cassettes and sports

Through Netflix, I got 35 free downloads from emusic.com. As a way of generating track ideas, I went through my box of cassette tapes. Remember those? Here’s what I discovered on my trip down musical memory lane:

There are several albums that highlight the late high school to early college years:
--Superstar Carwash by Goo Goo Dolls
--Frosting on the Beater by the Posies
--Never Said by Liz Phair
--Day for Night by Tragically Hip
--Gish by Smashing Pumpkins

I have digital versions of most everything above, except for the Goo Goo Dolls. It wasn’t on emusic, so my next visit is to mp3fiesta.com, although I have found the album on amazon for $2. Anyway, a great album, energetic indie rock without becoming the sugary, polished and overplayed tracks like Name, Iris and Slide.

Another discovery is that apparently I was really into Aerosmith. Permanent Vacation, Pump, Get a Grip, Best of. Permanent Vacation is a classic. Who can forget Dude Looks a Lady? If I can find a tape player that works, I plan to revisit this aspect of my musical past. Plus there are the Alicia Silverstone videos to revisit.



Saturday night I parked myself on a barstool at Claddagh’s to watch basketball and futbol. My brackets were toast thanks to Memphis losing, so I didn’t really care who won. Where did Missouri come from? And where did they get those uniforms? While that game was going on, I was suffering through Portugal v Sweden. A must win game for Portugal, and, to their credit, they did go for it. Sweden was obviously happy with a draw, looking to pick up scraps and didn’t really go push on until Wilhemsson came on with 30 minutes to go. Unfortunately for Portugal and the viewer (me), they cannot score. I have ranted about this on several occasions, so I won’t go into it again. I will summarize thusly: they either need to change their formation or find a natural finisher. The result: 0-0 and there is a real chance of Portugal not qualifying for the World Cup.

Moving on . . .

The TV with the Villanova/Pitt game was turned away from me so it was hard to keep track. I mostly focused on Montenegro v Italy. An early PK set up Italy nicely, and although Montenegro threatened, they struggled to create many clear cut chances. Italy played very narrow in my opinion and only got width from the backs. Montenegro was ok, with their #8 being quite good. Montenegro had a great chance to equalize in the second half, and Italy has several chances to kill off the match before Pazzini made it 2-0 and secure the three points.

That game was followed by El Salvador v US. The US was terrible in the first half. Poor touches which led to poor possession, with Beasley’s turnover leading to the opening goal. Ching did not get involved and Donovon had to drop deep to get the ball. I left at halftime because I was tired and bored. Turns out the US ended up with a 2-2 draw, which is a valuable away point. Qualification is a certainty, and they need to win the group to get the best possible seed next summer.



Finally, I got this newsletter from a vendor. One of these with business news and tips. At the bottom there is a thoughtful or inspirational quote. Here is the quote from last Friday:

“Keep your eyes on the stars and feet on the ground.” Theodore Roosevelt

Doesn’t that sound eerily like a popular American radio host? Very interesting.



Ta Ta.

Will "Kings" Reign?

I watched the first 2 episodes of “Kings”—a new drama on Sundays at 8:00 on NBC. The commercials intrigued me because I thought it recast America as a monarchy instead of a democracy. So I was interested to see how the writers pictured such a world. However, my assumptions about the background of the show were completely wrong. Rather, it is a modernization of the biblical Saul and David story found in 1 and 2 Samuel. I figured this out immediately as there were many allusions to the biblical story—some overt and some more subtle. Here are a few:

The main city with a New York skyline was Shiloh
The king was named Silas (Saul); the young upstart was named David Shepherd; the king’s daughter and David’s love interest was named Michelle (Michal); the Prophet was named Reverend Samuels
An early scene saw David going up against a tank whose model was named “Goliath”

Others could be listed, but you get the point. A more subtle allusion revolved around the anointing of the Spirit. In the biblical narrative, the Spirit is on Saul and then leaves him and rests on David. In the show the Spirit is symbolized by butterflies that come and settle like a crown on the actors’ heads. I thought this was an interesting and profound appropriation.

No matter how many parallels and allusions are included, many modernizations of classics end up falling flat. However, I put this “Kings” one on the level of Romeo + Juliet (1996) with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. One aspect that sets this show apart from other attempts to modernize ancient stories is the clever mix of modern and ancient language. While Romeo + Juliet tried to keep much of Shakespeare’s language, “Kings” uses modern English while sprinkling in some “spiritualized” language. For example, when Reverend Samuels denounces the king he says, “I bring a message. Since you have cast aside the word of the Lord he has cast you aside as king. He grants you no more favors. He protects what you love no longer. God wishes a man after his own heart. You have none.”

Through the first 2 episodes they have done a pretty good job of conveying the original storyline without too much fabrication or plot twisting. However, I wonder if they can keep it up without too many contrived stories. One problem I have is with the portrayal of the king’s son, Jack (Jonathan in the biblical account). In the TV edition he resents David, while the biblical account shows a man, who though he should resent David, loves him and accepts David’s ascension to the throne. Unless a plot line makes them best buddies, it will be a pretty significant divergence from the original.

As I said, my biggest fear is the writers turning this story into something it is not, or choosing to show one side of the characters over against another. But if they do, they will be in good company since the Biblical writers do the same thing. 1 and 2 Samuel tell all the dirty secrets of David, while Chronicles cleans up his history and presents a more pristine “man after God’s own heart.”

I don’t know where this series is going, but I like it thus far and recommend you give it a try. You can watch the first three episodes on the NBC website.

The Art of Running for People Who Would Rather Do Anything But...

This may come as a surprise to some of you but I am not an athletic person. I have found in my lifetime that sweating and breathing hard and a lot of movement is not conducive to reading which is what I really like to do. I'm also not excited by the idea of physical activity that does not accomplish anything. It seems an awful lot like work. I hate watching sports, I hate sports talk shows, I hate sports commercials and sports stores. I grew up in a dysfunctional family where athletic extra curricular activities were dominated by my brother and entering any such activities would have lead to unflattering comparisons by my less than stellar father, yes, even as a kid I understood this.

However, at the ripe old age of 29, I have finally set aside some of the more serious "you'll never be as good as your brother" issues while other issues are so deeply suppressed in my psyche that I'll probably never be able to break that wall down and deal with them. This leaves me open to try new things without the crushing self loathing of my childhood (wow, where is this coming from?!) So after much deliberation I took up jogging. Now, after nearly 5 weeks of jogging I can tell you everything you need to know to get up and get moving. Let's begin shall we.

1) Infinitesimal Motivation
I don't have a lot of will power, I'm almost never motivated, I don't have moments of clarity that change my life forever. What I do have is microscopic sporadic urges to do somewhat healthy things combined with a total lack of patience. Thus, whenever I have a free time and think "I should get up and do something", I do it. Immediately. I don't think twice, I don't stop to consider all the other things I could be doing, I don't second guess my abilities, I just go do it. You'd be surprised how much you can accomplish by blocking out rational thought. And to be clear, I never have the urge to run, I have the desire to be able to run. To do something healthy and not pass out or throw up on the side of the road. So if you have even an inkling of a desire to do something, my advice to you is to jump on it. Attack it and never look back. Do it one day, maybe the next time that urge comes around and you do it, it's slightly less horrible.

2) No Victory is Too Small

This is the imperative second step to following infinitesimal motivation. For me it's important to think that following the motivation is actually changing me in obvious ways, that every step I take is moving me away from failure and towards something better, something I spent most of my life believing I could not do. Today I don't feel as exhausted after 2 miles. Today I sprinted the last block home. Today I could talk while jogging.Today I didn't choke on my own spit. I don't talk to people much about what my goals are in running or about running in general, I just can't afford to fill my head with negative or pessimistic comments.

3) The Zero Tolerance Rule

#3 is basically the other side of #2. As I celebrate every little victory, even if it's just not hating running as much as I used to, I also avoid know-it-alls. Know-it-alls are almost always negative and bossy. I have avoided so many things because I was afraid that other people would be dissappointed with me or that I would be disappointed with myself, I don't feel I need anymore of that talk. So what if I'm doing it wrong, I'm doing it. So what if my shoes aren't right or I'm holding my arms too high or I don't bounce on my toes enough (yes, I've heard these before). I'm doing it, if at some time in the future I choose to improve my style by asking your advise I will ask it, until then I'm just working on putting one foot in front of the other.

4) Night Time is the Right Time

This one is not for everyone but it really works for me. Running at night. As long as I don't get hit by a car, I really really like running at night for several reasons. A) It's cooler outside, as we near summer temperatures of 110 degrees, this will be come more important. B) You can't see how fast or slow you are going, it forces me to pick a pace based on what I can handle instead of how fast I think I should go. C) I'm less self conscious knowing there is no one to see me and judge me. D) It's quieter and there's less traffic.

The down side to jogging at night is the possibility of wild animals and weirdos. Ben and I were on the bike trail at about 9:30 one night and got within 20 ft. of a coyote. Tonight there was some old homeless looking guy putting on a ski mask who yelled something at me. I have no idea what he yelled but it kinda sort sounded like "You're a fag!".

5) The Buddy System

Run with someone really positive. Run with someone who's a better runner than you but has a lot of patience. This way, they can talk to you while you run and take your mind off of some of the pain. Run with someone really encouraging. And most importantly, lay out ground rules quickly. Ben is my running buddy and I made sure to tell him the very first day that if he got ahead of me, my first instinct is to catch up instead of telling him to slow down, then I would run out of steam, then get frustrated, then quit. So Ben knows not to push ahead but stays next to me. He also keeps track of time so we stick to our schedule.

6) The Bully System

As much as I don't allow anyone to be negative about my running. I can be negative about myself if I want. I don't allow disappointment or frustration, but I allow myself a little affectionate ribbing now and then. There is a killer hill I run into towards the end of the 2 miles, I hate it. I have yet to run up that thing without having to walk some of it. This is normally about the time I try some negative motivation. "Maybe this hurts so much because gravity is pulling my big fat butt back down the hill", "Maybe I should take this hill twice today, show that cottage cheese who's boss", "maybe I don't hate this hill, maybe I just love little debbie too much". Staying positive and not allowing frustration doesn't mean don't face reality, sometimes reality is having to push through no matter what. Sometimes humor is making the best of a less than ideal moment.

7) Clothes Make the Runner, Especially the Feet Part

I realized 2 weeks ago, that at 29 years old I have never owned a brand name pair of shoes and I've never bought a pair of shoes that cost $50. As of two weeks ago I own both. They are Nikes, I named them Betty and Ling (right and left). They are worth every penny. Betty and Ling keep my knees from hurting (too much) they have arch supports and padding, and they aren't as loose on my feet as my first running shoes (from payless).

I also went out and bought some really comfortable running pants and capris. But for those you can go to Goodwill, there's lots of selection and they've already been broken in for you! Pajama pants don't cut it. It's already hard to run, you should make sure you are as comfortable as you can be

8) Get a Plan

Get any plan, close your eyes and point and you can get a running plan, they are all over the internet. I recommend the Couch to 5K Running Plan created specifically for sedentary people like me. Get a plan, then get a route, no one likes to stop running to decide which way to go, get it mapped out before you go and there's less to think about.

Right now I can't tell you how I feel about running. I like that I do it, I like that I can do it. I don't enjoy it for it's own sake. I like feeling a little bit of accomplishment every time. Things I never thought I would be able to do, like run a whole mile without walking, are pretty simple now. I'm not as embarrassed to run with people watching. I don't know that I'll ever actually do a 5K but it's not out of the realm of reality. I would like to go to Hawaii this summer and I'd like to wear a bathing suit without feeling like the Pillsbury dough boy, or Staypuff Marshmallow Man, or the Michelin Man or any other white squishy monster. Maybe someday I'll enjoy running for the sake of running, maybe someday I feel the endorphins kick in like I hear tell of. That hasn't happened yet. When/if I get to that point I'll let you know, I'm sure it will be a momentous day.

Damages Season 2

I want to bring to your attention a TV show that has caught my eye "Damages".

When i first heard about this new show back in July 2007 i began to think legal thrillers are silly and boring. They just are...period. For the life of me I cannot figure out how so many people get enraptured by Law & Order, but i watched it anyway and below is what i thought.

So when I first saw the previews of FX’s Damages Season 1 I was expecting a decent performance by Glenn Close as class action lawyer Patty Hewes, but a bunch of petty storytelling with little soul. Not only was I mistaken in my snap judgment of the storyline, but Damages has gone on to become one of the best shows on television.

By the time Damages hit the air The Shield was a bit trite. OK, so Vic is a bad dude on the good side of the law. Yippee. Damages came along and proved that FX has a winning formula for its dramas.
Give the writers leeway to tell intelligent and adult stories, and then what you’ll end up with is an Emmy winning show.

Perhaps the networks should pay attention because they are getting trounced by cable when it comes to original programming. As season one came to a close it was difficult for me to understand how Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne) could continue working for Patty Hewes (Glenn Close), even if she planned to work with the FBI to take her down.

The season two premiere answers that quite nicely as we see Ellen one month later struggling to deal with her anger. Ellen’s naivety in season one stemmed from inexperience, not a lack of intelligence or ability. The show handled that deftly, and Rose Byrne held her own against Glenn Close.
Now we’ve moved beyond that as Ellen is insistent on doing everything to take Patty down, even giving the FBI pause when she’s readily willing to perform any task asked. Ellen is also attending anger management meetings, and it’s there she meets Wes Krulik (Timothy Olyphant).

The casting of Olyphant alone for the part had me on edge on whether this man could be trusted, and while Ellen confides in him she does seem reserved. Perhaps it’s because she isn’t ready to move on from her fiancés death, or she suspects him as much as I do. While the big case of the season doesn’t involve Frobisher (Ted Danson) –who, incidentally was shot when last we saw him– I was ecstatic to see him coming back for the second season.
Time will only tell if what happened changed him, or if it’s all an act. One thing I know for sure is that Arthur Frobisher is one of the most likeable bad guys on television. I’d go so far as to say he’s not really a bad guy, just a man with power who suffers from some terrible flaws.
For her part Patty is the envy of the entire legal world after her multibillion dollar win against Arthur Frobisher. Clients are trying to get her to take cases, and Ellen is handed a fake case by the FBI to use to bring Patty down. But nothing sticks, no matter how hard Ellen tries. Or even Tom Shayes (Tate Donovan), Patty’s most trusted lawyer at the firm, who backs Ellen’s decision to convince Patty to head up the case. Then Daniel Purcell (William Hurt), an old friend of Patty’s, calls on her for help. What starts as a favor for a friend and a domestic violence case quickly escalates into something more. Anyone who feared that the loss of Ray Fiske (Zeljko Ivanek) as Patty’s legal nemesis would hurt the show need not worry. In the second episode we’re introduced to Claire Maddox (Marcia Gay Harden) who goes to legal battle with Patty the moment she appears on screen. This is a woman who will never be afraid to confront Patty.

Also, Marcia Gay Harden is a stunningly beautiful woman and her portrayal of Claire is so powerful and intense I can easily see her joining Glenn Close and Zeljko Ivanek as an Emmy winning cast member. The style of storytelling in season two is similar to season one, but not identical. We do start off with something happening six months in the future, and then the bulk of the show is what happened to lead up to these moments. Instead of a bloodied Ellen stumbling down the street, this time we get an Ellen who is cold and calculating as she sits and discusses matters with…someone.

The season two premiere ends in this time frame with a scene that is chilling. I didn’t see it coming, and that’s the point. Where Ellen was broken down by Patty in season one I think season two is going to showcase her crossing the breaking point. Damages returns without skipping a single beat. New characters are as complex and interesting as returning favorites. The show delivers on a style that is intelligent and simultaneously easy to follow. You’ll never scratch your head wondering what is up with any character, as each choice and action made makes perfect sense as you watch it. The use of the flashback formula is where Damages shoehorns in its suspense and mystery as we near the end of Season 2 this is a must watch for anyone who enjoys television and i encourage you to get season 1 & 2 and enjoy it as much as i have done.

Next week i will try and stomach discussing the Utd collapse against Fulham as well as Fergie's bad team selection and why i think Liverpool's hype is just hype!!!!

Bye for now

movie/tv reviews

I'm posting a day ahead because I will be out of the office all day tomorrow, and I can' figure out how to auto post.



Couple of movie/TV show reviews:


Watchmen. **Spoiler alert** If you have not seen it, skip ahead.

The more I review it my mind, the more I didn’t like it. Overall it did do a good job of transferring the comic to the screen. But it’s the details that really get to me.

The soundtrack was amazing. Even 99 Balloons was odd but cool. However any original music was terrible and really clashed with the mood of the film.

As for characters, Rorschach was one of the greatest performances of a comic character brought to screen. The voice, the outfit, the moments were absolute magic. And then there was Silk Spectre II. Horrible. Her voice, her. The way Doc Manhattan was presented was tremendous. There is no way he could have been as dynamic as a visual 10 years ago. (And I’m not just talking about his “you know.”) I thought Ozymandius’ costume was taken from the X-Men wardrobe trailer. Didn’t really fit with the book.

Then there was the gratuitous sex scene. Really did we need that? Were they appealing to the fanboys or the customer who didn’t know anything going in? This movie was 2’40”, felt every moment of it and that was 2” they could have cut off.

Finally, the movie is too dense for a literal presentation. While there were elements of the story told and it created a sort of anti-hero moral tale, a huge theme of the book is why somewhat normal people dress up in spandex and masks. I felt they really didn’t cover this at all and they probably couldn’t and get everything else in.



Last week, I watched the Little Britain USA. Imagine Family Guy and South Park. Now both of those shows go up to a line of decency and jump over. Little Britain starts where those shows end and jumps farther. Tasteless, graphic and offensive. Genius.



Choke. I felt like Choke was some sort of Coen Bros. movie. Here are these characters, this is their world, x,y,and z happens, credits. Lord High Charlie was great, and there was a little “Of Mice and Men” dynamic between the two friends. Now would I see this as a double feature with Fight Club? Not sure. Don’t know if I’ll ever see it again although there were some very quotable lines.



Gone Baby Gone. **Spoiler alert** If you have not seen it, skip ahead.

Wow. Great film. Talk about no right answer and moral grey areas. I had this nagging feeling that something wasn’t quite right and when the Detective slipped during his drunken rant about the nature of God, that solved the puzzle for me. This is a film that I could come back to and really enjoy, while trying to figure out which side of the fence I would have been on. Morgan Freeman really stole the show. You inherently trust his character and then are stunned with the plan that is set in motion. His monologue at the end sets up the moral quandary and really gets the wheels turning in your brain.



Now I have to get to the three movies on my bed stand. Besides those, I hope to talk about in the near future about the Champions League draw, MLS expansion and some music I came across.




Ta Ta.

“J.Lo Sues Stroller Company for $30 Million”. I can’t even think of something pithy to say because I’m so flabbergasted.

I have to admit I’ve never been a fan of hers, “Maid in Manhattan” really sealed the deal for me and proves she does not have the talent to be either an actress or a singer, but what she does have is business sense. From dancer to actor to singer to perfume and jeans (which I own but only because I paid $3 at the Trinity Evangelical Church Thrift Store). I'm pretty sure she's sold everything including her soul. Let me count the levels of wrongness in this lawsuit:

1) Does she really think she's worth that much?

2) How much free merchandise has she accepted from companies such as this for her to show off in the hopes that this would prompt other people to buy stuff? And yet heaven forbid someone use her likeness to sell something? What’s the difference?

3) How much money does she already have that she needs $30 million more?

4) Considering the current economic crisis that many Latinos find themselves in currently and also considering the aforementioned #3, can she still call herself “Jenny from the Block?”

The sum total of arrogance and greed it takes to pull off this type of lawsuit blows my mind. This is the type of activity that alienates her from the culture she continues to claim she is part of. The mean part of me really hopes she loses some fans for this but I have a feeling stupid people stick together. I'm going to write an aria for J-Lo, it's called "Nobody Cares".

24 Review & A piece of humble pie!!!!!!!

November's TV movie 24: Redemption found Kiefer Sutherland's Jack Bauer a chastened man. Helping orphans in Africa, he was hoarse not for the usual reason (barking orders), but from asking his Inner Good Guy for forgiveness for his CTU-agent sins.

24: Season 7 made its long awaited return to FOX in January and with 14 episodes into arguably the best season of 24 to date my disappointment of the teaser movie Redemption has now vanished as i countdown the days to the next episode week after week.

Season 7 started out with Jack facing a congressional hearing for torture crimes against the many international terrorists and domestic traitors that plagued the United States in seasons prior, as he was grilled by Senator Mayer about his actions as a CTU Agent the hearing was interrupted by FBI Agent Renee Walker (she is a dish by the way)

What has happened since has been thrilling, Tony Almeida is back from the dead to help Jack, Bill Buchanen sacrificed himself for the Presidents survival, Chloe is in custody... go figure!!! and now Agent Walker has been suspended and is currently in holding for helping Jack escape custody so that he can continue to solve to missing pieces of what is about to happen next.

I was pleasantly surprised that 24: cast John Voight in what appears to be a role for him as a domestic traitor killing innocent lives for the greater good.... so he puts it.

I am looking forward to the final 10 episodes in what i hope will be more exciting, thrilling and all about Jack saving the country once again.

24 is without a doubt one of America's hottest shows!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK so i am going to eat a piece of humble pie here and say Liverpool deserved their win this past weekend at Old Trafford.......... only because we made mistakes and didn't finish our chances.

That's humble right? Anyway i don't think that defeat has cost us the title as so many people seem to think it has, yes we lost the game, but we are still 4 points clear with a game in hand at home v Portsmouth in April. This weekend sees us take the trip the Craven Cottage to take on a Fulham side that we blew away in the FA Cup 1/4 final. After last weeks humiliation i expect a response and if we respond with goals it could be a long day for Fulham as we look to put the lead back to 7 points for 24 hours at least.

Liverpool face a tough test at home to Villa who will be looking to get back in the race for 4th spot. C'mon Villa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Later for now, enjoy the week

justin.tv and champions league recap

Due to my busy schedule I was unable to post last week. I’m sure you were waiting with bated breath for my next entry.

Speaking of which, I have subscribed to this blog on my facebook page. With the changes that have been made, new entries from anyone who posts on the blog come across as “my” note. So when JD celebrates his completion of the World Beer tour, I get a facebook comment from my mom worrying about my drinking. How do I fix this?


Moving on . . .

Thanks to justin.tv I was able to catch Barca’s progress in the Copy Del Rey. I was following the match cast on soccernet.com and decided to watch the second half on line if possible. The screen opened up just in time to see Pinto save a PK from Mallorca. From there the game totally changed momentum and Barca equalized with a goal from Messi. On to the final v Bilbao.

I know justin.tv is illegal. But I don’t have the money or time to pony up for the typical cable package, so if there is something out there for free I’ll do that instead. Usually the quality isn’t that great and the feed drops out from time to time so really what harm is it doing? I know there are even better options on the interweb, I just haven’t found them yet. Trust me, I’m bringing enough business to Claddagh’s and in effect FSC and Setanta to make sure everything works out.



The Champions League draw is Friday and the permutations are incredible. All English quarters? Utd v Barca? Will two of the lesser teams meet to insure one of them is in the semis?

Looking back at the round of 16, I will have to say that I was really surprised about the Manchester United result. I put too much stock in the Special One and he didn’t deliver. As for Barcelona, when they are on, they are simply unstoppable. But what happens when they get shut down? The United semi last year is the template for defeat. Organized, determined teams can hold out and if they hold out, Barca will give up a goal or two. Especially this year as the defense has been shaky at best, which in turn has exposed Valdez. Juventus simply didn’t deserve to advance. A horrible first leg condemned them to defeat. They did make it 1-1 on aggregate but after that never really tested or made Chelsea nervous. Once Chelsea scored, then the tie was over. But Juve’s motto must be “gain experience”. The young core must learn how to win and maybe it will pay off with a scudetto next year and a Champions League title in the next 3-5 years. Final thought, watch out for Villareal. If they get a favorable draw, they could sneak into the final.



I have seen the Watchmen but am still processing it. I hope to talk about a couple of movies next week. How’s that for a tease?


Finally, if you like soccer, and especially Spanish soccer, check out the Revista de la Liga Extra podcast. Produced by Sky Sports, it has great analysis, discussion and projects of the La Liga.


Ta Ta.

Big Day

First of all, I'm watching W as I type--it's a little stunning, and I'll have to read up on the accuracies/inaccuracies of it's portrayal of Bush and those around him.  Regardless, I continue to be wowed by Josh Brolin--where did he come from?!  What a quick string of great performances, No Country For Old Men, W, and Milk, seemingly out of nowhere?  This is frickin' Brand from The Goonies, and I hadn't seen him in anything since then up to No Country.  I just checked his IMDB filmography and he's been working the entire time--pretty crazy--20 full years in the industry and only now really making his presence felt.

Anyway, looking forward to a big day--maybe a little bit of playing Oblivion on the 360 (new to it, and blown away--it was recommended to me when I bought the 360 and I should have bought it then--it's incredibly deep and rich in content, and probably waaaay to nerdy to describe here, but suffice it to say I'm in geek heaven when I'm playing it), then clean up a bit getting ready for my sister-in-law and her boyfriend to spend the day/night here, then we've got the MSU game this afternoon, Settlers of Catan, introducing Margaret and Kenny to Guitar Hero (Margaret is going to be hilarious, I just know it), and then heading over to Duke's for dinner.

Duke's is the only nice restaurant in Portland, and it's a Cajun restaurant, and I love it.  Meg can't find a lot there that she likes b/c she doesn't like spicy food, but I love it--good beer, interesting food selections, actually pretty decent store atmosphere which is severely lacking in the other plastic-booth-flimsy-table-country-decor-fluorescent-lighted restaurants around town.

Oh, and one last note, I have finally completed my world beer tour at Old Chicago after probably 4 years of working on it--that's 110 different beers, so 27 a year-ish, which means I probably visited about once every other month or so, with 4 beers per visit.  Along the way have earned a deck of cards, a bottle opener, a t-shirt, a baseball cap, a travel coffee mug, a cooler, and a sweatshirt, and I've drank a fair amount of crappy beer, because in order to get up to 110 that means I'm having to do the Bud, Bud Lite, Miller Lite, Coors, Pabst, MGD, Heineken, and Corona series as well...ick.  Most of the gifts were crap, particularly because the WBT logo is UGLY, so that pretty much wipes out the t-shirt, baseball cap, and sweatshirt.  The cards and bottle opener are great, but also the first gifts you earn, so it's a loooong dry spell.  And a travel coffee mug is the LAST gift a BIGGBY employee needs--how do they not have a logo pint glass?  That's always felt like a major misfire.  So now I'm through it, and the good news is that now I get credit for any beer I drink, I don't have to keep drinking the different (and crappy) beers, but will I feel as strongly compelled to visit to achieve?  We'll see.  

P.S. I'm trying to get a similar reward program introduced at BIGGBY--I found it very compelling, and that was at a place where you really can't visit all that often--how many times a month can you go out for pizza?  But we've got some fanatics out there that I think would really cleave to a program like this.  We'll see...

  

Why Manchester United embody everything good about football!!!

I listened to the commentary of our FA Cup tie against Fulham at Craven Cottage on the radio as well as watching it on Dutch TV via an Internet Satelite. The pangs got worse.
The commentators were raving about United. They were ransacking their minds for new superlatives. It sounded as if they were watching football poetry, but as i watched it was more than that.
Not that it's anything particularly new praising United given that i am such a huge Mancunian. Sir Alex Ferguson's sides have dominated the game in England for the last 15 years.
There have been great teams to watch, filled with great players. Too many to mention, really. A cast of stars.
But it feels as though there's something special about Ferguson's latest creation, as though what he has built at Old Trafford has taken another step forward in its evolution.
The way this United team play football, you want to take your kids to a game so that in years to come, they can say they saw them play.
Whoever they grow up to support, they can say they saw a United side that was chasing five trophies.
They can say they saw Ryan Giggs in his glorious autumn, Wayne Rooney growing into his prime, Cristiano Ronaldo in his pomp, the fiery majesty of Paul Scholes, the breathtaking passing of Michael Carrick and one of the best English club defences there has ever been.
And they can say they saw Ferguson himself, standing watchfully over his charges in his Old Trafford perch, gazing down at his final achievement and the one that we may yet remember him by.
For all those reasons, it will feel like a privilege to watch United take on Inter Milan in the second leg of their Champions League second round tie this evening.
Seeing them take on Liverpool, the pretenders to their throne, on Saturday afternoon will be equally unmissable.

It's possible, of course, that Inter will spoil this script by beating United tonight. How typical of their boss, Jose Mourinho, it would be to conjure a result like that, but the evidence we have seen so far suggests that won't happen. The evidence we have seen so far suggests that Inter, like most other teams, are simply not in United's league. United were so much better than Inter in the first half of the first leg at the San Siro that the gulf was embarrassing. Inter were lumpen. United were brilliant.
Apart from all the individual talents the team possess, what is so striking about this United team is its technical accomplishment.
There is nothing traditionally English about their style at all. They have travelled a million miles, too, from the 4-4-2 orthodoxy that ruled their fantastic Treble-winning side of 1999.
They are fluid now. So fluid they slip through your fingers. So fluid they're close to perfecting Total Football. Very close indeed.
Their close control is fantastic. They play the ball into feet at pace into tight areas. They keep possession. They pass the opposition to death.
Their movement is like quicksilver. Players such as Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov, dropping deep, pulling wide, are unmarkable.
Their speed of passing and their speed of thought is reminiscent of the Spain team that outplayed England so comprehensively last month in Seville. And compliments don't come much higher than that.
So I hope United wipe the floor with Inter tonight. Not because they're English and Inter are Italian or the fact that I am die hard RED for LIFE, but because this United team represents everything that is good about the game and Inter don't. And because their quest for five trophies is something to be marvelled at, even if, sooner or later, it may come unstuck.
If you can get a ticket for anything in sport, get a ticket to watch this United team play. Its truly mesmerizing!!!!!

Some Facebook Rants

I recently purged my “friend” list on Facebook. At first I thought it was great to have so many “friends” and to reconnect with people. But as my experience has progressed I have realized that these people are not my “friends”. In fact, I spent four years in high school or college in the proximity of some of these people without ever having a real conversation. My feeling is that if I didn’t make a point to “connect” with them then, why would I now? That may seem heartless and cruel, but it is a fact. I don’t dislike them or wish them ill – I just don’t want to get step up our current association level and become involved in their daily affairs. Most of the people won’t even notice – after all, they have like 300 friends’ lives to wade through and I am probably not on the top of the list. So, my “friend” list has dwindled from 200 to around 120. That is still too many. I would love to pine it down to 50, but that would cause some serious friction among acquaintances.

Maybe that is the next innovation that needs to take place on Facebook – differing categories. Instead of emasculating the definition of the word “friend”, why can’t we categorize people based on our actual relationship? If they are business related, church related, old school people, or whatever else that might solve the problem for me. I know, they have the “top 10” friends group or whatever, but anything that says “Hey, we are going to take all of your information and disseminate it as we please” usually leads me to click “ignore.”

Which leads me to my next Facebook rant – all of these groups and causes are pointless. I don’t join any causes because, listen closely, THEY DON’T DO ANYTHING!!! By definition a “cause” affects change. Signing up for something on Facebook does not make any difference to cancer, to the old vs. new Facebook layout – to anything. Your virtual support is just that – virtual and not actual. Prayer is not going to get put back in schools, abortion is not going to get outlawed, Obama is not going to get impeached just because you join a group or cause. How about writing or emailing your congress person? You might have a shot then. But I don’t think our representatives are trolling about the Facebook groups to help them determine policy.

And if you are signing up to make a statement to your friends, shouldn’t they already know where you stand? Or perhaps they are not actually your friends but merely people you sort of knew at one time. And so we have come full circle.

MIA

After several weeks of being MIA i have made my triumphant return to The Cultural Taproom, its good to be back....... The main reason for my darkness is that my wife and I welcomed the 2nd addition into our family on February 21st 2009 at 11:59am, Cameron Thomas weighed in at 7lbs 13oz and 19 1/2 inches long.

I've always been amazed at child birth, the first time was a blur as i was mainly sobbing at the mere thought of sleepless nights ahead.... just kidding, but this 2nd time i paid more attention of the actual birth.... in keeping this blog PG I am amazed at how much skin is willing to stretch to allow something of a decent size to exit such a small area...... Anyway it was a beautiful moment that i got to enjoy better this time around.

I did feel so helpless and of course they had an army of nurses in our birthing room accompanied by my Monster-In-Law (did i say that out loud!!!!!!!) with that type of crowd anything i thought about saying i didn't so i just smiled, sobbed and held my 2nd son...... Happy Days.

My special family moment lasted all of 10 minutes, as i turned on the hospital Internet service to get the United v Blackburn latest score, boy did that not go down well.

What can i say I'm a typical male!!!!

So lots of football to talk about, i will start with the Champions League Match day 7.

Inter v United at the San Siro was the talk of the round, the game for United fans and me alike ended in disappointment as we tied 0-0 after dominating from start to finish, United cut Inter apart in the 1st half creating 4 or 5 good chances, but failing to put the tie beyond Inter.

Juilo Caesar made some good saves from an in from Ronaldo, but United's strength, experience to keep the ball and sheer class really shone through.... back to OT for a very confident 3-1 win for the Red Devils.... watch this space.

Cheslea v Inter was boring to be honest and Austin and I called it before kick off, i am not sure of the outcome in Turin, but i fear for Chelsea. I think Juve will nick it 2-0 to progress.

Arsenal v Roma was a typical Arsenal European night of late, plenty of good quality chances wasted that will come back to bite them in the a**. Roma wins 2 or 3-0 in Rome and progresses.

Real v Liverpool, how can you put in a professional performance against one of the best sides in European football history on their turf and then go to Boro and get spanked.... Bizarre.
Obviously the Fat Spanish Waiter cannot figure out the components to become a consistent performer in the EPL and in Europe and until he realizes that and strengthens his squad so that Stevie G and EL Nino are not carrying the scoucers..... Liverpool will always be that ALMOST team regarding the Premiership.

Lyon v Barca was intriguing, Lyon could of finished it in France, but couldn't. 1-1 at the Nou Camp, Lyon to Win on Pens.... Ouch

Sporting v Bayern - GAME OVER

A. Madrid v Porto - If Madrid play anywhere near what the put in against Barca this past weekend expect Madrid to qualify.

Villareal v Panathanikos - ermmmmm a tricky one, but i am going for the Yellow Submarine

Watched the Carling Cup Final with my good friend Austin this past weekend, nothing short than boring, but its a trophy in the bag and medals = confidence especially at United.
Premiership - Won
FA Cup - Favorites
Champions League - If we beat Inter we will make the Final in May, from there is a lottery.

Bye for now

dollhouse, watchmen, soccer report

Last night I watched the pilot of “Dollhouse.” Interesting concept. What would you expect from Wheadon? I can definitely see the “wiping the slate clean but not really” playing out over time. I will say that the pilot really did a good job of presenting the story while planting future story lines all over the place. It’s definitely a show I could get into.

We are watching pilots to find a show to replace House. The first was Dollhouse. Tom is also interested in Castle and something else. I wouldn’t mind checking out Leverage, but may wait until the first season is over and watch it on DVD.



This weekend I am planning on seeing Watchmen. I am getting a little nervous as reviews and comments are filtering out that it does not live up to the hype. I’m not sure that it can, but I just hope it doesn’t suck. Here’s hoping.



Last weekend was a big weekend of footy. Saturday I watched Juve huff and puff and barely knock the Napoli house down. Very fortunate. With Roma leading Inter 2-0 on Sunday, I actually thought about Juve winning the scudetto. But then the Nerrazzurri recovered for a point in the game and a 7 point lead in the league. OVER.

But a league that has been reignited is La Liga. The wheels are officially coming off at Barca. From a commanding 12 point advantage to a slender 4 point margin. Barca could go from the treble to nothing very quickly. They should see off Mallorca in the Cup tomorrow and get to at least one final, and they should see off Lyon at the Nou Camp to make the quarters of the Champions League. As for the league, the momentum may have shifted to the point of no return. Madrid are not going to turn over Liverpool at Anfield, so will be able to totally focus on the league. Not good for the blaugrana.

As for United, the Carling Cup was hard work. I’m talking about watching it of course. Neither team really hit the high notes, and Spurs were a touch unlucky not to get a goal and make United come at them like the FA Cup. The PK’s were shocking. Bentley, don’t let the door hit you on the way of White Hart Lane. As a passing Spurs supporter, I’m glad they are not in Europe next year. They have gone backwards quickly from the back to back 5th place finishes, and now must rebuild anew. Of course Harry isn’t the one to do it based on his record. That means another coaching change and all that entails. Meanwhile, Villa and Everton have shown what can happen with determination and commitment while Spurs spiral downward back to mid-table mediocrity.

This weekend is the FA Cup. If the form book holds, the semis will be very entertaining. Hopefully Barca can turn it around against Bilbao. And Juve is playing in the Turin derby. Torino are battling relegation so I expect a scrappy game with only the odd goal. Maybe I’ll see you at Claddagh’s.



Ta Ta for now.

An Enlightening Trip to the Movies

Thanks to Austin’s recommendation, I have been slowly creeping through Mad Men (as my schedule does not allow for much extra television watching). If you are unaware, the show follows members of a Madison Avenue advertising agency in the 1960’s. In a few episodes, the main character, Don Draper, interacts with what I would call “proto-hippies”. In their discussions, they go back and forth between what these advertising agents are actually accomplishing—manipulation or directing the customers to the best of what they already desire. For example, the company represents Lucky Strike cigarettes. They take the approach that everyone wants to smoke anyway, so just get them to agree that Lucky Strikes is the best brand and everyone goes home a winner. Of course, this influencing takes place by leaving out certain details such as the deadly health impact of these and other cigarettes stemming from the ingredients of the cigarette.

All of this is to say, media influence has been on my mind lately so I perhaps I was extra sensitive to an encounter at the movie theatres, but I don’t think so. Before the movie began, while I am used to being bombarded with commercials and trailers, I was not prepared for the video I saw. I can think of no description other than “propaganda.” It was the following music video to a song by Kid Rock called “Warrior”.



I found this video both subtle and not so subtle at the same time. On the one hand you have two red neck icons – Kid Rock and Dale Earnhardt Jr. – supporting the National Guard. Though I am non-violent in principles, I do not begrudge those who want to serve their country in the Armed Forces. However, this is propaganda of the worst sort – glorifying the war and acting as though race relations are being impacted for the better through our armed presence in places such as Iraq. It is a lie that recruiters have used since the beginning – “Want to be a hero? Want to see some action? Want to serve your country? Then join the ______________ (fill in your branch of the armed forces).”

Am I un-American? Perhaps. But if “un-American” means thinking critically about the sort of propaganda that is being served up to this country, then sign me up for the fight against McCarthyism.