklemore, and my local buddies Kiss Me Kill Me, and Fat Candice. Until next time, tomorrow J which actually that blog will have very little to no music it will be all about Comic Con. Till then “Live life to the fullest, enjoy every moment and every experience!”

One Republic and Sara Bareilles

~Crystal Nichols