It's All Gonna Break

Indianapolis Colts finally lose... I guess.

2009-12-27T23:54:00.003-05:00

So the Colts have finally lost and I think most Colts fans were upset. Not by the loss, but the manner in which it occurred. Pulling the starters with 5 minutes left in the third quarter essentially meant giving up. If Indianapolis wins the Super Bowl, all will be forgiven, although we'll always wonder if we could have finished with a perfect season. If Indianapolis fails to win it all, this decision will be second-guessed for years to come.

Personally, I just don't see how giving up with 20 minutes left in the Week 16 game helps you at all. It brings huge amounts of negative attention and energy to the team for the next month. The Colts were booed throughout the 4th quarter at home. The players will be forced to answer questions until the offseason. Wouldn't the best thing be to eliminate unnecessary distractions and negative attention? Is it better to answer questions about quitting than achieving something no other team in history has accomplished? Hopefully, we'll be left wondering if the Colts could have achieved a perfect season while celebrating another Super Bowl victory. The other option is too awful to contemplate.

Shorecrest vs. Shorewood

2009-12-23T21:53:00.006-05:00

One of the things I love most in life is when teens drop all the posturing and worrying about being cool and instead just enjoy themselves. It's really wonderful to see kids having so much fun they just can't contain themselves. For that reason, I like the Hey Ya video better b/c it seems less rehearsed and more joyful.... Both are terrific, though. What a great way to engage the whole school in these projects. Teachers, take notes!

Favorite Albums of 2009

2009-12-21T15:19:00.005-05:00

Albums I Own:
1. The XX: XX
2. Metric: Fantasies
3. Dirty Projectors: Bitte Orca
4. A.C. Newman: Get Guilty
5. Andrew Bird: Noble Beast

Albums I Don't Own:
1. Sunset Rubdown: Dragonslayer
2. Tom Waits: Glitter and Doom Live
3. Speech DeBelle: Speech Therapy
4. Yo La Tengo: Popular Songs
5. DOOM: Born Like This

2008 Albums I Discovered in 2009:
1. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Dig Lazarus Dig!!!
2. TV On The Radio: Dear Science
3. Q-Tip: The Renaissance
4. Wolf Parade: At Mount Zoomer
5. Vampire Weekend: Vampire Weekend

Live Album: R.E.M.: Live at the Olympia

Best Re-Issue: R.E.M.: Reckoning

Leave the kids at home!

2008-01-30T11:21:00.000-05:00

I saw No Country For Old Men on Sunday. Fantastic film, very deserving of the accolades heaped upon it to this point. The film is very violent, with complex themes. I don't think this is a big secret, as the film has been discussed publicly for some time, and reviews usually mention the violence. So I was stunned to see at least two children under the age of eight in the audience. Who would subject their children to such violent images at such a young age?

Look, I'm not an advocate of censorship by any means, but if a parent isn't responsible enough to exercise proper judgment perhaps theater owners should institute their own guidelines. The problem is, how do you decide? I'm not going to suggest that all R movies are inappropriate for all children, but clearly some are. It would be much easier if parents simply paid a babysitter for a few hours while they watched adult fare, but that's obviously not happening. Parents, please: think about your kids.

Unfortunately, these particular parents were out the door before I could ask how to vote for them for parents of the year.

Streaky Boxers

2008-01-29T14:16:00.000-05:00

It's not really what you think, unless you think it's about boxers on a winning or losing streak. I'm not going to do the work to find out who the streakiest boxers are, but I do think Streaky Boxers is a great name for a gym. Or a band.

Why I love Costco

2007-08-29T13:41:00.000-04:00

Sure, I love vats of ketchup and giant barrels of applesauce as much as the next guy, but this sums up pretty accurately just why I'm such a big fan of Costco:

Costco gets it.

M.I.A.: Kala

2007-08-24T14:41:00.000-04:00

For you hip-hop and rap fans, this one's a gem.

M.I.A.: Kala

This is the best rap/hip-hop album of the year, bar none. For those of you not familiar with M.I.A., she's a Sri-Lankan, raised in London, whose father was a freedom fighter for the Tamil Tigers. Because of this connection, her American visa was denied, so she's spent the last several years in India, Liberia, Australia, Trinidad, and Japan. So basically, this album is a mash-up of some of the nicest beats from around the world.

I will warn you, this is not a typical rap album. M.I.A.'s vocal style is a mishmash of different languages filtered through British English. That said, it's awesome.

Here are the reviews (currently the second highest Metacritic score for 2007):
Metacritic: M.I.A.: Kala

What?! You knew the whole time?

2007-08-17T14:46:00.000-04:00

Dappled Cities: Granddance

2007-08-07T11:44:00.000-04:00

Dappled Cities: Granddance

Formerly known as 'Dappled Cities Fly', this Australian band is currently touring the US with Tokyo Police Club. I went to see TPC at Birdie's recently, and was blown away by Dappled Cities. Unpretentious, appreciative, and just flat out playing their asses off, these guys sounded great so I bought their cd after the set. Hoping it would be even a little bit as good as the live show, I was thrilled to find the cd sounds terrific from start to finish. I don't know how easy this will be to find, but I'm sure Luna (the best cd store in Indy) can find it for you if you don't use ITunes.

Check'em out:

DC on myspace

Pitchfork Review:

"Dappled Cities are a mature band with a highly evolved sense of songcraft and arrangement. Aside from merely writing them, they know how to inhabit songs and make them breathe. It's that quality elevates Granddance beyond being simply good and makes it occasionally border on great."

Philippine Jail is AWESOME.

2007-07-25T12:44:00.000-04:00

Talk about it at Videocracy

My 5 Favorite Canadian Bands

2007-07-24T10:41:00.000-04:00

5. Metric

4. Wolf Parade

3. Sunset Rubdown

2. Broken Social Scene

1. Arcade Fire

My 5 Favorite Directors

2007-07-20T09:42:00.000-04:00

I just realized that two of my favorite directors have new films in theaters this month. My five favorite directors are as follows, along with a list of films that I find essential viewing:

5. Patrice Leconte
Man On The Train, The Widow of St. Pierre, Ridicule; [My Best Friend in theaters soon]

4. Werner Herzog
Grizzly Man, Fitzcarraldo, Nosferatu, 'Aguirre, Wrath of God'; [Rescue Dawn in theaters soon]

3. Stanley Kubrick
Paths of Glory, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Lolita, The Shining, Barry Lyndon, A Clockwork Orange

2. Martin Scorsese
Goodfellas, Raging Bull, The Last Temptation of Christ, No Direction Home: Bob Dylan, The Age of Innocence, Taxi Driver, Cape Fear, The King of Comedy

1. Akira Kurosawa
Ran, Rashomon, Yojimbo, Sanjuro, Seven Samurai, Ikiru, The Hidden Fortress, Throne of Blood

Underdog & The Death Penalty

2007-07-12T11:16:00.001-04:00

I am opposed to the death penalty in any all circumstances, without exception. However, the creators of the new Underdog movie are severely testing my adherence to this principle. I've only seen the trailer, but it is so wrong in so many ways, I don't even know where to begin. The only thing I can suggest is to compare the trailer of the new movie with a classic cartoon. You be the judge. Must Hollywood, completely bereft of imagination, destroy everything we hold dear?

Underdog: The Phoney Booths Part 1

Underdog 2007:

Maximizing LinkedIn

2007-07-09T15:52:00.000-04:00

Here are a few links to maximizing LinkedIn's potential. Click on the LinkedIn icon below to see my profile.

4 Steps optimize your LinkedIn profile:
Linkedin SEO Guide — Get Found

5 LinkedIn Tips (Lifehack.org)

Golfing With The Boss

2007-06-18T15:39:00.001-04:00

Men's Health has an article about how to survive golfing with the boss (linked above). Mostly common sense, although if you're an idiot you might not have these basics figured out. I think they missed the #1 most important survival tip: Stay reasonably sober. Office Christmas parties and golfing with the boss are not the times to get so drunk you don't know your own name. Odds are you'll let it slip that his nickname is 'Jackhole' and then he'll be pissed. Even worse, so will everyone you work with. Drink some, but keep your wits about you. That's my tip!

The Sopranos Finale

2007-06-11T19:32:00.000-04:00

What to make of the ending to one of the most celebrated shows of all time? At first, I felt dismayed, stunned that the show would end that way. After sleeping on it, I'm okay with it (not that Mr. Chase needs my approval). The one thing I would

I'm From Barcelona

2007-05-18T11:42:00.000-04:00

'Let Me Introduce My Friends' by I'm From Barcelona is fun, catchy, and the perfect soundtrack to summertime. Full of songs about building tree houses, oversleeping, and stamp collecting, 'Let Me Introduce My Friends' is the sound of a group of friends hanging out and having fun. Is it a little too sugary at times? Perhaps, but if you overdose on it, you can always have a shot of Radiohead to cleanse your palate.

Teachers terrorizing students? Brilliant!

2007-05-14T10:31:00.000-04:00

Elementary students being terrorized by their teachers while on a field trip? Fantastic. I actually think the teachers and school administrators involved showed remarkable restraint. If you thought this was a good idea, why wouldn't you also think it was a good idea to have the gunmen actually break into the room and then 'shoot' a teacher, who could be ready with fake blood, etc.? Then you could approach a kid, put the gun to his head and scream at him "YOU'RE NEXT!!! YOU'RE NEXT!!!" Sure, the kid is going to have trouble when you're trying to teach him long division next week, but what's more important: demonstrating the horror of a situation he has a minute chance of ever being in (statistically speaking) or creating an environment where he feels safe in which to learn? Ok, the latter is probably more important, but which is more fun (for the teachers, I mean)?

Teachers in Murfreesboro, Tennessee are facing a firing squad of their own today, as outraged parents react to a fake gunman shooting drill that Scales Elementary teachers -- with the principal's approval -- sprang on their 6th grade students unannounced.

A fake gunman, one of the teachers involved in what Assistant Principal Don Bartch, who was present, said was intended as a "learning experience" and "only lasted five minutes," disguised in a hooded sweat shirt pulled on a locked door and pretended to be a suspicious subject, reports FOX News.

The art of traveling light.

2007-05-10T10:06:00.000-04:00

I've recently begun traveling much more for business than I ever have before. As I have usually traveled for vacations only, I've never forced myself to become disciplined in my packing choices. However, I'm quickly seeing the benefits of dropping to one carry-on bag and eliminating checked baggage. As a chronic heavy packer and one who doesn't like to reinvent the wheel, I've looked for some recommendations for how to lighten the load. One Bag is the best overall site I've found for a discussion about traveling with less stuff.

Buried in the site is a diagram of how to use 'bundle-wrapping' to not only decrease the amount of space your clothes take up, but also to keep them wrinkle-free. I've tried rolling my clothes, using plastic bags between them, etc. but nothing has worked like bundle-wrapping. I couldn't believe how little room my clothes took up, and how reasonably wrinkle free they were! If you travel much, it's worth it to pick up a nice bag like Tom Bihn's Aeronaut. Once you spend a trip or two lugging a poorly designed bag, you'll appreciate a decent bag, and it will make your travel experiences that much more enjoyable. And isn't it important to enjoy the journey as well as the destination?

Music Recommendation: Warren Zevon, Stand In The Fire

2007-05-04T10:00:00.000-04:00

For those of you who enjoy live music, this is an absolute must-have. Recorded after Excitable Boy, this is a terrific listen. Zevon is almost manic at times, on the verge of being out of control, but knowing just when to pull himself back. Simply a fantastic live document of one of the most underrated artists of recent decades. If you're not sure who he is, he's most famous for 'Werewolves of London' but there is so much more. If you're not a big fan of live music, I'd start with Excitable Boy, one of my favorite albums ever.

Nice pick, Miami

2007-05-01T09:55:00.000-04:00

SI.com - 2007 NFL Draft - Fins' Ginn unsure if he'll be ready for training camp - Sunday April 29, 2007
Top draft pick Ted Ginn Jr. says he's unsure whether he'll be healthy for the start of training camp. Ginn paid a visit to the Dolphins' complex Sunday and said his sprained left foot will be in a boot for about a month. Rehabilitation will follow, and Ginn said there's no guarantee he'll be ready to practice when camp begins in three months.

United 93

2007-04-24T13:52:00.000-04:00

Many of the reviews for 'United 93' indicated the movie was credible, thought-provoking, and well-made. Many of these same reviews wondered the same thing, though: "Why? What is the purpose of this movie?" Seeing this movie for the first time more than five years after 9/11, it's clear this movie is necessary, that it does serve a purpose.

The phrase '9/11' has been co-opted by so many groups for political or personal gain, it's often difficult to conjure the feelings evoked that terrible morning. The term '9/11' now means so much more than the events of that day. Politicians have used the phrase as an unjustified scare tactic for so long, it has lost its emotional pull. '9/11' is now just shorthand for an ambiguous, omnipresent threat used to justify losses of personal freedoms and exorbitant government spending.

All of which brings us back to the visceral emotions renewed while watching the brilliantly directed film 'United 93'. No one in the movie knows anything about all that came after that day. Pilots check pre-flight routines, passengers waste time waiting for boarding, and air traffic control is pleased the weather is clear. Events unfold at a pace simulating real time, and our vulnerability is exposed, as one plane after another is hijacked. It's impossible to watch this film and not feel the emotions of that day, emotions that have been buried in recent years by exploitation and politics as usual. To answer the reviewers of its original release, that is why this movie was made. Who could have suspected we might need the reminder already?

Cool Tool: ALL-ETT Billfold Wallet

2007-04-23T14:52:00.000-04:00

Cool Tools has a review of a wallet I've been using for a few years now. How great is this wallet? Within a few weeks of picking this up for myself, nearly every other person I know had one. The wallet has proven to be incredibly durable and I still marvel at how much it holds while staying thinner than nearly any other empty wallet. If you're tired of the Costanza wallet, this is your solution.

Wherefore art thou, Dr. House?

2007-04-12T17:28:00.000-04:00

This is nearly identical to the most recent episode of House. I guess there's never a doctor when you need one. What did they think that guy was doing in there all that time?

American Airlines sued over lavatory death | IndyStar.com: "Carolyn Watts' husband, Taisuke Matsuo, suffered a heart attack inside the airplane's lavatory while on a flight from Japan to Chicago.
Two years later, Watts says, she still is trying to find out what happened.
In-flight medical emergencies occur often enough that large U.S. commercial planes are required to carry defibrillators and train staff members in first aid. But in Matsuo's case, he apparently received no treatment because nobody knew he was in distress."

Is your car gay?

2007-04-12T17:13:00.000-04:00

I'm shocked that the Dodge Durango isn't listed as one of the cars identified as 'gay.' Then again, how many people into male figure skating actually drive Dodge Durangos? Probably not many, but you never know. My aging Super Silver was not mentioned in the article, in case you were wondering. If you'd like to see if your car made the list, check out the full story:

Gay by Design, or a Lifestyle Choice? - New York Times: "At a time when car makers are marketing aggressively to gay consumers and mainstream culture has become more literate about stereotypically gay tastes through television shows like “Will & Grace” and “The L Word” (on which one of the main characters, Alice, drove a Mini Cooper), it may not be surprising that some people make such assumptions about motorists based on their cars."

24's Last Writer's Meeting

2007-04-09T22:43:00.000-04:00

Writers Meeting:

Writer 1: Everyone's piling on about how this season sucks. We've pretty much painted ourselves into a corner with all these crappy plots. How do we get out of this?

Writer 2: I got nothing.

Writer 3: Me neither.

Writer 4: Alligators?

Writer 5: Ninjas?

Writer 6: Can Chinese people be ninjas? If so, we could just have Jack go badass on everyone, solve the country's crisis and then have him fight Chinese ninjas the last 8 hours.

Everyone: Awesome! Let's do it!

The baddest man on television?

2007-04-06T09:26:00.000-04:00

Some people may argue, but anyone with a brain knows the conversation comes down to two people: Special Agent Jack Bauer of '24' and Detective Vic Mackey of 'The Shield.' Prior to Day 6, I'd have said Bauer in a heartbeat. However, Jack has been astonishingly ineffective in many ways this season, from allowing his father to make him weepy during crisis to constantly worrying about everyone's feelings. Vic, on the other hand, is more ruthless than ever. So, how do the two stack up?

Jack:

Relies on technique and savvy
Tortures suspects, then turns them over to authorities
Risks everything for the woman he loves (whoever that is at the time)
Repeatedly saves the world from contrived plots and implausible evil genius schemes
Deals with the constant loss of his friends and family as they are killed off day by day

Vic:

Utilizes brute force and intimidation
Tortures suspects and then kills them before framing someone else for the murder
Ignores the women he sleeps with, even if they bear his children
Manages the LA gang scene just well enough to keep the city from tearing itself apart
Deals with a constant assault from all sides of those who want him out

Jack clearly has the more important job, but that doesn't make him the baddest man in the box. No, I'm afraid Vic's intimidation, brutality, and lack of conscience earn him the gold star. Vic Mackey is currently the baddest man on television.

Pressure

2007-04-05T18:04:00.000-04:00

Post #1 always has a lot of pressure. You have to be witty and inviting, hoping to give the people something incredible so they'll come back. Will they? I doubt it, but that's good. That leaves more quality posts for just us. If they skip out early, they'll miss the good stuff. So, I'm content to just let post #1 go, and let those of us who know the deal come back after we've weeded out the riff-raff. Deal? Post #1 is over. That wasn't so bad, right?