clean sweep

Last night I went to play trivia with a friend at a local bar. This was our second attempt at becoming trivia champions and despite his exceptional knowledge of science and my equally impressive grasp of TV sitcoms, we came in second to last – again. The sticking point seems to be in the area of sports trivia. For example, in what year was the World Series cancelled due to a players strike? Hint, it was in the 90s….

My dad loves sports. Unfortunately, as a child I did not and would constantly complain whenever he would try to sit down and watch a game on the TV. “I bought this TV for … (insert major sporting event here)” he would say as I reached out to change the channel.

By the time I was 6 or 7 my dad had determined that the only way he would be able to watch a game in peace was to get me involved in the game. So, he introduced me to the great tradition of betting on sports. The bet was always the same. I would choose which team I thought would win the World Series. If my team won, my dad would clean my room. If my team lost, I would have to clean my room and keep it clean for a month. All of a sudden baseball held meaning.

To this day, as baseball season gets into full gear, I start thinking about who will win and how nice it would be to have my dad in my room, picking up my toys and putting everything back in order.

My mom and dad are planning on paying a visit next week and for his Father’s Day gift we will be going to a Mariners game on Tuesday. My dad will make sure he has his score card and a sharp pencil. I will make sure we are at the game at least a half an hour early so that we can see the first pitch. And, just to make it interesting, we will bet. I’ll take the Mariners – and Dad, if I win the vacuum is in the hall closet. Happy Father’s Day.

1000 places to see before you die

I once ran across a book titled: 1000 places to see before you die. As a traveler I am always intrigued by the places other people have visited. So, here is the start of my own list/recommendations for places to see. Enjoy!

At the point where Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina meet, the earth falls off in magnificent splendor. This is Foz de Iguacú from the Brazil side looking into Argentina.

eye of the tigre (tiger)

A few months ago Starbucks introduced a new ad campaign in which the band Survivor is pulled through town on a platform while coaxing an innocent consumer into buying a Frapaccino by singing to him a personalized version of Eye of the Tiger - Tom, Tom, Tom, Tom ... Last week I again encountered a bastardized version of this 80s classic while attending a rock concert in Mexico City. The music was the same, but the lyrics had been drastically changed. The idea started as a one-time spoof with the band Moderatto using the music from the 80s with new lyrics that poked fun at 80s rock. After a few shows the audience loved the music so much that it has now become a full-on rock experience with sold out shows throughout Mexico. As I stood among the 3000 screaming fans I felt lost in a situation where everything seemed familiar but was very very different.

Last night it happened again – this feeling that what I thought I knew was no longer reality. While channel surfing I came across a new show "hit me baby one more time." Much to my dismay there on the screen was Tommy Tutone singing 867-5309. But instead of being the slightly geeky lead singer with curly hair that I remembered, there was this old very geeky guy who was gray and balding. As he sang "Jenny I got your number" my immediate reaction was "yuk" why is this dirty old man calling Jenny. I am sure Jenny is relieved we now have Caller Id.

I still love the music of the 80s – it's fun and as Dick Clark would say “you can dance to it.” But seeing these old rockers in commercials and cheesy reality shows is like seeing Fat Elvis transformed onto velvet … not a good look my friends – not a good look.

taco time ...

Ta Da! I can now post photos directly from my cell phone! Get ready to be wowed by mediocrity.

democracy and human rights filtered out ...

I was having a discussion with a friend a few weeks back regarding the impact of globalization on human rights and societal structures. More importantly, can a company such as Microsoft impact the social structure of an emerging market or closed country through either its hiring practices or the product it sells? My naive argument at the time was that through exposure and the passing of corporate norms from one culture to another, we would see changes that would impact the greater global society. Today I received the counter argument by way of the announcement that Microsoft will filter out words such as Democracy and Human Rights in order to launch MSN in China. While I still contend that corporations do have the ability to impart change, I am also now reminded that first and foremost decisions made by corporations are based on financial gains. Therefore, societies have just as much of an opportunity, if not more, to impact how corporations act (i.e. who they hire, how the workers are treated, how they operate in a community, etc..) as corporations have in impacting societies. It is a sad day when Democracy and Human Rights can be filtered out with a line of code.