Thought for the Day: Short Bursts
January 31, 2005

First things first:
Sorry I didn't have a whole lot to say last week, but I decided that if it wasn't interesting enough for me to take the time to want to write, I wasn't going to waste your time. However, I have collected some news and notes, and so basically, I will be doing a long-form version of the dot column today which I call "star gazing" (because of the asterisk bullet points.) Here goes:

* I know that Kidz Bop is the most unnecessary album collection in human history, but I cannot decide which is the greater surreal moment: Covering "1985" for an audience that was likely not born until 1995 or covering any Maroon 5 song without understanding the layers of subtext (this time around its "She Will Be Loved" whereas last time out it was "This Love". Both wrong, very very wrong.)

* If you haven't heard, I am back in. I must be needfully coy here, but if you want further details and hear about how I severed the end of a non functioning Zeecraft buzzer to make a training device, just email me. I may even ask for your help.

* Why do we need to advertise for ringtones? Seriously, I can see advertising for the ability to get ringtones, but not for specific ones. It just seems like a waste of money to buy ad time on Comedy Central.

* Can Iraqis who became naturalized U.S. citizens still vote in elections in Iraq and elections here? Sort of seems like you should only get to vote in one country's elections and that's it.

* Stevenson and Michigan alum (and my mentor my freshman year) Dean Bakopolous has written his first book, entitled Please Don't Come Back From the Moon. It's getting pretty good reviews and it's my hope that this is the first in a string of literary success for Dean. He's a good guy and deserves it.

* Can we please clarify, since I saw about 17 different answers on Fark yesterday, including my own, what the difference is between Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year are at the Grammys.

* It's SportsMania Monday at Stevenson for Winterfest Week and so I have 13 jerseys ready to be deployed at various times during various hours. It's all of the insanity I could have if quiz bowl tournaments required costume changes.

I had more, but the SCT calls.

That's all for today, until the next time,
I am Craig Barker, SCTeed.

Thought for the Day: In the books
January 19, 2005

First things first:
The ABD went off without a hitch, at least in my mind. Things could have been better, but I'll chalk that up to improvement. If you'd like to have a peek at the questions (or would like to trade) let me know and I'll see what we can work out.

For the record, Mike will deflect a lot of the praise to others, but few people in the nation run a better tournament than he does and I am proud to work with him in keeping that standard high.

Finals are over, and well, they went fine for AP, which I expected. As for World History, there should not be a gap of 30 points between the third and fourth highest scoring members of one of your hours. Nor should you have 1 out of every 3 kids failing your Final when all of the questions are from old tests, you gave them 85 of the 150 in some form of review, and you allowed them to use a 4 x 6 notecard on the test. I know I have high standards, and clearly the test can't be considered impossible, one of the kids got a 148 and five of my 90 kids got better than 145. I can't wait for the hate mail.

By the way, I know many of you will be disappointed, but I am going to be delaying the start of the Rolling Stone 192 tournament for a couple of reasons, in part because I don't know that I have the hour a day for six weeks it would require to do it right.

Anyway, the real reason I am writing.
The answers to The Song Lyrics Meme: Round 3

1. "Country Grammar" by Nelly - mb
2. "In the Meantime" by Spacehog - Flax
3. "Allison Road" by Gin Blossoms - DEK
4. "Pure and Easy" by The Who (went unclaimed)
5. "Crush" by Dave Matthews Band - Bill
6. "Life's Been Good To Me So Far" by Joe Walsh - mb
7. "When It All Goes Wrong Again" by Everclear (went unclaimed)
8. "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" by Righteous Brothers - mb
9. "Darlin' One" by the Replacements - Greg
10. "Victoria" by John Mayer (went unclaimed)
11. "Victoria" by Old `97s (went unclaimed)
12. "True Love Waits" by Radiohead - EH
13. "Saturday Night's Alright for Fightin'" by Elton John - Bill
14. "Deuces are Wild' by Aerosmith - Rick
15. "Vindicated" by Dashboard Confessional - Justin
16. "Where It's At" by Beck - Ted
17. "The Unforgettable Fire" by U2 - Bill
18. "American Girl" by Tom Petty - EH
19. "Strange Currencies" by R.E.M. - victoria
20. "Karn Evil 9: First Impression, Part 2" by ELP - the Bruce

The Song Lyrics Meme: Round 4

DIRECTIONS:
On your current playlist, hit shuffle and pick the first twenty songs on the list (no matter how cheesy or embarrassing).

Write down one line of the song. Try to avoid putting the song title in the line. Have your friends comment and see if they know the songs (NO CHEATING by using google or other search engines...).
When someone guesses correctly, strike out the line and list the correct name of the song next to it. (In order of when I recieved the correct answer... so the first one to get it... is naturally, first on the list))

Notes: I do have covers that popped up. Original artist or cover artist is fine.
Nothing that came up last time is in play.
No ABD hints are implied, neither by presence or absence. It literally is the first twenty that came up.

Have fun, gang!

1. "I went home with a waitress, the way I always do. How was I to know, that she was with the Russians too?"
("Lawyers, Guns, and Money" by Warren Zevon - Greg)

2. "The seam is split, the coal face cracked. The lines are long, there's no going back. Through hands of steel and heart of stone, our labour day has come and gone."
("Red Hill Mining Town" by U2 - The Bruce)

3. "So pick a window, pick a side. It's just a choice you make, another little break in us."

4. "I don't believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now."
("Wonderwall" by Oasis - Greg)

5. "Well I love your screams of passion in the long hot summer night. But you pepper me with poison darts and twisted in your knife."

6. "Now I think I'm going down to the well tonight and I'm going to drink till I get my fill. And I hope when I get old I don't sit around thinking about it, but I probably will."
("Glory Days" by Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuce Springsteen - Rick)

7. "I've been driving for an hour, just talking to the rain. You say I've been driving you crazy and its keeping you away."
("Breathe" by Michelle Branch - Bill)

8. "See the man with the lonely eyes? Take his hand, you'll be surprised."
("Give A Little Bit" by Supertramp - SpartanSteve)

9. "Dream baby dream, of all that's come and going, and you will find out, in the end; There really is...There really is no difference."
("New Sensation" by INXS - The Bruce)

10. "Feelin' that it's gone can change your mind. If we can't go on, to survive the tide love divides."
("Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" by Journey - Bill)

11. "Slammed your fingers in the drawer, fought with kitchen knives and skewers."
("Laid" by James - joe)

12. "If everything could ever feel this real forever, If anything could ever be this good again?"
("Everlong" by Foo Fighters - Greg)

13. "The ice age is coming, the sun is zooming in, meltdown expected, the wheat is growing thin."
("London Calling" by The Clash - Greg)

14. "It was a beautfiul day, the sun beat down. I had the radio on, I was driving."
("Running Down a Dream" by Tom Petty - Rick)

15. "I'm not the only soul who's accused of hit and run. Tire tracks all across your back, I can see you had your fun."
("Crosstown Traffic" by Jimi Hendrix - Flax)

16. "It's crazy what you could have had, crazy what you could have had, I need this, I need this."
("Country Feedback" by R.E.M. - mb)

17. "He seems so at ease, a strange inner peace, is all that he's feeling somehow."
("All Kinds of Time" by Fountains of Wayne - Greg)

18. "You're taking the fun out of everything. Making me run, when I dont want to think."

19. "I can’t remember anything to this very day, 'cept the look, the look...Oh, you know where, now I can’t see, I just stare..."
("Alive" by Pearl Jam - Rick)

20. "It's that little souvenir of a terrible year, which makes my eyes feel sore."
("Here's Where the Story Ends" by The Sundays - Greg)

That's all for today, until the next time,
I am Craig Barker, hey now.

Thought for the Day: One Step Closer
January 12, 2005

First things first:
The tournament, she be a harsh mistress. Y'ar.

Anyway, the real reason I am writing.
The answers to The Song Lyrics Meme: Round 2

1. "Crucify" by Tori Amos - Bill
2. "The Road I'm On" by 3 Doors Down
3. "Sour Girl" by Stone Temple Pilots- Jojo
4. "Not Alone" by Patty Griffin
5. "Given to Fly" by Pearl Jam
6. "Turn Off The Light" by Nellie Furtado - The Bruce
7. "At My Most Beautiful" by R.E.M.- victoria
8. "You Let Your Heart Go Too Fast" by the Spin Doctors - David
9. "Who Needs Sleep?" by Barenaked Ladies- Byko
10. "Millenium" by Robbie Williams, - Alma
11. "You Get What You Give" by New Radicals - Byko
12. "Again" by Lenny Kravitz
13. "Fall on Me" by R.E.M. - Greg, mb
14. "Sick of Myself" by Matthew Sweet - Greg
15. "Morning Light" by the Graham Colton Band
16. "Somebody to Shove" by Soul Asylum. - David
17. "Ordinary Day" by Vanessa Carlton
18. "Screaming Infidelities" by Dashboard Confessional - Flax
19. "No Such Thing" by John Mayer - Byko
20. "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" by U2 - Flax

The Song Lyrics Meme: Round 3

DIRECTIONS:
On your current playlist, hit shuffle and pick the first twenty songs on the list (no matter how cheesy or embarrassing).

Write down one line of the song. Try to avoid putting the song title in the line. Have your friends comment and see if they know the songs (NO CHEATING by using google or other search engines...).
When someone guesses correctly, strike out the line and list the correct name of the song next to it. (In order of when I recieved the correct answer... so the first one to get it... is naturally, first on the list))

Notes: I do have covers that popped up. Original artist or cover artist is fine.
Nothing that came up last time is in play.
No ABD hints are implied, neither by presence or absence. It literally is the first twenty that came up.

Have fun, gang!
1. "From broke to havin' dough, 'cause my price Range is Rover. Now I'm knockin like Jehovah - let me in now, let me in now. Bill Gates, Donald Trump let me in now."
("Country Grammar" by Nelly - mb)

2. "We love the all the all of you. Our lands are green and skies are blue. Now all in all we're just like you. We love the all of you."
("In the Meantime" by Spacehog - Flax)

3. "So she fills up her sails with my wasted breath and each one's more wasted than the other you can bet."
("Allison Road" by Gin Blossoms - DEK)

4. "As people assemble, Civilization is trying to find a new way to die. But killing is really merely scene changer, all men are bored with other men's lies."

5. "Lovely lady, let me drink you please. I won't spill a drop, no, I promise you. Lying under this spell you cast on me."
("Crush" by Dave Matthews Band - Bill)

6. "My Maserati does 185, I lost my license, now I don't drive. I have a limo ride in the back, I lock the doors in case I'm attacked."
("Life's Been Good To Me So Far" by Joe Walsh - mb)

7. "I see pictures in the clouds, so obscene I gotta laugh out loud. I look back to find my way, reminisce and laugh about the good old days."

8. "Baby baby I get down on my knees for you, if you would only love me like you used to."
("You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" by Righteous Brothers - mb)

9. "The smell of man that now scents your wings and with that, brings a change in things. Banished forever from the sacred nest, on your snow-white breast, I feel there's still unrest."
("Darlin' One" by the Replacements - Greg)

10. "Looked outside at the car in the drive and the suitcase on the backseat inside. Sure it's so, she can't look out behind at the road. She said 'I might not be seein' him soon. I've got a few things I've been waiting to do.'"

11. "She lived in Berkeley 'til the earthquake shook her loose. She lives in Texas now where nothin' ever moves. "

12. "I'm not living, I'm just killing time. Your tiny hands. Your crazy kitten smile. Just don't leave. Don't leave."
("True Love Waits" by Radiohead - EH)

13. "A couple of the sound that I really like are the sounds of a switchblade and a motorbike"
("Saturday Night's Alright for Fightin'" by Elton John - Bill)

14. "My lover with no jet lag we're staying up all night in my sleeping bag. You got a heart beat from the subterranean, I really love you little girl, I don't need to explain."
("Deuces are Wild' by Aerosmith - Rick)

15. "Hope dangles on a string, like slow spinning redemption, Winding in and winding out. The shine of it has caught my eye."
("Vindicated" by Dashboard Confessional - Justin)

16. "Members only hyponotizers, move through the room like ambulance drivers. Shine your shoes with your microphone blues, Hirsutes with your parachute fruits."
("Where It's At" by Beck - Ted)

17. "Carnival. The wheels fly and the colors spin. Through alcohol, Red wine that punctures the skin. Face to face, In a dry and waterless place."
("The Unforgettable Fire" by U2 - Bill)

18. "It was kind of cold that night. She stood alone on her balcony. She could the cars roll by, out on 441, Like waves crashin' on the beach."
("American Girl" by Tom Petty - EH)

19. "The fool might be my middle name. But I'd be foolish not to say: I'm going to make whatever it takes, Ring you up, call you down, sign your name, secret love, Make it rhyme, take you in, and make you mine."
("Strange Currencies" by R.E.M. - victoria)

20. "We would like it to be known the exhibits that were shown were exclusively our own, All our own. All our own."
All right gang, that's the list, have at it.

That's all for today, until the next time,
I am Craig Barker, doing what I can for the people.

Thought for the Day: Snow Way in Hell
January 6, 2005

First things first:
I have come to believe that my view on Snow Days is analogous to Pascal's Wager. I always believe, no matter what the meterologists and my hopeful students say, that we will have school. That way, in instances like today where we did not have school (and I have to admit, this was a pretty weak snow day, but I don't mind.), I have not gotten my hope up and am pleasantly surprised. I will now duck before I start getting things thrown at me.

---

Anyway, the real reason I am writing.
The Song Lyrics Meme: Round 2

DIRECTIONS:
On your current playlist, hit shuffle and pick the first twenty songs on the list (no matter how cheesy or embarrassing).

Write down one line of the song. Try to avoid putting the song title in the line. Have your friends comment and see if they know the songs (NO CHEATING by using google or other search engines...).
When someone guesses correctly, strike out the line and list the correct name of the song next to it. (In order of when I recieved the correct answer... so the first one to get it... is naturally, first on the list))

Notes: I do have covers that popped up. Original artist or cover artist is fine.
Nothing that came up last time is in play.
All songs post-1985

Have fun, gang!

---

1). "I know a cat named Easter, He says 'Will you ever learn? You're just an empty cage girl if you kill the bird.'"

2). "She said 'Life's a lot to think about sometimes, when you're living in between the lines
And all the stars are sparkling, shine everyday.'"

3). "The roller coaster ride's a lonely one. I'd pay the ransom note to stop it from steaming
Hey! What are you looking at? She was a teenage girl when she met me..."

4). "One of them bullets went straight for the jugular vein. There were people running, a flash of light, then everything changed."

5). "He made it to the ocean, had a smoke in a tree. The wind rose up, set him down on his knee. A wave came crashing like a fist to the jaw, delivered him wings, "Hey, look at me now"
Arms wide open with the sea as his floor."

6). "It's getting so lonely inside this bed. Don't know if I should lick my wounds or say woe is me instead. And there's an aching inside my head, it's telling me you're better off alone"

7). "I read bad poetry, into your machine. I save your messages, just to hear your voice."

8). "I see you got that lump in your throat. I hear you mumbling, 'That's all she wrote.'
Love was in the next room drinking antidote."

9). "Chapter read and lesson learned, I turned the lights off while she burned. So while she's three hundred degrees, I throw the sheets off and I freeze."

10). "Live for liposuction, detox for your rent. Overdose for Christmas and give it up for Lent. My friends are all so cynical, refuse to keep the faith. We all enjoy the madness 'cause we know we're gonna fade away."

11). "Frienemies, who when you're down ain't your friend. Every night we smash their Mercedes-Benz, First we run; and then we laugh till we cry."

12). "I've been searching for you, I heard a cry within my soul. I've never had a yearning quite like this before, know that you are walking right through my door."

13). "Bargain buildings, weights and pullies. Feathers hit the ground before the weight can leave the air"

14). "You don't know how you move me, Deconstruct me and consume me. I'm all used up, I'm out of luck, I am starstruck. By something in your eyes, that is keeping my hope alive."

15). "Sometimes I think I pass you walking on the street and I believe it. Sometimes I think I see you looking back at me.. now I see it. Everything you feel, saying what is real."

16). "Hello, speak up, is there somebody there? These hang-ups are getting me down. In a world frozen over with over-exposure, let's talk it over, let's go out and paint the town."

17). "He said 'Take my hand, live while you can. And if we walk now we will divide and conquer this land.'"

18). "I'm cuddling close to blankets and sheets, you're not alone & you're not discreet. Make sure I know who's taking you home."

19). "So the good boys and girls take the so called right track, faded white hats, grabbing credits, maybe transfers. They read all the books but they can't find the answers"

20). "I am not afraid of anything in this world. There's nothing you can throw at me that I haven't already heard"

All right gang, that's the list, have at it.

That's all for today, until the next time,
I am Craig Barker, focused.

Thought for the Day: When It's Over
January 4, 2005

First things first:
Five word summary:
Rose Bowl: Lloyd, use a time out!

Final Tuesday Caption Contest
Today's entry, caption this photo of the referee Bernie Kukar.

Cut-Throat: Week 17 (Final) Results
Final Standings:
Adam Kittle East Liverpool, OH 57
James Quintong Atlanta, GA 56
Matt Bruce Concord, CA 54
Brian Hight Bonham, TX 54
Mike Philpy McLean, VA 54
Mark Coen Manchester, MA 53
Shawn DeVeau Boston, MA 53
Greg Long Redford, MI 52
Tim Woodward Salem, NH 52
Jason Zuffranieri Albuquerque, NM 52
Craig D. Barker Livonia, MI 51
Gordon Berman Ithaca, NY 51
James Dinan Arlington, VA 51
Lucas Koerner Ithaca, NY 51
Kevin Olmstead Ann Arbor, MI 51
Geoff Zmyslowski GP Woods, MI 51
Lauren Arestie Arlington, VA 50
Eric Muraszewski St. Clair Shores, MI 50
Tim Young Washington, DC 50
Zogby Tracking Washington, DC 50
Tyler Johnson Bryan, TX 49
Brigid Laurie Alexandria, VA 49
Paper Clippy Redmond, WA 49
Joel Quintong Fairfield, CT 46
Joe Wright Ann Arbor, MI 46
Tim Kulhanek Croswell, MI 45
David Wallace Livonia, MI 45
Mike Burger Ann Arbor, MI 44
David Bykowski Irmo, SC 44
Jon Couture New Bedford, MA 44
Brian Long Redford, MI 44
Ryan Blay Chicago, IL 42
Robert Flaxman Chicago, IL 42
Steve Kaplan Los Angeles, CA 42
Steven Bevier East Lansing, MI 41
Noel Erinjeri Flint, MI 41
Dwight Kidder Bridgeville, PA 41
Rob Long Sterling Heights, MI 41
Jason Keller Piscataway, NJ 40
Mark Urciuolo Alexandria, VA 39
Jessie Connolly Irmo, SC 38
Delano Barnes Lexana, KS 37
Chris Rodgers Columbia, SC 37
Eric Bell Oklahoma City, OK 34
Rocky Barker Livonia, MI 28

You can access the spreadsheet that I used to track at http://www.collegequizbowl.org/extras/cutthroat.xls

So there you have it folks, your winner, Adam Kittle, who used the Chargers win over the Chiefs to propel him to a one-point victory over James Quintong.

Cut-Throat Winners:
2002: Lauren Arestie and Mike Burger (55 points)
2003: Brian Hight (63 points)
2004: Adam Kittle (57 points)

I'd like to thank all of you for playing, we look forward to seeing you again next year, when we'll have another go-round. In the meantime, look for this blog to actually have some non-football content again, but only after the ABD. It's very hard to make sure you're not tipping your hand, so you'll understand if I blogxile myself in the interests of fairness.

That's all for today, until next time,
I am Craig Barker, wrapped.