I spent my childhood in Minnesota, which has the nickname, The State of Hockey. I grew up a Gopher/North Stars/High School Hockey fan. It was a great time to be a hockey fan. The Stars played in the Stanley Cup Finals in '91 (unfortunately they relocated a couple of years later), I went to school with Krissy Wendall (who later went on to get a silver and bronze medal playing women's hockey in 2002 and 2006) and I was part of some sort of hockey marketing revolution known as The Mighty Ducks. The first film takes place in Minnesota and the kids actually goto a Minnesota North Stars game. Out of coincidence I was there with my parents and apparently Disney was going to call the movie Bombay. (Terrible right?)
I moved to San Diego at the end of '93. San Diego had a hockey team known as the Gulls. I don't think they exist anymore and I think calling them a minor league team would be giving them too much credit. So basically, I was resigned to watching hockey on TV until I moved up to Orange County for college (and for some reason I haven't left). So guess who plays in Orange County? That's right! The Ducks. It's the circle of life.
I've been going to a lot of games the last couple of seasons because my friend Jessica has season tickets. We watch them fight, and fight, and fight and fight and fight, and sometimes a hockey game breaks out. The games are entertaining, but what we find more entertaining is introducing people new to hockey, what the Ducks experience is all about. See, if you goto enough games, you realize some things, like it's the same people singing the national anthem before the games over and over again. There's also the "goal" song. Whenever the Ducks score, you hear the chorus of "Bro Hymn" by Pennywise, which they use even though it's a tribute to friends who have died in the past. (I just looked this up) I assure you that no other hockey team uses this song. Gordon Bombay would be proud.
There's also the issue of the DiPenta Lady (Lets use DL for short). The last couple of seasons the Ducks have had a player named Joe DiPenta. He's known to most Ducks fans as the worst player on the team who must have blackmail worthy pictures of their coach to be on the team. Not too flattering, to say the least. There's this lady (an older lady, in her 40s at least) in this section that we used to sit in, that would wear a DiPenta jersey and would look through a scrapbook of DiPenta pictures with the aid of a magnifying glass. She's there every game, even this season though he's not on the team anymore, but she still has her scrapbook and DiPenta jersey. Apparently Joe plays here now and apparently DL has purchased his jersey from that team and wears it occasionally (Jessica has seen it, I have not).
See, the Ducks experience is more than a game. There's a strange lady, good churros, and a bizarre choice of music every time the Ducks score. This is why is so much better to experience a game in person and this is definitely something you can't experience even in the State of Hockey, or at least not until the Wild sign Mr. DiPenta.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Why Jesus Would Listen to Fugazi
(Disclaimer: No scripture was harmed in the process of writing this entry. If you're expecting scripture, go here)
Every now and then, I will get brought into some inane hypothetical discussion about Jesus of Nazareth, who was begat by Mary, a virgin and so on. These hypothetical discussion are never about whether Jesus was really the son of God or whether he was any good at being a carpenter. These discussion center around Jesus in the present day. What car would he drive? (Prius?) What would be his favorite kind of ethnic food? The question that usually gets me in trouble is "What kind of music do you think Jesus would listen to?"
It's a much more complicated question than it sounds. The immediate reaction is: Christian music. I don't think it's absolutely wrong to think that, but I think it would be inaccurate to believe that this is what he would listen to all the time. I don't know about you, but I think it would be kind of weird to listen to songs that are about how awesome you are, all the time. To say Jesus would listen to this kind of music all the time, makes the indirect statement that Jesus is a narcissist, and while he often proclaims himself to be God, I'd like to think of my Lord and Savior to be better than that. I'm sure he'd listen to it on the way to church and when he's in a reflective mood, but not while he's blasting down PCH in his car. (Prius?)
He was a simple man who reached out to the poor and those who were being unfairly mistreated (social outcasts, the sick, short tax collectors than nobody liked), so it seems to me that Jesus would listen to music about social injustice opposed to the latest T-Pain album. He'd also probably want something upbeat and rocking to help him get pumped up. I think he'd listen to Fugazi. Fugazi is a post-punk/hardcore band with a cult fanbase because they're a band that rose from the DC hardcore scene in the mid-late 80s and is respected for not selling out (won't sign to a major label, keep their ticket prices around $10, won't license their music to corporations). I saw Ian Mackaye (guitarist/singer) from the band do a Q and A session at my alma mater a few weeks ago and I saw that he's a humble, intelligent, passionate, and down to earth guy. He told stories, explained lyrics and collaborations and made it clear that his work should not be put on a pedestal. To paraphrase him, he basically said "don't pine for a Minor Threat (his old band) reunion, go out and make a band that blows Minor Threat out of the water."
I know Fugazi has no religious affiliation, so I'm not trying to say "if you take the lyrics from Suggestion, you can see Ian Mackeye is singing to God". I'm just saying that Jesus would respect Ian Mackeye's integrity, DIY ethics, and his socially conscience lyrics. Fugazi is basically jock jams for people who want to save the world (in a good way) and I could definitely see Jesus walking into an impoverished neighborhood ready to do his work with singing these lyrics to himself:
"the elected are such willing partners
look who's buying all their tickets to the game
what development wants, development gets, it's official
development wants this neighborhood gone so the city just wants the same
talking about process and dismissal
forced removal of the people on the corner
shelter and location
everybody wants somewhere" - "Cashout" by Fugazi
And I could also see him driving down the 405 at night rocking out to "Long Distance Runner" after a long day of work or chilling at home listening the Evens (Mackeye's new project).
(*Side note, I'm not going to make the argument that Jesus is straight edge. He made wine, so I assume he also drank it.)
Every now and then, I will get brought into some inane hypothetical discussion about Jesus of Nazareth, who was begat by Mary, a virgin and so on. These hypothetical discussion are never about whether Jesus was really the son of God or whether he was any good at being a carpenter. These discussion center around Jesus in the present day. What car would he drive? (Prius?) What would be his favorite kind of ethnic food? The question that usually gets me in trouble is "What kind of music do you think Jesus would listen to?"
It's a much more complicated question than it sounds. The immediate reaction is: Christian music. I don't think it's absolutely wrong to think that, but I think it would be inaccurate to believe that this is what he would listen to all the time. I don't know about you, but I think it would be kind of weird to listen to songs that are about how awesome you are, all the time. To say Jesus would listen to this kind of music all the time, makes the indirect statement that Jesus is a narcissist, and while he often proclaims himself to be God, I'd like to think of my Lord and Savior to be better than that. I'm sure he'd listen to it on the way to church and when he's in a reflective mood, but not while he's blasting down PCH in his car. (Prius?)
He was a simple man who reached out to the poor and those who were being unfairly mistreated (social outcasts, the sick, short tax collectors than nobody liked), so it seems to me that Jesus would listen to music about social injustice opposed to the latest T-Pain album. He'd also probably want something upbeat and rocking to help him get pumped up. I think he'd listen to Fugazi. Fugazi is a post-punk/hardcore band with a cult fanbase because they're a band that rose from the DC hardcore scene in the mid-late 80s and is respected for not selling out (won't sign to a major label, keep their ticket prices around $10, won't license their music to corporations). I saw Ian Mackaye (guitarist/singer) from the band do a Q and A session at my alma mater a few weeks ago and I saw that he's a humble, intelligent, passionate, and down to earth guy. He told stories, explained lyrics and collaborations and made it clear that his work should not be put on a pedestal. To paraphrase him, he basically said "don't pine for a Minor Threat (his old band) reunion, go out and make a band that blows Minor Threat out of the water."
I know Fugazi has no religious affiliation, so I'm not trying to say "if you take the lyrics from Suggestion, you can see Ian Mackeye is singing to God". I'm just saying that Jesus would respect Ian Mackeye's integrity, DIY ethics, and his socially conscience lyrics. Fugazi is basically jock jams for people who want to save the world (in a good way) and I could definitely see Jesus walking into an impoverished neighborhood ready to do his work with singing these lyrics to himself:
"the elected are such willing partners
look who's buying all their tickets to the game
what development wants, development gets, it's official
development wants this neighborhood gone so the city just wants the same
talking about process and dismissal
forced removal of the people on the corner
shelter and location
everybody wants somewhere" - "Cashout" by Fugazi
And I could also see him driving down the 405 at night rocking out to "Long Distance Runner" after a long day of work or chilling at home listening the Evens (Mackeye's new project).
(*Side note, I'm not going to make the argument that Jesus is straight edge. He made wine, so I assume he also drank it.)
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Pittsburgh
Chris takes a lot of pride that he's on the top of my favorites list in my phone book. Maybe "pride" isn't the right word, but he definitely likes to hold that over Jessica's head (who is #2), and he takes even greater pleasure to see Bruce is #3. Honestly, Chris is at the top of my favorites because I typically communicate with Jessica via text and Bruce via google-chat more than I do via phone, but why should I steal his thunder?
Obviously Chris isn't so petty (I don't think so at least) that he seriously takes pride in being on the top of my call list. He just likes to play his part in this fake feud that he and Bruce are kind of, but not really involved in. It's been well established (in these writings even) that Chris and Bruce are my two best friends. They've never actually met each other and the fact that Bruce went to college in Pittsburgh (where Chris grew up) a year after I met Chris kind of makes things very coincidental.
I believe this feud started in college when Chris told me that living apart from my best friend for the past [15 years now and counting] should disqualify him from being my best friend. I wouldn't say that this upset Bruce or even really affected him, but it kind of started the quasi-feud which has culminated into some trash talking during some Halo games mostly.
All this absurdity ended about half a year ago, when Chris and I went to the hardware store to pickup an iron skillet so we could make some steaks. Bruce had previously raved to me about iron skillets and I had decided to finally take the plunge. On the way to the store, Chris asked me what brand of skillet I was thinking about buying and I quickly replied "Lodge" because that's the brand that Bruce had recommended to me. Chris agreed that Lodge was the brand that he would also recommend but he then accused Bruce of recommending Lodge because they were based out of Pittsburgh and that Bruce was trying to aid the local economy. I quickly shot down the accusation because Bruce was no longer in Pittsburgh and rarely had anything positive to say about it, but Chris was insistent about it and decided to use his Blackberry to prove that Lodge was based out of Pittsburgh. (Probably the most absurd part of the accusation was that if anyone was from Pittsburgh, it was Chris who had lived there for about 10 years.)
I waited in line, and paid for the skillet as Chris typed away. He finally found the Lodge web page and he looked defeated. Lodge was indeed based in Pittsburgh, but it was based in Pittsburgh, TN. Chris conceded and I think in a way the feud ended that day, but at least Chris can still claim he's #1 on my call list.
Obviously Chris isn't so petty (I don't think so at least) that he seriously takes pride in being on the top of my call list. He just likes to play his part in this fake feud that he and Bruce are kind of, but not really involved in. It's been well established (in these writings even) that Chris and Bruce are my two best friends. They've never actually met each other and the fact that Bruce went to college in Pittsburgh (where Chris grew up) a year after I met Chris kind of makes things very coincidental.
I believe this feud started in college when Chris told me that living apart from my best friend for the past [15 years now and counting] should disqualify him from being my best friend. I wouldn't say that this upset Bruce or even really affected him, but it kind of started the quasi-feud which has culminated into some trash talking during some Halo games mostly.
All this absurdity ended about half a year ago, when Chris and I went to the hardware store to pickup an iron skillet so we could make some steaks. Bruce had previously raved to me about iron skillets and I had decided to finally take the plunge. On the way to the store, Chris asked me what brand of skillet I was thinking about buying and I quickly replied "Lodge" because that's the brand that Bruce had recommended to me. Chris agreed that Lodge was the brand that he would also recommend but he then accused Bruce of recommending Lodge because they were based out of Pittsburgh and that Bruce was trying to aid the local economy. I quickly shot down the accusation because Bruce was no longer in Pittsburgh and rarely had anything positive to say about it, but Chris was insistent about it and decided to use his Blackberry to prove that Lodge was based out of Pittsburgh. (Probably the most absurd part of the accusation was that if anyone was from Pittsburgh, it was Chris who had lived there for about 10 years.)
I waited in line, and paid for the skillet as Chris typed away. He finally found the Lodge web page and he looked defeated. Lodge was indeed based in Pittsburgh, but it was based in Pittsburgh, TN. Chris conceded and I think in a way the feud ended that day, but at least Chris can still claim he's #1 on my call list.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
It's All About Genetics
My origin story can be looked at a couple of different ways. There's the optimistic spiritual story, where I was a born a gift to God to my parents during an extremely difficult time (my father had been badly burned in an accident at work and my grandfather had passed away). Then there's the cynical story that I was a funeral baby (I was born 9 months after my grandfather passed away) and that I was an accident since it had been 8 years since my last of 4 sisters was born (fyi, my sisters are all 2 years apart). I typically try to give a balanced take on the two stories, one that isn't to self-aggrandizing and one that isn't too gross (I don't think "funeral baby" is very PC).
My parents go with the former story, as should any parent with any sort of decency. They don't necessarily tie my "gift from god" status with my genetics, though they love to speak to their friends (and to me) about it. From my 20/20 vision to my lack of dental care (no braces), I've been quite fortunate. But unfortunately, this has caused my parents to be overly concerned about the genetics or my future wife.
It's understandable that parents would want their children to find smart, attractive, and generous mates since society dictates that those traits will make a person happy. My parents like to take things a little bit further (I'm going to refuse to label them as Nazis). My parents would prefer a girl of a decent height, good vision and big eyes to go along with the "smart attractive and generous" traits that normal parents prefer.
Obviously I don't really adhere to their wishes. I'm not a super rebellious child. [In fact my sister says I turned out exactly how my parents wanted me to turn out (I disagree, designer hoodies and a film degree were never part of the plans.)] I just find it hard enough to find someone to have good conversation with, that I'm not going to go through a checklist for a mate. Do we get along? Do I think you'll one day stab me with a fork? These are the things that I worry about, and honestly are the cornerstone of any romantic relationship. The rest of the pieces will fall into place.
It's okay. I was never wired to lead a master race anyways. I don't have the cut throat attitude for it. I'll just have to settle for being married one day, hopefully happy. Of course neither of those things are guaranteed because neither of them seem to be tied to our genetics.
My parents go with the former story, as should any parent with any sort of decency. They don't necessarily tie my "gift from god" status with my genetics, though they love to speak to their friends (and to me) about it. From my 20/20 vision to my lack of dental care (no braces), I've been quite fortunate. But unfortunately, this has caused my parents to be overly concerned about the genetics or my future wife.
It's understandable that parents would want their children to find smart, attractive, and generous mates since society dictates that those traits will make a person happy. My parents like to take things a little bit further (I'm going to refuse to label them as Nazis). My parents would prefer a girl of a decent height, good vision and big eyes to go along with the "smart attractive and generous" traits that normal parents prefer.
Obviously I don't really adhere to their wishes. I'm not a super rebellious child. [In fact my sister says I turned out exactly how my parents wanted me to turn out (I disagree, designer hoodies and a film degree were never part of the plans.)] I just find it hard enough to find someone to have good conversation with, that I'm not going to go through a checklist for a mate. Do we get along? Do I think you'll one day stab me with a fork? These are the things that I worry about, and honestly are the cornerstone of any romantic relationship. The rest of the pieces will fall into place.
It's okay. I was never wired to lead a master race anyways. I don't have the cut throat attitude for it. I'll just have to settle for being married one day, hopefully happy. Of course neither of those things are guaranteed because neither of them seem to be tied to our genetics.
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