Kurt Vonnegut died today. He was 84.
I fell in love with his work some twenty years ago . I was a young man, self obsessed and miserable. The kind of angsty teen that is so commonly derided and deserving of neither pity nor humor.
I internalized a lot of that. Boy, let me tell you that's the way of madness. But what do you know as an angsty teen, self absorbed and miserable.
I found refuge in his altered worlds. I devoured every word and sentence with a joy that he would have found more than a little disturbing.
As I grew up, I learned the subtext of the writing. The meaning and context of the larger works and developed a newfound appreciation I've had all of his novels at some point or another, some given away to friends, some lost. A couple are still with me.
Some part of you thinks your heroes will be with you forever. When they pass on, it reminds you of your own fleeting mortality. There's only so long a time on this blue green world. For some it's not enough, for other it's far too long. It is, ultimately, what it is.
As his Tralfamadorian creations would say, so it goes.
As a closing, a snippet of God Bless you, Mr. Rosewater that's supremely apropos of this occasion.
“Hello, babies. Welcome to Earth. It’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It’s round and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies, you’ve got about a hundred years here. There’s only one rule that I know of, babies — ‘God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.’ ”
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
New ESPN ads for MLS
Nice sports, kind of a retro feel to them. I'm not sure those are really going to pull people in, but it's better than a lot of previous MLS ads.
The catchline "you're a fan, you just don't know it yet" is kind of offputting, but not terrible either. I give them points for trying, extra points for showing all their games in HD.
The catchline "you're a fan, you just don't know it yet" is kind of offputting, but not terrible either. I give them points for trying, extra points for showing all their games in HD.
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Monday, March 26, 2007
I found this interesting . . .
31,000+ showed up to catch a US international friendly on a Sunday in Tampa.
Glendale sold out for US v. Mexico, (also known as dos - cero for our friends south of the border.) with a larger american presence than most expected.
And it's three years until the world cup. Something is changing over here.
Glendale sold out for US v. Mexico, (also known as dos - cero for our friends south of the border.) with a larger american presence than most expected.
And it's three years until the world cup. Something is changing over here.
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Happy and sad about MLS sponsorship
Thank God for Toronto.
Toronto signed a partnership with Bank of Montreal to put their logo on the front of the Toronro FC kits, soon to grace the league in two weeks time. If it wasn't for that, although there's whispers that Houston will have their kits with a logo shortly, we'd be talking about how the companies that have stepped forward to put their brand out in the public eye are two Multi Level Marketers.
Pyramid schemes are never cool, especially if you're the poor bastard at the bottom.
I'd post a pic of the new Galaxy mockup, but 1)it's ugly and 2)it's not going to last very long when they redo their colors.
I'm glad the teams are making money, but I'm hoping for more companies I could support like BMO and fewer companies with shady practices.
Toronto signed a partnership with Bank of Montreal to put their logo on the front of the Toronro FC kits, soon to grace the league in two weeks time. If it wasn't for that, although there's whispers that Houston will have their kits with a logo shortly, we'd be talking about how the companies that have stepped forward to put their brand out in the public eye are two Multi Level Marketers.
Pyramid schemes are never cool, especially if you're the poor bastard at the bottom.
I'd post a pic of the new Galaxy mockup, but 1)it's ugly and 2)it's not going to last very long when they redo their colors.
I'm glad the teams are making money, but I'm hoping for more companies I could support like BMO and fewer companies with shady practices.
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Clouds on the skyline
Check out Gooch on the second goal in that clip. You can't miss him, he's the one who got hopelessly out of position on the drive to the goal by Ecuador, then gave up on the play.
Onyewu needs to be able to play a guy at speed with the ball at his feet, or he's going to cost us dearly down the line. I'm sure the folks at Newcastle United would agree.
Onyewu needs to be able to play a guy at speed with the ball at his feet, or he's going to cost us dearly down the line. I'm sure the folks at Newcastle United would agree.
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US v Equador
3-1 for the guys in the old Orlando Magic shirts.
Here's the highlights:
It's games like this that get me pissed off with Landon Donovan. You see the potential that's there, but you know that when it's on the line he's going to fold. He says he's ready now, but only time is going to tell if he really is the leader of this group, or just some schmuck wearing an armband.
Here's the highlights:
It's games like this that get me pissed off with Landon Donovan. You see the potential that's there, but you know that when it's on the line he's going to fold. He says he's ready now, but only time is going to tell if he really is the leader of this group, or just some schmuck wearing an armband.
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Thursday, March 22, 2007
Wow
I got a lot of rep for that. Wasn't something I was aiming for but it's nice to recieve recognition from comrades in arms over ones work.
I'll try to write more later, but writing, at least writing well, is a tricky thing.
I'll try to write more later, but writing, at least writing well, is a tricky thing.
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A little writing.
An odd place to put something that i did put some effort, but I felt the guys would appreciate it.
Main Entry: op·por·tu·ni·ty
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -ties
1 : a favorable juncture of circumstances
2 : a good chance for advancement or progress
This word, more than any in the English language, is the most apt
description of season that our beloved Dynamo began on the first of
March on the Costa Rican shores of the Pacific. The team will face many
obstacles and challenges in the weeks and months ahead. Many
competitions and games, historical moments of high and low drama await
us and them. There is hope, in this early time, to think about the
possibilities to come and how our team has been blessed with the skill
and fortune to go where we would not even believe possible one year ago.
1 : a favorable juncture of circumstances
We currently stand one extremely dangerous game away from the prospect
of our Dynamo continuing on to play in an additional tournament, be it
Copa Sudamericana or the Club World Cup in Tokyo. It will be the most
difficult thing this team has done. It is unfortunate that it is so
early, but this is the most important game in the history of this
franchise, before or after their arrival. The opportunity to face the
larger world, to test our skill and resolve against them, to see where
we stand; It's a rare and singular honor to do so.
We have the opportunity to test the strength of our teams depth and
resolve. We will lose many valuable members of the team to
international commitments this year. It's a testament to the strength
of our team to have to give them up, and it provides our team the
chance to work those parts which were waiting for the opportunity. We
saw that with Wells stepping up for Onstadt. His penalty save and
heroic work so far have been instrumental in our current success.
We will see our boys work harder and longer than ever. It's an
opportunity to show the value and quality of every person on this team,
the likes of which we have not seen before. We are fortunate for that,
for the timing of this is in our favor. Our commitments lie in the June
and July, and will take different players at different times. DeRo will
not be at Copa America, and the remaining Americans will probably be
split between the two competitions. The mixing and matching required
will only benefit in the long term. The chemistry needed should really
take hold when the real congestion of Superliga and USOC enter into the
picture.
2 : a good chance for advancement or progress
There's a lot going on, but it's not an impossible situation. We have a
strong team and sound coaching and the support from the fans. It's up
to us as much as them to keep them going, to be there even at the
worst. I know you guys can do it, and I know that they can as well.
I'll be there as much as time and distance will allow me, but there's a
good chance for real progress, to advance our name to a larger level.
That's opportunity defined, and it's ours for the taking.
Let's keep this Dynamo going.
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -ties
1 : a favorable juncture of circumstances
2 : a good chance for advancement or progress
This word, more than any in the English language, is the most apt
description of season that our beloved Dynamo began on the first of
March on the Costa Rican shores of the Pacific. The team will face many
obstacles and challenges in the weeks and months ahead. Many
competitions and games, historical moments of high and low drama await
us and them. There is hope, in this early time, to think about the
possibilities to come and how our team has been blessed with the skill
and fortune to go where we would not even believe possible one year ago.
1 : a favorable juncture of circumstances
We currently stand one extremely dangerous game away from the prospect
of our Dynamo continuing on to play in an additional tournament, be it
Copa Sudamericana or the Club World Cup in Tokyo. It will be the most
difficult thing this team has done. It is unfortunate that it is so
early, but this is the most important game in the history of this
franchise, before or after their arrival. The opportunity to face the
larger world, to test our skill and resolve against them, to see where
we stand; It's a rare and singular honor to do so.
We have the opportunity to test the strength of our teams depth and
resolve. We will lose many valuable members of the team to
international commitments this year. It's a testament to the strength
of our team to have to give them up, and it provides our team the
chance to work those parts which were waiting for the opportunity. We
saw that with Wells stepping up for Onstadt. His penalty save and
heroic work so far have been instrumental in our current success.
We will see our boys work harder and longer than ever. It's an
opportunity to show the value and quality of every person on this team,
the likes of which we have not seen before. We are fortunate for that,
for the timing of this is in our favor. Our commitments lie in the June
and July, and will take different players at different times. DeRo will
not be at Copa America, and the remaining Americans will probably be
split between the two competitions. The mixing and matching required
will only benefit in the long term. The chemistry needed should really
take hold when the real congestion of Superliga and USOC enter into the
picture.
2 : a good chance for advancement or progress
There's a lot going on, but it's not an impossible situation. We have a
strong team and sound coaching and the support from the fans. It's up
to us as much as them to keep them going, to be there even at the
worst. I know you guys can do it, and I know that they can as well.
I'll be there as much as time and distance will allow me, but there's a
good chance for real progress, to advance our name to a larger level.
That's opportunity defined, and it's ours for the taking.
Let's keep this Dynamo going.
Picking up the pace
Going to start collecting the best of the news rumors and insights that I like and expounding on them as I feel deserve it.
If nothing else, I'll get Joga Bonito off the front page ;)
Let's see how long my posting will last. I give myself two weeks.
If nothing else, I'll get Joga Bonito off the front page ;)
Let's see how long my posting will last. I give myself two weeks.
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Update
I'm changing this around a little bit. I hadn't really used this since. I switched computers and got swept away by work, but I'll try this one again.
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