5 Thoughts on USC's Loss at WSU

1. As Expected: I wish I wasn't right, but as I suspected might happen, USC's secondary wasn't good enough to handle a really good passing team and the offensive passing game was only modestly successful. The defense kept losing the battle of the 3rd and long which is absolutely puzzling -- the odds are normally stacked against you in 3rd and long but WSU kept converting on midrange passes. Now believe me, WSU is a really good passing team, but they're nowhere close to being a championship-caliber team. So unless USC steps it up several levels, they're going to end up 9-3 after the regular season and out of playoff contention.
2. Too Balanced: It is obscene at this point, that USC's has this bullheadedness about pursuing a perfect balance in the offense. They ended the game with 29 rushes for 163 yards and 29 passes for 164 yards. It's a failure in logic, really. WSU is completely unbalanced with huge lean on the passing game, yet, as you might have seen tonight, their run game is doing well enough. Why? Because the defense is tilted to protect against the pass, leaving 6 guys near the line with a wide open lane to get to the second level if you get past the line of scrimmage. That's how Jamal Morrow broke those two long runs. If WSU can move the ball with an imbalanced game, why can't USC go with the flow of the game? It's one of the most perplexing and annoying parts of the USC offense, going back to the Sark years.
3. Stop Making it About the 4th Quarter: Except for the Stanford game, every game this season has pretty much gone the same way with USC coaches and players expecting to make a huge surge in the 4th quarter to win games. That's not how you get to an undefeated season. Ask any oddsmaker and they'll tell you that you're not always going to come from behind to win the game, late in the 4th quarter; you have to rely on too many things going the right way in order to win. They're setting themselves up for failure in the 4th quarter -- which is exactly what happened to Sam Darnold and a hobbled offensive line relying on three backups including a pair of true freshmen. 
4. Good Loss or Bad Loss?: On the one hand, this was a bad loss because it exposed all of the shortcomings of the USC's coaching staff and likely cost Darnold his top spot in the draft as well as any awards. On the other hand, it's like they needed to lose in order to get the monkey off their backs or maybe a slap in the face. They have to stop pretending to be contenders; either they know they're contenders or they're not. This season has so far looked more like a team relieved that they survived than a team of gladiators relishing the next, bigger challenge. It's up to them whether this turns out to be a bad loss or a good loss. I think this will be a good loss, but we won't know it until they, figuratively speaking, punch both Utah and Notre Dame in the mouth and crush them.
5. Bad PAC-12 Refs: This is one of those games where the PAC-12 refs were so awful in every aspect of the game, that they had a huge impact on the outcome. They correctly called targeting -- a player used his helmet to hit the receiver in the upper chest/helmet who was already being tackled -- only to have it reversed upstairs. What the hell? It is clearly visible in the video. The defensive player turned his helmet down just before he made the hit. You can see the helmet hitting the face mask. They talk about protecting players but it's not true; it's mostly fake and it's been this way even after the studies linking CTE and concussions.

5 Thoughts on Week 4 in the PAC-12

I meant to pop this out days ago, but I've been preoccupied. Hey, at least I got it out before tonight's game.

1. Oregon Blues: Losing on the road in Tempe isn't the worst thing in the world, but it does signal that they're not "back" quite yet. A good team can win on the road, but Oregon hasn't hit that level, it appears. They should be able to beat Cal in Autzen, but then they hit the hardest part of their schedule against Wazzu, at Stanford, at UCLA, Utah, and at UDub. If they don't win a single game in that stretch, at best, they'll finish 6-6. If they lose to Cal this weekend, the natives will be restless, knowing what's coming up in their schedule.
2. Washington is PAC-12's Best: Going into Boulder and blowing the Buffs up was huge. Between this blowout win and last year's PAC-12 Championship blowout win, the Huskies definitely pwn Colorado. In four games, they've shown a remarkable consistency of a championship-caliber team, regardless of opponent. This makes them a better team than USC, right now. USC might have greater talent and higher potential, but all of that is a waste if they don't play consistently and up to their potential in every game as it will eventually catch up to them and one bad loss is enough to keep a team out of the playoffs.
3. Oregon State is PAC-12's Worst: I watched their game against Portland State, and it's fair to say Oregon State was lucky to get a win. Were it not for a handful of mental errors, PSU dominated the Beavers. Last year, all four of their wins came at home at Reser Stadium. The remaining four home games consist of UW, Colorado, Stanford, and ASU in that order. It's an iffy proposition that they'll beat ASU, and if so, it's the Jerry Pettibone era all over again. 1995 was the last time OSU posted a one-win season. Even if they beat ASU, it'll just be their 8th win in three seasons with head coach Gary Anderson.
4. USC Might Lose In Pullman: Going into the season, I thought that the secondary would be USC's strength given how two of them have been around for a few years and should be ready to step up, but it hasn't necessarily been the case against passing-oriented teams. Combine that with a modestly performing USC passing game, and this one has the hallmarks of a big upset and I'm not talking a single-digit loss. On the other hand, WSU might always 'coug it'.
5. PAC-12 Refs: I didn't watch all of the games, but of what I'd watched in week 4, it seems clear that the PAC-12 refs are once again seeing phantom fouls while failing to see the infractions right in front of their faces. USC had a phantom clipping while not a single ref noticed the two-player shift (without reset) in a punt formation. I have no idea how the refs failed to see the illegal shift from the punt formation -- it's not so difficult to track movement by players who're supposed to be stuck in their stances. I can only imagine how much we'd be complaining about the PAC-12 refs if they didn't have the ability to review plays to correct some of their calls. Everyone makes mistakes, but how do you call a foul that you didn't actually see, and how can you not see the infractions right in front of your face?

The Intro Song to BoJack Horseman

Whether or not you're a fan of BoJack Horseman, the full-length song that is the intro is just a wonderful piece of melancholy. I know, how is melancholy wonderful? But it is.

Written by Patrick Carney (of The Black Keys) and his uncle, Ralph Carney (where do you think that amazing baritone sax came from?), it's a special song that sits with you as you look out into the world and ponder, "how the hell did I get here?"

5 Thoughts on USC Beating Cal

1. Cal is Still Not Bad: It's going to be a very difficult stretch for Cal and they're probably going to lose their next three games -- at Oregon, at Washington, hosting WSU -- but they're still not bad. But they're definitely not good enough. They will probably finish anywhere between 7-5 and 5-7, depending on two games (against Oregon State and UCLA). Are they better than last year? Yes. But not by a lot. Oregon's had a better turn-around season so far, even if they haven't played anyone worth talking about (yes, I'm throwing shade at Mike Riley, a mediocre coach).
2. Second Half Team: In four games, USC has gone from a +18 scoring margin in the first half to a +37 margin in the second. Doubling their scoring margin in the second half appears to show that USC is effectively making adjustments during halftime, which also implies that teams are throwing new looks at USC in the first half. 
3. USC Kicker Chase McGrath: He kicked three field goals (37 yards, 34, 46) against Cal, and he had plenty of leg on that 46-yarder. He's now 5 of 6 in his first season as a true freshman walk-on. He's become Mr. Reliable with each game -- no more skipping the field goal on 4th downs. It's great to see people rise to the occasion.
4. Takeaway + Deflection: These are the defining attributes of this year's defense. In four games they've had 12 turnovers on defense and 13 pass breakups (deflections) on the defensive line. Don't be surprised if Uchenna Nwosu ends up 1st team PAC-12 defense at the end of the season and drafted by the 3rd round. His game this year is bonkers.
5. More Run-Play Options Please: Back when Andrew Luck was a redshirt junior (a senior but with one more year of eligibility left), his coaches expanded Luck's ability to call the plays on the field -- to adjust the call according to what the defense showed. USC ought to do something similar with Sam Darnold by calling many more run-play options (RPOs) and letting Darnold pick the defense apart, depending upon what they give him. Forcing the team to become a run-dominant offense does no favors to the offense when it continues to run up the middle even when the defense is stacking the box playing a single-high safety. Also, Darnold has to keep the ball more often before the defense respects the option run, but why not run the outside receiver an a delayed slant at the same time, to change the flow of the defense and give Darnold one extra option?

The Terror Dream

Ever since my BFF recounted dreams where she believes a demon has taken over her body and made her immobile -- apparently this is a thing, called sleep paralysis -- I've been having them, too. Except, mine are a lot weirder than hers ever could be as they have an exceptional clarity to them, allowing me to recount them in detail.

Just now, I just had one of them and I'm going to recount it for you.

The first part is a fragment of a dream where I'm driving in a very odd manner, doing a U-turn but doing it badly, getting hit but not getting injured. The next thing I can recollect is that I'm walking on the sidewalk avoiding traffic as I'm walking home. That's where the second part of the dream -- the disconcerting portion -- occurs.

I'm in a small, light beige colored bedroom, dimly lit by an incandescent light. It could be a white room, but because of the incandescent light, it feels like it's beige. Anyway, there are clothes to be folded, currently laid out on the bed, next to a suitcase and a dresser. The dresser is a dark brown color, I think it is a dark-stain oak. I don't quite remember the color of the suitcase, but it feels vintage with a faux rattlesnake pattern but in a dark brown color.

It feels like a sad moment, and like most sad moments I felt tired, so I decided to lay down on the bed -- the left side. But once I lay down (face down of course, because that's how I was actually sleeping), I felt my body immobilized. Then, a young girl is next to me. Of course, I can't really tell what she looks like, but I know it's a young girl because of her voice.

She says something, which then causes me to repeat it back.

As I said
In my head
He is dead
to me.

I can feel that as I'm saying this, I'm struggling to get up and my words are starting to slur in the struggle. I did not say the last two lines correctly. I'm trying to communicate a separate message to her, to get out of my head and body, but because I cannot move my body and I can only speak what she wants me to speak, I can only think it, repeatedly.

She repeats her last two lines, which then, is followed by my repetition of her words -- it is the primary reason, in fact, that I can recall them with precision.

He is dead
to me.

At that point, I am able to lift my head up and tell her to get out.

And that's when I wake up.

Amazing dream, huh?

5 Thoughts About PAC-12 Football After Week 3

1. The Everpresent Hype Machine: It's only week 3 and people are having a conniption on whether USC will make the playoffs after a poor showing against Texas. At the same time, everyone seems concerned that the previously anointed Top-NFL-Draft-Pick, Sam Darnold, is having trouble. These things happen to teams who play good teams. You don't learn a damned thing about teams playing crappy ones. For instance, in two weeks of playing crappy teams, Louisville's Lamar Jackson was being hyped as Lamar 5.0 or whatever. And then Clemson feasted on him. Don't believe the hype.
2. UCLA's Problem: They don't have much of a defense to speak of, and they haven't faced a team with a good defense. Up to now, their games have been high-scoring affairs. What happens when they meet a team with a decent defense? Going up next week against Stanford will tell us about how they perform against a good defense.
3. Stanford's Down Year?: I know SDSU is a fairly good MW team, but geez, losing to them? That's got to be the wake-up call for the offense, in particular. As suspected, that injury is mentally affecting Keller Chryst and Ryan Burns is just not going to cut it.  Bryce Love is as advertised, but he's still not a replacement for McCaffrey. Without a good offense, you saw how difficult it was for their defense to stay competitive.
4. Cal is Not Bad: Beating Ole Miss is not to be taken lightly. Sure, the Rebels are probably caught up in a lot of turmoil after Hugh Freeze quit in the middle of summer following the reporting of his using female escorts to recruit players, but still, they're a power-5 team that is probably somewhere between the middle and bottom tiers of power-5 teams. In other words, Cal is not bad. The Beavers are (super) bad, but not Cal. USC's still gonna open a can of whup ass in Berkeley, though, and I'm saying that because Justin Wilcox sucked badly as a DC at USC, then got a lot of pats on the back for his one year at Wisconsin taking over an existing powerhouse defense built by Dave Aranda (Wilcox's defense underperformed Aranda's).
5. Big Week: This week is going to be huge, as many games will help us understand how good (or bad) some teams are. Washington and Colorado finished at the top of their division last year so their matchup is going to be a great metric for both teams and the rest of the conference. The second-biggest game is UCLA vs Stanford, as this game will really tell us if Stanford's in a down year or not and whether UCLA's ready to take the next step while Josh Rosen's still at UCLA. The third-biggest game is Oregon at ASU, where we see how good that Oregon defense really is. These three games are all at night (7 / 7:30 pm), meaning: #pac12afterdark. Crazy things happen in PAC-12 games at night.

This Will Make You Angry

HHS's Tom Price has been taking private jet flights costing tens of thousands of dollars even as he's slashing HHS's funding for support of the ACA. Last week alone, he took five private flights that would have cost taxpayers at least $60K.

When he proposed slashing HHS's budget, he said:

"Tough choices had to be made to identify and reduce spending within the department."

Apparently, that didn't include flying commercial for himself.

The nerve of this little shithole plutocrat to steal from the poor to reward himself! He needs to resign immediately.

5 Thoughts on USC's Win over Texas

1. Great Teams Find a Way: A lot of fans will be upset that USC looked terrible, but a lot of teams have bad games. The great teams always find a way to win, even in the worst of games. Winning means everything in sports, even if it's an ugly win, so you take the win and celebrate the tenacity of your team to keep fighting.
2. Exorcising the Ghosts: In the back of everyone's mind, surely, was that this game was shaping up to resemble the 2006 Rose Bowl with Texas coming from behind to win the game as time ran out on the clock. Instead, we saw something resembling the shocking, last-second heroics from Sam Darnold in the 2017 Rose Bowl, as he drove the team 52 yards in 43 seconds to kick a field goal to send the game into overtime and eventually a win over Texas. Despite the anxiety of it all, it was a spectacular end. Also, it was satisfying to see Vince Young's deflated expression at the end of the game.
3. A New Hero: Talk about creating new heroes, USC's true freshman walk-on kicker hooked his first field goal, but then hit two clutch field goals at the end of the game. First, he hit a field goal to send the game into overtime, then he hit one in overtime to win the game. This might be one of those transformative games where the kicker -- Chase McGrath -- gains the confidence needed to become Mr. Reliable in clutch moments.
4. Injuries are Piling Up: Without a bye week, USC's really going to need second and third string players to step up, what with all of the injuries starting to pile up. USC's starting defensive tackle, tight end, and an inside linebacker sat out the game with injuries, but by the end of the game USC's starting right tackle, defensive end, and outside linebacker had been pulled for injuries. One player -- Porter Gustin -- played the first half even though he'd had two screws in his broken toe, but was pulled in the second half because one of the screws had come loose. Fortunately, USC's second string players are good enough to start on other teams; sadly, being talented is no substitution for experience.
5. Needs Substantial Improvement: Grade-wise, the team needs substantial improvement. Stanford lost to San Diego State, taking much of the shine off of last week's win over the Cardinals. But across the board, the team performed much worse against Texas than against Stanford. There were too many dropped balls, missed blocks and tackles, false starts, and questionable play selections. And despite the amount of talent in the secondary, they're looking sub-par so far. This secondary won't stand a chance against WSU in two weeks if they keep losing track of receivers or falling behind on routes.

5 Thoughts on "Week 2" of PAC-12 Football

1. Arizona Schools: Yep, they're pretty bad. For Arizona to lose at home to Houston and ASU to lose at home to SDSU is downright embarrassing. ASU and UA might end up combining for just three or four wins this year if Saturday's games are any indication of how bad these two teams are. Speaking of bad teams...
2. Oregon State is a Dumpster Fire: They barely beat Barney Ball, aka FCS Portland State Vikings. The only reason why they won was that the Vikings committed a lot of errors. Aside from that bad win, they've been blown out by Colorado State and Minnesota. They've clearly taken a step backward from last year which is the opposite of what I thought would happen. The way they've played so far, It's hard to see how they win another game this year.
3. Cal Deserves Some Credit: Their week one win at UNC was unexpected, but UNC is supposed to be in a rebuilding year. Nonetheless, they came back to win it so they deserve some credit. They also had to come from behind to beat Weber State, but like Oregon State, they had to come from behind against an FCS opponent and did so mostly due to the mistakes made by the other team. Struggling against an FCS team is a big red flag, so maybe Cal really will end up near the bottom of the PAC-12, but for now they deserve some credit for two straight wins.
4. Oregon is Better: I don't know how to judge Nebraska so it's hard to distinguish the quality of the Ducks so far, but the passing offense is, as one might expect from watching fall camp drills, vastly improved. The defense is -- still -- terrible, though perhaps not as bad as last year. Yet, because the Arizona schools and Oregon State have substantially slid backward this year, it seems that the Ducks might end up 8 - 4 and go to a bowl game this year, instead of what I thought would be a 6-6 season. Sometimes you get lucky, right?
5. The Three Tiers: USC, Washington, and Stanford remain in the top tier -- combined, they will probably have 4 losses or fewer. Utah, UCLA, Colorado, WSU, Oregon, and Cal are in the middle tier. ASU, UA, and Oregon State are, by a mile, stuck in the bottom tier. This is where things are right now, so maybe USC will end up in a dumpster fire while Oregon State wins out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LOL!

BTW, "Week 2" is in quotes because there were actually 3 weeks, but the first week had just a handful of games so no one is counting it as the first week of games.

5 Thoughts on USC's Win Over Stanford

1. Technique Matters: What we saw in those fall camp videos is what we saw in the game, and it was actually the same techniques we saw in the first game. In the run game, all of the running backs are running exactly like they did in Deland McCollough's drills. The offensive line is getting off the line and making their blocks especially their combo blocks. The defensive line is shooting the gaps, timing their jumps to deflect passes, and using their arms to hold off blocks to get to the running back. The big differences between the previous game and this one: the receivers didn't drop passes and the defense knew what to expect in the game.
2. Great Hire: Without a doubt, finding and hiring Deland McCollough away from Indiana was a great decision by Clay Helton. I can't get enough of his drills and how those drills have carried through to games. We've got running backs twisting, jumping and bursting through like they rarely did last year. Credit goes to the o-line for the holes, but the running backs are breaking multiple tackles on their way to long runs. Against lesser opponents than 
3. Loaded and Stronger: It's abundantly clear that USC is loaded and stronger than last year. No one is missed from last year, not Adoree Jackson, not Juju Smith-Schuster, not Darreus Rogers, no one. And that's not including Michael Pittman and Daniel Imatorbhebhe who did not play against Stanford.
4. Stanford's a Really Good Defense: Don't let this game fool you, Stanford has a really good defense. They will shut down nearly all other teams, but USC's offense is exceptionally special. Seeing USC grind Stanford down was an amazing, unexpected sight to behold. For the last decade, it's mostly been a rugged, dragged out physical affair with Stanford usually dictating the game. Not this year against this Trojan team. Aside from Stanford, there is just Utah with as tough a defense.
5. PAC-12 Refs: Geez, they sure had a string of really lousy calls. It'd been a few years since we'd last seen a game called this poorly in all of the PAC-12. They did their best to protect the feelings of Stanford's QB, Keller Chryst, not calling an obvious intentional grounding on one play, then a phantom personal foul on another. Unlike other years, this USC team did not lose composure and break down from the bad calls. The one thing they've gotten consistently right this year has been instant replay reviews, but of course, those are now being handled by PAC-12 officials in their headquarters, reviewing videos of close calls.

5 Thoughts for September 8, 2017

1. Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Design: Based on the ASCE 7 basic wind speed design for structures, Florida's newer structures should survive with minimal damage from a direct hit from Hurricane Irma, currently with 155 mph maximum sustained winds. However, were Irma to make landfall at its full strength (from several days ago with 185 mph winds) very few structures would survive. That's something to think about, going forward, if you understand the threat of climate change. Also, since Florida is full of older buildings built before modern building codes incorporating hurricane resistant design, most of the houses hit by Irma will be totaled.
2. Democrats Really Did Win: Think about how Donald's agreement with Democrats turned out. In one day, both sides of Congress readily passed the Democratic proposal and Donald signed it into law. Republicans in Congress said they're angry and shocked, but they capitulated and allowed Donald to once again dominate them. No counter at all. It's a signal to Donald that he can win if he supports Democrats, not Republicans, on many issues. He surely didn't anticipate this, but that's what he's discovering right now. Republicans surely did not mean to make this signal, but they've just told everyone that they're passive-aggressive antagonists, not leaders.
3. Equifax Debacle: This Equifax breach is exceedingly worse than almost all other breaches, maybe the worst, in fact. Their statement issued yesterday said that they discovered the breach on July 29 which is well over a month ago. The info that was stolen was the entire identity of people -- everything that's in a person's credit report, including addresses, birth date, full name, social security number. With that info, anyone can create a fake you and you might never find out. They will be able to apply for credit cards, bank accounts, mortgages, loans, and screw you over royally. The potential impact is enormous, yet, the news media hasn't treated this with the seriousness that it deserves. No amount of fraud protection can keep you safe.
4. Don Jr Keeps Lying: At first, it was about a meeting over adoptions. Then, it was a meeting over Clinton dirt. Then it was about doing due diligence on an opponent. Now, it's about Clinton's fitness. He can't stop lying.
5. YouTube Changes: Not many people will know this, but YouTube removed instant playlists for Chromecast through the desktop (Chrome browser). It's still available via mobile devices using the YouTube app, but this tiny change has been a real pain in the ass for me. The mobile app is not as useful as via browser on a desktop, so I'm quite disappointed in Google right now, for having limited the usability of YouTube.

The Smoke-Filled Gorge

I was going to be near the airport -- at IKEA -- yesterday, so I thought I'd cross the river, fill the gas tank up, and drive out to the Gorge on SR14 to Cape Horn and Bonneville to see how the fires are.

With so much smoke, it's impossible to see the extent of the damage, but there were over a dozen smaller fires all over the northern edge, adjacent to the Columbia River. A couple of Chinook helicopters were doing water drops on the eastern flank of the fire while the western edge appears to have slowed.

As I left, it started to lightly rain. Hopefully, a good sign.

---

ADD: Panoramic images from my phone:

5 Thoughts on Donald's Deal With Chuck and Nancy

1. Art of the Fold: Donald, despite his braggadocio, is just not very good at making deals. Instead, it seems that he's built up the art of the fold -- something which he apparently considers to be strategic. The problem is, his strategy is superficial, thinking just one move ahead and not cognizant that his opponents have a multitude of moves to respond with. He's not even playing checkers; he's basically playing the simple card game of War. Ask him about something odious that he'd done yesterday and he'd literally respond, "But that was yesterday!" He's pretended to act tough against NK, but he could not foresee that his actions would result in NK ramping up its pursuit of nuclear weapons.
2. Capriciousness: This pseudo strategy conceals Donald's capricious decision-making -- and it's something he's shown over and over again. Insiders pointed to the uncertainty of his DACA decision right up to the hour before he was set to announce it. What's feeding into his mood swings is that he lacks a basic moral code; what limited set of moral positions he has, most of them are still transactionally relative. There is a word to describe a person like Donald: Amoral.
3. Donald 2.0: The effects of John Kelly are discernable -- he's spending less time directly going on the attack of people, instead, letting others do the attacking and then amplifying those attacks by pointing to them. Meanwhile, he's getting directly involved instead of just sitting around for hours stewing about something that's gotten him upset. When he tweeted "no rest for the weary", he was inherently referring to himself. Donald is still Donald, of course (he's still a corrupt asshole), but much of his energy is being redirected by Kelly towards involvement in getting things done. 
4. Chuck and Nancy Show: Axios grabbed a quote from a midwest GOP operative stating,  "Democrats got more done in a single Oval Office visit in one afternoon than the congressional Republicans have achieved all year." It seems that Chuck and Nancy still wield more power than their GOP majority counterparts and use that power fairly effectively. I can't resolve, however, what signal they're trying to send.
5. Democratic Signals: Are Democrats trying to strategically position Donald against congressional GOP to get them to finally open their eyes to Donald's capricious and ineffectual leadership, eventually leading to Republican support for impeachment? Or are they afraid of the consequences of a President Pence, therefore, seek to make a strategic wedge to prevent this, in hopes that they can walk this line to 2020 and clear out both Donald and Pence? Or perhaps their hope was to show that they know how to get things done in Congress, regardless of who (or what) was in the White House, as a selling point to substantiate their wave election drive?

Sunrise! (Sort Of)

By the time I was able to take these photos, it was already well over an hour past sunrise and I had missed my chance to capture the red sunrise I'd been searching for, this morning.

The dark spots are actually sun spots. The extremely poor air quality works very much like a solar filter, blocking most of the light, allowing for an easier time photographing the sun.

No special lens involved, just my Nikkor 55-300mm zoom. If I had $500 looking for a home, I'd bbuy this lens.

The Effects of the Gorge Wildfires

The air is so bad right now in Portland, Oregon that I can see ash falling from the sky, and I don't mean a little.

That sparkly stuff falling is ash hitting the light. The light is casting rays because of the thick haze. No kidding, it is nasty outside. I incidentally breathed in a piece of ash and it tweaked my sinuses for a split second.

Even the moon is blood red. This is similar to how the moon appears during a lunar eclipse but tonight it's all because of the horrible air from the wildfires in the Gorge.

5 Thoughts on USC-WMU

1. Closer Than Expected?: It was a back-and-forth affair for three quarters, and then USC broke loose for 28 points with one touchdown coming from a deflected interception. USC was favored by 28 points but that was a terrible expectation. Western Michigan ended last season losing to Wisconsin by one score in the Cotton Bowl and ranked 15th in the AP. Or put another way, at the end of last season AP voters thought that just 14 other teams in all of the FBS were better than WMU. 
2. But Really, Why So Close?: A few days ago starting safety and team captain Chris Hawkins told USCfootball.com's Keely Eure that the key to their game against WMU was USC playing USC football. Translation: The defense had no idea what WMU offense would look like because their coaches had changed and the incoming offensive coaches came from different schools, so DC Clancy Pendergast focused on fundamentals and patience. The expectation, it appears, was that their superior talent would eventually win the game. The problem with this, however, was a lack of fundamentals and execution early on.
3. USC Miscues: It looked like a first game of the season as USC players had difficulty tackling and catching the ball while the special teams looked downright horrible. Porter Gustin, a player with talent, skills, and strength to play at the next level, nonetheless screwed up royally when he got into position to make a pick-6 only to mistime his jump in the air while the receiver caught the ball and ran past him to score a TD. Sam Darnold's two interceptions came from the poor play by the receivers.
4. Cam Smith Makes a Difference: After sitting out the first half due to the carry-over penalty from the targeting call he received in the second half of the Penn State bowl game, his presence in the middle of the field in the second half settled the defense. He made two tackles for a loss, equal to the rest of the defense, and the defense allowed just 157 yards in the second-half.
5. WMU Sportsmanship: On the final extra-point of the game, USC wanted to send in blind long snapper Jake Olson, and WMU agreed to support him. It was a special moment and a huge credit to WMU. It was also a very special moment for USC fans as they know about Jake Olson going all the way back to when he was an elementary school kid embraced by Pete Carroll and the Trojans football team.

In Process Design.

This is the third project from my college years, that I've decided to go over and rework it. There are four reasons for this:

1. I get to produce far better eye candy for my portfolio of ideas than what I could do in school, given the digital tools available to me in the 21st century.
2. I get to revisit, reinforce, and develop some of the aesthetics / design language that I first explored in college.
3. I'm not likely to get another opportunity to do this with large scale projects unless I work for a large firm and it's not likely that I'll ever work for a large firm given my general propensity to avoid the politics of a large firm.
4. It's hella fun.

I have just one rule: I can't spend more than a few days on each project.

The base model for this particular project took 6 hours total to build. The design -- so far -- is much longer, especially with the compound curves. With the self-imposed time restrictions, I can't get into the nitty-gritty details at the plan level of how everything works, but that's okay because plan layout isn't what I'm after, here. Sculptural models and spatial thinking are what I'm chasing.