Be scared rest of the world, I think the USA likes soccer now.

Life, Rants

This being world cup season I’ve been having a lot more conversations about Soccer than normal. I live in the DC area so there’s a pretty big international community that loves soccer (football). But the regular everyday Americans don’t seem to get it. Worse than that they don’t want to get it. I’ve come to the conclusion that arguing about why we don’t like Soccer is futile, It’s like arguing about which language is the best. The fact is that Americans don’t like Soccer because Americans don’t like Soccer. It’s not that the rules of the game are silly, or that diving influences the game too much, or that it will make our children into communists. It’s that not enough people like it for you to talk about it at a neighborhood BBQ. If you moved to Canada and all your friends were into Curling then you would talk about curling. There are a small number of Soccer fans in America and I think they’re growing.

For the last few weeks I’ve been hanging out with people who like soccer. Talking about formations and strategies. Discussing why we never seem to get any goals off corner kicks. Talking about whether Shaq could play Soccer, verdict:NO. It’s been awesome. Friends from High school and College getting together to support the US National Team. I was at a baseball game and the crowd cheered when they saluted the US team’s win over Algeria. A big cheer too! My only regret is that it ended too soon. With the level of competition, I don’t think they were going to make the final or anything. It would have been nice to see them advance. But I do really think that Soccer has made the next step in the US, at least World Cup soccer. I’d like to see if the MLS can get a bump from all this attention on some of their best players. I know I’m going to try to get to a DC United game this summer.

The 2014 World Cup Finals are in Brazil, which is much better for the US in terms of time zones. The games should be played in the afternoon or around prime time, I can’t wait for the excitement. It’s going to be BIG. But with the US eliminated I’ll have to find a new team to cheer. I think Germany looks good.

You can’t watch all these videos and tell me that something hasn’t started brewing.

USA CELEBRATES

Just Bunches and the downfall of society

Life, Rants

I saw this on the shelf at the grocery store the other day and it really got me thinking.  This is what we’ve come to, we only want the sugary good parts. This is no different than seeing a “Lucky Charms” box with “Just Marshmallows”. except that you would know that Lucky Charms didn’t have anything good for you in there in the first place. This cereal is theoretically made of oats.  Which are theoretically good for you.

This could be true all over the world, but I live in America, so I’m going to speak about Americans.  We want all of the fun with none of the consequences.  We want to eat a cereal that has 7 times more fat than one with an almost identical name.  I know people have free will and freedom of choice in America.  But you know my problem with that?  People are idiots and we make bad decisions.  I would like to know the nutrition benefits of this cereal?  over what?  Just spooning refined sugar into your mouth??

At least you’re not booting black tar heroin, have another scoop of Bunches!

I guess they didn’t expect anyone to actually remember their past commercials beyond that sugar induced coma. Take them at their own word

Video after the break…

Southland Tales : A Journey Into Maddness.

Entertainment, Movies, Rants

southland-tales

Chapter 1: Backstory.

This movie came out in 2007 and for some reason I had never watched it. I like the director’s first movie, [W:Donnie Darko], but something had been stopping me from actually sitting down and watching [W:Southland Tales]. I heard that it was bad, but I’ve liked bad movies before (The Island, Terminator Salvation). Laurel was working on Friday night so I decided that I was bored enough to watch it.

I was unprepared.

To say this movie is bad is a disservice to other bad movies. You know when a movie is so bad it’s good? (Road House) Well this movie was heading there then it would snap back to good for a second, then dive headlong into a shit storm of terrible, then it would try to redeem itself, then it would snap off into a vat of crazy.This movie is so insane that it will make you question your own sanity.

Abandon hope all ye who enter here

Quick things I have learned recently

Life, Rants
Unlearn what you have learned

Unlearn what you have learned

  1. If you try to resize a .png file and “save for web” in Photoshop as a Jpg… the results will suck.
  2. Apple has a great warranty on their hardware.
  3. Even with ATT’s crappy service on the Metro, if you start a streaming podcast at Lenfant plaza you’ll buffer enough to get you out the top of the Federal Center SW without any stuttering.
  4. My least favorite personality trait is “the one upper” especially the non-self-aware one upper who doesn’t like New Yorkers because “they think they’re better than you”.
  5. Brian Regan is still a genius.
  6. Idiocracy is an under rated movie.
  7. I can get an almost full wifi signal from the Starbucks downstairs when I am in the bathroom on the second floor.