Saturday, 31 July 2004: In the immortal words of my wife, "We got the Nomar! We got the Nomar!"

Yep, the Cubbies scored big in a blockbuster four-team deal by nabbing shortstop Nomar Garciaparra from the Boston Red Sox. We also picked up a minor league outfielder named Matt Murton who is supposed to be pretty damned good in terms of both fielding and batting. Apparently, Murton was actually the deal breaker here. Maybe the Cubbies have some ideas in mind for shuffling their outfield. Sosa going bye bye? One can hope.

Thursday, 29 July 2004: What is it with Chicago sports and injuries?

Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, Sammy Sosa, heck, just about any 2004 Cub has seen their name on the DL. Now, Chicago Bear middle linebacker Brian Urlacher is on the IR after only one day of training camp with a hamstring problem. The true scope of the problem is yet to be announced, but it cannot be a good sign no matter how you read it.

I, as a Chicago sports fan, feel like crawling into a hole. Grrrr...

Wednesday, 28 July 2004: Bond fans can start mourning now. After months of speculation, it looks as if Pierce Brosnan will wield the Walther PPK and down the martinis — shaken, not stirred — no more.

Despite fans' pleas and Brosnan's own attempts to recruit Quentin Tarantino to direct the next flick, it seems as though the Bond camp will be seeking out a new star. Whether it was Brosnan's choice or the producers' choice is still a bit up in the air. Some say he wanted too much money and walked away when they wouldn't give it to him. Others say that the producers want a younger actor to take the reins.

Who really knows for sure?

Heck, for all we know, they might still come to some agreement and Brosnan may don the tuxedo yet again.

Tuesday, 27 July 2004: I hate cosmetic surgery. I truly do. The concept of it makes me ill and the few shows that I've seen on channels like TLC and Discovery make me feel like wretching. I have no problem watching other surgical shows, but the idea that people actually "want" something like this done to them just makes me physically sick. I can't take it. I want to stay as far away from doctors and hospitals as I possibly can. I only go in when I absolutely need to.

So, why am I so addicted Nip/Tuck? You would think that a show like this, despite being a fictionalized drama, would go against all my better judgement. Well, it doesn't. This show is fascinating me to no end this season (I missed out on season 1 because I thought it was a real cosmetic surgery show and not a drama). I've been watching them all and I'm even picking up the season 1 DVDs from Netflix. The realism of the surgery is beyond compare even by shows like ER. If you have FX and a free hour each Tuesday, check it out.