A List Of Things About Me...

I’m funny

I’m smart

I love sports

I’m full of random useless facts

Alison by Elvis Costello is my favorite song

I suffer fools but that doesn’t mean I like it

I enjoy random weird quotes

I like stability and routine

It's easier for me to be melancholy than happy

I never thought I’d like exercising but now I do it regularly

I’ve gotten used to going to the movies alone

I’ve driven across country by myself

I think it’s important to tell people how much you care about that at random times

I’m learning to be more selfish

The two things I think is true of all the people I consider my friends is that I trust them and I don’t ever question their motives.

I’m petty

I have a good memory about almost everything, but slights and negative memories are always more vivid and clear

I can hold a grudge

I’m not good with directions

I like being a designated driver

For most of my life it was always easy to forgive

Recently I find it much harder to forgive

I like compliments but I don’t chase them

I think it’s important to ask follow up questions if you really want to know how someone is doing

My heart isn’t as full as it used to be

I like to go for a long walk on my birthday

My birthdays always tend to be really good or god awful - with very few in between.

When i hear that quote about how it takes more muscles to frown than to smile I think to myself, 'happy people are lazy.'

I like buying things for others

I always hold out hope that people will be good, but It’s easier for me to see and believe that we are all flawed and selfish

I think the words we choose are important - so be careful what you say. I’ll be sure to remember them.

I believe that your words don’t matter if they aren’t consistent with your actions.

I am willing to meet someone halfway.

I’m embarrassed by my the name of my email address

I remember using AIM in college

I think we are all hypocrites - it’s just important to realize it and try to be less of one

I believe that sometimes it’s important to judge your friends. As long as your judging them to their face.

I don’t think it’s easy to say your sorry.

I am great at being passive aggressive

When i hear the phrase “cut your nose off to spite your face” i don’t hear it as a warning. I hear a piece of advice.

I am wary of zealots.

I cry a lot

I don’t watch as many cartoons as people might think.

I’ve gotten a lot of my life advice from The Simpsons

I don’t like new situations

i like the idea of options even though I tend to stick to what I know.

i like to be liked - even though sometimes I don’t think I deserve it.

I think that most people’s understanding of me is a caricature.

I like to reflect and analyze.

When I was young I wanted to be an archeologist.

A TV and the 2001 World Series dramatically changed the course of my life.

When I was young I loved reading books about dinosaurs and Sitting Bull.

I like when people do the little things that show they’ve been listening and paying attention.

I don’t want to die along but I think I am emotionally prepared for it.

I like the saying: “God takes care of old folks and fools”.

I try not to get excited about anything because it help me avoid disappointment. 

I don’t like the way my feet smell after a long run

I’m prone to jealousy 

I love Otis Redding

I like the idea of reading much more than the actual act of reading

I like to draw

I almost don’t draw at all anymore

I used to be much more creative

I eat the sausage on my pizza last along with the crust

I’ve used Nair on my back hair

I’ve run a half marathon

Wrestling was a huge part of my childhood and will probably always be important to me.

I often wonder if I’ll be happy the next time the Dodgers win the World Series or if I’ll be relieved.

I don’t know if I’ve felt “at home” somewhere in a very long time.

A Song To Get Carried Away By...

I think this song 10 on my list of 30. It’s the third track off of Passion Pit’s 2012 album Gossamer. It is Carried Away. 

Before I get into the song any further. The lead singer of Passion Pit looks like former USC QB and Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart. I'm serious just look at the pictures and tell me I am crazy. I dare you. 

I don't think I ever would have listed to Passion Pit before coming to New Jersey and being introduced to them during, of all things, an orientation leader recruitment video.

What I really like about this song is that I can play it in just about any mood and it makes sense. It’s a poppy upbeat track filled with synthesizers. It just sounds fun. It makes you feel happy. I’ve seen this band live and the concert is high energy and tons of fun. When it comes to this song the crowd LOVES singing the chorus. But the beauty of the song is that it's lyrics betray it’s musical tone.

The song is about flawed, doomed, tumultuous relationships and friendships and the self destructive roles people play in them. Here are some of lines that I particularly enjoy.

Listen, I'm your friend (don't quote me)

But not a friend worth noting

Yes, please don't ever note me as your friend

Who says we have cold hearts?

Acting out our old parts

Let's perform our favorite little scene

I get carried away

Carried away from you

And I'm hoping and I'm praying

Cause I'm sorry, sorry about that

Sorry about the things that I said

Always let it get to my head

Anybody who has been in a relationship or friendship that just seems to be filled with selfishness, self destructiveness and passive aggressiveness will appreciate the lyrics. And if you can’t appreciate the lyrics, just dance to the infectious beat and sing aloud to the chorus! It’s a win either way.

Passion Pit’s Carried Away may not age well 5, 10 or 20 years from now but it’ll always remind me of certain people and take me back to a place and time in my life. Plus, the music video is pretty damn good.

People Are Strange - And So Is My Taste In Music

So I have not been doing this whole 30 songs for 30 years thing nearly often enough and this post is a bit of cheat. Well, not a bit of a cheat. A BIG FAT STINKIN’ CHEAT. Earlier I had taken a look at a song that reminded me of my mom. Well, I thought it was time to do a song that would remind of my dad. 

I have to say that I attribute a lot of my eclectic taste in music to my dad.

Growing up and going on a road trip with him was a musical experience because you were basically going to hear one or two CDs over and over and over again for the duration of the trip. My dad would take my brother and I on mountain biking and fishing trips. Those trips were long. It would take us anywhere between 75 minutes and three hours to get to the location. I can still remember the list of the CDs in his CD case holder.

• The Best of Santana
• Pink Floyd’s The Wall
• Sade
• The Counting Crows - Yesterday and Everything After
• Bob Marley’s Greatest Hits
• Coolio - Gangster’s Paradise
• The Very Best of Chicago
• TuPac - All Eyez On Me
• Earth Wind and Fire’s Greatest Hits
• Madonna - Something to Remember NOTE: He owned this CD because of just one song “This Used To Be My Playground”. He would literally pop in the CD, listen to the song four or five times and then replace the CD with something else. I honestly don't think I ever heard another track from that album. Also, who owned the CD was a major point of contention in my parent’s divorce. They never argued about custody of me and my brother (seriously) but this one damn album, with only one song that either of them liked, was grounds for professional mediation (alright - well, the isn't actually true). The point is, in my family there is nothing too petty to hold against somebody or argue over.

So instead of picking one song I am going to pick an album. It’s not an album I listed above, but it is the one album that most reminds me of car rides with my dad. In fact, only Pink Floyd’s The Wall even comes close.

The Very Best of The Doors.

Rather than go into a lengthy explanation of why I chose this double CD album I will highlight a few songs and what I remember about them. Please note that I first began to hear this album on a regular basis at the age of 9 (maybe 8).

Light My Fire -  the song reminds me of seeing The Doors movie at age 8. There are only two things I remember from the movie. I vaguely remember the singer/performance artist Nico being introduced to Jim Morisson. And of course I remember the scene were the band was told not to sing the lines “we couldn’t get much higher" before their Ed Sullivan performance and then did it anyway. This act led to  their life long ban from the show.

Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar) - I remember (while still about 9 years old) riding a three wheeler with my brother while my dad was washing our Ford Areostar blaring this song. Whenever it would come on my brother and I would sing the lyrics. We would also hold Squeeze It bottles in our hand pretend to drive the our three wheelers drunk. I won’t say where we learned what drunk driving looks like - but suffice to say at the tender ages of 7 and 9 we knew what drunk driving looked like.

Riders on The Storm- I remember being 10 driving through a desert and realizing, “oh this is a song about a group of murders!”. Ah the innocence of youth.

People Are Strange - When I was in second grade we had a lip syncing contest. Everyone in my class was broken up into groups of four or five. I remember some of the songs other groups choose: 

Kriss Kross’ Jump Jump and MC Hammer’s Addam’s Grove. 

These songs made total sense. We were 8 years old and they were current hits heard all the time on the radio. Well, for some unknown reason my group let me choose our song. I chose People Are Strange. I wish I could remember the look on my teacher’s face (Mr. Berlin) when he asked me what song we were doing and that song came out of my mouth. We actually performed the song. Just acting weird throughout the performance.  

To get a full appreciation of why this was so fucked up feel free to listen to the song with the lyrics.

How Mr. Berlin didn’t call social services on my family is beyond me.

LA Woman - it’s a really good song (even though it’s over 7 minutes long). and the musical breakdown is pretty musch the go to musical accompaniment to any montage of southern California beaches.

Love Her Madly - a good song and it’s prominently featured in Forrest Gump when they flash to what Jenny is doing during New Year’s Eve 1972.

So there you have it. My dad and the Doors. Two reasons why i have such varied musical taste... and so many weird childhood memories.

Traveling

People who bug me at the airport:

The wife or girlfriend who badger their male counterpart.

Sorry if this sounds sexist but it happens every time I go to the airport. Especially earlier in the day. There is always some poor schlub dragging the weight of both his carry on and a clearly failing marriage behind him. Everything he does is wrong. From the security line he picks to how many bins he picks or how he orders food from the fast food restaurant. I always feel sympathy for "badgered husband at the airport guy". He just looks miserable. If a terrorist doesn't try to take the plane down, this guy will.

The old person holding everybody the fuck up! I said it before and I'll say it again, when I'm in charge we are building seperate airports for people with children under 6 and the elderly. What bugs me so much about old people though is that every possible accommodation is made to them so they don't slow the rest of us down! They are given cards so they don't have to take off their shoes or belts. And they still can't get through security without causing a traffics jam.
"I have to take my change out of my pockets?"
Yeah gramps you do! You were fucking around when the Wright Brothers first got off the ground how do you not know what's gonna set off the metal detector.
It's bad enough I'm traveling by myself and seeing your wrinkled face reminds me of the sad lonely death that awaits me someday but can you please just do me a favor and not slow me down at the airport. Please.

Congratulations to Seattle

Seattle has had been one of the most unlucky fan basis of the last twenty five years. First, The Seattle Seahwaks nearly moved to Los Angeles. The team was saved only after current owner Paul Allen was basically shamed into buying the team in order to keep the move from happening. Allen is a huge basketball fan, but not really a big football fan, but given the former Microsoft founders huge pocketbook and Washington ties he relented and bought the team. Eventually a referendum passes that also set the stage for a new stadium. 

Ok, so a billionaire saves the team and new stadium is built. That's not that bad at all. "I am not convinced that Seattle is a tortured sports city." you say. "Give me more proof!"

Well, here is the bad. The team is terrible. Between 1985 and 2011 the teams record was a dismal 179 wins and 188 losses.

The team was so bad that when the new stadium was built and no one would buy the naming rights for the stadium. Want a comparison? There is no football team in Los Angeles, there isn't even a stadium for them to play in; but if and when a stadium is built in downtown LA, State Farm has agreed to pay 700 million dollars to have the stadium named after it for the next 30 years. 

But on the brightside, the stadium eventually gets a naming sponsor and the team gets good. Really good. They make the Super Bowl in 2005. Then this happens. Some questionable officiating calls cost the Seahawks, atlas in the minds of their fans, a Super bowl victory.

So many Seattle fans feel like they had a Super Bowl taken away from them. What happens next, what could be worse you ask? They have a team taken away.

In 2008 The Seattle Supersonics move to Oklahoma City and become The Thunder. This was a tough pill for Seattle to swallow. Usually if a team leaves a city for another they leave to go to a bigger market. They leave for a bigger name city with more money. Teams usually leave to go to a city with a bigger media market. In this instance the team downgraded (best case scenario laterally moved) to Oklahoma City!  

But before they leave for OKC...

2008 NBA Draft Russell Westbrook, No. 4 by Grdgez

That's right, The Supersonics draft Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Durant is one of the top 2 players in the NBA and Westbrook is one of the 10 best players in the game. 

Just four years after leaving Seattle, the Zombie Sonics went to the NBA Finals and look poised to return this year.  

So you have a mediocre football team, no one wants to put your name on the stadium, your beloved basketball teams gets relocated to a city that is smaller and less marketable than yours. But it's OK Seattle fans. Last night made everything OK again. 60 minutes of domination and your team made all the bad memories go away. Your city is now home to a major sports team champion for the first time since 1979. And your win gives others a reason to hope. That's right Cleveland, one day it'll be your time to shine. One day.

Still not convinced you should be happy for Seattle fans? Check out these videos below.

Super Bowl Breakdown

Kam Chancellor v Julius Thomas 

 Let's assume Dymarius Thomas gets shutdown by Richard Sherman. I think the matchup between Julius Thomas and Kam Chancellor becomes super important. The Seahawks defense has been tremendous at shutting down opposing tight ends (Vernon Davis and Jimmy Graham are just two examples). But Thomas had the second best season of any tight end in spite of

• having only one professional catch entering into this season and 
• being injured during a large portion of the second half of the season. 

If the Seahwaks can take away both Thomas' from the game today, Peyton Manning will be in trouble.



Percy Harvin or Knowshon Moreno: Who can provide the extra spark? 

Percy Harvin was supposed to be the big time offensive threat for Seattle this year. Instead he's been injured all season long. Can he salvage his season by providing one or two big plays that Seattle had been hoping he could provide?



Knowshon Moreno is a big part of the Bronoco's three wide reciever sets because he stays in the backfield as extra protection for Peyton Manning and he is good enough of a rusher that he can gash defenses who go all in on defending the Broncos passing game. The problem for the Broncos: Moreno injured his ribs at the end of the AFC championship game and against a tough and physical defensive line it'll be interesting to see if how productive he can be for Denver.

Can the Seahwaks score enough? 

The stats speak for themselves:

• week 13 versus Saints 1 defensive touchdown and 2 field goals for 13 of 32 (1 turnover) 
• week 14 at San Francisco1 fg for 3 points. They scored only 10 points for the game. (1 turnover) 
• week 15 at New York Giants 3 field goals for 9 of 23 points (and somehow they scored only 23 points even though they got FIVE turnovers) 
• week 16 versus Arizona Cardinals1 field goals for 3 of their 10 points (only scored 10 points even thought they got four turnovers) 
• week 17 versus St. Louis Rams 2 field goals and 1 defensive touchdown for 13 of the Seahwaks’ 27 points (2 turnovers) 

63 total points coming by way of offensive touchowns over the last five weeks of the season, an average of only 12.6 points per game. That's less than two offensive touchdowns per game.

• Divisional playoffs versus the Saints 9 of the Seahawks 23 points came off field goals
• Conference Championship versus the 49ers, again 9 points off of field goals. 23 points total. 

I don't think it's impossible for the Seahawks to win scoring 21 points or less - but it'll be difficult. They'll need Marshawn Lynch to put the team on his back.



Peyton Manning Throws Ducks

Richard Sherman was right when he said Peyton Manning throws ducks. He does. After four neck surgeries Peyton uses strategy and ball placement to succeed - not his arm strength. So what happens when he faces a secondary that will be bigger and more physical than any he has faced this season? We'll find out. The Seahawks secondary will not give his receivers and won't give him a chance to float balls in there. So what must the Broncos do? I think they'll need to use crossing patterns to create space and give Manning a chance. Otherwise he is going to have to dink and dunk passes all day.



Prediction Time

I said this last year: we haven't had a super Bowl blowout in a really long time. I predicted a blowout last year and was on my way to being right until that stupid power outage left the Raven's offense cold. This year's game is a pick em. You can make a strong case for either team. I don't think this will be a blow out but I think the winner will win by more than 10 points. 16-27 Broncos. I just think that Knowshon Moreno will be healthy enough to block effectively and to rush for over a 100 yards and a touchdown. I really only see Seattle winning if they somehow get at least one special teams/defensive scores or Marshawn Lynch goes into Beast Mode and rushes for over 125 yards tonight.