Today's selection is Bruce Springsteen's "The River".
More so than any advice from my parents, the experiences of friends, PSAs, or my own logic this song has told me to avoid teen pregnancy.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Good Bye, Agent Zero
Today, the Washington Wizards, my favorite NBA team, traded Gilbert Arenas straight up to the Orlando Magic for Rashard Lewis. This was clearly a swap of one bad contract for another. Arenas still had 4 years of max money left on his contract while Lewis has 3 years of just under max money on his.
As someone who wants to see his team succeed, I had long been asking for this moment. The Magic had long been interested in acquiring Arenas, and were often the only team to be so, given Gil's baggage. Arenas contract was a burden for a player with bad knees who had not been able to stay healthy for a few years and was an abysmal defender. To be sure, I'm not too thrilled to be getting back another bad contract in Lewis (I had been hoping for Vince Carter's expiring contract...though certainly not Vince the player) but at least Lewis doesn't play the exact same position as John Wall, the franchise's new golden boy. Sadly, at this point, Arenas was nothing but an expensive hindrance to Wall's development.
But while part of me was happy to see Gil go, the rest of me feels a sense of loss (as much as one can in this instance, after all, it's just sports). For all his foibles (bad at defense, injury-prone, huge/cap-killing contract, the minor issue with the guns), Gilbert Arenas was an enjoyable and unique experience. Gilbert could score points in bunches. His swagger made him more than a fan favorite: it made him a demigod in the District. Between Hibachi! and Agent Zero, Gilbert made DC basketball something worth caring about again. Hell before Arenas, you'd have to go back to the mid-90s to find anything positive about the team, and back to the early 80s before that. Hell, the 3 highlights of the team between their '96-'97 playoff run and the arrival of Gilbert were a 10-years-too-old Mitch Richmond, the construction of the MCI (now Verizon) Center, and an old Michael Jordan playing pretty well and completely screwing the team from a personnel standpoint. Gilbert was exciting and always fun to watch and led the team to the playoffs.
In addition, I will miss Gilbert because he was Gilbert. Only a few times before have we ever seen a professional athlete as honest as Agent Zero. His blog was hilarious and candid. His interactions with the media were always good for a smile and often left you wondering, "What's he gonna do next?" Even after his gun incident, Gilbert never shirked responsibility and his post-incident editorial in the Washington Post was intelligent and thoughtful. Basically, Gil was what we hoped we would be like if we were professional athletes. He was jovial. He loved videogames. He gave his time and money freely to those in need. He loved being the life of the party. He was quick with a joke. He was always supportive of his teammates and wanted to win above all else.
So, Gilbert, I, and plenty of other Wizards fans out there, wish you nothing but the best. I hope that Orlando embraces you like Washington did. I can only wait for you to light up the score-board in the playoffs to the screams of "HIBACHI!"
As someone who wants to see his team succeed, I had long been asking for this moment. The Magic had long been interested in acquiring Arenas, and were often the only team to be so, given Gil's baggage. Arenas contract was a burden for a player with bad knees who had not been able to stay healthy for a few years and was an abysmal defender. To be sure, I'm not too thrilled to be getting back another bad contract in Lewis (I had been hoping for Vince Carter's expiring contract...though certainly not Vince the player) but at least Lewis doesn't play the exact same position as John Wall, the franchise's new golden boy. Sadly, at this point, Arenas was nothing but an expensive hindrance to Wall's development.
But while part of me was happy to see Gil go, the rest of me feels a sense of loss (as much as one can in this instance, after all, it's just sports). For all his foibles (bad at defense, injury-prone, huge/cap-killing contract, the minor issue with the guns), Gilbert Arenas was an enjoyable and unique experience. Gilbert could score points in bunches. His swagger made him more than a fan favorite: it made him a demigod in the District. Between Hibachi! and Agent Zero, Gilbert made DC basketball something worth caring about again. Hell before Arenas, you'd have to go back to the mid-90s to find anything positive about the team, and back to the early 80s before that. Hell, the 3 highlights of the team between their '96-'97 playoff run and the arrival of Gilbert were a 10-years-too-old Mitch Richmond, the construction of the MCI (now Verizon) Center, and an old Michael Jordan playing pretty well and completely screwing the team from a personnel standpoint. Gilbert was exciting and always fun to watch and led the team to the playoffs.
In addition, I will miss Gilbert because he was Gilbert. Only a few times before have we ever seen a professional athlete as honest as Agent Zero. His blog was hilarious and candid. His interactions with the media were always good for a smile and often left you wondering, "What's he gonna do next?" Even after his gun incident, Gilbert never shirked responsibility and his post-incident editorial in the Washington Post was intelligent and thoughtful. Basically, Gil was what we hoped we would be like if we were professional athletes. He was jovial. He loved videogames. He gave his time and money freely to those in need. He loved being the life of the party. He was quick with a joke. He was always supportive of his teammates and wanted to win above all else.
So, Gilbert, I, and plenty of other Wizards fans out there, wish you nothing but the best. I hope that Orlando embraces you like Washington did. I can only wait for you to light up the score-board in the playoffs to the screams of "HIBACHI!"
Thursday, December 16, 2010
(Kinda) Daily Good Music
Today's piece is "Shut 'Em Down" by Public Enemy.
Public Enemy is, without question, one of the most influential rap groups in history. As far as I'm concerned, they mark the arrival of mature, message-driven rap. Some may claim that Run-DMC was there before PE, but just take a listen: Run-DMC was clearly important to the development of rap as a viable mainstream option, but their lyrics and beats sound childish next to the intensity of PE. The group created controversy at every step of their success and failures but Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Professor Griff, and Terminator X have always produced musical gold.
Next time you see Flavor Flav clowning around on TV, think about this song.
Public Enemy is, without question, one of the most influential rap groups in history. As far as I'm concerned, they mark the arrival of mature, message-driven rap. Some may claim that Run-DMC was there before PE, but just take a listen: Run-DMC was clearly important to the development of rap as a viable mainstream option, but their lyrics and beats sound childish next to the intensity of PE. The group created controversy at every step of their success and failures but Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Professor Griff, and Terminator X have always produced musical gold.
Next time you see Flavor Flav clowning around on TV, think about this song.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
(Kinda) Daily Good Music
Today's offering is "Sleepyhead" by Passion Pit. Many of you may have heard this in various commercials and other locations. Doesn't change the fact that it's a song that's near impossible to dislike.
Enjoy.
Enjoy.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
(Kinda) Daily Good Music
Because these are the kind of things you can do when you are master and commander of your own shitty blog, I bring you a semi-regular feature: sharing music I enjoy.
Original? No.
Productive? No.
Do I care? No.
Here's Bloc Party (my favorite band). The song is Flux.
Original? No.
Productive? No.
Do I care? No.
Here's Bloc Party (my favorite band). The song is Flux.
Internet Oddities and Things That Don't Have a Place in Polite Society 1
The internet is an odd creature. In general, I think it has to be positive. The dissemination of information, the ability to find anything you want almost instantaneously, the ability to connect with the rest of humanity. All that is good. But the internet does pose a few problems. As far as I'm concerned, the two greatest problems are the decrease of productivity and the growth of stupidity. The decrease of productivity is pretty self-explanatory; you, by reading this, are being unproductive. And this blog is in the absolutely nether-regions of the internet. Hell, I've wasted a solid 2 hours straight on Wikipedia clicking on various characters on the X-Men page. (Also, Jimmy Wales, if you're hurting so hard for cash to run Wikipedia, do some advertising. You mean to tell me Coca-Cola wouldn't pony up a few hundred thousand dollars for a banner ad on some pages? Stop trying to fuel your meth addiction with personal appeals.)
But the expansion of stupidity is what is most upsetting about the internet. What I don't mean is that now stupid people have a voice and thus are polluting the web. That I'm ultimately not too upset about. Stupid people, or at least people we perceive to be stupid, will always be present, that's just something you have to deal with when you have a feeling of superiority, as many people do, including myself.
No the real problem is that the instant nature of the internet has removed the thought that used to go into writing something. Anybody who has spent 5 minutes on youtube before will tell you that this is the case in the comments section. Comedian Pete Holmes can explain it much better and more humorously than I:
http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1826709
Similarly, on facebook you have the rise of certain quick phrases that need to be eliminated. For example, "I miss your face," says girl 1 to girl 2. No you don't. Maybe you miss the person. You miss their personality. You miss conversing with them. You miss the chance to hang out and do activities with them. But you don't miss their face. Nobody misses someones face unless they are a photographer who could use said face to make a living or they are a serial killer who is looking to cut off and wear said face.
There are other examples out there, I'm sure you, the reader, deal with them on a frequent basis. I don't mean to project an aura of hatred toward people who leave youtube comments or girls who say "I miss your face" because plenty of them are smart enough folks who actually have something worthwhile to say deep down in their souls. All I'm saying is that our society, at least the portion I'm familiar with, doesn't often think before saying things anymore. In my experiences at my last job, which required me to work face to face with clients, I was told that "no matter what, take your time and think about your answer...because if you speak too quickly you will lead the client to think you have no idea what you're talking about." Say what you will about my crappy and sanctimonious writing in this space, at least I took the time to consider what I was saying.
But the expansion of stupidity is what is most upsetting about the internet. What I don't mean is that now stupid people have a voice and thus are polluting the web. That I'm ultimately not too upset about. Stupid people, or at least people we perceive to be stupid, will always be present, that's just something you have to deal with when you have a feeling of superiority, as many people do, including myself.
No the real problem is that the instant nature of the internet has removed the thought that used to go into writing something. Anybody who has spent 5 minutes on youtube before will tell you that this is the case in the comments section. Comedian Pete Holmes can explain it much better and more humorously than I:
http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1826709
Similarly, on facebook you have the rise of certain quick phrases that need to be eliminated. For example, "I miss your face," says girl 1 to girl 2. No you don't. Maybe you miss the person. You miss their personality. You miss conversing with them. You miss the chance to hang out and do activities with them. But you don't miss their face. Nobody misses someones face unless they are a photographer who could use said face to make a living or they are a serial killer who is looking to cut off and wear said face.
There are other examples out there, I'm sure you, the reader, deal with them on a frequent basis. I don't mean to project an aura of hatred toward people who leave youtube comments or girls who say "I miss your face" because plenty of them are smart enough folks who actually have something worthwhile to say deep down in their souls. All I'm saying is that our society, at least the portion I'm familiar with, doesn't often think before saying things anymore. In my experiences at my last job, which required me to work face to face with clients, I was told that "no matter what, take your time and think about your answer...because if you speak too quickly you will lead the client to think you have no idea what you're talking about." Say what you will about my crappy and sanctimonious writing in this space, at least I took the time to consider what I was saying.
Monday, December 13, 2010
An Introduction of Sorts
Hello, Internets.
I have returned from my self-imposed exile of laziness to the blogosphere. Why do this? Why not. Anybody who knows me knows that my mind is always coming up with something. Most minds are. But my thoughts are usually more interesting than other peoples'. How do I know this? I've been told so by folks. Plus nobody has ever said, "Dammit, Ben...shut the fuck up!" If you don't find me interesting or don't care, that's fine. This is mostly for myself anyway. But I hope anybody who does read this enjoys it at least a little.
So there.
I have returned from my self-imposed exile of laziness to the blogosphere. Why do this? Why not. Anybody who knows me knows that my mind is always coming up with something. Most minds are. But my thoughts are usually more interesting than other peoples'. How do I know this? I've been told so by folks. Plus nobody has ever said, "Dammit, Ben...shut the fuck up!" If you don't find me interesting or don't care, that's fine. This is mostly for myself anyway. But I hope anybody who does read this enjoys it at least a little.
So there.
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