Me and football

Football is an interesting subject in America.  Most people follow football, and watch it on a regular basis, and then discuss it with friends and coworkers for at least Monday.  Then there are people like me who "follow" the sport, but don't necessarily watch it, or care to discuss it at length.

I follow football scores for the Chiefs and the Big 12, and care very little outside of that.  I do not actually watch the games.  For the Chiefs, I would rather take a nap on Sunday or get stuff done.  For the Wildcats, most games are on cable, so I would have to go somewhere else to watch them.  I do listen on the radio occasionally, or follow the scores on Yahoo Sports.   I only know the names of 3-4 players on each team (Chiefs and Wildcats, not opposing teams).

I do not really know what it takes athletically, because I've never played football competitively on any level (grew up in Canada).   I can tell if someone makes a good play, but don't have tremendous appreciation for the effort the player made, or how much talent was necessary to make the tackle or the catch.  I just know it's a lot more talent than I have!

I sometimes have some trouble embracing football because it causes injuries often.  It is rare to watch a game without someone laying on the field, being looked over by trainers, recovering from a hit or an awkward landing.  I heard disturbing statistics about how running backs are not expected to live as long, and spend most of their later lives in pain.  When I have a son, I will not forbid him from playing football, but I would also not mind if he preferred something else.  That is because I don't want him to be the 20-something guy who is complaining about his knees.

Finally, I grew up as someone who was really focused on things that I perceived to be permanent or enduring.  And sports never came across to me as being life changing, or really relevant to my life.  That's just me, and maybe that is the thing that keeps me from being a sports nut - it could be totally different for someone else, it's not a right or wrong thing.

So, in summary I feel self-conscious about my lack of enthusiasm for football at times.  I am headed to Manhattan for a big game with 3 big football fans...so I somewhat feel like more of a passive observer among excited fans.  I try not to let a loss of a game affect my emotions, but sometimes it does to be honest.  The Chiefs lost today because of a poor officiating call, and I was very bummed about it, because it's not fair at all.  I think that about sums it up my thoughts about football, let me know if you have any questions!

Movie Review: Pride & Prejudice

I had seen little portions of this movie over and over again, because Courtney used to sometimes watch movies to pass time.  She would complete the movie in 4-5 viewings.  So I would walk by and see certain parts of it, but I had never seen the entire thing . It looked good though.

I decided to read the book and then see the movie.  (Book review here) The movie did not disappoint.  Not only is the story good, but the scenery and camera work are awesome.  There are a couple of long scenes in different rooms, however, the film is never cut.  The camera moves from room to room, and the actors execute in perfect timing.  The scenery not only includes vast plains and perfect sunsets, but also depicts a beautiful mansion/property from the era.

The movie keeps the humor of the book, and adds a lot of its own.  Mr. Collins is a funny little man, just because of how awkward he is.  Mrs. Bennet and her nerves are very entertaining.

The best scene is when Mr. Bennet is speaking with Elizabeth after the proposal of Mr. Darcy.  Donald Sutherland does an amazing work of acting, and it is a touching scene.

Also we must mention the music again. I purchased the piano version of the music to play for Courtney.  It is really beautiful music - all original, but made to sound like it is from that time period.

Movie Review: Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

Somehow I had always wanted to see this one, but still knew very little about it.  I guess it's famous.

The characters are immediately interesting and entertaining.  Of course, the most interesting character is the main character - Holly Golightly, played by Audrey Hepburn.  She is a chatterbox, and a New York socialite, but deep down is only there to fill some sort of emotional void, and possibly just to survive.  Even when she nearly succeeds at gaining the rich husband, he is ashamed of her, and it's not really ideal.  Her past relationships are not ideal either, since she married an older guy she was incompatible with.  And finally, her last relationship is maybe the best she has had, but it does not seem promising to me.  Hollywood made it into a romantic amazing finish, but I hear that the Truman Capote version was different.  Since neither of them have money or direction, I have doubts about their success together.  But the guy really loves her - Fred, or Paul Varjak - he is a very patient man, and it's not just a flighty love.  I think at the end Holly Golightly realizes the futility of going after the rich men, not sure how much she truly loves Paul, but she could use him in her life.

The story has some strange twists and turns, and pushes the envelope a bit for 1961, but that should be expected for a Truman Capote novel.  The story is overall very good and entertaining.

The signature song, "Moon River" won the Academy Award.  The movie begins and ends with the song.  It's a good song, but is still in the older style.  Movie music didn't get contemporary until the late 60s.

Book Review: Learning ASP.NET 3.5

This book officially has the worst cover of any book I have read.

This publisher chooses a different animal for every book - and chooses a black and white drawing of it - it's kind of geeky.  This particular one is a monkfish - one of the ugliest fish known to man.

This book reminded me of college when I learned/used object-oriented programming.  ASP is much easier now, because you can drag and drop, instead of just typing everything.  Still, it is difficult to learn without real world experience.  Several of the examples in the book didn't work.  Next I want to learn ASP MVC 2.0

Book Review: My Brother's Keeper, Part III - Review

"What the social sciences do (and don't) tell us about masculinity.

I started out ambitiously, but I don't feel like writing a chapter-by-chapter review anymore.

Overall, I was impressed at the author's (Mary Stewart Van Leeuwen) breadth of knowledge.  However, she still seems more interested in women's issues than men's.  This provided a unique perspective for me - one that I haven't necessarily been exposed to.  I am the descendant of two lines where women were housewives and did not work outside the home. Second wave feminism has always been viewed in a very negative light.   (first wave feminism being the right to vote, basically)  And the author, being a feminist, opened my mind a bit about Biblical views (we are all equal in Christ) and cultural history.

Actually, I should mention that I did get a lot out the chapter about the history of men's work.  As a nation we moved from an agrarian society to an industrial society.  Before, communities were tightly knit and work was seasonal. Now, things have changed, and the workplace has become religion for many men.  I would spend more time writing about this, but probably no one is reading this post anyway (other than my lovely wife), and I need to head to bed.

I think the book was stimulating overall.