2014 Tag

After the usual 5 month hiatus following the Aussie Open, springtime in Paris has arrived. But a breeze of intrigue and uncertainty has befallen this French Open. The perennial favorites are still the favorites, but where they will finish remains a mystery. Let’s examine these perennial particulars and make some fun predictions…. Roger Federer Whether the year is 2004, or 2014, Federer is always a favorite to win a tournament. If you type in ‘longevity personified,’ you will see his image next to Ron Paul and Jesus. And it isRead More

Here in the North West sector of our country, the rain has let up (sort of), school’s out (for those who are students and don’t go to U of O or any other school on the god forsaken quarter system), and people are trading in pants and flannels for shorts and tanks (they’re not), which means… It’s time for Sasquatch, the Northwest’s premier annual music festival!   For those of you who are unfamiliar, Sasquatch is a three-day, outdoor music festival stationed on the cliffs of the Colombia River Gorge.Read More

With this year’s college graduations in full swing, there are now thousands of kids joining the work force across the country. For many, this will be their first real, career-oriented job ever. Of course, times are still rough. This is not a surprise and has been covered in almost every publication for the past few years. I graduated in 2011 and times were rough then too. It can take months to find a job these days. There are thousands of companies looking for “entry-level” jobs that need years of experience.Read More

Two nights ago the NBA Draft Lottery took place. With the exception of one team, the lottery ended up going chalk. Here are a list of winners and losers of the night.   Cleveland Cavaliers – Winner Cleveland ruined it for everybody.  Before the lottery, I said that there was no way that Cleveland would win. Now, they have the number one pick for the 3rd time in 4 years. One one hand, it means that the ugly tanking of Philadelphia and other teams was not rewarded by the ping pongRead More

Everyone’s goal in life is to reach a point in which you know, for a fact, that you have fulfilled complete happiness. However, for many people, the road to happiness is not as easy as it simply sounds. We all go through rough patches. Some of us experience heart break, some of us experience the death of someone important to us, and some of us are insecure about who we are as people. The truth is, there are signs that signify you are on the road to happiness and if anyRead More

There’s nothing funnier than parody. Growing up, I had a number of friends who adored the video game Halo like it was their first girlfriend (and in a few cases, it still is). They would wake up in the morning and play, come home from school and play, go to bed and probably still play. Halo was not just a game, it was a culture. It had one of the biggest online communities this side of JDate. It was a legitimate excuse for any young boy not to turn inRead More

Three hundred and sixty-five days ago, I walked across the stage at Radio City, diploma in hand, gauze on my post-Senior Formal feet and mom in the audience. I said goodbye to sharing secrets, stories, and clothes with my closest girlfriends, Tuesday night drink specials, and the corner-deli guy. I said goodbye to all-nighters, gin buckets, and afternoon ragers. I said goodbye to friends, to family, to professors-turned mentors. I said goodbye to one home, and said hello again to another. I said goodbye to college and hello to home.Read More

Does it seem like there’s been more and more commercial encroachment on your life?  It should.  The average American consumes about 11 hours and 52 minutes of media every day – a number that includes digital formats, radio, and print, as well as TV – up a staggering 66 minutes since 2010.  All that time gives advertisers more opportunities to take a stab at you, whether you’re relaxing in front of the boob tube, catching up on Hulu or reading articles on your favorite site (see: Writtalin).  We live underRead More

No working musician today seems less concerned about the changing landscape of rock and roll than Jack White.  On June 10th the eclectic singer-songwriter will drop his sophomore solo album Lazaretto, yet another collection of fuck-you rock and Southern sensibility that we’ve come to expect since he and Meg burst onto the scene thirteen years ago with White Blood Cells.  We’ve already gotten a taste of what’s to come with the ferociously gritty title track and the Icky Thump-esque instrumental “High Ball Stepper.”  Bent on teasing us further, White justRead More

I’m not a football fan. I have no desire to watch games on TV, and if drug to a live game, I will promptly grab the strongest drink that I pass and enjoy myself in that way. Football, for me, means alcohol and socialization, not watching a game. But, when something like Michael Sam’s media coverage is plastered on my Facebook and Twitter, I have to pay some attention; it’s the price of wanting to stay current. So naturally, I have some opinions. Apparently, Michael Sam was recently compared toRead More

In case you’ve been living under a rock, on Jupiter, then you know the NFL Draft happened last weekend and a defensive player from Missouri got drafted by St. Louis in the seventh round. He was really good in college, played on a really good team in a really good conference, and was the defensive player of the year in that conference. He’s a tad undersized for his position but he makes up for physical deficiencies by playing with maximal effort all the time. He attacks the quarterback with frequency,Read More

So like usual I’m thinking about how terrible this Batman/Superman movie is going to be, and something hit me just now that made it even more depressing. Young people that watch this as their first Batman or Superman movie are going to walk away with their perspectives of these characters forever cemented in their minds. There will be children who in 15-20 years will say “Ben Affleck’s portrayal of Batman is the only true Batman”. It’s like we have a chance to stop young Hitler, and we’re just sitting hereRead More

One of the worst feelings in the world is to be surrounded by a bunch of small children. This can happen just about anywhere, anytime. But since school is on its way out for the summer, it is time to watch your back if you are planning to use a public swimming pool. Here’s why:   Kids Love Swimming A human being’s first love affair is with the pool. Kids love this stuff! They are like cats on a scratching post, or cocaine addicts when they see a line. TheyRead More

21 states and the District of Columbia have either decriminalized marijuana or legalized its medicinal use. Who’s next? Quinnipiac University released a study that found 88% of Floridians are in favor of medical marijuana so long as it is used in accordance with a doctor. Florida will vote on an amendment, Florida’s Question 2, this coming November. The vote requires 60% to pass. In Florida, cannabis possession is slightly decriminalized but the sale, transportation, or cultivation of the drug remain illegal. If Florida votes to legalize medical marijuana, look for them to continueRead More

The tennis clay court season is in full swing (silly puns), and the tennis tour has landed in Madrid this week for the Madrid Open. Sure, some say it’s just another tournament. But those of us who follow the sport know better. The Madrid Open is a revolutionary event where things are done a bit differently than your average tourney, thanks in part to this man: Ion Tiriac Ion Tiriac is financially wealthy, but he also has a wealth of ideas when it comes to shaking things up at theRead More