Good News Friday -- Football Fans, Star Wars Gifts & The Christmas Spirit Edition

This weekend, the NCAA Division I-AA and Division II Championships are taking place. Marie Freeman's Appalachian State Mountaineers are in the final. In view of Marie's good thoughts for Mizzou during the Big XII Championship, futile though they were, I have adopted ASU as "My Favorite Division I-AA" Team. Here's a collection of Marie's photos from ASU's semi-final contest with the University of Richmond.

In Division II, I am pleased to note that the Bearcats of Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri shall be playing for the championship against Georgia's Valdosta State University.

True Story: Some thirty years ago, when I was contemplating a college to attend, I applied to a number of institutions around the country, and for whatever reason, was accepted. When the time came to apply for financial aid, I prepared a packet of material which needed the endorsement of the counselor at my small, rural Missouri high school, who was then to send it off to the various institutions. Some months later, I received a letter from one institution, the one I most desperately wished to attend, informing me the packet had not arrived and that therefore, I was out of the running for certain assistance. Incredulous, I went to see the counselor who assured me he had sent the materials to Northwest Missouri State.

"No," said I. "I gave you a stamped envelope. You were supposed to send the stuff here. And that's how I wound up at Mizzou and yes, my mother still has my acceptance letter to that other college with the word "northwest" in it.

Here's video of NMSU's coach, Mel Tjeerdsma (Pronounced "Church-mah") earlier in the season:




On the Star Wars front, I present a number of links, via Neatorama, for my friends Andy and Will.

I was seventeen years old when Star Wars premiered. I thought it was a fun movie. Of course, I've seen the rest, and to be honest, I thought George Lucas should've stopped after Return Of The Jedi. That's just me.

In spite of my ambivalence, the Official Sons of these pages are well versed in the mythology, to the point where it's a little scary. As one might imagine, this time of year, the wish lists runneth over with Star Wars totems of various sorts. This, in turn, has compelled your humble correspondent to scour the internet for the latest from Lucas Films and company so you don't have to. In the words of Jar-Jar Binks, "Meesa likes:"

First up is a model. My lads would go nuts to have this. I would never have the patience for something like that.

What one will not find on the shelves of the local Wal-mart are these offerings, which, though tasteless, are rather funny in a mocking sort of way.

Don't ask me, how much time I wasted at this site, I justify it by telling myself I might have a chance to win a million dollar trivia contest someday, so it could be useful. Alternatively, maybe I can parley this knowledge of starship design into an extra dessert, when I'm ninety and in a nursing home.

As blasphemous of the Star Wars mythos as this is, I got a kick out it:



Finally, on a serious note, someone needs to tell Mr. Hassan Askari that he's not conforming to the metanarrative.

Have a good weekend, all.

Cheers.

R. Sherman