Hip Argot, Categorical Imperatives and Other Ideas of Import
It’s not uncommon, and frankly it seems increasingly more common, to see in a newspaper or elsewhere in “mainstream media” some crushing criticism of “blogs.” The first such criticism I saw in it’s full vitriolic glory was in the Boston Globe. Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy and Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling haven’t been what one might call friends almost from the moment Schilling arrived from Arizona. Last year, when Schilling started his own blog,...
Back on February 15, I noted that the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Harry Waxman’s committee that has been so “carefully” investigating Roger Clemens, held hearings today on CEO Pay and the Mortgage Crisis. Angelo R. Mozilo, CEO of Countrywide Mortgage (those wonderful folks who hold the mortgage on the Tavern) testified that as he neared retirement, he had systematically gone about diversifying his holdings portfolio. He testified (PDF) that between...
For the last day or two I felt like we may have been placed in to Mr. Peabody’s wayback machine. What dominates the sports world is not baseball, basketball, hockey, or even the latest Texas hold ‘em classic. The biggest sports stories involve horse racing rather than auto racing and boxing rather than boxing out. Two sports that have basically disappeared form the attention of any sports fan born after Bill Mazeroski’s home run awaken from a deep sleep...
I think most people want to be good at what they do. We practice hard at that which is important to us. Where people differ, though, is the level of excellence expected from themselves. When “good enough” becomes the level to which we strive, we prevent ourselves from excelling. We’re not happy when our football team is good enough to reach the playoffs, we love a winner. The men who make their living at a high competitive level strive for excellence. Their locus of control...
Dana Altman, recently announced head coach of the University of Arkansas Basketball team, was onboard for all of 24 hours before deciding that he had perhaps made a mistake and that with “deep regret” he was not taking the position. Now, I don’t have a dog in this fight, as it were. I’ve never even heard of “Creighton,” although I do know of the Arkansas Razorbacks. I don’t know a thing about Dana Altman. I don’t follow NCAA Basketball, or really...
I’m no rocket scientist, to be sure. I’m not the most successful member of my family – not by a long shot. I’m not the smartest guy in the room – ever. I don’t have a fancy car. I only buy neckties at Marshalls or TJ Maxx and never pay more that $12. My shoes have more miles on them than my car and that’s saying something. I get a haircut once every 3-4 months whether or not I need it. There’s a lot that gets by me in life. I’m not a simple...
I’m in Walmart the other day…um, looking for…um…I don’t know, something clearly very high end that they don’t sell. Anyway, I pass by the toy department and what do I see? A clearance rack with a Wally Szczerbiak doll/action figure/bobblehead/whatever on it. $3.00! I actually stood and stared at it and asked myself, 1) Why were these produced at all? 2) Who would buy one at $3.00, never mind their original $10? My first topic of discussion today: What would...
Big Winners The winning Mega Millions tickets were not sold at Mo’s despite media reports to the contrary. Okay, so there were no media reports indicating that Mo’s had sold the tickets, but a little shameless huckstering never hurt anyone, right? The winners were sold in New Jersey and Georgia. If you’re asking me, and if you’re asking any of the Bears fans I’ve read here, the Jets certainly won the lottery by picking up Thomas Jones. According to...
I hate white jelly beans. Hate them! I actually hate the black ones too, so between those two I’ve got my hate-o-meter maxed out. Nothing ruins a good sugar moment like reaching your hand into a jar of jelly beans and grabbing up nothing but white and black ones. I hate these things as much as any candy junky can hate a candy. For about a week now, one of the women in my office has had her Easter-season jelly beans out. I like to think of them as being...
I’ve been thinking a lot about this. On Tuesday, Boston was all but shut down because of what turned out to be a “guerrilla” marketing campaign for Cartoon Networks “Adult Swim” program “Aqua Teen Hunger Force.” Apparently, this was a campaign that had been carried out in ten other cities without incident: According to Turner Broadcasting, which owns the Cartoon Network, the devices had been in place for two to three weeks in Boston;...
“Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day You fritter and waste the hours in an off hand way” ~Pink Floyd, “Time” 10 years 120 months 6240 weeks 43680 days 1048320 hours 62899200 ...
Barbaro, the Kentucky Derby winner, was euthanized today as a result of a nasty leg break last year. CBS Sportsline characterizes his passing as "A Brave Fight." You've got to be kidding. Anthropomorphizing an animal's struggle as being a brave fight is simply ludicrous yet it doesn't stop there. The anthropomorphizing hides a more insidious characterization of the physical battle this horse was asked to wage. According to canada.com, "the four-year-old underwent...
Have you seen the new Orville Redenbacher Popcorn commercial? Have you ever seen anything so completely creepy? I want you to do something: Click HERE to watch the new Zombie Orville, then click HERE to watch Old School Orville. Better yet, open them both up in different windows, listen to a portion of one and then listen to the other. Talk about bringing out your dead. It seems ConAgra foods, that company which owns the Redenbacher name, has increased it's...
I have found the secret to eternal happiness. It’s very simple. It has worked on an international basis. What is this magic elixir? LOW EXPECTATIONS. Yes, my dear friends, lower your expectations for everlasting happiness. The Danes are among the happiest in the world despite “bad weather, bad food, and high alcohol consumption.” Last week, the New York Jets could hold their heads high – they had exceeded the expectations of...
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