I had about a paragraph of criticism for "The Scarlet Letter" prepared, until a pop-up arose and demolished it.  I have no ability nor the will to reconstruct it, so I will leave it at this: Nathaniel Hawthorne is the most overrated and overread American author of fiction this side of Papa.  Maybe Hemingway included, even.  That book for which he is known...yeah, it should not be on high school reading lists across this Every Child Left Behind nation...no one understands the historical significance of that classic, and I would dare say it's not worth the effort to understand.  For high schoolers anyway.  Alright, I re-created some semblance of a paragrapgh of criticism of the aformentioned one-hit wonder of fiction, which I did not even intend to do.  the first version was better, but this was decent given the frustration of losing solid prose to a fucking random pop-up.  

I am currently listening to the song "Dogs" by Pink Floyd, off their Animals album.  Sorry Nico, no "Ponies", only Dogs, Pigs (three kinds), and Sheep.  Phenomenal album, best Floyd in my opinion.  "Dogs" is 17 minutes, so beware those with ADHD.  Recommended to everyone else.  Kind of elaborates on the Orwell "Animal Farm" allegory, or at least relates to it...which, as a work of fiction that may appear on high school reading lists, is about ten times as worthy as "The Scarlet Letter."  Puritans no longer exist, if the Mennonites are ignored, while totalitarians, or derivations thereof, do, so...Animal Farm and 1984 live on.  Hawthorne, you can try to resurrect your collectivist utopia all you want, but I will in Orwellian Democratic Socialist spirit repudiate you.

Ok, to the A's.  Erstad bewilders me.  I've put some thought into this, and I really am perplexed.  I want to see how this plays out.  I really think there's a likelihood that he starts in the OF and DJ sits...and also a likelihood that Kotsay is traded, which no one has mentioned.  I think Beane may very well see Erstad as a "Kotsay-replacement-player" for 1/7 the cost, or so, and then will shop his shell of his former self for prospects.  If he does that, and lets Erstad replicate Kotsay's production for a fraction of the cost, it's ingenius.  No two ways about it, if he does that, then Beane's done a phenomenal job.  But if anything else is driving this signing, pure depth included, then I am not a fan.  

So I've gone out drinking 6 of the past 9 nights.  Am I an alcoholic...maybe we'll poll this.

Ok, next topic, as Max Kellerman once said on Around the Horn.  Mets' trade rumours (British spelling because it's so sweet)...let's let them die down, until there's reason to let them be resurrected.  Beane and Minaya, though at opposite ends of the spectrum for GMing ability, are both among the few most active GM's in the league, transaction-wise, so naturally these rumours will surface.  But let's not feed the NYC media machine.  There's just as good of a chance that Beane makes a trade with the Indians as there is that he trades with the Mets, in my opinion.  Definitely don't see Lastings starting 2007 as a teammate of Barton's in Sac, giving the Oakland offense a run for their money.

Beckham to LA...awesome.  I will see him in Columbus as soon as the schedule is released.

I am going to write a book, of the science fiction genre.  I am also about to help launch a massive Internet endeavor that my friend and fellow visionary dreamt up.  Keep an eye out for further details.  Sobriety tends to aid the delivery of such details.  For now, all I will say is that my book's underlying premise is quite depressing.  Hester Prynne symapthists may, irnoically enough, be drawn to it, heh.

Go Oakland.  Listen to Animals by Floyd.  Way better than Dark Side or even The Wall.