I have a sick kid at home with me today. And since this article seems worthy of a share independent of the Friday links, this is a perfect time to do so.
There was a lot of buzz about this article, in which Graeme Wood goes into great detail about the Islamic State, last week. Then I heard him on NPR one day and made sure I saved it. I finally dedicated the half hour or so needed to read it last night and think it’s a very important piece of education for anyone who follows world events.
Man, do I love Chipotle. I would eat there all the time if I didn’t know, in the back of my mind, that my 43-year-old metabolism isn’t built to process that much food that often. I have enough trouble getting through the holidays and winter without gaining 10 lbs. as it is.
After reading this breakdown of how many calories and how much sodium the most popular ordering options pack, I may stretch out the gaps between my visits even longer.
youtu.be/_oG1KMeZc…
“Turn Me Up” - Twin Shadow I’ve listened to a little of Twin Shadow’s music over the years. There’s a growing buzz for his next album, which will come out in March. Based on this performance on Letterman, and a quick listen to the three tracks available on Rdio, I’m really looking forward to it, too.
I think it is odd, though, that so many people have said this song makes them think of Prince.
At last check, the wind chill was still –12. That’s at about 1:30 pm on February 19. Stupid.
So the perfect time for some ultra hot sports takes.
Like any Midwesterner worth his salt, I despise the endless hype for the Duke-North Carolina rivalry.
But, holy crap, was last night’s game fantastic.
I switched by early and saw Duke was up big. When I checked again, deep into the second half, Carolina had just taken their first lead of the game.
I would imagine a few of my loyal readers, who share my pop culture obsessions, pulled the site up the last couple days anticipating a break down of the SNL 40 special.
My apologies for the delay. I was unable to watch live, and basketball viewing obligations got in the way Monday. But I was finally able to watch most of it Tuesday night and then finish up this morning. So, thoughts!
Long weekends suck. At least when the weather is crappy and you have nowhere to go.
St. P’s annually stretches out President’s Day weekend to build some snow make-up days in the schedule before spring break. Since we’ve had no snow days this year, we’ve been lucky enough to have a five-day weekend. When the temps have been stuck below freezing with wind chills below zero the entire time. And no snow to play in.
Two basketball giants died this week. So, obviously, I have some links related to them, plus one about another fading giant of the sport.
To begin, two different views of Dean Smith. The first is a profile on Smith by Gary Smith for Inside Sports magazine from 1982. Or just before he won his first national title. It’s funny to look back and think a coach like Smith, or Coach K before 1991, could have so much success and still be seen as a failure by some because they didn’t win the last game of the season.
youtu.be/p7rGrcdnw…
“Jungle Love” - Morris Day and the HAIM Jimmy Kimmel has been having #MashUpMondays, where he has two different artists cover songs together. Last week’s came a couple weeks too late for me. It would have been perfect while I was reading Let’s Go Crazy. And while it would have been nice for the Haim sisters to get more to sing, it still works pretty well. Morris Day and The Time + Haim = Morris Day and the HAIM.
It’s been a rather slow, uneventful winter sports season. Until the last week, that is. I’ve been working a little less, as the family schedule has been busier this year than in the past. And I’ve been lucky enough to cover our best girls basketball team more than any other squad. So a lot of solid games to write about, but not a ton of stories to share.
Things first got interesting last Wednesday, when I headed south for a boys basketball game on a snowy night.
A couple thoughts about the Jayhawks, both guaranteed to drop a deadly jinx onto the team before a key two-game stretch.
We’re upon mid-February, which is usually when we begin to get a real feel for what kind of team KU has for the year.
Well?
They’re better on defense than last year. Much better at the point guard spot. Terrible around the rim on both ends of the court.
Divorce is never easy. In addition to the pain that is focused on the immediate family at the center of a split, there is often collateral damage. Anyone seen as an instigator or taking sides will often be the target of long-term bad feelings even after the direct participants have moved on.
That somewhat tortured example sums up how a lot of Kansans felt about Dean Smith, the former North Carolina coach who died late Saturday night.
Friday morning I took a look at my Instapaper queue and didn’t see much to share. A bunch of new stuff popped up Friday afternoon and over the weekend, so now we have some things to read together.
I’ve had enough weird hobbies in my life to have spent some time in Radio Shack. So it’s been a little sad to read about the company sliding into oblivion in recent years.
youtu.be/rnliAafBY…
“Clampdown” - The Clash
Joe Mick Paul Topper
The Only Band That Matters
Seattle radio station KEXP has declared today International Clash Day. Something I can obviously get on-board with.
youtu.be/DhvXST1Rc…
“Shake It Off (The Perfect Drug)” - Taylor Swift vs. Nine Inch Nails
The mash-up is not as common as it was 7–8 years ago. But the format still exists, and while the novelty factor has worn off, sometimes they can still be a lot of fun. This one is especially good with the videos of the originals cut together.
The Martian - Andy Weir As I mentioned in my December wrap up, this is the book I began in 2014 but finished on Jan. 1, 2015. I destroyed this book. Once I started it, it was hard to put down. In fact, I started it after midnight on Dec. 30 when I could not sleep. I went downstairs, flipped on the Kindle, and thought I would read 20 minutes or so and then try to sleep again.
I love Pete Carroll.
If, through some miracle, I could suddenly play football (and be 20 years younger), there is no coach who I would more want to play for.
I LOVED his call to go for a touchdown rather than just kick the field goal at the end of the first half last night. I wouldn’t have done the same thing, but I loved it.
But, man, his call to throw on second down with the ball at the one-yard line with 26 seconds to play last night was atrocious.
Part two of the big link catch-up project.
First, a profile of Lego. I had no idea the company nearly went under just over a decade ago. Jonathan Ringen explores the history of the company and how it first dig a hole, then made a series of tremendous decisions that have left it one of the strongest brands in the world.
How Lego Became The Apple Of Toys
Speaking of Apple, you may have read that the company had the most profitable quarter in the history of business to close out 2014.
Terrible.
That’s how I would describe my blogging performance over the past week. I not only failed to share links last week, I kept putting it off and putting it off when I had chances to post them. So here I am with at least ten sharable links.
Some pruning is clearly in order.
But that still leaves quite a collection of quality content. So, prepare yourselves for two links posts today.
youtu.be/WSO4Y9ygP…
“The Frug” - Rilo Kiley
I’m not a regular viewer of Austin City Limits, but last week, when Ryan Adams and Jenny Lewis split the episode, I definitely set the DVR. Lewis threw in a couple tracks from her first band, Rilo Kiley. This was not one of those selections, but I’ve always loved it and the oh-so-late–90s video makes it a perfect share.
Karma is a bitch.
No where is that more true than in sports.
Example:
In the 2013 Sweet 16 in Arlington, Texas, KU guard Elijah Johnson decided to cheap shot Michigan forward Mitch McGary in the sack early in the game.
Anyone watching the game knew the Hoops Gods would exact revenge.
They teased us, but then they did so in crushing fashion.
Johnson hit a 3-pointer with under seven minutes left to give KU a 14-point lead.