November 2011
2 tags
Cyclogeddon: Into the Cold
About a month ago, I mentioned the impending winter and it’s soggy effect on my morning commute. Since then, I’ve ridden almost every day (aside from Thanksgiving week, when it was pouring rain and we had company in town) with varying results. Some days I would get caught in the rain on my way home. Others would find me arriving at work unexpectedly sopping wet. On the whole, it...
3 tags
4 tags
Fugazi Launch Digital Concert Archive | Music News... →
Now this is how a band deals with the digital age.
3 tags
So, That Happened 2011 - Week Thirteen
fourthandblog:
I give up.
The #2 team in the BCS has been eliminated from it’s conference championship game. As has the #4 team in the BCS. The #3 team doesn’t even have to play in a conference title game. Meanwhile, the #1 team in the land has to play in their conference title game and win just to hold on to their ranking.
How is this not a broken system? The conferences have title games,...
The shocking truth about the crackdown on Occupy |... →
Whatever happened to “by the people, for the people?”
When we worship money and material wealth over and above all things, we have no reason to be surprised when those in power will do everything to make sure they don’t lose their money or power.
This is OUR country. Even though we may disagree on issues, I think we can all agree that money should not equal absolute power.
Thanksgiving as a kid VS Thanksgiving as an adult... →
Or; How I Intend on Spending my Thanksgiving.
5 tags
Past Forward Podcast, Episode 9 - Mike Taus →
Mike is a very old and very dear friend of mine. I’m not entirely sure we actually discussed a single topic at any sort of length during our discussion, but I guess that’s what happens when we get together. I think we make for entertaining banter, though. At the very least, you can marvel at how two grown men can carry on like this.
3 tags
Fourth and Blog: My Best Guesses 2011: Week... →
fourthandblog:
Gobble-gobble. It’s Thanksgiving and this year, we have so much to be thankful for-
a BCS system that is in utter chaos
Case Keenum putting up silly-ass numbers
Lee Corso
…and that’s about it. College football is a mess, the SEC west is atop the BCS, whether we like it or not…
Richard Trumka Profile - Richard Trumka Americans... →
A longer read, but worth your time. Even if you don’t like unions, you would do well to know more about the character and the life that shaped the man who is the face of them right now.
4 tags
WatchFiks Kickstarter campaign.
Since I ride to work more often than I drive these days, I figured the least I could do is help fund such a cool idea to help bikes be more visible to cars and keep bikers safe in traffic. Plus, for only a $25 contribution, you get a set of Fiks!
3 tags
Fourth and Blog: Heisman Talk: Darkhorses Abound →
fourthandblog:
Much has been made over the past few weeks, once the BCS started to go into the crapper, that we don’t have a clear Heisman trophy front-runner this year. For awhile, it was Stanford’s golden boy, Andrew Luck. Then it was Alabama’s bruising Trent Richardson. After that, the talk was all about 28…
2 tags
So, That Happened 2011 - Week Twelve
Almost on cue, the season starts to get wackier and wackier. Wacky enough to kill a horse, even. Wait, that doesn’t make sense. Aww, fuck it.
From the early week MACtion that kept the smattering of crowds at the games on the edge of their seats - 41-38 Northern Illinois comeback, 29-28 Ohio win with a field goal as time expired, and Western Michigan’s 24-21 win.
It didn’t...
1 tag
Fourth and Blog: My Best Guesses 2011: Week Twelve →
fourthandblog:
Chaos is upon us. Just two undefeated teams remain and only one of them has a legit shot at the title game. Pundits are getting themselves all in a tizzy because there’s no clear Heisman front-runner (I’ll have more on that next week). In the meantime; Joe Paterno has lung cancer, Oklahoma State…
2 tags
Life Lessons From a 30-Something: Showering as a...
We’ve all been in this situations; visiting a friend or relative at their house/apartment and you need to take a shower. The shower is as intimate a place as any in a house. We expose parts of ourselves in the shower that we never expose elsewhere, all in the name of cleanliness and hygiene. So, showering away from home can leave a person feeling vulnerable and exposed. Showering in...
Cost of Tax Cuts for the Wealthiest Americans... →
Just in case you were wondering why it’s insane to cut taxes while the country is at war…
The lies of free market democracy - Opinion - Al... →
A little pie in the sky, but I can’t say that I really strongly disagree with any of this. Very well-stated. The pessimist in me thinks that most of it is never, ever going to happen, but the eternal optimist hiding behind that pessimist is hoping against hope that it does.
Watch
3 tags
3 tags
Turning 32
I turned the magical age of 32 this past Thursday. To mark the momentous occasion, my darling wife and one of my best friends since high school conspired to confuse, surprise and stun me.
I came home from work on Wednesday night, knowing that I had taken Thursday (which is usually my “Friday”) off. I clomped into the house in my bicycle gear, said “hi” to Sara and walked...
3 tags
Monarques →
These guys opened up for Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings last night at the Aladdin Theater and really rocked the house. They’ve got a free EP for download. I recommend you check it out if you like hand-clapping retro pop with more than a hint of soul.
3 tags
“A stunning 18 veterans commit suicide every day, another 1,000 attempt suicide...”
– Missing Limbs, More Suicides, No Jobs: 9 Battles for Today’s Vets | Wired.com
Don’t just remember our troops on Veterans (Armistice) Day. We are failing them every single day that they aren’t given the proper care and medical attention.
We can’t wage endless war and not properly...
2 tags
My Best Guesses 2011: Week Eleven
So, yet another week where I’m under the gun, time-wise and will sadly have no further insight into this weekend of college football (or the ongoing Sandusky/Penn State mess, as if you need more of that…) for you this week. I’m sure you’re devastated. Please try to hold it together. I hate to see you this way. It’s okay, it’s okay, please don’t be so...
3 tags
7 tags
Fourth and Blog: On Paterno
fourthandblog:
One of my first vivid memories of college football is the Snow Bowl, the 1992 game at Notre Dame Stadium between the Irish and the Penn State Nittany Lions. At the time, my love for Notre Dame football was still in it’s infancy. I had only been watching college football for a few years, catching games here and there after Saturday morning cartoons were over.
The game was the...
What's standing in way of Crystal Sugar deal? →
I gotta say, it doesn’t seem like the union is being too demanding here, once you see the nuts and bolts of it. Sure, some of the seniority stuff could be worked out, but the rest of it seems totally reasonable.
Fourth and Blog: So, That Happened - 2011 Week 10 →
fourthandblog:
Wow. What a day. It had everything; upsets, gritty games by underdogs, a titanic defensive struggle, a surprising shootout, and some top teams just taking care of business. Easily the best weekend of football so far this year, in my opinion. It may just take more than just eight numbers to…
Fourth and Blog: My Best Guesses 2011: Week Ten →
fourthandblog:
I’m picking six games, because I refuse not to pick the Notre Dame/Wake Forest matchup, despite the fact that it’s going to be completely buried behind all of the other marquee night games on tap this weekend. So, strap yourselves in, it’s a backloaded schedule on Saturday.
Seriously,…
Walsh Gets Pro-Family Award Despite Child Support... →
Hey Family Research Council and Joe Walsh (R-IL), Irony called to say that you’ve created a new standard. Well done.
5 tags
WatchVideo of the previous post, for those too lazy to click.
5 tags
Wild Flag: Raw Rock With A Powerful Pedigree : NPR →
So, uh, this is pretty cool. I helped shoot this video that’s now featured on NPR Music.
Well done, OPBMusic volunteer crew!
2 tags
Cyclogeddon: There's a Chill in the Air
It was a brisk 32 degrees on my ride into work this morning. Thanks to a skull cap, winter gloves, Under Armour thermal shirt and my naturally cold-resistant Norse legs, it really wasn’t all that bad. But it certainly wasn’t pleasant.
I’ve been reveling in the rush of crisp air first thing in the morning, making my coffee (almost) moot. The rides home in the afternoon, with...
Should Farm Kids Be Allowed To Drive A Tractor?... →
This is silly and terribly repressive against family farms.
I didn’t even grow up on a farm, but I worked on them from the time I was ten years old onward. I would help my dad out at the farm he worked for, moving equipment across the yard and following him from field to field with his pickup truck when I was 10, 11, and 12.
I got a job working for our neighbor in the summers when I was...