Wednesday, August 5, 2009

I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to update in nearly two weeks. I've been traveling, building a deck and maintaining contract responsibilities.

I promise a long overdue post about that baby Jarvis Moss is coming shortly, but for now ... jam out to this CD.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Cover letters in 140 characters...

A service provider in the UK is asking those interesting in a marketing position to skip the cover letter and send in a text to apply for the gig.

Good riddance.

With the ridiculous number of applicants for each opening, it’s all a game of chance at this point anyway – isn’t it?

After months of unsuccessfully applying for entry-level job, rewriting cover letters and tweaking my resume, I’m positively open to the idea of charming employers through text – or Twitter, for that matter.

What would my 140-character tweet say? How about…

Bright, driven, balanced, and low-cost wordsmith seeking challenging position in upbeat and inspiring environment. Satisfaction guaranteed.

I like the sound of that. What do you think?

Monday, July 27, 2009

Christmas at Dove Valley

Last week, the Detroit Tigers treated their fans to the annual “Christmas in July” ticket promotion but weren’t able to deliver a win, losing 2-1 to Seattle. While the gimmick probably helped ticket sales and definitely bolstered good will for the franchise, the best part of the promotion was the cleverly named “Santa Paws” mascot.

This story is distantly relevant to Broncos fans because, as rookies report to training camp this afternoon, it feels a little like Christmas in July for Bronco Country. Months have passed since the 2008 NFL season, and I’m categorically ready to learn what Pat Bowlen got us in the off season. Like 9-year-old Ralphie Parker wishing for the official Red Ryder air rifle, all I want this Christmas (in July) is a 3-0 start to the 2009 NFL season.

All ominous predictions aside, change in all things is sweet. Whether you’re a Broncos fan or not, this season has drama written all over it, and I’m supremely excited to see it all play out.

Check out this NFL Films profile on Brian Dawkins:

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Boy meets girl...

I had heard pretty good thing about The Wackness, so I finally watched it last night. Without burbling, let me just briefly say I enjoyed the film.

When I got on the movie review sites, though, I was disappointed to see that the film generally received mixed reviews. Some loved it, some hated it and some felt indifferent.

One of the reviews said something to the effect of “been there; done that,” which with I disagreed. But I think I'm starting to understand what the reviewer meant.

The Wackness plays on a motif commonly used in movies:

The shy/nerdy/poor/naïve/awkward/conservative/quiet/innocent boy falls for the pretty/popular/outgoing/free-spirited/good/confident/rich girl. Match up one adjective from the first sentence with one from the second.Once you get that story line, throw in a first-rate soundtrack and you got yourself a Sundance-worthy Indie film.

While I agree that The Wackness capitalized on this tired theme, the movie itself was mad unique and I still love it.

If you don’t believe my little theory, check out the trailer for assuredly acclaimed “(500) Days of Summer,” which opens Friday in Denver. I'd pick "naive" and "outgoing" for my adjectives, and soundtrack is going to be sweet.

'Playing to the Frat House'

“On the Erin Andrews situation, a quick thought for those who have asked: There are hundreds of women covering sports in this country who haven’t had this happen to them. I wish it didn’t happen to Erin, but I also would suggest to her if she asked (and she hasn’t) that she rely on her talent and brains and not succumb to the lowest common denominator in sports media by playing to the frat house.”
– USA Today’s Christine Brennan
So many things about Brennan’s opinion bother me; I don’t even know where to begin.

Let me back up and explain the Erin Andrews situation for the non-sports fans and the unread. Ms. Andrews is a legitimately talented sideline reporter for the ESPN family of networks. She also is breathtakingly beautiful, well versed in sports knowledge and as humble and cool as they come. She’s basically Cameron Diaz’s “Mary,” but with longer hair. It should come as no surprise, then, that nearly every man in this country would sell his soul for a shot at love with the desirable reporter.

Or… if you were a member of the twisted wing of society, you’d just sell your soul for a shot of Erin naked. Like it has with so many other beautiful women, this faction went to great lengths for an unsolicited view of Andrews’ body and somehow videotaped her naked in her hotel room. The full story is here.

There are multiple facets of this story, but I want to discuss fellow female sports journalist Christine Brennan’s take on the story. For what it’s worth, Brennan is a seasoned veteran in sports journalism and is widely regarded as one of the best in the business. But I can’t help but disagree with her stance on Andrews’ predicament.

To open, Brennan states matter-of-factly that “hundreds of women” cover sports, yet none of them has ever been secretly videotaped naked before – a fact we’re justly assuming is (probably) true. Brennan goes on to paint this scandal as a cautionary tale for others in the field, advising Andrews to “rely on her talent and brains” rather than “succumb to the lowest common denominator in sports media by playing to the frat house.” In other words, “You had this coming, Erin.”

Right – as if having faith in hotel room privacy is a cardinal sin. Or better yet, that she somehow at fault for being beautiful and interested in sports. Or even better yet, that being good enough at your job to be employed by ESPN is a punishable offense.

I’m still not sure what Brennan means by “playing to the frat house,” but this underhanded and nasty proclamation is clearly a result of misdirected bitterness. Rather than condemn Erin Andrews for being talented and beautiful, maybe Brennan should take up her beef with ESPN for employing Andrews.

Or – and I know this seems like common sense but – maybe Brennan should criticize the pervert sick enough to secretly film a woman naked.