Month: September 2013

There are enough people that believe the end of days is around the corner that there can be multiple shows on Doomsday preppers. The latest, Doomsday Castle, is a surprising contradiction. The show features a patriarch who calls together many of his children (5 of who knows how many) to help him build a castle where they can all ride out the apocalypse. The contradiction is the fact that his three daughters are so anti-doomsday that they each appear to be auditioning for modeling gigs every episode.

Again, this could be my own perceptions warping how I see their reality and interpret the truthfullness of their actions. Who is to say that these make up hoarding women aren’t also the type to want to build a castle and live in the bunker beneath the castle with all the rats and bugs. Stranger things have happened.

An 8-8 drubbing this week brings my total to 19 – 13, which is bad enough to sit me at least 1 below any professional picker and the ‘majority rules’ pick for the nation. In other words, I flat out sucked at picking the games. I hit the average, meaning if you were to pick a game from two possible outcomes, you have a 50-50 chance of getting it right, which is exactly what I did. I wonder how mathematically probable matching the actual mathematical average is? Regardless, in picking circles in means I sucked. So, I come to you in week 3 as humble as the NY Giants (who are giving up 38 pts and roughly 5 turnovers a game). I am looking to redeem myself. Will I?

1. PHI over KC
Not the best start with redemption. We know what Philly’s offense can do, but we also know what their D can’t do. I should pick KC, knowing they have a strong O and a D with a backbone, but I refuse to believe the Big 3 are willing to lose back to back games this season.

2. GB over CIN
Going with the majority on this one. I don’t see CIN holding up to the passing attack.

3. DAL over STL
Fool me once…

4. SD over TEN

5. MIN over CLE
The Richardson trade will hurt CLE by leaving them with no offensive playmakers of note.

6. TB over NE
Going against the grain to take a chance on a D still coming together and a NE offense falling apart.

7. NO over AZ

8. DET over WSH

9. NY over CAR

10. BAL over HOU

11. ATL over MIA

12. NYJ over BUF

13. IND over SF

14. SEA over JAC

15. CHI over PIT

16. DEN over OAK

 

 

Some Thoughts:

1. Ratemyprofessor.com has some valid points but it is mostly drivel written by disgruntled students. Those who have problems are more likely to report to these sites than those who were pleased. In truth, you have to be enormously pleased or feel a civic responsibility to report in order to put in the required effort. That being said, my scores suck. They got very bad for a time and as I try to improve, setbacks set the scores on fire.
2. As I move to build greater organizational skills in my job and home life I find myself wondering if organization is really about constant step by step communication and reinforcement. It feels that way when coaching 4 year olds. Strangely enough, it feels the exact same way when designing understandable curriculum for freshman. I think they’re just used to having everything handed to them and then repeated when they elect to forget.

I spent yesterday’s ten minutes reflecting and having a pointedly emotional reaction to the way some people feel about and react to Facebook posts. It was a fair reaction, given the blog I responded to claimed that the majority of what I post on Facebook is useless and self-aggrandizing. Even though the post wasn’t about me, I made it about me (read: self-aggrandizing). I took offense to the recognition of something I saw myself doing. Then I thought about it more. I considered it in light of the media’s portrayal and non-stop coverage of the Navy Yards shooting and I realized that Facebook is absolutely about making you seem important. Moreover, it is about making what you say and do as important to those who ‘follow’ you as it is to you.

 

What we do and post on Facebook is the kind of thing we used to say and do in person. When we talk to each other in casual conversation we ask, ‘How are you?’ and ‘What have you been up to?’ Is it any surprise that the majority of FB posts and pictures read like responses to this unspoken query?

 

The rest of it is interesting still. The article suggested that folks leave cryptoids in order to gauge others interest in their personal lives or play out inside jokes in a public forum—the kind of thing you see in a high school lunch room. No argument there. Such statements recreate the insider/outsider dynamic and reinforce personal position as an insider stakeholder. It is a bit repetitive, as you have control mechanisms in place within FB to establish insider/outsider groups and determine who sees what information. Still, those posts serve as a check and balance or even a psychological reassurance that there is a cadre of people who care about you enough and are observing you enough to ask what happened. Those same people are the ones you are trying to reach when you preach; when you offer ‘unsolicited nuggets of wisdom’ that, as the blogger suggests, is all about you.

 

There is a case for dropping wisdom. In every group there is the advice friend. This person tends to dominate the conversation when others need either inspiration, redirection, or purpose within their daily routine. That sort of suggestive power goes to you head, and before long you wind up believing you have the right information, eloquence, and responsibility to drop these wisdom bombs. I do that crap all the time. It wanders into my head and I squirt it back out on the internet. I don’t feel like a wise man when I do it, but just another guy who had a thought that might help someone somewhere down the line who is experiencing the phenomenon I am discussing. In other words, it is about inspiring, which if you follow me on Facebook you know is about the most important thing I think a person can do.

 

Hopefully my response inspires someone else to consider why Facebook is the way it is and discern the value in that without openly dismissing it through snark and little substance.

 

Recently a friend linked to an article on the wait but why site entitled 7 Ways to be Insufferable on Facebook. The post artfully dissected and humiliated virtually every type of FB posting that was not the author’s own, claiming that these 7 types of posts were largely self-serving and, for the most part, elitist and exclusionary. The author writes:

A Facebook status is annoying if it primarily serves the author and does nothing positive for anyone reading it.

 

My immediate reaction was one of guilt followed by disgust followed by cold, clinical theorizing. I mean, sure I am absolutely of what the writer calls insufferable. #2 of 7 is “Narcissism. The author’s thoughts, opinions, and life philosophies matter. The author and the author’s life are interesting in and of themselves.” Hell, I do that almost every Monday (and Wednesday, if you think my picks are vain). After I spent a few moments thinking that, yeah, I am that guy, I thought, ‘what is it to you?’ The first thing I teach in essay writing is credibility. I tell my students to first consider the source. So, who is this writer? I have no idea. On the surface the blog is a hyperbole and a half simulacrum with far less self deprecation and far more snark. On the surface, the only thing the blog does is what it claims the purpose of a facebook post should be:

To be unannoying, a Facebook status typically has to be one of two things: 

1) Interesting/Informative 

2) Funny/Amusing/Entertaining 

You know why these are unannoying? Because things in those two categories do something for me, the reader.They make my day a little better.

 

Now, I was amused after I was guilty, because the writing is glib and I don’t take myself terribly seriously. However, when I did get serious about it I started to wonder what Facebook posts are for. Symbolic interaction theory suggests we recreate meaning and society through our symbols. Facebook is a new media medium for those interactions and the creation of meanings. When people share benign updates they are merely seeking forms of acceptance and connection to the larger world. Sure, it can be annoying, but it can also be the singular purpose of the medium.

If you don’t like it, go back to MySpace.

 

Some Thoughts:

1. I am, of course, being insufferable here but I will mention that I did pretty well with my diet today, focusing on water and almonds as a healthy alternative. It got weird after school when I had a bit too much Wendy’s and topped off dinner with a slice of birthday cake. Progress aint always a leap.
2. Watched a Honey Boo Boo wedding, because sometimes it is easier to look at others and say, your situation is very jacked. At the same time, those people seem really happy, and if this is genuine happiness then I am extremely happy for them, because it is hard to get to that place where you don’t care about social expectations and instead do what makes you feel good.

 

 

I gained my faculty 15 quickly this year, the likely result of a shifting eating schedule and bad choices (such as soda). The good news is I believe I hit my peak and the only smart way is down. If I could figure out how to do that quickly, I’d be a millionaire. Of course, any good fitness person will tell you that it takes a little bit of skill and a whole lot of will–the latter of which has been M.I.A. for some time. Over the summer a friend of mine took it upon himself to snatch 70 lbs off his body and he is almost there. That is will, and a new wardrobe, and pretty bad ass.

So, I find myself once again looking for heroes like my suddenly weightless friend and the handful of authors I’ve watched rise from obscurity to success, because I recognize there is a ticking bomb out there. However, the bomb isn’t always enough. That tick tock, that urgency is all about my understanding that as one gets older (and wiser) it is harder to do new things, to create new things, to find a healthy shape and brain function.

1. It is a simple thing for a parent to put on blinders when it comes to their kid. We all want to believe our kids are going to go forward and do great things in life instead of becoming the asshole garbage man who dumps the empty trash can on your rosebush or the jerky high school bully who thrives on shoving smaller kids into lockers. Reality is a lot tougher to deal with, and I am certain that once it fall upon you the first reaction is to deny, deny, deny.
2. I watched the end of the Wisconsin vs. ASU game and it ended so shockingly that my words will not do it justice. Long story short: the offense had a stopped clock with 18 secs in ‘chip shot’ FG range and somehow managed to run out the clock before the kicking team ever considered coming on the field.
3. Late night posts are always a battle with consciousness. Yep, I am losing.

Reflecting on my ‘closer to zen’ state I thought a lot about the major stressors in my life. Planning represents the lion’s share of stress. If all of my lesson plans for the semester were ready to go, I could teach each and every day and love it. I enjoy the planning, but I don’t enjoy not having the lead time to do the planning. This has become less of an issue in recent weeks as I pull my life back into order after the standard start of the semester craziness.

In the end it turns out that order, preparedness, and a steady job is a key to happiness and even a key to being a good writer. I like to think I’m heading towards big things now that order has reasserted itself.

Only time will tell.

 

Some Thoughts:

1. I don’t think NBC has much more of a shelf life when it comes to drama series. They’ve been running shows into the ground and releasing crap, so I find little to make me believe they can sustain more than a handful of shows in the prime time slots. They’re losing market share to the other big two and the incredible ingenuity of AMC and other cable entities.

Over the last few days I’ve found myself in an impressive state of calm and happiness. Nothing changed at home or at work or in my writing. In truth, I don’t have a clue as to how I got here, but I really enjoy this state of mind. Certainly it has something to do with not taking myself terribly seriously.

There are mixed opinions on whether one should take themselves serious. On the one hand, you don’t want to wander through the world being an idiot and not handling your responsibilities. At the same time, never lose sight of the fact that you poop and pee just like a monkey. We get wound up in our self-importance and our stunning exceptionalism. Where we go wrong the most is the idea that we can no longer be ourselves because of how ‘you being you’ might negatively impact someone and become part of the social record.

Zen for me is living by the serenity prayer, even if you aren’t a christian or better, even if you aren’t religious person at all. Zen is finding the strength to accept the things you cannot change, the courage to change the things you can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Some Thoughts:

1. De Blasio for the win!

Week 1 is in the books and my fantasy team has its first win. I survived Manning’s historic night by starting 3 Eagles players at the ‘skill’ positions. Each earned me 16+ points. I ended up with a 9 point win in what will soon prove to be the start of a solid season; more solid than my picks this week. I went 11-5, landing me in a tie for 4th with Jaworski, Shlereth, and Shecter in the ESPN arena. The fan-created pick-em went 12-4, placing the world tied for 2nd above me. It ends here.

NE over NYJ
I’m going to bet against the Jets all year in hopes of being wrong every time. This time I don’t think they have the run game or depth to deal with a very fast and pass happy Brady bunch who, even without a recognizable TE, will dictate the pace of the game.

STL over Atlanta
Atlanta starts out 0-2 and STL looks like AZ did early last year. Fact: STL was really strong in their own division last year and they look to have taken the leap since then.

BUF over Carolina
Again the absence of a run game is a problem for the loosing team. CAR is a team that can put up a lot of points but do so slowly and must do so in a way that controls the pace of the game and dictates to the offense. You cannot take what BUF gives you. What they give you are sacks.

MIN over CHI
Peterson is the man. After watching Shady run wild on Monday, Peterson is certainly looking to add to his total. He will. CHI will feel his wrath.

WSH over GB
GB doesn’t have the backfield weapons Philly deployed. You’ll see an angry defense that gets to the QB and causes turnovers.

IND over MIA

KC over DAL
6 turnovers and its still a game in the final minute? Sorry, DAL, you are the weakest link in the NFC East. Goodbye, winning record.

PHI over SD
I want to start Rivers here, because they’ll be playing catch up and Kelly will not be letting up off the gas. I just don’t know if I am willing to bench Vick or Stafford.

BAL over CLE

HOU over TEN

AZ over DET
There will be a lot of hitting in this game and it will cost DET the win.

TB over NO
The run game will come to life in week two, allowing them to play more ball control offense and giving the QB a chance to work play-action where he is most effective.

OAK over JAC
No starting QB? No hope.

NYG over DEN
This Manning bowl goes to the NY Manning, because to score that many TDs two weeks in a row seems unrealistic. Also, to fumble and turn the ball over that many times two weeks in a row seems unrealistic. Fewer turnovers means a Giant win.

SF over SEA
Boldin gets the #1 receiver treatment this week and Colin K realizes that he needs to target his TE a lot more. The end result? CK with the win and RW without an eyebrow.

CIN over PIT
Chalk this up to your center going on IR, a top LB gone, and a backfield in flux. Big Ben is almost checked out of the offense to the point where I see this team trading him for Rivers in the offseason. Stranger things have happened…

 

Some Thoughts:

1. I feel like my comments on the OSU scandal downplayed the importance of exposing the crime. The article leans in the direction my comments did. Several times they justify the paying of players by showing how much the players need the money and how the money was used. This is true. As an athlete I wasn’t allowed to have a job during the season. It got tight. I had an academic scholarship, which covered a lot, but I needed cash for a social life (or the illusion thereof). Did I cheat and work? Hell yes. I had to. Did that duality eventually break my dream of college ball? Yep. Can’t be everything to everyone, so having a steady payment plan allows you to be the one thing you need to be in order to be successful in athletics: a hard studying gym rat.

I often find myself wondering why some shows are successful in spite of spotty numbers and others fall flat. I think one way is a willingness to sell out. One of the main summer shows I watch is Rizzoli & Isles, a crime drama based on the Tess Gerritsen books. The show is a very fun buddy flick that spends as much time on fashion and friendship as it does on murder. It also spends a great deal of time promoting products. I’m not talking about commercials.

I’m talking about product placement.

Google Rizzoli and Isles and among the links list directing you to TNT, you’ll find a link to Scholls. They are a sponsor of the show and you’ll see their products (along with many others) floating through many of the shows most poignant scenes. This isn’t a new practice, but devoting dialogue and sometimes even complete scenes to a product is pretty new. It is a way to make money that is without a doubt selling out, but is it wrong?

Some Thoughts:

1. Tonight’s post is a palindromic number–not the first i’ve ever had, btw, but it is only the 3rd since I broke 1000. Silly nerd stuff.
2. I am coming around to understand a woman’s sometime insatiable need for handbags.
3. The Oklahoma State scandal is nothing we haven’t heard, fictionalized, and rationalized before. The sex makes it salacious, but the money is what is most familiar and common about the tale. We know players get paid at the college level. We know grades are fixed, we even know that sex is handed out like helmet stickers. We just don’t want to change our sport bad enough to make it stop. Case and point: Ohio State was in the penalty last year for numerous ‘supposed’ violations.  This year, they are being cheered as potential national champions. Nobody cares about the rules. They care about the wins.