Random Notes from a Crank

Since I watch We are Tottenham TV and Alasdair Gold videos on YouTube, I've gotten used to some of the words British folks use when talking about world football. 

One that doesn't make any sense to me is the when they say that someone is playing really well, they describe the player as "unplayable." The prefix "un" is typically used in a negative way, so if a player were truly unplayable, it stands to reason that person is not playing well in that one shouldn't play him. 

On a more positive note, when someone is exhausted, folks like to use the term "knackered." Going by the dictionary, the word is classified as British slang. 

However, knacker also is a noun for someone who removes road kill that is not fit for human consumption. 

And apparently the word is also a derogatory term for someone from Ireland who is of lower class or from the hood who has a certain look and thick accent. At least that's what I found on Urban Dictionary. 

As many times as I see drivers in their cars with their phone in their hands, it's surprising there are not more accidents because of people's addiction to their phones. Dangerous. 

Speaking of dangerous: Herschel Walker.

As much as I am happy that Warnock beat Walker in the Georgia Senate runoff, almost half of the Georgians who voted did vote for a candidate who is obviously not fit for serving in the U.S. Senate. 

That's a dangerous sign. 

Musing of the Moment: Tottenham's Transfer Window So Far

One of my favorite words I discovered after I started following real football (soccer) is "shithousery," which is defined by Urban Dictionary as "underhanded conduct or gamesmanship in a sport, with the intention of gaining an advantage." 

The club I follow religiously, Tottenham, apparently is signing a guy who has a bit of shithousery in his game, Richarlison. He's a player who can play a center forward when Kane isn't playing and will play as a winger when Kane is at the tip of the attack. 

Spurs have had a fun summer transfer window to follow with five signings so far if Richarlison and Lenglet come through the door, with the last guy coming over on loan from Barcelona. They need to sign a right wingback or two, and the deal for Spence is going quite slowly. 

As for outgoings, Bergwiyn is going to get bought from someone, and Winks is likely to go to a different club. I'd like to see Spurs keep Rodon and loan him out somewhere to get playing time. We'll see what happens with Emerson Royal and Reguilon. 

I'd like to see Tottenham sign Eriksen as a creative midfielder, but rumors on that front have gone very quiet. 

I suspect we'll see some surprises before the window closes. 

COYS

Random Notes from a Crank

For the first time in my life I voted in a Republican primary on today (Tuesday). It made my skin crawl to do so, but here's why I did it. 

My county votes primarily GOP in national elections, which isn't surprising since I live in east central Illinois. I simply focused on races where I didn't want certain candidates to win the nomination. 

The easy vote was for US House Rep where the GOP has two abhorrent choices. I chose the less abhorrent candidate. They are both terrible, but one candidate is less terrible than the other. 

As for the ass-wipes running for Governor, I chose the candidate who is the least likely to win against Pritzker. The GOP candidate I voted for is an intellectual bumpkin. And for county judge, I voted for the incumbent who seems to be doing a decent job. I voted against a person in a local race out of spite and experience. 

I could write a long diatribe about the Supreme Court overturning Roe vs. Wade, but I'll leave that to better writers than myself. 

However, it's inconsistent that guns aren't covered by "state's rights" but a woman's body apparently is. 

At my son's baseball tournament this weekend, there was a team there that had a player exclaim "Eyes like a beaver!" whenever one of his teammates was up at bat. 

It's an odd but humorous saying to say the least. 

After some cursory research via the InterWebs, I suspect the 14-year-old got the saying somehow from the Urban Dictionary definition of "beaver eyes," which is defined as "using abnormally good eyesight to see something clearly or something concealed." 

With a bit more research about beavers, the saying does not make any sense because beavers don't see that well according to various nature-based websites. 

So where the heck did this term "beaver eyes" originate from? Considering the definition came from Urban Dictionary, I have some obvious suspicions. 

Stay Positive: Wine without Arsenic

There's a disturbing article out about a lawsuit about a great many California wines that have high arsenic levels. Check out "List of Wines Cited in Lawsuit as Having High Arsenic Levels." 

Thankfully the only brand of those wines I've had are dark wines put out by Menage A Trois  and Corbett Canyon. 

Wild Irish Rose is no surprise. That crap is horrible. I used to sell that stuff all the time to winos when I worked at my dad's liquor store. The list also reminded me of one night my fraternity brothers had a "Cisco Night" that turned out horribly for them. 

The Urban Dictionary definition of Cisco is worth a read. Here are two of my favorite lines: 

• "It is in the family with the common street wine Wild Irish Rose - except WIR would be a newborn baby and Cisco is the abusive step-father with boundary issues. "
• "The hangover that can result from Cisco is the equivalent of sticking your head up the ass of a Kentucky Derby horse in full sprint and being ejected into a brick wall all while undergoing Chemotherapy treatments that could kill an elephant."

And bumwine.com has some fine description about that "liquid crack":

• "Often, people on a Cisco binge end up curled into a fetal ball, shuddering and muttering paranoid rants.  Nudity and violence may well be involved too."  
• "Our research shows that Cisco is actually the second best tasting of the five great bum wines, especially if you're having one of those hankerings for cheap Vodka, Jello and Robitussin."  
• "A test subject reports, 'Strawberry Cisco has a bouquet similar to that of Frankenberry cereal fermented in wine cooler with added sprinkle of brandy for presentation.'"

So here's to enjoying wine without arsenic. Let's stay positive folks. 

Random Notes from a Crank

Today I got my check for winning the fantasy baseball league I've been a member of since 2001, and the Commish of our league wrote this in the memo portion of the check--For: "Romney/Ryan '12." I laughed out loud at that when I saw it. I then proceeded to donate $44 to Obama/Biden and cashed the check this afternoon. 

#Romnesia

#horsesandbayonets

I can't say I'm confident about the President's chances, however. The polls in the swing states have tightened up considerably, especially in Ohio, which is crucial. I rarely think debates help or hurt candidates because the work on the ground is most important (ask John Kerry about what all his debate "wins" got him), but that first debate made Obama vulnerable. He shat his rhetorical bed in that one.