Mike O'Connell

Today is one of those days with simply too many interesting news stories simply to focus on one.

This weekend’s NFL games, marred by questionable officiating?

College football and it’s aforementioned Goliath-Goliath matchup tonight to crown its national champion?

How about college basketball, where three of the top five-ranked schools lost this weekend in a flurry of upsets nationwide? (Including Maine beating Binghamton in a Bai Lee Court stunner!)

Maybe the Golden Globes, also known as Hollywood-types tripping over themselves to make softball political speeches? (I know, I know, sexual harassment and all its guises is a serious matter, but come on, this is like debating a four-year-old… is anyone out there pro-sexual harassment? I think the most interesting story from last night was the public fury over the handful of women who did not wear black, the official protest color of the evening. Anyone see the irony there? Public shaming for what those women chose to wear instead of being told how to present themselves by the Establishment?)

Sometimes I’ve got a few too many ideas and a little too much free time to read the news.

Much as I wanted to write the following for today… UCF is 13-0, give them the championship already! I thought I’d go with this one instead:

God damn that Alabama-Georgia championship game is going to be outstanding. Monday night is going to be epic and who cares about teams from small conferences.

Sometimes it’s fun to watch Goliath versus Goliath.

The Internet was all atwitter last night following a tweet from a certain president of ours that “we could use a little bit of that good old Global Warming” in response to record low temperatures across much of the nation.

I have been making this joke for years, though I usually phrase it something like global warming, why have you forsaken us?!

The president’s comment is an attempt at humor. It’s a cheap joke. The man, though his talents may be many, is not a good comedian. His detractors should be thrilled he’s trying his hand at comedy rather than politics, just as I’ve suggested they should be thrilled by how often the guy plays golf (as opposed to, you know, spending time screwing up the country).

Meanwhile, the temperature outside my home really is about 17 degrees, and that’s probably as warm as it’s going to be all day.

Actually it’s going to be 70 all weekend where I’ll be.

New Year’s at home never looked so good.

It’s seven a.m. and I’ve already ODed on egg nog and candy.

Gotta love Christmas.

A bad day at the movies is better than a good day at work. A good day at the movies is simply glorious. Thus was my feeling today at Alamo Drafthouse in Ashburn seeing Star Wars: The Last Jedi. I don’t get to the movies often, so when I do it’d better be damn good. This one was.

Without giving too much away, yes, this eighth installment of the Star Wars series stacks up against those I would call “the good ones.” The story’s there, the special effects are there, and of course the most satisfying part of any Star Wars film: the humor. There are some clever nods to previous films, just subtle enough to be rewarding to loyal viewers.

They’re going to keep making these as long as they keep making money, which is to say until the end of time.

And I’ll be at every one.