Mad Men is blowing up

Season 2's premiere hit 2 million viewers last Sunday, which is more than double the viewers it averaged per episode in Season 1. link

I missed the premiere, so I'll have to catch it during their weekly reruns.

A quick recap of Mad Men's accomplishments, awards, and accolades:

Golden Globes -
Best Television Series
Best Performance by an actor in a television series - Jon Hamm (Donald Draper)

2007 Young Hollywood Award to Vincent Kartheiser (Pete Campbell)

2007 Peabody Award

Nominated for 16 Emmy Awards

(awards shamelessly ripped from wiki)

Stress, and how it affects my running

So, I've got a lot of things on my mind lately.....I'm moving in 3 days (i hate moving), I'm running a half marathon in a week, and this fall, I'm applying to business school. 

Of the 3 items, obviously applying to business school is the biggest, most daunting task on my list.  But, having gone through the process before (unsuccessfully), it still sucks, but hopefully shouldn't be as bad as last year.  I'm trying to keep it from crippling my life like it did last year....

Of course I've moved before, but I stil hate it.  It'll be done by this Friday, and I can cross that off the list.

The last item...the half marathon...is something that I've written about in the past, but its rearing its ugly head.  I've faithfully followed Hal Higdon's training program (its sweet, I highly recommend it.  get it here link), I've watched my diet, and I've given up drinking (for the most part)......so what's teh problem?  I'm still somehow pysching myself out. 

I've slowly progressed from a 4 mile long run up til a 9 mile run.  Last Saturday, I was set to cross the threshold, and finish my first double digit run.  I was out on the lakefront, finishing up mile 3, and somehow, I panicked.  That run was over, and I decided to try it again later on.

This morning, I was supposed to run the 10 mile run.  Mission - Failed.  Somehow, I've set up a mindblock that tells me that 10 miles is too much, and that I shouldn't be running that distance.  Of course, this mindset keeps me from finishing the training run, and keeps me from accomplishing my goal. 

Any tips from veteran runners?  how do you keep self-defeating thoughts away from your runs?

Coming Soon to an airport near you - Bud Light X-Ray Vision

Wow..just wow....this is the classic example of giving government an inch, and having them take a 100 yards.

First, the knee-jerk creation of the Department of Homeland Security.....then, removing laptops (in retrospect, probably a good move, but comeon..everybody has a laptop now, can't they find a way to screen for laptops without removing them), then, removing our shoes on the grungy, nasty airport ground...and finally, the whole liquid fiasco.

Now, the TSA has procurred a new scanning machine that scans you and "look through clothing to create an explicit silhouette of the traveler—showing shapes, folds of fat and other anatomical characteristics—to identify possible hidden objects."

Granted, I fly every week, so I'm a bit jaded by the TSA and travel.  Given the complete idiots that I see working in the TSA, I wouldn't trust them to professionally view this "graphic image" and make a judgement call about security. 

If I was selected for further screening.....call me old fashioned, but I'm going for the pat-down.  If they are going to violate my civil liberties, I might as well get a piece myself.....

read the full article here - chicago tribune

Sarah - thanks for the link....

The ultimate spreadsheet for Data Junkies

 

 Yale University is sponsoring a project to collect random economic and geographic data for every country in the world, with the hopes that this data can be used to do something (I've read through some of the pages, but am still unclear what the data can be used for).

but, they have published their entire dataset for the 1990 "gross cell product" (something similar to GNP) calculation....

its something to play with if you are bored at work, and want to try your hand at a little data manipulation...check it out - link

found via the big picture

Renewed interest in the Caped Cruisader

With "The Dark Knight" shattering box office records every day (will it shatter the all important Monday matinee record?), it seems like everybody is talking about Batman.  Heath Ledger was on the cover of more than a few magazine last week.  NPR ran a piece that dug into Batman's creation...with comic artist Bob Kane.

hell, even the History Channel ran a special digging into the Bruce Wayne psychology......very interesting stuff indeed.

Since I haven't seen the movie yet (Chicago's IMAX next Saturday, 1 pm), this revival is paying off in 2 ways.  First of all, it is much much easier for me to find episodes of "Batman: The Animated Series" online to watch.  Growing up, I had the perfect after-school lineup:

- Tiny Toons
- Animanics
- Batman the Animated Series

the second way, is that somebody just snagged my copy of the campy Adam West/Burt Ward Batman from half.com.  I've had that movie online for almost a year, but it took the Dark Knight to finally sell it!

The wire...anybody watch it yet?

With the heralded "Generation Kill" set to start this weekend on HBO, I decided to take up creater Edward Burns' first show...the Wire.

I'm on episode 3 of the first season, and while I enjoy the nuaced, prodding style of storytelling, I'm wondering if the action picks up.  So far, I'm also loving all the random players that I recognize from other movies/tv shows...

so far, here's who I've identified:

Detective Bunk = The anti-hacker dude in the very cheesy (but glorious) "Hackers"
Lt Daniels = the creepy dude that recruits people in "Lost"
Detective Herk = Vince's friend from the old neighborhood who steals the Shrek doll (Entourage)
The Commish =  Dennis Leary's partner in the Thomas Crown Affair

I'm sure there are more random people popping up, but so far, I'm really digging this show...

The unintended benefits of Google Reader

I'm a huge Google Reader fan.  Its probably (along with the LA Times crossword puzzle and gmail) among the most indispensible sites that I visit.  While I'd like to think that I'm a well rounded person, and that I read a wide variety of blogs and items, I really don't.  Most of my blogs have to do with finance/economic trends, personal productivity, sports, and technology.  wow, i'm really boring....

so, that's where Google Reader's best feature comes into play....Sharing!

Sharing is caring, and this is absoultely true within Google Reader.  By complete coincidence, where I lack the diversity in reading within my reader list, my friend's pick up the slack.

I have a friend that's from Detroit, so I get the daily update on the automakers, Michigan football, and the Detroit Pistons (not a huge Pistons fan after they let go of Flip..but that's another topic for a different day).  Another friend trolls the internet for the most ridiculous stories and viral videos, so I feel plugged into pop culture through him.  One of my friends is all about international news, so I feel cultured reading about the Middle East or Africa.  And another of my friends thinks that he's Al Gore, so I get to read about cutting edge green technology. 

I would not be as cultured and "well read" (as it comes to blogs) without Google Reader.....try it out...and drop me a note if you want to share articles with me...I'm always looking for interesting things to read!

Cheat Sheets are fun

Found via digg...

6 cheatsheets to make you more productive while working:

- Google Search
- Windows (including Word, Excel, and Outlook)
- Google Reader
- Gmail
- Firefox (windows and Mac)
- Mac OS

I just grabbed the Windows one, and already picked up some cool Excel tricks (yes, I'm an excel geek...go ahead, make fun of me)....you should check it out

link

Why Vasa at the Airport

What type of sweatheart deal did VASA water sign with the Department of Homeland Security?  As a consultant, I've been to many airports...and they all serve VASA water.  Not Aquafina.  Not Dasani.  And not Nestle.......but Vasa.  I've never seen Vasa anywhere else...have you?

Yankee Stadium lovefest = gag

Watching the home run derby, and had some thoughts about the Yankee Stadium Lovefest:

1) The stadium isn't closing today.....there's still a half year left.....

2) really, Arod's 500th homerun is the best homerun at Yankee Stadium?  I'm not a Yankee fan, but I'd think that they could find a much more fitting end to their "Homeruns at Yankee Stadium montage".  Maybe Reggie Jackson...Roger Maris...or, to stick it to Red Sox fans, Aaron F'n Boone?

3) yes, people do visit other stadiums to tour the place.  I did it as a kid in Minneapolis (at the Metrodome)....and I know that people have done so in Boston (at Fenway) before too......get your shit together ESPN

Granted, as the standings are today, the Yankees aren't going to be playing in the postseason this year....so, I guess the All Star game is the last major event there.....carry on ESPN

The Joy of Home Cooked Food

No, I'm not talking about Mom's wonderful cooking, I'm talking about the food that you actually prepare yourself.

So this past week, Mona and I embarked on an unplanned experiment, and somehow pieced together the ability to cook all of our meals.  From a Friday night dinner party, to the next morning's hangover eggs and hashbrowns.....a non-leftover lunch, to an entirely fresh dinner on Saturday......and finally, Tandori chicken on Sunday night.....it was pretty incredible.

The Pros:
- I picked up some tips, and gained some much needed kitchen confidence.
- The food tasted incredible, and was probably much much healither than the junk that I'd eat if we ate out


The Cons:
- It seemed like I was in the kitchen the whole weekend.  Either chopping up veggies, boiling water, preheating the oven, or washing dishes....
- We probably more money cooking, vs. grabbing take out food.....

Overall:
Maybe dial it back a bit, but keep up the cooking.  I'm really starting to get into cooking, and I hope to keep learning new tricks and dishes....oh yeah, I ate a ton this weekend, and I still weigh less than i normally would on a Monday morning.  also, I don't feel nearly as "greasy" as I normally would after the weekend....win-win

Chicago's Bus Tracking System

I've been reading about Chicago's fancy new bus tracking system that works with Smartphones, iphones, and blackberries, but never had a chance to try it. 

They've been slowly adding busses to the roster, but most that I take still aren't on the list.  But this morning, I happened to be heading down Belmont to the soccer field, so I decided to give it a shot.

Pulling up the website on my Blackberry, I saw that the #77 Belmont bus would be at my stop in 5 minutes.  Low and behold, the bus pulled in exactly 5 minutes......test 1 passed!

After match soccer game (we suck, we were killed 4-2), I walked back to a bus stop, and pulled up the site on my phone again.  This time, the bus would be here in 8 minutes, and it showed up exactly 7 minutes later....test 2 passed. 

So the CTA is going to be adding more and more buses weekly....hopefully they put the #22, #36, #76, and #134 soon!

chicago residents, check it out, it actually seems to work!!

Wall-E Review

Yes, you guys have probably already heard of Wall-E, and have seen the rave reviews...but I felt it necessary to add another to the long list :)


Storyline -
Started out incredibly slowly, but came on strong.  It was a bold decision by Pixar to completely eliminate all dialogue in the first half hour of the movie, but it definetly paid off.  I walked away from the story completely wow'd by where the story takes us...

Visuals -
Of course, you go to a Pixar movie for the visuals...and they do not disappoint.  More than once, Mona had to ask me if the movie was actually animated...since it was so lifelike.  Completely amazed by the visuals....bravo Pixar, bravo

"Acting" and Intangibles -
For an animated movie about a little robot that only says "Wall-E" and "Eva", the acting was incredible.  People left the theatres with tears in their eyes.....

Go see the movie.  Its fantastic.....yes, there's a lot of hype, but I think it lived up to it.  Def not a kids movie, but has a deeper purpose about the future cost of today's rampant consumerism.  Also, a not so subtle jab at our complete reliance on technology......from a company born out of Apple Computer, love it....

Feed your wanderlust!

Since returning from Costa Rica a little more than a month ago, I've been looking hit the road again.  No, not the normal "hit the road" (my weekly trips down to Tampa), but something more substantial and meaningful.  I want to go abroad again!

While I'm looking at my finances, my schedule, and my interests......I came across this excellent list of great travel books. 

Looking over the list, I have some reading to do.  Here's what I've read:

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thomson
Lord of the Flies by William S. Golding

Here's what I want to read off that list:

Finding George Orwell in Burma by Emma Larkin
Balkan Ghosts: A Journey Through History by Robert D. Kaplan
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
The Beach by Alex Garland

Has anybody read any of the books?  Anything else that I should add to my ever growing reading list? 

Farve at the Dome? Playing FOR the Vikes?

Rumors on the net are flying that everybody's favorite (well, everybody that lives in Wisconsin) aging quarterback is thinking about coming back to the NFL.

While I'm not surprised that he'd come back, I'm surprised that the Green Bay Packers aren't more suppportive.  This guy was your franchise for the last decade, he brought 2 Super Bowl titles there, and he's a living legend.

Yes, he's a legend, and it pains me to say that as a lifelong Viking fan.  So, with Farve in check, the Vikings might be more than a decent team next year.....think about it...

Brett Farve as QB.  Adrian Peterson.  we still have some receivers, they just haven't caught a pass in a long time.....our D line will be dominant....the pieces are there....

So yes, if Farve returns, I'd put aside the pain that he's caused my team, and welcome him to the Metrodome.....for that the happen, Green Bay would have to be dumb to pin their hopes on Aaron Rogers and give him up to a division rival.

the question - Is Green Bay dumb enough to allow Farve to suit up for the Vikings?

Mumu = Fat? Apparently yes, according to Nutrisystem

If you've any amount of time watching ESPN, the History Channel, or the National Geographic Channel (ok, that's what I watch....go ahead, hate me), you have absolutely run across the ridiculous Nutrisystem commercials. If not, here's a rundown. Take some recognizable athlete that is past his prime, show a before and after picture of him, and then offer your product. It worked for Don Shula (never an athlete, but a coach....I wonder if it'd work with John Madden), Dan Marino, Mike Golic, and some other random football players. But in an attempt to appeal to women, Nutrisystem decided to show a before and after picture of Jilian Barbierie....check it out:

So apparently wearing a mumu for a picture, then changing into a more normal, tight-fitting outfit = weight loss? Sold! screenshot taken from youtube...

Stuck at the airport

Stuck in Tampa and my flight is delayed.

I'm just minding my own business, and am reading a book. This lady sits next to me and she is literally carrying 4 cartons of smokes.

Either she is a ridiculously heavy smoker or this is a great cig arbitrage opportunity

Volunteer Vacations....anybody done them?

So, a coworker just forwarded me an email from his older sister.  His sister just returned from Costa Rica (I want to go back!), but instead of partying and seeing the sights, she went down there to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity.  After her Habitat project was done, she did get to hang out with the monkeys in Manual Antonio, and watch Arenal erupt.....

Over the last year, I've thought about going on a volunteer vacation.  The basic premise is that instead of relaxing, you get to help others out....

While I can't swing another trip down to Costa Rica, I'm thinking about heading down to Louisiana to help out in the post-Katrina madness.  Do a little bit of good while visiting a place that I've never been...seems like a win-win to me.

Has anybody done this before?  Anything that I should know before I start booking flights???

Big Brother is watching you!

Just read this pretty interesting / explosive article about a Chinese program called "Golden Shield".  Piloting in the special economic zone of Shenzhen, the program aims to create a total monitoring and government surveillance network.

Linking together biometric scanning, face-recognition software, and a citywide network of high definition cameras, the governemnt is trying to tie together all the data to monitor and protect its citizens.

Its a long read, but well worth it.....especially since it features cameos by good American firms like General Electric, Yahoo!, Microsoft, Cisco, and google.

check it out.....Rolling Stone link

found via Brave New Traveler

Are you better off now than 8 years ago?

I was reading a blog post about happiness (link), and it got me thinking. Am I better off now than I was 8 years ago?

To answer this question, I need to rewind to this day eight years ago. Since July 1, 2000, I have:

- survived brain surgery
- began my undergrad education at the University of Minnesota
- transferred to the University of Michigan
- Graduated from school
- Started my career as an IT consultant
- Earned a promotion
- Met and began dating my girlfriend Mona (going on 4 and a half years now!)
- Moved to Chicago
- Traveled to Scotland, London, and Costa Rica
- became an elite traveler in the eyes of Northwest Airlines, American Airlines, Starwood Hotels, and Marriott Hotels

Ok, so there were some pitfalls in the past 8 years...I didn't get into graduate school, I'm still working as an IT consultant, but all in all, I'm pretty happy with the progress that I've made in 8 years.

This leads me to believe that regardless of who's in charge in Chicago (like Mayor Daley is ever going to leave), Springfield, or Washington, I'm pretty capable of bettering myself.

Perhaps through the gloom and doom of inflation, terrorism, oil prices, credit crunch, Iraq, and Bill O'Reily, its helpful and important to know that there are more important things in life...and that you are solely responsible for achieving them.

How have you grown in the past 8 years?