i feel some need to attain balance by not only ripping on things but celebrating positive events as well. In a recent trip to visit friends i got to eat at my favorite restaurant in the world: Grasshopper. The food there is so good just thinking about it makes me happy.
As someone who has found contentment in eateries where the menu contains one or two vegetarian/vegan options Grasshopper is a bit of heaven (if Dante can establish layers of hell, why can't i imagine layers of heaven?). With page after page of vegan Vietnamese and Chinese meals the options are almost overwhelming. i could randomly pick a meal to try and know that it was vegan and that i could eat it. Not that i'd stray from the fake chicken fingers or a delicious bowl of soup, but it is a comforting fact.
The amazingly positive vibe of knowing that nothing was killed to feed the always packed restaurant quickly grows up from your stomach and leaves one with a feeling of contentment and peace. It is contagious and fills the whole dining area. i'm now drooling on the keyboard.
The food there is amazing and easily enjoyed by herbivores and carnivores alike. i can't recommend it enough and if you are looking for company i can easily be persuaded to make the trip down. i have had great vegan eating experiences in New York City and Nashua, NH as well but nothing quite compares to Grasshopper- Boston, MA. If i lived closer you would need a flat bed truck to transport me around.
Oh, how i never take a great meal for granted.
Jul 29, 2006
WWJD
What Would Jesus Drive? Contrary to what i've seen the fish magnet on i don't think it would be the SUV with its impressive ground clearance for running over homosexuals on their way to getting marriage certificates and its ample cargo room for transporting explosives from one abortion clinic to another. i've got to believe that JC, always known to take the high-road, would have selected the Prius.
Now i may not make it to mass every Sunday, and i may believe that if during your short life you find love (whether in the arms of a woman or man) you are one of the lucky ones, but i think 'The Big Guy' has got my back when it comes to car selection. Just something to think about next time you're stuck in traffic, sucking in SUV exhaust, staring at a fish magnet.
And if you're stuck behind a car with a Darwin magnet, contemplate the question: if you truly believe in survival of the fittest does that mean you should disconnect your airbags?
Now i may not make it to mass every Sunday, and i may believe that if during your short life you find love (whether in the arms of a woman or man) you are one of the lucky ones, but i think 'The Big Guy' has got my back when it comes to car selection. Just something to think about next time you're stuck in traffic, sucking in SUV exhaust, staring at a fish magnet.
And if you're stuck behind a car with a Darwin magnet, contemplate the question: if you truly believe in survival of the fittest does that mean you should disconnect your airbags?
Warning Signs
The other day i was blowing a gift certificate at one of your local book/music/coffee chains on the new Flogging Molly DVD (how can you not enjoy those guys) and a copy of the remastered Fugazi "13 Songs" album (because 2 copies is not enough for my music library). Returning to the car i was delayed entry as i waited for a large, borderline obese, women to struggle her way up into her SUV. With this sudden free time on my hands as i waited for my turn i got thinking about how people so easily ignore many of life's warning signs.
Now i'm a skinny mutha fucker. Several times in my life i have struggled to try and put on weight. At one point, for a short time, i actually topped the scales at just over 140 lbs. It was unsustainable as one cannot do nothing but eat all day. Eventually i had to get to working, etc and quickly went back to my normal weight. i figure if i can be genetically constructed to have a small stomach and fast metabolism then it makes sense that others could have a large stomach and slow metabolism. Fat is fine (yes i said fat, no one seems to mind calling me skinny). i imagine others struggling with weight loss the way at times i've struggled with weight gain.
To turn the corner from the outer limits of fat into the realm of obese, however, requires the ignoring of many warning signs, much like turning the corner from very thin to skeletor. Not being able to get into your SUV is one of those warning signs clearly blinking: "get some fucking exercise or get a different car"...which leads me to the next warning sign here: the SUV.
After staring at this lady for some time i got bored and started staring at her car. i quickly realized that this new, trail-rated, Jeep would never stray from pavement. Other than the apparent need to transport the growing obese in this country around i don' t understand the majority of SUV sales. To transport family? Both my parents are the result of "Irish Catholic Birth Control". They are each one of 6 to 8 kids yet growing up neither family had an urban assault vehicle to storm the local shopping mall. In fact, as a child i remember my grandfather owning a Gremlin (if you don't now what this is look it up, you'll laugh that this car was ever made). With modern families averaging 2 kids this argument doesn't hold.
No outdoor excursions to go on, no army to transport around, so why then? The warning signs for the current climate change directly affected by man are blinking yet like obesity, ignored. One doesn't need reports of hurricanes hitting Florida (the penis of our country) to see the effects of climate change. The signs are right in our backyards yet useless SUV sales continue.
So i continued thinking as she continued to grunt and further wedge herself in: what would it take? The need to be fork-lifted from her house? A hurricane constantly following her around like she was Eeyore? Problems usually don't sneak up on us, they occur because we were ignoring the warning signs.
i need to go listen to the remastered mix of "waiting room" now. WWID (what would ian do).
Now i'm a skinny mutha fucker. Several times in my life i have struggled to try and put on weight. At one point, for a short time, i actually topped the scales at just over 140 lbs. It was unsustainable as one cannot do nothing but eat all day. Eventually i had to get to working, etc and quickly went back to my normal weight. i figure if i can be genetically constructed to have a small stomach and fast metabolism then it makes sense that others could have a large stomach and slow metabolism. Fat is fine (yes i said fat, no one seems to mind calling me skinny). i imagine others struggling with weight loss the way at times i've struggled with weight gain.
To turn the corner from the outer limits of fat into the realm of obese, however, requires the ignoring of many warning signs, much like turning the corner from very thin to skeletor. Not being able to get into your SUV is one of those warning signs clearly blinking: "get some fucking exercise or get a different car"...which leads me to the next warning sign here: the SUV.
After staring at this lady for some time i got bored and started staring at her car. i quickly realized that this new, trail-rated, Jeep would never stray from pavement. Other than the apparent need to transport the growing obese in this country around i don' t understand the majority of SUV sales. To transport family? Both my parents are the result of "Irish Catholic Birth Control". They are each one of 6 to 8 kids yet growing up neither family had an urban assault vehicle to storm the local shopping mall. In fact, as a child i remember my grandfather owning a Gremlin (if you don't now what this is look it up, you'll laugh that this car was ever made). With modern families averaging 2 kids this argument doesn't hold.
No outdoor excursions to go on, no army to transport around, so why then? The warning signs for the current climate change directly affected by man are blinking yet like obesity, ignored. One doesn't need reports of hurricanes hitting Florida (the penis of our country) to see the effects of climate change. The signs are right in our backyards yet useless SUV sales continue.
So i continued thinking as she continued to grunt and further wedge herself in: what would it take? The need to be fork-lifted from her house? A hurricane constantly following her around like she was Eeyore? Problems usually don't sneak up on us, they occur because we were ignoring the warning signs.
i need to go listen to the remastered mix of "waiting room" now. WWID (what would ian do).
Jul 25, 2006
What's Wrong With America?
What's wrong with america? Helmets! Yes, america's problems (well most of them) all come back to helmets.
Back when i was a kid we only wore helmets when we played league hockey or when we were pretending to be intergalactic bounty hunters working for Darth Vader. Not when on skateboards, bikes, rollerskates, or any other moving object handed down, bought, or poorly constructed out of scrap wood and random wheels from the garage.
Modern parents send their kids off to bed wearing helmets for fear of their heads hitting the pillow. "Yeah you sarcastic bastard", you may be saying, "but now most kids have all their fingers, toes, and both their eyes as they enter adulthood in our more safety-aware society." Yes, they are in better exterior physical condition but they lack the intestinal fortitude.
Native Americans used to keep a watchful eye on their youth. They wouldn't allow kids to walk into fires but they'd let them get close enough to feel a slight burn. What better way to gain respect for fire? Lesson learned and no permanent damage. The Nun's used to randomly threaten us with violence to teach us... well i haven't exactly figured that one out yet..but...hit your head once and you will never want to do that ever again. Your subconscious will help you to do all kinds of acrobatics every time you fall to keep you from banging your melon again. In addition, you will make very conscious decisions to keep from hitting your head again.
The thought of luging head first down a hill on an contraption you built out of spare plywood and your sister's old doll carriage suddenly doesn't seen like such a good idea. If, however, you have spent your life all cushioned out without a scar or bruise to show for yourself you are unaware of the potential cost of your hair-brained schemes. This is the real ramification of an overly safe childhood.
The realization of consequences help us make better decisions. Protection from too many childhood consequences could possibly even cause a detachment from our own sense of human-ness (that part of us that realizes that we are fragile little critters). With a frame of reference gone a lack of empathy for other's human-ness easily follows. This quickly leads to bad decisions. Bad decisions is what has led us to where we find ourselves now.
G.W.B. may say terrorists, i say helmets. Either way i'm not fond of either (or all three for that matter).
A wiser man than myself once said "bones heal and chicks dig scars..."
Back when i was a kid we only wore helmets when we played league hockey or when we were pretending to be intergalactic bounty hunters working for Darth Vader. Not when on skateboards, bikes, rollerskates, or any other moving object handed down, bought, or poorly constructed out of scrap wood and random wheels from the garage.
Modern parents send their kids off to bed wearing helmets for fear of their heads hitting the pillow. "Yeah you sarcastic bastard", you may be saying, "but now most kids have all their fingers, toes, and both their eyes as they enter adulthood in our more safety-aware society." Yes, they are in better exterior physical condition but they lack the intestinal fortitude.
Native Americans used to keep a watchful eye on their youth. They wouldn't allow kids to walk into fires but they'd let them get close enough to feel a slight burn. What better way to gain respect for fire? Lesson learned and no permanent damage. The Nun's used to randomly threaten us with violence to teach us... well i haven't exactly figured that one out yet..but...hit your head once and you will never want to do that ever again. Your subconscious will help you to do all kinds of acrobatics every time you fall to keep you from banging your melon again. In addition, you will make very conscious decisions to keep from hitting your head again.
The thought of luging head first down a hill on an contraption you built out of spare plywood and your sister's old doll carriage suddenly doesn't seen like such a good idea. If, however, you have spent your life all cushioned out without a scar or bruise to show for yourself you are unaware of the potential cost of your hair-brained schemes. This is the real ramification of an overly safe childhood.
The realization of consequences help us make better decisions. Protection from too many childhood consequences could possibly even cause a detachment from our own sense of human-ness (that part of us that realizes that we are fragile little critters). With a frame of reference gone a lack of empathy for other's human-ness easily follows. This quickly leads to bad decisions. Bad decisions is what has led us to where we find ourselves now.
G.W.B. may say terrorists, i say helmets. Either way i'm not fond of either (or all three for that matter).
A wiser man than myself once said "bones heal and chicks dig scars..."
Jul 23, 2006
A Definition of "Punk"
After quite some time now with the contemplation of 'what is punk' i believe i have finally come to the proper answer. It can be found in a single word. Any more is too much. Sincerity.
Henry Rollins, Joey Ramone, Joe Strummer, Ian McKaye... what can be deducted about punk from these four names (except that maybe Joseph is the most punk name possible)? Any list of punk bands or artists would easily lead to an eclectic group at least. Impassioned discussions would quickly erupt: do Blink-182 count? and: is Johnny Rotten really just a hyperactive hair dresser?
Is it the fashion-sensed California Punk with the biggest mohawk, plaid riot pants, and safety-pin flair? Is it the East Coast Punk in army surplus with a decisive political stance (on everything)? Is it the Gutter Punk? Is it the most tattoos? The most piercings? The one who pissed off their dad and mum the most?
Like all good musical and artistic movements punk is constantly evolving and differs form region to region, country to country. As soon as you put a hairstyle, time signature, song length, or pant size on it someone, somewhere is going to redefine it and slide out from under the label. Done once is original, twice is a movement, three times is getting old.
So, what is it that all these people, all these groups have in common? Uncompromised sincerity. Punk is having a set of strong ideals and living every moment, every breath according to those ideals (whatever they may be) without compromise. Being sincerely YOU every minute of every day.
Henry Rollins, Joey Ramone, Joe Strummer, Ian McKaye... what can be deducted about punk from these four names (except that maybe Joseph is the most punk name possible)? Any list of punk bands or artists would easily lead to an eclectic group at least. Impassioned discussions would quickly erupt: do Blink-182 count? and: is Johnny Rotten really just a hyperactive hair dresser?
Is it the fashion-sensed California Punk with the biggest mohawk, plaid riot pants, and safety-pin flair? Is it the East Coast Punk in army surplus with a decisive political stance (on everything)? Is it the Gutter Punk? Is it the most tattoos? The most piercings? The one who pissed off their dad and mum the most?
Like all good musical and artistic movements punk is constantly evolving and differs form region to region, country to country. As soon as you put a hairstyle, time signature, song length, or pant size on it someone, somewhere is going to redefine it and slide out from under the label. Done once is original, twice is a movement, three times is getting old.
So, what is it that all these people, all these groups have in common? Uncompromised sincerity. Punk is having a set of strong ideals and living every moment, every breath according to those ideals (whatever they may be) without compromise. Being sincerely YOU every minute of every day.
Carbon Sequestering
Carbon sequestering is as poorly conceived a solution as putting filters on cigarettes.
World Cup '06
Why soccer is not working in the US:
First- Coverage: The coverage of soccer in this country is such an after thought that it is difficult to take it seriously even as a true soccer fan. i can only image someone new to the sport trying to get into it watching US coverage. The most viewed sporting event in the world and it gets regular interruptions with golf updates (don't get me started about golf as a sport for people who can not play sports...if you don't need to be in shape to do it, it is not a sport). The Superbowl would not be interrupted if there was a natural disaster. Poker championships and domino tournaments (as seen regularly after WC games) get more coverage than soccer on a yearly basis. You need extra cable channels just to see the sport of soccer.
Continuing with coverage comes the commentators:
Pretty haired, i sound like Jesse "the body" Ventura, all around imbecile Balboa (not to be confused with Rocky...that guy could kick my ass, even if i was allowed to headbutt). After Henry of France gave the universal sign for "why can't my teammates thread the fuckin' needle for me" (not to be confused with the universal sign for "i'm choking") Balboa claimed that Henry was finally getting excited and passionate about the game. From constantly defending the drama-queen dives of teams like Italy and Portugal to praising failed soccer techniques circa 1988, Balboa seemed knowledgeable compared to O'Brien: a baseball announcer? Was everyone else in this country who knows anything about soccer busy the day of commentator sign- ups? The Lifetime network could have picked better announcers, unfortunately none of us males would have been allowed to watch if they were airing the games.
This segments nicely into the lone female during the halftime reports: Foundy. She is an amazing soccer player. i am not as amazing a soccer player but i am equally as capable of sounding like an idiot on TV. Can i have a job at ESPN? It would be a nice break from teaching. With sentences spoken reminiscent of an 'English as a second language' student i found soccer knowledge being sucked out of my brain as i made the universal shoulder shrug for "what?" (misinterpreted by Balboa as a complement on his well-groomed fu-manchu).
Next- Heart:
American soccer at the national level lacks heart. The only way to get respect on the field is to earn it. During the '02 World Cup the US did better than anyone expected, getting wins through sheer determination and will, ultimately losing to an impressive German team who made it to the finals. The US started to get some respect and there was buzz surrounding the team this year as we all anxiously waited to see what they would do...and they sucked. All gained from the previous WC was lost.
Why the lack of performance? Heart. With all too many US players coddled and supported by minivan support crews taking them to every practice, bringing orange slices to every game, and giving "you're still MY champ" pep-talks after losses the style of play (in the MLS as well) looks to say: aw, it's just a game. When players from countries like Brazil (and many others) immerse themselves in soccer as an escape from difficult financial/social issues they develop skills and passion lacking in too many (but not all) US players. There are many players with such heart in the US but too often it is the upper- middle-class players with overwhelming support who find themselves with opportunities to be seen. They have the right doors open up for them. This has become an all too common scene in this country in all aspects of our society. Combine this with American coaches of a generation that did not grow up with soccer and it is no wonder that a "US style" of soccer has not truthfully been seen on the international field. We need coaches that understand how WE play soccer and use that to our advantage rather than trying to get our players to play like europeans or south americans.
*(i think a revolutionary coach could find a handful of good finishers in this country and play a 3-4-3 or dare i say 3-3-4, offensive heavy team. Except the fact that you will let in some goals but count on an ability to just score more than you let in. With 3 or 4 up front, compared to the 1 or 2 so common in current national play, you would see an increase in goals scored -reminiscent of earlier soccer- and an offense seeing more one on one challenges against a back line rather than the current one on two or one on three challenges we see today in a defense heavy era.)
Lastly, the G6 World Cup will go on record as the cup that got out of hand- at every level. With record card numbers and too many games heavily swayed by officiating, very little soccer was witnessed due to constant breaks in momentum due to whistles and regular prizes awarded to dives. All who have gone out on the field, at one point or another, have been pushed to their personal limit by repetitive cheap shots, poor sportsmanship, and trash talk within a 90 minute game. Now imagine you made it to 110th minute of an emotional game...your entire inspired career you have been faced with commentary on being the child of poor immigrants from a war torn Muslim country, growing up in a tough town, very close to family...and someone takes the trash talk just a step too far. In a day and age when the lines seem to be constantly moving and fading, someone on a rectangular piece of turf drew the line. He may have just gained an unlikely fan.
Maybe soccer CAN save us all. i hope something can.
First- Coverage: The coverage of soccer in this country is such an after thought that it is difficult to take it seriously even as a true soccer fan. i can only image someone new to the sport trying to get into it watching US coverage. The most viewed sporting event in the world and it gets regular interruptions with golf updates (don't get me started about golf as a sport for people who can not play sports...if you don't need to be in shape to do it, it is not a sport). The Superbowl would not be interrupted if there was a natural disaster. Poker championships and domino tournaments (as seen regularly after WC games) get more coverage than soccer on a yearly basis. You need extra cable channels just to see the sport of soccer.
Continuing with coverage comes the commentators:
Pretty haired, i sound like Jesse "the body" Ventura, all around imbecile Balboa (not to be confused with Rocky...that guy could kick my ass, even if i was allowed to headbutt). After Henry of France gave the universal sign for "why can't my teammates thread the fuckin' needle for me" (not to be confused with the universal sign for "i'm choking") Balboa claimed that Henry was finally getting excited and passionate about the game. From constantly defending the drama-queen dives of teams like Italy and Portugal to praising failed soccer techniques circa 1988, Balboa seemed knowledgeable compared to O'Brien: a baseball announcer? Was everyone else in this country who knows anything about soccer busy the day of commentator sign- ups? The Lifetime network could have picked better announcers, unfortunately none of us males would have been allowed to watch if they were airing the games.
This segments nicely into the lone female during the halftime reports: Foundy. She is an amazing soccer player. i am not as amazing a soccer player but i am equally as capable of sounding like an idiot on TV. Can i have a job at ESPN? It would be a nice break from teaching. With sentences spoken reminiscent of an 'English as a second language' student i found soccer knowledge being sucked out of my brain as i made the universal shoulder shrug for "what?" (misinterpreted by Balboa as a complement on his well-groomed fu-manchu).
Next- Heart:
American soccer at the national level lacks heart. The only way to get respect on the field is to earn it. During the '02 World Cup the US did better than anyone expected, getting wins through sheer determination and will, ultimately losing to an impressive German team who made it to the finals. The US started to get some respect and there was buzz surrounding the team this year as we all anxiously waited to see what they would do...and they sucked. All gained from the previous WC was lost.
Why the lack of performance? Heart. With all too many US players coddled and supported by minivan support crews taking them to every practice, bringing orange slices to every game, and giving "you're still MY champ" pep-talks after losses the style of play (in the MLS as well) looks to say: aw, it's just a game. When players from countries like Brazil (and many others) immerse themselves in soccer as an escape from difficult financial/social issues they develop skills and passion lacking in too many (but not all) US players. There are many players with such heart in the US but too often it is the upper- middle-class players with overwhelming support who find themselves with opportunities to be seen. They have the right doors open up for them. This has become an all too common scene in this country in all aspects of our society. Combine this with American coaches of a generation that did not grow up with soccer and it is no wonder that a "US style" of soccer has not truthfully been seen on the international field. We need coaches that understand how WE play soccer and use that to our advantage rather than trying to get our players to play like europeans or south americans.
*(i think a revolutionary coach could find a handful of good finishers in this country and play a 3-4-3 or dare i say 3-3-4, offensive heavy team. Except the fact that you will let in some goals but count on an ability to just score more than you let in. With 3 or 4 up front, compared to the 1 or 2 so common in current national play, you would see an increase in goals scored -reminiscent of earlier soccer- and an offense seeing more one on one challenges against a back line rather than the current one on two or one on three challenges we see today in a defense heavy era.)
Lastly, the G6 World Cup will go on record as the cup that got out of hand- at every level. With record card numbers and too many games heavily swayed by officiating, very little soccer was witnessed due to constant breaks in momentum due to whistles and regular prizes awarded to dives. All who have gone out on the field, at one point or another, have been pushed to their personal limit by repetitive cheap shots, poor sportsmanship, and trash talk within a 90 minute game. Now imagine you made it to 110th minute of an emotional game...your entire inspired career you have been faced with commentary on being the child of poor immigrants from a war torn Muslim country, growing up in a tough town, very close to family...and someone takes the trash talk just a step too far. In a day and age when the lines seem to be constantly moving and fading, someone on a rectangular piece of turf drew the line. He may have just gained an unlikely fan.
Maybe soccer CAN save us all. i hope something can.
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