There is a teen wolf on the court!

I am part of the majority of people that finds it shocking that Memphis coach John Calipari plans on accepting the head coaching job for men's basketball at Kentucky. Kentucky is by far the hardest place to coach in the country because the expectations by its administration and fans is a final four every single year. Tubby Smith was ran off for only making the final four three times in his ten year tenure. He only won one national championship. Tubby's replacement, Billy Gillespie was fired after only two years for making the tournament once but not making it this year. Calipari is a god in Memphis. He has a brand new practice facility, a great arena, a young team that made the elite eight, and by the way, he has the #1 ranked recruiting class in the country coming next year. Yes, Kentucky would pay him an outrageous salary but he is already the second highest paid couch in the country behind UF coach Billy Donovan. The Kentucky job is not like USC or Texas in football. It is like Alabama's. Their fans remember their glory days in the past but forget the team hasn't been relevant in over a decade. The only reason I can think of leaving is he is tired of coaching in Conference USA. It's not like it has hurt his recruiting or his tournament results though. The whole thing is puzzling to me. Speaking of puzzling coaching moves, yesterday Washington State coach Tony Bennett resigned WSU to take the head coaching position at Virginia. I love Tony Bennett and I think he is one of the best young coaches in the country... and so did Indiana and LSU last year when they offered him the head coaching position. You could have coached the Hoosiers and you instead want to spend your time in small town Virginia?

1. I am probably the last to find this out, however, I was goofing around on Facebook today and I went under setting, hit the languages tab, and there are about 50 different languages available, including three different English versions (American, British, and Pirate.) Yes, I am not joking. You can change your settings to all the words are in Pirate English. I personally think that is hysterical.

2. Early reports say that Sacha Baron Cohen's new movie, Bruno, has received a NC-17 rating. To be honest, I think this is just going to make me and his other fans more anxious to see the movie. There is an article in Time magazine about Bruno where I read about its early rating. Of course it is possible they could edit it and make it only rated R. Apparently the hold up is there is a very graphic male on male scene sex scene. I just have a feeling that will not be the only controversial scene.

3. I also read today that MTV has just renewed The Real World for four more seasons. Is this really necessary. I admit it. When I was in high school, I watched The Real World but I haven't seen it in years. In case you are wondering, next year's will be Real World: Cancun.

Chinese symbols

I learned something kind of interesting last night. The Chinese word for crisis is Weiji. Wei means danger and Ji means opportunity. Its symbol is simply adding the two together. I think there is very interesting symbolism there. What is a crisis but two different options. One the one hand, when life hands you a crisis you are put in danger. You are faced with uncertainty and anxiety. On the other hand you are handed an opportunity. If you are laid off you are thrown into a crisis. On the one hand your life now has a danger component it didn't the day before, on the other hand you are given a new opportunity on life. What if your girlfriend breaks up with you? Once again, you have been thrown into a crisis. Again, you are in danger mode. Your self esteem is shattered and you have lost all confidence in yourself. On the other hand, you are given great opportunity to spend more time with your family, friends, and look for a new girl. I'm certainly not an expert on Chinese characters and maybe it is simply pure coincidence. Or maybe not.

1. Did anyone watch Jim Gaffigan's comedy special last night. I was worried Gaffigan would not live up to his Beyond The Pale tour but I think he did. His jokes about bowling and bacon were extremely funny. If you missed it, knowing comedy central, it will probably be on about 100 more times in the next month.

2. I want to support President Obama for signing into law won of the biggest environmental protection laws in decades. This bill, which is actually a collection of 170 smaller environmental bills, will protect and set aside more than two million acres of wilderness all over the United States. Finally, after eight years with a presidential administration who tried his best at every corner to destroy the environment, we have a president who actually cares.

3. Currently listening to Bob Marley's "Redemption Song". Album: Bob Marley Gold.

He sings the songs that remind him of the good times. He sings the songs that remind him of the better times.

Yesterday was a night of mixed emotions. After staying up late Friday, I was pretty tired the whole day. The day basically consisted of eating leftovers, watching TV, and not wearing pants. At 7:00 a friend of mine called and said she wanted to go bar-hopping in Saint Paul. I had no excuse not to go so I said I would bathe and join her in an hour. When I met her at 8, she was already dancing the tango of inebriation with her friend. We went to the Irish bar, Shamrocks. The three of us had some laughs and then we were on to Billy's, another Saint Paul bar, to meet their boyfriends. As we park at Billy's, a car pulls up to us with three princesses in it. My friends and I were still waiting in the car, expecting a call, when the driver with the princesses in it flung her door open and hit my car. Naturally, they then decided to just walk away to which I honked the corn and yelled (but with the windows rolled up so they couldn't hear me, "What the fuck!") The driver then yelled, "What? I didn't open the door that hard." Her passenger then yelled at me, "Yeah, fuck you, don't start giving me any attitude." I guess I can't blame them. How dare I have the audacity to be irritated when they park after me and hit my car. If they would have just apologized, it would have been no big deal. I don't know if they were upset because we were white. I don't know if they were mad at me because I was a male. I have no idea. Anyway, so I'm a bit cranky, but okay and we get in the bar and I am just miserable. The bar was fine, and the people were nice but I was tired and I was with two couples who were very touchy feely, and I felt like it was single awareness night. But, I decide to make the best of it and I start talking with some guys and one of these guys says to me that we should go chick hunting. I mentioned that going after girls in a bar is not really my scene and I think I would just pass. He then asked if I would be his wingman then. Why not? This could be fun. No pressure on me. He then picks out a table that seats four with two women sitting down. Off we went, my first assignment as wingman. Again, I had never met this guy before so we developed a small strategy and I was excited. As we arrive at the table, he introduces us and the girl closest to us doesn't take her eyes off the TV and with a voice so sour it could turn milk bad, says, "Excuse us, we were watching the hockey game." My new friend tried his game for another 90 seconds ago before we raced back, our faces a pink hue displaying our embarrassment. I was reminded why I never will be the type of guy who goes "clubbing" or "looking for some play" at singles bars. Some people are blessed with the ability to quickly brush off rejection. I was never so fortunate. It was only about ten but I had had more than enough. I was ready to go home but I wanted to tell someone my night. I ended up calling Mike and he mentioned he was with some friends I knew in a bar only a few miles from my house. I am very grateful to Mike and his friends as I ended up having a great time, just laughing, playing some pool and Foosball, and forgetting my worries.

1. Vice President Joe Biden has meetings in the country in Chile with several Latin American leaders and all of them have greatly encouraged the United States to lift the 47 year ban on Cuba. Biden simply says, "no". This greatly disappoints me as the embargo is outdated and unnecessary. A part of me is not surprised though. With as much on the plate of the Obama administration right now, the last thing they are worried about is Cuba. Maybe six, or seven years from now, if things have settled down, then Obama, Biden, and Secretary Clinton can review their policy on Cuba. It's just disappointing that nothing will be happening sooner.

2. Speaking of politics, one thing that does scare me is Obama's approval ratings when it comes to the issues. When asked the blanket statement, "Do you approve of job President Obama has done?" About 60% of Americans are pleased. However, his approval ratings, depending on particular issues, is much lower, sometimes ten or twenty points lower. This makes me nervous. Pardon my obviousness, but that means that as a whole, Americans really like Obama as a person but they are unsure on his policies. This scares me because if the Republicans can find a really charismatic politician, that might be enough to challenge Obama.

3. One thing that has always disappointed me with regarding Americans is their view on taxes. Nobody enjoys paying taxes but we quickly forget what all our taxes do. Police, fire department, libraries, military, and education are all places where our tax money goes. In today's Des Moines Register, they surveyed people by asking them which areas they would be okay having their taxes increased to support.

-Children on welfare: 9% of Iowans would support their taxes being raised to help homeless children.
-Corrections: 6% of Iowans would support their taxes being raised to improve the Iowa prison system.
-Environment: 9% of Iowans would support their taxes being raised to protect our natural resources.
-Courts: 1% of Iowans would support their taxes being raised to update our court system.
-Education: 25% of Iowans would support their taxes being raised to give more funding towards education.
-12% of Iowans would be fine with their taxes being raised for all of the above.
-38% of Iowans would vote for none of the above to be raised.

Because I am exhausted and I have a lot on my mind, I am going to briefly refrain from going on full meltdown mode about the above. It just saddens me that these same Iowans who would gladly vote Republican because of issues like abortion and gay marriage, 91% of these Iowans would not increase funding to help less fortunate CHILDREN. These are not homeless drug addicts. These are not prostitutes. These are kids. Was the survey probably too broad? Yes. But it is not that far off. I am not bashing Iowa either. I think these surveys are probably pretty indicative of most states. Sigh.

4. A friend of mine and I sat in $250 seats at the Wolves game this afternoon. Yes, I know the irony of sitting in my expensive soap box while casting stones at others as I did in my above point is hypocritical, I will note that the tickets were a free gift... and the Wolves won.

5. Currently listening to Notorious B.I.G.'s "Mo Money Mo Problems". Album: Life after death.

You shrug and say it's the worst to truly stick the knife in first.

As usual if I drink, I ended up with only a few hours of sleep. I went to bed around 2:30 last night and I got up about four hours later. I have a slight headache, and I feel fatigued, but it's all good. Last night, after the final head count, ten people ended up coming over to imbibe, watch a little basketball, and eat junk food. It actually was a good crowd. I would much rather go to a house party than to a bar. As house parties go, my ideal size is about 10-15 people. I can hear everybody, pick the music, control the volume, it's affordable, and I know everyone has a good time. All in all, it was a good night.

1. A weird thing happened yesterday. I was casually watching TV in my living room (I do that from time to time) and I looked out and saw two men deep in my backyards with what appeared to rifles. For those of who have never seen my backyard, it quickly turns into a wooded area. Naturally, this caught my attention right away. I immediately locked the doors, and ran up to my bedroom to get a better look. Calling the police never even donned on me. In the backyard is a family of deer. I thought maybe these men are hunters. But then I thought to myself, "This is Eden Prairie... they are wearing camouflage... and it is not hunting season." Obviously, it would have been highly illegal. Fortunately, as I got my camera so I could zoom in on them, I noticed that they were just playing paintball. Right about this time, I noticed two police officers quickly getting out of their cars in front of my neighbor's house and running after them. I don't know if these guys got caught or not. I can only imagine my neighbor, who has maybe never even heard of paintball, seeing two gentlemen with guns in my backyard. It was quite bizarre.

2. In what could possibly be the most obvious example of corruption in the Chicago court system to date, Chicago mafia hitman, Nicholas Calabrese, was convicted of the murders of 14 people. His sentence... 12 years, and he probably be out in half that if he has good behavior. How much was this judge bribed for? I am legitimately curious.

3. Currently listening to Marvin Gaye's, "I heard it through the grapevine" from the album: Best of Motown.

a little about bread

In the recipe for a successful loaf of bread, or a successful life, there are several key ingredients that everyone needs. Sure, we need oxygen, and water just as a loaf of bread needs flour, water, and wheat. We need shelter to keep us warm and bread needs yeast to help it rise. We could live with just those things; and you could make a perfectly good edible loaf of bread with just those few ingredients. But that bread would be pretty boring. What makes a good piece of bread? Cinnamon added to the top? A little piece of butter maybe? How about some honey? None of these things are necessary to form a successful piece of bread yet we add them anyway. These toppings are like friendship and family to me and nothing is more important. I have always prided myself on being a good son, a good brother, and maybe more importantly, a good friend. I think that is why I feel so disappointed when a friend lets me down. Today I was chatting with a friend and they said to me, "Friendship shouldn't be so much work." I completely disagree. I think the poet Ralph Waldo Emerson may have summed up what I was thinking when he wrote, "The only reward of virtue is virtue; the only way to have a friend is to be one." I think in the year 2009, there are just too many other distractions making friendship superfluous. Why be a good friend when there are video games? Why be a good friend when there is work at the office? Friendship is hard I think especially for someone like me. Although at times I am extremely outgoing, I am a natural introvert. I was a communications major and we spent many hours studying the classic rhetoricians. One of the favorites was Socrates. I still remember reading about Socratic philosophy regarding friendship. "Be slow to fall into friendship; but when thou art in, continue firm and constant," he wrote. I think this is always how I have been. I am not one to place quantity over quality regarding friendship. I develop friendships slowly, but once I am friends with you, my loyalty will be unmatched. However, I respect the same in advance. I hope those reading this do not feel I am in anyway ungrateful for my current friendships. The good Lord has blessed me with remarkably intelligent, and benevolent friends. Friends who could have just dropped me off in the hospital but instead insisted on staying with me until I was released. Friends who helped me battle anxiety. Friends who stayed up late in night hearing about my girl issues, my future, my troubles. Tonight I am having a small get together and I realized how few good friends I have left in Minneapolis. Again, don't get me wrong, I have fantastic friends in Minneapolis, but so many of my brothers and sisters in friendship are no longer here. They are in Iowa, Illinois, Arizona, South Korea, New England, and other places. I think that is what attracted me so much about moving to Chicago. I am moving for several different reasons, but I think what made Illinois so attractive was the sense of friendship quality that Chicago will bring. As the weeks until my move creep up on me, these types of things permeate my thoughts. But... enough about bread.

1. I rented the movie Religulous today. It's a documentary by the comedian Bill Maher about Religion. I give it at a C-. I am secure enough in Faith that I could handle the jokes about religion; I just thought his approach was worn out and not funny. If you're going to portray Christianity, don't do it by interviewing televangelists. If you're going to interview Muslims, don't do it by interviewing radical, anti-Zionist Iranians. He was unfair and that is what bothered me. The heavy majority of Christians do not think the way that Pat Robertson does. In the same way, you would have a pretty unattractive vision of liberalism is you associated it with only Michael Moore. Yes, there are some downsides to organized religion and yes there has been a violent past to many religions. But if you are going to make a movie about religion, than why not also bring up the many good aspects too? Oh yeah, because that would not fit with your atheist agenda.

2. Is there a tougher place to coach in the country than Kentucky? I can't believe they fired their coach after only two seasons? That is not even enough time to get his own guys in their and run his system. Big mistake Big Blue.

3. I may have a new favorite senator. Today during a budget meeting, two senators got into a verbal donnybrook. Senator Kent Conrad, a Democrat from North Dakota said, "Oh you're good," to Republican Senator Chuck Grassley from Iowa. Grassley then responded with, "Last night your wife said the same thing." I love it. I can't wait to see what Jon Stewart has to say about that line.

4. Currently listening to Marvin Gaye's "What's going on?" from the album: What's Going On?

Sturgeon? I don't think so pal.

An interesting article was forwarded to me this morning from the magazine, American Psychologist. In the article, it says 17% of Americans are "flourishers". These people are the happy, upbeat, positive friends and family members. On the other hand, 10% of Americans are "languishers". These people are depressed, pessimistic, and don't feel good about themselves. The rest of us fall in between. I think I fall in the middle. I would love to say that I am part of the flourisher group, and maybe it is just simply circumstances right now that are keeping me as part of the happiness bourgeois. I am in general though optimistic that my best days are ahead of me. The good Lord has blessed me in too many ways to count and despite looking out the window and seeing an angry sleet storm, everything is going to be just fine.

1. Speaking of good news, Newsweek came in the mail and they had a really great article about Compton, California. From its Leave it to Beaver routes in the 1950s (the first President Bush and Barbara Bush lived in Compton) to its downfall. A couple of things happened. The Bloods and Crips formed in the early 1970s. Crack became a major force of destruction in the 1980s and 1990s. This city of 100,000 became the murder capital of the world hitting its peak in 1991 with 87 out of 1000 deaths were gun homicides. However, this article was not about Compton's bloodthirsty past. A major police presence, community activism, extremely harsh prison sentences for possession of crack, Proposition 184 or the three strike law (which means if you are convicted of three serious felonies you are normally looking a life in prison), California's ban on semi-automatic weapons, and other factors have led to Compton, although it still has twice the national average of homicides of cities 100,000 or bigger, is now a place where people can go out to walk their dogs, have a BBQ, and go outside at night. Hopefully, other city representatives are going to newsweek.com to learn from Compton's mistakes and from Compton's success.

2. Congratulations to hopeful Cyclone, Harrison Barnes, from Ames, IA. Today he won the Gatorade Iowa athlete of the year. He is only the second junior to ever win the award.

3. I have a nice, wooden TV stand that I simply don't need. I know I could sell it on Craigslist but if anyone would like it, let me know. It's hardly used, and quite nice.

4. One benefit of being laid off is watching deleted Borat scenes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F43mN5YilXg

5. This is by far my new favorite commercial of all time. This is definitely real: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4sZ2A04GrY

6. Currently listening to Angels and Airwaves, "Call to Arms". Album: I-Empire

Excuse me while I kiss the sky

Happy Sunday morning to all of you. I have had a really nice past couple of days. The weather has been nice, the good mood of my fellow Minnesotans is omnipresent, and my March Madness tournament is looking better and better. Friday night, I hung out with a friend from work. He and I went to Joe Sensor's in Roseville, enjoyed their extremely good happy hour deals, and watched some basketball. This was actually the second time I was there as I enjoyed meal and conversation with Bobbins several hours previous to that. Yesterday was a day of Wii and gorging. Our friend Emily invited a bunch of us over to eat loads of food, play Rockband, other Wii games, and libations.

1. When I got home yesterday, I turned on the news and ABC did some surveys to find out which cars were pulled over the most and ticketed. No surprise, Hummers came in as the number one car pulled over. Number two, was Toyota Scion TC's. That is the car I have!!! Not only that, there are three models of Scions and all three of them were on the top ten list. I thought this was weird. The list was all Mercedes, and Lexus, and... Scions!

2. By far, the best name in the NCAA basketball tournament is of Alabama State center: Chief Kickingstallionsims. Not only is he 7'1, his last name is Kickingstallionsims!

3. One of the best Sports Illustrated articles I ever read was in the latest SI. It is about athletes and their money. It does not glamorize their lifestyle, but instead talks of the leaches, greedy ex-wives, child support, and other reasons that show that although professional athletes' salaries have risen steadily in the last three decades, by the time NFL players have been retired two years, 78% of them either have gone bankrupt or are under financial stress because of joblessness or divorce. The number one reason these guys go broke is divorce/child support. Most of the times these guys don't divorce while they are playing, but once they are retired, at home all of the time, that is when the problems happen. The article also gets into entourages, shady business deals, duplicitous agents, and other leaches. Plus, you can't compare these athletes to 25 year old wealthy investment bankers or stock brokers. You have to compare these guys to 25 year old lottery winners. They have had no business training, and blow their money on random crap and then when they retire, they still want to keep up their lifestyle. The average NFL tenure is four seasons. Let's say the average player makes two million during that time. You and I would say, we should have no pity for those guys when they make that amount of money by 26. However, they have no degrees, divorce and child support may take more than half of that, agents take their cuts, "financial advisers" may take their cut, plus the insurance on their Lamborghini Diablo is expensive. Now, they are 26, almost broke, and have no idea what to do with their lives. As I said, great article.

4. I mentioned this in my last blog statement, I am so sick of all of this fake outrage over Obama's Special Olympics joke. It was distasteful, he apologized, and of story. This morning CNN ran some clips of Special Olympics athletes who were practically in tears over their hero mocking their self-worth. Yesterday, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin said, "I was shocked to learn of the comment made by President Obama about Special Olympics. This was a degrading remark about our world's most precious and unique people, coming from the most powerful position in the world." Palin is a hypocrite to the 100th power. Do you remember how proud Palin was that she would not accept any Federal Stimulus money? According to the Anchorage Daily News, "the biggest single chunk of money Palini s turning down is about $170 million for education, including money that would go for programs to help... special needs students." Palin is just a pompous jerk looking for attention. If she really cared about the needs of children in special education, she wouldn't have turned down millions of dollars that would help them!

5. In Obama's press conference, he listed his top four goals of his presidency"

A) Reduce America's dependence on foreign oil, and put our nation back on a path to clean, renewable energy.
B) Renewing America's commitment to competitive and complete education for every American child.
C) Health Care Reform
D) Cutting the deficit in half.

Those all sound like really good goals. The deficit is currently at 1.85 trillion. I highly doubt that will be reduced by 50% but I am still hopeful.

6. Currently listening to "If you leave me now" by Chicago.

babies having babies

I opened the Pioneer Press today and a sad statistic caught my eye. In 2008, 40% of all babies born were born out of wedlock. Of course single mothers or fathers can be good parents. Of course gay parents can do an outstanding job raising a child. But, statistic after statistic shows that children who were raised by both a mother and a father do less drugs, perform better in school, have higher graduation rates, are less likely to be arrested, et cetera. Interestingly enough, abortion is at its lowest rate in decades, but teen birth rates has been very gradually increasing. I don't know if the rise in babies born out of wedlock is due to a decrease in adequate sex education. I don't know if more single women are deciding to raise babies by themselves. Either way, I hope it is a trend that reverses.

1. This morning was random. At about 8:30 in the morning, my sister asked if I wanted to go to the Minnesota Zoo to check out a new exhibit. "Why not," I said. It was one of the best zoo experiences of my life. One, it was a work week so it was quiet. Two, the weather was not great. It was chilly and cloudy. Three, we got there when it opened at 9:00 am. I am not sure if it was because of mating season, or if it was just so quiet, but all of the animals were out and about. I saw more of the Grizzly bears, Tigers, Tapirs (my favorite), Slow Loris', and all of my other favorites than I have seen in a long time.

2. The older I get, the more I am convinced the NCAA March Madness. As of right now, both my Mom and my Sister's brackets are doing better than my Dad's and mine. And my Dad and I watch a LOT of college basketball and my Mom and sister watch almost none. Naturally, my Mom would know to pick Western Kentucky over the Illini.

3. Did anyone watch President Obama on Jay Leno last night? I thought he was fantastic. He is getting in trouble by the Politically Correct PC for his Special Olympics comment. I don't remember the exact quote but he was talking about how bad he was at bowling but how he would dominate the Special Olympics bowling tournament. Yes, it was a dumb thing to say and this morning he did apologize to any he offended. One thing that did surprise me was the political pundits that are "outraged" that Obama went on a comedy show during a time of crisis. I heard such quotes as, "He should spend more time on the economy and less on college basketball and comedy shows." Give it a rest! I actually like a President who is... human! Real people like sports. Real people enjoy comedy shows. And no, I am not being a hypocrite. If President Bush went on Letterman or Leno, I would have had no problem with it. In fact, toward the end of his presidency, going on a show like that might have been good for him. He needed all the good publicity he could muster.

4. I applied for a job with the IRS. That's a scary thought! Although I would love it. I always recommend to all my friends, if at all possible, to get jobs with the government. No one gets better benefits than government employees (military, teachers, police, et cetera.)

5. Currently listening to "Single Ladies" by Beyonce. Album: I am... Sasha Fierce!

Money doesn't talk... it swears!

I apologize for the short delay in writing. I'm back. Not a lot of updates except for it looks like I have an actual date of when I am moving to Chicago. The countdown is exactly thirty days I think. I feel nervous but not even close to being ready mentally, but I am very much in the now or never mentality. We'll see! Now the pressure to get a job has been amped up to level 11.

1. One thing that always bores me is when TV shows or movies try to shock me. Unnecessary violence... or absurd scat jokes... or uncomfortable sexuality scenes; just stick to the point of the movie, not trying to shock your audience. I was reminded of this when I was forced by gunpoint to watch Desperate Housewives and there was a long make-out scene with Teri Hatcher and Eva Longoria. It was not at all believable, and only there for ratings and shock value.

2. Yesterday morning, I watched the movie Rachel Getting Married with my sister. This is the indie film starring Anne Hathaway that got a lot of Oscar buzz. I was disappointed. My sister and I both give it a C. Hathaway did a very nice job acting, but the movie felt extremely drawn out and it was only about 120 minutes.

3. I am all for the shaming of the Notorious AIG. After receiving like forty billion dollars in government assistance, they doled out $165 million in bonuses. They should be embarrassed. 63 people got "retention" bonuses of a $1 million or more. Their claim is that if they don't pay out big bonuses to their top performers, they will all leave to other companies and that will just exacerbate their recovery. I can see their point... but I think they are just lying. I don't think that is what it is about at all. I think it is their greed that brought AIG's downfall, and it is their greed which is retarding their recovery.

4. Just another way that Obama is not going to be an ordinary president. ESPN, this Saturday, is going to have halftime at one of their games spent with Obama discussing March Madness and who he thinks will make the final four. I just have a hard time believing ESPN ever cared who Bush picked to make the championship. However, Obama picks the Longhorns over the Gophers in the first round. That is strike one Mr. President.

5. What is wrong with the NFC North? None of the four teams did anything in free agency. Now, pro-bowl quarterback Jay Cutler is on the trading block and according to Sportscenter this morning, the favorites to land him are San Francisco, Buffalo, and Tampa Bay. Huh? What are the Bears, Vikings, and Lions doing?! They should be fighting themselves to get this guy. He is only like 25 and he made the pro-bowl last year.

6. Currently listening to "Last night" by P. Diddy.

alcoholics unanimous

It felt good to feel alive again last night. After a relatively quiet week, I ended the "work" week with a bang. After Mike and I watched Forgetting Sarah Marshall, we picked Andrew up from his house and headed downtown. Our first stop was an Irish pub called The Local. I had never been there before. The atmosphere was warm, and inviting, the crowd - in particular a group of women standing next to us - was very friendly, and the drink prices were not outrageous. However, we were definitely the youngest people there and after an hour or so we moved on, ate some Chipotle, and went to bar number two - 508. We basically just stopped in and left and headed to Bootleggers. Here is where the carousing really started and I lost count of how many beverages were consumed. We had a great time at Bootleggers but we moved on to a Fidler favorite, Sneaky Pete's where a Jag-bomb or two later, we were all feeling no pain. I don't have nights like last night very often and it felt good. I woke up dehydrated and with a headache, but no upset stomach. Once a year, my parents have a big dinner party and they invite all of their friends over. That was Saturday night and was a lot of fun. I certainly do a lot of nodding and smiling though as my parents have a lot of attorney, finance directors, and doctor friends... At least everyone is very friendly. Sunday morning was quick work-out, my sister and I watched the movie Role Models (which I give a C), watched the NCAA tournament selection, and then crashed early.

1. One of the funniest movies I ever saw was Borat. The star, Sacha Baron Cohen, just wrapped up his next movie, Bruno, and after this newspaper article, I am very excited to see it: http://www.austin360.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/austinmovies/entries/2009/03/15/bruno_special_screening.html?loc=interstitialskip

2. One thing that has always amazed me is Minnesota's obsession with hockey - in particular, high school hockey. Indiana loves high school basketball. Texas loves high school football. Minnesota loves high school hockey. At the dinner party, all of the guys were huddled around the TV watching the boys hockey tournament where Eden Prairie won state. The tournament sold out the Xcel Energy Center in minutes. Here is my one criticism of the tournament though. There are no at large bids. It only matters how you do in your section tournament. Jefferson, my high school, was ranked #1 the whole year. However, they lost in their section final game against Edina and didn't make the state tournament. Can you imagine if that happened in NCAA basketball? Let's say North Carolina was ranked #1 the whole year but lost in the ACC tournament final to Wake Forest and then they weren't even allowed in the NCAA tournament. It would be ridiculous.

3. Currently listening to Franz Ferdinand's "Take me out".

I spend much of my time with decadent food and questionable people.

The Jon Stewart interview of Jim Cramer lived up to its hype. While I question why Cramer would be attracted to this Venus Fly Trap, I admired his chutzpah for agreeing to a 20+ minute interview on The Daily Show. For those who want to watch the blood bath, I would recommend going to comedycentral.com and watching last minute's episode. In some of his nicer comments, Stewart said Cramer was nothing more than an entertainer and a snake-oil salesmen. Cramer obviously is not an idiot. He is a Harvard graduate, and ran one of the most successful hedge funds in the world before starting Mad Money on CNBC. Stewart was clearly irritated because he thought that Cramer and CNBC were "in bed" with the corporations and should have done a better job of pointing out corruption and hypocrisy. Cramer was cordial and apologetic throughout the interview and I actually thought Stewart, as much as I love him, went a bit over the line with some of his comments. Stewart wants it both ways. He wants to be viewed as a serious social commentary who asks hard hitting questions and interviews authors, scientists, and politicians... and he wants to be a silly entertainer who makes fart jokes. My point is there is nothing wrong with that. Nobody is as good as Jon Stewart at being serious and silly as he is. My problem is when he then mocks people like Jim Cramer for trying to be serious and silly. I will still continue to watch The Daily Show but let's just hope this feud with Jim Cramer has stopped.

1. I don't think I have ever asked a coach of a team I cheered for to resign. I'm sure I have but none comes to mind. Today, I ask for Iowa State's head basketball coach Greg McDermett to turn in his resignation to the Department of Athletics. In his three years, ISU has not once come even close to being an NIT team. With the heavy odds that their star player leave for the NBA after two seasons, I am ready to rebuild the team with a new leader. It pains me to write that but some coaches that have a lot of success at the mid-major level cannot translate that success once they begin coaching at a power school. Dan Monson was a brilliant coach at Gonzaga university in Washington before he took over as the Gophers coach six years ago. He took Gonzaga to several NCAA tournaments and one Elite Eight. We're talking about Gonzaga. In his four years with the Gophers, the team only got to the tournament one time before losing in the first round to the Cyclones. Now Monson is back at a mid-major, Long Beach State, and he is doing quite well. Coach McDermett would do himself a favor by resigning and becoming the next head coach at a school like Indiana State, Toledo, Northern Illinois, or Idaho. It's just not working in Ames.

2. Have you ever laughed at something because it is just so absurd? I did this morning when I read that African gangs are raping Lesbians to "cure" them. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29676829/

3. Currently listening to The Rolling Stones' "You can't always get what you want". Album: Forty Licks.

the art of simplicity

I took a break from the never-ending job search to watch some college basketball. It has been a basketball crazy 24 hours. Last night, my Dad and I had suite tickets for the Wolves 25 point win over the lowly Memphis Grizzlies and this afternoon I watched the Gophers likely punch their tickets to the Dance. It's pretty amazing, but barring some major surprises (like Baylor winning the Big 12 tournament), the Big 10 might get eight teams in the NCAA tournament. I have watched a lot of Big 10 games this year and the league has been really exciting. There are only a half or dozen pro prospects but the league is full of great coaching (Izzo, Tubby, Pearl, Beilein, Carmody, Crean, Painter, Ryan, et cetera) and great defense. March Madness is my favorite sports event of the year.

1. Last night, I stayed up to finish The Rum Diary. Before I begin my thoughts, this is what the back of the book says: "Begun in 1959 by a then twenty-two year old Hunter S. Thompson, The Rum Diary is a brilliant, tangled love story of jealousy, treachery, and violent alcoholic lust in the Caribbean boomtown that was San Juan, Puerto Rico, in the late 1950s. Exuberant and mad, youthful and energetic, The Rum Diary is an outrageous, drunken romp in the spirit of Thompson's bestselling Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Hells Angels." This book was loaned to me by my friend Mike and I eagerly began reading it. I give the book a bit B-. The book was pretty bizarre. Of course, why am I not surprised when I knew before hand that its author, Thompson, lived his last few years in a secret compound in a tiny Caribbean island before killing himself, being cremated, and then requesting his ashes be shot out of a cannon into space... The book is not a bad read, even mildly entertaining at times. It also is a pretty quick read and if you're bored, or want to read about warmth, lust, and drinking on the beach, pick up a copy.

2. I went to the gym this afternoon and I wanted to do something different. As I was cleaning my room, I noticed a pair of goggles, and I decided I would go to the gym's lap pool. Keep in mind, that I was a competitive swimmer in high school (hence the reason for the speedos.) I swam about ten laps today before my heart was exploding and my shoulders were on fire. I forgot how great of a workout swimming can be. It's low-impact, requires almost no equipment, and is a great mix-up. I still hate the smell of chlorine though. I thought I was getting in decent shape but the burning in the shoulders after ten laps quickly reminded me that I have a long way to go before I get back to where I was at 16-18 years old.

3. I don't like the new Facebook layout. I didn't like when they changed it a year ago, and I don't like this. The word cluttered comes to mind. When I click on the home button, I am just bombared with stuff.

4. Great cover article of Newsweek about Rush Limabugh and his de facto leadership of the Republican party. Rahm Emmanuel and Obama aren't dummies. They know that although Rush Limbaugh is wildly popular with many Americans (20-25 million people listen to his program daily), he is still very unpopular with the majority of Americans. 70% of Americans, according to the Newsweek article, strongly dislike Rush Limbaugh. The fact that the Democrats have cast a man who is that extremely unpopular with the majority of Americans as the leader of the GOP, is downright brilliant. Sure Limbaugh wins, but Obama and the Democrats are the real winners. Until the Republicans get some real leadership, they can continue to enjoy huge losses in political races. The 2009 Republican party does not stand for anything. Yes, the oppose Obama... how original. But what do they stand for? Fortunately for them, we are a long way until the 2010 mid-term elections.

5. Anna Quindlen, who is a a brilliant writer for Newsweek, had a great piece on abstinence only education in the American secondary education system. Her basic point is that it is failing. According to Newsweek, Congress in the past couple of years has poured $1.5 billion into what is essentially anti-sex ed, abstinence only-programs, despite the following facts: They don't work. 1) A study conducted for the Department of Health and Human Services during the last Bush administration showed that teenagers who took abstinence-only classes were just as likely to have sex as those who didn't. 2) They're actually counterproductive. Other studies have shown that adolescents in abstinence-only programs were less likely to use contraception, perhaps because those programs emphasize only the failure rates of even the best methods. I think Ms. Quindlen is right on the money. Of course schools should stress and encourage abstinence only education. However, they should also teach proper contraception methods, and using a food analogy, you don't teach children that they shouldn't eat because they might get salmonella. No, you teach children how to eat properly. I know Obama has a lot on his plate and in fact I would be irritated if he dropped what he was doing to focus on sex-ed. However, I hope sometime in the next four years, his department of education takes a hard look at revamping a broken sex-ed system.

This bird has flown

As I sit here on a quiet Wednesday afternoon strumming guitar chords that moderately resemble Norwegian Wood by the Beatles, I gaze out at the window with utter disgust. The normal high for this time in Minneapolis is about 38 degrees. Today's high is nine. My math has never been good but I think that means we are 29 degrees below normal. Today's low will be -2 with a windchill of -15. In addition to it being a snowier than normal winter, it has been a colder winter. Tonight I am going to a Timberwolves game, so that should temporarily take my mind off of the weather.

1. Has anyone been following the mini-feud between Jon Stewart and CNBC's Jim Cramer. Today it was announced that Cramer will go on The Daily Show this Thursday. I'm excited. Stewart yesterday, when commenting about Cramer said, "Fuck you." Wow.

2. Today is a good day after all! Most critics agree that the movie Howard The Duck is the worst movie ever made. I have never been able to find a copy at anywhere. (Oh yes, I have looked hard and wide.) Today I received news that this George Lucas creation is coming to DVD. Please watch this preview and try to tell me you are not intrigued: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzI-ZbcK_sw. Basically, Howard is a giant mutant duck that fights crime and yes... has an infamous love making scene.

3. Wow! On the 35W and Lake Street, the city of Minneapolis building a giant billboard featuring men who have recently been arrested for picking up prostitutes. Their police photo is a public information available to anyone. Obviously this is to publicly humiliate any John out there who thinks paying for sex is a good way to spend a Friday evening (or a Tuesday morning in some cases.) I'm not going to make a big stink over this, as I am morally opposed to prostitution (despite me wanting to legalize it.) However, doesn't this fall under the "cruel and unusual" punishment category? Crimes like rape and murder are worse than this yet their pictures are not on one of the most viewed billboards in all of Minneapolis.

4. Currently listening to Alanis Morisette's "You oughta know". Album: Jagged little pill.

I feel like a legend on a leash.

If things don't turn around soon, the newest team in the National Football League will be the LAVikings. To those who don't know, the Vikings' contract with Minneapolis/Metrodome goes through 2011. The Vikings have all but publicly stated they will move if the city does not build them a new stadium. There are a few problems. 1, the city of Minneapolis has had three giant projects in the past couple of years: A, the new Gopher stadium. B, the new Twins Stadium. C, the new 35W bridge. 2, the current economy. Where are Minnesotans going to come up with a billion dollars for a new stadium? Problem number three is the city of LA is desperate for a new stadium and they have promised any team who moves a brand new stadium. Check out their website:

http://www.losangelesfootballstadium.com/

Any team that moves to LA with that TV market and a new stadium will see the value of their team go up by 50% or more. People can say the Vikings are one of the original teams, they will never move. The Minnesota North Stars were one of the first few NHL teams and Norm Green moved them to Dallas in the mid 1990's because he wanted a new stadium. The Twin Cities is the 15th biggest TV market in the country so eventually they would get a new NFL team but the results would be catastrophic in the mean time. Another problem is our governor, Tim Pawlenty, says that he will veto any legislation on building a new Vikings stadium. I am not saying that the Vikings for sure will leave Minnesota but I would say the chances are now better than 50%. Yes, the cost of building a Vikings stadium would be very expensive in the short-run but it would also provide thousands of jobs, and having an NFL stadium is good for the Minneapolis economy. Think of how much local hotels, restaurants, bars, et cetera would lose if the Vikings move to California? I am also surprised that the local media - the radio stations, the newspapers, the TV stations, don't do more to pressure the local politicians. All the media would lose big money if the Vikes lost. I know the timing is not right but it is time the Minnesota congress work to build a new stadium. It's not like the Vikings have not given the state proper warning. They have been trying to get the legislature to build a stadium for about six years now. I guess in conclusion, Minnesota is not a Wild town. It's not a Twins town. It is first and foremost, a die hard Vikings town. The morale is bad enough right now in the cities, if the Vikings move to sunny California, we will be nothing more than a colder Omaha. Let's make it happen.

1. Can you feel it? The best sports time of the year - March Madness begins next week. I have bitched a lot about being unemployed but watching March Madness games will be very nice.

2. Currently listening to Stone Temple Pilots, "Sour Girl". Album: No. 4.

Your favorite worst nightmare.

Today was a strange day for me. After not seeing any of my co-workers in the 2+ months since I have been laid off, I ran into four of them and we had lunch together. It was very enjoyable. I thought it might be awkward (not for me but for them) but it wasn't. I might have occasionally used this site as a vehicle to complain about my job but never about my co-workers. I was very fortunate and still bummed out I was let go. After a very nice lunch full of laughs I was driving home when a good friend called to say he was laid off. I now have about a half dozen friends laid off. You would think misery loves company but that is not true at all. My heart breaks everytime I get the phone call because I know how much being laid off sucks. Fortunately, the economy hits rock bottom soon and no more of my friends have their egos shattered by being told they are being let go.

1. One of President Bush's stances that always irritated me was his morality police stance on stem cell research. Being a progressive libertarian, I always shudder when the government tells me what is morally okay, and what isn't. In the mean time, other countries have had a huge head start on research into finding cures for Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and many others that stem cell research might cure. And it will be their universities, and their pharmaceutical companies that will get the patents and make the money off of the research. I applaud you President Obama for overturning this ridiculous policy by your predecessor.

2. According to CNN, Fresh off public complaints about her own love life, Meghan McCain has a new target for her most recent gripes: conservative commentator Ann Coulter. In a new blog post for the Daily Beast as Ann Coulter and HBO host Bill Maher are kicking off a week-long debate tour today in New York, McCain calls President Obama “the hippest politician around” and says being a Republican is “about as edgy as Donny Osmond.” And she blasts Coulter for helping to “perpetuate negative stereotypes” about Republican women. “I straight up don’t understand this woman or her popularity,” says McCain. “I find her offensive, radical, insulting, and confusing all at the same time.” She concedes that Coulter seems to be followed by a “cult that cannot be denied,” and was a popular headliner at the recent Conservative Political Action Conference, but adds that “when your competition is a teenager who has a dream about the Republican Party and Stephen Baldwin, it’s not really saying that much.” It’s not Coulter’s politics, says McCain — it’s her personality. “Maybe her popularity stems from the fact that watching her is sometimes like watching a train wreck,” she says. “…Where has our extreme thinking gotten us? President Bush will go down as one the least popular presidents in history. I constantly hear stories about Republicans who previously worked for President Bush and my father feeling ostracized, unable to get jobs in D.C. right now.” This weekend, Meghan McCain’s father, Sen. John McCain, laughed off her recent complaints over her romantic difficulties, which she blamed on his 2008 presidential bid. "I'm proud of all my children,” he said on Fox News Sunday. “Sometimes they say things that I would not do or say — that's what young people are all about."

3. I was reading the Star Tribune today and something interesting caught my eye. For the third year in a row, The Local, a downtown Minneapolis bar sells more Whiskey than at any other bar in the world!!! That is amazing. According to the article, they sell about 25 bottles worth on average every single day. The bar interestingly enough is about two blocks from my Church and I have walked by it well over 100 times but never gone in it. I think that will change this weekend. Saturday night anyone?

4. Currently listening to Arctic Monkey's "Marty Bum"

Columbia House music club, designer drugs and rhyming thugs

Finally! Finally, a president is talking about health care reform. Starting with President Truman in the late 1940's, almost every president (who was a Democrat) has talked openly about reforming the broken American health care system. We came close to universal health care in 1993 before Newt Gingrich and Rush Limbaugh led a revolution that ended with the definition of egg on the face of President Clinton and his wife. As I have stated many times before, the single most important issue I care about in politics is universal health care. It is not just fiscally responsible but it is morally reprehensible that we are the only Westernized country without health care for all of its citizens. Americans should all hang their heads in shame that 48 million Americans (many of them children) live day by day praying to God that they do not get sick because it would bankrupt them due to having no health care. Today, President Obama gave a moving and convincing speech to America about health care reform. His point he kept hammering home was, "this time it will be different." Yes President Obama! Be the leader I know you can be and get health care reformed. You have already promised to end combat duties in Iraq by the end of 2010. You have already provided massive legislature designed to improve our economy (whether you agree or not, it's something), and now you are pushing health care reform. After a rough forty days in office, I see a brighter future. Even prominent Republicans, like Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa says he sees no reason why Congress can not have a plan in place by the end of this summer. Obama brought up one really good point today. He said that private or as Republicans like to call it, the "consumer" health care system we have now costs 2.4 trillion dollars a year. There is no way that if we go to a public or "universal" health care system that it would cost that much. To those conservatives out there who could give a shit about the poor. This will help your bottom line! You will have more money. Senator Ted Kennedy ended the meeting by saying, "I'm looking forward to being a foot soldier in this undertaking, and this time we will not fail." I hope you are right Mr. Kennedy.

1. Emilia, have you pre-ordered your Star Trek perfume or cologne? http://trekmovie.com/2009/03/04/trek-spring-collection-preview-first-look-at-genki-star-trek-fragrances/

2. Yesterday was one of the most exciting sporting events I have ever been to. Down one with 19 seconds left, Lawrence Westbrook hit a huge jump shot and the Golden Gophers defeated arch-rival Wisconsin Badgers to take the University of Minnesota to a nice 21 - 8 record. They just need to not choke with their last two games and they should be safely dancing.

3. Currently listening to "Scapegoat" by Atmosphere. Album: Overcast.

Rockafella

Last night, I stayed up late to watch the first Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Despite having pretty low expectations, I came away impressed. Sure, the show had some rough spots but that is to be expected in any first episode. Fallon was relaxed, the jokes were funny, and his interview with Justin Timberlake was terrific. I rarely make an effort to stay up until after midnight but I am glad I did last night. Also, I love The Roots as the house band. They're just so cool.

1. I'm a bit dissapointed. Wide Receiver TJ Houshmanzadeh ended up signing with Seattle for Five years/$40 million. Supposedly the Vikes offer Five years/$38 million. I'm all about making as much money as quickly as possible... but the Sea-chickens are terrible. Either he just said he will sign to whoever offers the biggest contract, or he wants to be the star. At Minnesota, it is the Adrian Peterson show. In Seattle, Housh will be the offensive star. Plus, let's be honest, I would much rather have Hasselbeck throwing the ball to me then Tavaris Jackson.

2. More than ever, I am convinced consumer confidence is wrecking this economy. Plus, the guys running Wall Street are in complete panic mode. As you know, I have some time on my hands, so I reviewed a few financial records. Stock prices are projections on where investors feel the company is going, not necessarily where they are right now. Last quarter, Apple Computers made almost four billion in gross profit. Last year, they made 11 billion in gross profit... Yet, their stock is down 50% for the year. Why? Consumer confidence. Last quarter, Microsoft made 12 billion in gross profit. Last year, they made 48 billion in gross profit. Their stock is worth half of what it was twelve months ago. Why? Consumer confidence. These are just a few examples of how messed up Wall Street is right now. Companies that are making oodles of money are having their stock price downgraded big-time as a result of fear, panic, and a myriad of other reasons. If I had any money, which I do not right now, I would look at companies like Microsoft, Google, Apple, General Electric, and others who are making loads of money yet have low stock prices. When the economy turns around, those stocks are going to double and triple. I'm not a stockbroker but it is just plain common sense that companies that are making money, should not have their stock price lowered... It is 100% a result of consumer confidence.

3. Currently listening to Rihanna's "Disturbia". Album: Good Girl Gone Bad.

The anti-hero

In case I had forgotten that I reside in Minnesota, this weekend slapped me in the face. Friday I was greeted with eight inches of snow. The rest of the weekend was weather in the single digits and low teens. Thank goodness there are only about SEVEN more weeks of winter. I had a pleasant, but quiet weekend. Friday night, I was pretty tired. I ended up staying in and watching the movie Choke. I didn't care for it. I give it a D+/C-. I thought the plot was under-developed, the comedic bits weren't that funny, and it was disturbing without being interesting. Saturday night, Mike came over and we ended up watching another movie, Changeling - starring Angelina Jolie and directed by Clint Eastwood. I give this movie an A. Jolie was fantastic as the mother of a son who was kidnapped. The plot was dour but captivating. I ended the movie nearly speechless. This is a great rental but keep in mind you will leave with a distrust of humanity.

1. I love Kevin Garnett. He is my favorite athlete in sports for myriad reasons. Besides being an excellent forward in the NBA, I personally know many stories of his work with the poor in Minneapolis, his volunteering with Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and giving millions of his own dollars to help out Minneapolis charities. In a league with few heroes, Garnett is one that children should admire. That is why all of last season, when Garnett was traded to the Celtics, Boston became my second favorite team after the Wolves. However, I became less interested in the Celts when they signed free agent Stephon Marbury. Starbury has been a cancer to everyteam he plays with. After trading Ray Allen for Marbury, the Wolves had great success with Marbury and Garnett until Marbury publicly demanded a trade saying he missed the East Coast and said he would rather be a star on a bad team, then be anybody's second fiddle. He actually said that. He has then destroyed Phoenix, New Jersey, and recently the Knicks with his antics, and poor attitude. I can understand why Boston signed a player of Marbury's caliber. The Celtics are loaded eveywhere except they are currently playing without a decent back-up point guard... and in steps Marbury. This just proves that as long as you have talent (think Chad Johnson, T.O., Randy Moss) then there will be teams that are interested.

2. Speaking of sports, wide-receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh is in Minneapolis as we speak talking with Vikings officials. I would love to sign Housh. I also hear the Vikes are talking with Denver about trading for Cutler. Those would both be great signs.

3. Six weeks after my diet started, I am currently down 8.4 pounds. I'm far from taking off my shirt and people claiming I look like Brad Pitt in Fight Club... but I'm on my way.

4. NBADraft.net now has Craig Brackins, power forward for the Cyclones as a top ten pick. Sigh...