ICanSleepWhenI'mDead

Dear Diary, Well, when you make it big obviously everybody wants to join the band. I suppose Coughlin can run the stage lights until I get my next gig: If I convert to Catholicism I wonder how long I need to stay to make the sainthood thing official before switching religions? Sanctimoniously, Douggie Head coach, interim saint, and exalted grand pubah of options

Dear Diary, I saw Rex Ryan's most recent press conference and felt sorry for the guy. They say he's gonna get canned. Obviously, having been in his shoes, there's an obvious reason why that's gonna happen. The man obviously can't communicate good. He obviously sounds like a hayseed every time he says "and all that stuff." All WHAT stuff, exactly? He obviously doesn't even know what stuff he's talking about, or else he'd manage to be specific and not repeat himself using obvious generalities. If you want to be known as a saint rather than a failed head coach, you obviously need to speak good. You can't be an obvious hayseed and constantly repeat words or phrases when the moneybags owners obviously want you to be the face of their franchise. But enough about Rex Ryan. Now for some obviously breaking news about me (boy did Nate obviously hook his wagon to the right star at Syracuse): Note to self: It occurs to me that if Nate was smart enough to hook his wagon to me, I'm obviously gonna have to keep an eye on his obvious ambitions. Saint (still unofficial - - what's taking the Pope so long?) Doug Interim leader of the band

The Bills' 12th man showed up for the Steelers game - - the first 11, not so much.

I don't know who would win, but it would look an awful lot like this:

Florio's an idiot. The clock in fact began running at the moment the ball was stopped to Williams, so his conduct in immediately spiking the ball meets the requirements of the rule.

Dear Diary, Note to self. Now that Nate's been promoted to offensive coordinator, I'm gonna invite him and Khan over to watch the Blues Brothers movie. Maybe when Khan sees how getting the band back together benefited everyone he'll make the obvious move. Getting the band back together even helped some nuns in that movie. I wonder if the Pope got Netflix in Argentina? Out of pins and needles so I'm sitting on my thumb, Saint (unofficial for now, obviously, but stay tuned) Doug

Air pressure in the football?

The US Supreme Court announced today that it will hear an appeal from the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit's decision in the case involving an Asian band called "The Slants." The outcome of "The Slants" case may also be determinative of the dispute about the "Redskins" trademark - - for reasons explained in the archived thread linked at the bottom of this post. A current nbc news overview with some details about both "The Slants" and "Redskins" cases here: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/supreme-court-hear-slants-trademark-case-n656871 A prior thread on this topic (for background) is also in the archives here: http://forums.twobillsdrive.com/topic/183989-redskins-trademark-registrations-likely-to-be-re-instated/?do=findComment&comment=3819663

Dear Diary, Life just isn't fair sometimes. The Pope canonized Mother Teresa as an official saint this month. How ironic is that? I mean the woman was supposed to be a nun, so if she had kids and was a mother then how could she really be a nun anyway? Besides, I'd like to see her take the Orangemen to two Pinstripe Bowl victories. She helps feed the poor in India and THAT is supposed to be some kind of miracle? Big whoop! What's next - - are they gonna make Dick Jauron a bishop 'cause he was so consistent in getting 7 or 8 wins a year? Keep this to yourself diary, but I bet Bill Belichik would have gotten a big raise from beating Bishop Dick instead of plain old ordinary Dick. They tell me that Catholics kneel a lot during Mass, so maybe my chances for official sainthood would be better if the Bills had been kneeling at the end of games. But Hey, didn't the Pope see all those "Hail Mary" passes we were chucking instead? Seems like that oughtta count for something. They get the Sunday Ticket in Argentina, right? Note to self: Have Nate check with Father Guido Sarducci about whether I have to convert to Catholicism before I can be officially canonized as a Saint. But who really cares what the Pope thinks, anyway? The Bills players and coaches all know that we got "canonized" every time Brady threw the ball. Catholicly and obviously yours, Saint (unofficial but not giving up on the Pope yet) Doug

I dunno - - my brother Darryl's usually a good prodnostigator but he's still debilitating on the question of Ginger or Mary Ann.

Sometimes life interferes with my Bills obsession, but I just googled to see if anybody has taken the mantell of spokesman for the zika virus. The result? As far as I can tell, nobody has stepped up to the plate. The situation is getting critical. The opening ceremony for the Rio Olympics is only a week away, and local transmission of the zika virus has reached our shores. There are now four cases of probable local zika transmission in the Miami area - - these aren't people who got sick after traveling to a foreign country or having sex with someone who did - - these are folks who were minding their own business and got bit by the wrong mosquito: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-36926425 All of our players are going to be in Miami this season (unless Marquell makes the team and gets hurt by then), so I'm surprised the other Bills players haven't encouraged him to step up. It's in their own self-interest. If Marquell can't or won't be a spokesman because he is worried about Listenbee taking his WR spot, maybe somebody else will have to do the job. I suggested upthread that maybe a Bills player of Greek decent would be a descent alternative, and somebody else separately suggested that a veteran former Bill might be able to do the job. I like that suggestion, because now that training camp is about to start, current Bills players have a lot on their plate. They need to focus on getting ready for the season, and may not have the time required to fill the virus spokesman role. So I did a little checking, and it turns out there ARE a couple of former Bills of Greek decent who might be available to take this on. Anybody know what Fred Smerlas and Joe Panos are doing these days? http://www.thenationalherald.com/37005/ Fred is by far the more famous player, so he would be my first choice unless Marquell gets hurt or cut soon.

https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/d41363e5-0df2-41df-8c71-9f37a745dd98

Well, I got the s**t kicked out of me in Wisconsin once. Forget it! That's just another reason why we need a spokesman for the virus. No urban assault vehicle required.

To the best of my knollege Magic never had a formal contract to be the spokesman for the AIDS virus - - he just saw a need and stepped up. I don't see why it should be any different for the zika virus, but I admit I'm not familiar with how the public health system works in Brazil.

The Bills have a great marketing opportunity staring them in the face. This will make more sense if I give you a little background first. I know I can be a little (??!!??) wordy, but this an important topic.[/size] Buffalo and the Bills clearly have an image problem. The Bills could be really good this year, but the national news media (and therefore the general public) hears Buffalo Bills, and what do they think? C'mom, admit it. You know they think losers of four straight Super Bowls and blizzards. Even the NFL Commissioner gets on Buffalo's case about the condition of our stadium. But the Bills now have a golden opportunity to completely turn Buffalo's public image around. Let me explain. You know why Los Angeles has a sparkling media image these days? It wasn't always that way. I'll tell you why it changed. One day Magic Johnson of the Lakers took a bold step, and changed the image of Los Angeles forever. As a professional athlete of a major sport (not as big as the NFL, but still major), Magic grabbed the bully pulpit available to him. During some of the scariest days of the AIDS epidemic, he held a press conference, and became a "spokesman for the virus." Bravo, Magic. Public awareness was heightened, and research funding increased many times over. While AIDS wasn't cured, it became a manageable disease that is no longer a death sentence. Los Angeles and the Lakers still basque in the glow of that bright shining moment. So what does that have to do with the Bills? Well, the Summer Olympics in Rio start in less than a month, and now another terrible virus has raised its ugly face. This time, it's the zika virus. Do you know much about it? I'm guessing probably not. And you know why? Because totally apart from the fact that they gave it a name that sounds like an appetizer in a Greek restaurant, the zika virus has no spokesman. That's right, nobody, and I mean nobody, speaks for the zika virus. But nature abwhores a vacuum, so somebody is going to step into that void. If not Buffalo and the Bills, then who? If not now, when? Wouldn't it be great if Buffalo and the Bills were associated with curing the zika virus, and maybe saving the Summer Olympics in the process? Wouldn't it be wonderful if the next time you mentioned the Buffalo Bills to your friends and neighbors, they replied how great a public service the city and team did by raising awareness of the zika virus and helping to raise funds that led to a cure? Wouldn't that be far better than having to endure snide remarks about the 4 Super Bowl losses and the snow? It's within our grasp, people. Who better to grab the bully pulpit and speak for the zika virus than a player on the team that Rex promised to build into bully? Marquell Goodwin is an obvious choice for the zika virus spokesman role, because he's already been to the Olympic games, and since he failed to qualify this year, he's got some time on his hands before training camp starts. Some will say that he won't even make the Bills team this year, either, and why should we make a likely two-time loser a spokesman for the virus. But that ignores history. Magic retired, and was no longer a member of the Lakers, when he became a spokesman for the AIDS virus. And just like Goodwin, he had been to the Olympic games before becoming the virus spokesman. Despite all that, the money flowed in and the disease ultimately became manageable. Besides, Goodwin competed in the long jump, which must have been one of the events in the original, truly athletic Olympic games conducted in ancient Greece. It's not a disgrace like it would be if he failed at something wussy like synchronized swimming or rhythmic gymnastics. So I think he's qualified for the job. So what do you think? Are the Bills savvy enough to step up the plate and change the team's and city's image for the better? Or are we all doomed to the same snide remarks from friends and neighbors while babies keep getting born with birth defects? And if you don't want Glass Goodwin in the harsh spotlight of the zika virus spokesman role, which Bills player do you think is best suited for the job? Do we have any players with Greek ancestry - - seems like that might be even better? I know where I come out on this issue - - how about you? Let's get back to being proud of Buffalo and our Bills !!! Please convince Marquell to make it happen, Pegs.

In fairness, I did mention that you probably didn't want to go there. How come nobody ever listens to me when we start talking about the Bills and Toronto?

If so, it will be the first time. My path was neither straight nor narrow, and led me somewhere you probably don't want to go, at least not if you are at work. Do you have any insights about how the Pegulas feel about ostriches and emus? http://scicurious.scientopia.org/2011/12/16/friday-weird-science-the-erection-of-the-ostrich/

Since it's silly season before training camp starts, I decided to goozle the Internet tubes in the precise manner you so blithely suggested. I found nothing about the Pegulas, but I learned quite a bit about duck penises. The link below came up on the first page of my search: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2009/12/22/ballistic-penises-and-corkscrew-vaginas-the-sexual-battles-of-ducks/#.V310XuliORs So I didn't learn anything about the Bills, and I'm so mad that I'm about to go ballistic. Proof that I'm telling the truth: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=fracking+oil+shale+wood+ducks+sexual+reproduction

Serious question, because I'm too lazy to try to goozle-chat this today. Is the Pegulas' "massive investment" in the Buffalo area bigger than what they paid to buy the Bills? Because if it's not, then maximizing the return from their investment in the Bills Trumps their need to get a return from what they spend elsewhere in Buffalo. Think "sunk costs," which should be ignored in making future economic decisions.

Then we'd just have one more wall for the writing to be on.

A few of my favorites: 1. "Whether you think you can, or think you can't, you're right." - - Henry Ford 2. "Nothing is impossible, provided you use audacity." - - Gen. George S. Patton 3. "Little guys get in groups, big guys single file." - - A former team-mate of mine to opponents when things got chippy. 4. "Joel, you wanna know something? Every now and then, say 'What the f***.' 'What the f***' gives you freedom. Freedom brings opportunity. Opportunity makes your future." - - Miles 5. "It seemed like a good idea at the time." - - Me, sometimes, after saying 'What the f***'

"Kim-baby, I know the Patriots** say they win because they practice situational football, but can't we just do the Gatorade shower thing at home without Doug?"

Hey Pooj, I sometimes read a wide-ranging financial forum site (fatwallet.com), and saw a reference to a different website that you might find useful: https://www.earnest.com I know nothing about the earnest.com website, and it was only mentioned in passing at fatwallet.com. I briefly scanned the earnest.com home page, and it looked like it might offer some flexibility in choosing payment terms. I did not drill down any further than that. Anyway, use it entirely at your own risk - - just thought it might be helpful for purpose of comparing to what your credit union already offered you. Good luck. Edit: Just realized that Levi already mentioned Earnest upthread. Oops.

A third option, if you own either a car or a house/condo that is worth more than what you owe on them, would be to refinance the car or house at what is likely to be a much lower interest rate than 8.99%, and use the cash to pay off all or part of the student loan. Even if this only lets you pay off part of the student loan balance, it would save you some $$ (but puts your house or car at risk if you ever find yourself unable to make the payments on the replacement loan).