HAPPINESS ENGINEERS
HAPPINESS ENGINEERS
The Cast
Date: 12 August 2020
FILLERBUSTER’S ELEVEN (TEN THIS WEEK)
BACKGROUND: This started as a long-winded numbered blog. It transformed into an organized long-winded category blog. Now, it is a quick-hitter to ease your pain. I lack time. So, the preparation of the blog actually made me procrastinate from writing the thing. Let’s see who makes the cut. Barely edited as usual unfortunately, so please excuse any mistakes during my stream of consciousness. I feel the need…the need for speed. Let’s turn and burn.
SETTING: This is written on Tuesday night for the most part. Very irritatingly, WordPress locked me out of my site when I planned on releasing on early Wednesday morning, so I just released it during my lunchtime when it finally let me in.
- EVERGREEN 1: PLAYOFFS IN THE BUBBLE. Did you catch the Jazz-Nuggets game over the weekend? You had to turn the channel away from the PGA Championship, but I was lucky to already have it on previous channel and checking in between breaks before I decided to only watch that for a bit. We are worried about the bubble. We are worried about having no fans. We are worried about the next steps. We are worried about the players’ behavior. We are worried about COVID. But, if we are worried about the intensity from the players as we exit the seeding games, then know that it delivered on Sunday and then some. Sign me UP if that is the taste of it. The game had the feeling of a playoff game, and included enough overtime periods, last second shots, chippy fouls, coaching decisions, and fake fan noise to bring all that and a bag of chips. The Nuggets got far enough ahead in BOTH overtime periods that it should have been over. And it wasn’t bad defense that allowed the Jazz to fight back. It was miraculous shot after miraculous shot. I am certainly not saying that every playoff game coming up in the bubble has to deliver that kind of product, as those games happen when performances, intensity, and score collide. But, if the players ARE in that zone, it was nice to see that atmosphere could translate itself in a fluid fashion to the TV audience. Well done, Jazz and Nuggets.
- NFL: FOUR FINGERS. The opt outs have hit 60, the Broncos believe that simple misters will stop COVID, and DeAndre Baker obviously has other constructive hobbies during quarantine, but I loved the recent Aaron Rodgers interview the best. He was on Kyle Brandt’s 10 Questions podcast, and opened up about the Jordan Love draft selection a little more and how it was similar or not similar to HIS Favre situation back then. He clarified that he has told the Packers and media he would like to play into his 40’s, when Favre was hinting to everyone that retirement was near (as we all remember each summer). Also, Rodgers sat in the green room for TOO long, whereas the Packers traded UP for Jordan Love. The weapons on the table were ridiculous still this year, we can all admit. Giving your HOF QB these signs is just wrong. And apparently, Aaron loves scotch, but this was a tequila night. Four fingers worth. He didn’t mention ice. That is a good bad night. Or a bad good night. However you want to say it.
- COLLEGE FOOTBALL: DOMINOES. It was the build up we didn’t want to see, but it just kind of makes sense in this crazy pandemic world we live in. We can hope it is “postponements” as opposed to cancellations, but that is still to be determined. Whatever they are calling them, they are happening in force right now. UCONN told us, but they just had become an independent, so we kind of listened, but not really. The Big Sky told us. The MAC then told us. The FCS got rid of their playoffs. The Mountain West was the biggest one yet, at the time. The ACC, SEC, and Big 12 are still holding the fall football fort down, but does anyone really want to watch a champion be crowned when Ohio State fans are chirping in our ear about if THEY were in it how they would win? Maybe we just have the ACC and SEC play it out anyway, since the champion usually comes from there anyway. You know you it is bad when Nebraska still wants to play and is the outlaw. I think they think it is 25 years ago when we cared about them. Lou Holtz is breaking out Normandy references, saying the pandemic is like losses on D-Day. That simile is beyond horrible. Trump even wants football to happen, which means it shouldn’t, because it is best to go the opposite way of his opinion. Bottom line? I am sad, and am confused how the football season gets cancelled BEFORE the schools cancel classes, but this is a lot about liability as opposed to just kids’ safety. Schools lose that on the field. They need the athletic income, but how badly? Not that bad.
- NBA: LUKA, DEVIN, DAMIAN, TJ. The NBA is giving us something to smile about as we try and get sports back into our daily lives. The bubble is working. I am confused how the Pelicans literally got the NBA to change the playoff rules just SO Zion would get invited and then didn’t play him enough to win, but let’s move beyond that. The Lakers are using recordings from Lawrence Tanter (their announcer) when they play “at home.” The Nets were 19 point underdogs against the Bucks…and won (third biggest spread ever to have the team win). Carmelo Anthony not only hit a game winner, but blocked a shot/ played some defense (!!!!) right before he hit it. Man, 2020 is crazy. Damian Lillard decided to go for 61 a game after scoring 51. Devin Booker is single-handedly dismantling teams playing against him and somehow they are undefeated in the bubble. Luka Doncic, my favorite player, became the youngest to go for 30-20-10 in a game. People are Googling TJ Warren and finding out he went to NC State and not a Duke or Carolina. He led the ACC in scoring, folks, although not a big name coming out of college. It would be better with real home court advantage. It would be better with fans. But, there are some exciting things happening in that bubble, folks. OF COURSE, they are about to start letting non-casual people in the bubble, so let’s all cross our fingers…seventeen rooms per second round team and I can already hear teams wondering who they can fit in their personal rooms…
- NHL: THE PLAYOFFS ARE HERE. The Flyers earned the #1 conference seed. The Avs lost on an OT goal for the #1 seed. Playoff hockey is officially upon us, as I am not sure what exactly to call the other play-in stuff that was occurring. Round-robin, pre-playoff, qualifying stuff… This is the hardest team sport trophy to win, in my opinion, as you know. It sounds the most like a “normal” event when watching it on TV, and what they did in each hub is well done. I will stick with my Avs over the Lightning pick (preseason) for the Cup. Although, the Flyers suddenly livening up has me rooting for two teams now. But, the Avs have the young-old balance, the defensive-offensive balance, a goaltender that you wouldn’t be surprised if they got hot, and a prime-time star ready to become a household name. If you tuned out, tune back in, folks. It doesn’t get any better than playoff hockey with the best announcers in sports. And if the Lightning’s 6 hour opening game was any indication, nothing will come any easier in the hubs than in pre-pandemic normalcy.
- MLB: FIVE RANDOM THOUGHTS.
- The Angels will shut down Ohtani as a pitcher this year, and it definitely tames the excitement we heard years ago when he entered the league and people were saying he could win MVP as a hitter and CY Young as a pitcher. It is harder than it looks at this level. I had high hopes.
- Aaron Judge’s home run streak out of the gate was exactly what MLB needed, until all of the positive COVID tests stole the headlines from him and the Rockies red hot start.
- The Phillies are using an air horn. Of COURSE, they are. Philly is Philly, folks. I am from there, and so allowed to say that.
- The Cubs and Cards were postponed, and it is one thing for random games to be cancelled, but rivalry games? How dare they?
- I don’t know who the guy is who flew a plane over the Astros game with “Asterisks,” but I like him.
- MISCELLANEOUS: US OPEN-TENNIS. Nadal announced he will not attend the US Open. We are unaware, of course, what protocol documentation is being sent out to people, but apparently tennis is NOT doing it right in some way. Shame. It is a sport with natural social distancing, and would be easy to pull off ON the court. But, if these players with private jets and at the top of the rankings are cancelling, then something is off. This is a golden opportunity for the sport to capture some new fans, while other sports can’t happen, or happen fully. But, when the top players won’t be in NYC, who will watch? I am a pretty big tennis fan, but why would I care about a heavily diluted bracket? The answer? I won’t.
- PGA NOTES: RANDOM PGA NOTES. Bryson DeChambeau broke his driver, but oddly not the cool way we expected him to since becoming Hulk Hogan. It was great to learn so much about Haotong Li as we headed into Moving Day, and so sad to see him drop all the way back to -1 after four days. Maybe he shouldn’t have practiced for 6 additional hours on Friday night. Probably was exhausted. The certain holes where fans were yelling through the fence might have been my favorite holes. I wish a couple of golfers would have acknowledged them a little more. Nice to hear post-swing yells though. I had Tiger post-work on Friday, and the beginning of the telecast until he finished on Saturday, but watching mortal Tiger Woods just stinks. Painful. Not sure why I do it. Oh yeah, The Masters win and his entire beginning of his career. THAT is why I do it. Dammit. That putting of his used to be his bread and butter in his wins, and now is the bane of his existence. Is there a race car track right outside the golf course, or a place where cars drive really fast? I heard beautiful birds and loud revving cars throughout the four days. Phil Mickelson making a booth appearance was fun, and cool to see that picture of him and a young Haotong Li. You know, Rickie Fowler, you could at least MAKE the cut when being the best golfer without a Major. We at least want to see the pain of you losing over the weekend. Brooks Koepka had a chance on Sunday to do the old school Tiger thing, and make a couple of early birdies to pressure the entire field. But, he didn’t and was humbled in this one. Even Rory was calling him out for busting on DJ for “only” having one Major. He can put his cape down now. It was fun to see JT start out hot on Saturday. I was very surprised when he gave his work back late in the round. Don’t feel bad for JT though. He just made $2 million for leading the field after the regular season. Eight UGA players were in the field, and eight made the cut. Impressive. Seven players were tied at -10 on Sunday afternoon at one point. SEVEN. Each winner of a Major has “that shot” that won it for them. No question it was Morikawa’s 16th hole shot. That shot will be immortal, although it made the ending a little more lame lol. Nothing like making a par 4 look like an easy par 3. Collin Morikawa might sound like a random winner to a lot of you, but just know this. He played this course all the TIME in college, and his home turf knowledge, along with some fending off of Major winners, was why he won. Great Major, as they always are.
- THIS AND THAT: RANDOM THOUGHTS AS USUAL. The Supreme Court just upheld a man’s life sentence for stealing hedge clippers. Trump called COVID deaths “it is was it is.” A man shot a gun at a cigar shop employee who asked him to mask up. A student was suspended (and then it was reversed) for showing a picture of her cramped school hallway. The Beirut explosion. Isaias. Onion salmonella outbreak. Biden luckily nominates a much younger VP. Tiktok is being talked about by political powers globally. Airlines are cutting employees again. Unemployment levels still high. There was a plane crash in India. Trump wants to be on Mount Rushmore. Clorox wipes may be gone until 2021. Wait. Do I have any GOOD news in this This and That? People can go watch the NEWS for all bad stuff. Let me see… Who’s The Boss is being rebooted. Wait. That isn’t positive either. Zuckerberg is a centibillionaire, which I can only assume is a $100 billion man. Wow. Microsoft Word can’t even write it without flagging it. It doesn’t recognize the word, which only have been tagged only to Bezos and Gates, so that makes sense. Wait. STILL not good news. We don’t care. Russell Crowe stars as a angry driver needing an apology in Unhinged (totally looks like a B movie or Gladiator in cars if he didn’t get a shot at fighting until the end), and he must be at the end of his scripts during the pandemic. An American Pickle is being released. Since one person is two characters, I guess that is a workaround on the social distancing item. A place in New York is making ice cream with liquor in it, which everyone needs in 2020. 38 of 500 companies in the Fortune 500 now have woman CEO’s, so that is good. People are staying home so much for breakfast that Kraft is now marketing mac and cheese for that. That is good. Cheetos is releasing a mac and cheese flavor, which is beyond stellar. I saw a Mike Leach wedding wish to a buddy on Cameo.com that made me laugh. Check out the cameo gifts. They are fun. You pay stars per message to give birthday and anniversary gifts that are personalized. The Baconator breakfast is the best fast food breakfast sandwich out there, folks. The chile oil, cacio e pepe, and breakfast pizza at Bar Dough in the Highlands are magnificent. If you haven’t seen Katie Ledecky swim a pool length with chocolate milk on her head, go and do that after this read. Shark Week not only is on, but two channels are COMPETING for out attention, which means…more sharks. You can go to Bend, Oregon, and watch a movie at your air bnb inside the last Blockbuster in the world, and that is kind of cool. Smash Mouth was busted for having hundreds of people at its concert at a bikers rally, but I was more impressed that A) bikers listened to Smash Mouth and B) that they had more than a hundred fans still left. When I order Panera, I now put mac and cheese on my bread and eat it that way, and I got to thinking why ISN’T there a mac and cheese SANDWICH?? Then you could add meat things for the middle. Mac and cheese is the greatest thing on Earth, and we should be diversifying even more…like Cheetos is. They tried the snack flavors, and just decided to fully enter the mac and cheese market. Finally, my nephew was born, and his name is Carter Von Dixon. I need to go buy a trumpet on Amazon (you are welcome, Bezos, again) to play when he crawls into a room moving forward. Such a badass name. WordPress is a great site, but SO irritating when you need help. I like to TALK to someone. They do everything in their power to send you to forums discussing scripts and such and hope you DON’T talk to one of their Happiness Engineers (seriously, that is what they call them). Not very happy. Happiness is Cheetos mac and cheese, if anything. Or the people who make that.
- TWEET OF THE WEEK
ALTERNATE CATEGORIES THAT DIDN’T MAKE THE CUT:
- THE BEST WORKOUT SONG EVER FOR THIS WEEK (because the best song this week IS the best song ever…for now):
- QUOTE OF THE WEEK
- LINKS TO SAVE YOU TIME IN LIFE
- TRAVEL
- THIS WEEK’S LIST
- MY NUMBERS
- GONE FISHING (the riddle for money):
- PICS BY MY PIXEL (pictures from my phone):
- LIFEGUARD ENTRY:
- COLLEGE BASKETBALL
- THE FILLERBUSTER
The theme? Nothing really called out to me, so I just put up the last thing I wrote about. Happiness Engineers. Ugghhh. Happiness Engineers should make some mac and cheese sandwiches along with that new Cheetos mac and cheese.
And our weekly reminder of the greatest sequel ever made coming out next summer… Top Gun 2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFM3i-dQ6B8
That’s it for today. Hope you enjoyed or are at least more informed. Remember two things. First, feed yourself, feed your family, but always, always remember to…feed the wolf. Second, if you can’t spot the sucker in your first half hour at the table, then you are the sucker. Will I blog again? That is a CLOWN question, bro. As one shepherd said to the other shepherd, let’s get the flock out of here.
| THROW IT BACK IN THE POND |
| jags activate minshew off of covid list |
| white says mcgregor won’t fight again in 2020 |
| pac 12 athletes boycotting threat |
| molina among cards to test positive |
| asu lands top 30 recruit cb isaiah johnson |
| ben had three tendons in elbow repaired |
| woods geared up for pga championship |
| shirts countering dream owner |
| taiwan visit |
| new twilight book |
| diggs denies Minny force out |
| tiger putter switch |
| ronaldinho pleas |
| texas tech fires stollings |
| a’s coach nazi salute |
| usa still down 13 mil jobs |
| louisville nixes three soccer players for covid role |
| e! news off air after 29 years |
| stimulus |
| former angels staffer charged in skaggs death |
| okung mulls retirement |
| Jerry Falwell to take leave at liberty |
| Washington releases derrius guice two hours after charge |
| Juventus fires sarri |
| lillard-beverly wave-gate |
| juventus hires pirlo |
| ufc fight night |
| diana taurasi injured |
| Draymond green tampers booker |
| trevor lawrence prefers to play |
| bills oliver feels violated |
| frost says Nebraska can play outside conference |
| heart condition worrying power 5 officials |
| vile remark started brawl between A’s astros |
| yo semite |
| bengals waynes pectoral injury |
| spring leage to play in bubble |
| mlb mulling over bubble format-playoffs |
| deion leaving nfl network |
| bruiser flint to kentucky |
| cowboys creating camp bubble |
| lions stafford was false positive |
| broncos misters |
| big ten also forms unity group |
| opt outs list |
| dak joins movement to get person off death row |
| Giants DeAndre baker robbery |
| opt outs hit 60 |
| tcu gary patterson apogizes for repeating racial slur |
| Lincoln Riley article |
| https://www.si.com/college/2020/08/04/lincoln-riley-oklahoma-football |
| CSU article coaches saying don’t report symptoms |
| UConn shuts down football but indy |
| mich-ohio state to play oct 24 |
| harbaugh-day get chippy on call |
| clemson, ohio state, bama preseason top |
| big sky is out for football until spring |
| fcs playoffs shelved |
| sec releases two non conference games |
| CSU halts football activities |
| mac cancels fall football season |
| trump advocates for season |
| harbaugh advocates for season |
| mountain west cancels football |
| big ten cancels football season |
| why in this order? what about students in classes not being canceled? |
| lou holtz makes normandy/d-day reference when talking about playing football in pandemic-casualties |
| nebraska being weird-outlaw |
dematha five star commits to uconn
| what is home court advantage |
| zion’s minutes |
| griz jaren jackson out for season |
| did league target griz to lose and zion to get in? |
| over unders in nba are crazy right now |
| nba still zero positive tests |
| simmons kneecap surgery-out for season out of bubble |
| tj warren is on fire |
| porzingis is averaging more than 30 in bubble |
| trailblazers are a dangerous opponent if they get in |
| teams playing differently, resting, sitting out, when still something to play for |
| ten things |
| https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/page/nbareturn29594076/ten-things-like-including-most-exciting-nerd-thing-nba |
| ja Morant wins on daughters birthday |
| Celts raptors |
| clips beat blazers with reaerves |
| lillard goes for over 60 game after 51 |
| rangers win draft lottery |
| altitude waives rights for avs |
| tulsa |
| workout |
| spanish |
| piano |
| guitar |
| the driveway redo |
| Linds WV wedding |
| time alone the wire pga |
| cheese allowed |
| wife going on page-airport-joe, ruined surprise |
| everything on everything |
| sprinklers |
| Sunday pool |
| braves mike soroka done for year after achilles tear |
| marlins cleared to play vs. orioles |
| astros hitting coach cintron suspended 20 games |
| blue jays get upgrade at buffalo home |
| indy 500 will have no fans |
| texas tech women’s basketball had toxic enviornment |
| dechambeau fighting chemical aid |
| d2 d3 fall championships cancelled |
| konrad de la fuente american makes barcelona squad |
| backed off betting on nba basketball late-no one knew what they were doing |
| coaches outfits a thing |
Miocic-cormier
| ryan reynolds, blake lively apologize plantation wedding |
| 3rd drug proclaimed good as vaccine |
| sequence |
| jersey shore always sunny wife I lived it |
| chicago schools starting school year all virtual |
| what about poker in casinos? |
| what about wsop? |
| golf and tennis fine |
| can’t imagine being a student, or being in service industry right now |
| again, so smart we went to ecuador |
| Biden vp |
| biden chooses…kamala harris |
| trump says us handling virus better than europe |
| iphone 12 all 5g |
| caddies relationship |
| drifits cargo shorts |
| wsp listen wife gone |
| dog can be as good as any man |
| dream friday-wife gone, tiger plays late |
| king of Staten island pulled |
| Wendy’s breakfast doing well concur |
| trump signs executive order stimulus |
| mississippi and georgia have positive tests-quarantines |
| shooting outside white house briefing |
| trump walks out more briefings |
| baby pool-we did that on sunday |
pacers extend mcmillan
Beverly mourns losing friend
masters announces no fans this november
train derailment
kentucky derby to scratch general admission
jets owner conduct being looked at again