Friday, May 30, 2008

Yes, I'm still alive!

Forgive me for not blogging in a long time; I had to get through finals and the hassles of my DSL Internet connection at home not working as well as I had hoped. I had to call Qwest multiple times just to narrow down the problem. I Missed the CLA dean's list by .14 points (a 3.67 term GPA is the minimum), but finals went very well. At least I continue to be consistent with my academic performance.

On to basketball. I will be covering my first AAU tournament with the Battle on the Hardwood event hosted by North Tartan at Woodbury. The tournament has already started; I will be taping the 16U and 17U championship games Sunday (50 games isn't feasible given the amount of tapes we would need). Unfortunately, one downside I learned quickly is not being able to prepare as thoroughly as a high school game as no one will know who's playing who until Sunday afternoon with two days of pool play. Coincidentally, the following Monday will be my 21st birthday. GO JUNEBUGS!!!

I'm doing this more or less to reduce the amount of time between productions compared to my first and second season of play-by-play, which was 7 months. Not to say you forget the art after a long pause, but it's good to find things every now and then. Not to mention you'll get to see all your favorite high school players who haven't graduated. Some say it's overrated, others say it's a different brand of basketball that can't be compared to high school games. I'll be able to answer that debate come Sunday.

Tracy Buford, Kiara's mother, will be joining me this time in the broadcast booth. She's expressed an interest before, and I figure an AAU tournament is the best time; it might be harder to get her for next season with her daughter changing from the red and black to maroon and gold.

All-Star games are coming along; the first (A vs. AAAA) is being reviewed and should be ready to go next week. The second (AA vs. AAA) will follow shortly.

In the meantime, you can vote on my new poll. Wrap-up to come Sunday.

Programs available for DVD purchase

Autism Part 1 DVD cover

Autism: The Wall That Knows No Limits - Award-winning documentary series providing insights on autism rarely seen in contemporary media. Produced by someone on the spectrum, this series is a wealth of information for anyone seeking to learn about autism.
$15 for one episode, $50 for the complete series (4 episodes)

What Are You DVD cover

What Are You? A Dialogue on Mixed Race - Originally a school assignment, this one-hour documentary explores a population that existed for many years but didn't get much focus until recently. This program examines how a small but growing segment of the population could shift racial and cultural identity. Screened at the 2009 Mixed Roots Film and Literary Festival and will be screened at the inaugural Critical Mixed Race Studies conference at DePaul University. $15

Vices to Verses promo

From Vices to Verses: Featuring Voices Merging - From Vices to Verses: A New Era of Hip Hop and Action is a biannual conference held at the University of Minnesota. The goal is to promote the culture and history of hip-hop, which is often lost in the corporate mainstream representation. In this program, you'll see how the Voices Merging student group absorbed what they witnessed and how their experience will transform them as a group and as individuals. DVD copies come with 14 minutes of bonus footage not seen online or on TV. $15

Machine 2010 highlight promo

Minnesota Machine: 2010 - Geared for Greatness - Join the professional women's football team in their historic 2nd season. Despite several injuries that depleted the roster, the Machine finished 2010 with a 6-3 record and their first division title in franchise history, edging the Iowa Thunder in the Midwest Division of the American Conference. This highlight reel includes clips from the 2010 season and their interview on the cable television show Rollin' and Tumblin' - $15

Photobucket

Silhouettes by RZI Couture - The inaugural breast cancer benefit fashion premiere took place in St. Paul and was met with a fabulous response. All the models were breast cancer survivors or relatives of someone affected by breast cancer and all the clothing was designed by Rosalyn Smaller, owner of RZI Couture and currently fighting breast cancer herself. The TV version features testimonials from the models and co-host Miss Georgia of KMOJ. $10 of every purchase will be donated to RZI Couture to help the breast cancer fight! $15