It seems that Madden 09 has made a new leap forward in realism:  the photographers in the game chimp!  Check out the sidelines in the trailer to see for yourself.  Much as in real life, it seems that the chimping game photographers are missing the best action.

Unfortunately, I have to dock the game a point because all of the photographers are shooting Canon (recognizable due to the big white lenses).  As can be seen at the Olympics, Nikon (with its big black lenses) has made a huge recovery in market share.  The market reversal is a relatively recent phenomenon, so maybe they’ll fix it when they release the patch to put Farve with the Jets.

(via)

With Rose’s homecoming two months away, the question on my mind is:  who’s going?

If I can find a reasonably priced plane ticket, I’ll be there.

I wish I had learned to appreciate farmers markets long ago.  It wasn’t until this spring that I started to frequent them for my fruit and vegetable needs, so it wasn’t until recently that I realized what I was missing.

Sure, I had been to farmers markets a handful of times in the past, but I never bought much of anything.  I’m not much of a cook, so I would always be baffled by piles of chard, and I could never understand why people would pay extra for misshapen, miscolored “heirloom” tomatoes.  My mistake was that I never took a chance to actually taste any of the goods.

With a market in Palo Alto four blocks from my summer apartment, I decided to give those super-fresh foods an honest try.

*nibble* *bite* *munch*

Oh, the flavors!  I never knew how much flavor a tomato could have.  The peaches — so juicy.  And the strawberries?  Delightful!  It’s amazing how much better food can be when it hasn’t been bred for shipment across the country (or world).  It’s the kind of taste that will make one into a food snob.  Suddenly, the fruits and vegetables at the supermarket seem incredibly inferior.

What’s more, the food is usually less expensive than it would be at the grocery store.  It gets really cheap when the market is closing and everybody is trying to get rid of inventory.  For example, today I got a delicious cantaloupe for $1.50 and Yukon Gold potatoes for $0.25/lb.

It’s a shame it took me until age 26 to appreciate food that came directly from the farm.

I have new sympathy for the out-of-shape, of which I am one.  I have often dismissed the task of getting into shape as one of pure willpower, and while I remain convinced that sheer will is sufficient, summoning such conviction is far easier said than done.

As part of my preparation for this fall’s century, I obtained a heart-rate monitor.  According to The Complete Book of Long-Distance Cycling (thanks Tyler!), I should be doing my “pace” rides mostly in Zone 2, or  65% to 84% of my maximum heart rate.  Unfortunately, even my “easy” rides are putting me in the upper part of that range, very close to where I think my lactate threshold is located.  O, how out of shape am I.

I have no doubt that I will improve with time.  Indeed, I must improve if I am to finish my goal.  This is far from a cake walk.

Years ago, I managed to go from zero to triathlon in three months, but then I had House for a training buddy, which made motivation easier.  I have no local training buddies this time around.  Getting up early in the morning for practice feels just this side of impossible.

Still, the potential reward is enticing: becoming one of the “lean people.”  Not just lighter — stronger.

The solution?  Eat well and exercise.  So simple to plan, so difficult to execute.

I couldn’t help but wonder if the many accolades for Heath Ledger’s performance in The Dark Knight were merely gestures of respect for a gifted actor who died tragically young.  Today I saw the film.  The praise for his portrayal of The Joker: well deserved.   While rest of the movie was good — about on par with Batman Begins — it was Ledger’s Joker that drove the picture to excellence.

See the film.  Very much worth the price of admission.