The R01 application is progressing nicely, no doubt thanks in large part to the fact that i've been working on it every waking moment for the last two weeks. I'm very pleased with how it's shaping up, and think it may have a decent chance at getting funded. Wait, i didn't say that. Jinx. Dammit!

The silver lining of the weekend's footballing results: Chelsea remain six points off leaders Manchester United. The gray storm cloud: we got beat 2-nil by recent rivals Liverpool, José Mourinho is now openly feuding with the team executives, Andriy Shevchenko is beginning to resent the blame he's received for the team's recent slump (however well deserved it is given his poor play), John Terry remains weeks away from a return from injury, our defense is hemorrhaging goals at this point (where's William Gallas when you need him? Oh yes ... never mind), and we hardly look capable of grinding out result after result as in seasons past, let alone knocking off our primary foes. My preseason prediction that this would be the year the wheels fall off our ego parade are beginning to ring true. Great.

Naomi and Phil came down from the city to give me a few hours respite from my grant writing. At Phil's recommendation we headed to downtown RC to the new Century Theater to catch Pan's Labyrinth. Directed by Hellboy and Blade II alum Guillermo del Toro, i figured by its mythical content (fauns, fairies, and the like) that this was a youth-oriented fantasy flick in the vein of Labyrinth (gee, how could i ever have associated those two?) or the Dark Crystal. Not so. The film, set in 1944 Spain, follows a young girl as she moves with her pregnant mother to live with her new stepfather, a captain in the Spanish army hunting rebel guerrillas camped in the woods. The girl is quickly absorbed in a fantasy world that offers her an alternative to the brutal war-time reality. Her stepfather is revealed as an A-1 asshole, reveling in torture and lording martial law over his village charges. A few scenes assorted nastiness (notoriously, a scene involving a wounded rebel soldier having his leg amputated with a hacksaw) dispel the notion that this was for kids. However, the film excellently balances fantasy and reality and weaves its story without reducing either to cliché. It reminds one of the brutality of the original Grimm's fairy tales, and compares them to the horrors that we encounter in the real world. Highly recommended, just be ready to cringe during a few parts. Strange ... this was the second subtitled Spanish film i'd seen this month.

Veronica and i tried once again to secure a Wii today, having learned that Best Buy and other chains were receiving a shipment. And once again, we were frustrated by horrendous early morning lines and rapid sell-outs at all local vendors. V was reading me an online forum where someone bragged about buying nine this morning, enabling a budding eBay business. Veronica also noted that Craigslist boasted a wealth of new Wii sales ads not long after 10am. Damn profiteers.

When i need a chance to unwind, i've been firing up the (now old, but still wonderful) 360 and playing Rainbow Six: Vegas. Some games are just in tune with your individual playing style, and for me this is one of them. After playing for an hour or so i find myself fluidly ordering my squad around and orchestrating viciously effective sweeps of enemy-controlled rooms. Once i finish the campaign mode (only two stages to go, but from various online reports i've got my work cut out for me), i'll get back to the equally-deserving-but-for-whatever-reason-currently-on-the-back-burner Gears of War.

Stanford colleague Fred gave me another break today by having Sandip and i over to watch the Colts/Patriots AFC championship game over dogs and burgers. From my two years in Boston and having watched the Brady/Belichick tandem repeatedly frustrate Manning and the Colts over the years, i was pulling for the Pats. And after one and a half quarters that sentiment looked like it would be fulfilled early, with New England racing to a 21-3 lead. Indiana native Fred looked crushed, so i reassured him that if Peyton could settle down he could certainly bring the Colts back. And that's how it unfolded ... Manning got over his nerves and began to dissect the Pats defense, Brady had trouble moving the ball placing more pressure on his fatiguing defenders, and the Colts pulled off an impressive 38-34 win. So the monkey of being unable to win the big one is off Manning's back. For now ... he still has to beat the rollercoaster Chicago Bears in the Super Bowl. Once again, it's great offense (Indy) meets great defense (Chitown). Recent experience has emphatically proven that defense wins championships, but the Bears' schizophrenia this year makes it difficult to have faith in them. I'm tentatively picking Manning to finally get his ring.

Back to the grant. Hopefully i'll get a few hours sleep tonight before my orthodontic appointment tomorrow. Orthodontics? Yes, i'll get to that another time.