Senator John "Frank the Tank" Kerry celebrates the impending Iowa victory over Iowa State at a Hawkeye tailgate
(via the Wizard of Odds)
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Monday, September 18, 2006
Marriage and the Modern Adult
Today I'm going to shamelessly plug a soon-to-be-released book by a friend of mine for the following reasons:
1) The topic of the book, modern marriage, is highly relevant to my peer/age group (and specifically relevant to me personally, as I'm about to be legally bound to another person);
2) I think the topic of the book is frequently discussed, but, in my opinion, rarely in the proper context (which the book lends); and
3) The book is good and we want the author to move some product, and fast.
The book is called Why Smart Men Marry Smart Women, by Dr. Christine Whelan. Notice how the "Dr." part lends instant credibility? The book tackles the facts and issues surrounding the modern generation's view on marriage and how we've accepted that personal, professional, and educational goals have conflicted with (and ultimately begun to overcome) traditional norms on when and how we should pick our lifelong mates. You know how "30 is the new 21"? Well, that's a good thing and this book proves it.
The book is written by an insightful and accomplished author, weaves empirical data together with in-depth interviews with young people of varying attitudes and marital status, and presents a new perspective on the value of traditional norms and "marrying age". Good times.
You can check out the book's site, more on the author, or just take my work for it and go straight to pre-ordering it on Amazon.
If you are interested in social science and the evolution of societal trends surrounding marriage, you'll love this book. If you are a young man or woman who is despondant about their prospects because of your age, this book will give you hope. If your parents are on your case about settling down, this is the ammunition you need to belittle their stupid arguments. If you are a social leper who is incapable of contributing anything to a relationship, then you need much more help than this book will give you, but go ahead and buy it anyway. It's a start.
Plus, I can personally attest to the fact that Christine is about to climb the Mount Everest of marital relationships, so that should say something to you about the confidence she has in her own expertise on the subject. The least you can do is buy the book.
The book is going to be released by Simon and Schuster on October 17, 2006. I'm going to get my hands on a copy sometime between now and then, and I'll give it a (totally unbiased) review here.
1) The topic of the book, modern marriage, is highly relevant to my peer/age group (and specifically relevant to me personally, as I'm about to be legally bound to another person);
2) I think the topic of the book is frequently discussed, but, in my opinion, rarely in the proper context (which the book lends); and
3) The book is good and we want the author to move some product, and fast.
The book is called Why Smart Men Marry Smart Women, by Dr. Christine Whelan. Notice how the "Dr." part lends instant credibility? The book tackles the facts and issues surrounding the modern generation's view on marriage and how we've accepted that personal, professional, and educational goals have conflicted with (and ultimately begun to overcome) traditional norms on when and how we should pick our lifelong mates. You know how "30 is the new 21"? Well, that's a good thing and this book proves it.
The book is written by an insightful and accomplished author, weaves empirical data together with in-depth interviews with young people of varying attitudes and marital status, and presents a new perspective on the value of traditional norms and "marrying age". Good times.
You can check out the book's site, more on the author, or just take my work for it and go straight to pre-ordering it on Amazon.
If you are interested in social science and the evolution of societal trends surrounding marriage, you'll love this book. If you are a young man or woman who is despondant about their prospects because of your age, this book will give you hope. If your parents are on your case about settling down, this is the ammunition you need to belittle their stupid arguments. If you are a social leper who is incapable of contributing anything to a relationship, then you need much more help than this book will give you, but go ahead and buy it anyway. It's a start.
Plus, I can personally attest to the fact that Christine is about to climb the Mount Everest of marital relationships, so that should say something to you about the confidence she has in her own expertise on the subject. The least you can do is buy the book.
The book is going to be released by Simon and Schuster on October 17, 2006. I'm going to get my hands on a copy sometime between now and then, and I'll give it a (totally unbiased) review here.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Not-all-that-quick-hits: Forgive Me Edition
Hello, world. I haven't posted to this blog in many weeks, and I have a great many legitimate, ironclad excuses for such largesse that nobody would dare challenge. But why would you want to hear them, and why would I want to write them? I was very busy. I am sorry (to those few loyal readers who e-harass me to get on the ball). Here we go:
1) The aforementioned Lollapalooza review: I am not going to do an in-depth diatribe on the entire event, but suffice it to say that I really liked it and am glad it has a home in Chicago. They really fixed a lot of the problems from the 2005 edition, such as sound bleeding from stage to stage, but the result is that everything is much further away from everything else. So you have a lot of walking to do during the three-day marathon. Anyway, it was exhausting, educational, and lots of fun for people who like music.
Bands that stood out: Mates of State, My Morning Jacket, Flaming Lips, Gnarls Barkley, Wilco, Broken Social Scene.
Bands that I was disappointed by: Reverend Horton Heat, The Shins, Sleater-Kinney, Umphrey's McGee.
Bands I missed but wish I saw: Matisyahu, Cursive, Panic! At the Disco, The Raconteurs, Ween, Wolfmother, Feist, Calexico.
All the other bands I saw fit somewhere in between "pretty good" and "really good", but not worth mentioning. There were 130 bands there, so you really had to be remarkable one way or the other to get a shout out. For the record, I did not see the headliners for the most part: I caught a couple songs by DC4C, but missed Manu Chao, Kanye West and Red Hot Chili Peppers. No thanks.
2) Baseball season is no longer upon us: I consider the baseball season to be over when the Cubs are officially hopeless, which was sometime just before the All-Star break. I haven't been to a game since baseball fanatics Keefer and Jester came to visit me in August, and I stopped watching the games weeks ago. Since the squad is well on the way to the worst record in the national league, a last-place finish, and a dismal finishing month (we're 3-8 in September thus far), let me just throw out a few thoughts:
-Our front office lives in denial about the needs of the team and the abilities of the players we have, but at least they did a couple of things right, namely getting rid of Neifi Perez and Phil Nevin, and allowing Greg Maddux to choose his own fate in what is probably his last season. Getting Cesar Izturis may or may not prove to be a great move by the team, but Mad Dog deserves to finish his career on his own terms and was toiling for absolutely no reason in Chicago. Hats off to you, Mad Dog.
-I feel that, if Aramis chooses to stay next year (possible, but not probable), and we re-sign Juan Pierre (more likely, but not probable), our only positions that won't be set are left field and the pitching staff (I think that Izturis, Cedeno, Lee, Aramis, Barrett, JP, and Jones would be locks to start, unless we unloaded one of them in a trade). Which means that we would be targeting, first and foremost, starting pitching and a slugging outfielder in the off-season. Let's go after Zito and Carlos Lee aggressively and land one or both of them. This team is not going to get better internally. Pie isn't ready. Theriot isn't the every day answer. We need proven veterans with several seasons left in their bats and arms. Get a starter and a couple of big bats. Pay whatever it takes. Reward the fans.
-It goes without saying that this team had a listless, boring, incredibly, spectacularly unsuccessful 2006 campaign. It was different than the 2005 and 2004 campaigns, where we at least had a chance to grasp at a playoff spot later in the year. I IMPLORE the front office to learn from this season: the blind loyalty of your fans is an appalling reason to refuse to build a winner. Stop resting on your laurels and do something. Believe me when I tell you, Cubdom is frustrated, not just at the players, but with the management of this team as well. They'll probably always give you their money, but I really hope we start voting our dissatisfaction with this team by using our checkbooks. I wouldn't even consider going to a game right now, even if the tickets were free. I hope lots of other loyal, die-hard fans feel the same way.
-Something has to be done about the closer and back end of the rotation. I don't know what the answer is, but I expect one by spring training. Get. It. Done.
-I am not going to comment on the Dusty situation, because I strongly believe that we underperformed on the field this year. I wouldn't necessarily complain about cleaning house or retaining the coaching staff. I do worry that there aren't that many managers out there who have better resumes than Dusty (although my interest is peaked by Joe Girardi's ongoing feud with the Marlins ownership. You'd be welcome here, Joe.). Let me just say that I think Dusty is too easy on the players, which is probably why they love him so much. But I don't know how much better we can do.
3) Goodbye baseball, Heelllllooooooo, football: I love football season no matter what, but it couldn't have come fast enough as the Cubs went 11-17 in August and then 3-8 in September.
The Iowa Hawkeyes are currently ranked #16 in the AP poll after trouncing Montana in week 1 and pulling out a double-OT victory against pitiful Syracuse at the Carrier Dome last Saturday without the help of (ex-?) Heisman dark horse Drew Tate. I didn't preview the Hawks before the season started, but let me hit you with a quick rundown of this year's squad:
Offense: love the look of the offense this year, with just a couple exceptions. The line looks solid, with several returning starters, and newcomers Rafael Eubanks, who should improve with each game, and moose-sized Dace Richardson, who I expect big things from in the coming years. QB Drew Tate is a perennial Big Ten MVP candidate and his senior campaign will hopefully be the most memorable yet. Our backfield looks great with feature back Albert Young showing a smooth combination of vision and power, and Damian Sims providing a change of pace with the breakaway speed and explosiveness that AY doesn't quite have. All-Big Ten tight end Scott Chandler leads a young group of receivers, but I hope that Herb Grigsby and freshman speed burner Dominique Douglas will step up and fill the void that departing seniors Ed Hinkel and Clinton Solomon left us with. Overall, we're a little thin at WR and our line will improve with experience (especially at complicated blitz looks and overloading certain sides), but I expect this unit to really make strides during the season and provide more than enough firepower.
Defense: the defensive line was the most heralded unit on our entire team coming into the season, and they've showed so far that they deserve the praise. Led by Kenny Iwebema, Mitch King and Bryan Mattison, they are going to absolutely terrorize Big Ten backfields this year. Our new linebackers Matt Humpal and Mike Klinkenborg have impressed so far and while they don't yet have the ability to dominate games the way that Abdul Hodge and Chad Greenway did last year, I believe they have a chance to do so eventually. Returning starter Ed Miles moved to his more natural outside linebacker position this year so I expect increased productivity from him as well. We are breaking in two new corners this year in Adam Shada and Charles Godfrey, and they haven't re-written the record books yet. Godfrey is the biggest corner in the Big Ten, so my hope is that he is physical with receivers and gives our line a chance to get to the QB. Shada needs to work on his man cover skills and both corners should be getting some help from veteran safeties Marcus Paschel and Miguel Merrick. I expect the safeties to provide leadership on this defense and erase some mistakes that the new starters in front of them make. Late pass interference calls on the defense in the Syracuse game directly contributed to Syracuse coming back on us, and that needs to stop. Overall, we have the playmakers on this defense, they just need to correct mistakes and work on getting better each week.
This week we're gearing up for the annual battle with Iowa State and it is going to be a barn burner (and will be attended by yours truly). After sitting out with a strained oblique, it is becoming increasingly likely that Drew Tate will return to the field against the hated Cyclones and hopefully finish off a perfect non-conference season, something we have missed in recent years. If that happens, all eyes will be on the September 30 showdown in Iowa City with #1 Ohio State and their high-octane offense. If we can get by Iowa State and keep making improvements in all facets of the game, the sky is truly the limit for this Iowa team. The hallmark of the Ferentz era is that his teams get better and better as the season goes on. If that holds true, particularly with respect to the corners and receivers, the Hawks should once again ring in the new year at a top bowl game.
4) Speaking of September 30, the Big Day is quickly approaching. Soon-to-be Mrs. Public Offering is finalizing our arrangements for the 3-day blowout in Las Vegas prior to getting hitched in beautiful St. George, Utah. We're expecting about 150 of our closest friends and family and it should be a memorable event. I am getting pretty fired up, as we've been talking about it in general terms for years and in very specific terms for all of 2006, so I'd like to get on with it. The fact that we're going to be eating world class food, playing world class golf, roaming the Las Vegas Strip until the wee hours, and seeing long lost friends and family make it even more highly anticipated.
I just got back from Offering reader and lifelong friend Gate's wedding up in Macinac Island, MI, and it was one of the best weekends I can remember. Perfect weather, unbelievable scenery, lots of activities to do, a role in the wedding itself for me and my friends, and a couple that is crazy about being married. Very good times. I highly recommend Macinac to anyone who love quaint, New England-style vacation destinations. It's extremely difficult to get to, but worth every minute of travel. I can't say enough about it.
5) Yesterday was the five year anniversary of the September 11th attacks, and I won't comment on the politicizing of the memorials or lack thereof, other than to say that it didn't assuage my frustration with the current state of affairs, which seems to be a common sentiment. Also, September 11, 2001, will always be a memorable day because as I've blogged about before, I was (un?) lucky enough to be one of just a few civilians pitching into the emergency relief effort at the Pentagon.
Okay, that's a lot for now. I'll be more awesome about posting in the future.
T
1) The aforementioned Lollapalooza review: I am not going to do an in-depth diatribe on the entire event, but suffice it to say that I really liked it and am glad it has a home in Chicago. They really fixed a lot of the problems from the 2005 edition, such as sound bleeding from stage to stage, but the result is that everything is much further away from everything else. So you have a lot of walking to do during the three-day marathon. Anyway, it was exhausting, educational, and lots of fun for people who like music.
Bands that stood out: Mates of State, My Morning Jacket, Flaming Lips, Gnarls Barkley, Wilco, Broken Social Scene.
Bands that I was disappointed by: Reverend Horton Heat, The Shins, Sleater-Kinney, Umphrey's McGee.
Bands I missed but wish I saw: Matisyahu, Cursive, Panic! At the Disco, The Raconteurs, Ween, Wolfmother, Feist, Calexico.
All the other bands I saw fit somewhere in between "pretty good" and "really good", but not worth mentioning. There were 130 bands there, so you really had to be remarkable one way or the other to get a shout out. For the record, I did not see the headliners for the most part: I caught a couple songs by DC4C, but missed Manu Chao, Kanye West and Red Hot Chili Peppers. No thanks.
2) Baseball season is no longer upon us: I consider the baseball season to be over when the Cubs are officially hopeless, which was sometime just before the All-Star break. I haven't been to a game since baseball fanatics Keefer and Jester came to visit me in August, and I stopped watching the games weeks ago. Since the squad is well on the way to the worst record in the national league, a last-place finish, and a dismal finishing month (we're 3-8 in September thus far), let me just throw out a few thoughts:
-Our front office lives in denial about the needs of the team and the abilities of the players we have, but at least they did a couple of things right, namely getting rid of Neifi Perez and Phil Nevin, and allowing Greg Maddux to choose his own fate in what is probably his last season. Getting Cesar Izturis may or may not prove to be a great move by the team, but Mad Dog deserves to finish his career on his own terms and was toiling for absolutely no reason in Chicago. Hats off to you, Mad Dog.
-I feel that, if Aramis chooses to stay next year (possible, but not probable), and we re-sign Juan Pierre (more likely, but not probable), our only positions that won't be set are left field and the pitching staff (I think that Izturis, Cedeno, Lee, Aramis, Barrett, JP, and Jones would be locks to start, unless we unloaded one of them in a trade). Which means that we would be targeting, first and foremost, starting pitching and a slugging outfielder in the off-season. Let's go after Zito and Carlos Lee aggressively and land one or both of them. This team is not going to get better internally. Pie isn't ready. Theriot isn't the every day answer. We need proven veterans with several seasons left in their bats and arms. Get a starter and a couple of big bats. Pay whatever it takes. Reward the fans.
-It goes without saying that this team had a listless, boring, incredibly, spectacularly unsuccessful 2006 campaign. It was different than the 2005 and 2004 campaigns, where we at least had a chance to grasp at a playoff spot later in the year. I IMPLORE the front office to learn from this season: the blind loyalty of your fans is an appalling reason to refuse to build a winner. Stop resting on your laurels and do something. Believe me when I tell you, Cubdom is frustrated, not just at the players, but with the management of this team as well. They'll probably always give you their money, but I really hope we start voting our dissatisfaction with this team by using our checkbooks. I wouldn't even consider going to a game right now, even if the tickets were free. I hope lots of other loyal, die-hard fans feel the same way.
-Something has to be done about the closer and back end of the rotation. I don't know what the answer is, but I expect one by spring training. Get. It. Done.
-I am not going to comment on the Dusty situation, because I strongly believe that we underperformed on the field this year. I wouldn't necessarily complain about cleaning house or retaining the coaching staff. I do worry that there aren't that many managers out there who have better resumes than Dusty (although my interest is peaked by Joe Girardi's ongoing feud with the Marlins ownership. You'd be welcome here, Joe.). Let me just say that I think Dusty is too easy on the players, which is probably why they love him so much. But I don't know how much better we can do.
3) Goodbye baseball, Heelllllooooooo, football: I love football season no matter what, but it couldn't have come fast enough as the Cubs went 11-17 in August and then 3-8 in September.
The Iowa Hawkeyes are currently ranked #16 in the AP poll after trouncing Montana in week 1 and pulling out a double-OT victory against pitiful Syracuse at the Carrier Dome last Saturday without the help of (ex-?) Heisman dark horse Drew Tate. I didn't preview the Hawks before the season started, but let me hit you with a quick rundown of this year's squad:
Offense: love the look of the offense this year, with just a couple exceptions. The line looks solid, with several returning starters, and newcomers Rafael Eubanks, who should improve with each game, and moose-sized Dace Richardson, who I expect big things from in the coming years. QB Drew Tate is a perennial Big Ten MVP candidate and his senior campaign will hopefully be the most memorable yet. Our backfield looks great with feature back Albert Young showing a smooth combination of vision and power, and Damian Sims providing a change of pace with the breakaway speed and explosiveness that AY doesn't quite have. All-Big Ten tight end Scott Chandler leads a young group of receivers, but I hope that Herb Grigsby and freshman speed burner Dominique Douglas will step up and fill the void that departing seniors Ed Hinkel and Clinton Solomon left us with. Overall, we're a little thin at WR and our line will improve with experience (especially at complicated blitz looks and overloading certain sides), but I expect this unit to really make strides during the season and provide more than enough firepower.
Defense: the defensive line was the most heralded unit on our entire team coming into the season, and they've showed so far that they deserve the praise. Led by Kenny Iwebema, Mitch King and Bryan Mattison, they are going to absolutely terrorize Big Ten backfields this year. Our new linebackers Matt Humpal and Mike Klinkenborg have impressed so far and while they don't yet have the ability to dominate games the way that Abdul Hodge and Chad Greenway did last year, I believe they have a chance to do so eventually. Returning starter Ed Miles moved to his more natural outside linebacker position this year so I expect increased productivity from him as well. We are breaking in two new corners this year in Adam Shada and Charles Godfrey, and they haven't re-written the record books yet. Godfrey is the biggest corner in the Big Ten, so my hope is that he is physical with receivers and gives our line a chance to get to the QB. Shada needs to work on his man cover skills and both corners should be getting some help from veteran safeties Marcus Paschel and Miguel Merrick. I expect the safeties to provide leadership on this defense and erase some mistakes that the new starters in front of them make. Late pass interference calls on the defense in the Syracuse game directly contributed to Syracuse coming back on us, and that needs to stop. Overall, we have the playmakers on this defense, they just need to correct mistakes and work on getting better each week.
This week we're gearing up for the annual battle with Iowa State and it is going to be a barn burner (and will be attended by yours truly). After sitting out with a strained oblique, it is becoming increasingly likely that Drew Tate will return to the field against the hated Cyclones and hopefully finish off a perfect non-conference season, something we have missed in recent years. If that happens, all eyes will be on the September 30 showdown in Iowa City with #1 Ohio State and their high-octane offense. If we can get by Iowa State and keep making improvements in all facets of the game, the sky is truly the limit for this Iowa team. The hallmark of the Ferentz era is that his teams get better and better as the season goes on. If that holds true, particularly with respect to the corners and receivers, the Hawks should once again ring in the new year at a top bowl game.
4) Speaking of September 30, the Big Day is quickly approaching. Soon-to-be Mrs. Public Offering is finalizing our arrangements for the 3-day blowout in Las Vegas prior to getting hitched in beautiful St. George, Utah. We're expecting about 150 of our closest friends and family and it should be a memorable event. I am getting pretty fired up, as we've been talking about it in general terms for years and in very specific terms for all of 2006, so I'd like to get on with it. The fact that we're going to be eating world class food, playing world class golf, roaming the Las Vegas Strip until the wee hours, and seeing long lost friends and family make it even more highly anticipated.
I just got back from Offering reader and lifelong friend Gate's wedding up in Macinac Island, MI, and it was one of the best weekends I can remember. Perfect weather, unbelievable scenery, lots of activities to do, a role in the wedding itself for me and my friends, and a couple that is crazy about being married. Very good times. I highly recommend Macinac to anyone who love quaint, New England-style vacation destinations. It's extremely difficult to get to, but worth every minute of travel. I can't say enough about it.
5) Yesterday was the five year anniversary of the September 11th attacks, and I won't comment on the politicizing of the memorials or lack thereof, other than to say that it didn't assuage my frustration with the current state of affairs, which seems to be a common sentiment. Also, September 11, 2001, will always be a memorable day because as I've blogged about before, I was (un?) lucky enough to be one of just a few civilians pitching into the emergency relief effort at the Pentagon.
Okay, that's a lot for now. I'll be more awesome about posting in the future.
T
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