Posts tagged ‘watchlist’

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November 10, 2010

wednesday watchlist: fav soccer watching moments

Last week the women’s soccer team at the college I work at pulled of a stunning victory in the first round of the conference tournament. After battling through 90 minutes and two periods of extra time with the score knotted at 1-1, the match went to penalties as the sun ran away to hide for the night. Our keeper stopped the first three kicks and even made one herself, but the teams were still tied after 5 rounds. Finally, we put it away in either the 7th or 8th round.

It was intense. Singing, dancing, drumming. Fans lined up halfway down the sideline during PK’s. Me updating one of my good friends game updates via text. Good times.

Near the top of my wish list of “Fun Things I’d Like to See Improved” at the college I work at would have to be a vibrant soccer culture. Scarves, singing, the whole deal. Not gonna lie. We have a ways to go. We tasted it for a hot minute last Friday afternoon, but that had a lot to do with the fact that the guys soccer team didn’t have a game that day so they were able to rowdy-up the fan base.

My friend who I was texting asked me if I’d been a part of a better soccer environment than that one.

At this college? No. That was pretty good. Very enjoyable.

In other arenas of life? Yep. Thus, the list…

  • In Portland – This past Spring I got to witness the Portland Timbers beat Boca Juniors on a stoppage-time free kick. And I was smart enough to run my camera.
  • In Boston – My celebration for graduating from seminary consisted of spending 3 days in New England with one of my best friends.  We went immediately from Logan Int’l to The Phoenix Landing, which is a well-known soccer pub in Cambridge.  The occasion?  UEFA Champions League Final between Chelsea and Man Utd.  Talk about an English Party in the USA.
  • In KC - For the US v. England and US v. Ghana matches during World Cup 2010 I hit up Johnny’s for the official American Outlaws watch parties. It was a good decision.  While there were 10,000 people gathered just 100 feet away from us in the courtyard of the Power and Light District, I never once regretted being inside with the hardcore rowdies in an SRO environment.
  • In My House – Near the end of the US v Algeria match, I was feeling sick.  It looked like the US wasn’t even going to break out of the group stage, and I was bumming.  But then Landon Donovan found the net at the last possible second, which sent me sprinting from one side of the house to another.  Fist pumping.  Silent scream (the match was during my son’s morning nap time).  I almost threw up as a result of the adrenaline rush combined with the pound-and-a-half of bacon the manny and I split during the match.


My goal for soccer season next year is to get some soccer scarves made up.  Just a little something to rally the rowdies.  One step at a time.
Renew and Restore

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October 27, 2010

wednesday watchlist: my daughter’s infinite playlist

My daughter has inherited many traits from me.  Perhaps our greatest bond in life is our love for music, and our habit of incessantly singing the songs that are running through our minds at any time.  Our house is like a family-friendly version of Glee.  It’s fantastic.

The current list of songs in my daughter’s aresnal include:

  • Any Song from the Wizard of Oz – When it comes to TV, preschoolers have little need for variety.  They thrive on the familiar.  The lady who watches our kids has kids of her own that are close in age to E and Z, and they watched The Wizard of Oz every day for the better part of two months.  It’s possible that E knows as much about The Wizard of Oz as I do about Star Wars.
  • Some songs from Mary Poppins – In the last week, however, the kids have decided that they prefer Poppins to Oz.  E is still working on getting all of the songs down, but she’s making headway.  It’ll be a sad, sad day when she can pronounce “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” correctly.
  • Whip My Hair by Willow Smith – This one got into the rotation in a roundabout way.  The new Sesame Street video celebrating Black hair had been making the rounds on the internet.  Then, @questlove posted the REEEEEEEEEMIX!?!?!?!?! on Twitter, and it totally got stuck in my head. Now it’s a family anthem.  E and I start singing it, and then Z starts grunting and thrashing his head around.  The first time we did this in front of my wife it was at the dinner table, and it caught her a bit off guard.  It was awesome.
  • Han Solo by MC Chris- I think E’s mother taught her this one.
  • Bad Romance by Lady Gaga – One night I got hooked on Sam Tsui’s Youtube videos.  The Lady Gaga Medley is my favorite, and E is drawn to the nonsensical Bad Romance section.

The one song not on this list that I’m going to make sure E learns comes from a video my friend Sam L. posted on my Facebook Wall…

Renew and Restore

 

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September 22, 2010

wednesday watchlist: favorite ‘party in the usa’ covers

I still remember where I was the first time I heard Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus. I had heard of the song and of the different episodes of Miley and Billy Ray adopting the Britney Spears plan for self-destruction fame and fortune. But then this really catchy song came on the radio as I sat at the corner of Linwood and Prospect in KCMO.  I found it humorous that some teeney-bopper was invoking the name of Jay-Z, but whatever.

Come to find out the catchy tune was Party in the USA. I didn’t think much of it again until I came across an acoustic cover while checking out various acoustic covers on Youtube one day.  Just a little hobby I’ve developed. Apparently, every creative person with access to a video camera and the internet realized that Party in the USA had the potential to be harnessed for comedic purposes.  Gotta love the internet.

After extensive research, I’ve compiled my shortlist of my favorite covers of Party in the USA. This is patriotism at it’s finest, folks.

  • KurtHugoSchnider – This particular rendition is so deliciously awkward.  Something about two guys rocking the duet ballad is hilarious, and does a lot to expose the redonkulous nature of the song.
  • Daniellesmagic – Yep.  That’s a banjo.  And a string bass.  And an accordion.  The whole thing is very bluegrassy, and I love how the use of multiple instruments exposes the lack of musicianship in the original.
  • Mike Tompkins – Wow.  Hilarious dancing.  Creativity.  Facial expressions to die for.  A tambourine.  This is the complete package folks.

There was one other rendition that I loved, but I’m not going to post the video here.  I like to keep this space PG, and this video is solidly in the PG-13 category.  But if you can deal with it (and the fact that it’s technically a medley with Party in the USA at the end), you can hit the link.  Be forewarned…you might tinkle in your pants.

Renew and Restore

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August 25, 2010

wednesday watchlist: my first college lecture

It’s official.  I’m teaching a college class.  At an accredited institution, nonetheless.  I feel pretty unworthy whenever I think of the PhD shaped void in my life.  There’s nothing quite like working on a college campus to give one feelings of degree envy.

There’s no way I’m the best prof on campus.  Not even close. But I’m passionate.  I’m prepared.  And I’m unique.  So very unique.

I did a good job sticking to the subject at hand yesterday.  Basic Christian Doctrine all the way.  But we also touched on some other topics, usually as illustrative points.  And those “other topics” make up today’s watchlist.

  • Star Wars.  Bet you didn’t see that one coming.  I actually kicked off the class with a scene from Star Wars Uncut.
  • Jay-Z, Kanye and U2. One of my students asked if there would be opportunities to earn extra credit.  I told the class I’d give anyone extra credit if they knew Jay Z’s birthday.  Nobody did.  This then led into my sharing with the class that Jay Z is opening for U2 on their upcoming tour of New Zealand and Australia, and how I need that to happen when the tour the US next summer.  Which led to my sharing about the U2 concert I went to in Omaha where Kanye opened. Somewhere in there at least 1/3 of the class started praying for my salvation.
  • Pink Floyd. I used the album cover to The Dark Side of the Moon as demonstration of how doing theology is like looking through a prism.
  • My Family. Because they are awesome.
  • Justin Timberlake. I have very little sympathy for late work, and encouraged my class to just suck it up and take the points deduction like an adult if they hand in work after the due date.  I then threatened to sing a the chorus of a certain JT song if they tried to sob story me.  But I don’t think I will.  That just wouldn’t be gracious or nice.

Tomorrow we have a 75-minute lecture on the Doctrine of Revelation.  I prepped it while listening to the DJ Hero soundtrack.  The lecture may or may not include the song God 2.o by the Roots. We’ll see if we can squeeze it in.  I really have a lot of info and discussion to get through.

It’s going to be a while before the students at this conservative Christian school in the Midwest figure out what to do with me.

Renew and Restore

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June 23, 2010

wednesday watchlist: us world cup gameday rituals

I can’t believe it.  We are through to the Round of 16 on what has to be one of the more amazing matches I’ve ever seen.

Somewhere around the 90th minute, I was regretting all my gameday rituals.  There are only two, but The Manny and I plotted them out ahead of the tournament and have stuck to them.  Good thing we did.  We needed those good luck charms in the end. And here they are.  Feel free to join with us Saturday for the Round of 16 match…

  • Bacon – Every match gets it’s own specialty bacon dish.  For England we had bacon pancakes.  Strips of bacon cooked, and then the batter poured around them for deliciousness.  But those things are FILLING.  I couldn’t even finish my second one.  Come the Slovenia match we picked up a Bacon Explosion, which is bacon wrapped in sausage wrapped in bacon.  And smoked.  With cheese. And finally, this morning we wrapped bacon into our sweet rolls.  It’s a delicious tradition that highlights the fact we are Americans.  But I probably need to take it a little easy on Saturday.  I was seriously about to throw up most of the match.  Tension + Adrenaline + Bacon = Nothing Good.  I held it together though.  Just like the team.
  • Lucky Shirts – Back in March I picked up a Landon Donovan shirt.  Yes, I totally dissed the design when it was released.  But sometimes you have to get over yourself and do what’s best for your country.  I’ve only worn the jersey on World Cup matchdays, and I have yet to watch it.  That’s becoming slightly problematic as we progress in the tournament as watching US games really makes me sweat.  All three have been edge-of-the-seat affairs, and have seen me jump and pace quite a bit.  Nothing a little Fabreeze and body spray can’t fix.

And so we’re on to the next one.  Let’s go boys.

Renew and Restore

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June 9, 2010

wednesday watchlist: how to elicit the wife’s eye roll

I’m a singing kinda dude.  There are always songs running through my head, and a lot of the time they make their way down to my mouth.  My beautiful music can bring joy to those around me.  Unless you’re around me all of the time.  Then you start to hear the repeats, and you also end up hearing the unfiltered playlists.  Nothing raunchy.  Just the stuff that would make you look at me crazy if you heard me sing it.  Which my wife does.

There are a few songs that have been stuck in both my head and my mouth for a number of weeks, against the wishes of my wonderful wife.  Those songs make up this week’s Watchlist:

  1. Pants on the Ground – Alice has been known to believe six impossible things before breakfast.  I’ve been known to make up six variations of Pants on the Ground before breakfast.  It’s just so catchy, and has so many possibilities.  It’s amazing how many different phrases you can plug into the “Pants on the Ground” portion of the song.  Pretty much anything that would have one “lookin’ like a fool”.
  2. I Wear No Pants – Not sure what it is about me and pants and them not being where they are supposed to be.  But that commercial is hilarious and catchy.  A little too catchy.  My daughter has started singing it on a regular basis.  How funny that is probably depends on if you are said daughter’s mother or her father.
  3. Get Down With the G-Dogg – No video for this one.  The Manny and I made it up eight years ago when we were living together in a house that had no dishwasher.  We’d stand at the sink doing dishes and making up random hip-hop songs with dances to go with.  This particular song only contains the five words that make up the title, but it’s still good.
  4. Freak My Leg – There’s a story behind this song that dates back to my days at a conservative midwestern Christian college, but I’m not going to tell that story.  Just know the lyrics to the song go, “Freak my leg…Freak my leg…bootybootybootybootybootybootybooty”.  Not sure why Stacy can’t see the charm in that.
  5. Empire State of Mind – This is the only song on the list that Stacy likes the original version of.  But she doesn’t love my version because I don’t have the voice Alicia Keys has.  Don’t make me no nevermind.  But my singing did cause Stacy to ask the other day, “Isn’t that the type of song that makes you wish you had a really good voice so that you could just belt it out?”  I’m not taking the hint.

Renew and Restore

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May 26, 2010

wednesday watchlist: why worldcup adverts are far superior to superbowl commercials

I consider myself somewhat of an amateur advertising critic.  It’s one of the reasons I don’t do the Super Bowl party thing.  Too much background noise.  And as much as I complain about the lame-o halftime shows of recent Super Bowls, they are helpful in that they give me the opportunity for a bathroom break seeing as though I refuse to miss either the game or the commercials.  I don’t know what I’m going to do if the NFL actually invites a living relevant band to play the show again.

Granted, if Super Bowl commercials continue on their current trajectory there will be plenty of opportunities for bathroom breaks.  They have been increasingly disappointing over the past three years, especially in what they say about American manhood.  Bud Light has taken it upon itself to make it cool for dudes to act like jerks to women.

Classy.

Or you have the advertising stream that makes sure men know they shouldn’t be viewed as “spineless” in relationships with women.  Yeah, because you should never do anything nice for women.  That would just be silly.

And don’t even get me started on the whole Danica Patric/Go Daddy/Soft Porn commercials that direct you to uncensored versions online.

The lameness of Super Bowl commercials is only magnified when compared to the stuff that is coming out around the World Cup this year.  Nike’s “Write History” piece is Epic.  Or as Joe Posnanski said…”Nike or not … this isn’t awesome. It’s a word way, way, way beyond awesome.”

There are reasons for the dichotomy between World Cup adverts and Super Bowl commercials…Reasons that I present to you in this week’s Wednesday Watchlist…

  • World Cup Adverts Address a Wider Audience – Companies that advertise during the Super Bowl seem to be aiming everything they have at the frat boy demographic.  It’s a low aim.  But a lot of World Cup commercials air in multiple countries, so they have to apply to a broader scope of humanity.  And as a result…
  • World Cup Adverts Highlight the Romance of the Sport -
  • World Cup Adverts Can Appeal to National Pride -
  • World Cup Adverts Can Appeal to International Rivalry -
  • World Cup Adverts Cost Less – If you wanted to run a commercial during the 2010 Super Bowl, you’d have to cough up $3million just for the slot.  Then you have to pay to get the commercial made.  Clearly, a sweeping 3 minute commercial isn’t going to be doable since it would cost $18million just to buy the time. And from what I’ve seen, Super Bowl advertisers skimp in the ideas and originality department in order to makeup for what they are spending to purchase their time.

Now are World Cup commercials perfect.  Heck no.  I gag every time I see Kobe Bryant hit that buzzer-beater against the Blazers in that Nike ad.  And they can get a bit melodramatic.  There also tend to be a lot of references that you’ll miss if you aren’t a soccer fan already.  But I can live with those faults compared to the inadequacies Super Bowl commercials are bringing to the table.

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May 12, 2010

wednesday watchlist: the original trilogy

(video h/t The Manny)

A couple of weeks ago, the Manny and I invested some time in watching the original Star Wars Trilogy.  The last few times I’d watched the series through I went with the late-90′s tweaked versions, so I was interested to go back and see what the first drafts looked like.  I also wanted to watch the movies as if I’d never seen them before by noticing when characters are introduced, storyline bombs are dropped, etc.  Granted, it’s tough to fully do that when you don’t have one of those Men IN Black mind-erase r stick thingys, but I gave it a shot.

With that in mind, I now present this weeks Watchlist:

Things I realized watching the original Star Wars Trilogy:

  1. The effects, costuming and sets are all incredibly good and immersive.  So much so, that there were things I had assumed George Lucas added in for the remakes that had actually been in the movies from the start.
  2. I preferred the original musical numbers in Jedi to the new ones.  I’m in the minority on that when it comes to the Ewok celebration to close the  movie out.
  3. Effects-wise the films actually peaked with Empire.  That is a beautiful movie.  Gorgeous.  When Jedi came around, George relied so much on the green screen technology that everything looks 2D and the cast has this “spirit of the slain Jedi” blue aura throughout most of the movie.
  4. The cast grows up A LOT between New Hope and Empire.
  5. Considering they speak no English words, Chewbacca and R2D2 are hilarious.  Their acting is really quite brilliant.  If you are rolling your eyes right now, then go ahead and try it.  Try to make people crack up using only beeps and whistles, or primal groans.  Not that easy.
  6. My favorite vehicle in the whole series is the AT-AT.  That came as a bit of a shock to me.  They only make a couple of appearances, and they are part of the Empire’s fleet.  For some reason there is a soft spot in my heart for the loveable stompers.
  7. Those movies are scary.  I’m not sure when my kids are going to be able to watch them.  My daughter is a very sensitive soul, and I’m not sure she could handle the visual of Darth Vader force choking people.
  8. I love those movies.  Really, really love them.

Renew and Restore

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May 5, 2010

wednesday watchlist: mother’s day video tributes

The big M Day is on the horizon. I’m all over it this year.  I sent out my cards two days ago so they should hit the West Coast with time to spare.  Here in the Midwest we are halfway through Mother’s Week.  You read that right…WEEK.  Stacy was bummed that she has to work all day Sat and Sun, so I took drastic measures and have been rolling out the presents one day at a time all week.  My apologies to everyone I’m making look bad.  But I’ll do you a favor today.  Below are four videos you can send  to all of the special Mother’s in your life.  Really touching tributes that would bring a tear to any Mother’s eye.

  • Musical Admiration for the helpful Mother: Mom’s have to say a lot of things over the course of a day.  Apparently, it’s possible to SING them all in just over three minutes.
  • Funny Admiration for the Mom with Kids Who Can’t Always Maintain Household Harmony – My mom emailed me this video a few years back, so it has some sentimental value.  It is also the centerpiece of one of my favorite memories from the last church I worked at.  I shared it with one of my co-workers who thought it was so funny that she called the ENTIRE staff into her office to see it.  Unfortunately, she had been laughing so hard during her first viewing that she missed some of the lines in the skit.  That whole “Tucker wants me humpin’ his shoulder” bit was a little too…ummmmm…edgy for some of the pastoral staff.  Made for an awkward moment.
  • Retro Admiration for Moms in General - There is nothing moms love more than Mr. T rapping in short-shorts.
  • Best Star Wars Themed Tribute to Mom – Ok, so there aren’t that many Star Wars themed tributes to mothers.  And this one is really horrible.  But if your mom loves Star Wars, she might find it touching.  It’s also possible she might think you’re on drugs.

Renew and Restore

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April 28, 2010

wednesday watchlist: where to work

When we talk with the kids in our leadership development program, we spend a lot of time sowing the dreams of college.  I believe in higher education and would love to see every kid have the chance to set foot on a college campus.  But there is a reality that college isn’t for everyone.  So as the kids get older we start having other conversations with them about what they can do after high school if college isn’t in the cards.  Vocational school is always a good option, but even then there are some kids who will need a year or two before they can fit that into life.

Over the past couple of years I’ve been making a mental list of places I’d like our kids to try to get jobs with if they have to work right after high school.  Not every job out there is a good job.  And certainly, the list of good jobs one can get with just a high school diploma is limited.  But there are some out there that will allow you to earn a livable wage while working in a safe environment.  If you have other suggestions, you should post them in the comments section as a contribution to this week’s Watchlist…

Best Jobs for a High School Graduate:

  • Costco – My understanding is that Costco pays well.  It’s also a well respected company that looks good on a resume and has decent hours.
  • Quick Trip – I know, I know.  A gas station?  Seriously?  Yes.  Seriously.  Whenever I go into a QT (which is on a regular basis now that it’s slushie season), I am struck by how professional the staff is.  This leads me to believe that they pay well and that they have other ways to attract quality employees.  It would be an especially good second job since it is open all of the time.  And, quite frankly, QT’s are by far the cleanest of any gas station chain.
  • Auto Parts Stores – This option is good because it provides practical knowledge that can save money.  If you can work on your own car, you are doing yourself a huge financial favor.  Even in the ‘hood, I notice that the auto parts stores attract quality personnel.
  • Chic-Fil-A – guaranteed to never go out of business as long as I’m around.  This is one of the top franchises we would like to draw into the neighborhood.  It’s a higher quality product than most fast food.  The Christian ownership makes sure stores are closed on Sundays.  They promote from within.  They have a scholarship program if you decide to go back to school.  And you can even get on an ownership track to get your own franchise.  A lot of chances to move up as long as you work hard and prove yourself worthy.
  • The Gap Family of Companies  (Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic) – Old navy has an awesome program where they will bring in groups of kids and do a couple of hours of training with them, and then let them work the floor for two hours.  During that time, they get to try out all of the different jobs you can do in the store.  Our kids did it last summer, and it was phenomenal.  Old Navy will hire you if you’re still in High School, and it’s the kind of company you can move up in if you do a good job.  Plus, between the three stores there are hundreds of locations all over the country. And you get a nice discount on clothes.  Would be a better deal if they sold more ManPris.
  • Starbucks – Ok, so there’s this little tension with the Big S.  I don’t go there anymore. Haven’t for about 5 years.  I don’t like their coffee, and I prefer the intimacy of non-chain coffee shops.  And yet, they have a generous benefits plan and a handful of people that I like and really respect either work or have worked there.  I would also suggest that our kids apply there because of the opportunities to advance (see a theme here?), the number of stores and the fact that the clientele forces you to interact in a very professional manner.

My list is exclusively in the retail sector.  What should I add to diversify it?
Renew and Restore

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