Sunshine

After some friends have been raving about this movie, I decided to check it out. Gripping. Absolutely gripping. High stakes. High concept. The movie has some impressive visual effects for the seething orb, the multi-paned reflective sun shields, and a virtual-reality cure chamber during Act 1. 

But the plot really picks up when the crew detects a faint signal from the original Icarus and has to decide whether to check it out. It's the first of several decisions that are dealt with in a practical, scientific way; later ones, involving sacrifice for the greater good, come down to a sheer numbers game that generates its own drama when applied to human lives.

Then, when Trey bungles the course adjustment, a series of events are set in motion that have escalating consequences. Capa and Kaneda exit the ship to repair sun shields -- a great scene which had a good balance between f/x and the human drama. Ditto the later boarding of the Icarus -- a dust-covered ghost ship that may hold a secret -- and the nail-biting transfer back to Icarus II.

Casting was not only multi-cultural but multi-continental. Almost half the crew is of Asian descent, including Captain Kaneda (Japan's Hiroyuki Sanada, "The Twilight Samurai"), biologist Corazon (Malaysia's Michelle Yeoh) and navigator Trey (British-Chinese thesp Benedict Wong). As the story opens, Trey is cooking stir-fried noodles in the kitchen and everyone is eating with chopsticks. On the occidental side, apart from Capa, there's pilot Cassie (Aussie actress Rose Byrne), medical officer Searle (Kiwi Cliff Curtis) and two Yanks, communications officer Harvey (Troy Garity) and engineer Mace (Chris Evans). While this may be aspirational to envision a future in which many races share in the responsibility to save the world, it also helped with sales in international territories. Domestic box grossed $3.7 million on just 461 screens while international grossed $28.3 theatrically. 

It's a shame that it was opened on a particularly crowded release schedule. That weekend alone, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry and Hairspray, but it also didn't help that there were continued strong performance from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Transformers, Ratatouille, Live Free or Die Hard as well as License to Wed, Evan Almighty, Knocked Up and Ocean's 13 rounding up the top 10 at the box office.

It really is a shame. It would have been impressive to see on the 33 x 89 foot silver screen of the Cinerama Dome. 

Punchlines

You know screenwriting is a lot like boxing...

...blood, sweat, tears... and very little actual writing.

Original moment

It's been some time since I've watched Garden State, but I listen to Frou Frou and the soundtrack pretty much all the time. So I'm reminded of the message of this movie about a guy who basically wakes up from the stupor to experience love and life. One of the most striking scenes from it, is when Sam (Natalie Portman) has an original moment and she goads Andrew (Zach Braff) to trying it as well. 

Take it literally or metaphorically, but either way it's not a bad thing to do, really, given the monotonous and often cliched world that we live in. But don't just squirm like a worm or baaa like a sheep, but doodle, sketch, write, compose, or create! You might find you'll surprise not just the world, but yourself.  

Punchlines

May I introduce myself? My card is...

...slightly out of date. It should say NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe.

Two-ton block of cheese

I'm making my way through Season 1 of The West Wing, which I do every so often. To me, it is unadulterated joy to experience this TV series over and over again. The episodes can range from thundering well-articulated debate to light-hearted banter, and through it all, I feel an emotional connection to these characters. 

Following the pilot, the series delved into heady issues about the appropriate military response to an attack on US citizens and an uncertain President who had never served on the line of duty, who became vengeful when he discovered his personal physician had been killed. The three-episode arc was a prime example of drama at its best. 

As a sort of palette cleanser, the fifth episode entitled "The Crackpots and These Women" really took a break from the heavy dramatics and changed the pacing and tone of the series, demonstrating the diverse range Aaron Sorkin has available to him. 

Plot

The staff participates in "Big Block of Cheese Day," a fictional workday on which White House Chief of Staff Leo McGarry encourages his staff to meet with fringe special interest groups that normally would not get attention from the White House. Big Block of Cheese Day also is mentioned in "Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going to Jail."

The rationale for the day, as recounted by McGarry, is that America's seventh president, Andrew Jackson, had a two-ton block of cheese in the White House foyer from which everyone was welcome to eat. This symbolized the openness of the White House to the American people. White House Communications Director Toby Ziegler derisively refers to the day as "Throw Open Our Office Doors To People Who Want To Discuss Things That We Could [sic] Care Less About Day", and Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman refers to it as "Total Crackpot Day".

White House Press Secretary C.J. Cregg meets with a group about building a highway for wolves, while Sam Seaborn meets with a citizen, played by Sam Lloyd, concerned about UFOs.

Josh is given a card from the NSC with information about where he is to go in the event of a nuclear attack and becomes riddled with guilt after realizing that nobody else on the staff was given one. He visits his therapist and reveals that his older sister died in a house fire while babysitting for him, and that he survived by running out of the house.

Later, at a reception in the Residence, the President and the men on his staff marvel at the extraordinary strength and integrity of the women in their lives. During the party, Josh returns his NSC card to the President, explaining that he just wants to be with his friends through everything and to be able to look them in the eye in the meantime.

By the way, the Big Block of Cheese Day occurs once more in the series in Season 2 as well during Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going to Jail. Once again, C.J. is asked to meet with a group who wouldn't otherwise be able to take a meeting with someone in the White House. She meets with "The Organization of Cartographers for Social Equality," which would like legislation to support a specific map projection, namely the "Peters projection" which corrects the exaggerated representation of North America and Western Europe found in the standard Mercator projection. Believing that placing the Northern Hemisphere on top suggests dominance by the countries there, the cartographers actually advocate rotating the projection by 180 degrees to place the Southern Hemisphere on top.

Incidentally, in this episode Toby Ziegler meets with a group of protestors and the exterior shots happened to be of my office building. How cool is that?

Punchlines

So what's the point of close-circuit cameras when the footage quality always blows chunks?

Especially when the night vision lenses are on the blink! Everybody starts looking like pixelated aliens vaguely resembling Shotgun. 

Peanut brittle

It's been some time since I've crafted one of these so let me know what you think.

Twisted Nursery Rhyme

More peanut brittle!
I drool drops of spittle, 

I'm simply over the moon. 

The mean baker laughed 

To see me beg, 

So I nicked it away with a spoon. 

Old-Fashioned Peanut Brittle

Bon Appetit, November 1992         

Ingredients

• 3 cups sugar
• 2 cups water
• 3/4 cup light corn syrup
• 3/4 cup dark corn syrup
• 4 cups coarsely chopped salted roasted peanuts
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Butter 2 heavy large baking sheets. Stir first 4 ingredients in heavy large saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and boil without stirring until candy thermometer registers 260°F., about 40 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Mix in peanuts and butter and cook until thermometer registers 295°F., stirring constantly, about 15 minutes. Add baking soda and vanilla and stir briskly (mixture will foam up). Immediately pour out onto prepared baking sheets, dividing evenly. Spread out brittle as thinly as possible. Let stand until cold and hard.

Break brittle into pieces. Store in airtight containers at room temperature. (Can be prepared 1 month ahead.)

Punchlines

Did you say Irish coffee? Why, I don't mind if I do...

...one shot of that and two lines of coke. That ought to wake me up in the morning.

Green thumb

I wish I had one but I don't. But luckily Zynga launched FarmVille a free application on Facebook and all of a sudden, I'm ploughing, seeding and harvesting to my heart's content. This application which is a knock-off of Farmtown is the fastest-growing application approaching almost 10 million users in a little over a month and roughly 2 million users playing each day. Wow. It is now the 6th most popular game on Facebook.

I set mine up last week because I happened to see a lost cow, decided to adopt it and the rest is history. Now I'm diligently planting and harvesting pumpkins, strawberries, and rice because they offer the most yield than any of the vegetables as well as lime trees for the same reason, although I have to admit that that cherry trees and plum trees are rather nice-looking. Sheep as well are a higher yielding cash machine than cows or chickens as well. 

Punchlines

I'm thinking of making a new movie called "My Cat Chasing a Laser Pointer" I just need a really strong storyline....and a laser pointer...
...and a cat. Not exactly working with a full deck, are ya? 

Weekend cook

What was I thinking when I decided it was a good idea to host two brunches at our house on the same weekend? Subliminally I may have been attempting to simulate working in a restaurant or B&B. I don't know how else to explain this, but as I rise up early on Sunday morning, and despite the fact that there will be lovely people showing up later today, I gotta wonder how cooks do what they do every day. Like everything, it's just a job I suppose and if they're lucky, they're doing it for the love of cooking. But one thing's for sure, I love cooking and would want to keep it a hobby and not a profession.

I would write more, but I don't have time for anything but cooking at the moment. Here's the menu for today:

• Garlic hummus and pita points
  
• Cheese plate with brie, gouda and grapes
  
• Heirloom tomatoes and Buffalo mozzarella with balsamic vinegar
  
• Mixed salad with endive, goat cheese, candied walnuts, and grapes
  
• South Carolina baby back ribs
  
• Rosemary and lemon oven-roasted chicken
  
• Dalloyau's Tarte aux Pommes au Four

Punchlines

Why did the chicken cross the road?

The road had it coming to him.

Spam musubi

Okay, okay. Wanna hear something gross? Kids especially may want to pay attention here. I think I may have eaten an entire can of SPAM today. Yeah, gross, huh?

It all started with a rather harmless potluck baby shower. A friend from Hawaii decides to bring a fairly popular snack in Hawaii. Almost every other dish in Hawaii is made of SPAM and SPAM musubi is one of those. These are about ubiquitous as hotdogs on Coney Island and likely to have the same salt content as well. 

But something almost visceral is triggered when the palette tastes salt and fat. It may even be primal. I'm blaming that primal urge because I don't have any other way to explain eating half a dozen of these bad boys in one day. 

Punchlines

So how's the fam?

Everyone at home seems fine. Kids seem happy. Occupied. There's a dog. Two cats. I can't quite see anything else through the binoculars right now but perhaps later when it gets darker. I'm getting cold out here though.

Yo quiero Taco Bell

In honor of the passing of Gidget, the iconic chihuahua which uttered the phrase, "Yo quiero Taco Bell," I would like to take a moment and describe my childhood fondness for Taco Bell. Back in the day, there were warring factions between fans of Taco Bell and fans of Del Taco. I wouldn't say blood was spilt over this... well, maybe salsa... but we did have to make separate food runs when hunger pangs struck, which was often. 

By the way, for those who didn't know... in the futuristic action movie Demolition Man, Taco Bell is the only fast food company to survive the Franchise Wars. As a result, the only restaurants left have all become Taco Bells. 

The international version dubbed over Taco Bell and replaced it with Pizza Hut, but you get the picture. It's a campy enjoyable movie that has a lot of silly memorable quotes.

My all-time favorite item on the Taco Bell menu would have to be the Mexican Pizza. I haven't eaten it in a bazillion years, but I am tempted to make one soon. Yeah, I said make one and not buy one. Here is a recipe I purloined from the far reaches of the internet.

Taco Bell Mexican Pizza

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb ground beef
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/4 teaspoon diced minced onions
  
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder (Spanish is best)
  
• 2 tablespoons water
  
• 8 flour tortillas (6 "inch")
  
• 1 cup cooking oil
  
• 1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
  
• 1/3 cup diced tomatoes
  
• 2/3 cup mild picante sauce
  
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  
• 1 cup shredded Pepper jack cheese
  
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
  
• 1/4 cup sliced black olives
  

Directions

• Get a skillet pan and place it over medium heat. Heat the ground beef and cook it until completely brown. Drain all excess oil.
  
• Keep the beef in the pan. Add the chili powder, onions, salt, paprika, and water.
  
• Stir and simmer for about 10 minutes.
  
• While it's simmering, get a small frying pan and pour a little of cooking oil into the pan. Put it on medium heat. Place a tortilla into the pan, frying it for 30 to 45 seconds. Flip it over and fry that side for 30 to 45 seconds. Pop any bubbles that forms on the tortillas. You'll want to make sure that it always stays flat. Remove from the pan when it's golden brown and drain on paper towels. Repeat this step for each tortilla.
  
• Cook and heat the refried beans in a separate pot. At this point also, you can go and preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
  
• Grab one tortilla shell and spread a generous amount of beans on it. Scoop up some meat and then place another tortilla shell on top of the meat.
  
• Pour about 2 tablespoons of salsa on top of the second tortilla. Spread cheese, onions, and tomato on the salsa.
  
• Place the completed Mexican pizza in the oven for about 8 to 12 minutes.

 Tips

• You can eliminate any topping you wish to your taste. Instead of the salsa, you can make a jumbo meat/bean pizza and place the desired toppings on top as usual.
  
• Use flour tortillas instead of corn because corn tortillas tend to become a little chewer.
  
• If you don't want greasy tortilla shells, spray a little PAM or any other non-stick spray instead of using cooking oil.
  

Prego!

Punchlines

My eggs are...

...square and not oval as is more traditional. I was born that way.

Decline of friendship

What type of friend are you... Best friend? Casual friend? Friend with benefits? Internet friend? Spiritual friend? Imaginary friend? 

Friend is defined as "a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard" according to dictionary.com. I prefer Wikipedia's definition of friendship, "cooperative and supportive behavior between two or more people. The term connotes a relationship which involves mutual knowledge, esteem, and affection and respect along with a degree of rendering service to friends in times of need or crisis."

Moreover, I am intrigued by Aristotle's take on tiers of friendship. 

1. There are your 'business partners' who benefit financially from their friends. 
   
2. There are your 'drinking buddies' who are people you have fun with. 
   
3. People with whom you pursue virtue (moral excellence). 
   

As I think through my dinky list of friends through the years, I begin to filter them with this Artistotilian lens and am surprised to discover a vast majority fall under business partners. These are not long-lived friendships. These relationships are rather transitory and defined by certain phases of my life: grade school, middle school, high school, college, and each subsequent job. These relationships are necessary to do your job well (be it homework, team assignments, post-merger integration). Generally, these relationships are functional and genial, but short-lived. A smaller fraction would fall under drinking buddies, largely due to the fact that I didn't make time for anything besides work and career. I would attend the obligatory wedding, birthday party, July 4th BBQ, but there never seemed to be enough hours in the day to do much more than that. Far fewer would be those categorized under the third tier. These are friends who compel me to be a better person. Given this perspective, I'm not quite sure I like what's happening here. Clearly, there has not been enough emphasis spending time with drinking buddies, right? 

Additionally, I was disheartened to read the recent decline of friendships in the U.S. According to a 2006 study documented in the journal the American Sociological Review, Americans are thought to be suffering a loss in the quality and quantity of close friendships since at least 1985. The study states 25% of Americans have no close confidants, and the average total number of confidants per citizen has dropped from four to two. That's a shame. So looks like y'all need to get your rear in gear and spend time with your drinking buddies, too.

Punchlines

Which reminds me, have you met a nice girl already? When are you going to introduce us? You hungry? Eat. You should eat. You're looking so thin. And you being a Doctor... such a catch. Why do we never see your lady friends? Are you the gay?

It's not as if I'm discounting the possibility, but Bubbie, listen to me. I am not, repeat, NOT the gay!

Try the goat

In London, excellent curry places abound owing to the fact that England is the fifth largest Indian diaspora, following Indian communities in Nepal, US, Malaysia and Burma. 

While Los Angeles is an ethnic melting pot with just about 1 in 3 persons being foreign-born (40.3% in 2005), the Indian community is surprisingly not very well represented, and thus the food served in restaurants cater more to Westernized palettes. 

While many may point east to Artesia for restaurant recommendations, the Westwood corridor offers a variety of solid options:  Ambala Dhaba (if adventurous, try the goat), Bombay Cafe, The Clay Pit, New India Grill and Bombay Bite. Gate of India in Santa Monica and Balti House on Sunset are apparently very similar to Indian food found in the UK and coincidentally are located near English pubs that cater largely to British clientele.

For a broader listing of Indian restaurants across Los Angeles, Gayot has a listing worth checking out as well as Chowhound. It was in the Chowhound listing that I felt comfortable suggesting Curry House on Lankershim in NoHo or Great India Cafe in Studio City to my friend Shannon who has been eager to have some curry following my recent posting about Balti curry on Brick Lane. Such is the power of suggestion. If that doesn't pan out, I did manage to buy a small jar of Balti curry at Fortnum and Mason while in London, which I may prepare this weekend with goat. I kid. 

Punchlines

OY, vey. I got all verklempt when that schmuck of a doctor told me I had...

...no Jewish ancestry whatsoever. OY vey what a schmuck.

A day at the beach

5th Place Matches

Play began early at 8:15 on a clear and sunny Sunday morning. In the 5th place matches, Fuerbringer/Jennings were eliminated in a heart-breaking loss to Olson/Wong in the third game (14-21, 21-17, 15-13). It was hard for me to cheer for either side, really, as I wanted them both to advance into the semis. Gibb/Rosenthal played to an enthsiastic crowd owing to Rosie's Raiders who were out here in full force. They took Hyden/Scott in a well-fought three games (13-21, 21-17, 15-12).

In the women's match-ups, Team Gorgeous lost to Hanson/Rutledge on center court, as did DeNecochea/Dodd to Lima/Minello. As a small consolation, we surprised Carrie Dodd with dark chocolates from Paris, which only she could appreciate foodie that she is.

Semi-finals

Team B.Y. (Branagh/Youngs) advanced to the finals after beating Lima/Minello (17-18) as Branagh kept hammering away with her jump serves all game long. Meanwhile Davis/Johnson-Jordan defeated Hanson/Rutledge in a quick 46 minute match (11-19). I caught up with JJJ (Jenny Johnson-Jordan) while she was trying to change flight reservations to Boulder. 

It's funny how some athletes behave before the championship final. Some keep to themselves trying to stay focused and conserve energy. Others chat with friends and family and are more easy going. Mostly the routines consist of refueling (eating and getting fluids in you) and maintenance (physical therapy, etc.) 

On the men's side, both matches were a battle of wills as points see-sawed back and forth. Gibb/Rosie (3) def. Keenan/Lucena (8) 16-21, 21-14, 15-13 in a 67 minute contest. On center court, Olson/Wong (5) def. Dalhausser/Rogers (2) 21-19, 21-23, 15-10, with game match point won when Phil served out. Tough beat guys. 

Having Gibb/Rosie and Olson/Wong advancing to the finals meant that a new team will join the ranks of the legends in having their names forever etched in bronze on the pier at Manhattan Beach. Karch has 10 of these and as Tim Hovland said Thursday night, Unless you've got a couple of these, you're nobody. The volleyball community really considers this the oldest and most prestigious final to win. For so many decades, the Olympics was never an option until the 1996 Atlanta games.  

Six-man Exhibition/Legends Game

This year, the AVP is bringing back tradition and getting in touch with its roots. Perhaps it has something to do with a new management team that has been brought in during the off-season. The traditions featured included a semi-final and finals exhibition match-up of four Six-man teams, which as you will see in the photos really just means only six men are permitted on the court at a time. Plenty of others are standing at the back of the court cheering and jumping the adumu in Maasai fashion. 

On court 2, Team Kinda Good def. Team Smack while on court 4, Memphis Cafe def. Team Fletch to meet up in the exhibition finals, which gave a chance for casual fans of the sport to experience the mayhem associated with Six-Man, which will take place August 1-2. 

Another tradition featured at Six-Man brings back the elite athletes from the 60's, 70's, 80's and (I suppose) 90's back to the beach. During Six-Man, it is typically scheduled on court 20-ish on the east side so that the youngsters don't get under foot. The Legends Game matched-up the North Side vs. the South Side. Unfortunately I wasn't able to catch much of it. I snuck out of the players tent for a few minutes to catch some of the action. For those keeping track, the South Side won.

Women's Final

At 3 p.m. and broadcasting live on KTLA, Branagh/Youngs competed against Davis/Johnson-Jordan to a capacity crowd in the stadium. Play-by-play coverage was supplied by twitter updates, the first time the AVP has done this to supply fans and followers around the world with scoring news.

1. BALL HIT OUT!!! NB/EY win their first MB Open as a team and Nicole's first overall!! Get that plaque ready!about 14 hours ago from web
2. MATCH POINT!about 14 hours ago from web
3. JOUST! Branagh wins... she can taste that plaque... up 18-11.about 14 hours ago from web
4. Netty with a huge dig! But Branagh gets the second chance, and uses it... 16-10.about 14 hours ago from web
5. Branagh block!! Up 14-9 now and firing on all cylinders!about 14 hours ago from web
6. JJJ goes cross court but just out... NB/EY up 11-8 now.about 14 hours ago from web
7. Nicole is pumped!! Big block for a 9-7 lead!about 14 hours ago from web
8. Limes everywhere!!! The Bud Light girls take to the court to provide everyone who can catch with a prize from Bud Light Lime!about 14 hours ago from web
9. EY serves it into the tape... 6-4 Jenny and Annett.about 14 hours ago from web
10. How 'bout another block? 5-3.about 14 hours ago from web
11. HUGE Netty block!! The duo from UCLA takes the lead, 4-3.about 14 hours ago from web
12. Kerri Walsh is in the announcers' booth as we speak... can't wait to see her in Hermosa!about 14 hours ago from web
13. Block by EY (and some of the tape) to take game one, 21-17!!about 14 hours ago from web
14. Cutty. Game point, NB/EY! Clap. Clap. Clap...about 14 hours ago from web
15. Diving set by JJJ!! 19-17 NB/EY.about 14 hours ago from web
16. HEY! Netty over on two... get it to 18-16!about 14 hours ago from web
17. Netty block... 18-15 NB/EY.about 14 hours ago from web
18. WHAT A RALLY! Punctuated by an Annett ROOF! 17-14!about 14 hours ago from web
19. That is a veteran!! Jenny bumps it to the back corner on two, down 17-13 now.about 14 hours ago from web
20. NB/EY get another one... now up 16-11.about 14 hours ago from web
21. We've got one of the best Malibu ring tosses I've ever seen on Stadium!! Some guy just made like 8 in a row... someone call Guinness!!about 14 hours ago from web
22. EY dig then kill!! They take the lead, 11-10. EY ace, 12-10!about 14 hours ago from web
23. WE've got a see-saw affair here... 9s.about 14 hours ago from web
24. All knotted up at 7... TO on the sand.about 14 hours ago from web
25. GREAT rally... NB/EY go up 6-5.about 14 hours ago from web
26. EY stops the JJJ/Annett rally, tied at 5 now.about 14 hours ago from web
27. Huge Jenny dig to Annett over on two... point. Tied at 4!about 14 hours ago from web
28. Annett with a little cut to the right, pull to 4-3.about 14 hours ago from web
29. NB/EY making a statement right away! NB kill, EY block, 2-0.about 14 hours ago from web
30. Plaaaaaaaaaaaaay baaaaaaaaaaaal!about 14 hours ago from web

The B.Y. win is the 6th win this season for the pair and the first Manhattan Beach Open win for Nicole and the second for Elaine, who last won in 2004 with Holly McPeak.

Men's Final

The men's match up got started at 4:30 p.m. with Gibb/Rosenthal competing against Olson/Wong. Here's the play-by-play twitter updates from AVPManhattan in reverse chronological order, naturally. Good job, Matt! 

1. Rosie kill! Game! Match! Gibb and Rosie win their first MB Open as a team!!!about 12 hours ago from web
2. Rosie kill! Ad Gibb/Rosie!about 12 hours ago from web
3. Olson kills, Rosie touches it but up into the Raiders in the stands... back to deuce.about 12 hours ago from web
4. Gibb knocks it down the line... another match point!about 12 hours ago from web
5. Olson nails it cross court off Rosie... all knotted up at 20.about 12 hours ago from web
6. MATCH POINT!!about 12 hours ago from web
7. Rosie hits it out! Tie ball game!about 12 hours ago from web
8. T.O. on the court, Gibb/Rosie give up a couple... now just up 19-18 after a Wong ace.about 12 hours ago from web
9. Rosie flies, cuts and gets one point closer... 19-16!about 12 hours ago from web
10. Rosie kill, "hittin' 'em where they ain't." 18-15 Gibb and Rosie.about 12 hours ago from web
11. Olson and Wong call timeout on Stadium... they're down a game and 14-11.about 12 hours ago from web
12. Also, NB and EY are now 42-2 in matches on the AVP Crocs Tour this year, their only two losses coming in finals.about 12 hours ago from web
13. According to our crack stats team, EY had been in eight of the last nine Manhattan finals... with FIVE different partners.about 12 hours ago from web
14. Gibb with the juicy back set... Rosie pats it cross court, G/R up 9-7.about 12 hours ago from web
15. Gibb block! That. Was. Nasty. 6-4, Gibb/Rosie.about 13 hours ago from web
16. Nobody should be able to hit angles like that! Rosie WAY cross court for the kill! 2s.about 13 hours ago from web
17. DID YOU KNOW? Jake Gibb, the 6-foot-7 kid from Utah, is fluent in Spanish.about 13 hours ago from web
18. The kid with the broken wing won the chicken dance on Stadium... I think he deserved it.about 13 hours ago from web
19. Rosie diving dig then stretches and swings for the kill... game one in the books! Gibb/Rosie, 21-17.about 13 hours ago from web
20. Gibb goes way high for the kill... 19-16 Gibb/Rosie. Rosie doesn't have a plaque, Gibb does, 2005 with Stein.about 13 hours ago from web
21. The Rosie's Raiders are getting louder... that means Rosie's heating up! 18-14 Gibb/Rosie!about 13 hours ago from web
22. WHAT!?! If there were a 10-foot line in the sand, that would have been about 4 feet inside of it! No wonder they call him the Son of Jor-El!about 13 hours ago from web
23. What a rally!! Just dig after dig after dig!!! Rosie finally puts it away cross court... 14-12 Gibb and Rosie.about 13 hours ago from web
24. We got another good one on Stadium!! 10s! For point by point, follow @avpbeach.about 13 hours ago from web
25. The men are rolling along... game one tied at 5.about 13 hours ago from web

Final results: Gibb/Rosenthal def. Olson/Wong (17-21).

Punchlines

I have a concern... well actually several... I have several concerns about the state of your...

...donkey. His performance on the Burro Show last night wasn't up to par.