Ahem

Fantasy Football Team Pic?

2010-07-19T16:02:00.000-07:00

My Landlord

2010-07-13T16:12:00.001-07:00

I Was There...

2009-09-23T23:32:00.000-07:00

...for this:

ICHIRO!
(Click on it, seriously. It'll take 20 seconds)

Maybe the best in-person sports watching experience I've ever had. Thanks to James, Alex, Travis, and Brad for helping make it one of the best times of my life. Thanks to Dave Neihaus for being the voice of my childhood and reminding me that he still has it in him.

I won tickets to that game on a radio trivia show and got more than I could have ever expected. Also, before crossing home plate, Ichiro stopped and did the "suck it" gesture.

REALLY. (watch the whole thing, but start paying close attention at the 00:34 mark.)

WHAT??

2009-08-16T23:28:00.000-07:00

Remember THIS?

Look what happened earlier today:

Good grief. Is there anything this man cannot do now?

30 Days & 30 Nights At Sea

2009-07-27T00:25:00.000-07:00

I am fortunate to call Corbin Watkins my friend.

For those of you who have heard his last album, "The Space/Time Continuum," I don't need to wax adoringly; but for those who are unfamiliar with Corbin's music, I can say honestly that you are missing out.

While "Space/Time" was a project of expansive craftsmanship (just check out the booklet inside the CD for an example of his creativity), the journey that Corbin has just completed is simply awe-inspiring. It's called "30 Days & 30 Nights At Sea," and it showcases not only Corbin's unique take on the world around him, but the single-minded dedication to a project that great artists have.

Corbin wrote and recorded 30 songs in 30 days, his music tracking the adventures of a sailor on the open ocean. That's right -- 30 songs, 30 days. Along the way, he tapped some of Bellingham's brightest artists like John Furtado, Dana Little, Jeremiah Austin (of the Love Lights), and John Van Deusen to help him tell his stroy. the result is remarkable.

I encourage all of you to check out the "30 Days" album here, and you can click on each track to not only hear the day's recording, but to see the video of the recording that Corbin made.

ENJOY.

Death Of Auto-Tune

2009-07-21T22:14:00.001-07:00

Jay-Z has finally created the song that puts words to the thoughts I've had about mainstream rap music for years.

Let me explain: his new single D.O.A (Death Of Auto-Tune) is the long-awaited call to revival that hip-hop has been thirsting for. For the last few years, anyone trying to listen to hip-hop on the radio or at a house party or in the club has had to endure endless strings of songs by T-Pain, Rihanna, Akon, and a million one-hit wonders who sing with warped voices over a dope beat and a catchy hook.

It's impossible to tell if they have any talent because the auto-tune that their voices are on manipulates them into that addictive, near-mechanical quasi-whine that gets everybody to sing along before they even realize they're doing it. It was fun at first, but then everyone realized that it was just much easier to have a hit with an auto-tuned song than with real, hard-hitting skills.

It's not just the poppy Teen Beat artists that use it either. Besides goons like Chris Brown, Ray-J, and Jeremih -- whose fun but ultimately inconsequential songs dominate the airwaves -- legitimate MCs like T.I., Lil Wayne, and Wyclef Jean have all fallen prey to this trend.

Auto-tune is to the current music scene what the synthesizer was to the 80's, only not as iconic or productive. It has softened the mics of the MCs and the minds of the audience. Jay-Z attacks the the current downward trend, trying to single-handedly cause hip-hop to regress back to the mean, where live MCs like Mos Def and Talib Kweli can get their propers instead of being pushed to the fringe by "Birthday Sex" and "Buy U A Drank."

Maybe it takes an artist like Jay-Z to make this song. For years, talented but non-mainstream rappers like Atmosphere, Brother Ali, and Pharoahe Monche have bemoaned the pop-ification of hip-hop, but none of them is Jigga. Perhaps only HOVA himself can turn the downward slide of the genre.

Jay-Z is an empire unto himself; "I'm not a businessman, I'm a business, man" he says in one of his verses. He is widely considered as the greatest rapper of the post-Tupac/Biggie era and has used his talent to build a colossal fortune through various businesses and investments. And he did it all without selling out. He's mainstream without trying, the perfect storm of talent, aura, charisma, and marketability.

Jay-Z comes with a loaded lyrical bazooka on this track and backs it with real live, stone-cold, smoky-as-a-jazz-club band music that drives his point home. It's a Big-Tent call back to the hip-hop gospel and here's hoping that the revival is real.

"I'm hungry for knowledge. The whole thing is to learn every day, to get brighter and brighter. That's what this world is about. You look at someone like Gandhi, and he glowed. Martin Luther King glowed. Muhammad Ali glows. I think that's from being bright all the time, and trying to be brighter."
-- Jay-Z

Baseball Perfection Incarnate?

2009-07-13T12:42:00.000-07:00

"The first thing that a pitcher has to understand is that Albert is better than you." --Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer

We only get to see a few transformative sports figures come along in our lifetimes. Only a handful that are so surpassing in talent that you wonder how one person can break away from even the elite tier in such a substantive fashion.

You know the names: Michael Jordan, Babe Ruth, Tiger Woods, Wayne Gretzky, Muhammad Ali, Lance Armstrong, Ken Griffey Jr, Jerry Rice.
All of these players stand out from the crowd, all of them are household names. You don't need to know much about any of their sports or teams to recognize that those players are greatness personified.

But there's one man going right now that is so much better than everyone else in the world at his sport, that he belongs in that echelon. His name is Albert Pujols and he is quietly putting together one of the best careers in the history of baseball.

His strengths: All of the strengths. Yep, all of them.
His weaknesses: None.

Seriously. The traditional stats (HRs, RBIs, Batting Average) are eye-popping. His sabermetric stats are explosive. His fielding numbers lap the field. His ability to get on base and hit everything hard means that he is as likely to hit a home run as he is to strike out. That's lunacy!

ESPN recently profiled Pujols from the four main aspects of baseball: hitting, fielding, defense, and the approach pitchers take to him. It is a specatcular read and gives perspective to just how lucky we are to be sharing the planet Earth with the quasi-deity that is Albert Pujols.

ENJOY! (Click for the ESPN article)

Ferrets Mean Business

2009-07-07T22:46:00.000-07:00

You probably all know that a group of Fish is called a 'School.' And that a group of Geese is called a 'Flock.' 'Pride' of Lions, 'Herd' of Cattle, etc. But did you know that a group of Ferrets is called a 'Business?'

Here are some other favorites:
*A Congregation of Alligators
*An Obstinancy of Buffalo
*A Sleuth of Bears
*A Crash of Rhinoceroses
*A Peep of Chickens
*A Revolution of Dizzos
*A Clowder of Cats
*A Murder of Crows
*A Cackle of Hyenas
*A Lounge of Lizards
*A Wreck of Seabirds
*A Prickle of Porcupines

-The more you know.

Doin' It Real Big (This One's For My Gator Boys)

2009-06-24T20:45:00.000-07:00

The NBA Draft is tomorrow, and in honor of the occasion, I'd like to pay tribute former Chicago Bulls 1st Round draftee, Joakim Noah.

Ok, ok. Maybe we can chalk that ridiculousness up to the exuberance of having just won the National Championship. Surely he settled down afterward and, on the day when he was to become a paid professional, did his best to show his new employers that he was a responsible, mature young man ready to dedicate himself to the team.

It's Stuff Like This...

2009-06-20T19:11:00.000-07:00

... that keeps me going as a sports fan. Holy cow. This is why Ken Griffey Jr gets an entire wall to himself in my room. I don't even care how that sounds.

He didn't start the game last night, but he was called on to pinch-hit in the 8th inning with one on and the Mariners down by 2.

The TV Broadcast

Video from fan behind home plate

Awesome.

Torture or Cookies?

2009-06-17T18:33:00.000-07:00

I read an article in TIME Magazine that I found very interesting. The piece dealt with the sensitive and relevant issue of torture. Much has been made about the United States' position on the interrogation of suspects at Guantanamo Bay-- whether the methods are within Geneva Convention regulations, or, perhaps more pertinent, whether those regulations apply to prisoners captured in the "War on Terror."

The Bush Administration has received loads of praise and criticism for its harsh interpretation of what is and isn't torture. At the crux of the issue is the practice of waterboarding -- a panic-inducing drowning-simulation that the Bush Administration has OK'd.

When I think of military interrogation, images of torture immediately come to mind. It's probably a result of watching too many movies, but whatever the cause, the association is strong. This article, however, explores non-coercive interrogation tactics and attempts to get a read on their efficiency.

I remember reading an interview a couple years back with an old man who was a US military interrogator during World War II. He said that physical abuse and threats were rarely effective on their prisoners, but that they received lots of valuable information from some high-ranking captives simply by playing chess and ping-pong with them.

The idea that non-coercive (and often congenial) methods of interrogation are just as, if not more effective in attaining information as torture is a counter-intuitive one. Maybe that's because plates of sugar-free cookies (see TIME article) don't make for as exciting episodes of "24."

This does not mean that this is a closed issue. Strong arguments can be made in favor of extreme interrogation methods, among them the "ticking time-bomb" scenario, in which information needs to be procured to prevent immediate catastrophe. It is then, that many believe information should be gathered by any means necessary.

I understand both sides of the issue. On one hand, it is important to abide by international law when handling prisoners. On the other hand, national security is of the utmost military importance.

I guess my opinion is based on principle rather than circumstance. I believe that holding terrorism suspects indefinitely, without trial, is unconstitutional, regardless of whether or not we're at war. I also believe that if the United States signed the Geneva Conventions, then we ought to observe our agreement at all times (this goes for 'outsourcing' prisoners to countries where torture is legal).

This has always been a difficult opinion for me to hold, as it's difficult to make a case that the ends don't justify the means when thousands of lives could be on the line. It seems, however, that based on the experiences of some of our country's most successful interrogators, it may not be an either/or proposition.

Welcome Back, Junior

2009-02-18T22:01:00.000-08:00

As swirling rumors regarding Ken Griffey Jr.'s return to the Seattle Mariners accelerated into a full-blown media tempest this week, many of you have called, texted, or Facebooked me to get my thoughts on the situation. I am grateful for the interest and proud to know that my love for "The Kid" is renowned enough to generate some interest from my friends.

For those of you who are unsure of what I'm referring to, here is a quick recap:
Ken Griffey Jr, the single biggest reason that Seattle sports ever gained national respectability, has spent the last nine seasons playing for the Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago White Sox. As recently as a week ago, it seemed certain that Griffey would resign with the Mariners for the upcoming season. Then, the day of his supposed signing, the Atlanta Braves announced that they were moments away from signing Griffey themselves. The last three days have been filled with conflicting reports about Junior's next team.
Until, finally: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/baseball/400612_griffey20.html (!)

Now that Seattle's greatest athlete has returned, let me share my thoughts on the situation with you.

*First of all, the kid in me is ecstatic. I have literally fallen asleep to thoughts of Griffey playing as a Seattle Mariner again. My childhood memories are dotted with flashbacks to Griffey's sweet left-handed home run swing -- the one with the follow-through that lifted your heart like a Whitman poem, of Griffey scaling outfield walls to make highlight-reel catches, of his marquee-bright smile, and of the excited buzz that every M's fan felt when he strutted up to bat.

*As a baseball fan, however, the reaches of my childhood wonderment has its limitations. The Ken Griffey Jr that signed a one-year contract with my favorite team is not the same one that signed with them as the #1 overall draft pick as an 18-year old. Griffey is 39 now, 20+ years into his career, and baseball years are like dog years, making Griffey the hardball equivalent of a 140-year-old Golden Retriever.
If you're expecting to see Number 24 running around making diving catches and hitting 50 home runs, you'll be grievously disappointed. Once considered the premier outfielder in baseball, age and injuries have relegated Junior to a far-below-average defensive player -- one whose presence in a Major League outfield would be an actual detriment to his team's success.
Griffey's offensive abilities have not trailed off to the same extent. His swing looks as fluid as ever, but the bat-speed that used to separate him from mortals has diminished. He still maintains the potential to hit a fastball out of the yard on occasion, but an overall examination of his numbers leave him as an average Major League hitter.
This can be broken down further, so bear with me. When batting against right-handed pitchers, Griffey is still a very dangerous hitter. His offensive output, if we take him at his word to have fully recovered from his most recent knee injury, can be well above average if he only bats against right-handers. His ability to hit left-handers, however, has receded into the realm of atrocity. If he bats against left-handed pitchers this year, he will damage the Mariners' chances to win.
This means that in order for Griffey to help the Mariners win games, he will have to platoon as designated hitter that only plays when the Mariners are going against RH pitchers.

*Finally, there's the redemptive/conciliatory angle to this story. Griffey is like that first girlfriend you ever had -- the one that everyone loved as much as you, but that only you got to call your own. You'd never felt anything like this, couldn't imagine that it could get any better and yet, it did. Life with her just kept getting awesomer as you witnessed her grow into a beautiful, talented, compassionate woman. You just knew you were going to spend the rest of your life with her, grow old and raise a family, get a house and fill it with memories.
That's when Griffey left the Mariners to play for Cincinnati, his hometown team. All of a sudden, the girl of your dreams had run into an old flame and you realize that you weren't her first love. You had worries that she would leave you for someone else, but you had always brushed them off as irrational. After all she had been for you, and you for her, she would never actually leave you. Then she starts to answer phone calls from her ex, begins name-dropping him in conversations. Pretty soon, the writing is on the wall: her ex still has her heart and she sees a better life with him than with you.
You begin arguing with her, pleading with her to come back, giving her lavish gifts. It's no use. She leaves you alone, trying to pick up the pieces. Now your food doesn't taste quite as good, the sun isn't quite as bright, and the girls that you try to replace her with lose 90 games a year.
You fell in love again a few times, shared some great memories, but the highs just weren't as high with the other girls and you both knew it. You spend the next 9 years trudging through your days, the memories of the love of your life dimming with each passing night.
All of a sudden, one day, when things seem their darkest, you see her at a coffee shop, alone. She's aged a bit, doesn't look quite the way you remember her -- until she smiles. Then it all comes flooding back. She's still got that "it factor" that drew you to her in the first place. You begin talking, one thing leads to another, you play all the games and then finally you decide to get back together.

Today is that day. I'm so happy to have Griffey back in my life, and though I still feel a little jilted about the way he left Seattle in 2000, the positive associations I have with Griffey far outweigh the negative. Griffey in a Mariners uniform just seems right. Like it never should have stopped happening.
I know that he won't be the MVP that he once was, but I don't need him to be. All I need from him is that big smile and his best efforts.
Seattle loves you, Ken Griffey Jr, and if you'll just love us again, I think we can be very happy together. The Mariners probably won't win very many games this year, but your presence on the team has the potential to turn an otherwise dreary summer into one filled with excitement, joy, and maybe just one game-winning home run.

Welcome back!

My President Is Black

2009-02-03T02:55:00.001-08:00

Hello, My Name Is Matthew McConaughey, What's Yours?

2009-01-21T00:24:00.000-08:00

The other night, Lindsay* told me that if I ever became a famous actor, the person whose life/career my own life/career would most resemble was Matthew McConaughey.

I laughed really hard when she said that because I immediately thought of the time police were called to McConaughey's house because of a noise complaint and walked in on him smoking weed and playing the bongo drums completely naked.

I don't really like the comparison (I'd try for more of a Denzel Washington or George Clooney path) but it does still make me laugh.

So, faithful readers, I pose the question to you: which famous actor/actress would your life/career most resemble if you became a famous actor yourself? Discuss.

*For those of you wondering, I told Lindsay that her life/career would most resemble Kate Winslett.

A Peek Behind The Curtain (The Dizard of Oz)

2009-01-07T17:01:00.000-08:00

*I posted this on Facebook after I got tagged by my friend Nicole in a similar note.*

Nicole Raden tagged me in one of those "Write Things About Yourself And Then Tag Other People" chain-Facebook-note-letters. I'm playing by the rules, which explicitly state that I must list 25 things about myself that other people might not know. As you all probably know, I HATE talking about myself, but for the sake of regulations, here goes:

1.) I intentionally alter the level of my hat-bill to the left because I think it looks cooler.

2.) It is important to me to try and be as knowledgeable as possible about everything I'll want to talk about.

3.) Because of Thing #2 above, I'll usually read between 6 and 15 articles a day on things that interest me.

4.) I kept a legion of stuffed animals until I was 11 and had King-of-the-Mountain battles with them on my knees late at night.

5.) I still pick my nose.

6.) I really wish I could grow shag-length hair without 4 months of horrible in-between phases.

7.) I also wish my hair was naturally curly enough to have cornrows.

8.) My obsession with sports runs far deeper than any of you realize.

9.) When I'm doing something, I'll often stage a contest between my right and left hands to see which can do it better.

10.) I always cheer for the left hand because it's the underdog.

11.) If I capitalize one letter or word in a piece of writing, I feel obliged to remain consistent and capitalize everything that supposed to be capitalized. If not, I really enjoy the freedom of non-shift-key typing.

12.) I only type with my index fingers.

13.) When I space out, I imagine myself scoring touchdowns in games of pickup football.

14.) There are a small handful of songs that I've listened to more than 10 times in a row. Among them: "One More Time" by Daft Punk, "Pass Me Over" by Anthony Hamilton, "Sideways" by Citizen Cope, "Slow Dancing In A Burning Room" by John Mayer, and "Worlds Apart" by Jars of Clay.

15.) I love my signature.

16.) I think expressions like "awkward" and "I miss your face" are annoying, as is excessive squealing when people see someone that they've seen sometime in the previous 6 months.

17.) Sometimes, when I listen to girls having a conversation, I imagine a group of guys saying the exact same things.

18.) I think political correctness is far more of a good thing than it is a bad thing.

19.) I drink 3 full cups of black coffee almost everyday. And a small glass of whiskey.

20.) I value independence in people very highly.

21.) One of the main reasons I read the entire Bible was so I could say that I had. I learned a lot of awesome stuff along the way.

22.) I really like wearing things on my wrists and ankles.

23.) I believe that the closer people are to nakedness, regardless of their sex, body type, or upbringing, the better off they are. Nudey is beauty.

24.) When I die, I hope the world remembers me.

25.) I love the friendships I have that can go weeks without communication and pick up without having skipped a beat or either person feeling jilted.

The Hardest I've Laughed In Weeks

2008-12-29T22:53:00.000-08:00

You know how verbal laughter, like self-acceptance, is harder to come by when you're by yourself? If you're like me, you're the last bastion of true masculinity, and you also find that you don't laugh out loud nearly as often if you're by yourself. Experiencing something funny with others causes verbal laughter more readily than when you're alone.

Well, the link I'm about to show you made me laugh out loud, repeatedly and painfully, even though I'm 2,300 miles away from anyone important (I'm talking about you, Man-Humping-Bear statue!)

If you're a veteran of DizzoDreams, you know that I'll occasionally refer you to a site called Cracked. Well, I'm gonna do it again. One of their columnists is named Michael Swaim, and in this article, he lists his 8 favorite internet-sketch-comedy-troupes.

GO HERE!

Often times, I'm more likely to skim an article and rarely do I click on video links. I am so glad I didn't make that mistake with this piece. Swaim includes a couple of videos from each troupe he lists and I highly encourage taking the time to watch them.

Personal Favorites:
*The Herpes medication that causes semi-controllable teleportation
*The Kwanzaa rap
*"Fate of the World"
*The One-Liner Service
*"Trickin'-it-to-the-Treats"
*Wolfopocalypse
*"My Super Sweet Funeral"

Please watch this. Especially you, Emerick.

**My apologies to anyone offended by any of the skits, especially the DuckTales parody and the last one.

The Worst Sports Year Ever

2008-12-23T19:44:00.000-08:00

Think I've been exaggerating when I've bemoaned the fates of my favorite sports teams? Well, check out this article from ESPN.com's Jim Caple on the past 12 months in Seattle sports. Then resist the urge to throw yourself in front of an oncoming bus.

Among the lowlights:
*NBA commissioner David Stern carved a rusty hole where his heart used to be by letting Clay Bennett move the SuperSonics to Oklahoma City.

*Mariners GM Bill Bavasi mortgaged the future of the team in exchange for 6 months of poking M's fans in the eyes with tobasco-dipped toothpicks.

* The Washington Huskies lost every game. Every game. Do you know how hard that is to do? They even got to play Wazzu! Seriously, right now, you could blindfold yourself, spin around fifty times, and then walk into the very pits of fiery Hell and come away with at least one college football win.

*The Seahwaks, Seattle's prennial winners of late, are sending their hero-coach, walrus Holmgren, out with a 4-win season. The sunset he thought he was riding off into turned out to be a painted brick wall.

*Bonus Feature: the 'Grey's Anatomy' spoof video in the sidebar.

Got Ten Minutes And Need A Headache?

2008-11-27T04:53:00.001-08:00

Then check THIS out.

#19 really threw me.

Really, Disney?

2008-11-23T03:00:00.000-08:00

I know that it's kind of played out to make jokes about all the sexual innuendo in Disney movies. So I won't, even though there are like, 1,000 penises in "The Little Mermaid."

I came across this article and would have laughed really hard at it if it didn't heart my heart so much to read it.

Don't get it twisted, I still love Disney -- these movies were among my favorites growing up -- and they do seem to avoid this kind of thing these days, but it's still pretty wild to look back on some of the characters these guys dreamed up, reflecting much of society's views of "the other" at the times the films were made.

Lyricism Part II

2008-11-20T02:23:00.000-08:00

*BlogSpot is messin' with my fonts right now. My apologies.*

This is the second installment of the Lyricism series, a humble attempt to play tribute to my favorite MCs by posting some of their best flows.

Part I is here.

Today's MCs are Black Thought, Scarface, and Talib Kweli.
As always, I will link to video of the songs after listing the lyrics. Enjoy.

Black Thought (from "The Roots")
"Yeah, it ain't nothin' like I rush I get, in front of the band
On stage wit the planet in the palm of my hand
When a brother transform, from anonymous man
To the force, crush whoever might of thought I was playin'"
-Don't Say Nuthin'

"If I can't work to make it, I'll rob and take it
Either that or me and my children are starving and naked
Rather be a criminal pro than to follow the matrix
Hey it's me a monster y'all done created
I've been inaugurated
Keep the bright lights out of our faces
You can't shake it, it ain't no way to swallow the hatred
Aim, fire, holla about a dollar, nothin' is sacred"
-False Media

Scarface
"Dear diary, help me cause I'm frantic
Sometimes I think I'm going schizophrenic
The world's looking dark for instance
Maybe 'cause I'm looking from a distance
But then again I wear a blindfold
Staring at the motherfucking world with my eyes closed
To myself I'm a stranger
Walking in the foot steps of danger
It's a long path ahead of me
I gotta get somewhere cause everybody here is scared of me
I had a job but they fired me
My wife walked out now I'm living in my diary"
-Diary Of A Madman

"Funny how people can take this shit for granted, right?
But then reality strikes, and changes things overnight
I thank the Lord for watchin' over me, though I'm prone to doin wrong
I repent religiously, hopin' that the weak get strong
when the heat get's on
Hopin' that the weak get strong, when the heat get's on."
-Sorry For What?

Talib Kweli
"Life is a beautiful struggle
People search through the rubble for a suitable hustle
Some people usin' the noodle, some people usin' the muscle
Some people put it all together, make it fit like a puzzle
Come on, say it now."
-I Try

"My words drippin' off the tongue like the wax from a candle wick,
Ill the way I lay down the rap, they can't handle it,
Cats all sappy like romantic flicks, dude, get a clue,
Like Colonel Mustard in the study with a candlestick,
They holdin' hands with these dudes like they goin' steady,
But, one glimpse and I know they ready, you already know,
Slipped her a note like, 'you ready to go?'
We make a getaway plan and we head for the do'!"
-Hot Thing/In The Mood (Sick Music Video!)

Check out these artists if you don't know 'em already. If you do, get to know them better.

Next time: Common, Brother Ali, KRS-One.

In Other News...

2008-11-05T16:07:00.001-08:00

A very good man lost the Presidential Election to a great man.

Busy Month

2008-11-05T15:24:00.000-08:00

Sorry for holding out on this blog for so long. It has been pretty hectic around here lately. Some updates:

Jared and Jenny came to visit for a week. Man, what a blessing that was. It was so good to have a piece of home here, someone who I could slip back into my comfort zone with.

The day J & J left, three old buddies - Brad, Travis, and James - flew in for another week. It was a wild fortnight, to be sure. They were an amazing addition to our condo as they brought hourly entertainment with their party-attitude and ridiculous banter. Another piece of home for me.

Halloween in Waikiki is absurd. The main strip closes down and a mile-long, thousands-of-people big block party ensues. Lindsay and I were 80's aerobics instructors, Celina was a cowgirl, Harrison was a UFC fighter, and Brad/Travis/James were the neon-rock group BonerStorm. And they stole the show on Kalakaua Ave.

About half-way through the Halloween bonanza, some random drunk dude saw fit to punch me in the face three times. I've never been punched in the face, outside of wrestling around with friends and my brother -- I don't recommend it. I wanted to hit back, but the thing about street fights is that you're not just fighting the guy in front of you. You're fighting him, whoever is with him, and whatever they have in their pockets. It's not really about "toughest guy wins" out here. Plus, I had heard lots of stories about fights out here that ended in cheap shots, stabbings, massive injuries, etc. So, since everyone was shoulder to shoulder and I had been separated from the group, I stood there and received three solid punches to my otherwise peaceful visage.

My brother moved back home and I am very sorry to see him go. He was my best friend on the island and our relationship got a lot stronger over the past two months.

Lindsay and I celebrated two years together. We're rad.

Lindsay's birthday is this week as well, so I bought her a new roommate, Mango the bunny. I'm sure she'll post pictures of him on her blog/Facebook as she is now in love with that furry sack of cuteness.

I also bought a computer and got a credit card. I kicked and screamed the entire time I applied for that damn piece of plastic. Oh well, people tell me it's necessary. We'll see.

More to come. Love.

Ugh

2008-10-11T22:55:00.000-07:00

If you've been following this blog, you're probably aware that I find race-relations in America to be both fascinating and highly influential on society.

This microcosm has been thrown into sharp relief over the last year and a half with the first legitimate black (or any minority, for that matter) candidate for President. For transparency's sake, know that I like Barack Obama. A lot. I will probably vote for him in a month.

I also like John McCain. I couldn't be happier that the next President will be one of these two men. For the most part, the campaigns of these two men have been run pretty fairly, with low blows being limited to usual political fare.

Nonetheless, as Obama begins widening his lead in the national polls, the McCain-Palin candidacy has taken a turn for the ugly. Where racist and inflammatory remarks by supporters used to be immediately disavowed by McCain, he and his running-mate have called off their criticism of such behavior.

Frank Rich just wrote an article in the New York Times about the recent trend at McCain-Palin rallies. It should be noted that Rich's own biases are only thinly disguised in the piece, but despite that, I think that the thrust of the article is startling and important.

I won't be devastated if McCain wins. I think he'd be a good President and a major improvement over our current one. Nonetheless, it's discouraging to see the campaign take an ugly turn like this. Race, like gender, will unfortunately always play a role in the decisions our society makes. It's just disheartening to see one of the campaigns endorse the discrimination by doing nothing about it.

The Best Movie I'll Watch In The Next Year

2008-10-03T18:52:00.000-07:00

Spada

2008-09-26T22:03:00.000-07:00

I work at an Italian restaurant. The name of the restaurant is Spada (pronounced Spah-dah). My job title is Room Service Attendant. Here's how it works:

I show up wearing all black. I look great. Then, I sit around for three to four hours, waiting for the room-service phone (we deliver food to the adjacent hotel) to ring. In the meantime, I help buss tables and make $1 wagers with co-workers like "I'll bet you a dollar that our dish-washer is less than two hours late today." Coincidentally, our dishwasher, Jair, is a black-belt level master of Brazilian Jiu-Jitzu and my brother's personal fight coach over here.

When the room-service phone finally does ring, I take down the order and then deliver it to their rooms. When I get there, I knock. Invariably, they ask who it is.

Naturally, I look over my right shoulder at my queen and then yell, "This... Is... Spada!" and kick down their door.

I get great tips.

A Quick Island Update

2008-09-12T15:13:00.001-07:00

Note: More interactive blog-posts forthcoming

We don't yet have internet in Hawaii, so my communication has been sparse thus far. We should be getting it at our condo in less than a week, so updates/communications will improve then. Here's a short rundown of our trip so far:

It took us a week to find a place, as a miscommunication cost us our first choice. Nevertheless, we landed a swell 8th floor condo in downtown Waikiki that is pretty spacious and a mere three blocks from the gorgeous beachfront.

Celina and I recently landed jobs at an Italian restaurant down the road called Spada. It looks trendy and you have to wear all black when you work there. Celina has worked a couple of shifts and I start next week.

Lindsay scored a gig at Seattle's Best Coffee, and she is very excited about it. She's also really attractive (non-sequitor, I know, but worth noting).

Harrison, due largely to the fact that he's only here for a couple months, is having a bit of trouble finding a job so far, as he refuses (like the paragon of virtue that he truly is) to lie about how long he'll be here in job interviews. Anyway, pray for him.

We've been going to this tiny church a few blocks from our place that doesn't have a name or a congregation bigger than your kindergarten class. Seriouly. I counted 20 people there last Sunday and 9 of them were in the preacher's family. My jury is still out on the place (blog re: the church forthcoming), but its a lot of fun and the people there are full of love for each other and their community.

The weather is "88 and sunny" with a cool breeze every day.

Everything here is really pricey. Add 30-50 percent to whatever you're used to paying at home. My mission has been to scout out the deals, as many bars, restaurants, and stores have pretty rad deals if you go at the right times.

Ok, I got to jet. Internet at this cafe is expensive. I'll hook you all up with more info when we get the 'net at the condo. Love.

Mahalo

2008-08-28T14:33:00.001-07:00

Off I go. I'll be back in May. To everyone who has helped make my time in Bellingham so incredible, "Mahalo!"

Two Wild Weeks

2008-08-25T15:46:00.000-07:00

I'm smack in the middle of two+ crazy weeks. Last week was Reclamation of Youth Week, which was a huge daily time commitment (but WELL worth it) and now I'm four days away from moving to Hawaii.

This week is a time for me to say goodbye for now to a bunch of people, as well as tie up any loose ends before leaving. Then... Aloha!

I feel bad that I'm not more nervous about the move. I am truly at peace with the big change, even though we have no house or jobs lined up when we get there. Part of me is glad that I can just let go of the stress and handle the move as it happens, but part of me wonders if that's a sign of irresponsibility.

Anyhow, check back in to see how it all goes. And then come visit!

PS - A belated Happy 32nd Anniversary to my awesome parents, Mick and Beth!

It's RYD Time!

2008-08-21T10:06:00.000-07:00

My favorite day of the entire year is tomorrow!

Huzzah!

I'm In Love With Usain Bolt (and not because he has 'USA' in his name)

2008-08-16T23:12:00.001-07:00

Alert: The links in this post are worth clicking on.

I love the Olympics. I love the Olympics like I love Ken Griffey Jr. The Opening Ceremonies were unbelievable, Michael Phelps is Herculean, and America gets lots of medals. I love the Olympics for all of those things and more -- the spirit, the pageantry, the chance to see the best in the world be the best in the world.

Side note: the Men's 4x100 Freestyle Swimming Final was as exciting as sports gets.

Even with all of that going on, I fell in love today. His name is Usain Bolt and he's the fastest man in the world. He's so fast, in fact, that he ran... well, I'll get to that in a second.

Usain Bolt is from Jamaica. He broke the World Record in track's most glamorous event, the 100-Meter Dash, by running it in 9.72 seconds a while back. The 100-Meter dash is my favorite Olympic event, by the way.

Anyhow, he won the Gold Medal in that event today. But it's not that he won it that makes me love him, it's how.

As you can see in the picture, he won by a lot. He ran the fastest 100 meters in the history of the world. 9.69 seconds. He's really really fast.

He's so fast that he didn't bother to tie his left shoe (his shoes were gold, by the way). He's so fast that he didn't tuck in his shirt for the race. He's so fast, that he was the second-slowest person off the blocks (pic #2 in slideshow) in the race and still won by the biggest margin in the history of the event.

Usain Bolt is so fast that he stopped sprinting after 70 meters and began high-stepping his way to the finish line, a la Deion Sanders (1:44-2:17 in th e video). He did all of this against the 7 other fastest people on the planet!

The combination of athleticism and showmanship was incredible. on the biggest stage in the world, Usain Bolt brought the house down and took my heart with him.

.

"Therefore, bite me."

2008-08-12T00:55:00.000-07:00

Check out the side-bar to the left of THIS ARTICLE.

Weirdest. School. Board. Meeting. Ever.

Lyricism, Part I

2008-08-07T21:57:00.000-07:00

I love Hip Hop. I love it for it's beats, love it for it's rhythm, love it for it's roots. I especially love it because of the lyrical freedom the genre employs. The best rappers use this liberty to create the illest in lyrical showmanship. In honor of Hip Hop, I'm starting a series of tributes to my favorite MCs.

Occasionally, I'll do my best to highlight some of the most impressive flows from some of my favorite artists. There's no way I can do them all justice, but this is my humble attempt to pay homage. It might be one line, or a whole verse but hopefully you'll find all of them to be as dope as I do (links to the actual recordings are included whenever possible).

Today's MCs: Nas, Eminem, and Lauryn Hill.

Nas:
"What you call a infinite brawl, eternal souls clashin'
War gets deep, some beef is everlastin'
Complete with thick scars, brothers knifin' each other
up in prison yards, drama, where does it start?"
-One Mic

"My mic check is life or death, breathin' a sniper's breath
I exhale the yellow smoke of buddha through righteous steps
Deep like The Shinin', sparkle like a diamond
Sneak a uzi on the island in my army jacket linin'
Hit the Earth like a comet, invasion
Nas is like the Afrocentric Asian, half-man, half-amazin'"
-It Ain't Hard To Tell

Eminem:
"And since birth I've been cursed with this curse to just curse
And just blurt this berserk and bizarre shit that works
And it sells and it helps in itself to relieve
all this tension dispensin' these sentences
Gettin' this stress that's been eatin' me recently off of this chest
and I rest again peacefully"
-The Way I Am

"My thoughts are sporadic, I act like I’m a addict
I rap like I’m addicted to smack like I’m Kim Mathers
But I don’t want to go forth and back in constant battles
The fact is I would rather sit back and bomb some rappers
So this is like a full blown attack I’m launching at them
The track is on some battle, and raps who wants some static
Cause I don’t really think that the fact that I’m Slim matters
A plaque and platinum status is whack if I’m not the baddest"
-Til I Collapse

Lauryn Hill:
"It's funny how money change a situation
Miscommunication leads to complication
My emancipation don't fit your equation
I was on the humble, you - on every station"
-Lost Ones

"I'm about to change the focus
From the richest to the brokest
I wrote this opus
To reverse the hypnosis
Whoever's closest
To the line's gonna win it
You gonna fall tryin' to ball
While my team win the pennant
I'm about to be in it
For a minute
Then run for senate
Make a slum lord be the tenant
Give his money to kids to spend it
And then amend it
Every law that ever prevented"
-Final Hour

If you didn't have any "Oh shit!" moments while listening to these songs, then you weren't paying close enough attention, hahahaha. Hope you enjoyed 'em.

Next time: Black Thought, Scarface, Talib Kweli.

The Covenant Of Marriage

2008-08-06T13:33:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that divorce today is far more common than it was in the days of our parents' and grandparents' weddings. "Irreconcilable differences" has become a sufficient reason for dissolving a marriage in the eyes of the law and the so-called "sanctity" of marriage has been loosened.

I just read a very interesting article on the nature of, and reasons for, marriages and divorces. It seems as though the cultural perspective on what marriage means has changed dramatically in the last couple of generations; to the chagrin of some and the liberation of others.

Check it out.

La Marseillaise

2008-08-04T10:36:00.001-07:00

If you've ever wondered which country has the most bad-ass national anthem, wonder no more. The answer may surprise you at first -- France -- but when you consider that the song was born out of one of the bloodiest revolutions in history, it makes a lot more sense.

The song is called La Marseillaise and, if you're a fan of "Casablanca," you may know it as the song that the French start singing to drown out the words of the Nazi soldiers. It was written by army engineer Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle per request of the mayor of Strasbourg.

And it is awesome.

"Arise children of the fatherland
The day of glory has arrived
Against us tyranny's
Bloody standard is raised
Listen to the sound in the fields
The howling of these fearsome soldiers
They are coming into our midst
To cut the throats of your sons and consorts

To arms citizens Form your battalions
March, march
Let impure blood
Water our furrows

What do they want this horde of slaves
Of traitors and conspiratorial kings?
For whom these vile chains
These long-prepared irons?
Frenchmen, for us, ah! What outrage
What methods must be taken?
It is us they dare plan
To return to the old slavery!

What! These foreign cohorts!
They would make laws in our courts!
What! These mercenary phalanxes
Would cut down our warrior sons
Good Lord! By chained hands
Our brow would yield under the yoke
The vile despots would have themselves be
The masters of destiny

Tremble, tyrants and traitors
The shame of all good men
Tremble! Your parricidal schemes
Will receive their just reward
Against you we are all soldiers
If they fall, our young heros
France will bear new ones
Ready to join the fight against you

Frenchmen, as magnanimous warriors
Bear or hold back your blows
Spare these sad victims
That they regret taking up arms against us
But not these bloody despots
These accomplices of Bouillé
All these tigers who pitilessly
Ripped out their mothers' wombs

We too shall enlist
When our elders' time has come
To add to the list of deeds
Inscribed upon their tombs
We are much less jealous of surviving them
Than of sharing their coffins
We shall have the sublime pride
Of avenging or joining them

Drive on sacred patriotism
Support our avenging arms
Liberty, cherished liberty
Join the struggle with your defenders
Under our flags, let victory
Hurry to your manly tone
So that in death your enemies
See your triumph and our glory!"

"Hi, How Are Ya?"

2008-07-29T22:17:00.000-07:00

From the Dayton Daily Newspaper:

--------------------------------------------------------

Rockies rookie sees idol Griffey pull off rare feat

By Hal McCoy

Saturday, July 26, 2008

CINCINNATI — Colorado rookie third baseman Ian Stewart thought Ken Griffey Jr. is something special and now he believes Griffey is extra-special.

Stewart grew up in Southern California idolizing Griffey and told a writer before Friday's he'd like to meet Griffey. When the writer relayed the message, Griffey said, "Tell him I'll hit a triple tonight and meet him at third base."

A triple? Yeah, sure.

Well, in the sixth inning Friday Griffey hit a ball into the right field corner that eluded Brad Hawpe. Griffey slid into third and when he popped up out of his slide he said to Stewart, "Hi, how are ya?"

On Saturday, Griffey checked his cell phone and said, "I have 32 text messages and 29 say, 'You hit a triple?' And one says, 'Who died in right field for you to get a triple?' "

Griffey responded quickly when asked when he hit his previous triple: "Last year, in St. Louis. I had a bet with a certain teammate (Norris Hopper) that I'd hit a triple before he hit a home run. I won."

---------------------------------------------------------------------

I FREAKING LOVE THIS GUY!

Congratulations, Dave!

2008-07-27T12:09:00.000-07:00

Warning: This post is very awesome and may give you goosebumps.

It's a rough time to be a Mariner fan, but something awesome happened today: Mariners play-by-play announcer Dave Niehaus got elected to the Hall of Fame. He is the first Mariner ever inducted into Cooperstown and will remain the only one until Edgar and Junior are inducted.

Below are some of Dave's most memorable calls, presented to you radio-style.

*The First Pitch in Mariner's History.

*Gaylord Perry's 300th Career Victory.

*Ken Griffey Jr(!)'s 56th Home Run in 1998.

*Edgar Martinez' Grand Slam in the Playoffs.

*The Greatest Sports Moment of My Life.

Thank you Dave, for raising me as a baseball fan to love and appreciate the game that you' so eloquently describe. You've earned this day!

The Anthropomorphic Bilingual Godbot

2008-07-26T09:53:00.000-07:00

This season sucks. I've intentionally avoided blogging about the Mariners for a while now because this has been, without peer, the most disappointing season in the team's 41 year history.

Nonetheless, I came across an article written about the M's season on LookoutLanding.com, a Mariners Fan Blog. The writer's name is Jeff, and he described how I feel right now better than I can:

"I have seen this team lose on a balk.

I have seen this team lose on a walk.

I have seen this team lose on a home run.

I have seen this team lose on a home run that was taken away.

I have seen this team lose on a caught steal.

I have seen this team lose on an outfield assist.

I have seen this team lose to Pedro Martinez.

I have seen this team lose to Doug Waechter.

I have seen this team lose in almost every way imaginable, and I have seen this team lose in ways I couldn't ever dream up.

I had never seen this team lose on a misplay by Ichiro.

Don't get me wrong, that was far from an easy play to make. Inglett hit the ball hard, and there are few plays more difficult than a line drive headed right in your direction. But Ichiro missed. He judged, he tracked, he leaped, and he missed. He flat-out missed. Although perhaps "missed" conveys the wrong impression. Better to say he fumbled. Ichiro had the ball in his sights, jumped to make a catch we've seen him make a hundred times, and fumbled. And the Blue Jays won.

After this long of a season (only 60 left to go), one can't help but become accustomed to the familiar letdowns. As the losses pile up their impact is diminished, to the point at which they feel like more of a confirmation than a bother. As far as I'm concerned, the Mariners stopped losing a few weeks ago. The Mariners stopped losing and started finishing, and it no longer mattered what took place as long as the game came to an end and gave us something to talk about. Instead of wins and losses, games became data points, and stripped of our emotional investment, we were all rendered rather indifferent little analysts, a group of people who speak earnestly of Felix but discuss outcomes with a vacant, empty expression. This is us. This is what the Mariners have caused us to become.

But tonight felt different. Not because of the loss, but because of how the loss came to happen. For all of this team's failings, Ichiro was supposed to be immune. He was supposed to be the cool, calm bastion of consistency, the reliable superstar who through only the good of his heart allows himself to go slumming every day with our assortment of losers. From Day 1 he's always been held to a higher standard, and he's justified his pedestal by always coming to play and seldom making mistakes. For as long as he's been in the big leagues, it's never been a matter of Ichiro not doing enough for his team; it's been a matter of his team not doing enough for Ichiro.

But tonight felt different. Because tonight, for the first time in as long as I can remember, one of my central tenets of fandom was violated; the tenet that Ichiro is something greater than human. That he's some kind of anthropomorphic bilingual robot sent from the heavens to amuse and entertain. For Ichiro to err is to shake the very foundation upon which our allegiance has been built, and let me tell you - when you're used to brushing these things off like they're no big deal, it's an unpleasant experience. As that line drive bounced off of Ichiro's glove and fell to the ground, I felt a knot in my stomach, the likes of which I hadn't felt in a couple months. The knot of hopeless despair. Pervasive, hopeless despair, despair that manifests itself through every available medium, be it human or anthropomorphic bilingual Godbot.

I hate that knot. Just when you think the team has finally pushed you over the edge into a permanent state of stolid disinterest, it finds a new way to get you, a new way to gnaw away at your insides and remind you that there's always a new way to demonstrate the absence of a floor. There is no floor. There is no floor. Things can always get worse, and if there's anything we can take away from the game tonight, it's that nothing and nobody is safe from the ongoing proof of the most dreary of universal truths.

Touche, cosmos."

Yep, that about covers it.

`

2008-07-21T21:10:00.000-07:00

AWESOME.

2008 ESPYs

2008-07-21T11:18:00.000-07:00

Every year, ESPN puts on a massive, star-studded awards show for the best in the year of sports. As you can imagine, I love this event.

This year, Justin Timberlake hosted. I like JT, I think his music is cool now, and I think he's a bona fide superstar in a culture of wannabes. But even so, I was very, very impressed with the job he did hosting the ESPYs.

For some reason, BlogSpot won't let me embed the clips. Instead, I have to link to them the old-fashioned way. If you only watch one of the clips, make sure it's the awesome, hilarious, impressive musical performance.

Also, I've linked to the Opening Monologue and the "Best Moments of the Year" montage.

A Change In Electoral Strategy?

2008-07-17T14:42:00.000-07:00

Came across this today. I hope it ushers in a new era where every candidate feels compelled to create a misspelled, politically-incorrect, self-righteous comic book as part of their campaign strategies.

Note: The above link requires Adobe. If you can't open it, an excerpt is here.

The King Of Pop

2008-07-13T12:19:00.000-07:00

With all of the trials, weirdness, and dearth of new albums, it's easy to forget just how awesome Michael Jackson was.

Perhaps no single person since Elvis has embodied "cool" the way that MJ did in the 80's and early 90's. He once had an album with seven #1 singles on it. He invented a sound that others haven't even tried to emulate and countless dance moves that serve as the blueprint for many of todays live acts.

This video did a great job of reminding me just how spectacular of a performer Michael was.

What Would You Do For $20,000/Hr?

2008-07-09T12:02:00.000-07:00

Rush Limbaugh is as divisive of a person as there is in this country. I can't stand to listen to the guy. Two of my co-workers are die-cast Rush maniacs. Therein lies the beauty of Rush Limbaugh.

The reasons I loathe him are the exact same reasons his fans love him. To decide for yourself, click here real quick. As much as I dislike his persona and his way of doing things, I will never disrespect his genius.

Limbaugh took a three-hour radio show and turned it into the most influential conservative empire in this country. The NY Time wrote a long feature article on Limbaugh shortly before he signed an 8-year, $400,000,000(!) contract extension for his show.

The article is fascinating. No matter how you view Rush Limbaugh, you have to admit he's as compelling an American as there is.

Today's Helping Of Irony

2008-07-08T14:21:00.001-07:00

HERE.

.

Coolest Video Of 4,400,000 Dominos You'll See Today

2008-07-07T11:40:00.000-07:00

Whoa.

Please Make Sure All Of your Moose Have Their Trays In The Upright And Locked Position

2008-07-03T13:47:00.000-07:00

Sone of my favorite things, along with words that have the letter 'z" in them, are funny state/local laws that are still in effect.

For example:
*It is still illegal to have pre-marital sex in Virginia.
*In North Carolina, it is illegal to visit relatives' graves after dark
*In Alaska, it is still illegal to push a live moose out of a moving airplane(!).
*In Iowa, kisses may not last for more than five minutes.
*In South Dakota, it is illegal to fall asleep in a cheese factory.
*In Texas, it is illegal to carry a concealed ice cream cone.
*In Utah, a drive-by shooting could get you five years in jail and a $5,000 fine, but you could spend 15 years in prison and pay $10,000 for altering the license plate stickers on your car.
*In Tucsan, AZ, it is illegal for women to wear pants.
*In New Britain, CT, fire trucks must drive 25 MPH, even when driving to a fire.
*In Tallahassee, FL, it is still legal to have sex with a porcupine.
*In Baltimore, MD, it illegal to take your lion to the theater.

The full list is here.

Follow-Up

2008-07-01T23:48:00.000-07:00

This story just broke tonight on The NY Times Website. It is a follow-up to the subject I approached a few posts ago: the torture of prisoners at Guantanemo Bay.

Read it here.

For those who still support the use of inhumane interrogation tactics by American soldiers, I'd love to hear your thoughts now that it's been revealed that the chart outlining American interrogation tactics was copied verbatim from a 1957 chart used by Communist China to extract confessions from American prisoners.

This sucks.

Hooray for... Utah?

2008-07-01T10:42:00.000-07:00

When I think of progressive states, Utah is not the first to jump into my brain. In fact, it's not even in the top 42. I may, however, need to rethink that after reading this column.

I'm all for it. I've been advocating four-day work weeks for a while now, and numerous workplace studies have shown increased production and employee morale in businesses that use the four-day model.

On top of that, it has the potential to drastically reduce the amount of fuel used during the weekly commute. Come on, Washington!

Response to MoveOn.org

2008-06-30T10:55:00.000-07:00

NY Times opinion writer William Kristol has some pointed criticism of MoveOn.org's latest ad campaign. Though I often agree with what MoveOn is trying to accomplish, I have to acknowledge that Kristol is right on here.

Since When Was America Not Better Than This?

2008-06-28T11:08:00.000-07:00

I'm pissed. The United States has always prided itself on being a haven for law and human dignity. We've always supposed to be better and more fair than the global standard. I mean, wasn't that the point of the "American Dream?"

Then I read this.

We've all heard it rumored that torture existed in Gitmo, but the most the media had ever reported was that there was possible waterboarding and sleep-deprivation. Neither practice can be condoned, in my mind, but at least then the argument existed that these were excusable discomfort-techniques to extract information valuable to America's security.

Frankly, I think that's bullshit, but I was at least willing to hear that argument out. If what the above article says is true, however, then we are seriously fucking things up as far as human rights go.

More 'Economist'

2008-06-26T13:19:00.000-07:00

The 'Economist' is awesome. This particular article touches on two of my favorite issues: race relations in America and hip-hop.

As always, some excerpts:

*"So a columnist approaches the subject of hip-hop (which includes rap) with caution. One cannot hope to capture its sound or fury on the page. Instead, Lexington will ask what it signifies."

*"Mr McWhorter also thinks people take hip-hop far too seriously. Those who disapprove of it vastly overestimate its capacity to corrupt. And those who expect it to foster a political revolution that will dramatically improve the lot of black Americans are going to be disappointed."

*"Earnest hip-hop fans often argue that “commercial” rappers such as Lil Wayne are beside the point. Hip-hop’s revolutionary potential is best expressed by “conscious” rappers who focus on important issues rather than babes, bling and booze."

Would love to hear your thoughts.

Pinky & The Brain

2008-06-23T14:50:00.000-07:00

This is an episode of one of my favorite childhood TV shows, "Pinky & The Brain." My friend Mark and I have recently taken up a custom of watching a cartoon every morning at work and I want to pass the joy on to you.

Enjoy!

A Step Back

2008-06-19T16:06:00.000-07:00

Now that we're a few days removed from the firing of former mariners GM Bill Bavasi, I realize that me glee at the axing caused me to say things a couple of posts ago that I don't necessarily feel. Namely, the "smug, incompetent" part.

Bill Bavasi is not smug.

He did, however, wield executive power over my favorite sports team from a throne built on lies. I did mean that.

Update: The Mariners have finally fired manager John McLaren.

YES!!!

2008-06-16T13:50:00.000-07:00

I never use three exclamation points in a row. I consider it superfluous and it reminds me of middle-school instant-messaging. That said, today is one of the happiest days of the year. Here's why:

The Mariners fired Bill Bavasi!!!

The smug, incompetent architect of the worst team in baseball has been removed from his throne that was built on lies. Rejoice Mariners fans, because there is now a bright new hope for the future.

Here's hoping the M's can hire a servicable replacement.

!!!

Three 6 Mafia: 1, Johnny Depp: 0

2008-06-16T08:43:00.001-07:00

Saw a cool movie with Terrence Howard in it last night. It reminded me of another awesome movie with Terrence Howard in it:

And yes, the Three 6 Mafia did win an Oscar for this song.

Sherman Alexie Rules!

2008-06-10T22:34:00.000-07:00

In reading an article about the lawsuit to keep the SuperSonics in Seattle, I came across this fascinating paragraph:

Pechman (the presiding judge) did grant the city one small victory — ruling that author Sherman Alexie can testify as a witness in the June 16 trial. Alexie, winner of the National Book Award, is a Sonics season-ticket holder who is expected to testify on the team's importance to Seattle.

Awesome.

Now go back one post and watch those Griffey videos again.

I Wept... Seriously

2008-06-10T00:20:00.001-07:00

If you know me very well at all, you're familiar with my uncomfortably fond admiration for Ken Griffey Jr. Well, today Griffey became the 6th Major League player to hit 600 career home runs. I could probably start up a whole other blog just about Junior, but for now, I'll give you all a highlight-reel of "The Kid"'s remarkable career.

This video takes you from Griffey's first game in Seattle through his 599th homer.

This is the video of historic #600.

And just for fun, an old Nike commercial featuring my hero.

Flobots

2008-06-09T12:17:00.000-07:00

I finally figured out how to embed videos in these posts. Apparently I'm still behind the technological wave a bit. Anyhow, this song is called "Handlebars" and it's by the Flobots. This video gave me goosebumps and is one of the rare music videos that perfectly accompanies the song. I hope you all like it.

Why Yes, That Is The Mayor of Cincinnati (Link #4)

2008-06-04T11:22:00.000-07:00

If writting a blog has taught me one thing, it's that success has everything to do with appealing to the lowest common denominator. It's the same reason that newspapers are written at a 5th grade level, that Danielle Steel has sold 550 million copies of her books, and that this can be the #1 movie at the box office.

It's clear to me that Roland Fryer doesn't strike a chord the same way Mariah Carey does. Consequently, I present you with more awful ceremonial first pitches.

#1
#2
#3
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This post is brought to you by fart jokes.

Roland Fryer

2008-06-02T13:56:00.000-07:00

I've been reading the Economist lately and I highly recommend that the rest of you do as well. I just read a really interesting article about ghetto-survivor/tenured-Harvard-professor Roland Fryer. I know that these social-issues posts don't generate the same kind of responses that videos of high-heeled debutantes making fools of themselves do, but I hope you all check this article out.

Here it is.

Some highlights:

*Mr Fryer now applies his supple mind to the touchy, tangled issue of racial inequality. Why are African-Americans so much less prosperous than whites? Why do so many black children flounder in school? Why do so many young black men languish behind bars? Why are stories like Mr Fryer's considered so surprising?

*What ails black America? Public debate falls between two poles. Some academics and most civil-rights activists stress the role played by racial discrimination. It may no longer be overt, they argue, but it is still widespread and severe.

*Mr Fryer eschews histrionics in favour of hard data. He is obsessed with education, which he calls “the civil-rights battleground of the 21st century”.

*His most striking contribution to the debate so far has been to show that black students who study hard are accused of “acting white” and are ostracised by their peers.

*A study by Richard Sander of the University of California, Los Angeles, found that when the bar is lowered for black applicants to law school, they are admitted to institutions where they cannot cope. Many who drop out of top-tier colleges might have thrived at slightly less competitive ones.

*In 2000 the average white household in the bottom fifth of income-earners had net assets of $24,000. The figure for blacks was a piffling $57.

*The proportion of black babies born out of wedlock has nearly doubled since 1970, to 69%. And 70% of these births are to mothers who are truly alone, not cohabiting.

Please read the whole article. I hope some of you find it as fascinating as I do. Would love to hear your thoughts.

Ahahahahahaha!!!

2008-05-29T10:35:00.000-07:00

One of the weird traditions in baseball is having celebrities or other persons of interest throw out a ceremonial first pitch. Some Japanese team decided to have Mariah Carey do it before one of their games. Hilarity ensues.

WATCH!

PS - Mariah, great choice of footwear. Very baseball appropriate. Thanks for helping fight the stereotype about women and sports.

No Way

2008-05-28T12:11:00.000-07:00

Seriously?

If this is real, it's beautiful.

"See You Soon"

2008-05-23T12:23:00.000-07:00

I had to say goodbye to two of my good friends this weekend. One of them is Tim Thorpe, who is leaving to serve in Iraq for the Army. The other is Amy Farris, who is going to grad school at UNC.

I knew that saying goodbye would be tough and had long resigned myself to the fact that these two companions would be leaving. I was prepared for goodbyes and last hurrahs, but after this past weekend I was surprised at just how much had been taken out of me from saying "see ya later."

I've had to say goodbye to many friends over the past couple of years. Brandon, Justin, Ben, KK, Igby, and others have moved to Seattle. Lachlan went to Houston (seriously Lach... Houston?). Mick is serving in the Army in South Korea. GPS is going to Portland. I feel like I should be getting accustomed to this farewell scene, but I'm just not. Maybe that's a good thing.

Tim's was a bit harder for me, since he is going off to war. There is an inherent worry that accompanies his journey, but I also know that if there is anyone I've met who is prepared for adventure, it is Tim. He'll be fine and, hard as it may be to believe, will come back even more of a man than he is now.

Amy is going across the counry, but I've become more accustomed to her departures. I've known her since high school and every year she packs up and goes somewhere crazy, like Senegal, or here. She'll go off to North Carolina and do more great things (like score me some tickets to the UNC-Duke basketball game), but I hope that she'll come back to us, just like she always has.

I'm going to miss you guys, so take care of yourselves, alright?

Love.

2008-05-20T12:03:00.000-07:00

Longtime Seattle Seahawks Head Coach Mike Holmgren will be retiring after the upcoming season.

In appreciation of his efforts: THIS.

Holmgren, when asked about his post-retirement plans, said the following:
"Fla Pluff Fuff Pa Fluffa Pla Fluff."

Growing Up Rough

2008-05-19T10:37:00.000-07:00

Here is one of my favorite Monty Python sketches: "The Four Yorkshiremen."

Mutually Exclusive?

2008-05-14T10:54:00.000-07:00

An interesting article in the NY Times on the roles of reason and belief in the human existence. The pursuit of understanding the relationship between faith and reason has always been fascinating to me.

Some highlights:

*"Lo and behold, over the past decade, a new group of assertive atheists has done battle with defenders of faith. The two sides have argued about whether it is reasonable to conceive of a soul that survives the death of the body and about whether understanding the brain explains away or merely adds to our appreciation of the entity that created it."

*"Researchers now spend a lot of time trying to understand universal moral intuitions. Genes are not merely selfish, it appears. Instead, people seem to have deep instincts for fairness, empathy and attachment. "

*"First, the self is not a fixed entity but a dynamic process of relationships. Second, underneath the patina of different religions, people around the world have common moral intuitions. Third, people are equipped to experience the sacred, to have moments of elevated experience when they transcend boundaries and overflow with love. Fourth, God can best be conceived as the nature one experiences at those moments, the unknowable total of all there is."

Let me know what you think. As always, your comments are appreciated.

Aloha

2008-05-12T12:24:00.000-07:00

I'm going to Hawaii in September! At least, that's the plan assuming that we can get enough people to go with us. So far, I'm going with the girl , my brother , and my buddy Casey, all of whom will be sharing in the nine-month adventure.

My life is great here in Bellingham, but I'm stoked to bust out for a little bit and extend myself. And by extend myself, I mean laying out in a hammock on a tropical beach in Waikiki.

Lindsay is too, as she is actually willing to defer her enrollment in grad school to go. We'd love it if more of our friends wanted to go with us, so let us know. Then we can spend nine glorious months together in paradise. We're looking to book the trip in June -- jump on board!

Just Because

2008-05-08T14:34:00.000-07:00

Huzzah!

The Inconvenience of Principle

2008-05-06T12:25:00.003-07:00

Check out this story about a college basketball coach who is out of work for acting on beliefs that he still maintains were the right ones.

Adar Rouse was an assistant coach at Baylor University who lost his job when the head coach was fired for one of the worst cover-up attempts in sporting history.

Rouse has since been labeled a "snitch" by the coaching community and is struggling to find work in basketball. This is an excellent article and I recommend that you guys take a look at it if you get a chance.

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts about it.

Wolverine

2008-05-05T08:51:00.000-07:00

Watch THIS.

This is my brother, Harrison "Wolverine" Bevens, in his first sanctioned MMA fight. You my boy, Harrison!

18 Months

2008-05-02T12:08:00.000-07:00

I have had the privilege of dating this girl for the last year and a half.

How lucky am I?

Lindsay, you are the best and I'm very happy that you're in my life!

How Prominent Is Racism In Our Legal System?

2008-04-29T09:51:00.000-07:00

I read an interesting article in the New York Times today about the racial disparities of death sentencing in Houston. Some highlights:

"A new study to be published in The Houston Law Review this fall has found two sorts of racial disparities in the administration of the death penalty there, one commonplace and one surprising.
The unexceptional finding is that defendants who kill whites are more likely to be sentenced to death than those who kill blacks. More than 20 studies around the nation have come to similar conclusions.
But the new study also detected a more straightforward disparity. It found that the race of the defendant by itself plays a major role in explaining who is sentenced to death."

Also:

"Scott Durfee, the general counsel for the Harris County district attorney’s office, rejected Professor Phillips’s conclusions and said that district attorneys there had long taken steps to insulate themselves from knowing the race of defendants and victims as they decided whether to seek the death penalty.
'To the extent Professor Phillips indicates otherwise, all we can say is that you would have to look at each individual case,” Mr. Durfee said. 'If you do that, I’m fairly sure that you would see that the decision was rational and reasonable.'"

And:

"Professor Phillips wrote about percentages and not particular cases, but his data suggest that black defendants were overrepresented in cases involving shootings during robberies, while white defendants were more likely to have committed murders during rapes and kidnappings and to have beaten, stabbed or choked their victims."

There has long been suspicion that the color of one's skin affects the nature of one's sentencing, but it has always been difficult to prove. Is racism still a major factor in America's justice system or have we, by and large, moved beyond that? Furthermore, is this study only indicative of Houston's court system or can it logically be assumed that it is representative of the American court system?

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

American Politics

2008-04-23T12:35:00.000-07:00

It's funny to me that the ongoing election has become such a gong-show. Candidates are being persuaded to do ridiculous things that have everything to do with appealing to voters and nothing to do with politics. I get it.

But the absurdity of the race has never been more delightfully bizarre than THIS.

What's extra-great about this, is that I once said, over a year ago, that the best thing Obama can do is adapt the catchphrase "Can you smell what Barack is cooking." I'm like the professional-wrestling-Nostradamus of the political scene.

Busted Digit

2008-04-17T22:41:00.000-07:00

I broke my thumb last night. To exacerbate the issue, it was my right thumb and, being right-handed, this has proven to be quite problematic.

You see, I play in a basketball league at the YMCA with some friends and our team is in the playoffs. Last night we were playing particularly well, and found ourselves up by about 25 with eight minutes left. I was guarding my man on the left side of the court, when a pass was sailed to an open opponent coming towards the hoop on the right side. I made a hurried effort to get over there to stop him and, upon realizing I had his shot timed, prepared to attempt The Block of the Century.
Instead of merely deflecting the guy's shot, I jumped as high as I could, swinging my hand in massive arc at the ball. At the peak of my jump, I swatted at the ball. I was successful in my endeavor, but in rejecting the shot, my hand was turned sideways and the force of my maximum-effort arm-swing resulted in the slamming of my thumb against the backboard.

As soon as I landed, I knew something was wrong. Looking at my throbbing hand, I noticed that my thumb no longer extended straight out from my palm. Instead, it darted in towards the rest of my hand before jutting back out away from it. Fortunately, the game was well in hand at that point, so I didn't feel terrible about sitting out the rest of the game.

Gratefully, the YMCA is next door to the Up & Up, and since it was Weekly Wednesday, the logical thing to do after the game was go drink with my friends. I kept hoping that maybe the thumb was just dislocated, but it was becoming clear that it was broken. After downing a couple of beers, I went outside and reset my thumb, nearly biting through the bill of my hat in the process. The good news is that my thumb was a bit straighter afterwards. The bad news is that after resetting it, my thumb ballooned into a bulbous, discolored version of its former self.

This morning I woke up to find that my hand still looked bloated but I was pleased to discover that the pain wasn't unbearable, even after the Ibuprofen had worn off.

Today, my awesome roommates Kyle and Ben devised a splint for me made of gauze and a custom-cut pizza box, which lasted nearly the entire day.

This afternoon I went into my job at SPIE to sign my time-card. My co-worker Chris commented, while we discussed the injury, that our thumbs are important. "They're what separates us from the apes," he said. I cocked my head slightly and looked at him quizzically. he quickly added, "well, they're what separates us from the lizards anyways."

Here's hoping the recovery doesn't last long!

The Dalai Lama

2008-04-13T17:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I got an awesome opportunity: I got to go listen to the man who heads up both the Tibetan government and Buddhism. His name is Tenzin Gyatso and he was identified as the 14th Dalai Lama at 2 years old. He is one of the world's foremost speakers on non-violence and is a tireless advocate for children worldwide.

This week he is in Seattle for the Seeds of Compassion conference, a five-day festival promoting non-violence and unity. My friend Megan was able to procure a ticket for me and I was treated to an hour or so of listening to the Dalai Lama speak. He had much to say about how we can improve the way we treat each other. He was quite funny throughout his speech and I noticed that he stayed mostly away from religion and politics. instead, he focused on what we all can do as individuals to promote compassion. My favorite part was when he spoke about "internal disarmament," or the release of hate, jealousy, and frustration, in order to achieve "external disarmament," the elimination of violence against one another.

I feel lucky to have heard this great man speak and I hope all of you get a chance to to see or hear him at some point. He was a bit difficult to understand at times, but that only caused me to listen closer.

I recommend reading his autobiography in which he elaborates on the amazing life he has lived, from his childhood in a monastery to his exile at the hands of the Chinese government, and all of the international work he has done. He is the recipient of the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize and a fascinating man.

Humorous side-note: compare the Dalai Lama's voice to that of Yoda. Keep in mind the Buddhist overtones of the Star Wars movies.

Beyond Celebrity T-Shirts

2008-04-10T10:31:00.000-07:00

One of the trendy causes these days is public decrying of the genocide in Darfur, Sudan. I mean, what says, "hey, I care SO much about the world and the people in it!" like wearing a t-shirt with a smug look on your face?

Now, this is not to say that we shouldn't care about Darfur, or any other humanitarian crisis for that matter, but that we ought to take some action if we're going to let people know that we know about the situation. There are some celebs, like uber-stud George Clooney (check out the link to the TIME article) and Matt Damon who are actually taking initiative.

Columnist Nicholas Kristof recently wrote an article about what our government can do to help the Darfur crisis. I don't know how feasible all of his ideas are, but it's encouraging to think that it's possible to help the situation diplomatically without invading another country.

Now, we don't all have to go over to Africa or join the government to have an impact. There are a bunch of ways we can help, if we feel so inclined. Some organizations I recommend are Compassion International (for sponsoring families affected by the crisis), Save Darfur (which gives you lots of options for activism), and Darfur Genocide (which provides numerous ways to get in touch with government leaders).

Also, calling and e-mailing our elected representatitives does have an impact. Those people are elected to represent their constituencies and by letting them know that we care about the Darfur situation, we can enable them to push for legislative resolutions. I'm not here to say that we all have to take action on this, but it's nice to know that there are options for those who want to do more than just let other people know that we know about the crises in the world.

Life and Death

2008-04-09T13:24:00.000-07:00

A museum in London sends freelance photgraphers back in time to take pictures of people the day of their deaths. The pictures, once returned to the present and developed, are then put next to pictures of those same people right after they've died. Check out this article.

For a slide-show of the full gallery, click here. The display gets bonus points for putting up the thoughts about death of the people in the pictures.

I Am A Beautiful Animal, I Am A Destroyer Of Worlds... I Am Harry Fucking Potter!

2008-04-08T13:14:00.000-07:00

The funniest video I've seen in a while. Make sure you watch the whole thing.

Bazonkers!

Carolina Blues

2008-04-06T22:31:00.000-07:00

After so much hope...
Ugh.

Martin Luther King Jr.

2008-04-04T10:21:00.001-07:00

The leader of the American Civil Rights Movement was shot and killed 40 years ago today. The night before, he gave a speech in Memphis, TN that would prove to be his last. It is among his most powerful and moving speeches and the allusions to his own death are chilling. This country is no doubt better for having had Martin Luther King Jr. in it.

Video of the end of the speech.

The entire transcript.

It's All Good

2008-04-04T09:34:00.000-07:00

Got through a rough stretch in the relationship with the girl -- I messed up and she was gracious and willing to try to work through it. I'm crazy about her and when I thought I would lose her, I was miserable. I am so grateful that she is still in my life.

Other high notes:
*North Carolina is in the Final Four (and Tyler Hansbrough won the National Player of the Year)

*My March Madness bracket is in the top 0.1 %

*Baseball season has started

*The Mariners won on Opening Day

*The Youth Council convenes this Sunday to discuss RYD. (Also see: this)

*I just got $1200 worth of elite cigars for only $150.

Life is looking up indeed.

Regret

2008-03-30T09:12:00.000-07:00

"I loved her so. And she knew what I did. She knew all the fucking stupid things I'd done. But the love, was stronger than anything you can think of. The goddamn regret. The goddamn regret! Oh, and I'll die. Now I'll die, and I'll tell you what, the biggest regret of my life - I let my love go... And I'm ashamed.
A million years ago, the fucking regret and guilt, these things, don't ever let anyone ever say to you you shouldn't regret anything. Don't do that. Don't! You regret what you fucking want! Use that. Use that."

-Earl Partridge in Magnolia

I'm Not Down With The Sickness

2008-03-28T10:27:00.000-07:00

You know that awful constriction of the throat that you sometimes get? The one that makes swallowing a little bit tougher and you know, you just know that you're going to be sick soon? Well, that hit me Tuesday night. I refused to acknowledge that sickness had arrived on Wednesday morning and proceeded to go to both jobs and then play in a men's league basketball game at the YMCA. As you can imagine, by the time this was over, I felt pretty awful.

Fortunately, the girl knows all about how to treat every illness and has the medication available to do so. She took excellent care of me and gave me everything I needed to get through the last couple of days. Plus, she was just downright compassionate. She's great.

Anyhow, I went to both jobs again yesterday, but after an hour the other baseball coach suggested I go home since I couldn't raise my voice much above a hoarse whisper. Today my players have a double-header so I took the day off from SPIE. I feel better now than I did yesterday, so hopefully it's coming to an end. Nonetheless, I feel bad about taking a day off from SPIE since I've only been there for five weeks.

On a lighter note, UNC continued to roll, blowing Washington State out of the tournament last night. And(!), the Mariners have their first game of the season this Monday. Things are looking up.

Ok, back to re-certifying myself for Basic Health coverage. I just realized that if I don't handle it now, I get cut off from Health Insurance for 12 months! Yikes.

For the kids:
http://www.theindychannel.com/news/15720036/detail.html

Another UNC Profile

2008-03-26T08:23:00.000-07:00

If you haven't noticed yet, I really love these guys. Check out this piece on Tar Heels reserve Danny Green. Terrific story -- really makes you cheer for someone like Danny.

Care About Health?

2008-03-26T08:08:00.000-07:00

If you're like me, you believe that health-care is important. If you're like me, you only have a vague idea of what health-care in America is all about and you're even less sure about what each presidential candidate is offering.

USA Today offers this article that attempts to clarify each candidate's plan for health-care as well as presenting potential benefits and pitfalls of each (note the bleak side-feature on the future of Medicare and Social Security. Yeesh).

Enjoy.

Icebox Where His Heart Used To Be

2008-03-25T00:24:00.000-07:00

Clearly, my UNC-themed blogs of late have helped spur my Tar Heels through the latter part of this basketball season. They are playing the best basketball in the country right now and have crushed both of there opponents in the tourney.

Now, I'm goin to cheer for my favorite teams through good times and bad but it's always uplifting to know that the guys I'm cheering for are good people as well as good players. I happened across this story about Senior point-guard Quentin Thomas (w/ Omarion look-alike pic).

It's teamwork and camaraderie like this that make my Tar Heels so darn lovable. And the fact that they play really exciting, up-tempo ball.

Misc.

2008-03-23T21:48:00.000-07:00

I think that almost everyone in the country has a messed-up bracket after the first weekend of March Madness, but I was happy to find that mine is surviving better than I thought. i currently have a higher score than anyone I know on Facebook, but I don't want to get too excited because that can all change very very quickly.

Random facts about myself (with an assist from the girl, who found the website):

64

91%

$4500.00

72%

Madness

2008-03-21T12:43:00.000-07:00

The most exciting weekend in sports is upon us: the first and second rounds of the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Those of us who follow the games are inundated with match-ups that will end the season of one of the teams. The drama is unbelievable.
Many of you have filled out brackets and may even be betting money on the games. We form allegiances on the spot based on who we've bet on, the plucky determination of an underdog, or, in some cases, which school has a funnier name.
Yesterday's games were curiously devoid of excitement, with the exception of Duke's near-gaffe against Belmont. Top seeds won almost every game and the "chalk" as they say, played out.
Today is off to a rollicking start. American University gave the #2 Seeded Tennessee team all they could handle. Stephen Curry scored 40(!) for Davidson to upset Gonzaga. But all of that paled in comparison to the insanely exciting finish between #5 Seeded Drake and #12 Western Kentucky. WOW!
My UNC boys play at 4:10 against enormous underdog Mount St. Mary's. here's hoping that one's not even close.

Grace Under Fire

2008-03-18T21:55:00.000-07:00

I wasn't going to write on this, because I didn't know how to tackle it. However, I spoke with my mom about it today and our conversation was so productive that I decided to at least approach the issue...

The topic that is on the front pages of all the newspapers, in the lead for every newscast, and saturating the AM airwaves right now is the controversy raised by Barack Obama's pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright.
Rev. Wright recently spoke out about race, politics, and Jesus. His sermon was provocative, to be sure, but it was certainly inflammatory as well. This is not the first time someone has said what Rev. Wright did. The feelings expressed by Rev. Wright have been felt and expressed by many people before him. The things he said are notable, but clearly would not be as newsworthy if he was not so closely affiliated with Barack Obama.
As I noted a few posts ago, the people in candidates' lives are cause for scrutiny. Candidates know this and I respect all who run for office for being willing to be publicly identified with everyone in their lives. This scrutiny is a good thing. The girl and I spoke on the phone about this tonight and she astutely pointed out that we need to be critical of everyone who is involved with the candidates because the candidates are running for one of the most influential offices in the entire world.
This controversy has stirred up a lot of anger and many people are offended. Various polls I've read have shown that people across the political spectrum now view Obama less favorably since hearing Rev. Wright's comments.
Whether or not that sermon makes you angry, it is serving a purpose that I believe is a very good one. For the duration of Democratic primary elections, both Obama's and Clinton's camps have avoided the issue of race. It was the elephant in the room that no one wanted to acknowledge. Neither seemed as though they wanted to risk their campaign on a topic that is still a big hot-button in our culture. Jokes and allusions to the racial element of the Democratic nomination process have been made by various media outlets, but neither candidate has confronted it head-on. Now it's unavoidable.
Decades after Martin Luther King Jr. led the Civil Rights Movement, race is still a major issue in America. Many don't want to acknowledge the role that race and our views of it play in our lives, but I believe that it's undeniable.
I believe that one of the most damaging things that can be done to any civil rights issue (race, gender, sexual orientation, etc.) is to say that it's no longer an issue. Denying the impact that assumptions about race have only serves to perpetuate the biases that we all have. Race relations need to remain part of an open dialog in this country. Racism and prejudice didn't end when this country stopped legislating it. If you don't believe me, read the dozens of message boards online that refer to Rev. Wright, his sermon, and Barack Obama.
I was deeply saddened, although not surprised, to read lots of messages that include declarative statements about people of certain races. Lots and lots of people are asserting sentiments akin to "Black people are such and such" or "White people are such and such" or "see, this shows that Blacks are all alike" etc, etc.
I've long since come to realize that we're all largely products of our environments and as a result, we all form certain prejudices along the way. Many of us hear "liberal" or "conservative" or "Jew" or "Muslim" or "male" or "female" or "gay" or "lesbian" or a hundred other terms and we have an initial emotional reaction to them. The same is true for racial labels, in this case "Black" and "White."
That we have a reaction to these things is not the issue so much as the effect they have on our behavior is. I have prejudices -- what matters is how much weight I lend them in regards to what I say and do. The second I let racial biases or stereotypes affect the way I talk or behave is the second that I've messed up.
All of these biases lay somewhere below our surfaces. Some of us have them buried closer to the exterior than others and all it takes is an incident like this to uncover them. If we say that we don't have any prejudices, I think we are lying to ourselves and seriously hindering the effort to reduce the impact that arbitrary things like race have on our interactions with each other.
As any politician in his position would, Barack responded to questions about Rev. Wright and the peripheral issues that surround him. His speech was elegant and beautiful. It was honest. It was human.
I will not attempt to sum it up for you, but I have posted the transcript and video below. I hope you all enjoy and I would love to hear your thoughts on the speech and/or anything else discussed in this post!

Here is the transcript of Obama's Speech.

Here is the video.

I've also included an article about the speech from the New York Times

Educated Voting

2008-03-17T00:02:00.000-07:00

Let me first say that Lindsay Budzier is terrific. She's a spectacular girl and I'm so fortunate to have her in my life. She and I have made it through a trying two-week stretch and her willingness to communicate and trust were crucial. I'm crazy about this girl.

On another note...
As I explained in my previous post, I'm doing my best to be as informed of a voting citizen as I possibly can. I think Americans have a wonderful privilege with regards to voting and the least I can do is attempt to truly understand what and who I might vote for. The inspiration for this post stems from a video I saw recently of my new favorite guy ever.
His specific political leanings aside, his eloquence and knowledge of the issues are remarkable. Not to mention his willingness to engage the aggressive interviewer long after I would have given in to the temptation to sock him.
I hope I get to meet the guy sometime.

American Responsibility

2008-03-14T15:03:00.000-07:00

I've paid closer attention to politics during the current election season than I ever have before. I'm learning a lot about the process, the candidates, and just how we end up with the politicians that we do in this country.
The more I learn, surprisingly, the more I appreciate the country we live in. We get to support, mock, hate, love, or refuse to care about our candidates and can say anything we feel about them and their policies. That is a great privilege and it's one that i haven't appreciated enough.
I've also learned to respect politicians that run for office - especially those who run for President - because every sin, real or imagined, is made public and they have to account for them in front of national media. Could you imagine being questioned about every misspoken word, every regrettable action, every time you did someone wrong? I mean, there are entire campaigns made up of hundreds of people whose objective is to find dirt on the opposing candidates. Yikes.
I also am learning to appreciate the rules that our country has set up to preserve the election process. Part of this process is the agreement between all states to abide by election rules. When Michigan and Florida ignored the rules regarding their Democratic Party primaries, their delegates were stripped from the nomination process.
Now, with the Democratic nomination likely coming down to a difference of just a handful of delegates, MI and FL want their votes back.
I came across this article from Glenn Beck and thought I'd pass it along:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/03/14/beckfloridamichigan/index.html

The Magic of Baseball

2008-03-13T12:26:00.000-07:00

The high school team that I coach played it's very first game of the season yesterday. We lost 7-6 in a hard-fought game that featured lots of excitement and more than its share of first-game jitters. I was proud of my players, performing so well against a more-talented team but the feeling that stands out is the thrill that comes from being involved in baseball.

Then this morning, I came across this article. I love this game.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=fritz/080312&sportCat=mlb

Andy Dufresne?

2008-03-09T22:57:00.001-07:00

A real-life 'Shawshank Redemption?'

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/06/60minutes/main3914719.shtml

Curious about all y'all's thoughts on the story.

An '08 Upturn?

2008-03-09T16:20:00.000-07:00

Watched the aforementioned UNC-Duke game yesterday. The girl came over and cheered for Duke (yecch!). I'm not sure if it was because she just wanted to cheer for the other team or not (she claims it was because she like Duke's crowd) but either way, it made watching the game pretty darn fun. Thanks to the DizzoDreams momentum, my Tar Heels won out and all but clinched a #1 Seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=3284276&categoryId=2459792&n8pe6c=2

With UNC doing so well, it got me to thinking about the 2008 sports year. 2007 was one of the worst sports years of my life with regards to my favorite teams. A recap:

MLB - Seattle Mariners -- Become baseball's biggest surprise as they earn the third-best in the Majors through the first four months of the season. Then a managerial switch from Hell (Mike Hargrove out, John McLaren in) happened a little over halfway through the year and the baffling decisions that resulted made for a sleep-robbingly painful collapse in late-August. The Mariners missed the playoffs but kept Bill Bavasi (the GM) and John McLaren on board. Also, RICK WHITE!
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2007/aug/30/indians-walk-all-over-white-ms/

NFL - Seattle Seahawks -- 10 of 11 starters on offense got hurt during the season, but the team fought through and has a pleasant run in the playoffs (thanks to Tony Romo's gaffe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZvyfswknL8). They were the one bright spot in my sports year.

NBA - Portland Trailblazers -- Have one of the worst records in the NBA and the worst season in team history. Then, amazingly, they beat all odds in the draft and win the rights to pick superstar-in-waiting-and-savior-of-basketball Greg Oden. Then, this:
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/2007/09/13/2007-09-13_greg_oden_likely_to_miss_200708_nba_seas.html
Remember, the Blazers are the ones who infamously drafted Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan in 1984.

NCAA Football - Notre Dame Fighting Irish -- My Golden-Domed favorites, the most storied program in college football, had an all-time worst season. Going 3-9, they became the punchline of the sporting world. They lost badly and to bad teams.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/teams/schedule?teamId=87

NCAA Basketball - North Carolina Tar Heels -- Despite earning a #1 Seed in the NCAA Tournament, UNC lost in heart-breaking fashion to Georgetown in the Elite Eight Round. Holding a lead late into the game, the Tar Heels went ice-cold down the stretch and shot themselves right out of a chance at the National Championship.
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/17788284/

Nevertheless, after spending a calender year getting kicked in the gut, 2008 is signaling bright new hope. If you're still reading this, let me show you why I'm excited:

MLB - Seattle Mariners -- Building off of the momentum from their surprising record last year, the M's made the Erik Bedard deal that i mentioned a few posts ago. While this may be a long-term detriment, it stands to improve the Mariners hopes this season (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/baseball/mlb/02/05/bedard0211/). On top of that, many of their key players are looking great in Spring Training.

NFL - Seattle Seahawks -- After revamping the defense and keeping the offense intact, Seattle made another run to the second round of the playoffs. A wild first-round playoff game was clinched by Marcus Trufant in the 4th quarter. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epHKo4jW8tQ
*Not filmed at my house, but a similar reaction!

NBA - Portland Trailblazers -- Showing remarkable team chemistry despite losing Oden for the season, the Blazers are compiling a winning record that included a shockingly long winning streak.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=271230022

NCAA Football - Notre Dame Fighting Irish -- In an impressive show of the program's resilience, the Irish recruited the heck out the country this off-season. Bringing in so many elite prospects (2nd-best class in the country) bodes well for the near and distant future of Notre Dame football.
http://rivals100.rivals.com/teamrank.asp?SID=880

NCAA Basketball - North Carolina Tar Heels -- Currently ranked #1 in the nation. The Tar Heels asserted themselves against arch-rival Duke and all but assured that they will be the favorites headed into the NCAA Tournament this year.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/rankings

I rise and fall with each of my teams - often a torturous journey - but that's the life of a die-hard fan. Here's hoping that there will be a lot more rising in '08!

UNC Love

2008-03-07T01:23:00.000-08:00

My North Carolina Tar Heels are ranked #1 in the country in college basketball and have a HUGE rivalry game against #5 Duke tomorrow. In order to give them some momentum, I've changed the blog colors to those of my beloved Tar Heels.

If you've never watched Tyler Hansbrough before, tune into ESPN at 6:00 Saturday night.

Trying To Sleep When Things Don't Seem Right Is Difficult

2008-03-07T00:17:00.000-08:00

I really hate going to bed if I don't feel like the relationships I have with the people in my life are as they should be. The girl and I have not spent as much time together recently as either of us would like. This has led to her feeling neglected and as a result, me feeling selfish.

The decreased time together has bred some tension and it came to a head tonight. Almost every time that she and I have had an issue come up in our relationship (which, thankfully, doesn't happen much), we've been able to work all the way through it with one conversation. It's the beauty of having two honest people in a relationship. Tonight, however, I don't feel like much was resolved.

I feel bad because the last thing I want is for her to feel neglected and I do try very hard to love on her as much as I can. My new schedule and a bevy of social engagements have combined to form a tourniquet that has cut off a lot of our alone time, although we both have been able to go to most of these parties and get-togethers. Nevertheless, as she has astutely pointed out, we used to arrive to them together much more often than we have in the last couple of weeks.

I think she feels like that means we (or at least I) have settled into a rut. I can see why she feels that way but it's not how I see it. I love spending time with Lindsay and I am still as crazy about her as I've ever been. I also know, however, that I have not held up my end of a lot of friendships recently and am making a concerted effort to remain strongly connected to everyone. Maybe I can't have it both ways all the time.

I just want her to see that the thought of settling into a rut sounds awful to me and I'd be horrified if we ever allowed that to happen with us. I've told her more than once that I enjoy spending my time with her but I'm not sure how much she believes me. Anyhow, my behavior will carry a lot more weight with her than any words I say or type will.

Unfortunately, none of this changes the uneasiness I feel as I lay down to sleep. I'm going to read my Bible for a while. I've definitely neglected that book recently and I usually feel much better after spending some time with the Gospels.

Here's to me not screwing up a great thing.

Watch Out Blogosphere, Dizzo Has Arrived (and he's delightfully Post-Modern)

2008-03-05T23:38:00.000-08:00

Thanks to some gentle nudging, I have thrown my lot in with the trendy bloggers that the kids are so crazy about these days. With any luck, it will, at the very least, be an enjoyable read.

You know, I was almost instantly paralyzed by all of the options I had with regards to the layout of this thing. I finally decided to stay in my comfort zone and set it up with the colors of the Notre Dame football team. Subject to change.

Ok, real stuff. I work two jobs right now. My schedule adds up to about 60 hours a week (plus 1 hour of drive-time a day) and I'm always on the move. My average weekday looks like this:

--Wake up at 7:45 (after setting my alarm for 6:12 so I can have the glorious feeling of waking up and then falling back asleep).

-- Pick up the Big Humble on my way to the shipping warehouse for the Society of Photo-Optic Instrumentation Engineers.

-- Work at SPIE until 1:30.

-- Go home and change into baseball stuff. Maybe grab a bite to eat.

--Drive out to Mt. Baker High School at 2:00 and coach the baseball team there until 6:00 or 6:30.

--Drive to Bellingham Health and Fitness to work out.

--Come home around 7:30, eat dinner, BS with my housemates, and then get dressed and head out to spend time with friends or the girl.

--Go to bed between midnight and 2:00.

I like this schedule. It's crazy busy, but it's enjoyable. I like being on the move and getting to see Lindsay and/or my friends and family is like a rejuvenation at the end of the day.

At SPIE, I get to work hard while still having some goof-off time. Currently, I'm engaged in a Cold War-styled Arms Race with my co-worker Chris. We're making our desks into fortresses with ramparts and troops and weapons and a moat. Also, I made a transmogrifier just like the one Calvin made. The settings are for Calvin, Tiger, Elephant, and Dinosaur but I left plenty of space around the dial to write in something else -- you know, in case I feel like spending an afternoon as a dolphin... or an F-16.

Also, my co-workers really like good coffee so we buy good coffee and then make it every morning at work. Then we listen to Jim Rome on the radio, which is my favorite. Today, we shut down the warehouse for 45 minutes and the five of us that work there went to Cicchitti's for lunch and played Trivial Pursuit. I like this job.

When I'm done SPIE-ing, I don my baseball cap and knee-high socks and drive out to forgettable Deming, WA to coach the high-schoolers. I love this job even more. The pay is decent (although the drive-time takes an alligator-bite out of my paycheck), the kids are great, and most importantly, I'm on a baseball field. Few are the times when I feel as at-home or peaceful as when I'm walking on a newly-mowed infield and listening to the sound of a 9-inch, 5-ounce cork-centered leather sphere slapping against the palm of a kangaroo-skin glove. This is my fourth season as a coach and doing this job gives me a greater appreciation for the coaches I had when I played.

I think that one of the most underrated qualities in a vocation is the atmosphere while at work. Both of my jobs are comfortable, fun, energetic places to work and I often leave them feeling more energized than when I arrived. I am very grateful for this.

On a related note, I'm worried about the Mariners. I love them. I love sports and I have favorite teams at just about every level of every sport in this country but I love the Mariners the most. Griffey scoring from first on Edgar Martinez's double in the '95 Divisional Series is still one of the ten greatest moments of my life and the day Griffey was traded is still one of the ten worst. Don't laugh. So here's my dilemma:

A few years ago, the Mariners hired Bill Bavasi as General Manager. He has since spent his time trading away the prospects from the Mariners' farm system (which a couple of years ago Baseball America considered the best in the game) for marginal Major League veterans. Last year was one of the most egregious display of future-mortgaging I've ever seen.

Consider these moves:
-Signed Jeff Weaver for over $8 million (for one year).
-Traded super-stud reliever Rafael Soriano for Horacio Ramirez and then signed Ramirez to a one-year contract worth about $7 million.
-Traded outfield prospect and crowd-favorite Chris Snelling for Jose Vidro.
-Didn't trade Richie Sexson.
-Picked up Rick &#!%@ White. Rick White!!!

This is all in one season. Here's how these moves played out:
-Jeff Weaver's first three starts resulted in an 0-3 record with an ERA over 14! Statistically, it is the worst three-game opening in the HISTORY OF MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL. I'm not making that up. Guess $8 mil doesn't get you what it used to.
-Ramirez's $7 million ERA: 7.16! And he allowed 1.85 runners to reach base PER INNING. Those are tee-ball numbers. (Side note: Soriano has since become a lights-out closer for the Atlanta Braves)
-Jose Vidro was signed to be the designated hitter for the M's. Yes, that Jose Vidro. All he had to do all season was hit. Not play defense, not do anything else. Just hit. The result: 6 home runs and 59 runs batted in.
-Sexson (who coincidentally makes something like $16 million dollars a year) had a .205 batting average, more strikeouts than hits, and was benched by August.
-Don't make me revisit Rick White. I didn't eat for a week after his three-game suck-fest took the life out of an inspiring playoff run. That's on you, John McLaren. Oh yeah, Bavasi made John McLaren the manager. And then KEPT him after he tanked the season.

Ok, my blood-pressure is lowering. Anyhow, despite the GM's best efforts, the Mariners exceeded everyone's expectations last season and went 88-74. This is a problem, though. I'll tell you why:

The Mariners ownership has essentially told Bavasi that his job is in jeopardy and that he's being evaluated on a year-by-year basis. Consequently, Bavasi is trading away the future of the franchise (some of our best minor-leaguers and young players) for players that he thinks will help the Mariners win more games now. This sucks because the Mariners won all those games last year on the backs of their exciting young players, not the schleps that Bavasi brought in.

88 wins was not enough to make the playoffs, but unfortunately it's enough to give Bavasi another year. Keeping a GM on a year-by-year is problematic because the General Managers job is to ensure long-term success. I once heard someone say that the second you can't see your current GM still being there in 5 years, you have to fire him. i believe this is true. Otherwise you get guys like Fire-Sale Bill trading away the next ten years worth of talent for minor improvements now.

The latest move was to trade Adam Jones and his drool-worthy abilities (as well as the best set-up pitcher and three more of the top-six prospects in the Mariners system) to Baltimore for Erik Bedard.

I was SO excited to watch Adam Jones spend his promising career with the Mariners and am sad to see him go. I'm also sad to see set-up extraordinaire George Sherill leave. The good news is that Erik Bedard is a stud. A true ace. A proven pitcher with a hell of an upside. I can't wait to watch him throw at pitcher-friendly Safeco Field this year.

My hesitation with this move is that you just don't trade away your best players (a 5-for-1 deal if you're keeping score) unless you think you're one player away from winning it all. The Mariners, I assure you, are much more than Erik Bedard away from winning the World Series or even contending for it. I think. I hope I'm wrong. If nothing else, watching Bedard and King-in-waiting Felix Hernandez pitch on back-to-back nights will be exciting.

For the kids:
http://newsfromrussia.com/society/sex/05-03-2008/104366-space_sex-0

*Ahem*