I'm So Back

I'm back. Back to the web log and back to Media. After seven years, I left my old gig and now I'm at a big ole media buying company running interactive media. It's a huge step for me and I will make it work. Such a logical step in my business for me to take, but not an easy one. Got a ton of press announcing that I took this new job. The firm is the sixth largest media buying outfit globally, and are ripping it up on the new business front. Change is always scary, but that's the nature of life. You make a move to something like this becuase you think you can do something you couldn't do before. Frankly I just couldn't take the small-budget clients. I felt like I was becoming a bill collector and then I really got hungout to dry by the agency. I was ending up as just an account guy and I respect the work of account guys to much to half ass it. So back to media, back to objectivity. Back to being the most creative guy in the room. Back, Back, Back.

The Mophoblogger Is Back

Like these mophos (mobile phone pictures) to the left, I'm getting back to my roots. These photos are from my home in NC. Shot them over Christmas. Yeah, they about sum it up my roots. To that end, this weblog is going back to its roots... mophobloggery (the art of placing mophos on a weblog. Scenes from tomorrow's show will include "low budget webfilm shoot". So y'all come back now, ya hear.

The Militant Middle

Since the launch of this weblog, I’ve had a No Politics editorial standard. Not because I’m apolitical, but because I didn’t see what I could contribute to the national debate…until now. That’s right; I am jumping in the political punditry ring with this simple call to the vast American public:

RISE UP YOU MILLITANT MODRATES

1/5 of the electorate is hardcore liberal and 1/3 thump bibles on the right. This leaves 53% of us with some common sense. The problem becomes that the ideological base of each party motivates the rest of us to vote one way or another. That’s why we need a moderate base to get the 53% of us to finally say “give it rest with socialism” and “who gives a rat’s ass about what people do in bed”. We’re thinking it anyway.

Think this all sounds quite sensible but hopelessly naïve? Well it’s not if you have my plan. By my estimation, we need 1/8 of the population to consider themselves Militant Moderates. These are the folks that can picket outside the 700 Club studios on Sunday and heckle the Communist Feminist Forum at Oberlin on Tuesday night. They can staff phone banks, canvas New Hampshire and all that shit.

Sadly I can’t be the leader of the Militant Moderates. I’m pretty moderate, but not militant. You need crazies for that. You need a think tank. You need to wage the language war. It’s not pro-choice or pro-life, it’s Sensible Decision. It’s not the Death Tax or the Inheritance Tax, it’s just Income Tax. There will be no more FemiNazis or Womyn… just People with Points of View.

It’s just as simple as staying true to the ideals of pluralism. Sadly, when you’ve got a right and left mobilized against opposing ideas, you’ll also need a small group of people that are just as big a bunch of assholes about pushing moderate ideas.

Now I don’t sound naïve, do I? Cynicism gives me credibility, right? Well I’m not just being a cynic. That’s too easy. I’m simply saying that if three people approach me on the street to sign a petition and the first wants to “throw all them foreigners out” and the other is planning to chain his ass to tree; I’m going for the one that comes up and says, “Make legal immigration work for businesses and immigrants and use science as the basis for forest management. Now I just sound hopeful guy with a plan. Don't I?

So…. RISE UP YOU MILLITANT MODERATES. Go crazy for a while. I’ll follow you.

Fuck It We Lost

So we lost. It happens. I can honestly say that I'm happy for our team. In four years we've come from a 1-15 bottom-feeder to a perpetual threat to go all the way.

The core of our team will be back next season. We need to resign Foster and add some depth in that area. I'd like to see a new tight end like a Wesley Walls. Looks like Rich Proehl will be back, but we need another lunch pail guy to pass to underneath the defensive seconary coverage.

I think ATL will be much improved next year, the Tampa will be about the same and the Ain'ts will be rebuilding. This puts us in a solid position to take the NFC South next year, but it's not a lock.

So we went down against a very good Seattle team that was playing at their best. We were depleted at the end of the season. We left it on the field at Chicago. Peppers wasn't right after that game and Foster broke his leg. It happens and it's an achievement to be proud of. Coach Fox has every player putting it on the line to win. These guys are all playing at the highest level. It's a great feeling to be part of a team that you believe will be back next year and the year after. Have a good couple months off Panthers. We'll see you at Mini Camp and I'll go back to bed.

Damn It's been a long long time

I'm back after my holiday break form posting. Okay it's nearly February, but whatever. Anyway, quick catch-up:

• Tara has been in Ireland for 10 days on business, back today. After you use the bathroom with the door open a couple of times, there isn't really anything fun about your girl being gone for that long.
• Christmas in NC was great. I'll post some photos. The subtext of those photos is that it's where I come from, but there's no going back. 10 years Westside and I get that now.
• Sally has Puppy Papilloma. I won't be posting pictures, it's a virus in her mouth that is gross. It will go away in a couple of months once she builds up the antigens on her own.
• Business is um, busy. Next week we're launching something very very cool. I'll let you know.
• I'm selling my car and going to bike to work everyday. Good for my health and will save a ton of money. Tara is selling her car to and economizing with a Prius. I could front and say it's "Great Going Green", but really it's so she can use the carpool lane with only one person in the car.
  

Following is a teaser of some of the subjects I'll be posting about in the coming month:

• "Depleted but Victorious" or "Fuck It We Lost"
• Rise of the Militant Moderates
• KLF Chill Out; Masterpiece of My Time
• Dunk Face
• All Things Steve Coogan
• 808 State Live in Barcelona. Who The Hell Is Lucy?
• Confirmation and Dog Training. Two Thing I Can't Make Myself Do
• Ode To Two Danes. Homeboy and A Resting Place of $10,000
• Are You Shitting Me? (a reoccurring take on crap ads)

Apropos of Nothing

After a couple of days of self loathing, I went to a party that made me feel much better. Last night the company we license our music from had their holiday party in their loft in the Mission. Rondo Brother and Hieroglyphics played. I had a great time and took this fuzzy picture to the left. That’s Hieroglyphics performing and they ware great.

Also, here is a picture of Dane shooting a gun. Sure it’s a non sequitur since it happened last July, has nothing to do with the party or even really makes sense to post now. However he looks very super Red State in the picture which is deliciously inaccurate. Dane, I’ve got more where this comes from, so return the call I left you last night.

To my loyal three readers, I’ll see you all very soon.