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Friday, May 28, 2010

***BREAKING NEWS: LeBron Leaving for Florida***

Today's dose of unintentional comedy:
LeBron Leaving for Florida - Columbus Dispatch dispatch.com

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Fads I Just Don't Get

I feel very old when I consider what's hot today in teenage pop culture. I just don't get it. As you can see by my list, I think our "youth culture" (another phrase that makes me look old) is very feminine-driven. When did teenage boys become pansies?? So here's my power rankings for things that I don't get (a.k.a. why I'm old).

1. Twilight - is it almost over??
2. Everything else "vampire inspired"
3. Two high school boy fashion trends - the long hair in your face and tight pants - when did looking like a girl become cool?
4. Justin Bieber - is he part of the reason for #3? How is he collaborating with Ludacris and Sean Kingston?? Does this not take away every bit of their street cred?
5. Glee - I enjoy some acapella now and then and I love hearing NPH sing, but come on
6. Twitter - again, nobody cares about your mundane everyday life
7. Teenage Mom shows - I thought that teenagers who got knocked up were outcasts. Is this because of Juno or because of Sarah Palin's daughter?
8. Dancing with the Stars - It's ballroom dancing!! There's nothing cool about ballroom dancing!!

Monday, May 24, 2010

Changes

As Stacey can attest, I don't deal with change that well. In the past six months, my office has had 5 new hires and added 3 new positions. Our office dynamic has swung so much I think I'm sea sick. I have been having to take more of a leadership position to keep things together and I'm glad I can step back now.

In regards to change I have implemented myself, I am very happy with how well painting our basement has turned out. It definitely wasn't a selling feature of the house. It is 1/3 finished, 1/3 laundry room, 1/3 crawl space. The part that is finished is modestly sized - big enough to hang out in but not enough to supplant our "family room". It has wood paneling, which gives me a "parents baseroom" vibe, even though my parents never had wood paneling. We decided to paint it an off-white color. The y-chromosome in me says it's white, but apparently it is off-white enough to appease Stacey. It brightened up the room nicely and makes the basement look a little larger than before. With the temperatures jumping past 80 recently, I could see myself spending more time down there to save a little on our energy bill. I think I want to take it one step further and add track lighting to really brighten it up. Now I need to study up on electrical maintenance.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Lost

I know neither of you watch Lost, but I am very excited for the end. How could you not be intrigued by this?? (It's not an actual promo, but was created by some fan with a lot of time on their hands).

Friday, May 07, 2010

King of the City

Chris Broussard's article on LeBron's recent MVP acceptance ceremony highlights what makes him different than a lot of other superstars (i.e., Kobe). Many people have looked for deeper meaning in his words about Akron; some say they indicate he's staying while others believe it was a farewell acknowledgement. I am not taking this either way, but I do appreciate LeBron for his attitude.

Since he gained nation-wide attention as a high school junior/senior, LeBron has been doing all the right things. He has been saying the right things, surrounding himself with the right people, and demonstrating the right balance of maturity and personality. I am not saying LeBron is a "good person". In a "post Tiger/Letterman/Roethlisberger/etc" world, nobody is willing to make strong value judgements about someone's character. But I do think he is fairly selfless, genuinely interested in his teams' success rather than his own (because he knows making his team better will lead to his own success), and is appreciative of his roots and the people who helped him get where he is. I think he appears to have better character and is a better teammate than Michael, the person who he is compared to most.

I am in the small minority of people who believe he will be returning to Cleveland. I don't think it will have anything to do with winning or losing a championship this year. I believe, through this event and many of his other actions, that he has a deep connection to Northeast Ohio. He is going to get a max contract no matter where he goes. I don't see him benefitting any more from a "marketing standpoint" by being in LA or NYC. I think he actually appreciates not having to deal with as much paparazzi in Cleveland. And, while having a good support group of teammates is necessary, I don't think he would be tempted by the opportunity of an "All Star Lineup".

I remember when he completely took over the 4th quarter series-clinching game against us in the playoffs a few years ago. He took his game to another level and everyone outside of Michigan was in awe of his performance. Now that the Pistons are in the crapper, I can appreciate LeBron a little more. I am by no means jumping on the Cavs bandwagon, but he is enjoyable to watch. I appreciate him thanking his hometown fans and acknowledging his teammates while winning an individual award.

Monday, May 03, 2010

Guess They Are Doing Something Right

NEW YORK -- U.S. viewership of the NHL playoffs increased 24 percent from 2009, the league's highest average first-round audience in 10 years.

The NHL said Friday that NBC and Versus combined to average 742,000 viewers per telecast. That's the most since ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 had 750,000 in 2000.

Versus averaged 595,000 viewers, a 35 percent increase from 2009 and the league's best showing on cable since ESPN/ESPN2 in 2001 (608,000). Versus averaged a .7 rating, up 75 percent from 2009.

NBC averaged 430,000 viewers for its four broadcasts, an 18 percent increase over 2009. Its 1.1 average rating was the best since 2006 and up 10 percent from last year.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs/2010/news/story?id=5152366

Sunday, May 02, 2010

Food Coma

For the first time in almost a month, I have a non-sports related post. I have been on an unhealthy kick lately. If someone can be a "health nut", what would an unhealth person be? A "health Milk Dud?" I'm not depressed or anything, but I definitely think I treat food as something that is comforting. I attach positive feelings towards food, which I know is bad. I think a lot of people wrestle with the same thing and that is why some people overeat or eat the wrong things. I am by no means in serious trouble at this point and I could only stand to lose 5-10 pounds. I think my main problem with health right now stems more from inactivity than from food. I am hopeful once we get our kayaks and spend more time doing yard work, I will be exercising more often (than never). So here's the items that have been giving me trouble lately - my "power rankings of junk food".

1. Doughnuts - my all-time favorite food and favorite vice. Power rankings of doughnut places - Honey Dip, Buckeye Donuts (I'm sorry guys, they're good so it's worth it), Tim Horton's TimBits (not their actual doughnuts though)

2. Taco Bell - my fourth-meal consists of the cheesy gordita crunch, steak quesadilla, fiesta potatoes, or the steak chalupa supreme

3. Cheetos - I find it humorous that on the back of the bag is a photo of corn. Is that because they want you to think that Cheetos are a natural food and aren't completely chemically produced? Because I'm fine either way - they're really good

4. City Barbeque beef brisket sandwich and mac & cheese

5. Burger King A-1 Steakhouse XT - A mix of steak sauce, fried onion strings, and beef that tastes great and leaves a bomb in my stomach to detonate 30 mins later

6. Sushi-KO rolls - doesn't necessarily sound like junk food, but the ones I like most are fried

7. Doritos - were recently bumped down the list by Cheetos - I'm a regular nacho cheese loyalist. Has anyone tried the cheeseburger ones? It tastes exactly like the different layers of a cheeseburger, but will make you vomit

8. Kid's cereal - Fruit Loops, Golden Grahams, Cinnamon Toast Crunch - I don't usually eat breakfast, but I've recently been eating cereal before I go to bed on nights where I'm still hungry

9. Potato salad

10. Smore Pop Tarts (yeah, you heard me Mike)