i've watched two partial nights of tennis. i saw the final three sets of blake-agassi (fantastic), as well as portions of sharapova-petrova last night.

this much is clear: maria sharapova is the most attractive, alluring teenager in the world. it's a very odd affect, but i'm actually transfixed. you don't watch the little yellow ball when she's playing, you just keep watching those legs. so graceful. alluring is the 100 percent correct word.

when federer is playing (and i don't watch tennis much, because two majors occur during work season, one occurs at midnight, and then i see this one for parts, anyway), your eye is drawn to him. not because of his legs, but because of his grace. he plays every shot well, just hanging back and picking his spots.

sharapova's like that, but she's also phenomenally hot. even before match point yesterday, she was frazzled, and tired, and just generally downtrodden. and they cut extreme close up, and i just stared. i think she's 17.

[i'd like to thank treem for inspiring me to believe that this wouldn't sound dirty. thanks treem.]

- - - - - -

11-2 loss today. one loss in two days, and we're done. hope is a loss tomorrow, which would allow me to get some work on friday night. 30 bucks is 30 bucks, i guess. then, hopefully, half of the irish on tv in glenview in the early part of saturday, the cats in evanston (3 point favorites. the basic belief is that the home team gets 3 for being at home. this means that it'd be a pick 'em if it were played at the cotton bowl.) in the afternoon, general debauchery that evening, and nfl in glenview for at least the early part of the afternoon. woof.

- - - - - -

i haven't read or really followed anything with regard to the hurricane katrina situation and, because of that, haven't posted about it. i can't encourage you to donate because i haven't myself. that's hypocritical. i don't have enough of an opinion on things, nor do i truly understand the scope of it, to post anything.

but newsweek's lead photo in this week's package is fascinating and scary. just roofs. and water.

how about this week's conventional wisdom?!
bush - late, lackadaisical and largely oblivious to the enormity of the mess. it's a competence thing.

homeland security - four years after 9/11, what happens in an emergency? no food, no medical aid, no law? do you feel safe?

hastert - house speaker says 'it doesn't make sense' to spend money to rebuild the big easy. thanks for your support.

congress - after cutting funds pre-katrina to fix new orleans levees, it's set to pass another huge tax cut for the superrich. typical.

pretty vicious, i think.

alarm's at 930. it's 330. i've got scrabble book to read. woof.