Signage

On my way out of the house to pick up some take-out, my mother grabbed my arm, and offered to pay for it. She handed me her credit card.

Me: "What?"
Mom: "They'll take it."
Me: "I don't know, Mom."
Mom: "It's OK." And then she also gave me $40 in cash. "Just in case."

As I was leaving my house, I showed this loot to my wife. She shrugged, and said, "Try it. They probably won't even look at the credit card."

And she was right. At the restaurant, I handed my Mom's credit card. The charge went through. And when it came time to sign, I hesitated for a step, then signed my name. My name!

Tonight, while reading a humorous article on Zug (courtesy of Find the Boots), I stumbled upon Zug's hilarious "pranks" involving credit card signatures. It's a very funny article, and I'm now ready to borrow my wife's credit card when the mood strikes (just kidding!).

The Final Four

In the 2006 FIBA World Championships, the final four teams have been determined.

The United States versus Greece. Argentina versus Spain.

The US must play well just to even get into the final. And whoever wins Argentina versus Spain could very well be win the final gold. We'll see. The US game is in the middle of the night. I won't be up watching. But it'll be the first score I look for in the morning. See the comments for the update.

Quest for Gold

The United States basketball team is in the 2006 FIBA World Championship. And yes, we're gunning for gold.

The last FIBA championship was 2002, held in Indianapolis. Yugoslavia beat Argentina for the gold medal, with the US finishing sixth in the tournament. Sixth!

This year, the US coach is Mike Krzyzewski, the highly successful coach for the Duke University men's basketball team. Our players include LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Carmelo Anthony. The US beat Puerto Rico yesterday, and will face China tomorrow. The championships are being held in Japan, so you'll have to get up early to watch them.