word of the day: parity

par·i·ty-n. equality; equality with or equivalence to a fixed value or standard. (Told ya I wasn't going to get bored today). 2 examples of parity: Today in England's FA Cup, 2 perennial powerhouses were knocked out by lesser teams. Manchester United lost at home to Portsmouth 1-0, and Chelsea were also defeated by the same score to lower league Barnsley. Now here is where the equality comes in. Chelsea currently stand 3rd in the top flight of English football: The Barclays Premier League. Barnsley currently stand 19th in the Coca-Cola Championship (the league directly below the Premier League)(that's a difference of 36 places for all you math majors out there) This was the classic case of a giant killing. There is a reason why the game is still played. On paper, Chelsea have some of the most talented players in Europe. (they spend per year about what the New York Yankees spend) Barnsley are struggling to stay in the division they are currently in, and not get relegated to League 1, the division below them. For American sports fans who aren't familiar with some of these names, think about a 16 seed beating a 1 seed in the first round of the NCAA tourney. Now I know that has never happened, but you start to get an idea about how amazing this run for Barnsley has been.

Paul Thomas Anderson is brilliant. (and he's young:38) I watched Magnolia today, a film he wrote and directed in 1999. The direction of this film was superb. The film takes place during one day in LA with a series of interlocking vignettes about death, love, crime, drugs, depression and redemption. Much disliked (in my book) Tom Cruise was brilliant in a supporting role. Philip Seymour Hoffman and John C. Reilly really are in every movie ever made and are equally brilliant as said director. I read somewhere that the film was said to be a "new example of realistic cinema depicting real human loss and tragedy". ( I wish those were my words) Of course everyone already knows how I feel about There Will Be Blood. I hope we've all learned something today.

listening to right now: Paranoia In B Major by Avett Brothers

jess