Friday, September 30, 2005

Off the Chain

T-minus three hours until departure. I don't have time to make a long post with all the details about the upcoming onslaught, but you people who are included know who you are and know how to get ahold of me. Either email me (on my personal, not blog) account in the next 2.5 hours or call my cellphone with any questions. Tonight- downtown, probably by 10:30 or 11:00. I will call Speedy, Blando, Mary, and Schwarsky when I get there. K-Rock, LongMan, and Screwsan will be right behind me. I'll pick up the BigBro at the Piano Lounge and then meet you all whereever.

Tomorrow- Tailgate in front of the Law School, 8:45 sharp, look for the blue truck with the beirut table in front of it. Kickoff at 11:10, let me know where y'all will be if you're not going to the game. Night time activities to be determined later in the evening. If you're to be included, you'll be contacted in advance.

I hope everyone has a great weekend. I'll be back Sunday to recount all events that don't become immediately classified.

Go Hawks.

T

Thursday, September 29, 2005

A symphony of permanence and change.

That's how Bonaro W. Overstreet described October. I like it.

Today was really an autumn day for me: I turned off my A/C last night and cracked a window and I wore a jacket to work for the first time since last spring. The days are getting shorter and although the weather is still beautiful, the end of a terrific summer season, both for weather and in the lives of the Offering faithful, is nigh.

Here are a few autumn thoughts for you today, in the spirit of the upcoming month of October and the upcoming weekend fall celebration which always ranks up there among my favorites- Homecoming and football.

All-cheering Plenty, with her flowing horn, Led yellow Autumn, wreath'd with nodding corn.
-Robert Burn, from Brigs of Ayr

It was Autumn, and incessant Piped the quails from shocks and sheaves, And, like living coals, the apples Burned among the withering leaves.
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Pegasus in Pound

Every season hath its pleasure; Spring may boast her flowery prime, Yet the vineyard's ruby treasuries Brighten Autumn's sob'rer time.
-Thomas Moore, Spring and Autumn

Sorrow and the scarlet leaf, Sad thoughts and sunny weather; Ah me! this glory and this grief Agree not well together!
-Thomas W. Parsons, A Song for September

Autumn for me is a daily reminder of some of the best years of my life, when I lived in the most spectacular place in the country during the fall- central Vermont. The weather was utterly awful for most of the year there, but for about 6 weeks in the fall, it was the most pleasant place I have ever been. Okay, enough about the seasons.

Songs of the Day- Green Onions, by Booker T and the MGs, and Temptation, by Billy Joel. I heard that one this morning on my way out, and haven't heard it in a long time. It's a good one.
"I never claimed to be a hero and I never said that I was a saint."
Have a good Thursday.



Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Un-PC Stink from the Walls of Pink

There is a debate raging right now, and it is beyond asinine. As you may know, the visiting locker rooms at the University of Iowa have been painted pink for many years, because Hayden Fry was a psychology major and thought that it would provide an advantage because it would calm opponents down and theoretically downgrade their intensity on the field or court.

Now, led by some UI Law professors without enough to do, there is a movement to get rid of the pink interior design because pink is the color of "girls and feminine men", and therefore the statement the pink locker rooms make is homophobic and bigoted.

Have you ever heard of anything stupider to argue about? Now, I went to the U of I Law School. I paid them my tuition money, and they gave me a law degree. I feel pretty confident in saying that there are a TON of things that professors and students can do to make the school a better place and cultivate debate and discussion on IMPORTANT things, instead of wasting their time with an absolutely irrelevant social cause like the color of the locker rooms at the stadium.

The argument is illogical: the pink is for psychological effects, (just like the photos of historical All-Big Ten and All-American Hawkeyes in the visiting locker rooms), not to make a statement like "Pink is for sissies, you're in a pink room, therefore you're a sissy." If that were true, wouldn't it have the opposite effect of enraging opponents?

And, the result, no matter what logic says, is completely unimportant. It will never have any effect on the rights of homosexuals, the perception of them in society, or bigotry at large. To say that Hayden Fry was doing something homophobic or bigoted when he decided to paint the locker rooms pink is probably one of the dumbest things I have ever heard. And to top it off, now the NCAA is getting involved.

You can read the Daily Iowan story here.

Having spent a lot of time with law professors and similar academics, I can say that I was never crazy about them. To me, most of them seemed like self-important people that mistook their own natural intelligence for a license to preach from on high. This isn't helping.

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Warning: Train Wreck Ahead


Well, I am officially ready for Homecoming. These weekends always involve more hijinks than expected, and are always more brutal than expected given the long drive involved. But it's a football Saturday and we are going to roll especially deep this time around, which increases the odds of a truly epic battle with our morals and our livers.

The roster arriving from the East looks like this: Yours Truly, TheGirl, Gate, Sarah, K-Rock, LongMan, GUnit (I still consider him a Chicago crew member), Mary, et al (Kara, Emily, etc.)*, Screwsan, et al (Jen, etc.)**, Whit, et al***.

It's a formidable team. We'll be joined in IC by the likes of the BigBrother, Speedy, Blando, Schwartzky, and a host of other hawkeye fans in the mood to celebrate. It should be a fountain of bad judgment.

Look for a trip around the ped mall Friday night, because we will likely be getting in too late to plan anything, although I may try to put together a last-minute party to get the One Year Countdown Celebration started off right. Saturday will almost certainly involve a tailgate around the law school somewhere, and the evening may involve a throwback house party at a location that will be disclosed when it is set in stone. Details on that a little bit later.

If you have plans for the homecoming festivities and want to include any of the Offering faithful, post a comment here or email me. I'll try to let appropriate parties know.

As usual, it's only Tuesday and I'm ready to rock. I've got a fever (literally and figuratively) and the only prescription (besides more cowbell) is a hometown party. Hope to see you all there.

* It's always nice to get some new Chicagoans who don't shy away from double Jager bombs at 9:00 AM. Welcome to the team.

** Jen, it's been a while, but we're looking forward to seeing you. Also, thanks for driving me to Vermont 7 years ago.

*** Long time no see for a football game. Northwestern game this year?

Let's Start the Kick Circle

I shirk blame and responsibility as much as the next guy, but this is ridiculous. Mike Brown earned himself a PhD in buck-passing today as he laid blame for the FEMA cluster-f**k in New Orleans on everyone but himself. The two mistakes he took credit for- not enough media briefings, and his inability to get Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin to coordinate a response. Spare me.

This, to me, is a direct result of the chief executive opening the doors for every friend they have ever had once they win the election. Time Magazine's report on this phenomenon during the Bush administration is an excellent summary of such a practice. The disaster in New Orleans, and the response that followed, is an object lesson in what happens when you give your frat brothers jobs with actual responsibility.

This is not a rant. In the case of Brown, it's been well-documented. Here is Brown's official White House bio and his FEMA bio. Here is an article by CNN questioning his actual experience, and another by Time Magazine showing the inaccuracies of his resume.

When I lived in Washington DC, I spent a significant amount of time with a friend who worked on Bush's 2000 campaign. The campaign managers (who, of course, later became Bush's senior staff) simply told all the campaign staff to show up at the White House to get their job assignments after inauguration. My particular friend ended up at EPA to start off. Now, I understand that you have to bring your people with you, and as the friend of many talented and ambitious people, I fully expect a job should any of them be elected or appointed to a position of power. But let's at least take a cursory glance at actual experience or qualifications that would make someone able to do a job before just handing over the keys to a federal agency. In this instance, the Brown nomination likely cost human lives.

This weblog is starting to look eerily leftist. I am not a leftist, and I do not want to discourage conservatives from reading/contributing. In fact, I was a registered Republican for many years, and even worked for some Republican causes. It just so happens that the current political climate is at odds with the recent actions of the administration, and that administration happens to be conservative. This is a non-partisan discussion.

With that said, let's talk some sh** about Mike Brown.

Monday, September 26, 2005

Alternative Giving

Offering regular GRide made the reasonable point that while hurricane charity donations have been outstanding in recent weeks and months, other charities that people normally donate time and money to are suffering because of the urgency of the Katrina devastation and displacement. We should not, therefore, forget that there are other causes out there that are worthy of our attention, but more importantly, our money. In that spirit, here is a cause that GRide feels is a good one and also needs your help-

Make A Wish.

Now, that isn't to say that you should stop helping the hundreds of thousands displaced by the hurricane, but we here at the Offering will try make public service announcements about other charities that are doing good things as well.

And since we're talking about the Make-A-Wish Foundation, here's a good story- Last week Charlie Weis visited 10-year old Montana Mazurkiewicz, who was dying from an inoperable brain tumor. A huge Irish fan, his biggest wish was to call the first play for Notre Dame against Washington on Saturday. He wanted a pass play to the right, and even though Notre Dame got the ball on their own 1-yard line on the first possession, making a pass play very risky, Weis kept his promise. Brady Quinn rolled out right and hit tight end Anthony Fasano for a 13-yard gain. Montana never saw the play. He died Friday night.

GRide is right- there are lots of good causes out there. We'll try to highlight some of them here at the Offering, and we'll start today with making wishes like Montana's come true.

If you have a cause that you would like the Offering to link to, send me an email or post a comment on the blog.
Hello world. It's a cloudy, rainy Monday, and the train was especially crowded today. Not the way I like to get things kicked off, but I have a feeling this week is going to by by very fast, with the crew getting ready for the trip westward for Homecoming festivities this weekend. I have to get a deal closed before I can leave, so I may be living at the office this week.

There was quite a lot of new TV last night for you, with the premieres of the West Wing (with the Democratic ticket of Matt Santos and Leo McGarry clashing over campaign strategy and Donna Moss getting rejected by Josh Lyman for a job on the campaign after she shredded Santos while working for Bob Russell), Desperate Housewives (where we found out that Mike is the father of Zach, and the new neighbors are apparently keeping a gimp chained up in their basement), and new Simpsons and Family Guy episodes (hilarious as usual, except the Family Guy took a shot at Will Ferrell for making Bewitched, which I didn't see but heard was pretty average but funny at times).

I caught the West Wing, and parts of the rest of them...the writing on Desperate Housewives leaves a lot to be desired, but it's entertaining enough to cover up for that. The West Wing, I'm sad to say, never recovered from Aaron Sorkin leaving the show. The cast shake-ups have been pretty questionable since then (I never thought I would say that Rob Lowe contributed a lot to an ensemble cast, but his character going off the map didn't help things) and now the show is a shell of what it used to be. Back in the day (Bartlett's first term, re-election, etc...) that show had the quickest, sharpest dialogue, funny moments, smart enough not to bore you but not over your head or pretentious...it was definitely my favorite show. Now, most of the characters I like are either gone or completely different than they used to be, and they are banking on Jimmy Smits and Alan Alda to carry the show. Could be trouble.

Bad weekend for violence in the mideast, with a Chinook helicopter downed in Afghanistan, more suicide bombs in Iraq, and Israeli missiles in Gaza. I feel tired of seeing these stories every single Monday morning. When I'm president, things will be different.

Song stuck in my head today- Fallen For You, by Sheila Nicholls, off of the High Fidelity soundtrack. Nice song. Not sure why I have it stuck in my head today, but check it out if you like british folky ballad-type stuff. Pretty sappy, but good.

And I hoped the day could be
When you'd write a song for me
But it never came
I thank you all the same
But I'll go now
so you won't know how much I've
Fallen for
You
Check out my pal Screwsan's blog, who earned her nickname for her ability to manipulate men to her own selfish ends with her various talents. She and I go way back, all the way to high school, when we dated and I had to broom her for her misbehavior. Anyway, she's a great writer, a funny person, and we've been tight for 10 years now. The regulars will all see her this weekend, which we're looking forward to.
Finally, I am getting email indicating there is some increased readership here at the Offering. Remember, it's your blog too. Please feel free to comment by going to www.blogger.com and getting a username (you do NOT have to have a blog to comment, just complete step 1 of the registration process). Then you can click on the pencil below any post and weigh in. Very easy and painless, I promise. If you prefer to have me publish commentary for you or you would like to see a certain topic covered, please feel free to email me. If it is interesting or lewd, I will certainly post it.
Have a great day. I will hopefully be back with more later today or tonight. Let me hear ya.
T

Sunday, September 25, 2005

It's 4:22 AM as I log on. But I wanted to post a quick message because today was DEFINITELY one of the most fun, most complete weekend days I have had in a long time. It was just stupendous, and it was due in part to a lot of people.

It started early, about 7:30 AM. Me, K-Rock, Gate, and Dolph got together and went to the local grocery outlet for $300 in bagels and liquor. We had a little get-together for the Hawkeye game, the result of which was the only brutal part of the day. In any event, it was a great time. We were joined by TheDad and most of the regulars as well as the ever-popular Mary and Kara...which is looking like a consistent recipe for success.

After the game, I attended Carmen for Opening Night at the Chicago Lyric Opera, which was just fantastic. Denyce Graves, who has a beautiful voice, did a tremendous job as Carmen and graced us with her presence at a midnight dinner afterward at the Gala Ball, which was a phenomenal event. Great food, a great job by the staff at the downtown Hilton, great band, and priceless people-watching. Big ups go to TheDad for putting together such a fun evening. Truly memorable.

Things wrapped up by a late-night beer pong grudge match at Gate's house, where he and I took two of three from GRide and K-Rock.

For all that were there, thank you for coming out. Thank you to the lovely Sarah and Gate for cleaning my place top to bottom while I was out rubbing elbows with the opera lovers of Chicago. I am already looking forward to seeing you all in IC next weekend for the Homecoming festivities and the Kick-Off Celebration Party on Friday night, commemorating one year until the Big Day.

I started distributing copies of the summer compilation today, email me if you want to get your dirty mitts on a copy.

Have a great end to the weekend. Go Bears.

...and as usual, if you can, please help people that are having a far worse weekend than you are because of the recent damage of Rita and the ongoing saga of Katrina. You can go here to lend a hand. Believe me, it will be appreciated.

See you soon.

Saturday, September 24, 2005

Good showing Friday night. It wasn't a late night, but it was a quality night. Me, Gate, the lovely Sarah, TheGirl, and I went out with TheDad tonight, and we had a good time. We ended the night by doing an AYCD with K-Rock at McGees, and it was well worth it. Tomorrow (actually today) the Hawks dominate the Bucks at their house and we celebrate. I hope that the weekend has started as well for you all as it did for me.

Please, if you can, extend some love to those in the Gulf Coast. They need it now more than ever. If you've extended a helping hand, the Offering thanks you.

Friday, September 23, 2005

"It's Friday. You ain't got no job, and you ain't got s*** to do." What movie is that from? The answer is here.

Happy Friday everyone. It's looking like a great weekend...the Hawks are gearing up for an epic tilt at the Horseshoe against Ohio State and this is the game that we need to win to get our season back on track. I think it's fair to say we haven't really put it all together yet this year (Ball State is one of the worst teams in the nation) so this will be a big test for us.

TheDad is in town this weekend for the big Lyric Opera Gala, which I will be attending tomorrow night. The opera is Carmen, which should be fabulous. Before that, I will be hosting a large brunch in my tiny apartment for the Hawk game, which should be equally as fabulous.

Props to my buddy at work A-Nizzle for being a loyal reader of the Offering. I now get flak for not posting early enough in the day.

Hurricane Rita has weakened to a Category 3 but has already started damaging the Gulf Coast, so keep the residents of Galveston, Houston, New Orleans, and coastal Mississippi and Texas in your thoughts this weekend. If you're so inclined, help them out as well.

Also, one more thing- if you would like to try some electronic music for people that don't like electronic music, check out Daft Punk's Discovery. It's melodic, fun, and worth a listen.

Have a great weekend.

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

I'm burning copies of the Summer CD, entitled "Digital Celebration", as I write this. I made some last minute changes, and here it is-

1. Over My Head (Cable Car) - The Fray
2. The District Sleeps Alone- Postal Service
3. Sugar (Gimme Some)- Trick Daddy
4. Beverly Hills- Weezer
5. Feeling Good- Michael Buble
6. Digital Love- Daft Punk
7. Otherside- Red Hot Chili Peppers
8. This Modern Love- Bloc Party
9. Celebration- Kanye West
10. Two Versions of Me- Phish
11. Blinded in Crosstown Traffic (While Thinking of Something Else)- You, Me & Iowa
12. Poppin' Them Thangs- G-Unit
13. Angels of the Silences- Counting Crows (from Vh1 Storytellers)
14. Jenny Was A Friend of Mine- The Killers
15. I'm So Fly- Lloyd Banks
16. Crooked Teeth- Death Cab for Cutie
17. Pictures of Success- Rilo Kiley

I think it is going to be a great CD for your car. I've already burned a handful of copies while writing this, so find me sometime and I'll bring a bunch of copies with me this weekend to the Ohio State viewing and next when we start my last year as a solo artist on Friday, September 30 in Iowa City at the One Year Countdown Celebration. Have a great evening.
It's a date. The Big Day, when I end my career as a solo artist by marrying TheGirl, will be Saturday, September 30, 2006. The festivities will be held here, at the Entrada Golf Club in St. George, Utah. The website doesn't have much content up yet, but TheGirl and MomInLaw took it for a couple of test drives earlier this month and gave it the thumbs-up. Hey- it's a Johnny Miller-designed golf course (including the absolutely monstrous 613-yard par 5 9th hole) with a nice clubhouse and it's less than 90 minutes from Vegas. What more do I need to know?

The gross weather has passed in the Windy City and today is a picture-perfect early fall day. Hurricane Rita, however, is now a Category 1 storm and is over the Florida Keys now, and is expected to make landfall on the Gulf Coast sometime this weekend, when it could be a Category 3. Repopulation of New Orleans has been delayed and they are expecting more water damage from this next hurricane.

I know I've said it a million times, but if you can do anything to help these victims as they get hit by yet another storm, please do so. If you would like to donate, you can go here or here. Both of these funds will go directly to relief from the Katrina disaster.

One more funny news note today- apparently there is now a Mrs. America Pageant, where, I assume, be married to compete, although the winner has two kids, which makes me think this thing must have sported the largest concentration of MILFs the world has ever known. It doesn't have quite the same ring as Miss America, but it's still good stuff. Next I think they should have a Baby's Momma Pageant (unmarried women taking care of kids), a Single Father Pageant (unmarried men taking care of kids), and maybe a Deadbeat Dad pageant, where the winner would have to hand over his prize to the kids that he doesn't support, and the losers all get handed over to whatever state agency tracks deadbeat dads.

Time to get some work done. What are you working on today?

Monday, September 19, 2005

Looks like someone has a case of the Mondays. Hello everyone. How was the weekend? Mine was pretty good, albeit a little weird. Started things off by getting some free tix to the Cubs game Friday afternoon, which we won in convincing fashion. Friday night I went out with Gate et al, but we turned in early (3:00) so we could get up and play cards before hitting the bars for the Iowa game Saturday. We turned in another stellar Saturday morning performance, although the Hawkeye defense looked vulnerable and the players knew it after the win against UNI. We can safely assume that if we play like we did against UNI or Iowa State next weekend at Ohio State, we will get beat by 4 touchdowns.

We didn't prove to have the longevity on Saturday as we did last week, opting instead for dinner in Lakeview, a few beers and bedtime. The Bears, on the other hand, looked dominating in a blowout win over the Lions, with TDs on offense, defense, and special teams. I would say there is no more wide-open division than the NFC North right now... The Vikes and Packers still haven't won yet, the Lions looked very beatable, as did the Bears in Week 1...8-8 could well win the division. That's good news for Bears fans, because 8-8 may be the best we can muster.

It's a rainy day here in Chicago, dark and windy in the morning. This week is going to be a long one, I can just tell...what are you up to this week?

Finally, last night I saw the movie Lord of War with Nick Cage and Jared Leto. It was fairly average, I thought it did a good job of telling the story, but had some absolutely terrible dialogue and Nick Cage as narrator can be a little tough to pull off at times. It had some cool scenes, and since a lot of it took place in West Africa (Sierra Leone, Liberia, and some unnamed places), there were some gut-wrenching scenes too. Overall, worth seeing I suppose. I read some of the reviews, which were surprisingly positive, before seeing it and one person commented that it may work better as a documentary, since it was based on real events and real arms dealers did a lot of the consulting and loaned the crew a lot of the weapons/vehicles for the set. It they are all there and all the stuff is real, why not make it a documentary? Anyway, I thought it was an interesting comment. Next up for me is the Constant Gardener.

Have a good Monday. 6 days until Ohio State.

Friday, September 16, 2005

TGIF. It's a rainy, cold day in Chicago again, but it looks like the clouds may pass and give us some good weekend weather. I'm going to be at Sedgwick's early tomorrow morning to play some cards and watch the Hawks. All Hawkeye fans are welcome to come and join me and the rest of the Hawkeye faithful. Look for us up front this time, we're hoping to get a seat in front of the projector screen. Plans for post-game Saturday are still somewhat loose, but I am probably going to be doing something awesome. Stay tuned.

Summer CD will be burning tonight and tomorrow. If you are reading this blog, I probably like you enough to get you a copy.

We haven't talked politics in a while, so let's get into it. Do you agree with the resentful reaction to Bush's speech from New Orleans last night? And perhaps even more important, do you believe his mea culpa to be genuine or a political move to make him seem like he is stepping up to the plate for his people that are screwing things up down there? It's hard for me to think that any apology he offers is ever genuine because he always has that smug, smarmy attitude about policy failures or bad news...as if we think they are going bad because we either aren't sophisticated enough to understand the issues or don't have enough information to make an informed decision. I always said that my biggest issue with this administration was not so much the policy decisions it makes (which can be reasonably debated), but the arrogance with which they go about the business of the country. Weigh in.

Thursday, September 15, 2005


It's official. Bloc Party rocks. I saw their show last night at the Congress Theater, a venue that leaves a lot to be desired, but they played a good show. They are a british power pop band that sounds somewhat like Rush or a similar heavy rock band, but with a lot of effects and loops and some Dismemberment Plan-esque guitar weirdness. Really good. If there were any weaknesses, I would say the lead vocals were a little sloppy. Kele Okereke is obviously a talented performer, but he tends to sing in a monotone and misses a lot of notes. I give the show an 8.25/10. If you like fast, tight, interesting british indie power pop, check them out when they come to your town. I would definitely see them again.

Some good song suggestions on yesterday's post. I added some Kanye West, Ryan Adams & the Cardinals, Decemberists, and a couple other tunes. Hopefully the compilation will be ready for this weekend. If you want it, you have to come get it.

The weekend is fast approaching (it seems like the weeks go by fast, doesn't it?); what are you up to? I'll be supporting the Hawks on Saturday, location yet to be determined. I was going to have a BBQ and invite everyone over, but a lot of people are out of town this weekend and I don't think I have the personnel for a rowdy party, so we may just be at Sedgwick's again...

Also, I'm looking for something fun to do Friday, as many of my cohorts who are in town will be attending the Sufjan Stevens show without me. Does anyone want to adopt me for the evening? I can offer minimal-yet-acceptable levels of charm, wit, and social restraint, and I will do my best to make non-offensive conversation. If not, Gate and I will probably end up playing one-on-one Beirut in his fancy new kitchen and upsetting his bride-to-be Sarah with our spilled beer and foul language.

It's a dreary day out there, a little chilly with not much sun. Let's hope things improve for the weekend. I think this weekend may touch off a string of good ones, with Ohio State and the Lyric Opera Gala the weekend of the 24th, and then homecoming in IC the following weekend. As a proud alumni of Iowa, I have to go back and relive old times with other people as immature as I am (Speedy, GUnit, I'm looking in your direction).

That's all. Enjoy your Thursday, it's almost time for the weekend.

From "This Modern Love", one of the biggest highlights of last night's show-
Don't get offended
If I seem absent minded
I get tongue-tied
I've never known what's good for me
Baby, you've got to be more demanding
I will be yours
This modern love breaks me
This modern love wastes me

Rock on.
T

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

It blows to admit it, but the summer is over. Every morning on the way to work I can feel summer leaving and fall arriving. Which isn't a bad thing (yet), usually the next 4-5 weeks are beautiful, but it also signals the onset of the worst time in Chicago- the five month winter.

With that in mind, I will be making my annual compilation of summer music this week and handing it out to whomever desires to have it. I will be listening to it for the next month while the weather is still nice and then I will retire it, as is customary, when it becomes too cold and windy to tolerate upbeat and fun music.

Although my music tastes are somewhat eclectic and probably not mainstream, I think the summer compilation is the place for more popular and melodic music, as the season of outdoor parties and street festivals and beer gardens demands it. The only other requirement is that each collection should be representative of the summer in which it was made. That's where you come in. What are your favorite summer songs, and which ones are particular to 2005?

This year's installment will be one volume, and I need a few more nominees. The nominees right now, in no particular order, are-

Over My Head (Cable Car), by The Fray - the record came out yesterday, this song is a mortal lock on my summer soundtrack. I will be checking out this band with Ben Folds at the Chicago Theater on 10/27, and if all goes as planned, will be enjoying an enormous steak with these guys at Gibson's beforehand. Props to my man JDI for getting them on the national stage.

Poppin Them Thangs, by G Unit - I argue that this is the best rhymes that the Big 3 in G-Unit come up with on their debut album, and is good traveling music. In the rotation on my Itunes.

Pictures Of Success, by Rilo Kiley - A sentimental favorite and in the rotation this summer in particular. Probably the last song on the compilation because of its length.

Feeling Good, by Michael Bublé - great crooner song, I am thinking about adding it to my list of songs I can sing at a Karaoke event without completely humiliating myself. I will be debuting that performance at a later date, probably at the Hidden Cove in a drunken stupor.

Blinded In Crosstown Traffic (While Thinking Of Something Else), by You Me & Iowa - A bouncy indie tune that rocks in the car and has a lot of heavy, bubbly bass. Ryan Julio can play the bass, no doubt about it.

I'm so Fly, by Lloyd Banks - This song made me like the new wave of pop-rap. Lloyd Banks was 20 when he recorded this song. Prodigious talent.

The District Sleeps Alone, by The Postal Service - Although the ultimate summer Postal Service song is probably Such Great Heights, that song has been beaten to death. Also, I have listened to DC Sleeps a lot more this year, and like it a lot...

Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine, by The Killers - Not the most pleasant subject matter in the world, but this song makes me want to party and I notice the energy level in the room increase when it is played. In the summer rotation this year.

Beverly Hills, by Weezer - Okay, I admit this is borderline, but I have heard it a lot in bars in July and August and it is reminiscent of the whimsical Blue Album, which has a special place in my heart.

Otherside, by The Red Hot Chili Peppers - This get nominated because when I don't know what I want to listen to, Californication is a default pick and I really like what this song lends to the album. My second favorite Chili Peppers album to BloodSugarSexMagic, there are a bunch of songs off this album that are summer-appropriate.

Right now it has a little of everything, but I need 5 or 6 more songs. Help me out here. I've searching through my music and am stuck. I think maybe the problem is that I listen to too many bands that are brooding, depressing indie rockers.

Whenever I think about making a cd, I always think about the John Cusack monologues in High Fidelity where he talks about the art of the mix tape and how the order and structure must be very precise in order to communicate the idea you are trying to communicate. I just take a lot of songs I like from a particular period in my life and put them on a cd.

Speaking of music, I am seeing Bloc Party tonight at the Congress Theater with K-Rock and that should be a good show.

That's all for now. It's hump day, always a welcome day. Are things looking up for the end of the week? Hard to tell right now...

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

One more thing to post about today. Just one, and I'll be gone. I was going to post about this on Sunday, but I was too tired and hung over. Anyway, I wanted to briefly note that after September 11, 2001, the red cross had to stop taking donations because they had received so much aid that they couldn't distribute it fast enough, something I will return to in a moment.

September 11, 2001 will always be a meaningful day for me because, as some of you may know, Tito Puente and I were at the Pentagon for the entire day and some of the evening. We lived right around the corner from the West entrance to the building in Arlington, VA at the time. I heard the plane hit from the law library at GW in Foggy Bottom. In the confusion (and it was mass confusion, we heard rumors for almost an hour about the Mall being under attack), I ran out and caught the last train home to Virginia, which was only about a 10 minute ride. I woke up Tito, and we ran upstairs to the top of our building, which we shared with the US Marshalls as their operational headquarters. There was a company of Marshalls up there, attack helicopters above us, and F-16s above the helicopters.

We could see from our rooftop that the Pentagon had been attacked and was obviously in bad shape, because it had only been about 30 minutes and most emergency help wasn't there yet. We decided that the best option was to go to the Pentagon to see if we could get in to help in the rescue effort. We ran to the security gate, hopped on the back of a troop transport full of Marines that was rolling through the gate with a Salvation Army supply truck and hitched a ride to the crash site. They handed us gas masks, boxes of bottled water and med kits, and told us to help the troops that were fighting the fire and starting the rescue effort in the offices adjacent to where the plane crashed. They also told us to make sure that we knew that the fourth missing plane, which later turned out to be Flight 93 which crashed in PA, hadn't been found yet. The afternoon and evening was spent doing what we could with the firefighters and troops, and then bagging and tagging parts of the plane with the FBI. When we decided to take a break at around 8:00 PM, we were leaving and they told us that civilians were no longer allowed near the site and if we left we wouldn't be allowed back in. We hadn't heard from lots of family and friends in New York, and similarly, many people hadn't heard from us (most of whom knew we lived next door to the Pentagon). So we left. As expected, we showed up early in the morning on September 12 to go back to our station at the crash site, and we weren't allowed in.

The fact that a foreign enemy was responsible for September 11 made Americans so willing to give to the cause that charitable groups literally couldn't spend the donations fast enough. For many people on the gulf coast, the damage that has been done by the hurricane is equally as devastating.

There were a lot of people at the Pentagon on September 11th that had to be restrained from running into the crash site to try to bring people out. A lot of people in New Orleans are taking similar risks to help those trapped, displaced, or stranded by the hurricane. If you can, please do what you can to help. It's easy to be an American most of the time, so let's remember how good we have it and do our best to help on the rare occasions when it's not.
Good morning. I am feeling talkative this week...I think yesterday's post was the longest in the brief history of the Public Offering, but I am back for more today. Since we've covered sports in detail over the last few posts, let's go another direction.

Yesterday I walked from the office over to N. Michigan Ave. because a monkey suit is required for me to attend this event in two weeks. I'm looking forward to it, although it may conflict with my plans to celebrate Iowa's victory over Ohio State.

Anyway, I bought the monkey suit (in case you are wondering, a subtle satin finish with three buttons, and I went old school with the wing-collared shirt and bow tie. No fratastic straight ties for me. If I am going to party with old people, I have to look the part.) and walked back past the Trib Tower across the bridge, and down Wacker toward my dinner destination, Carmichael's on Monroe.

The monkey suit is not the point of the post. The point is, that area of downtown on the river, right when the sun is going down and all the buildings are red and orange (Trib Tower, Wrigley Building, Renaissance Hotel, Hotel 71, etc) may be my favorite place/time of day in Chicago. I haven't done that walk in a while and it's nice to sometimes remember that we live in scenic city with a lot of fantastic architecture around the river. Obviously, the lakefront is great as well, and you know Wrigley will always be my favorite place to waste an afternoon, but as for a perfect time to walk around a discreet neighborhood, I like the riverfront near Michigan at dusk.

What are your favorite places to walk around Chicago, and what time do you like be there?

Here is my daily calender of my best places to be and walk around-

7:00 AM- Golf course on Lakeshore Drive

9:00- North Beach

1:20- Wrigley Field

6:30- North riverfront, Michigan Avenue

9:00- Grant Park (for the movies)

12:00 Midnight- Signature Lounge on top of the John Hancock

Chime in. Remember you do not need anything except a username to post a comment. Go here, start a profile, pick a username and password, and then click on the pencil below the post. Make your comment, log in, and presto- you've been published on the internet. No suggestive or lewd posts here though, please send those directly to me. If they are classy, I will post them myself.

T

Monday, September 12, 2005

Buon Giorno world. It was a long, at times fantastic, at times disappointing, weekend. To start, the Bears lost, the Hawks lost, and so did the other front-runners in the Big Ten. That's a tough pill to swallow this early in the year, but I guess we'll have to see if either football team can salvage the season. It's still a long road for the Bears, but the Hawks better win out or this season could be considered a disappointment by fans who had high expectations (me).

Friday was definitely good times; a skeleton crew that was missing several forum members attended a charity event for hurricane victims in Wrigleyville. We brought clothes and other assorted cold-weather gear for north-bound evacuees and indulged in an open bar for the cause as well. In case you haven't donated yet to the relief effort, please do so here. There are still thousands of people in dire situations.

Anyway, cheers to those who got together and drank for the cause. It's a good one.

Saturday the lack of Gate and Dolph being on-call for the Iowa game was more than made up for by an impressive game day effort by GRide's First Lady Mary and her band of ruffian Hawk fans. The crowd was in a rowdy mood at Sedgwick's, but it wasn't enough to spur the Hawks to a comeback victory. The loss was followed by a light dinner of Jagermeister and a dry cabernet.

Props to A Long Man and Emily for providing venues for us to drink away the pain of the brutal loss at the hands of the hated Cyclones. That was accomplished with varying degrees of success, with Mary leading the charge and finishing first in the race to checking out for the evening. In any case, I had a great time Saturday, which you can't always say when you get beat that bad in a big game like Iowa State. Here's hoping things turn out differently next week when we take on UNI.

Have a good week at work, school, or on the road (Dolph is carousing in Zurich and Majorca this week and by all reports, having a pretty spectacular run of it over there. Those are some beautiful venues, make the most of it big guy.).

Drinks or lunch this week? I live in the loop these days, it's sad. If you are here all the time too, Email me.

Moving on...here are some thoughts for today. I was feeling a little Greek-y when I woke up, as I re-read some stuff yesterday that I wrote about John Rawls and Aristotle a few years back when I was here. So here are a few things from the Nicomachean Ethics that I like-

"Young people are in a condition like permanent intoxication, because youth is sweet and they are growing." I definitely feel like this most of the time. The question is, for how long?

"What it lies in our power to do, it lies in our power not to do." I wrote about what this means for moral imperatives once, and I always liked it.

"Without friends no one would choose to live, though he had all other goods." Although the translation is bad when you get into words like "friend" ("Philia" in Greek), books 8 and 9 of the Ethics, discussing friends, is good and good-for-you reading. Funny how some stuff doesn't ever become dated.

and finally,
"I'm serious. I'd rather have a sex change than go to Iowa State." Priceless, Mary.

Until soon.

Sunday, September 11, 2005


I want to direct you all to a band that is blowing up, and for good reason. They are from Denver and they put on a good show, and they have a good record coming out. Check out The Fray. Not only do they rock a good bit, but I had the chance to hang out with them when they were in Chicago last time through and they are great guys that really like to play music. Can't front on that. So give them a chance, and if they come through your town, go see them and tell me what you think. I suggest you pick up their single from Itunes, "Over My Head (Cable Car)". And in a few days, grab their album "How to Save a Life". You'll enjoy it. I'll add the link to the website on the right, so it is an all the time thing.

The Hawks sucked today, but what can you do? We simply got beat by a team that wanted it more than we did. It was a crazy weekend and I hope you are reflective this weekend about just how good we all have it, as I am.

"8 seconds left, in overtime",
Tim

Friday, September 09, 2005

Happy Friday, world. It's a short week, which always means that Friday comes up on you quicker than you expect, and then it's a rush to get everything done so you can get out and enjoy the weekend. At least it is for me.

The NFL season is officially upon us, and the college season is in full swing, which means lots of things, but I am going to talk about one here- degenerate gambling. Football is the best sport to gamble on, because all of your bets happen in a concentrated period, the spreads are easy to understand, as is the scoring, and it's more exciting to see your bets play out in football than any other sport. So here we have it. A few gambling tips for your ass to start off the season, courtesy of my favorite internet sports columnist, The Sports Guy.

1. The AFC was 44-20 against the NFC last year. The AFC has gotten better. The NFC has gotten worse.

2. The Rams are 7-19 on the road against the spread in last three years.


I personally like to take home dogs, teams with matchup advantages at the explosive skill positions, and parlay conference powerhouses in college football. For the NFL, it's a crap shoot because of parity and I had a pretty bad record last year, so I won't give out much advice. I do think that the first month of the season is the time to bet heavily on the NFL, because there are always teams that are better than advertised and some that are worse than advertised, and it takes the oddsmakers a while to get that sorted out and make the lines accurate. So bet away. I am taking the Bears +5.5 over the Redskins, Cards +2.5 (at home) over the Giants, and parlay that baby with the Colts -3 at the Ravens. We'll see how that plays out in week 1, and if I turn out to be right, I'll try to post more picks each week. My god, I missed football. Go hawks.

Also, my big brother noticed something hilarious about Iowa State- their punter is named Troy Blankenship, but was (possibly intentionally) mis-named in the Daily Iowan as Todd Blankenship. In case you don't get the reference, there was a funny and popular Deep Thought from Saturday Night Live years ago that went as follows-

"I wish my name was Todd. Then I could say to people, 'Hi, my name is Todd. Todd Blankenship.' Oh yeah, I also wish that my last name was Blankenship."

I'll leave you with that. Have a good weekend. Hope whoever you're rooting for (not Iowa State or the Redskins) win big.

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

Things are good in Hawkeye town. I was in Iowa City over the weekend to hang out with the family, tailgate, and cheer on the Hawks. I was at Kinnick Stadium when the Hawks rolled Ball State 56-0 to open the season. The only drawback to the game was the fact that our starters didn't get much work, and we didn't run very much of the offense. Drew Tate was 9/10 for 99 yards, but only played 6 series and was out midway through the second quarter. The nicest surprise (well, not really a surprise to hard core Hawk fans) was Jason Manson, who is one of the better backup quarterbacks around. He was 9/9 Saturday, and I really feel that he would be a starter on a lot of teams. Half of the Big Ten would probably give him a shot.

We had a tremendous tailgate on Saturday morning right down the street from the stadium, and I hung out with the family Saturday night. I attended the 10th year high school reunion for the Linn-Mar High School Class of 1995 as well on Saturday, because TheGirl is an alumni. It was, as are most high school reunions, positively brutal. I take little solace in the fact that I predicted the brutality of the whole venture and complained loudly and frequently leading up to it, as I consider it pretty much a waste of an evening.

What's worse, being a date at a high school reunion, and having to shake hands and make small talk the entire time while dying to leave? Or being an alumni at the reunion, and dealing with the awkwardness of the whole affair while trying to interact with people you don't (and probably never did) care about?

I say forget the high school reunion altogether. If you care about someone from high school, you will keep in touch with them. You don't need a reunion to see the people you care about; you do that anyway.

Things are looking up slightly for those caught in the aftermath of the hurricane. It looks like the water drainage has begun, and everyone is out of the Superdome. I have to think that Lake Ponchartrain will never be the same again, as they are draining the water into the lake, and it is filled with toxic chemicals, human waste and remains, and other nasty stuff that gathers when 20 feet of water runs through the streets of a town like New Orleans. It's a shame, but getting the water out and finding anyone left in the town, dead or alive, has to be the priority right now.

Short weeks are great. Tomorrow is already hump day, and pretty soon the weekend will be on us. TheGirl is heading out to Utah this weekend to scout a probable wedding location. It has good golf, good scenery, and proximity to Las Vegas, which is all you need. I will be doing my part to secure the wedding date and location by staying here, keeping out of the way, drinking the Hawkeyes to victory over Iowa State, and honing my golf game. Everybody's happy.

Have a good Tuesday.

Thursday, September 01, 2005

Things are taking a turn for the worst in New Orleans. Refugees at the Superdome and other places cannot get out and there is no food, water, or supplies. Looting has become epidemic and there are now a report of a sniper preventing a hospital from getting patients out. Police have started emptying ammunition from gunshops to prevent looters from holding people at gunpoint. It is a terrible and chaotic scenario.

If you have family and friends in the area, I hope that you have been able to track them down.

If you can, please donate to the relief effort so that we can minimize the loss of life and property. Let's hope that help from the federal government is on its way as fast as people in Washington are claiming.