Novak Djokovic -- player impressions

So the world No. 3 tennis player Novak Djokovic (Joe-koh-vich) imitates other players on the tour. It's hilarious. The thing is, he's a great tennis player, to boot.

at U.S. Open, Maria Sharapova, Rafael Nadal:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKj4PdWrK-o]

U.S. Open, Sharapova:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guvyjrmNJP8]

Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt, Nadal:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR9pj6Op_KU]

first Woot! -- a Roomba!

I successfully bought my first Woot! product today, and it's the infamous (famous? notorious?) Roomba! I've been wanting a Roomba for awhile, but it seems that they always offer it when I'm broke. Well, no more! I can only afford one right now, so it's going to my parent's place. :D

It's an iRobot Roomba Discovery SE: http://www.woot.com/Blog/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryId=2939

Punctuation is powerful. (Please, remember the period.)

Saw this on Digg. As a copy editor, I had to post it. It's too true.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29921412@N00/354975371/

tennis and cello

so two funny (in different ways) stories:

First, I had my first tennis lesson last night since high school. It's free with my membership, so why not? Let me just say that I have really terrible reflexes, and I remember during one lesson in high school, I got hit by a ball three times. So this foray back into the impact sport world is a big step. Last night, we learned the forehand and backhand, and the teacher was tossing up balls to hit backhands. It's my turn, and I stepped up to the service line and waited for the ball. It bounced high. I reached out to get it. It hit me in the left eye. I saw stars. One large, white star followed by smaller, shiny stars. My eye is OK, but I had blurry vision for awhile. And I have a faint black eye, where my brow bone is, which is where it hit. But it was a tennis ball, so it really covered the entire eye.

Today was my first cello lesson of the semester, and since my old teacher went to Honolulu for a symphony job, there is a new teacher. I already knew that she got her master's from USC, and when the music director wrote in an e-mail that she's from South Carolina, I discounted it as a typo. Well, get this. It wasn't a typo. My new teacher's husband's father (her father-in-law), is the president of a local university in my town, and it is the same university where my high school yearbook adviser's husband is a provost. In fact, my cello teacher said, my adviser and her husband sent a wedding present. Crazy, huh?

Family Guys at the Emmys

I actually watched the Emmys on Sunday, and even though I'm not a big fan of "Family Guy," I really loved the opening act that Stewie and the dog did. Hilarious. Here it is, in case you missed it.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrzKyopCls4]

Vicente Fox: Bush was "cockiest guy I've ever met"

In his new book, former Mexican president Vicente Fox calls President Bush the "cockiest guy I've ever met" and says that Bush's Spanish was at grade-school level.

chongas

So in Miami, there is a -- how would I say it -- phenomenon called the chonga. A chonga, according to the Urban Dictionary, is:

A girl of Hispanic origin, usually between the ages of 12 and 19, but sometimes as young as 8. Primarily found in Miami (most famously, in Hialeah), the chonga is known for her cheap form of dress, a combination of the so-called gangsta look and that of a prostitute, but can vary between the two. She wears ridiculously large hoop earrings large enough to be bracelets, which are usually gold and have their name written in them, and diamond studs high up on her ears. ...

The definition goes on and on. I was introduced to this thing at the Herald, which apparently had a story about the girls (chongalicious-in-herald.pdf) who had a video on YouTube called "Chongalicious," a parody of Fergie's song. Apparently, these girls are not chongas themselves but are drama students at a local high school. Telemundo also did a rather long package on it. Other chongas (or not?) followed with their own videos.

This is the "Chongalicious" video:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVHdqmN7-XE]

And the Telemundo package:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcNrL_HRz0A]

Alex the crazy-smart parrot has died

Alex knew numbers up to 6 and can identify 50 objects and seven colors and shapes. Alex was awesome.

Here is Alex in action:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcLLk-r1aSs]

Leave Britney Alone! (and Boston)

I am back in Boston. I have been for the past week and a half. I've just been having some Internet issues. And I just haven't gotten around to it. Anyway. There will be more of Miami. But first, this YouTube video I saw on Digg. It's a Britney Spears fan's plea to just LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE! Enjoy.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHmvkRoEowc]

home

I'm home. After driving 13 hours on I-95 through two car accidents -- a car fire and a collision -- and torrential rains from Daytona Beach through Savannah, I am home. I've cleaned out my car and semi-organized my clips. I am leaving for Boston tomorrow because classes start at 9 a.m. on Tuesday. Should be fun.