Things I Like #29: Using NCAA-Style Brackets for Things Other Than NCAA Basketball

While nothing can compare to the actual NCAA brackets, I always enjoy the random other brackets that people come up with this time of year.  People LOVE brackets.  Put anything in a bracket and people will get into it.  They will offer analysis and make picks and everything.  Try it sometime.  You’ll see.  Here are three shining examples of brackets that have nothing to do with sports:

1) Barney’s Women Slept With: Although not from this year, I saw this classic HIMYM episode the other night.  It features not only the real tournament bracket, but a bracket of the women that Barney has slept with.  And a drunk debate as they fill it out.  Incredible.

2) Best Week Ever’s 90s Movies: Another great one.  I counted yesterday and I haven’t seen 37 of the 64 movies… but still, my personal shortcomings don’t shouldn’t discourage the acknowledgement of  great bracket usage.

3) Colin Cowherd’s Cereal:  This is a perfect example of the “put anything into a bracket and people will love it” bracket.  ESPN Radio personality Colin Cowherd created a cereal bracket (to prove that very point) and had people vote online to determine the winner of each matchup.  In the final, Cheerios narrowly beat out Frosted Flakes to claim the title of Herd Breakfast Bracket Champion.  Check out the results here to see how your favorite cereal did: http://sports.espn.go.com/espnradio/bracket?page=theherd/cereal

Things I Like #28: Baby Boomers

This is an honorary Things I Like Post… it is not necessarily something I like.  Too many people hate on baby boomers, so I’m going to stand up for them for a couple minutes.  In no particular order here 20 random things and people I enjoy that baby boomers have given us:

#1 – Mark Spitz – the original Michael Phelps

#2 – Brody Jenner – son of Bruce Jenner (a boomer).

#3 – Sex scandals – Bill Clinton

#4 – Lock Boxes – Al Gore (also invented the Internet)

#5 – “You’re fired” – Donald Trump (also incredible hair)

#6 – Terminator – Arnold “the Gubernator” Schwartzenegger

#7 – Rainbow Six – Tom Clancy

#8 – David Letterman

#9 – James Taylor

#10 – Max Weinberg

#11 – Home Improvement – Tim Allen

#12 – Denzel Washington

#13 – Greg Brady (played by boomer Barry Williams)

#14 – Crouching Tigers and Hidden Dragons – Ang Lee

#15 – Field of Dreams – Kevin Costner

#16 – Gettysburg (the movie) – Jeff Daniels

#17 – Larry Bird

#18 – Tom Hanks

#19 – Hard-hitting interviews – Katie Couric

#20 – Lean grilling – George Foreman

Things I Like #27: The English Sports Media

I was reading an article about a potential transfer on the Sky Sports website (sort of like ESPN in England) the other day, and it ended like this:

“Official confirmation of the deal is expected in the none to distant future.”

I thought that was great.

Over here it would have said something lame like “soon” or “in the next couple of days.”

Good work Sky Sports!

Things I Like #26: Having an Entire Exit Row to Myself

It was glorious.  On my flight from MSP to BDL I was assigned the middle seat in row 10.  At first I was not sure this would be good, since I usually don’t enjoy the middle seat… but an exit row means extra leg room so that was at least a plus.  Then, I guess because of flight delays and cancellations the people on either side of me did not show up… so I had the entire row to myself!   I was able to relax with plenty of leg and arm room on either side and enjoyed quite a nice nap during my flight.  Being the only person in an exit row rocks.

Things I Like #25: Sunsets

Pretty.  Soothing.  Serene.  Romantic.  Inspiring.  Powerful.  My favorite time to think and reflect.  Sunsets are amazing.  Words can’t really do sunsets justice, so I’ll leave you with these pictures.   I took them while my family was camping at the beach on Ocracoke Island, North Carolina last summer:

Things I Like #24: Deep Talks (and gchats) With Ellen

I thoroughly enjoy deep conversations with Ellen.  We’ve had them since we met each other last year (feels like longer than that, no?):  I remember on the long car ride back from the casino, before we really knew each other, we got into a discussion of everything under the sun, including religion and god.  Heavy stuff.  Last week we had a lot of deep talks on gchat and it was great!  Literally hours of opinions and questions and issues.  Awesome.  Ellen is sharp, intelligent, and passionate – and that makes for a great conversations!  Plus, we each studied different fields in college, so we have different perspectives and ways of analyzing  issues.

Any way you look at it, talks with Ellen are great.

Things I Like #23: Randomly Running Into Friends

Randomly running into a friend can really make a day.  If you’re having a good day, it can make it even better.  If you’re having a bad day, it can turn it around.  And if it happens in the morning, it can set a positive tone for the rest of the day.

Case in point: today.  I was heading to a briefing this morning, so I had to take the 63 bus to downtown Saint Paul, instead of my normal 144 bus to the U.  Down Grand a little ways Claire got on the bus on her way to work.  Random!  Also random considering we saw each other at the MARC last night but neither was sure if it was really the other.  We chatted for a bit until she got off downtown at her stop.  What a great start to the day!

So make sure you keep your eyes and ears open!  You never know when you might randomly run into a friend.  It might just make your day.

Things I Like #22: The Uniqueness of Each Day

I know it might seem stupid or cheesy, but by adding layers to every situation we are in, we can make every single moment of our lives unique, and thus more meaningful!

Take yesterday for example.  I went to lunch with Ellen and Em and Rachael.  Not unique (although it DOES NOT HAPPEN ENOUGH!).  We ate at Burrito Loco.  Again, not that unique.  We sat at the table in the Northwest corner.  Now we’re getting there.  Em and I were on one side, Ellen and Rachael on the other.  See???  Now we’re starting to get to a pretty unique situation.  Add what we were wearing and I bet it won’t ever happen again.

This can be done throughout the day.  I often think, when I’m on the bus in the morning, “I will never again pass that car on this highway again” or something similar.  During the Republican convention I saw a United States Capitol Police truck parked in the street near the building I work in.  I would not be surprised if there is NEVER a United States Capitol Police truck parked on that street again in my lifetime.  It was my only chance to see that.

Each and every moment of each and every day has the potential to be unique – it might never happen again.  I think we should all appreciate that.  And it is worth getting up each and every day for, if you ask me.  We never know what unique surprises await us every time the sun comes up.

Things I Like #21: Coincidences

So the other day a couple of weeks back I went to the bathroom twice during while I was at work.  Both times I passed the same young woman walking in the opposite direction, I can only assume heading for the women’s bathroom.  That is a coincidence.  It was a pretty pleasant one, as she was rather pretty herself.

Coincidences happen all the time.  On Sunday night Polly and I both answered one of Rebecca’s questions at the exact same time with the exact same answer.  Last week I was about to gchat a friend when that friend gchatted me.

Coincidences happen all the time and I like them.

Do YOU have a good coincidence to share???

Things I Like #20: Ocracoke Island, North Carolina

See previous entry for why.  I LOVE this place.