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.