I think I've got the black lung, pop.

Ok, so I caught the scarlet fever, or some sh*t down in Florida. I've been sick as a dog this past week. There was roughly a three-day stretch when I didn't leave my apartment. You'd think I would have written a Boston Globe's worth of blog entries with all that time on my hands. However, if I had written, it probably would have just all been bitching about how much my head hurt and how many ribs I cracked from coughing all day. I spared you all the grief, but here's what kept me busy:

The Patriots. So it was a close game. Big whoop, wanna fight about it? We still kicked ass. Apparently there's some pretty bad blood between Belicheck and Mangini, which adds a whole new dimension to the game. It would have been nice to know before the game, but even knowing it now, it makes the win that much sweeter. Plus, Belicheck now has the team right where he wants them- a perfect record at 2-0 but with PLENTY of mistakes and weaknesses that he can chew the players out for and use to keep the team motivated. P.S.- My new favorite NFL running back is Cor-ence Dill-roney.

Lost. I watched season 1 on DVD based on reccomendations from a lot of people. I was very pleased. Then I started watching season 2, live as the episodes aired. I lost interest faster than a penguin at a BBQ. Here's the thing- the show moves way too slowly for a person with a short attention span. The pace, in addition to the commercials, killed it for me. However, the show is absolutely money on DVD. There are so many subplots and details in the script, that I could sit and watch ten episodes in a row... and I have. So I just bought season 2 on DVD and I'm hooked again. When season 3 starts I'm going to need to rely on Tivo to elminate the commercials so I don't lose interest again.

Madden. I'm a firm supporter of Madden Day becoming a national holiday. Every year, the day that Madden is released, all men should be exempt from work. While the game's not as cool this year as I remember it being in the past, the highlight stick is pretty dope.

Tom Verducci's A-Rod article. I owe countless belly laughs and hours of entertainment to this article. I love that his own teammates hate him. He's a manufactured, obnoxious, arrogant headcase. Giambi bashes him quite a bit- though he publicly denied that it was bashing. He called it "tough love". Jeter clearly doesn't like him. Teammates think he's afraid of the ball. Reggie Jackson thinks he's a vajoinga. A-Rod's explanation for all of this? People hate him because he's so good-looking, he makes all that money and he plays on the best team.... keep telling yourself that Alex. I can't wait for him to implode in the playoffs and try to blatantly cheat his way on base again like he did against the Sox in '04.

Ikea Furniture. Just took a trip last week to pick up some furniture for my new room. I made out like a bandit and got some good deals on some pretty cool furniture. Except putting all of it together was about as much fun as beer-bonging a can of gasoline. My favorite purchase? A pimptastic sheepskin rug for the middle of my room... no assembly required.

My new rug (Blossom sold separately)