Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Home is where the beer is

I moved here on August 20 something as far as I remember, making it just about 4 months of living in Baltimore as far as I can figure. I guess I've crammed a pretty good amount into those months considering I was damn near on my death bed for one of them completely. Lessons learned:

I am happy I didn't take the leap to NYC without a job, watching the cost of living on the east coast dissolve any fiscal security I had made that very clear.

Without Zamboni I may have very well gone insane from living completely on my own for so long so far, it is not an easy adjustment for a social one like me.

Big cities are neat, especially their bar scenes that have actual authentic Irish in their Irish bars.

I need to move into the actual city and out of it's suburb, I'm far too young for this.

The women here are A) less attractive than the old college girls on a whole, and B) almost always accompanied by some form of guido.

I miss Detroit sports.

I miss hockey.

People here lift their windshield wipers up in the air if they think the temperatures call for frost in the morning. This one caused me to bust out laughing.

Too much time on your own, too many beers, and your pants don't fit.

Lessons to be noted and recalled someday as if I were a notable scholar I am sure. So I go back home Saturday and hope to see many in EL sat and sun, maybe a few in Roch wed?

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

The Best Albums of 2007

While I work in business now, at heart I’m still a Disc Jock, so I gotta throw my top 5 albums of the year out there.

#5 Motion City SoundtrackEven If It Kills Me

While it has taken time to adjust to its tone versus other albums from the band, it has grown on me. Deep in its meaning, Justin struggled the last few years with alcoholism and this is a spiraling account of his emotions, low and high, triumphant and bleak. Some of the lyrics remind me of what existed in their last effort, but the music is much more evolved, if not more of a pop album for it.

#4 Say AnythingIn Defense Of The Genre

On the same plane as alcoholism for MCS, Max of Say Anything had to overcome his bi-polar disorder and keep this band alive. A two disc masterpiece of mental carnage and emotional journey, Max shows why others have called him this generation’s Bob Dylan. The highlights of this record(s) are guest vocals from Chris of Saves the Day and Hayley of Paramore, not to mention Max’s lyrics, which seem to live as their own being.

#3 The Legion of Doom Incorporated

Two producers, over 20 bands, 14 tracks. The mash up that leaked in 2006 wasn’t officially released in its high fidelity glory until this year, and it was worth it. The mash up king Girl Talk, doesn’t even match the beats and change time like TLOD does here. The mastery of mixing two of this decades greatest punk songs into one track , 14 times over, is adapt here. While the producers have a special allegiance to The Get Up Kids and use them maybe one too many times on the album, I don’t even care because they gave me the Brand New vs. Dashboard classic, The Quiet Screaming.

#2 Dustin Kensrue
Please Come Home

The front man of Thrice is known for the catchy screaming that makes waves of Warped Tour fans break their jaws on the concrete after a good crowd surf because they’re too lost in the music. A completely different and deep side that you just seemed to sense was there before, comes out on Please Come Home. An acoustic guitar, harmonica, and raspy voice find you dealing with Dustin’s loss and heartache, and following him through his list of women and good times. Six songs I play again and again, he is as gifted and well equipped song writer as there is.

#1 Bayside
The Walking Wounded

The first few times around they didn’t catch on, this time with a hit crammed into an EA Sports video game (albeit horribly edited) Bayside found a larger audience. Not that they needed it, the small following was rabid. This time though, released from the media attention around their tragic van accident and mourning of lost life, the band takes you through a painful, awkward, yet optimistic journey of life, the absence of life, and scorn of it all. I think this one played a record 5 times over and over in my car before I switched to something else; it is just a pleasure to listen to and rock out with.

Honorable Mentions:
Paramore – Riot!
Angels & Airwaves – I-Empire

Fantasy Sports and Milwaukee '08

OK guys, some info on a few different things.
Those who took time to vote on the fantasy polls thank you. Here are some results to be digested…

60% of you think there should be fewer teams in a normal league than in a keeper league.
90% want smaller rosters in football leagues.
30% want no change in hockey rosters while 0% voted to shrink them.
72% would like to start keeper leagues fresh in the fall with whole new teams.
50% thought the ideal set up is a normal football and hockey league, with a keeper football league as well.
27% would like keeper leagues for both sports.
40% would pay $5 for normal football
27% would pay $10 for normal football
36% would pay $5 for keeper football
54% would pay $10 for keeper football
18% would pay something for hockey.

So I’ll think about and digest this over the coming weeks as should the more vocal people. I think we’ll stay at a 12 team cap for all normal leagues, and allow up to 16 for keepers, as strategy involving prospects allows for more maneuverability there.

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Some people are stupid.

Ok first read this ridiculous story

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/11/17/internet.suicide.ap/index.html

Now look, I'm very very sorry your daughter is dead. I'm sorry she had issues she battled. I am not defending the actions of an idiot mom of a ex-friend, that woman is moronic and needs mental help herself being that petty.

But good god, you can't press charged over messages on the internet. They didn't threaten or harm the daughter in any way. Their daughter died because of her own choice, not what someone said. If people end up getting charged over this, it's no worse than the robber who breaks in, hurts himself in your house, and then sues.

Common sense people, use it.

Friday, November 16, 2007

balti, balmo, "the town that reads"

It dawned on me just now, I created this thing a year ago so we would stay in touch as we all spread out, and I never even took the time to write about what I'm doing. Most of you know and a lot of you know more than others, but why not just air all the dirty garbage right here right now.

Yea I was going to go to NYC and live with Fordy, pray for a job and chase a girl way to young for me, but that all changed when I got the job offer of a lifetime in Baltimore. I took it in August and set everything up pretty quickly. Below are a couple shots of the place I'm living. I am about 10 min southwest of Balti, 25 min north of D.C.




My job is as solid as they come. I work in the media brokerage industry, a very small one to say the least. We facilitate the sale of radio and tv stations. Anywhere from big business like a $140 million deal I was looking at today, to a small mom and pop AM radio station in Scatchard worth $500,000. My job is as an analyst, I have to learn the ins and outs of every market and deal they ask me to know, so I can be their expert, their second brain on any topic. Its really cool and my goal is to be a big million dollar broker myself in a few years. They really educate me as if I'm getting a free continuation of my masters, which is sweet. They are also the nicest people in the world, taking me to sports games and oh yea, giving me this private office.


Well dudes, I miss ya all, and cant wait to see the trouble makers I get a chance to this next week.

Vacation time

I fly back to Michigan this coming tuesday and it looks to be a whirlwind. This is my schedule...

Tuesday night, xbox party with whomever gets out to my brothers place
Wen, turkey with Dad
Thur, turkey with Mom
Fri, football in Roch, then bars in Roch
Sat, EL
Sun, fly back to Balti

Join in on that friday and saturday stuff!

Next up lets talk 3B bar crawl. Ko and I discussed this the other night, and I think I came up with a fair solution. There are a certain amount of us who always go to the bar crawl and there are some of us who are considered founding members of the group. That complied list gives us 13 guys I would care to have the opinion of in where we go yearly. No tertiary friends, no girlfriends, only we decide. That said, yearly, each person pitches an idea or obstains from doing so. Once the list of ideas is complied, the group each votes on one not theirs. This is all done in correspondence with me so no one is voting on a poll and swaying it or whatever. I'd say its the most democratic way to do it. That said, lets hear some ideas.

Monday, November 12, 2007

Mmmm east coast sports

So I'm a very lucky dude. My boss gets great tickets to all kinds of sporting events in the Balmo-DC area (yea thats how "we" say it here, "Balmo") and I get to go to lots of them. I'll be checking the Caps out for the first time next week, and last night I suffered with the rest of the Ravens faithful through a horrible loss, where the most entertaining thing on the field was a Tony Siragusa look-a-like who danced. I did spend a good amount of time at the club bar drinking on my boss's tab as I also cried over the Lions.





I did, however, also experience the tradition of Navy football. I went to the Navy-Air Force game earlier this year and the pageantry of the whole thing is just awesome.

Friday, November 09, 2007

Life in General

So I think I'm going to start using this to ramble more.

I enjoy the convos were having on the 3B annual trip now. I really hope we pull this off and go places, even if not exotic, just gettin the guys together.

One thing I never understood was why people made such a big deal about casual fridays at work. Now I understand soooo much, as I sit in my jeans and sweatshirt in total comfort.

I dont think I want my iPod to be a touch screen, wtf Apple, buttons worked well, stop being pretentious douche bags.

I'm going to the Ravens game Sunday, even though they suck, this should seriously rock.