PLUS: The new Vampire Weekend, Father of the Bride.
A double album and a masterpiece. Is it the best record since 2001's KID A? Yeah, maybe. It's really good. The most anticipated record of my life, and it has lived up the hype.
I don't know, maybe LCD or Arcade Fire have made a record this good, but maybe not. It's fantastic. You should drive to the record store right now.
PLUS: Seeing the analytically inclined Hurricanes beat the Lou Lamoriello Dinosaurs gave me a deep satisfaction I didn't know I could get from a non Toronto/Arizona situation. Johnny T, still a Leaf. I maintain that the Islanders are one of the worst teams in the NHL who got once-in-a-life-time goaltending. They remind me of the Senators team that went to the conference final a couple of years ago.
They are a last place team propped up by their goalie, and the failure or hockey analysis to get beyond the win loss record is pretty bad in this age of analytics. The Islanders beating the Leafs is something everyone focuses on, but the Leafs roster is ridiculously better, but goalies in hockey are like the third round of a game show that has such high points that it renders the first two rounds completely irrelevant.
The worst part is that Lamoriello is an actually a terrible GM who was good once, but who has seen the game pass him by. He got lucky this year, but people tend to forget there was only one GM in the NHL that added a #1 centre and a #1 defenseman to his roster this year, and that was the guy who replaced Lou.
MINUS: I liked Endgame,l loved it actually, but I think it was a bit heavy for a comic book movie. I kind of have a certain expectation for those kinds of movies and it's not to ball my eyes out. Also, I have always hated the "event" because you knew 100% of the time that they are not going to kill of Panther and Spiderman.
PLUS: Sidney Crosby Hart nomination. He should win the Hart running away. He hit 100 points, is the best defensive centre in the NHL and he's arguably the third best player to ever put on skates.
If Sidney Crosby doesn't win the Hart Trophy, then there shouldn't even be awards. He is the right choice, and the only choice really.
MINUS: Sometimes I get really interested in things that I know no one else I know will like. Does anyone else have this problem? Probably not cause no one seems to care about anything other than Game of Thrones. Which, like, by the way - not that good. It's OK I'm not saying it sucks or anything, but it's average at best. Strange choice for a cultural phenomenon, all I'm saying.
Currently I'm really into this album by Brian Eno - Another Green World - which is fantastic, but highly weird. I don't know anyone who listen to it and talk about it. Maybe that's why people like GOT so much - it's not the quality of the show, but the fact that there are so few zeitgeist-level experiences that you can universally discuss these days. Internet kind of killed the mono-culture and we are the worse for it.
Same thing with this book I just read - J.R by William Gaddis. It's a 900 page book with no chapter breaks and which is entirely made up of unattributed dialogue.
It's the most interesting, intricately plotted book I've ever had the pleasure to read. It's about this kid, J.R, who secretly builds a multi-million dollar company by messing around with penny stocks, debt acquisitions and tax rules.
I have no doubt that you came hear to read about hockey and could not care less about the book I am reading, but the thing is, I don't know anyone who is going to read this book and talk about it with me, so hopefully someone will read this, buy the book, and in six months we can discuss it.
In fact, being a reader in general sucks these days cause idiots think you're being pretentious if you talk about reading at all. Like it's OK to stare at a screen until you're a goddamned zombie, but god forbid you enjoy reading.
Once when I used to be a teacher, I had the dean of the college reprimand me for telling a class of students that they should be as embarrassed about not reading as they would be about peeing their pants. I stand by this assessment.
MINUS: Honestly, I hate to sound like someone's grandpa but why aren't people embarrassed to look at their phones in public? I think we are in desperate need of some phone usage rules.
Like, don't look at the ___ thing if you're in a conversation with a human. Don't look at it at all if you're in public, especially at a restaurant or sporting event. This is extremely douchey.
I see people who look down at their phones when crossing the street. I think you should be allowed to try and hit these people with your car, just for like a month, until everyone gets the point.
I think as a society we have to all agree that looking at your phone a lot is bad, and that if you do it where people can see you, that you are being a jerk.
A friend of mine works for a bus company and he had to attend an accident scene. There was a guy looking at his phone who had earphones in, who didn't even realize he had been nearly killed in this bus accident. He was just sitting back there oblivious until my friend interrupted him and got him off the bus.
Be better.
PLUS: Patrick Laine. He's still a superstar, he just was unlucky. Buy him cheap in your keeper league if you are lucky enough to play with morons.
Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»