Coach

Context: I have been coaching this one particular group of kids for about 6 years or so. It has been a real privilege. Great kids and great families - I have seen these guys grow up on the soccer field. One of them graduated from HS last year, the rest graduate this year. It is awesome to see them play as seniors, but it will also be a little sad to witness their last games at this level.

The names in this exchange are fictional.

Player 1: Hey coach. Remember when you gave Steve $300 for graduation last year?
Coach: It was not $300. Trust me.
Player 2: Whatever. It was a lot of money.
Player 1: Well, this year, you have to give that same amount to the whole team!
Coach: (Silent stare, trying to look mean...)
Player 2: Actually, if me, James and Ryan don't get more money than everyone else, something is wrong with you.

Alela Diane - Pirate's Gospel

I was exploring the music of Alela Diane yesterday, who is evidently categorized in a musical genre known as New Weird America. You're not alone if that is a new term to you. Regardless of the categorization, she has a really unique voice and creates some compelling music. Here is the title track from her album, Pirate's Gospel, performed in a stripped down setting. I like this version better then the studio.

Accelerando by Charles Stross

I've been reading an incredibly strange, intense and imaginative science fiction book for the last couple of weeks - Accelerando by Charles Stross (nominated and short listed for numerous science fiction awards when it was released in 2005). It is the type of book that requires you to suspend comprehension for significant portions because the language and set of ideas is completely foreign at first. However, as you progress through it, it starts to make sense, suck you in and carry you away. Would I recommend this book to others to read? Only if you are interested in hyper-science fiction cyberpunk writing that explores the impact of accelerated technological change across multiple generations. If so, definitely. It is a must read.

In an effort to summarize the book in one paragraph, I grabbed this quote from the free eBook copy, which you can find at the link above.

"Here we are, sixty something human minds. We've been migrated – while still awake – right out of our own heads using an amazing combination of nanotechnology and electron spin resonance mapping, and we're now running as software in an operating system designed to virtualize multiple physics models and provide a simulation of reality that doesn't let us go mad from sensory deprivation! And this whole package is about the size of a fingertip, crammed into a starship the size of your grandmother's old Walkman, in orbit around a brown dwarf just over three light-years from home, on its way to plug into a network router created by incredibly ancient alien intelligences, and you can tell me that the idea of a fundamental change in the human condition is nonsense?"

Cajun Signs: Duck, Fish and Deer

The duck, fish and deer Fleur de Lis is a popular sign on most pickup trucks down in these parts. Here's a photo of one on a t-shirt, taken this past weekend by a fellow coach as we stopped to eat one night somewhere in the New Orleans area.

Sigur Rós - Inní mér syngur vitleysingur

One of the uncontested top songs that we heard in 2008 in our house is Sigur Rós' Inní mér syngur vitleysingur. 4 minutes of majesty from this awesome Icelandic band, with a song title that translates to: Within me a lunatic sings.

DJ Earworm - United State of Pop 2008

"There's nothing wrong with a good pop song."

If you are not sure what a mashup is, prepare to be blown away (assuming you are somewhat familiar with some of the top 25 songs of 2008 from the Billboard charts). DJ Earworm is from San Francisco and he is a master at this art form. There are some other really good mashups available on djearworm.com and all are available for download (including this one). Check it out. It is pretty damn good.

The 25 songs that make up this one tune are:

1. Flo Rida Featuring T-Pain - Low
2. Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love
3. Alicia Keys - No One
4. Lil Wayne Featuring Static Major - Lollipop
5. Timbaland Featuring OneRepublic - Apologize
6. Jordin Sparks Duet With Chris Brown - No Air
7. Sara Bareilles - Love Song
8. Usher Featuring Young Jeezy - Love in This Club
9. Chris Brown - With You
10. Chris Brown - Forever
11. Ray J & Yung Berg - Sexy Can I
12. Rihanna - Take a Bow
13. Coldplay - Viva La Vida
14. Katy Perry - I Kissed a Girl
15. T.I. - Whatever You Like
16. Rihanna - Disturbia
17. Rihanna - Don't Stop the Music
18. Natasha Bedingfield - Pocketful of Sunshine
19. Chris Brown Featuring T-Pain - Kiss Kiss
20. Ne-Yo - Closer
21. Colbie Caillat - Bubbly
22. Mariah Carey - Touch My Body
23. Madonna Featuring Justin Timberlake - 4 Minutes
24. Pink - So What
25. Finger Eleven - Paralyzer

United States of Pop, 2007 is available here. Also really cool.

Nike Total 90 Omni EPL Game Ball

Got a new ball for Christmas. Check it out, it is the game ball used in EPL matches. Cool stuff. Can't wait to get out to the fields and kick it around some.

Excuses and Half-Truths and Fortified Wine

It's been a couple months since the last mix...it has just been a real busy winter. I dropped this and the last one in the mail before Christmas. Hope you find something you like! Carlee and I spent the drive to and from Arkansas picking out our top 50 songs of the year. We are trying to whittle it down to 20 or so. It is very difficult to reach agreement on a list of 20 top songs from the year.

Latitudes - Pela
Sideways - Citizen Cope
Mountain - Lucero
Singer Songwriter - Okkervil River
Cherbourg - Beirut
Stay Positive - The Hold Steady
The Crook Of My Good Arm - Pale Young Gentlemen
St. Nick On the Fourth in a Fervor - Ha Ha Tonka
She Wakes When She Dreams - Lucero
Lord, I'm Discouraged - The Hold Steady
Salina - The Avett Brothers
Buriedfed - Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson
Backwards with Time - The Avett Brothers
Postcards from Hell - The Wood Brothers
What I Wouldn't Do - She Swings, She Sways
The Ballad of the RAA - The Rural Alberta Advantage
Sing Me No Hymns - Lucero
The River - Anathallo
Your Little Hoodrat Friend - The Hold Steady
Murder in the City - The Avett Brothers

Gabriella Cilmi - Sweet About Me

17 year old phenom from Australia, Gabriella Cilmi. So popular in Australia and the UK apparently that you would call it a guilty pleasure. To my knowledge, it has not hit the radar on US charts. Enjoy.

Last Name

I was doing some research on last names for a Christmas gift I was buying someone, and I stumbled on WhitePages.com which has a really neat Last Name search feature. It gives you statistics about the number of people with a certain last name per state. Neat!

My last name is:

• the #14,731 ranked last name in the United States
• most popular in the state of Pennsylvania (499 people)

Click here to go check out more stats and search on your own last name.

The Big Picture: 2008 in Photographs

The Big Picture pulled together 3 installments of photographs of the year. Links to each installment are below. I grabbed 2 photos related to soccer from the collection.

Yes, that second one is from a soccer game. It is in installment 1 if you want to read about it. Wish the fans of the team I coach would be as intimidating as this one.

• Installment 1
• Installment 2
• Installment 3

Jozy and the Treadmill

Inspired by Cesar Millan, Jozy decided that she wanted to try to learn how to run on a treadmill this past week. She has gone on at least 3 runs. The last one was a brisk workout. It lasted 10 minutes at a steady pace between 2-2.5 mph with a 1 degree incline. Pretty soon she is going to join a health club! Maybe she can take over my expired membership...

The photo below is of her on her first run on the treadmill, guided by my wife, her father and a fist full of treats at the ready.

My Favorite Ladies

Christmas Eve 2008 on Lake Balboa in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas. Merry Christmas everyone!

Jazz for Christmas Eve

Jazz for Christmas Eve. There's nothing like hanging out by the Christmas tree listening to a little jazz. Merry Christmas!

Miles Davis - So What
One of my favorite jazz performances of all time. Takes me back to a rooftop in Troy, NY where I spent many a night with a bottle of wine and my stereo overlooking the city and chillin to Miles.

Melody Gardot - Worrisome Heart
Newest find. Nice.

Sufjan Stevens - Come On! Let's Boogie To The Elf Dance!

This is one of my favorite "new" Christmas songs that I have heard in the last few years. I am a really big Sufjan fan so I may be biased. It is off of his Christmas box set, Songs for Christmas. Enjoy!

I couldn't find a real video made by Sufjan for this song so I chose this independent project since it had pretty good sound quality.

Novel - I Am (Featuring Ben Folds, Talib Kweli, and Spree Wilson)

You'll find all kinds of music on my play lists, including hip hop. I am pretty ignorant about mainstream hi hop so I am not sure if this artist is well known or not, but after listening to this tune, I think he should be. Now, if you are a fan of Ben Folds, be forewarned, he samples the amazing song, The Luckiest (featured below as well). IMHO, both are great in their own way.

Here is the Ben Folds tune. Beautiful.

Flow Chart Humor

Gotta love flow chart humor. This is great. via xkcd

TVGOLO - Best Goals of the Week (Dec 2008 #3)

Haven't posted some good goals in a while, so here's a taste. Number 3 is my favorite.

Coach

Every team has its rituals prior to the start of each game. Ours includes a prayer, and it is a unique and powerful one.

Player:

Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host -
by the Divine Power of God -
cast into hell, satan and all the evil spirits,
who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.

Team:

Amen.

The Avett Brothers - Backwards with Time

One of my favorite finds of 2008: The Avett Brothers. Enjoy.

Folk always told me that my heart would grow
The older the man, yeah, the stronger the stone
Am I losing my mind?
Am I growing backwards with time?

Some say with age that a purpose comes clear
I see the opposite happening here
Are we losing the fight?
Are we growing backwards with time?

I was young and love was fun
Now it's so serious
Now all the fun has equal pain
There's something wrong with this
For all I know there's more I don't
Oh the little I have learned
For every year of knowledge gained
Is a negative year I've earned

Folk always told me that my heart would grow
The older the man, yeah, the stronger the stone
Am I losing my mind?

Facebook Growth

Found a reference to this on Coast Trash. Facebook is growing at a rate of 600,000 users per day. I cannot even comprehend that number. Other stats found in the article on Read Write Web:

• More than 140 million active users
• The fastest growing demographic is those 25 years old and older
• Average user has 100 friends on the site
• 2.6 billion minutes are spent on Facebook each day (worldwide)
• More than 13 million users update their statuses at least once each day
• 140 new applications added per day

Coach

We are traveling to a tournament this weekend. About a 70 minute drive, so not long enough to spend the night. We will be driving back and forth on the bus as a team.

Player: Coach, I have relatives in Lake Charles and my mom wants to know if I can spend the night there rather than take the bus back. I told her you would probably say no.
Coach: I'm not sure what the policy is. I can check.
Player: Well...the answer is "no" right?
Coach: No, I said I was not sure.
Player: Yeah, but, you can just say "no."
Coach: What?
Player: I mean...I want you to say "no."

Shoes

Another "guest" post from our friend Pele1410. Like him, I think the fact that there are a pair of cleats in the center is pretty cool.

Coach

Other Coach (txt msg): Hey. Sorry I cannot make the dinner tonight.

...

Coach (me, the next day): Why did you apologize to me about the dinner?
Other Coach: Cause your mom cooked dinner for the team. I felt bad I couldn't make it.
Coach (me): My mom lives in Massachusetts. "Will's mom" was a reference to the player...not me.
Other Coach: Oh. Right. Makes sense now.

The Hold Steady - Stay Positive

I'll keep pushing these guys - good band from Brooklyn.

STAY POSITIVE - The Hold Steady

Let no man forget how menacing we are

40 Inspirational Speeches in 2 Minutes - for any film addict or even partial fan of the movies. Prepare for inspiration and some definite chuckles as you watch this montage. via Neatorama

Citizen Cope - Sideways

Great tune by Citizen Cope - first heard in a movie clip on a flight from Phoenix to Houston.

Supreme Court Overturns Bush v. Gore

Another winner from our friends at the Onion, "Supreme Court Overturns Bush v. Gore."

"In an unexpected judicial turnaround, the Supreme Court this week reversed its 2000 ruling in the landmark case of Bush v. Gore, stripping George W. Bush of his earlier political victory, and declaring Albert Arnold Gore the 43rd president of the United States of America. ... Gore will serve as commander in chief from Dec. 10 to Jan. 20. "

Crazy Red Card

Now, I've seen some strange things as a coach and player in my years of soccer, but a player getting ejected for stopping a streaker is unheard of in my book. Check it out (streaker is clothed).

Thanksgiving 2008

Here's some photos from our recent trip to Massachusetts for Thanksgiving. Most of the photos are actually from Northampton. My favorite, except for the one of me and Carlee at the airport of course, might be the one of me and my two brothers. I have very few photos of just the three of us (see the second and third photo into the set).

Update: The full family photo is also a rare thing since we are spread out over the country. So that one is really cool as well.

AFC Slideshow

Here's a little slideshow with pictures taken from our last game of the season. This was the eighth championship bagged by AFC in the Lafayette Co-Ed league.

Champions!

Our co-ed team won the Fall Co-ed league here in Lafayette this past Sunday, with a convincing 9-0-0 record. Here's a photo of the team taken at half time. We are missing a few players from the picture - sorry if you are one of them!

10 Yards

Pele1410 sent me this link. Interesting innovation for soccer games:

"When the new season begins next month in Argentina (the clausura), so too will the use of an intriguing innovation: Referees in the top division will be equipped with a can of aerosol spray. On free kicks, they will step off 10 yards and mark the distance with a white line that will vanish in less than a minute. "

Sounds like a great idea to me.

Bush has Good Reflexes

An Iraqi reporter threw two shoes at Bush in a press conference. Holy Cow. Watch the President's reflexes as he ducks out of the way.

Highlighter

Cool advertisement - via Ads of the World

Harlem-13-Gigapixles.com

Another example of HD image technology in action. Check out Harlem-13-Gigapixles.com, a composite panorama of 2,045 images. Wow.

HD View

Check out this amazing browser plugin for viewing high-resolution panoramas and high-dynamic-range images from Microsoft Research. Download the plugin and cruise around some sample images. The detail and clarity are amazing. HD View by Microsoft Research.

Here's a site that uses the technology: xRez. Awesome. Really, it is worth installing the plug-in to allow for exploring these HD images.

"Recent advances in camera and sensor technology and software for stitching images together has led to the creation of images containing billions of pixels (gigapixels). These images are often panoramic, that is, they cover very wide fields of view. Since monitors typically contain only one to two million pixels, it is only possible to actually see 1/1000th of such image data at once. Also, viewing very wide fields of view require unwrapping of an image projected onto a curved surface (think of a map of the world) which can cause distortions. "

I have embedded an image from xRez below, which you can scroll through and zoom in on if you install the plug-in.

Nine Inch Nails - Gave Up

On the topic of How We Work, I've been doing a lot of writing for work these days and for some reason, NIN has been the iPod-on-repeat band of choice. Trent is helping me get my groove on when it comes to authoring. Not sure why, but it works for me right now. Here's a little anger for you.

How We Work

Interested in habits, rituals and small methods people and teams use to get their work done? Check out "How We Work". I haven't looked through all of these yet but some are pretty interesting.

• Scott McNealy banning Powerpoint at Sun
• Authors who do their best work standing up
• Malcolm Gladwell avoids desks, and "rotates" between a series of comfortable, and often noisily public, spots where he writes

Quick Thought

My last twitter was 60 days ago...clearly not a concept that has gained traction in my life at the moment. My Facebook activity is more active than Twitter, but both have yet to really become as integral to my online space as much as BOB has.

Warm-Up

I didn't have my camera with me so I had asked one of my players to use his iPhone and email me this scene. It is nights like these that make me wonder how I ended up in the middle of sugar cane fields in southern Louisiana coaching soccer.

This was taken during warm-ups on our game this past Monday (12/8).

If only it was this easy...

...taking care of Jozy would be so much simpler. Although I have to say, I am glad she is a able to adapt to situations a bit better then this.

Jens Lekman - Black Cab

Jens Lekman has been a standard on several BOB mixes (this one was on a "b-side mix" which are rarities in the distribution channel). The song is a classic (and is a big hit in Sweden). Good travel tine as I head on out west to a conference. I should see my brother when I am out there so this trip has a little icing on the cake.

What Would Stephen Colbert Do?

Here is an interesting article for fans of Stephen Colbert that my wife passed on to me a little while ago. Heck, even if you are not a fan, this short little piece is an interesting read on the art of his comedy.

It will be very interesting to compare Colbert from 6 months ago to a Colbert six months from now.

Your Principles Or Your Obsequiousness

Field Conditions

I've played on some tough pitches before but this one takes the cake. It would be fun to give it a shot just for the hell of it (although I would definitely need to wear my ankle brace). Via Eco Art Blog.

The Hold Steady - Lord, I'm Discouraged

Here's another tune that is cycling through the speakers at home and in the car these days (The Hold Steady's Lord I'm Discouraged). It's been a while since I released a mix. This tune and the last I posted from Lucero will give you a sense of the feel the latest BOB mix has. Not necessarily all on the melancholic side, but definitely more on the rock, alt-country side of the spectrum.

(This is not an official video, but it is the only one I could find online).

And I'm trying to light candles
But they burn down to nothing
And she keeps coming up with
Excuses and half-truths and fortified wine

Lucero - She Wakes When She Dreams

Here is one of the ones on rotation at home these days. Lucero's She Wakes When She Dreams. Enjoy.

Matriculate

My wife and I were watching SportsCenter on Sunday night and as a player ran down the field for a touchdown, the announcer stated that he was "matriculating" down the field. Confused, I looked up the term at the urging of my wife. No luck. Then, upon searching for "matriculate sportscenter" we came across the following reference in the Urban Dictionary. Interesting.

Coach

Other Coach: I haven't been able to get in touch with the referee yet.
Me: He is in Memphis.
Other Coach: How do you know that?
Me: It's on his Facebook page.
Players (At least 3 of them): You have a Facebook page?!?!?!
Me (thinking): uh oh

Airline Fees

I've been traveling a decent amount lately. This month and next I think I will have hit NJ, MA, AZ, MS, AR and VA in a period of 8 weeks. One of things I have noticed recently while traveling is the increasing number of airline fees. Some are now charging for checked bags and some for changing seats in the coach cabin (both of which I find ridiculous).

In recent news, the Onion reports that American Airlines is charging you if you are even thinking about flying, flying another airline or even staying home.

Where We Eat

Discover launched a new spending analysis tool on its website recently. It allows you to drill down and report on your spending trends in various categories for time frames from 1 month to 2 years. My wife and I buy everything we can with this card because of the 1% cash back bonus. It rocks.

The tool is awesome. Here are the top 10 restaurants that we have spent money at in the last 2 years:

Jozy is not a Republican's Pet

Here's a cool site that tool shows you how popular a Google search query is in each U.S. state (StateStats). Guess where Louisiana is ranked when you search on Soccer? Check out the correlation links as well. Example: Jozy searches occur mostly in the state of NJ and have a low correlation with people who voted for Bush.

• Soccer
• Cajun
• Hurricane
• Jozy

Fail

Decent "read" for the times when I need a little visual chuckle. Failblog.

Flip Throw

For those of you who are not avid soccer fans, you may not know that there is a version of a throw in that is initiated by the player doing a back flip. The back flip provides a huge whipping motion and allows the throw-in to travel really far. Like a corner. Example:

It can be a pretty awesome weapon. Literally...

Judge a book by its cover...

I'm tempted to buy these w/o even knowing what they are about. Check out the Book Design Review's favorite covers of 2008.

Coach

Player: Do you need me to pick up your dry cleaning later today?

Manhattan Street Corners

Cool photography project: Manhattan Street Corners.

I want to do it with you...

This is really funny. McSweeney's presents "Fifty Years of Popular Songs Condensed into Single Sentences." Most are summarized by "I want to do it with you." There are some exceptions:

• Sir Mix-a-Lot, "Baby Got Back" = I want to do it.
• Frank Sinatra, "Strangers in the Night" = I'm drunk and I want to do it with you.
• Radiohead, "Creep" = I'm filled with self-loathing, and, though outwardly I hate everything you represent, I want to do it with you.
  

Read more here.

She & Him - Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?

Sticking my toe back in the web pool...

Here's a little 70 retro pop tune. The debut album from She & Him was placed at number 1 on Paste's music of the year for 2008.

High Brow Pizza

The Economist is a staple around our house and it has started to get a small following with one of our friends. Thought I would share this interesting marketing campaign for those of you interested in this magazine (or advertising). Apparently, they recently advertised on pizza boxes in the Philadelphia area. Cool idea.

Cracker - Teen Angst

I don’t know what the world may need,
But a v8 engine is a good start for me.
Think I’ll drive to find a place,
To be surly.
I don’t know what the world may want,
But some words of wisdom could comfort us.
Think I’ll leave that up to someone wiser.

The Hold Steady - Your Little Hoodrat Friend

The Hold Steady were a new addition to the Monthly Mix rotation last go around. Their song Your Little Hoodrat Friend found me a few years ago and it always stuck. So if you are hearing about these guys lately (cause their latest album Stay Positive is really good), check out this tune.

i've been dusted in the dark up in penetration park. i've been plastered. i've been shaking hard and searching in a dirty storefront church...she said it's funny even true love gets troubled by stillwater and washed up in the mississippi river.

Advanced!

Last weekend Jozy graduated from Advanced Obedience class. Now for those of you who have ever had the pleasure of coming over to our house, this may sound funny, but she did really good! She is still pretty bad about jumping on people, but looking back, if you see how far Jozy has come, the classes have really been a great experience.

1. Beginner
2. Click a Trick
3. Intermediate
4. Advanced

One of the exercises she needed to do during graduation included her laying down in the middle of the checkout area of PetSmart and us leaving her there, out of our sight. We then had to call her from a the other end of the store. It was amazing...in the midst of the checkout line, she just laid there looking around until we called her. I am guessing that those of you who do know her find this story hard to believe.

Here is the proud graduate!

Jozy swimming for the first time!

We shot this video this past September when we were in Arkansas avoiding Hurricane Gustav. During this trip to Lake Balboa, Jozy overcame her fear of water that was higher than her head and actually started swimming. It was awesome. So here is some video of her doggy paddling!

350.org

Here's a cool animated marketing campaign for those of you who believe that human beings have the ability to impact climate change. The message is supposed to transcend language barriers. Check out 350.org for more information.

"350 is the number that leading scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide--measured in "Parts Per Million" in our atmosphere."

Christmas Tree Wallbangers?

They are not technically made by Wallbangers, but that's pretty much what these are.

"No more watering a dead tree, no more fire hazard, no more vacuuming up pine needles well into April. Finally, a truly green Christmas tree: reduce, reuse, recycle....These life-size, self-adhesive vinyl trees can be applied directly to the wall by either removing the paper back or simply pinning it"

Here's one with Wallbanger ornaments.

Micro Photos

More cool photos from The Big Picture. These are micro though, with images of microscopic items, all measured in microns. One micron is a millionth of a meter - human hair is approximately 100 microns thick. This is an image of a snow crystal. It looks like a piece of machinery.

Absentee - Bitchstealer

After I gave it about 40 seconds, I overcame my skepticism and liked it. 2 minutes in, when the female voice kicked in more, I was convinced I'll like it for a while.

Photos of Obama

I don't know if Barack Obama will prove to be a great president or not. I certainly put my trust in him when I cast my vote, and I certainly hope his presidency can rise above the tough times that I think we all know are ahead.

I found the following two sets of photographs interesting and I thought I would share them with those of you who are interested.

The Big Picture: 35 photographs of Barack taken over the last year.
Behind the Scenes on Flickr: Photos on election night posted by the Obama campaign on Flickr.

Fetch

Jozy with her favorite toy at the dog park.

Play

Jozy playing with her canard.

Cajun Signs: Cajun Sno

Rubber Plant

You take my yellow, I give you...

...red. Why do players ever think this is a good idea? I've seen a few clips where players remove the cards from a referee's hands. I love the referee's face right after the player steals it in this one. Classic.

Cajun Signs: Cajun Bail Bonds

Evidently, Cajun Bail Bonds is a sponsor of our local high school where I coach at. I think the crawfish behind bars is a nice touch. Photo taken by 'retired.'

The Enduring Power of Our Ideals

To those -- to those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.

I don't know if I have ever watched a speech and been as inspired as I was last night. I voted for Barack Obama. I had no idea that he would be able to deliver an acceptance speech that struck me as one of the most impressive displays of leadership, eloquence and inspiration that I have experienced in my life. As he was speaking, I was unable to sit still. Tears came to my eyes - something that one hour earlier I had said to my wife that I did not think I could relate to when I saw people similarly affected. Last night was a historical moment, and I think that regardless of your politics, it will be a moment that none of us will forget for a very long time, if ever.

Full transcript of Barack Obama's acceptance speech can be found here.

Never before...

Never before has the act of voting felt so meaningful to me as it did today. When I stepped up to the table, signed my name and moved towards the booth, I felt tingles down my spine. When I stood behind that curtain and finished making choices, I stopped and stood there for a moment and let it sink in. What a historic day for our country. Rock the Vote.

Election Line

I've been standing in line for 1 hour and I think I just crossed the halfway point. Maybe I should have come later in the day.

Coach

Coach (me): I think this set of sprints might be a little excessive.
Coach (other): I didn't realize it would actually take this long...

NYC: Jazz Scene

NYC: Martini Mark

Here's a photo of my friend Mark after a few martinis at a jazz club in NYC. He was going solo on a bottle of red and I was actually downing White Russians if I remember correctly. Although, that martini glass looks might suspicious...

NYC Signs: Hot Dog Stand

In the same vein as Cajun Signs....check out this site of NYC signs (also from Kottke). On our latest trip to NYC I took a lot of shots of various street scenes and signs. Here's one of many, taken prior to the long night at the jazz club we ended up at. I have some interesting photos from that evening that might make the light of day here...

Confessions of a Naked Sushi Model

Fresh on the heels of Catch of the Day, I found this post on Kottke tonight: Check out Confessions of a Naked Sushi Model.

Changing back into my jeans and T-shirt, I took a first stab at evaluating my brief adventure in exhibitionism. What had I gained? I had an envelope stuffed with $150 of well-earned cash that might go toward an extra hour of therapy, or a new pair of shoes. I had a beautiful pink flower pinned to my hair and a teensy, matching thong still taped to my pelvis. I also had two slightly irritated nipples, a minor buzz from the sake Koko gave me after dinner, and a bizarre story sure to entertain my friends and, if necessary, provoke my parents.

Kottke goes on to provide you with a link to a NYC restaruant if you happen to be one of my northern readers.

Sigur Rós - Heima

I thought I had posted this before and was all ready to apologize for the repeat but I cannot seem to find the post that I thought existed. Oh well. So no apologies I guess.

Here is a beautiful song from Sigur Rós to start your week with. It's on repeat here this morning.

Coach

Coach: You're late. Everything ok?
Player: I'm tired.
Coach: Were you up late?
Player: Yeah.
Coach: Are you hungover?
Player: A little bit.

Google - Presidential Candidates In Quotes

Here's an interesting little tool from Google to read quotes from our presidential candidates on various topics. Spin away and see if you think the results point to any bias in the search algorithm underneath.

Catch of the Day

My wife and I have been eating at the same sushi bar for the last 8 years (Bonsai Sushi). It's a nice simple sushi restaurant, good fish, and decent service. The restaurant has been successful and recently opened up a second location in the downtown area of Lafayette. This second restaurant has been open for a little while now and it is much more swanky than the first.

One of the interesting quirks about Bonsai is the fact that they always seem to hire relatively young women (probably in college) and then outfit them in clothes that are fairly revealing. Its been a long running joke when we talk about the place with friends. Apparently, they are ready to take their risqué culture to the next level. Their Grand Opening ceremony this upcoming weekend will feature a nude model on the bar, from which diners will be invited to grab the catch of the day. Check out the press release in the local entertainment newspaper.

On Maradona, Coaching and the Whizzinator

This post over on the World Cup Blog was just a little too out there not to share with you all. Highlights:

1. Maradona making a pitch to step in as the head coach of Argentina's national team. If you are like me and remember watching him and his gang in the stands at the last world cup...it just makes you laugh. Would anyone take this man seriously? I don't care how good of a player you are, it doesn't always make you a good coach.

2. The post discusses Maradona's appearance in the news as a result of a thief stealing his "whizzinator" from a museum. This device is used to help you fake urine tests. The hopeful coach of Argentina used to employ this device when he played for his club Napoli.

Check out the post here, and follow the links to the product details when you are not at work.

Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson - Buriedfed

I'm not 100% sure what to make of this upbeat sounding folk song that is filled with lyrics about death...except for the fact that I find it pretty unique, catchy and a good candidate for the next monthly mix. Video is ok...doesn't live up to the lyrical quality.

Veron vs Botafogo

Juan Sebastián Verón's nickname is La Brujita, or Little Witch, and this shot is simply fired out of a cannon.

Imitation as a form of flattery

Here is an interesting take on the latest ad campaign from Microsoft, which Mark commented on last month. I have not been a big fan of the I'm a PC campaign and pretty much think that Microsoft is having its lunch eaten when it comes to head to head marketing points against Apple. I mean, honestly, I am afraid of Vista at this point.

"That's the problem with Microsoft's ads. They're still #1 and the bigger company, but by referencing Apple's successful ad campaign, they're acting like Apple is #1. (John Gruber made this same point the other day.) The ads fail because they serve to remind people that Apple comes up with good ideas that Microsoft then takes and shapes into something that so-called "normal people" can use or understand."

via Kottke

Pissed Off

Blogger must be pissed off at my lack of activity. The Rogue Wave post on BOB was suddenly deleted this afternoon. Either that or someone stole my online identity. If so, and you are reading this, please help me post more often, I think people are getting upset with me.

Frankie Hejduk, the Caffeine Pusher

Gather your strength fierce warriors, for today we battle
like the ocean, no talk and all action

- Bob Marley

For some reason, I decided to watch this profile on Frankie Hejduk from the US Men's Soccer Team. It's pretty interesting from a few perspectives.

1. There are a lot of Hejduk Haters out there and for folks who appreciate the finer skills of professional soccer players, I can see why. He is not an elegant player by any means. Ever wonder how his touch on the ball can be so bad? Well, he stocks up on espresso before the opening whistle...and pretty much all day. Seriously, watch the first minute of this and be amazed.
2. Furthermore, Frankie goes on to describe how the team dopes up on caffeine before the game! Holy cow. For those of you who might question this, you are right. Caffeine is one of the substances that the NCAA tests for (or used to at least) back when I was in college.
3. Frankie is a Marley fan, and writes Marley quotes like the one above on the team whiteboard. Pretty cool quote actually.

Coach

We ended up in the tournament final this weekend and went to Penalty Kicks yet again. We were down 2-0 in the game and came back to tie it 2-2. The following short conversation happened as I was picking my 5 kickers for the PK's.

Coach: Hey (Player 1) so last week you said you've never missed a PK in your life? Get on the line.
Player 1: Well, I've only ever taken 3. One was in the state finals though.
Player 2: ...and that was 4 years ago.

We ended up not winning this round of PKs. So we were second best this weekend.

Ha Ha Tonka - St. Nicks on the Fourth in a Fervor

Bluegrass + Southern Rock is always sure to peak my interest so when I heard of Ha Ha Tonka (from the Ozark region of Missouri) I needed to check them out. Lucky that I did, because this tune may become one of my favorite songs pretty quickly. Not only does it rock, but the lyrics are pretty damn good as well.

Lets get one thing straight from the get-go
This glimpse of brilliance is better than a long look at mediocrity

Tournament Update

This weekend is the second tournament of our fall season. We had two games today and won both. We looked strong in the first game and weak in the second. For the second time now, we have scored a goal within the first minute of a game, only to let our guard down and take our opponent lightly. It was a beautiful goal, but when you go up 1-0, 36 seconds into a game, it is hard to stay focused. So we gave up a goal just 2 minutes later.

And when I say "for the second time" I mean it literally. We have played two games where we have scored in the first minute, and we gave up a goals in both games 2 minutes later.

We Are Scientists - Inaction

Emotions in a Security Line

Not sure how I made my 5:45 am flight out of Baltimore this morning...I was running pretty late. Either way, I really dislike the emotions that I feel in a security line when there is the risk of missing your flight and the line stretches down hallways and around corners. From nervousness to anger to sheer impatience, frustration and fear, it is not a pleasant way to start the day. And then, when you get through and you realize you're going to make it, you try to put that all behind you and go back to being normal. I am not very good at packing away emotions after they surface.

Coach

Coach: You need to do a better job of getting to the field on time before the game.
Player: Not me. I'm always early.
Coach: I was referring to the collective "you."
Player: Why didn't you just say "Ya'll"?

Tournament Weekend Recap

The U-18 team I coach successfully won its first tournament that we competed in this fall. This is a big milestone for us since we just bumped up one competitive level and picked up a bunch of new players. Being able to start out with a success like this one is a great tone to set for what is left of the fall season and in preparation for the state cup in the spring. The weekend definitely had its ups and downs though. We had to come back in two of our 4 games. In fact, in the final, we were down 2-0 and then came back to tie it up 2-2 in the second half. We ended up winning the game on penalty kicks. Obviously, being able to pick ourselves up after being down 2 goals is one of the "ups." That kind of character is what you look for as a coach.

I need to figure out my defense. Historically, we are a team that is very stingy on giving up goals. That doesn't seem to be the case at the moment and I am not sure if that is simply because we are playing a higher level of competition or if some sort of adjustment needs to be made. I'll be working on it as soon as we hit the practice field again.

I gave the guys Tuesday off and am camped out at the airport at 4:30 this morning on my way to DC for a couple of days. Our next tournament is a local Lafayette one and I think it will prove to be extremely difficult.

The Avett Brothers - Murder In The City

I picked a slightly more upbeat Avett Brothers tune for the latest mix (she looks back, you look back). This one almost made the playlist. After seeing this video, I like this one even more. Makes me think of my brothers and father. Great tune.

she looks back, you look back

1. Give ‘em Hell – Hearts of Palm
2. Buttons – The Weeks
3. High Heeled Stomp – The Figs
4. Where & When – Hayden
5. Okay – KaiserCartel
6. Stuck for the Summer – Two Hours Traffic
7. Second Chance – Liam Finn
8. Swept Away - The Avett Brothers
9. No Water – Hearts of Palm
10. Heima (Studio Version ) - Sigur Rós
11. Rocky Took A Lover – BellX1
12. Your Love Is Strong – Jon Foreman
13. 5 Years Time – Noah and the Whale
14. Modern Mystery - Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin
15. Soft Rock Star – Metric
16. Jezebel – Two Hours Traffic
17. Jigsaw Falling Into Place – Radiohead
18. Omaha - Tapes 'n Tapes
19. Black Sheep Boy - Okkervil River
20. Caroline - Old Crow Medicine Show
21. Compacto - Curumin

Better late than never, it's been a crazy long month with some high highs and low lows. Know a friend who might want one? Shoot me an email. Share the mix.

Do people in Alaska really talk like that?

Ugh. Maybe I just don't like the accent. Am I supposed to be impressed by politicians talking down to me?

Front Door

I've taken to letting Jozy out the side and front doors to see if she can catch the squirrels in our back yard. So far, she misses them by a little less than a foot - which must be around only a couple hundreds of a second.

Black Out

I've passed out (or almost passed out) 3 times in my life:

1. At my confirmation in 7th grade I was convinced that God would deem me unworthy during the critical part of the ceremony. When the "laying on of hands" occurred, I was sure that was the moment when judgment would occur. Sure enough, the next thing I remember was being outside and someone giving me water. Talk about a guilt complex.

2. A Jewish friend of mine died when I was a teenager. The funeral included a ceremonial rite that had the participants, myself included, fill the grave at the end of the ceremony. For anyone who has not experienced this, it basically consists of contributing one shovel full to the grave. This caught me completely off guard, was followed by me imagining my friend being buried alive, and then I was out.

3. This past week - I was at a walk in clinic for my wife, who had a really high fever (she is better now). At some point, the doctor was showing her x-rays of her chest to show that everything looked ok. For some reason, similar to people's reaction to the sight of blood, I started to pass out. In the end, I did not, but it was damn close! Not sure what it was. I hadn't eaten any real food that day and I've been exhausted as of late...so maybe it was just the combined factors. Who knows. Funny thing though.

Main Street

I'm already tired of the Main street vs. Wall street cliche when it comes to the financial crises.

Coach

Coach: Hey Sam come here, I'm gonna put you in.
Sam (name is fictional): Coach, I want to run free, like a bird.

We finally had our first game of the season, 1 month late due to the storms. We tied a team from New Orleans 1-1. It was our first game in a new competitive level and the guys played well. We only had 3 subs, ended up with 2 injured, had driven 3 hours to make a morning game...so all in all, a tie on the road in those conditions is not a bad result.

Welcome to Death Valley

I should have worn gold. Royal blue just doesn't fit in here.

Tiger Fan

I am headed to my first LSU game ever It might be official...am I now a tiger fan?

Exit Row

Random flight tidbit as I fly from Tallahassee to New Orleans:

I take the exit row seriously and always check two things. If I have to open the exit door, do I throw it indoors or out? And when I exit on the wing, do I go towards the front or back. For some reason the information never sticks...so I always check.

The Hold Steady - Sequestered in Memphis

The Hold Steady (from Brooklyn) are popping up in conversations all over the place for me lately. I hear they are great live. They were on the last Monthly Mix, Stranger to Blue.

In bar light, she looked alright
In daylight she looked desperate.

No Louisiana tour dates. They are in Tallahassee on November 2nd though - which happens to be where I am tonight. Looks like I arrived here about 1 month too early...