Would you like an Amstel Light with that Whopper?

Okay Burger King, I'm listening. I woke up this morning, turned on Headline News so my girl Robin Meade can tell me what is going on with the world. Anyway, her "lead" story is that Burger King is going to start selling beer. They are going to try this out at one restaurant in Miami, and if it goes well, start adding it to most of their Burger King locations. I have not honestly been to a Burger King in a few years. However, I am intrigued at the idea and I will be monitoring how successful it will be.

1. Speaking of beer, there is a great Indiana brewery called Three Floyd's. They make a variety of delicious beer options. My favorite is Gumball Head. They sell it all over Chicago. One of the nice things about the Windy City is how it has introduced me to some great breweries. Goose Island's 312 is perfect if you are looking for a convenient, reasonably priced beer. And if you are feeling more adventurous, Point Beer from Steven's Point, Wisconsin is excellent. As well, I highly recommend anything from the Bell's Brewery in Michigan - in particular the Bell's Oberon. It is too bad I was not introduced to any of those in Minnesota or Iowa... well... maybe it is a good thing.

2. I was a little sad to see former Vice Presidential candidate, and North Carolina senator John Edwards divorce from his wife. I might agree with him on policy issues, but the man is a huge scumbag. He cheated on his wife, had a child with this mistress, tried to cover it up, and all of this is while his wife is slowly dying of incurable cancer.

3. It is not healthy for a 24 year old man to sit and day dream about current University of Kentucky freshman John Wall becoming a Timberwolf next year. It's not good; I'm working on it.

4. Currently listening to "Don't Bring Me Down" by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO)

Loserville USA: Population 5,220,993

It is the nature of the Minnesota sports fan to be the eternal cynic. While in Chicago, the expectations are Superbowls and World Series titles, in the land of 10,000 false hopes and heartbreaks, the expectations are at a minimum. The Minnesota nice mentality is that we are just happy to be there. The Twins are often times just a Quadruple A team to the big spending teams; the Gophers never cease to stop disappointing me, and the Target Center (Wolves) and Excel Energy Center (Wild) are home to the world's longest rebuilding projects. When Zygi Wilf bought the Vikings three years ago, he said he did not care about the failures of the past, instead we are going to win, win big, and win now. Gone was the mediocrity of Mike Tice as head coach, gone was the cheap spending of Red McCombs, gone were the knuckleheads like Randy Moss, and Daunte. No longer would Orlando Smith's whizzinator grace us with his presence. No longer would Dwight Smith be caught humiliating the team in stairwells of Minneapolis hotels. Wilf said we are going to out-research the league and draft well. They have. The past three drafts have been brilliant with Percy Harvin, Adrian Peterson, Cedric Griffen, Phil Loadholt, Sidney Rice, et cetera. Wilf has also made a commitment to get the best free agents available. The Vikings have hit home-runs with Visanthe Shiancoe, Chester Taylor, Steve Hutchinson, Antoine Winfield, Favre, Bernard Berrian, Pat Williams, and Jared Allen. All of this was done with one goal in mind: Superbowl, February 7th, 2010. No more rebuilding; the time is now. Chester Taylor will be gone next year, Favre will most likely retire, but for sure will not be any better next year. Pat Williams will likely retire. Antoine Winfield's best days are behind him. How long can Kevin Williams avoid the Starcapts trial? In the NFL, unless you have a franchise quarterback, your window to win is very short. With only one major injury (EJ Henderson) the whole Vikings line-up from Week One, was ready to make history in the Superdome yesterday night.

What a game, what a shame.

First off, I think the Vikings coaches developed a brilliant game plan against New Orleans. The Saints deserved to be the #1 seed. Their offense was electric all year. Between Brees, Bush, Colston, and Meachem, the Saints had the most fun offense since the Greatest Show on Turf. However, defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier completely shut-down their run, and the secondary confused Brees for the whole game. Statisically, Brees had one of his worst games in years. The recipe for the Vikings loss was one part terrible special teams coverage, allowing two big returns, and five parts fumbalitis. The fact that the Vikings had five turnovers and were still in a position to win is nothing short of spectacular. However, Berrian's fumble at the ten yard line, Harvin's key fumble, Favre's botched hand-off to end the first half, and don't even get me started on Adrian Peterson treating the football like it was a wet fish. The Saints' strategy was quite simple: Blitz and hit Favre every time possible. Of course, this strategy ended up backfiring on the Saints as Favre just dinked and dunked down the field the whole game. The Saints' ultra aggressive blitz defense played perfectly into the Vikings West Coast offense. What the Saints did do was completely wear out the old gun-slinger. As the game wore on, Favre looked old... really old. Twice in the past three years, Favre has led his team to victory in the NFC Championship game only to throw a late, ill-timed interception. Unlike last time, where Favre just under threw the ball in an otherwise good play, Favre committed the cardinal sin of quarterbacking... never throw across your body while on the run. The fact that this will likely be Favre's last throw just underscores that while statistically Favre is the greatest quarterback to ever play, the best come through in the clutch. Would Joe Montana, Peyton Manning, or Steve Young done that? Maybe. But probably not. Chuck Nol, the legendary Steelers coach said once, "Before you win a game, you have to not lose it." As much as the Saints won the game, the Vikings lost it. Was there some bad luck? Sure. The over-time rules in the NFL are completely unfair. The call that it is okay if a player goes out of bounds and touches the ball if the clock expired? A loophole at best. But I don't blame this game on the officials, or bad-luck. As Thomas Jefferson said, "I'm a great believer in luck, and the harder I work, the more lucky I become." The Saints franchise, the city of New Orleans are a terrific team that deserves to be in the championship game. It was not good luck that got them to the Superbowl. They are a fun team, and it is going to be a great Superbowl.

When I woke up this morning, I felt a feeling I had not felt since the day after a certain election. A sense of, "What's the point?" I have to keep reminding myself that football is just a game. That what the Vikings do does not effect me personally. In a way, yesterday reminded me of all that is good and all that is bad with sports. The aestheticism of sports at the highest level, to me, could be compared to the greatest ballet or the most brilliant opera. But what I really love about sports is the companionship between friends and family. To know that literally millions of my fellow Minnesotans were huddled around their TV sets with the same goal in mind is mind-blowing. To share in the joy of victory or the agony of defeat with my friends and family is what makes sports fantastic and so painful. When the Vikings lose, not only am I in pain, but millions of my brothers in sport mourn with me. Some cynics might call the short-lived Favre era in the Purple and Gold as not worth the hassle. I completely disagree. Favre ignited the state of Minnesota. If the Vikings were to secure the funds to get a new stadium, they needed to have a good year in 2009. They instead had a great year. I can't predict what will happen to the Vikings in 2010. Too many question marks. It was fun while it lasted. And to you Minnesotans, at least we have the Timberwolves... oh wait...

Patriots for Liberty

I am about to go into full political meltdown mode. It is only January and I already feel like am going to spontaneously combust. Yesterday the Supreme Court overturned a previous ruling and as of today, corporations, both domestic and international will be able to spend an unlimited money on individual candidates and issues in general. This will no doubt cause several enormously significant changes in the American political system. You know all those annoying political ads we are only starting to see? Just wait and see what happens now that corporations, both American and international, start sending their ads out. Let's say I am a senator and I vote against a law because it is bad for the environment. Maybe a particular logging, or oil company, or nuclear waste company will throw a few million to my opponent. Or they will just make the ads themselves. Plus, are we really comfortable knowing that international companies can make differences in American elections? Let's take those foreign oil businesses... I wonder what side of the aisle they will be campaigning for. They will be sneaky and use names like, "Sponsored by Patriots for Liberty" or some crap like that. Representative Alan Grayson (D) of Florida said this is the worst supreme court ruling since Dred Scott - a pro slavery ruling in the mid 19th century.

1. I watched One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Next last night. I saw it ten years ago. For those who have not seen the movie, it is awesome! I don't know if it will be as good as the new Tooth Fairy movie, but it is still worth renting.

2. Currently listening to "Something's Not Right With Me" by Cold War Kids

An unwritten "Not Welcome" sign

One of the aspects of my new job that I like is I get to travel all over Chicagoland and learn more about the city. This past week I have spent my whole days on the South Side (79th and Halsted and 81st and MLK). Not just borderline... like ground zero of the South Side. It is unbelievably depressing to drive by and see window after window boarded up; to see graffiti laced churches and needles on the ground. One interesting aspect of Chicago I have touched on before is how Chicago must be the most segregated city in America. Jefferson Park is where the Poles live, Greektown is where the Greeks live, Devon is where the Indians live, et cetera. A white man certainly walking around in a suit... I certainly stuck out a bit. Today I decided that I was going to count all the people that drove by where I was working until I saw a non African-American. 501. It took 501 people before I saw someone who was not African-American. I think the segregation in this city is troubling at the very least. I don't know if anything can be done by the government; and I know the suburbs are much better. I hope I am not coming across as racist. That is not my intent at all. I am simply opining about observations I have been making.

1. As a huge fan of Conan O'Brien, obviously I am on his side with his falling out with NBC. However, after I read that he is getting a settlement for $44,000,000... it is hard for me to have any more sympathy for the guy. Not only will he get that money, he will likely get some huge contract with Fox, HBO, ABC or whoever else he signs with.

2. It looks like when all is said and done, Avatar will go down as history as the second highest grossing movie of all time - behind Titanic. However, when you look at the numbers after they are adjusted for inflation, the top five grossing movies would be:

A - Gone with the Wind
B - Star Wars IV
C - The Sound of Music
D - E.T.
E - The Ten Commandments

John Smash!!

Okay, now I pissed. No, I am mother fucking pissed off!! Last night sucked. I have a cold, I lost an account at work, Iowa State lost one of their best players, and oh yeah... The Democrats lost their super majority in the house. Just two weeks ago, Democrat Martha Coakley had a lead of about ten points in the polls. Last night she lost to Republican Steve Brown 51-44%. I have read lots of articles this morning and there are a variety of viewpoints on how the Massachusetts, arguably the most liberal state in America (Obama won by 26 points), could elect a conservative. To me the bottom line seemed to be that Republicans are very very motivated. That, plus Independents can say they gave Democrats a chance and they did absolutely nothing with their power. It is not necessarily over for the Democrats in terms of getting health care passed. It just becomes harder now. To me the big issue becomes what happens in the 2010 mid-term elections in November. Will the Republicans slaughter the Democrats? It is pretty clear what the Republicans plan is to regain the presidency and congress. Do everything in their power to shoot down everything Obama and Congress passes - no matter if they like it or not. The strategy will then be to come back in 2010 and 2012 and convince the American public that Democrats when they are in power could accomplish nothing. Say what you will about Republicans, but when they were in power, they got a lot of their shit accomplished. The Bush tax cuts, No Child Left Behind Act, increase in military action (understatement), et cetera. And they did not even have a super majority!! My only hope is this is an enormous wake up call for Obama and congress to get back to work, be more forceful... take names, kick ass, basically, be more like Republicans!



1. Today at lunch I read the cover article on John Mayer in the new Rolling Stone. He is really talented but, wow, is he unlikeable. He is so conceited.



2. A little interesting trivia for you sports buffs: In the past two years, only Randy Moss and Larry Fitzgerald have more touchdown catches than Vikings tight end Visanthe Shiancoe.

#60

I don't think people realize what a huge day this is for the future of the United States. After the passing of Massachusetts senator Ted Kennedy, the state is having a special election to replace him. All the polls show it is going to be a very close race between Republican Scott Brown and Democrat Martha Coakley. If Mr. Brown gets elected, he has promised he will do everything he can to filibuster the health care bill and he will be responsible for the Democrats only having 59 senators, and not the filibuster proof 60 senators they currently have. I have been extremely irritated at the lack of production the Democrats have had with a super majority in the senate. They have no major legislation under their belts. If the health care bill is not passed because the Dems could not regain their seat in one of the most liberal states in America, then I have a feeling the mid-term elections this November will be catastrophic for the Dems. Needless to say, I will be following this race very with great intrigue.

1. The show Jersey Shore... it is one of the worst shows ever created. It is not funny, not entertaining, and it is embarrassing as a country that three million of us tune in every week to see what those eight idiots do. After the huge buzz, I had to check out an episode. I was bored, I did not laugh, or even smile one time. It is like The Real World New Jersey but the cast members are less intelligent - considerably less intelligent. If I have to be on the one person and here one more person talk about Snookie or The Situation, I am going to explode.

2. Currently listening to "Good gone girl" by Mika.

Not too Favre away

A lot of people, especially fans of Tennessee football, are furious at Lane Kiffen, for leaving UT after one season, where they went 7-6, for greener pastures at the University of Southern California. On the one hand, UT bailed him out after being publicly embarrassed by the Oakland Raiders. But let's be real, USC is tied with Texas, in my opinion, for the best job in all of football - pro or college. He will be able to get better recruits, have more publicity, be paid more, have better facilities, and oh by the way, I would much rather annually play Washington, Arizona State, and Oregon, than Florida, Georgia, LSU, Alabama, and the rest of the SEC. The real question is why on earth would USC hire Kiffen?! Keep in mind, that as a fellow Bloomington Jefferson High School graduate, I want to cheer for Kiffen. But, c'mon USC, this is the best you could do? Yes, I understand he was a successful offensive coordinator for the Trojans five years ago during they golden age. But you are USC. You could get anyone you want. You could tap the NFL and lure a Leslie Frazier or Jon Gruden. You could most likely lure young and up and coming football coaching talent like Will Muschamp or Jason Garret. Instead you went for an unproven carpetbagger. It just doesn't make any sense.

1. Some friends came over Friday night and we watched the movie Public Enemies. I liked it. I didn't love it but it was worth my time. I give it a B-. It's a little too drawn out, plus I wanted to learn more about Dillinger's past and how he morphed into the gangster he became. On the one hand, the director was asking the audience to sympathize with Dillinger, but why should we? He is a vicious murderer and thief. Give me a reason to feel for him? I tend to enjoy movies with the anti-hero as the lead. But I need to feel and relate to the character.

2. My favorite part of the Vikings win yesterday was probably the random shots of Prince in his luxury booth. I never would have guessed Prince to be a big Vikings fan. He looked so out of place.

3. While watching TV this morning before work, I could not help watch some highlights of Maria Kirilenko upsetting Maria Sharapova. That is like the most attractive tennis match I have ever seen! It is hard though whether that tops the clip Sportscenter showed of Brett Favre singing "Pants on the Ground".

4. Currently listening to "21 Guns" by Green Day.

Crazy is as crazy does

It has been far too long since I have posted about my good friend, Reverend Pat Robertson. When he is not being anti-Semitic, or racist, he is mocking homosexuals. After the devastating earthquake hit Haiti a few weeks ago, guess who had to put his two cents in... The good reverend, of course. He started off his show, The 700 Club by saying, "You know, something happened a long time ago in Haiti. They got together and swore a pact with the devil. They said we will serve you if you free us from the French. True story. And so, the devil said, 'okay, it's a deal.' And they kicked the French out. But ever since they have been cursed by one thing or another." Pat, Pat, Pat. Obviously he is unaware that 80% of Haitians are Roman Catholic. Even more are Christian. I guess I should not be surprised. Rev. Robertson has a long history of such bonehead quotes - from blaming an Israeli Prime Minister's stroke on ceding land to Palestine, to saying God punished America on 9/11 for our loose morals. It's about time to retire, Pat. You turn 80 in two months. Save us all from your crazy rants.

1. People Magazine is claiming that Conan's last show will be on January 22nd. I think the damage is beyond repair. I actually feel bad for Jay Leno. He has taken a huge PR hit when the real blame should be placed squarely on the shoulders of NBC's executive team.

2. Currently listening to "Percussion Gun" by White Rabbits.

I needed money cause I had none

As most of you know, I have always really enjoyed watching Conan O'Brien. My love really started in college when frequently my roommates and I after a long day of studying, um, working out, no, um, going to bible study... okay, after a long day of doing nothing, my roommates and I liked to end our evenings by watching Conan. I was very excited when three years ago it was announced that Jay Leno was retiring and Conan was replacing Mr. Leno. I always enjoyed the Tonight Show with Jay Leno - I even saw his stand-up act in Las Vegas. However, it was time for a change. I am very disappointed that only a few months NBC has decided to cancel Leno's show and will likely be moving him back into Conan's spot. Either Conan has to accept to move his time back to his original 11:30 time slot, or he will likely search for another network to share his antics with us. Either way, I am not happy with NBC and I hope a solution is worked out where everyone wins.

1. Nimit and I both saw Avatar yesterday. I enjoyed it. I would probably give the movie an A-/B+. Please if you go spend the extra $3.00 for the 3d glasses. In terms of special effects, it is the single coolest movie I have ever seen. The plot was a little fantastical and silly, but still fun. I did not really appreciate the banality of making the American military the evil bad guy once again. I thought that lacked creativity on James Cameron's part.

2. Last week I finished the book, In The Lake of The Woods by Tim O'Brien. It was the national best seller about ten years ago. I really liked it. It is a quick book of fiction about a Vietnam vet who lost his bid for senator and then his wife disappears. I definitely recommend it.

3. Currently listening to "Hey Ya" by Outcast. Album: Speaker Boxx/Love Below

So this is the new year

Let me start out by apologizing for taking so long to post. I have been saving up items to write about and I promise to write again more often. It has been kind of crazy with being in Minnesota for Christmas, New Year's, and starting a new job two weeks ago. I have been working long hours and have not had much time just to sit back and relax. As I do at the beginning of every new year, I think it is important for me to reflect back on the year that was and think about what the new year will bring. 2009 was a bit of a roller coaster with me. There were some incredible highs - moving to Chicago, living with friends again, and beginning a new relationship. However, 2009 was also a year full of incredible regret and grief. The constant rejection in the job search led me to lose my confidence in myself. I often danced around between the feeling of sadness, hopelessness, and frustration at continually getting told I would not be offered a position. After a while I was just beaten down to nothing. My face looked older, my body more tired, and my mind was often less sharp than it used to be. It is not fair that I associate so much self worth with employment, but I do. Although I don't wake up everyday dreaming of selling data processing software, I am very grateful for the opportunity. With the turn of the calendar year, I really think 2010 is going to be a great year. I am making new friends, and I am really starting to enjoy Chicago. It has taken me a long while but I am finally starting to figure out this city, and how wonderful it is. Thanks for being patient with me. I will be better at writing.

1. One issue I have always disagreed with liberals on is affirmative action. I think it is backwards and actually promotes racism. One recent example of its failure is The Rooney Rule in the NFL. Created in 2003 in honor of former Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney's commitment to hiring African-American coaches, The Rooney Rule requires every team that has an opening for a head coaching position to interview at least one African-American candidate. I feel this just promotes racism. A perfect example is what is going on with Seattle. Everyone knows that the Seahawks are going to hire Pete Carrol, who is white, but they are being forced to interview African-Americans. This is insulting to parade these men in when they know they are not wanted. If we are progressive enough as a country to elect a non-white president, maybe we are progressive enough to trust that owners will hire the most talented coach, regardless of skin color.

2. This has been one of my favorite weekends in Chicago. Friday night, Allie and I made dinner, before joining some friends for a little champagne pong. I slept in Saturday, watched some basketball, and then met up with friends at McFadden's, and my new favorite bar in Chicago called English. Super classy, super fun, and not outrageous prices. What a wonderful night.

3. Currently listening to "Time to Pretend" by MGMT.