Kronum!

Doesn't that word sound like something that should be yelled during a movie set in the Babylonian-era?  Well it's not.  It's the name of this "newish" sport that seems to combine parts of soccer, basketball, football/rugby, and quidditch.  Yes, I did say quidditch.

The game was invented in Philly, or as my older brother would say "Figures".  It consists of a large circular field with four scoring zones, two per team.  Teams consist of 10 players each.  Each "zone" consists of four smaller zones.  In one of the zones you can't use your hands, in the other three you can.  The image over there shows you most of the field.  You can see the Goal, Flex, and Cross zones.  The missing zone, just in between the Goal and Flex zones, is the Wedge zone.  This zone is the one where you can't use your hands.  In the videos I've seen of this, I see a lot of guys jumping from the Flex INTO the Wedge so that they can throw the ball from there without having to put the ball down and kick it.  Pretty ingenious stuff.

The Kronum ball is "volley-ball" sized.  Which means that it IS a volley-ball or a soccer ball.  You score by getting the ball in the net, pretty much just like soccer.  OR you score by getting the ball in these five rings above the goal, much like quidditch (Lord why do I sound like a nerd understanding the scoring complexities of quidditch).  A goal in one of the rings gets you "double" points.  Why do I say "double" and not two points?  Well, if you are a certain distance out, just like in basketball, you get two points for a standard net goal, and "double" the points value if you get the goal in the rings.  You can even dunk the ball if you have enough balls to get close enough.  See what I did there?

So yes, it is a bit complex.  So is the designated hitter rule to anyone born before 1973, deal with it.  Go to YouTube, punch in "Kronum" with your gorilla-sized digits, and watch some of the vids that come up.  You'll be hooked.  If you like hits, slide tackles, high-scoring, and really not knowing what the deuce is going on, this sport is right up your alley. Or, you could be like me, having this sport expand and move out of the greater-Philly area means just one more reason to go watch some other guys get dog-ass tired on a field while I'm chugging down beers yelling at them to run faster.

KRONUM!!!!

Short Post #7 - Netflix

I am a Netflix whore.  I admit this.  I need a support group.  Actually, and more specifically, I am a Netflix Streaming whore.  Yes, I have a Blu-Ray player (a couple of them actually) but the one in my living room is in my Media Center PC and the one in my bedroom is wireless.  I watch Netflix Streaming movies and shows on them more than anything else.  Sure I get my couple of movies a week in my mailbox, but I often times forget about them and just send them in...after all they will most likely be on streaming in another couple of months any how.

What I really want is to be able to get rid of my Blu Ray players, pay $50/month for all-the-time streaming HD-quality shows and movies from Netflix.  Yes, I know that Fox, Paramount, etc won't go for it because they will be losing revenue on disc sales.  That's why I'd pay almost 3x what I'm paying now to Netflix to get it!  Give them the money!  I just want my shows and I don't want to ever have to go to my mailbox again to get a little red envelope (why do I feel like Adam Sandler in "Billy Madison" when I'm getting them...it's not "nudie-magazine day"!  that's on the 12th...every month).  Nor do I want to deal with the throngs at Walmart or Best Buy to go get the damn movie before they jack it up $15 from the "release" week!

Give me my HD Streaming dammit!
-UA

Short Post #6 - Rick Scott

First off, I'm a Republican, and I can't stand my state's Republican Governor.  That being said, and though the man has done some utterly moronic things since he was elected (again, my opinion, I know you have 4000 of your own), he has FINALLY thought of something that makes sense.

Apparently, Gov. Scott would like to make every welfare recipient who has a history of drug use, take a drug test before they can be given assistance from the state government.  This is pure genius!  If they fail, then they are ineligible for state funds for a year AND they must pass the drug test at that time too or go for another year.  I love this idea!