It's amazing to me how plugged in the world and all my friends have become. Granted, the fact that I work at a technology company and live in San Francisco means that I'm surrounding myself with some of the most gadget-oriented hi-tech people on earth. But even so, isn't it absolutely amazing how quickly the interenet has become a staple of life? I did not have an email address until college, but kids are now growing up with wireless internet, cellphones, and PDA's. And not just kids, most of my friends have these gadgets that allow them to read their emails over the phone.......to be honest, I considered getting one for myself briefly. How scary.

Honestly, how connected to each other do we really need to be? I can't escape the feeling that it's got to be unhealthy to a certain degree. Disclaimer: I'm a loner, always have been. But even for folks who are more social, does it not bother you to be constantly 'on call' 27-7? I'm all for the freeflow of information and the equalizing of opportunity that the internet can often bring to those who otherwise would not have the resources or contacts to reach their dreams. I guess what annoys me is the expectations that these items bring.

For example, what's the deal with people who assume that if I don't pick up my cellphone that it's rude, or that it's inconsiderate to have my cellphone turned off?? WTF? I reserve the right to turn off my cellphone whenever I don't feel like being disturbed, even if I'm alone. Here's another one:
My Friend: "Just give me a call later"
Me: "Okay. What's your number?"
My Friend: "You don't have it?"
Me: "You never gave it to me."
My Friend: "But I called you a couple of weeks ago."
Me: "So?"
My Friend: "Didn't your phone pick up my number?"
Me: "I don't know, I didn't check. Am I supposed to program in all incoming calls to my phone?"
My Friend: "You moron."

Now really, there's no way that I'm going to assume I have the right to program someone in my cellphone and call them anytime unless I get their explicit permission. Aargh.

Last night I watched an episode of "24", and I must admit that I'm hooked. I don't watch much TV, and what I do see on is usually crap. But that opening sequence on last night's episode of 24 was brilliant. I love the idea of the show going on in real time, and I like the actors and the plotline. Granted that it's pretty stereotypical, but the dialogue is fairly intelligent and it moves quickly. I have a few friends who also like this show, and so now I kinda feel like I'm the last kid on the block to start in on this, but whatever (better late than never).

Two great teams advance to the Superbowl. Yes, my friends, it was a day for football.

Game #1, in which Philidelphia breaks the curse and wins it's first NFC championship on it's fourth consecutive try, was a blowout. Atlanta never had a chance. Vick is a great quarterback, and certainly deserves props for his outstanding play all season, but he could not get his team going against the Eagles. Phili had a simple and effective gameplan: shut down Vick and the Falcons running game, and the rest will come. And so it did......never even close.

Game #2, in which my team -- the Patriots -- secured another Superbowl berth and progressed one step closer to becoming an official NFL "Dynasty", was another blowout. The Steelers were lucky to beat the Jets in their previous game, barely scraping by in OT. In this game, the Pats had a simple game plan: make Ben (the Steelers QB) come up with big plays by shutting down their running game. And it worked: Ben screwed up. Don't get me wrong, I have a lot of respect for the guy. He's had an amazing season for a rookie, and he's got a very bright future ahead of him. But when you put a rookie like that in pressure situations in the post-season, they're bound to make mistakes. Hence, 3 interceptions. Game over.

Now I wait for the Superbowl, and pray to the football gods for another Patriots victory.

I love breakfast. That's not to say that I eat breakfast every day (far from it), but rather I meant that I love breakfast foods. Pancakes, waffles, eggs, lots of fruit. In particular, I find enjoyment in the brunch ritual on the weekends, where one gets up late-ish, perhaps with a hangover, and makes one's way down to a local cafe or restaurant with some friends to talk over the absolutely mundane stuff while drinking OJ (no coffee, thank you, the stuff is foul tasting) and eating lots of hot breakfast food.

It is also commonly said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, in that it provides you with a good start and energy for the mornings. My problem is that argument seems pretty weak at 6am on a cold morning, when I have to weigh it against an extra 15 minutes of sleep in a warm bed. Recently I have been getting much better at disciplining myself, and I have high hopes of being able to at least have a banana and perhaps a bowl of cereal in the mornings before leaving for work.

At home on the weekends, I like to make myself chocolate chip pancakes, with fresh strawberries on the side. Tomorrow I'm also going to add rasberries to the mix, and see if i can improve even further on this meal. If you are thinking this sounds good and perhaps are going to try it one morning, let me give you one piece of advice: use Ghirardelli chocolate chips. This goes for any sort of baking, even chocolate chip cookies (which I also enjoy making frequently). They are simply miles above anything else you can get in that price range.

And please, pray with me that the Patriots win tomorrow.

They say that San Francisco is the most European-esque city in the US (no, i don't know who "they" is, and also no, i don't know if that's a compliment or insult or just plain fact). I was thinking about that today as I had a few drinks with colleagues in town from some of my company's European offices. It inspired me to ruminate about SF, and I realize that I really do love this city, even though I think ultimately I belong on the east coast.

Almost everything is walking distance from the center of town (if you're not too lethargic), and yet it has everything a big city needs to have. A diverse population, great nightclubs and restaurants, lots of shopping, proximity to water and mountains, and even a booming economy. Now everyone has their favorite city, and I'm not going to get into the "my city is better than yours" argument (but really....SF is better than your city). All I'm saying is this is a fantastic place to live.

Above all, I appreciate the tolerance that you find here. The high degree to which everyone is PC can get a little tiresome, but honestly it's better than the alternatives. If there is one city in the world where everyone is really welcome despite race, color, creed, sexual orientation, and all that other jazz, it's probably SF.

Okay, now all you New Yorkers can tell me how dumb I am. Whatever.

The great game of the day, without a doubt, was the Colts vs. Patriots. It was billed as a fantastic match up: the unstoppable force meets the immovable object. In this case, the immovable object clearly won. On a blisteringly cold day in New England, the Pats stopped Indianapolis cold (so to speak). Now let's be clear: I'm a Patriots fan. Well, I'm a Redskins fan first and foremost, but we'll not talk about them. And I really thought all the hype that the Colts generated was, although certainly deserved, a little unfair. The Patriots showed why they are the best team in the league today -- and provided us with a great game.

Next weekend is going to have two fantastic match-ups. I'm looking forward to seeing the Pats destroy the Steelers.