Though I'm an avid Sacramento Kings fan, I haven't had the opportunity to see the team play in person at Arco Arena for the better part of four to five years. With our planned visit to Sacramento to see my parents this weekend, we quickly scrambled to see if we could gain tickets for the Kings game against the Houston Rockets Saturday night. The game was, of course, sold out, but we were able to find a high-priced alternative on StubHub, which gained us four box seat tickets on the first level, unimpeded by other fans. As a result, the four of us, consisting of Kristine, my parents, and me, saw the Kings put on one of the better shows in recent memory, as they battled a superior Rockets team for four quarters, before fading in overtime, on the way to their fifth straight loss.

Despite the game's outcome, we had a fantastic time, as you could likely tell by the game recap I posted to Sactown Royalty near midnight Saturday.

The game was close for almost the entire contest. Two of the Kings players went for more than 30, and though the team was down by five with seconds left in regulation, Ron Artest somehow banked in a last gasp three-pointer to tie it up and send it to an additional period, making all the fans in Arco who were on their way to the parking lot turn right back around and hope for the improbable. But it wasn't to be. The Rockets proved to be too much for the Kings, who have let us down time and again this season, on their way to mediocrity.

I had hoped that by our making the investment in the team and bringing the family, that our support would be rewarded. While the game was a delight with high-paced shooting with an upbeat tempo, offering an entertaining experience, the final score had us wanting more. My hope is that the next time I go to Arco, I spend less money and we can walk away with a win.

Listening to ''staub'', by Ulrich Schnauss (Play Count: 1)

It is mind-boggling to think how different this nation and world would be had a few hundred votes for Pat Buchanan or Ralph Nader down in Florida have gone Al Gore's way in 2000. While it's a little like crying over spilled milk, his political star continues to rise, even as Bush and his administration are finding new ways to embarrass the United States and the Republican Party. Now, following the Democrats' pummeling of the GOP in the mid-term elections last November, all eyes have moved forward to the next big election, for president, and candidates are already lining up on both sides.

Unfortunately, it looks as if Al Gore really, truly, won't put his hat in the ring again. Content to fight his own campaign against global warming on a worldwide basis, he told reporters again today that he is out, officially. This leaves the already crowded Democrat party field with one less star, and potentially, a little less infighting before the general election.

Given how the last 6-plus years have lowered our expectations for what the US presidency represents, every candidate seems better than what we have now. While I think Barack Obama lacks experience, this may be to his benefit, as he's not beholden to a raft of questionable past votes. John Edwards and Hillary Clinton are very interesting candidates with strong principles and momentum. But this race could have been Al Gore's to take. While they fight it out in the snows of Iowa and New Hampshire, he will remain above the fray. (More: Daily Kos)

Listening to ''a lie for breakfast'', by Ulrich Schnauss (Play Count: 2)

What - you thought I joined the long list of blogs that are abandoned every day? You wish.

We took Monday off from work, making this an unofficial three day weekend, blog free. Kristine and I visited my family in Sacramento, seeing a Sacramento Kings game, visiting the state capitol, seeing where my parents work at their relatively new jobs, and playing lots of cards, with them, my aunts and Nana. I'm happy to report that I won most of the card games, and less pleased to report that the Kings lost their game on Saturday, with us in attendance. More soon.

Listening to ''a million miles away'', by Ulrich Schnauss (Play Count: 1)

Today, the steady trickle of Google Reader went off like a flash flood. Starting Sunday, with the beginning of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas (CES) and culminating in today's big Apple news at MacWorld, with the debut of the AppleTV and the potentially revolutionary iPhone, all the tech news sites and blogs you could shake a feed at were publishing in overdrive.


Google Reader activity: January 9, 2007
Today's activity set a new record - with more than 740 items being generated from the 80 or so feeds I've automatically selected to watch. Seemingly half of them were dedicated to tracking Steve Jobs' every move. Not that I can complain. When I get the chance, I'll finally sit down with my PowerBook, plug in the iPod earphones and watch the 2-hour keynote myself. It's practically a tradition. But reading an RSS item every minute for 12 hours? I'm hoping it's a one-time spike, not something I need to get used to.

As usual, don't forget to see what I've shared on My Link Blog.

Listening to ''Come To Me (Club Mix)'', by Sasha (Play Count: 3)