I had been to New York for Thanksgiving and it was a dream come true. New York is probably one of the most buzzing and active cities in the world. NYC is known for all its hype, action, media etc. but what struck me the most is that living in NYC is just like being part of an high octane action movie. If you live in the city (especially downtown Manhattan), you will not be surprised why you hear the term "City that never sleeps" tagged to New York. I must term my trip as adventurous especially considering the fact that we( Myself and 2 of my friends whom i met at my workplace) drove past Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania before we reached the Big Apple. The best part of the road trip was it was unplanned and we had our share of close shaves and crazy occurences. We had to drive through the Pocono Mountain Range and exactly at the time we drove around the area, there was a snowstorm with almost zero visibility. Add the weather drama to my road-wingmen snoring in the car and you see the darker side of roadtrip adventure. Despite all the driving hazzles, we made it after 15 hrs of night driving on white tar with lots of caffeine seeping through our veins. Driving in NY Downtown was one more challenge left to encounter at the end of our night driving saga and soon I felt i was driving in India. Taxis drive like Auto-rickshaws and I bet that no cop in downtown every handed a speeding ticket with the traffic over there. We took this road trip to meet our pals mainly to avoid expensive Thanksgiving flights and partially also for the kicks only a roadtrip can give. Can you guess what part sucked the most(of the trip): PARKING in Manhattan for 3 days cost us $120. The best part of the visit though was not seeing the Empire State Building or Statue of Liberty or Times Square but it was the time I spend with my buddies and laughing our ass off at the live comedy act at Comedy Cellar close to NYU. Sometimes, it is the simple things in life that we ignore or take for granted are the most memorable moments of our life... for example hanging out with friends, laughing aloud like hyenas, eating food of a different cuisine, taking the train from one town to another, the quick walk from one building to another in the freezing cold. I realised that vacation is not only about visiting places but enjoying the most common stuff we miss doing during our weekly work routine or the weekend.
Zen and the art of Car Decisions :
Just when i thought i found the ideal car in Acura TSX ,my new roommate bought a Honda Accord for almost $25K and his statement about the difference between Accord and Acura TSX inspired me to search about Accord. Accord fits the bill of a family sedan perfectly but doesn't give the sporty feel of the Acura TSX. As a result it's performance is not comparable to the TSX. However if the price is the most important criterion , then Accord is a great buy. My logic goes like this: If i can pay $25K, it should not be too much of a hassle on my living if i get my ideal luxury car for $30K. You live only once and so its imperative you enjoy your life while you can.
Now to write my own Analysis Section of the NFL( sorry Peter King) - Sunday Evening Running Back:
Ladainian Tomlinson( a.k.a LT a.a.a greatest running back ever ) was proclaimed as the best running back (of all-time)in football by his coach-Marty Schottenheimer. Since Marty was a defensive coach for a long time before becoming head coach, the statement holds lot of value. Last year, Denver's coach Mike Shanahan made a statement that LT is the best running back he has seen in the NFL. Why do so many coaches and analysts concur on this statement by Mike(Not everyone will agree with Marty)? It is because LT gives so many options when you hand the ball to him. He is San Diego's #1 Offensive Weapon as he can run, catch and throw the ball. Why is his skills so great? It is not because he can run fast or make you silly on an open field but his ability to make you miss in short spaces that separate him from all other running backs i have seen or probably will see. He has had some great runs during his career but since i follow his success and failure closely, I observed that his best run of the season was the 8 yd TD run against New England where he was so close to the ground but never went down on multiple contacts. He showed to me that he can gain those tough yards and still make home runs possible. Last week against the Washington Redskins defense, he stiff armed a redskin linebacker on his way to a touchdown which to me was one of hardest things to do for a running back his size and speed. This run coupled with the move against Ty Law which made him look silly just made me think "Marty finally made the media notice something they were waiting for a big name coach to announce." I have only one question for LT? If you are the best running back in football why dont you have 100 yard games for about 13 of the 16 weeks in the regular season. LT is a great running back but is not as consistent as Walter Payton or Emmitt Smith or Barry Sanders. Until he reaches the level of consistency of 100 yd-2 TD performances every week i will not accept LT as the best running back of all time although all of us know he has the talent to be the greatest.
Heading to the significant games on unoffcially NFL's "Rivalry Weekend":
Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants: This is the most important game of the week. I think the Cowboys are overrated and they will struggle to beat New York. I am really concerned of the Giants defense but Cowboys dont have an offense to light up the scoreboard. So the Giants should win unless they dont screw it up like they did in Seattle.
Cincinatti Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers: I like Cincinnatti in this game despite all the criticism that they cant win the big game against the Steelers. I think we need a change in dominance and I would love to see Chad Johnson in the playoffs.
Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs: The biggest challenge for Denver is whether they can keep their "Most Disciplined Team" tag going for one more game. If they can, no Willie Roaf or Larry Johnson can help KC. Denver has a better overall team than KC and should win despite all the history of December games at Arrowhead against them. If the Broncos lose this game, the Colts fans better start booking their flight to Detroit in February.
Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers: Vick has tormented the Panthers in the past. This time though Steve Smith will torment the Falcons. Say goodbye to Michael Vick and his 2005 playoff hopes.
Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears: Chicago has the best defense of the year and also has the better team in the matchup. Sorry Brett, despite your mastery of QB position , beating Chicago in Chicago especially with the current GB team is a tall task. Watch out for Chicago in the playoffs-they may enter the NFC championship game in January.
Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers : Can Oakland stop LT at home? Can Randy Moss start to show up? Watch out for Kerry Collins air attack on the San Diego corners. I want to see another great LT run in the playoffs and so I would have taken the Superchargers any time
+ a.a.a stands for Also Annointed As
Enjoy your weekend!
