Is It Finally Over?

It was almost three years ago that I wrote probably the only honest and heartfelt post that this blog has ever seen.  It's hard to believe most of what I wrote today.  The way that I gushed about Brett, his contributions to the sport, his honesty in the face of adversity and his desire to do things the right way turned out to be a mirage.  The way he lied, manipulated, harassed and victimized the rest of football nation over the past three seasons/retirements makes me wonder if the 16 years of goodwill was fake, too.  

As a passionate fan of a team, you see lots of athletes come and go over the years.  Some you remember, some you forget.  Some become such a part of your experience that you feel like they are an unofficial member of your family.  That's why this whole escapade continues to sting.  Brett wasn't who he claimed to be.  Like the politician who made promises to get into office, only to cave to special interests.  Or the neighbor who invites you over for dinner with their family, only to berate you after the fact.  

The point is that with this guy, what we were led to believe was not real.  

It's too bad, because he could've rode off into the sunset three years ago and we average fans never would've known.  We'd still think he was great.  We'd still cheer for him.

Now he's just another guy who did it for himself.  A sad caricature of a once great legend.  

Last night, as Brett lay on the frozen turf with what looked like a shoulder injury and possible concussion, I was indifferent.  Just another QB who took a hard hit and couldn't get up.

I don't know what Grandpa would've thought about all this, because it was never in the realm of possibility.  That's probably the saddest part.

Institute of Higher Learning 

"Please tip, I've got $40,000 left in loans"

Having gone through 12 years of public schooling, followed by an additional 4 years of expensive classes at an institute of "higher learning", the following story makes me both happy and angry at the same time.  Almost like my psyche chugged a Four Loko and threw up in the sock drawer.

It's all too common for colleges to exaggerate the weight that their degree carries in the real world.  To prove that point, here's a little tale of deceit that really brings out the warm fuzzies.

Hey Yahoo! News, justify my rage:

According to a lawsuit filed in L.A. Superior Court, students [at the Los Angeles Film School and Los Angeles Recording School] pay $18,000 to $23,000 in tuition to receive 900 hours of instruction from an accredited school. The two schools, which offer students training in the technical aspects of content development, are said to maintain career development departments that manage “a curriculum designed to prepare students for the pursuit of internships and entry level employment.”


The plaintiffs claim, however, that they didn’t receive 900 hours of instruction and that the schools attained accreditation only after manipulating their job placement rates. Specifically, the schools are alleged to have offered students gift cards to Target and Best Buy if students signed self-employment forms and misrepresented sales clerk positions at Apple and Guitar Center stores as “creative positions.”

Less than a year after graduating college with a fairly stellar GPA, I worked at both a Starbucks Drive-through and Perkins Restaurant simultaneously in order to try and make ends meet.  Despite the crappyness of that situation, I was considered a successful graduate.  However, bringing out your "Tremendous Twelve" wasn't what I had in mind when I earned my degree.  One day I stumbled into a job that pays well and provides great benefits.  Despite my contentment, I really can't credit my degree for my career.  The article above is referring specifically to fine-art schools, which is an extremely difficult career path.   Those students typically face an uphill battle to gain employment.  At the same time, I feel like there's a lesson for business students as well, because had I not pulled a Homer, I'd probably still be making sure your 'Grande Cinnamon Dolce Latte' comes to you 'extra hot'.

Moral of the story?  Community College and Technical Degrees are A-OK.

...aaaaaaand it's posts like this that keep Bryspace from joining the list of alumni blogs at ol' NWC.  

El Comico Estupido

Four Loko is the drink that they are serving in hell.  

Weekly Picks Update

The Bryan v. Doug competition is starting to gain some clarity.  After Doug tied it up at 4-4, I went on a three week run to take a commanding 7-4-1 lead.  As previously stated, everything is coming up Bryspace.  In case you are interested, and I don't know why you would be, here's this weeks picks:

                                                                                          Bryan            Doug

12/2 8:20 ET At Philadephia -8.5 Houston                 PHI                PHI
12/5 1:00 ET At Minnesota -6 Buffalo                       BUF               BUF
12/5 1:00 ET At Miami -4.5 Cleveland                      CLE               CLE
12/5 1:00 ET At Tennessee -2 Jacksonville                JAX               JAX
12/5 1:00 ET At Kansas City -8.5 Denver                  KC                  KC
12/5 1:00 ET At NY Giants -7 Washington              WAS               WAS
12/5 1:00 ET Chicago -3.5 At Detroit                        CHI                CHI
12/5 1:00 ET At Green Bay -9.5 San Francisco          SF                   GB
12/5 1:00 ET New Orleans -6.5 At Cincinnati            NO                 NO
12/5 4:15 ET Atlanta -3 At Tampa Bay                       TB                 ATL
12/5 4:05 ET At San Diego -13 Oakland                   OAK               OAK
12/5 4:15 ET At Seattle -6 Carolina                            SEA                 SEA
12/5 4:15 ET At Indianapolis -5.5 Dallas                    IND                IND
12/5 4:15 ET St. Louis -3.5 At Arizona                      STL                STL
12/5 8:20 ET At Baltimore -3 Pittsburgh                   BAL                 PIT

Monday Night Football Line
12/6 8:35 ET At New England -3.5 NY Jets             NYJ                   NE

It's A Comic Life, We're Living In It

Maybe these comics are getting old, maybe not.  One thing I should probably confess is that I spend large chunks of my day putting swear words into these old comics, and when I'm not doing that I fill the gaps by watching Disney animated classics.  It's like vacillating between being a six year old girl and a d-bag construction worker.  Maybe that's why my therapist finds me so interesting.  Gotta go, bitches!  Beauty and the Beast!

Week 10 NFL Picks (or) Beefcake Beatdown

Viking Football.  Pants On The Ground.

For my fans parents who were wondering, here's the latest picks in the Bryan v. Doug NFL picks against the spread.  Remember, the overall winner gets to beat the loser with a footlong Subway sub of their own choosing.  There will be video, of course.  Last week, Doug hit the final three games to win the week and tie up the competition, 4-4-1.

One final thought; while it'd be very easy for me to lambast the gentleman above for disregarding sus pantelones after the most recent Minnesota game, the poor guy is probably the team blogger who was unfortunately caught on camera.  This is somewhat of a "pants-less" hobby if you catch my drift.

Picks after the jump

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JUMP!

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