Pop Culture Review V.2

The "Whoop That Trick" studio session in Hustle & Flow was unbelievably funny to me. It scored about a 15 out of 10 on the unintentional comedy scale. Likewise, the janitor dancing in the background with the mop in his hand when Shelby hears the track on the radio and says "I made this track" was hilarious as well...

These are the things at which I laugh.

Pop Culture Review

I saw Wedding Crashers last weekend and while I found it entertaining...and worth seeing...and was glad I went; I certainly wasn't as amused or enthralled as I had hoped to be. The first hour or so was funny enough - though nothing outrageously humorous - but after it turned the corner where Owen Wilson falls in love, the movie hit a precipitous drop. I would have rather seen much more (or detailed) weddings crashed. It stretched out too long, had some unnecessary scenes to me, and when I thought it was going to step-up a notch for the second-half and become the classic it was hyped to be...ummm, it did not - at all. Just my two cents, but I'm not a movie critic and for that matter, I don't really have to write anything because its already been written by who else - my "personal god" as some would call him - Bill Simmons:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/050727

In case you do not read the article, my favorite excerpt from his review is below (why? it just is [devilish smile]):

"They nailed something else rarely done correctly in movies: The clingy sex fiend with crazy eyes who scares the living hell out of you, then you end up dating her for a few months just because she makes you fear for your life. We all have that one friend who couldn't stop dating girls like this (I wish I could name mine, but he's getting married soon and probably wouldn't appreciate it), and only for one reason: "The sex is FEEEEEE-nomenal." These are usually the girls who end up slashing your tires or causing you to change your phone number 20 different times in a five-month span. But you never see them in movies unless it's one of those "Basic Instinct" ripoffs, like "The Temp," or "The Ex" or pretty much every Shannon Tweed movie. It's nice to see one in a comedy."

Classic.

In the second half of the above article, Simmons reviews the remake of Bad News Bears. In case you do not read the article, my favorite excerpt from this review is below:

"Admittedly, the old "Bears" is a little dated. But it's not like the remake is overwhelmingly modern -- in fact, Buttermaker makes not one but two Helen Keller jokes during the course of the movie. Helen Keller? Really? So you're updating a beloved baseball comedy from 1976 and you're adding Helen Keller jokes? That has to be the most perplexing comedy moment of the year that doesn't involve the words 'Comedy Central just gave D.L. Hughley his own talk show.'"

Why does D.L. Hughley get shown so much love? He's my equivalent to a Garfield comic for my co-contributor. But let's see: ComicView, Kings of Comedy, The Hughleys, and now Comedy Central - again, what do I know?

On another note, Eric Neel (another ESPN Page 2 columnist - who do I work for again?) wrote the most detailed analysis of a print advertisement I've ever seen. Not that I've really read any before. Anyhow, the article below picks apart everything from the words to the photography of the new Kobe Bryant Nike ad as seen in the July 11-18 issue of Sports Illustrated (there we go Aristocrates). Quick and engaging:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=neel/050727

Low Motivation

I've decided to buy a vastly overpriced apartment in a suburb of one of the most economically depressed communities in the country, and buy a PSP, and buy a Bose Stereo System. But, hey... "It ain't trickin' if you got it"

Motivation Number: 7/24/2005 1.01%

Mental Health Day

Today I took a mental health day. I'm aggressively trying to fight off the debilitating effects constant traveling is having on my body. In the month of July, I've slept in my apt. 6 days (Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, New Mexico, etc.). Before July, "I ain't heard of that" kind of traveling. In celebration of my rejuvination day, I wanted to point out three television shows that you may not be watching that you should be:

• 30 Days - Suprisingly smart look at folks who put themselves in uncomfortable situations for a month. The season finale showcases a "binge Drinking Mom, a parent who so desperately wants her college freshmen, beer guzzling daughter to understand the ramifications of her actions that she (mom) transforms into a party girl overnight to try to teach her kid the errors of her ways. To do this, she decides to drink for 30 days straight. Sweet.
• Guns, Germs, and Steel - I've just seen the first episode, so I reserve the right to change my mind about this one. The show is an adaptation of Jared Diamond's popular book (which is sitting on my book shelf unread, sorry Rosy) which tries to outline the enviornmental circumstances necessary for a strong society, and then retrofits the theory to describe the eveolution of world culture.
  
• Brat Camp - The guilty pleasure of the list. Desperate parents ship their bad ass kids to the mountains so they can get their act together. Where are all the black folks? Oh yeah, it costs $20,000 to fix em. Tune in to find out if hiking can turn 17 years of acting up around....
  

• Honorable Mention: Scholar - It was just a matter of time before smart people got their own reality show. Now lets see if it gets renewed (odds: 40-1)
  

Finally, I finished Development as Freedom by Sen. Good stuff if your'e interested in policy implications for development in non-industrialized countries.

A Tale of Two Cities

I've been fortunate to see some pretty cool things in my relatively short life. New Mexico is definitely high on the list (and we love lists at Generalist Musings). Albuquerque is really nice, laid out fairly simply, and I could definitely see myself living there one day. It's a cool college town, not too big, and close to a casino (where i won $60). The fact that its regularly over 100 degrees in the summer would take some getting used to.

Santa Fe, which is about 40 minutes north (with speed limits topping out at a spiffy 75 mph), is a little more quaint, but also more touristy. While there, I was fortunate enough to have a delightful conversation with an artist, who waxed poetically on the nature of true art (versus decoration) as a manifestation of universal truth. Trippy.

Unfortunately, the high wouldn't last long. I slowly descended into the third level of hell - AKA Chicago's O'Hare airport.

I have been known to be a Chicago basher before. But this post lands fairly at the feet of O'Hare. Midway in contrast is a glorious blessing. Since I started my job, I've probably taken about 100 flights. Exactly two of them have been cancelled. Guess where those two flights were? You got it, O'Hare airport. Where did a gate agent basically call me a liar? Hmmm, O'Hare airport. What airport will I never fly into or through again.... ...Because so much time had passed between my previous O'Hare snowstorm debacle, I had forgotten about the horror that is O'Hare.

Oh well. 1 out of 2 ain't bad.

Role Play

"I sometimes feel that Alfred E. Neuman is in charge in Washington."

- Hillary Clinton, New York Senator, saying President Bush's attitude on tough issues reminds her of the "What, me worry?" character

If there were a character who also encapsulated the..."Yea, I know you just asked me a question about the loss of jobs in my administration, and I might answer it directly or I might not, but why would you ask it if everything is so self-evident...I mean, why do I need to stoop down to your level to provide such obvious answers?" and the "Yea, I know I just spent $13 billion on the deployment of troops in Iraq, and what?! I give-a fcuk! I-do it again, I-do whatever it takes...$13, $16, $20 billion, I give-a fcuk!"...attitudes, the quote would be sooo perfect.

If you can think of one, let me know. (Note: This is a post much more focused on GWB's attitudes and responsive nature - so prominently displayed in the last Presidential debates; ya boy was clowwwwnin' - rather than his actual politics.)

Next Chapter

As I'm moving soon, I thought it would be nice to reflect on some of the advantages and disadvantages of packing up stuff. I'm sort of a wandering nomad, especially because I haven't lived longer than one year in any place since leaving home (after high school). Knowing this, I tried to keep my material possessions easily transportable by a variety of strategems. Ultimately I was defeated, caught by the many trappings of modern society. Here's some advice for folks who are moving soon....

1) Don't start packing, 12 hours before the movers are expected to come. Start early (at least 3 months in advance). If it wasn't for 3 special people who came to help me pack at 3 AM, i would have definitely been screwed.
2) Don't pack up stuff that you need (e.g. liquor, computers with digital music, old simpson episodes, napoleon dynamite, etc.)
3) Have a relatively decent idea, where you're going to move too
4) Take everything you love (if easily transportable) with you. Because sometimes movers don't come when they say they will (sometimes a month later). "Oh don't sweat it movers, all my life's possessions? I didn't really need them, take your time"

Writing this list is making me angry, maybe i'll finish up later.

-- Go see Batman Beyond, and don't see War of the Worlds.

Career vs. Job - Revisited

First of all, it's tight to be able to revisit your co-contributor's post.

Secondly, today - Bastille Day - is the 1-year anniversary of my first full-time position. It seems an appropo time to go back in the postings vault and reflect on an entry provided before I came into writing existence.

Now, browse this February 2, Career vs. Job post...

If I were to reflect on the "3 Factors for Job Happiness," on the whole, I'm doing well.

1. Money - It's not the greatest pay in the world but I knew that when I made a decision to go into marketing as opposed to finance. Relatively speaking, I can't complain too much (re: too) and given the supposed nest-egg I built up, I was able to comfortably resist the temptation of taking a higher-paying, but likely less-enjoyable, financial services position. Furthermore, I just got a raise and while everyone in my group received one and it isn't anything to brag about, I got one nonetheless.

2. Coworkers - This is where my job absolutely shines. Obviously, we cannot work with all of our trustworthy friends, so understanding that, you couldn't randomly select a better group of people with which to work. Enough said.

3. Type of Work Done - I'm working on a product that I genuinely enjoy consuming myself, and though I'm not directly in the field, I'm also dealing with a product that feeds one of the few things I consider a passion (sports). Out-of-college that's pretty nice. Furthermore, once you adjust your lifestyle to your salary, I concur that it's the perks that make the job. To that point, I've been to Giants Stadium, Madison Square Garden, Yankee Stadium, Shea Stadium (all multiple times) - China Grill, Blue Fin, Ruby Foos, a Mafia Party - 18 different airports, many of which I would probably never go on my own - play Foosball & Bubble Hockey in the office - and "water cooler" conversation is about your fantasy team performance. If that ain't me, then what is? (I'm sure some readers will see that as a dumbed-down life but it's up to me to supplement this entertaining part of my life with whatever else is necessary to my own personal growth.)

So, as it stands, there is no immediate need for me to log-on to www.idealist.org or www.monster.com - that is, if my group exists past December - :)

Workplace Enlightenment

Not particularly deep or anything but I enjoyed hearing this during a meeting at work - and if you know me, you'll know why:

"Children are socialized into sports - both as participants and fans - just as they are socialized into their family religion....Episcopalians beget Episcopalians; Packer fans beget Packer fans"

Narcolepsy

Things I've been sleeping on:

• Blog postings
• 401k contributions (it's matched from here on out so I need to wake up; otherwise, it's 'throwing away' money)
• A disheveled bed
• Reading (you are owed a book posting this month)
• Radiohead (I'm told Coldplay is a derivative)
• My apartment(s) search
• Taxonomizing my music
• Dating life

Things I've not been sleeping on:

• Text messaging (fingggggaro)
• Banana Republic (I think that's through)
• Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Get Smoke outta here...game is a wrap.)
• Family Guy
• Chocolate bread
• Bill Simmons/Sports Guy articles (I haven't slept for 3-4 years now. Never plan to.)
• Freestyling...on stage...in New York City (I can die now.)
• Sleep (on the weekends at least)
  
  

Worst. Week. Ever. Revisited

After the hell on earth week, I must admit I had a nice follow up. Chicago for a couple days (minus the traffic), Philadelphia (a suprisingly cool city -- especially after my initial visits to the University of Pennsylvania left me with a slightly sour appreciation for the city), and finally my third home (the place where everything isn't always what it seems, especially train routes).

As I prepare to move out of my apartment, I've realized how an utterly dark and depressing place my current home is (I should definitely get a cat). If you don't believe me, you should try travelling from New York City to Flint, Michigan in the same day, then holler at your boy.

Random Aside - If you like science at all, try Bill Bryson's - A Short History of Nearly Everything. It's a nice recap of 4.5 billion years of planetary phenomena...

Motivation

Unfortunately, I have felt the shame of debt. As I am not naturally fiscially disciplined, I thought that other piercing eyes may spur me to eliminate some of my lavish, wasteful ways. And since Suze Orman (or whatever her name is) can't help me, maybe you can.

In light of this recognition, I will make my shame public to you... Periodically, I will report the percentage of debt that I have compared to liquid assets (liquid). Wish me luck!

Here we go: 7/1/2005 1.02%

In this case, for every dollar I have, I have one dollar and two cents of debt. Let the madness begin....

"The more things a man is ashamed of, the more respectful he is." - George Benard Shaw
"He who is ashamed of his poverty would be equally proud of his wealth" - Unknown