And the winner is?

In honor of the upcoming modern day gladiatorial combat (super bowl XLVI) I am taking this opportunity to make my call on who will be the winner.

NY Giants VS. New England Patriots

I say the NY Giants will win.

How did I come up with this pick?  Did I spend hours looking at the stats of each of the players and teams and figure which had the better chance of superiority?

Absolutely not...  I have a much more sophisticated and, in my opinion, logical way of deciding such important decisions as the outcomes of sporting events.

Mascots and colors!

As I don't follow sports I had to come up with some way to make a choice for when a football pool appeared at work or when when I was inevitably asked who I was rooting for...

1)  I look at the two mascots and decide which would actually win in a fight.  ie; Would a Giant beat a Patriot in a fight.  Of course.  A Giant against a mortal...  Nuff said.
It makes is a little odd when the mascot is inanimate.  My high school mascot was the Sabres.  We were swords.  Not a whole lot of fight in that.

2)  If it is a draw on which mascot would conquer the weaker...  Colors come into play.  Which ones go together better.  Some are pretty lame and others just look very cool.  In this particular case, colors do not come into play (fortunately - too tough a call).

That being said, there is something that presupposes a winner.  This would be any ties I have to a particular team or city.  If I have lived in a city/state I will pull for them.  I lived in Colorado so they would get an automatic bump up.  The same would go for Illinois, Tennessee and Florida.

New York gets a extra bonus as I spent a very nice summer in the state back in 2000 so I am claiming they will win with a bit of a lead.

Some places get a bonus as well based on friends/relative having gone to a particular school.  For example; a couple of my theatre professors went to Michigan State University so that school gets a bit of a bump up as a favorite.

Feel free to consult me @TheSethBerry should you have any questions in the future on which team you should bet on...  

***One school gets an honorary mention because the color scheme is so sweet.  It is The University of Maryland.  Their mascot is a turtle...  Not fast or vicious, but we can hope that they are more like Rahzar.

Life was so simple back then...

Although this day should be remembered for Martin Luther King, for the most part that is not what it means to many people.  To most it means a holiday from work or from school.

I am no different.

This day began having more significance for me in college.  Specifically sophomore year.  Before this it was a day off from school, cool but that was about the extent of it.

My sophomore year, I had turned 21.  I could drink without fear of arrest.  This meant it was an extra day to have parties.  Usually we bumped it up to begin the weekend on Thursday and went on through Sunday night and recovering on Monday.

Thinking about this day, and what it had meant in college, made me miss college.  Some say that high school was the best time of their life, they had a great time.  I hated high school, for the most part I did not have a good time, I could not wait for the day, the week, the year, the four years to end.

College was a whole different story.  The first semester was a rough one being away from home for the first time.  It was pretty lonely.  Although I knew that I was going to be a theatre major, it was a little tough to get 'in' to the group until I began working in the scene shop and working on shows.  (The first show was a hold over from the summer season so cast and crew was already assigned.)

Around October, I moved to a different dorm (closer to the theatre), and was getting involved more and it was great.  My room mate typically did not see me from morning until late at night, maybe catch a glimpse of me rushing in to change clothes before rehearsal.

Sophomore year I was living with Courtney and we had a good time.  We did a lot of\ stupid things, some minor injuries, but nothing serious. So all was good.

She annoyed Courtney...

I had to help...

 

Where else but college do you decorate with beer cans?

There was a connection between us, we were all in this thing together.

Some left too soon...

Finally graduation day came.  I knew that it possibly be the last time that I would see a lot of these people.  I have been able to see some of them periodically, we had a wonderful reunion of the theatre alumni and we were able to catch up.  I did a couple of visits after I had graduated to visit some people but that is about it.  For the most part many of the people that were such a big part of my life are not in it any more.  Perhaps I can blame myself for this as I moved out of state and ended up on a cruise ship for many years so I was out of the country but it is still unfortunate.

I often think of the Avenue Q song and think out nice it would be to go back to college.  I would have fewer worries (or less important in the long run).  I would not be timing deposits and checks written to make sure funds would be there for the bill.  I would not be wondering where the next car payment would be coming from.  And be anxiously awaiting replies to sent resumes and interviews when they do happen.            

All that being said, IF I did go back to college, would it be the same.  Would I have the same experiences or would my classmates be too different being from a different generation?

Probably not...

Were my experiences the way they were only because of the time that I was there and the people that I was there with?                              

Probably...

Thanks Dr. King for all that you did but I don't remember what you did on your day but my days in college.

If Music Be the Food of Love – Play On

They Say you should never judge a book by it's cover.  The same should be said for music.

I was listening to a SModcast episode when they started talking about 'The Pina Colada Song' - by Rupert Holmes.  I love that song, I thought.  (Actual title is Escape - who knew?)

 

It blew me away when I started to listen to the lyrics.  Check them out! It is not a nice happy fun song to listen two while you are sipping a boat drink.  It is kinda' sad.  The guy goes on to say how he is tired of his lady and is bored with her.  He decided to look in the paper looking for a little fling.  He sees one and arranges the meeting.  It ends up turning out the be his wife/girlfriend who placed the add.

???

They end up having a wonderful time together and 'escaping'.  Although the song ends nice what we don't seem to notice, or we allow, is that both parties were ready to cheat on the other. What if, he did not read her letter, what if it was a different add?

Hmmm...

This got me thinking about others songs which masquerade as a happy song (or a sad song) and are, in fact, the opposite.

Let us look at Every Breath You Take by Sting and The Police.

Sting himself has been disturbed a the number of people who love it as a great "love song".  That is not how  he wrote it.  The Wikipedia article about the song states that Sting was thinking more of 'Big Brother' and control.  The character in the song is stalking this person, the minor character has left and the main won't let her go, "you belong to me."

Kinda disturbing when you see what the lyrics are.

Next - Delilah - by Tom Jones

Feel free to sing along (you know you want to).

The chords in the beginning sound sinister but by the time you get to the chorus, every one is singing along and swaying back and forth.  Another festive love song or the beginning of a serial killer?  I am afraid it is the latter.

Dude sees the shadows of people on the shade and freaks because his lady is cheating on him.  He goes across the street and kills her.  He is sorry about it but being sorry does not bring Delilah back now does it?

(Too gruesome?  Try Silhouettes On the Shade - by The Rays.  Similar but a much happier ending.)

One more 'sad' one...

What would you do if you had $1,000,000?  

The Bare Naked Ladies answer this question with If I Had a Million Dollars

Upon first listen, it sounds nice.  Gets you thinking of what you would do if you had $1,000,000.  Would you by a monkey?  Have dijon ketchup?

Later on in the lyrics it finally answers the question.  This particular person would 'buy your love'.  Not exactly a good message.  What quality of person will he find if he buys their love?

Meat Loaf.  Mr. Aday.  You gotta love him...  He actually makes it on here with two!!!

 

First: Two Out of Three Ain't Bad - Lyrics by Jim Steinman

This one is not quite as noble as are final song but at least he is being honest and straight forward with her.  He goes on to say they can talk about it forever but he is unable to say that he loves her.  He "wants" her and "needs" her, but he can't say that he loves her.  

What a jerk?

He explains that he can't because she is not his true love, he still is in love with the girl that got away.  She left him for another saying that she wanted him and needed him, but did not love him.  Unfortunately he has not been able to get over her.  Perhaps someday but not right now.

Initially sounds like a jerk but most say they want honesty in a partner.  He is simply being honest.

Finally: I Would Do anything For Love - Lyrics by Jim Steinman

 

  

The thing that most people don't like about the song is when Meat says the things he won't do.  It sounds like he is putting limitations on his love.  This is not the case.  Examining the lyrics you see that he is willing to do just about anything for love.  Including; going to Hell and back, he will 'take a vow', he will 'raise me up', and 'help me down'.  Pretty much anything.

The things he won't do; never forget the way you feel right now, never do it better than I do it with you, never stop dreaming of you every night of my life.

 

Sounds can be deceiving.

Give your favorite songs another listen.

#TheNewLent - a crazy experiment or a success?

So somewhere back in the beginning of March of this last year I decided to do something a little different for the lenten season.  (Besides doing anything for it as I am not Catholic I never really practiced or observed it, I just knew of it as my Mom was raised Catholic and that side of the family still is.  I kinda knew the deal...)

My idea was to do an anti-lent deal...  Instead of the traditional act of giving up something for the 40 days before Easter, I was going to start doing something for those days leading up to Easter.

Instead of not eating meat (animals are too tasty not to eat), or giving up pop/soda/Coke/cola/'tasty beverage' (whatever your region of the world tends to call it), I was going to begin an exercise regiment (again).  My plan was to do some sort of exercise each and every day, I needed to break a sweat and hopefully loose some inches in the process.

I have confidence in myself but everyone can use some support now and then.  What worked pretty well for me in college  was when "Big Dave" Wolski and I kept each other in check when we saw (or didn't see) the other at the rec working out as we tended to be there at the same time.  We held each other accountable.

I reached out to the Twitterverse, my tweeps and my Facebook friends and asked them for a favor. The hashtag #TheNewLent was born.
My request was for people to ask if I had worked out each day.  If they did not see a tweet/post stating that I had, I needed them to call me out on it.

March 9th, 2011 was the beginning of my challenge to myself.  I decided there was no room for the weak in The New Lent.  I would not be working out Monday through Friday, and taking the weekends off, 7 days a week 40 days.  No excuses.

As my counter climbed closer and closer to 40, I realized that we were still a bit off from Easter.  Apparently in the regular Lent, you are able to take Sundays off.  WHAT?  Did Jesus take Sundays off when he was fasting in the wilderness.  I don't think so...
The New Lent went from 40 days to 46 days.  In The New Lent we don't take Sundays off.  Remember, no room for the weak...

As it looked like I was going to succeed I wondered what was next...  Do I stop working out?  Go to M-F?  Work out unless I have a 'good excuse' or was not 'too tired'? Suggestions from my friends were either go until the next lenten season, or forever.  I liked the latter idea but was a bit unrealistic.

A month or so ago, it became official.  The New Lent 2011 was from March 9th until November 19th.  It is not because I did not want to continue, it is just because that is when we began moving from Tennessee to sunny Florida.  It was not real convenient to attempt exercise while on the road and/or after loading and unloading moving vans.  Some would say that loading a truck and moving furniture would count as exercise but I was not so sure.

Not sure what The New Lent 2012 will bring...  I will have to see...  Being 1/1/2012, I am attempting to get back into the exercise routine seeing we are somewhat settled in Florida.  Will it be every day as The New Lent was or will I wimp out and skip a day every now and then?  Only time will tell...  (Planning on doing something in the exercise realm before bed tonight - It is not tomorrow until you go to bed even if it is after midnight)

Results of The New Lent you ask?  Was is successful?  Did I lose weight?  I don't know if I lost weight or not as I haven't really weighed myself since I found out that muscle weighs more than fat which means that most football players and wrestlers are technically overweight when it comes to a height/weight chart.  Instead I go by BMI if I can or how my clothes fit and if I need to/am able to go to a smaller short size.
Yes, was able to go down to a smaller size short.  I won't say what that size is...  Let's just say I am right on the border of not having to pay Wal~Mart an extra $2 for my size shorts...

Wish me luck on the 'resolution' or continuation of The New Lent after the brief hiatus, however you want to look at it.  Or, better yet, keep me in check if you have nothing better to do...

Special thanks to @heathermcpike, @theecallie, Lyne Sequin, @hkliesner, @nonmary and anyone else I may have forgotten from back in March who faithfully checked in on me and watched my progress.