Road Thrill

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. Mine was a whirlwind. I spent most of it in Wisconsin, with a very brief Minnesota appearance for one night. I certainly miss my family when I am in Chicago. I enjoy every moment when I am back in the 'sota.


1. People who have read my blog are well aware of my views on Lady Gaga. Although her songs are undeniably catchy, she just rubs me the wrong way in interviews. She is crazy. I do not believe it is all an act... I think she is flat out nuts. What I did not realize is that she actually is highly intelligent. She began at Julliard at 11. She attended NYU's performance school before dropping out to pursue her music career. I guess Gaga was some kind of piano prodigy. I am impressed.

2. Did anyone else watch Glee Wednesday night? I am hardly one to be accused of being overly-sensitive, but, the scene where the cast sang "Imagine" with the hearing impaired children was incredibly moving.

3. Good for you Rolling Stone magazine. I see you have 17 year old Taylor Lautner wearing a wet t-shirt, and seductively posing on your cover this week. I did not realize you were trying to be the next Tiger Beat.

Drove to Chicago. All things know. All things know.

Well, that was one of my more whirlwind weekends. Friday night, was really fun. It was my roommate, Ann's, birthday. She celebrated it at this really cool, chic, nightclub downtown called Landmark. I don't care to discuss how much money was spent... but it was all worth it. Saturday while my friends were sleeping in until mid-day, I had to be at work at 9:00. I survived that enough to come home and watch my teams embarrass themselves. Moving on, Saturday night I went over to Allie's apartment. Her roommate has a birthday this weekend, and her girlfriend (yes, her roommate is gay), was throwing her a surprise party. I always love and have loved surprise parties; this was no exception. It also allowed me to get out of my comfort zone; being surrounded by so many people from an alternative lifestyle. I think I made some new friends and had a nice night. Although at 24, I think I am ready to retire from playing flippy cup, and drinking Busch Light. I was really excited for Sunday though. Nathan Lane, possibly the most talented living theater actor of our generation, has been in Chicago for a new show, The Addam's Family. It was a musical, quite strange, but still overall funny and enjoyable. Nathan Lane was of course brilliant. I also loved seeing the show in The Oriental Theater. Absurdly gaudy, but also resplendently beautiful, The Oriental Theater is a Chicago treasure.

1. Joe Mauer won the American League MVP award today. He received all but one first place vote? Who was the idiot that did not vote him for first? About this time last year I said the Twins desperately need to sign Mauer to an extension. How many tens of millions of dollars did that mistake cost the Twins.

2. In a recent Des Moines Register article, 68% of Iowa Republicans "like what they see" out of Sarah Palin. I would love nothing more than for Palin to win the Republican nomination. Obama would destroy her in 2012. Unfortunately ladies and gentlemen, we are not that far away from campaigning season again for the 2010 mid-term elections.

3. I have a question about stretching. I am not very flexible and really need to work on it. How long should I hold one stretch position to gradually become more lithe? I have heard anywhere from 30 seconds to 120 seconds is necessary. I don't like stretching but if I want to reach optimum health, it is something I need to reincorporate into my work-outs.

4. Currently listening to "Chicago" by Sufjan Stevens.

The daytime of the night.

The fashion industry has made huge strides in the past twenty years to brand themselves differently. Instead of having just paper-thin models, the industry has embraced a wide spectrum of models - tall, short, thin, and more curvy. There is most certainly a direct correlation between the amazing amount of women that suffer from Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia. The industry has had a rough month though. First there was the Calvin Klein ad a month ago with one of the skinniest models I have ever seen that drew ire from the media. Then today I read in the paper that Kate Moss has outraged many by claiming on her website (taken directly from pro-anorexia websites), "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels". Miss Moss should be ashamed at herself. Considering she has battled eating disorders and drug addiction for the past fifteen years, one might expect more from her.


1. Do you remember some of the big protests after the elections in Iran a few months ago? Well, the Iranian government was not happy about this world wide embarrassment. They gathered up the ring leaders and they are now sentenced to death. They were charged with "corruption" and my favorite, "Acts against God".

2. I saw two movies in the past few days. One, the new Star Trek movie. I give it a solid B. It's entertaining, easy to follow, and I left pleased. Chicago also has this really cool idea of mixing a bar and a movie theater and calling it a "brew and view". Last night some friends and I saw The Hangover. I had seen it this past June and liked it. Although at times it was a little noisy in the theater - a consequence of us being in the back row right next to the bar - but it was still fun. The guys all enjoyed it. The women said it was "funny at parts but mainly just gross."

3.

Lorenzo Van Matterhorn

I did want to give a quick shout-out to Chipotle. According to their website (yes, I was on the Chipotle website today) says that more than 60% of their beef is naturally raised. Their beef uses no growth hormones, antibiotics, and is fed a vegetarian diet. Call me a softie, but I am willing to pay a little more to a website if I know that the animal product they used was treated humanely and slaughtered humanely.

1. What on earth are you doing Newsweek?! I was a little surprised when I got my mail today and I saw Sarah Palin in a revealing running suit with the caption, "How do you solve a problem like Sarah?" Was that picture necessary? I get it that sex sells. I understand many men find Ms. Palin to be attractive. But you are Newsweek, not Rollingstone or Maxim. I expected better and I am disappointed. Her new book came out today. All this extra publicity will do is help her sell more books. This time I do agree with Palin's whining that it is blatant sexism? When Obama, McCain, Romney, and the other men were running for president, they had suits on for their cover articles. With Palin... you have her in short-shorts. Again, I expected more.

2. I see the Timberwolves have started out this year 1-9. Terrific.

I forgot to remember to forget.

It was kind of a throw-back weekend; and I mean that in a good way. I know that next weekend is going to be pretty crazy; and I just wanted to chill this past weekend. Friday night some friends and came over after a nice Mexican dinner, relaxed, played some games, and just relaxed. Saturday, after doing some work, Allie and I decided that we would go bowling. Now, I have gone bowling many times. Never has beer been brought into the picture before. Take into account the beer, the cosmic lighting, and Neal Diamond's "Sweet Caroline", it was a really fun night. I didn't do a lot Sunday. After one last epic tennis match with Nimit, I watched two movies on TV. One was The Count of Monte Cristo. It came out about seven years ago and was excellent. After that was The Rock... a classic.

1. I have been reading my health publications and I have been reading a lot about the supplements Ginseng and Ginkgo Biloba. What do you think? I already take a variety of supplements - acai, flaxseed, multivitamin, calcium, fish oil... I am leery about taking anymore. But I want to be as healthy as possible too. Thoughts? I am certainly not a physician.

2. As the Thanksgiving season arrives, please remember the neediest amongst us. Today's cover USA TODAY article is about those hungry in America. According to the article, last year, 49 million Americans went hungry or were without a sufficient amount of food at some point last year. That is about one in seven Americans. That is the highest number of Americans who are hungry since 1995. It is also up 45% since 2007. In addition, two years ago 29.5 million Americans were on food stamps, this year it is 36 million. President Obama has promised to help fight the war on poverty by boosting food stamps, and providing more options for children's lunch programs. This is just another obvious sign that we need the economy to turn around as soon as possible.

The Ultimate Necessary Evil

I was watching the news today about President Obama's recent trip to China. I have been interested in American/Chinese relations ever since reading the Ted Fishman book China, Inc. If anybody think America is the only super-power, they are sadly mistaken. It is about time that we had a President who recognizes it and sees the need to engage in dialogue with the Chinese government. Don't get me wrong, Chinese human rights policy, their policy on the government, Tibet, and on and on has me absolutely disgusted. But, for the benefit of America, we need to encourage Obama to continue conversations. China will be key in how the world deals with North Korea. Can Obama convince the Chinese to stop making deals with corrupt middle eastern governments. Can Obama stress the importance of dealing with global climate change. I hope this is the first of many trips Obama makes to China.


1. I finished the book Life of Pi by Yann Martel yesterday. I started the book with outrageous expectations. It is one of the favorites of many of my friends. I liked it but did not necessarily love it. The beginning of the book was fascinating, and the end was terrific. But for a short book, the meat of the book seemed a bit drawn out and I was bored. I would still recommend it though.



2. While perusing the Tribune today, I was actually pretty shocked to hear that Playboy is in big financial trouble. In its past ten years, it has lost $256 million. Because of this, the Chicago company is currently being sold. According to the article, the magazine itself is a necessary evil. They know that the magazine is bleeding money, but they need to keep it around because the Playboy logo, around the world, is a huge money maker. Right now Heffner owns 70% of the company.

It's Business... It's Business Time.

I apologize for the long day since my last post. I have been busy working hard on the new job; and my blog has taken a back-seat. Well, I'm back. This past weekend was fun. Chicago is known for their legendary jazz clubs. Friday night some friends and I went to Chicago's most famous club - The Green Mill. Infamous for being one of Al Capone's favorite hang-out, anyone who is anyone in jazz has played at this intimate night club. Drinks were pricey, it was really crowded, but the music was good, the vibe was fun, and I am glad I checked it out. After that it was a new Tapas restaurant in the Andersonville neighborhood, some sangria, and a late night viewing of Die Hard. Saturday was casual. Always good to see the Hawkeyes lose. I had dinner with Allie Saturday night and then we checked out this new Lakeview bar, The Purple Haze. When we started out, the Haze was casual, but as the night progressed, to Allie's delight, it turned into a giant Northwestern football alumni hang-out. It seemed like every notable Northwestern football alum from the past five years was there. Naturally, Allie was in heaven as she was surrounded by tall, muscular, NU men. But, I could not complain. C.J. Bacher bought Allie and I a round of drinks (three times!) The Purple Haze gets the Fidler seal of approval.

1. I have not seen a movie in the theaters since Inglorious Bastards. It was time to change that; and last night I saw Wild Things. I really liked it. I give it an A-. It is not a happy, fun Disney movie. The movie does not end neatly tied with a bow. Instead, you are left with sadness and question marks. Entertainment Weekly magazine gave the movie a perfect review and said it is more an art piece than a movie. Bottom line, I enjoyed it and I would love to know your thoughts.

2. Bears fans need to chill out. They are 4-4. Monday morning's Sun-Times' headline was, "Is this rock bottom?" As I was driving to a meeting yesterday, I turned on the Chicago sport's radio station, and both hosts said Lovie should resign after the season... Relax guys. If they go 4-12, that's one thing. Did Pittsburgh fire Bill Cowher three years ago when they went 6-10? No. Lovie is a good coach who is working with a weak offensive line, terrible receiving corp, and an injury plagued defense. If anything, get mad at general management, not Lovie.

3. It has been too long since I have pointed out something ridiculous that a prominent Republican has uttered. Today, that streak ends. Governor Rick Perry of Texas says, "This is an administration hell-bent on taking Americans toward a socialist country. And we all don't need to be afraid to say that because that's what it is." He later goes on to say that Obama is "punishing" Texas. How you may ask? He accused the Obama administration of purposely dumping illegal immigrants into Texas. And this man, Governor Perry, has been elected to the third most populous state in the United States. This is your America ladies and gentlemen.

doofus

Today I was watching the show "Mike and Mike in the morning" and they went through their top twenty list of things that make you a sports doofus. I don't remember them all, but here is what I remember and agree with:

A-Wearing your last name on a sports jersey.
B-Shooting an airball during a promotional event.
C-Proposing via Jumbotron
D-Wearing baseball pants to slow-pitch softball games
E-Getting a team or player related team tattoo

There were others but these were some that I liked. However, when I think of sports doofuses, it is hard for me to think of a bigger doofus than current Memphis Grizzly Antonie Walker. In his 12 years in the NBA, he has earned more than $110 million dollars. He has recently been in trouble for writing multiple bad checks, and he owes a Nevada casino tens of thousands of dollars. He is completely broke. Let's say when you take away taxes, agent fees, advisor fees, et cetera, he has $70 million dollars left. How can you possibly spend that amount of money? Well, after reading a few articles, it appears that it is because he is a complete chumbalone. At his peak with the Celtics, he was supporting up to forty people, and several people had access to his credit cards without his knowledge. He is only 33. Unbelievable.

1. My favorite new word might be "Chumbalone". Basically, a chumbalone is a slang word for an idiot. Pronounced Chum-Buh-Loan.

2. We are officially only 100 days away from the 2010 Olympics. Ready?

3. Final interview for a big job tomorrow. Very anxious.

This pains me to write this... but does the University of Iowa deserve to be the #1 ranked football team in the country? They certainly do not pass the eye-ball test, but the guys at Sports Illustrated make a decent case. Of all the undefeated teams, Iowa's opponents have the best overall record. The teams Iowa has beaten on the road have a combined record of 23-12. Iowa has beat three teams that are currently ranked (Wisconsin, Penn State, and Arizona),Texas has beaten two (OU and OSU), Boise State has beaten one (Oregon), Alabama has beaten one (Va Tech), and Florida has beaten one (LSU). Iowa also destroyed a better than average Iowa State on the roaad. I have always been a casual Northwestern fan. I will be rooting for the Wildcats to crush Iowa at Kinnick this Saturday. My guess is that NU has a lead in the 4th quarter and somehow the Hawkeyes clutch victory from the jaws of defeat. Let's say this Saturday that LSU beats Alabama and wins out the rest of the year. They would likely play Florida in the SEC championship game. What happens if LSU wins? What happens if Texas loses at A&M or in the Big 12 championship game? Is it possible we could have a Cincinnati versus Iowa national championship game? Or what if Iowa loses at Ohio State in two weeks? Could Cincinnati play Boise State in the national championship game? This is why I love college football.

1. I saw the new Transformers 2 movie today. It wasn't terrible, just not very good either. I give it a C. The special effects were good; but the acting/writing was so awful I fell asleep for the final thirty minutes and could care less how it ended.

2. Currently listening to "21 guns" by Green Day.

All the flavor, none of the fat.

This is your America ladies and gentlemen. I was in Evanston last night waiting for Allie to get done with work and I thought I would spend my time at Barnes and Noble. After I bought my cup of hot chocolate, I thought I would spend my time perusing the magazine rack. However, I was immediately distracted by one "book". Stars of The Hills, Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt have a new book called, "How to be Famous: Our guide to looking the part, playing the press, and becoming a tabloid fixture." The book has tips on how to embrace the paparazzi, and my favorite chapter, "How to look good on the outside." Now even Spencer Pratt is giving me fitness tips. But enough about Spencer, what kind of advice does Heidi have for me? Setting the feminist movement back three decades, in her chapter, "Women's Weapons of Mass Destruction" Heidi says that if women want to get their way, they should just cry whenever possible. I guess I am just amazed by the complete lack of self-awareness by these two. Either they are both incredibly stupid... or incredibly brilliant. My guess is that they are complete idiots but have an agent/manager who knows how to play and beat the system.


1. In news that maybe only I will appreciate, following the likes of Ron Artest, Kobe Bryant, and Shaq, former Duke basketball star, and current Orlando Magic shooting guard J.J. Reddick is releasing a rap album. Reddick one of the most hated, and whitest players ever lace up a pair of sneakers, expects his album to come out in early 2010. I have not been this excited for a rap album since Kevin Federline released, "Playing with fire".


2. Best episode of How I Met Your Mother ever last night.

Opinutainment

Another terrific Halloween weekend is finally wrapping up. Thursday night Mike arrived fully expecting a weekend with the expectation that we would make up for a lack of sleep with large amounts of food and drink. I don't think he was disappointed. I think the highlight was Allie's insane party Friday night. Everybody was in costume. Ann, Nim, Anay, Jim, Sarah, and the rest of the gang joined four or five dozen of our closest friends for a great start to a fun weekend at Allie's apartment. The party went quite late. Saturday during the day, everyone was tired. After a nice brunch, we spent most of the day relaxing, watching football, and being lazy. As night approached, we joined more people, walked around Wrigleyville, people watching was spectacular, and spent the night at this bar called Rebel.

1. So I guess I have a job now? I won't exactly be a senior vice president for Microsoft... but I have something. Starting next week, I will be a marketing consultant for a start-up software program, specializing in software for dentists. The company has not even launched yet... Name to be determined... I have lots of questions, but an offer was made, and I am pleased.

2. What were some of the best Halloween costumes people saw? My favorite moment might have been when two guys dressed as the d*ck in the box guys from SNL ran into the mother-f*ckers guys from SNL. Congratulations to the man at Rebel who showed up as a used tampon. Real classy.

3. Great Daily Show clip on his thoughts on Fox News: www.politicalwire.com/archives/2009/10/30/stewart_on_fox_news.html

4. Currently listening to "Kids" by MGMT.