That's good, Steven.

The Pond had the same mascot ("Zsolt, the F1 Duck") back in October of 2005, though.

I appreciate the gesture, though.

Posted by: Wonderduck at 12:04 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Just a few hours away now. I won't be liveblogging, but there will be comments at halftime, not to mention trashtalking over at The Astronomicon's place. WARNING: foul language is expected from sk8.

Remember my prediction: Bears 30, Colts 24. Actually, I think that predicted score is a little high; after the past two weeks, I've come to think Bears 27, Colts 21, but I'll stick with my original.

That way, when it turns out 27-21, I can say 'well, at least I've got it on a post.'

Any other guesses?

Update @ 223pm: Just saw an interesting little factoid over at AoMM..."And, finally, the past national championships for various pro and college sports have all been won by the underdogs. The NBA in 2006? Miami featuring a beyond washed up GP, Shaq, and Alonzo. The MLB? St. Louis with Suppan and Weaver as their 'aces.' The BCS? Florida berating Ohio State like a random Chinese guy berating another random Chinese guy... ...I think you get the feeling for the trend for the Super Bowl. In other words, be careful betting against the underdog."

ME LIKEY!

UPDATE, 527pm: Three things just before kickoff...
1) The Thunderbirds did the flyover. They were HERE for DuckBurg's Airshow this summer. Neat thing: they had a camera inside the cockpit of the lead plane, and the shot was shown on the jumbotrons in the stadium.
2) Patrick Mannely, longsnapper for the Bears, has a great porn mustache.
3) Bears win the coinflip.

UPDATE, 530pm DEVIN HESTER RETURNS THE KICKOFF FOR A TOUCHDOWN!!!! OMFG!!!

UPDATE, 706pm, Halftime. Bears down by two, 16-14. Sloppy, sloppy game by both teams, but the Colts got things cleaned up in the 2nd quarter, while the Bears kept dropping the ball. The D is doing the job, though, if only the offense (read "Rex Grossman") could actually show up. Losing Cedric Benson to a badly sprained knee ain't gonna help.

Prince rocks.

UPDATE, 717pm: Prince went from Hendrix's All Along The Watchtower to The Foo Fighter's The Best Of You, and made my jaw hit the floor. DAMN nice cover.

UPDATE, 903pm: ...and the party's over. Close the coffin, fade to black. The Colts just kicked the Bears butt all over the field. Congrats to them, kudos to the Bears for a great season.

Crepe.

Posted by: Wonderduck at 08:11 AM | Comments (12) | Add Comment
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The Bears/Colts SuperBowl is tomorrow.

I'm up to episode 13 of Kanon 2006, and will probably catch up to where the 'subs are now tonight.

I'm kinda bored with the games I have on my computer.

...and we just finished the Rush/Returns/Inventory three-week stretch at Duck U.

Anybody have anything they want to discuss? Or have discussed via duck?

Posted by: Wonderduck at 01:36 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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SDB's at it again: "20070202.1005: A viable source of infinite free energy has been discovered. Naturally, the great Duck Revolutionary cabal has been suppressing it, to maintain their power."

Not quite. The Infinite Source of Power doesn't use a potato. Ducks don't eat potatoes.

Close, though.

Muah-ha-ha-ha-HAAAA!!!

Posted by: Wonderduck at 11:06 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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Steven's panicking. Good. Goooooooood. Muah-ha-ha-ha-HAAAA!!!

Actually, what THIS shows is a performance of Tchaikovsky's Duck Lake, the original version of Swan Lake.

Then the Czar, a notorious duck-hater, got to him. Ducks have long memories, though, and we are VERY good at holding grudges.

Eventually, WE got to HIM.

Muah-ha-ha-ha-HAAAA!!!

Posted by: Wonderduck at 04:12 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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...that Steven DenBeste has been talking about ducks quite a bit recently?

That's not an accident; we've gotten to him. He is ours now.

Soon, the whole world will be ours. The day of the ducks is coming...

Posted by: Wonderduck at 09:57 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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Okay, it's the day after the Bears ran roughshod over the Saints, and they'll be facing the Colts in the SuperBowl.

I'm okay with that, actually. It's a better matchup than the Patriots would have been. To be honest, I'm thinking the latest line (Colts by 7) is more a function of the "AFC is better" hype that's been out there all season.

There's no question that the AFC as a whole WAS better all season. BUT, the Bears were the best of the NFC from week 1 to today, and with Sunday's game, the defense got back to playing the way they were in the first half of the year... in short, dominating.

IF the defense plays that way AND the running game is as effective THEN they will beat the Colts, no question.

The Colts' defensive front four are, to be blunt, lightweights... literally. They're undersized and can be pushed around by a strong offensive line, which is exactly what the Bears have. It may not happen immediately, but the Bears O-Line should be able to dominate and let the "Thunder and Thunder" running backs get free.

On the other side, IF the Bears defensive line ("Our four beat their five.") can repeat their performance vs the Saints against the Colts, AND the defensive backs can stay frosty under pressure (like they did against the Saints), THEN I don't care how good Peyton Manning is (and he's DAMN good), the Bears will win.

However, that's a lot of "ifs" and "ands". After all, the Colts had the biggest comeback in playoff history last night... against a not-too-darn-bad defense. The Colts' defense is pretty flimsy, but they held when they needed to last night.

I think the Colts O vs Bears D will probably be a wash (both are good, but "defense wins championships"). The Bears O vs the Colts D is a wash (neither is very good).

Which brings us to Special Teams. Adam Viniteri (sp?) is one of the best 'clutch' kickers of all time. He's had SuperBowl-winning field-goals a couple of times, I think, and he's NEVER missed a FG in the playoffs. Robbie Gould of the Bears, though, arguably had a better season than Viniteri this year, and he's got ice-water running through his veins. I'll give the slight edge to the Colts, but it's very, very slight: 52-48 kind-of-slight.

BUT... the Bears have the best kick coverage team in the game, AND the best returner in the game in Devin Hester. From all reports, the Colts kick coverage sucks, and their return game isn't much better. It won't surprise me to see this game turn on the special teams, and if it does, the Bears have the edge.

Which is all a long-winded way of saying that I think the 'experts' are blinded by the hype, and should be flipping a coin for their choice. As a Bears fan, I need to pick them, but it's not going to be by much... seven points or so at best, and it could easily go the other way.

Bears 30, Colts 24.

Posted by: Wonderduck at 05:12 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Oh, Miami will be SO SWEET!

Hey, Denny Green, crown our @$$ now? We were who they thought we were... NFC CHAMPIONS!!!

UPDATE 536pm: Ubu fills his end of the deal in amazing style.

Posted by: Wonderduck at 11:16 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Chicago-style hot dogs? Check.

WBBM on the radio, with Jeff Joniak on the coverage? Check.

Snowing outside? Check.

Let's get ready for some football!!!!

First half is over... click for the instant analysis. more...

Posted by: Wonderduck at 07:53 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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So tomorrow's the game between Da Bears and the Aints. I dunno about Ubu, but I'm ready to see the bludgeoning the Saints will get, if only to get The Sports Media to shut up already.

It seems like nobody except Bears fans give Chicago a chance in hell to win this one. I just don't understand this... yes, New Orleans has a great story working for it; yes, the Saints were 3-13 last year; yes, the Saints have never been this far in the playoffs in their history. Guess the Bears having the best record in the NFC doesn't matter much, huh?

The weather forecast for Chicago is looking pretty grim for the visitors, too. Short version, up to five inches of snow, a high around 25 F (that's -713 C for my overseas readers), and windy.

They call that "Bears Weather," my friends.

Posted by: Wonderduck at 02:07 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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I saw this tonight, and while it's quite well done technically, and it's no different from any of the previous commercials that feature dead artists hawking new things, something about it just creeped me out. For a while, I couldn't figure out what was bothering me about it, but then it hit me:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Wise Man: This path will lead you to an unholy place. A cemetery. There the Necronomicon awaits. When thou retrievest the book from its cradle you must recite the words: Klattu Barada Nicto.

(later)
Ash: Wait a minute. The words. Right, right, right. Say the words. Klattu! Barada! Nn... {pause} Necktie, necturn, nickle... noodle. It's an 'n' word. It's definitely an 'n' word. {revelation!} It was definatly an 'n' word! {Ash ponders, idea!} Klattu! Barada! Nn(coughcoughcough)!

Wise Man: Dung eating fool! Thou hast doomed us all! When thou misspoke the words, the Army of the Dead awoke!!!
------------------------------------------------------------------------

ARMY OF DARKNESS, am I right or am I right?

Posted by: Wonderduck at 07:21 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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SDB sez: "Actually, the snow in the yard is covered with thousands of footie-prints. Webbed footie-prints. A little while ago I looked outside and there must have been more than sixty ducks out there, walking all over the place, hoping that me or my neighbors would open up their deck doors and toss out something tasty."

Oh yes, Steven... yes, succumb to the Duck Side...

"I admit that I gave into the temptation, so they got the last 10 slices of a loaf of sourdough bread that's been in my frig for about a week and a half."

MUAH-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA... This is merely the first step in Anatidae Domination! Today, Steven's back yard... tomorrow, THE WORLD!!!!!

And if he can fall, who can hope to stop us?

Posted by: Wonderduck at 06:01 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Hey, Ubu! Yeah, you Saints fan, I'm talkin' to you!

You've got to drag your gold-clad arses up to Chicago next week so the Bears can kick 'em 'round Soldier Field. "Who Dat?" The BEARS, dat's who!***

Wanna put the front page of your blog up as a bet? When my Bears win, you put a big ol' Bears logo as the top post for a few days. If the Ain'ts somehow pull a miracle out of their socks, I'll put a Frenchy-style fleur-de-lis up here on The Pond.

Whaddya say? Gonna stand by your team?

***(The Duck Sez: I'm not really as confident as I sound. I see the two teams as being basically even, more or less, with a slight advantage going to the Bears because of home-field and weather.)

Posted by: Wonderduck at 10:36 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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SDB is talking yakyuu today: 20070106.2110...So, it's about baseball. But instead of beesubouru or yakyuu; I hear them saying kaachibouru "catch ball". Why would they call it that? (Later I do hear yakyuu.)

I haven't seen the episode of Shinobuden 2x2 that he's talking about so I don't know the exact context, but kaachibouru is often used the same way we'd simply use 'catch.' Not in a description of The Game, but more for the act of catching the ball.

Leastwise, that's what I've picked up from books I've read and the (few) Pacific League games I've seen (Orix BlueWave, yatta! And yes, I know they've turned into the Orix Buffaloes. They'll always be the BlueWave to me).

Anyway, I could EASILY be wrong on the kaachibouru thing. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me in the least, but I THINK I've got it right. I should dig up my fansubs of 2x2 and watch that episode... the cute girls in baseball caps have NOTHING to do with it, I swear.

Let me take this opportunity to seriously push the works of Robert Whiting, such as 'The Meaning of Ichiro', one of his books on Japanese Baseball. I've three in my collection, "You Gotta Have Wa," "The Chrysanthimum and the Bat," and "Meaning", and highly recommend them to any baseball fan (though the first two are somewhat dated these days, having been published in the late Eighties/early Nineties).

Oh, the title of this post? *heh* Kinda like saying "(Bleep) You, Yankees!!!" in English.

Posted by: Wonderduck at 08:26 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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...but I gots lots in the hopper. For example, I'm working on a review of the Pixar/Disney film Cars ("I don't care who you are; that's funny right there."). Hey, it ain't ALL Japanese animation, folks.

Of course, there's... Japanese animation. There's a few AMVs I want to give a hat-tip to, and I REALLY want to review what is, possibly, the greatest OAV of all time, Sky Girls... at least if you like lolis and mecha and stupid plots and a ridiculously overblown alien threat. I also want to just shred episode 2 of 009-1 (yes, I know I said I wouldn't watch another episode of the show... but then I read that it's ALREADY been licensed).

Then, for those who don't like anime, there's F1, and I really need to start paying more attention to what's going on in that world. I mean, when Sebastian Bourdais (three-time indy-racer champion) is on the verge of announcing that he'll be driving in F1 in 2008, that's kinda important, neh?

Sooooo... this weekend may very well prove to be quite post-ridden. Thankfully, it's a three-day weekend for me; I can get used to that.

Posted by: Wonderduck at 06:23 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Quite the year 2006 was, neh? In F1, we saw the retirement of Slappy Schumacher, the birth of SuperAguri, Massa and Button winning their first races, half the field swapping teams (and the other half wanting to), the change of Midlands to Spyker, Alonso winning his 2nd Drivers Championship, and the death and rebirth of Minardi. Also, Vaucaunson's Duck dropped in from San Francisco and watched the USGP live from The Pond this year, which was remarkably cool of him.

In anime, KyoAni ruled the world with The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Kanon 2006, and Aria, all of which are top-shelf shows (Update: Aria wasn't done by KyoAni. The continuity staff here at The Pond has been sacked). Surprises included Ouran High School Host Club (which I still can't believe I liked so much) and Strawberry Panic (which affected me like a car crash... I just couldn't look away).

Then, there was... Dokuro-chan. The nightmares persist to this day.

I also discovered the joy that was World of Narue and some obscure show* called CardCaptor Sakura... great stuff, both of 'em.

But no discussion of 2006 would be complete without mentioning the acquisition of Chiyo-chan, replacing my 7-year-old computer. Or Oblivion eating up most of my free time.

I'm also thankful for the Panda Express that opened up a month ago.

But mostly, I'm happy that I appear to have entertained my readers for another year. Thanks to Pixy for providing The Pond a home on the 'net.

I'm going to do a Time Magazine-style cop-out here and thank YOU, the readers, for stopping by and actually giving me a reason to write. You all deserve some cookies.

*note: may not actually be obscure at all.

Posted by: Wonderduck at 06:00 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Busybusybusybusybusy.

I've got a post or two coming, but can't post much more than this right now.

One of 'em will be a review of the closest-to-hentai-but-isn't show I've ever seen. I'll let you guess which series it is!

Stay tuned.

Posted by: Wonderduck at 01:45 PM | Comments (13) | Add Comment
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I wish all my readers a peaceful Christmas, with you and yours...

...and a Haruhi New Year!

Posted by: Wonderduck at 03:37 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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1 Noooo! She's scary!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you to.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at December 25, 2006 09:16 PM (A9tur)

2 Too.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at December 25, 2006 09:29 PM (A9tur)

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James Brown... is dead.

Sad, sad news from the music world. The Hardest Working Man In Show Business has left the stage for good.

These days James Brown is almost the punchline of a joke... the coked-out, drunk, wild-haired crazy James Brown. But he was called 'The Godfather of Soul' for a reason, y'all.

Check this out: James Brown performing at Live 8 about a year or so ago.

RIP, James Brown.

Posted by: Wonderduck at 01:58 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I'm getting ready to head over to the Old Homenest for Christmas, so not much time to post... but I'll leave you with this:

Posted by: Wonderduck at 02:54 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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