The Most Intelligent Blog Post Ever -- The Friday Grab Bag -- I unqualifiedly endorse the Most Relaxing Classical Music Album Ever. I haven't heard it, but I don't really need to hear it. It is, after all, the Most Relaxing Classical Music Album Ever. There's a t-shirt I saw tonight, and it might be the funniest t-shirt ever. I laughed out loud. Are ya'll ready? The message:

It's OK to be ugly...
but you're really overdoing it.

If anyone wants to supply me with this shirt, they would make me very happy.

I'm wondering about the whole blog thing. On Wednesday, I posted on the George Allen 'macaca' mess -- before that, I posted twice on the Va-11th race, and what I see is a scandal waiting to be uncovered: Rep. Tom Davis support for building aboveground Metro stations in Tysons Corner, even though all objective parties believe that a tunnel would be a vastly superior option. The only logical explanation for Davis' obstinance is that he has some vested interest in Bechtel's bid for the aboveground project. I've also posted on these matters on the DailyKos. Today, I called into Kojo Nnamdi's talk show on the local public radio station. I'm sure I reached a lot more people through the radio -- more than the dozens that may have seen my internet posts (if you want to hear me, the show is archived at www.wamu.org).

My point here? That we should keep some perspective about blogging. It's a cool way to reach out to others, to share thoughts and interests -- but there are still more powerful mediums out there.

My Crazy Neighbor -- He likes to check the hall. I really don't know any other word to describe it. I'll hear him open his apartment door. Then, very quickly I will hear it slam behind him, but I will still hear him in his apartment. On occasion, I will find that he has opened the window in the stairway. But, mostly, it just seems he's 'checking the hall.' He did this tonight, while I was running the water in my kitchen sink. I hated to disappoint him, but all I was doing was refilling a water pitcher. I'm thinking of writing a tune to the music for Deck the Halls...it would go like this: "Check the halls for smells of cooking, fa la la la la, la la la la." I'm open to input on where to go from there.

Soccer Round-up: The BardGuy must've been pleased to see the Columbus Crew collapse in the late stages of their game against Real Salt Lake. The winning goal was a nice effort started with a nice run by Jeff Cunningham. Amazingly, Mr. Selfish is actually third in assists this year. As 'they' like to say: "If the season ended right now...," RSL would be in the playoffs. Not that anyone watches the playoffs. Speaking of no one watching -- DC United apparently missed their charter and failed to show up on Wednesday night for their game against the Red Bulls. Because 11,000 fans allegedly had arrived for the game, a forfeit was not awarded to the Red Bulls, who were forced to play. Unfortunately, for the New York squad, they weren't able to score, and had to settle for a 0-0 draw. Fortunately, this so-called game was not broadcast in the DC area. If it was, I missed it, and I'm all the better for it.

The Red Bulls will have to be a little more lively if they want to fill the 25,000 seat stadium they just broke ground on (interesting week in the New York area, as the Yankees also broke ground on the new Yankee Stadium -- personally, I'd like to see the old one preserved and turned into a soccer stadium -- it's about time there was a team in New York City -- but the old park is going to become a garage, or something like that).

D.C. United is once again going to add another middling Argentine (my spell-check, which I rarely use, prefers 'Argentine to Argentinian') player, named Matias Donnet. At least, I'm assuming he's probably more Facundo Erpen than Christian Gomez.

US Nationals: Eddie Johnson is on his way to England -- to West Bromwich Albion -- not an EPL squad. Still, maybe some time there can get his once seemingly prodigious talent and endlessly promising career back on track. Reportedly, MLS turned down an offer from Rosenborg of Norway for Jimmy Conrad. I wonder if it was the money, or the team. Does MLS want to to keep Jimmy here or are they hoping for a higher level league to offer Conrad a chance? The best news is that Clint Dempsey is being chased by West Ham United. If Dempsey gets the chance to learn and develop in the EPL, the U.S. may yet get a world class striker.

Yanks abroad news also includes one 14 year-old Shaun Greenfield from Del Ray getting a shot with Atletico Madrid's youth squad, and a 13 year-old Sebastian Lletget, from Snata Clara, getting a 3-week look with the West Ham youth. And Lee Nguyen, a young talent for whom I have extremely high hopes, did get in as a very late sub for PSV's match with Ajax. Hopefully, he'll start earning some playing time. I'm dreaming of a future US attack featuring Nguyen and Dempsey.

After the World Cup, I commented on one of XM's talk shows and I raised the idea that maybe the U.S. needed to return to Bora's strategy of beating the hustings to find USA-eligible players abroad. It appears one has found us. Promising young Danish player Jamil Fearrington has asked to switch his national team status from Denmark to the U.S. Maybe there are some more out there, who'd relish the chance to star for the good ole U.S.A.?

Overseas (they call it football) - Greece had no answer for Steve McClaren's England squad during the first half. I think Jamaica put up a gamer effort in their 6-0 loss to England in the England squad's final pre-World Cup exhibition. Seriously, it looked like no one was bothering to defend as Lampard and Crouch were battling each other to get the ball and knock it in. Terry had a nice goal to get things started, and England made it 4-0 before the half. Greece looked a little better in the second half, but they're not about to repeat as European champs.

Lastly, I am reading the opinion in the ACLU v. NSA case. I plan on having an intelligent opinion of my own on Judge Anna Diggs Taylor's decision declaring the warrantless surveillance to be unconstitutional. When I do, I will post. That may replace this blog entry as the Most Intelligent Blog Post Ever.