My friend comoprozac has kind of beaten me to the punch here. But I wanted to comment on this financial crisis thing. Once again, let me add a disclaimer that I know about as much about this as Sarah Van Palin does, our prospective VP. therefore, forgive my ignorance and feel free to fact check me or clear up any shortcomings.
Let me get this straight. We have a major financial problem. China owns a ton of our debt. The dollar is very weak. Our fellow common citizens are living beyond their means. The price of gas is skyrocketing leading to higher prices all over the place. Banks are failing as a result of the housing problems. The housing problem is comprised of a ton of people going into foreclosure because they can't pay their mortgages (see living beyond our means). I know from my own experience, I was approved for loans WAY higher than I knew I could afford. So I assume other people took the loans for higher than they could afford?
Is this all right?
The fault can be placed on many people's shoulders. The banks should not have allowed so many loans out so easily. The people taking these loans should have understand what they really and truly could afford and not just qualify for. Corporate heads are getting caught being corrupt. Government officials saw this coming and did little if not nothing (appropriate double negative correct?) to avoid or solve it.
How am I doing?
Sigh.
Now what?
The government bails out the banking industry by eventually passing it on to us through more taxes. But wouldn't higher taxes mean less disposable income? Wouldn't our habits to live beyond our means remain? Wouldn't China still own us? Will that really fix oil prices or the strength of the dollar? Could this just be the lesser of two evils?
Personally, I would rather have my tax money go to education, crime fighting, anti-drug campaigns, effective, safe, easily accessible birth control along with birth control education, roads, other infrastructure, afforable healthcare as well as other social service things than the banks. But maybe I don't see the ramifications here. I am confident my ignorance is blinding me here.
Like my friend comoprozac mentioned in his blog "Living in Misery," I too received a chain email about how the money used for the bailout should just go straight out to the common citizens. It went on to list all the positive outcomes of doing this as did comoprozac. For instance, we could use it to pay off these debts of ours. wouldn't that help the banks? Also, it could be used to make home improvements creating more money into the economy. Isn't that good?
I don't know. But this all scares me. It is more evidence of our impending doom. We are either going to fall apart as a country or be hit by the apocalypse in 2012 from this polar shift. The bees are disappearing and according to Walt Whitman, we got 7 years or whatever he said before we will be gone.
I'd prefer our country just quietly sink a bit out of superpower status and let someone else fix the world's problems while we leave everyone else alone and build up our borders. Isolationism I say.....sarcasm my friend. sarcasm. I wish we could.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Romeo MUST go!
"Oh Romeo. Oh Romeo. Wherefor art thou Romeo?" (Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet)
Romeo Crennel is not a good coach. I'm sorry but this is a fact. I will pass on making fun of his personal weight issues. I won't comment on his stubborn effort to be vague in his injury reports. I won't go on about unsubstantiated positive outlooks in the interviews after we just lost by 3 or more touchdowns and continued a 5 game losing streak....again. No, I will just get to the reality of this situation with no personal attacks on who seems to be a perfectly nice guy. I doubt there is anybody I'd rather sit next to at the doughnut shop then.....nope, not gonna do it.
The Love Doctor, Romeo, was brought into Cleveland after Butch Davis was unceremoniously escorted out of town. Davis had a whirlwind of a stay in Cleveland acquiring some questionable draft picks and leading the team through some wild and crazy seasons. The two most memorable seasons were his first two when he posted a 7-9 and 9-7 record in 2001 and 2002 respectively making the playoffs by a wing and a prayer in '02. Davis finally ran out of gas midway through the '04 season leading to the Romeo Era in 2005.
Before his stint as head coach of the Browns (he was our defensive coordinator in 2000 as well), Romeo was highly regarded as one of the best assistants on the market while he coached Belichick's
defense in New England. His Patriot defense was a big reason why they won those three Super Bowls earlier this decade. (clevelandbrowns.com)But as most athletes and coaches experience, as soon as he set foot in Cleveland, all that success quickly evaporated. At first, one could understand. The cupboard was dry. Davis didn't leave much talent and what little was there, Kellen Winslow Jr.,
was busy riding motorcycles and injuring himself for seasons at a time. Now he is in his fourth year. His 3-4 defensive scheme should be well in place. The talent should fit his plan. Phil Savage has gone out and signed a number of highly regarded players on both sides of the ball. Lerner is paying the money. The people surrounding Crennel are doing their jobs. To Romeo's credit, the team found some success in 2007 going 10-6 and looked poised to make a move. Savage signed legitimate defensive players at areas of need. He shored up the defensive line with Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams for instance. he drafted some young, talented linebackers. He also made moves on offense even though that was an area of strength from 2007.
So the excuses are done. This year is the year Romeo has to prove himself. So far he has failed miserably. Now comes my opinion.
I have not liked Romeo from the start. Last year's success was "fool's gold!" (Kevin Kasper, 9/22/08) I couldn't have said it any better Kevin. The 10-6 record created a positive feeling that covered the huge deficiencies. Derek Anderson is not as good as he looked. They won games against inferior opponents. They only beat 1 winning team last year. 7 of the 10 wins came at home. They couldn't run the ball consistently when they had to contrary to a casual observers look at Jamal Lewis' numbers. Lewis, with a history of injuries, his one year older.
All of this adds up to disaster that I was hoping wouldn't happen. I kept getting a hard time from people claiming I am such a pessimist and I can't ever be positive about anything because I said Romeo isn't any good even after last year and I predicted the Browns would be lucky to go 7-9 this year. I tried to be positive. I really felt like 4-12 was more realistic and even stated it to some friends, but when on the record I stuck with 7-9....just to show some "positivity."
Looks like I was right. Looks like this teams isn't any good. Braylon Edwards can't catch ANYTHING. Anderson is proving to be fool's gold himself not nearly playing like the first half of last year. Lewis can't get any carries due to our constant deficits. The defense is hanging in there against bad offenses but still not getting pressure on the QB. I guess the run defense has shown some improvement but we shall see how that holds out.
Anyway, I blame this on Romeo. The team is not prepared. They are already fighting with one another (see Edwards v. Anderson) There are undisciplined penalties. The game planning is weak. Players are STILL getting staff infections (i.e. Joe Jurivicius). Players are still getting injured left and right (i.e. Donte Stallworth in warm ups??? for 6 weeks???? What secret STD did he acquire?) Bottom line, we aren't winning games.
Why blame Romeo you ask? He can't be blamed for all of that. He is the head coach. He needs to bust some heads when this happens. He needs to motivate these players. He needs to get Edwards to catch a FREAKING BALL THAT MY DAUGHTER COULD CATCH FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!!!!
He needs to get Quinn in there. He needs to get on Tucker's butt to scheme better defensive blitzes that don't get absorbed by a sorry Bungle offensive line. He needs to get on the trainers to prepare these guys to play without constantly getting hurt....EVERY YEAR!!Changes need to be made. I love the new offensive coordinator Chudzinski. Keep him. I still trust Savage. He keeps signing big name guys. Freak things keep them from panning out...or their head coach does. He has drafted well thus far too.
But everyone else including Romeo needs to get gone!The only difference between now and 1999 is that we have some talent. Otherwise, we might as well start all over again. It is sad that we haven't even turned our calendars to Roctober and we are already forced to look to next year. Again. This is an all too familiar feeling. I am absolutely sick of it.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Huey's All Time Favorite Bands Pt. 2
I have begun a little ditty here on my blog listing my Top 25 Favorite Bands/Musical Artists of All Time. To see who was 25-21, check out the earlier post down the screen. Included there is the criteria and disclaimer. Remember, this is not a list of who I think is the best bands of all time objectively, it is a list of my personal favorites.
So with no further ado, 20-15......
20) Black Rebel Motorcycle Club...This band is very new and fresh to me. I worry their appearance on this list is merely due to this freshness. I love a number of their songs from "Weapon of Choice" to "Berlin" to "Ain't No Easy Way." These are the top of the list. The vibe of their stuff is great. Upbeat, cool rhythms and generally fun to listen to working out or in the car.
19) The Who...Obviously a classic band that can't be left off many Rock 'n Roll connoisseurs' list. This band is one my dad and I have been able to share. He highly recommended Who's Next after he found out I was listening to their greatest hits double CD. There are too many individual songs to list here that I thoroughly enjoy. The straight up, loud, in your face sound and classic style are awesome. They were slamming guitars and destroying things long before Nirvana ever did. They still rock out at their live shows and deserve the epic reputation they get on stations like VH1 in my mind. They are one of those bands I love to hear the biographies about. Fortunately, I do not watch enough CSI to get overkill of their songs that have suddenly been played multiple times a week in their intros.
18) Sublime....Sublime is just a cool freaking band. Seriously. They have so many good songs from the couple albums they released before their lead singer passed away. I believe it was an overdose. But they cashed in on that rap, reggae, rock mix vibe. While a number of bands tried and failed miserably, sometimes coming off as a joke, they were one of the bands that were able to pull it off. I gotta say my favorite track is "Doin' Time," but "Garden Groove" and "April 22, 1992 (Miami) are also among my personal favorites.
17) Outkast.....Outkast is one of the few rap groups that I found myself enjoying after my rap phase. It seemed like rap in the mid to late 90s quickly began to spiral downward from strong, creative, original rhymes sampled over beats to flat out, ripped off trash of old songs with little originality or they were over-the-top violent, sexual, trashy gangsta, pimpin' rap. It got old for me. Or maybe I got old. I prefer saying I grew up. Regardless, I never felt Outkast was like this. Outkast was very able to keep things original and fresh while maintaining creative, catchy lyrics along with solid beats and rhythms. They experimented with different sounds and it came off very artistically because, well, they were artists. "Rosa Parks," "Bombs Over Baghdad," and "So Fresh So Clean" are tops in my book.
16) Pink Floyd...I saw these guys live in 1994 at the end of my freshman year at OSU. I feel for the future generations that will miss out on Pink Floyd's live show. It was epic. Pink Floyd is a requirement for young adults progressing through college. It is mandatory to experience them. I am glad I was able to get the full effect. The following summer after the concert, I went crazy buying every tape (yes I was still listening to cassettes in '94) and soon CDs so I could to catch up on all the Floyd I missed. Their albums were ones you would listen to all the way through. You don't skip around to specific songs. That defeats the purpose. Dark Side of the Moon
is their best known album and a classic indeed, but I loved Wish you Were Here and Animals almost as much. Meddle was strong as well. And of course, the album I borrowed from my dad and the movie that went with it, The Wall, is yet another classic that can't go without mention. Of course I watched the movie. I also did the Dark Side of the Moon to Wizard of Oz as well. Both very cool. Even if the 'Oz thing is bull crap, I bought in. Their best albums came with Roger Waters in the lineup and some may even declare that the best days were even earlier when Syd Barret was part of the group. Drugs and alcohol played their role in the band's work, but whatever....that seems to be a running theme with artists doesn't it?
So there you have installment number two of my favorite bands. Next up, 15-11. I hope you enjoyed. I hope you thought back to your memories of these bands. I also hope you add your opinion. Do you think these bands suck or deserve a higher standing? Am I full of garbage? Why? Who would you include?
So with no further ado, 20-15......
20) Black Rebel Motorcycle Club...This band is very new and fresh to me. I worry their appearance on this list is merely due to this freshness. I love a number of their songs from "Weapon of Choice" to "Berlin" to "Ain't No Easy Way." These are the top of the list. The vibe of their stuff is great. Upbeat, cool rhythms and generally fun to listen to working out or in the car.
19) The Who...Obviously a classic band that can't be left off many Rock 'n Roll connoisseurs' list. This band is one my dad and I have been able to share. He highly recommended Who's Next after he found out I was listening to their greatest hits double CD. There are too many individual songs to list here that I thoroughly enjoy. The straight up, loud, in your face sound and classic style are awesome. They were slamming guitars and destroying things long before Nirvana ever did. They still rock out at their live shows and deserve the epic reputation they get on stations like VH1 in my mind. They are one of those bands I love to hear the biographies about. Fortunately, I do not watch enough CSI to get overkill of their songs that have suddenly been played multiple times a week in their intros.
18) Sublime....Sublime is just a cool freaking band. Seriously. They have so many good songs from the couple albums they released before their lead singer passed away. I believe it was an overdose. But they cashed in on that rap, reggae, rock mix vibe. While a number of bands tried and failed miserably, sometimes coming off as a joke, they were one of the bands that were able to pull it off. I gotta say my favorite track is "Doin' Time," but "Garden Groove" and "April 22, 1992 (Miami) are also among my personal favorites.
17) Outkast.....Outkast is one of the few rap groups that I found myself enjoying after my rap phase. It seemed like rap in the mid to late 90s quickly began to spiral downward from strong, creative, original rhymes sampled over beats to flat out, ripped off trash of old songs with little originality or they were over-the-top violent, sexual, trashy gangsta, pimpin' rap. It got old for me. Or maybe I got old. I prefer saying I grew up. Regardless, I never felt Outkast was like this. Outkast was very able to keep things original and fresh while maintaining creative, catchy lyrics along with solid beats and rhythms. They experimented with different sounds and it came off very artistically because, well, they were artists. "Rosa Parks," "Bombs Over Baghdad," and "So Fresh So Clean" are tops in my book.
16) Pink Floyd...I saw these guys live in 1994 at the end of my freshman year at OSU. I feel for the future generations that will miss out on Pink Floyd's live show. It was epic. Pink Floyd is a requirement for young adults progressing through college. It is mandatory to experience them. I am glad I was able to get the full effect. The following summer after the concert, I went crazy buying every tape (yes I was still listening to cassettes in '94) and soon CDs so I could to catch up on all the Floyd I missed. Their albums were ones you would listen to all the way through. You don't skip around to specific songs. That defeats the purpose. Dark Side of the Moon
is their best known album and a classic indeed, but I loved Wish you Were Here and Animals almost as much. Meddle was strong as well. And of course, the album I borrowed from my dad and the movie that went with it, The Wall, is yet another classic that can't go without mention. Of course I watched the movie. I also did the Dark Side of the Moon to Wizard of Oz as well. Both very cool. Even if the 'Oz thing is bull crap, I bought in. Their best albums came with Roger Waters in the lineup and some may even declare that the best days were even earlier when Syd Barret was part of the group. Drugs and alcohol played their role in the band's work, but whatever....that seems to be a running theme with artists doesn't it?So there you have installment number two of my favorite bands. Next up, 15-11. I hope you enjoyed. I hope you thought back to your memories of these bands. I also hope you add your opinion. Do you think these bands suck or deserve a higher standing? Am I full of garbage? Why? Who would you include?
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Observations on an average football Saturday
I attended the Ohio St. versus Troy game today with a friend of mine and enjoyed it thoroughly. Once again, I was able to take in the sights and events of gameday on OSU's campus. I still love the sound of the band, the electricity of the crowd, the annoying OH-IO cheer, the radio stations broadcasting live, the flags waving atop the stadium, the roar of the crowd, the ringing of the victory bell after we won, the traditional singing of "Carmen Ohio" at the end of the game and all the stadium food and snacks.
One thing I learned today was that Terrelle Pryor is the future of this football team and shows a ton of promise. Granted, that is probably the kiss of death coming from my lips but he looked pretty darn good. There were numerous freshman mistakes mixed in with some Houdini like escapes and nice throws, but nothing he can't learn from after some tutoring and film study. A couple calls to Craig Krenzel may help too so that he can learn how to throw the ball away at certain times.
What impressed me the most is how he was able to escape pressure and maintain his view down field to get to the open receiver. Obviously he can run well, we already knew that. His leadership and the uncoachable ability to get your players to rally behind you (A trait that separated Troy Smith from Justin Zwick from the get go), are things that I was curious to see. Also, I wanted to see how strong of an arm he had and how accurate he would be with it. Accuracy is still a question mark but arm strength isn't. These are things that can be shored up as he plays out this year and learns on the job. Playing through the Big Ten season will be invaluable as he works on reading defenses and making adjustments. Mistakes will come, but I can deal with these growing pains this year.
I mean would that be much different than Todd Boeckman making mistakes back there?
My brother and I were talking this evening about the LSU v. Auburn game taking place as I write this. The atmosphere of a SEC night game is phenomenal. We thought back how every Saturday night there is a great SEC game on tv. How awesome is that conference? I hate them for dominating my team but that doesn't mean I can't respect and appreciate what they have down there. Man, to be at a game like that. You just don't get that in the Big Ten that often. OSU v. Michigan is the closest the Big Ten has to this type of game I suppose, but even that is cold and in the early afternoon. I do recall the OSU v. Texas game which was early in the year and at night was similar too. But over the whole Big Ten? It doesn't really happen.
I am recovering nicely from the USC embarrassment I think. It is like having your balloon burst as a little kid. The initial shock sucks. We knew this was coming, but I was hoping it wouldn't come yet. Let's face it, this defense is overrated and the offense, especially with Boeckman, is not very good (Beanie or no Beanie). But now that the balloon has burst and reality has set in, I kind of feel relieved. I can relax now. I can just sit back and enjoy football without the nervous anxiety over my team. The reality has been for a good two or more seasons that watching Buckeye games has been hard work. The fun was gone. I mean it was a no win situation really. Think about it. We needed the Buckeyes to win EVERY game. If they lost it was disaster. Shoot, even if they won sometimes you felt like we lost when the win wasn't convincing enough. The optimal result, a convincing win, wasn't even that satisfying because it was what was supposed to happen. It was like shooting par. All it meant was we lived to see another day. That is hard to do for two plus seasons. Now we can just sit back at 13 and quietly go about our season while the national media hones their ultra critical, anti-Buckeye spotlight on other programs out there. (Well, maybe. They still enjoy poking fun at us any chance they get) We can still play for another Big Ten title and a BCS bowl which is cool. Like my brother said, maybe we could get a shot at another SEC team and an opportunity to shut up all those fans. Then next year, a seasoned Pryor and fresh defense (hopefully new defensive coordinator) can come out and put the rest if our demons to rest with some big wins.
Here is another annoying pet peeve I have: girls that say "Ohhhhhhh my God you guys." Or sometimes it may go, "Oh my Goooooooood, you guys."
Have you noticed a negative tone in my posts of late? I have not been feeling positive at all. That is probably a really bad thing. I am only making things worse but I swear I am just ticked off. Sigh.
One thing I learned today was that Terrelle Pryor is the future of this football team and shows a ton of promise. Granted, that is probably the kiss of death coming from my lips but he looked pretty darn good. There were numerous freshman mistakes mixed in with some Houdini like escapes and nice throws, but nothing he can't learn from after some tutoring and film study. A couple calls to Craig Krenzel may help too so that he can learn how to throw the ball away at certain times.
What impressed me the most is how he was able to escape pressure and maintain his view down field to get to the open receiver. Obviously he can run well, we already knew that. His leadership and the uncoachable ability to get your players to rally behind you (A trait that separated Troy Smith from Justin Zwick from the get go), are things that I was curious to see. Also, I wanted to see how strong of an arm he had and how accurate he would be with it. Accuracy is still a question mark but arm strength isn't. These are things that can be shored up as he plays out this year and learns on the job. Playing through the Big Ten season will be invaluable as he works on reading defenses and making adjustments. Mistakes will come, but I can deal with these growing pains this year.
I mean would that be much different than Todd Boeckman making mistakes back there?
My brother and I were talking this evening about the LSU v. Auburn game taking place as I write this. The atmosphere of a SEC night game is phenomenal. We thought back how every Saturday night there is a great SEC game on tv. How awesome is that conference? I hate them for dominating my team but that doesn't mean I can't respect and appreciate what they have down there. Man, to be at a game like that. You just don't get that in the Big Ten that often. OSU v. Michigan is the closest the Big Ten has to this type of game I suppose, but even that is cold and in the early afternoon. I do recall the OSU v. Texas game which was early in the year and at night was similar too. But over the whole Big Ten? It doesn't really happen.
I am recovering nicely from the USC embarrassment I think. It is like having your balloon burst as a little kid. The initial shock sucks. We knew this was coming, but I was hoping it wouldn't come yet. Let's face it, this defense is overrated and the offense, especially with Boeckman, is not very good (Beanie or no Beanie). But now that the balloon has burst and reality has set in, I kind of feel relieved. I can relax now. I can just sit back and enjoy football without the nervous anxiety over my team. The reality has been for a good two or more seasons that watching Buckeye games has been hard work. The fun was gone. I mean it was a no win situation really. Think about it. We needed the Buckeyes to win EVERY game. If they lost it was disaster. Shoot, even if they won sometimes you felt like we lost when the win wasn't convincing enough. The optimal result, a convincing win, wasn't even that satisfying because it was what was supposed to happen. It was like shooting par. All it meant was we lived to see another day. That is hard to do for two plus seasons. Now we can just sit back at 13 and quietly go about our season while the national media hones their ultra critical, anti-Buckeye spotlight on other programs out there. (Well, maybe. They still enjoy poking fun at us any chance they get) We can still play for another Big Ten title and a BCS bowl which is cool. Like my brother said, maybe we could get a shot at another SEC team and an opportunity to shut up all those fans. Then next year, a seasoned Pryor and fresh defense (hopefully new defensive coordinator) can come out and put the rest if our demons to rest with some big wins.
Here is another annoying pet peeve I have: girls that say "Ohhhhhhh my God you guys." Or sometimes it may go, "Oh my Goooooooood, you guys."
Have you noticed a negative tone in my posts of late? I have not been feeling positive at all. That is probably a really bad thing. I am only making things worse but I swear I am just ticked off. Sigh.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Great Sports News!!!!
The Indians are offically picking up the Columbus Clippers next year as their AAA affliate!!! I heard this was possible and in the works.
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A new stadium downtown and the Indians' prospects and future stars. Any rehad assignments for star players will be done down here too. This is great. My friend Keith responded to my text regarding this news with his opinion that next year will be a good year all around for our teams. This is a step in the right direction.
Now, I need to decide if I want to look into a summer job there or trying to get season tickets or package deals of some kind.
I am very excited!
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A new stadium downtown and the Indians' prospects and future stars. Any rehad assignments for star players will be done down here too. This is great. My friend Keith responded to my text regarding this news with his opinion that next year will be a good year all around for our teams. This is a step in the right direction.
Now, I need to decide if I want to look into a summer job there or trying to get season tickets or package deals of some kind.
I am very excited!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
My Personal Top 25 Bands of All Time
I thought I would start a little ditty over the coming days or weeks giving my captive audience a list of my personal Top 25 Bands/Musical Artists of All Time. I want to venture away from the sports and political discussions for a bit. Politics scare me and the current states of my teams have taken me to depths I haven't felt in a long time. The more metaphysical subjects just aren't hitting right now either. I will begin by releasing 5 at a time until I get within the top ten then I'll release 3 at a time. I maintain the authority to change that when we get there depending on how this goes.
Disclaimer: This is my 100% subjective, opinion of MY favorite bands. This is NOT an objective list of the Top Bands in general. I fully acknowledge my taste in music is not very schooled. I understand that there are a number of bands that are of a higher quality than the bands I list here. This is all about my personal opinion, my tastes. I can assure you that many of you will disagree. This is what I want. Comment your disagreement with any aspect of my list.
Criteria: To make sure we are clear on how I chose who I chose and why I placed them where they are, let me give you my basis for thinking. I picked bands who have a long list of songs I enjoy listening to and threw them on a piece of paper. I got to about 100 and started eliminating bands who didn't live up to the others in terms of albums, look, attitude, persona and vibe. Many times their live shows play a large role in eliminating them or including them despite the other factors positive and negative. I try to take longevity into account to avoid the "newness" of the band to me but sometimes that has been overlooked. I also allow for their role in particular times in my life play a part in where I place them. Many times a band is connected to a good memory or person or period of my life and I automatically have this good feeling attached to them. Overall, this is really based on the immediate feeling I get when I hear this band or of this band. Then I go from there. Like I said, purely subjective and one can easily poke holes in this. That is the point. What are the holes you would poke? (And I'm sorry I have no cool indie bands here. My musical depth is pretty shallow)
So here we go:
Close But No Cigar: You gotta have that section of the "Almost Made Its" right? Here a several artists I love but couldn't crack the Top 25.
Johnny Cash...I have really grown to love his stuff of late. Unfortunately too little to late. "Folsom County Blues," "I Walk the Line," "A Boy Named Sure" and "Ring of Fire" are a couple hits I love.
Guns 'N Roses:..."Appetite For Destruction" their debut album, was awesome. And I actually enjoyed a lot of their later stuff. Axl Rose's signature voice and the rock hard songs definitely got my blood pumping.
Bad Religion:..."Stranger Than Fiction" is my favorite album by Bad Religion. I love their political message. I just got into them too late to get them into the Top 25.
Eric B.and Rakim: ....classic rap taking me back to early high school. I always loved Rakim's voice and the beats Eric B. laid behind him. "Paid in Full" and "Follow the Leader" are my favorite albums.
Also worthy of being named....Ministry, Tool, The Ramones, Journey, Beastie Boys, Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam, Alice Deejay, Godsmack, The Crystal Method, Rammstein, Stereophonics and Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel (Man my list could go on)
For real now....THE TOP 25 OF HUEY'S FAVORITE MUSICAL ARTISTS
25) Public Enemy..Great live show. Chuck D. is a master. Politically charged lyrics that satisfied my need for teenage rebellion back in high school. I actually learned a lot from this group as odd as that may sound.
24) Nine Inch Nails...My wife and sister-in-law would have me shot if I didn't include Cleveland product Trent Reznor. "Pretty Hate Machine" was a strong album top to bottom but I loved "broken" the most. The intensity of this industrial rock god has been so much fun to play and play loud.
23) Huey Lewis and the News...a bit of a break from NIN, Huey Lewis has so many pop hits that I couldn't leave him out. I believe this is where I deserve the most questioning from my readers. Why this cheese op guy ahead of the likes of Tool, Pearl Jam, The Ramones and so on? I don't know. I just love his catchy tunes, I could sing to his stuff for hours. Also, good memories of my childhood with this guy. Back to the Future and "Power of Love?" C'mon! Any fifth grader from the suburbs would dig that. I did anyway.
22) Hanzel Und Gretyl:...These guys are just flat out fun to see. I have only seen them twice but loved the show both times. When I'm in the mood for the over the top loud, power show rock they play with their German gimmick, there is no one better. These guys are here more for individual songs, memories of college and good friends and live performances. "#1 In Deutchsland" and "SS Deathstar Supergalactik" are awesome songs.
21) Nirvana...I am one of those guys that didn't catch on to Nivana until "Nevermind." But I loved that album. With Stone Temple Pilots' "Core" and Pearl Jam's "Ten," this album began the transition for me from rap to rock. While I loved the songs that got tons of airplay, it was the rest of the album that really pulled me in. Songs like "Territorial Pissings," "Breed," "Drain You," "Lounge Act, "Stay Away" and "On a Plain" separated the album from mediocre to great. I am now wondering why I didn't rank these guys higher. You can't mention this band it seems without referencing Kurt Cobain's death. I do remember when it happened but I would rather rank these guys here for their music. If I was able to get into their earlier stuff a bit more over the years, I imagine they would be a top 15 band for me. Unfortunately, I was stuck in the hip hop world at that time.
So there you have it. 25 through 21. Next up 20-16. It may be next week. Maybe tonight. I don't know. But what do you think? Who do you think will crack the top 20? Which one of these bands belong higher in your mind or not on any top 100 list?
Disclaimer: This is my 100% subjective, opinion of MY favorite bands. This is NOT an objective list of the Top Bands in general. I fully acknowledge my taste in music is not very schooled. I understand that there are a number of bands that are of a higher quality than the bands I list here. This is all about my personal opinion, my tastes. I can assure you that many of you will disagree. This is what I want. Comment your disagreement with any aspect of my list.
Criteria: To make sure we are clear on how I chose who I chose and why I placed them where they are, let me give you my basis for thinking. I picked bands who have a long list of songs I enjoy listening to and threw them on a piece of paper. I got to about 100 and started eliminating bands who didn't live up to the others in terms of albums, look, attitude, persona and vibe. Many times their live shows play a large role in eliminating them or including them despite the other factors positive and negative. I try to take longevity into account to avoid the "newness" of the band to me but sometimes that has been overlooked. I also allow for their role in particular times in my life play a part in where I place them. Many times a band is connected to a good memory or person or period of my life and I automatically have this good feeling attached to them. Overall, this is really based on the immediate feeling I get when I hear this band or of this band. Then I go from there. Like I said, purely subjective and one can easily poke holes in this. That is the point. What are the holes you would poke? (And I'm sorry I have no cool indie bands here. My musical depth is pretty shallow)
So here we go:
Close But No Cigar: You gotta have that section of the "Almost Made Its" right? Here a several artists I love but couldn't crack the Top 25.
Johnny Cash...I have really grown to love his stuff of late. Unfortunately too little to late. "Folsom County Blues," "I Walk the Line," "A Boy Named Sure" and "Ring of Fire" are a couple hits I love.
Guns 'N Roses:..."Appetite For Destruction" their debut album, was awesome. And I actually enjoyed a lot of their later stuff. Axl Rose's signature voice and the rock hard songs definitely got my blood pumping.
Bad Religion:..."Stranger Than Fiction" is my favorite album by Bad Religion. I love their political message. I just got into them too late to get them into the Top 25.
Eric B.and Rakim: ....classic rap taking me back to early high school. I always loved Rakim's voice and the beats Eric B. laid behind him. "Paid in Full" and "Follow the Leader" are my favorite albums.
Also worthy of being named....Ministry, Tool, The Ramones, Journey, Beastie Boys, Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam, Alice Deejay, Godsmack, The Crystal Method, Rammstein, Stereophonics and Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel (Man my list could go on)
For real now....THE TOP 25 OF HUEY'S FAVORITE MUSICAL ARTISTS
25) Public Enemy..Great live show. Chuck D. is a master. Politically charged lyrics that satisfied my need for teenage rebellion back in high school. I actually learned a lot from this group as odd as that may sound.
24) Nine Inch Nails...My wife and sister-in-law would have me shot if I didn't include Cleveland product Trent Reznor. "Pretty Hate Machine" was a strong album top to bottom but I loved "broken" the most. The intensity of this industrial rock god has been so much fun to play and play loud.
23) Huey Lewis and the News...a bit of a break from NIN, Huey Lewis has so many pop hits that I couldn't leave him out. I believe this is where I deserve the most questioning from my readers. Why this cheese op guy ahead of the likes of Tool, Pearl Jam, The Ramones and so on? I don't know. I just love his catchy tunes, I could sing to his stuff for hours. Also, good memories of my childhood with this guy. Back to the Future and "Power of Love?" C'mon! Any fifth grader from the suburbs would dig that. I did anyway.
22) Hanzel Und Gretyl:...These guys are just flat out fun to see. I have only seen them twice but loved the show both times. When I'm in the mood for the over the top loud, power show rock they play with their German gimmick, there is no one better. These guys are here more for individual songs, memories of college and good friends and live performances. "#1 In Deutchsland" and "SS Deathstar Supergalactik" are awesome songs.
21) Nirvana...I am one of those guys that didn't catch on to Nivana until "Nevermind." But I loved that album. With Stone Temple Pilots' "Core" and Pearl Jam's "Ten," this album began the transition for me from rap to rock. While I loved the songs that got tons of airplay, it was the rest of the album that really pulled me in. Songs like "Territorial Pissings," "Breed," "Drain You," "Lounge Act, "Stay Away" and "On a Plain" separated the album from mediocre to great. I am now wondering why I didn't rank these guys higher. You can't mention this band it seems without referencing Kurt Cobain's death. I do remember when it happened but I would rather rank these guys here for their music. If I was able to get into their earlier stuff a bit more over the years, I imagine they would be a top 15 band for me. Unfortunately, I was stuck in the hip hop world at that time.
So there you have it. 25 through 21. Next up 20-16. It may be next week. Maybe tonight. I don't know. But what do you think? Who do you think will crack the top 20? Which one of these bands belong higher in your mind or not on any top 100 list?
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Open Letter to the Haters
As I read the articles aiming "told you so's" at me and my Buckeyes and skim the comments from college football fans around the country, I see some things that need to be cleared up. So anyone who loves to hate the Buckeyes and their fans let me clue you in on a couple of things.
First, we KNOW our team is overrated. We watched that game too. As a matter of fact, we already knew before the game started. The amount of phone calls into local AM sports talk radio here in Columbus were overwhelmingly siding on the side of "We are going to lose. We are not as good as our ranking." OVERWHELMINGLY! Can I say it any louder. So when people like Mark Kriegel write that "...everyone but the fans who root for Ohio State" were giving Tressel and the Buckeyes alto of heat, he is wrong. (Mark Kriegel MSN.com linked right here) Tressel has been getting heat from Buckeye fans for at least this past week if not the whole off season after the second weak showing at the BCS Title game where our presence was questionably deserved in the first place. No Mr. Kriegel, Buckeye fans understand the over hyped misranking as well.
Secondly, we also know the Big Ten is not very good. We understand that our schedule has been weak. But guess what? Your team does it too. Yes LSU fan for instance. Your team's schedule is poor. At least we played USC and will again next year. Things go in cycles. Take a look at Florida St. See Nebraska. Think about Miami. Don't forget the beloved Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. In fact Miami has come and gone and come again and is now gone again just in my lifetime. They'll be back too. The Big Ten is weak right now. This conference will be back soon enough. In the meantime, OSU will have to hear about it, but don't think as a fan base we are ignorant to the obvious. We are not. Oh yeah, and let's not forget USC was not exactly killing people back in the 90s. They were down for awhile as well. Of course OSU was in the mix back then as they have been for the past several years overrated or not. So while you bask in the limelight of Mark May, ESPN and Hollywood in your backyard, don't forget that OSU consistently finds itself in the top 20 even during down years. Nebraska, Florida St., Miami can't say that. Shoot, I'm not sure Oklahoma and USC can. My facts may need to be checked, but outside of Michigan, not too many teams have more overall wins that OSU.
But I'm getting off my point. Right now, we are not that good. I, and many other Buckeye fans get that. The true fans don't wear blinders and scarlet and gray sunglasses. We see and understand the reality of college football.
Next, not everyone of us digs that overexposed OH-IO thing. We didn't realize it was going to go this far. It is fun for the kids and the fringe fans. But seriously. Those of you getting absolutely sickened by it, same here. We all have our unique college chants, catch phrases, fight songs, mascots and traditions but this one is getting blown out of proportion. I agree it needs to be put to rest for about a decade. Or kept within the confines of Ohio Stadium or whatever bowl game we play in....maybe a tailgate or two.
Finally, your little nicknames for us like "suckeyes" or "luckeyes" are not that clever. Just because you can switch one letter to make a different, derogatory name doesn't make you smart. Much like the OH-IO thing, it is getting old. Whatever positive coolness you got out of it has worn out. It is just sad now. But I guarantee it is going to be thrown about a whole lot over the next couple months so go ahead and get your use out of it but know when something has run its course please. Move on. You can come up with something better. I know you can. Go get 'em haters!
I know you all love to put down other programs. I know how much the common college football fan loves to talk smack and kick a team when they're down. I know it is getting boring to kick Nebraska, Notre Dame, Florida St. and Miami around so you have switched your focus on us, we are fresh and much more "new" and trendy, but understand this: We aren't blind or foolish enough over here not to realize the same things you do. So don't act like we are stupid.
******************
For the local readers, Bruce Hooley of WBNS 1460 The Fan is a good journalist and see,s like a perfectly nice, intelligent guy. But I rarely see eye to eye with this guy and this morning was no different. After reading an article that stated Mark Sanchez felt as though the Buckeye defense was predictable because they played the same looks they saw in practice and it made things easier on them to score against us, I get in my car and listen to Hooley complain that Tressel didn't stick with the game plan he has used the past 8 seasons or so. What the?!
Granted he was speaking more of the offense but.... For real, what did he think was going to happen if we just ran over tackle all day! Didn't he himself say that last week's vanilla, predictable offense was the reason we struggled with OU? He was really ticked off about constantly switching QBs and blamed that for Boeckman's unending turnovers.
NOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here is my take:
1)Heacock needs to be fired yesterday. The defense's game plan sucks! Ask Sanchez.
2)When Tressel was switching QBs, the offense moved. In fact it managed to score. With that scheme, the offense marched down for a field goal. Scored a TD taken back by a penalty. And marched down for a missed FG by no fault of the offense.
3)Where I have a problem with Tressel's decision was when HE WENT CONSERVATIVE like Hooley wanted. The second he left Boeckman out there and did that off tackle crap we went nowhere. What was that Hooley?!
4) I have to bring up that 2nd and 22 play call when he ran Boeckman on an option for the third time in the game. I get the decoy, change it up thing but not the thrid time. Not in that situation. What did he really think we were going to get out of that? Either do it with Pryor or don't do it at all. Go with a mid range pass that was usually open at that point in the game. Give yourself a manageable 3rd down play.
5) I don't blame the QB switching for Boeckman's problems at all. He did the same things before when he wasn't switched out. This is just par for the course.
6) I do put some of the blame on the offensive line. T.B. had no time in the pocket. He deserves alot of blame but the additional reasons were not the switching is and out as much as the lack of protection from an overrated line in front of him.
7) I really like Pryor and can't wait to see him as he learns the offense more and begins to mix in more passes. He showed some arm strength that lit up my eyes.
Thank you sir can I have another!
@#$%^&*&^%$#@!@#$%^&*!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And here I am again. Wait, I should say here WE are again. Buckeye nation and I stand before our peers with our heads down and ready to take another lashing for being overrated and over hyped and we have nothing left to say. It was hard enough before this game but at least we had this game to look to for redemption. Now the sword is even deeper in our hearts and we have no reason for hope of redemption anywhere on the horizon.
Yes, the loss today to the USC Trojans will set us and our beloved football program back even further. What it will take to earn national respect again may be insurmountable. It will takes years and probably numerous championships to get any credibility back. I just pray Jim Tressel can continue to go into the living rooms of the best high school football players out there and look them and their parents in the eye and tell them Ohio State is still as good as any other program for their kid.
My fear is that the same Jim Tressel won't be able to coach his way back to national prominence. I have been a big, big fan of his. He won me over in '02. Actually he won me over before he got the job. The resume he brought with him from Youngstown State and his passion for Ohio State and his class pushed him to the top of my wish list after John Cooper was fired. But now I have watched him get out coached by guys I thought he never would, Les Miles. I have seen questionable play calling. I have seen horrible defensive schemes and lack of adjustments. What has happened?
Today's game was horrible. After last week and careful reflection, I knew it was going to happen this way. Check my earlier posts. Even when I tried to be positive in my preseason prediction I referenced this possibility. The offensive line was over matched. They tried to play physical but when you are getting called for holding penalties like they were, you know you are not able to do what you want. Those are signs of lack of discipline or inability to maintain a block. Todd Boeckman was horrible. He continues to be a turnover machine in big games. The defense couldn't do anything. They were also over matched and outplayed. The fire was there. They were aggressive and gang tackling but there wasn't enough pressure and they couldn't tackle McKnight before he was 5 yards or more down the field.
I am thoroughly embarrassed, demoralized and deflated. I have had to hear everyone around the nation hate on my team and my team's conference. I wanted to be able to counter their attacks with something but I got nothing. Their side has been fortified tonight.
Maybe this is a good thing though. We knew this was coming. Maybe we have now finally reached our bottom so to speak. The days of being overrated can now end. Everyone obviously sees our deficiencies. we will now be ranked lower. Nobody is going to think we have a chance. Not so many people are going to pay close attention to us. There won't be so much hype surrounding the program for awhile. We can kind of fly under the radar for awhile. We can lick our wounds. Other fans can forget about us. Turn their disgust and spiteful feelings somewhere else for awhile like.........Florida! How about Georgia! Maybe Oklahoma!
This senior class can finish out this season with their eyes now on winning the Big Ten and getting in the Rose Bowl. That is still pretty cool and respectable. They can then go on to the NFL and underachieve there. Then we can focus on this new crop of Buckeyes talent. We can start fresh next year without all the eyes and expectations on us. We can start the season ranked in the teens and slowly creep up. We do get USC again next year and you know they will still be Mark May and ESPN's darling. We can sneak a win against them at home. Maybe the Big Ten will be a bit more respectable. Penn State and Wisconsin can do their part and Hot Rod Rodriquez may have Michigan up and running better. Throw a couple big wins against those squads in '09 and quickly we could move up to that coveted #1 or #2 hole and get another shot at it. This time we may have a better chance with Pryor, Small, Posey, Sansabacher, a revamped offensive line and defense. I think we'd have a new kicker too.
This is probably what we need. No more questions. No more excuses. There was no 30day layoff this time. There was no way Wells would have made enough of a difference to win this game. There were no bad calls that cost us the game. No fluke plays. We got beat and beat bad. Everyone saw it. There are no two ways about it.
Take a deep breath. Take it like a man. Lose with dignity and pride and move on. I must write before I end this that Tressel and the players did lose with class tonight. I was proud of that. Each interview was handled with respect. You could see the anger and disappointment in their eyes and demeanor but they answered the questions with frankness and class. Tressel sat at the press table and answered each question the same way he always does. Nobody blamed anybody or made excuses. They admitted USC was the better team. They admitted they made mistakes. They admitted they wanted to win bad. They admitted they were hurt. They said they still had plenty to play for. They said they were not finished with the season. They handled themselves like men.
And I thank Jim Tressel for that. I may begin to question a whole lot else but I won't questions the man's dignity and the class of his players. We can be proud that our Buckeyes can at least do that.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Me
I was reminded today that I "always" have a problem with women who show strength. Then I was reminded that actually, I have a problem with a lot of things that a lot of people do and that is just one of many. They are right. I do. I have a lot of anger in me. Where has that come from? Why am I so angry with the things so many people do? Is there one underlying reason or does each "issue" have its own source of bitterness?
The annoyances are varied. Here is a sampling of my pet peeves to show that I am not biased against one particular group. Also, I do some of these things myself. So sometimes I hate them because I do them and wish I didn't.
1) Talking about how many women you have been with. The women are always "so hot" and that is the most important part of the stories or conversation. Most of the people I associate with that are my age are long over this. I think it is more of an age thing.
2) Talking about how much happier you are in a different situation to prove that you are over an old situation. This could be a relationship or a job or a school or whatever. But people cover up all their pain over losing this by broadcasting how much better things are now and how "over it" they are or how horrible it was back then and isn't now. The whole time it is obvious they are hurting inside. They are in denial and not admitting the grieving.
I mean if they need to keep proving how much better things are now they probably are not that great. Or they still have regrets over losing what they had. If they were really in a better place they would feel no need to keep talking about how much better things are now compared to then. They would just talk about how good things are now as they are without need for comparison.
3) Trying to do things against the mainstream just for the sake to be against the mainstream and not for the pure reason of doing it. This actually puts you in the mainstream because it is mainstream to want to be anti-establishment. I have so much more interest in people who do what they do for the purity of what it is as opposed to it being something different.
4) The inability to see other perspectives than your own.
5) Thinking fans who get mad at their sports teams are not "true fans." There is a group of people out there that think true fans stand by their teams by never saying a bad word about them no matter the quality that is put o the field. They believe you should wear your team colored glasses and blinders all the time and never admit the shortcomings. They don't realize the fans that are opening their eyes and looking at the team as it is and not shying away from claiming they suck when they really do are the fans that know more and feel more and hurt more than any other fans. In fact these fans that are complaining and speaking negatively about their team are the ones that still go to games no matter the weather or success of the team while those so called "true fans" are ignoring the team until they get good again.
I take this personally because I am one of them. I constantly complain about my teams. But where was I for the last Browns' game of the season for three seasons when there was nothing for them to play for and the weather was so nasty you couldn't pay people hundreds of dollars to be out in it for more than 20 minutes? I was at the games. So if you wanna question my fan hood when I am crying a storm over how much my team stinks.....SHUT UP!
6) Loving teams that are currently good and acting like you were always a fan. Then sporting the jersey of the most well known player from said team until they stink.
Common offenders:
Lakers/Kobe Bryant fans....
Shia Lebouf who sported a LeBron jersey on the Best Damn Sports Show Period a during James rookie year and even SAID he wasn't a Cavs fan but a LeBron fan!!!!!!!! Jerk. I loved Transformers, but forget him.
Yankees/Derk Jeter fans.....
Red Sox/Celtics...well I just hate Boston fans period. Cry me a river.
7) Big guys that think they can do whatever they want just because of their size and the rest of us are supposed to be scared of them. I would love one day to put some meat head in his place. But I never will. That is precisely why they get away with it. They know scrawny little knuckleheads like myself couldn't do anything about it.
8) Chesters walking around with their designer shoes, collared shirts unbuttoned down with a necklace hanging down and expensive sunglasses on chomping on gum and wearing their highlighted hair in some fancy style thinking they are cooler and better than everyone else, in particular me.
9) Thinking teachers leave the same time the students do and have cake walk jobs.
10) Acting like softball is some sort of important sport. I love playing softball. I thoroughly enjoy it because I can hang out with my friends, compete, exercise and enjoy the nuances of the game. But I never think anyone other than me and the other players give a darn about it. I also don't believe anyone, including myself, are any kind of an athlete out there. Guys who waltz in there with their brand new bags loaded with powder, eye makeup, Oakley sunglasses, elbow and wristbands, metal cleats, two mega bats that cost hundreds of dollars, several high quality balls, a dry erase board for the lineups and talking of the 42 cork balls vs the 44s and then act like they are God's gift to the softball world just to have an excuse every time they don't hit a home run as they swing as hard as they can for the fences every at bat, just make me laugh. Usually they are so freaking hillbilly here in Ohio that it is even funnier. I just can't believe how serious they take everything.
11) Doing the OH! IO! cheer all the freaking time. Or at the wrong time. Listen, I love my Buckeyes and I like that cheer as much as the next guy but for crying out loud can we let it rest a bit? It has reached the point of overkill that even Buckeye fans like myself find it obnoxious. When we are down 21 points and mounting a drive that could get us back in it, DON'T break that out! Especially at a bar hundreds of miles away from the game. I'm trying to concentrate on the game. Or at a time when we are obviously destroying the other team.
12) Calling me "Big Kat" when I wear the #45 jersey. For some reason when I wore that jersey complete strangers would always call out "Hey Big Kat" to me in a mocking tone like I thought I was Andy Katzemoyer when I wore it. It never happens with any other jersey I have ever worn. I never heard anyone else get called that when they wore the same jersey. What in the world was going on there? I know I am a scrawny guy that would never be mistaken for a football player so why did I get so much crap for wearing it? There were plenty of other people just as skinny as me wearing that same jersey at that same time. Why me?
13) Talking about how bad your local team when you obviously don't know what you are talking about. This is different than talking about how bad your team is because you just love them too much. This is that naive fan who tries to look like they know something and jumps on the bandwagon of ripping on the team like the angst ridden fans like myself when they have no clue. They pull out general comments about how bad they are when actually the team is pretty good. It is about the gerneral v. specific. Those of us who love the team so much are negative about specific aspects like the Offensive Line or the passing game or particular game plans or play calls whereas the ignorant poser fan just says the team sucks because they are said team and "always suck."
14) Nitpicking things that are going on in front of you that you are in charge of as though you can't see they are happening. This comes when you are teaching or parenting or dealing with other people whose behavior or job is under your watch. Ususally the observer will make comments like "didn't you see that?" or "Are you going to do something about that?" "So and so is doing this or that." They have this nasty tone of disgust or judgement towards you while you are trying to handle things as best you can as quickly as you can. Or maybe they are observing from a distance with little or no "real" experience int he situation you are currently in. But somehow they know how it should be. It's like those people born on third thinking they hit a triple. While you busted your rear end to get a single against a 100 mph pitcher and sit two bases behind them on first.
I see this on tv as well and it ticks me off so much. Kill the attitude. The person was set up to fail and you sit there and start picking out every little thing that isn't working right just as they happen. I think it was a commercial for Dr. 90210 when the dad was supposed to take care of the kids and they weren't listening to him so his wife immediately points out they weren't listening to him at all. REALLY? Well, thank you because I couldn't see that for my freaking self!
I had a really rough class during my student teaching and had to come up with something to use when I when full board on my own late in the year to keep them under control and attentive when I taught. So I came up with a behavior plan. It is one I use to this day and have had tons of success with. In fact people have come in to take pictures of it to publish throughout the district. Parents love it, other teachers have incorporated it and most importantly students LOVE it. It works. But I had this professor who totally tore it apart and threw educational theory after educational theory down my throat as to how bad an idea it was and how I shouldn't be using it. I felt like complete crap because I was very proud of it. My mentor teacher even thought it was a good idea. I mean it was his class. He knew what I was up against. This professor who was so out of touch and spent her time in Upper Arlington had no idea but everyone thought she did. When she came in to observe my use of it, she nitpicked every little thing the kids did like I didn't realize they were doing it. If she only knew what they would do to substitute teachers and to me in the beginning of the year. Maybe Johnny was looking the other way or playing with his eraser while I was demonstrating something but he wasn't throwing that eraser at Suzy two rows to his left.
The annoyances are varied. Here is a sampling of my pet peeves to show that I am not biased against one particular group. Also, I do some of these things myself. So sometimes I hate them because I do them and wish I didn't.
1) Talking about how many women you have been with. The women are always "so hot" and that is the most important part of the stories or conversation. Most of the people I associate with that are my age are long over this. I think it is more of an age thing.
2) Talking about how much happier you are in a different situation to prove that you are over an old situation. This could be a relationship or a job or a school or whatever. But people cover up all their pain over losing this by broadcasting how much better things are now and how "over it" they are or how horrible it was back then and isn't now. The whole time it is obvious they are hurting inside. They are in denial and not admitting the grieving.
I mean if they need to keep proving how much better things are now they probably are not that great. Or they still have regrets over losing what they had. If they were really in a better place they would feel no need to keep talking about how much better things are now compared to then. They would just talk about how good things are now as they are without need for comparison.
3) Trying to do things against the mainstream just for the sake to be against the mainstream and not for the pure reason of doing it. This actually puts you in the mainstream because it is mainstream to want to be anti-establishment. I have so much more interest in people who do what they do for the purity of what it is as opposed to it being something different.
4) The inability to see other perspectives than your own.
5) Thinking fans who get mad at their sports teams are not "true fans." There is a group of people out there that think true fans stand by their teams by never saying a bad word about them no matter the quality that is put o the field. They believe you should wear your team colored glasses and blinders all the time and never admit the shortcomings. They don't realize the fans that are opening their eyes and looking at the team as it is and not shying away from claiming they suck when they really do are the fans that know more and feel more and hurt more than any other fans. In fact these fans that are complaining and speaking negatively about their team are the ones that still go to games no matter the weather or success of the team while those so called "true fans" are ignoring the team until they get good again.
I take this personally because I am one of them. I constantly complain about my teams. But where was I for the last Browns' game of the season for three seasons when there was nothing for them to play for and the weather was so nasty you couldn't pay people hundreds of dollars to be out in it for more than 20 minutes? I was at the games. So if you wanna question my fan hood when I am crying a storm over how much my team stinks.....SHUT UP!
6) Loving teams that are currently good and acting like you were always a fan. Then sporting the jersey of the most well known player from said team until they stink.
Common offenders:
Lakers/Kobe Bryant fans....
Shia Lebouf who sported a LeBron jersey on the Best Damn Sports Show Period a during James rookie year and even SAID he wasn't a Cavs fan but a LeBron fan!!!!!!!! Jerk. I loved Transformers, but forget him.
Yankees/Derk Jeter fans.....
Red Sox/Celtics...well I just hate Boston fans period. Cry me a river.
7) Big guys that think they can do whatever they want just because of their size and the rest of us are supposed to be scared of them. I would love one day to put some meat head in his place. But I never will. That is precisely why they get away with it. They know scrawny little knuckleheads like myself couldn't do anything about it.
8) Chesters walking around with their designer shoes, collared shirts unbuttoned down with a necklace hanging down and expensive sunglasses on chomping on gum and wearing their highlighted hair in some fancy style thinking they are cooler and better than everyone else, in particular me.
9) Thinking teachers leave the same time the students do and have cake walk jobs.
10) Acting like softball is some sort of important sport. I love playing softball. I thoroughly enjoy it because I can hang out with my friends, compete, exercise and enjoy the nuances of the game. But I never think anyone other than me and the other players give a darn about it. I also don't believe anyone, including myself, are any kind of an athlete out there. Guys who waltz in there with their brand new bags loaded with powder, eye makeup, Oakley sunglasses, elbow and wristbands, metal cleats, two mega bats that cost hundreds of dollars, several high quality balls, a dry erase board for the lineups and talking of the 42 cork balls vs the 44s and then act like they are God's gift to the softball world just to have an excuse every time they don't hit a home run as they swing as hard as they can for the fences every at bat, just make me laugh. Usually they are so freaking hillbilly here in Ohio that it is even funnier. I just can't believe how serious they take everything.
11) Doing the OH! IO! cheer all the freaking time. Or at the wrong time. Listen, I love my Buckeyes and I like that cheer as much as the next guy but for crying out loud can we let it rest a bit? It has reached the point of overkill that even Buckeye fans like myself find it obnoxious. When we are down 21 points and mounting a drive that could get us back in it, DON'T break that out! Especially at a bar hundreds of miles away from the game. I'm trying to concentrate on the game. Or at a time when we are obviously destroying the other team.
12) Calling me "Big Kat" when I wear the #45 jersey. For some reason when I wore that jersey complete strangers would always call out "Hey Big Kat" to me in a mocking tone like I thought I was Andy Katzemoyer when I wore it. It never happens with any other jersey I have ever worn. I never heard anyone else get called that when they wore the same jersey. What in the world was going on there? I know I am a scrawny guy that would never be mistaken for a football player so why did I get so much crap for wearing it? There were plenty of other people just as skinny as me wearing that same jersey at that same time. Why me?
13) Talking about how bad your local team when you obviously don't know what you are talking about. This is different than talking about how bad your team is because you just love them too much. This is that naive fan who tries to look like they know something and jumps on the bandwagon of ripping on the team like the angst ridden fans like myself when they have no clue. They pull out general comments about how bad they are when actually the team is pretty good. It is about the gerneral v. specific. Those of us who love the team so much are negative about specific aspects like the Offensive Line or the passing game or particular game plans or play calls whereas the ignorant poser fan just says the team sucks because they are said team and "always suck."
14) Nitpicking things that are going on in front of you that you are in charge of as though you can't see they are happening. This comes when you are teaching or parenting or dealing with other people whose behavior or job is under your watch. Ususally the observer will make comments like "didn't you see that?" or "Are you going to do something about that?" "So and so is doing this or that." They have this nasty tone of disgust or judgement towards you while you are trying to handle things as best you can as quickly as you can. Or maybe they are observing from a distance with little or no "real" experience int he situation you are currently in. But somehow they know how it should be. It's like those people born on third thinking they hit a triple. While you busted your rear end to get a single against a 100 mph pitcher and sit two bases behind them on first.
I see this on tv as well and it ticks me off so much. Kill the attitude. The person was set up to fail and you sit there and start picking out every little thing that isn't working right just as they happen. I think it was a commercial for Dr. 90210 when the dad was supposed to take care of the kids and they weren't listening to him so his wife immediately points out they weren't listening to him at all. REALLY? Well, thank you because I couldn't see that for my freaking self!
I had a really rough class during my student teaching and had to come up with something to use when I when full board on my own late in the year to keep them under control and attentive when I taught. So I came up with a behavior plan. It is one I use to this day and have had tons of success with. In fact people have come in to take pictures of it to publish throughout the district. Parents love it, other teachers have incorporated it and most importantly students LOVE it. It works. But I had this professor who totally tore it apart and threw educational theory after educational theory down my throat as to how bad an idea it was and how I shouldn't be using it. I felt like complete crap because I was very proud of it. My mentor teacher even thought it was a good idea. I mean it was his class. He knew what I was up against. This professor who was so out of touch and spent her time in Upper Arlington had no idea but everyone thought she did. When she came in to observe my use of it, she nitpicked every little thing the kids did like I didn't realize they were doing it. If she only knew what they would do to substitute teachers and to me in the beginning of the year. Maybe Johnny was looking the other way or playing with his eraser while I was demonstrating something but he wasn't throwing that eraser at Suzy two rows to his left.
C'mon Right!
I am watching more and more of the election news and listening to people from the right give their praise to Sarah Palin. I listen to my conservative friends and hear she "kicks ass."
Fine. I understand not everyone can be as enlightened as myself. cough cough. Seriously, as unenlightened as I may be I still respect other people's opinion. These are my friends after all so they must have some redeeming qualities. But where I have issues (and according to my wife I have many with many people) is the hypocrisy I am discovering within these people.
These same friends would tear Hillary Clinton apart in discussions I had with them during the primaries. At the time I was on the fence between Hillary and Obama. At the time I was even considering McCain. It was early. So I found myself defending Hillary by, at the very least, default if not for my support of her. The ridiculous reasons I heard to not vote for her blew my mind. They were so blatantly sexist and ignorance I could only gape in disbelief at my friends as they continued on in complete seriousness.
The reasons were shallow and unrelated to any issues or stances she took on these issues. I didn't hear they felt universal health care didn't work because it hasn't worked elsewhere. I'll listen to you if come with this opinion. They didn't say they had a problem with her stance on Roe v. Wade and so they didn't want to support her for that reason. I would even listen to that. This is not the fact that I won't listen to and respect differing opinions of my own. This is about how ignorant and stupid people can be just looking for reasons to not vote for someone as opposed to looking for reasons to vote for their opponent. There is no credibility in saying you can't trust someone because they are more prone to make decisions based on emotion or a biological cycle.
So now here we are at this new point in the election where McCain has obviously picked a running mate to play off this very point of discussion. Sarah Palin is nothing more than a ploy to get women voters. Now I am hearing all this noise from the right and my conservative peers that she "kicks ass" and the whole emotional, biological cycle thing suddenly does not matter. Somehow her lack of experience in the federal government or in a locality with any substantial number of constituents is OK despite the loud rants that Obama's senate experience is a problem. I admit I, too, have been a bit worried about Obama's minimal track record but how is Palin's OK? She has done even less than him?!
So what's the deal right? Is Obama's record too light or not? Are women OK to handle office or not? Make up your mind. You can't have it both ways. You are being hypocritical if you were against Hillary and suddenly love Palin. You are contradicting yourself if you list Obama's track record as a problem but support the Palin choice. If you love that Republican ticket then take back what you said about Hillary. If you support the Republican ticket then find another reason why Obama wouldn't be a good choice...or better yet find a different reason why your choice is better than the Democratic ticket. And don't pull that Muslim, terrorist, he is black card. Be real.
I say that the conservatives had their chance. Go ahead and stay home this November. Let those of us tired of this crap we have dealt with the past eight years go out and vote for you. I bet we get it right. Things cannot remain like this for much longer. This country is in bad shape for those of us making under $200,000. We need a change. We do not need someone who voted WITH the current administration 90% of the time. 10% change isn't enough to fix things. That's an F last I checked.
Fine. I understand not everyone can be as enlightened as myself. cough cough. Seriously, as unenlightened as I may be I still respect other people's opinion. These are my friends after all so they must have some redeeming qualities. But where I have issues (and according to my wife I have many with many people) is the hypocrisy I am discovering within these people.
These same friends would tear Hillary Clinton apart in discussions I had with them during the primaries. At the time I was on the fence between Hillary and Obama. At the time I was even considering McCain. It was early. So I found myself defending Hillary by, at the very least, default if not for my support of her. The ridiculous reasons I heard to not vote for her blew my mind. They were so blatantly sexist and ignorance I could only gape in disbelief at my friends as they continued on in complete seriousness.
The reasons were shallow and unrelated to any issues or stances she took on these issues. I didn't hear they felt universal health care didn't work because it hasn't worked elsewhere. I'll listen to you if come with this opinion. They didn't say they had a problem with her stance on Roe v. Wade and so they didn't want to support her for that reason. I would even listen to that. This is not the fact that I won't listen to and respect differing opinions of my own. This is about how ignorant and stupid people can be just looking for reasons to not vote for someone as opposed to looking for reasons to vote for their opponent. There is no credibility in saying you can't trust someone because they are more prone to make decisions based on emotion or a biological cycle.
So now here we are at this new point in the election where McCain has obviously picked a running mate to play off this very point of discussion. Sarah Palin is nothing more than a ploy to get women voters. Now I am hearing all this noise from the right and my conservative peers that she "kicks ass" and the whole emotional, biological cycle thing suddenly does not matter. Somehow her lack of experience in the federal government or in a locality with any substantial number of constituents is OK despite the loud rants that Obama's senate experience is a problem. I admit I, too, have been a bit worried about Obama's minimal track record but how is Palin's OK? She has done even less than him?!
So what's the deal right? Is Obama's record too light or not? Are women OK to handle office or not? Make up your mind. You can't have it both ways. You are being hypocritical if you were against Hillary and suddenly love Palin. You are contradicting yourself if you list Obama's track record as a problem but support the Palin choice. If you love that Republican ticket then take back what you said about Hillary. If you support the Republican ticket then find another reason why Obama wouldn't be a good choice...or better yet find a different reason why your choice is better than the Democratic ticket. And don't pull that Muslim, terrorist, he is black card. Be real.
I say that the conservatives had their chance. Go ahead and stay home this November. Let those of us tired of this crap we have dealt with the past eight years go out and vote for you. I bet we get it right. Things cannot remain like this for much longer. This country is in bad shape for those of us making under $200,000. We need a change. We do not need someone who voted WITH the current administration 90% of the time. 10% change isn't enough to fix things. That's an F last I checked.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Watch Me Spin This
I just heard the good news today. Not able to detect tone over the written word I will make it clear that first sentence was written with sarcasm. The good news is that the Buckeye's star running back, Chris Wells
is now doubtful for the big match up against USC in sunny southern Californi-a this Saturday night at 8pm on ABC.Wonderful. This game wasn't going to be difficult enough already WITH Wells. But of course did we really buy that he was going to play anyway? Didn't we all know this was Tressel's standard, textbook procedure? You know, use the media as your ally to throw out smokescreens, keeping the opponent in the dark regarding their upcoming game against you. This is what he does. He answers questions with long series of sentences that answers nothing. He is the professor at that. It is to the point that I actually love that about him. He does not have quite the angst of Bill Belichick,
former Cleveland Browns head coach and current "coaching great" (uuuuugh) in New England whose fans have been just so torchered, but he comes from the same school of vagueness and not showing his hand.So now the battered Bucks go into the hornets nest to take on the mighty Trojans. But I still think the Wells injury is good. No, I'm not going to bash Wells for his newest display of his lack of manliness. I mean I am sitting here whining about a bump and bruise in my leg, so who am I to question one's toughness? I have a reason independent of him.
My reason to be glad Wells is out begins here. We were not going to win this game against USC in my mind with or without Wells. Conventional wisdom says Wells presence makes a difference, my wisdom says he doesn't. This is a lost cause. My reasons were already laid out here in my earlier post after the Ohio University game. If you watched the last two BCS title games you should be able to gather your own evidence.
The only way the Bucks were going to pull this game out would be if the defense somehow had a game plan that worked (you listening Heacock?). One that abandons the zone read crap that got us burnt against Florida and LSU. A defense that attacks and takes the game to USC instead of having the game taken to them. They are not going to get by on pure talent this time despite having so much. Regardless of a good running game or not, Boeckman
has to play Krenzel like and operate the offense effectively and efficiently. I don't trust that he can. But even with Wells there, he would have to do that to a certain extent to win. Getting to the reason why I am looking at Wells' absence as a good thing.... If we (deal with the "we." I know I don't play for them. I get that. But I paid....errrr still paying, a ton of money to get my degree there and I am a tax paying citizen of the state that the university represents so I can say we. Not to mention the heart and soul I put into this team and money I spend on tickets and merchandise) somehow pull off an upset like the '03 Fiesta Bowl and "shock the world," a term used way too often these days, we can now look every stinking, SEC fan, general college football fan, USC fan and Big Ten, OSU haters in the eye and say.....we just went into the house of the #1 team
all the way on the west coast, obviously overmatched, without our best player and KICKED THEIR ASS!!!!!!! Now what do you have to say?!The only thing better would be if we really did kick their ass.
But I don't see it happening.
USC 48 OSU 6
Monday, September 8, 2008
How Have You Felt About the Past Eight Years?
Ok, honestly, comment and say so. I don't mean personally but think more macro. How have you felt about things going on around you in this country? I feel more and more like moving to Canada. Not a joke. If I could take my daughter with me, I truly believe my wife and I would be there as we speak. I am seriously not exaggerating. She is on board with that.
Let me tell you why? My wife feels her rights as a woman are being stripped. I agree. We both feel the "fixes" for education are underfunded and backwards. We are in the midst of a HUGE hassle selling our house that is related to this mess we are in economically. We, like you, are paying through the roof for gas. We are spending billions of dollars for Iraq but witnessing more and more poverty here. I do first hand. We have more and more people moving in that don't speak English and make no attempt at learning it. There is more and more negativity amongst our leaders.
These are factual observations. Things we see. I can't take another 4 years of this. As comoprozac likes to call him, McSame will be that same thing. Is this what you want? Think about it.
I am still cringing at the thought.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Browns Alphabet: ABCE..........
Obviously there is no place for D in the Cleveland Browns thinking. What the hell did I just watch? Well, the same old crap. New names, same garbage!
So much for any optimism for this team after the acquisitions of players who were really good on their prior teams but now join the long list of quality players who come to Cleveland to SUCK! See: Black Jack McDowell. Larry "Laura" Hughes. Jamir Miller. Chris Spielman. Keith "Hair Club for Men" Hernandez. Steve Carlton. Chuck "The Yankee Killer" Finley. Jeff Garcia. LeCharles Bentley. Andre Rison. Jerry Ball. Ted Washington. Willie McGinest. Joe Borowski. Keith Foulke. Paul Byrd. Darius Miles. Damon "Used To Be The Greatest Shooter On Earth Until I Came Here" Jones. The list goes on!
These guys are no different than any other scrub player we had last year or the last decade for that matter! (It is taking every ounce of class for me not to curse my way through this whole post. My mother reads this.)
I'm tired of the excuses. I'm tired of the "reasons." WIN THE DAMN GAME!!!!!!!!!
Oh yeah and can Braylon Edwards catch a freaking ball that hits him in the hands or between the numbers??? Suit my butt up, I'll catch those! Come on! (Well, I probably would never have been able to get open like he did in the first place but you get my point....or be able to put my pads on correctly in the locker room before the game for that matter)
The worst thing that could have happened last year was for the Browns to go 10-6 against a weak schedule and still miss the playoffs as well as fooling us all (except me...ask my bro and dad about our talk at Northwestern) into thinking Romeo is actually a competent coach. HE STINKS!!!!!!!
I am so sick and tired of supporting this second, no third rate farce of an organization. I put my heart and soul into this team no matter what every stinking year and get this same crap back. I keep taking it and taking it. Steeler fans make a mockery of me and my team and I have nothing to say. Nothing. I am tired of it. I see why my Father-in-law quit going to games even though he has season tickets. I see why my old next door neighbor in high school quit watching out of concern for his health.
This is painful. So painful. My week is shot now. Shoot, my next 4 months are shot. With no Buckeyes success to fill the incompleteness, I don't know what to do. I don't even care about my fantasy losses this week. Thanks again Edwards. Your four drops could have been much needed points.
Screw this!
Saturday, September 6, 2008
How Much More Wrong Could I Have Been?
I take back 99.999999% of what I wrote in an earlier post about the Ohio St. Buckeye's 2008 Football Season. The only part that had a splinter of truth was the part about whether the defense will be able to adjust to good offenses like they could NOT in the past two BCS title games. I stated that if they couldn't in the USC game they would be in trouble.
"if the same old defense comes out and lays and egg despite the abundance of talent and cannot seem to make the in-game adjustments that former coordinator Mark Dantonio would flourish with when he was here, the game will get out of hand and USC will pull away in the second half winning by 10 or more. This will determine the season." (Huey, www.hueyistheone.blogspot.com)
The season is already determined. It will be a failure.
I loved Jim Heacock as the defensive line coach but ever since he became the defensive coordinator we have been slaughtered by spread offenses. You would think he would have figured it out by now but he hasn't. This defense is supposedly loaded with talent and I believe it is. But it cannot seem to stop spread offeenses at all. Florida and LSU and Illinois killed us. It looked like the players were always in the wrong place at the wrong time. That is coaching. They will not let go of this zone style defense and it is killing us.
Ohio University, with all do respect (many friends and relatives attended that fine school and I have had many good times there over the years myself), is a middle of the road MAC team. They should not hang with a supposed National Title contender in their (OSU's) own house!!!! Granted, the Bobcat offense only had one scoring drive. The other touchdown came on a turnover by the Buckeye offense in their own endzone, but it was a backup QB!!! Of a middle of the pack MAC team!!!!! They kept converting third down after third down. If it wasn't for the 5 turnovers that were mistakes on OU's part more than good plays by OSU, the game would have been a blowout. If I have to watch another pathetic attempt at a tackle by our defenders I will personally walk to that stadium and light a fire under their meathead asses myself. Like Lou Holtz said, read the fine print on your scholarship son! (I really don't know what that meant but it sounded good when he said it) What is this defense going to do against the likes of USC or even the weak Big Ten schools? Or Troy?!
It will be ugly.
The offesne didn't look much better. The front line was dominated by smaller, less skilled players from OU. They were pushed around. THey had the game taken to them instead of taking it to the defense. Maurice Wells is just horrible. He runs TO tackles. God forbid he breaks one every now and then. When Boom Herron was starting to get on a roll he goes to the bench. Boeckman STILL holds onto the ball for too long, ala Charlie Frye. The WRs missed balls that hit them in the hands and the passion was nonexistent.
We will get shutout.
Even the kicker got in on the action. Pretorious missed a PAT for crying out loud! What the????????
Heacock is in my doghouse. He needs to go! maybe I have been wrong about Tressel. Maybe he isn't as good as I thought. Maybe the whole country is right. Maybe the Buckeyes ARE overrated and weak.
Whatever the case. We are in big trouble and we will get blown out next week. THe college football fans around the country are going to get what they have wanted for so long. The supposed almost dynasty of Ohio State football will come to an end. Opponents have found the solution to beat OSU. The spread offense. We will becaome the laughing stock of college football and a joke around the country. We won't be able to recruit. Michigan will be ready with their WVA spread offense that was pretty damn awesome these past years under Hot Rod Rodriquez and we will lose that game for a decade straight if not more.
GOOD NIGHT NOW!!!!!!!
Friday, September 5, 2008
So much better than me
This was posted by my buddy Zac and I had to put it on here because this guys on here says exactly what I wanted to say in that last post of mine. It is done much better.
The Republican Hater's Ball
The Republican Hater's Ball
That's Palin as in Van Halen
I recall sitting in my religion class in 9th grade at Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin and learning about Satanism. We got an earful of the Satan music that is bad to listen to. You know the albums that if you played them backwards they would send you sublimal messages to kill yourself or worship the Devil. I couldn't help but laugh when I saw a reference to Van Halen. Even I, the one who never talked, laughed out loud at that. Well, this sort of out of touch perspective reminds me of the proponents of Sarah Palin.
I just want to say "Whaaaaa?!"
I find myself blogging about politics more lately because it is on my mind. I will be the first to admit my knowledge is minimal. I consider myself a moderate in the competition between Dems and Republicans. But the more I read about Sarah Van Palin and hear her speak, the more I cringe. I openly admit I kind of liked McCain. I figured he would be ok if he won. Now.......with this decision.......
I referenced Comprozac's blog. He is much more schooled in this than me and I cannot match his knowledge or find the evidence or support for my view like he so eloquently does as liberal as he may be. I worry when I step into this arena that I am in over my head. He has several posts I have yet to read, but I wanted to write this before I read them because I want to come from an unbiased, uninfluenced perspective. I want this to be 100% me.
I watched Van Palin's RNC speech and OB's acceptance speech. I felt two totally different overall tones that lead the way in swaying my support to OB. On one side I felt like Van Palin was playing the snotty, bully who picked on her rival from afar. I don't mean to be sexist here but I really did not like the tone nor had much respect for it. It felt to me like it was a case of someone pushing another down to appear higher.
When I watched OB's speech I heard respectful references to McCain and his well documented experiences in the armed forces. I heard critiques of McCain that were prefaced with positive remarks. "I don't believe John McCain doesn't care. He just doesn't know." These were his remarks instead of the mocking, bully antics of Van Palin.
Don't tell me I am scared of Palin. I'm not. Her hockey mom reference fell on deaf ears. Again, this comes off sexist and I apologize if it is but I truly do not "fear" Palin because she is tough or right, I fear her because she is approving a "bridge to nowhere" with money from taxpayers. I fear her because she inexperienced. Really, inexperienced. I fear her because she truly thinks abstinence only programs work. She is anti-abortion rights. If I fear a woman because they are intimidating....that would be Hillary Clinton and I would vote for her in a heartbeat if OB wasn't there. That woman is intelligent and when she criticized OB it wasn't in a snotty little brat manner SVP did.
This brings me to another example of the positive slant versus the negative, bully vibe. While Palin comes out with a 17 year old daughter who is already pregnant opening herself up to all kinds of criticism, what do OB and JB do? They lay off and instead make it a point to declare that her family is off limits. If the tables were turned would Palin do the same? After listening to her snotty speech, I think HELL TO THE NO!
This is where I wanted to go with this post. I have more feelings regarding the boo's from the Republican crowd regarding the claims of Palin's inexperience. Somehow it is unfair to call out her resume but not OB's?? C'mon! But the contradictions go on!
Bottom line: While the Republicans continue the mudslinging campaign style Bush was so good at, OB is talking about the issues that mean something to me. He is addressing education and the economy along with the war. The others can't get off the war and the lack of experience of OB. They continue to use fear to control us. My cousin Hank so eloquently referenced this in a recent thread within my extended family regarding ethics. It fits here. We are giving up liberties out of fear. We are continuing the Vietman part deaux and wasting money. We had the budget balanced if I recall correctly during the Clinton years. With a Republican in the White House we are back to those old days with Reagan and Senior where the deficit was skyrocketing.
This is where I begin to lose focus and find holes in my stance. But I just need people to know....don't fall for the brat. She may have designer glasses and all that but she has little or no substance. Let me hear how she is going to help me get my students to learn more. How are we going to increase the value of our homes? How are we going to fix the value of the US dollar? How are we going to decrease the crime rate? How are we going to fix health care? What about the homeless? What about immigration? And can my Cleveland Browns get a decent defense this year?
OB is invigorating. If he won't get change done he will inspire us to do so. I feel it. I know it. Palin? McCain? Not so much. Just four more years of good for the rich.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Please Vote With Caution
I strongly urge you to check out my good friend comoprozac's blog, Living in Misery. He has a wealth of political knowledge and has posted several good entries regarding the election.
Among them a Daily Show clip that shows that McCain's VP is a complete contradiction to what he has said thus far. He calls out OB's lack of experience but selects a VP candidate that is less qualified and less experienced than OB.
Also, it demonstrates how ridiculous it is to think Paulin is a "Hillary-voter getter" just because she is female. She is the exact opposite of Hillary in the words of Comoprozac and Jon Stewart. Anti-abortion rights, Pro-Oil, Anti-environment, Pro-War, Pro-NRA, Socially Conservative overall. She is under investigation for her own shaddy actions (unjustifiably firing her ex-brother in-law).
I would like to think our voters are more intelligent than the McCain camp thinks they are.
Check out his blog: http://in-misery.blogspot.com/2008/09/may-i-continue.html
Among them a Daily Show clip that shows that McCain's VP is a complete contradiction to what he has said thus far. He calls out OB's lack of experience but selects a VP candidate that is less qualified and less experienced than OB.
Also, it demonstrates how ridiculous it is to think Paulin is a "Hillary-voter getter" just because she is female. She is the exact opposite of Hillary in the words of Comoprozac and Jon Stewart. Anti-abortion rights, Pro-Oil, Anti-environment, Pro-War, Pro-NRA, Socially Conservative overall. She is under investigation for her own shaddy actions (unjustifiably firing her ex-brother in-law).
I would like to think our voters are more intelligent than the McCain camp thinks they are.
Check out his blog: http://in-misery.blogspot.com/2008/09/may-i-continue.html
Poll Observations
Granted only 9 people or so voted, but I find a couple things interesting.
I suspected Ohio St. would get several votes from the homers reading my blog but NONE for Georgia? None for USC?
And what about Clemson? How in the world did they get 2 of the 9 votes? Who is reading my blog? I can't think of any regulars that would select them.
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