S. Evan Townsend's Blog, page 73

My Favorite Holiday

Back to the 52-week blogging challenge and today's prompt is, fittingly, "My favorite holiday." I say "fittingly" because today is Thanksgiving, which is, I think my favorite holiday.

There's very little pressure on Thanksgiving. It's not like Valentines Day or Christmas where you have to find gifts and oh they have to be just right. No, all you do is show up. With my family, it's usually pretty calm and usually we joke and laugh.

And the food is usually really good. Sometimes there's a little work needed to get the food ready. Last Thanksgiving I went over to my mother's house early to help her get the turkey started.

Then there's the dishes, but my sister's husband (a lawyer) has always jumped in and done most of them. I like that guy.

So I guess today, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. We'll see how today goes.

What's your favorite holiday? Comment below!

Huskies are Number 5!

I was busy yesterday so I didn't hear about the University of Washington Huskies' ranking in the CFP Rankings until last night.

Things are looking better for the Huskies going to the National Playoffs. They are #5 in the CFP Rankings. That's just one back from #4 which means you go to the playoffs.

Number 2 Ohio State and #3 Michigan play this weekend so one of them have to lose (I don't think there are ties in college football anymore). But, considering they are playing each other, it might now kick either of them out of the two three.

Right now Clemson is #4.

If the Huskies win the Apple Cup then go on to win the Pac-12 Championship game, they might be in the #4 or #3 position. We find out on "Selection Day" which is Sunday, December 4th.

Pac-12 South Title

If the University of Washington Huskies win the Apple Cup agaisnt the Washington State Cougars on Friday, they will be the Pac-12 North Division Champion and go on to play in the Pac-12 Championship game on December 2nd (6:00 PM PST on Fox). If the Cougars win, they will be the Pac-12 North Champions. But we don't want that to happen.

They will play the Pac-12 South Division Champion in that game. But who will that be?

Right now the Colorado Buffaloes are the Pac-12 South leader with a 9-2 overall record and a 7-2 in-conference record. But right behind them is USC (the Trojans) with a 8-2 overall record and a 7-2 in-conference record.

The interesting thing is, USC is stuck at 7-2 in-conference because their last game is against Notre Dame.

Colorado on the other hand plays Utah in the "Rumble in the Rockies." The game is held in Boulder this year. Utah is out of contention for the Pac-12 South title after losing to Oregon last Saturday.

So I've looked at all the possibilities for this weekend. There are four of them:

Colorado beats Utah, USC beats Notre DameColorado beats Utah, USC loses to Notre DameColorado loses to Utah, USC loses to Notre DameColorado loses to Utah, USC beats Notre DameIn scenarios 1-3, Colorado wins the Pac-12 South title.
In scenario #4, Colorado and USC would be tied at 7-2 in-conference and 8-3 overall. I'm not sure what would happen then. Perhaps points for and points against in the season.
I think the most likely scenario is #1. In any case, odds are that if the Huskies go to the Pac-12 Championship game, they will be playing Colorado.
The USC-Notre Dame game is Saturday at 12:30 PM on ABCThe Colorado-Utah game is Saturday at 4:30 PM on Fox.
The Apple Cup is Friday at 12:30 PM on Fox.

Old Stars on Star Trek

One fun thing about watching Star Trek the original series, is spotting the up and coming actors who often later went on to bigger things. The classic example is Joan Collins in "City on the Edge of Forever." But there were others.

For example, Barbara Bouchet, who went on to play Moneypenny in the 1967 version of Casino Royal (the funny one). And, according to her Internet Movie Database
And there was

"Friday's Child" had
Speaking of Batman,
I thought for years that
And in the penultimate episode (as aired) "All Our Yesterdays," is 
I could go on; I can think of at least two more. But I won't.

Huskies are 10-1 and Might be Back in Playoff Contention

The University of Washington Huskies are now 10-1 after defeating Arizona State decisively last night in Husky Stadium. They are also back on top of the Pac-12 North Division after a week with Washington State on top.

The game started a little rocky for the Huskies. Quarterback Jake Browning looked as if he hadn't forgotten the USC game. He threw two interceptions and wasn't connecting with down-field Huskies.

The defense, however, looked very good and even intercepted a pass in the end zone to stop an Arizona State drive. By the end of the first half, Arizona was scoreless and the Huskies had 24 points as Jake suddenly came back and played like his usual self. The Sun Devils didn't have much of a chance. They did manage to score 18 points in the game but the Huskies out-classed them in every way and beat them with 44 points.

Like a lot of games this season, the Huskies put in second-stringers toward the end. And they still managed to score. This is the 8th game this season the Huskies have scored more than 40 points.

So the Huskies go into the Apple Cup, the annual cross-state rivalry game against the Washington State Cougars, with a 10-1 over all record, 7-1 in conference.

In other good news, the Cougars lost to the Colorado Buffaloes yesterday. That gives them an 8-3 four scenarios I lined out: Cougars lose; Huskies win.
overall record and 7-1 in conference). This was the best possible outcome of the day.

But the Pac-12 North title will still come down to the Apple Cup. If the Huskies win the Apple Cup, which is in Pullman this year, they will finish 8-1 in conference and 11-1 over all and the be the North Division Champs. That means they play the South Division Champs in the Pac-12 Championship Game on December 2nd. That came is held in Santa Clara, California at Levi Stadium (which I think is where the San Francisco 49ers lose a lot of games).

If the Cougars win the Apple Cup, they will be 8-1 in conference and 9-4 over all. Since in-conference record trumps overall record, they will be the North Division Champs.

The loser of the Apple Cup will probably play in the Rose Bowl on New Years Day against a Big 12 Conference Team.

The South Division Champ will be either USC or Colorado. Utah lost to Oregon yesterday and took themselves out of contention. USC plays Notre Dame next week and Colorado hosts Utah.

If the Huskies win the Apple Cup and win the Pac-12 Championship game, they have a chance to be back in the playoffs. Right now the Huskies are at #6 in the CFP rankings. But #5 Louisville lost yesterday. Ohio State and Michigan State are #2 and #3 but they play each other next week so one of them is going to lose.

So there is a chance for the Huskies to slip into the #4 slot again (or maybe #3). But they have to win the Apple Cup and be the Pac-12 Champions. Which means Jake can't play like he did against USC and the first quarter of yesterday's game.

As usual, the CFP Rankings don't come out until Tuesday. The final announcement of who's in the playoffs (and the rest of the CFP Rankings) will be December 4th at 9:00 AM PST. That's a Sunday.

Finally, the AP Top 25 Rankings for this week just came out and they can give a clue to the CFP Rankings. Last week we were #7 in the AP poll (and #6 in the CFP Rankings). Today we're #6.

Other Pac-12 teams ranks are Colorado at #9, USC at #12, Utah at #21, and WSU at #23.

Four Scenarios for Husky Football

Today the University of Washington Huskies play Arizona State at Husky Stadium. The Huskies are 9-1 over all and 6-1 in conference after their loss last week to USC. The Huskies' only hopes to get back into the national playoff picture is to be the Pac-12 Champions. But to do that they have to be the Pac-12 North Division Leader.

Right now the Washington State Cougars are the North Division Leader with a record of 8-2 and 7-0 in conference (your in-conference record trumps your overall record).

The Cougars play Colorado in Colorado today. The Colorado Buffaloes are currently the Pac-12 South Leader with an 8-2 overall and 6-1 in-conference record. USC is right behind them (thanks to their win over the Huskies). I can imagine that's going to be a tough game for the Cougars.

There are four scenarios that could happen today.

Huskies beat Arizona State, Cougars beat ColoradoHuskies beat Arizona State, Cougars lose to ColoradoHuskies lose to Arizona State, Cougars lose to ColoradoHuskies lose to Arizona State, Cougars beat ColoradoI'm obviously hoping for #1 or #2. I've ran the numbers and in three of those scenarios (1, 2, and 3),
the Apple Cup (the annual rivalry game between UW and WSU), which will be played on November 25th at 12:30 PM on Fox, will determine who is the Pac-12 North Leader. 
In #4, it doesn't matter, the Cougars will be the Pac-12 North Leader no matter who wins the Apple Cup, and go on to play in the Pac-12 Championship game December 2nd against the South Leader, who could be Colorado, USC, or perhaps even Utah. I don't think Stanford (7-3 overall, 5-3 in conference) has a chance to be the Pac-12 North Leader even in the case of #4.
So there is a 3/4ths chance that the Pac-12 North Leader comes down to the Apple Cup. But I think the Huskies will beat ASU, which means the Apple Cup is for all the marbles.
GoDawgs.
The Huskies' game is at 4:30 PM PST on Fox.The Cougars' game is at 12:30 PM PST, also on Fox.

The Speculative Fiction Cantina with Sophia Martin and Holly Gonzalez

Today on the Speculative Fiction Cantina we are pleased to welcome writers Sophia Martin and Holly Gonzalez.
Sophia MartinSophia Martin

I'm half-French and half-American, and lived in France for 6 years when I was a teenager. I now live in Mount Shasta. I work as a social studies teacher and have my MA in American History. I'm married and have three little boys. In addition to writing my novels I also make my own book covers, and occasionally create book covers for others.

Sophia's Books:


The City Darkens

After the Fall

The Gamble and the Grave

Sophia's Links:

Website/Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads

Holly GonzalezHolly Gonzalez

Holly Gonzalez is a speculative fiction writer and visual artist with a love for all things science fiction. She’s self-published a novel and various short stories, including several works on Wattpad. Her current projects include Ruby Descent--a retro-futuristic sci-fi novel about a sabotaged space elevator, a decopunk occult drama titled Beauty In The Bones, and a weird western/dark fantasy series set during the California Gold Rush. More information can be found on her website at http://hollygonzalez1.wordpress.com

Holly's Books:


Memoirs of the War

Merely This and Nothing More

Nemesis

Holly's Links:

Website/Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Wattpad
Goodreads
Pinterest

From Today's Show: Volcanoes Recently Erupted on Venus.

Listen to today's show at 6:00 PM ET / 3:00 PM PT or in archive here.

Places I'd Like to Travel

Back to the 52-week blogging challenge. Today's prompt is "Top Five Places I'd Like to Travel." Only five?

I had to think about this to narrow it down. One is Northern Italy. It looks just beautiful with the lake country and the Dolomites (that's a mountain range, part of the Alps). Also in Northern Italy is the Ferrari factory in Maranello and I'd like to make a pilgrimage there. They also have a cool museum with many classic Ferrari cars. As you know, I like cars.

Plus the wine and the food are supposed to be amazing in Northern Italy.

Second place I'd like to visit is (and I'm cheating here) Asia, specifically Japan, South Korea, and China. I've always enjoyed Asian culture and history. I'd like to see Tokyo, Seoul, and the Great Wall of China.

Third place I'd like to go is Australia. See Sydney. the outback, the Great Barrier Reef. Except the spiders might keep me away.

Fourth place I'd like to visit is DisneyWorld again. I just love that place.

Fifth place I'd like to visit is the UK. Most of my biological heritage comes from the British Isles. Visit Wales and London and Stonehenge and learn about where my ancestors came from.

Where would you like to visit?

UW Huskies Likely out of Playoff Contention

The CFP Rankings came out yesterday. I forgot to check them until this morning. And, after their loss to USC last weekend, the University of Washington Huskies are now #6 in the CFP rankings. You have to be #4 or better to make the playoffs, and they were #4.

Interestingly, Ohio State jumped up to #2 from #5. Clemson and Michigan both lost last weekend, but they didn't drop out of the top four. All those teams are 9-1, just like the Huskies. Alabama (10-0) is still #1.

Other Pac-12 teams in the CFP are Colorado at #10, Utah at #12, USC at #13, WSU at #22, and Stanford at #24.

There is a slight possibility if UW wins their last two games, including the Apple Cup against WSU, then wins the Pac-12 Championship game, they might move back up into the playoffs. But Ohio State, Clemson, or Michigan would probably have to lose another game.

Star Trek: TOS

In honor of Star Trek's fiftieth anniversary, I watched all 69 episodes of the original series plus the first pilot, "The Cage." I finished Monday.

I watched them on Netflix and those versions have new special effects that I address here. Now I want to talk about the show.

In the Futurama "Star Trek" episode (which every fan of Star Trek has to see) Fry says "You know, sixty-nine episodes, about thirty good ones." Which is so very true. Especially since the third season was, with new producer Fred Freiberger, full of stinkers. (Freiberger later did the same vandalism to the last season of Space 1999.) There are only two good episodes in the third season: "The Enterprise Incident" and "The Tholian Web." And two of the worst episodes ("Spock's Brain" and "Turnabout Intruder") are in the third season.

Watching the original Star Trek, which was made in the 1960s, I'm surprised at the sexism. For a show that broke racial boundaries, it was still stuck in the 60s as far as sex goes.

But another thing that surprises me is that from this beginning, Star Trek has lasted 50 years and spawned four other series (if I counted right), and thirteen movies (if I counted right). And CBS is starting a new Star Trek series. They will show the first episode on broadcast but to see the rest you have to buy their streaming service. Which sucks. But I'm surprised because Star Trek is not that good. Clunky episodes, uneven writing, awful special effects (cheesy even by the standards of the day). I guess we were all so thirsty for science fiction, any science fiction, that we embraced what was really a pretty mediocre show.

I'm glad I revisited Star Trek. I hadn't watching these episodes since I was a teenager and would watch them when I got home from school on my family's Zenith. But even then I learned to identify third season episodes (blue opening credits) and know this wasn't going to be the best episodes.

I'm glad Star Trek spawned all the entertainment is has (even if I don't care for the J.J. Abrams reboot). I'm just surprised it did.