Nowhere boy

Life is good. The weather is a moderate 45 degrees, all four major sports are playing games right now, college football is in the thick of their season, and college basketball tips off in three weeks. Vikings are 6-1, Cyclones one game from being bowl eligible, and the Wolves are undefeated. I thought all was right with the world. Life was too good for a moment. Naturally, I headed over to read the latest on Rush Limbaugh for my weekly dose of humility. Topic of the day? AIDS. "I don't doubt that the number of H1N1 cases out there is being hyped. And for many of the same reasons AIDS was - and still is - hyped in Africa. Everything in Africa is called AIDS. The reason is they get aid money for it. AIDS is the biggest pile of the biggest pot they throw money into."

I will allow you a moment to control yourself from laughing. According to avert.org, there are currently 22 million Africans living with AIDS. Last year alone, almost two million people died of AIDS. Yeah, it's just all hype Rush.

1. www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8Xs4GfFrM8. This is the trailer for the new movie about the early life of John Lennon. I am outrageously excited.

2. Little in life has given me as much satisfaction as the Levi Johnston/Sarah Palin feud. Yesterday, Palin said, "Those who would sell their body for money reflect a desperate need for attention and are likely to say or do anything for even more competition." Of course Palin is talking about Johnston's upcoming Playgirl appearance. Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Palin doing beauty pageants when she was Johnston's age?

3. Currently listening to "electric feel" by MGMT.

"offensive" play

Malcom Gladwell is one of the most interesting social commentators of our time. Author of books like Blink, and contributors to magazines like Newsweek and The New Yorker, naturally I was intrigued when someone forwarded me an article that had two of my favorite topics - social commentary... and football?

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/10/19/091019fa_fact_gladwell?currentPage=1

The article is long, but worth your time. In this New Yorker piece, Gladwell equates modern day football as barbaric as cockfighting and bullfighting - with the only difference being that the animals normally die a quick death, in football, the damage results in a slow, painful death. According to the article, recent science predicts there are extremely negative consequences to the brain as a result of long-term football - dementia, depression, Alzheimer's, slurred speech, among others. According to the article, a typical NFL linemen in his career (and his college career) will be hit in the head 18,000 times. This results in serious brain damage. This does not include the arthritis, knee operations, hip operations, shoulder operations, and other long term damage to the body of former football players. Obviously there are differences between bullfighting/dogfighting and football - the animals have no choice in what they do. Do I think football is going away anytime soon? No. But in the 19th century, it could be argued that dogfighting was the most popular sport in America. I'm not entirely sure what needs to happen, but as more and more reports come out on the long term consequences of football, it will certainly make the sports less attractive. Of course, the fastest growing sport in terms of popularity is Mixed Martial Arts. So what do I know?

1. Yesterday was kind of a Halloween themed night. Candy apples, carving pumpkins, pumpkin seeds, making Halloween decorations for the party, and watching Horror movies all resulted in a fun Monday night. I watched the movie The Grudge. I don't really get "scared" by horror movies; I am just basically bored by them. I didn't appreciate the absurd gore. And I am still creeped out by some of the bathroom scenes. Yuck.

2. It was a nice weekend (minus the weather). Friday night, I hung out with some friends in Evanston. It was an early night as I was up early for some tailgating at Northwestern. I was fortunate to watch the greatest comeback in Wildcat football history. Down 28-3, they came back to win 29-28. The Cardiac Cats were alive. After some football watching with the guys, and a late night party at a friend's house with Allie, I spent Sunday relaxing with Nimit. It was a quiet, but nice weekend.

3. As you might know, I am a big Flight of the Conchords fan. I am pretty excited for the new Sci-Fi comedy movie Gentlemen broncos, with Jermaine Hess. However, I am anxious/excited for Boondock Saints II. They are quite a bit older now... still as badass?

4. I know this is going to sound weird... but I enjoy reading Larry King's twitter page: http://twitter.com/KingsThings. He writes the most random things. "Why don't restaurants have scratch n sniff?" "Where did all the station wagons go?" I love it.

5. Currently listening to "Tunnels" by Arcade Fire.

Looking over my shoulder

As much as I might complain about President Obama not getting his agenda done as quickly as I would like, it could be worse in 2009... you could be a Republican. I was watching CNN this morning and I heard some pretty alarming stats for the GOP. According to their polling, only 20% of Americans identify themselves as Republicans. That is the lowest it has been in decades. About double that amount identify themselves as Democrats; the rest are independent. Again, according to CNN, only 36% of Americans have a favorable opinion of Republicans, and 54% disapprove of Republicans in Congress. Democrats have a 53/41% approval/disapproval rating. I wrote briefly earlier this week how Republicans voted against the Franken anti-rape amendment, solely for political reasons. The problem in the GOP is that they care less about the United States making progress, and more about winning political battles. I am not the only one to think this. Prominent Republicans feel this way also. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush said, "I sense that our party is kind of in a nostalgic mode where we look back to the good old days. However good they were, and there were some good days, is completely irrelevant in 2009... We just can't be the party of no. Republicans need to offer, based on their own principles, solutions to these problems." In addition, Republican senator Chuck Hagel said, "As some Republican senators have said publicly -- that if we kill Obama on this, and we destroy this, and we defeat his, that will drive a stake through his political heart on this administration. I just find that about as irresponsible of a thing as I can think of."

1. Anay, Anay's roommate, and I watched a movie called Away We Go this afternoon. I enjoyed it. I give it a A-/B+. It's a dramedy about the struggle a couple (John Krasinski of The Office, and Maya Rudolph of SNL) who is expecting baby has, and their interactions with their friends and family. Jim Gaffigan has a small cameo and is absolutely hysterical.

2. Cool Halloween costume: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC08Lx-zkhI

3. Governor Schwarzanegger has cleared the way for a 75,000 seat football stadium in LA. He is allowing the stadium to not have to follow the state's tough environmental laws - therefore quickening the time it would take to a get a new stadium. The new potential owner, Ed Roskie Jr, has said he is talking to seven teams (including Minnesota) about moving to California. The good news is that it looks like he is targeting the St. Louis Rams and San Diego Chargers first.

Long sleeved shirts under short sleeved shirts under long sleeved shirts

After a bit of a crappy week, yesterday was a fun night. At Chicago's famous, historic Riviera Theater, I saw the pop singer, Mika. The concert was theatrical, fun, kitsch (but in a good way), and the music was awesome. The crowd was on there feet the whole time, dancing, and singing. The eclectic crowd gave Mika a standing ovation that went longer than anything other performer I have ever seen. Also, The Riviera is a great place for a show. All in all, I give the concert an A+

1. "I'm glad they found the balloon boy in the attic. I thought Michael Jackson was ordering take-out." Too soon?

2. Last night I was watching The Daily Show when I learned about a new piece of legislation brought to congress by Senator Al Franken. Franken's amendment would eliminate the loopholes that stop defense contractors' employees from suing them if they are raped. This stems from an issue last year when former Halliburton employee Jamie Lee Jones was raped, and locked in a crate. Because of fine print in her employee contract, she was not allowed to sue Halliburton. This seems like a slam dunk that all 100 senators would support. However, in 2009, politics is politics. 32 senators voted against this amendment. Surprise surprise!!! They were all Republicans who did not vote for this. Is this Republicans looking out for Halliburton? Are they just angry with Al Franken? Politics as usual? Needless to say, Jon Stewart had a great piece about the story: http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-october-14-2009/rape-nuts

You've got fail

Well, this weekend sucked. After three shifts, I think I may have accidentally stumbled onto the worst job ever. Besides being expected to work six days a week (everyday except Monday) from 3-11:00, the pay is terrible, I am on my feet for the whole time, with no breaks. The time either moves with the pace of a continent, or I am completely blitzed with a ton of customers and I am the only server. Again, there is one chef/manager, one dishwasher/busboy, and I handle everything else from serving, hosting, clearing dishes, cleaning, answering phones, doing take-out orders, et cetera. The manager also was furious at me that I had not, after three days, memorized the complete menu of seventy items. I am expected to know the price, what is in every kind of dish, what they all look like, et cetera. It is not like when I worked at Green Mill. It was pretty easy to tell the difference between a hamburger and ravioli. It is quite a bit harder to tell the difference between an Alaska Roll and a Dynamite Roll. A piece of Unagi vs. a piece of Tako. I also mentioned that the dishwasher/busboy does not speak English and the manager speaks only broken English. The manager asked me yesterday not to talk to him at all, even if it is for help when I am busy while he is working because "it is not his job". Sigh. This does not even include all the normal stresses of being a server - complaints about food, long hours, late nights, spending your weekends at work instead of friends, angry customers. It was just a very lonely weekend. I have no one to talk to at work, and because of the hours, I can't see any friends either. The real question is whether I quit now, or wait until a better job.

1. I am embarassed to say that on Thursday, for about thirty minutes, I was captivated by the boy in the balloon flying over Colorado. (The boy's name was Falcon.) Today, I read that the police are filing charges against him because the whole thing was a hoax with the hopes by the family to get a reality show. The biggest problem with the gene pool... no lifeguards. The parents will likely be charged with conspiracy, delinquency of a minor, filing a false police report, and attempting to influence a public servant. Can you imagine how much money those bonehead parents cost the state of Colorado when you take into accounts, helicopters, police, firefighters, et cetera?

2. There is a great article in this week's Newsweek from slate.com writer Jacob Weisberg about how the Obama administration should continue to ignore Fox News. Here is a small excerpt: Whether the White House engages with Fox is a tactical political question. Whether we journalists continue to do so is an ethical one. By appearing on Fox, reporters validate its propaganda values and help to undermine the role of legitimate news organizations. Respectable journalists—I'm talking to you, Mara Liasson—should stop appearing on its programs. A boycott would make Roger Ailes too happy, so let's try just ignoring Fox for a while. And no, I don't want to come on The O'Reilly Factor to discuss it. You can find the whole article at: http://www.slate.com/id/2232563/pagenum/all/#p2

Working my way back to you

It is certainly not what I expected to be doing over nine months after being laid off. With a 3.9 GPA, and work experience from a nationally known media company, I assumed I would have secured something full time by now. However, seven days ago I decided enough is enough and I was going to accept part-time work at a restaurant close to my apartment. I just got home from my first day at Rollapalooza. It is only a ten minute walk from my apartment. Roll is a Japanese restaurant; specializing in sushi. The food is outstanding and the prices are reasonable. I wish I would have discovered it when I first moved here. There are only three employees. Naturally, I am the only one who can speak English. Let's just say the training period was challenging at best. There is one server/host, one chef/manager (who can speak broken English), and one dishwasher/assistant cook (who just moved to America three weeks ago). The money was average; but the customers were loyal, knowledgeable, and nice. The restaurant opens at 3:00 and closes at 11:00. I got home at about 11:45. The good news is that the chef/manager likes me and wants me to work six days a week. Roll is closed on Monday. I was very honest with the manager. I explained that I took this job because I was laid off and I will work there until I am offered a full time position. He seemed fine with that, as long as I promised to give him a full two weeks notice. I thought that was reasonable. I found the position because there was a help wanted sign on the door. The manager must have forgot to take down the sign because three people came into asking if we were still hiring. With starting work at 3:00, I should have plenty of time to interview in the mornings. Bottom line, it's not a perfect situation, but it's money - paid in cash.

1. One of the most beloved Minnesotans of all-time is singer/songwriter Bob Dylan. For four decades, Dylan has been performing his hits like Hurricane, Blowin in the Wind and Like a Rolling Stone (which three years ago Rolling Stone Magazine named the single greatest song ever.) Naturally, when I heard that Dylan had just come out with a Christmas album, I was intrigued. However, I was horrified when I read that the Chicago Tribune gave the album zero stars out of four. Until I listened to it on Youtube. That's enough, Dylan. You are humiliating yourself. Take a listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fc1CSRPvKfw

2. Last night's episode of The Office was unbearably unfunny. It is season six of the show. Unfortunately, I think they are about a season too long. The writers have just run out of funny ideas. It pained me to write that.

I just want to live while I'm alive

As most of you know, I have always been a hypocritical health nut. I pride myself on eating healthy and working out. I'm a hypocrite because I also love food; and although I know the rules to being healthy, put a plate of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies in front of me... and I turn into Kirstie Alley at an Old Country Buffet. I have been reading more and more about the idea of doing a seven day detox. I would spend the first 48 hours on a juice only diet, followed by two more days of eating just fruits and vegetables, then four days of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and fish. I have been reading some books, magazines, and websites and I am convinced more than ever that this would be a good thing to do once a year.

1. Congratulations for Chicago for royally pissing me off once again! Starting in the beginning of 2010, they are going to raise their bus and train rates from $2.25 to $3.00 per ride. In addition, they are going to raise their monthly rates from $76 to $110. Apparently the Chicago Transit Authority is $300,000,000 in debt. Gee... do you think there is a bit of corruption in this city?

2. It is about time the Bears trade a 2nd-4th road pick to the Bills for Terrell Owens. The Bills are terrible and Owens' contract expires at the end of the year. The Bears are one good wide receiver from contending for a Super Bowl. The trade makes too much sense... so it won't happen.

3. I am very disappointed with the way the Twins played in the post-season. It is amazing that the Twins, with as tiny of budget as they have, to make the playoffs five out of the past six years. However, they have only won two out of their past 18 playoff games. They got swept this year by the Yankees and ended up 0-10 against the Yankees in 2009.

4. I read in the Red Eye that Fox has already renewed The Cleveland Show for two more years. I am a huge fan of Seth McFarland and Family Guy. However, The Cleveland Show is terrible.

Civil Rights in 2009

Living very close to Boystown, the area of Chicago that is very gay friendly, I have been surrounded by a lot of information about the gay pride parades around the country. This past weekend, there was a massive support rally in Washington DC. Many prominent gays find these types of parades ineffective towards their goals of equality. Even Barney Frank, the first openly gay congressman, has said that the march on Washington this weekend was, "a waste of time at best." I would tend to disagree with Representative Frank. There are several important issues that gays are still dealing with in 2009. We all know about gay marriage. I have blogged about that on several occasions. After reading and talking to some people, it seems there are still several key issues worth marching on. 1, make discrimination based on sexual orientation a national law. According to the Chicago Tribune, there are only 21 states that currently have such nondiscrimination laws. This is clearly outdated, absurd, and needs to be remedied immediately. The good news, according to the Tribune, is that about two months ago, the Federal Employment Nondiscrimination Act was introduced to congress. It is currently being debated and will hopefully be approved soon. 2, 45 states currently have additional punishment for hate crimes, of those 45 states, only 18 include sexual orientation. Again, there is good news on this front. Last week, congress introduced the Matthew Shepard Act, of course named after the Wyoming teenager who was beaten to death primarily for his open homosexuality. The Matthew Shepard Act would include sexual orientation discrimination under the guidelines of a hate crime. Lastly, President Obama has pledged to end don't ask don't tell. According to the Tribune, since 1994, 13,500 members of our military have been discharged due to the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy. I guess the bottom line is that huge improvements have been made but there still is a lot of work left to do. With a liberal president, house, and senate, hopefully great strides can be made in America towards equal rights for all.

1. Besides the terrible weather, I had a fantastic weekend. Friday was very casual. I watched some of the Twins playoff game, and then Anay, Anay's girlfriend Allie, and my roommates and I all watched Conan and Tool Academy. Saturday started with some football, followed by my cousin's weddings in the suburbs, and then a group of us went to The Gold Coast for the night. Sunday, I met my family for some lunch. It was a really nice weekend.

2. I rented the movie Year One with Jack Black, Olivia Wilde, and Michael Cera. It is an absolutely dreadful movie. I give it a D.

Say it aint snow!

I read this morning on CNN.com that President Obama has won the Nobel Peace Prize? Everybody here knows I am an Obama guy... but even I am flummoxed. I guess I just don't know what great accomplishments, or accomplishment Obama has in his belt that would warrant, arguably, the most impressive award in the world. Correct me if I am wrong, but we are still fighting multiple wars. I worry though if the prize has lost its prestige due to its apparent liberal bias. In the past five years alone, Obama, Al Gore, and Jimmy Carter have won. I anxiously await to hear what pricks like Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity have to say about this.

1. Did anyone watch The Office wedding last night? Decent episode. I saw that Dwight pulled out the infamous Three Wolf Moon shirt. Which, by the way, is currently the #3 selling clothing item on Amazon.com

2. The weather report says it is supposed to slow late Saturday night/early Sunday morning. Roar!

3. Even though the Twins are facing an uphill battle, the fact that they made the playoffs is nothing short of amazing. First off, they had to win 16 out of their last 20 games just to tie the Tigers. Then they had to win a one game playoff. But this isn't even including the injuries. The list of Twins out for the year due to injuries is the longest I have ever seen. MVP award winner Justin Morneau, starting third basemen and former all-star Joe Crede, four of their five starting pitchers at the beginning of the year, two of their relievers that started the year, and other players. The team keeps winning with very little baseball talent. I am very impressed.

4. Rush Limbaugh has made a bid to buy the St. Louis Rams. Thank goodness I am not a fan of the Rams. Immediately I would have a team to root against every week!

5. I have to admit I got a lot of joy upon MSNBC's list of the best and worst cities in America. Minneapolis came in #1 in the country in intelligence, and cleanest cities. It also ranked in the top five in terms of friendliness, airports, and affordability. Chicago meanwhile ranked high in hotels, restaurants, and museums.

6. Currently listening to "Nobody gonna break my stride" by Matthew Wilder

I'm so low; you can't crawl under me.

I've had better weekends. I drove home to Minnesota this weekend. It was cold and rainy all weekend. Saturday morning my Dad and I went went to check out the new TCF Bank Stadium - where the University of Minnesota football team plays. Being the newest stadium in the country, I had very high expectations. I give the stadium an A-/B+. The Bank's design is gorgeous. It's a horseshoe design with the majority of seats having a great view of the Minneapolis skyline. However, the concourses are a bit tight and the bathrooms are designed terribly. They only have one door. Literally hundreds of people are trying to enter and leave the bathroom at the same time. In addition, it was 38 degrees at kick-off, raining, and I only had a sweatshirt on. It is just possible that this poor planning resulted in my current cold/congestion. Naturally, the Gophers lost a heart breaker to rival Wisconsin. After the game, we stuck around and got to take a tour of the locker room. It is the largest locker room in all of sports. Spanning 60 yards long, and 40 yards wide, with gorgeous cherry wood, it is the most impressive locker room I have ever seen. After the tour, I went to a bar to catch the Iowa State game. They lost by one point. My day was made better by a nice meal with my old college friend Nick Willson and later on some TFI Friday's with Tieds. The rest of the weekend was very casual. I did enjoy visiting with Humanzee and Miss Humanzee. They seem to be doing well; and that makes me happy.

1. On Friday night I checked out a new restaurant in Eden Prairie called Kona. Awesome!

2. It might be time to suspend use of the word Cougar. It's becoming absurdly banal.

3. Did anyone else see how much Saturday Night Live ripped on Chicago?! Yikes! Almost as good as Conan's feud with Newark.

4. Currently listening to "Music is my hot hot sex" by CSS.

back to the Sota

After a long, rain soaked, road trip, I am back in the great state of Minnesota. The state welcomed me back with miserable winds, freezing weather, darkness, and coldness. That's okay, I still have a sloppy grin of nostalgic happiness whenever I zoom around the downtowns, and finally head back home. After two interviews this week, I am ever the optimist that I will get a phone call today that somebody wants me to start on Monday. It's time.

1. When I picked up both of the local newspapers, both the Pioneer Press and the Star Tribune had serious warnings from the Minnesota Vikings that they fully intend to move the team unless the state of Minnesota pays for a new stadium. I am furious with the politicians in Minnesota. Yes, it will be an initial short term investment, but it would be an economic disaster for the state if the team leaves. Minnesota is above all else, a football state. Last week, the Vikings vs. 49ers game earned an unheard of 64 share of the TV market. For non-TV rubes, that means that 64% of households with a TV had the Minnesota Vikings game on in the Twin Cities market. If that is not the highest in the country, it is darn close. The Vikings deal with the Metrodome runs through 2011. The Vikings have absolutely no contracts after that. Contracts with vendors, sponsors, et cetera. All of them end in 2011. This is the Vikings laying the foundation for a move. And if they do, the Vikings will have no one to blame but themselves. Don't take this as me excusing the Vikings. With the Twins and Gophers leaving, the Vikings are free to revamp the Metrodome to their own liking. No, they not only want a brand new, outdoor stadium, they are blackmailing the state to pay for it. As much as this irritates me, the economic loss of the Vikings loss is too great not put up the money. Think of all the restaurants, hotels, tourism, TV deals, radio deals, and more that would suffer if the Vikings move to LA, San Antonio, or Portland. Come on Governor Pawlenty. Come on Minnesota politicians. Get your act together.

2. Speaking of major sports disappointments. The International Olympic Committee had narrowed down their list of potential 2016 Summer Olympic choices to Madrid, Rio, Tokyo, and Chicago. Chicago finished with the fewest amount of votes... by far. I think this is for two reasons. One, the city was completely uninterested. If half of the city residents don't want the Olympics, you don't think the IOC will notice that? Second, the city has become the murder capital of America. In just September, there were over fifty homicides. The city of Chicago has become unbearably dangerous. When I talk to my Chicago friends, they seem to brush off Chicago's reputation as a super dangerous city. The truth is that it is not just how it is perceived, it is the reality. Chicago is becoming way way way too unsafe.

3. I recently watched the movie Primal Fear. This is the movie that came out ten years ago that starts Edward Norton and Richard Gere. Norton won the academy award for his portrayal of an alter boy accused of murdering his priest. I give the movie an A+. I absolutely loved it. It is a dark drama that has awesome twists and tremendous writing/acting.

4. Two nights ago I saw the musical Jersey Boys. I don't know what I can write that hasn't been written a thousand times. The music is awesome, the acting was great, and it was so much fun. Even the theater, Bank of America Theater in Chicago was spectacular.

5. Currently listening to "I heard it through the grapevine" by CCR.