More on the intricacies of basketball strategy, or, eff convention

In the past, using my experience as an impartial scorer and scoreboard operator for some local basketball contests, I've advocated a "feed the best player no matter what" strategy. Quite frankly, bizarre basketball strategies intrigue the heck out of me, since I believe the game is based far too much on a rigid sort of "play the right way" philosophy that minimizes most teams' chances to win.

Therefore, I eagerly devoured a story from Malcolm Gladwell in The New Yorker that I just stumbled upon tonight. Basically, if a bad basketball team wants to win, it should press constantly, and especially the inbounds pass. (Note: This is a long read, but if you have an interest in basketball, military strategy or just good writing, then it is worth it.)

Gladwell's interviews backup a hunch I've had for a while - The press is the best defensive basketball strategy. Like Rick Pitino's story in the article, I've also seen David almost upset Goliath, although on a much, much smaller scale. When I was 10 or 11, the best player on my rec team fouled out, and we were down by 15 points with about six minutes to play. We were one of the better teams in the league, strictly because of him, so the chances of us winning were really bad. (How good was he? I was probably the second-best player, and I averaged something like six points a game. Yeah, I was a stat nerd even back then. On the plus side, I had more than 10 boards a game, I'd guess.)

Because the best player had fouled out, our coach basically decided to just let us play the rest of the game, so it was me and four bench players doing a full-court press. Lo and behold, we rapidly got back in the game, and probably could have won if not for the clock running out on us. I ended up with 18 points, pretty much all on putbacks and lay-ups after he had fouled out. (It remains a high for me in any game where score was kept. So ends Steve Greenwell Recreational Basketball Glory Days Storytime.)

So yes - Pressing for the entire game instinctively makes sense to me as a winning basketball strategy. On the college level, Division III school Grinnell uses a variation of what is described in the article. This eHow article provides a pretty good rundown of it, and Grinnell has used that to compile 73-46 record the past five years, even though 1) they don't recruit great basketball players and 2) everyone knows what they're going to run.

However, even Grinnell's methods leave something to be desired. First, they don't really play conventional defense - If someone beats their press, they've content to let them get a layup. Grinnell doesn't really try to create the Rush, as Pitino's teams try to do; Grinnell is playing its own game altogether and doesn't give a shit if you score, because frankly, you're just getting in the way.

Second, Grinnell teams work in shifts regardless of player quality. Pitino doesn't play all of his guys equally - He worked the hell out of his better players like Sosa and Antoine Walker. Yeah, because you play a certain style, it means that you won't get the elite basketball players looking to showcase their skills. (I was shocked that only one Pitino player, the aforementioned Walker, had made an all-star team, but that made sense.) However, this doesn't mean that you should be happy with inferior players taking shots away from more efficient options.

How would this translate to the high school level? I imagine that a coach in a weaker league, such as Rhode Island, could dominate the competition by just pressing all the time. Except in rare instances, most of the state does not have Division I basketball prospects, so pretty much all the teams have guards that would be rattled and worn down by a constant press. Personally, I'd love to try it out at some point, but I don't really have the means or ability to be a basketball coach at any level right now. Something to shoot for when I'm older, perhaps.

For an exhaustive description of Pitino's press, and a lot of other basketball strategy, check out this site. The rec basketball photo is from here, and before anyone asks, sorry, it isn't me. It is just a random Google Images thing.

Storytime with Bob Hanson: Meeting Bill Belichick

The following is the gospel of Bob Hanson:

So I was at the same bar as Bill Belichick last night.

As a person who lives and dies with the Patriots every Sunday, this made me very excited. It's funny that this is the kind of thing that gets a person excited. It makes sense that Bill Belichick has to eat and drink. He's a person just like you or me. I live and work in Washington, D.C., so we'll oftentimes see important policymakers and journalists. The previous night I had been at a Kennedy School of Government event that featured Obama's head speechwriter. I also work in the same building that the produce PTI and Around the Horn, so we'll see Michael Wilbon walking into or out of the building every few weeks and once saw Bob Ryan. But my excitement at those events pales in comparison to my excitement of seeing Belichick.

It's funny the reaction that seeing a famous person has on people. I guess in LA, where they see celebrities all the time, there is some sort of code to be cool about it (I don't believe this for a second; I think they are desensitized, not cool). But in most places, people start to act a little bit insane. He was at a booth sitting with a blond woman (younger than him, but not young) that was in people's line of site only if they stood at the top of a set of stairs. People started hovering in that area, taking pictures with their cell phones, and generally gawking. I can't say that I didn't do my fair share of gawking but I don't think I was out of line (you'll have to get Kristin's reaction to see if I actually wasn't a creeper). I honestly wanted to sit down with him to thank him for the great years he has given us as the Patriots' coach. But I at least wasn't so creepy that I'd ruin his date with the good-looking blond, so I abstained.

I got it in my head, though, that I would shake his hand as he walked out. When I saw him get up to leave the bar, I shot up to the top of the stairs of the establishment (we were at the Tombs, a Georgetown bar that is entirely underground) and waited just outside to meet him. Another guy had the same idea, only he wanted a picture. He talked me into trying to take a picture of him with Belichick, which I asked him to reciprocate. Then we heard Belichick's trademark, gravely voice coming up the stairs. As he turned the corner we were waiting right there to meet him. The other guy was a little bit dumbfounded, but I said, "Coach Belichick, I just wanted to shake your hand and wanted to know if you would take a picture with us." He shook my hand, thought for a second, and politely declined to take a picture. I tried to pass off my card (I have no idea why I did this, it's a stupid DC thing) but he declined that as well. I said, "That's fine, thanks again," and I grabbed his hand and shook it again.

That was the end of my encounter with Bill Belichick. I can say his handshake was firm but not overly strong. I didn't think until the next morning about how it was funny that I shook hands (twice) with Belichick considering all the criticism and troubles he's had over the years regarding them (his handshakes with Parcells, Mangini, and Dungy all go significant attention every game). I went back down to the bar and texted just about everybody I know that I had just touched Bill Belichick. Twice.

On the scale of personal famous person encounters, this was up there but not the best. I got to shake hands and briefly meet Barack Obama backstage at a rally he did in 2006 for the Sheldon Whitehouse campaign (the advantage of being a political staffer). That was interesting in that he seemed generally interested in shaking hands and meeting me even though he knew I was a peon working for a guy who wasn't even a sure thing to make it into the Senate. That, however, wasn't even the greatest celebrity moment of the campaign. One day I got to have a beer with David Ortiz at his house due to my connection to the campaign. That story, however, will have to wait for another day.

Picks:

INDIANAPOLIS over NY Jets -8
NEW ORLEANS over Minnesota -3.5

-----

Steve here again. Wow, I don't think I can possibly top that story, or the list of celebrities that Bob has hobnobbed with. So instead, I'll just give my football picks for this weekend:

Indy over Jets
Saints over Minnesota

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Kristin says: Creeper, no not really. Glowing with wide-eyed excitement and smiling like the Patriots had just won a big playoff game - yes. I must admit, it did give a small thrill and nicely enhance an already festive party atmosphere (a great 'gift' for our friend from Boston on his 24th birthday). I did however feel no need to go stare at him like many of the other patrons, and I almost felt sorry for him except that he seemed be unfazed and happily enjoying his date. I was slightly annoyed that Bob ditched me entirely for almost two hours to stand at the ready while he waited for Belichick to finish his meal, but at least after all that he had the guts to really shake his hand - I was thinking it might have been all talk.

Finally, I'm not sure what Belichick was doing in a DC college bar instead of an private corner of an expensive restaurant, but it makes him seem like a grounded famous person (and a nice one, he didn't complain or brush Bob off, and we heard he tipped the hostess on the way out).

As for my picks, after seeing people dancing in the stands I'm back on the Saints train, and I just don't respect the Jets enough to think they can beat out the Colts.

INDIANAPOLIS over NY Jets -8
NEW ORLEANS over Minnesota -3.5

Now your girl TV update: One Tree Hill and Vampire Diaries restarted this week. I think One Tree Hill had a nice natural ending point at the end of last season, and I think they keep making the show out of habit and don't really care if they keep their viewers. Now half-way through the season, they still have not shown Payton or Lucas, and I am getting tired of waiting. Please bring them back! This is even though Lucas is a whiny, blabby, self-absorbed momma's boy, and the same words could be used to describe Payton except that she has more of the girl-angst talk about punk rock but not be actually musical dark-twisties going on (due to lack of mommas).... DON'T have them FINALLY get married and then take them away from me!!! Bringing in new characters will NOT continue to distract me, and I don't really care about them.

The big reveal on Vampire Diaries was that the main character is ADOPTED, dun dun duhhh. Now they will be able to trace her back as a relative of her vampire boyfriend's first love - the vampire that turned him. I pray that they stick to the "vampires can't have children" thing and don't make her the secret love-child descendant of her own boyfriend - considering they have slept together now.

The other reveal was that her vampire boyfriend is the one that saved her from the car crash that killed her adoptive parents - before the two characters even met. This second reveal kind of annoyed me, because it was painfully obvious once he started talking since she had always said she didn't know how she escaped the wreck. However, I have to admit I cried a bit when he described how her adoptive father wouldn't let himself be saved first and made sure his daughter was first pulled from the car. However, honestly, guys - never tell you girlfriend this - she can't handle it, let her think she was the only one possible to save - not that her parents could have lived if it wasn't for her.

Last note - Ooooooooooh! I am sooo excited you like Project Runway! Bob got pretty into the second season, which I think was by far the best. He doesn't really watch with me anymore. This week they kept Ping, the girl I complained about last week, after she sent her model down the runway in a skirt so badly sewn together they called it an ass-flap. I think they are keeping her for the intrigue, but she will be gone within the next two weeks. Have you watched any of the model after show? Models are generally annoying (except for Heidi) so I haven't added it to the TiVo yet.

The picture of Bill and his girlfriend comes from this Sports Illustrated gallery of a college football game. Advanced apology to Kristin for not having more pictures, but I'm finishing this up from the catacombs of the Dunkin' Donuts Center, so I don't have time to add them right this second.

Storytime with Amanda Meyer: The best crushes ever ever

Every weekend, my friend Amanda Meyer writes an entry. This week's concerns her celebrity crushes.

The more I talk to people, the more I realize that I have entirely too many celebrity crushes. It needs to stop, though I do not imagine that it will. What follows is a list of my Top Five actual celeb crushes and Top Five fictional celeb crushes.

Actual People That Should Fall in Love With Me:

1)Leonardo DiCaprio. Leo has topped this list since I first saw Titanic in theaters at the age of nine. He has been faithful ever since, only getting better looking as he ages and continuing to pick characters I can’t help but fall in love with. Furthermore, he’s got class; this guy cleans up real well, is very active with charity work, and he’s a good actor, not just a pretty face.

2)Milan Lučić. If I ever needed a guy to fight for me, he would be it. This guy kicks ass. He is also Canadian and plays hockey. What’s not to love? His ONE drawback is that he’s six months younger than me. And he gets a lot of broken noses, which takes away from looks. Slightly.

3)Bobby Flay. Bobby and I would get along great, and I would always have a great meal to come home to. The only downside here is that he is my parents’ age. Eww.

4)Matt Damon. A local boy, he and I have the streets of Dorchester in common. What girl can’t resist a Boston accent? Besides, he’s dreamy. And look, he loves the Sox. ‘Nuff said.

5)John Cena. Don’t even ask. I don’t watch wrestling, his acting career is miserable. But he’s HOT. And he can fight.

Fictional Characters Who Would Love Me if They Were Real:

1)Jack Dawson from Titanic. If you haven’t seen this movie you need to. There really is no reason why I should even need to explain this. In three days he waltzes in, turns Rose’s world upside down and gets her to fall head over heels in love with him. She wasn’t the only one who fell.

2)Jim Halpert from The Office. Jim has a goofy smile, makes amazing facial expressions, gave the PERFECT wedding toast this season, and is all-around adorable. What a great guy. Also the actor is from Brighton, my current digs. I like it.

3)James “Sawyer” Ford from Lost. If I ever get stuck on an island, I hope Sawyer is there to save me. He’s sarcastic, a huge wise-ass and obsessed with condescending nicknames, but after a few episodes, it’s just endearing. He also kicks ass, takes names and has a heart. He might not ever say it back, but Sawyer, I love you.

4)Billy Costigan from The Departed. Boys from Boston. What can I say? Us local girls love our boys. The accents, the badass persona, the Irish Mobster boss... We love it all. Sure. Billy had issues, but at the end of the day, all he wanted was to make it out of the Southie projects and be respectable. How can you not fall for that?

5)Chuck Bass from Gossip Girl. Chuck is arrogant. He only loves himself. He owns more Dior than I do (and that’s saying something). He’s 18 (creepy). He’s a pompous mutli-billionaire Upper East Sider. But GOD is he gorgeous. His one-liners are almost as good as Sawyers, and sometimes he has a heart. He makes me want to leave Boston for NYC, and that is saying something.

The picture of Crush soda is from here.

Storytime with Amanda Meyer: Jeffrey Steingarten and for the love of foie gras

Every Saturday, my friend Amanda Meyer writes a blog entry. One, because I think she's an excellent writer, and two, because I like to have a day off. Questions, comments or concerns? Leave them at the end of this entry, gawd!

Something I have learned about myself this week is that if I could trade lives with anyone in the world I would choose... Jeffrey Steingarten! Shocking, oui?

So he doesn’t have much going in the looks department, he has a funny sounding voice and I’m willing to bet most people don’t even know who he is. But you know what I have to say to those people? Get you butt to a couch and start watching some Food Network!

Steingarten happens to be one of the world’s leading food critics, a field I wish was easier to break into. This guy has a sweet gig going on. First of all, he works for Vogue. Hello! Who doesn’t want to work for Vogue? That magazine can singlehandedly solve any of my life’s problems.

He is also a regular judge on Iron Chef. Not only does this mean he eats delicious food, but he gets a lot of opportunities to meet Bobby Flay (my ultimate celeb crush). I also have a great appreciation for the fact that he graduated from Harvard and then Harvard Law, worked for Boston’s Mayor White, but left politics behind to be a writer. That’s admirable, and he’s really good at it; I highly recommend his book, The Man Who Ate Everything.

This leads me to my next point - The guy is paid to eat (everything!). I blame my love of food on my very Italian family. It was not until I was about 15, when I invited my then-boyfriend over for Christmas Eve dinner, that I realized most Americans do not eat seven courses of seafood over the holidays. I grew up assuming that raw oysters and calamari were every day fare, although I now realize that could not be further from the truth. Silly me.

I have also learned that conversations with new friends about favorite foods seldom go well. Usually they talk about their love of pizza or lasagna or even ribs, to which I express my undying love of foie gras and cioppino (for those of you who care, that’s goose liver pate and Italian fish stew). My obsession with Food Network shows as well as Bravo’s Top Chef only continue to encourage me to try new things, which in turn encourages more and more strange looks from people I tell about them.

But when you’re a famous food critic, I bet you don’t get funny looks. Mr. Steingarten makes these same dishes sound so fantastic that everyone who reads his book will immediately be inclined to book a flight to France for some authentic escargots! I would love that kind of power.

Luckily for me, I have found a great way to share this love of food with other foodies via the Internet. Yelp! is not only a great way to rave or rant about a meal out, but also a wonderful way to find some hidden gems in your area that you just have to try. So maybe this doesn’t put me quite on the same level as my new-found hero, but everyone has to start somewhere. Oh, and if you’re curious, you can find all my reviews under my username: amandabanana.yelp.com.

The picture of Jeffy is from this site here, which has several humorous photos of chefs and others downing some sort of booze.

Storytime with Amanda Meyer: Profoundly pitching perfect proposals

[Left] This martini costs more than a year of college did for me.

There is no way to not embarrass myself in the setup of this story. All you need to know is that I enjoy wedding shows on Style Network and WEtv a lot more than I should, considering that I have no immediate plans to get married. I love the drama and the fashion and the elegance of weddings, so it’s no surprise that I absolutely love good proposal stories as well.

I have recently learned that The Oak Room at the Fairmont Copley Plaza here in Boston serves a martini that will cost some lucky lady’s future husband a whopping $12,500 for what I can only describe as the perfect proposal. But naturally for that kind of bank you’re getting more than a drink. This tasty cocktail comes complete with an overnight stay in one of their suites (which they deck out with roses, candles and of course champagne), breakfast in bed the next morning, and the most important part, a ring! This can be picked out at the upscale jeweler located in the hotel.

How perfect does that sound? Pretty perfect, right? At least to me. But it got me thinking - What could Google tell me about other creative proposals? I assume guys blog about this sort of thing since you very well know they aren’t getting these ideas on their own. Unfortunately, I was hard pressed to find anything that topped the martini proposal.

What I mean by this, is that a creative and unique proposal idea seems to be one of the following:

- Using a scoreboard at a sporting event
- Playing a practical joke with a happy ending
- Placing an ad in the local paper
- Having a local radio DJ pop the question for you
- A “Marry Me” screen saver on her computer

Can I just point out how terrible each of these ideas is? I really hope that people aren’t using these tips!

I have actually seen two rejected proposals at Celtics games before. It’s awkward and you’re put on the spot in front of thousands and thousands of strangers! Ick!

A practical joke? Really? I had a boyfriend do something along these lines on a much smaller scale of course and I didn’t talk to him for a week. Girls don’t like that stuff, or at least I don’t.

As for an ad in the paper, that seems sort of creepy to me. It’s not like I read through the classifieds regularly anyway.

The DJ idea is just ridiculous, and although my old roommate actually said she likes this idea, I am really against taking the easy way out of it. Own up and ask yourself! Come on guys!

This is also the same logic I am using to ditch the screen saver idea.

So the point of my long ramble today is this: When in doubt, don’t trust Google on this one, instead trust big fancy hotels with big shiny diamonds and lots of liquor and the girls who watch wedding shows when it comes to this sort of thing. I’m a little let down that I couldn’t find any better ideas out there (easily anyway, because I am assuming a guy would not look much more extensively than I have).

And on that note, I may just start frequenting Copley and scoping out rich looking young men at the bar!

The picture from this article and more information about the $12,500 martini can be found here.

Storytime with Amanda Meyer: Psyched for the Bruins

Maybe it’s all that French-Canadian blood I have, or maybe I just enjoy watching hot guys on skates throwing punches. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I can say with certainty that I am one hundred percent head-over-heels in love with the Boston Bruins.

Today is the final day of preseason hockey for the Bs, and going into their match-up with the Columbus Blue Jackets, they are 4-1-1. For those of you who are unfamiliar with hockey, that’s four wins, one loss in regulation, and a loss in an overtime shootout. Some notable changes to this season’s lineup are the addition of goalies Tuukka Rask and Dany Sabourin and the loss of right wing Phil Kessel. These are the more significant roster changes for the 2009-10 season and therefore worth discussing.

With last season's backup goalie Manny Fernandez not on the roster and Tim Thomas looking sloppy in practice, these 35 year olds who together won the William M. Jennings trophy last season were bound to be replaced. The solution? Tuukka Rask of Finland at the ripe age of 22, drafted in 2005 by the Toronto Maple Leafs who has been playing for the Providence Bruins since 2007. Rask has won both preseason games he has played in and is looking really sharp on the ice.

Rask’s partner in crime is Dany Sabourin of Québec, a seasoned 29-year-old who signed with the team as a free agent over the summer. He got a win in Toronto but received a loss during the shootout in Columbus this past week. The team’s loss in regulation was against the Montreal Canadiens for Thomas though he made up for it by winning in overtime against them in their second match-up.

This brings me to some heartbreaking news, the loss of Phil Kessel to the Leafs. Signed to the team in 2006, Kessel was the fifth overall pick in the draft for the rookie maximum salary of $850,000 a year for three years. Just a few months later, Kessel was diagnosed with testicular cancer, which was treated quickly, and less than a month later he was playing down in Providence. Four days later he was back in Boston, missing only 11 regular season games.

Impressed? It gets better!

He was clutch in shootouts, winning game after game for the team in overtime. He scored the first goal of last season, got his first two NHL hat tricks, and managed to get the highest record number of NHL regular season goals (36). So you can see why I was sad to lose this wonderful asset to the team, and did I mention that he’s also gorgeous? Because he is.

But of course, pesky salary caps were making it nearly impossible for him to actually stay here in Boston, so every one should tune in on December 5 to see his first game against the Bs. (Better yet, buy tickets, it’s in Boston!) As a side note, the Bruins took Toronto’s first and second round draft picks for next season and their first round pick for the following season.

So, hopefully this catches everyone up to speed for the season. Some other minor notes to make for those of you who didn’t previously love hockey:

- Milan Lučić has shown that he hasn’t lost his edge... or his temper, getting a 10 minute ejection in a preseason game and already racking up penalty minutes for fighting. Useless fact: I used to have a huge crush on him until I found out he is six months younger than me. I can’t go for younger men.

- Team Captain Zdeno Chára hasn’t seen much play time yet, but what he has shown is that he has a great chance of winning his fourth consecutive “hardest shot” contest during this year’s all star break.

- New addition Steve Begin and veteran Dennis Wideman are showing excellent shooting skills and even better skating skills, which is good considering Wideman got sloppy in last year’s playoffs.

- Alternate captains Patrice Bergeron and Marco Sturm have had a strong presence in the preseason and their efforts of assisting the newbies and bringing the team together off-ice have really come through on-ice as well.

So there it is: the 2009-2010 Bruins in 752 words. I hope everyone is now just as excited for the regular season to begin when the Bruins open at home against the Washington Capitals on October 1. The game is at 7 p.m. and will air on Versus.

Storytime with Amanda Meyer: Theme party phylum

In the words of The Beastie Boys, "If I knew it was going to be that kind of party I'd stick my dick into some mashed potatoes!" ... Yeah, I don't know what the means either.

So as previously mentioned, it’s now seeming like fall and it’s definitely back to school. Now, I don’t know if you know this, but Boston is kind of a college town and our city’s population has very recently swelled to 800,000, accommodating an additional 200,000 or so twenty-somethings. And what’s a better way for these co-eds to spend a night at than at a party? Specifically, at a themed party!

A ride on the Green Line last weekend reminded me of just how hip and happening themed parties are here. I would say that a good 60 to 70 percent of the parties I am invited to have some sort of theme. Popular themes include white and/or black parties, the 1980s, CEOs and corporate hos, Boston sports figures and the roaring twenties.

Now, I admit, from time to time I have been the host of such a party. Last year, my roommate and I got a tad drunk and we ended up whipping out our credit cards and buying some costumes online. It was July. Later that week the costumes arrived and we realized, “Oh crap! We just wasted $60 each on costumes... in July!” So we had a very, very premature Halloween Costume Extravaganza. (I want to make a quick side note, I was very happy with the costume, which was purchased here. I highly recommend the site if you find yourself invited to a themed party or if you are considering a career as a stripper and/or exotic dancer.)

I’m going to include some photos inspired by this party to really illustrate the rest of my story, which I call ‘The Three People You Meet at Themed Parties.’

First, we see the girl who drunkenly (though often these costumes are bought stone cold sober) bought an elaborate ‘army girl’ costume (and yes this is exactly what I bought, and you should all just stop laughing right now). These are the people who secretly (or openly) love themed parties and want to go above and beyond to fit in at the event, they are also usually female. These people are the ones who are “attending” on Facebook, who instead of bringing their own beer, brought their own tequila. These people aren’t just in costume, they have the makeup, shoes, and jewelry to complete the outfit. They are absolutely offended by the other types of people at this party.

This leads me to person number two. This person is called “guy in the horse mask.” This guy responded as “maybe attending” on Facebook, because he loves parties, but doesn’t love themes and is holding out for a better offer. When a better offer is not found, he will pull together a lame excuse of a costume at the last minute, but will ensure it has enough comic value for him to still get appreciation on the effort. This person is usually a guy, and his prime motivation for complying to the theme is the possibility of getting laid later on by one of the girls who fell into the first category.

The last type of person at a themed party is “that other dude.” This guy (and this person is almost certainly a guy) came for the booze and didn’t even bother to dress up, and he probably didn’t even respond to the Facebook invite. He knows he’ll get crap for his lack of dress, but only until everyone in costume is wasted, at which point they will promptly forget about it. This guy probably came under duress, as a date, or possibly due to peer pressure from a good friend. In the end, he still has as much fun as everyone else, possibly more, and the pictures on Facebook the next day are far less embarrassing for him.

Now I’m not here to pass judgment on any of these people, just a few observations I have made at the many parties I go to. I will even be so bold as to say that while you were reading that, you said “oh my gosh, it’s like she knows ME” during one of those descriptions. And by the way, since I clearly fall into the first category, if anyone has some cool and not overdone themes to suggest for my future parties, please let me know. I might even invite you and make you the guest of honor!

Storytime with Amanda Meyer: Seasonal shifts in the great coffee battle

So this fine Saturday, I want to talk about coffee. Specifically, I want to talk about my inability to start brewing my own and further inability to stop spending far too much money daily on my caffeine fix.

I’m a sucker for advertising. I define Corporate America’s targeted demographic. And yet, if Dunkin’ beat Starbucks, why does The Bux continue to beat my wallet on a daily basis? I’ll tell you why in four short words: pumpkin spice soy lattes. Okay Dunks, you win my vote on iced coffee, but fall is in the air. I know, I know, summer just ended, but if you don’t believe me, look at the foliage freaks screwing up traffic on 95N starting at the 128 Split all the way up to New Hampshire.

So other than the foliage and back to school, fall in Boston means that it’s a lot windier than I’d ever like it to be, and thus, my lattes double as a way to keep warm. Starbucks re-introduced the pumpkin spice flavor this week and I am already hooked. In my humble opinion, it’s absolutely perfect. The soy milk makes it extra thick and the nutmeg on top is like the icing on a cake.

“But Amanda! You live in Boston? Wouldn’t it be much more fun to hang out at some tiny hole in the wall cafe drinking fresh brewed coffee that isn’t mass produced?” Well, in a word, yes. But to elaborate, that takes time, time I don’t have as one of this city’s many impatient “Massholes,” and I like I said, their advertising is good. Basically what I am telling you is that getting out of bed early to brew coffee is less appealing to me than standing in a line, having an anxiety attack about being late to work, and spending no less than $5.21 (venti soy flavored latte with MA 6.25 percent sales tax) on enough espresso to get me through the day.

Call me crazy, but that’s just how I roll. And for the record, when I do have a lazy Saturday morning with nothing to do but homework or reading, I absolutely love scouting out “real” coffee shops and spending some nice time there with my iPod and my books. But in the great rush to work Monday through Friday, that is the last thing on my mind.

Storytime with Amanda Meyer: Crazy roomies, FreeCreditReport.com and Sonic

Back in the day, when Johnny Carson went on vacation, he would have Joan Rivers fill in as the guest host. Well, in an effort to lighten my writing load from seven entries a week to six, former Tag Team participant Amanda Meyer will be doing an entry every Saturday about the various crazy stories she has. I'm also not opposed to farming Sunday out, so if you're interested, shoot me an e-mail at sgre6768@gmail.com.

Here is my crazy roommate story as promised, which has somehow turned into a rant about Free Credit Report ads...

Anyone with cable has probably heard at least one of the many FreeCreditReport.com ads. You know, that geeky guy sings really awful jingles about how he didn't know that his "credit was whack." I find these songs very annoying, although catchy, and really hate when they get stuck in my head all day as they often did for a whole year while I was living in East Boston.

You see, my roommate did not find these annoying, she somehow found them awesome. I am sad to say, I now know each by heart...

She loved them so much they were on her iTunes, and she would sometimes start playing them during parties. This was always an awkward situation to explain to friends, and generally, they all ended up thinking she was crazy. I don't know what it is, but I seem to have odd luck when it comes to roommates.

However, in this situation I actually went from finding these ads annoying to downright wanting to throw objects through my television when they came on. Not only is the character singing clearly being dubbed over, he looks like he almost never showers and tends to make beyond-goofy facial expressions, which are a huge turn off from an advertising standpoint.

Furthermore, these are misleading ads and that is one of the first things pointed out when you visit the actual website. Why do I have to be subjected to a man singing about renaissance fairs, delinquent fiancees and credit roller coasters when all three major credit bureaus are required by law to give me my report once a year (and it's actually free)?

In another note entirely. SONIC.

Thanks for the entry Amanda! The last line is in reference to the great, wonderful news that a Sonic has finally opened in New England, which apparently is so popular it is affecting the traffic pattern, and the current plan is for me to visit it with her on Labor Day. I'll let everyone know how that turns out.

I also find myself humming the Free Credit Report songs, even if they are crass commercialism at its worst.