I'm now two months into my first year at my new school.
In some good ways and in some bad ways, I am having a much different teaching experience this year then compared to my first two. One of my biggest challenges has been in the handling of my classroom or "classroom management" in teacher talk. At times it's been good, but most times it's been very tough. You see, my students like to talk and while I lay the large, large majority of the blame at their feet, I have to think that maybe, just maybe it's me. Maybe I need to do something different. Maybe I need to be better (I did go to school for this right?)
Over the past few days I've finally realized that what I did in the past can't necessarily be what I'm doing now. Now, there are many aspects of my practice that I am very happy with (planning, learning from my coach) but something just wasn't clicking with my class. In the past I had handled the kids on a regular basis and rarely got publicly frustrated with them. This year, it's been the opposite. My kids can be tough, but it's nothing that can't be turned around, especially since I'm with these fine children for another 8 months.
I'm going to try a new management technique starting tomorrow; one that I've been averse to in the past, but could see the benefit in using. I'm going to post updates on how this change is going for a two reasons:
1)it makes me write/reflect which can only be positive
2)it makes me accountable to you, my (possibly non-existent) readers, because if I'm going to write about it, I'm going to have to do it.
Talk to you next week.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Work
I'm a fraud.
I've been writing this blog for over a year and I've almost never written about teaching, even though it's in the title of the blog. Things got funny this summer and I'm a month and a half into the school year at my new gig in the Bronx. I've learned a number of thing and since I haven't written in a while, I've decided to gather some thoughts about teaching here on the blog. After all, it was at Fordham where I learned that I needed to be a "reflective practitioner" (sounds fancy right? Look at me putting that Masters to work!) I love teaching. It's a challenging, oft-times under appreciated profession that is also extremely rewarding. You learn a lot when your a teacher, I'll try my best to share some of my lessons.
Lesson #1: Teaching is like Flying
It was today that I realized that teaching a class is like taking an hour long flight. If you don't get off the ground, you're going to have a tough time getting where you're going. I had my tough section for Social Studies today and it's usually a challenge to settle them down and get them on task for the opening activity ("Do Now" in teacher jargon). Well sure enough, they sat down quickly and basically got right to work today. The plane was about to take off when a goose went through the turbine.
Figuratively, of course.
One of my kids got up to "get my brush" from another student. Unfortunately it took about 2 minutes to do this, but the student did, in fact, get their brush. Distractions like this can happen any time which is why you must accept them and learn to deal with them properly. Although it was tough to get the class back on track and while I feel that I did, it was definitely not easy.
It was then I learned that I have to learn to be Sully.
Be prepared as you can be and hope that you can land the plane safely on the Hudson. I need to deal with these distractions immediately and get the class off the ground. Sometimes this is easier said than done, (depending on he severity of the distraction) but this is definitely an area in which I can improve. We'll see starting tomorrow.
I've been writing this blog for over a year and I've almost never written about teaching, even though it's in the title of the blog. Things got funny this summer and I'm a month and a half into the school year at my new gig in the Bronx. I've learned a number of thing and since I haven't written in a while, I've decided to gather some thoughts about teaching here on the blog. After all, it was at Fordham where I learned that I needed to be a "reflective practitioner" (sounds fancy right? Look at me putting that Masters to work!) I love teaching. It's a challenging, oft-times under appreciated profession that is also extremely rewarding. You learn a lot when your a teacher, I'll try my best to share some of my lessons.
Lesson #1: Teaching is like Flying
It was today that I realized that teaching a class is like taking an hour long flight. If you don't get off the ground, you're going to have a tough time getting where you're going. I had my tough section for Social Studies today and it's usually a challenge to settle them down and get them on task for the opening activity ("Do Now" in teacher jargon). Well sure enough, they sat down quickly and basically got right to work today. The plane was about to take off when a goose went through the turbine.
Figuratively, of course.
One of my kids got up to "get my brush" from another student. Unfortunately it took about 2 minutes to do this, but the student did, in fact, get their brush. Distractions like this can happen any time which is why you must accept them and learn to deal with them properly. Although it was tough to get the class back on track and while I feel that I did, it was definitely not easy.
It was then I learned that I have to learn to be Sully.
Be prepared as you can be and hope that you can land the plane safely on the Hudson. I need to deal with these distractions immediately and get the class off the ground. Sometimes this is easier said than done, (depending on he severity of the distraction) but this is definitely an area in which I can improve. We'll see starting tomorrow.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Teachers....always wanting more
As a teacher, the past week has been quite a whirlwind and it has nothing to do with my life in the classroom. Oprah, Hollywood and the National Broadcasting Company have all converged over the past seven days to shine a light on one of the most important issues of our time: education. It's a bit surreal to turn on the news and hear people talking about your job but over the past few days that scenario has been a reality. Hearing and seeing the way that many people have been reacting towards teachers has been both eye opening, confusing and upsetting. It seems that just because we have all been in a classroom as a student, it gives us carte blanche to speak about teachers. Most people who haven't been in a classroom in 25 years are now experts on how education should work. I find this amusing because although I've been to the dentist 50 times in my life, I don't tell the good doctor how to fill a tooth. As you can tell, all of this coverage has stirred up many emotions among myself and my colleagues. However, the one topic that has stirred up the most emotion in yours truly is the new dirty word on the lips of many New Yorkers (and Americans) TENURE.
If you were to just watch the news, with their talking heads and "man on the street" interviews you would think that tenure only exists to keep bad teachers in their jobs when in fact, this couldn't be farther from the truth. Now let me be clear, there are teachers who, through their practice or their behavior, have more than proven that they do not deserve to have their job. Does our current system protect these teachers? Perhaps. However, there seems to be a side of this argument that people either choose to ignore or are just completely misinformed about (I'm looking at you Waiting for Superman)and that is: tenure does not guarantee a "job for life". The only thing that our tenure system guarantees is due process for a teacher facing the prospect of losing his or her livelihood (and yes, I said livelihood and not "job" because for many of us, this is our LIVES.) Due process, what an absolutely crazy idea to have in the United States huh? Teaching is not a fly-by-night profession that you can just walk in and out of-or at least it shouldn't be. For many, including myself, working with students is more than a job, it's a commitment that takes up nearly all of our time between planning, grading and worrying about our kids, the least we should get is a chance to have our case heard.
Anyway.
If you're not sure where you stand on the issue of tenure (and even think if you do know where you stand on it) you should ask yourself the following: Would I want to walk into work one day and be told that I have no job? And when I asked why, to not be given a reason AND to have no recourse about it. If you answered "no" to this question then you, my friend, are in favor of tenure for teachers. NO ONE is saying that teachers who do their job poorly or hurt children in anyway should keep their jobs. As a teacher, I would love to have that dead weight gone so that my students could have a better learning experience and I don't have to hear how big of a "have a job for life" jerk I am from John Q. Public on Eyewitness News. But the reality is, without tenure, in the current "high stakes" world of education, an administrator could dismiss a teacher for whatever reason they decide. I know this, because this scenario plays itself out in our schools today. The group that seems to be forgotten in this "tenure is evil" argument are non-tenured teachers (those who have been teaching for less than three years.) You see, at any time, any one of the thousands of new teachers in our city can lose their job, not be told why, and do absolutely nothing about it.
I know this because this recently happened to a teacher in New York City, a teacher who I happen to be very close with. At the end of this teacher's second year, the principal informed them that they would not be returning to the school and since they were not tenured, this teacher had no recourse....ZERO. Without tenure, teachers could lose their jobs at any time for any reason.This should not happen to anyone, and especially not someone who has dedicated their life to working with children. When this teacher informed his students that he would not be returning, there were many tears shed on both sides. The kids didn't understand and unfortunately neither did the teacher. Were the best interests of those students served by their administration that day? If you asked them, I bet they would have a pretty clear answer. If we care about the well being of students, we not only need to think about getting rid of the dead weight but also keeping the good ones who love their kids and are loved right back.
All we want is the ability to have our story heard and let the chips fall where they may. I know that's all that my friend wanted, but he, along with many others, was never given the chance.
If you were to just watch the news, with their talking heads and "man on the street" interviews you would think that tenure only exists to keep bad teachers in their jobs when in fact, this couldn't be farther from the truth. Now let me be clear, there are teachers who, through their practice or their behavior, have more than proven that they do not deserve to have their job. Does our current system protect these teachers? Perhaps. However, there seems to be a side of this argument that people either choose to ignore or are just completely misinformed about (I'm looking at you Waiting for Superman)and that is: tenure does not guarantee a "job for life". The only thing that our tenure system guarantees is due process for a teacher facing the prospect of losing his or her livelihood (and yes, I said livelihood and not "job" because for many of us, this is our LIVES.) Due process, what an absolutely crazy idea to have in the United States huh? Teaching is not a fly-by-night profession that you can just walk in and out of-or at least it shouldn't be. For many, including myself, working with students is more than a job, it's a commitment that takes up nearly all of our time between planning, grading and worrying about our kids, the least we should get is a chance to have our case heard.
Anyway.
If you're not sure where you stand on the issue of tenure (and even think if you do know where you stand on it) you should ask yourself the following: Would I want to walk into work one day and be told that I have no job? And when I asked why, to not be given a reason AND to have no recourse about it. If you answered "no" to this question then you, my friend, are in favor of tenure for teachers. NO ONE is saying that teachers who do their job poorly or hurt children in anyway should keep their jobs. As a teacher, I would love to have that dead weight gone so that my students could have a better learning experience and I don't have to hear how big of a "have a job for life" jerk I am from John Q. Public on Eyewitness News. But the reality is, without tenure, in the current "high stakes" world of education, an administrator could dismiss a teacher for whatever reason they decide. I know this, because this scenario plays itself out in our schools today. The group that seems to be forgotten in this "tenure is evil" argument are non-tenured teachers (those who have been teaching for less than three years.) You see, at any time, any one of the thousands of new teachers in our city can lose their job, not be told why, and do absolutely nothing about it.
I know this because this recently happened to a teacher in New York City, a teacher who I happen to be very close with. At the end of this teacher's second year, the principal informed them that they would not be returning to the school and since they were not tenured, this teacher had no recourse....ZERO. Without tenure, teachers could lose their jobs at any time for any reason.This should not happen to anyone, and especially not someone who has dedicated their life to working with children. When this teacher informed his students that he would not be returning, there were many tears shed on both sides. The kids didn't understand and unfortunately neither did the teacher. Were the best interests of those students served by their administration that day? If you asked them, I bet they would have a pretty clear answer. If we care about the well being of students, we not only need to think about getting rid of the dead weight but also keeping the good ones who love their kids and are loved right back.
All we want is the ability to have our story heard and let the chips fall where they may. I know that's all that my friend wanted, but he, along with many others, was never given the chance.
Monday, September 13, 2010
The Opening Night Stinker
Instant reaction to tonight's Jets game: a stinker that made Jets fans sick and thrilled the rest of the country who now hate the loud mouth Jets.
-OFFENSE. And I thought the Mets offense sucked. While they looked terrible during the preseason, the Jets offense tonight was just disgusting. Practically nothing thrown down the field all game (the only completion to Keller was of course called back on a penalty) and Shonn Greene was ineffective and couldn't hold onto the ball. Plus, once he was benched he seemed to lose focus as evident in the dropped pass in the 4th. LT had some nice plays but we shouldn't be relying on the back up RB for offense. Hey guys, I just suffered through 6 months of a team that couldn't score in baseball please don't give me 4 more months of the same shite during football season. And to close it all out, the last drive was a complete JOKE. Every ball was thrown 6-10 yards down the field and to finish it, Keller goes out of bounds one yard short of the first down on 4th and 10.
-PENALTIES. Are you kidding me? How many times did the Jets commit a brutal penalty tonight? Running into the kicker, pass interference, holding and more. For God's sake Braylon Edwards had penalties on offense AND special teams. The worst was probably Wilson's pass interference that led to the touchdown before the half although Edwards's illegal formation hurt as well (the aforementioned penalty that took away the Keller completion inside the 10.) Either way, when you have almost ten penalties lead to first downs and over 100 yards of penalties you're never going to win.
-DEFENSE. It's tough to get on the defense tonight but a good defense gets off the field on 3rd down especially 3rd and long. Tonight that failed to happen about a dozen times. The MNF crew made it sound like it never happens to the Jets and while that might be statistically true, there were many key 3rd and longs last year where the defense didn't get the job done. It might not have cost them tonight but it will down the line.
-THE CB'S. Kyle Wilson did not look ready for prime time (pun intended) and the Ravens took full advantage. Between penalties and just looking plain lost at times, opening night was not one to remember for the rookie from Boise State. Luckily
Antonio Cromartie was brutal as well (and no, I don't care about the interception) Holding, pass interference and being beaten time and time again helped me forget about the interception and return. I'm dying to make a comment about his proclivity for procreating right now but I'll pass for tonight. I find it amazing that the guy who missed all of training camp and showed up a week ago was the most effective corner back tonight. Unreal.
Overall a disgraceful game from a team that has been running its collective mouth for the past 8 months. On top of tonight's stinker they have the Pats (who looked pretty good against the Bengals yesterday) rolling into town on Sunday and I'm sure they're just dying to get their shot to shut up Rex and Company.
Better get it together boys because 0-2 going into back-to-back road games at Miami and Buffalo is not going to look too good.
-OFFENSE. And I thought the Mets offense sucked. While they looked terrible during the preseason, the Jets offense tonight was just disgusting. Practically nothing thrown down the field all game (the only completion to Keller was of course called back on a penalty) and Shonn Greene was ineffective and couldn't hold onto the ball. Plus, once he was benched he seemed to lose focus as evident in the dropped pass in the 4th. LT had some nice plays but we shouldn't be relying on the back up RB for offense. Hey guys, I just suffered through 6 months of a team that couldn't score in baseball please don't give me 4 more months of the same shite during football season. And to close it all out, the last drive was a complete JOKE. Every ball was thrown 6-10 yards down the field and to finish it, Keller goes out of bounds one yard short of the first down on 4th and 10.
-PENALTIES. Are you kidding me? How many times did the Jets commit a brutal penalty tonight? Running into the kicker, pass interference, holding and more. For God's sake Braylon Edwards had penalties on offense AND special teams. The worst was probably Wilson's pass interference that led to the touchdown before the half although Edwards's illegal formation hurt as well (the aforementioned penalty that took away the Keller completion inside the 10.) Either way, when you have almost ten penalties lead to first downs and over 100 yards of penalties you're never going to win.
-DEFENSE. It's tough to get on the defense tonight but a good defense gets off the field on 3rd down especially 3rd and long. Tonight that failed to happen about a dozen times. The MNF crew made it sound like it never happens to the Jets and while that might be statistically true, there were many key 3rd and longs last year where the defense didn't get the job done. It might not have cost them tonight but it will down the line.
-THE CB'S. Kyle Wilson did not look ready for prime time (pun intended) and the Ravens took full advantage. Between penalties and just looking plain lost at times, opening night was not one to remember for the rookie from Boise State. Luckily
Antonio Cromartie was brutal as well (and no, I don't care about the interception) Holding, pass interference and being beaten time and time again helped me forget about the interception and return. I'm dying to make a comment about his proclivity for procreating right now but I'll pass for tonight. I find it amazing that the guy who missed all of training camp and showed up a week ago was the most effective corner back tonight. Unreal.
Overall a disgraceful game from a team that has been running its collective mouth for the past 8 months. On top of tonight's stinker they have the Pats (who looked pretty good against the Bengals yesterday) rolling into town on Sunday and I'm sure they're just dying to get their shot to shut up Rex and Company.
Better get it together boys because 0-2 going into back-to-back road games at Miami and Buffalo is not going to look too good.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
New Beginnings
Last June, I lost my job.
I haven't told many people about this partly because it's a little embarrassing and partly because I'm still not too sure what happened. While I wish I could say it was something like budget cuts that led to my unemployment, I can't. In fact, I don't know why I lost my job. I worked hard, I cared about my kids and I took my responsibilities very seriously. For a while, I could not accept the fact that although I had met the criteria for a "good" employee I was still shown the door. I carried these feelings with me until I returned from my trip to the Appalachian Trail last week. A weekend of hard work (both mentally and physically) and strong experiences with my new co-workers/friends let me know that it was time to move on.
The aforementioned trip was a part of my new job teaching high school in the Bronx. I was lucky enough to get the new job (which almost didn't happen due to MORE unreal drama) which I will officially be starting tomorrow. This teaching experience is going to be very different from my previous school. Instead of being in quiet, tree lined Queens neighborhood, I'll be right in the heart of the Bronx, the place where I learned the most and where I grew up the quickest. Most importantly, I'm going to be out of my "comfort zone" which on the surface seems like scary thing but if you look a little deeper....
I was working at a great school with high achieving students whose biggest problem a lot of the time was whether they would be getting a new IPod touch. Now, don't get me wrong, I worked with a lot of students from many different backgrounds who needed a lot of help and support(I'm a NYC Public School Teacher for God's sake!) but at the end of the day I don't know if those kids needed me in their lives. I don't say that from a selfish point of view as wanting to be needed but more from what I feel I can offer my students as their teacher. I'm excited because after talking with my new colleagues, I get the sense that a positive educational experience as well as a strong adult influence might be what some of them need to point these kids in the right direction and at the end of the day that's what teachers are there to do.
Please don't get the wrong idea. I don't think of myself as some savior who's going to change these kids lives in one fell swoop, but I would like to think that the terrible things that happened to me last June can result in a positive. I know that at times it is not going to be easy but I truly believe that I have the skills, talents and life experience to help make a difference for my new students.
Sometimes it's just too easy to be comfortable. Sometimes we need a kick in the ass to jump start the lives we are meant to live as well as the ones we are meant to influence. I got my kick in the ass and it hurt....for about two months. Now it's time to move on. It's time for new beginnings. It's time to help a new group of students.
Game on.
I haven't told many people about this partly because it's a little embarrassing and partly because I'm still not too sure what happened. While I wish I could say it was something like budget cuts that led to my unemployment, I can't. In fact, I don't know why I lost my job. I worked hard, I cared about my kids and I took my responsibilities very seriously. For a while, I could not accept the fact that although I had met the criteria for a "good" employee I was still shown the door. I carried these feelings with me until I returned from my trip to the Appalachian Trail last week. A weekend of hard work (both mentally and physically) and strong experiences with my new co-workers/friends let me know that it was time to move on.
The aforementioned trip was a part of my new job teaching high school in the Bronx. I was lucky enough to get the new job (which almost didn't happen due to MORE unreal drama) which I will officially be starting tomorrow. This teaching experience is going to be very different from my previous school. Instead of being in quiet, tree lined Queens neighborhood, I'll be right in the heart of the Bronx, the place where I learned the most and where I grew up the quickest. Most importantly, I'm going to be out of my "comfort zone" which on the surface seems like scary thing but if you look a little deeper....
I was working at a great school with high achieving students whose biggest problem a lot of the time was whether they would be getting a new IPod touch. Now, don't get me wrong, I worked with a lot of students from many different backgrounds who needed a lot of help and support(I'm a NYC Public School Teacher for God's sake!) but at the end of the day I don't know if those kids needed me in their lives. I don't say that from a selfish point of view as wanting to be needed but more from what I feel I can offer my students as their teacher. I'm excited because after talking with my new colleagues, I get the sense that a positive educational experience as well as a strong adult influence might be what some of them need to point these kids in the right direction and at the end of the day that's what teachers are there to do.
Please don't get the wrong idea. I don't think of myself as some savior who's going to change these kids lives in one fell swoop, but I would like to think that the terrible things that happened to me last June can result in a positive. I know that at times it is not going to be easy but I truly believe that I have the skills, talents and life experience to help make a difference for my new students.
Sometimes it's just too easy to be comfortable. Sometimes we need a kick in the ass to jump start the lives we are meant to live as well as the ones we are meant to influence. I got my kick in the ass and it hurt....for about two months. Now it's time to move on. It's time for new beginnings. It's time to help a new group of students.
Game on.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Two Words
I went on an adventure this weekend and not only did I live to tell about it, I loved the whole damn thing.
In a few weeks I'm going to be taking a group of students from my new school out for an 2 day/1 night backpacking trip through the backwoods. In order to prepare for this trip, I backpacked down the Appalachian Trail for four days to learn the skills I'll need to lead my students. I'll be writing about this experience more in depth sometime over the next few days but for now I just want to list two words phrases that tell the story of this amazing adventure. While some of them may not make sense others represent the nature of this trip. Enjoy
*very nervous
*six strangers
*sore hands
*real tired
*bear bag
*hot spots
*getting "lost"
*tough riddles
*the leader
*reading maps
*scuba woman
*raising tarps
*truckers hitch
*fire tower
*red trail
*head lamps
*hurt back
*green trail
*packs on
*raccoon ridge
*work late
*up early
*always learning
*green window
*walking sticks
*hot sauce
*micro-trash
*forest fire
*no water
*orange moon
*white trail
*everybody poops
*packs off
*morning stretch
*orange trail
*scenic point
*the woofer
*power clap
*challenge & support
*blue trail
*six friends
*so proud
In a few weeks I'm going to be taking a group of students from my new school out for an 2 day/1 night backpacking trip through the backwoods. In order to prepare for this trip, I backpacked down the Appalachian Trail for four days to learn the skills I'll need to lead my students. I'll be writing about this experience more in depth sometime over the next few days but for now I just want to list two words phrases that tell the story of this amazing adventure. While some of them may not make sense others represent the nature of this trip. Enjoy
*very nervous
*six strangers
*sore hands
*real tired
*bear bag
*hot spots
*getting "lost"
*tough riddles
*the leader
*reading maps
*scuba woman
*raising tarps
*truckers hitch
*fire tower
*red trail
*head lamps
*hurt back
*green trail
*packs on
*raccoon ridge
*work late
*up early
*always learning
*green window
*walking sticks
*hot sauce
*micro-trash
*forest fire
*no water
*orange moon
*white trail
*everybody poops
*packs off
*morning stretch
*orange trail
*scenic point
*the woofer
*power clap
*challenge & support
*blue trail
*six friends
*so proud
Monday, August 23, 2010
Are You Ready For Some Football?!
So here we are with September fast approaching and the upcoming fall sports season on the horizon.
NFL preview?
No.
NCAA?
Nope.
The desktop football with the triangle shaped paper that you used to play back in grammar school?
Not even close.
All of the above sports are considered mainstream sports in the United States yet I'm not talking about any of them. Today, I write about the English Premiership! (Waiting for reaction......waiting....waiting....oh never mind I'm going to write it anyway)
If you've read this blog before you may recall that I've developed an affinity for soccer over the past few years, specifically the English Premier League (EPL). Even though it's outside of my favorite sports, I find it very easy to watch and write about soccer. I attribute this to my lack of emotional investment in both the game and the league/teams that I follow. (The flip side of this is that even though the Mets/baseball are my favorite team/sport I have almost never written about them. I think living as a Mets fans is bad enough, I don't really want to re-live it through my writing.)
Anyway.
Soccer has made some strides on this side of the Atlantic recently and I'm not looking your way David Beckham. Many people seemed genuinely enthused about Team USA during the World Cup and with the exposure the English League is getting on ESPN now (2-3 televised matches per week) maybe soccer is about to make the jump from total obscurity to kind of total obscurity. The EPL just finished it's second full week of the '10/'11 season and it's time to take a look at what has happened so far.
The summer brought a lot of action. Benitez is out at Liverpool, Man City spent nearly $200 million on the transfer market, Chelsea remained relatively quiet after winning the Double and Man United is in the midst of a youth movement.
Week Two ended with a match up of the new hot shots on the block and the weary, beat up veteran as Man City hosted Liverpool. Plainly stated, City showed the dominance that a billion dollars should buy, but very often does not. They dominated possession, Adam Johnson shined and Joe Hart was sharp once again in net. Liverpool on the other hand had glimpses of the team that was once mainstay in the Top 4 but were undone by sound defense and some great saves by the aforementioned Joe Hart. You knew it wasn't the Reds' day when their best span of play at the beginning of the second half ended with a goal by City.
While the "Other Guys" (SUMMER MOVIE PUN!) of Manchester looked amazing today, I think we need to wait and see what the rest of the year hold for City. A victory at home against a Top 4 team was seen last year (Chelsea and Arsenal). The real test will be what they do on the road as well as if they can turn some of those draws from last year (13 in all) to wins that will help secure them the Top 4 or better.
Liverpool on the other hand have to be on notice. After a rough 2009/2010 campaign which ended with them finishing out of the Top 4 for the first time since '04/'05, they sacked their manager and started this season by giving away two points to Arsenal in the first game and being dismantled by City in the second. Either way, the next three games are crucial with two against West Bromwich and Birmingham City followed by a trip to Old Trafford and Manchester United.
Other random thoughts about the Premiership so far:
-Chelsea looked dominant in their first two matches with back to back 6-0 wins. Although the opposition may not have been the best (newly promoted West Bromwich Albion and bottom dwellers Wigan) it's never a bad thing to have your coach compare your play to that of a video game.
-I adopted Man City over the past few years as my team (and will continue to support them) but they've lost many of the players that made me a fan of the team in the first place specifically Richard Dunne, Craig Bellamy, Stephen Ireland and now possible Shay Given. For this season I will also be following Fulham. They have American favorite Clint Dempsey, pesky Irishman Damien Duff and a possible transfer of Shay Given from City.
-Nice to see Newcastle back in the Premiership. When I first learned of English football in the mid 90's, Newcastle was one of the top teams lead by Alan Shearer. They crushed Aston Villa 6-0 on Sunday after an opening loss to United. Speaking of Aston Villa....
-They're season might have ended before it started when their manager, Martin O'Neill, resigned. After a few top 6 finishes in a row, '10/'11 might be one to forget for Villa. Rumors of US national coach Bob Bradley taking over could add some excitement to a (possibly) tough season)
So that's about it for now. If you made it all the way to the end then you must really like me or really like soccer. The EPL is the perfect way to start a weekend with matches on Saturday mornings on ESPN and Fox Soccer (check your local listings!) I'm sure I'll write about the league a few more times before the end of the year.
Next blog up: The summer wrap up with the Best and Worst of the summer of '10.
NFL preview?
No.
NCAA?
Nope.
The desktop football with the triangle shaped paper that you used to play back in grammar school?
Not even close.
All of the above sports are considered mainstream sports in the United States yet I'm not talking about any of them. Today, I write about the English Premiership! (Waiting for reaction......waiting....waiting....oh never mind I'm going to write it anyway)
If you've read this blog before you may recall that I've developed an affinity for soccer over the past few years, specifically the English Premier League (EPL). Even though it's outside of my favorite sports, I find it very easy to watch and write about soccer. I attribute this to my lack of emotional investment in both the game and the league/teams that I follow. (The flip side of this is that even though the Mets/baseball are my favorite team/sport I have almost never written about them. I think living as a Mets fans is bad enough, I don't really want to re-live it through my writing.)
Anyway.
Soccer has made some strides on this side of the Atlantic recently and I'm not looking your way David Beckham. Many people seemed genuinely enthused about Team USA during the World Cup and with the exposure the English League is getting on ESPN now (2-3 televised matches per week) maybe soccer is about to make the jump from total obscurity to kind of total obscurity. The EPL just finished it's second full week of the '10/'11 season and it's time to take a look at what has happened so far.
The summer brought a lot of action. Benitez is out at Liverpool, Man City spent nearly $200 million on the transfer market, Chelsea remained relatively quiet after winning the Double and Man United is in the midst of a youth movement.
Week Two ended with a match up of the new hot shots on the block and the weary, beat up veteran as Man City hosted Liverpool. Plainly stated, City showed the dominance that a billion dollars should buy, but very often does not. They dominated possession, Adam Johnson shined and Joe Hart was sharp once again in net. Liverpool on the other hand had glimpses of the team that was once mainstay in the Top 4 but were undone by sound defense and some great saves by the aforementioned Joe Hart. You knew it wasn't the Reds' day when their best span of play at the beginning of the second half ended with a goal by City.
While the "Other Guys" (SUMMER MOVIE PUN!) of Manchester looked amazing today, I think we need to wait and see what the rest of the year hold for City. A victory at home against a Top 4 team was seen last year (Chelsea and Arsenal). The real test will be what they do on the road as well as if they can turn some of those draws from last year (13 in all) to wins that will help secure them the Top 4 or better.
Liverpool on the other hand have to be on notice. After a rough 2009/2010 campaign which ended with them finishing out of the Top 4 for the first time since '04/'05, they sacked their manager and started this season by giving away two points to Arsenal in the first game and being dismantled by City in the second. Either way, the next three games are crucial with two against West Bromwich and Birmingham City followed by a trip to Old Trafford and Manchester United.
Other random thoughts about the Premiership so far:
-Chelsea looked dominant in their first two matches with back to back 6-0 wins. Although the opposition may not have been the best (newly promoted West Bromwich Albion and bottom dwellers Wigan) it's never a bad thing to have your coach compare your play to that of a video game.
-I adopted Man City over the past few years as my team (and will continue to support them) but they've lost many of the players that made me a fan of the team in the first place specifically Richard Dunne, Craig Bellamy, Stephen Ireland and now possible Shay Given. For this season I will also be following Fulham. They have American favorite Clint Dempsey, pesky Irishman Damien Duff and a possible transfer of Shay Given from City.
-Nice to see Newcastle back in the Premiership. When I first learned of English football in the mid 90's, Newcastle was one of the top teams lead by Alan Shearer. They crushed Aston Villa 6-0 on Sunday after an opening loss to United. Speaking of Aston Villa....
-They're season might have ended before it started when their manager, Martin O'Neill, resigned. After a few top 6 finishes in a row, '10/'11 might be one to forget for Villa. Rumors of US national coach Bob Bradley taking over could add some excitement to a (possibly) tough season)
So that's about it for now. If you made it all the way to the end then you must really like me or really like soccer. The EPL is the perfect way to start a weekend with matches on Saturday mornings on ESPN and Fox Soccer (check your local listings!) I'm sure I'll write about the league a few more times before the end of the year.
Next blog up: The summer wrap up with the Best and Worst of the summer of '10.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Desserts (that's with two S's because you want more of it!)
Like many people, I love the establishments around where I grew up. The diners, delis, movie theaters and malls all provided great memories from my youth that I still remember today. One of those establishments was Friendly's. Whether it was after a St. Anne's Christmas Concert or a Chaminade dance, Friendly's was a place where we would usually end up between the ages of 11 and 14--not old enough to do something cool (well I wasn't anyway) but too old to want to be at home. While it may not be considered 5 star cuisine, Friendly's always hit the spot, especially their desserts. The Reese's Pieces and Peanut Butter Cup sundaes were always a must during any Friendly's visit. However, the one dessert I always remember seeing but not getting was the Wattamelon Roll. For those not familiar with the Wattamelon Roll, it is basically lemon and watermelon sherbet shaped like a piece of watermelon with chocolate chips acting as seeds. See picture below.
Although I like sherbet, I was never interested in having the Wattamelon Roll but, like many things in my life, that all changed when I met Kate.
When talking about Friendly's one day, Kate began extolling the virtues of the Wattamelon Roll. The only problem was that there were no groceries that sold them around Kate's place in Woodside. One Sunday, we were on our way back to Kate's when we realized that we could pick one up in Stewart Manor and bring it back to Queens. Although it was a muggy June night, we were both confident that we could make it back without any serious melting. We were wrong.. Once we hit traffic on the LIE we went into crisis mode. We jacked up the AC and Kate held the Roll next to the vent. but it didn't do much to help. Traffic eventually broke up and while we didn't have Wattamelon soup in the car, our dessert was just about ruined.
Here we are in 2010, again living in Queens without a Wattamelon Roll to be found. When we came back from Ireland last week, we crashed at my parents house then drove home the next morning. We stopped to pick up groceries at Key Food and there she was in the Frozen Foods aisle. A cool, refreshing Friendly's Wattamelon Roll--and on sale no less! We were both a little bit hesitant about trying the drive again (this time in sweltering July heat) but we both believed it could be done. We got the Roll out of the freezer (last stop on while shopping to maximize "frozen-ness") and just to be safe we did what any rational, dessert loving couple would do: we bought a Hot/Cold bag and threw it right in. I'm happy to report that the roll made it home safely and was enjoyed by the aforementioned rational, dessert loving couple.
I've always loved memories. I'm still amazed by how the sight of a house or the smell of food can bring me back to a place from my past. Things like Wattamelon Roll are what I love about life. Ok, maybe not literally, but I do love what that simple dessert represents: great memories from my youth and new memories with my wife.
Monday, August 2, 2010
God Save the King
So I realize I'm about a month late on the whole LeBron thing but better late than never. Here goes!
When we were over in Ireland, Kate and I would always end up watching the World Match Play Darts Championships. It was on in every pub as well as our various hotel rooms and we completely enjoyed watching it. We were just reminiscing about dart watching, specifically about a player named Phil Taylor. Although he is the fifteen time world champion, we somehow never saw him play. When I told this to Kate I wanted to make a sports analogy to show how huge this guy apparently is in the world of competitive darts (maybe the worst two word phrase I've ever typed).
My first instinct was to call him the "Michael Jordan" of darts but I figured that comparison might be a little dated. I wanted someone from the modern day who was equally as feared and dominant in their sport as Phil "The Power" Taylor is in darts. I eventually settled on "He's the Kobe Bryant of darts." What does this have to do with anything? This statement not only lets you know how dominant Phil Taylor is, but it also says alot about the legacy of LeBron James. When I tried to come up with a non-Jordan athlete, the name that popped into my head was LeBron. After all, since 2003 (and before if you want to count his high school days) we've been told how "King" James was the heir apparent to Michael Jordan; the man who was going to do things that nobody had done since #23 left Chicago for the second time (we're going to erase the Wizards MJ from our collective memory). Hell, he even took the same number as Jordan and proceeded to win Rookie of the Year, a scoring title and now two consecutive league MVP's. Although he had yet to win a title, the future was bright for King James, especially with his upcoming free agency
While all this was happening, Kobe Bryant was winning championships. Sure, his first three rings were won when he had Shaq in his prime but he's now won back-to-back on his own--not with any other superstars (like say Dwayne Wade) but with a three time All Star in Pau Gasol and a cast of complimentary pieces. Kobe is a winner. With their backs to the wall, athletes will show their true colors. Down 1 with 25 seconds left? Kobe will clench his teeth, break out the "Kobe Face" (which hilariously enough has its own Facebook page) and bury an impossible fade away three that closes a game. By signing with the Heat, LeBron has proven that he doesn't want to do that. Come next June, if the Heat are down 1 with 25 seconds to go, LeBron won't be burying that shot. It's not his team, it's Dwayne Wade's team. LeBron gave up that shot when he told Jim Gray that he would be "heading to South Beach" There will be no "LeBron face" and the only teeth being clenched will be the ones of abandoned Cavs fans as they burn their #23 jerseys and curse their televisions. LeBron might win his ring (no guarantees there at all) but he won't have done it on his team.
I think we all should have been on notice about what LeBron's summer plans might be back in November. It was at this time that he submitted the paperwork to change his number from 23 to 6. Maybe the weight of that immortal number was starting to get too heavy for him to carry around for 40 minutes a night. Maybe he realized that he wasn't the player that he was built up to be or maybe he just didn't want to be "the man" anymore. You can't blame LeBron for wanting to win a championship but you can question the way he's going to try to do it, especially since we've been force fed his "greatness" for the past 7 years.
God save the "King".
When we were over in Ireland, Kate and I would always end up watching the World Match Play Darts Championships. It was on in every pub as well as our various hotel rooms and we completely enjoyed watching it. We were just reminiscing about dart watching, specifically about a player named Phil Taylor. Although he is the fifteen time world champion, we somehow never saw him play. When I told this to Kate I wanted to make a sports analogy to show how huge this guy apparently is in the world of competitive darts (maybe the worst two word phrase I've ever typed).
My first instinct was to call him the "Michael Jordan" of darts but I figured that comparison might be a little dated. I wanted someone from the modern day who was equally as feared and dominant in their sport as Phil "The Power" Taylor is in darts. I eventually settled on "He's the Kobe Bryant of darts." What does this have to do with anything? This statement not only lets you know how dominant Phil Taylor is, but it also says alot about the legacy of LeBron James. When I tried to come up with a non-Jordan athlete, the name that popped into my head was LeBron. After all, since 2003 (and before if you want to count his high school days) we've been told how "King" James was the heir apparent to Michael Jordan; the man who was going to do things that nobody had done since #23 left Chicago for the second time (we're going to erase the Wizards MJ from our collective memory). Hell, he even took the same number as Jordan and proceeded to win Rookie of the Year, a scoring title and now two consecutive league MVP's. Although he had yet to win a title, the future was bright for King James, especially with his upcoming free agency
While all this was happening, Kobe Bryant was winning championships. Sure, his first three rings were won when he had Shaq in his prime but he's now won back-to-back on his own--not with any other superstars (like say Dwayne Wade) but with a three time All Star in Pau Gasol and a cast of complimentary pieces. Kobe is a winner. With their backs to the wall, athletes will show their true colors. Down 1 with 25 seconds left? Kobe will clench his teeth, break out the "Kobe Face" (which hilariously enough has its own Facebook page) and bury an impossible fade away three that closes a game. By signing with the Heat, LeBron has proven that he doesn't want to do that. Come next June, if the Heat are down 1 with 25 seconds to go, LeBron won't be burying that shot. It's not his team, it's Dwayne Wade's team. LeBron gave up that shot when he told Jim Gray that he would be "heading to South Beach" There will be no "LeBron face" and the only teeth being clenched will be the ones of abandoned Cavs fans as they burn their #23 jerseys and curse their televisions. LeBron might win his ring (no guarantees there at all) but he won't have done it on his team.
I think we all should have been on notice about what LeBron's summer plans might be back in November. It was at this time that he submitted the paperwork to change his number from 23 to 6. Maybe the weight of that immortal number was starting to get too heavy for him to carry around for 40 minutes a night. Maybe he realized that he wasn't the player that he was built up to be or maybe he just didn't want to be "the man" anymore. You can't blame LeBron for wanting to win a championship but you can question the way he's going to try to do it, especially since we've been force fed his "greatness" for the past 7 years.
God save the "King".
Sunday, August 1, 2010
One year down.....
Kate and I got married one year ago today.
It's crazy to think that the time has gone by so fast but here we are, one year removed from our big day. During the madness of the wedding day, the last thing that I was thinking about was (oddly enough) my marriage. What was life going to be like now that I was married? If I had stepped back last August and tried to predict what our first year of married life was going to be like, it would be pretty similar to what the past 365 days have been.
We've been as near as Stewart Manor and as far as Scotland. We went up to Connecticut and down to Virginia. We've been to Citi Field, Nassau Coliseum and even Croke Park. We spent time with family and friends. We went to birthday parties, Christmas parties and hosted an Olympics party (which,I might add, was pretty awesome.) We saw U2 and the Saw Doctors and had a few sing songs of our own. We've eaten Polish Platters, spicy tuna rolls and enough Italian Ice for to last a lifetime. We went through some very tough times but lived to tell about it because we had each other. We've cooked and cleaned; we've laughed and loved. One year ago, we started this brand new life together and it has been a beautiful experience ever since.
Marriage is not easy. Each time the statistics come out it seems like the divorce rate climbs higher and higher. But like a lot of difficult things, there are some obvious answers that can help. Over the past year I learned that marriage is similar to charades and the $100,000 Pyramid: if you have the right partner it can be pretty easy. The last twelve months have confirmed what I knew a long time ago: Kate is the right partner for me. She picks me up when I'm down, and she puts me in my place when I need putting. At the end of day, I love Kate and I know that she loves me and that's a pretty amazing thing to be able to say.
One year down, many more to come.
It's crazy to think that the time has gone by so fast but here we are, one year removed from our big day. During the madness of the wedding day, the last thing that I was thinking about was (oddly enough) my marriage. What was life going to be like now that I was married? If I had stepped back last August and tried to predict what our first year of married life was going to be like, it would be pretty similar to what the past 365 days have been.
We've been as near as Stewart Manor and as far as Scotland. We went up to Connecticut and down to Virginia. We've been to Citi Field, Nassau Coliseum and even Croke Park. We spent time with family and friends. We went to birthday parties, Christmas parties and hosted an Olympics party (which,I might add, was pretty awesome.) We saw U2 and the Saw Doctors and had a few sing songs of our own. We've eaten Polish Platters, spicy tuna rolls and enough Italian Ice for to last a lifetime. We went through some very tough times but lived to tell about it because we had each other. We've cooked and cleaned; we've laughed and loved. One year ago, we started this brand new life together and it has been a beautiful experience ever since.
Marriage is not easy. Each time the statistics come out it seems like the divorce rate climbs higher and higher. But like a lot of difficult things, there are some obvious answers that can help. Over the past year I learned that marriage is similar to charades and the $100,000 Pyramid: if you have the right partner it can be pretty easy. The last twelve months have confirmed what I knew a long time ago: Kate is the right partner for me. She picks me up when I'm down, and she puts me in my place when I need putting. At the end of day, I love Kate and I know that she loves me and that's a pretty amazing thing to be able to say.
One year down, many more to come.
Friday, July 30, 2010
UVA/Images
I was lucky enough to spend a week down at the University of Virginia last month. I was blown away by the beauty of the campus. Red brick with white borders featured on nearly every building throughout the school. When walking around the campus on a warm summer night, as the setting sun breaks through one of the many trees, you can feel Thomas Jefferson around you (he designed the university and established it in 1819.) The neo-classical architecture, statues of Greek figures as well as Washington reveal the finger prints of the 3rd president.
Additionally, UVA has three secret societies (Seven, IMP and Z) that are very active in the school. You can see their marks on buildings around the campus and in pictures below.
If you ever have the chance, I was would make sure to check out UVA as well as Monticello (about an hour west of Richmond) Enjoy the pics.
Tunnel Beneath the Rotunda
The Lawn
The Rotunda
Window/Sun
Courtyard
Mr. Jefferson
The Church
Rotunda/Z and IMP
Additionally, UVA has three secret societies (Seven, IMP and Z) that are very active in the school. You can see their marks on buildings around the campus and in pictures below.
If you ever have the chance, I was would make sure to check out UVA as well as Monticello (about an hour west of Richmond) Enjoy the pics.
Tunnel Beneath the Rotunda
The Lawn
The Rotunda
Window/Sun
Courtyard
Mr. Jefferson
The Church
Rotunda/Z and IMP
Sunday, July 25, 2010
How is it......
....that the worst pint of Guinness I had in Dublin (and perhaps all of Ireland) was at the Guinness brewery?
Bed for now. Home tomorrow.
Bed for now. Home tomorrow.
Purple Sky
Sitting in the hotel in Dublin. We're leaving for home tomorrow and I haven't sat down to write in a week. Once I'm home I'll be writing about the West and the Saw Doctors and maybe about spraining my ankle like an eejit (as the Irish would say) Today though, I'm thinking about our trip and the wonderful time we had in Dublin last night.
Ireland is a land of experiences. Beautiful landscapes, classic cities, amazing people and of course pints make this country a special place. A trip to Ireland is also a case of sensory overload, Your ears are filled with the tunes of guitars and fiddles while the air carries with it the scent of fields and farms. Very few places carry with them the sights that this country does. For my favorite Irish experience, all I have to do is look up. The sky in Ireland is beautiful. It stretches out across the hills, mountains and church towers that dot the landscape of each town. As I drove out the road in Clones the other day the conversations around me faded away as I got lost in the endless Irish sky. Looking up, you can see the curvature of the earth, not something you see living in New York City. Summers in Ireland also bring 18 hours of sunlight. You can be out for pints at 9:30 and find a clear blue sky above your head. If you've had a good night you might look up around 5:00 and see a beautiful purple as the dawn begins to crack the blackness of the night sky.
Yesterday was a busy day. We woke up in Cavan after a long night of partying (I forgot that Irish weddings last roughly 27 hours) and headed down to Dublin. Myself, Kate and cousins Eamon, Eileen and Jimmy went to Croke Park (the "home" of Irish sports) to check out the 4th round football doubleheader featuring Monaghan/Kildare and Louth/Dublin. A disappointing performance by Monaghan and Louth sent us out of the Croker and into the streets of Dublin. We started at Temple Bar, worked our way up and down the city and ended up visiting what seemed like a dozen pubs along the way. We talked, we laughed and we had the type of night that makes me love being a McCaughey. The girls went home around 3:30 but the boys stayed out for more action. Although the pubs were all closed we made our own fun along the way. We sang "Streets of New York" with a bum who knew half the words and we paid a busker ten Euro to give Eamon her guitar for a few tunes. Eamon wailed away on some tunes from the Pogues, Christy Moore and Damien Dempsey. A few strangers gathered around, we all joined in on the choruses and we were soon on our way. Jimmy and Eamon stayed out for a little bit more but I turned around and headed back to the hotel. As I looked up I saw the purple sky. Any night you're around for the rising of the sun is a great one and last night was no different. I'll be at Dublin Airport in a little more than twelve hours and although I'll be said to leave I won't soon forgot the time spent with cousins, drinking pints and waiting for that purple sky.
Ireland is a land of experiences. Beautiful landscapes, classic cities, amazing people and of course pints make this country a special place. A trip to Ireland is also a case of sensory overload, Your ears are filled with the tunes of guitars and fiddles while the air carries with it the scent of fields and farms. Very few places carry with them the sights that this country does. For my favorite Irish experience, all I have to do is look up. The sky in Ireland is beautiful. It stretches out across the hills, mountains and church towers that dot the landscape of each town. As I drove out the road in Clones the other day the conversations around me faded away as I got lost in the endless Irish sky. Looking up, you can see the curvature of the earth, not something you see living in New York City. Summers in Ireland also bring 18 hours of sunlight. You can be out for pints at 9:30 and find a clear blue sky above your head. If you've had a good night you might look up around 5:00 and see a beautiful purple as the dawn begins to crack the blackness of the night sky.
Yesterday was a busy day. We woke up in Cavan after a long night of partying (I forgot that Irish weddings last roughly 27 hours) and headed down to Dublin. Myself, Kate and cousins Eamon, Eileen and Jimmy went to Croke Park (the "home" of Irish sports) to check out the 4th round football doubleheader featuring Monaghan/Kildare and Louth/Dublin. A disappointing performance by Monaghan and Louth sent us out of the Croker and into the streets of Dublin. We started at Temple Bar, worked our way up and down the city and ended up visiting what seemed like a dozen pubs along the way. We talked, we laughed and we had the type of night that makes me love being a McCaughey. The girls went home around 3:30 but the boys stayed out for more action. Although the pubs were all closed we made our own fun along the way. We sang "Streets of New York" with a bum who knew half the words and we paid a busker ten Euro to give Eamon her guitar for a few tunes. Eamon wailed away on some tunes from the Pogues, Christy Moore and Damien Dempsey. A few strangers gathered around, we all joined in on the choruses and we were soon on our way. Jimmy and Eamon stayed out for a little bit more but I turned around and headed back to the hotel. As I looked up I saw the purple sky. Any night you're around for the rising of the sun is a great one and last night was no different. I'll be at Dublin Airport in a little more than twelve hours and although I'll be said to leave I won't soon forgot the time spent with cousins, drinking pints and waiting for that purple sky.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Old and New
Back on July 4th, America celebrated it's 234th birthday. While this may sound like 100 life times for some people, 234 years is just a small bump on the time line of civilization. This always becomes clear when you travel outside of our fine country. We're wrapping up our weekend in Edinburgh and the impression that I will take with me is the "oldness" of everything in this beautiful country.
Scotland is old. Like OLD, old. There's a part of Edinburgh called New Town which was built in 1765. Even that which is "new" is actually quite old. Walking around Edinburgh you pass by statues from the 17th and 18th century as well as architecture from as far back as the 1500's.
Yesterday we went out to St. Andrews and the aptly named Old Course for the Open. It was pretty amazing to walk around a course where people have been playing golf for almost 500 years. We could tell that the Scots had a sense of that history as well. We had been to Bethpage last year, home of perhaps the rowdiest golf fans of all time. The Old Course was most definitely not like the Black Course. Shouts and screams were replaced by polite claps. They appreciated the game and although I was itching to scream out to Phil Mickelson,we appreciated them.
The tradition and the age spread to the kitchen as well. I had heard of haggis before and like most, I swore that I would never try it. For those that don't know, haggis is a made up of sheep's "pluck" (heart, liver and lungs) mixed with onion, oatmeal and spices and cooked in a sheep's stomach. Haggis is as Scottish as The Proclaimers golf and scotch. It dates back to the 1500's and was a staple of cattle drivers in the Highlands. In the midst of experiencing all of these ancient things, I decided that I couldn't leave Scotland without trying it. Haggis is old, it's traditional and it's actually pretty good.
Not to pontificate about America, but one of our faults as a people is a lack of appreciation for old things. We're always looking for the hottest new car, cell phone or television without stopping to appreciate the things that came before us. Edinburgh has helped to appreciate the old.
Other random musings of Scotland
-There are more Italian restaurants here than anywhere I've ever been. I'm saying that per capita, Edinburgh has more Italian restaurants than NYC. Possibly because of the aforementioned haggis
-There's a ton of statues in the city, including one of Abraham Lincoln. It's in a cemetery and is built to honor the Scots who fought in the Civil War. Pretty cool.
-I always heard about the room temperature beer but I had never had it until yesterday. No need to try it again because it was gross.
-Scottish accents rule.
We're up early tomorrow for a flight back to Ireland. Can't wait.
Scotland is old. Like OLD, old. There's a part of Edinburgh called New Town which was built in 1765. Even that which is "new" is actually quite old. Walking around Edinburgh you pass by statues from the 17th and 18th century as well as architecture from as far back as the 1500's.
Yesterday we went out to St. Andrews and the aptly named Old Course for the Open. It was pretty amazing to walk around a course where people have been playing golf for almost 500 years. We could tell that the Scots had a sense of that history as well. We had been to Bethpage last year, home of perhaps the rowdiest golf fans of all time. The Old Course was most definitely not like the Black Course. Shouts and screams were replaced by polite claps. They appreciated the game and although I was itching to scream out to Phil Mickelson,we appreciated them.
The tradition and the age spread to the kitchen as well. I had heard of haggis before and like most, I swore that I would never try it. For those that don't know, haggis is a made up of sheep's "pluck" (heart, liver and lungs) mixed with onion, oatmeal and spices and cooked in a sheep's stomach. Haggis is as Scottish as The Proclaimers golf and scotch. It dates back to the 1500's and was a staple of cattle drivers in the Highlands. In the midst of experiencing all of these ancient things, I decided that I couldn't leave Scotland without trying it. Haggis is old, it's traditional and it's actually pretty good.
Not to pontificate about America, but one of our faults as a people is a lack of appreciation for old things. We're always looking for the hottest new car, cell phone or television without stopping to appreciate the things that came before us. Edinburgh has helped to appreciate the old.
Other random musings of Scotland
-There are more Italian restaurants here than anywhere I've ever been. I'm saying that per capita, Edinburgh has more Italian restaurants than NYC. Possibly because of the aforementioned haggis
-There's a ton of statues in the city, including one of Abraham Lincoln. It's in a cemetery and is built to honor the Scots who fought in the Civil War. Pretty cool.
-I always heard about the room temperature beer but I had never had it until yesterday. No need to try it again because it was gross.
-Scottish accents rule.
We're up early tomorrow for a flight back to Ireland. Can't wait.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Dublin Airport/Welcome Home
Whenever I speak, I tend to be painfully aware of coming across as cheesey or corny. I'm not totally sure why but I'm guessing it has something to do with the fact that I like to smash overly cheesey or corny people. Many times, while talking with Kate, I'll find myself starting with the phrase "Not to sound corny, but...." I guess it's just a defense mechanism that a wise ass uses to keep himself in check.
So, with that being said......
Not to sound corny, but there is just something about flying into Dublin Airport that gives me a sense of home. Breaking through the clouds to see the symmetrical patterns of lush, green fields fills me with excitement but also calm. Moving through the familiar sections of the arrival terminal always brings back memories of past trips and adventures. Although I wasn't born here, there is always a part of me that feels like I'm coming back home everytime I cross the Atlantic. I suppose in a way, Ireland is a little piece of home. It could be the aunts, uncles and cousins who greet me with a "Welcome home!" when I arrive or maybe it's that piece of identity and culture that is sometimes missing in the melting pot of New York City. Also, I'm my father's son: he's Irish so I'm Irish. Coming back here reminds me of the place he left 50 years ago to start the life that I now have in America.
When Kate and I got through security we stepped outside to take a breath of "Irish" air. It was great, although it did include some cigarette smoke, which is one of many ingredients of Irish air along with peat and cow manure and others. We're getting on a plane to Scotland in a few hours but we're going to be right back here on Monday, ready to re-discover the land of our people.
(Wait, did that sound corny?)
So, with that being said......
Not to sound corny, but there is just something about flying into Dublin Airport that gives me a sense of home. Breaking through the clouds to see the symmetrical patterns of lush, green fields fills me with excitement but also calm. Moving through the familiar sections of the arrival terminal always brings back memories of past trips and adventures. Although I wasn't born here, there is always a part of me that feels like I'm coming back home everytime I cross the Atlantic. I suppose in a way, Ireland is a little piece of home. It could be the aunts, uncles and cousins who greet me with a "Welcome home!" when I arrive or maybe it's that piece of identity and culture that is sometimes missing in the melting pot of New York City. Also, I'm my father's son: he's Irish so I'm Irish. Coming back here reminds me of the place he left 50 years ago to start the life that I now have in America.
When Kate and I got through security we stepped outside to take a breath of "Irish" air. It was great, although it did include some cigarette smoke, which is one of many ingredients of Irish air along with peat and cow manure and others. We're getting on a plane to Scotland in a few hours but we're going to be right back here on Monday, ready to re-discover the land of our people.
(Wait, did that sound corny?)
Away We Go
Kate and I are taking off on a ten day trip to Scotland and Ireland. I'm going to try my best to keep a running diary of our adventures over the next week and a half. You can be sure that you're going to hear plenty about golf, Guinness and family. Here we go!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Changes
I've had this blog for almost one full year so I decided to change it up a little bit. I had never really liked the templates that Blogger offers but after messing around with it for a while I decided on this one.
The name of the template is "Awesome Inc."
Please do not mistake this as a belief that I'm awesome. I just liked the way it looked.
Enjoy.
The name of the template is "Awesome Inc."
Please do not mistake this as a belief that I'm awesome. I just liked the way it looked.
Enjoy.
Images of Virginia
I spent the last week of June studying the Civil War at the University of Virginia. I'm sure I'll write about it at some point but for now I'm going to post some pictures. These ones cover the battle field at Bull Run, Appomattox Court House, Monticello and various sites around Charlottesville. A full tour of UVA will be posted later. Enjoy
Bull Run
Stonewall Jackson
Bull Run II
Appomattox Court House
The Road to Appomattox
Path (Monticello)
Garden (Monticello)
Monticello (Check the Back of Your Nickel)
Confederate Cemetery (UVA)
Bull Run
Stonewall Jackson
Bull Run II
Appomattox Court House
The Road to Appomattox
Path (Monticello)
Garden (Monticello)
Monticello (Check the Back of Your Nickel)
Confederate Cemetery (UVA)
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
60 Seconds
The 91st minute.
If you don't know anything about soccer, I should inform you that soccer matches are technically 90 minutes long. However there is something called "extra time" or "injury time" in which the referee adds additional time due to stoppages in play or injuries. Sometimes a minute can seem like an inconsequential blip in life; something that passes without you even knowing. Other times a minute is a lifetime or all that you need to survive. Today in South Africa, a minute was huge.
Watching the US/Algeria match brought me back to London in June of 2002. My buddy Kevin and I were at the beginning of our month long tour of Europe and I dragged him down to an Irish pub at 7 in the morning to watch Ireland/Germany in the World Cup. Germany, the heavy favorite, struck early and held a 1-0 until that pesky injury time. A long ball in, headed down by Niall Quinn to the foot of Robbie Keane and into the back of the net. Just like that the game was tied. Usually explosions involving Irishmen in London pubs are a bad thing but on that day it was great. Everything changed in a minute.
Many Americans can't understand why people like soccer but games like today and back in 2002 make me love the game. Working and working and working for 90 minutes just waiting for that chance. Sometimes you get it and it's pushed wide or the goalie gets a finger on it to deflect it away. Other times, the bounce goes your way, the ball ends up in the net and madness ensues. The U.S., much like Ireland in 2002, got what they deserved. Ireland busted it that day and got a draw which helped them advance. The US worked hard and got the goal that moved them into the last 16 and even won them their group. They boys in red, white and blue were on the verge of going home but now they're going on. Everything changed in a minute.
The U.S. got a miracle today. Now all that stands between us and the semi-finals is Ghana and Uruguay or South Korea none of which are soccer powerhouses. I don't know what's going to happen but it's anywhere near as good as today I can't wait.
Do yourself a favor and watch the game on Saturday afternoon but don't miss the extra time because sometimes a minute is all you need.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
a boy and his beard
A few months into our first semester at Fordham, my buddy Mike and I decided we would grow goatees. After all, we were now grown up college MEN, not the "kids" that we had been just a short time before. We started to grow and as Mike's goatee began to fill in nicely, I came to a realization: I could grow a mean neck beard. Yeah, apparently normal facial hair wasn't in the cards for an 18 year old Frank McCaughey. At different times over the next 10 years I would grow my facial hair in but could never commit to it, probably because I was thinking back to my failed attempt years before.
After my wedding last August, I decided that I would take a break from shaving for the remainder of the summer and let the beard grow in. As the beginning of the school year closed in I had a decision to make: keep it or shave. While this may sound like a relatively simple decision, there is nothing simple about your appearance when you teach 150 6th and 7th graders (when I cut my hair short last year it caused quite a reaction from the students). If I were to keep it, it involved a 10 month commitment. After much debate I decided I would stick with it. School started, students commented (with my favorite being called "Sasquatch" by a former student)and overall I was well received....as far as I know.
Well sometimes life calls for change and after one of the worst/turbulent/maddening/saddening/every other emotion in the world weeks of my life I decided to shave my beard. Kate seems to be happy with it, saying that she "missed my face." I think she's just happy that she doesn't have to deal with my neurotic weekly beard trimmings in which I was convinced that I had messed it up. Either way, I'm happy that I kept it for the year and I'm sure 18 year old Frank is too.
After my wedding last August, I decided that I would take a break from shaving for the remainder of the summer and let the beard grow in. As the beginning of the school year closed in I had a decision to make: keep it or shave. While this may sound like a relatively simple decision, there is nothing simple about your appearance when you teach 150 6th and 7th graders (when I cut my hair short last year it caused quite a reaction from the students). If I were to keep it, it involved a 10 month commitment. After much debate I decided I would stick with it. School started, students commented (with my favorite being called "Sasquatch" by a former student)and overall I was well received....as far as I know.
Well sometimes life calls for change and after one of the worst/turbulent/maddening/saddening/every other emotion in the world weeks of my life I decided to shave my beard. Kate seems to be happy with it, saying that she "missed my face." I think she's just happy that she doesn't have to deal with my neurotic weekly beard trimmings in which I was convinced that I had messed it up. Either way, I'm happy that I kept it for the year and I'm sure 18 year old Frank is too.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Hi, my name is Ulysses, and I'm an alcoholic?
For the past week I've been caught in a shit storm at work for two incidents that are not my fault. Wait, isn't that what the guilty guy always says? Well maybe in movies but I swear, I'm an innocent man.
As I sort my way through this mess I'm brought back to a lesson I taught just today. The topic was Ulysses S. Grant and his life before and during the Civil War. Popular history paints Grant as a drunk who resigned his position from the Army in 1854 because of his drinking problem. After reading a biography of Grant, I learned that while he indeed drink from time to time, he was no drunk. His worst drinking came as a result of a difficult commanding officer who made his life a living hell and a longing for his wife and child in Galena, Illinois over 2,000 miles away from his post in the Oregon Territory. Grant resigned, moved to St. Louis where failed in business before returning to Galena to work at his father's tannery. When the South seceded, Grant returned to the Army, first as a desk worker then as the Commander of the 21st Illinois and later the savior of a fledgling Union army. Even so, Grant is still remembered in many accounts as a drunk.
Is drinking when life gets shitty a bad thing? At the end of the day Grant drank too much because his boss was an asshole and he missed his wife and kids, including a son whose birth he missed. Can't we all kind of relate to family issues and an asshole boss? I guess like everything else in life, it's all relative.
As I sort my way through this mess I'm brought back to a lesson I taught just today. The topic was Ulysses S. Grant and his life before and during the Civil War. Popular history paints Grant as a drunk who resigned his position from the Army in 1854 because of his drinking problem. After reading a biography of Grant, I learned that while he indeed drink from time to time, he was no drunk. His worst drinking came as a result of a difficult commanding officer who made his life a living hell and a longing for his wife and child in Galena, Illinois over 2,000 miles away from his post in the Oregon Territory. Grant resigned, moved to St. Louis where failed in business before returning to Galena to work at his father's tannery. When the South seceded, Grant returned to the Army, first as a desk worker then as the Commander of the 21st Illinois and later the savior of a fledgling Union army. Even so, Grant is still remembered in many accounts as a drunk.
Is drinking when life gets shitty a bad thing? At the end of the day Grant drank too much because his boss was an asshole and he missed his wife and kids, including a son whose birth he missed. Can't we all kind of relate to family issues and an asshole boss? I guess like everything else in life, it's all relative.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Benny the Barber
One of my favorite parts of growing up in a small town was the mom and pop businesses that helped make the community. In Stewart Manor we have a great little deli, card store, bagel store, hardware store and of course, a barber. Any guys around my age in the greater Stewart Manor area go to (or went to) Benny and Mike's Barber shop. I started going there as a kid and was there just last week getting my monthly hair cut. As a kid, Benny and Mike's was made up of three older gentleman straight off the boat from Italy. I always went to Benny. He was my barber when my mom would come to the shop with me, he fixed the mess I made of my hair with manicure scissors before our family vacation to California in '88 (yes I cut my hair with manicure scissors. What can I say? 8 year old boys are curious) and he cut my hair before my communion, confirmation and graduations from grammar school to college. I figured that Benny would cut my hair before my wedding but when the time came, Benny wasn't there. Since he often went home to Italy during the summer I figured that we just missed each other and that I would catch him for my "first day of school" hair cut.
When I went back in September, I learned that Benny had died. He had been sick with cancer and he went quickly over the summer. When I learned of this, I was both shocked and saddened. Benny was a genuinely nice man and although we weren't exactly friends we did have a relationship that covered 20+ years. He would often remind me that he had cut my hair "since I was this big" while holding his hand a few feet off the floor. My mom always told me that any time she passed the shop when walking down the avenue Benny would give her a wave. Time passed, the two other men retired but Benny kept working with his sons and grandson joining him in the shop.
A few months back, Benny's grandson was cutting my hair and we started talking about soccer, specifically the Champions League. His grandson was a fan of defending champion Barcelona who would be playing Inter Milan of Italy in the semi-finals. Since I had just watched Inter defeat English powerhouse Chelsea, I told him that I thought Inter was the team to beat. It was at that point that his grandson told me that Inter was Benny's favorite team. Although they hadn't won the European Championship since 1965, the combination of a great coach, a good team and Benny confirmed for me that Inter would indeed raise the cup in Madrid.
Yesterday was the final between Inter and Bayern Munich of Germany. Behind the plan of coach Jose Mourinho and two wonderful goals from Diego Milito, Inter Milan won the Champions League. Throw in winning Serie A (the Italian league) and the Italian cup and Inter did something that only 5 other European clubs have done by winning all three titles or the "treble" as it's known in world of soccer. After the match I couldn't help but think of Benny. Although he was no longer cutting hair on Covert Avenue, I'm sure he was somewhere celebrating the victory.
Friday, May 21, 2010
LCD Soundsystem @ Terminal 5
Most of the time, music can be easily defined. You can have your traditional four piece rock band, a DJ with an MC on the mic or even 5 pretty white boys singing and dancing in unison with the McDonald's drive thru microphones wrapped around their finally gelled hair. Music that is not easily definable? Well that's a horse of a different color! (did I really make a Wizard of Oz reference?) Finding this rare breed is not a common occurrence, but last night I found it and it was fantastic.
LCD Soundsystem played Terminal 5 last night (sold out shows through Sunday)and the show that I saw left me slightly confused, a little bit drunk and overall ecstatic at the performance. I was confused because my ears told me one thing but my eyes told me another. Upon listening to LCD Soundsystem you would immediately classify them (or more accurately HE, James Murphy who is LCD Soundsystem by himself in the studio but brings a band on the road) as dance music, which it absolutely is. But after seeing them up close I realized that they are much, much more. On stage you have Mr. Murphy and all the makings of a traditional "band" including guitar, drums, bass, keyboard and synthesizer. However when you hear the music they make (looping beats, heavy percussion, and synthesizer) your mind is drawn to dance music; then, it gets really weird. If you listen closely and move past the beats that are making you dance (awkwardly in my case) you realize that they're playing real SONGS complete with verses, refrains and stories about life and love. A rare combination that places LCD squarely in that area of "undefinable" which is a beautiful thing in both music and life.
This really was one of the best shows that I've been to in a while. In addition to the great music, we were perched up in the balcony which enabled us to look down at the crowd simultaneously moving to the beat. I've always found the idea of a large number of people (in this case 3,000) focused and committed to the same thing at the same time to be, in a way, quite inspiring. It's the beauty of music, bringing together the hipsters of Brooklyn and the social studies teachers of Queens.
LCD closed with an acapella version of "Empire State of Mind" complete with hundreds of balloons falling from the ceiling. A surreal end for a surreal show that made me appreciate live music that much more.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Hello Again
I haven't written anything in a month so I figured I'd write a quick blurb about baseball as I watch the Mets game.
Basic rule of baseball: If you don't take advantage of your opportunities you will not win games. It sounds simple but the Mets have become masters of this over the past four (miserable) years.
Although the game isn't over the Mets are currently losing 4-2. The big free agent acquisition Jason Bay has come up 2 times with a chance to drive men in and hasn't come through. After the Mets didn't come through, the Reds hit two home runs to take the aforementioned 4-2 lead.
As I'm typing this, David Wright hit a home run to make it 4-3 which just goes to show that I pretend like I know things when in fact, I'm just a boob.
Haven't posted in a while since work and life in general have been a bit busy but I plan on getting back into it.
Thanks for reading.
(I'm pretty sure I just said that to myself since no one reads this shite)
Basic rule of baseball: If you don't take advantage of your opportunities you will not win games. It sounds simple but the Mets have become masters of this over the past four (miserable) years.
Although the game isn't over the Mets are currently losing 4-2. The big free agent acquisition Jason Bay has come up 2 times with a chance to drive men in and hasn't come through. After the Mets didn't come through, the Reds hit two home runs to take the aforementioned 4-2 lead.
As I'm typing this, David Wright hit a home run to make it 4-3 which just goes to show that I pretend like I know things when in fact, I'm just a boob.
Haven't posted in a while since work and life in general have been a bit busy but I plan on getting back into it.
Thanks for reading.
(I'm pretty sure I just said that to myself since no one reads this shite)
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Opening Day or How I Soaked a Stranger
Bottom of the first, one on and one out. My buddy Mike turns to me and says that David Wright was going to hit a two run home run and when he did I jumped out of my seat. I also knocked the beer out of his hand which went all over the guy in front of us. Now, while I felt like a complete idiot for soaking this guy (and still kind of do) it turned out to be a good thing. How can dumping beer on a stranger be a good thing? Well based on being a Mets fan over the last few years, it could have been much worse but Opening Day 2010 proved to be different.
When I think about Opening Day 2010, I think nothing but good thoughts which, if you're being honest, has not happened much since Game 7 of the '06 NLCS. However, Opening Day '10 brought a new start for the both the players on the field and the fans off of it. It's been a long ten months since the meltdown of '09 featuring a dropped pop up, a bases loaded walk to Mariano Rivera, and a shirtless/wrestling assistant general manager. When you throw in a long spring, complete with the apparent foregone conclusion that this team will be sub .500, it became clear that it was time for the new season to start.
Well yesterday the new season started and the Mets came through. A dream first at bat for Wright, amazing new additions to the stadium and an overall positive vibe in the park (minus the booing of the medical staff and Ollie Perez which were both hilarious and deserved) left the feeling that the darkness of 2009 had lifted. It's a new season and it's time to see what this group of guys can do. Can they make the playoffs? Probably not but I don't think an 85-87 win season is completely unreasonable if they stay healthy and get good pitching (great pitching might push them up near 90 a maybe a wild card, and yes I did just say that.) Overall, yesterday was a great day; the Mets were back and life was good in Queens.
I can't wait for the next 161. Let's Go Mets!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Lucky Me
The following is a guest blog from my wife Mary Kate. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.- Frank
My parents were married on March 17, 1973. St. Patrick’s Day in our house, then, became twice as big of a deal (as if it wasn’t big enough on its own). My early memories involve sips of wine during dinner, with music from the Chieftain’s and Tommy Makem playing in the background. And my later memories involve pints of beer during dinner, with the same music from the Chieftain’s and Tommy Makem. Every memory in between is a good one – the year that we gave my parents green jellybean-filled wine glasses and the Riverdance soundtrack (one of the first CDs in our home!), or the year that my sisters and I cooked dinner for them and I almost dropped the cake we made because I insisted on dancing a jig while bringing the cake in from the kitchen (note: I’m a Lenihan School of Irish Dance drop out and have not fully come to terms with it). Sure, some years have been better than others, but the day always guarantees delivery of a few basic things: having some drinks with family, enjoying good music, sharing memories and being proud of being Irish (or half-Irish, as the case may be…).
Since 2005, I’ve been fortunate to share March 17 with Frank, the only person I know outside of my own family who knows what the day means for me and, more specifically, my parents. Each year since 2005, he’s been ready with a whiskey if ‘The Parting Glass’ or ‘Galway Bay’ is played, knowing that it’ll calm me down as I’m reminded of my dad. He’ll sit through watching ‘The Quiet Man,’ hokey as it is, because I get to hear John Wayne say my name. He always offers an invitation to my mom for any of his family’s events of the day (she especially enjoyed the year that we found ourselves in the private party for the pipers at the Roosevelt Hotel after watching the parade. I remember her saying, “Your dad would be like a pig in poop if he were here!”). He sings a mean ‘Streets of New York’ and is perfecting the art of Irish coffee. In all, he’s a catch. But on March 17, he’s exceptional.
My parents would have been married 37 years tomorrow and I hope that I have at least 37 more March 17ths with Frank, my proud Irish man.
My parents were married on March 17, 1973. St. Patrick’s Day in our house, then, became twice as big of a deal (as if it wasn’t big enough on its own). My early memories involve sips of wine during dinner, with music from the Chieftain’s and Tommy Makem playing in the background. And my later memories involve pints of beer during dinner, with the same music from the Chieftain’s and Tommy Makem. Every memory in between is a good one – the year that we gave my parents green jellybean-filled wine glasses and the Riverdance soundtrack (one of the first CDs in our home!), or the year that my sisters and I cooked dinner for them and I almost dropped the cake we made because I insisted on dancing a jig while bringing the cake in from the kitchen (note: I’m a Lenihan School of Irish Dance drop out and have not fully come to terms with it). Sure, some years have been better than others, but the day always guarantees delivery of a few basic things: having some drinks with family, enjoying good music, sharing memories and being proud of being Irish (or half-Irish, as the case may be…).
Since 2005, I’ve been fortunate to share March 17 with Frank, the only person I know outside of my own family who knows what the day means for me and, more specifically, my parents. Each year since 2005, he’s been ready with a whiskey if ‘The Parting Glass’ or ‘Galway Bay’ is played, knowing that it’ll calm me down as I’m reminded of my dad. He’ll sit through watching ‘The Quiet Man,’ hokey as it is, because I get to hear John Wayne say my name. He always offers an invitation to my mom for any of his family’s events of the day (she especially enjoyed the year that we found ourselves in the private party for the pipers at the Roosevelt Hotel after watching the parade. I remember her saying, “Your dad would be like a pig in poop if he were here!”). He sings a mean ‘Streets of New York’ and is perfecting the art of Irish coffee. In all, he’s a catch. But on March 17, he’s exceptional.
My parents would have been married 37 years tomorrow and I hope that I have at least 37 more March 17ths with Frank, my proud Irish man.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Cosmos and Beer
I'm just home from an incredibly long day (teaching during the day then working at Trinity at night.) I'm quite tired but I had to share one story from my shift tonight.
A woman ordered a cosmo, which I always hate because of my notoriously shakey hands (thanks Mom!) and also because I can never remember what fruit goes in it. When I asked the bartender, my fellow server chastised me for not knowing that a lime goes in a cosmo.
"You don't know a lime goes in a cosmo?!?!?! Haven't you ever seen your wife drink one????"
To which I replied: "No, my wife doesn't drink cosmos. She drinks beer. That's why I married her."
That exchange made me smile. So will bed, which is where I'm going now.
Good night.
A woman ordered a cosmo, which I always hate because of my notoriously shakey hands (thanks Mom!) and also because I can never remember what fruit goes in it. When I asked the bartender, my fellow server chastised me for not knowing that a lime goes in a cosmo.
"You don't know a lime goes in a cosmo?!?!?! Haven't you ever seen your wife drink one????"
To which I replied: "No, my wife doesn't drink cosmos. She drinks beer. That's why I married her."
That exchange made me smile. So will bed, which is where I'm going now.
Good night.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Hot Dogs and Shame
Kate has classes on Monday and Wednesday which leads me to fend for myself when it comes to dinner. Now don't get me wrong, I can cook (just ask anyone who has had my fish tacos or meatloaf.) However, as we all know, sometimes all we want is something easy. Upon inspecting the freezer, I found some hot dogs. I left two out to be defrosted and finished up some work.
As it came time for dinner I realized that I was not that hungry. It could have been my late lunch or it could have been the leftover Swedish Meatballs I had when I got home but either way I wasn't that hungry. Since I had defrosted two hot dogs I decided that I would at least cook the two and if I didn't have room for the second one I would dump it.
Then I saw some cheese in the fridge, so I decided to make cheese dogs.
Then I ate both of them.
Now I'm washing them both down with a beer.
As I barrel out of my twenties it's nice to see that I have total disregard for the horrendous middle aged gut that will be upon me in the blink of an eye.
But damn those cheese dogs were good.
As it came time for dinner I realized that I was not that hungry. It could have been my late lunch or it could have been the leftover Swedish Meatballs I had when I got home but either way I wasn't that hungry. Since I had defrosted two hot dogs I decided that I would at least cook the two and if I didn't have room for the second one I would dump it.
Then I saw some cheese in the fridge, so I decided to make cheese dogs.
Then I ate both of them.
Now I'm washing them both down with a beer.
As I barrel out of my twenties it's nice to see that I have total disregard for the horrendous middle aged gut that will be upon me in the blink of an eye.
But damn those cheese dogs were good.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Do You Believe in Miracles?????
Ok so maybe it wasn't THAT big of an upset but it was a hell of a game. Just finished watching USA/Canada in the Olympics and it was everything that makes hockey such an amazing sport. Some thoughts:
-When played at its highest level, hockey is better than every sport, and I say this as someone who considers baseball his favorite sport. The speed, hitting and amazing skill that these guys show is just off the charts.
-You could say that on paper, Team USA is the 4th or 5th best team in this tournament (behind Canada, Russia, Sweden and possibly Finland) however I used those two dirty sports words....ON PAPER. There's nothing that can win a hockey tournament, whether it's the Stanley Cup playoffs or the Olympics, better than a hot goaltender and Ryan Miller was outstanding tonight. He's been the best goalie in the NHL all year and if he keeps it up, the US will definitely walk out with some kind of medal, maybe even the gold.
-Even though they can't fight, these teams have been crushing each other with nice, clean hits. The US team has been hitting everything in sight from the drop of the puck against Switzerland.
-Although Drury and Callahan were great tonight, I still think Kyle Okposo should be on Team USA.
-Love the jerseys that the US has in this tournament. The throwbacks from 1960 were excellent as are the blue ones. Especially love the "Land of the Free, Home of the Brave" stitched into the wrists.
-It has to kill Canadians that the US beat them at a sport which is religion to them but 90% of our population cares nothing about. I guess there's a reason we're the USA and they're Canada.
-"USA! USA!" is a classic sports chant. Not a classic? "CA-NA-DA!" Sorry guys it just doesn't work.
-No one is a better play by play man than Doc Emrick. The knowledge, passion and enthusiasm add so much to an already amazing experience.
-I basically love all Olympic sports (except cross country which is just boring) but nothing is better than Olympic hockey. Having that much talent, playing for their countries on a bigger rink is fantastic. The first game today (Russia/Czech Republic) was great and I'm sure the last one will be too (Sweden/Finland). Unfortunately it's back to work tomorrow so I'm going to bed soon.
So now the US wins the group and gets the extra day off while Canada gets Germany. The final week of this tournament is going to be great with it all coming to an end next Sunday afternoon, hopefully with the Red, White and Blue finishing on top.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Avatar
When Avatar first came out, I wasn't very interested in seeing it. After hearing more about it and realizing that the last 3D movie I saw was "Captain Eo" starring Michael Jackson, I figured I would check it out. Unfortunately Kate wasn't interested, so I had to do what any (sad) normal (lonely) person would do: go to a matinee by myself on a Friday afternoon.
I usually try to have some theme or story running through my blogs but this movie really didn't do all that much for me so here are some random thoughts:
-The film was visually amazing; everything else was just....eh (with shoulder shrug)
-So it's the highest grossing film ever which leaves me a bit confused. If that many people saw it then it MUST be good right? (herd mentality after all) After seeing it though, I barely categorize Avatar as a good movie forget it being a great movie. So then what is it? It's the perfect movie for its time: looks great, not much else there.
-Giovanni Ribisi really did a great Ari Gold impersonation in his role of the evil corporate guy. It's as if he just watched the box set of Entourage to prepare for this role. I wonder if he did that same thing with "Life Goes On" when researching for his stellar turn in "The Other Sister."
-If this is a front runner for Best Picture then this truly was a weak year for film. I haven't seen "The Hurt Locker" but I would have to imagine that it's a better movie than Avatar. Hell I would put "Inglourious Basterds" ahead of it. I respect what Cameron did with the technology but I just don't think it was that great.
-Were we supposed to feel bad for the Navi? I was more upset that I gave up candy for Lent and had to get popcorn, the lesser of the movie snack choices.
-They had some 3D previews including "Piranha 3D" which is about killer piranhas attacking swimmers at a beach. This movie looks atrocious. The worst part? Richard Dreyfuss is in this movie...about a fish....that is threatening the safety of swimmers.....at a beach. Did he forget he was in JAWS?!?! Should we be concerned about the mental and financial well being of Dr. Leo Marvin? Equally as bad? The movie poster I saw for "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" the sequel to the 1987 Oliver Stone film, except instead of Charlie Sheen as the young hot shot it's.....Shia LeBeouf. What did he do to get all of this work?
-CAPITALISM! IMPERIALISM! I get it Mr. Cameron, America is evil. This gives some perspective as to why this movie has done so well overseas (it broke the world box office record weeks before it broke the domestic record)
So to sum it up, Avatar made a lot of money.
Yup.
I usually try to have some theme or story running through my blogs but this movie really didn't do all that much for me so here are some random thoughts:
-The film was visually amazing; everything else was just....eh (with shoulder shrug)
-So it's the highest grossing film ever which leaves me a bit confused. If that many people saw it then it MUST be good right? (herd mentality after all) After seeing it though, I barely categorize Avatar as a good movie forget it being a great movie. So then what is it? It's the perfect movie for its time: looks great, not much else there.
-Giovanni Ribisi really did a great Ari Gold impersonation in his role of the evil corporate guy. It's as if he just watched the box set of Entourage to prepare for this role. I wonder if he did that same thing with "Life Goes On" when researching for his stellar turn in "The Other Sister."
-If this is a front runner for Best Picture then this truly was a weak year for film. I haven't seen "The Hurt Locker" but I would have to imagine that it's a better movie than Avatar. Hell I would put "Inglourious Basterds" ahead of it. I respect what Cameron did with the technology but I just don't think it was that great.
-Were we supposed to feel bad for the Navi? I was more upset that I gave up candy for Lent and had to get popcorn, the lesser of the movie snack choices.
-They had some 3D previews including "Piranha 3D" which is about killer piranhas attacking swimmers at a beach. This movie looks atrocious. The worst part? Richard Dreyfuss is in this movie...about a fish....that is threatening the safety of swimmers.....at a beach. Did he forget he was in JAWS?!?! Should we be concerned about the mental and financial well being of Dr. Leo Marvin? Equally as bad? The movie poster I saw for "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" the sequel to the 1987 Oliver Stone film, except instead of Charlie Sheen as the young hot shot it's.....Shia LeBeouf. What did he do to get all of this work?
-CAPITALISM! IMPERIALISM! I get it Mr. Cameron, America is evil. This gives some perspective as to why this movie has done so well overseas (it broke the world box office record weeks before it broke the domestic record)
So to sum it up, Avatar made a lot of money.
Yup.
Friday, February 12, 2010
2.12.05
Kate and I first met each other when working at Fordham. Now, we were also students at Fordham at the same time (me an '02 grad, Kate in '03) but Kate studied and I drank, so it wasn't until we worked together that we met. Just a few months in, Kate and I became friendly and soon we had entered the phase that Kate calls "courting." We shared stories about our families, our shared Irish heritage -Kate telling stories about drinking whiskey, me making casual comments about the IRA- and the many common people, places and things that made up our lives.
Fast forward to February 11th, 2005. I invited Kate out to see Shilelagh Law at Connolly's. I also forgot to mention that my two best friends and my sister/future brother-in-law would be there as well. Strike one. We hung out for a bit, watched the show and soon it was time for Kate to head home. As she got up to say goodbye, I stood, said goodbye and sat back down as Kate made her way towards the door. Soon she was gone and my friends were asking me what I was doing. "Why didn't you walk her out?" Strike two. Throughout my life, I have not exactly been a ladies man and this incident immediately made me question myself. Did I blow it? Why wouldn't I just walk her out?
Well, even with this faux pas, Kate and I made plans to hang out the following day. I did some work on campus, went to the basketball game and then made my way over to her old Bronx apartment behind the Jolly Tinker. We hung out for a while but neither of us made a move until finally it was time to go. As I left we said goodbye, we kissed. I made my way back to Long Island, nervous and excited as a 7th grader, and the following day I was on a plane to Florida for work. What a guy! Blow her off and when you do make a move, disappear to Florida for a week....well done. We talked throughout that week, we soon were dating and we haven't been apart since.
We've shared amazing times together from the craziness of the Chief's Dinner to a quiet night at home. We've been to thirteen states, two foreign countries and Montauk 50 times. We've eaten Dairy Queen in Stratford, Carvel in Stewart Manor and Italian ices in Forest Hills. We planned our wedding, bought our apartment and (barely) lived to tell the stories.
When August 1st rolls around, I imagine that I will get a little nostalgic thinking back to our wedding. We had an amazing day and our anniversary will always give us a chance to think about when we started our new life. However, when I think about my wife and the amazing life we have together, I always think about back to February 12th, 2005.
It's now February 12th, 2010. I'm off to have dinner with my wife and this time, I'm going to walk her out.
Fast forward to February 11th, 2005. I invited Kate out to see Shilelagh Law at Connolly's. I also forgot to mention that my two best friends and my sister/future brother-in-law would be there as well. Strike one. We hung out for a bit, watched the show and soon it was time for Kate to head home. As she got up to say goodbye, I stood, said goodbye and sat back down as Kate made her way towards the door. Soon she was gone and my friends were asking me what I was doing. "Why didn't you walk her out?" Strike two. Throughout my life, I have not exactly been a ladies man and this incident immediately made me question myself. Did I blow it? Why wouldn't I just walk her out?
Well, even with this faux pas, Kate and I made plans to hang out the following day. I did some work on campus, went to the basketball game and then made my way over to her old Bronx apartment behind the Jolly Tinker. We hung out for a while but neither of us made a move until finally it was time to go. As I left we said goodbye, we kissed. I made my way back to Long Island, nervous and excited as a 7th grader, and the following day I was on a plane to Florida for work. What a guy! Blow her off and when you do make a move, disappear to Florida for a week....well done. We talked throughout that week, we soon were dating and we haven't been apart since.
We've shared amazing times together from the craziness of the Chief's Dinner to a quiet night at home. We've been to thirteen states, two foreign countries and Montauk 50 times. We've eaten Dairy Queen in Stratford, Carvel in Stewart Manor and Italian ices in Forest Hills. We planned our wedding, bought our apartment and (barely) lived to tell the stories.
When August 1st rolls around, I imagine that I will get a little nostalgic thinking back to our wedding. We had an amazing day and our anniversary will always give us a chance to think about when we started our new life. However, when I think about my wife and the amazing life we have together, I always think about back to February 12th, 2005.
It's now February 12th, 2010. I'm off to have dinner with my wife and this time, I'm going to walk her out.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Let it Snow
(the view from our window)
During fourth period yesterday, while I was completing my daily round of yard duty at school, I received a text message from my wife. "You have tomorrow off." While the possibility of a snow day had raced through my mind all day, I hadn't considered it becoming a reality. When I asked whether she was messing with me, Kate replied with a screen cap of "Eyewitness News" that confirmed the beautiful truth. Tomorrow was going to be a snow day.
There are few things that can make an adult feel like a child. For some Christmas does the trick; for others a softball beer league brings them back to their youth. For me, it's all about a snow day. Everyone can remember the snow days from their youth. First the 5 day forecast mentions snow, then you start hearing about possible accumulation numbers and finally, the day before the storm arrives and all you can think about is no school. You wake up early the next morning and flip on the TV in hopes of hearing the good news. Once you hear that school is cancelled you rejoice and start making plans for how to celebrate this joyous event. Sledding, snowball fights or even the always fun snow football game.
When the principal announced the cancellation over the PA, my kids broke out in applause and cheering. Although I didn't cheer along with them, I was celebrating on the inside; happy for them that they would experience the aformentioned joy of a childhood snow day but also happy for me that I would get to have an adult snow day. Throw in the fact that Kate would also have the day off and I was as happy as any of my students.
The following picture was taken at 5:30:
Not 5:30 AM. That's 5:30 PM.
Our door has been locked like this since we went to bed last night. We haven't even thought of leaving today. On most days this would be viewed as lazy and slovenly, but on a snow day it's totally acceptable. I was in my pajamas until 4 o'clock. Who does that? Well someone who has a snow day that's who! (Although if I were being totally honest, I would disclose that I did the same thing when Kate went home to Connecticut last Saturday....maybe I am lazy) Kate and I love each others company and both really enjoy relaxing at home. For us, snow days as perfect.
We got out of bed around 9:30 (late for us), had breakfast and watched 1.5 hours of Game Show Network including Match Game, Family Feud (Ray Combs edition) AND $25,000 Pyramid. SNOW DAY! Thanks to hitting the grocery store the night before we had plenty of drinks and food so we made a great child-like snow day lunch (see pictures below.) SNOW DAY! Since then we've each done some work, watched a little TV and overall had a great day. Throw in that we still have dinner, the Islanders game and "Modern Family" and the snow day (now snow night) still has a lot to offer.
Mayor Bloomberg just announced that schools will be open tomorrow. While I was hoping that we might somehow get another day off, I had such a great day today that it makes the disappointment a little better. Snow days are bonus days in life. Whether you spend them sledding, shovelling or shutting yourself in, snow days are a great day. For now, we'll enjoy the rest of the night and wait for the next time we get the chance to lock ourselves in, watch 30 year old game shows and enjoy the times that make life a little bit better, even if it's just for a day.
Some photos from our snow day:
(Child's Snow Day Lunch)
(Adult's Snow Day Lunch)
(73rd Road)
Friday, January 22, 2010
Our Turn
There's an amazing pattern among New York sports fans. The large majority of New York fans fall into two groups: Yankees/Giants/Rangers fans and Mets/Jets/Islanders fans. While there may be some exceptions to this rule, most fans usually fall in line with this grouping. Why is this? Could be geography. Most people who grew up within the city limits are in the Yankees group while many suburban fans (especially on Long Island) lean toward the Mets group. It could be how long you and your family have been fans for since Group #1 is home to all of the traditional franchises that have been among the premier teams in their respective leagues since the early 1900's. Conversely none of the teams in group #2 were around before 1960. Regardless of how and why people are fans of these teams, there is one fact about these fans that cannot be denied. Group #2 never wins championships.....ever; in fact they rarely even play for a championship. If we take away the two hockey teams (since the Rangers have been MUCH less successful than the Islanders since the Isles started playing in 1972) you would find championship numbers that are just plain pathetic. Since 1962, (the first year that all four teams were playing at the same time) you would find that the Mets/Jets have won 3 championships while the Yankees/Giants have combined for 12. In fact, even if you threw in the amount of times the Mets/Jets have played for a championship it's still not close (12-5)
Not only does this give us insight into how poorly the former teams have been run for the past fifty years but it also tells us a lot about the psyche of the fans. Yankees/Giants fans expect to win championships on a regular basis, always assuming that they have the superior team. Mets/Jets fans are always waiting for the other shoe to drop, just one fumble or September collapse away from another off season of despair.
This brings us to the 2009 New York Jets.
Although we saw success with the rookie quarterback/rookie head coach experiments in Atlanta and Baltimore last year, I think it is fair to say that not much was expected of the Jets this year. I don't think that Jets fans thought they would suffer through a 4-12/3-13 type season but instead 8-8/9-7 would be more realistic, with both records leaving the Jets short of the playoffs (especially since an 11-5 Patriots team missed out last year.) While looking great at times- see the 3-0 start- the Jets were a source of frustration throughout the year. The list of bad losses runs long from both Miami games, the Bills game at the Meadowlands, Jacksonville and of course the week 15 loss to the Falcons. Hell that was so bad that the coach even eliminated his own team from the playoffs. But then Santa came and delivered a present that no Jets fan could have dreamed of..... a rookie quarterback from Purdue called Curtis Painter. When Bill Polian (yes I'm giving all the credit/blame to Polian not rookie head coach Jim Caldwell) decided to rest his starters all fortunes changed. I truly believe that there is no way that the 7-7 Jets team that walked into Indianapolis on December 27th would have beaten the Colts that day with Manning and company on the field for four quarters.
However, Peyton wasn't on the field for four quarters. Painter came in, the Jets took over and everything changed. Now the Jets are 11-7. They walk into Indianapolis on January 24th as a different team, having won four in a row including two playoff games on the road. The coach has gone out of his way to build this team up with everything from bold predictions to itineraries that include a victory parade. They believe, but do I?
I fall into the Mets/Jets/Islanders group mentioned above. I'm always waiting for the other shoe to drop. In my life, I have two legitimate memories of my teams playing for the championship: the '86 and '00 Mets. While it's not fair to say the Jets have been terrible in my lifetime (especially in recent years), the Mets have pushed me to the point of insanity and the Islanders were the worst team in the NHL last year (although I am very confident about their future) Long story short, I'm always waiting for the worst, primarily because I have never experienced the best. I hate to say it but these Jets might be changing that. I was basically a giddy 6 year old after the San Diego game and I have been counting the minutes until Sunday's kick off since then.
The Jets are going to win on Sunday.
The best part is, I truly believe that. Maybe I'm just sick of watching my teams lose. Maybe it's what I have to believe when faced with the daunting prospect of facing Peyton Manning. Or maybe, just maybe, it's finally our turn. Either way, I can't wait for Sunday. I'm not going to think about how it's been a great season win or lose, I'm going to think about winning the AFC Championship. It's our turn.
Next stop Miami.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Jack is Back.....and I couldn't be happier
(Insert Clock Ticking Here)
As we enter the winter TV season (did this even exist 10 years ago? I thought all shows started in September) we see the return of two of my favorites: Lost and 24. Since Lost doesn't start for another two weeks and I'm probably not smart enough to write a good blog about the mysteries of Lost, I'll start with 24.
I started watching 24 after getting season 1 on DVD off Netflix back in 2002. I loved Season 1. The introduction of the "happening in real time" format, the action and suspense and of course one of the greatest surprises/twists in television history with Nina Myers, all made season 1 one of my favorite seasons of television ever. Over time I got a few people hooked on the show, including my parents with whom "Jack" on Mondays became a winter tradition. Although the show has its good seasons and bad seasons, I love Jack Bauer and so should you. What have we learned through the first four hours of Day 8? Let's take a look. (Side note before you start, 24 seasons are referred to as "Days" since they all happen in 24 hours.....terrible? Not for me!)
We start by looking at the man himself: Jack Bauer. This season opens up with "Grandpa" Jack babysitting his granddaughter. Stop right there. The Jack Bauer I know and love is a cold blooded, win at all costs federal agent. No one wants to see Grandpa Jack. We want the man who tortured his own brother, got so deep undercover that he became a heroin addict and would probably waterboard his own mother in order to get "THE TRUTH!" I was thrilled to see him bury an ax in that guy's chest during the first hour but was a little upset that he wasn't on board when Renee cut that Russian's hand off at the end of hour four. Hopefully, Jack will turn it around over the next twenty weeks.
The highlight of the first four hours was definetely the introduction of the new characters. In the interest of time and reader boredom, I'll focus on three.
President Hassan
President Hassan gives us the leader of a radical Islamic state that is open to talks with the United States over nuclear proliferation. This is an interesting character considering the current state of our world and shows that the writers and producers can incorporate real world issues into the show. However, I was completely taken out of it by constantly thinking about becoming a MILLON-AIR! I'm sure Anil Kapoor will have a fine career but I all I could do during the first episode was think of ways to mix President Hassan with his character from "Slumdog Millionaire" such as "When President Hassan leaves office he could write a book that would make him a MILLON-AIR!" or "If his wife finds out that President Hassan is cheating on her with that reporter, the divorce settlement will make her a MILLON-AIR!" Also, I always love the fictional country that they create for these world leaders. My wife deemed President Hassan to be from Quagistan but after a little research it looks like he's from "Kamistan." (It goes without saying that I prefer Kate's by far.) I would love to see them choose a real country and stick with it. I mean they have no problem picking on the Russians! During Hour Four, we again learned that the Russians have their dirty, commy hands in this one. Why is it that they can't name a real Middle Eastern country but they can always drag "The Russians" in? Twenty years after the fall of the Iron Curtain and it's still the god damn Russians!
Cole Ortiz
Freddie Prinze Jr. reprises the same basic role that we see each year. The young CTU hot shot that gets to work with Jack. We can only hope he can pull it off as well as "Cut Your Arm Off" Chase from Day 3 or Rick "Don't call me Ricky" Schroeder in Day 6. I'm hoping Day 9 will bring us either Josh Hartnett or if we're really lucky Chris Klein.
Dana Walsh
Had to save my favorite- and most ridiculous- character for last. Dana Walsh is a Senior Data Analyst at CTU New York who is hiding a secret past including a former identity. What is her secret? Well her van driving white trash ex-boyfriend or perhaps her single-mother sister will let us know. Either way, it's absolutely ridiculous. Now I'm not one who goes out of his way to find plot holes, but I'm having a tough time accepting that someone who works for the Counter-Terrorist Unit wouldn't have some type of background check done on her. Is there no type of vetting process for a federal agent??? Additionally, who gets harassed/stalked and threatened by ex, but then proceeds to give him the keys to her place? It's clear that the ex boyfriend angle is this season's version of the "unneccessary storyline" that was previously taken by the director of CTU has a crazy daughter in Day Four and Wayne Palmer is president in Day Six.
Other highlights? The always fantastic Chloe O'Brian (again played perfectly by Mary-Lynn Rajskub), the bit roles from the cable TV all stars especially Captain David Aceveda from "The Shield" and Vincent Chase's scumbag cousin from Entourage and finally Bubba Gump himself as the head of CTU New York. When you throw in a mentally unstable Renee Walker sawing hands off while undercover with the Russians and the rumored return of President Charles Logan, I know that I will be enjoying Day 9.
(Insert clock ticking here)
As we enter the winter TV season (did this even exist 10 years ago? I thought all shows started in September) we see the return of two of my favorites: Lost and 24. Since Lost doesn't start for another two weeks and I'm probably not smart enough to write a good blog about the mysteries of Lost, I'll start with 24.
I started watching 24 after getting season 1 on DVD off Netflix back in 2002. I loved Season 1. The introduction of the "happening in real time" format, the action and suspense and of course one of the greatest surprises/twists in television history with Nina Myers, all made season 1 one of my favorite seasons of television ever. Over time I got a few people hooked on the show, including my parents with whom "Jack" on Mondays became a winter tradition. Although the show has its good seasons and bad seasons, I love Jack Bauer and so should you. What have we learned through the first four hours of Day 8? Let's take a look. (Side note before you start, 24 seasons are referred to as "Days" since they all happen in 24 hours.....terrible? Not for me!)
We start by looking at the man himself: Jack Bauer. This season opens up with "Grandpa" Jack babysitting his granddaughter. Stop right there. The Jack Bauer I know and love is a cold blooded, win at all costs federal agent. No one wants to see Grandpa Jack. We want the man who tortured his own brother, got so deep undercover that he became a heroin addict and would probably waterboard his own mother in order to get "THE TRUTH!" I was thrilled to see him bury an ax in that guy's chest during the first hour but was a little upset that he wasn't on board when Renee cut that Russian's hand off at the end of hour four. Hopefully, Jack will turn it around over the next twenty weeks.
The highlight of the first four hours was definetely the introduction of the new characters. In the interest of time and reader boredom, I'll focus on three.
President Hassan
President Hassan gives us the leader of a radical Islamic state that is open to talks with the United States over nuclear proliferation. This is an interesting character considering the current state of our world and shows that the writers and producers can incorporate real world issues into the show. However, I was completely taken out of it by constantly thinking about becoming a MILLON-AIR! I'm sure Anil Kapoor will have a fine career but I all I could do during the first episode was think of ways to mix President Hassan with his character from "Slumdog Millionaire" such as "When President Hassan leaves office he could write a book that would make him a MILLON-AIR!" or "If his wife finds out that President Hassan is cheating on her with that reporter, the divorce settlement will make her a MILLON-AIR!" Also, I always love the fictional country that they create for these world leaders. My wife deemed President Hassan to be from Quagistan but after a little research it looks like he's from "Kamistan." (It goes without saying that I prefer Kate's by far.) I would love to see them choose a real country and stick with it. I mean they have no problem picking on the Russians! During Hour Four, we again learned that the Russians have their dirty, commy hands in this one. Why is it that they can't name a real Middle Eastern country but they can always drag "The Russians" in? Twenty years after the fall of the Iron Curtain and it's still the god damn Russians!
Cole Ortiz
Freddie Prinze Jr. reprises the same basic role that we see each year. The young CTU hot shot that gets to work with Jack. We can only hope he can pull it off as well as "Cut Your Arm Off" Chase from Day 3 or Rick "Don't call me Ricky" Schroeder in Day 6. I'm hoping Day 9 will bring us either Josh Hartnett or if we're really lucky Chris Klein.
Dana Walsh
Had to save my favorite- and most ridiculous- character for last. Dana Walsh is a Senior Data Analyst at CTU New York who is hiding a secret past including a former identity. What is her secret? Well her van driving white trash ex-boyfriend or perhaps her single-mother sister will let us know. Either way, it's absolutely ridiculous. Now I'm not one who goes out of his way to find plot holes, but I'm having a tough time accepting that someone who works for the Counter-Terrorist Unit wouldn't have some type of background check done on her. Is there no type of vetting process for a federal agent??? Additionally, who gets harassed/stalked and threatened by ex, but then proceeds to give him the keys to her place? It's clear that the ex boyfriend angle is this season's version of the "unneccessary storyline" that was previously taken by the director of CTU has a crazy daughter in Day Four and Wayne Palmer is president in Day Six.
Other highlights? The always fantastic Chloe O'Brian (again played perfectly by Mary-Lynn Rajskub), the bit roles from the cable TV all stars especially Captain David Aceveda from "The Shield" and Vincent Chase's scumbag cousin from Entourage and finally Bubba Gump himself as the head of CTU New York. When you throw in a mentally unstable Renee Walker sawing hands off while undercover with the Russians and the rumored return of President Charles Logan, I know that I will be enjoying Day 9.
(Insert clock ticking here)
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