The New Year

A few housekeeping items:

-Terrible blog-upkeep on my part. For some reason, I thought blogging through a tablet computer would make things easier and keep me motivated to update my blog more often...wrong on both accounts.

-BUT! Re-vamping my old laptop and the use of an actual keyboard to go along with my Ipad could make life easier. Yet to be seen.

-It will make it harder to hyperlink and embed videos on the blog though...it may be time for a new computer...

A Year in Review


2011 was a very interesting year upon first glance. It's been my first full year post-college. It's been coming to terms with being an adult...something I had been dreading for a very long time.

I got a job in May. I fulfilled a dream of going to Bonnaroo in June. In August I moved into a wonderful apartment with my girlfriend and quirky cat(s) in tow. I also purchased my first real car in November. Big moves.

Best of 2011 list:

Band: Mumford and Sons (technically their hit album was released in 2010, but people really took notice this year)

Concert: Listing Bonnaroo would be cheating because it is a festival. Best performance there? Arcade Fire closely followed by Florence and the Machine

Album: Black Keys - El Camino, Florence & the Machine - Ceremonials

Book I've read: A Song of Ice and Fire series (I'm a sucker for movie and TV adaptations)

Movie: Drive

Television Show: Parks and Recreation

Goals: --In no particular order as they pop into my head:

-Get back in to shape; Sitting in a cube for 40 hours a day has not jived nicely with my body. Who'da thunk thats bad for you?

-Once in shape, prepare to run a marathon soon after...this is easier than most people think...no really.

-Keep this blog going more consistently if only for my own sanity.

-Be more on the up-and-up with current music and pop culture trends...so I can be the unamused guy who says "I heard of them a few months before they were even on the radio," at parties.

-Branch out more with my cooking skills...and everything else in life. I'm not living off frozen food or delivery, but I would like to add a few more entrees to my small palate of cuisines.

-Be nicer

-Listen better, and talk over people less.

-Have a good year

Nothing you haven't heard before.

I haven't blogged in months due partially to my new job and mostly out of pure laziness. This should change with my newest purchase of an iPad. More on that later...

-This new job isn't exactly what I envisioned for myself a few years back, but I enjoy most of the people I work with and the steady pay and benefits. The Dark Knight Rises is also filming all around my building for the entire month of august, which is where I'll most likely be spending my lunch breaks.

-Great to see the pirates having a decent season. Each time they win it feels great, and when they lose I just remind myself that a year ago I wouldn't even be watching the game. Still trying not to be too high or low on this team. Glad they also brought back Pedro Alvarez considering he is one of their few franchise players.

-Never could understand why some people are always eager to leave Pittsburgh. Sure it's not the flashiest city, but what exactly isn't to like if you can find a good job here? I also understand the allure of big cities, but I personally don't feel as though leaving Pittsburgh is anything to brag about.

-Getting this new iPad was long overdue, but is surely the coolest gadget I've ever owned. There is no need to go into any depth about it's features because virtually everyone knows about them. It's awesome.

Quote of the Day

Good Will Hunting (1997):

"Why shouldn't I work for the N.S.A.? That's a tough one, but I'll take a shot. Say I'm working at N.S.A. Somebody puts a code on my desk, something nobody else can break. Maybe I take a shot at it and maybe I break it. And I'm real happy with myself, 'cause I did my job well. But maybe that code was the location of some rebel army in North Africa or the Middle East. Once they have that location, they bomb the village where the rebels were hiding and fifteen hundred people I never met, never had no problem with, get killed. Now the politicians are sayin', "Oh, send in the Marines to secure the area" 'cause they don't give a shit. It won't be their kid over there, gettin' shot. Just like it wasn't them when their number got called, 'cause they were pullin' a tour in the National Guard. It'll be some kid from Southie takin' shrapnel in the ass. And he comes back to find that the plant he used to work at got exported to the country he just got back from. And the guy who put the shrapnel in his ass got his old job, 'cause he'll work for fifteen cents a day and no bathroom breaks. Meanwhile, he realizes the only reason he was over there in the first place was so we could install a government that would sell us oil at a good price. And, of course, the oil companies used the skirmish over there to scare up domestic oil prices. A cute little ancillary benefit for them, but it ain't helping my buddy at two-fifty a gallon. And they're takin' their sweet time bringin' the oil back, of course, and maybe even took the liberty of hiring an alcoholic skipper who likes to drink martinis and fuckin' play slalom with the icebergs, and it ain't too long 'til he hits one, spills the oil and kills all the sea life in the North Atlantic. So now my buddy's out of work and he can't afford to drive, so he's got to walk to the fuckin' job interviews, which sucks 'cause the shrapnel in his ass is givin' him chronic hemorrhoids. And meanwhile he's starvin', 'cause every time he tries to get a bite to eat, the only blue plate special they're servin' is North Atlantic scrod with Quaker State. So what did I think? I'm holdin' out for somethin' better. I figure fuck it, while I'm at it why not just shoot my buddy, take his job, give it to his sworn enemy, hike up gas prices, bomb a village, club a baby seal, hit the hash pipe and join the National Guard? I could be elected president. "

The Stars, the moon, they have all been blown out

With the recent purchase of Bonnaroo tickets, I have been trying to listen to every band of interest on the set-list. One artist that I have been enjoying lately is Florence + The Machine and her album "Lungs," which has been a revelation.

Generally I don't even listen to female artists. It's not a sexist thing, I just don't enjoy the vast majority of it with a few exceptions (Janis Joplin, Lady Gaga, Regina Spektor, etc). This is one of those exceptions.

Many people will recognize her hit song "Dog Days Are Over," from various movies and alternative venues, but it's the songs "Cosmic Love," "Between Two Lungs," and "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" that really stand out.

Check it out for yourself and enjoy.

-Not very optimistic for the Penguins tonight in game 7. Then again, I could be pleasantly surprised. Either way I'm proud of them for making it this far, win or lose, without their marquee players.

-New Years resolution to start dressing like an adult has been a great success thus far. Getting a real job was a great excuse to better my wardrobe towards those ends as well.

-Paid vacation Bonnaroo? Yes, please.

-Roku box proving worthy of my money with streaming NHL playoffs, especially with the Hockey Night In Canada broadcasts. A breath of fresh air from VS and NBC. Also entertaining to watch foreign news broadcasts and funky movies.

Ch-ch-changes...4/22

The big news on the job front is that as of tomorrow I will officially be a "U.S. tax specialist," at the Bank of New York Mellon. Ironic considering my qualifications and the current book I'm reading (The Pale King, D.F.W. --about the IRS). Good job for the pay and benefits, not so much for any aspirations of a future in journalism. Still, one can't complain about these kinds of things and I am certainly pleased with the news.

-Tickets to Bonnaroo. Accomplishes two dreams of mine in one fell swoop: A road trip across the country, and going to the concert event itself. Might actually have to bust out my nice camera and put it to good use. Music purists can cry that the event has become too mainstream (doesn't everything eventually?), but it is still one heck of a lineup. It also gives me the excuse/pleasure to discover and download loads of new music in preparation.

-Currently listening to: The Black Keys' newest album 'Brothers.' They will be performing. I will be there.

-A real exciting NHL playoffs thus far. Unexpected teams putting up good fights (minus the coyotes and rangers) and great matchups. Anyone acting surprised that the Pens are still winning are either casual fans or unknowledgeable. Guys like Asham, Kennedy and Neal have been stepping it up big-time and are clearly just hungrier for the cup. Would be nice to see them take out the garbage come Saturday morning.

-Update of Roku Box: Spent the $100 on it, because I wanted to try it out. Once next hockey season rolls around I will spring for the NHL package, and stream the other games through Justin.tv. It is conveniant if you own a netflix or hulu account. Free will always be > cable, although if I could get a free DVR without a monthly rate I would be set.

-Go Pens
-Go Jesus

Caching in (4/9)

I finished the book, "The Social Animal," by David Brooks a few days ago, and enjoyed it immensely. The basic premise of the novel is a fictitious storyline following two characters and their lives throughout their careers. These two (Harold and Erica, respectively) are tracked from the womb onward. Interspersed in their stories though, are provided examples of the psychology and motives behind the decisions and feelings they witness.

If that description sounds confusing, you aren't alone. But trust me, it's worth the $14 (amazon), and is relatively simple to comprehend, despite the complex studies cited within. Giving anything else away would be spoiler-ish, and the book is better read knowing less.

The one concept that really piqued my interest was the themes of the "It's a Wonderful Life," VS the book "On the Road." In essence, a cookie cutter family, house and happiness contrasted with the unknown and adventuresome life of one. Is it a black and white concept that we can only live one of those two options? I'd like to think both could be ascertainable, but it would be hard to strike a good balance.

Other tidbits:

-Did my first Geo-Cache yesterday in a giant park next to my house. With the use of my droid app, it made it pretty fun. Could be the cure for the modern boredom. The best part is there are always new Caches to be found. Or you can make your own. If you've never heard of it, look it up. All you need is a GPS of any kind.

-Pens and Pirates both go the distance for their wins last night. But wins are wins. Especially when you are the Pirates striving for .500 and the Pens for home ice. Big wins.

-Eager to rip into David Foster Wallace's newest posthumous publishing of "The Pale King." The guy could write like no other, and it's a shame he cut his life so short.

-Thank you to everyone reading the blog, it's really cool to hear so many people are interested in the seemingly mundane going-ons and musings of my life.

"There are a lot of ways to practice the art of journalism, and one of them is to use your art like a hammer to destroy the right people...

...who are almost always your enemies, for one reason or another, and who usually deserved to be crippled because they are wrong."

My review of "Better Than Sex: Confessions of a Political Junkie," by Hunter S. Thompson--

One thing must be understood when reading Thompson's works -- he was almost always under the influence of some substance, but still remained a rambling genius until the day he decided to end his life.

This book covers the entirety of the 1992 election that pitted democrat Bill Clinton against former President George H.W. Bush. This includes (as does all the other literature in "The Gonzo Papers," series) articles published for Rolling Stone, letters, faxes, and hastily scribbled notes and musings. Sections of the book are primarily addressed to Clinton, referred to as Bubba.

"Well, Bubba -- you'll want to mix yourself a real stiff drink before you sit down to read this one..."

It is clear that in his older age, Thompson was content to stay holed up in his fortress in Woody Creek - Aspen, Colo. and spend maddening hours glued to CNN and his fax machine. He initially endorses Ross Perot for the sole reason of throwing a wrench into things. When it becomes clear that Perot is fading from the ballot, he half-heartedly changes camp to endorse Clinton with the rest of his Rolling Stone affairs staff.

The most humorous portion of the book is hands-down when Thompson learns of Clinton's admittance to smoking marijuana, but not inhaling it. He sarcastically makes reference to Clinton being upstanding by not inhaling multiple times throughout the book, all of which made me laugh to myself. Other endeavors include drunken escapades with political strategician James Carville such as accusations Carville stealing his wallet to buy women drinks, and Thompson faxing him hilariously awful campaign advice.

At the risk of sounding phony, my favorite parts were the back-and-forth interviews and faxes between Clinton and Thompson. Although they only officially interviewed once in person before the election, Clinton always took time to fax Thompson back and comment on his depraved drawings or advice (even from the White House). So did his eminent staffer George Stephanopoulos, in greater detail.

Thompson, at heart, had a natural and ravenous hunger for politics and everything that went along with it. Many people only know him from his debauched drug-addled journalist travelings through Las Vegas and unique style. This is a shame in many instances, but the fact remains that he was one of the most prominent and truly outspoken political journalist.

Easily accessible for anyone born in an era that remembers Bill Clinton, "Better Than Sex," provides an inside look at Thompson's motivations, passions and work. While it may never be the first literature of his people will read, it should be on the short list of follow-ups.



"When the going gets weird..."

Note: If you have a netflix account, or leech off mine, I highly recommend the recent documentary on Thompson's life "Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson," which is available through instant streaming. It is narrated by his personal friend Johnny Depp if that entices anyone.