Lessons from the weekend

"awesomeosis"
Definition: When something becomes awesome by association - when in the presence of a high concentration of awesomeness, the awesomeness diffuses to things around it so they become awesome as well.

Example: Steve Nash's impact on all the middling players on the Suns, transforming mediocrity into awesomeness

Counterexample: Kobe Bryant's impact on all the middling players on the Lakers, transforming mediocrity into suckitude

(Credit given to my ex-coworker for coining the term at lunch on Friday)
(Okay, I realize that the Lakers are going to make the playoffs and aren't a bad team. Kobe still needs to learn how to take advantage of awesomeosis though)

Serves 10-12 (what kind of people?)
On Saturday, a bunch of folks got together to watch the Final Four and eat Louisiana-style Uncle Frank's BBQ. As Andy points out in his post, we got the "Super Tailgate Combo" consisting of pork ribs, chicken, and beef links, supposedly enough for 10-12. Well, after 11 people ate of it on Saturday, 7 on Sunday, and my tupperware of meat for lunch today, there's probably enough still in the crockpot for another 3 meals. Lesson learned: 1 "Uncle Frank's" person = 2 average-sized Chinese people (can't count someone like DrewWu in that equation).

On a related note, last night a bunch of us (Foreman) grilled up hot dogs to watch MLB Opening Day and the NCAA final. Fun times, but all of our rooting interests lost (Giants, A's, UCLA - Pac-10 loyalty) and I feel my arteries clogging from the combination of BBQ and hot dogs the last few days.

TV movies
I happen to like movies being shown on TV. With commercials, I can flick to other stations to glance at what else is going on, I can putz around on my laptop, work out, etc. However, watching "X2: X-Men United" on Saturday night TV (DVD ON FX) with a few other people was torturous due to the interminable commercial breaks, followed by DVD extras before actually getting back to the movie. Lesson learned: When watching a movie with other people, watch the DVD.

On another note, apparently one thing that distinguishes me to other people is my propensity to use specific terms and phrases to describe things (a la "jimmying the lock").

Hoops in the rain
On Sunday afternoon, about 20 crazy/stupid hoops regulars hit up Terman Park to get our weekly basketball fix despite the fact that it began sprinkling roughly 5 minutes after we arrived. Stubbornly, we decided to play through the mist and ended up playing for 2.5 hours and quite a few games before the rain intensified to a downpour.

For the first time this year, I was relatively happy with my game on both sides of the ball. I think it may have been sparked by viewing this YouTube video where Michael Jordan described his defensive stance. I realized that for quite a while, I've been settling into an offensive (triple threat) stance and a defensive stance with my feet too far apart, leaving me prone to getting beaten to the spot by my opponent. I consciously kept my feet shoulder-width apart on Sunday and found that I had better lateral quickness as well as getting more air on my jumps. Lesson learned: Don't set feet much more than shoulder-width apart.

Alternatively, maybe I was just playing better due to my getting a haircut for the first time in 11 weeks, and thusly I was literally lighter on my feet.

On an unrelated note, check out the rough 10-day forecast for the Bay Area. Is it time to take a vacation in Seattle to enjoy the sun? Maybe this'll help housing costs to go down!

Prayer needed
On a serious note, for those that pray, please intercede for the Chens as their infant son passed away this weekend. My college roomie's short tribute - 'nuff said. Hurting for them...