It's weird.

I suppose the logic behind the BCS is that it's better than the old system, but obviously that's not true because we still don't agree. I suppose the BCS makes the schools involved more money. Or maybe it doesn't. I dunno, I don't care.

Under the old system, though, the Bowls had caché. They had historical meaning. Now they have a Tostitos or FedEx logo across the top. Or whatever corporation bought them. I don't even know anymore, because the corporatized/BCS system has resulted in me rarely watching the games anymore.

The Rose Bowl used to be the Granddaddy of them all not because of how it fit into a complicated system that changed focus and rules from year to year, but because of its heritage as a matchup between two conferences. All the major bowls were that way.

Was it better to have some poll determine the national champion? Probably not, but we're no closer to crowning a national champion now, and we've also denuded the Bowls of their verve.

I say kill the BCS, screw some playoff system that's going to leave deserving teams out, and give us our Bowl games back.

The Bush administration is a crowd that's way past due for a butt-whipping. George needs to be grounded to his room for two years with no pretzels, and Cheney needs to be CIA-rendered to, oh, let's say Syria.

As a start.

"Direct snap to Faulk."

If I saw it coming, everyone on the San Diego line should have seen it coming.

Obviously we are barely one step removed from poop-throwing monkeys.

But I think there's something deeply wrong with being entertained by watching people being humiliated, no matter how little talent they have. I mean, I think if you enjoy that sort of thing there is something wrong with you, deep inside you.

It's ugly.

But I guess it's who we are. Look at how popular the show is.

That said, I'm not saying the contestants should be coddled or given false praise. It's not about that. It's not even about that Simon character saying mean things to them. It's about making public their humiliation, about the spectacle of turning their failure into so-called entertainment, about amusing ourselves with mockery and derision.

Is there something wrong with having a little respect for basic human dignity, with just trying to be decent people?

And while voters' decisions will often depend on their perception of the candidates' personalities and reputations, we'd like to think that candidates handling of the issues will still be important.

It's nice to dream, I suppose.

I guess I kinda lean toward Indy, but it doesn't really matter to me who wins. Hell, I'm not even going to see the game -- got something else going on that afternoon.

But the crucial point is this. It doesn't really matter if Chicago gets within 14, or even wins, if Wes goes to a country with internet access.

But I have to admit, just hearing Patrick Warburton say, "There's no need to bring Gizmo into this. He's programmed for love," would make me laugh.

As for all the Hatin' on Heather, here's my question: where do you find the time? I'm far too busy to read something I consistently hate, let alone write an essay about it. How do you do it?

First things first. Yeah, we make the boxed stuff every now and then. I actually prefer the Kraft to Annie's. What can I say? It's a convenience food, not the foundation of my family's food tree.

Real Macaroni and Cheese is, contrast, a sublime food. Properly prepared, it is a delicious treat. I make it about once a month during cold months. The only reason I don't make it more often is, let's be honest, it's basically fat and starch. Delicious fat and starch, but not the best choice for every other meal.

My experience making it homemade let's me know that if I made the Mac-and-cheese as prescribed in the article (just one extra step), not only would I have more clean-up than with the boxed stuff, but I would have macaroni noodles swimming in a thin milk gruel along with nuggets of cheese curd. You can't just grate cheese over noodles and add butter and milk. You have to make the actual cheese sauce. Heat the milk, add the butter and stir, then add a little flour--without which you get the aforementioned gruel with cheese clumps. For smooth sauce, you need the flour, and you need it cooked separately from the noodles.

Then, for bestest mac-and-cheese, you put it in a caserole dish and bake it for 45 minutes at 350°. I sprinkle a little grated cheese on top for a nice bubbly crust. (I like a 2 parts medium cheddar, 1-part pepper jack cheese mix for my sauce.)

That takes time. And makes a mess. Two pots, the grater at a minimum, plus proper sauce really coats the utensils. It's worth it though.

People pick Annie's or Kraft because they don't want to deal with the mess of real macaroni and cheese. The alternative is not the real thing when time or convenience is of the essence.

You know the definition of insanity, right?

Do they look more impotent because they are more impotent, or do they look more impotent because that's the chosen media narrative?

If you have to tell people you're a genius, you're probably not.

I am stunned. Officialdom in Boston is populated by retarded hysterics, yet Time-Warner has to pay a fine?

Only a complete idiot would look at those things and think bomb. Sure, there are lots of idiots in the world, but one might hope that they wouldn't be so prevalent among law enforcement.