Monday, March 28, 2005
If I was creative, I'd have a blog like this.
This blog was linked on MeFi the other day. It's hilarious and worth reading from the beginning. I've been talking it up to my roommates, but they don't seem as amused by it as I am. I think it has a lot to do with them not being as familiar with Pat O'Brien as I am. Which brings me to the pointless ruminating I'll be producing for you today.
I don't know why, but I have always known who Pat O'Brien is. I remember him being on CBS Sports, I remember him covering the Olympics for NBC, and I remember being surprised and slightly saddened upon seeing him host "Inside Hollywood" or whatever shitty entertainment magazine show he was recently doing. I always thought Pat O'Brien was a totally legit sports broadcaster. Why else would CBS put him on? I've been confused by the downward trend of his career since it started trending downward.
Seems that many people don't really know who Pat O'Brien is, though. Did I watch more sports on CBS in the 1990s than my roommates? Do I just remember wierd things? I think it's the latter. For some reason, Pat O'Brien has always been a part of my pop culture archive. He wasn't a small-time, struggling broadcaster. He was PAT O'BRIEN! He was on CBS! I always took it for granted that everybody remembered that and that everybody was surprised and saddened to see him on the tabloid show. But I guess it was just me.
But that's why I find the blog so hilarious. Pat O'Brien, to me, is a disgraced celebrity, somebody who just came out as a whacko, but whom I've known of for quite some time. So, to me, making fun of him is wildly funny. So check out the blog. It's funny! You know who Pat O'Brien is, don't you? Don't you?
And then Pat Mobley buried his face in his hands and cried.
I don't know why, but I have always known who Pat O'Brien is. I remember him being on CBS Sports, I remember him covering the Olympics for NBC, and I remember being surprised and slightly saddened upon seeing him host "Inside Hollywood" or whatever shitty entertainment magazine show he was recently doing. I always thought Pat O'Brien was a totally legit sports broadcaster. Why else would CBS put him on? I've been confused by the downward trend of his career since it started trending downward.
Seems that many people don't really know who Pat O'Brien is, though. Did I watch more sports on CBS in the 1990s than my roommates? Do I just remember wierd things? I think it's the latter. For some reason, Pat O'Brien has always been a part of my pop culture archive. He wasn't a small-time, struggling broadcaster. He was PAT O'BRIEN! He was on CBS! I always took it for granted that everybody remembered that and that everybody was surprised and saddened to see him on the tabloid show. But I guess it was just me.
But that's why I find the blog so hilarious. Pat O'Brien, to me, is a disgraced celebrity, somebody who just came out as a whacko, but whom I've known of for quite some time. So, to me, making fun of him is wildly funny. So check out the blog. It's funny! You know who Pat O'Brien is, don't you? Don't you?
And then Pat Mobley buried his face in his hands and cried.
Sunday, March 27, 2005
Long Time
Man, I have not blogged in forever! Actually, I had a damn decent entry written up a few days ago, but something malfunctioned and it didn't get posted. Damn.
I think what I'm gonna do is just go ahead and post the essay I submitted to Teach for America here. I've been thinking about writing a book of camp stories. I was inspired by how good I thought the essay was. It was limited to 500 words and had to answer a specific question, but I think I can turn it into something good. Who knows. Here's the essay, totally unedited because I'm too lazy (and drunk) to do anything to it at the moment. 500 words telling TFA about an instance in the past 4 years that I have led a group of people to action:
Eleven-year-old boys at summer camp do not like to paddle canoes for more than five minutes at a time. They do not like to sit still for more than thirty seconds in a row. They hate being hungry, cannot stand being told repeatedly to gather firewood, and get cranky when forced to sleep on the ground. It takes a large amount of dedication, a good-sized chunk of creativity, and- most importantly- a good attitude to inspire them to do all of these things happily for three concurrent days on a camping trip. I am proud to say that having accomplished this task twice per summer during each of my three as a boys’ camp counselor is an example of my having led a group of people to action.
Keeping the boys happy started before we even left. I had to make sure that my excitement for the trip rubbed off onto them. During the difficult process of packing the things they would be bringing on the trip, I was always certain to brief them on where we would be going and how many cool things we could anticipate experiencing on the way. Once I had made sure that they simply could not wait to leave for the trip, it was time to go and the easy part was over.
A typical day on a canoe trip consisted of approximately five hours of travel. Keeping the camper in the front of the boat paddling and the one in the middle happy and still (the latter of which is very important in maintaining an upright canoe) posed a great challenge for the entire day. My job was, like before, to make sure that my good attitude passed on to the boys. While sitting in the rear of the boat and paddling, I constantly kept up conversation, thought of games to occupy our minds, and generally made sure they did not have time to think about how tired their arms were or how long they had been sitting on hard aluminum.
Once we reached our destination, we were happy to rest our arms but also faced a new array of tasks and challenges to morale. It was my job to ensure that our campsite was set up correctly, which required a good deal of work from everyone on the trip. I found a number of successful techniques to motivate the boys to do what needed to be done, e.g. gathering firewood and setting up tents. From keeping a generally upbeat approach to what could have been viewed as drudgery to reminding them of the delicious meal I was about to cook, I was always successful in motivating them.
I do not look lightly on the accomplishment of leading six boys on a multiple-night camping trip, making it successful and safe, and helping them enjoy it. The success of the trips depended in large part on the actions of the campers. I am proud to say I motivated them to take those actions.
So whaddya think? Would you read a book full of camp stories written by me? Please, please leave a comment and tell me what you think. Even if you think it sucks. Especially if you think it sucks. I'm serious about this book and I need encouragement/ a reality check. Let me hear it!
Also, check this out. You might have to watch a dogfood commercial first, but it's totally worth it! The bird talks! I like "excited" and "evil" the best, I think. But I love the video.
Go Blue.
I think what I'm gonna do is just go ahead and post the essay I submitted to Teach for America here. I've been thinking about writing a book of camp stories. I was inspired by how good I thought the essay was. It was limited to 500 words and had to answer a specific question, but I think I can turn it into something good. Who knows. Here's the essay, totally unedited because I'm too lazy (and drunk) to do anything to it at the moment. 500 words telling TFA about an instance in the past 4 years that I have led a group of people to action:
Eleven-year-old boys at summer camp do not like to paddle canoes for more than five minutes at a time. They do not like to sit still for more than thirty seconds in a row. They hate being hungry, cannot stand being told repeatedly to gather firewood, and get cranky when forced to sleep on the ground. It takes a large amount of dedication, a good-sized chunk of creativity, and- most importantly- a good attitude to inspire them to do all of these things happily for three concurrent days on a camping trip. I am proud to say that having accomplished this task twice per summer during each of my three as a boys’ camp counselor is an example of my having led a group of people to action.
Keeping the boys happy started before we even left. I had to make sure that my excitement for the trip rubbed off onto them. During the difficult process of packing the things they would be bringing on the trip, I was always certain to brief them on where we would be going and how many cool things we could anticipate experiencing on the way. Once I had made sure that they simply could not wait to leave for the trip, it was time to go and the easy part was over.
A typical day on a canoe trip consisted of approximately five hours of travel. Keeping the camper in the front of the boat paddling and the one in the middle happy and still (the latter of which is very important in maintaining an upright canoe) posed a great challenge for the entire day. My job was, like before, to make sure that my good attitude passed on to the boys. While sitting in the rear of the boat and paddling, I constantly kept up conversation, thought of games to occupy our minds, and generally made sure they did not have time to think about how tired their arms were or how long they had been sitting on hard aluminum.
Once we reached our destination, we were happy to rest our arms but also faced a new array of tasks and challenges to morale. It was my job to ensure that our campsite was set up correctly, which required a good deal of work from everyone on the trip. I found a number of successful techniques to motivate the boys to do what needed to be done, e.g. gathering firewood and setting up tents. From keeping a generally upbeat approach to what could have been viewed as drudgery to reminding them of the delicious meal I was about to cook, I was always successful in motivating them.
I do not look lightly on the accomplishment of leading six boys on a multiple-night camping trip, making it successful and safe, and helping them enjoy it. The success of the trips depended in large part on the actions of the campers. I am proud to say I motivated them to take those actions.
So whaddya think? Would you read a book full of camp stories written by me? Please, please leave a comment and tell me what you think. Even if you think it sucks. Especially if you think it sucks. I'm serious about this book and I need encouragement/ a reality check. Let me hear it!
Also, check this out. You might have to watch a dogfood commercial first, but it's totally worth it! The bird talks! I like "excited" and "evil" the best, I think. But I love the video.
Go Blue.
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Good Stuff... Good Stuff
There are discussions going on here and here about how many five-year olds a grown person could concievably defeat, all at once, in hand-to-hand combat. As I posted to MetaFilter (in the thread from the first link), I really think the only limit on this number is the grown person's stamina. Only ten or so of them are going to have access to you at any one time, so if you can withstand that, then you can just eliminate a few at a time until you become too tired to withstand their puny attacks any longer. If you are buff/ in shape, this would be a long time, and a lot of five-year olds.
Another link I rediscovered in my bookmarks lately is this one. You might have to watch a dog food commercial before you get to the good part, but it's totally worth it. The parrot talks! I can't decide if I like him being excited or evil the best. Animals!
Some of you might be interested to know that I had my interview with Teach for America yesterday. I think it went pretty well, although I might have been a little too personal in the interview. I didn't think the interview was very good, though, and was trying to do the best I could with what I felt were very limiting questions. If you are somehow reading this and somehow have a TFA story (either as a corps member, an interviewee, or both), I'd love to hear it. Post a comment or shoot me an email. Everybody else can just wish me luck being admitted. I'd love to end up doing TFA. We'll see.
Another link I rediscovered in my bookmarks lately is this one. You might have to watch a dog food commercial before you get to the good part, but it's totally worth it. The parrot talks! I can't decide if I like him being excited or evil the best. Animals!
Some of you might be interested to know that I had my interview with Teach for America yesterday. I think it went pretty well, although I might have been a little too personal in the interview. I didn't think the interview was very good, though, and was trying to do the best I could with what I felt were very limiting questions. If you are somehow reading this and somehow have a TFA story (either as a corps member, an interviewee, or both), I'd love to hear it. Post a comment or shoot me an email. Everybody else can just wish me luck being admitted. I'd love to end up doing TFA. We'll see.
Thursday, March 10, 2005
good mix cd
I noticed today that someone came across my blog because it came up in a Yahoo! search for good mix cd. I think that's totally awesome.
However, since I get very few visitors to my blog (at least when I'm not involved in acontroversy on MetaTalk [boy, I regret that]), I've now become consumed with wondering what that person thought when they got here. I hope he/she didn't just see the most recent post and click away immediately. I hope this wandering soul in search of a "good mix cd" scrolled down and read my heartfelt ode to RockOut Mix CD. I hope he/she thought that he/she had found a good mix cd. I hope people in Manassas, VA will be rockingout this weekend. Because that would be totally awesome.
I also hope whoever that person was will come back someday and leave a comment to let me know if any of my hopes came true. Please!
In other news, this MetaFilter thread has links to some SWEET Bob Dylan recordings if you're into that stuff, but not so into it that you're scoffing at me for only having found these now. I'd heard about the Cash duets from Bob Gunn (Camp buddy) before and was excited to finally get my hands on them. If you scroll down a ways, somebody links to a radio interview Dylan did in 1962 where he talks and plays for close to an hour. It's crazy, crazy good. Dylan claims to have come to Minneapolis by way of Sioux Falls, SD and to have travelled with a carnival freak show for 6 years. This is all, as far as I know, BS. But totally awesome.
Awesome!
However, since I get very few visitors to my blog (at least when I'm not involved in acontroversy on MetaTalk [boy, I regret that]), I've now become consumed with wondering what that person thought when they got here. I hope he/she didn't just see the most recent post and click away immediately. I hope this wandering soul in search of a "good mix cd" scrolled down and read my heartfelt ode to RockOut Mix CD. I hope he/she thought that he/she had found a good mix cd. I hope people in Manassas, VA will be rockingout this weekend. Because that would be totally awesome.
I also hope whoever that person was will come back someday and leave a comment to let me know if any of my hopes came true. Please!
In other news, this MetaFilter thread has links to some SWEET Bob Dylan recordings if you're into that stuff, but not so into it that you're scoffing at me for only having found these now. I'd heard about the Cash duets from Bob Gunn (Camp buddy) before and was excited to finally get my hands on them. If you scroll down a ways, somebody links to a radio interview Dylan did in 1962 where he talks and plays for close to an hour. It's crazy, crazy good. Dylan claims to have come to Minneapolis by way of Sioux Falls, SD and to have travelled with a carnival freak show for 6 years. This is all, as far as I know, BS. But totally awesome.
Awesome!
Monday, March 07, 2005
Righty-rousing, Lefty-baiting
Man, oh man. I made another FPP to MetaFilter today! I'm on fire! Here it is!
It involves a crazy right-winger from Nevada who gave a crazy right-wing speech that was only mildly interesting in itself. The speech got a whole lot more interesting when it came out that the guy lifted 15 of his speech's 22 paragraphs from a speech already given by a crazy right-winger in Alabama. Considering the boringness and idiocy of this guy's remarks (stuff like "Tell those Birkenstock-wearing, tree-hugging hippies to whine somewhere else"), you'd think he could have made something up himself. I dunno. Just seems like if you're going to say things you know are cheap soundbites to get your less-than-intelligent listeners all fired up, you could make something up yourself. Simply calling them "Smelly, unkempt, non-productive-for-society hippies" would have been good enough. Adjectives, people. Adjectives!
It involves a crazy right-winger from Nevada who gave a crazy right-wing speech that was only mildly interesting in itself. The speech got a whole lot more interesting when it came out that the guy lifted 15 of his speech's 22 paragraphs from a speech already given by a crazy right-winger in Alabama. Considering the boringness and idiocy of this guy's remarks (stuff like "Tell those Birkenstock-wearing, tree-hugging hippies to whine somewhere else"), you'd think he could have made something up himself. I dunno. Just seems like if you're going to say things you know are cheap soundbites to get your less-than-intelligent listeners all fired up, you could make something up yourself. Simply calling them "Smelly, unkempt, non-productive-for-society hippies" would have been good enough. Adjectives, people. Adjectives!
