Mama's House

(AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

That's what Tim Kurkjian says anyway after tonight's rarity wherein the Dodgers defeated the Angels in a "what a game!" type of game. How rare is it for a team to win a baseball game without getting a single hit? Well it's only happened five times now in modern major league history which dates back to 1900.

Coupled with the 4+1 game, what else could baseball possibly have left to show me that I have yet to see? I suppose that's one reason to continue watching.

I think so.

UPDATE: It was not meant to be.

EJ's parents are getting back Thursday from their much deserved vacation and Uncle Joji says he would like to have a bbq at Mama's house this coming Friday at 6pm to celebrate his 48th(?) birthday. Make it out if you can or risk falling in the Cousin Rankings. See you all in two days.

You know how they say parents should never favor one child over another? Well none of you call me Daddy so what follows is my ranking of the cousins. To be clear, I'm not saying that I'm ranking my cousins in order of "who is better than who" nor am I saying that I hate anyone ranked below Mehran. All I'm saying is that if I had to choose one cousin that I had to hang out with for an entire weekend this is the order I would call them.

1. Lindsey - A surprise #1 to be sure but she displayed in Vegas that she was up for doing anything or nothing at all. She kinda just goes with the flow. She has also shown an ability to offer insight to my various musings and she can tell a funny story.
   
2. EJ - Another cousin who is down for whatever as witnessed by his willingness to play for the family softball team even though he sucks; to his credit, he is getting much better through practice.
   
3. Annette - Closest cousin to me in age and I probably share more of a history with her considering we went to the same school on a few separate occasions and she only lives a couple of blocks away. She can also spot a good battery joke quicker than most.
   
4. Austin - Underrated by most other cousins I think. He might be higher if I actually thought he would hang out with family. Probably should be lower down the rankings because he wouldn't.
   
5. Faye - Might be the nicest of all the cousins - name calling aside. I can't recall her ever saying a mean word about another cousin (a cousin's significant other is a different story). So either she's really that nice or she likes to talk behind her cousins' backs. Either way, whether it's a false sense of security or not, it gives the impression that she has all of her cousins' backs if needed.
   
6. Mehran - Hard to peg where this cousin should fall in the rankings. Definitely would have ranked higher before all his troubles started but he is getting passed that and his recent willingness to hang out with family is a plus.
   
7. Oliver - Only see this guy on rare occasion and he doesn't talk all that much but when he does it's obvious that he is very smart and funny.
   
8. Vanessa - Don't know Vanessa that well but I do know that she likes to have a good time and is willing to change her name in order to do so.
   
9. Melanie - I know there's only a four year age difference but Mel has always seemed much more mature than I am and we don't share all that much in common. Maybe if I start my own family she will move up the rankings.
   
10. Roland - Basically, this guy gets low cousin status for his near complete disregard of family (saving only his night out with Faye and Vanessa) on his first trip back home since moving out to Florida. I believe the words are "poor form."
    

So there you have it, don't know if these rankings are going to be updated like other rankings. Anyway feel free to debate these wholly subjective rankings or make your own rankings known in the comments. And I'll totally understand if you all rank me last for doing this.

Bruin7089 (10:43:57 PM): i'm bored
Bruin7089 (10:43:59 PM): send jayden over
Bruin7089 (10:44:04 PM): to keep me company
AhhhNNeTTe (10:44:19 PM): dork
Bruin7089 (10:44:33 PM): when are you going to allow him to come over on his own?
Bruin7089 (10:44:38 PM): to like walk or bike over?
Bruin7089 (10:44:54 PM): he knows the way
AhhhNNeTTe (10:44:58 PM): hes in trouble
Bruin7089 (10:45:00 PM): he knows how to cross a street
AhhhNNeTTe (10:45:06 PM): and he has to wake up early
Bruin7089 (10:45:07 PM): i'm just asking
Bruin7089 (10:45:27 PM): like is he old enough to make the walk over from your place to mama's by himself?
AhhhNNeTTe (10:45:58 PM): i dont know
AhhhNNeTTe (10:45:58 PM): no
Bruin7089 (10:46:14 PM): well what other life lessons does he need to learn?
Bruin7089 (10:46:24 PM): doesn't he know not to talk to strangers?
AhhhNNeTTe (10:46:31 PM): kinda
Bruin7089 (10:46:34 PM): he has his own cell
Bruin7089 (10:46:38 PM): can he dial 911?
AhhhNNeTTe (10:46:44 PM): i dont know

So at what age and what survival skills would Jayden have to possess in order for him to visit Mama's house on his own?

Bruin7089 (10:20:50 PM): good face usually means good body
Yazzie (10:21:04 PM): I disagree
Yazzie (10:21:24 PM): I think a great body often leads to an okay face
Yazzie (10:21:33 PM): or rather an okay face often leads to a great body
Yazzie (10:21:48 PM): The over compensation is key

Bruin7089 (10:22:22 PM): Face or body?
Bruin7089 (10:22:30 PM): which is more important looking at a chick?
Austin (10:22:36 PM): hmm.... body
Bruin7089 (10:22:48 PM): and are you more likely to find a chick with a good face and good body
Bruin7089 (10:22:53 PM): or the other way around
Bruin7089 (10:23:08 PM): does the good body lead to a good face?
Austin (10:23:13 PM): hell no
Austin (10:23:32 PM): atleast from my own experience people watching, it is easier to find a good body than a good face
Bruin7089 (10:23:47 PM): that's not quite the question
Bruin7089 (10:24:01 PM): or at least i'm not quite getting your answer
Austin (10:24:09 PM): what's the question
Bruin7089 (10:24:18 PM): are you more like to find a good face matched up with a good body?
Bruin7089 (10:24:22 PM): or the other way around?
Bruin7089 (10:24:28 PM): kind of confusing i know
Bruin7089 (10:24:33 PM): but stay with me here
Austin (10:24:38 PM): oh oh i see
Bruin7089 (10:24:39 PM): if you just saw a face
Bruin7089 (10:24:41 PM): a cute one
Bruin7089 (10:24:45 PM): and just saw a body
Bruin7089 (10:24:47 PM): a good looking one
Bruin7089 (10:25:00 PM): which is more likely to match up with a cute other half
Austin (10:25:03 PM): you are more likely to find a good face matched up with a good body
Bruin7089 (10:25:07 PM): ok


Bruin7089 (10:25:54 PM): Are you more like find a cute face matched up with a cute body Or a cute body matched up with a cute face?
Bruin7089 (10:26:00 PM): and which is more important to you?
Bruin7089 (10:26:19 PM): more likely
lindsey (10:26:32 PM): face
Bruin7089 (10:26:44 PM): more important to you?
Bruin7089 (10:26:54 PM): or is that more likely to be matched up with a cute body?
Bruin7089 (10:26:58 PM): or both?
lindsey (10:28:46 PM): god damn thats hard
lindsey (10:28:57 PM): i say cute face with cute body
Bruin7089 (10:29:20 PM): so the cute face is more likely to lead to a good body?
lindsey (10:29:28 PM): yeah
lindsey (10:29:39 PM): usher is a good exampe
lindsey (10:29:48 PM): nice body. but hideous face
Bruin7089 (10:30:29 PM): haha
Bruin7089 (10:30:42 PM): but can't you find examples of cute faces with ugly bodies?
lindsey (10:30:55 PM): not really.
Bruin7089 (10:31:04 PM): hmmm
Bruin7089 (10:31:08 PM): yeah
Bruin7089 (10:31:12 PM): can't think of any
lindsey (10:31:33 PM): well a lot of not fat but a bit overweight girls ive seen have really pretty faces
Bruin7089 (10:31:53 PM): so there you go
Bruin7089 (10:31:58 PM): enough to change your mind?
lindsey (10:34:48 PM): no
lindsey (10:34:54 PM): not enough to change my mind
lindsey (10:35:24 PM): cause they could change their body to be cute
lindsey (10:35:31 PM): its a lot easier than changing your face
Bruin7089 (10:37:39 PM): good point

Anyone else have thoughts they want to share on the subject?

Roland will be visiting this Friday and leaving Sunday. Plan accordingly.

"That was a good game. But not good enough. Not nearly good enough!" - Coach Taylor

That's how tonight's game was for me. Well we certainly lost by less than 16. It was all tied up after the first inning at one to one. Second inning we exploded for seven runs. We then limited them to two runs to make it eight to three in our favor after two full. Not bad for the last place team against the first place team.

Now my memory is a little fuzzy here. I'm not sure if it was in the third inning or in the fourth that we lost our lead but lost it we did. I think both teams scored a run in the third. We were then shutout in the top of the fourth and gave it six in the bottom half to make it 9-10 after four innings of play. We didn't put up any in the fifth inning as well. They scored a few more. Can't remember what we did in the top of the sixth if anything. And then the game was called with two outs in the bottom of the sixth after another run or two by The Red Hots due to time. Not sure what the final score was but we lost by less than ten I believe.

Anyway, the highlights:

• Homeruns by Mehran, Louis (grand slam), and Brian
• Everyone on the team got on base either due to a hit, walk, or error.
• EJ made a fantastic dig at first base to record an out.

Now for the lowlights:

• Too many walks.
• Too many ground balls in the outfield getting passed our outfielders.
• Outfielders not hitting the cutoff man all the time.
• Jason and Annie getting doubled up on separate occasions.
  

Really minor things that added up to a loss. But they can be fixed.

Best game of the season thus far for our team but a heartbreaking game nonetheless, considering the team we had a chance to beat.

Our third time through the league begins tonight at 7:30. Tonight's opponent are the much hated Red Hots who currently have a record of seven wins to one loss. In our first meeting, we lost 22-4. Second time, we lost 23-6. 24-8 tonight? The goal tonight should be to hold them to under 20 runs and to get into double digit runs ourselves.

As far as personal goals, I'd like to get a couple of extra base hits tonight and have an error free day out in the field. Anyone else want to share their personal goals for tonight?

Occasionally, Austin loves to do an impression of a stereotypical Republican making unsound arguments both to me and to his co-workers. I don't know if he does this merely as a joke or because he truly believes his impression is The Truth and his exaggerated impression shows the ridiculousness of the "true Republican." Anyway, one of the issues he likes to riff on when he his playing Republican is global warming. His stereotypical Republican denies that global warming even exists by blindly denying all of the science backing it up. Of course, Austin's impression is way off the mark and a more accurate position of those wary of global warming alarmists is given here.

(1) anthropogenic global warming (AGW) is real, (2) current projections of its expected impact are wildly uncertain, but are not sufficient to justify the costs of an aggressive emissions reduction program

No denial there that Earth is warming or even that human activity is the cause of that warming. But the real concern is what are the costs. Too often, the costs of global warming policy are only associated with what would happen if we don't do what Al Gore tells us we should do without any consideration whatsoever as to what the costs would be if we did what Al Gore asked us to do. Or as George Will put it,

We do not know the extent to which human activity caused this. The activity is economic growth, the wealth-creation that makes possible improved well-being—better nutrition, medicine, education, etc. How much reduction of such social goods are we willing to accept by slowing economic activity in order to (try to) regulate the planet's climate?

We do not know how much we must change our economic activity to produce a particular reduction of warming.

It could cost tens of trillions (in expenditures and foregone economic growth, here and in less-favored parts of the planet) to try to fine-tune the planet's temperature. We cannot know if these trillions would purchase benefits commensurate with the benefits that would have come from social wealth that was not produced.

Hopefully, next time Austin decides to play Republican, he will make this argument.

It's that time again apparently. Any ideas on how the t-shirt should look? A few thoughts to keep in mind:

• The t-shirt MUST have the words: Reunion, Fonacier, Family, and 2008.
• Optional words that you may want to include: 2nd Annual, California (or other location - either more general like USA or more specific like Los Angeles), a more specific date than the year 2008, and Wayne Soller is the Greatest Human alive.
• The t-shirt must be suitable for Fonaciers of all ages, gender, shape, and tastes.
• The t-shirt must be kick ass enough to wear outside the family reunion.
  

So any ideas? I need those ideas by the end of the week.

My parent's wedding anniversary party is tomorrow (June 14th). The party starts at 6 and please do not forget the dress is business casual. NO Jeans and NO Hawaiian shirts.

The following is a lot more endearing if you're familiar with Discovery Channel programming and this commercial.



I love the whole world!

Interesting.

Operating a vehicle during a diabetic blood sugar crash can be a dangerous proposition for both driver and others on the road. That's why Medtronic Diabetes developed the M-POWERED concept car that allows a person to constantly monitor glucose levels via both audio and visual cues.

Maybe EJ could get Annette to be a test driver. Hook it up EJ.

Say there's this pill you can take that will make you 10% smarter (better at reading comprehension, critical thinking, sudoku and such) than you already are but to other people you will seem 20% dumber and nothing can change that perception, do you take the pill?*

*Question provided by Chuck Klosterman.

It's a busy time for those associated with the Fonaciers. The family calendar doesn't even begin to show how busy (by the way, if you want to help update the calendar please ask for an invite to do so). Anyway, here are the following tidbits that I didn't make a post for individually but still may be of interest.

• Annalynne is having some sort of graduation from preschool tomorrow at Mason Park.
• Jayden's school is holding it's inaugural summer carnival from this Friday until Sunday - show up if only to give Annette a hard time at the booth she'll be manning.
• Oliver is graduating from UC Irvine this Saturday at 1pm - congratulations goes out to Oliver and good luck to him as he pursues his medical degree.
• Mehran marks the end of his probationary period on June 17th and will commemorate the event by jumping out of a plane - call him if you're interested in skydiving.
  
• Roland is rumored to be coming for a visit June 20th - not sure how certain this is hence the "rumored."

Annette relayed the following conversation she had with Annalynne that she says displays her flirtatious or perhaps, more innocently, her tomboyish ways. It's the kind of story she should be posting herself but for some reason or another doesn't.

Eweiss - Annalynne, why don't you play with the girls?
Annalynne - They're not nice to me.
Eweiss - So why do you play with the boys?
Annalynne - They listen to me and do what I tell them to do.

And this, my dear cousins, is how high maintenance chicks get started.

The title pretty much says it all. He and Joni are also in talks about making a trip out to San Diego the weekend right after July 4th at Mark's. I've already spoken to Mishelle (sp?) and she's looking forward to reuniting with Erica - not sure if that's really a selling point to anyone else, probably not.

How many of the sex acts depicted in the following video can you name?



I was able to name only five among the dozen or so acts represented. I'm not exactly sure what that says about me.

It's Annalynne's birthday party today at Mark's house in Pasadena. Food will be coming from Stonefire Grill, Ariel will be making an appearance, and a rare Popes Gone Wild session may possibly but maybe not happen.

Happy Birthday Annalynne!