The Many faces of Bobby Yan

I do not have multiple personality disorder. (I’m pretty sure). However, I do feel that I “am a different person” some days than others. On different days I’m more outgoing, more athletic, more sarcastic, more contemplative, more paranoid……….it’s like an old cartoon (can’t even remember the name which defeats the whole purpose of the reference) where each day another “version” of Bobby like takes over the body, like “Bobby 2.0” or “Sporty Bobby” or “Confident Bobby” takes over for the day, and the next day another prototype takes over. And I’m actually dead serious about this; I think people are different on different days, despite what their features, voice, and all other physical appearances might suggest. Seriously, aren’t people just better on Fridays than Mondays? Anyways, here’s just ten (10!) of the different personalities of Bobby Yan that you might meet on any given day:

1.)    Funny Bobby: sometimes the comedic humor of this guy just overwhelms you. It’s not the quality of each individual joke, it’s the volume of little wisecracks that this guy can heap on. A pistol.

2.)    Vendetta Bobby: In a bad mood, and out to prove something, or just to prove that he’s right about something. (Something, ANYTHING!) Don’t mess with this guy, and he apologizes in advance.

3.)    Hermit Bobby: Doesn’t want to do anything besides stay home despite the beautiful California weather. He shows up more often than he should.

4.)    Contemplative Bobby: goes on hour-long drives just to “think about” life. Deep.

5.)    Chatty Bobby: Can’t stop talking. Likes hearing sound of his own voice. Usually shows up coincidentally on days Bobby has ingested a lot of caffeine/alcohol/artificial substance.

6.)    Athletic Bobby: channeling the athletic prowess of Bobby greats like Bobby Orr, Bobby Horry, Bobby Parish, etc., etc.

7.)    Anxiety Bobby- the guy who makes panic trades in fantasy baseball and sends off emails to friends begging for information on trivial matters. This guy “makes regrettable decisions.”

8.)    Studious Bobby: showed up a lot during first year of law school, bar exam studying. Guy’s a monster; could go 16 hours straight and work through lunch when needed without coffee or illegal drugs

9.)    Cynical Bobby: After going through various levels of dissatisfaction over the legal industry, the Bowl Championship system in college football, highway congestion in L.A., and all kinds of different malignant conditions, Bobby gets tired of it all and starts to whine about it.

10.)            Happy Bobby: Just happy to be alive and get through the day.

Realistically, it’s probably a blend of what I ate, what I’ve experienced during the day, how my fantasy team is doing (a big determinant of my overall mood on any given day) . Which of these 10 people will YOU meet when you go one-on-one with the Great One? (j/k).

Fantasize on,

Robert Yan 

Le Tour de France

Fabian Cancellara, Cadel Evans, Bradley Wiggins, Andre Greipel, Marc Cavendish, and the Phenom Peter Sagan. No these are not obscure fantasy baseball pitchers who I've been using lately. These are the names of  the men I wake up to every morning as I eagerly check their statuses and what position they are in.

I'm talking about Le Tour de France, the epitome of the sport of cycling, a month-long event through the heart of France that attracts the most talented riders from across the world and pits them together in a race that spans thousands of miles, past high mountaintops, gorgeous lakes, and populous cities of France. Through watching the last two years of the Tour I've learned about the intricacies of the Peloton, the "king of the mountaints" contest, the "points classification," and of course the coveted "maillot jaune," the yellow jersey symbolizing the best overall rider. I've learned that Marc Cavendish, the Manxx Missile is the fastest man in the world but still needs his "lead-out train," what it means to sacrifice yourself from riders "on your team,"

Ironically, I didn't follow cycling or the Tour de France during its heyday (at least in the US), when Lance Armstrong dominated the sport for years and brought it into relevance. No, I discovered cycling years AFTER the Armstrong era, after the doping era, and at a time when the sport doesn't seem to be gaining momentum in the US, even though summer in the US is a bit lacking in the sports (you got baseball, tennis sometimes, and what.... golf?)

I learned about the Tour de France during my run in July last year in ESPN Streak for Cash (I know, lame). I used cycling for wins No. 12, No. 16, and No. 17........( in fact, the last 2 bets before the Colombia-Peru debacle on July 16). I don't even remember why I selected the first prop.....I seem to remember I was in a haze while studying for the bar, was in unknown territory having never gone beyond W11 on Streak for Cash before, and saw good odds and message board consensus (I know, very reliable) that this rider named Marc Cavendish was "a good bet" to win Stage 9 of the Tour de France. So I put my W11 on the line on this "Cavendish" not knowing that there are more than 200 riders at the Tour de France and that he'd have to beat all of them to the line next morning, also not realizing that the Tour de France coverage starts at 4:30AM IN THE MORNING (West Coast time). The next morning, I woke up to turn on the Tour de France, not seeing Marc Cavendish ANYWHERE and having a gut in my stomach. Why o why did I pick this prop without knowing ANYTHING about cycling, never having even seen Marc Cavendish, and especially since there seemed to be a MILLION riders, and he was nowhere in sight.

As luck would have it (literally), Cavendish's HTC Highland team got him through the flat part of the course and gave him a perfect lead-out train that day, leading to a pretty easy (relatively for a sprint course) victory, getting me my W12, and the rest was history. Every morning from that day on, I watched the Tour de France, biding my time until putting my W15 and W16's on the line, respectivelly, and achieving the desired result (another Cavendish win over his archrival Andre Greipel) and a mountain stage (Thor Hushovd took a surprising victory), winning my Any other Cyclist prop v. 3 other riders. A new sports interest was born. I'm addicted to Tour de France cycling. The announcer, with his British accent and running dialogue, is very engaging and calls a great sprint to the line.

This year I've watched A LOT of coverage of the Tour de France, becoming a bit of a "connaisseur" (learn that vocab word, high school students!) and I'm still every bit as interested as I was last year, despite not having a long streak on the line. I've enjoyed the rise of this Peter Sagan kid (just 23) who is ridiculous.......a sprinter with the ability to go up a hill, and on his way to winning the green jacket (for sprinters) without the help of a leadout train. Kid is sick. A great story, might be the saving grace of a Tour de France lacking a lot of star power and marred by early crashes. PLEASE, do not have Sagan pull out because of injury!!!

Hence the beginning of a passion for something new. Good lesson for how to develop new interests: try new things!!! Things happen by accident, but you could help out that process. Now every July, it's......Tour de France time.


Fantasize on,

Robert Yan

Life of a Fantasy Baseball Manager- Through My Eyes

It’s the essence of fantasy baseball, and fantasy sports in general: You want to watch the guy you drafted perform in battle, the guy you “LOVE!” on paper based on his stats actually show up and do something, see if there’s any indications of an injury, see who’s batting around him, see “how the ball comes off his bat,” etc., etc., and nowadays. After all, a lot goes into the process of being a fantasy baseball manager: You are constantly making lineup decisions, pitching decisions, trade discussions, smack talk in the league chat room, it’s the job of both a general manager and a manager, an advanced scout, AND sometimes the owner (changing the franchise’s name, appealing to the league commissioner), etc. So when your guy actually comes up to bat, that’s the only time you’re rewarded for your hard work, when all the build-up leading up to the at-bat/outing is justified. Watching “Live Fantasy Baseball,” a fantasy manager experiences different things. Every player is different and is in there for a different reason. One thing in common: always holding your breath when your guy comes up to the plate, doubly attentive when your pitcher’s in for the half inning. Jubilation when your guy hits a 3-run homer, utter disappointment/grunting/muttering of “this guy sucks” under your breath when your pitcher walks 2 then serves up a 3-run homer. Here’s just a sampling of the “Advanced Scouting” I’ve done on my own players, coupled with a few “biased analysis” and emotional responses.

1.)    Carlos Gonzalez…..Please be at home, please be at home……..(hint, he dominates at home). His swing just LOOKS like he’s gonna drive everything, it epitomizes power, like a freighter carrying (wait for it)…. Cargo.

2.)    J.P. Arencibia…….I’ve never seen anyone hit so many offspeed pitches for home runs. Most hitters sit on fastballs and drive it when they get one. Arencibia, for some reason, sits on the offspeed pitches and drives the hangers. He’s hit 13 home runs this season, I’ve seen most of’em, and it’s always some sort of changeup and curveball.

3.)    Robinson Cano…… one of the few guys I EXPECT to get a hit every time he steps up to the plate. No weaknesses, can go to all fields, and usually has people on base. Can’t complain about the lack of speed, he is elite in all categories.

4.)    David Wright…..great opposite field hitter which contributes to his HIGH average.

5.)    Jason Kubel……the opposite of Arencibia: hits lasers after the pitcher tries to (foolishly) sneak a fastball down the middle. Gotta love the RBI’s. Keep batting him 4^th in the lineup, Snakes!!!!!  (Also an exceedingly better batter at home).

6.)    Mike Aviles…..not a great hitter, but can run and use the Green Monster while at Fenway.

7.)    Michael Morse…….TNT. Ball EXPLODES off his bat. If a fantasy baseball team were an army, Morse would be the tank. (also cuz he’s slow, podding…..)

8.)    Jimmy Rollins…….One of the few guys whom I root for NOT to hit a home run, not only cuz his home run swing is long and results mostly in flyouts, but his speed on the basepaths is better utilized with line shots or one-hoppers (hopefully) through the infield.

9.)    Casey Janssen……where did this guy come from? Hasn’t given up a run in forever. Doesn’t seem overpowering (90-92mph fastball), but what I’ve seen, is DEADLY accurate. Struck out Mike Trout (God) last week with a fastball right on the outer black.

10.)            Rafael Soriano…..this guy always pitches well as the closer, never in any other role, it appears, indicating to me that he likes the $ signs. He’s been money.

11.)            Jon Lester……pretty consistent recently after cutting down the walks.

12.)            Jered Weaver…..God.

13.)            Ryan Vogelsong……..a fighter. Has guts. Determined. Whatever you want to say, this guy just gets the job done, and fights through the fact he doesn’t have overpowering stuff, is 34-years-old, and before 2011 was a baseball “journeyman.” Also doesn’t hurt he plays in a pitcher’s park, in the National League, in the worst hitting division in baseball. Very, very, dark “dark horse” candidate for NL CY Young. Yea I said it.  

14.)            Francisco Liriano……Honestly, probably one of the most likely players on my roster to go. (I have a high turnover rate on my roster). Always more hyped than skilled because of that one 2006 season and great “stuff,” he walks too many, plays in the wrong league, and gets wild at random times. Not what I want when I lock in a pitcher for a start (can’t risk getting lit up for 10 H, 4 BB, 7 ER, etc.)

15.)            Chris Capuano: I sometimes can’t tell whether I’m watching Ted Lilly or Chris Capuano. Same team, lefthander who relies on location and movement. Perfect place for this fly-ball pitcher at Dodgers stadium, but yea those 9 wins aren’t turning into 15+ wins with that offense.

 I, unlike other managers, don’t keep holding on to managers that I hate….I just trade or cut them. Period. There’s past players I hate (i.e. Kevin Youkilis). I see something I like about each and every player I have on my team, and I build emotional relationships with the ones that have been along for the longest. (Jimmy Rollins, I’ve had a love-hate relationship with you for four years now. But, I’ve come to the realization I cannot live without you. Will you sign a three-year contract with me?)

Fantasize on,

Robert Yan 

Dreamin' in California

Long time no chat.

I know the question on everyone’s mind: Why have I been gone for so long?

I go long stretches of times sometimes without posting (seems weird even to me especially these extended hiatuses are after periods of relative activity). I can only explain it like this: It’s a snowball effect, not unlike wearing a hat for a long time, or watching a certain TV show every week. Once you develop that routine, you don’t like to break out of it. Long way of saying “habit.” It’s not that I’ve had nothing to say these last couple months, there have been plenty of noteworthy things (I went to California Adventure on a whim, I made a few trips, made my first solo appearance in court), it’s just I didn’t feel the need to express myself. There’s probably other subconscious factors at play as well, such as 1.) feeling of loneliness, 2.) feeling of satisfaction, 3.) amount of shenanigans incurred at work that necessitates “venting”. I’m neglecting the primary reason cuz it’s one I’m not very fond of and proud of but is probably the primary reason: *LAZINESS.* It’s something I constantly criticize my sister about in her quest to get good grades/be on the tennis team/do well on the SAT, but I also fall into that trap.

Without sounding too much like Inception, Dreams are weird, man. They are, in many ways than one, like life. Sometimes they’re week, sometimes they’re strong, sometimes they last a long time, sometimes you don’t get anything. Sometimes they have no meaning whatsoever, and sometimes they are very meaningful, very real and carry a lot of weight. And many times, dreams throw you a curveball. You don’t ask for a certain type of dream because they’re not likely to grant your request… and they’re out of your control. Dreams will throw you one of the most profound experiences that you can have that you swear is real until you wake up. Last night was one of those dreams. Started off as a normal work day, then I met with a friend back in high school, whom I just reconnected with after a long hiatus, and there was a connection of love and mutual respect, with moments of “gazing into each other’s eyes” and “prolonged, caring moments.” Dreams fade faster than memories, but I distinctly remember setting up a puzzle for the United States of America and inserting a piece for Oklahoma, then leaving but coming back because I “forgot something,” invoking even more prolonged feelings. And then I woke up.

No I did not have illegal narcotics at my Fourth of July party last night.

            Probably not even blog-worthy, this dream, and I probably will forget about it by 2 months from now and then read about it on this blog like a year from now and go “O Yea that happened,” but it felt so real. The feelings felt real, the emotion felt real, the joy and elation felt real, so much so that when I woke up, I was upset at myself for waking up, wanted to go back to dreaming and being in that place, not wanting to be in this real world (which, I’m pretty lucky to be in, all things considered) to go back to that one, where everything was pure, life was simpler, and my life felt more complete. I felt like I had been dragged out of a hot shower on a cold winter day, or pulled mid-game out of a very competitive soccer match. More strikingly, it felt REAL. It felt more REAL than many things I deal with in the everyday, like I was going through the events, actually walking side by side with the girl of my dreams and her liking me back (something I’ve admittedly not happened to the extent I’ve had in my real life). I’ve only had a few dreams ever that felt like that (none that I can remember now), which gives more rise to my theories of dreams: 1.) that they’re manifestations of future predictions (getting less likely now since I remember one vivid dream about being a baseball player), 2.) that they’re a separate reality that my other-self is living in, 3.) Manifestations of someone else’s life that someone else is living. Door #4 is the Inception theory of “places your mind creates,” which I dismiss because of its lack of originality but is probably less farfetched than any of my 3 theories.

Here’s to more dreams and great experiences in those dreams for everyone. (The other thing, btw, is being able to have dreams because of good rest, which I’m lucky enough to get consistently). Not everybody gets that, but here’s hoping they do. Man I wish I could just reply that dream (like re-watching Independence Day or something). Phew!

Fantasize on (literally),

Robert Yan  

Improvements

                 So I thoroughly enjoyed myself watching the Spelling Bee on Thursday and on Thursday night, and congratulations to Snigdha Nandipati, another representative from the great Southern California area!!!! It seemed like ESPN told the Spelling Bee after last year's 1.5-hour running-overtime that they better shorten the bee either naturally or artificially, and the Spelling Bee officials complied by comprising some TOUGH rounds, including Rounds 5 and 6 early in the day that knocked the number of spellers from 42 to 9. Ouch. After the morning rounds whittled the field to 9 I fully expected Arvind Mahankali or Nicholas Rushlow to win (in fact, I put their odds of winning at around 66%) at that time, but the "dark horse" candidate Snigdha pulled it out to win. Never underestimate the 14-year-old eighth graders, I say; their brains are just a bit more developed and they don't crack under pressure. My main concern, however, was that it seems as if the Spelling Bee doesn't get much attention anymore. It used to be a pretty insignificant event that took place all on one day in the nineties, not unlike the July 4th Hot Dog Eating Contest. However, it gained popularity and momentum with movies Spellbound (non-fiction) and Akeelah and the Bee (fiction) in 2002 and 2006 respectively, and suddenly in 2006 and 2007 the NSB found itself on national TV, in prime-time, on a big TV night (Thursday). But then apparently as with any TV show, the ratings dropped a bit, ABC pulled its support of the show, and now it's back to just being on ESPN.


How does the Spelling Bee get more attention, not just from nerdy spelling bee fans like myself? Here's a Modest Proposal:


 1.) Have a pool for the Spelling Bee just like the NCAA tournament: Wednesday night, just after the semifinalists are announced, post online leagues, bracket pools, fantasy leagues, whatever, for spelling bee. Allow people in the "pool" to pick 3 spellers.......(has to be more than one and probably more than two, otherwise everyone will just pick the favorites). The bee is all about personalities and getting emotionally invested in certain spellers: what better way to feed off of that than to allow the audience to "pick" spellers to root for? I imagine audience members will take combos of 1.) the favorite, 2.) sentimental favorite, and 3.) hometown/home-state hero. Also, throughout the night on Wednesday night and Thursday morning the "water-cooler" talk can be which "favorite" people in the pool picked, which dark horse candidate looks like they might make a run, etc.



 2.) Prop "fun points" - get points for things that happen on the ESPN broadcast, such as 1.) how many letters does the winning word have, 2.) What color shirt will the winner have, 3.) how many rounds will the Bee go,

 3.) Get a name-brand host. Getting a guy like Tom Bergeron was a good idea, Tom Bergeron himself was not. He didn't fit into the culture of the spelling bee, a lot of times he just didn't seem like he even understood the concept. Maybe get someone nerdy, like the guy from "The Big Bang Theory" or something.


 4.) More build-up to the bee: I know there's 200+ spellers and you can't possibly profile all of them and guess which spellers might make it to the semifinal, but the essence of "The American Bee" and "Spellbound" is the delving into the stories of the spellers, how they got to the spelling bee, how they lead different lives in different parts of the country (now world) to end up in Washington on one eventful day, the days and nights they spend studying and preparing, and the other trials and tribulations they go through in teenage adolescence. The ESPN broadcast sometimes tries to capture that, but it seems forced, artificial, in a "aw look at these kids" Disney kind of way. No, the spelling bee is more just about hard work, perseverance (like Nicholas Rushlow coming back year after year for 5 years) and putting in the hard work, and I think that's what ESPN misses. It's not cute + cuddly, it's tears + sweat not unlike the hard work professional sports players do (and sometimes even more). The kids who get to the National Spelling Bee get there because of hard work and because they want to compete, and that's why ESPN should treat it like any other sports show they do: as a competition where all spellers strive to be the winner. That's what I want to watch.




Anyway, the rest of the year will all be about improvements: 1.) Improvements in having a tidier lifestyle, 2.) Less time stuck in traffic, 3.) More productivity in the workplace 4.) Better about getting back to people emailing me, 5.) Improvement in the economy, 6.) Some charity work, 7.) Less stressing about fantasy baseball/sports in general

Fantasize on,

Robert Yan

2012 National Spelling Bee- Semifinalists Announced!!!!

Several topics I want to discuss, among them my 4th annual pick for winner of the 2012 National Spelling Bee (I’m due). So this year the field for the National Spelling Bee is wide open. Unlike 2009/2011, the field is wide open (but not as wide open as 2010, when it was a veritable free-for-all).


I ended 2011 with the prophetical “2012 will be all about the Sriram (Hathwar) Express v. The Arvind (Makhtaly) Train, but apparently one of those modes of locomotives have been derailed: Sriram Hathwar, as I understand it still eligible for the Spelling Bee, is not in the semifinals. Didn’t even show up to Washington, D.C. this year. Strange, very strange. The Bee is turbulent and full of surprises, but it’s not common that someone who was a top 10, national final-level talent from the previous year will just NOT qualify for D.C. In fact of all the time I’ve been watching the Bee I don’t think that’s EVER happened. It’s like if LeBron James’s Heat didn’t make it to the NBA Finals (even chance), didn’t make it to the Eastern Conference Finals (unlikely, but could happen), but didn’t EVEN MAKE IT TO THE PLAYOFFS!!!! (almost impossible). A big loss for Sriram (where art thou, buddy? And will you be back next year to reclaim spelling glory?) but a big win for the other contenders in the field.

A note about the National Spelling Bee: I’m all about “Experience, experience, experience,” at the Bee and have a noticeable predilection towards favorites and “returners” (with good reason, I want to root for a contestant I’m familiar with, have built a TV relationship with much like I root for Tyrion Lannister in GOT), but I have to remind myself that every year at the Spelling Bee is different. A whole calendar year has passed since the last spelling bee: Contestants have moved, words have changed, new words have been added to the English language, contestants lose interest in the bee, contestants do other things, contestants get more focused, contenders become champions). A speller may be more or less prepared than he was the previous years; it’s possible that a speller has actually REGRESSED (although, not much chance of that unless you totally give up spelling for a year). That’s the nature of sports, players get better, get worse, and their ability changes. I remember my junior year of high school was my peak level of chess ability: I saw the whole board, I focused entirely on the chess, and I won almost every match I was in. I thought I’d be a year wiser, a year hungrier, a year better the next year, ready to go for a championship, but it was not to be: for whatever reason, whether it was mental, psychological, strategic, I did worse my senior year than junior year, lost more games. One of my biggest regrets ever in life but gave me a valuable life lesson: If you have a chance to do something, do it that year. Cherish it. Don’t let it slip away. There might not be a next year: Like the NBA (Chicago Bulls), people get hurt, people get old, the window of opportunity closes, etc., etc.

I hate to “lay odds” and treat Spelling Bee contestants like racehorses running the Kentucky Derby, but it’s the best way of sports-analogy statistically measuring a contestant’s chances. (For example, I know exactly what it means that the Spurs are a 2:1 favorite to win the NBA Championship.

Arvin Mahankali – 5 to 1
Nicholas Rushlow – 7 to 1
Vanya Shivashankar – 7 to 1
Grace Remmer- 8 to 1
Nabeel Rahman- 8 to 1
  Emily Keaton – 15 to 1
Snigdha Nandipati – 20 to 1
Rahul Malayappan – 30 to 1
Gina Solomito – 30 to 1
Sunny Levin – 50 to 1
Rachel Cundey- 100 to 1
Field: 20 to 1.

This reflects my best guess at the odds for the winner of the National Spelling Bee tomorrow, and I think I’ve done a pretty good job. (5 to 1 would mean I think Arvind has about a 20% shot at winning, 8 to 1 means about a 12% shot, etc.). I think the names on the list are definitely the top 10 spellers with the best chances of winning, based on experience (lots of 3-timers and 4-timers on this list) and previous finishes- just because you’ve been here 4 times doesn’t mean you have a good shot if you’ve not reached the semifinals in those 3 previous trips (i.e. Malayappan). I like Snigdha Nandipati as a darkhorse from San Diego (a very tough spelling area, plus a recent winner from there in 2005), Emily Keaton seems to have had great spelling success in her native Kentucky, but the National Finals are another matter, Nabeel Rahman could have gone higher based on his 9th place finish last year but doesn’t have the pedigree, I would have had Vanya at like 30 to 1 earlier today based on the fact she’s TEN YEARS OLD, but having Kavya as her sister and having the only perfect score in the written round really shoots her up to the odds and would be the “hot pick” if this were real gambling, and I do think tomorrow a boy breaks the streak of female winners, and Arvind or Nick Rushlow (been there FIVE TIMES!!!!) takes it down. My guess, however, is that Darren Rovell + most bloggers will take the extremely bubbly-plus-talented Vanya Shivashankar as the “public pick,” and they may be right. I just don’t see a 10-year old winning it this year: Certainly from 2012-2014 these are Golden Years for Vanya and I think she’s gonna win one of the next 2. Can’t wait for another installation of the Early-Summer Classic: The National Spelling Bee.

Fantasize on,

Robert Yan

Memorial Day

Memorial Day: I understand the importance of Memorial Day, know what it signifies, know what it means for America, but I’ve just never got involved with it. It’s not a holiday that resonates with me: None of my family members have ever been involved with the military, I’m not particularly fond of war, etc., etc. Doesn’t mean I don’t like Memorial Day- it happens to be the holiday that comes at a crucial time to break up the monotony of the late spring-early summer and marks the beginning of the dog days of summer. The days are the longest, the weather is the best (especially in Southern California), and that extra day off work is SO necessary. Plus it’s another day off the long work week the NEXT WEEK. O I love it. ….PLUS Memorial Day kicks off “Bee Week,” something I’ve cherished since 2007. One day I will make it to Washington D.C. (hopefully as an invited guest due to one of my children/relatives making it there via qualifying for the National Spelling Bee), but that’s pretty far in the future. Wouldn’t want to be the creeper that’s just “there” with other people’s kids. But I love the festivities surrounding bee week, discussing favorites, catching up on what past spellers are doing (not surprising that a LOT of bee veterans that we watched year ago end up at top colleges around the country) and see what other bee bloggers/etc. are “buzzing” about. It’ also a good time to re-watch either 1.) Akeelah and the Bee (2006 movie), 2.) Spellbound (2002 documentary), and/or 3.) read “American Bee” by James Maguire (2005 book). All are recommended, for Spellbound it’d be my 10th or 11th time watching it, and I can pretty much spell all the words given in that movie. More bee coverage to come involving discussion of favorites…..I’m sure it’s not lost on people that the last 3 years have been dominated by girls (Shivashankar, Veeramani, and Roy)…..hint: I’m picking a boy this year. Anyway, Memorial Day is a good chance to “memorialize” what I’ve been up to the last month….It’s been a blur of a month that’s seen my birthday, attending a boyhood friend’s wedding, another trip to Vegas, lots of litigation, and moving out into a new address. O and Game of Thrones. I cannot believe there is only one Game of Thrones episode left this season. Can. Not. Get. Enough. Of. That. Show. Remind myself to do a “Game of Thrones” blog after the season finale next week…..kind of like a “The 10 People You meet on the Wire” segment. Going to Vegas for the umpteenth time in the last 4 years gives me some perspective: I’m never gonna win a lot of money in Vegas. You don’t win a lot unless you’re willing to bet a lot, and I’m not foolish enough to put enough money on anything that might hurt me. It’s basically this axiom: To win enough to have it matter you have to risk enough to be have it hurt, and since chances are you’re gonna get hurt, I don’t chance it. Another axiom to go by: “If you can only be happy if you win at Vegas, you’re gonna be unhappy at least half the time.” Seriously, think about it. Don’t gamble to win. Final axiom about Vegas: After dropping friend off at McCarron Airport (the airport next to the Strip in Vegas), do NOT miss the off-ramp to the 15-South to LA. We kept going on the 215 North and 20 minutes of Highway hypnosis and impeccable obliviousness later, the road stopped at a street light, at which point we realized that “Peccadillo, Nevada” is not where we wanted to be. If you ever bet on the UFC (why would you want to?), it seems like betting on the “meaner” guy does the trick. Seemed like each time the guy who “wanted it” more won. Including Julio Dos Santos, current UFC Champion, who crushed, I mean CRUSHED, Frank Mir. O and get ready for blood. I…….was not ready for blood. If you’re a fluent Chinese speaker out there reading this blog and don’t speak Japanese and have never thought about it, seriously, try it out. You already know more than you think. The “Kanji” of Japanese is almost word-for-word like Chinese, almost like someone “lifted” it from someone else (not implicating anything, just speculating), but the good news for Japanese/Chinese speakers alike is that it makes it much easier to learn the other language. Maybe it’s just me, but learning a new language is just refreshing: don’t know why I didn’t feel it for French, but I just feel a sense of accomplishment, a sense of purpose, with each new Japanese word/phrase that I pick up. Does anyone share my feeling of having tickets to Game 7 of your favorite sports team’s playoff game, then watching them blow a 4th quarter Game 6 lead and lose in the final seconds because of 2 missed free throws? It happened to me with the Bulls, and I’ve just haven’t been able to get over it. I so wanted to go to that game. Game 7 was on my bucket list and I was denied. The wound is still fresh and the scars have not healed. May June (get it, get it) bring fresh stories and fresh memories. But for now, let the 2012 Spelling Bee begin!!! Fantasize on, Robert Yan