I'll admit it -- in all the championship excitement, I wasn't quite sure what to do with the color scheme on here. And then I forgot about it for a bit. So today is the day to take down the Phillies colors and replace them with the OU Crimson and Cream in celebration of their Big 12 Championship and upcoming National Championship game. It truly has been a great year!
But first, in fairness, I suppose I can't just gloss over the NFL season entirely. So here you go, it's one full month of Lions colors for each of their wins.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Saturday, December 20, 2008
That Ain't Celcius, Kids
Tomorrow after church Laura and I are packing up the dog and going "home" for Christmas. We're from the same town and so we can go to one place and both sets of parents are there. There's no "this year we'll go to your family, and next to mine" or anything like that, and so that's nice. What's not so nice, though, is that they're all in South Dakota. There's basically no opportunity, nothing going on, and the high tomorrow is 4. (Yep, the HIGH. As in, if you go outside at just the right time, you can think to yourself, "Wow, I could NOT have picked a better moment all day long to be out in the weather. At least for today, this is truly as good as it gets!" And it will be 4.)
Sometimes I talk to friends or whatever who still live where they grew up, and their family and extended family and all of them are there, and I feel a little bit guilty that I left my hometown literally the day after I graduated from high school. Are my own personal preferences and ambitions more important than family? And it's not like my parents are terrible to be around, they're genuinely wonderful people.
You just don't ever have complete control over if your children will leave. What you DO have some control over, however, is where you give them the chance to stay. And if you want them to stick around, my strong recommendation is to not make it South Dakota.
Sometimes I talk to friends or whatever who still live where they grew up, and their family and extended family and all of them are there, and I feel a little bit guilty that I left my hometown literally the day after I graduated from high school. Are my own personal preferences and ambitions more important than family? And it's not like my parents are terrible to be around, they're genuinely wonderful people.
You just don't ever have complete control over if your children will leave. What you DO have some control over, however, is where you give them the chance to stay. And if you want them to stick around, my strong recommendation is to not make it South Dakota.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
This Post Is Not Mass-Produced In 800 Identical Locations
I see commercials or what not for restaurants that advertise this or that as "homemade." Am I wrong, or doesn't the very fact that you're getting something from a restaurant by definition mean that it is not homemade? Seriously, can anybody explain this to me and have it make sense?
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Actually, Mack, Blame Me
In all the excitement I temporarily forgot about this, but in the interest of full disclosure I would like to use this forum to tell the world -- I'm the reason that OU is going to the Big 12 Championship Game over Texas and Texas Tech. No, I didn't hack into the computers to boost OU (their non-conference wins against TCU and Cincinnati did that). I didn't falsify votes in either of the pertinent polls. I didn't even text message voters reminding them of seemingly forgotten games, go on tv during major football games to argue for OU, or hire a plane to fly a banner bearing a point in OUr favor. It was far more subversive than any of those would have been.
Several weeks back, I was looking for a Christmas time outreach event for Life Pointe. The best event that I could find for a hand-out service type project was a thing called Bardstown Road Aglow on the evening of December 6th. I looked ahead a couple weeks on the college football schedule and my fears were confirmed -- that was the date of the Big 12 Championship game, and if I scheduled the event and OU was playing, I would have to miss (part, at least, of) the game. But there simply was no other remotely workable event that I could find. So I pulled the trigger on Bardstown Road Aglow. Knowing full well that surely the final improbable events would fall into place and that I -- the guy without tivo, by the way -- would take myself away from the epic dual.
So blame me, Mack Brown. Point your fingers, members of the media. I signed a deal with the devil (otherwise known as Murphy's Law) to make it happen, and it's only fair that I take the heat for it.
Several weeks back, I was looking for a Christmas time outreach event for Life Pointe. The best event that I could find for a hand-out service type project was a thing called Bardstown Road Aglow on the evening of December 6th. I looked ahead a couple weeks on the college football schedule and my fears were confirmed -- that was the date of the Big 12 Championship game, and if I scheduled the event and OU was playing, I would have to miss (part, at least, of) the game. But there simply was no other remotely workable event that I could find. So I pulled the trigger on Bardstown Road Aglow. Knowing full well that surely the final improbable events would fall into place and that I -- the guy without tivo, by the way -- would take myself away from the epic dual.
So blame me, Mack Brown. Point your fingers, members of the media. I signed a deal with the devil (otherwise known as Murphy's Law) to make it happen, and it's only fair that I take the heat for it.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
There's No Crying In Football
So after all the craziness, it's going to be OU going to the Big Twelve Championship game. As you might imagine, I'm alltogether very pleased with this to say the least. Do you know what I'm not alltogether pleased with, though? The whining and horrible logic of those who are less pleased with the resuls (ok, some of those who like the result have horrible logic, too). So, if we may, let's just take a moment to look at these things rationally. Of course I have my preferences, but I'll do my best to be unbiased, and if legitimately fail I welcome being called out for it.
Arguments for Texas
1) Texas and OU played head to head and Texas won, so there's no way that OU should be ranked ahead of Texas! (this is by far the most used argument, sometimes with the explicit addendum "that's all that should matter!")
If this was the only game that was played this season, then it would be pretty much air-tight. The problems? The rest of the season for one. For another, it's a circular argument since it's a three-way tie, and if OU can't be ranked ahead of Texas, then Texas can't be ranked ahead of Texas Tech, which is being completely ignored here. For what it's worth, if Tech had lost Saturday, Texas would (rightfully) be the South champ, and I can't imagine Coach Stoops or anybody else complaining. For that matter, if OU would have lost Saturday, Tech would have (again, rightfully) been the champ, and I have no earthly idea if Coach Brown would be happier or not.
2) Sure, it's a three-way tie, but since Tech is ranked lowest, they shouldn't count and then head-to-head should determine the winner from the remaining two.
Translation: the BCS is a great system to eliminate a lower-ranked team and should be used for that, but it's completely bogous to eliminate a different lower-ranked team. Is that really an argument? If you're reading this, Mack, I'll be interested to hear your logic. Further, it's not the rule that we've had in place the whole time. Don't complain about the rule at the end of the game, right? Like if you lost on a last-second field goal, don't say that field goals should really only be worth 1 point and that it's a bad rule. It was the rule by which you agreed to play and it's extremely weak sauce to start banging on it when it looks like it might work against you.
3) Texas lost their game with one second left on a miracle play, and if the db would have caught that potential interception on the last drive, it wouldn't have mattered even at that.
So it shouldn't count as a loss? Look, if we call the score after 3 quarters the final, then OU is undefeated (Wohoo! Let's go with this! Oh, does that not work?). Plus, although your comeback was inspired and noble, Texas was more-or-less pushed around all game long by Tech, and in the end Tech took it home. It's both a whole season and a whole game.
4) Texas also beat the North champion Missouri (and the addendum, "how can they watch 2 teams that they beat!")
Firstly, Missouri isn't such a trophy win. And if they are, then maybe they'll beat OU and Texas will play for the National Championship anyway (we'll see if Mack turns that down based on his philosophies). Secondly, Missouri and Nebraska both finished 5-3, and OU beat Nebraska, who Texas didn't play. They both beat Kansas, and Texas beat 2-6 Colorado while OU beat 2-6 Kansas St. So you can only make an argument that Texas played a tougher conference schedule since Missouri holds the tie-breaker over Nebraska (tie-breakers again, I love it!), and that's obviously extremely weak. Number one, their conference opponents have exactly the same conference records. Number two, you don't have any control over your conference opponents. Number three, OU had 4 conference road games and the best road win (at Pokie State), Texas only had 3. And number four, if we look at the entire schedule including out of conference (which there IS some control over), OU without question played the tougher overall schedule with TCU and Cincinnati both in the current top 15 (Texas's best out of conference victories? Rice and . . . Arkansas, probably?). Interestingly, this is probably what put OU over Texas in the computers, which pretty much made the final difference.
And while I'm admittedly not completely comfortable with out of conference schedule determining a conference champion, it's a tie and something has to, right? And it's the system that was in place all year, and if you have a demonstratively better idea, I've yet to hear it. Brent Musburger at least had a reasonable idea of using point differential among common opponents, but OU wins using that criteria, too.
Just in the interest of fair play, most arguments for OU over Texas are bogus, too. "They scored 60 in their last four games!" It's impressive, absolutley, but not a tie-breaking criteria. "They lost first!" Clearly this can make a difference in college football, but I've never liked it. It seems like the whole season should count. I mean, that's not a revolutionary thought, right? Actually, see above on that one.
Here's the bottom line -- using the rules and criteria that were agreed upon and in place from the beginning of the season, OU comes out on top of the three-way tie. And that, my friends, is inarguable.
Arguments for Texas
1) Texas and OU played head to head and Texas won, so there's no way that OU should be ranked ahead of Texas! (this is by far the most used argument, sometimes with the explicit addendum "that's all that should matter!")
If this was the only game that was played this season, then it would be pretty much air-tight. The problems? The rest of the season for one. For another, it's a circular argument since it's a three-way tie, and if OU can't be ranked ahead of Texas, then Texas can't be ranked ahead of Texas Tech, which is being completely ignored here. For what it's worth, if Tech had lost Saturday, Texas would (rightfully) be the South champ, and I can't imagine Coach Stoops or anybody else complaining. For that matter, if OU would have lost Saturday, Tech would have (again, rightfully) been the champ, and I have no earthly idea if Coach Brown would be happier or not.
2) Sure, it's a three-way tie, but since Tech is ranked lowest, they shouldn't count and then head-to-head should determine the winner from the remaining two.
Translation: the BCS is a great system to eliminate a lower-ranked team and should be used for that, but it's completely bogous to eliminate a different lower-ranked team. Is that really an argument? If you're reading this, Mack, I'll be interested to hear your logic. Further, it's not the rule that we've had in place the whole time. Don't complain about the rule at the end of the game, right? Like if you lost on a last-second field goal, don't say that field goals should really only be worth 1 point and that it's a bad rule. It was the rule by which you agreed to play and it's extremely weak sauce to start banging on it when it looks like it might work against you.
3) Texas lost their game with one second left on a miracle play, and if the db would have caught that potential interception on the last drive, it wouldn't have mattered even at that.
So it shouldn't count as a loss? Look, if we call the score after 3 quarters the final, then OU is undefeated (Wohoo! Let's go with this! Oh, does that not work?). Plus, although your comeback was inspired and noble, Texas was more-or-less pushed around all game long by Tech, and in the end Tech took it home. It's both a whole season and a whole game.
4) Texas also beat the North champion Missouri (and the addendum, "how can they watch 2 teams that they beat!")
Firstly, Missouri isn't such a trophy win. And if they are, then maybe they'll beat OU and Texas will play for the National Championship anyway (we'll see if Mack turns that down based on his philosophies). Secondly, Missouri and Nebraska both finished 5-3, and OU beat Nebraska, who Texas didn't play. They both beat Kansas, and Texas beat 2-6 Colorado while OU beat 2-6 Kansas St. So you can only make an argument that Texas played a tougher conference schedule since Missouri holds the tie-breaker over Nebraska (tie-breakers again, I love it!), and that's obviously extremely weak. Number one, their conference opponents have exactly the same conference records. Number two, you don't have any control over your conference opponents. Number three, OU had 4 conference road games and the best road win (at Pokie State), Texas only had 3. And number four, if we look at the entire schedule including out of conference (which there IS some control over), OU without question played the tougher overall schedule with TCU and Cincinnati both in the current top 15 (Texas's best out of conference victories? Rice and . . . Arkansas, probably?). Interestingly, this is probably what put OU over Texas in the computers, which pretty much made the final difference.
And while I'm admittedly not completely comfortable with out of conference schedule determining a conference champion, it's a tie and something has to, right? And it's the system that was in place all year, and if you have a demonstratively better idea, I've yet to hear it. Brent Musburger at least had a reasonable idea of using point differential among common opponents, but OU wins using that criteria, too.
Just in the interest of fair play, most arguments for OU over Texas are bogus, too. "They scored 60 in their last four games!" It's impressive, absolutley, but not a tie-breaking criteria. "They lost first!" Clearly this can make a difference in college football, but I've never liked it. It seems like the whole season should count. I mean, that's not a revolutionary thought, right? Actually, see above on that one.
Here's the bottom line -- using the rules and criteria that were agreed upon and in place from the beginning of the season, OU comes out on top of the three-way tie. And that, my friends, is inarguable.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
It's Rhetorical
I'm not really looking for the answer, I'm just venting a little bit. I know the answer, and I just don't like it.
Why is it -- on message boards, in e-mails, text messages, etc. -- it's an unthinkable cardinal sin to use all caps, but completely acceptable to never capitalize anything?
Why is it -- on message boards, in e-mails, text messages, etc. -- it's an unthinkable cardinal sin to use all caps, but completely acceptable to never capitalize anything?
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Conventional Wisdom
tells us that there is no such thing as a "stupid question."
I sometimes like to question conventional wisdom. In this case, my question would be "If they carpeted Florida, how long would it take to vacuum?"
I sometimes like to question conventional wisdom. In this case, my question would be "If they carpeted Florida, how long would it take to vacuum?"
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Greatest. Year. Ever.
Philadelphia isn't necessarily known as a "happy" town. On Friday, however, 2 million or so of my closest Philly fan friends (no, I'm NOT going to spell them with ph's) created the most euphoric atmosphere I've ever experienced. Just unbelievable. When I left my hotel and turned on the radio at 6 am (for the noon start!!!), there were already people there. When I got there at about 8, the party was on. And by noon?
Rather than try to tell you about it, here's a couple million words worth (click on them and they get really big):
And, for those who care, if you'd like to have ANY idea of the number of people who turned out, click
here, here, and/or here.
Rather than try to tell you about it, here's a couple million words worth (click on them and they get really big):
And, for those who care, if you'd like to have ANY idea of the number of people who turned out, click
here, here, and/or here.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
I Couldn't Be More Confused In High Heels and a Miniskirt
Last night, in what stood to be the greatest sports night of my life, my Phillies took a 2-2 tie into the bottom of the 6th with a chance to win the Series. That was about 15 hours ago. In 30 hours, the situation will be precisely the same. I know what you're thinking:
Wow, somebody's fouling off a LOT of pitches!
Nope, not exactly. A game that began in rain, and was being played in ridiculous rain, and then finally suspended in equally ridiculous rain is now going to be stopped for at least 2 days. I might be 3 innings away from a championship I never thought I'd see. Or maybe 3 1/2 innings away from blowing an incredible opportunity but having 2 chances left. And in the meantime, I'm. . . I don't know what I am, other than filled with emotional turmoil and not sure what to do or try to concentrate on.
So here, have a worthless blog. It's about as much as I can expect out of myself right now, in the 45 or so hours in between the top and bottom of the 6th of game 5. Wow.
Wow, somebody's fouling off a LOT of pitches!
Nope, not exactly. A game that began in rain, and was being played in ridiculous rain, and then finally suspended in equally ridiculous rain is now going to be stopped for at least 2 days. I might be 3 innings away from a championship I never thought I'd see. Or maybe 3 1/2 innings away from blowing an incredible opportunity but having 2 chances left. And in the meantime, I'm. . . I don't know what I am, other than filled with emotional turmoil and not sure what to do or try to concentrate on.
So here, have a worthless blog. It's about as much as I can expect out of myself right now, in the 45 or so hours in between the top and bottom of the 6th of game 5. Wow.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Hate Me for a GOOD Reason (There Are Plenty!)
I haven't seen it yet, but I'm sure I will. There's a movie that just came out that seems like it's basic premise is to ridicule, shame, mock, and basically belittle all things Christian. I remember seeing one band in particular (who was touring with a band of Christ-followers, no less) introducing a song with something similar to "This song is for everybody who doesn't believe in stupid a f'n fairy tale. . . ." I remember seeing a roadie once with a shirt that said "Christianity is stupid."
What's the deal on all this? Why do some people hate other people for believing in something? I understand not believing. . . but who cares if somebody else DOES believe?
I have a Lions fan buddy who seems legitimately convinced that there's a league-wide conspiracy to keep the Lions down. I don't believe that, but I don't hate him for believing or write songs or make shirts or make films dedicated to making him look dumb.
I'm not sold on the idea of aliens or ufo's or whatever. In fact, if there really is intelligent life "out there," and they are so intelligent as to come to our planet from theirs, I think that we'd all know about them if they wanted us to and none of us would know if they didn't want us to. They'd have to be really, REALLY smart, you see. So I'm skeptical on ufo reports and what not, but there's no reason to hate those who do believe, right? Why would I care? How is the fact that people believe in grey creatures from another world worth manufacturing negative energy?
So, obviously, I believe Jesus Christ was who he said he was. I hope you agree! But if not, and if you decide to hate me for it, that's on you.
What's the deal on all this? Why do some people hate other people for believing in something? I understand not believing. . . but who cares if somebody else DOES believe?
I have a Lions fan buddy who seems legitimately convinced that there's a league-wide conspiracy to keep the Lions down. I don't believe that, but I don't hate him for believing or write songs or make shirts or make films dedicated to making him look dumb.
I'm not sold on the idea of aliens or ufo's or whatever. In fact, if there really is intelligent life "out there," and they are so intelligent as to come to our planet from theirs, I think that we'd all know about them if they wanted us to and none of us would know if they didn't want us to. They'd have to be really, REALLY smart, you see. So I'm skeptical on ufo reports and what not, but there's no reason to hate those who do believe, right? Why would I care? How is the fact that people believe in grey creatures from another world worth manufacturing negative energy?
So, obviously, I believe Jesus Christ was who he said he was. I hope you agree! But if not, and if you decide to hate me for it, that's on you.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Believe the Hype
Even though -- check that, especially since -- there is no hype.
Let's face it, we live in an over-promise, under-deliver world. We've been promised so much and received so little that we often expect to receive less than we're promised in an attempt to be disappointed less, and still we're disappointed all too often. Is there anything that truly delivers? Anything that has a reasonable price and an unreasonable payoff?
Yes Virginia, there is.
Butter Baked Chicken is the Tuesday night special at Cracker Barrel. It costs $8 and comes with two sides plus cornbread or biscuits. It's a lot of food, and it's ridiculously delicious. In fact, if you go to the Fern Creek location, it seems to sell out by about 6:30.
Let's face it, we live in an over-promise, under-deliver world. We've been promised so much and received so little that we often expect to receive less than we're promised in an attempt to be disappointed less, and still we're disappointed all too often. Is there anything that truly delivers? Anything that has a reasonable price and an unreasonable payoff?
Yes Virginia, there is.
Butter Baked Chicken is the Tuesday night special at Cracker Barrel. It costs $8 and comes with two sides plus cornbread or biscuits. It's a lot of food, and it's ridiculously delicious. In fact, if you go to the Fern Creek location, it seems to sell out by about 6:30.
Monday, October 13, 2008
All right, then
I'll give credit -- Dodger fan represented very nicely tonight. There were a few scattered booo's for Victorino, but much less than I was expecting after the ridiculousness of last night. And after what should have ripped their hearts out in the top of the 8th, the crowd energy was really quite high the rest of the way (especially for an L. A. crowd).
So, in fairness: respect.
So, in fairness: respect.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
BOOOOOOO!
That's for you, Dodger fan.
Anybody who's been watching (which, incidentally, may be just me) has seen there have been some tight pitches in the first couple games of the NCLS. There's only one that I can imagine could have had any intent behind it, and only one guy knows for sure. Still, it wasn't completely surprising that a Dodger pitcher went after a Philly hitter tonight. Weak, but not surprising. What was even weaker, though, was Dodger fan's reaction.
The pitcher who's name I don't know and don't care enough to look up buzzed a fastball a foot over the head of Shane Victorino. An odd choice, since he's not one of the highest profile guys in the lineup and by all accounts is a bona-fide good guy who goes out and plays hard every game with a smile on his face. Then, in an emotionally charged moment in the playoffs after having to duck a 90 mph bullet that was aimed at his melon, he responds with understanding and grace, at least to a degree. When a lesser man would have charged the mound and brought it to blows (which would have been understandable!), he basically gives permission to throw at him, just not at his head! Wow, if that isn't the coolest thing a guy could possibly do in that situation. "I get it, do what you have to do," he says, "but keep it away from the head." He ends up grounding out and is minding his own when the pitcher starts yakking at him, and eventually the benches clear and people as oustide of the situation as Manny Ramirez come charging in from left field to have to be held back. The whole time, Victorino above all people conducts himself with the highest standard of thoughtfulness and understanding -- particularly for a guy who just dodged a heater to the head.
What does Dodger fan do the rest of the game? Boo Victorino.
BOOOOOOOOOOO!
That's for you, Dodger fan. Weak sauce.
Anybody who's been watching (which, incidentally, may be just me) has seen there have been some tight pitches in the first couple games of the NCLS. There's only one that I can imagine could have had any intent behind it, and only one guy knows for sure. Still, it wasn't completely surprising that a Dodger pitcher went after a Philly hitter tonight. Weak, but not surprising. What was even weaker, though, was Dodger fan's reaction.
The pitcher who's name I don't know and don't care enough to look up buzzed a fastball a foot over the head of Shane Victorino. An odd choice, since he's not one of the highest profile guys in the lineup and by all accounts is a bona-fide good guy who goes out and plays hard every game with a smile on his face. Then, in an emotionally charged moment in the playoffs after having to duck a 90 mph bullet that was aimed at his melon, he responds with understanding and grace, at least to a degree. When a lesser man would have charged the mound and brought it to blows (which would have been understandable!), he basically gives permission to throw at him, just not at his head! Wow, if that isn't the coolest thing a guy could possibly do in that situation. "I get it, do what you have to do," he says, "but keep it away from the head." He ends up grounding out and is minding his own when the pitcher starts yakking at him, and eventually the benches clear and people as oustide of the situation as Manny Ramirez come charging in from left field to have to be held back. The whole time, Victorino above all people conducts himself with the highest standard of thoughtfulness and understanding -- particularly for a guy who just dodged a heater to the head.
What does Dodger fan do the rest of the game? Boo Victorino.
BOOOOOOOOOOO!
That's for you, Dodger fan. Weak sauce.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Stick Your Nose In 'Em!!!
Due to the underwhelming response to my previous "favorite" post (see below, if you think you'll care more than other people), I've come to a conclusion -- you need more exposure. Sooner or later, you'll come to appreciate my perspectives and opinions. Or stop reading. Or, more than likely, you never started reading in the first place, so it doesn't matter. That said, here we go with the 10 (plus a couple) most insightful, helpful, and generally enjoyable books (Bible excluded) that I've been through. There are plenty of people who are much better read than I am, but based on the fact that you're on-line reading my blog, I'm guessing that you're not one of them. So:
Honorable Mention:
Courageous Leadership, Bill Hybels: I didn't want to have more than one book by a single author on the top 10, so this gets left off. Inspiring and courage-inducing ("encouraging" sounds to weak and sentimental to mean something similar to "courage-inducing," doesn't it?).
A Whole New Mind, Daniel H. Pink: Fascinating and legitimately helpful.
Brothers, We Are Not Professionals, John Piper: 31 day-sized nuggets of wisdom that prove eternally helpful in keeping the pastor centered.
And the winners:
10) Chasing Daylight, Erwin Raphael McManus: Inspiring and particularly influential in helping me to stop living in fear and make my life worth living.
9) Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor E. Frankl: You can skip the psychology part if you want and I don't think you'll miss a thing. But the section on experiences in a concentration camp will give the (even minimally) thoughtful reader a whole new outlook on how amazing their life really is and how little they have to whine about.
8) How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie: Hmmm, maybe if more Christ-followers read this and did what it said, less people would hate us. I mean, we'd be FOR that, right?
7) The Next Generation Leader, Andy Stanley: At a modest 160 pages, Stanley is twice as helpful as most leadership books that are twice the size.
6) The Purpose Driven Church, Rick Warren: It's sad, but more than 10 years after publishing, far too many churches show no evidence of having thought about what they're doing. It's ok if you disagree or don't take his articulation as gospel, but at least the dude thought about stuff.
5) Just Walk Across the Room, Bill Hybels: If you only read one book on personal evangelism, this should probably be the one.
4) Blue Like Jazz, Donald Miller: The most readable, honest, attractive, non-threatening, and all together delightful account of Christ-following that I've come across. Plus, he made me laugh. PLUS, the "Christian Book Store" has a disclaimer on it.
3) Teaching to Change Lives, Howard Hendricks: If you teach anything, ever, on any level or in any way, read this book. You won't remember to thank me, but you'll have a great time and be much more effective if you listen to what Hendricks has to say.
2) Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis: I know it's a generic choice, but page for page, this book makes me smile more than anything I've probably ever read. Seriously, if you read my blog but haven't read this, you need to start reading better material. And you just might remember to thank me!
1) Good to Great, Jim Collins: Another generic choice, I know. And he's not a Christ-follower and isn't writing about churches per se, yada yada yada. Almost everything applies almost directly, though (and the Christian clone books have failed miserably, in my opinion), and if you're smart enough to read good books you should be smart enough to make the leap. Anyway, I don't think I've ever been as fascinated with any book ever as I was this one. And I know it doesn't make me right, but with millions of copies sold, I'm in good company.
Honorable Mention:
Courageous Leadership, Bill Hybels: I didn't want to have more than one book by a single author on the top 10, so this gets left off. Inspiring and courage-inducing ("encouraging" sounds to weak and sentimental to mean something similar to "courage-inducing," doesn't it?).
A Whole New Mind, Daniel H. Pink: Fascinating and legitimately helpful.
Brothers, We Are Not Professionals, John Piper: 31 day-sized nuggets of wisdom that prove eternally helpful in keeping the pastor centered.
And the winners:
10) Chasing Daylight, Erwin Raphael McManus: Inspiring and particularly influential in helping me to stop living in fear and make my life worth living.
9) Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor E. Frankl: You can skip the psychology part if you want and I don't think you'll miss a thing. But the section on experiences in a concentration camp will give the (even minimally) thoughtful reader a whole new outlook on how amazing their life really is and how little they have to whine about.
8) How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie: Hmmm, maybe if more Christ-followers read this and did what it said, less people would hate us. I mean, we'd be FOR that, right?
7) The Next Generation Leader, Andy Stanley: At a modest 160 pages, Stanley is twice as helpful as most leadership books that are twice the size.
6) The Purpose Driven Church, Rick Warren: It's sad, but more than 10 years after publishing, far too many churches show no evidence of having thought about what they're doing. It's ok if you disagree or don't take his articulation as gospel, but at least the dude thought about stuff.
5) Just Walk Across the Room, Bill Hybels: If you only read one book on personal evangelism, this should probably be the one.
4) Blue Like Jazz, Donald Miller: The most readable, honest, attractive, non-threatening, and all together delightful account of Christ-following that I've come across. Plus, he made me laugh. PLUS, the "Christian Book Store" has a disclaimer on it.
3) Teaching to Change Lives, Howard Hendricks: If you teach anything, ever, on any level or in any way, read this book. You won't remember to thank me, but you'll have a great time and be much more effective if you listen to what Hendricks has to say.
2) Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis: I know it's a generic choice, but page for page, this book makes me smile more than anything I've probably ever read. Seriously, if you read my blog but haven't read this, you need to start reading better material. And you just might remember to thank me!
1) Good to Great, Jim Collins: Another generic choice, I know. And he's not a Christ-follower and isn't writing about churches per se, yada yada yada. Almost everything applies almost directly, though (and the Christian clone books have failed miserably, in my opinion), and if you're smart enough to read good books you should be smart enough to make the leap. Anyway, I don't think I've ever been as fascinated with any book ever as I was this one. And I know it doesn't make me right, but with millions of copies sold, I'm in good company.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
Metal From Heaven, Redux
Early in the year, I posted my top ten albums for 2007, noting that there were a couple of notable releases that I'd missed and would have likely altered the list substantially. Now nearly into October, I think I've managed to check out most all of the important releases, and the list HAS changed somewhat. It's not timely, but in the interest of credit where it's due, here's something closer to a "final" best of for 2007, all IMHO, of course:
Honorable Mention:
Deborah -- Soteria: Honestly, this has some great moments but has no business on a "best of" list. That said, when a female, Christian, Mexican black metal band puts out an album that has any real merit (which it does), it seems to deserve honorable mention, no? Also, this should be notable because it ought to be required listening and the new benchmark. Do you have a band? Good, I hope you do. And I hope you're really excited about it. BUT -- if you can't top this, don't ask me to listen. Let me put it differently -- if you can't do better than Mexican Christian women, maybe black metal isn't your thing. If you still want to try, great. Keep working, keep practicing, and keep improving, but in the meantime, take down your band's myspace and stop spamming the message boards. When you can do this well or better, then we'll be very happy to listen.
Inhale/Exhale -- The Lost, The Sick, The Sacred: I never really worked to pick this up, because I was sure it was either more Solid State pseudo-metal or weak As I Lay Dying rip-offs. It's more melodic than I'd like, but it turns out to be a pretty solid effort.
Oh, Sleeper -- When I Am God: I had almost conciously ignored (if that's possible) this band untill a buddy loaned me the cd. I was shocked at how much I liked this. Sometimes I love being wrong!
Remove the Veil -- Another Way Home: "Southern metal" is burning itself out at record pace, but this is just one fun listen. "You're the devil chiiiiiiiiiiild!"
Dagon -- Paranormal Ichthyology: A fun album from a criminally overlooked band.
Seventh Star -- The Undisputed Truth: A great swan song from a top-shelf hardcore band.
Apostisy -- Famine of a Thousand Frozen Years: This band came from WAY off the radar to within a hair's breadth of cracking the list. If the entire album wasn't played at exactly the same tempo, it probably would have made it.
And the winners:
10) Deliverance -- As Above, So Below: A return to greatness from one of the scene's founding bands. It's the feel-good story of the year!
9) Nodes of Ranvier -- Defined By Struggle: South Dakota's finest make good even as they hang up their metaphorical cleats.
8) My Silent Wake -- The Anatomy of Melancholy: Dooooooming metal that's beautiful and epic and just plain wonderful.
7) Becoming the Archetype -- The Physics of Fire: When an album comes in as a disappointment at number seven, that speaks volumes for their previous work, right?
6) Feast Eternal -- With Fire: Sure, they made a splash in a quality-starved scene 8 years earlier, but the bar had been raised a long way since then, and to be honest I doubted that they'd be able to cut it. Once again, I LOVE being wrong!
5) Immortal Souls -- Winterreich: Wow. When an album THIS good comes in at number 5, it's a banner year.
4) August Burns Red -- Messengers: Jaw-dropping in precision and technicality.
3) A Plea for Purging -- A Critique of Mind and Thought: Brilliant high-end shredding metal(core) becomes the greatest new sound of the year and nearly takes over the world.
2) Common Yet Forbidden -- The Struggle: Blast-beating technical brutality that never slows down or sleeps. That's the recipe for giving me exactly what I want, kids!
1) As I Lay Dying -- An Ocean Between Us: I know, it's a generic choice, and I hate it for that. But I LOVE it for being a brilliantly amazing album. Brutal, catchy, melodic, memorable, and about as close to perfect as you could dare imagine. This is what happens when the rare combination of talent, passion, and professionalism come together.
Honorable Mention:
Deborah -- Soteria: Honestly, this has some great moments but has no business on a "best of" list. That said, when a female, Christian, Mexican black metal band puts out an album that has any real merit (which it does), it seems to deserve honorable mention, no? Also, this should be notable because it ought to be required listening and the new benchmark. Do you have a band? Good, I hope you do. And I hope you're really excited about it. BUT -- if you can't top this, don't ask me to listen. Let me put it differently -- if you can't do better than Mexican Christian women, maybe black metal isn't your thing. If you still want to try, great. Keep working, keep practicing, and keep improving, but in the meantime, take down your band's myspace and stop spamming the message boards. When you can do this well or better, then we'll be very happy to listen.
Inhale/Exhale -- The Lost, The Sick, The Sacred: I never really worked to pick this up, because I was sure it was either more Solid State pseudo-metal or weak As I Lay Dying rip-offs. It's more melodic than I'd like, but it turns out to be a pretty solid effort.
Oh, Sleeper -- When I Am God: I had almost conciously ignored (if that's possible) this band untill a buddy loaned me the cd. I was shocked at how much I liked this. Sometimes I love being wrong!
Remove the Veil -- Another Way Home: "Southern metal" is burning itself out at record pace, but this is just one fun listen. "You're the devil chiiiiiiiiiiild!"
Dagon -- Paranormal Ichthyology: A fun album from a criminally overlooked band.
Seventh Star -- The Undisputed Truth: A great swan song from a top-shelf hardcore band.
Apostisy -- Famine of a Thousand Frozen Years: This band came from WAY off the radar to within a hair's breadth of cracking the list. If the entire album wasn't played at exactly the same tempo, it probably would have made it.
And the winners:
10) Deliverance -- As Above, So Below: A return to greatness from one of the scene's founding bands. It's the feel-good story of the year!
9) Nodes of Ranvier -- Defined By Struggle: South Dakota's finest make good even as they hang up their metaphorical cleats.
8) My Silent Wake -- The Anatomy of Melancholy: Dooooooming metal that's beautiful and epic and just plain wonderful.
7) Becoming the Archetype -- The Physics of Fire: When an album comes in as a disappointment at number seven, that speaks volumes for their previous work, right?
6) Feast Eternal -- With Fire: Sure, they made a splash in a quality-starved scene 8 years earlier, but the bar had been raised a long way since then, and to be honest I doubted that they'd be able to cut it. Once again, I LOVE being wrong!
5) Immortal Souls -- Winterreich: Wow. When an album THIS good comes in at number 5, it's a banner year.
4) August Burns Red -- Messengers: Jaw-dropping in precision and technicality.
3) A Plea for Purging -- A Critique of Mind and Thought: Brilliant high-end shredding metal(core) becomes the greatest new sound of the year and nearly takes over the world.
2) Common Yet Forbidden -- The Struggle: Blast-beating technical brutality that never slows down or sleeps. That's the recipe for giving me exactly what I want, kids!
1) As I Lay Dying -- An Ocean Between Us: I know, it's a generic choice, and I hate it for that. But I LOVE it for being a brilliantly amazing album. Brutal, catchy, melodic, memorable, and about as close to perfect as you could dare imagine. This is what happens when the rare combination of talent, passion, and professionalism come together.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
What's It Going to Take?
Lions fans have been asking this for years, and finally we have the answer. What's it take for Matt Millen to be fired from the front office?
31-84. 53 games under .500. A record that would take over three seasons of perfect, 16-0 records just to get back to even. Too many botched draft picks to count, 3 different head coaches and innumerable co-ordinators fired (including Mike Martz, who was fired after last year and then beat us this Sunday in San Fransisco -- yep, he was what was keeping us down, all right!). Starting and re-starting and building and re-building only to remain firmly stuck in neutral, and in neutral at the back of the pack.
In fairness, it's not necessarily all his fault. There was some bad luck with things like promising draft pick Charles Rogers breaking his collar bone twice. There were picks that looked solid to everybody at the time but didn't turn out (see Joey Harrington, for example). And I do, to a certain degree, admire his unwillingness to quit even when the entire world could see that he was in over his head and not really making any progress.
But after 7+ years and failing to EVER field a team that could boast "average," the camel's back wasn't just broken by one straw too many -- it was broken, then preyed on by the carnivorous desert creatures, fully metabolized, and then excreted back into the desert itself.
And so the battle is half-way won. Millen is done, and there's hope. But we know the team's still a long way from being good, and there's going to have to be more re-building before a contending team can be on the field, and even that can only happen if -- and this is a BIG if -- we can get somebody in charge who's going to be able to get it done. And the person in charge of that? Well, if you didn't already know this, his last name is Ford, and his recent track record isn't a whole lot better.
31-84. 53 games under .500. A record that would take over three seasons of perfect, 16-0 records just to get back to even. Too many botched draft picks to count, 3 different head coaches and innumerable co-ordinators fired (including Mike Martz, who was fired after last year and then beat us this Sunday in San Fransisco -- yep, he was what was keeping us down, all right!). Starting and re-starting and building and re-building only to remain firmly stuck in neutral, and in neutral at the back of the pack.
In fairness, it's not necessarily all his fault. There was some bad luck with things like promising draft pick Charles Rogers breaking his collar bone twice. There were picks that looked solid to everybody at the time but didn't turn out (see Joey Harrington, for example). And I do, to a certain degree, admire his unwillingness to quit even when the entire world could see that he was in over his head and not really making any progress.
But after 7+ years and failing to EVER field a team that could boast "average," the camel's back wasn't just broken by one straw too many -- it was broken, then preyed on by the carnivorous desert creatures, fully metabolized, and then excreted back into the desert itself.
And so the battle is half-way won. Millen is done, and there's hope. But we know the team's still a long way from being good, and there's going to have to be more re-building before a contending team can be on the field, and even that can only happen if -- and this is a BIG if -- we can get somebody in charge who's going to be able to get it done. And the person in charge of that? Well, if you didn't already know this, his last name is Ford, and his recent track record isn't a whole lot better.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
An Open Letter to Football Commentators
I know it doesn't really matter, but after the first full football-watching weekend, there's one small item that I would like to bring to the attention of football commentators everywhere:
There's no 1/2 yard line.
Or 1 foot line.
Or 6 inch line.
Or, really, anything else without a line.
It's not that hard.
There's no 1/2 yard line.
Or 1 foot line.
Or 6 inch line.
Or, really, anything else without a line.
It's not that hard.
Friday, September 5, 2008
NFL Preview Edition!
Apparently it's the cool thing to do. And you know I'll do anything to be cool, so here it is! The lowdown on every single team, and for free! Of course, the premium subscription will cost you, but it doesn't exist. Trust me though -- if it did, it would be terribly hard-hitting and insightful.
Atlanta: They'll play 16 games.
Arizona: They're very likely to play 16 games.
Baltimore: Probably 16 games.
Buffalo: I guess they'll play 16 games, but it's going to get really cold.
Carolina: The Vegas over/under for them is 16 games. I wouldn't touch it.
Chicago: Chicago should be right around 16 games.
Cincinnati: They'll play 16 games, but they'll do it with cool stripes on their helmets.
Cleveland: Much like Cincinnati, except with no logo whatsoever on their helmets.
Dallas: 16 games, no prediction on arrests.
Denver: They'll keep playing all the way through a 16-game schedule.
Detroit: Their best player (S Rogers) is gone from the already questionable d-line, and although Darby should be a serviceable replacement, the defense will still miss it's one true game-changer. The secondary should be much better, but the linebackers (Sims aside) are below par and the aforementioned line is questionable. On offense, the only rookie to make his way into the starting lineup (K Smith) is replacing K Jones, who was apparently cut for being hurt too much. Smith (with new acquisition Rudi Johnson) should bring adequate (although certainly below top-tier) skill to the backfield, Kitna's a decent qb and the receivers should be good, but the line is the same. And that's not good. Bottom line -- some exciting pieces on both sides of the ball, but I'm desperately afraid that game in, game out, they're going to get beaten up in the trenches. They won't be able to run OR stop the run with consistency, and their opponents will likely be able to sustain much more pressure on the qb then they will. I hope I'm wrong (and I'm wrong a LOT), but it looks like somewhere around 6-10 to me.
Green Bay: Are they really going to play 16 games with no Brett Favre? Yes, yes they are.
Houston: Yeah, 16 games.
Indianapolis: Not only will they play 16 games, but half of them will be in their shiny new stadium. Which is great, because their last one was ghetto.
Jacksonville: They'll play 16 games, and a lot of people will misprounoucne "Jagaurs".
Kansas City: My crystal ball says 16 games. And I don't even have a crystal ball!
Miami: They'll play 16 games, give or take.
Minnesota: I guess they'll play 16 games, which is a good idea. But they'll do so wearing purple, which is a categorically bad idea for a football team.
New England: They'll play 16 games and their coach will look like they're losing every one of them.
New Orleans: Their schedule looks like a 16 gamer to me.
New York Giants: They're going to play 16 games and win at least one.
New York Jets: Hey, they got that Brett Favre guy, right?
Oakland: They should see the field for about 16 games, but their fans will still act like the league hosed them out of 15 of them.
Philadelphia: They also will play 16 games, but their fans will boo anyway.
Pittsburg: They get to play 16 games like everybody else, but they have to play 8 of them in a stadium named after a tomato condiment.
San Diego: 16 games? Gauranteed. Staying classy? We'll have to wait and see.
San Fransisco: They're looking a lot like about a 16-game team.
Seattle: They're looking at about 16 games and scattered showers.
St. Louis: After 16 games, we'll know what kind of season they're in for.
Tampa Bay: It's going to take around 10 games to make the playoffs, and they'll have 16 chances to get it done.
Tennessee: They'll be very, very close to 16 games.
Washington: 16 games, but no more than 15 wins. Seriously.
Atlanta: They'll play 16 games.
Arizona: They're very likely to play 16 games.
Baltimore: Probably 16 games.
Buffalo: I guess they'll play 16 games, but it's going to get really cold.
Carolina: The Vegas over/under for them is 16 games. I wouldn't touch it.
Chicago: Chicago should be right around 16 games.
Cincinnati: They'll play 16 games, but they'll do it with cool stripes on their helmets.
Cleveland: Much like Cincinnati, except with no logo whatsoever on their helmets.
Dallas: 16 games, no prediction on arrests.
Denver: They'll keep playing all the way through a 16-game schedule.
Detroit: Their best player (S Rogers) is gone from the already questionable d-line, and although Darby should be a serviceable replacement, the defense will still miss it's one true game-changer. The secondary should be much better, but the linebackers (Sims aside) are below par and the aforementioned line is questionable. On offense, the only rookie to make his way into the starting lineup (K Smith) is replacing K Jones, who was apparently cut for being hurt too much. Smith (with new acquisition Rudi Johnson) should bring adequate (although certainly below top-tier) skill to the backfield, Kitna's a decent qb and the receivers should be good, but the line is the same. And that's not good. Bottom line -- some exciting pieces on both sides of the ball, but I'm desperately afraid that game in, game out, they're going to get beaten up in the trenches. They won't be able to run OR stop the run with consistency, and their opponents will likely be able to sustain much more pressure on the qb then they will. I hope I'm wrong (and I'm wrong a LOT), but it looks like somewhere around 6-10 to me.
Green Bay: Are they really going to play 16 games with no Brett Favre? Yes, yes they are.
Houston: Yeah, 16 games.
Indianapolis: Not only will they play 16 games, but half of them will be in their shiny new stadium. Which is great, because their last one was ghetto.
Jacksonville: They'll play 16 games, and a lot of people will misprounoucne "Jagaurs".
Kansas City: My crystal ball says 16 games. And I don't even have a crystal ball!
Miami: They'll play 16 games, give or take.
Minnesota: I guess they'll play 16 games, which is a good idea. But they'll do so wearing purple, which is a categorically bad idea for a football team.
New England: They'll play 16 games and their coach will look like they're losing every one of them.
New Orleans: Their schedule looks like a 16 gamer to me.
New York Giants: They're going to play 16 games and win at least one.
New York Jets: Hey, they got that Brett Favre guy, right?
Oakland: They should see the field for about 16 games, but their fans will still act like the league hosed them out of 15 of them.
Philadelphia: They also will play 16 games, but their fans will boo anyway.
Pittsburg: They get to play 16 games like everybody else, but they have to play 8 of them in a stadium named after a tomato condiment.
San Diego: 16 games? Gauranteed. Staying classy? We'll have to wait and see.
San Fransisco: They're looking a lot like about a 16-game team.
Seattle: They're looking at about 16 games and scattered showers.
St. Louis: After 16 games, we'll know what kind of season they're in for.
Tampa Bay: It's going to take around 10 games to make the playoffs, and they'll have 16 chances to get it done.
Tennessee: They'll be very, very close to 16 games.
Washington: 16 games, but no more than 15 wins. Seriously.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
This Is Why I Try Not to Think Too Much
Here's about a week's worth:
1) I heard a radio spot this week that cracked me up. It was an announcement from the IRS warning about a particular spam e-mail scam. At the end it said something about "cracking down on these crooks". Again, this is from the IRS. Too rich.
2) I'm pretty jaded on the politics of politics, but this election is at least going to be interesting from a sociological and historic standpoint. That said, I'm still pretty jaded on the politics of politics. I'd be less so if it weren't so political. Speeches, running mates, ads, whatever. It's all politics.
3) So good to have college football back! Unless you're a Michigan fan, at least. I was watching the Phillies game yesterday, but Michigan/Utah was on so I flipped to it during commercials. At one point I actually heard the announcer, speaking of the Michigan quarterback, say "Really a nice job by Threet of getting up after that hit." Really, when not being hurt is a victory, there could be trouble. And on their next play -- a punt from their own end zone -- they took a delay fo game. Somehow I'm not convinced that their punter was trying to audible. Anyway, Michigan would be pretty good if they could just not play a first game, but I'm not sure how they can get around the math on that one.
1) I heard a radio spot this week that cracked me up. It was an announcement from the IRS warning about a particular spam e-mail scam. At the end it said something about "cracking down on these crooks". Again, this is from the IRS. Too rich.
2) I'm pretty jaded on the politics of politics, but this election is at least going to be interesting from a sociological and historic standpoint. That said, I'm still pretty jaded on the politics of politics. I'd be less so if it weren't so political. Speeches, running mates, ads, whatever. It's all politics.
3) So good to have college football back! Unless you're a Michigan fan, at least. I was watching the Phillies game yesterday, but Michigan/Utah was on so I flipped to it during commercials. At one point I actually heard the announcer, speaking of the Michigan quarterback, say "Really a nice job by Threet of getting up after that hit." Really, when not being hurt is a victory, there could be trouble. And on their next play -- a punt from their own end zone -- they took a delay fo game. Somehow I'm not convinced that their punter was trying to audible. Anyway, Michigan would be pretty good if they could just not play a first game, but I'm not sure how they can get around the math on that one.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to Beijing
Actually, a couple funny things.
1) As noted in a previous post, 12 year-old girls on a world stage don't constitute something that I can really laugh at anymore. It just feels (too) mean. Particularly in light of that fact, though, there's something pretty amusing about the alleged age scandal. What kind of "sport" is it an advantage to be younger? Can you imagine if NFL teams were trying to sneak as 15 year-olds onto their rosters? Or how about a 12 year old kid standing in to face a Brad Lidge slider? Really (and I actually mean this), it's a shame for the people involved (assuming innocence, of course), but you have to admit it's good entertainment, right?
2) It's not funny at all to me, but the actions of certain Americans is embarrassing to me. Within a day or two, we had our baseball team's manager (seriously-- isn't the manager the one who's supposed to bring maturity and all that?) accusing an opponent of throwing at his guy's head (which, under the circumstances, would have been ludicrous) and a(nother) boxer complaining about the scoring (in fairness [pun intended], Olympic boxing has been as plauged by shady scoring as, well, pro boxing). I understand disappointment, but especially in the Olympics, whatever happened to representing your country first and foremost?
3) Lucky for us, there's Cuban tae-kwon-do. Apparently I can't link to the video due to copywright laws, but after being disqualified a dude kicked the ref (who, apparently, is Sweedish, no less) in the face. And it really does take the gold for poor sportsmanship . . . but. But isn't kicking people in the face pretty much the whole point of the event? So while we all (and myself too, I guess) rush to vilify this as the worst Olympic action of all time, it was a mere misapplication of the very skill that he was intending to be rewarded for. Now obviously it's important to kick the right dude, no question, but do you see what I'm getting at? It's just kind of ironic, right?
Almost as rich is the reaction of the guy who won. He said that obviously the Cuban dude couldn't go on and his foot (toe? whatever) was broken. In light of the fact that his obviously incapacitated opponent got up and popped a dude in the melon, I'm not sure his argument is watertight.
4) Speaking of sportmanship, it's sad how often doping comes up, and how often we (or "I" at least) wonder about it. Dude looked yoked? I wonder. Girl built like a dude? I wonder again. With medals being stripped retroactively (much like universities "vacating" wins and championships and what not [*cough* USC *cough*]) and all that's going on, do you feel like you're always going to be waiting for another ball to drop?
5) Swimming medals are, to a degree, bogus. Phelps is obviously the greatest swimmer alive today, but imagine if, for instance, basketball gave out medals for 5-on-5, 3-on-3, 1-on-1, free-throw shooting, three-point shooting, ball handling skills, and slam dunk competitions? The point is that, no matter how dominant one might be on the hardwood, there's only one medal available, and so there's something artificial about even having the opportunity to win 8 medals in a sinlge sport. That said, I think it's hilarious that one dude has more gold medals than, say, Italy, Canada, or Spain. He has more total medals than, for instance, the Czech Republic or North Korea. I just think it's funny.
1) As noted in a previous post, 12 year-old girls on a world stage don't constitute something that I can really laugh at anymore. It just feels (too) mean. Particularly in light of that fact, though, there's something pretty amusing about the alleged age scandal. What kind of "sport" is it an advantage to be younger? Can you imagine if NFL teams were trying to sneak as 15 year-olds onto their rosters? Or how about a 12 year old kid standing in to face a Brad Lidge slider? Really (and I actually mean this), it's a shame for the people involved (assuming innocence, of course), but you have to admit it's good entertainment, right?
2) It's not funny at all to me, but the actions of certain Americans is embarrassing to me. Within a day or two, we had our baseball team's manager (seriously-- isn't the manager the one who's supposed to bring maturity and all that?) accusing an opponent of throwing at his guy's head (which, under the circumstances, would have been ludicrous) and a(nother) boxer complaining about the scoring (in fairness [pun intended], Olympic boxing has been as plauged by shady scoring as, well, pro boxing). I understand disappointment, but especially in the Olympics, whatever happened to representing your country first and foremost?
3) Lucky for us, there's Cuban tae-kwon-do. Apparently I can't link to the video due to copywright laws, but after being disqualified a dude kicked the ref (who, apparently, is Sweedish, no less) in the face. And it really does take the gold for poor sportsmanship . . . but. But isn't kicking people in the face pretty much the whole point of the event? So while we all (and myself too, I guess) rush to vilify this as the worst Olympic action of all time, it was a mere misapplication of the very skill that he was intending to be rewarded for. Now obviously it's important to kick the right dude, no question, but do you see what I'm getting at? It's just kind of ironic, right?
Almost as rich is the reaction of the guy who won. He said that obviously the Cuban dude couldn't go on and his foot (toe? whatever) was broken. In light of the fact that his obviously incapacitated opponent got up and popped a dude in the melon, I'm not sure his argument is watertight.
4) Speaking of sportmanship, it's sad how often doping comes up, and how often we (or "I" at least) wonder about it. Dude looked yoked? I wonder. Girl built like a dude? I wonder again. With medals being stripped retroactively (much like universities "vacating" wins and championships and what not [*cough* USC *cough*]) and all that's going on, do you feel like you're always going to be waiting for another ball to drop?
5) Swimming medals are, to a degree, bogus. Phelps is obviously the greatest swimmer alive today, but imagine if, for instance, basketball gave out medals for 5-on-5, 3-on-3, 1-on-1, free-throw shooting, three-point shooting, ball handling skills, and slam dunk competitions? The point is that, no matter how dominant one might be on the hardwood, there's only one medal available, and so there's something artificial about even having the opportunity to win 8 medals in a sinlge sport. That said, I think it's hilarious that one dude has more gold medals than, say, Italy, Canada, or Spain. He has more total medals than, for instance, the Czech Republic or North Korea. I just think it's funny.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
World-Class Thoughts
Like so many of you, when I was younger I LOVED the Olympics. I have great memories of, while my older sister was away at camp, sitting in our basement watching the '84 games and drinking Shasta pop (a MAJOR treat) with my mom. Really, really great memories.
Somewhere along the way, though, the Olympics lost some luster. Honestly, I think it has a lot to do with the US not being as dominant as we'd like, and so when these Beijing games came upon us, I barely noticed. The Phillies are in first, after all! But then everyone was talking about the opening ceremony and how great it was and all these other things, so I flipped it on for a few hours the other night, and now I'm legitimately interested. It was pretty compelling, really. And when push comes to shove I'm afraid that I'm a Phillies fan first and a American fan second (that's kind of wrong of me, isn't it? I'd be WAY more excited for So Taguchi to rock a game-winning double off of Billy Wagner than for any American to triumph over the world -- at least I feel a little bad about it), but I've been sucked half-way in nonetheless. And here, as you may expect, are my thougts.
1) I don't care about swimming. I hate it personally (it's cold and wet, two things I'm not a fan of) and generally find it completely un-comelling. But that men's 4x100 freestyle relay? THAT was just great human drama. Especially since the French conveniently propped themselves up as the "bad guys" with their pre-race drivel, that was definitely as excited about a man moving through water in an awkward looking onesie as I've ever been. That was worth the whole evening, right there.
2) Speaking of "bad guys", I have another reason to not like watching gymnastics. Have you SEEN these girls? They're like twelve. The beauty of competition is that you want to win and that means that somebody else has to lose, and that' s great, again, especially where boastful French dudes or the Mets are involved. And I remember, in my younger years, cheering against gymnansts from opposing nations. Hoping that they'd err, or even better, fall over completely. Nothing against them personally, of course, just hoping that my country can win. At my current station in life, though, I'm completely unable to hope that something terrible befalls a twelve year old girl in the biggest moment of her life under pretty much any circumstance. It takes away from the pureness of the competition for me, the "us vs them" that helps to provide clear boundaries and indetifies us with one person or team and not another. And of course I don't watch for the pure enjoyment of the event -- I don't care how pretty people look flying through the air, I just want my country to be drowning in gold medals -- so gymnastics is ruined for me. Which is really too bad, because I didn't like it much to begin with, and they show it for 8,000 hours on end.
3) Speaking of wanting my country to be drowning in gold medals, the Olympics really does bring into sharp relief the insatiable greed of the Americans (or, at least, me). How many is enough? No number exists. If we won every single medal in the entire games except one, would we be more satisfied or less? Knowing myself, I think I'd be upset about the one that got away more than excited about the insidious domination. And knowing you, I think you might feel the same way.
4) It's nice to be able to cheer for players like LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Kobe Bryant. Especially James, who seems like a genuinely likeable guy, but as much as I admire his skill and particularly his amazing performance in game 7 of the Eastern Conferance Semi-Finals this year, I was forced to cheer -- FORCEFULLY -- against every spectacular basket he made. It's simple -- if you oppose the Green, I oppose you. So it's great to be able to get behind some of these guys rather than playing against them. They're scary to play against. And yes, by "play against" I mean "be played against by people who I've never met but wear a jersey that I associate with while I jump up and down screaming in my living room". There, now you see how scary it really is for me, right?
5) The strange differences between events are interesting to me. You can flip from swimming or gymnastics or something where the uniforms are, well, uniform to something like "beach" volleyball, where one guy has a hat on backwards and his partner has sunglasses (inside, of course). I mean, that's pretty weird, right?
Somewhere along the way, though, the Olympics lost some luster. Honestly, I think it has a lot to do with the US not being as dominant as we'd like, and so when these Beijing games came upon us, I barely noticed. The Phillies are in first, after all! But then everyone was talking about the opening ceremony and how great it was and all these other things, so I flipped it on for a few hours the other night, and now I'm legitimately interested. It was pretty compelling, really. And when push comes to shove I'm afraid that I'm a Phillies fan first and a American fan second (that's kind of wrong of me, isn't it? I'd be WAY more excited for So Taguchi to rock a game-winning double off of Billy Wagner than for any American to triumph over the world -- at least I feel a little bad about it), but I've been sucked half-way in nonetheless. And here, as you may expect, are my thougts.
1) I don't care about swimming. I hate it personally (it's cold and wet, two things I'm not a fan of) and generally find it completely un-comelling. But that men's 4x100 freestyle relay? THAT was just great human drama. Especially since the French conveniently propped themselves up as the "bad guys" with their pre-race drivel, that was definitely as excited about a man moving through water in an awkward looking onesie as I've ever been. That was worth the whole evening, right there.
2) Speaking of "bad guys", I have another reason to not like watching gymnastics. Have you SEEN these girls? They're like twelve. The beauty of competition is that you want to win and that means that somebody else has to lose, and that' s great, again, especially where boastful French dudes or the Mets are involved. And I remember, in my younger years, cheering against gymnansts from opposing nations. Hoping that they'd err, or even better, fall over completely. Nothing against them personally, of course, just hoping that my country can win. At my current station in life, though, I'm completely unable to hope that something terrible befalls a twelve year old girl in the biggest moment of her life under pretty much any circumstance. It takes away from the pureness of the competition for me, the "us vs them" that helps to provide clear boundaries and indetifies us with one person or team and not another. And of course I don't watch for the pure enjoyment of the event -- I don't care how pretty people look flying through the air, I just want my country to be drowning in gold medals -- so gymnastics is ruined for me. Which is really too bad, because I didn't like it much to begin with, and they show it for 8,000 hours on end.
3) Speaking of wanting my country to be drowning in gold medals, the Olympics really does bring into sharp relief the insatiable greed of the Americans (or, at least, me). How many is enough? No number exists. If we won every single medal in the entire games except one, would we be more satisfied or less? Knowing myself, I think I'd be upset about the one that got away more than excited about the insidious domination. And knowing you, I think you might feel the same way.
4) It's nice to be able to cheer for players like LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Kobe Bryant. Especially James, who seems like a genuinely likeable guy, but as much as I admire his skill and particularly his amazing performance in game 7 of the Eastern Conferance Semi-Finals this year, I was forced to cheer -- FORCEFULLY -- against every spectacular basket he made. It's simple -- if you oppose the Green, I oppose you. So it's great to be able to get behind some of these guys rather than playing against them. They're scary to play against. And yes, by "play against" I mean "be played against by people who I've never met but wear a jersey that I associate with while I jump up and down screaming in my living room". There, now you see how scary it really is for me, right?
5) The strange differences between events are interesting to me. You can flip from swimming or gymnastics or something where the uniforms are, well, uniform to something like "beach" volleyball, where one guy has a hat on backwards and his partner has sunglasses (inside, of course). I mean, that's pretty weird, right?
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Nothing to See Here. . .
It's actually true, but I need to post, so here we go.
1) I was initially going to change to Phillies colors after the All-Star break, but after winning the Championship and all I felt compelled to give the green some extra time. But now it's August and the Phils are in first, so we it's time to make a change. Enjoy!
2) The post a couple weeks ago about going off caffeine? I've been completely off for nearly 2 weeks now, and I do feel better, generally. I went from about 250 mg a day down to 200, 150, 100, 75, 54, 42, 34, and finally 20 (some of those rough approximations, but should be close), taking a three or four days at each plateau. I had a few headache issues and a few irritable days, but for the most part it wasn't as hard as I'd thought it would be. Wohoo!
3) OU had to kick a kid off the football team this week after he had an inappropriate rap on youtube (I'd link it but, of course, it's inappropriate -- it's not hard to find if you're really curious). Tough call, and it wasn't THAT bad in and of itself, but it's also not a first offense. It's sad for the kid, but ultimately I'm happy to be cheering for an organization that's really trying to do things the right way, even when it costs a high-potential player.
4) Had an interesting experience the other day. Walked out of a Chili's after a staff meeting and a random woman whom I'd never met in my life comes up and says, "Do you want to hear an almost dirty joke?" I replied "Almost." (Which I thought was decent for being in the moment, but after further reflection realize that it could be taken to mean that if the joke isn't FULL-ON dirty then I don't want to waste my time, but whatever.) And then she proceeds to tell me a moderately dirty joke (not terrible terrible, but I sure wouldn't tell it to my mom. And it's a lot of fun for me to get a reaction out of my mom). I didn't laugh, mostly because I was just completely overwhelmed at the surrealness of the situation. I think I just sort of stood there looking confused. Who does that? So I turn to go back to my car, and as I'm about to put the key into the lock, the bizarreness of the situation hits me and I haven't stopped laughing since. I really should have tried to do SOMEthing with the situation, but . . . HUH?
5) That's pretty much all for now, kids!
1) I was initially going to change to Phillies colors after the All-Star break, but after winning the Championship and all I felt compelled to give the green some extra time. But now it's August and the Phils are in first, so we it's time to make a change. Enjoy!
2) The post a couple weeks ago about going off caffeine? I've been completely off for nearly 2 weeks now, and I do feel better, generally. I went from about 250 mg a day down to 200, 150, 100, 75, 54, 42, 34, and finally 20 (some of those rough approximations, but should be close), taking a three or four days at each plateau. I had a few headache issues and a few irritable days, but for the most part it wasn't as hard as I'd thought it would be. Wohoo!
3) OU had to kick a kid off the football team this week after he had an inappropriate rap on youtube (I'd link it but, of course, it's inappropriate -- it's not hard to find if you're really curious). Tough call, and it wasn't THAT bad in and of itself, but it's also not a first offense. It's sad for the kid, but ultimately I'm happy to be cheering for an organization that's really trying to do things the right way, even when it costs a high-potential player.
4) Had an interesting experience the other day. Walked out of a Chili's after a staff meeting and a random woman whom I'd never met in my life comes up and says, "Do you want to hear an almost dirty joke?" I replied "Almost." (Which I thought was decent for being in the moment, but after further reflection realize that it could be taken to mean that if the joke isn't FULL-ON dirty then I don't want to waste my time, but whatever.) And then she proceeds to tell me a moderately dirty joke (not terrible terrible, but I sure wouldn't tell it to my mom. And it's a lot of fun for me to get a reaction out of my mom). I didn't laugh, mostly because I was just completely overwhelmed at the surrealness of the situation. I think I just sort of stood there looking confused. Who does that? So I turn to go back to my car, and as I'm about to put the key into the lock, the bizarreness of the situation hits me and I haven't stopped laughing since. I really should have tried to do SOMEthing with the situation, but . . . HUH?
5) That's pretty much all for now, kids!
Friday, July 25, 2008
Basketball + Football + MMA =
That's right, it's the WNBA!!! I never thought I'd write this post.
Here's the deal -- click here. You have to. It's a WNBA brawl the like of which is, apparently, unprecedented. It involves a couple good tackles, a would-be peacemaker getting taken off in a wheelchair, and a player smacking an assistant coach in the back. Really, I am truly incapable of making this stuff up. Seriously, click the link. And, of course, I have thoughts.
1) Detroit, I love you. You KNOW I do! Have you seen my office? That's real, kids. And that's real love! But let's face it -- something has to be done about Detroit and basketball. Do you remember the Pistons/Pacers brawl from a few years ago when players went into the stands and fans came onto the court to get into the action? Of course you do! Guess what? Exact same arena. Only difference, really, is that there weren't enough fans at the WNBA game to get frisky (and probably no one wanted to get beaten up by a girl -- that's tough to live down). And, of course, a few years before that, Detroit was home to the teams that called themselves the "bad boys" (see below for more on that, in fact). So I think the only reasonable conclusion is to say "Detroit -- it's over. You've lost your basketball privileges."
2) Hey fellas, do you see how that worked? While watching Lions games the last several years, I've often lamented that our poor tackling has had much to do with excessive falling down. I guess not! These girls didn't let their position on the deck hold them back. I hope Marinelli and the crew were taking notes -- a winning season once a decade or so doesn't usually seem like too much to ask.
3) At about 2:57 you can see a player smack Rick Mahorn (Detroit assistant coach, I'm told) square in the back. I don't think I really need to make jokes here, right?
4) Speaking of Mahorn, he's coaching with old friend Bill Laimbeer, who were both at the center of the old Pistons "bad boys" teams that were so bad that Dennis Rodman was completely overshadowed by these two cats. So how are we supposed to be surprised when their teams go "bad girls"? Who's out there saying "Wow, I can't believe this happened. This is Bill's and Rick's team that was involved in this? The guy from Bill Laimbeer's Combat Basketball? Really? The guys who made Rodman look like a boy scout? Quick -- get your calculator -- I've GOT to check out this two-and-two thing I've been hearing about!"
5) Let me hear your own thoughts in the comments, y'all!
Here's the deal -- click here. You have to. It's a WNBA brawl the like of which is, apparently, unprecedented. It involves a couple good tackles, a would-be peacemaker getting taken off in a wheelchair, and a player smacking an assistant coach in the back. Really, I am truly incapable of making this stuff up. Seriously, click the link. And, of course, I have thoughts.
1) Detroit, I love you. You KNOW I do! Have you seen my office? That's real, kids. And that's real love! But let's face it -- something has to be done about Detroit and basketball. Do you remember the Pistons/Pacers brawl from a few years ago when players went into the stands and fans came onto the court to get into the action? Of course you do! Guess what? Exact same arena. Only difference, really, is that there weren't enough fans at the WNBA game to get frisky (and probably no one wanted to get beaten up by a girl -- that's tough to live down). And, of course, a few years before that, Detroit was home to the teams that called themselves the "bad boys" (see below for more on that, in fact). So I think the only reasonable conclusion is to say "Detroit -- it's over. You've lost your basketball privileges."
2) Hey fellas, do you see how that worked? While watching Lions games the last several years, I've often lamented that our poor tackling has had much to do with excessive falling down. I guess not! These girls didn't let their position on the deck hold them back. I hope Marinelli and the crew were taking notes -- a winning season once a decade or so doesn't usually seem like too much to ask.
3) At about 2:57 you can see a player smack Rick Mahorn (Detroit assistant coach, I'm told) square in the back. I don't think I really need to make jokes here, right?
4) Speaking of Mahorn, he's coaching with old friend Bill Laimbeer, who were both at the center of the old Pistons "bad boys" teams that were so bad that Dennis Rodman was completely overshadowed by these two cats. So how are we supposed to be surprised when their teams go "bad girls"? Who's out there saying "Wow, I can't believe this happened. This is Bill's and Rick's team that was involved in this? The guy from Bill Laimbeer's Combat Basketball? Really? The guys who made Rodman look like a boy scout? Quick -- get your calculator -- I've GOT to check out this two-and-two thing I've been hearing about!"
5) Let me hear your own thoughts in the comments, y'all!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
The Scream Certain Selected Portions of the Prayer Tour
With all due respect to the Stronger Than Hell tour, the summer's premiere extreme tour dropped into town on Tuesday night, and it was cool. Here's the skinny:
Pre-show
Because there were so many bands, the show was slated to start at 3:30 in the afternoon. Of course that's rough for a lot of people with jobs (which, interestingly enough, did NOT apply to me that particular day), so I stood in line overhearing comments like "Yeah, so-and-so's coming to town, but it's an 18 and over show!" "I was in Hot Topic yesterday and I saw. . . ." "They're really old school, I think they started back in, like, '06 or something." (Ok, I made that last one up.) I'm used to feeling out of place at shows, but yikes. Finally Jason showed up, and I wasn't sure if I was happier to see somebody I knew or somebody over 16 years old. Either way, it was better that way.
Better, that is, until we chatted with a merch guy (or band member? there were like 12,000, who can keep track) who listed off the bands that were going to be playing, with the notable exception of With Blood Comes Cleansing. They're absence caught me, because I thought it was weird that they were supposed to be playing near the start when they were on Victory. Turns out they had to drop off a few days before. Too bad. After walking away we realized that he hadn't mentioned Soul Embraced, either. Sure enough, both bands were missing without a word of explanation or apology. Bad deal, but the good news is that losing two bands of that magnitude would have been enough to cripple a lesser tour, but not this one. Nice.
Sing the Prayer with a Sappy Melodic and Slightly Off-Key Portion of the Show
The first three bands screamed. . . um. . . with clean melodious "screams"? There was, of course, some metal, but too much singy Underoath-style stuff going on. Not my bag. Andy, TJ, and Matt did show up, so that was a plus for these sets. And -- oh yeah -- an out of control dancer kicked a dude standing beside me in the chest hard enough that he left the building. The dancer didn't seem to notice.
Blessed By a Broken Heart
How do you follow three mediocre sappy bands? I suppose Blessed By a Broken Heart is one way. These guys are weird, even for being Canadian. Fog machines, an amped up light show, and hair right out of Stone Cold (no, THIS Stone Cold). Otherwise, the guitarist surely shredded, and I wouldn't pop them in and "bop out!" per se, but they put on a fun show. Real beef though, with the frontman -- you HAVE to either keep that shirt on or pull those pants up. Seriously, look how things are ending up for Britney. Regardless, it was an experience.
War of Ages
Awesome as always, but why did BBABH get to try to play themselves back into being cool and War of Ages only gets five songs? Having seen them several times in smaller venues it was cool to hear them with a good pa and all that, though.
MyChildren MyBride
Here's the truth -- MyChildren MyBride sound better on their album than they do live. Of course, they really sound pretty great on the record and it was still good to see them, but a little disappointing anyway. Also, the same out of control dancer hit a kid who was standing on the outside of the pit in the face during this set (I believe). He didn't notice until someone pointed him to the kid bending down holding his face. A minute later the poor dude left the building, still holding his face (couldn't tell if it was a nose or an eye or what, excactly).
Impending Doom
The polar opposite of MCMB is Impending Doom. Honestly, despite it's insane brutality level, their album doesn't do a lot for me. Live? Amazing. Also, the frontman did a great -- not good, great -- job of speaking about Jesus Christ. Sometimes I go to shows and bands will try to talk about stuff, but they're just not good at it. It's ok -- if you play music and it slays, play music. But this dude is the RIGHT guy to speak up and say something. Really well done. And although I knew his name, Andy's joke afterward was pretty great: "I guess if your name's Brook you have to learn to scream that low." Ha ha ha, nice! Oh yeah, and the SAME out of control dancer hurt a third person during their set. I didn't see this one happen, but I think it was a fellow dancer this time. That guy left the building, too. Hmmm, maybe if you're hurting multiple people on the same night, something's wrong and it's NOT everybody else? Seriously, I understand dancing and all that, but when you have 300-ish square feet to do your thing do you think you could not injure the people who just want to enjoy the show? Please?
Sleeping Giant
Much like Impending Doom, I'm not the biggest fan of the Sleeping Giant record -- but after the show, I'm a big fan of Sleeping Giant. This is a legit minsitry band like I haven't seen since Jesus Freaks, except these dudes were even better at presenting their beliefs in an appropriate and meaningful way. I can't fully go along with everything he said, but along with Impending Doom these cats are absolute dynamite at proclaiming Jesus to a subculture that's almost completley rejected him. Really, really nicely done, and a completely unique show experience. I was toiling in the obscurity of South Dakota/rural Minnesota during the original "spirit-filled hardcore" scene, but I wonder if it was a lot like that. I hope it was. And -- oh yeah -- nobody was hurt that I could tell, but out of control dancer after hurting three people? Oh yeah, he was back.
Final thoughts? Even without WBCC and Soul Embraced, the best tour that I've seen come through Louisville. Nothing can measure up to Crimson Moonlight, Becoming the Archetype, and Aletheian that I drove 6 hours for, but this was a sight and a sound and an experience all in one. Now next time let's just keep those spin kicks compact and those drawers pulled up, fellas. . . .
Pre-show
Because there were so many bands, the show was slated to start at 3:30 in the afternoon. Of course that's rough for a lot of people with jobs (which, interestingly enough, did NOT apply to me that particular day), so I stood in line overhearing comments like "Yeah, so-and-so's coming to town, but it's an 18 and over show!" "I was in Hot Topic yesterday and I saw. . . ." "They're really old school, I think they started back in, like, '06 or something." (Ok, I made that last one up.) I'm used to feeling out of place at shows, but yikes. Finally Jason showed up, and I wasn't sure if I was happier to see somebody I knew or somebody over 16 years old. Either way, it was better that way.
Better, that is, until we chatted with a merch guy (or band member? there were like 12,000, who can keep track) who listed off the bands that were going to be playing, with the notable exception of With Blood Comes Cleansing. They're absence caught me, because I thought it was weird that they were supposed to be playing near the start when they were on Victory. Turns out they had to drop off a few days before. Too bad. After walking away we realized that he hadn't mentioned Soul Embraced, either. Sure enough, both bands were missing without a word of explanation or apology. Bad deal, but the good news is that losing two bands of that magnitude would have been enough to cripple a lesser tour, but not this one. Nice.
Sing the Prayer with a Sappy Melodic and Slightly Off-Key Portion of the Show
The first three bands screamed. . . um. . . with clean melodious "screams"? There was, of course, some metal, but too much singy Underoath-style stuff going on. Not my bag. Andy, TJ, and Matt did show up, so that was a plus for these sets. And -- oh yeah -- an out of control dancer kicked a dude standing beside me in the chest hard enough that he left the building. The dancer didn't seem to notice.
Blessed By a Broken Heart
How do you follow three mediocre sappy bands? I suppose Blessed By a Broken Heart is one way. These guys are weird, even for being Canadian. Fog machines, an amped up light show, and hair right out of Stone Cold (no, THIS Stone Cold). Otherwise, the guitarist surely shredded, and I wouldn't pop them in and "bop out!" per se, but they put on a fun show. Real beef though, with the frontman -- you HAVE to either keep that shirt on or pull those pants up. Seriously, look how things are ending up for Britney. Regardless, it was an experience.
War of Ages
Awesome as always, but why did BBABH get to try to play themselves back into being cool and War of Ages only gets five songs? Having seen them several times in smaller venues it was cool to hear them with a good pa and all that, though.
MyChildren MyBride
Here's the truth -- MyChildren MyBride sound better on their album than they do live. Of course, they really sound pretty great on the record and it was still good to see them, but a little disappointing anyway. Also, the same out of control dancer hit a kid who was standing on the outside of the pit in the face during this set (I believe). He didn't notice until someone pointed him to the kid bending down holding his face. A minute later the poor dude left the building, still holding his face (couldn't tell if it was a nose or an eye or what, excactly).
Impending Doom
The polar opposite of MCMB is Impending Doom. Honestly, despite it's insane brutality level, their album doesn't do a lot for me. Live? Amazing. Also, the frontman did a great -- not good, great -- job of speaking about Jesus Christ. Sometimes I go to shows and bands will try to talk about stuff, but they're just not good at it. It's ok -- if you play music and it slays, play music. But this dude is the RIGHT guy to speak up and say something. Really well done. And although I knew his name, Andy's joke afterward was pretty great: "I guess if your name's Brook you have to learn to scream that low." Ha ha ha, nice! Oh yeah, and the SAME out of control dancer hurt a third person during their set. I didn't see this one happen, but I think it was a fellow dancer this time. That guy left the building, too. Hmmm, maybe if you're hurting multiple people on the same night, something's wrong and it's NOT everybody else? Seriously, I understand dancing and all that, but when you have 300-ish square feet to do your thing do you think you could not injure the people who just want to enjoy the show? Please?
Sleeping Giant
Much like Impending Doom, I'm not the biggest fan of the Sleeping Giant record -- but after the show, I'm a big fan of Sleeping Giant. This is a legit minsitry band like I haven't seen since Jesus Freaks, except these dudes were even better at presenting their beliefs in an appropriate and meaningful way. I can't fully go along with everything he said, but along with Impending Doom these cats are absolute dynamite at proclaiming Jesus to a subculture that's almost completley rejected him. Really, really nicely done, and a completely unique show experience. I was toiling in the obscurity of South Dakota/rural Minnesota during the original "spirit-filled hardcore" scene, but I wonder if it was a lot like that. I hope it was. And -- oh yeah -- nobody was hurt that I could tell, but out of control dancer after hurting three people? Oh yeah, he was back.
Final thoughts? Even without WBCC and Soul Embraced, the best tour that I've seen come through Louisville. Nothing can measure up to Crimson Moonlight, Becoming the Archetype, and Aletheian that I drove 6 hours for, but this was a sight and a sound and an experience all in one. Now next time let's just keep those spin kicks compact and those drawers pulled up, fellas. . . .
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Where Have I Been?
I've been here. . . mostly. I know it's been a while since I've posted, but there's a perfectly good reason. After the eighteen-month long NBA post-season that culminated in Banner Seventeen I was on an adrenaline high for like a month. And I know it hasn't quite been a month, but still, it was pretty cool. Until I finally came down and realized that it was time to re-order my life in a couple of areas.
I'm always tired, you see, and tired is no way to live your life! So I'd started trying to run, but it was inordinately more difficult then a few years ago. Now I'm not THAT much older yet, so I wondered if it was something different. I sleep well and soundly, so I can't blame apnea, and so now I've taken on taking out caffeine. That's right, I've been working on quitting my one adored addiction.
Now I'm not one to sensationalize (the "adrenaline for a month" bit notwithstanding, of course) -- I'm not a HUGE caffeine junky like some people are. I would typically have about 12 oz. of coffee in the morning and a Dew or a Coke around lunch or mid-afternoon. That was basically every day, and comes out to about 250 mg. Then on days that started early or went long or whatever, though, it could spike considerably above that level, and my daily routine was in need of a boost to maintain mood and energy level already. I didn't want to add MORE, though, I hate the idea of being controlled by a substance, and I've heard people say that they feel and think and work better when they're off the juice, so I decided to take that route.
I'm not there yet, but after about 2 weeks, I'm down to around 60-70 mg a day (that's an 8 oz. cup of "half caff" in the morning, and then no mas!). And it hasn't been too bad! I figure I'm no more than a week or two at the most from being completely de-toxed, at which time I'll find some other excuse for sporadic posting.
I'm always tired, you see, and tired is no way to live your life! So I'd started trying to run, but it was inordinately more difficult then a few years ago. Now I'm not THAT much older yet, so I wondered if it was something different. I sleep well and soundly, so I can't blame apnea, and so now I've taken on taking out caffeine. That's right, I've been working on quitting my one adored addiction.
Now I'm not one to sensationalize (the "adrenaline for a month" bit notwithstanding, of course) -- I'm not a HUGE caffeine junky like some people are. I would typically have about 12 oz. of coffee in the morning and a Dew or a Coke around lunch or mid-afternoon. That was basically every day, and comes out to about 250 mg. Then on days that started early or went long or whatever, though, it could spike considerably above that level, and my daily routine was in need of a boost to maintain mood and energy level already. I didn't want to add MORE, though, I hate the idea of being controlled by a substance, and I've heard people say that they feel and think and work better when they're off the juice, so I decided to take that route.
I'm not there yet, but after about 2 weeks, I'm down to around 60-70 mg a day (that's an 8 oz. cup of "half caff" in the morning, and then no mas!). And it hasn't been too bad! I figure I'm no more than a week or two at the most from being completely de-toxed, at which time I'll find some other excuse for sporadic posting.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Credit Where It's Due
I'm pretty hard on the entertainment industry sometimes, and let's face it -- they deserve it -- their products are generally uninspired, uninteresting, and unwatchable (no text message required, Jim). But in the interest of fair play and honest recognition, I've been pleasantly surprised at a couple different films this summer already, and so I offer my open praise and admiration where it's deserved:
1) Iron Man. I know it's old news now, but this is the best movie I've seen in a LONG time, and the first I've seen twice in a theater since. . . the first Lord of the Rings maybe? Fun, funny, and dare I say "cool"? Seriously, it finished and my WIFE said, "Well that was super cool!" THAT doesn't happen often.
2) Get Smart. It's no Dumb and Dumber, but it was pretty funny. Of course, seeing movies with Jamey isn't always a good litmus test to tell if a movie's actually funny on it's own merits or not, but regardless, I went, I laughed, I left. And that's pretty much exactly what I was looking for.
3) Hancock. Not on Iron Man level, but another that wins with both the wife and myself, and that's no easy task. Plus, I was just starting to get bored at about an hour and a half, so I glanced at the time -- oh no! There's TOTALLY another 40 minutes left to wade through -- why do they always do that? But nope -- then it ended, right when it should have! It's sad when a movie gets bonus points for ending, but that's what the industry has come to, and so there it is.
4) Sort of unrelated as Bombworks Records isn't exactly "the industry", but I finally picked up Common Yet Forbidden's album, and my good golly-gosh that thing blasts and thrashes and flat-picks and just slays generally and to an exponential degree. Best record I've heard in a long time, and just wholly satisfying on every level possible.
Finally -- and completely unrelated, but it's a landmark day in my life and bears mentioning -- on Saturday my Championship t-shirt arrived. DVD ships later this month. Has life EVER been this good?
1) Iron Man. I know it's old news now, but this is the best movie I've seen in a LONG time, and the first I've seen twice in a theater since. . . the first Lord of the Rings maybe? Fun, funny, and dare I say "cool"? Seriously, it finished and my WIFE said, "Well that was super cool!" THAT doesn't happen often.
2) Get Smart. It's no Dumb and Dumber, but it was pretty funny. Of course, seeing movies with Jamey isn't always a good litmus test to tell if a movie's actually funny on it's own merits or not, but regardless, I went, I laughed, I left. And that's pretty much exactly what I was looking for.
3) Hancock. Not on Iron Man level, but another that wins with both the wife and myself, and that's no easy task. Plus, I was just starting to get bored at about an hour and a half, so I glanced at the time -- oh no! There's TOTALLY another 40 minutes left to wade through -- why do they always do that? But nope -- then it ended, right when it should have! It's sad when a movie gets bonus points for ending, but that's what the industry has come to, and so there it is.
4) Sort of unrelated as Bombworks Records isn't exactly "the industry", but I finally picked up Common Yet Forbidden's album, and my good golly-gosh that thing blasts and thrashes and flat-picks and just slays generally and to an exponential degree. Best record I've heard in a long time, and just wholly satisfying on every level possible.
Finally -- and completely unrelated, but it's a landmark day in my life and bears mentioning -- on Saturday my Championship t-shirt arrived. DVD ships later this month. Has life EVER been this good?
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Green Seventeen!
After weeks of remaining silent about the progress of the Celtics, it's time to indulge me in a 2nd straight post honoring the men in green. You've brought me the first professional championship I've tasted in 22 years, and thus I offer my humble tribute.
Danny Ainge: Like your jumper, you've hit some and missed others. This year, however, you truly made magic happen. Absolutely incredible job.
Doc Rivers: I still don't really know if you're a good NBA coach or not (or what that is, really), but you got the results.
Paul Pierce: As Bill Simmons would say, "Welcome to the pantheon." You've just entered Celtic immortality.
Kevin Garnett: Nobody's worked harder or cared more. With more guys like you, people might actually watch the NBA.
Ray Allen: Definitive of "professional athlete" in the best sense of the phrase.
Rajon Rondo: UK basketball players who won championships in Boston: Antoine Walker? No. Tony Delk? No again. Walter McCarty? Hardly. Ron Mercer? Psh. Rajon Rondo? Yes, yes I believe so!
Kendrick Perkins: I love how your looks killed every official who ever called you for any foul under any circumstance. The season's over and you won, so go ahead and smile now. It's ok. Honest.
James Posey: A "bench player" in lineup status only. Truly indispensable, and the entire Celtic Nation begs you to return and win again.
Leon Powe: Although the rest of the watching world stopped with mouth agape, no Celtic fan was surprised when you scored 20 points in a Finals game.
Eddie House: Your go-ahead shot in game 4 stands out, but certainly not because it was your only big moment.
P. J. Brown: I'll admit, when we signed you, I didn't think we needed you. I was wrong.
Sam Cassell: Wow, do you like to shoot the ball or what!
Glen Davis: Nobody in the history of basketball has taken more abuse and gotten fewer calls. Maybe flashing that ring will help next year?
Tony Allen: Um. . . you sure did get a couple minutes there at the end, eh?
Brian Scalabrine: By remaining on the roster, you serve as a reminder to us all about how far the team has come in so short a time. And it's pretty cool that you can joke about it.
Scot Pollard: You never saw the court, but the way you gave up that "t" to make your name a bona-fide four letter word exemplifies teamwork.
Gabe Pruitt: Look, you really didn't NEED Scot's "t". "Pruit" would have been just fine. But you get a ring anyway.
Finally, just a short word to Celtic fans everywhere (and I know we ARE everywhere!) -- leave Kobe alone. You can't criticize a guy for not being as good as MJ after all. Seriously, what if you were compared to the all-time greats at whatever you do? The GREAT accountants. CEO's. Lawyers. French-fry cooks. You wouldn't measure up, either. It's ridiculous, like knocking Pierce for not being Bird. Just let it go. We won! Don't gloat like a punk, go order your championship gear and be happy. We're the champs! Everybody else is irrelevant.
Danny Ainge: Like your jumper, you've hit some and missed others. This year, however, you truly made magic happen. Absolutely incredible job.
Doc Rivers: I still don't really know if you're a good NBA coach or not (or what that is, really), but you got the results.
Paul Pierce: As Bill Simmons would say, "Welcome to the pantheon." You've just entered Celtic immortality.
Kevin Garnett: Nobody's worked harder or cared more. With more guys like you, people might actually watch the NBA.
Ray Allen: Definitive of "professional athlete" in the best sense of the phrase.
Rajon Rondo: UK basketball players who won championships in Boston: Antoine Walker? No. Tony Delk? No again. Walter McCarty? Hardly. Ron Mercer? Psh. Rajon Rondo? Yes, yes I believe so!
Kendrick Perkins: I love how your looks killed every official who ever called you for any foul under any circumstance. The season's over and you won, so go ahead and smile now. It's ok. Honest.
James Posey: A "bench player" in lineup status only. Truly indispensable, and the entire Celtic Nation begs you to return and win again.
Leon Powe: Although the rest of the watching world stopped with mouth agape, no Celtic fan was surprised when you scored 20 points in a Finals game.
Eddie House: Your go-ahead shot in game 4 stands out, but certainly not because it was your only big moment.
P. J. Brown: I'll admit, when we signed you, I didn't think we needed you. I was wrong.
Sam Cassell: Wow, do you like to shoot the ball or what!
Glen Davis: Nobody in the history of basketball has taken more abuse and gotten fewer calls. Maybe flashing that ring will help next year?
Tony Allen: Um. . . you sure did get a couple minutes there at the end, eh?
Brian Scalabrine: By remaining on the roster, you serve as a reminder to us all about how far the team has come in so short a time. And it's pretty cool that you can joke about it.
Scot Pollard: You never saw the court, but the way you gave up that "t" to make your name a bona-fide four letter word exemplifies teamwork.
Gabe Pruitt: Look, you really didn't NEED Scot's "t". "Pruit" would have been just fine. But you get a ring anyway.
Finally, just a short word to Celtic fans everywhere (and I know we ARE everywhere!) -- leave Kobe alone. You can't criticize a guy for not being as good as MJ after all. Seriously, what if you were compared to the all-time greats at whatever you do? The GREAT accountants. CEO's. Lawyers. French-fry cooks. You wouldn't measure up, either. It's ridiculous, like knocking Pierce for not being Bird. Just let it go. We won! Don't gloat like a punk, go order your championship gear and be happy. We're the champs! Everybody else is irrelevant.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
B-Day Shuffle Play
If you know me, you know that there are really only two "things" in life that I care about ("things" excluding God and people): cd's and sports. And if you know me well, you know that I have a pretty good cd collection and you know which teams I've been cheering for 20-some years solid.
Well yesterday the 17th was my birthday, and Baby hooked me up with exactly what I wanted -- you see, my two 100-cd towers have been over-filled for some time now, and the space below the tv in the entertainment center was virtually out of space for the "discard" pile, too. Plus, I had the constant struggle of organization -- which cd's make it into the sacred tower, and how is this determined? And of course they're all alphabetical by artist (and chronological within the artist, naturally), and then when you pick up -- say, the latest Apostisy album, and you know it's worthy of a place, you have to determine which cd to REplace, right, and if it's, say, a mediocre Zao offering, well that's about 195 cd's to re-arrange, one at a time. It's a lot of re-arranging, you see, and so this new high-capacity shelf system is going to make all of that null and void. It's great!
You know who I have nothing on, though? They guy who's going to have to re-arrange and make room for Banner Number Seventeen. It's been a loooooong 22 years (keep in mind, I'm not a "Boston" sports fan, and it's been since '86 since any of "my" pro teams have won), and I was never really sure it would happen again. So happy. So, so happy.
Well yesterday the 17th was my birthday, and Baby hooked me up with exactly what I wanted -- you see, my two 100-cd towers have been over-filled for some time now, and the space below the tv in the entertainment center was virtually out of space for the "discard" pile, too. Plus, I had the constant struggle of organization -- which cd's make it into the sacred tower, and how is this determined? And of course they're all alphabetical by artist (and chronological within the artist, naturally), and then when you pick up -- say, the latest Apostisy album, and you know it's worthy of a place, you have to determine which cd to REplace, right, and if it's, say, a mediocre Zao offering, well that's about 195 cd's to re-arrange, one at a time. It's a lot of re-arranging, you see, and so this new high-capacity shelf system is going to make all of that null and void. It's great!
You know who I have nothing on, though? They guy who's going to have to re-arrange and make room for Banner Number Seventeen. It's been a loooooong 22 years (keep in mind, I'm not a "Boston" sports fan, and it's been since '86 since any of "my" pro teams have won), and I was never really sure it would happen again. So happy. So, so happy.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Celebrity Poster!
Well Hello Ross
and everybody else who is a Flogger. . . (Is that the way to say it?) Oh well, imagine my surprise when we, my whole family were together from several states meeting in San Diego for my oldest sons wedding. (His 2nd one).
My granddaughter and I sitting at the computer playing around when she Googled my name and somehow up came this Flogging site. (I said Flogging, that's even better then Freeken.)
She started screaming and laughing and it brought the whole family in to read all about me. Yeah, me! There were people talking about me on the net. You all with your comments gave us such a great time that night as we laughed and laughed at them. A good time was had by all.
My daughter, Tammy Sue, who be now refer to as Heidie, (is that how its spelled?) because one of you floggers said that's who she should be. She filled out the form and done what ever you do to get on there to be a flogger too. She did it so she could contact you letting you know we were onto you and your flogging comments.
If you've heard her sing with me you know she has a voice thats pure; Course I'm not sure you guys like pure. Now that totally blows my mind. What are we coming to if we have generation who doesn't like pure, clear, clean voices and songs you can understand.
By now you've figured out I'm of an older generation. I admit a lot of the country stuff isn't that pure. I've always said of myself, I'm not a country singer; I'm a Western singer. There is a difference.
I've always commented in my concerts that a country singer sings songs like "Who stoled my Beer while I was in the mens room". Western singers sing songs like, " If my nose was runnin' money I'd blow it all on you"
(come on, thats a joke)
I told that to my wife once. I said. . . "Honey, If my nose was runnin' money I'd blow it all on you. . ." She said. . ."Yeah but its not"
SORRY, I did it again.
Ok, you want to know about me? Sure ya do.
As my one song "The Idaho Yodeler" explains word for word I was only around 11 years old. With 10 kids in our family and on a farm we entertained ourselves by listening to old 78 records one at a time on a wind up phonograph. We stood around with broom sticks, mop sticks and what ever else would resemble a musical instrument and listen to songs imitating who ever was singing and or playing.
One of us always had a table spoon that was a microphone. Taking turns with it we would pantomime or imitate who ever was singing and that person who had the spoon was the star for that song. . . .
We had a record by a singing and yodeler known as Elton Britt who sang and yodeled a song called "She taught me to yodel". It was my turn to have the spoon and imitate Elton Britt. He started singing and I sang along. When he came to the yodeling part I tried to do that and it rolled out as if I'd been doing it all my life. It was no struggle and was as easy as talking or singing. It just came out natural from down in my voice box (most people think its with the tongue, no, its back down there in the voice box). I found myself yodeling right along with the record. My brothers and sisters stopped playing the broom sticks and whatever and just stared at me not believing what they were hearing. I even stopped to see if it was me doing it.
Well I gotta find a way to end this story but it wasn't long after that my dad bought me a guitar, I taught myself a few chords and after doing a few local talent shows I got on a show called "Ted Mack Amateur Hour". The equivalent of American Idol today. Of course it was the first talent show on television which at that time was black and white. (Do you floggers know what black and white is?)
I won the show 3 times in a row, was offered opportunities to go on to what might have been big time stardom however by that time I'd joined the military and my commanding General insisted I serve my time and then pursue the big time later. I had 4 years to do. By they I'd been forgotten.
I became a police officer after the service in the military and then a narcotics officer for the State of Idaho. After a few years there I began working with drug rehab centers. Eventually I left law enforcement to become involved full time with a rehab center called "Bible Way Rehabilitation Center" in Richland Washington.
As a member of the staff of this Christian organization I started a singing group made up of several ex drug addicts. This was back in the hippie days.
Now imagine if you will. . . here is a ex narcotics officer leading a group of singers who are ex drug addicts. As we traveled around the Northwest singing up beat contemporary Gospel music in parks, beaches, conventions, schools, churches, each one in the group would between songs share how they had been on drugs and were now free and how. ( I won't go into all that except to say Jesus was involved). There were hippies everywhere and they came by the bunches to our concerts and we recruited them to follow us back to Richland where we gave them shelter, food and teaching.
It was while leading this group I started writing Gospel yodeling songs. I no anyone had ever heard of such a thing but I took the scripture where it says in Psalm 100 to "Make a joyful noise" which means make any gleeful sound. I used that as my excuse and began to sing and yodel gospel songs which became such accepted then that soon I was being invited all over the United States and Canada.
I eventually left the rehab center as invitations came from so many different places and so far away there was no way to take a whole group of 40 young people with me. A little note. . . most of them ended up in one type of ministry or another and some are missionaries. Talk about a successful rehab program huh?
So I could go on and on and tell you stories that even I have a hard time believing happened but they did but I spent the last 30 years traveling the world and not once did I ever look for a place or ask for a place to sing and share with every denomination and Christian group or organization you can name. Matter of fact I stopped counting at singing at over 6000 Full Gospel business men's Banquets.
Oh yes, I also did and do a lot of secular (That's not Gospel to you floggers)
concerts where I sing allot of the old yodeling western songs from the past plus I have written many of my own.
My career was cut short a year and a half ago as I was standing on my own lawn minding my own business when a young man with a pickup truck came across my lawn at about 65 miles an hour and hit me square. I was standing next to another pickup that kept me up or he'd have run over me and killed me but instead he turned that pickup completely around with me in between, then went on and hit a couple more vehicles. My right leg was badly smashed and after a month in the hospital getting it put together I have spent most of the time since then in therapy getting my leg to work again. I had to have the knee replaced just a couple month ago which was the last operation needed to put me back on my feet.
I have not sung or yodeled since. I am back on my feet but with a terrible limp that I'm not sure will ever go away. I still have the yodel though I'm out of practice, I can still sing but I don't know where I go from here.
I plan on going to Arizona for the winter where I have spent many winters doing concerts for the snow birds. (That's all those retired folks who go south for the winter in case you floggers don't know.) Maybe I'll get started again but for now I'm just taking it one day at a time.
I hope this hasn't been too boring and I hope its not too long. There just was no place to start or stop because there is so much more on either end of the story.
Thank you all for allowing me to share this. Go ahead and blog or flog or what ever and I will enjoy every bit of it.
You all are terrific and you made my year.
Sincerely,
Buzz Goertzen
The Idaho Yodeler
Saturday, May 31, 2008
If the Blog's Bad, Just Don't Read!
I've said it repeatedly, but I don't blame you if you don't believe me. This is NOT a sports blog. But sports are a big part of my life, and therefore a big part of the blog. And besides, somethings just can NOT be ignored. So as we eagerly await to hear from Buzz, I feel compelled to address some recent NBA happenings, and while the C's moving into an epic NBA Finals against the Great Big Pacific Salt-Water Body of Water Hundreds of Miles South of Tahoe Lakers is big news, you either already know or don't care. The REAL blog-worthy story is this -- the league announced that starting next year, players are going to be fined for falling down without being pushed.
It's amazing how often I'm watching sports (usually the Lions, really) and I find myself screaming at "my" players "FALL DOWN LESS!!!" as my guys stumble over hash-marks and watch helplessly from the turf as the opposing player carries the ball past them. You see, in sports, falling down very rarely provides an unfair competitive advantage. I've listened to a lot of post-game interviews, and never have I heard a coach or player explain the outcome with anything like "Well, I think the key to the win today was the way we were able stay off our feet. Whenever there was any contact at all, we just hit the deck and it really paid off in the end." I've never read somebody talk about practice or mini-camp and say "Today we just worked mostly on fundamentals, some conditioning, and trying to fall down more." What's next here -- will there be fouls called for failing to contest lay-ups and dunks? Will players be suspended for missing free-throws? Will there be a "three strikes and you're out" (baseball analogy, I know) rule against being beaten off the dribble by a slow white power forward?
Look, I get why they're doing it. Flopping's ridiculous and shameful, but how can you fine a player for choosing to put himself at a competitive disadvantage? I know it's hard and all, but isn't the real answer to just officiate properly? If a dude falls and isn't fouled, just let him fall! This ain't exactly spur-science here, right? But in the middle of the most horrifically officiated playoffs in memory -- and this is with the mole ref OUT of the league, remember -- the answer is apparently to fine players for attempting to take advantage of inept refs. Unbelievable.
It's amazing how often I'm watching sports (usually the Lions, really) and I find myself screaming at "my" players "FALL DOWN LESS!!!" as my guys stumble over hash-marks and watch helplessly from the turf as the opposing player carries the ball past them. You see, in sports, falling down very rarely provides an unfair competitive advantage. I've listened to a lot of post-game interviews, and never have I heard a coach or player explain the outcome with anything like "Well, I think the key to the win today was the way we were able stay off our feet. Whenever there was any contact at all, we just hit the deck and it really paid off in the end." I've never read somebody talk about practice or mini-camp and say "Today we just worked mostly on fundamentals, some conditioning, and trying to fall down more." What's next here -- will there be fouls called for failing to contest lay-ups and dunks? Will players be suspended for missing free-throws? Will there be a "three strikes and you're out" (baseball analogy, I know) rule against being beaten off the dribble by a slow white power forward?
Look, I get why they're doing it. Flopping's ridiculous and shameful, but how can you fine a player for choosing to put himself at a competitive disadvantage? I know it's hard and all, but isn't the real answer to just officiate properly? If a dude falls and isn't fouled, just let him fall! This ain't exactly spur-science here, right? But in the middle of the most horrifically officiated playoffs in memory -- and this is with the mole ref OUT of the league, remember -- the answer is apparently to fine players for attempting to take advantage of inept refs. Unbelievable.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
We Have an Accord
Not an accordion (that would be polka, not yodeling), but an accord. That's right -- I'm very, VERY happy to announce that THE Buzz Goertzen has agreed (with some degree of enthusiasm, even!) to contribute a post to Flogging. . . .
What a long, strange trip it's been. Honestly, this blog was never even intended to be read, really. And then it's found by the mother of a member of a metal band, then the granddaughter of the (to my knowledge, at least) greatest living yodeler, and I can only ask myself "what's next"? And, in order to REALLY take it to the next level, I'm forced to ask . . . Dido? Are you out there? Let's hit the trifecta, baby!
But until then (and by "then" I mean "never") -- we'll be awaiting a blog by Buzz. He's busy and out of his home at the moment and so I've happily removed my one week time clock. Buzz will do what Buzz will do, whenever Buzz will do it. And that's just pretty cool with me.
What a long, strange trip it's been. Honestly, this blog was never even intended to be read, really. And then it's found by the mother of a member of a metal band, then the granddaughter of the (to my knowledge, at least) greatest living yodeler, and I can only ask myself "what's next"? And, in order to REALLY take it to the next level, I'm forced to ask . . . Dido? Are you out there? Let's hit the trifecta, baby!
But until then (and by "then" I mean "never") -- we'll be awaiting a blog by Buzz. He's busy and out of his home at the moment and so I've happily removed my one week time clock. Buzz will do what Buzz will do, whenever Buzz will do it. And that's just pretty cool with me.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Stirring Up a Buzz!
If you're new (or new-ish, even) to "Flogging. . ." you may not know the name Buzz Goertzen. Your ignorance, however understandable, must be rectified. Click here and read up on the mysterious and borderline paranormal way in which an otherwise forgettable conversation in a warehouse has exploded into a legitimate theme in my life and absolute highlight of my blog. In blog entry tags, Goertzen ranks third behind sports and general -- but he is the unquestioned number one in our hearts as well as response, reader enthusiasm, and ripple-effect into my real life, as the posts in the above link should make abundantly clear.
Now, however, the yodeling invasion has been taken to a previously un-imaginable level. In the last two days, by virtue of blog comments (read them at the bottom of the post here) and a myspace message, I've been contacted by Buzz's daughter Tammy Sue, Buzz's dragon-esque granddaughter Chelsea, and finally the Idaho Yodeler himself.
As my previous posts indicate, for a while the way yodeling was suddenly showing up in the most unexpected places in my life was equal parts amusing and disturbing, but with this newest level I'm ready to completely abandon myself to the whims of the yodel-gods with a previously un-considered recklessness. I don't know where this may take me, but I never -- NEVER -- expected to be here blogging about Buzz Goertzen and his family (!) writing about my blog. So I'm pushing my chips into the middle and I'm going to let 'em ride. Let's see what kind of level we can take this to, really. I'm making this your show, Buzz. I'm offering you -- no, I'm BEGGING of you -- to take control of "Flogging. . ." for one post. Anything at all you want to say, use this platform. I give you my word to faithfully post whatever it is that you'd like to say, complete and un-edited (assuming, of course, that you stay away from profanity and what not). I'll give you an entire week. I'm pretty sure that the readers would love to read whatever it is you'd like to share, and I KNOW it would be my honor. Don't let us down Buzz -- you're on the clock!
Now, however, the yodeling invasion has been taken to a previously un-imaginable level. In the last two days, by virtue of blog comments (read them at the bottom of the post here) and a myspace message, I've been contacted by Buzz's daughter Tammy Sue, Buzz's dragon-esque granddaughter Chelsea, and finally the Idaho Yodeler himself.
As my previous posts indicate, for a while the way yodeling was suddenly showing up in the most unexpected places in my life was equal parts amusing and disturbing, but with this newest level I'm ready to completely abandon myself to the whims of the yodel-gods with a previously un-considered recklessness. I don't know where this may take me, but I never -- NEVER -- expected to be here blogging about Buzz Goertzen and his family (!) writing about my blog. So I'm pushing my chips into the middle and I'm going to let 'em ride. Let's see what kind of level we can take this to, really. I'm making this your show, Buzz. I'm offering you -- no, I'm BEGGING of you -- to take control of "Flogging. . ." for one post. Anything at all you want to say, use this platform. I give you my word to faithfully post whatever it is that you'd like to say, complete and un-edited (assuming, of course, that you stay away from profanity and what not). I'll give you an entire week. I'm pretty sure that the readers would love to read whatever it is you'd like to share, and I KNOW it would be my honor. Don't let us down Buzz -- you're on the clock!
Monday, May 19, 2008
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Tim Donaghy Thought You Got Calls, Bro
At least by pro athlete standards, LeBron seems like a decent enough guy. He doesn't get upset over hard fouls that aren't dirty, he seems respectful, plays hard, and doesn't mind to smile and have a good time. That said, what can you say about him complaining to the refs in last nights game 6 -- the game where he personally shot more free throws than the entire Boston team? In the same game where Glen Davis got hammered every time he touched the ball, never saw a free-throw, and was called for 5 fouls himself in 15 minutes, you played 47 minutes, shot 15 frees, and were called for exactly 2 fouls. It's a little bit like if Moses had to go back across the Red Sea because he forgot his Teva's and decided that the world just wasn't fair because the water stayed in it's place.
Monday, May 12, 2008
A Slumpbuster Going Into the Offseason
So it's been a loooong time for "Flogging . . .". So long that people noticed. Wow! Here's the question, though -- did my (in my proud papa's mind, at least) strong post before the layoff help at all? I can't see how it would have, which leads me to today's post.
It's halftime of the C's/Cavs game 4, and the announcers (I don't have cable, can't go out for EVERY playoff game [I'm hoping for quite a few more] so I'm listening to a radio feed on-line) mentioned something that I can't help but think is probably THE single-most over-rated thing is sports -- momentum going into the locker room.
Really -- when the teams return for the second half in twenty minutes or whatever, having taken some time to regroup, collect themselves, shoot-around, and re-calibrate generally, who's going to be thinking "Golly, I'm sure glad we were feeling better 20 minutes ago!"
Doesn't halftime kind of kill any sense of momentum, even in the most outrageous of playoff atmospheres? For real now, isn't "momentum going into halftime" kind of like getting really, REALLY wet before toweling off? Could anything mean less?
In fairness, there are other contenders for the crown that represents the pinnacle of meaninglessness in sports. Shots on goal in hockey (only the ones that go in count, right?). 40 times of offensive linemen. Soccer. But even these are at least tangible. Momentum isn't tangible, but we all know it exists . . . but we also know that if a time out can dampen it, halftime stomps it's lifeless corpse into an impotent, unrecognizable husk.
You know what's NOT under-rated, though? Clever endings to blog entries. And I don't have one.
It's halftime of the C's/Cavs game 4, and the announcers (I don't have cable, can't go out for EVERY playoff game [I'm hoping for quite a few more] so I'm listening to a radio feed on-line) mentioned something that I can't help but think is probably THE single-most over-rated thing is sports -- momentum going into the locker room.
Really -- when the teams return for the second half in twenty minutes or whatever, having taken some time to regroup, collect themselves, shoot-around, and re-calibrate generally, who's going to be thinking "Golly, I'm sure glad we were feeling better 20 minutes ago!"
Doesn't halftime kind of kill any sense of momentum, even in the most outrageous of playoff atmospheres? For real now, isn't "momentum going into halftime" kind of like getting really, REALLY wet before toweling off? Could anything mean less?
In fairness, there are other contenders for the crown that represents the pinnacle of meaninglessness in sports. Shots on goal in hockey (only the ones that go in count, right?). 40 times of offensive linemen. Soccer. But even these are at least tangible. Momentum isn't tangible, but we all know it exists . . . but we also know that if a time out can dampen it, halftime stomps it's lifeless corpse into an impotent, unrecognizable husk.
You know what's NOT under-rated, though? Clever endings to blog entries. And I don't have one.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Seriously -- Is this the Best We Can Do?
No question -- The United States is a nation with a shortage. As Opening Day is all but upon us, there are nigh a handful of teams who are genuinely satisfied with their pitching rotation, and probably even less that like the depth of their bullpens. Shortly thereafter, NFL teams will bemoan the fact that there simply aren't 32 NFL level punters or place-kickers to be found. And a swing through your choice of Burger King, McDonalds, Wendy's, Arby's, or Hardee's will make glaringly obvious that our nation comes several million employees shy of however many million employees would be needed to competently staff our food service industry with individuals who can consistently provide reasonable service and the necessary self control to keep the onions off of my wife's sandwich. All of these shortages are regrettable, but also at some level understandable and of negligible long-term impact.
As far as President of the United States goes, however, I fully recognize that to be a truly strong and suitable candidate is no short order -- but come on, people -- we only need one! Is this truly a nation that, in a quest to find the best candidate from the however many million citizens, will eventually settle upon one of the three remaining legitimate possibilities? Seriously now -- is this REALLY the best we can do? Let's have a look at what we're dealing with here, in alphabetical order (so that it'll be something legitimate that I wrote that you decide to hate me for):
Hillary Clinton
Negative: Absolutely polarizing, for one. A member of the Democratic party. Also, you have to question the decision making of somebody who married Bill Clinton, right? I mean, if you voted for the guy that's one thing -- she MARRIED the dude. Plus, taking the capitalistic system that helped make this the greatest nation in the world and pushing it full-force toward socialism might not be a good idea. I don't know . . . how did that work out for the USSR (I miss them, by the way)? How are things in Cuba?
Positive: She ought to know her way around the White House. And let's face it, she pretty much ran the country while her husband was . . . um . . . otherwise incapacitated.
Sports equivalent: Brenda Warner. Even while her husband (who's attributes are still hotly debated) was enjoying his day in the sun, somehow his wife garnered something more than her fair share of the press, lending credibility to the idea that perhaps she had as much or more to say about what went down than he did. Whatever her experience around the big-time, however, there's no real way you're ok with her taking snaps from center on Sunday afternoons, right?
John McCain
Negative: Completely un-inspiring. Really old. A member of the Republican party. Um . . . not much more to say.
Positive: Probably doesn't eat much anymore. Least likely to be an embarrassment (unless a Viagra endorsement deal comes along). Least likely to do any real damage. Or anything else, really.
Sports equivalent: Eric Piatkowski. Your reaction should be one of either 1) "Who?" or 2) "He's still in the league?" Yep, he's still in the league -- he's in Phoenix, incidentally. And he's ok to have on your team . . . if he gets about 10 minutes a game and is on the bench while the game's on the line. If he's your big gun though . . . let's just say that nobody's coming out to see your team play.
Barak Obama
Negative: Every bit as polarizing as Hillary. He's never really done anything. He's young and inexperienced. There are all manner of rumors about the people surrounding him (his pastor, his supporters, his WIFE!) being hate-filled and bigoted.
Positive: He's likable and sure can deliver a speech.
Sports equivalent: Isaiah Thomas. Sure, Thomas had a remarkable career with a basketball in his hands and short-shorts on his . . . um . . . shorts, but his talents just never translated outside of that context. His shortcomings as an analyst ("when Larry, Micheal, and myself were in the league") have paled in comparison to his Matt Millen-like mis-management. He single-handedly bankrupted the CBA, was fired from the Pacers by Larry Bird himself (chuckle), and has completely run the Knicks into the ground (double chuckle). Add to that his "out of the office" issues (sexual harassment suit, Raptors ticket issues) and underlying rumblings of racism and just pure lack of talent recognition ("If Larry Bird was a black guy, he would be just another good guy") and hindsight begins to shine where foresight failed -- maybe putting this cat in charge of stuff wasn't as good of an idea as it may have appeared! Once we include "Bird stole the inbounding pass!!!", the fact that Isaiah had his success with one of the dirtiest teams in NBA history (correlate with a Democrat from Illinois -- I'm just sayin'), and that Isaiah was himself from Illinois, and you'd start to think I was making some of this up.
Really, you're telling me THESE are the best that our nation has to offer? Wow. Just, "wow". Maybe I just haven't been paying enough attention, but never before has Brewster's Millions seemed legitimately prophetic.
As far as President of the United States goes, however, I fully recognize that to be a truly strong and suitable candidate is no short order -- but come on, people -- we only need one! Is this truly a nation that, in a quest to find the best candidate from the however many million citizens, will eventually settle upon one of the three remaining legitimate possibilities? Seriously now -- is this REALLY the best we can do? Let's have a look at what we're dealing with here, in alphabetical order (so that it'll be something legitimate that I wrote that you decide to hate me for):
Hillary Clinton
Negative: Absolutely polarizing, for one. A member of the Democratic party. Also, you have to question the decision making of somebody who married Bill Clinton, right? I mean, if you voted for the guy that's one thing -- she MARRIED the dude. Plus, taking the capitalistic system that helped make this the greatest nation in the world and pushing it full-force toward socialism might not be a good idea. I don't know . . . how did that work out for the USSR (I miss them, by the way)? How are things in Cuba?
Positive: She ought to know her way around the White House. And let's face it, she pretty much ran the country while her husband was . . . um . . . otherwise incapacitated.
Sports equivalent: Brenda Warner. Even while her husband (who's attributes are still hotly debated) was enjoying his day in the sun, somehow his wife garnered something more than her fair share of the press, lending credibility to the idea that perhaps she had as much or more to say about what went down than he did. Whatever her experience around the big-time, however, there's no real way you're ok with her taking snaps from center on Sunday afternoons, right?
John McCain
Negative: Completely un-inspiring. Really old. A member of the Republican party. Um . . . not much more to say.
Positive: Probably doesn't eat much anymore. Least likely to be an embarrassment (unless a Viagra endorsement deal comes along). Least likely to do any real damage. Or anything else, really.
Sports equivalent: Eric Piatkowski. Your reaction should be one of either 1) "Who?" or 2) "He's still in the league?" Yep, he's still in the league -- he's in Phoenix, incidentally. And he's ok to have on your team . . . if he gets about 10 minutes a game and is on the bench while the game's on the line. If he's your big gun though . . . let's just say that nobody's coming out to see your team play.
Barak Obama
Negative: Every bit as polarizing as Hillary. He's never really done anything. He's young and inexperienced. There are all manner of rumors about the people surrounding him (his pastor, his supporters, his WIFE!) being hate-filled and bigoted.
Positive: He's likable and sure can deliver a speech.
Sports equivalent: Isaiah Thomas. Sure, Thomas had a remarkable career with a basketball in his hands and short-shorts on his . . . um . . . shorts, but his talents just never translated outside of that context. His shortcomings as an analyst ("when Larry, Micheal, and myself were in the league") have paled in comparison to his Matt Millen-like mis-management. He single-handedly bankrupted the CBA, was fired from the Pacers by Larry Bird himself (chuckle), and has completely run the Knicks into the ground (double chuckle). Add to that his "out of the office" issues (sexual harassment suit, Raptors ticket issues) and underlying rumblings of racism and just pure lack of talent recognition ("If Larry Bird was a black guy, he would be just another good guy") and hindsight begins to shine where foresight failed -- maybe putting this cat in charge of stuff wasn't as good of an idea as it may have appeared! Once we include "Bird stole the inbounding pass!!!", the fact that Isaiah had his success with one of the dirtiest teams in NBA history (correlate with a Democrat from Illinois -- I'm just sayin'), and that Isaiah was himself from Illinois, and you'd start to think I was making some of this up.
Really, you're telling me THESE are the best that our nation has to offer? Wow. Just, "wow". Maybe I just haven't been paying enough attention, but never before has Brewster's Millions seemed legitimately prophetic.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Gluttons for Flogging
It happened at 10:15 pm on Thursday March 20. There was no fanfare, no fireworks, and certainly no press coverage. If CNN was aware of the story they either buried it on the cutting room floor or else nobody ever told me that it was a "go" story. But don't be fooled by what the mass media choses not to tell you -- it happened.
Flogging, But With a "B" has now received a hit from every state in the union, as well as the District.
It's the 50+1.
As well as at least 71 other countries, some of which I've never heard of (have the Aland Islands just recently appeared since my college geography class? Was there a big sub-oceanic volcano in a place that has great weather and so it became inhabited and hooked up the internet since I was in college? How does this happen?) (ok, I looked them up, and I guess not), have also stopped in.
I have to say, for a blog that was never actually intended to be read in the first place, it's quite an accomplishment. I never imagined that I'd be able to disappoint such a substantial swath of society with meaninglessness and drivel. I've covered sports and metal, non-sports and Buzz Goertzen, more sports, more metal, and a bit about church/Christ-following and myself. And then some more sports. I could have done it without you, of course, but I didn't. Well, sort of I did. But that's not the point. I don't think? Ok, I have no idea what the point is, but I sure hope it's a good one.
And so the only appropriate things to say at this point would be "thank you" and "I'm sorry." And now I'll try to disappoint you on a somewhat more regular basis than I have been of late!
Flogging, But With a "B" has now received a hit from every state in the union, as well as the District.
It's the 50+1.
As well as at least 71 other countries, some of which I've never heard of (have the Aland Islands just recently appeared since my college geography class? Was there a big sub-oceanic volcano in a place that has great weather and so it became inhabited and hooked up the internet since I was in college? How does this happen?) (ok, I looked them up, and I guess not), have also stopped in.
I have to say, for a blog that was never actually intended to be read in the first place, it's quite an accomplishment. I never imagined that I'd be able to disappoint such a substantial swath of society with meaninglessness and drivel. I've covered sports and metal, non-sports and Buzz Goertzen, more sports, more metal, and a bit about church/Christ-following and myself. And then some more sports. I could have done it without you, of course, but I didn't. Well, sort of I did. But that's not the point. I don't think? Ok, I have no idea what the point is, but I sure hope it's a good one.
And so the only appropriate things to say at this point would be "thank you" and "I'm sorry." And now I'll try to disappoint you on a somewhat more regular basis than I have been of late!
Friday, March 14, 2008
I'm Not Even Sure I'm a Mile Wide, Really
I'm not all that introspective (do you READ this blog?!?!?), but I had a bit of a self-realization the other day. No, I didn't suddenly come to realize that my true calling was in clogging or cat juggling (honestly, I can't even juggle guinea pigs) or anything crazy like that, and truthfully it wasn't even something positive. I realized that I'm shallow.
There, I said it. I'm shallow.
Now before we all go get a kink in our hose about this, let's take care of what it does NOT mean.
1) It does NOT mean that I don't care about people. I really, genuinely, honestly do. I care a lot, about a lot of people.
2) It's not the same as being superficial. I don't care what people look like, dress like (honestly, one of my best friends wears vests and thinks they're awesome . . .), where they've come from, how much money they make, whatever. None of that crap means anything to me. If you're poor and ugly but laugh at my jokes, I'll like you just fine (if you're thinking "Oh good -- that's me!" . . . wow that's tragic but there are SO many jokes there . . .).
3) It doesn't mean that I can't or don't think deep thoughts. It's not the same as being stupid.
What DOES it mean, then? Basically this, I think -- I don't want to watch a movie that "really makes you think." I'd rather talk about sports than "world events" (the Olympics, by the way, fall into the "world events" category -- see here). I desperately want you to see the same beauty, truth, and freedom in Jesus Christ that I do, but I don't want to "enter into a dialogue that seeks to promote some yada yada whatever". There are jokes to be made and metal to be listened to, and chili dogs don't eat themselves. But do you know what provided the ultimate verification of my self-diagnosed shallow-ness? It really doesn't bother me.
So if you want something deep, click here or here. Note how their blogs aren't team color-themed and they seem to have something to say. Me? I'll probably continue with sports, metal, occasional church stuff, and lots of jokes you don't get. You see, that doesn't bother me either . . . .
There, I said it. I'm shallow.
Now before we all go get a kink in our hose about this, let's take care of what it does NOT mean.
1) It does NOT mean that I don't care about people. I really, genuinely, honestly do. I care a lot, about a lot of people.
2) It's not the same as being superficial. I don't care what people look like, dress like (honestly, one of my best friends wears vests and thinks they're awesome . . .), where they've come from, how much money they make, whatever. None of that crap means anything to me. If you're poor and ugly but laugh at my jokes, I'll like you just fine (if you're thinking "Oh good -- that's me!" . . . wow that's tragic but there are SO many jokes there . . .).
3) It doesn't mean that I can't or don't think deep thoughts. It's not the same as being stupid.
What DOES it mean, then? Basically this, I think -- I don't want to watch a movie that "really makes you think." I'd rather talk about sports than "world events" (the Olympics, by the way, fall into the "world events" category -- see here). I desperately want you to see the same beauty, truth, and freedom in Jesus Christ that I do, but I don't want to "enter into a dialogue that seeks to promote some yada yada whatever". There are jokes to be made and metal to be listened to, and chili dogs don't eat themselves. But do you know what provided the ultimate verification of my self-diagnosed shallow-ness? It really doesn't bother me.
So if you want something deep, click here or here. Note how their blogs aren't team color-themed and they seem to have something to say. Me? I'll probably continue with sports, metal, occasional church stuff, and lots of jokes you don't get. You see, that doesn't bother me either . . . .
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