Goodbye 417...

This weekend marks the end of an era, two of my very best friends (Megan & Stephanie) have been living together for the past 2 years and it has been the central hub for so many of my dearest friends and myself. It is lame to compare it, but it is very similar to the season finale of FRIENDS (the best TV show) and many of my very favorite post-college memories have taken place in apt 417 at the West Village, so today I pay tribute to an apt that has become a friend.

These are a few of my favorite memories that took place in 417:

- OU/TX 2008: The legend of JJ. JJ is a friend that I worked with in NYC that had never been to a "real" college football game (this summer I learned that people from up there have greater appreciation for Lax 'lacrosse', baseball, sailing and other random sports) so I can think of no better game in the world to go to as your "first." It doesn't matter who you cheer for or where you went to school, but if you have any appreciation for college sports, OU/TX at the Cotton Bowl is the ultimate experience. Its hard to put JJ's visit into words and it is far more amazing if you actually experienced the weekend but lets just say it included an Oprah style interview on the coach of 417 with my inquisitive and often line-crossing friends and let me tell you a couple of them are not shy and always ask the questions that everybody wants to know, but are often too afraid to ask. Other highlights of the weekend included JJ getting pushed out of a moving vehicle, getting lost on our way to breakfast while almost dying, and sneaking friends in to the Cotton bowl.

- Cooking Lessons: Megan and I decided to cook dinner a few weeks ago now, and by we, I mean Megan was cooking and I said I'd bring a bottle of wine and talk to her while she cooked. Well, upon my arrival, I was thrown into baking the dessert. It involved taking a glass bowl and placing it over a boiling pot of water to melt chocolate (I don't know what this action is called, but I should've just quit when I didn’t understand the first step) anyways, as this all progressed I dropped the glass bowl into the filled pie pan thanks to the grease that had gathered on the outside of the bowl and on my hands. Then the pie had to cool in the fridge, but we didn’t have time to wait so I placed it in the freezer and balanced the pie on a frozen chicken nugget. I thought the ordeal had finished, ooooo how I was mistaken, I opened the freezer only to find the pie had fallen off the nugget and spilled all over EVERYTHING….ooops, its a tiny spill just ignore it!

- The Pantry: While we're talking about food, I always love raiding the pantry at Steph and Meg's because they couldn't be more opposite in terms of food consumption. I always tease them about it, but I secretly love it. I can always depend on Steph's selection of Diet Sunkist, Splenda products, Cheez-its, frozen iced oatmeal cookies, some sort of baked chip, oreos, and Pringles, all of this and she manages to remains tiny, it’s everything and any type of processed food that you knew and loved growing up, it's awesome! Then there is Megan's selection of various cheeses, alfalfa sprouts, canned soups, etc. No matter what you're in the mood for you can probably find some variation at 417.

- Aggie Love: Tyler and Steph's engagement, enough said

- Sleepy Meg: Watching Megan fall asleep at the table while eating Village Burger Bar salads during her days and an I-banker

- JT: The premiere of the Justin Timberlake Future/Sex/Loveshow in HD on HBO

- More Food: Thanksgiving Feasts, need I say more?

- Last Minute Plans: Showing up for "dinner" in scrubbed out sweatpants, baseball hat and a t-shirt only to find a dinner party comprised of 7 attractive girls and me

- Multiple award shows, bowl game announcements, etc

- Tivo: Going through 417's DVR recordings only to find 32 episodes of Jon and Kate Plus 8, about 100 weddings shows, Brothers & Sisters, The Biggest Loser, etc….their DVR is the most comprehensive chick collection I've ever witnessed and it will be missed

- Best Friends: The thing I will miss most about 417 is sitting on Steph's bed with Megan and Stephanie by my side, talking about life, work, and the mysteries of the world. I'm glad that I got to do this one last time this past weekend before they turn in their keys. They're 2 of the very best friends in the world and I'm going to miss having them under one roof.

Here's to you 417 and to the people who inhabit you next…may they share as many memories with you as we have…


"The reason it hurts so much to separate is because our souls are connected. "
-Nicholas Sparks

"Ice Storm" Dallas style...

I love snow/icy days in Dallas; they’re reminiscent of an end of the world action movie. I use no exaggeration in the following blog and I thank the people of Dallas for being a tad overdramatic and awesome.

Things you need to know:

- First, Ice/snow is always less than one inch (80% of the time less than half an inch)

- Second, temperature is usually only below 32 degrees overnight

So since Sunday afternoon the local weathermen have been hard at work sounding the alarm for the winter storm of the century (not to be confused with the apocalypse). For those of us that have migrated to Texas from other parts of the country, we find nothing more hilarious than watching neighbors raid the nearest grocery store for canned goods, bottled water, and heating lamps, just in case.

The following are five things that frustrate me about Dallas winter advisories:

1) You don’t have to go the speed limit when there are icy roads, you should actually be driving slower than posted limits, take it easy. Please take caution especially on roads that don’t get much sunlight. This note is to the woman traveling down Lemmon this morning who thought she could still go 40 on a slick road and stop in time at the stop light. I literally watched her hit me in my (correction, Megan’s) rearview mirror, I was stopped at a red stop light and saw her coming and just knew that she didn’t have time to stop. Next, she proceeds to get out of the car and says “hehe, its icy, oops” OOOPSS? Yea its icy, you didn’t get the memo with the rest of the metroplex? Its only been the topic of conversation for the past 48 hours, lets not go 40 on the ice….that is what I wanted to say but instead just responded with lets exchange information and get this show on the road.

2) Texas Department of Transportation, this memo is for you. There is this thing called salt and it melts ice and would help to clear most major roadways. Sand is just annoying, irritating and sits on top of the ice.

3) Maybe if I had children or if somebody depended on me, I would take the preparation process more seriously, but one day of ice does not constitute stocking the pantry with non-perishable goods.

4) And finally, most importantly its all going to be gone by noon when the temperature reaches the upper 30s and mid 40s so lets just take it easy and be flexible till then, no freaking out needed.

5) Maybe I’m just writing this because I’m no longer in school and was made well too aware that the stock market doesn’t close for snow days, nor does my place of employment.

Blow, blow, thou winter wind

Thou art not so unkind,

As man's ingratitude.

-William Shakespeare

Most prestigious...

While I feel it is way too early to begin discussing the 2009-2010 college football season, there are a few things that happened this week that I think are noteworthy. One there is a new article out that I can’t resist talking about it. On Friday, January 23rd ESPN released their rankings of the most prestigious college football programs since 1935 and the University of Oklahoma came in at number 1!!!! All of the haters are rolling their eyes right now, but it was actually an incredibly interesting process and covered a wide range of topics from bowl wins, to points scored, it even took into consideration NCAA sanctions placed on the school for violations involving their program.

Here are three links, detailing the process, commentary, and the rankings themselves:

1) Prestige Rankings -
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3849468


2) Explaining the Process -
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3836130


3) Ivan Maisel: Times change, but OU stays on top (ranking commentary) -
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=maisel_ivan&id=3852829


If interested you can read through the articles and find your favorite school on the links within the above articles.

Oklahoma Sooners

(from the ESPN article) Total points: 1,968

Positives: When you look at the big picture of college football since 1936, no program has achieved greatness as consistently as Oklahoma. We didn't even count the fact that Oklahoma owns the longest win streak in FBS history (47) or leads the nation with a .765 winning percentage since World War II. The 1956 Oklahoma team catapulted the Sooners past Notre Dame to the top of the Prestige Rankings, and it's been in the top spot ever since. OU's seven national titles have spanned four decades. The Sooners have finished in the final poll's top 5 an astounding 29 times. But the real fuel for OU's rise to the top of our rankings has been its conference dominance. The Sooners finished the regular season with at least a share of their conference's best record a stunning 39 times, seven more than any other program in the country.Negatives: Oklahoma was downright mediocre in the '90s. The Sooners ranked 51st in that decade's rankings, directly behind Hawaii. OU also didn't have a single major bowl win and suffered through three losing seasons. The Oklahoma program also has been punished by the NCAA to varying degrees six separate times in its history. Through the decades: Through 1958: 1st 1968: 1st 1978: 1st 1988: 1st 1998: 1stDid you know? Oklahoma has been voted the No. 1 team in the country by the AP a record 97 times, including twice this past season to break a tie with Notre Dame.

The second event that took place this week was that the OU athletic department released OU’s official 2009 schedule and once again OU has chosen to take on out of conference teams with strong rivalries. The non-conference foes include an away game versus Miami, plus the Sooners will be christening the new Cowboys stadium in Arlington versus BYU, which in seasons past have argued that they deserved a shot in a BCS bowl. It should be a fun season and it is easily argued that the Sooners only pass Texas on the road to the BCS National Championship game because OU played teams that faired well in their respective conferences and one that reached a BCS bowl themselves, so it looks like the athletic department is getting it right by challenging themselves early in the season.

I can’t wait for college football and it has only been a few weeks…and in better news, basketball season is going really well so far…

"We compete, not so much against an opponent, but against ourselves. The real test is this: Did I make my best effort on every play?" - Bud Wilkinson, OU Legend and former coach

Weight loss...

"There is no happiness except in the realization that we have accomplished something."
-Henry Ford

I dread this topic; it is something that I've struggled with for a while and for sure my greatest insecurity. Like most things I use sarcasm and humor to joke about my weight as a defense mechanism to appear confident, but not anymore. This summer while living in NYC, with help from a colleague of mine, I was able to create a simple workout routine and stuck to it, resulting in a loss of about 17 lbs over the course of 6 months and I was feeling great about myself, the way I looked and simply the way I felt, but then I moved to Dallas and used every excuse from I'm busy getting situated to I'll start again as soon as the holidays are over, resulting in a 15lb gain.

I'm starting fresh with new goals for the end of winter and start of spring. Some of this stems from attending weddings, alumni events, etc in the coming months and I don't want to be the big guy in pictures and the other part is turning 24 in a few weeks and if I'm not willing to step up now, when will I ever take the right steps towards being healthy.

Well, in the world of cyberspace I'm documenting my current weight and I am setting some parameters for my goals:

My current weight is: 219
My goal weight is: 185
Total weight loss: 34
Start date: Monday, January 19, 2009
Finish date: Saturday, August 15, 2009 (Stephanie & Tyler's Wedding)
206 days to the big day (thanks wedding window website)
29 weeks away
1.17 lbs/week

Here is the catch…it is easy just to write this goal down and forget about it, but as a piece of motivation my dear friend Megan is taking unflattering, shirtless, winter pale and nasty "before" pictures and if I don't reach my goal she is going to post them on my blog and pass them out amongst my friends. I guess for me there is nothing more motivating than public humiliation or embarrassment.

So here I go…

"You have to stay in shape. My grandmother, she started walking five miles a day when she was 60. She's 97 today and we don't know where the hell she is. You may delay, but time will not."
-Ellen Degeneres

America...

In tonight’s primetime address, President Bush said "Like all who have held this office before me, I have experienced setbacks. There are things I would do differently if given the chance. Yet I have always acted with the best interests of our country in mind.”

As the nation prepares for what is being billed as the most historic presidential inauguration in recent history, I’m going where few choose to go, saying goodbye and thank you to a leader I look to as a man of unbelievable faith and courage, the 43rd president of the United States of America, George W. Bush.

Over the past 8 years there have been many issues, decisions, and actions made by our government that I don’t agree with, but there have been just as many triumphs by the Bush administration and that comes with the territory. I would challenge you to find any perfect leader in the history of the world, no such person exists. A concept that I have come to grips with during my time in college leadership positions is that you are only able to please some of the people all of the time, all of the people some of the time, but you will never be able to please all of the people all of the time.

I feel that in the final days of his presidency, President Bush is blamed for everything and anything that involves the American people, the economy; even events of nature are blamed on the Bush administration. All of this while Barack Obama is hailed as the greatest President ever, before he has even taken office, signed a single piece of legislation into action, or vetoed a bill. I don’t know why Americans, the media, and naysayers are unable to come to grips that current problems may have been embedded in America long before President Bush ever entered the Oval Office or might have been beyond the control of his administration. Perhaps if Americans stopped being so divisive and elected officials worked together with the President on some of our nation’s most immediate problems, we would actually have a chance at solving a few of them in an orderly manner.

At the end of President Bush’s second victorious campaign in 2004, he said, "Today, I want to speak to every person who voted for my opponent. To make this nation stronger and better, I will need your support, and I will work to earn it. I will do all I can do to deserve your trust." Obama made a similar cry during his Election Day victory speech in November and hopefully the American people hear his call, because it seems as though the Bush doctrine was abandoned by many Americans before it was ever written.

President Bush lead us with his head held high and set a standard for patriotism in the wake of the September 11th attacks and has since protected our country from other terrorist action. He successfully revamped our entire defense system, created Homeland Security, and secured our nation’s airports, borders, and waterways. Not to mention the president lowered taxes, worked to reform the US education system, and nominated Supreme Court justices. He was faced with difficult decisions and made them with what I believe to be a clear mind, the facts that were presented to him, and used morals and integrity built with a foundation of Christianity and for that I give him the utmost respect.

I may have voted Republican in the last election, but it is in my nature to support leaders and work with them rather than against them. Few get anything accomplished by working alone and I will support President-elect Obama in any way that I can. Unless something is evil, corrupt, or simply wrong why is fighting against our elected officials in America’s best interest, especially in this time of economic distress? Yes, our country needs healthy debate and without two sides of a story the best decision can’t be made. This isn’t to say that I don’t believe in democracy and some things aren’t worth the inevitable fight, but the treatment of President Bush has been bottom line, embarrassing.

Jeffrey Scott Shapiro from the Wall Street Journal agrees with my perspective, he notes “Our failure to stand by the one person who continued to stand by us has not gone unnoticed by our enemies. It has shown to the world how disloyal we can be when our president needed loyalty -- a shameful display of arrogance and weakness that will haunt this nation long after Mr. Bush has left the White House.”

During my college career I was challenged to view, respect, and understand the view of the other side of the aisle by David L. Boren, President of the University of Oklahoma and former US Senator. He challenges his students and colleagues to believe in, understand and work with a bipartisan President. If you have even the slightest interest in politics and the future of America’s place in the world, I encourage you to read his book, A Letter to America; it is incredibly insightful, timely, and thought-provoking.

I believe in America and most certainly believe in the greatness of the American people. Now is the time to come together and I hope that we not only join forces now, but that both sides of the aisle see the importance of bipartisanship in the future.

"We have one country, one Constitution and one future that binds us. And when we come together and work together, there is no limit to the greatness of America."
-President George W. Bush

Thank you President Bush and may God Bless America.

O yea and welcome to the neighborhood President Bush, I can’t wait for you to settle down at home in Dallas!

Idol is back...

American Idol always comes at just the right time, in the middle of winter when all everyone wants to do is kick it indoors where it is warm and when we're starving for new television since most shows have been on hiatus (The Office/30 Rock/Brothers & Sisters) or canceled (Pushing Daisies/Dirty-Sexy-Money), so now its time for fresh television. I actually have never watched a full season of Idol until last year, but I've always watched the last 4 episodes of every season with my favorite performer in mind.

Every year I swear I'll never watch the reality wreck again, but I love it! It is sooooo corny, at times annoying, but sooooo AWESOME! Idol is my guiltiest of my many guilty pleasures and at this point in the game I'm addicted, o yea it hasn't even started yet.

Why am I addicted you ask? Let me count the ways:

1) I love water cooler talk about last night's epsiode between performance and elimination night

2) I love the inevitable conversation that will take place after elimination night

3) I love logging onto Itunes and downloading my favorite performances

4) I love the over-choreographed and under practiced group performance usually at the beginning and end of every show, you never know what might happen, just one step too close and Jason Castro's weave will go up in flames during Rihanna's Please Don't Stop the Music and it doesn't get much better than that

5) Of course the inevitable arena tour that will commence following the season finale this summer. (note: This past summer while "working" in NYC, Kristen and I schlepped it out to the concert in Jersey (sigh) and it was everything that I hoped it would be and more. Kristen is the best friend ever for actually making this hike with me, she'll try to act like she didn't love it but what is there not to love about an amateur performance of I'm Proud to be an American in front of a neon flag, whispering sweet nothings to Carly Smittson in the meet n greet line, and whooping at Jason Castro, not too many things. If you've never been, you should find your closest related 12 year cousin/niece/brother or any tween that you can find and take them because then you will at least have an excuse for being at and then enjoying the high school-esque talent show that is the Pop Tarts American Idol Tour)

6) Oh, and I want to be Ryan Seacrest (as mentioned earlier this week), have the business mind of Simon Cowell, and strive to have coffee or a vodka tonic with Paula Abdul, and now this new chick, who is the new chick you might be asking yourself? I did the same and have a found a few vague details about her from the world of wikipedia.

Kara Elizabeth DioGuardi (born December 9, 1970) is an American songwriter, record producer, and singer who has contributed to a long list of internationally successful popular songs. She writes music in the light pop-rock genre. She will be a new Judge on the eighth season of American Idol. DioGuardi has worked with Celine Dion, David Archuleta, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, and Paula Abdul, American Idol's other female judge.

SHE SOUNDS AWESOME TO ME!!!! I can't wait to meet her tonight at 7pm central time on FOX!!!!

UPDATE: WELCOME BACK BRADFORD!!!!! I am so glad that Sam Bradford and teammates are bypassing the NFL Draft and returning for another year of Sooner football, BOOMER SOONER!

Awards Season...

Well, Miami was a bust in sooooo many ways, but it was a great escape from reality, I guess. I’m pretty sure that my friends were cursed from the start. We endured many setbacks from rental car issues, canceled flights (riddle me this airlines? why are flights canceled for in-climate weather when traveling from 70 and clear skies in Dallas to 85 and beautiful Miami?) lost luggage, missing cameras, banking problems, ticket ordeals, anyways, if it could go wrong it more than likely did for somebody in my travel group, but what are ya going to do. Boomer Sooner…keep your heads high Sooner nation and be proud of another great season of accomplishments.

On to Awards Season, there are very few things that I love more than a great awards show. I love them all, from the Oscars right down to the VMAs, the Espys and everything in between. Forget receiving an award or being nominated for one, it would be my dream to host the red carpet pre-show. I want to be Ryan Seacrest. In my eyes, he is the hardest working person in Hollywood. Everyday this man hosts multiple radio shows, co-hosts E! News, produces multiple reality shows, hosts American Idol, does every red carpet show imaginable, and has become Dick Clark’s protégé on New Years Rockin’ Eve. He is so good at his job, but I think that one day I could fill his shoes. So here is to being discovered.

I’ve been watching the Golden Globes this evening which for me is the official start of Awards season and they’ve been so random, I’m a little disappointed and hoping that things will soon pick up for awards season, because even me, one of their biggest fans was disappointed tonight and by the last few awards shows that I’ve seen.

But congrats to my favorite winners of the night:
- Slumdog Millionaire
- 30 Rock - Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin (This is my favorite show on television, everybody should be watching.)

“To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.”
- Anatole France

Miami...

I'm boarding a plane in a few hours bound for Miami…most people would be jumping up and down and exuding giddiness about the chance to attend a BCS National Championship, but not this guy, this is strictly a business trip for me and my beloved Sooners. I'm over the hype, the glam, the Bradford/Tebow film montages, and am ready to play. I'm that guy who has spent who knows how much money and energy following OU around the country in the hopes of being part of history and all 4 times I've left with my ego shot, a holiday hang-over, and trying to be an optimist about basketball season.

This year is different, I'm not getting my hopes up, I'm going into the stadium as if it is a big conference room and we're making a presentation, we have everything we need and now its time secure the deal, if we don't, then at least the team scored me 3 days off work and a mini vacation. I'm proud of the Sooners and their accomplishments and am excited to be able to travel with them and support them.

So tonight its South Beach or bust…

"Its not whether you get knocked down, its about if you get back up..."

-Vince Lombardi

My thoughts...

“We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives... not looking for flaws, but for potential.”
-Ellen Goodman

I’ve been inspired for a long time to start a blog and I’m finally doing it, in true New Year’s style, I’m making a resolution to start a blog and keep up with it this year, hence my blog is aptly titled “This is the year…” There are so many great blogs out there and at times my life is for sure not always the most interesting but I like to give my opinion and I love learning about the opinions of others, so if nothing else I hope to spark healthy discussion. Sometimes I will talk about my life, things that inspire me, new cds that I enjoy, books I’m currently reading and other times I hope to discuss my views of the world, maybe even a little college football.

Over the past few weeks I’ve been trying to figure out what my goals for the New Year are going to be and what I want to accomplish, let’s not kid ourselves, I try to predict the future everyday of my life, some would say that I’m a control freak, I like to call it being organized. At times in the past it could be easy to assume or predict what would happen in my life tomorrow and the week after, but as I close my first full year in the “real world” it’s getting harder and harder. Who would’ve thought that last year I would move to New York City and then back to Dallas, live with a surfer from Rhode Island, buy a new car, or become infatuated with an Alaskan Governor?

Below is a list of my favorite things from 2008: (in no particular order)

Movies –
Role Models
American Teen
Doubt
Baby Mama
Frost/Nixon
The Dark Knight
Slumdog Millionaire
HSM 3

Books –
Same Kind of Different as Me
Twilight
The World is Flat
Marley & Me
The Reagan Diaries
A Letter to America

Music –
Vampire Weekend by Vampire Weekend
Viva la Vida by Coldplay
We Sing We Dance We Steal Things by Jason Mraz
Narrow Stairs by Death Cab for Cutie
Good Girl Gone Bad by Rihanna
Paper Trail by TI
Where the World Comes Down by All American Rejects
Sleep Through the Static by Jack Johnson

As selfish as it sounds, 2008 was all about me, I started making decisions that were good for me, my well being and my happiness. I may have just labeled myself as a selfish prick, but that’s so far from reality, hear me out. Many of my choices revolved around taking personal and professional risks, reigniting my relationship with Christ, becoming more healthy and working out more often, all of which I feel attribute in some way to being a better son, brother, friend, colleague, and neighbor.

What this year taught me was expect the unexpected. No longer can the world accuse my generation of being naïve to world issues of war and recession, we have endured both. Nothing about 2009 is easy to predict, maybe it will bring a new love, a hobby, or even tragedy, but one thing is for certain, I’ve learned to be proud of the individual that I am, the things that I’ve accomplished, and the decisions that I’ve made. As so many people look to forget 2008, I feel so blessed to close the year with the fondest of memories, experiences, and the most amazing friends in the world. 2008 was all about learning about me and I want 2009 to be the year that I take these lessons and apply them in a way to help others.

“Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.”
-Benjamin Franklin

Below are a few of my favorite pictures from 2008


New Years Day 2008


My 23rd Birthday and Remodeling NYC Style


Jimmy Buffet and Concert Season 2008


The Today Show


NYC


Old Roots, New Friends


Red Carpets!


Great Friends, Great Pizza


Las Vegas Family Vacation, Part Deux


Best wishes to all in the new year, may 2009 bring health and happiness to everyone.