1. The Swanson Pyramid of Greatness - Parks and Recreation returned last week and I know if you're smart enough to read this blog then you already watch P&R. If for some unfathomable reason you don't watch then you need to fix that. Immediately. This week the worlds greatest government employee, Ron Swanson revealed the foundation on which every life should be built, The Swanson Pyramid of Greatness. There is so much good and victory in here I almost feel unworthy to receive it. Go ahead, take a look, print it out and hang it on your wall. You'll be better for it.
2. Twitter - If you're reading this, I assume you're already on twitter. But if not, you really should be and this past Sunday is a perfect example why. Twitter was made for events like NFL playoff games. You find you some good follows and your Sunday football tradition just improved seven fold. Between Cutler quitting, gambling degenerates gripping and Rashard Mendenhall Rapisbergering Big Ben twitter was exploding with comedic genius. If comedy isn't your thing but you just want to get more insight into the game, Adam Caplan, John Harris and Rob Rang do a great job of breaking down the game and players. If you want opinions not necessarily on the X's & O's but rather the circumstances surrounding the game then Gregg Doyle, Dan Wetzel and Jason Whitlock are your guys. Or if you're nearsighted and can't see all the way to the television but you want to know what is going on in the Texans game then John McClain will be there to regurgitate the play that just happened. If you're lucky he'll also drop a little Texans propaganda in your lap as well. What I'm trying to say is no matter your situation twitter makes watching football better. 
3. Nose Pickers - Look I'm not going disparage anyone for nose picking. When it come to rhino digging I'm world class. I'm a big fat guy but I have these tiny narrow nostrils. So, I have to spend a great deal of time clearing the air passages. However, I bow in respect to the guy I saw in Shipley's donuts the other day. In fact, I slow clap in respect to his brazenness. There he was in the middle of the busy donut shop taking nose picking to a new level. As he stood there cork screwing a napkin in to one nostril then the next and then back again, I knew there was a higher plain of picking I had yet to achieve. I salute you my friend. I only hope to inspire others the way you have inspired me. God Bless.
4. Aaron Rodgers - This time last week the guy was getting killed for snubbing a cancer patient and now he is one victory away from winning the greatest championship in the world. And yes World Series the Lombardi trophy trumps you. We now know the perceived snubbing of a cancer survivor was blown way out of proportion. Hell I had a little fun with this perception myself on twitter. The truth is Rodgers does a lot of charitable work for cancer patients and is widely considered a good guy. He stepped into the very difficult role of replacing a legend like the old dongslinger but he's improved every year and is now considered one of the premier quarterbacks in the league. I'll be pulling for the Pack when they play the Steelers in two weeks because I've liked the Packers since the Lynn Dickey/James Lofton days and if given a choice I prefer to not root for a person accused of sexual assault.
5. Perseverance of the Human Spirit -Some where in Houston there's a woman whose husband has left her alone with five kids this week. She is in a constant battle with raging hormones, sleep deprivation and poor grammar by her kids. She prays daily that she's able to hold it together until her valiant husband is able to make his way back to her. Though her nerves may be frayed she perseveres. Because she knows some where out there, there's a rock star that dedicates songs to her and she will make her husband take her to see that rock star a couple months from now. Keep it together Nicole.Bottom 5
1. Jay Cutler - I'm gonna go out on a limb and say Jay Cutler didn't have a very good day yesterday. His play was bad, not Jake Delhomme bad but bad none the less. Sonny Liston thought his "injury" seemed kind of fishy. And now he's got Bears fans burning his jersey. Someone could really use a reset button. I think Bears fans might want to slow down though. Yeah Cutler likes to pout and through pity parties on the sidelines but have you already forgotten the list of QBs you guys have had since McMahon and Ditka were patrolling the sidelines? I'll give you a partial list just off the top of my head. Stop me when I get to the QB you like better than Cutler: Erik Kramer, Rex Grossman, Peter Tom Willis, Jim Harbaugh (the QB version not the coach), Doug Flutie, Mike Tomczak, Jim Miller, Cade McNown. Is that enough or do I need to keep going? What I'm trying to say is you finally have a guy with some talent. Yeah he's got issues between the ears but he also made strides this year. I'd cut him a little slack. You've got the rest of your lives to hold this game against him.
2. What's left of Al Davis - This is one of those situations where a picture is worth a thousand words. It may also be worth a thousand winces too.
3. Winter Sports Doldrums - Everyone talks about the dog days of summer after the NBA has ended their season and before football is ready to start over again but I find the winter sports doldrums to be much worse. Two weeks from today the football season will officially be in our rear view and all that will be on the table is basketball. Baseball will still be nearly two months away and March Madness more than six weeks. I'm sure it depends on your preference between baseball and basketball as to which down time leaves you more wanting but at least in the summer you can get out and find things to do. The dreary winter weather is far less accommodating. Maybe I'll turn my attention to something other than sports. Is there something other than sports? I'll have to get back to you on that.
5. The End of the World as I Know It (And I Feel Fine) - On March 8, 2011 R.E.M. will release their new album (that's an old school term for a collection of songs for all you youngins) Collapse into Now and I won't be heading to the store to buy it. This marks the end of a very long and enjoyable relationship between the boys from Athens, Georgia and myself. I have everything the band has ever released and many things they haven't. I've read several books on the band and a chronicling of the making of their first album but this relationship just isn't working for me anymore. It all started to fall apart when Bill Berry left the band in 1997 and the release of their last great album, New Adventures in Hi-Fi the previous year. The subsequent releases have failed to live up to the quality I expect from R.E.M. and rarely get played anymore. There are a few songs like Imitation of Life that make it into the rotation but not many. I still plan to see them live whenever they come to town because they continue to be an outstanding live act. I just have lost my desire to hear new music from the guys. I have a retrospective review of all their releases in the works. In preparation for that post and to mark this sad occasion I've spent the past couple of days listening exclusively to their catalog. If I can ever finish this 80's movie post I'll get to working on my R.E.M. love fest.
R.E.M. will always have a spot in my iPod, and an important memory in fatherhood since the first song I heard Sophia sing along to was Drive.
ReplyDeleteAround the Sun was the last time I even bothered listening though. I will watch them when they are on T.V. but I will not go out of my way. That does not diminish my thoughts on them.
Also I think Monster is horribly underrated.
I'm with you on REM holding a special place in my heart and Ipod. Green World Tour was the first concert I was old enough to drive myself to. Since then every show I've been to has had a unique experience.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the Frequency Kenneth? is one of the great track 1's. REM was always great at starting albums off with a bang.
I was doing so good until XM hit again. Now the question is do the kids pay for XM radio's actions? Maybe I'll just keep playing Rhett over and over again to calm my nerves.
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