Oinkmagedon

The topic du jour is definitely the impending swine flu virus. Minnesota just had their first confirmed case in Cold Springs, MN (small town near St. Cloud). People just need to calm down. According to the WHO, 36,000 Americans died last year of flu complications. The swine flu has claimed one American death so far. People just need to be cautious, take extra sanitation precautions, and go on with their normal days. It appears that the swine flu started in a pig farm in Veracruz, Mexico where some flies feasted on contaminated fecal matter and then spread the disease. It's pretty gross stuff. Note to Egypt... it was outrageous for your government to order that all pigs be immediately slaughtered; especially considering that not one case of swine flu has been reported there. Prepare for the PETA onslaught. In this rare case, I will agree with PETA.

1. Last night, Mike and I went to a MN Twins game. Wednesday nights are college nights and Wednesday nights are $1 hot dog nights. With my student ID, my ticket cost $4. The whole evening cost under $10 to see the Twins crush the Tampa Bay Rays. By the way Cubs fans, not every baseball game should cost you $40 a game. The cheapest Twins ticket on any non Wednesday night is $10. Also, the upper deck cheap seats were full of college students which made the game even more entertaining as the drinking started, beach balls were thrown out, and the night ended with lots of awkward Caucasians dancing to Journey.

2. When I got home last night I watched a replay of the Obama press conference. Did anybody have any thoughts on it? Obama did fine but contradicted himself. During one question he said that he believes what happened to the suspected terrorists involving waterboarding, sleep deprivation for up to eleven days, beating up prisoners, putting prisoners in small boxes with insects, and other gems was indeed torture. On the next question, when asked specifically about the Bush administration's role, he said that they made many mistakes. No President Obama, I respectfully disagree. Speeding is a mistake. Cheating at golf is a mistake. Authorizing torture is a crime. Here is what Obama should have said, "The Bush administration was responsible for horrendous war crimes. It is important for the truth to be known so we can learn from it and move on. I don't think we should prosecute the previous administration because that will be an enormous distraction and take away time and energy needed to win multiple wars, correct our broken health care system, and turn around the economy." No, he simply referred to it as a mistake.

speculation

As I ruminated last night in bed about Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Spector resigning his GOP membership to become a Democrat (first senator to switch teams since Larry Craig. Shazam!) I became less giddy and more concerned. Why did Spector switch? I think it is less about a philosophical shift inside of Spector and more because he is a political opportunist. The Republican leadership has been on a quest to weed out RINO's (Republicans In Name Only.) It is not so much that RINO's are liberals but they are often times moderate/centrist Republicans. The Conservative leadership led by gentlemen like Hannity and Limbaugh have convinced people to donate all of their money to only "true" conservatives even if that means moderate Republicans lose in the general election. What has happened then is there have been intense battles in primaries between very conservatives with a lot of money and incumbent moderate Republicans. Even if the moderate wins the primary, he is so bloodied and broke, he loses to the Democrats. To people like Hannity and Rush, this is still a victory as they are eliminating "RINO's". What has happened is moderate Republicans like Norm Coleman, Lincoln Chafe, and others lost in 2006 and 2008 as part of the weeding out process. Arlen Spector is no dummy. Pat Toomey, a super conservative has received not only lots of money but also the support of far right radicals like Coulter, Hannity, and Rush. My point is that even if Spector survived a very tough primary against Toomey and beats him, he will be broke, and exhausted going against a formidable challenger, most likely, against popular Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell. Spector being the opportunist thinks he has a much better chance to win Pennsylvania, a state that gets bluer and bluer with every election, as a Democrat. My guess is he has worked out some sort of deal with Governor Rendell. Here is my problem then. I think he will easily be Toomey in 2010 but personally I would have rather patiently waited for 2010 for Governor Rendell to destroy Toomey or Spector than have a conservative Democrat who cares more about politics than his own philosophy. I could be wrong... but I doubt it. ; )

1. To all the Vikings fans out there who are so desperate for a quarterback that they are clamoring for Brett Favre... stop. This is not 1999. I would much rather take Sage Rosenfels (I acknowledge my Iowa State bias here) than an aging Favre. Last year was much different. He is showing his age. To those who think he is serious about being retired. Today he said, "Nothing has changed. At this time, I am retired and have no intention of returning to football." I see. "At this time"??? What a diva!

2. Currently listening to "Soulmate" by Natasha Bedingfield. Album: Pocketful of Sunshine

turncoat

Only 21 times in the history of the United States congress has a sitting senator switched political parties. Today, moderate Arlen Spector from Pennsylvania has left the Republican Party to become a Democrat. He stated in his press conference today that the GOP had become too far right wing and his views had gradually become more in line with the Dems than Republicans. This is very interesting to me for several reasons. One, assuming that Al Franken wins the senate battle in Minnesota, that means the Democrats would have a filibuster proof, 60-40 seat majority. It would be the first time since 1937 that has occurred. Two, this shakes up the Pennsylvania senate race. The Penn senate battle was shaping up to be brutal and expensive. Arlen Spector will hardly become some socialist just because he has changed parties. My guess is he will remain a very conservative Democrat along the same lines as Joe Lieberman from Connecticut and Evan Bayh from Indiana. Regardless, I have no doubt that Obama is very pleased. Considering he is enjoying a huge majority in the house, and now a filibuster proof senate, Obama has free range to pass any agenda he sees fit. This is obviously an enormous opportunity for the Democrats... or setting up for major failure and a 1994 like takeover by Republicans. Regardless, this is just another dark day for the Republican Party.

1. I saw two movies today. This morning I rented the Kate Hudson/Anne Hathaway movie Bride Wars. It was awful. I give it a D+. This evening I saw the new Seth Rogan movie Observe and Report. It is not a light, fun comedy. It is a very dark comedy filled with tragedy, perversion, but a lot of humor. I give it a B. It is worth seeing but it is definitely not a good date movie.

2. Currently listening to "Jump around" by House of Pain.

garage sailing

One valid criticism I have had of the Democrats for the past six years is how they have appeared weak compared to the Republicans. That seems to have changed and I am pleased. I have long stated that the craziest radical in Congress is Minnesota's Michelle Bachman. I have devoted much time on this blog on her rantings so I won't go into that again. Yesterday, the Democrats started a new website Bachmanwatch.com. There is no doubt that she is enemy number one on their list in 2010. Unfortunately because she is such a wacko, she has attracted a lot of attention and therefore a lot of money. She will be a formidable challenge.


1. A couple of months ago when I was in Ames, I was introduced to this show called Man vs. Wild on the Discovery Channel. On the show, Bear Grylls, a former British military officer Navy SEAL equivalent, is thrown from a helicopter into the middle of nowhere and has to survive difficult situations. I just read online that Will Ferrel, no doubt to promote his upcoming movie Land of the Lost, will star in an episode of Man vs. Wild with Bear. I'm pumped.

2. I am having this debate with a friend of mine. What is the best non-sport, sporting event? NBA Draft? NFL Draft? Olympic Opening Ceremonies? March Madness selection? Others?

3. Last weekend I went to a couple of garage sales. Every one had a common theme. White trash clothes, overused children toys, and crappy romance novels.

4. Currently listening to "Falling in love at a coffee shop" by Landon Pigg.

I'll take my chances. I forgot how nice romance is.

Men and women often can look in the same direction but see two completely different things. A man might see a football game and see pride in their alma mater, a sense of brotherhood, a passion passed on to them from their father, and so on. A woman might see that same game and be consumed by boredom. On the other hand, a woman might buy a pair of shoes and it will give her a new sense of confidence, discussion and comparison with her peers. I, however, am wearing the same pair of black shoes I bought at Macy's four years ago. There is something about turning 24 though that above all other examples separates the males from the females. Forgive my obvious male bias but when a man turns 24, it is just another birthday. To most women, it is something much more grave. In the past year, many of my friends have become engaged. To them, I wish them a lifetime of happiness. Men will view the announcement of a friend's engagement with joy and happiness. Ostensibly women will do the same. However, inside with every announcement, a tiny piece of their heart has died. It is a contest in which they are losing and some other girl has won. It matters not that the guy that proposed to their friend is a jerk. She still won and I have still lost. After numerous discussions on the subject, to women, 24 is the first time in their lives when they are no longer young. They are full grown women; and yes they have many things on their mind with friends, family, work, et cetera, but something that was always in the back of their mind has crept up and slapped them (hard!) on their face. Of course I am talking about becoming engaged. This morning I talked with an intelligent, charming woman who was bemoaning the fact that she was the only person she knew not engaged and that if she was not engaged by 26, then she must be considered damaged goods. My attempts at flattery and just plain listening were met with cantankerous snarls of, "You don't understand! You're a man!" Fair enough. I took one women's studies course in college and that hardly prepares me to call myself experienced in the wiring of the female brain. I am not saying I have an answer to this or why men and women view this so differently. I am just recording an observation.

1. It has been a nice weekend so far. Last night Andrew and Mike went to this new restaurant in Minneapolis called Seven. It was pricey but good. I really liked their upstairs bar area a lot. I am not really in the position to be paying $7 for a rum and coke, but if being in a cool atmosphere surrounded by beautiful people is fun for you, then you would like Seven. After we ate, we did a bit of barhopping. Had a drink at Bootleggers, had a couple shots at Brothers, and capped off the evening at Sneaky Pete's. I woke up this morning, felt good, went for a jog, picked up my Dad from church, watched the Gopher spring game, watched the draft, and had a nice dinner with the family. So far so good.

2. I can't stand that the Vikings drafted Percy Harvin. He is top ten talent wise but he is an arrogant, stupid prick. I understand we are not assembling the Mormon Tabernacle men's choir, however, I still want to cheer for a good group of men. Plus, let's not forget that Harvin was consistently injured while a Florida Gator.

3. Currently listening to Happy Together by The Flobots.

Question asked: "John, would you describe yourself as athletic?" John replies, "I would describe myself as a less coordinated Manute Bol."

Yesterday started glorious. I have written many times about how much being laid off sucks. Yesterday was an exception. It hit 84 degrees, and had a slight breeze. After a nice jog outside, I grabbed a book and spent the rest of the afternoon reading on the deck with an ice cold Coke Zero on one side, and a radio on the other. I then received a call from one of my favorite co-workers that the Minneapolis market at the office I worked at won the 2008 market of the year and after work they were going out to eat/drink to celebrate at The Mermaid. I joined them and I had a good time. Although I was a little embarrassed when people asked if I had a job yet and I kept saying no, the worst part was all of the pity thrown at me. "Oh sweetheart, I know you will find something great." It is like the feeling after you got dumped when everybody calls you and tells you how there are lots of fish in the sea, and everybody's been dumped before, and you deserve so much more. I think what I miss most about work is the sense of belonging... of working together for a common purpose - even if that purpose is to make a Fortune 500 company worth billions a couple of more bucks. I don't know the next time I will see the group but what I really liked was being able to say goodbye to everyone properly. When I was laid off, it was more like a funeral procession past my desk with everyone paying their last respects. This time it was more jovial, less tense, and fun.

1. Did you hear about the controversy with Dane Cook? Apparently his brother/former manager had been slowly stealing millions of dollars from the comedian. What a terrible betrayal of trust from someone who shares your bloodline. I am only a so-so Cook fan but my heart goes out to him on this one.

2. I love Vikings running back Adrian Peterson but he's a little bit crazy on this one. For those that don't know, there is this "Madden Curse" in football where if you agree to be on the cover of the Madden video game, you will get injured. Petereson was asked to be on the cover but because he is superstitious, he turned down the money and prestige of being the cover boy for football. You just have to laugh at those stories.

3. Is there a bigger idiot in football than Percy Harvin? Most Vikings fans I know want us to draft the talented but mercurial wide-out from UF. Not only did he only get a 12 on the Wonderlic test (meaning he can barely read), he tested positive for marijuana at the Combine. He was expected to be a top-ten pick and now most experts think he will go around #30 now due to his stupidity. How arrogant and stupid! He was even told before hand that their would be a drug test. He cost himself about $15 million. Despite his talent, I am completely uninterested in the Vikings taking such a knucklehead.

4. It's not often that I give a shout-out to Fox News but today I will. One of the anchors on Fox News is a gentlemen named Shepherd Smith. Born in Mississippi and an open conservative, he is one of the anchors I don't mind listening to because although we disagree on many issues, he is fair to differing opinions and treats his guests with respect. I had to stand up and cheer though when he had some Republican goon on who was saying all the positives that came from torturing terrorists and Smith raised his voice and said, "But this is America! We should not (BLEEP) torture anyone." Here, here. If I were the GOP, I would move away from this issue as quickly as possible. It's okay to want to be the party that is tough on terrorism and for a stronger military. However, when you go on television listing all the positives of torture, you are going to irritate many of your most loyal voters. Of course, I am talking of the large born again, Christian conservative coalition. They might still vote for the GOP because of issues like abortion and gay marriage but if they give less money or volunteer less, that could be equally damaging.

5. Currently listening to "Airbag" by Radiohead. Album: OK Computer.

beardgate part II: The Stache!

I have decided to forgo the beard... for a mustache!!!!

School of hard knocks: Graduating class of 2003

Isn't it all but inevitable that gay marriage will one day be legal either as a national law or in all fifty states? I was looking at some data regarding marriage, and it is less of a Republican vs. Democrat thing and more of an age thing. To put it quite simply, older people are opposed to gays being allowed to marry and younger people are much more tolerant. I have always said gay marriage is about #72 in the list of issues I care about. I have always taken the libertarian side believing that if you don't like gay marriage, don't have one. I reject the liberal take that gay marriage is a civil rights issue and I reject the conservative take on opposition to gay marriage as a religious issue. The bible states that the act of homosexuality is a sin. We can debate that but it seems pretty clear to me. However, just because the bible lists it is a sin does that mean that we shouldn't recognize their right to marriage? The bible is crystal clear about thievery. It is a sin. With the same logic, if two people convicted of shoplifting want to marry, should we not allow them? Gay marriage has been big news recently regarding the controversy at the Miss USA beauty pageant. I was listening to what Minnesota radio host Dan Barreiro talk about the subject and he said this: Word on the beauty pageant street is that Miss California was on her way to winning the Miss USA crown when judge Perez Hilton decides to make the event about him -- openly gay -- than about the contestants. Earlier in the day, he is so proud of himself that he already is patting himself on the back for the Question he came up with -- "Vermont recently became the fourth state to legalize same-sex marriage. Do you think every state should follow suit. Why or why not?"To which Miss California said: "Well, I think it's great that Americans are able to choose one or the other. We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. And you know what, in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman." Hilton allegedly later suggested that her have-it-both-ways answer suggests she has "half a brain."She loses to Miss North Carolina. Here's what the Mix finds hilarious: If we're going to routinely accept the exact-same kind of double-talk-style, politically expedient answers from our politicians, why are we more offended when they came from a participant in a stupid beauty contest?" Interesting.

1. It is so hard seeing all of these former Timberwolves draft picks do well in the NBA this year. Brandon Roy, OJ Mayo, Kevin Garnett, Joe Smith, Donyell Marshall, Wally Sczcerbiak, Stephon Marbury, Chauncey Billups, and Ray Allen are all Wolves draft picks in the past decade that are no longer with the Wolves. That doesn't even include all the former Wolves we foolishly traded away. I am so happy that the owner has finally decided to hire a new GM for next year.

2. I had heard a little bit about some recent military victories by the Taliban but I had no idea how many until I was watching CNN and they had breaking news about a major Taliban victory that is less than an hour drive away from the capital of Pakistan. I don't know how they did it, but CNN even had a correspondent interview a Taliban commander who was not shy about their plans to take over control of Pakistan as well as Afghanistan. I have never been accused of being pro-war before. However, if the Taliban controls Pakistan... and their arsenal of nuclear weapons, that could be catastrophic. What the heck is going on over there? This just means more difficult decisions for President Obama. Of course, every decision the president makes is tough. If it wasn't, it would have already been made.

3. This will hopefully be my last post ever about The Hills. For those unaware, and trust me, I am far from a loyal watcher, one of the biggest dramas on the show was about a Lauren Conrad sex-tape rumor. Today, Spencer Pratt finally admitted he made the whole thing up. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30354522/. I am only posting this story because it is amazing that somebody could actually be that cruel.

4. Currently listening to "New York City Cops" by The Strokes. Album: Is this it?

I'm not a businessman. I'm a business... man.

It was hard in the past day or two not to feel slight embarrassment to call myself an American. For those that don't know, President Obama released the CIA reports regarding prisoner interrogation techniques in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanmo Bay. First off, President Bush lied to the American public. We tortured and tortured a lot. Here are just a few of the things are CIA agents did - Forced prisoners into tiny boxes and put live insects in the box. Forced prisoners to abstain from sleep for days. Slammed prisoners into walls. Chained prisoners into very uncomfortable positions. Waterboarded prisoners, including one prisoner they waterboarded 183 times in the month of March. That is equivalent to being waterboarded over six times a day for the month. I could continue but I think you get my point. What infuriates me even more is the reaction by Republicans. Karl Rove is angry because now Al Qaeda can better prepare against our "interrogation" techniques. Dick Cheney said on Hannity that Obama releasing these documents is disturbing. In addition, many other prominent Republicans like John Ensign and Peggy Noonan are furious at Obama. I could be sick to my stomach. As a Christian, the Bible is crystal clear regarding torture. We are to be opposed to it in every circumstance. Romans 12:19 comes to mind: Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. The fact these "Christian" Republicans claim to be the moral majority with half their face and then turn their cheek and encourage torture is beyond despicable. President Obama is in for a tough decision. He has been adamant that he does not want charges to be brought forth to the prior administration on these torture issues (which are war crimes). However, it is not necessarily up to him. Senate Democrats, led by Senator Diane Feinstein are doing their best to convince the Department of Justice to formally charge members of the past administration including Alberto Gonzalez, John Ashcroft, Don Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, Bush, and others with war crimes. As much perverted joy I would get by seeing them on trial, I tend to agree with President Obama on this issue. It is important for the world to see us come clean on our past mistakes, own up to them, promise to never repeat them, and move on.

1. Speaking of politics, I am tired of all this outrage by Fox News and Republican leaders that Obama shook hands with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Regardless of politics, there is nothing to be embarrassed about when the President of our country has meetings or is introduced to other heads of state. That is part of the job as President. As Obama eloquently stated, "It’s unlikely that as a consequence of me shaking hands or having a polite conversation with Mr. Chavez that we are endangering the strategic interests of the United States." Exactly. To be fair, President Chavez has said some insulting things regarding the United States. However, I don't think Newt Gingrich or Sean Hannity or any of these pompous idiots who are so "furious" about Obama meeting with Chavez had any problem with President Bush met with leaders of Uzbekistan, China, and many other countries with spotty human rights records that are far worse than what is going on in Venezuela.

2. I saw the movie 17 again. It is my first Zac Efron movie and he did better than I thought. The movie is pretty cheesy, predictable, and not believable... but it was also quite funny and enjoyable. I give this movie a B. It's not worth $10 in a theater but is definitely worth renting if you have 90 minutes for a fun laugh.

3. With it being 4/20 and all yesterday, were you ever curious what the legend started from? No surprise, the Grateful Dead are involved: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/20/what-420-means-the-true-s_n_188320.html

4. I see it was just another VEISHEA weekend at Iowa State this past weekend with 88 people getting arrested on Friday and Saturday nights. Ah memories.

5. Currently listening to "Oliver's Army" by Elvis Costello.

Russian roulette is not the same without a gun.

After a two hour nap I am feeling better. I am back in Minnesota after a fun but exhausting weekend. Friday morning I woke up early, rented a u-haul and went to the storage unit I had been renting for $109 a month since November of 2007. There was a bunch of stuff I didn't need like clothes, entertainment set, kitchen table, et cetera and my parents and I first loaded the truck with these and took them to charity. We then returned to the storage unit and loaded up the u-haul. After a quick lunch, I picked up my friend Adam X and we were off. Approximately eight hours later, we arrived in Evanston, IL and spent the night with my friends Jim and Sarah. Saturday morning I woke up at seven sharp, went to my new apartment, and with some friends we unloaded the truck, returned the u-haul, and I spent the rest of the morning and mid-day organizing and putting my new room together. It was a gorgeous weekend, about low 70s, and we decided to enjoy the weekend by walking down to Lake Michigan and throwing the football around. Besides Adam sustaining minor head trauma, it was a lot of fun. Saturday night we walked around, watched a movie, ate some great Italian food, and called it an early night. Adam and I woke up at about six this morning to catch our flight back to Minneapolis. It was a smooth flight, I'm back, and ready to get back to job hunting.

1. It was a very strange feeling Saturday night. My room was basically set up, I had everything in place, and it was strange to see this furniture I had not seen in a year and a half. Besides remembering the past, it was my first night where I really sat down and envisioned living in my new apartment. Before, it had always been Nimit and Ann's apartment that I was moving into. For the first time, it began to feel like my new place.

2. I saw a couple of movies in the past week or so. The Doubt was good. I give it a B+ and it is worth renting. Any movie with Philip Seymour Hoffman and Meryll Streep has to be good. If you are looking for a really sad but excellent movie, then go rent The Reader. Kate Winslett won the academy award for best female actress for her portrayal of an emotionally disturbed German woman shortly after World War II. I give it an A but be prepared that it is terribly sad.

3. Did anybody else read that Texas governor Rick Perry said it would be good for Texas to secede from the Union. Okay, he's an idiot. However, in a new Rasmussen report, one out of every four Texans said they agree that Texas should secede and become their own country. What is wrong with them?!?! Besides the whole slavery thing, I wonder how much better the United States would have been if their was the USA and the Confederate States. I would miss Florida and Virginia, but as a whole, many of our problems would be greatly reduced and the Confederate State of America would be a backwards country with a struggling economy.

4. Currently listening to "Apple Trees" by Ozma. Album: Rock and Roll part III.

a time to focus

Can you believe it has almost been ten years since the Columbine shooting? Like the incident at Virginia Tech, and 9/11, I certainly still remember where I was when it happened. Inner cities had been dealing with school violence for decades, but now a wealthy suburban high school was targeted. One conversation I have had with friends is how the media should handle school shootings. Let's use the example of streakers. As not to encourage this behavior, whenever someone streaks, the TV crews completely ignore him, and do not have any cameras on the streaker. They think the attention will only encourage more of that behavior. On the other hand, does the media not have an obligation to cover a story as big as children being shot while in their place of learning? Dylan and Klebold. Ten years later and I still know the names of the murderers from Columbine High. They were so tired of being made fun of, for feeling isolated, and lonely... They didn't just want to be famous, they wanted to live in infamy. Sadly, they are. Their have been movies about them, and books about their lives. A decade later we are still talking about their "masterpiece". I am not saying I have an answer for what we as citizens, or what I would encourage the media to do. Thoughts?

1. I am very opposed to Fox News but I think what regular Fox does in terms of its Sunday night programming. I am a huge Family Guy fan and I am extremely excited for its two new series coming in a few months. First, The Cleveland Show, which is a spin-off of the Family Guy. Second, Sit Down, Shut Up. SDSU is a new animated show by the creator and head writer of Arrested Development; my favorite show. SDSU will also feature the voices of AD stars Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Henry Winkler. The show is about a group of misft teenagers. I'm pumped.

2. Well... tomorrow is the big day. I have all of my stuff packed up and I'm ready to go. It's a weird feeling.

3. Currently listening to "Fa Fa Fa" by Guster.

So I did me some talking to the sun.

What a great story it is regarding the amazing rescue of Captain Richard Phillips off the coast of Somalia. First, Captain Phillips negotiates with the pirates to free the rest of the sailors and take him hostage instead. Then the Navy comes and secretly attaches these cables to the boat with Captain Phillips and the pirates and gradually pulls it so it is only seventy-five feet away from the American battleship. By this point, three of the Navy SEAL's finest snipers have parachuted onto the Navy warship. They patiently wait until the perfect shot and they simultaneously kill the pirates and then take a fourth as a prisoner. Wow! Think of how difficult it would be to get that shot. They are 75 feet away, the targets are moving, and let's not forget that both the ship they are on is moving, plus the much smaller pirate ship is moving too. It is an impossible shot. Plus, if they miss, the pirate is probably dead. It will make a great movie some day. Supposedly all of these TV stations are negotiating with the U.S. Navy to make a reality show about their battles with piracy. By the way, the order to kill the pirates came from President Obama. All of those Republicans who thought Obama was some hippie wimp were hopefully pleasantly surprised by Obama's decision to strike first.

1. It looks like the state of Minnesota finally will find out when they get a second senator. Yesterday, the courts officially recognized Al Franken (D) as the winner of the senate race. Naturally, Norm Coleman has appealed this. The Star Tribune expects late June to be when this mess is finally sorted out... assuming that it is not appealed to the Supreme Court.

2. Currently listening to "Somewhere only we know" by Keane.

Andy, you're a star.

A man was wandering around in the middle of nowhere and he saw a well. He indented to just take a peak inside but he slipped and fell inside. He tried to climb out on his own but he never made it very far before he slipped and fell back to the bottom. Fortunately, this man was a man of faith. He prayed to God and said, "Lord, I have tried everything. Please help me out of this well." This man knew of the gospel Matthew's famous writing, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." He prayed for days and nothing happened. One day, when he he had just about given up all hope, a thunderous rain storm started to pour down on him. At first the man cried out in shame. He had prayed for a rescue and now he was going to drown to death. But that's not what happened. As the rainwater continued to fill the well, he treaded water until the well was so full, it overflowed, and flushed the man to safety. Today I celebrated Easter. Unlike Christmas, which is full of so many distractions, Easter is really the holiest Christian holiday of the year. It is the day we celebrate Jesus' Resurrection. It is always a special day for me. It is day about family, about friendship, about laughter over Easter lunch, and renewed friendship during the church service. In my story above, I represented the man who fell in the well. I might not understand how God works but I know he has a plan for me. I may be ignorant of the plan and cry out in my confusion. When I think I am being drowned, I might in fact be being rescued. It does me no good to pity myself. I let the enemy win. I can sit here and write about how much my life sucks - or the fact that I am broke, unemployed, and living with my parents. I have done that too often in the past and I will not in the future. I might not understand the plan, but I know their is a plan for all of us.

1. I wrote briefly a little bit ago about some prominent arch-bishops in the Catholic church and Notre Dame alumni who are furious that the university asked President Obama to give this May's graduation speech. These alumni are burning their sweatshirts. The bishops are openly protests. They are a bunch of phony hypocrites. Our local Twin Cities bishop even declared Obama anti-Catholic. I can assume the only reason they feel that way is because President Obama is pro-choice. However, George W. Bush gave a graduation speech a couple of years ago and no bishops had a problem with it. The Pope has been very clear on what he thinks about death penalty - it is morally reprehensible. The Pope also took a strong stance against the United States invading Iraq. These are just two examples of how President Bush went against the views of Pontiff, yet bishops were silent. Why don't they just be honest and say that they hate Obama because he is pro-choice and they think that only pro-lifers should be allowed to be in South Bend? Here is some more interesting trivia. Obama won the Catholic vote by 11%. Are these Catholics anti-Catholic? Obama won the Notre Dame student body by 11% too. Are these Catholic Notre Dame students anti-Catholic? Of course not. Fortunately, the president of Notre Dame says that Obama is still welcome to speak. I applaud him for standing up against these hypocrites.

2. Currently listening to "My Coco" by Stellastarr*.

Whatever people say I am; that's what I'm not.

Long day. Today was a long day. With the big move to Chicago happening on Friday, I decided that I would begin packing and be all set to go in terms of putting things in boxes, labeling, and getting everything in order. It took almost all day and included more than one car ride to the storage unit; which is a convenient forty-five minute car ride away. It was very interesting to me going through stuff in the storage unit. For those who don't know, when I moved out of my apartment in Northeast Minneapolis, except for clothes and toiletries, I rented a u-haul and got a storage unit near where I worked. Why by where I worked? I wasn't thinking too clearly. It was very strange and fun for me to go through shirts I had not worn in a year and a half, or to look at posters I had hung up, et cetera. The most interesting part came when I literally stumbled over a box simply named Elyse. When I opened it up, I was hit by four years of memories. A letter from when I was in Cuba, a card from a hotel we stayed in, a frame picture of when we swum with dolphins in Florida, a picture that her sister drew of us, and other memories. There were literally hundreds of little notes or small tokens of love that really just made me smile. I simply picked up the box, and placed in a cabinet in my bedroom. The hope is I will forget about it so that one day in the future I can open up my cabinet and once again have a familiar smile.

1. Yesterday night Andrew and I went and saw the movie Sunshine Cleaning. It was pretty weird and had a very abrupt ending. I would give it a C+. It's not terrible but it's not particularly good either.

2. Did anyone watch the premier of much hyped new show Parks and Recreation. I thought it was okay. What I didn't like was how it was almost an exact replica of The Office with Amy Poehler replacing Steve Carrell. It is unfair to judge a show just by its pilot though and I will give it another episode or two to catch my interest.

3. We are finally seeing some life to this economy. In the month of March, the stock market grew by 0.8%. You might be thinking, "Yeah, but that is so minuscule. Who cares?" But think of what an improvement it is that instead of the market being down, it has actually risen!! This is really good news. Unfortunately, I think companies are going to need to see more than just a couple of good weeks in the market before they start hiring again.

4. I am irritated with the Timberwolves. They keep winning. They have only lost two games in April and they have now sky rocketed to only the sixth worst record in the league. Think of the difference the last few years in the NBA draft when you compare the second pick vs. the sixth pick. 2008 (Michael Beasley vs. Danila Gallinari). 2007 (Kevin Durant vs. Yi Jianlin). I don't need to go through the whole list. Don't get me wrong. I always want the Wolves to win and my favorite professional team is the Wolves. However, when you get to the point of the season where there are on six or seven games left and you clearly have no chance to make the playoffs, then I am honestly rooting for the Wolves to lose so it increases their draft potential.

5. I just watched one of the most amazing sports games of my life. The NCAA hockey national championship featuring Miami University (of Ohio) vs. Boston University. With 90 seconds left, and MU up 3 - 1, BU pulled their goalie and they scored with a minute left to make the score 3 - 2. They continue to have no goalie and with ten seconds left they tied the game. Five minutes into overtime, BU continued their amazing stretch of hockey and won the national championship. Yes, by the way, I am by myself at home on a Saturday night blogging and watching college hockey. I don't judge you...

6. Currently listening to "This is for real" by Motion City Soundtrack.

Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.

For those who are not familiar, the cover of this week's Newsweek magazine has been very controversial. I had heard about it on CNN, MSNBC, msn.com, and others. Its cover, by editor/writer Jon Meachem, was called The Decline and Fall of Christian America. As I devoured the articled, it really wasn't that controversial but still an interesting read. Since 1990, about 1% of the population is still Jewish and 0.6% is Muslim. However, in 1990, 86% of the population were self-described Christians, today only 76% of the population are self-described Christians. Atheism has jumped from about one million to three million. That is still not a major concern considering three million people is only like 0.8% of the American population. To me honest, these types of statistics don't shock me for two reasons: One, the societal pressures that used to be placed on going to church by the community and family members has waned. Two, there are many more distractions taking us away from a relationship with God. Being a Christian takes some effort. In the way we as a country have gotten lazier regarding exercise, our diet, our commitment to marriage, friendship, we have also gotten lazier in our relationship with our Lord. In my opinion, one other reason for the decline in the past 19 years has been embarrassment by our Christian leaders. The Catholic church has been full of scandal for the past decade. Plus, in my opinion, the opinions of the Pope are so out of date they are harming Catholicism - the rhythm method, birth control, only males can be priests, priests not getting allowed to marry? If the Catholic church wants to continue to grow, they must adapt. The numbers of Catholics in America is still holding steady but that is mainly toward the increase in Hispanic Catholic immigrants. There are enormous problems with Caucasian Catholic populations regarding attendance. Perhaps a bigger problem in the Catholic church is they cannot find enough young men to become priests. The priests are getting older and older and there are not enough young Catholic leaders. This is not to say that Protestants are without error in leadership. Powerful Christian leaders like Ted Haggard, Jerry Fallwell, and Pat Robertson have hijacked Christianity to be a party of a select moral issues. I didn't realize that Jesus only cared about abortion, gay marriage, stem cell research, prayer in school, and the ten commandments in court houses. In fact, Jesus never talked about any of those issues at all! Unfortunately, when I speak to friends of mine who are agnostic, or non-religious, the view they have of Christianity is that of radical right wing, fire and brimstone, George W. Bush's. This hurts me a great deal. Christianity is a religion of peace, of friendship, of faith. I think those reasons alone add up to a 10% drop in Christianity. My hope is that this is a mirage and not a pattern.

1. I still have not shaved the beard but when I do I will take a variety of pictures and put them up on Facebook. Interestingly enough, of anything I have ever written about, my beard has elicited the greatest response. I received about ten emails, text messages, and phone calls about the beard.

2. One of the first signs that spring is coming is the start of Twins season. I haven't missed a game yet and Tuesday's victory (down by two runs in the ninth inning, nobody on base, two outs, and they score three runs to win) is what makes baseball America's past-time.

3. Currently listening to "Don't Pull Your Love" by Hamilton, Frank, and Reynolds.

The choo-choo train left right on time. A ticket cost only your mind. The driver said, "hey man we go all the way." Of course we were willing to pay!

Today was a very unique day. I had lunch with a friend of mine from high school whom I had not seen in almost a year. Although we were very close when we were in junior high and high school, as college will do, I lost contact. I found out this friend had battled addiction to gambling, cocaine, heroin, and every other drug imaginable. He now lives in a recovery center and is well on his way to making a full recovery. The idea of drug use has always been fascinating to me. Personally, I have never been that interested in drugs but I am not here to judge anyone. I have even gone so far as to say drugs should be legalized; or at least decriminalized. I just wish all drugs were never created in the first place. They really have no place in society and so much destruction takes place as a consequence. Destruction of the mind. Destruction of families. Destruction of communities. And why? It is so unnecessary. I have always wondered what is going through someone's mind right before they shoot heroin the first time. What thoughts cross your mind the first time you snort meth? Are you so depressed that even though you know the damage it does to your body long and short term, the temporary pleasure is enough to let you take the risk? Maybe you are so confident in your mental abilities that you say addiction will not happen. You're better than the drug and you can fight addiction. Again, I know that I am completely ignorant when it comes to the reasons behind drug use. I am simply offering more questions than I have answers. Between today's lunch and watching what is happening with the Mexican drug wars that have spilled over to Texas, California, and Arizona, and watching History Channel's series on gangs, called Gangland, I am just utterly amazed at how much damage drugs have done. How many innocent lives have been robbed. I don't know if it will ever change and I think that is what saddens me the most.

1. I rented a cute movie today called Bedtime stories. It stars Adam Sandler, Keri Russel, Courtney Cox, and Russell Brand. I give it a B+. It is rated G and is silly as most Disney movies are but it has a nice, but predictable ending. It's a good date movie... or a nice move for men who are unemployed and watching it in their parent's basement while eating Tostitos, drinking warm cans of Pepsi, and wearing sweat pants. It's too bad I don't know anybody who did that!

2. Although I was casually cheering for Michigan State yesterday because I am a Big 10 Conference homer, it was hard not to be entertained and impressed by how North Carolina part by part dismantled the Spartans. Plus, although they lose Tyler Hansbrough, this Tar Heel team could be fantastic next year.

3. I was always loyal to Conan O'Brien and I think that loyalty has let me miss out on the hilarity that Craig Ferguson's show has. His bits with comedian Steven Wright are hysterical. I don't often stay up that late but in the future, I might more often.

4. A friend of mine sent me this link with Shaq's greatest quotes: http://blacksportsonline.com/index/2009/04/shaq.html. Here are some of my favorites from skimming the list:

A) "There is no answer to the Pythagorean theorem. Well, there is an answer, but by the time you figure it out, I got 40 points, 10 rebounds, and then we're planning for the parade."
B) REPORTER: You're in very good shape these days. What's your secret?
SHAQ: I was with your mother last week. She took care of me very well.
C) "It's hard being the NBA's sex symbol, but somebody has to do it."
D) "Being that I'm a tropical black man I don't get to see much snow. When I see snow I go crazy. That's why they call me Sasquatch. There's no Sasquatch found in the snow so I had to go back to my Sasquatchian roots." (Referring to starting a snowball fight with teammates at Denver's airport.)

5. Currently listening to "Across the Sea" from Weezer. Album: Pinkerton.

Beardgate - 2009

What a whirlwind weekend! I left for Iowa on a beautiful Friday and left Sunday driving through a blizzard! Before I arrived in Des Moines, I spent an hour in Ames and enjoyed a nice dinner with Koo and Allie at The Cafe. I was excited to hear about some new nice dining options in Ames. After dinner I headed to Des Moines to see Aaron and Lauren. I am amazed everytime I come to Des Moines now to see how it is constantly changing. While most of the country suffers from unemployment at 10%, Des Moines economy is buzzing along nicely with only about a 4% unemployment rate. Aaron and Lauren live in a very trendy, brand new, yuppie area of Des Moines. After hanging out with their new eight week old dachsund puppy (who by the way is the same size as my shoe! Apparently he will double in size though) Aaron and Lauren took me to this fun bar named Tonic; which was near their place. We drank a bit too much, had a lot of laughs, and crashed. After sleeping in Saturday, I was off to my friend Trevor's wedding in New Sharon, IA. NS is a tiny town with one stop light, two churches, and half a dozen bars. The wedding was elegant, and very pleasant. Despite me only going to seven or so weddings in my life, I always enjoy going to them. It was refreshingly beautiful when Trevor choked up while reading his vows to Steph. It was just such a nice wedding - simple but special. In my heart, I will always be the hopeless romantic. Unfortunately, I didn't know anyone except the bride and groom and I didn't stick around all that long after the wedding. After the two hour drive back from New Sharon back to Des Moines, I met Aaron and Lauren at a really awesome bar called Blue Moon. I wish this type of place was in Minneapolis. Sunday morning, I attempted to leave Aaron's place at 10:30 in the morning but due to legitimate blizzard conditions, I didn't get home until 9:00 tonight. What a mess!

1. I have officially now not shaved in a month. My beard has moved beyond the hipster swanky to unattractively gross - to that I just laugh. The reaction by almost everyone is either fake compliments or genuine disgust. Assuming I never get laid off again, this could be my last real opportunity to not shave in a month. I was curious to see what I would look like. The verdict is in; clean shaven is more my bag. I will shave sometime this week.

2. Currently listening to "Flathead" by The Fratellis.

Almost Famous

I have read mixed reviews on the Bears trading two first round picks and a third round pick for Jay Cutler. I really like the trade for both teams. A lot of critics are saying the Bears gave up too much. That's all relative because draft picks are question marks. If the Bears continue to draft terribly in the first round (Cedric Benson, Rashan Salaam, Curtis Enis, et cetera) or will they draft future pro bowlers? What they received was a 25 year old pro bowler with his best years ahead of him. So many teams are constantly worried about the future, that they never worry about winning in the present. The Bears are not going to win the Superbowl this year but they have put themselves in a good position to win it in two or three years. It doesn't matter how good the Vikings' linebacking corps are. It doesn't matter how strong their cornerbacks are. If they don't have a good quarterback, they will never win the Superbowl.

1. Last night I picked up my sister and we saw the new Paul Rudd/Jason Segal movie I Love You, Man. It's good, not spectacular, but worth seeing. I give the movie a B and I would probably advise you to wait until it comes to DVD. It was funny, quick, and actually pretty believable.

2. I am off to Iowa for the weekend.

3. Currently listening to "The Tide" by The Spill Canvas

Bacon

It is not very often that I am blown away by a film. It is fair to say that although I am not a film critic I watch a lot of movies and it is one of my favorite hobbies. Besides the news and sports games, most of my TV watching is movies. Yesterday night I was reminded why I love movies. It was about 8:00 and after a day of basically not leaving the computer looking for employment, I headed out to Blockbuster and watched the movie Seven Pounds. I didn't know much about it except my sister had seen it and enjoyed it. I give the movie an A+. I thought it was better than Slumdog Millionaire, Will Smith should have won best actor over Sean Penn, and Woody Harrelson should have at least been nominated for best supporting actor. I don't want to talk about the plot because it would give it away. Very rarely do you pause a movie just to admire how good of acting job an actor did. Heath Ledger did that in The Dark Knight. Woody Harrelson did that in Seven Pounds.

1. By far my favorite website, besides this one of course, is youtube.com. I think my favorite part of the website is all the cool stuff I can find on bands I like. I have found rare, hidden demos of The Beatles. Acoustic performances of cool songs by Weezer, Jimmy Eat World, and more that would never make a CD. What a great website.

2. Fortunately there is some good news with the Fargo floods. The river is slowly beginning to recede. Despite the river reaching its highest height ever, at around 43 feet tall, thanks to the National Guard and so many volunteers that the Red Cross is actually turning down volunteers, the sandbags, dams, and other assorted tools are doing the trick to prevent a regional disaster. This is crisis management performed brilliantly.

3. The Associated Press is reporting that almost one million Americans were laid off in the month of March alone.

4. Currently listening to Teenage Wasteland by The Who.