mogwai, a good weekend and a glimmer of hope

The other day, I went to my CD catalog to randomly pick something I hadn't listened to in a long time. I landed on "Ten Rapid" by Mogwai. Holy smokes! I don't know why I ever let that get dusty in the first place. I dunno. It seems like Mogwai re-invents themselves with each record they put out, and although this one isn't a proper record (a collection of singles), I really like what they were doing. I like the subsequent records, but for my taste, they pale in comparison. I could gush with superlatives or use really flowery adjectives to describe the sonic textures and all the complexities of the music, but that doesn't do this record justice. It's just simply mind-blowing. I highly recommend repeated listenings (with and without headphones). I remember being stunned the first time I heard this record. Along that same post-rock vein, I remember being equally blown away the first time I heard Godspeed You Black Emperor and Explosions In the Sky. The only thing is, Mogwai was ahead of the game. With "Ten Rapid", they were doing that post-rock thing before there was really such a thing. I can't stop listening.

From a sports standpoint, it was a good weekend. As a fan, and as a fantasy football player, everything that could go right did.
First, on Saturday, the Tarheels finally defeated Kentucky. The Wildcats had won the last four match-ups. In each game, they made Carolina look silly. Most memorable was a 20-point drubbing in 2001, in which Tayshaun Prince abused Carolina with 31 points and 11 rebounds. This time, it was the 'Heels turn to dominate, getting 28 points from Rashad McCants and 19 rebounds from Sean May.
Sunday, the Panthers continued their hot streak with a victory over the Saints. Although it's best not to talk about it, they have a chance of sneaking into the playoffs.
In each of my two Fantasy Football Leagues, my team won. In one of the leagues, my team was in serious jeopardy of going winless. In my other, the game was meaningless because the fantasy playoff matchups had already been determined. Still, it was nice to get the W.

The faint glimmer of hope is that tomorrow (Thursday) is the day that the NHL and the NHLPA get together for the first time since September. Word is, the players are putting an offer out there which represents somewhat of a concession on their part. If it, or some other offer is accepted and agreed upon, we should hope to get a season going by mid-late January. Time will tell.