Your (un)official checklist if you're driving to Palmdale
Above: Nick Bueno when he was 5 ... Just kidding.
I'm no weather expert, but if you're making plans to make Friday night's game in the Palmdale area here's some word of advice: bundle up! We here in Los Angeles are ridiculously spoiled with picturesque weather, where a cold day can mean turning on the fire place when it dips into the 60's. That being said, you're going to want to brace yourselves for low to mid 30's when Monrovia and Paraclete clash at 7 p.m. at Knight High in the second round of the Mid Valley Division playoffs. St. Francis visits Palmdale at 7:30 p.m. in the Western Division. Since a year ago I went to Palmdale to cover the Mid Valley Division finals pitting Rosemead vs. Paraclete, I have a few tips that might be of benefit:
1. Bring munchies -- It's almost a two-hour ride up to Palmdale, and it can feel longer when you're driving through the winding roads and reception on your radio cuts off, unless you have XM Satellite Radio, then you're OK. Eating chips or whatnot can help fill awkward silence, depending on who you're driving up with.
2. Bundle up! -- You're gonna want to over do it, trust me. That way at least you're not like me who didn't have any gloves or a beanie to keep my hands and bald head warm. The hottest item at the concession stand last year were hand warmers.
3. Lights, action! -- Driving to Knight High can be surreal. It reminds me of the movie "Field of Dreams". When you get off the freeway you'll go through some residential streets before you go through the lonely roads. It'll be dark, so you're gonna want to keep those lights bright. You'll get to see the field from a distance, and the closer you get the bigger the lights will seem. Knight High sits in the middle of nowhere.
4. Drink up! -- Hot chocolate is the second hottest item in the concession stand, literally and figuratively. I'll take mine with six mini marshmallows.
5. Portable heaters -- You know it's cold when even Paraclete fans have portable heaters in the stands. Both teams will probably have heaters in the sidelines, but you're on your own.
"For most of the kids playing in the game it's not so much an issue but the kids in the sidelines and the ones standing will be a lot colder," said Monrovia coach Ryan Maddox regarding the cold weather. Monrovia will practice tonight and Wednesday at 7 p.m. in an effort to get acclimated to the weather, though it'll be warmer here than what the Wildcats should expect Friday. But in the bigger picture, Maddox opted for night practices rather than in the morning because of the obvious. "Morning practices are rough just because not everybody in the program is an early riser," Maddox said. "You're not always going to get the most out of the kids in the morning. They tend to be much livelier in the evening, which is good and makes for a better evening."
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Melendez worked as a correspondent for the San Gabriel Valley Tribune for three years and later landed a job as a freelance writer at the Los Angeles Times before accepting an offer at The Orange County Register covering high schools. Melendez covered Major League Soccer at The Register for three years before being promoted to report on the Lakers, Angels and Dodgers for the Web. Melendez also worked for the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Fresno Bee, Oakland Tribune and The Boston Globe. E-mail opinions, suggestions and tips to miguel.melendez@sgvn.com. |
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Zune and iPod: Most people compare the Zune to the Touch, but after seeing how slim and surprisingly small and light it is, I consider it to be a rather unique hybrid that combines qualities of both the Touch and the Nano. It's very colorful and lovely OLED screen is slightly smaller than the touch screen, but the player itself feels quite a bit smaller and lighter. It weighs about 2/3 as much, and is noticeably smaller in width and height, while being just a hair thicker.
Between me and my husband we've owned more MP3 players over the years than I can count, including Sansas, iRivers, iPods (classic & touch), the Ibiza Rhapsody, etc. But, the last few years I've settled down to one line of players. Why? Because I was happy to discover how well-designed and fun to use the underappreciated (and widely mocked) Zunes are.
I'll gear this review to 2 types of people: current Zune owners who are considering an upgrade, and people trying to decide between a Zune and an iPod. (There are other players worth considering out there, like the Sony Walkman X, but I hope this gives you enough info to make an informed decision of the Zune vs players other than the iPod line as well.)
Zune and iPod: Most people compare the Zune to the Touch, but after seeing how slim and surprisingly small and light it is, I consider it to be a rather unique hybrid that combines qualities of both the Touch and the Nano. It's very colorful and lovely OLED screen is slightly smaller than the touch screen, but the player itself feels quite a bit smaller and lighter. It weighs about 2/3 as much, and is noticeably smaller in width and height, while being just a hair thicker.
Hands down, Apple's app store wins by a mile. It's a huge selection of all sorts of apps vs a rather sad selection of a handful for Zune. Microsoft has plans, especially in the realm of games, but I'm not sure I'd want to bet on the future if this aspect is important to you. The iPod is a much better choice in that case.
I'll gear this review to 2 types of people: current Zune owners who are considering an upgrade, and people trying to decide between a Zune and an iPod. (There are other players worth considering out there, like the Sony Walkman X, but I hope this gives you enough info to make an informed decision of the Zune vs players other than the iPod line as well.)
Apple now has Rhapsody as an app, which is a great start, but it is currently hampered by the inability to store locally on your iPod, and has a dismal 64kbps bit rate. If this changes, then it will somewhat negate this advantage for the Zune, but the 10 songs per month will still be a big plus in Zune Pass' favor.
Sorry for the huge review, but I'm really loving the new Zune, and hope this, as well as the excellent reviews some other people have written, will help you decide if it's the right choice for you.
This is getting a bit more subjective, but I much prefer the Zune Marketplace. The interface is colorful, has more flair, and some cool features like 'Mixview' that let you quickly see related albums, songs, or other users related to what you're listening to. Clicking on one of those will center on that item, and another set of "neighbors" will come into view, allowing you to navigate around exploring by similar artists, songs, or users. Speaking of users, the Zune "Social" is also great fun, letting you find others with shared tastes and becoming friends with them. You then can listen to a playlist created based on an amalgamation of what all your friends are listening to, which is also enjoyable. Those concerned with privacy will be relieved to know you can prevent the public from seeing your personal listening habits if you so choose.
Between me and my husband we've owned more MP3 players over the years than I can count, including Sansas, iRivers, iPods (classic & touch), the Ibiza Rhapsody, etc. But, the last few years I've settled down to one line of players. Why? Because I was happy to discover how well-designed and fun to use the underappreciated (and widely mocked) Zunes are.
The new Zune browser is surprisingly good, but not as good as the iPod's. It works well, but isn't as fast as Safari, and has a clunkier interface. If you occasionally plan on using the web browser that's not an issue, but if you're planning to browse the web alot from your PMP then the iPod's larger screen and better browser may be important.
Between me and my husband we've owned more MP3 players over the years than I can count, including Sansas, iRivers, iPods (classic & touch), the Ibiza Rhapsody, etc. But, the last few years I've settled down to one line of players. Why? Because I was happy to discover how well-designed and fun to use the underappreciated (and widely mocked) Zunes are.
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Grim:
I believe the Crest Highway is closed still:
http://www.dot.ca.gov/cgi-bin/roads.cgi
GrimReaperxxx,
Is the comment regarding the officials in reference to the no-call on the punt return for a touchdown in last year's final game? Take a look at the 8:29 mark on this youtube clip.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uuu5P11P90Y
The sideline guy had a great view...not that Paraclete would not have pulled it off, but that was a bigtime return otherwise.
I'm glad #41 graduated, but Monrovia needs to bring our A-game Friday regardless.
Typical, Star news cant give you the directions in an article about the game and what to bring. Just a ramble about getting off the freeway in Palmdale and driving through residential areas to the end of the road.
Knight High School.
37423 70th St
Palmdale, CA 93552-4800
(661) 533-9000
First off it is 1 hour 20 minutes with no traffic.
at 5PM on a Friday, you had better leave a little early. only saving grace it that game day is the day after Thanksgiving so it will be less traffic than usual. Dont expect to get there that quick .
From Monrovia take the 210 to the 210 W (past La Canada) hook up with the 5 freeway north briefly, to the 14 freeway north (Antelope valley freeway) Exit Ave S and go east (right) and drive to the end of the road at 70th. I think you have no choice but to go left, but no matter what you need to get on to 70th (curve left or take a left) and the High school is there on your left. pull in and park. Don't forget to take all the gear that Miguel told you to bring out of the car. You might need to bring a hand cart, as it will look like you are moving in.
Note: for the adventurous, you can also take Angeles Crest north to Pearblossom to Sierra Highway to 40h or something. IT is not a good night drive and is shorter, but slower.
don't forget to take some antifreeze in a paper bag! If Monrovia up by 14 at half it is in the bag! Yea! If Monrovia is up by less than 7 at the start of the 4th, get ready for a long trip home. Grumble, refs stole game, grumble!
It was 42 degrees in Palmdale at 10 p.m. tonight. Can't wait until Friday.