Since this was an educational trip for Sara (and oh how educational it was) she had two meetings (the four spread out over the two weeks….you cannot even begin to imagine all the work) and I had nothing to do. Well there is only one place to go in a situation like that. Starbucks. Oh Nick, tell me you didn’t go to Starbucks, that is so American. First, South American’s consider themselves American so you have to say United States (as Sara reminded me continually) and second, I think it is really interesting to see how companies from the US do things in foreign countries. Anyway, back to the Starbucks. I walk in and it is EXACTLY like a Starbucks in the United States. Down to the music being in English. Well, besides the Spanish. No worries, I can handle this situation. Some could consider me a master of the Spanish language (my high school Spanish teacher is not one of those people) and besides Coffee of the Day is translated as Café de la Dia in Spanish. This was supposed to be a one-sided order though. So when the lady asked if I wanted milk I got confused. Then when she said milk in English I was like, “Leche. I knew that one. Dangit.”
After my trip to Starbucks I took the long way back to the hotel to walk around the parts of the city I hadn’t seen the night before. One thing that I noticed, and everyone was pleasantly surprised about, was how clean the city is. Sure there were the requisite stray dogs that Sara gave me the puppy face about every time she saw one (I got it a lot), but they all seemed well fed. The thing I love about stray city dogs is that they stop at crosswalks and walk when the crowd does. They aren’t dumb. At least there were no stray cows like in India.
Anyway, Sara and her group eventually came home. We went on a search for bottled water and killed time until dinner. That meant we had to kill A LOT of time. See, in Chile and Argentina they don’t eat dinner until after 9 o’clock in the PM. Restaurants don’t even open until 8 o’clock. If you wanna go out after that you better be ready for a long night because it isn’t appropriate to go to the bar until 1 AM. We chose this restaurant near the hotel that (as best as I can tell) a Chilean TGI Friday’s. Check out this name for a restaurant, Pub Licity. You realize very quickly in any meal setting that the South American concept of service is much different than the North American version. Our waitress was always on the fringes of our area but wouldn’t come to the table until we signaled that we needed something. She would give us our menus and then wouldn’t come back until we signaled we were ready to order. Another great thing about being in a foreign country is when you struggle to order something or carry on a conversation and then the waitress answers in much better English than your Spanish.
The food wasn’t that great, but afterward we took the party to the restaurant’s bar. This is where I learned a very valuable thing about South America. Be mindful of the mixed drinks. I wouldn’t even call them mixed drinks. I would call them death drinks. They give you a glass half full of whiskey and then a 12 ounce coke in a glass bottle. They pour so much that I was sure that they had to mix it with water. I revised this sentiment about two hours later. You’d better be careful or you’ll be down quick. I also had a Chilean tell me that I looked like John Denver. He then proceeded to sing me a song that John Denver wrote about Chile. It was AWESOME.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
South America - March 4th and 5th - Santiago
The entire time I was in South America I kept a notepad close at hand and would write an experience in one or two words so that I could later bring all my readers (the 6 of you) an accurate summary of the highlights of my trip.
The flight from DFW to Santiago was a pretty simple nine hour overnight flight. Well, as simple as any flight is. You get on the airplane, they close the doors, you sit around for 45 minutes, you take-off, land in a foreign country, and go on your way. I had two forms of entertainment to help me cope. The first was this really crappy Steve Carell movie (Dan in Real Life) and this really uncrappy John Grisham book (The Appeal). I chose the John Grisham book and sleep after watching about 15 minutes of the movie. John Grisham books are all pretty similar in that there is some social injustice in Mississippi and a lawyer of some type is going to fix it. But they are all really entertaining and easy to read. His books are my number one for reading when traveling.
So yea, we touch down in Santiago and the immigration officers are like, “Welcome to Chile!!!” And I was like, “THANKS.” And they say, I see you’re from Estados Unidos.” And I’m like, “Yes ma’am. These colors don’t run.” And they’re like, “That will be $131.” So apparently if you’re from America it is $131. If you’re from Canada or the UK it’s $50, and if you’re from anywhere else it’s free. That doesn’t seem very fair. I mean all I wanted to do was plunder their natural resources and deface their national parks.
The tour guide meets outside of customs (I pulled a quick one on the agriculture officials when they wanted to search my bag by just walking away, “No hablo espanol.”……HA, I had a bunch of fruit and some cow parts infected with hoof and mouth disease in my carry-on). We walk outside to the bus and already I’m a fan of Chile. Remember, the seasons in the Southern Hemisphere are opposite those in the Northern Hemisphere and March is the beginning of fall. The weather was just about perfect. We leave the airport and drive through the obligatory slums located near the airport into the city. The roads into the city are interesting in that the major ones are actually tunnels that go under the city. Everyone knows that in the movies the major catastrophes happen in the tunnels, so I’m sure how safe it is to have tunnels in the country with the most tremors in the world (I may have made this up, but they do have A LOT of tremors and earthquakes), but hey, they were a quick way to get around the city.
We check into our hotel with 90 minutes before we’re supposed to be ready for our trip to the winery. The question is, do we eat or do we sleep? Sleep it is. We’ll just set the alarm clock and…….wait a minute, where is the alarm clock? We were soon to find out that alarm clocks do not come standard in hotels across Chile and Argentina. Luckily we had the cell phone. Then we turned on the TV, oh good the first channel I turn to is GREY’S ANATOMY…..IN ENGLISH.
The Concha Y Toro winery is what you would expect a winery to be. A bunch of grapes, a bunch of barrels of fermenting grapes, and a bunch of bottles of finished fermenting grapes. All set to beautiful scenery and old, well kept building. As previously stated, I’m not big on the wine. But wine is good for the heart, and well you’ve gotta keep that heart strong so I might as well try it. Well, I tried. Disgusting probably isn’t the right word, but they definitely weren’t good. Or maybe they just weren’t for me. Concha Y Toro is Chile’s most popular wine though.
After the winery, it was late afternoon and almost dinner time. A group of people were walking across the city to this “artsy” part of town. After a day of travel I didn’t feel like doing anything, but Sara wanted to go and she is really cranky after a day of traveling (apparently I should have given her more wine). Anyway, most of the walk was through this park that follows the river (or more accurately, riverbed…..drought) through the city. Apparently, Chilean’s like to make-out in parks. Good for them. I think that (along with wine) makes you live longer. Our walk eventually turned into the Bataan Death March until out of nowhere we showed up in this really dirty party of town. As we all know, dirty parts of town equal the artsy (often referred to as bohemian (often referred to as hippie)) parts of towns. I’ll be honest with you, I wasn’t really happy when we were told this was the place. Especially when I could feel the local “artists” staring holes into my blond head. I just told myself that it was because the ladies wanted me so bad.
In actuality, the trip was well worth it because we went to this AWESOME restaurant. It had ivy growing up stone walls inside and concrete benches and great food. I think I might have eaten intestines though. I’m not sure. It was gross, whatever it was. We took a “taxi” back to hotel. I used the quotation marks because I’m pretty sure it was just this guy’s Jetta. Since there were 12 of us, we took 3 taxis back to the hotel. Our driver had to get out of his vehicle to ask another taxi what the fare was. Also, when you have 3 taxis all going from the same point A to the same point B you get some racing. That was fun.
Then it was time for bed.
The flight from DFW to Santiago was a pretty simple nine hour overnight flight. Well, as simple as any flight is. You get on the airplane, they close the doors, you sit around for 45 minutes, you take-off, land in a foreign country, and go on your way. I had two forms of entertainment to help me cope. The first was this really crappy Steve Carell movie (Dan in Real Life) and this really uncrappy John Grisham book (The Appeal). I chose the John Grisham book and sleep after watching about 15 minutes of the movie. John Grisham books are all pretty similar in that there is some social injustice in Mississippi and a lawyer of some type is going to fix it. But they are all really entertaining and easy to read. His books are my number one for reading when traveling.
So yea, we touch down in Santiago and the immigration officers are like, “Welcome to Chile!!!” And I was like, “THANKS.” And they say, I see you’re from Estados Unidos.” And I’m like, “Yes ma’am. These colors don’t run.” And they’re like, “That will be $131.” So apparently if you’re from America it is $131. If you’re from Canada or the UK it’s $50, and if you’re from anywhere else it’s free. That doesn’t seem very fair. I mean all I wanted to do was plunder their natural resources and deface their national parks.
The tour guide meets outside of customs (I pulled a quick one on the agriculture officials when they wanted to search my bag by just walking away, “No hablo espanol.”……HA, I had a bunch of fruit and some cow parts infected with hoof and mouth disease in my carry-on). We walk outside to the bus and already I’m a fan of Chile. Remember, the seasons in the Southern Hemisphere are opposite those in the Northern Hemisphere and March is the beginning of fall. The weather was just about perfect. We leave the airport and drive through the obligatory slums located near the airport into the city. The roads into the city are interesting in that the major ones are actually tunnels that go under the city. Everyone knows that in the movies the major catastrophes happen in the tunnels, so I’m sure how safe it is to have tunnels in the country with the most tremors in the world (I may have made this up, but they do have A LOT of tremors and earthquakes), but hey, they were a quick way to get around the city.
We check into our hotel with 90 minutes before we’re supposed to be ready for our trip to the winery. The question is, do we eat or do we sleep? Sleep it is. We’ll just set the alarm clock and…….wait a minute, where is the alarm clock? We were soon to find out that alarm clocks do not come standard in hotels across Chile and Argentina. Luckily we had the cell phone. Then we turned on the TV, oh good the first channel I turn to is GREY’S ANATOMY…..IN ENGLISH.
The Concha Y Toro winery is what you would expect a winery to be. A bunch of grapes, a bunch of barrels of fermenting grapes, and a bunch of bottles of finished fermenting grapes. All set to beautiful scenery and old, well kept building. As previously stated, I’m not big on the wine. But wine is good for the heart, and well you’ve gotta keep that heart strong so I might as well try it. Well, I tried. Disgusting probably isn’t the right word, but they definitely weren’t good. Or maybe they just weren’t for me. Concha Y Toro is Chile’s most popular wine though.
After the winery, it was late afternoon and almost dinner time. A group of people were walking across the city to this “artsy” part of town. After a day of travel I didn’t feel like doing anything, but Sara wanted to go and she is really cranky after a day of traveling (apparently I should have given her more wine). Anyway, most of the walk was through this park that follows the river (or more accurately, riverbed…..drought) through the city. Apparently, Chilean’s like to make-out in parks. Good for them. I think that (along with wine) makes you live longer. Our walk eventually turned into the Bataan Death March until out of nowhere we showed up in this really dirty party of town. As we all know, dirty parts of town equal the artsy (often referred to as bohemian (often referred to as hippie)) parts of towns. I’ll be honest with you, I wasn’t really happy when we were told this was the place. Especially when I could feel the local “artists” staring holes into my blond head. I just told myself that it was because the ladies wanted me so bad.
In actuality, the trip was well worth it because we went to this AWESOME restaurant. It had ivy growing up stone walls inside and concrete benches and great food. I think I might have eaten intestines though. I’m not sure. It was gross, whatever it was. We took a “taxi” back to hotel. I used the quotation marks because I’m pretty sure it was just this guy’s Jetta. Since there were 12 of us, we took 3 taxis back to the hotel. Our driver had to get out of his vehicle to ask another taxi what the fare was. Also, when you have 3 taxis all going from the same point A to the same point B you get some racing. That was fun.
Then it was time for bed.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Safe and Sound
Just flew back from Chile and Argentina, and boy are my arms tired.......I hate that joke. Anyway, super tired. I'll get a write-up on here in the next week or so, but I wanna make sure it's good and does the trip justice.
Purdue's going to the Elite Eight. I can feel it in my soul.....and it feels good.
In the meantime, read this hilarious site.
Purdue's going to the Elite Eight. I can feel it in my soul.....and it feels good.
In the meantime, read this hilarious site.
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Done and Done
I'm going to make this one short and sweet. Ok, maybe just short. After 6 long years I'm finally finished with college. That associates degree is going to look great on my wall.
I also leave for Chile on Tuesday. I don't know when I will be able to post next, but you have my word that you will get a full report when I return.
Also, the weather is wonderful. 60 and sunny. It's supposed to snow again on Tuesday. Global warming I guess.
See, told you short.
I also leave for Chile on Tuesday. I don't know when I will be able to post next, but you have my word that you will get a full report when I return.
Also, the weather is wonderful. 60 and sunny. It's supposed to snow again on Tuesday. Global warming I guess.
See, told you short.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
My Friend Oscar
Here are my picks for the big awards tonight. They're listed in order of preference.
Actress in a Supporting Role
Cate Blanchett in I’m Not There – Haven’t seen it. But she plays a dude, and that usually goes for a lot. Plus, the dude she plays is Bob Dylan. So, we have a chick playing a man in a biopic. She’s the favorite.
Amy Ryan in Gone Baby Gone – REALLY good character. People from Boston are crazy.
Ruby Dee in American Gangster – Plays the mom of the gangster. Throws some punches too.
Tilda Swinton in Michael Clayton – Pretty good character.
Saoirse Ronan in Atonement – Haven’t seen it. Can’t really say anything about it.
Actress in A Leading Role
Ellen Page in Juno – Cute character, but I have the feeling this is just her in real life. That doesn’t really make it acting .
Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth: The Golden Age – Haven’t seen it.
Julie Christie in Away From Her – Haven’t seen it.
Marion Cotillard in La Vie En Rose – Haven’t seen it.
Laura Linney in The Savages – Haven’t seen it.
Actor in a Supporting Role
Javier Bardem in No Country For Old Men – One of the creepiest characters I can remember. He should win, simply because I like his character the best. This category is so close that I think the only one who shouldn’t win is Hal Holbrook.
Tom Wilkinson in Michael Clayton – Should be on equal billing with George Clooney in Michael Clayton for the role he plays in the movie. A really good character.
Phillip Seymour Hoffman in Charlie Wilson’s War – Plays the ying to Tom Hank’s yang. Great character played well by a great actor.
Casey Afflek in The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford – He plays Robert Ford in the movie. And, he plays the character well. Not better than Wilkinson or Seymour Hoffman though.
Hal Holbrook in Into The Wild – Plays the old man in the movie. You know, the guy who teaches the you young boy about the world.
Actor in a Leading Role
Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood – I really, really like this character. Similar to his Bill The Butcher character in Gangs of New York. Well similar to the character in that they are both super creepy.
George Clooney in Michael Clayton – I feel like this character wasn’t that much of a stretch for Clooney. It’s very Clooney , just without the humor.
Viggo Mortensen in Eastern Promises – He plays a Russian. And he has a knife fight in a bath house while naked. There are just better characters.
Tommy Lee Jones in In The Valley of Elah – Makes the movie go. I know this was supposed to be his big anti-war statement. The very last scene of the movie is Jones raising a flag, and I remember thinking, “That wasn’t an antiwar movie. “ Then you see the flag and it’s upside down. Then I remember thinking, “That’s just dumb.”
Johnny Deep in Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street – I hate musicals. I bet it’s a dark character though.
Emile Hirsch in Into The Wild – Should be up for this award. In fact, either him or Day-Lewis should win this award. He almost made me cry. Almost.
Best Picture
No Country For Old Men – Sara hated this movie. I loved it. It’s really dark. Even the humor is dark.
There Will Be Blood – I wouldn’t be upset if this one instead of No Country, but I don’t think it should.
Juno –Probably didn’t live up to the hype that it received, but that’s probably more to the fact that there was too much hype. It was a pretty good movie though. Michael Cera is so awkward that I can’t help but love his characters.
Michael Clayton – A really good movie. I wouldn’t say a great one. I think I saw this and American Gangster on back to back nights and liked American Gangster more.
Atonement – Haven’t see it. But, someone told me they fell asleep during a war scene. That’s all I need to know. Eric told me it wasn’t bad, but I could tell he didn’t really mean that.
Cate Blanchett in I’m Not There – Haven’t seen it. But she plays a dude, and that usually goes for a lot. Plus, the dude she plays is Bob Dylan. So, we have a chick playing a man in a biopic. She’s the favorite.
Amy Ryan in Gone Baby Gone – REALLY good character. People from Boston are crazy.
Ruby Dee in American Gangster – Plays the mom of the gangster. Throws some punches too.
Tilda Swinton in Michael Clayton – Pretty good character.
Saoirse Ronan in Atonement – Haven’t seen it. Can’t really say anything about it.
Actress in A Leading Role
Ellen Page in Juno – Cute character, but I have the feeling this is just her in real life. That doesn’t really make it acting .
Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth: The Golden Age – Haven’t seen it.
Julie Christie in Away From Her – Haven’t seen it.
Marion Cotillard in La Vie En Rose – Haven’t seen it.
Laura Linney in The Savages – Haven’t seen it.
Actor in a Supporting Role
Javier Bardem in No Country For Old Men – One of the creepiest characters I can remember. He should win, simply because I like his character the best. This category is so close that I think the only one who shouldn’t win is Hal Holbrook.
Tom Wilkinson in Michael Clayton – Should be on equal billing with George Clooney in Michael Clayton for the role he plays in the movie. A really good character.
Phillip Seymour Hoffman in Charlie Wilson’s War – Plays the ying to Tom Hank’s yang. Great character played well by a great actor.
Casey Afflek in The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford – He plays Robert Ford in the movie. And, he plays the character well. Not better than Wilkinson or Seymour Hoffman though.
Hal Holbrook in Into The Wild – Plays the old man in the movie. You know, the guy who teaches the you young boy about the world.
Actor in a Leading Role
Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood – I really, really like this character. Similar to his Bill The Butcher character in Gangs of New York. Well similar to the character in that they are both super creepy.
George Clooney in Michael Clayton – I feel like this character wasn’t that much of a stretch for Clooney. It’s very Clooney , just without the humor.
Viggo Mortensen in Eastern Promises – He plays a Russian. And he has a knife fight in a bath house while naked. There are just better characters.
Tommy Lee Jones in In The Valley of Elah – Makes the movie go. I know this was supposed to be his big anti-war statement. The very last scene of the movie is Jones raising a flag, and I remember thinking, “That wasn’t an antiwar movie. “ Then you see the flag and it’s upside down. Then I remember thinking, “That’s just dumb.”
Johnny Deep in Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street – I hate musicals. I bet it’s a dark character though.
Emile Hirsch in Into The Wild – Should be up for this award. In fact, either him or Day-Lewis should win this award. He almost made me cry. Almost.
Best Picture
No Country For Old Men – Sara hated this movie. I loved it. It’s really dark. Even the humor is dark.
There Will Be Blood – I wouldn’t be upset if this one instead of No Country, but I don’t think it should.
Juno –Probably didn’t live up to the hype that it received, but that’s probably more to the fact that there was too much hype. It was a pretty good movie though. Michael Cera is so awkward that I can’t help but love his characters.
Michael Clayton – A really good movie. I wouldn’t say a great one. I think I saw this and American Gangster on back to back nights and liked American Gangster more.
Atonement – Haven’t see it. But, someone told me they fell asleep during a war scene. That’s all I need to know. Eric told me it wasn’t bad, but I could tell he didn’t really mean that.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Mother Teresa or Dell Computers - Who do you think helped India more?
My generation has a much easier time distinguishing India as an emerging economy than my parent’s generation. We don’t remember it for the disaster that it used to be. We don’t remember that what Africa is today, India used to be. And so, the question has to be asked. What helped India turn the corner? Was it foreign aid/charity or was it Dell Computers? Are Indians empowering themselves and growing their middle class by me giving them money or by Dell Computers giving them jobs. I think it’s the later, and I think it’s going to always be the later.
Does me handing money to someone that is hungry get them food? Yes. Does it get there children food? Yes, maybe. Does it give their children’s children food? Undoubtedly no. So, I’ve provided temporary relief but not cured the problem. What if someone close to you had a treatable form of cancer and the doctor told you that instead of treating the problem they were just going to provide relief? You would be livid. Poverty is a treatable (but not curable) problem. It’s being treated right now in India and China. But, instead what, if we instead gave that person a loan. And they used that money to start a business. And that business provided their children with money and food and education. And when I say business, I’m not saying that they build a telecommunications company. But maybe they do. Africa has had the highest growth rate for mobile phone users the past 10 years. Someone has to sell the the hardware. Someone has to provide the services. There are woman in India who sell sachets (think smaller than what you get in a hotel) of shampoo and soap they purchased using loans of $200 in rural areas. There are people in Brazil who sell the minutes on their sell phones. What if we helped people buy and cultivate land to grow coffee that rich Americans will pay outrageous prices for?
We (the US) have spent close to $2.5 trillion (and remember generally no more than 40% of money that is donated actually the reaches those that need it, the other 60% is sunk into administrative costs) on foreign aid the past 50 years, with little to show for it. Why? One, is because it makes us feel good. Giving money makes us feel like better humans and is the lowest cost denominator in appeasing our soul. Two, it helps the American economy. When the US pledges to send food to XYZ country, almost all that is sent on US produce. When the US pledges drugs to be sent to ABC country, those must be FDA-approved. That’s big business, especially for industries that are heavily subsidized and need buyers for products. Three, it’s a way for the US to spread their power across the globe.
I don’t think all of societal problems can be solved with capitalism. In fact, I don’t think that most of them can. Really, only poverty. That’s not to say that I think we can make it where no one is poor. Socialism does not work. If you took a group of the ten richest people and put them on another planet. The 10th richest person would not be considered the 10th richest. That person would be considered the poorest.
Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and feed him for a lifetime.
Song Recommendation – Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife by The Drive-By Truckers
(Who I’m going to see next weekend at Headliners. Get your tickets fast because their sure to sell out. DMassey might have an extra one, let me know if you're interested.)
Thinking about all this made me think about one of my experiences in England. The experience has no no bearing on the previous situations, because the circumstances are completely different. This is about a bum. When I studied in England they put us up in this flat in a super nice part of town (when you have the word Royal in the name of the borough, you know you got it made). This guy used to sit in front of the store on the corner (across from the Lamborghini dealership) and ask for change every time you walked in and out. Would give you a dirty look if you didn’t give him money. Everyday. Sitting there. Asking for money. So, the last day we are there (not kidding, the very last day), I see this guy count his money, run down the street (first time I’ve seen him move), buy a beer, chug the beer, and sit back down in his spot to start begging for another beer. So, I went back to America angry that I thought I was helping this guy out all summer, when in actuality he was getting drunk off of my money.
If you wanna read more about this topics from this post you can check out:
The Fortune At The Bottom Of The Pyramid by C.K. Prahalad
Bill Gates Calls For Kinder Capitalism
The White Man's Burden by William Easterly
Does me handing money to someone that is hungry get them food? Yes. Does it get there children food? Yes, maybe. Does it give their children’s children food? Undoubtedly no. So, I’ve provided temporary relief but not cured the problem. What if someone close to you had a treatable form of cancer and the doctor told you that instead of treating the problem they were just going to provide relief? You would be livid. Poverty is a treatable (but not curable) problem. It’s being treated right now in India and China. But, instead what, if we instead gave that person a loan. And they used that money to start a business. And that business provided their children with money and food and education. And when I say business, I’m not saying that they build a telecommunications company. But maybe they do. Africa has had the highest growth rate for mobile phone users the past 10 years. Someone has to sell the the hardware. Someone has to provide the services. There are woman in India who sell sachets (think smaller than what you get in a hotel) of shampoo and soap they purchased using loans of $200 in rural areas. There are people in Brazil who sell the minutes on their sell phones. What if we helped people buy and cultivate land to grow coffee that rich Americans will pay outrageous prices for?
We (the US) have spent close to $2.5 trillion (and remember generally no more than 40% of money that is donated actually the reaches those that need it, the other 60% is sunk into administrative costs) on foreign aid the past 50 years, with little to show for it. Why? One, is because it makes us feel good. Giving money makes us feel like better humans and is the lowest cost denominator in appeasing our soul. Two, it helps the American economy. When the US pledges to send food to XYZ country, almost all that is sent on US produce. When the US pledges drugs to be sent to ABC country, those must be FDA-approved. That’s big business, especially for industries that are heavily subsidized and need buyers for products. Three, it’s a way for the US to spread their power across the globe.
I don’t think all of societal problems can be solved with capitalism. In fact, I don’t think that most of them can. Really, only poverty. That’s not to say that I think we can make it where no one is poor. Socialism does not work. If you took a group of the ten richest people and put them on another planet. The 10th richest person would not be considered the 10th richest. That person would be considered the poorest.
Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and feed him for a lifetime.
Song Recommendation – Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife by The Drive-By Truckers
(Who I’m going to see next weekend at Headliners. Get your tickets fast because their sure to sell out. DMassey might have an extra one, let me know if you're interested.)
Thinking about all this made me think about one of my experiences in England. The experience has no no bearing on the previous situations, because the circumstances are completely different. This is about a bum. When I studied in England they put us up in this flat in a super nice part of town (when you have the word Royal in the name of the borough, you know you got it made). This guy used to sit in front of the store on the corner (across from the Lamborghini dealership) and ask for change every time you walked in and out. Would give you a dirty look if you didn’t give him money. Everyday. Sitting there. Asking for money. So, the last day we are there (not kidding, the very last day), I see this guy count his money, run down the street (first time I’ve seen him move), buy a beer, chug the beer, and sit back down in his spot to start begging for another beer. So, I went back to America angry that I thought I was helping this guy out all summer, when in actuality he was getting drunk off of my money.
If you wanna read more about this topics from this post you can check out:
The Fortune At The Bottom Of The Pyramid by C.K. Prahalad
Bill Gates Calls For Kinder Capitalism
The White Man's Burden by William Easterly
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Another Day, Another Birthday
Tuesday was my birthday. The 24th of my life. Big props go out to Mama Haywood for coming through and getting through the birth process back in 1984. I couldn't have done it without you. I certainly didn't do anything exciting. Went to class, went to meetings, watch Purdue let IU win, just the normal here and there of life. The family and I and Sara celebrated on Sunday with lunch at PF Chang's and Ice Cream Cake and Daytona 500. What can I say, we like to party.
One of the present's Sara got me was a subscription to Netflix (which is amazing on her part because I asked for it for Christmas but didn't get it, she didn't even know I wanted it). Now, I've been skeptical about Netflix and its utility for a while. I watch a lot of movies and TV shows because I don't get any television stations, and I kept debating on whether I wanted it or not. The thing that changed my mind about renting movies was when I went to rent a movie and they charged me like 4 bucks. 4 bucks for 2 hours of fun. No thank you. I can drive across the street and get one from the RedBox at McDonalds for $1. That is, if they aren't all gone. Well, after having it for 3 days I love it. For one, there are a good number of movies that you can just watch streaming over the internet. You don't even have to wait the 1 day it takes to receive them in the mail. SWEET. Second, they have this feature where you rate movies that you've seen and they make recommendations based on that. The more ratings you make, the more accurate the recommendations become. I'll rate a bunch of movies, and then it will make a recommendation and it'll be a movie I really like. Good stuff.
One of the shows I've been watching over the internet is a Showtime show called Dexter. Dexter is the story of a serial killer who works for the police department down in Miami. The show has the best of both worlds. It's a crime drama (Dexter is infatuated with blood, and as such is a forensic expert) in the mode of CSI with clues and crimes and bad people and good people. But it's also creepy (in the mode of a nightmare) because the main character kills at least one criminal in every show. How can you not love that?
Speaking of nightmares. Sara told me that she recently had a dream about being pregnant (don't worry, it wasn't mine.....or maybe that means I should be worried). Except it wasn't a dream. It was a nightmare. Why was it a nightmare? Because she wasn't taking baby vitamins. She called it her "scariest dream ever." I told her that my scariest dream ever happens every day when I wake up and realize that she and I are still dating. She wasn't too happy about that. I thought it was funny.
My cast got some snow water in it walking from my house to the car, and so I had to use a blow dryer to dry it out. Good news. It's dry. Bad news. Based on the smell, my leg is rotting inside the cast. I also developed a new sleeping move. Instead of the dead frog, I've been going with the upside down waterslide. It's very similar to normal sleeping on your belly, but you cross your feet at the ankles.
Song Recommendation - Pearls On A String by Ryan Adams & The Cardinals
One of the present's Sara got me was a subscription to Netflix (which is amazing on her part because I asked for it for Christmas but didn't get it, she didn't even know I wanted it). Now, I've been skeptical about Netflix and its utility for a while. I watch a lot of movies and TV shows because I don't get any television stations, and I kept debating on whether I wanted it or not. The thing that changed my mind about renting movies was when I went to rent a movie and they charged me like 4 bucks. 4 bucks for 2 hours of fun. No thank you. I can drive across the street and get one from the RedBox at McDonalds for $1. That is, if they aren't all gone. Well, after having it for 3 days I love it. For one, there are a good number of movies that you can just watch streaming over the internet. You don't even have to wait the 1 day it takes to receive them in the mail. SWEET. Second, they have this feature where you rate movies that you've seen and they make recommendations based on that. The more ratings you make, the more accurate the recommendations become. I'll rate a bunch of movies, and then it will make a recommendation and it'll be a movie I really like. Good stuff.
One of the shows I've been watching over the internet is a Showtime show called Dexter. Dexter is the story of a serial killer who works for the police department down in Miami. The show has the best of both worlds. It's a crime drama (Dexter is infatuated with blood, and as such is a forensic expert) in the mode of CSI with clues and crimes and bad people and good people. But it's also creepy (in the mode of a nightmare) because the main character kills at least one criminal in every show. How can you not love that?
Speaking of nightmares. Sara told me that she recently had a dream about being pregnant (don't worry, it wasn't mine.....or maybe that means I should be worried). Except it wasn't a dream. It was a nightmare. Why was it a nightmare? Because she wasn't taking baby vitamins. She called it her "scariest dream ever." I told her that my scariest dream ever happens every day when I wake up and realize that she and I are still dating. She wasn't too happy about that. I thought it was funny.
My cast got some snow water in it walking from my house to the car, and so I had to use a blow dryer to dry it out. Good news. It's dry. Bad news. Based on the smell, my leg is rotting inside the cast. I also developed a new sleeping move. Instead of the dead frog, I've been going with the upside down waterslide. It's very similar to normal sleeping on your belly, but you cross your feet at the ankles.
Song Recommendation - Pearls On A String by Ryan Adams & The Cardinals
Thursday, February 14, 2008
EXCITING NEWS!!!!
Well, I have some exciting news. Since, I was working in Louisville this weekend and wasn't going be able to see Sara on Valentine's Day I stopped by Btown on Wednesday to celebrate the worst holiday this side of President's Day. Well, Sara cooked this fabulous meal (I'm talking pretty close to GourMan...4 courses) and afterward I knew I couldn't wait any longer. With Sara sitting on the couch and the lights dimmed, I got down on one knee, reached into my bag, pulled out the...DVD and put it into the player. Seriously, you seriously believed that? Come on. Whenever and I do decide to propose it definitely will not be on a holiday. Especially a holiday as cheesy at Valentine's Day. It will be something good like Christmas or the lucky girl/boy's birthday. That way I'm only buy ONE present instead of two. See how I do that. You can say whatever you want about ol' Nick Haywood, but you can't deny that he's a thinker.
But yea, we watched The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford. If you didn't know, movies about murderers and robbers make GREAT Valentine's Day movies. Casey Afflek (yes, Ben's brother) was pretty impressive in his role as Robert Ford. Probably deserving of his Best Supporting Actor nomination. In my opinion, that category is the hardest to pick a winner from. All five of those guys had great roles. But we'll talk about that at a later date. I still have a couple more movies to watch before I can give my predictions.
Take a minute to imagine a dead frog. The frog's lying flat on it's bell with it's legs out behind it, kind of bent out wide.....Ok, got it. Now, take a minute to think about how you sleep.............Ok, got it. I sleep on my stomach. And since I don't like to suffocate with my face down in the pillow I turn my head to the side. The issue is that to turn your head to side you have to also turn your hip. Nick, that's not an issue! You're right. Normally it wouldn't be an issue. Except that when you turn your hip you also turn your ankle, and the way you want to turn your ankle is the way that is restricted when your wearing a cast. That leaves to way to sleep. With your foot dangling off the bed, or like a dead frog. I choose dead frog. My boss also suggested I tell me that I hurt my ankle because a party I was at got busted, I ran from the cops, jumped over a fence, my belt got caught (?????), I was hanging from the fence (Is this possible??), and eventually fell off and broke my foot. Basically, my boss wants me to be irresponsible. Everyone knows that if I was at a party that got busted, I'm shooting the cop and calmly walking away.
Boy, do I have a song recommendation for today. It's not my normal genre (you know, sad, depressing, semi-country stuff) but I have to give Kayne West credit for his performance at Grammy's. I did not know this, but he sampled a Daft Punk song with his hit Stronger. So, he invited Daft Punk (and their pyramid) to perform with him. Daft Punk is huge in Europe and was a headliner at Bonnaroo last year, yet are adverse to being in the spotlight (Search for a picture of them on internet without their helmets). They're hard to find. The Grammy's were their television debut. 15 years of hot beats and they've never been on TV. Plus, I want me some of those sunglasses. If you don't wanna watch the Kayne part just go to the 2:40 mark.
Song Recommendation - Stronger by Kayne West
Based on that video, I bet those who made the mistake (I guess that's a point of view word) before Daft Punk's set at Bonnaroo were freaking out the entire time.
But yea, we watched The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford. If you didn't know, movies about murderers and robbers make GREAT Valentine's Day movies. Casey Afflek (yes, Ben's brother) was pretty impressive in his role as Robert Ford. Probably deserving of his Best Supporting Actor nomination. In my opinion, that category is the hardest to pick a winner from. All five of those guys had great roles. But we'll talk about that at a later date. I still have a couple more movies to watch before I can give my predictions.
Take a minute to imagine a dead frog. The frog's lying flat on it's bell with it's legs out behind it, kind of bent out wide.....Ok, got it. Now, take a minute to think about how you sleep.............Ok, got it. I sleep on my stomach. And since I don't like to suffocate with my face down in the pillow I turn my head to the side. The issue is that to turn your head to side you have to also turn your hip. Nick, that's not an issue! You're right. Normally it wouldn't be an issue. Except that when you turn your hip you also turn your ankle, and the way you want to turn your ankle is the way that is restricted when your wearing a cast. That leaves to way to sleep. With your foot dangling off the bed, or like a dead frog. I choose dead frog. My boss also suggested I tell me that I hurt my ankle because a party I was at got busted, I ran from the cops, jumped over a fence, my belt got caught (?????), I was hanging from the fence (Is this possible??), and eventually fell off and broke my foot. Basically, my boss wants me to be irresponsible. Everyone knows that if I was at a party that got busted, I'm shooting the cop and calmly walking away.
Boy, do I have a song recommendation for today. It's not my normal genre (you know, sad, depressing, semi-country stuff) but I have to give Kayne West credit for his performance at Grammy's. I did not know this, but he sampled a Daft Punk song with his hit Stronger. So, he invited Daft Punk (and their pyramid) to perform with him. Daft Punk is huge in Europe and was a headliner at Bonnaroo last year, yet are adverse to being in the spotlight (Search for a picture of them on internet without their helmets). They're hard to find. The Grammy's were their television debut. 15 years of hot beats and they've never been on TV. Plus, I want me some of those sunglasses. If you don't wanna watch the Kayne part just go to the 2:40 mark.
Song Recommendation - Stronger by Kayne West
Based on that video, I bet those who made the mistake (I guess that's a point of view word) before Daft Punk's set at Bonnaroo were freaking out the entire time.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
South America
As per Adam’s request I procured an updated itinerary for the South America trip that is quickly approaching.
The trip starts with a red-eye flight (why don’t people just carry some Visine or something, then it could be called an all-night flight) from DFW into Santiago, Chile (SCL for those playing flight simulator) that arrives at 10 AM on March 5th. That afternoon there is a trip to the Concha Y Toro Winery and the itinerary says,
Depart Santiago towards the Maipo valley, one of Chile’s most important wine producing areas. Founded in 1883, Concha y Toro is today the largest wine exporter in the country. The tour includes a full visit to the extensive landscaped gardens, the plantations (some of which were planted by the founder of the vineyard, Don Melchor de Concha y Toro), the modern plant and the old cellars. There is a tasting of different wines during the tour.
To say I don’t like wine is an overstatement, I hate the stuff. But when in Chile, do as the Chilean do. That is, take touristy wine tours. No, I’m sure it’ll be pretty neat. I like the process of making things, often times more than the actual product. And, the wine tasting can’t be worse than drinking whiskey at the Dewar’s Distillery in Scotland. That stuff was firewater, and the Master Distiller recommended we hold it in our mouths for the full flavor. Yikes. That evening, as well as the next two days we are on our own to tour Santiago. Well…kinda….see…the point of the trip is for the IU students to make company visits and learn “how to do business” in South America. Everyone is obviously just using that as an excuse to tour Chile and Argentina. So, half of one of those two free days is going to be touring Chilean companies.
On Saturday the 8th, we catch a flight down to Puerto Montt. Puerto Montt is located in the Patagonia Region (that’s what the company is named after) of Chile (most of Patagonia is located in Argentina, but Patagonia National Park the company is founding will be located in Chile), and because of that I’m expecting it to be downright beautiful. That afternoon we are going whitewater rafting in a glacial river. Hopefully wetsuits are provided.
Set off on a class III-IV rafting trip down the clear, azure waters of the Petrohue River. The mighty Petrohue is one of Chile’s most beautiful and exciting glacial rivers in the Lakes District.
That evening is free to check out the city and the next day involves a lake crossing to the Argentinean city of Bariloche (I’m still not sure how this is possible considering there is a mountain range between Bariloche and Puerto Montt, but I’m going to assume our tour guide knows this). We spend a day and a half in Bariloche; with one afternoon spent horseback riding. Again, sounds cool.
The Fortín Chacabuco Estacia ranch is 25 km from the centre of Bariloche and offers everything we need – excellent horses and native bilingual guides who’ll lead us into places beyond our imagination, with panoramic views of Bariloche and the Andes beyond. We’ll hope to see plenty of deer, Patagonian hares, perhaps some red foxes and all the bountiful flora of the area. We’ll ride for two hours in the morning and at lunch share a typical Argentine barbecue, an authentic asado criollo. In the afternoon, we’ll take a ride through swamps, canyons and valleys. Before heading back into Bariloche, we’ll have a break for yerba mate tea and homemade pastries.
On Tuesday the 11th we fly from Bariloche to Buenos Aires. The pattern for travel days usually includes travel in the morning and a group activity in the afternoon. This day will be no different as we get take a guided city tour in the afternoon (the explanation of the tour isn’t well written, but I think you’ll get the main idea).
In order to introduce this magnificent metropolitan city, we will be visiting the main points of interest of Buenos Aires such us the historical complex of Plaza de Mayo (May Square) where you can see Government House, the Casa Rosada (Pink House), which is the site of the Argentinean National Government. Next is the Cathedral, where there is a mausoleum dedicated to General San Martin, the greatest national hero in Argentina. The historical Cabildo is a beautiful building dating from the 18th Century, and the site of the first Government introduced to the country. The imposing building of Congress, the colonial church such as Santo Domingo.
La Boca District with its famous and pintoresque Caminito Street. The next point of interest to be visited is an area called La Recoleta , where the French cultural influence can be seen in the design of the many buildings, apartment houses, palaces, shops, streets, cafes and restaurants, all of which offer a very lively and colourful background to the Quarter. A short walk into La Recoleta Cemetery offers a surprising discovery of sculptural and architectural treasures. On either side of the narrow walkways there are monuments and mausoleums which look just like the houses in town. It’s a miniature village dedicated to the departed.
That evening there is a group dinner and tango show. The next three days are free for us to take company visits (one afternoon) and explorer the city (the rest of the time). The last day of the trip there is a Delta River cruise, which is described as:
A pleasant journey along the River Plate's coast and through beautiful residential areas in Buenos Aires: private neighborhoods, sailing clubs, marinas and slips. The enchantment of the renewed old English train stations allows visitors to enjoy one of the most modern trains in the country and a great variety of entertainments. At Tigre Port we’ll visit the open market and its handcraft shops. On board of a Catamaran we’ll navigate through a labyrinth of islands and small barren islands intercrossed by rivers and streams.
Depart towards north district . This tour comprises a tour through the elegant northern riverside suburbs of Vicente Lopez, Olivos, where the Argentinean President's residence is located. You’ll also visit San Isidro, with its gothic Cathedral, and San Fernando before proceeding to Tigre, where you’ll embark a private boat and will set sail . You will see why the labyrinth of rivers and channels of the Tigre Delta have been a favorite weekend getaway for porteños. We’ll explore the maze of channels and streams, islands, riverside villas, Victorian docks, English gardens and traditional rowing clubs along the Parana River Delta. The nearby Lujan, Sarmiento, Tigre and San Antonio rivers are all part of the excursion.
We’ll arrive to Gato Blanco Restaurant, after about 45 minutes of navigation, located in one of the Delta’s Island where lunch will be served. After some free time to relax, we’ll navigate the catamaran back to Tigre Port.
That evening we catch our flights back to the US. Things on the trip that I am particularly excited about is the horseback riding in Patagonia and the lake trip from Puerto Montt to Bariloche. I need to pick up guide books for both Santiago and Buenos Aires. Actually having a detailed itinerary in front of me is getting me pretty excited for the trip. I think I’m going to go start packing right now.
Song Recommendation - Daddy's Farm by Shooter Jennings
The trip starts with a red-eye flight (why don’t people just carry some Visine or something, then it could be called an all-night flight) from DFW into Santiago, Chile (SCL for those playing flight simulator) that arrives at 10 AM on March 5th. That afternoon there is a trip to the Concha Y Toro Winery and the itinerary says,
Depart Santiago towards the Maipo valley, one of Chile’s most important wine producing areas. Founded in 1883, Concha y Toro is today the largest wine exporter in the country. The tour includes a full visit to the extensive landscaped gardens, the plantations (some of which were planted by the founder of the vineyard, Don Melchor de Concha y Toro), the modern plant and the old cellars. There is a tasting of different wines during the tour.
To say I don’t like wine is an overstatement, I hate the stuff. But when in Chile, do as the Chilean do. That is, take touristy wine tours. No, I’m sure it’ll be pretty neat. I like the process of making things, often times more than the actual product. And, the wine tasting can’t be worse than drinking whiskey at the Dewar’s Distillery in Scotland. That stuff was firewater, and the Master Distiller recommended we hold it in our mouths for the full flavor. Yikes. That evening, as well as the next two days we are on our own to tour Santiago. Well…kinda….see…the point of the trip is for the IU students to make company visits and learn “how to do business” in South America. Everyone is obviously just using that as an excuse to tour Chile and Argentina. So, half of one of those two free days is going to be touring Chilean companies.
On Saturday the 8th, we catch a flight down to Puerto Montt. Puerto Montt is located in the Patagonia Region (that’s what the company is named after) of Chile (most of Patagonia is located in Argentina, but Patagonia National Park the company is founding will be located in Chile), and because of that I’m expecting it to be downright beautiful. That afternoon we are going whitewater rafting in a glacial river. Hopefully wetsuits are provided.
Set off on a class III-IV rafting trip down the clear, azure waters of the Petrohue River. The mighty Petrohue is one of Chile’s most beautiful and exciting glacial rivers in the Lakes District.
That evening is free to check out the city and the next day involves a lake crossing to the Argentinean city of Bariloche (I’m still not sure how this is possible considering there is a mountain range between Bariloche and Puerto Montt, but I’m going to assume our tour guide knows this). We spend a day and a half in Bariloche; with one afternoon spent horseback riding. Again, sounds cool.
The Fortín Chacabuco Estacia ranch is 25 km from the centre of Bariloche and offers everything we need – excellent horses and native bilingual guides who’ll lead us into places beyond our imagination, with panoramic views of Bariloche and the Andes beyond. We’ll hope to see plenty of deer, Patagonian hares, perhaps some red foxes and all the bountiful flora of the area. We’ll ride for two hours in the morning and at lunch share a typical Argentine barbecue, an authentic asado criollo. In the afternoon, we’ll take a ride through swamps, canyons and valleys. Before heading back into Bariloche, we’ll have a break for yerba mate tea and homemade pastries.
On Tuesday the 11th we fly from Bariloche to Buenos Aires. The pattern for travel days usually includes travel in the morning and a group activity in the afternoon. This day will be no different as we get take a guided city tour in the afternoon (the explanation of the tour isn’t well written, but I think you’ll get the main idea).
In order to introduce this magnificent metropolitan city, we will be visiting the main points of interest of Buenos Aires such us the historical complex of Plaza de Mayo (May Square) where you can see Government House, the Casa Rosada (Pink House), which is the site of the Argentinean National Government. Next is the Cathedral, where there is a mausoleum dedicated to General San Martin, the greatest national hero in Argentina. The historical Cabildo is a beautiful building dating from the 18th Century, and the site of the first Government introduced to the country. The imposing building of Congress, the colonial church such as Santo Domingo.
La Boca District with its famous and pintoresque Caminito Street. The next point of interest to be visited is an area called La Recoleta , where the French cultural influence can be seen in the design of the many buildings, apartment houses, palaces, shops, streets, cafes and restaurants, all of which offer a very lively and colourful background to the Quarter. A short walk into La Recoleta Cemetery offers a surprising discovery of sculptural and architectural treasures. On either side of the narrow walkways there are monuments and mausoleums which look just like the houses in town. It’s a miniature village dedicated to the departed.
That evening there is a group dinner and tango show. The next three days are free for us to take company visits (one afternoon) and explorer the city (the rest of the time). The last day of the trip there is a Delta River cruise, which is described as:
A pleasant journey along the River Plate's coast and through beautiful residential areas in Buenos Aires: private neighborhoods, sailing clubs, marinas and slips. The enchantment of the renewed old English train stations allows visitors to enjoy one of the most modern trains in the country and a great variety of entertainments. At Tigre Port we’ll visit the open market and its handcraft shops. On board of a Catamaran we’ll navigate through a labyrinth of islands and small barren islands intercrossed by rivers and streams.
Depart towards north district . This tour comprises a tour through the elegant northern riverside suburbs of Vicente Lopez, Olivos, where the Argentinean President's residence is located. You’ll also visit San Isidro, with its gothic Cathedral, and San Fernando before proceeding to Tigre, where you’ll embark a private boat and will set sail . You will see why the labyrinth of rivers and channels of the Tigre Delta have been a favorite weekend getaway for porteños. We’ll explore the maze of channels and streams, islands, riverside villas, Victorian docks, English gardens and traditional rowing clubs along the Parana River Delta. The nearby Lujan, Sarmiento, Tigre and San Antonio rivers are all part of the excursion.
We’ll arrive to Gato Blanco Restaurant, after about 45 minutes of navigation, located in one of the Delta’s Island where lunch will be served. After some free time to relax, we’ll navigate the catamaran back to Tigre Port.
That evening we catch our flights back to the US. Things on the trip that I am particularly excited about is the horseback riding in Patagonia and the lake trip from Puerto Montt to Bariloche. I need to pick up guide books for both Santiago and Buenos Aires. Actually having a detailed itinerary in front of me is getting me pretty excited for the trip. I think I’m going to go start packing right now.
Song Recommendation - Daddy's Farm by Shooter Jennings
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Bonnaroo Line-Up Announced (Sigh of Relief)
So, the initial Bonnaroo line-up has finally been anounced and I can travel in peace this summer. Why? Because no Led Zeppelin in Manchester. Highlights of the line-up DO include:
My Morning Jacket
Pearl Jam
Metallica
Jack Johnson
Kayne West
Plant & Krauss
The Allman Brothers Band
Death Cab For Cutie
Iron & Wine
Robert Randolph's Revival
The Avett Brothers
The Bluegrass Allstars
The Swell Season (the characters from Once)
My prediction is that MMJ is going to rock it hard on the 2nd stage for a late night show. I don't like Death Cab at outdoor festivals, so not sad about that. Strangely enough I would like to see Metallica. Iron & Wine and The Avett Brothers are favorites. Kayne, PJ, and ABB are take it or leave for me (meaning it would be fun, but I'm not going to be sad about it). The Bluegrass Allstars line-up looks pretty strong (Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Bela Fleck, etc.) and I'm sure Krauss will sit in if they are preforming the same day as her and Plant. Overall, I'm sure it will be fun for those who go, but I'm not going to be missing much by skipping it.
Song Recommendation - Nothing by I'm In Class
Don't try to Google that song. It doesn't actually exist.
My Morning Jacket
Pearl Jam
Metallica
Jack Johnson
Kayne West
Plant & Krauss
The Allman Brothers Band
Death Cab For Cutie
Iron & Wine
Robert Randolph's Revival
The Avett Brothers
The Bluegrass Allstars
The Swell Season (the characters from Once)
My prediction is that MMJ is going to rock it hard on the 2nd stage for a late night show. I don't like Death Cab at outdoor festivals, so not sad about that. Strangely enough I would like to see Metallica. Iron & Wine and The Avett Brothers are favorites. Kayne, PJ, and ABB are take it or leave for me (meaning it would be fun, but I'm not going to be sad about it). The Bluegrass Allstars line-up looks pretty strong (Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Bela Fleck, etc.) and I'm sure Krauss will sit in if they are preforming the same day as her and Plant. Overall, I'm sure it will be fun for those who go, but I'm not going to be missing much by skipping it.
Song Recommendation - Nothing by I'm In Class
Don't try to Google that song. It doesn't actually exist.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
All Over The Place
So, I just finished the season of CSI I had been watching (the Miniature Killer was a woman!!!) and I noticed that they listen to Sinatra a lot on that show. The thing is, I've recently been to Las Vegas and didn't hear Sinatra once. I'm beginning to think the producers of CSI are full of it. All these lies. I bet no one even dies in Vegas.
The Barbaro leg is going fine. No laminitis or anything like that to cause me to be euthanized or anything like that. One issue I’m having is that I no easy way to get to and from class. It’s a pretty far hobble from school to home. I could drive my car to the parking garage. The problem with that is that I can only hide my car on the 7th floor of the parking garage and the elevator is broken. It takes forever to walk up and down a flight of stairs when you have to go one at a time (the problem with the cast is that I can’t bend my leg so that I have a normal gait….I kinda walk like Woody from the Toy Story with my led swinging out sideways….on narrow stairs I can’t swing my leg up so I have to go right foot up, left foot up on same stair, right foot up on next stair, forever). The only other issue is the shower issue. Leg hair is designed really well for draining water off the body. Because of this it also drains water into casts under rubber bands holding plastic bags. Learned from that first shower. So, now I have two trash bags on my leg with a wash cloth around the top of the cast. Let’s just say that I don’t take showers until when needed.
I went and saw There Will Be Blood last night, and there is no doubt in my mind that Daniel Day-Lewis will win the award for Best Actor. The only other nominee I’ve seen is that category is George Clooney as Michael Clayton but there is no doubt. No doubt. His character is out of control. Almost as creepy as Javiar Bardem (Best Supporting Actor) in No Country For Old Men, and he isn’t even an assassin….he’s an oil man.
I also recently saw Cloverfield. It’s a mix between Godzilla and The Blair Witch Project. In other words, it is first person view of running from Godzilla. Sara and I both thought it was a cool perspective. Apparently, they’re making a sequel. I don’t know how that is going to work.
One thing that has been getting on my nerves lately is when you see an alcohol-related article and they mention that the legal limit to drive a car is .08. Cool. Thanks for the info, but I don’t see how a person who is found dead in an alley from alcohol poisoning has anything to do with the legal limit for driving. Obviously, they were above the legal limit for living. Obviously they weren’t driving. They were walking in an alley. I know that it is done to provide perspective. It might better to say that the dead body had a BAC of .37 and that can result in loss of blatter function, difficulty breathing, and heart failure. That’s better than saying the dead body found a BAC of .37 is more than 4.5 times the legal limit to drive.
Did you know they have Who Wants To Be a Millionaire in Ireland? I wanna be on that version. They pay in Euros. Gotta love that exchange rate. Oh, speaking of exchange rate quit complaining. It’s all cyclical. This is America. These colors don’t run. The exchange rates today are equal to what they were before the tech bubble. It happens. Let’s just hope were the leaders in the biotech bubble. Oh, and quit talking about recessions. That’s a self-fulfilling prophesy. The more you talk about it, the more likely it is to happen. If everyone talk about a recession, businesses are less likely to hire workers or make investments in plant/equipment because they expect future demand to be low. Then when people here on the news that unemployment is high, they have further proof that a recession is coming. If everyone would just stop, it would all pass. The news would think of some other “tragic” topic to talk about.
All you Indy people need to go to the Tom Petty concert when he comes to Verizon on July 3rd. He put on a pretty good show at Bonnaroo a couple of years ago.
Song Recommendation - Saving Grace by Tom Petty
The Barbaro leg is going fine. No laminitis or anything like that to cause me to be euthanized or anything like that. One issue I’m having is that I no easy way to get to and from class. It’s a pretty far hobble from school to home. I could drive my car to the parking garage. The problem with that is that I can only hide my car on the 7th floor of the parking garage and the elevator is broken. It takes forever to walk up and down a flight of stairs when you have to go one at a time (the problem with the cast is that I can’t bend my leg so that I have a normal gait….I kinda walk like Woody from the Toy Story with my led swinging out sideways….on narrow stairs I can’t swing my leg up so I have to go right foot up, left foot up on same stair, right foot up on next stair, forever). The only other issue is the shower issue. Leg hair is designed really well for draining water off the body. Because of this it also drains water into casts under rubber bands holding plastic bags. Learned from that first shower. So, now I have two trash bags on my leg with a wash cloth around the top of the cast. Let’s just say that I don’t take showers until when needed.
I went and saw There Will Be Blood last night, and there is no doubt in my mind that Daniel Day-Lewis will win the award for Best Actor. The only other nominee I’ve seen is that category is George Clooney as Michael Clayton but there is no doubt. No doubt. His character is out of control. Almost as creepy as Javiar Bardem (Best Supporting Actor) in No Country For Old Men, and he isn’t even an assassin….he’s an oil man.
I also recently saw Cloverfield. It’s a mix between Godzilla and The Blair Witch Project. In other words, it is first person view of running from Godzilla. Sara and I both thought it was a cool perspective. Apparently, they’re making a sequel. I don’t know how that is going to work.
One thing that has been getting on my nerves lately is when you see an alcohol-related article and they mention that the legal limit to drive a car is .08. Cool. Thanks for the info, but I don’t see how a person who is found dead in an alley from alcohol poisoning has anything to do with the legal limit for driving. Obviously, they were above the legal limit for living. Obviously they weren’t driving. They were walking in an alley. I know that it is done to provide perspective. It might better to say that the dead body had a BAC of .37 and that can result in loss of blatter function, difficulty breathing, and heart failure. That’s better than saying the dead body found a BAC of .37 is more than 4.5 times the legal limit to drive.
Did you know they have Who Wants To Be a Millionaire in Ireland? I wanna be on that version. They pay in Euros. Gotta love that exchange rate. Oh, speaking of exchange rate quit complaining. It’s all cyclical. This is America. These colors don’t run. The exchange rates today are equal to what they were before the tech bubble. It happens. Let’s just hope were the leaders in the biotech bubble. Oh, and quit talking about recessions. That’s a self-fulfilling prophesy. The more you talk about it, the more likely it is to happen. If everyone talk about a recession, businesses are less likely to hire workers or make investments in plant/equipment because they expect future demand to be low. Then when people here on the news that unemployment is high, they have further proof that a recession is coming. If everyone would just stop, it would all pass. The news would think of some other “tragic” topic to talk about.
All you Indy people need to go to the Tom Petty concert when he comes to Verizon on July 3rd. He put on a pretty good show at Bonnaroo a couple of years ago.
Song Recommendation - Saving Grace by Tom Petty
Friday, February 01, 2008
I Feel Like Barbaro
Hour 28 of this cast on my left leg. It has been a tough 28 hours. Even though my leg is in the same condition it was in 1 minute prior to getting my cast on, once I got it on I felt like it was broken. I feel like I have to be super protective of it. Even though, it is fine. This is just procautionary. Sleeping with it sucks. Going up and down the stairs with it sucks. Explaining the story really sucks (mainly because it isn't that exciting). But, like Micheal Scott when he George Foreman-ed (I used that as a verb) his leg I will be a beacon of hope for the disabled. Since I've gotten this cast, I've did my own laundry. I've driven myself to Bloomington. I WILL go to the MBA Gala and cut a rug on the dancefloor. I will show people with disableness that they too can go to dances with super expensive tickets (where none of the money goes to charity, like the Purdue Gala) and perform on the dance floor. I will be there hope.
I was talking to the doctor (who works Tuesday through Friday in the afternoon) about Las Vegas, and I made the comment that I previously went to Vegas when I was 12, and that I didn't fully understand just what they were selling. Consequently, we began to talk about the seven deadly sins. He told me he was always able to remember the seven sins because of Gilligan's Island, and that all the characters protrayed one of the sins. I told him I remembered them a much darker way (the movie Seven, which is super creepy), but for your enjoyment:
Gilligan - Gluttony
The Skipper - Anger
Thurston Howell - Greed
Mrs. Howell - Sloth
Ginger - Lust
The Professor - Pride
Mary Ann - Envy (wanted to be Ginger)
Watch the show again, you'll see.
Sorry Sara, the rest of this one isn't as light and airy as you would probably like. Congrats on the internship with Eli Lilly in Switzerland though. That goes in the category of super sweet.
I was talking to the doctor (who works Tuesday through Friday in the afternoon) about Las Vegas, and I made the comment that I previously went to Vegas when I was 12, and that I didn't fully understand just what they were selling. Consequently, we began to talk about the seven deadly sins. He told me he was always able to remember the seven sins because of Gilligan's Island, and that all the characters protrayed one of the sins. I told him I remembered them a much darker way (the movie Seven, which is super creepy), but for your enjoyment:
Gilligan - Gluttony
The Skipper - Anger
Thurston Howell - Greed
Mrs. Howell - Sloth
Ginger - Lust
The Professor - Pride
Mary Ann - Envy (wanted to be Ginger)
Watch the show again, you'll see.
Sorry Sara, the rest of this one isn't as light and airy as you would probably like. Congrats on the internship with Eli Lilly in Switzerland though. That goes in the category of super sweet.
Song Recommendation - Shake What Yo Mama Gave You by North Mississippi Allstars
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
The GI Bill
Around the time I was driving home for Thanksgiving there was a super-interesting segment on Talk of The Nation regarding the failings of the current (Montgomery) G.I. Bill. The segment was based on a book by Edward Humes entitled Over Here, and the premise is that thing that makes America great today was the resources available to veterans when they returned from WWII. Obviously, if I’m just now talking about this it is because the piece stuck with me. The segment stuck with me because I think this Humes** guy is wrong.
It goes like this. The original G.I. Bill compensated service members returning from war with one year of unemployment pay, their entire college education (private or public), and low interest, zero down payment home loans. The Montgomery (current) G.I. Bill provides active duty service members up to $1100 per month for 36 months ($39,600) to be used within 10 years of the completion of their service. Receiving this money is contingent upon forfeiting $100 from their first 12 paychecks (pay $1200 and get $40,000).
Humes claims that because 1 in 8 Americans served in WWII the benefits these service members received amounted to the “best investment our country has ever made.” Accordingly, he thinks the same benefits should be awarded to the current service members. He also claims that the current GI Bill reaches less than 1% of the US population, so its benefits cannot be felt.
So, this is what I think:
- Today’s military is a voluntary military. The average cost of a college education in 2007 was 6,000. That means that those who CHOOSE to enter the military can have their tuition and a large amount of living expenses covered at a public university. I can’t think of one state that doesn’t have at least one public university that is not worth attending. PLUS, the veterans can take out loans to cover the difference at a private college. PLUS, they are earning a significant salary from what they earned while in the military. I have an MBA friend who was earning $85,000 a year while in Iraq (granted he was a flight officer…the point is that the salaries they earn are not insignificant).
- The success that America had following WWII cannot be contributed to any single factor. Winning the war was probably a much greater investment to this country than providing an education to those that returned. I doubt that providing those current service members a free education when left service would have the same effect. The US is a much different place than what it was in 1945.
- 16 million Americans died in WWII. That amounts to about 10% of the population. Less than .5% of the population is currently in the military. Education wasn’t an arbitrary investment. It was a need to rebuild this country.
- Using an inflation calculator, the $10 billion cost of the WWII GI Bill amounts to over $111 trillion.
An interesting aside to the NPR story is that Jerome Korlberg has recently started a private fund to pay for scholarships for veterans. Korlberg returned from WWII, went to Harvard Business School and Columbia Law School, started KKR, and became a billionaire. The GI Bill obviously had its intended effect on Korlberg, but two free graduate degrees is probably a bit excessive.
Song Recommendation - The Underdog by Spoon
**Apparently this Humes guy won a Pulitzer Prize back in 1989.
I'm sure you all know by now but the new MMJ album is going to be named Evil Urges and will be released on June 10th.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Trouble in Vegas
Trouble in Vegas. That's the name of a tournament. Accurately described by its slogan as "Best and worst idea, ever." You see, it's Las Vegas and there are a lot of ways to get in trouble. I know this because I've been going through a season (the one with the Minitature Killer) of CSI in anticipating for the trip. Making mental notes.....mainly of all the ways to get killed or sexually assaulted (many less ways to do this) in Vegas. Because of watching the show, every girl I saw I just assumed they were a transvestite or a prostitute. We also only saw 1 cop in the 4 days were there. I guess when you don't have laws you don't need cops. Then again, that creates quite the disconnect with the TV show.
Flight was uneventful. Eric asked why Republicans existed. You know, the usual topics of conversation. We started gambling immediately upon arriving in Vegas. You see, we chose the Thrifty Wild-Car (ain’t that cute) option. This meant that we were getting any car full-size or larger at $12 a day. Apparently this didn’t include the Mercedes S-Class, but did include the Chrysler Town and Country. Because that’s what we rocked in Sin City. A pair of mini-vans. Which, when you have 40 alumni in town is probably the best option.
The airport is at the opposite end of the strip as the Stratosphere. And since it was Thursday and 8 o’clock we drove down the strip to get to the hotel. The last time I was in Las Vegas was when I was 12, and although I had a great time I don’t think I appreciated the city enough. There is no (NONE!) doubt in my mind that Las Vegas is the weirdest city on Earth. The amount of money needed to design and build the hotels/casinos on the strip is absolutely ridiculous. They know what they’re selling, and they’re good at selling it.
Well, I learned on the plane that almost everyone was flying into Vegas on Thursday night so they could have an extra night of gambling and debauchery. I chose the flight so I could carpool with the Purdue kids and pay cheap Thursday night rates. I had no idea what I was getting into. I guess you can imagine what happens when people who haven’t seen each other in a while meet in a casino. Madness. I went to bed about 2:30. Apparently everyone else went to bed at either 430 or 630. The sleep I got was so terrible that I would wake up in the middle of the night and say, I can’t wait for my nap tomorrow. I only had a sportcoat to use as a blanket (note to self, never be homeless) and each time I woke up I looked at the beds hoping that the comforter fell off. No luck. I found out in the morning that I was sleeping next to the air conditioner. I also found out that everyone else in the room was super hot and not using their comforters.
Friday was a day of waiting. Well, waiting and the Monte Carlo catching on fire (Can't you just hear Billy Joel Sing. "We didn't start the FIRE, it's......). We were all anxiously waiting for the rest (the idiots who worked on Friday) of the group to get there. Finally everyone did. And Friday night turned out to be a replay of Thursday night (it was at this point that I began to see a pattern and was pretty sure what was going to happen on Saturday night). The tournament hosted a party at the bar at the top of the Stratosphere. It’s a pretty incredible view of the strip. There is also a rotating restaurant up top. No more rollercoaster though. Spangle lost a bunch of money. Doug won a bunch of money. Doug lost more money than he previously won. I lost $20.
Saturday was the pool play of the tournament. The fields were typical (I guess) desert (remember you’d rather have two deSSerts than one deSert) fare. Brown and dry. Temp was about 55 degrees (it’s a dry heat), but the 65 degree difference than what it was at Purdue when we left made it feel like we were playing pretty reasonable. Doug got hurt on the 5th point of the tournament. To his credit it stepped on an electrical cover and twisted his ankle. To the fields credit, it didn’t matter how it happened he was going to get hurt. Luckily, he was able to play through. Lost to some LSU/Texas alumni. Lost to some Washington alumni. Beat some team from Chicago.
Saturday night we venture down to the main part of the strip to eat at the buffet at Planet Hollywood. Our dinner corresponded with the Miss America pageant. Also being held at Planet Hollywood. Planet Hollywood had dancers on the black jack tables. Watched the fountain show across the street at the Bellagio. I cannot image how much that casino paid for that property. Then they just dug a hole and built a gigantic lake with a fountain show. People must have thought they were insane. Actually, I bet people just shrugged their shoulders and went about their business. I realized on Saturday night that I get no enjoyment from gambling at casinos (Churchill Downs, now that's way different) and was in bed by midnight (Total losses for the weekend, $27). I think the rest of the group made it to the room not much later. Apparently 3 consecutive nights is Vegas is one too many. Girth won a bunch of money at roulette. Lucky him.
The Sunday portion of the tournament was wet. We lost our first game to MSU alumni and vehemently tried to get out of playing Harvard, but they really wanted to play so we went ahead and lost to them also. Then we went to In-N-Out Burger. Except that Tarr thought he knew where an In-N-Out Burger was but instead took us to In-N-Out Bailbonds. What an idiot. Finally we made it. I don’t know what those people from California get all excited about. I mean, yes it was good, but it’s not like it was amazing or life changing.
Then we went to the airport and flew straight home without incident. SIKE. There was a 4 hour delay with our flight, and we didn’t get back to Indy until 430. Didn’t get back to Purdue until 6. I missed another class. I don’t really feel like I’m in college anymore.
It was a really fun weekend. But more about who I was with than where we were. I would have had just as much fun in Iowa. It's not like we did anything Crazy.
Song Recommendation - Home by Marc Broussard (A perfect song for the upcoming Mardi Gras)
Flight was uneventful. Eric asked why Republicans existed. You know, the usual topics of conversation. We started gambling immediately upon arriving in Vegas. You see, we chose the Thrifty Wild-Car (ain’t that cute) option. This meant that we were getting any car full-size or larger at $12 a day. Apparently this didn’t include the Mercedes S-Class, but did include the Chrysler Town and Country. Because that’s what we rocked in Sin City. A pair of mini-vans. Which, when you have 40 alumni in town is probably the best option.
The airport is at the opposite end of the strip as the Stratosphere. And since it was Thursday and 8 o’clock we drove down the strip to get to the hotel. The last time I was in Las Vegas was when I was 12, and although I had a great time I don’t think I appreciated the city enough. There is no (NONE!) doubt in my mind that Las Vegas is the weirdest city on Earth. The amount of money needed to design and build the hotels/casinos on the strip is absolutely ridiculous. They know what they’re selling, and they’re good at selling it.
Well, I learned on the plane that almost everyone was flying into Vegas on Thursday night so they could have an extra night of gambling and debauchery. I chose the flight so I could carpool with the Purdue kids and pay cheap Thursday night rates. I had no idea what I was getting into. I guess you can imagine what happens when people who haven’t seen each other in a while meet in a casino. Madness. I went to bed about 2:30. Apparently everyone else went to bed at either 430 or 630. The sleep I got was so terrible that I would wake up in the middle of the night and say, I can’t wait for my nap tomorrow. I only had a sportcoat to use as a blanket (note to self, never be homeless) and each time I woke up I looked at the beds hoping that the comforter fell off. No luck. I found out in the morning that I was sleeping next to the air conditioner. I also found out that everyone else in the room was super hot and not using their comforters.
Friday was a day of waiting. Well, waiting and the Monte Carlo catching on fire (Can't you just hear Billy Joel Sing. "We didn't start the FIRE, it's......). We were all anxiously waiting for the rest (the idiots who worked on Friday) of the group to get there. Finally everyone did. And Friday night turned out to be a replay of Thursday night (it was at this point that I began to see a pattern and was pretty sure what was going to happen on Saturday night). The tournament hosted a party at the bar at the top of the Stratosphere. It’s a pretty incredible view of the strip. There is also a rotating restaurant up top. No more rollercoaster though. Spangle lost a bunch of money. Doug won a bunch of money. Doug lost more money than he previously won. I lost $20.
Saturday was the pool play of the tournament. The fields were typical (I guess) desert (remember you’d rather have two deSSerts than one deSert) fare. Brown and dry. Temp was about 55 degrees (it’s a dry heat), but the 65 degree difference than what it was at Purdue when we left made it feel like we were playing pretty reasonable. Doug got hurt on the 5th point of the tournament. To his credit it stepped on an electrical cover and twisted his ankle. To the fields credit, it didn’t matter how it happened he was going to get hurt. Luckily, he was able to play through. Lost to some LSU/Texas alumni. Lost to some Washington alumni. Beat some team from Chicago.
Saturday night we venture down to the main part of the strip to eat at the buffet at Planet Hollywood. Our dinner corresponded with the Miss America pageant. Also being held at Planet Hollywood. Planet Hollywood had dancers on the black jack tables. Watched the fountain show across the street at the Bellagio. I cannot image how much that casino paid for that property. Then they just dug a hole and built a gigantic lake with a fountain show. People must have thought they were insane. Actually, I bet people just shrugged their shoulders and went about their business. I realized on Saturday night that I get no enjoyment from gambling at casinos (Churchill Downs, now that's way different) and was in bed by midnight (Total losses for the weekend, $27). I think the rest of the group made it to the room not much later. Apparently 3 consecutive nights is Vegas is one too many. Girth won a bunch of money at roulette. Lucky him.
The Sunday portion of the tournament was wet. We lost our first game to MSU alumni and vehemently tried to get out of playing Harvard, but they really wanted to play so we went ahead and lost to them also. Then we went to In-N-Out Burger. Except that Tarr thought he knew where an In-N-Out Burger was but instead took us to In-N-Out Bailbonds. What an idiot. Finally we made it. I don’t know what those people from California get all excited about. I mean, yes it was good, but it’s not like it was amazing or life changing.
Then we went to the airport and flew straight home without incident. SIKE. There was a 4 hour delay with our flight, and we didn’t get back to Indy until 430. Didn’t get back to Purdue until 6. I missed another class. I don’t really feel like I’m in college anymore.
It was a really fun weekend. But more about who I was with than where we were. I would have had just as much fun in Iowa. It's not like we did anything Crazy.
Song Recommendation - Home by Marc Broussard (A perfect song for the upcoming Mardi Gras)
Bad Luck
Where has Nick been? Good question. I'm not even sure where I have been. I've been doing a pretty good job about posting this past month or so, and I'm sure that my readers (all three of you) have been checking the site anxiously. Each day that passed no doubt felt like a little more of your soul disappearing. Well have no fear; One Big Holiday is back in the game.
It's been a wild week. Where to begin. I'm in Louisville every other Thursday/Friday working part-time at Humana. Since classes weren't held on MLK Day and I don't have class until 430 on Tuesday, I waited until Tuesday to drive back to school. Well, I waited until Tuesday to drive halfway back to school. I was driving and I was thirsty. So I decided to stop in Franklin (Exit 90) to get a drink at the McDonalds. It was in the McDonalds parking lot that the Explorer's transmission decided it was finished working. That's not completely true, it would work for about 50 feet each time I turned the car on. The last 85 miles to West Lafayette would have taken quite a while at 50 feet a pop, so I decided to call the tow truck. So, I hung out at McDonalds for an hour and hung out at a Ford dealership in Greenwood for an hour before Sara drove up from Btown to take me the rest of the way to Purdue. I didn't make it class on Thursday I can't really say that the mechanical failure of the vehicle was that much of surprise considering I've been able to freely switch from Drive to Neutral to Reverse without putting my foot on the brake. Luckily we have friends in the transmission business.
The transmission is final event in a string of bad luck which began we me losing the jump drive with all my MBA stuff on it. A good 1.5 years of work. I'm an idiot for not backing it up more.
The middle event was a trip to the doctor for a foot injury that happened back in October. So, I as at the doctor and he's putting me through the paces. Taking x-rays, watching me walk, poking, prodding, and other things that doctors do. Finally he says, "Well, the x-ray looks fine. That means you've either damaged the ligament or there is a fracture internally. I can't tell the difference without doing an MRI, but with both those injuries I would just put it in a cast. So, let's save you some money. I'm going to get my stuff to put a cast." Well, this was not expecting when I walked into the doctor's office and I say, "Wait a minute, I'm going to Las Vegas next weekend to play in a tournament. I'll just come back in a couple of weeks and we can put the cast on then." So, on Friday the doctor is putting my foot in a cast. Lame. It's going to be on for 6 weeks. Double lame. I'm going to Chile and Argentina in 4.5 weeks. Triple lame.
But I can't be too sad. Today is the 28th of January. Since the 18th of January I've been to 3 classes for a grand total of 4.5 hours in the last ten days.
Song Recommendation - To Love Somebody by Ray Lamontagne AND Damien Rice
It's been a wild week. Where to begin. I'm in Louisville every other Thursday/Friday working part-time at Humana. Since classes weren't held on MLK Day and I don't have class until 430 on Tuesday, I waited until Tuesday to drive back to school. Well, I waited until Tuesday to drive halfway back to school. I was driving and I was thirsty. So I decided to stop in Franklin (Exit 90) to get a drink at the McDonalds. It was in the McDonalds parking lot that the Explorer's transmission decided it was finished working. That's not completely true, it would work for about 50 feet each time I turned the car on. The last 85 miles to West Lafayette would have taken quite a while at 50 feet a pop, so I decided to call the tow truck. So, I hung out at McDonalds for an hour and hung out at a Ford dealership in Greenwood for an hour before Sara drove up from Btown to take me the rest of the way to Purdue. I didn't make it class on Thursday I can't really say that the mechanical failure of the vehicle was that much of surprise considering I've been able to freely switch from Drive to Neutral to Reverse without putting my foot on the brake. Luckily we have friends in the transmission business.
The transmission is final event in a string of bad luck which began we me losing the jump drive with all my MBA stuff on it. A good 1.5 years of work. I'm an idiot for not backing it up more.
The middle event was a trip to the doctor for a foot injury that happened back in October. So, I as at the doctor and he's putting me through the paces. Taking x-rays, watching me walk, poking, prodding, and other things that doctors do. Finally he says, "Well, the x-ray looks fine. That means you've either damaged the ligament or there is a fracture internally. I can't tell the difference without doing an MRI, but with both those injuries I would just put it in a cast. So, let's save you some money. I'm going to get my stuff to put a cast." Well, this was not expecting when I walked into the doctor's office and I say, "Wait a minute, I'm going to Las Vegas next weekend to play in a tournament. I'll just come back in a couple of weeks and we can put the cast on then." So, on Friday the doctor is putting my foot in a cast. Lame. It's going to be on for 6 weeks. Double lame. I'm going to Chile and Argentina in 4.5 weeks. Triple lame.
But I can't be too sad. Today is the 28th of January. Since the 18th of January I've been to 3 classes for a grand total of 4.5 hours in the last ten days.
Song Recommendation - To Love Somebody by Ray Lamontagne AND Damien Rice
Monday, January 21, 2008
Now begins the hard journey to spring with only a brief stop at a dry creek called March Madness.
Or so sayth David Massey when speaking about the end of the football season. But Nick, doesn't DMassey understand that the Super Bowl still have to be played? Well, yes he does understand. But like myself, he understands that a Patriots-Boston Super Bowl is going to be an ESPN/East Coast media love fest. I don't even know who I would root for. I guess I'll root for Giants begin that I hate Bruski and Harrison from the Pats, and it would be hilarious if the "Perfect Season" ended in defeat (How can it be called a perfect season if the season isn't over yet? Perfect Regular Season....yes. Perfect Season....not yet.) Then there we would be mucho debate if the Pats were still the greatest team ever. Oh the people at ESPN Radio would have a field day**.
If you don't know yet, and you should. Consider that it has been on the MMJ webpage for like a whole week. MMJ will be playing a show June 20th at Radio City Music Hall in NYC. That's one that probably shouldn't be missed. Speaking of shows that shouldn't be missed. I was at what is considered the greatest MMJ show of alltime at Bonnaroo '06. Only Sara was so tired from a day full of music (ending in Tom Petty) that we left after about an hour. I still want to punch myself in the face everytime I think about it. I should have rationed my day better. Whoa is me. Paste Mag also has some good MMJ tidbits.
I recently watched an episode of Celebrity Rehab and I've got to say that I am super impressed with Dr. Drew. He seems like a stand-up guy, and the guy I want to get me of my drug addiction. You know, once I get a drug addiction. He is way more talented than one would think from his work on Loveline.
Song Recommendation - I'm Shipping Up To Boston by Dropkick Murphys
Nope, not the normal selection but man is it good. Truth be told, it makes me want to fight someone (which probably wouldn't be much of a fight with a shoulder in rehab and a foot that's going in a cast when I get back from Vegas).
I asked Bostonian Jess O'Leary (as indicated by her Irish name and her cop father) if Dropkick Murphys or Flogging Molly was the better Irish punk band from Boston. She seemed to think Dropkick Murphys was, but that was a matter of personnel preference I think. I do wonder why Dropkick Murphys have a bagpipe in the mix consider that it is a Scottish instrument. Oh wait, I just checked and the bagpipe is actually an instrument of Irish origins. Weird.
Seriously, The Onion is hilarious. Girls, don't cry yourself to sleep over it. It's just a joke.
**In fact, after writing the paragraph I was watching PTI on ESPN and Wilbon/Kornheisiweirtgjr were already debating who the best team would be ('72 Dolphins, '86 Bears, '07/'08 Patriots) if the Patriots lost. PTI. Best sports related show ever? False. The original American Gladiators. True. PTI. Best sports talk show ever. The best.....easily.Sunday, January 20, 2008
The Tallest of Southern Indiana Mountains
Last night, Sarah, Sarah, Sara, Cate, Ben, Aaron (in bright neon green jacket) and I took to the slopes of Paoli Peaks for a litte midnight skiing action. Luckily we decided to do it on the coldest night of the year. I was dreading the experience because of the price and the cold, but as it turned out, it was cheaper than reported AND it wasn't that cold. Aaron was a natural on the slopes while Cate and Sara spent the night learning the snowboard. I think they might be ready for the X-Games. Not X-Games 12 but X-Games 13. If I had to guess. Only problem I had is that because it wasn't a mountain the ratio to ski time/lift-time wasn't very favorable. It's a good place to go if it is you're learning or re-learning. Sara can't move today.
Alison Krauss and Robert Plant will be starting their the tour in support of their Raising Sands album together with a performance at The Louisville Palace. This presents quite a conundrum**. You can't find a more star-filled concert than one involving Krauss and Plant AND they are performing at the incredible Louisville Palace. The dilemma comes from the fact that I think their critically-acclaimed CD is really bad. In fact, I'm beginning to think that I don't like Krauss in anything other than straight blugrass. They will apparently be playing songs from throughout their careers, so that's a plus. But I just don't think I want to go. I will hate every minute that I am not there.
In other concert news, Ben Folds is coming to Purdue. Another poor choice, but I'm sure the freshman will like him.
In other concerts news, Dierks Bentley is coming to Purdue. As he was one of my favorites from last year, I'm pretty happy about that. I hope I get some good tickets. He is wild on stage
**Coincidently, one of my favorite movie exchanges is from Cold Mountain (theme song -You Are My Ain True Love by Alison Krauss) when Boise and Inman are about to shoot each other (sorry if you haven't seen the movie, but you've had four years) and Boise uses the word conundrum in their exchange.
Inman: I hope so. Look, how old are you? Give me your gun and ride home, I'm done fighting. I'm sick of it.
Bosie: I give you my gun and you'll shoot me dead.
Inman: I will not shoot you, but nor am I walking down that mountain looking over my shoulder for you.
Bosie: That's what you call a conundrum. I tell you what I've got on my side.
Inman: What have you got on your side?
Bosie: The confidence of youth.
Song Recommendation - Let It Ride by Ryan Adams & The Cardinals
(Soon to just be The Cardinals)
Alison Krauss and Robert Plant will be starting their the tour in support of their Raising Sands album together with a performance at The Louisville Palace. This presents quite a conundrum**. You can't find a more star-filled concert than one involving Krauss and Plant AND they are performing at the incredible Louisville Palace. The dilemma comes from the fact that I think their critically-acclaimed CD is really bad. In fact, I'm beginning to think that I don't like Krauss in anything other than straight blugrass. They will apparently be playing songs from throughout their careers, so that's a plus. But I just don't think I want to go. I will hate every minute that I am not there.
In other concert news, Ben Folds is coming to Purdue. Another poor choice, but I'm sure the freshman will like him.
In other concerts news, Dierks Bentley is coming to Purdue. As he was one of my favorites from last year, I'm pretty happy about that. I hope I get some good tickets. He is wild on stage
**Coincidently, one of my favorite movie exchanges is from Cold Mountain (theme song -You Are My Ain True Love by Alison Krauss) when Boise and Inman are about to shoot each other (sorry if you haven't seen the movie, but you've had four years) and Boise uses the word conundrum in their exchange.
Inman: I hope so. Look, how old are you? Give me your gun and ride home, I'm done fighting. I'm sick of it.
Bosie: I give you my gun and you'll shoot me dead.
Inman: I will not shoot you, but nor am I walking down that mountain looking over my shoulder for you.
Bosie: That's what you call a conundrum. I tell you what I've got on my side.
Inman: What have you got on your side?
Bosie: The confidence of youth.
Song Recommendation - Let It Ride by Ryan Adams & The Cardinals
(Soon to just be The Cardinals)
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Gun-Toting IRS Agents
Radiohead played a free show tonight in London. That's pretty cool. A free Radiohead show. What could make it cooler? The fact that they announced yesterday that they were having a free show that night. I don't care who you are, you gotta think that's cool. Truthfully, I've never been that much of a Radiohead. I own a couple of their albums (including In Rainbows....paid $11.50 for it when it was pay-as-much-as-you-want on their website) but for me it's just good background music. Nothing I get excited to listen to (see MMJ post below). BUT. Announcing a free show the same day of the show. That is cool. That's what music should be about. Doing whatever you want, however you want, and having fun doing it.
So, I was reading ABC News Mobile on the Treo yesterday and found a couple of interesting things. One article was reporting that they (Cop? someone? The interns on CSI?) found the body of an IRS agent that had been missing since December. Apparently, the lady committed suicide and they recovered the IRS-issue gun with the body. Look, I’m sorry that this lady committed suicide, but wait a minute. The IRS-issues guns? What is that all about? Do they have mice in the facilities and prefer high velocity projectiles to mouse traps? It’s not like an auditor is gonna be hot on the trail of a case and decide that they need to take a gangster down. That may have been the case with Al Capone 75 years ago, but that was a different time and place.
The second article was in regards to Tom Cruise: The Unauthorized Biography. So, the story is that Tom Cruise’s baby (Suri) isn’t actually his biological baby. But it (I don’t know if Suri is a boy or girl name) is in fact the baby of L. Ron Hubbard (inventor of Scientology) and Katie Holmes. Well, L. Ron died in 1986, so the little bundle of joy was apparently created in a test tube. I have no idea if this rumor is true or not. I do know that if it is, Tom Cruise is even more psycho than previously suspected. If it isn’t true it is still a hilarious rumor to start because it makes Tom Cruise seem even more psycho than previously suspected.
I went to the business etiquette dinner (definitely a Gourmet, not a Gourman) last night hosted by Krannert. It was the second time I’ve been because well, it is a free meal and the presenter is pretty entertaining. Anyway. I learned all these archaic rules about how I am supposed to dine. Which makes me wonder. Who made these rules anyway? Why is it that the proper way to eat is the way the King of England ate in the mid-19th century? What makes his style so “right” or proper. Why are we supposed to eat that way? I mean, shouldn’t they (the proverbial they of course) eat like the rest of population.
Song Recommendation - Karma Police by Radiohead
(I don't care what I said earlier, this song is AWESOME)
So, I was reading ABC News Mobile on the Treo yesterday and found a couple of interesting things. One article was reporting that they (Cop? someone? The interns on CSI?) found the body of an IRS agent that had been missing since December. Apparently, the lady committed suicide and they recovered the IRS-issue gun with the body. Look, I’m sorry that this lady committed suicide, but wait a minute. The IRS-issues guns? What is that all about? Do they have mice in the facilities and prefer high velocity projectiles to mouse traps? It’s not like an auditor is gonna be hot on the trail of a case and decide that they need to take a gangster down. That may have been the case with Al Capone 75 years ago, but that was a different time and place.
The second article was in regards to Tom Cruise: The Unauthorized Biography. So, the story is that Tom Cruise’s baby (Suri) isn’t actually his biological baby. But it (I don’t know if Suri is a boy or girl name) is in fact the baby of L. Ron Hubbard (inventor of Scientology) and Katie Holmes. Well, L. Ron died in 1986, so the little bundle of joy was apparently created in a test tube. I have no idea if this rumor is true or not. I do know that if it is, Tom Cruise is even more psycho than previously suspected. If it isn’t true it is still a hilarious rumor to start because it makes Tom Cruise seem even more psycho than previously suspected.
I went to the business etiquette dinner (definitely a Gourmet, not a Gourman) last night hosted by Krannert. It was the second time I’ve been because well, it is a free meal and the presenter is pretty entertaining. Anyway. I learned all these archaic rules about how I am supposed to dine. Which makes me wonder. Who made these rules anyway? Why is it that the proper way to eat is the way the King of England ate in the mid-19th century? What makes his style so “right” or proper. Why are we supposed to eat that way? I mean, shouldn’t they (the proverbial they of course) eat like the rest of population.
Song Recommendation - Karma Police by Radiohead
(I don't care what I said earlier, this song is AWESOME)
MMJ would have rocked Woodstock
Well sports fans, the site of Woodstock (well kinda...the actual site of the festival was purchased in 1996, but maybe some cars parked in what you're buying) is now for sale, and you too can own a piece of music history. All you need is $8 million. If that is a bit out of your price range, you can just have 8 million of your friends each pay $1. $8 million that way is the same as $8 million any other way. Mr. Yasgur sure was making a bold claim when he said "this is the largest group of people ever assembled in one place." Now let’s see. An estimated 400,000 (dirty) people attended the festival. I mean, there were over 500,000 in Normandy on D-Day. Battle of Somme, France had over 3,000,000 participants. War sure knows how to assemble large groups of people in one place. Now, if Mr. Yasgur would have said "this is the largest group of people ever to assemble on my farm", I wouldn't have been sure but I would have believed that. To put things into perspective. Birth of Nick Haywood. Probably at least 8 participants.
I've got a lot of free time on my hands these days, so I've been watching a good about of movies. Just finished North by Northwest. That Alfred Hitchcock guy sure can make a fine film. The lead actor is some guy named Cary Grant (I don't think he ever made it big) and he makes quite a team with Hitchcock. Don't be scared that it was made in 1959. You should watch it. It's better than almost any movie that came out recently (how's that for being ambiguous).
Sad day for the Colts. I sure didn't expect the season to end so soon. No use blaming anyone, we just didn't get the job done. Dungy is probably leaving. DMassey and I wore our Colts gear today to support the boys. David said it best (like he always does), "It's easy to be a Colts fan Sunday morning, but the true fans are still around today."
Song Recommendation - One Big Holiday by My Morning Jacket
I still remember this vividly. Sophomore year at Purdue, I was watching Conan and he mentioned that the band was from Louisville, Ky. I thought that that was cool, so I look up just in time to see these weird looking dudes starting playing what turned out to be the most amazing tune ever. A tune that when played with such enthusiasm burns in your soul and can't help but make you happy (you can tell that even Conan was surprised and impressed). So, then I downloaded the rest of the songs off the album off the internet (so sue me....oh wait, the RIAA will) and then the next day I went and bought the album (It Still Moves). That was the night my musical journey began. (Tear)
I really didn't just cry. I'm too manly for that. But since I explained that you probably think I did, but you see, I didn't. Or you don't know what I am talking about since you think the last word I put was what you do when you have 1 thing and you want 2. But that's not what that word was.
I've got a lot of free time on my hands these days, so I've been watching a good about of movies. Just finished North by Northwest. That Alfred Hitchcock guy sure can make a fine film. The lead actor is some guy named Cary Grant (I don't think he ever made it big) and he makes quite a team with Hitchcock. Don't be scared that it was made in 1959. You should watch it. It's better than almost any movie that came out recently (how's that for being ambiguous).
Sad day for the Colts. I sure didn't expect the season to end so soon. No use blaming anyone, we just didn't get the job done. Dungy is probably leaving. DMassey and I wore our Colts gear today to support the boys. David said it best (like he always does), "It's easy to be a Colts fan Sunday morning, but the true fans are still around today."
Song Recommendation - One Big Holiday by My Morning Jacket
I still remember this vividly. Sophomore year at Purdue, I was watching Conan and he mentioned that the band was from Louisville, Ky. I thought that that was cool, so I look up just in time to see these weird looking dudes starting playing what turned out to be the most amazing tune ever. A tune that when played with such enthusiasm burns in your soul and can't help but make you happy (you can tell that even Conan was surprised and impressed). So, then I downloaded the rest of the songs off the album off the internet (so sue me....oh wait, the RIAA will) and then the next day I went and bought the album (It Still Moves). That was the night my musical journey began. (Tear)
I really didn't just cry. I'm too manly for that. But since I explained that you probably think I did, but you see, I didn't. Or you don't know what I am talking about since you think the last word I put was what you do when you have 1 thing and you want 2. But that's not what that word was.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Kuwait can't get enough of My Morning Jacket
Anybody want some My Morning Jacket news? Well you're going to get it anyway. It's from a variety of sources. The tidbits from Reuters are actually from an article that was picked up by the Kuwait edition of the Arab Times Online. Apparently, the Kuwaitis are big fans of independent music. (I doubt that last statement is true.)
- Word on the street is that MMJ's newest record is going to be gospel/Sam Cooke-inspired. How's that for awesome? I don't really know what gospel-inspired means, but I do know that MMJ is going to pull it off quite well. (Rolling Stone issue 1041)
- MMJ just finished recording its next studio album in New York with frontman Jim James and Joe Chiccarelli (the White Stripes, the Shins) co-producing. The band hopes for a June release, then will tour in the United States, as well as the United Kingdom and Europe. (Reuters)
- The band will perform at this year's South by Southwest event in Austin for the first time since 2002, and James will do an acoustic show in addition to the full-band set. Other U.S. dates are being booked. (Reuters)
The only part that scares me is that I don't like the White Stripes at all. Hopefully none of that flavor will get introduced on the album.
Also, according to Google Analytics 75% of all visitors that stop by the site stay between 0-10 seconds. Geez, you people can sure read fast. Amazing. Simply amazing. Reading a whole post in less than 10 seconds. Incredible.
Song Recommendation - The Weight by The Band
By the way, how awesome would it be if you were so famous you could just go by the title of your profession. What if instead of Jacob Blair, we called him The Teacher. Or instead of Katie Haywood, it was The Nursing Student. Or instead of George Bush it was The President. What a minute........
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
