Kyrandallo

(Apparently, It’s Good to be a Cowboy via Blue Star)

According to various polls and studies, the Cowboys are at once the most despised, most popular, most profitable franchise in the NFL. They are easily the most visible, which might explain, in part, why they are so thoroughly hated and loved, depending on who you ask. 

But apparently, for the average NFL player, it’s good to be a Cowboy.

 In a poll conducted by Sports Illustrated (Per the Dallas Morning News), the Cowboys were named as the team players would most like to play for, with 11.1 percent of 296 players participating. The San Diego Chargers came in second with 8.5 percent, followed by Pittsburgh, with 7 percent.

 With the question, “which team would you most like to play for?” locale seemed to influence decisions as much as winning, with the aforementioned San Diego beating out the reigning Super Bowl champion Steelers for second, and Miami (6.6 percent) beating out perennial contender New England Patriots (5.9 percent) for third. It’s better to be middling in comfort than winning in the frigid cold of the North, I suppose.

As far as Dallas is concerned, this poll could point to any number of factors: a winning tradition perhaps, history galore or Jerry Jones’ long standing policy of taking care of his players. Maybe it’s a combination of the three; but it is somewhat remarkable that Dallas sits atop the NFLer’s wish-list after 12 plus seasons without a playoff victory.

Main Entry: ho·mo·phone

Pronunciation: \ˈhä-mə-ˌfōn, ˈhō-\

Function: noun

Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary

Date: 1843

1 : one of two or more words pronounced alike but different in meaning or derivation or spelling (as the words to, too, and two)
2 : a character or group of characters pronounced the same as another character or group

(Cited from: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/homophone)

Now that we are on the same page, please visit the following link:

http://learnyourdamnhomophones.com/

Amazing!

Today is not just Constitution Day in Azerbaijan.  It will not merely be remembered as the day that Voyager I flew by Saturn.  Hopefully it will not only be remembered as the day Charles Manson was born!  It’s a monumental day for so many reasons.  Follow me down this brief November 12th timeline:

0607: Boniface III ends his reign as Catholic Pope (Thank God!)

1859: Jules Leotard performs 1st Flying Trapeze circus act (Paris) He also designed garment that bears his name

1897: Karl Marx was born

1927: Josef Stalin became the undisputed ruler of the Soviet Union as Leon Trotsky was expelled from the Communist Party.

1936: Oakland Bay Bridge opens

1954: Ellis Island closed after processing more than 20 million immigrants since opening in New York Harbor in 1892

1955: Date Martin Seamus McFly returned to in “Back to the Future” and “Back to the Future II”

1983: A beautiful, wide-eyed baby boy (destined for greatness) was born to Tina L. Gonzales and Kyle B. Owens

1997: Ramzi Yousef was found guilty of masterminding the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center.

2004: Resignation of Colin Powell as Secretary of State

2006: Gerald R. Ford surpassed Ronald Reagan as the longest-lived U.S. president at 93 years and 121 days (And then promptly died the following month.)

2008: Same-sex marriages began in Connecticut, a month after the state Supreme Court ruled that gays had the right to wed.

Happy Birthday: Maximilian von Weichs (1881), Karl Marx (1897), Charles Manson (1934), Al Michaels (1944), Sammy Sosa (1968), Tonya Harding (1970), Anne Hathaway (1982), Omarion (1984)

There is suddenly a new reason to pack your bags and roll to Breckenridge, CO.  As a result of a landslide vote (73%) to approve Measure 2F (unofficially, “The Rocky Mountain High Law”), it is now legal for a person 21 or older to possess up to one ounce of marijuana.  In addition, all criminal penalties for the possession of drug paraphernalia have been removed. The ordinance change will go into effect on January 1, 2010.

It should be noted, however, that it is still illegal to smoke in public, under the influence, or as a minor.  Otherwise, get your smoke on!

Well done.

What can I say?  I appreciate beatboxing skills.  These guys are stupid-out of their minds-amazing!

Seriously?! Ri-effing-diculous!

I was introduced to The Avett Brothers when I was living in CookeVegas, TN.  They were decently well-known in that area since they are from Concord, NC.  I started by listening to some underground stuff from their days as the rock group, Nero. Then I transitioned to their new style under the name, The Avett Brothers.  I was blown away…

I grew up in a music family (kind of a Hispanic Jackson 5+2).  As a result, I have learned to appreciate good music and the qualities that can make it so.  I have never heard a style quite like theirs.  Scott and Seth have absolutely mastered the art of harmonizing with each other.  I once read an interview where they said their harmonic inspiration came from listening to Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell (two guys who also mastered harmony).  Their mix of banjo, acoustic guitar, stand up bass, and cello is beautiful.  Furthermore, Scott and Seth also play electric guitar, piano, drums, and harmonica.  Amazingly, Wikipedia has a pretty good description of their style,

The Avett Brothers combine bluegrass, country, punk, pop melodies, folk, rock and roll, honky tonk, and ragtime to produce a sound described by the San Francisco Chronicle as having the heavy sadness of Townes Van Zandt, the light pop concision of Buddy Holly, the tuneful jangle of the Beatles, the raw energy of the Ramones.

I was absolutely hooked!  Since that time, I have purchased all of their albums and seen them live about a half a dozen times.  I simply cannot explain how amazing their live performances are.  All I can say is that I have never been disappointed.

I recommend listening to one of their early albums such as, A Carolina Jubilee. I think that will help you appreciate how their music as evolved as you make your way through their albums.  Of course, you can skip to their latest album, I and Love and You. It’s pretty amazing too.

4-year-old Josh “Rizzo” Sacco has become a bit of an internet sensation over the last week.  His father claims that Josh has watched the 2004 film, Miracle, over 150 times.  You’ll be hard-pressed to deny that claim after you watch Josh’s recitation of Herb Brooks’ (played by Kurt Russell) locker room speech.  It’s incredibly weird, but also hilarious.  He’s become such a hit that he’s already made his way on the Ellen Degeneres Show.  Of course, leave it to the “humorously-challenged” to start a controversy over the whole story.  Enjoy!  

You can compare and contrast, but remember that this kid is 4 and cannot read!

It seems that Miles Austin’s 10 catch, 250 yard, 2 touchdown day against the Kansas City Chiefs has earned him a place in the Dallas Cowboys’ Ring of Honor.  I will proudly (and at the expense of readers) admit that I am one of the biggest Dallas Cowboys fans on this planet.  My cause of death will almost certainly be extreme depression after one of their miserable performances.  My point is that I desperately want this guy to become one of the greatest receivers in the history of great receivers.  However, let’s tap the breaks a little before guaranteeing this guy a spot in Canton. 

Miles had 1 monster game that wouldn’t have even been that amazing if he would have made some crucial catches earlier in the game.  All those “told ya so” fans out there are full of crap!  Austin had 5 catches, 81 yards, and 1 touchdown in the 4 games prior to the win in Kansas City. What exactly could any logical person have said about him prior to Sunday? 

Let’s give him a few more games with his expanded role before we determine that he needs a 6 year extension and a new line of shoes.

UFO enthusiasts have been buzzing lately over the rare formation of clouds in Moscow.  I spent about 10 minutes reading the wild and crazy theories that have emerged, and I must say that some people are out of their minds.  Nevertheless, the formation is pretty amazing.  Russian meteorologists have attempted to dispel the rumors of an alien invasion by saying that it was merely a natural phenomenon. 

Personally, I blame Roland Emmerich and Sony’s 2012 marketing team.  What better way to advertise the movie than to manipulate the atmosphere in such a way that an apocalyptic hole in the sky can form over a foreign country?  Americans were only able to see the “cloud” via 3rd party footage.  No one across the globe can verify whether this was an act of God or the beginning of the end.  Now we’ll have to see the movie to find out.

Well done you Sony.  Well done.

All people have an egocentric trait within their character makeup.  It is simply impossible to be completely selfless.  Unfortunately, some of these individuals are incapable of regulating their self-centered side.  This post could go on forever about the various instances of egocentrism (airport Darwinism, salad bar space cadets, etc.), but that’s not my intention.  Why are some people such freaking idiots about certain types of cell phone etiquette?

Because I currently live in San Francisco, I often find myself on BART, MUNI, or some other form of public transportation.  I have already come to terms with the fact that sharing public transportation will never be pleasant.  I just don’t get the people who get on a bus, plane, or train and determine that we need to hear what they have to say.  And not only do we need to hear it, but we need it to be loud and clear. 

On a daily basis, I can pretty much rely on that guy who is shattering the acceptable decibel level to report how shit-canned he got the night before.  I also can rest assured that little miss “I can’t believe she said that he said that I said what we all thought we should have said” will honor my fellow passengers with a string of high-pitched cacophony.  I truly believe that many of these people are unaware of how annoying they really are.  My dad has been a loud person in general for as long as I can remember (which is probably why I am so sensitive to it).  I’d be willing to bet that he has no clue.  I just think people need to have some personal rules when using their phone in public.  Here are a few suggestions:

• Don’t use your phone on any form of public transportation unless it is necessary.
• If you must use your phone among your fellow passengers, don’t try to project the conversation through a brick wall.  Volume!!
• That above-mentioned rule also applies in public places where it’s relatively quiet (i.e. movie, store).
• For the love of baby Jesus, don’t use the speaker phone!! That also goes for using the speaker as a boom box (We really don’t want to hear your iTunes through a 1 inch, distorted speaker).
• If people are staring at you while you are on your phone, it’s probably because they want to kill you. Shut up.
• Be aware that you are not the only person on this planet!
• Oh God! If you do nothing else, please put your loud, annoying, horrible ringtone on vibrate.  If you have to keep it on, don’t let it ring for 45 seconds.

If you really can’t adhere to any of these suggestions, please get rid of your cell phone because I hate you.