Dome Pondering

In this race of life, when you turn to see what you've run from... Is anyone still running behind you?

T he Sunday Sundown Rundown (formerly in the format of "3 Up and 3 Down") is where I share thoughts on three topics that piqued my interest, along with my favorite photo from the week. More of El Sayed As the midterms approached, I found myself learning more and more about Dr. Abdul El Sayed. As an outsider, it very much felt like the Republicans feared his presence in these races (the way they did James Talarico - and we now know why). Yet, for me, it has since been after winning that I find myself somewhat fascinated by the prospect of El Sayed in government.  Of course, there was this video that made you go, hmm?  However, it was his recent response on a panel after being elected that has drawn me in on wanting to see more of what he does in Michigan.  I believe in a world where a Palestinian child and a Jewish Israeli child growing up in the Holy Land can look forward at their life and believe it is not going to be curtailed by somebody's violence. https://t.co/B0FDs...

Sam Wolfe/Reuters Welp, that was some night?  It's amazing how election nights, like last night, are the only time we truly see and feel, collectively, where the nation stands on governance. Not the night-to-night cable news coverage. Not the talking pundits' opinion pieces. Not even your neighbor telling you, "This is where America is!" Flat out, good ol' voting results.  And last night, America spoke in a BIG way. I've been enamored with the midterm elections for months now for a variety of reasons, like just about everyone else, and for now, I've come away with a few major thoughts: Rational Thought, or Changing Perspective Look, it is very clear that the country decided that the Republican Party was not the way forward. There is real-world hurt happening every day. Stronger is the betrayal felt that is still fresh, in the form of American values eroding and empty, expected policies from the current administration.  But I do wonder - was this so much ab...

Voice heard here. Rant listened to here. Frustration felt here. Change happens here. Vote here. 

The Sunday Sundown Rundown (formerly in the format of "3 Up and 3 Down") is where I share thoughts on three topics that piqued my interest, along with my favorite photo from the week. Justice for Javits I learned of the murder of this young man from Ghana late this week, and it instantly gripped me. Actually, it broke my heart. As the son of two immigrants, I fully understand the story, and have seen firsthand the bullying that can happen to those trying to assimilate - ironically, as some demand.  As a father, listening to his father speak to the media - bravely, through his emotions - furthered the story for me. What are we doing in our society? How can 15-year-old boys have guns and the hearts to chase another down and murder him?  It is stories like this one where I feel like we've lost our compassion for one another, and we've lost the value of life among mankind.  It won't bring Javits back, but he deserves justice. Expecting Fan Bases The Milwaukee Brewers...

Great Power. Great Responsibility.  Happy Halloween. 

Those moments... Small. Quick. Unassuming.  They move on, they move by. I check in, try to slow it all down.  "Time is flying by!"   I recall the moments. I try to relive them,  feel them breathe them giving them life and pulling them into the present. I am always chasing  those moments. 

The Sunday Sundown Rundown (formerly in the format of "3 Up and 3 Down") is where I share thoughts on three topics that piqued my interest, along with my favorite photo from the week. DIII Scholarships? Just when you think college sports couldn't get any more well...messed up, we now get this latest development. The NCAA was served with an antitrust suit over its rules of DIII athletics not allowing scholarships.  In a world where this is allowed, we could see so many D3 schools quit athletics altogether. Only a small percentage of DI athletics are profitable. Are we really expecting DIII schools that are just trying to navigate the current higher education climate to now enter the scholarship space for athletics? For DIII, non-revenue-generating athletics? I'm sorry. As a former DIII student-athlete who competed in those DIII spaces, this is absurd.  We have truly lost the plot on sports at so many levels.  Barack is Back The former President is back on the campaign...

Hoops are back, and I have to be honest...I haven't come down from that blue-and-orange cloud that soared to glorious heights on June 13, 2026.  The Knicks are the 2025-2026 NBA Champions! Still sounds amazing. But...apparently we have to turn the page. Whyyyyyyy? I wanna live in the summer of 2026 forever!  It's a new NBA season, and with this Knicks championship, I'll soon discover what life is like on the other side of seeing the Larry O'Brien trophy hoisted by my team, and also, would I care the first time the Knicks drop three in a row? Also, the thought of...ummmm, back-to-back championships?!!! I'm not ready for that. Nope. Not at all. For now, let's get back to some normalcy. The following are my predictions and wild guesses for the 2026-2027 NBA Season.  --- EASTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFF TEAMS 1. Cleveland Cavaliers (53-29) 2. New York Knicks (52-27) 3. Detroit Pistons (50-32) 4. Philadelphia 76ers (48-34) 5. Indiana Pacers (46-36) 6. Toronto Raptors (46-3...

Cheers to lessons learned and the blind spots revealed when you see  an updated reflection of yourself from others.

The Sunday Sundown Rundown (formerly in the format of "3 Up and 3 Down") is where I share thoughts on three topics that piqued my interest, along with my favorite photo from the week. Another School Shooting...This time in Oregon Another elementary school shooting , and it feels like we all are good with just moving on.  Even worse, the shooter is a 16-year-old former student.  What. Are. We. Doing?  Privileged Platforms There is sooooooooo much to unpack from this entire Kelly Clarkson vs. Art of Play, a Brooklyn Art Store from this week. Feel free to catch up on the shenanigans at your own risk.  What is shocking to me is the rapid rate of which followers of a celebrity can attack a business (or others) at the whim of a social media post. And more so, how much of a subtle and simple interaction can change the lives of so many. And that is regardless of whose side you are taking in this mess.  I find myself having empathy for the everyday worker at that store,...

We're a week into the era of Leon Slater as TNA World Champion, and I find myself fixated on it. Leon Slater, and everything he is and represents, is a fascinating situation for TNA, pro wrestling fans, and the professional wrestling industry.  Forget for a moment the day-to-day talk and discussion of booking, wrestler movement, criticism, and who should be doing what and how; Leon Slater is a bundle of so much that is right with the pro wrestling business today. He is truly a mantle for an evolution that is the antithesis of what it has been in the traditional value of talent - being over, being ready, and allowing years of growth.  Let me explain some of these ponderings I'm wrestling with... Slater is Generational Too often, we've thrown the moniker around - generational. We have stamped far too many wrestlers with it, even more so today, liberally and oftentimes, prematurely. Despite the watered-down use, I have yet to see anyone dispute or argue against the idea that S...

Parked greatness. 

It's the biggest TNA show of the year!  Or so they say. I've been fighting that moniker for years (hello: Slammiversary), but you know what, I think we're too far in. They say it's the biggest show, so I guess it must be so, right? That said, if this is the biggest show of the year, like Slammiversary, I definitely didn't "feel" the anticipation or aura around Bound For Glory. So many of the storylines and matches leading into this event felt rushed, or at best, incomplete. It's been a trend all year, honestly. And it's an interesting one considering the deletion (deletionnnnnnn - ahhhh!) of the TNA-plus specials.  We can push aside the Order 4 drama, as that has been the best thing going for TNA all year. That felt like the biggest match going into this event, and rightfully so.  Everything else felt like there just could have been more.  Ah well... Some quick thoughts and ponderings below: Random Tidbits: Okay, okay, okay...I always complain abou...

The Sunday Sundown Rundown (formerly in the format of "3 Up and 3 Down") is where I share thoughts on three topics that piqued my interest, along with my favorite photo from the week. Aj'a Wilson & Angel Reese Aj'a Wilson picked up her fifth - FIFTH! - Most Valuable Player award this week. Five times is so incredibly special, and difficult to wrap the mind around.  And then there is Angel Reese. Reese has received so much backlash, tons of criticism, and lots of unfair coverage. We won't even mention what Caitlin Clark fans have brought her way. After all of that, she now finds herself in the WNBA Finals as the lead catalyst on the Atlanta Dream.  Both instances force you to think about how narratives and "talk" have cheapened the journey. The constant legacy discussions and the quick reactions to topics. One athlete is in rarified air as an athelte with five MVPs, and another perservered, and is not in the WNBA Finals...ahead of other athletes as f...

This is easily the most anticipated series (and most expected?) for the New York Yankees. The two best teams during the regular season were expected to clash to determine American League prominence.  And yes, I agree that this upcoming series says a lot about the broken playoff structure in MLB. Allow me to step onto my soapbox for a mere moment... Up we go... I've never been a fan of the expansion to six teams per league. I understand that it keeps more markets in the playoff picture come September, and it is more revenue for all (likely, the biggest reason for the expansion). Still, all it did was create a scenario where division winners were at a disadvantage, and what we're getting here is the two best teams in the league facing off in a five-game series.  Ultimately, the Tampa Bay Rays, the top seed in the American League, are given the second-best record in their first-round, in a best-of-five?  None of this makes sense.  Stepping off now... Nonetheless, fellow...

The Sunday Sundown Rundown (formerly in the format of "3 Up and 3 Down") is where I share thoughts on three topics that piqued my interest, along with my favorite photo from the week. The Cornell 7...and More There is quite a bit to unpack in this entire Cornell 7 ordeal.  The situation stayed on my mind all week, most notably watching and absorbing how many react or express their reactions to the situation. Needless to say, part of that unpacking has been the social reaction, the political interference around it (because, isn't there always?), and overall, how someone like myself who works in higher education and has had my fair share of experiences with students and these kinds of reports is dealing with it.  So yeah, there is lots to unpack.  Ultimately, in reducing it all to succinct thoughts for this Rundown post, it's this: collectively, we're all raising terrible men, and higher education institutions need to be better. And so does society at large. Special...

And we're back with another one of these read-along series. It wasn't too long ago that I found myself writing every other night as my Knicks marched their way to an NBA Championship.  Man, that still feels so good to indulge in.  But here we are on a similar journey for the Yankees.  Call me crazy, but I'm just not buying that the World Series is confirmed for anyone. Baseball has been weird all year, and part of said weirdness has been the parity, or dreadfulness - however you want to look at it - around MLB. In my opinion, the Yankees' pitching depth gives them a legit chance.  And with a lockout looming, 2027 might not present another chance. Why you gotta go there, man? I'm just saying... --- Game 1 Yankees d. Red Sox, 9-0 (Yankees lead Series, 1-0) Cam Schlittler is amazing. I sat on my sofa last year in Game 3 of the Wild Card between these two very rivaled teams and it felt like that dude was the best pitcher in the world. For the moment and game, it just fe...

I sat with this one for the full 7 minutes until the R train arrived.