New York Giants Jan 8, 2006
The Giants' season is over after an ugly loss to Carolina.  I have a couple thoughts: 

Everyone keeps saying that Eli Manning is a young quarterback, and that's why he makes mistakes and doesn't do very well.  Did people say the same things about Michael Vick or Ben Roethlisberger?  No.  Why?  Because they were good quarterbacks, and they proved it by the way they played.  I like Eli, but I think people need to stop using the "young quarterback" excuse and let the kid prove himself.  Let's not assume that he'll be good based on family history.  Stupid talking heads. 

My second point is that Eli isn't the only reason the Giants lost.  I feel bad for the guy.  I was a quarterback when I played football (though it's a bit of a stretch to compare midget football to the NFL), and the main reason I didn't have much fun was because I was held responsible for everything.  If a play didn't work, it was my fault.  If there was a fumble, it was my fault (though it usually was my fault).  Instead of blaming Eli, maybe we could blame his sub-par receivers that drop the ball or don't run their routes properly.  Or maybe we can blame Jeremy Shockey for always looking for a flag instead of trying to catch the ball.  Or maybe we can blame Curtis Deloatch, the guy who's responsible for every defensive mistake in every single game.  Or maybe we can blame the offensive line after their 5 (five) false start penalties in a row against my brother-in-law's team, the Seattle Seahawks.  Sure, Eli isn't the best.  But let's not put all the blame on him. 

Oh yeah, and I'm an Eagles fan.  I don't have much to say about them.  They sort of spoke for themselves. #sports
Cheerleaders Jan 8, 2006
I think we can all agree that cheerleaders are the worst part of football.  Actually, I know most people don't agree with me, especially guys (and maybe some unusual girls).  But I'll go on the record and say I can't stand them and I wish they weren't there.  They obviously add nothing to the actual game of football; they're merely there to entertain fans.  I just wish I could watch a single thing on TV or in a movie that didn't try to appeal to my libido. 

Whoever came up with the idea was pretty smart.  I think every man's subliminal fantasy is to have beautiful women in skimpy clothing applaud everything he does.  It obviously goes for sex appeal.  But it gets at another big thing:  acceptance/reassurance/ego/pride/admiration.  This is one of the 5 basic needs mentioned in His Needs, Her Needs (mentioned in Devotions for Couples on Google Book Search). 

I just found out that the New York Giants don't have cheerleaders.  I'm amazed.  I never realized it.  I looked it up and found that several NFL teams don't have cheerleaders:  New York Giants, New York Jets, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Cleveland Browns.  Most of these teams are in cold weather areas, but that didn't stop the New England Patriots.  I applaud these teams for not having cheerleaders.  Just play the stupid game. #sports
Jelly bean issues Jan 8, 2006
I like jelly beans.  But I have two major issues with them: 

1.  Jelly Belly brand jelly beans are quite good.  Their self-proclaimed title of "Gourmet" is well-deserved.  But they have so many flavors, special care must be taken to not mix flavors that shouldn't be mixed.  So instead of sticking my brutish bear paws into the candy dish, I have to use my dainty little fingers to select beans of one color.  And I still have problems:  I pick up a bunch of white ones, and I happen to pick up one of the dreaded flavors:  Buttered Popcorn.  Unbelievably disgusting.  The person who invented that flavor should go to jail. 

2.  Black jelly beans.  I like black licorice, and I like black jelly beans that have that flavor.  But black doesn't mix with any other color.  Period.  Not to be racist, but I would say that the black jelly beans corrupt the entire bag.  So again, I have to be careful about which ones I'm putting in my mouth.  I like to get the Farley's brand bags of jelly beans.  Most colors mix fairly well.  A yellow will mix with a white.  A green will mix with a red.  But God forbid a black bean gets in the mix.  Call the ambulance; you're better off dead.  And just when you think you're safe, you put some purple ones in your mouth only to find out that a black one blended in with the purple ones.  Gross.  I can't even talk about this anymore.  I'm repulsed. #food
Bettas Jan 8, 2006
The Betta, or Siamese Fighting Fish, is part of a group called labyrinth fishes, named because of a special organ called the labyrinth organ.  This website says, "The labyrinth organ consists of a series of folded tissues located in the head within a special cavity.  The fish gulps air at the surface of the water, holding it in the cavity where the labyrinth organ extracts the oxygen.  The fish then gulp water, flushing the labyrinth organ with water, which allows for release of carbon dioxide.  The fish then takes another gulp of air, starting the respiration cycle again."  So in other words, Bettas can breathe air.  I never knew this.  This is amazing. 

In memory of our recently deceased Betta, Warren. #nature