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I've kind of slacked off on the first thought of the day. For Yesterday, my first thought actually was, "Man, I'm glad the Dodgers picked up Casey Blake." My first thought today was , "Damn, The Dark Knight was phenomenal."

First the Dodgers. The Indians traded blue collar workhorse Casey Blake to the Dodgers on Saturday. As luck would have it, Sophie and I were going to the Dodgers game that night. Sophie is a HUGE Casey Blake fan, having rooted for him during the Indians playoff run last fall. She was bummed that he wasn't going to be on the Indians anymore, but excited that we'd get to see him play that night. Mr. Blake was 2-3 with a double and a run scored. Not bad for a guy who walked off an airplane, got fitted for a uniform and played his first game on his new team all within a three hour span. Casey should also be happy to learn that he has a fan club up in Saugus. The next morning, when his picture appeared in the Times, Jake saw it and exclaimed, "Hey, it's Casey Blake!" Saturday night, I bought my first official Dodgers cap, not some knockoff you get in the parking lot, but the real deal. For those of you who know me, it's taken me 14 years to be able to make this purchase. 14 years to feel like I'm not being disloyal to the Tribe. But the Indians are done for the season (Sophie still holds out hope, God bless her), so why not root for our other team, the Dodgers. Besides, I needed a new lid.

Yesterday I saw The Dark Knight and I have to say that it was an exceptional film. Not just for entertainment purpose, but on a deeper level. Christopher Nolan has crafted one of th most exciting, heartbreaking and thought provoking films in popular entertainment since the Lord of the Rings movies. Heath Ledger lives up to the hype. Christian Bale continues to display why he's one of the most talented actors of this generation. Aaron Eckhart gave a very solid performance (and that Two-Face makeup was horrifying). Finally, Gary Oldman delivered one of th most emotional and understated performances in the film. If you only associate Oldman with psychos and weirdos, you will be surprised by what he does in The Dark Knight. I've already heard the backlash begin: It's too long; he plot is too complicated; it's just a super hero movie. I'm telling you, there is something going on in this film that gets inside you. It is a study in what makes us evil and how we handle tragedy. Oh, and th music is so haunting, I can't get it out of my head.

Had a decent run Saturday morning with the Pasadena training group. I had forgotten how rough the terrain down there by the Rose Bowl can be. My 5 mile run took 10 minutes longer than I have don near home. Still, I'm glad I went and plan to attend as many group long ruins as possible. Tonight I had a great night time run. I am in love with my iPod Nano and what it is capable of giving me... music wise. Come one people, get your heads out of the gutter (oh wait, that was me). That new Coldplay album is at the top of my listening list. Good stuff.

That's all for tonight.

Aloha

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