Dave's Thoughts of the Day: January 11th

I should be the last one to complain about temperatures on this planet.... but boy is it cold!   For Los Angeles, anyway.  And you know what else?  I bickered about it on facebook last night but I was just goofing.  I *love* this weather!    I live for days where you need three blankets to stay warm in bed.

Last night was night 3 without the heater.   I'm still so glad to have my health that I didn't mind having to wear a jacket the entire night.  No biggie.  It reminds me of what life was like back in Santa Barbara when my apartment didn't have a working heater.

In retrospect, I feel like a moron for never getting a space heater back then.  It was only 30-40 bucks.

Anyway, the night was good.   A little solitaire on the laptop.  A little Big Bang Theory on TV (great episode!).   In between, no night was complete without a little Knicks basketball.

So it was time to see what everyone was talking about with the Knickerbockers.  Unfortunately, I still don't know, because Carmelo Anthony was suspended for the game.   Instead I got to watch Duke Basketball plus Tyson Chandler.  I wasn't that impressed but on the other hand, Indiana has a good knack for defense, and remarkably, all they do is play a 2-3 zone.  Maybe even a 2-1-2 zone with their Hibbert coming towards the middle of the paint all the time.  Yes, I know, isn't that supposed to be a violation if he's there for 3 seconds?   Don't ask me how NBA refs operate.  Nobody knows.  Stern doesn't even know.

Then!  I got to see the leader of the jokers, J.R. Smith.  Ohhhhhhh baby have I missed that guy!  He never met a jump shot he didn't like.   I don't even know what all the fuss is about.  Dude can heat up like a microwave but he's equally as liable to have a night like tonight, where he chucked close to 50 shots and hit about ten of them.

The Knicks were dreadful from 3 point range.   Given that the Knicks lead the NBA in 3 point shot attempts, that ultimately did them in.  The Knicks still have a lot going for them, and once Melo returns they'll be fine, but last night simply showed some of their weaknesses.  Be careful with Smith, though.  If he gets into his "super ballhog mode," which is basically his regular style of play x 3, it could get dangerous for the Knicks.

In essence, I need more information to get a proper read on who the Knicks are and where they'll go.  I got a serious kick out of Charles Barkleys anti-Knicks comments at halftime.  Does anybody hate the Knicks more than Sir Charles?  What a hoot!   He thinks the Pacers are bettern than them?!  LOL...  The Bulls *without* Derrick Rose?!  Oh it is too much!

Now that NFL season is winding down and with College Football in the books, I'm extremely happy to re-acquaint myself with basketball.   College Basketball is a joy too.   I wouldn't sleep on the Pac 12, folks.  Perhaps they won't get in as many bids as say the Mountain West, but I could make a case for UCLA, Arizona, and maybe even Oregon to make some noise in the tournament.  It's early but they've looked good lately.

I got the omelette special here at UCLA for breakfast.   It never disappoints.   Peet's Coffee on the way over.  It's a good start to the day.

Actually, a funny story on the way here.   I went to Starbucks across the street from Peet's in Westwood to pick up a gift for my Aunt's birthday.   Very awkward moment at the Starubucks.   I asked to get this coffee cup and then the barista asked me if I wanted anything to drink.   After thinking about it for a second I said no, and she very awkwardly rung me up while getting a bag and and a box for the coffee cup.  THEN I took the bag with me as I went to Peet's.  Imagine this:  going to a competing coffee shop with a Starbucks bag of purchased items?  I tried my best to hide it while I ordered the Peet's coffee.

On an unrelated note:  Peet's does regular coffee really well, but their lattes are disappointing.  Say what you will about the giant corporate Starbucks, but they still beat the competing chains at Latte composition.  The only one that comes close is Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, based in SoCal.   Would you believe Starbucks is about to purchase Coffee Bean?   Thus, Starbucks will be the end all be all for lattes for quite some time.

In summary:  Peet's regular coffee is much better than Starbucks regular coffee, but Starbucks lattes are much better than Peet's lattes.

I *also* know of another friend of mine who we all call "Pitch & Catch" who will be in Vegas this weekend.  Now what would happen if I were to surprise him and drive out to Vegas?  Maybe even make a wager or two.   I would LOVE to try my NFL picks (see my previous post) for the weekend.  Ah well, it's fun to think about.

One other such friend will be here in LA next week.   Hopefully we can get some folks together and meet up someplace.

This weekend is feeling pretty good.   Good football ahead.  Perhaps I'll have some other surprises in store.   I look forward to it. Happy Friday!