It's overrated to tell you the truth...

It’s been a while since my last post. I have a good excuse though. I literally have spent every weekend the past 2 months on the road. I’ve had a bachelor party, a wedding, a baby shower, thanksgiving and a collegiate homecoming. I’m tired of traveling and I’m tired of not being able to blog.

But enough with the excuses.

A few months ago I was in Waco catching some dinner with a few friends of mine. You know how this story goes…one person offers a potential restraunt and everyone offers their opinion. As my friends repeatedly offered various eating establishments, without realizing it, I referred to every option as overrated. "We could go to Baris? my friend suggested"...."Nah, people think that place is the business, in reality, it's overrated" I replied.....and so on and so on. Eventually my friends alerted me to the fact that I had used "overrated" in my response to each option. How did this quirky phrase squirm it’s way into my normal vocabulary?? Simple, I blame this on the worldwide leader in sports.

I watch ESPN constantly, I listen to ESPN radio at work and in the car, and ESPN.com is probably my most frequented website. Now if you spend as much time as I do soaking up all that ESPN has to offer then you are aware of a few things:

1. They love to get former athletes to become “analysts”. 

2. They love to talk about Tim Tebow, LeBron James, the Cowboys, the Lakers and the Yankees. 

3. Said “analysts” treat saying the acronyms “NFL” and “NBA” like it is a fireable offense. Instead they insist on always saying “National Football League” or “National Basketball Association”. It is incredibly obnoxious. 

4. They love to have conversations about current athletes that are either over or under rated.

The fact that I have subconsciously allowed ESPN to effect how I talk should  probably spur me to change my ways. Sometimes I think, what if I spent this much time watching, listening to, reading, and or thinking about things that truly matter???  But then the commercial break ends and the game is back on, so I kind of forget about that for a while.

But in reality why should such a good conversation piece be pigeon holed in the sports lexicon. The idea that something could be over or under rated can be applied to anything. I’m taking it upon my self to free this conversation from the bondage of sports and apply it to all areas of life.  And since I currently ply my trade as an analyst of sorts I feel more than qualified to make over or under rated decisions.

The guidelines:

Being overrated or underrated simply means something is not properly rated. It doesn’t mean I think it is the best nor the worst simply that it is currently being over or under valued. 

Example: I think Tim Tebow’s Godliness is overrated.

Explanation: This doesn’t mean I think Tim Tebow is the anti-Christ (that’s reserved for this dude). It does indicate that I think circumcising Filipino orphans really doesn’t sound that spiritual.

So without further ado….my initial (and probably not annual) over and under rated list….

The category is listed first followed by my choices for both under and over rated. Some of these are current, others are not.

Food: 

Overrated: (Steak). 

Listen I like steak. Steak is great. But this food perfectly emulates the overrated description. I would guess that 85% of pure blooded Americans would list steak as their favorite meal. Probably not a surprise that I wouldn’t. In full disclosure I’ve never had a steak perfectly cooked at some fancy steakhouse. But  at the same time I don’t need to have the greatest Russian caviar to realize I don't like it. 

Underrated: (Cereal). 

If you know me then you’re probably aware of my affinity for this food. The reason’s it’s underrated….versatility. It can be breakfast, lunch or dinner and makes for an incredible snack. 

It can be relatively healthy 

or relatively unhealthy.

But, honestly who doesn’t like cereal? It’s perfect. Easy to make and easy to enjoy.

TV Shows: 

Overrated: (The Walking Dead). 

Simply the easiest decision on this list. This show's Season 3 premiere episode had more viewers than the season premiere of Breaking Bad and Mad Men....combined. This should alert you to the relative lack of knowledge society possesses. Each time I sit down to watch show I expect to be disappointed. The acting is atrocious, the plot is dull and slow, and the idea is incredibly far fetched. Why do I watch it you ask? Good question. I treat it like the Jersey Shore. (1) I realize it's worthless, but watch it anyway (2) I feel like I’ve invested so much I probably should stick with it (3) I root for the ultimate demise of every main character...

Underrated: (The Wire)

Far and away the best TV show I have ever seen. Unfortunately, it was on HBO and ended a few years ago so not a lot of people (who follow this blog) are aware of it. This is a travesty. Unlike other TV shows (Like Lost or the Walking Dead) the shows creator obviously had the entire show mapped out before he started. This results in a show that constantly develops characters with a plot that weaves throughout 5 seasons. 

The shows greatest accomplishment is it's ability to make a  gay gangster one of your favorite TV Characters of all time. I cannot emphasize this enough - You need to rent or buy this series….seriously.

Books:

Overrated: (The Hunger Games)

I’m willing to bet that if I had read the Twilight series I would list that instead. Thank God I’m not knee deep into a series about vampires and werewolves. I did however dive head first into a made up world where an evil president causes little children to try and kill each other for sport. The premise sounds promising enough. The result….disappointment. I understand that this series is not designed for a 26-year-old male. However, any book that causes mass public hysteria but instead has me rooting for the heroine to die is not a good sign. By the end of the series I was hoping for both Peeta and Gale to decide that Katniss was an obnoxious, self involved B and give her up to President Snow. The ending is terrible, confusing and pretentious….I’m done.

Underrated: (The Bible) 

Did you know that the Bible is the best selling book of all time, or that it is divinely inspired? Do you know that I’m actually kidding? In all honestly you should read the Bible... however it’s not the most underrated book. That designation goes to.....

(The Book of Basketball) 

My favorite sports related book, about my favorite sport, by my favorite columnist. It's over 800 pages of pure basketball information. He ranks the top players of all time, the top championship teams of all time, and the greatest "What if's?" in NBA history. It's basically the Bible for NBA fans. In fact I'm not sure why this isn't the greatest selling book of all time...

Movies:

Overrated: (The Hangover)

Do you laugh really hard at  movies whose characters when constantly presented with a series of outrageous circumstances only respond with “What the F?”” If so check this movie out. If not spare yourself. This is the only scene from the movie I enjoy.

Underrated: (Ace Ventura Pet Detective)

Which Ace Ventura do you ask? The first ? or the Second? Easy, Both (but definitely not this one) Just know that there are an entire generation of people who think Jim Carrey’s greatest movie is “Yes Man”. This is a travesty. The dude was a genius. This deserves an entire blog post….stay tuned.

 Fast Food:

Overrated: (In N’ Out)

Growing up in Texas I would always hear about this awesome burger chain out in California that I had to visit if I got the chance. Flash forward to 2012, In N’ Out moves to Texas. There is a 2 hour line to get food for a solid 2 months.  I eventually tried it. Good but not great. Not any better than Whataburger. I think this company made a mistake moving to Texas, because it was only in California it had a mystical property to it. Now it’s just another burger chain on every corner in DFW.

Underrated: (Chick Fil-A)

I don’t know about you but besides being my go to stop for fast food, Chick Fil-A doubles as my moral compass. Actually their stance on gay marriage has no bearing on their rating, you now what does? Their nuggets with barbecue sauce.

Board Games:

Overrated: (Every board game)

I don't like board games. Well Trivial pursuit is okay. Board games suck. They take too long (Monopoly) they make no sense (Apples to Apples) or they require no skill (Risk)

Underrated: (Trivial Pursuit)

The blog’s namesake and the only board game that requires knowledge.

Athletes:

Overrated: (Shaquille O'Neal)

Tim Tebow is a gimme. I’m all about challenging myself. So Let’s go with Shaq. Every ounce of Shaq’s success was due too the fact that he was a 7 foot 300+ dude, who when young, ran like a deer. He had no post moves to speak of and was a terrible rebounder and defender for his size. Also he sucks on TNT’s Inside the NBA and ruins every chance for Kenny, EJ and Chuck to have good conversation. He’s not funny, he’s childish, he think's it's cool to use Superman as a nickname (and gets upset if other athletes try to copy him) and is responsible for this, oh and for this too.

Underrated: (Tim Duncan)

The greatest power forward of all time, and one of the top 10 players ever. 4 NBA Championships, 3 NBA Finals MVP's & 2 MVP Awards. He's averaged 20 and 10 over his 15 year career. He also is quietly having an incredible start to this his 16th year. Why is he underrated? Simple. He is the antithesis of Shaq. He hasn't attempted a rap career and is devoid of a spotty IMDB page. His signature move is a bank shot from 15 feet, not exactly SportsCenter material. He's not interested in publicity, he's interested in winning and he's done it his whole career. Could have left the Spurs for more money (and a bigger market: more commercials, endorsements, coverage etc...) multiple times, and has repeatedly taken less money to ensure team cohesion and success. Somehow this dude gets less coverage than anybody, maybe he needs to look into circumcising some folks.....

N.E.R.D.

If you are in the mood for a completely unnecessary 1,000 word post about how to be devoted to a geeky pastime and not be a social pariah this post is for you. If not turn back now...

A few days ago, during lunch with a couple of friends I was treated to a well described account of an awful first date. Besides providing laughter and a impeccable blue print of what not to do, the story also inspired this next post. So I would like to take the time to thank my friend. One for her willingness to share and two for her ability to be incredibly kind to those struggling Christian Romeos.

Without hearing the story first hand or knowing the entire situation I wouldn’t expect you to find this recap of the date incredibly interesting or humorous…. Just know that our Juliet was required to drive 45 minutes to meet said Romeo, was criticized during dinner for eating meat and had the pleasure of listening to his lyrical, instrumental and vocal “talent" on CD. Alas, the mixture of these travesties does not yield the crux of today’s post. What intrigued me most was Romeo’s insistence on constantly referencing his love for Lord of the Rings and his exasperation that Juliet’s adoration of all things fantasy did not equal his own.

In her recount of the story my female friend concluded with this approximate statement, “Lord of the Rings is fine, I know plenty of guys that I enjoy who really like those movies….but his devotion was over the top.” Finally we have arrived at the topic in question. At what point does an affection for somewhat “nerdy” movies, pursuits etc…become too much?

There is no doubt that the idea of being a “nerd” or enjoying things that might have at one time been considered nerdy is firmly planted in pop culture. This reality crosses all socio-economic barriers, and the examples are everywhere.

Television – Big Bang Theory has routinely (and surprisingly I might add) been a top rated show. 

Or for the older crowd… what about comic loving, and OC dwelling nerd hearth throb Seth Cohen.  

Sports – The who’s who of NBA stars routinely dress up in fake black square rim glasses and other seemingly nerdy attire

The point of this post however is not to prove that a “nerd mentality” has infiltrated our culture, it is to point out that society at large has determined that a correct, socially acceptable, amount of an otherwise “nerdy” pursuit exists.

Immediately, one would assume it is the relative degree of fandom that determines if it socially acceptable. On the surface I would disagree. For instance, one of my best friends is obsessed with Star Wars…like attended a convention within the past few years obsessed. (On a side note he ran into another one of my best friends at this same convention…might be time for me to branch out). 

Anyways, this person is liked by everyone I know, recently got engaged, is good at sports, funny, intelligent etc. So obviously it is not as simple as the amount (or degree) of his fandom…. Why is he socially acceptable? It’s simple, what separates him from Romeo in the story above is two things: his ability to read social situations and to relate with people on multiple levels.

Read Social Situations:

A problem exists when you have the inability to determine if other people share your passion. Romeo could not ascertain that his date was completely uninterested in Lord of the Rings. Throughout dinner he consistently talked about it, criticized her for not being a fan and tried to encourage her to see the upcoming prequel. At the conclusion of dinner, and on the way to the car, after his date made it obvious she was completely uninterested throughout the conversation, he found it appropriate to launch into a monologue about naming his car after the mythical horse “Shadowfax”. 

When your love for something inhibits you from seeing that other people don’t have the same passion, you’ve crossed the line. In contrast, those who are deemed socially acceptable have the ability to determine if others might not possess the same affection and choose not to disclose the true depths of their fandom. We could call it a “need to know basis.” If their love for Star Wars seems to equal yours, try to top it – they need to know you mean business. If they can’t tell the difference between and “X-Wing” and a “Tie-Fighter”, then it might be time to pump the brakes. 

Relate to people with other interests:

A problem exists when you haven’t developed other interests. This problem is closely related to the first. If the “nerdy” pursuit consumes your whole life: when it is all you talk about, all you care about it might be an issue. Those who are socially acceptable have the ability to relate to people on multiple levels. In the date mentioned above the (perpetually) eligible bachelor obviously was not comfortable attempting to relate to his Juliet about other interests. Our Juliet made multiple attempts to steer the conversation to different topics. However, without fail he redirected the discussion back to his comfort zone (probably Minas Tirith) The inability to develop other hobbies, skills, and pursuits because you are too consumed with a fantasy is troubling. On the other hand, “normal folks” are not so obsessed as to forsake other forms of leisure. Instead of sitting in their parent’s basement trying to develop an Uruk-hai alphabet they get out and attempt to be well rounded. 

Let’s be real, the majority of this post applies specifically to guys. (Unfortunately) I haven’t met many females who love watching Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas traverse the vast plains of Rohan. However, women before you judge know that you are not innocent. Your obsession with the “nerdy” is just different. Ladies listen to Justin Beiber, debate the merits of marrying a werewolf or vampire, and fantasize about loving a dude named after a Greek taco. We’re in the same boat; everybody has a “nerdy guilty pleasure.” Fantasy exists in order to allow us to do what we can’t in reality. Women desire to enter fantasy to be wooed by their prince charming; Men enter it to locate said prince charming, expose him for the evil leader he is, and run him through with a mythical blade.

Listen, I might be biased. My fantasy resume includes Pokemon, the Redwall Series, and an undying dedication to Lost. Furthermore, I spent the better part of the past year nose deep in popular, young adult, science fiction/fantasy novels. The result: Harry Potter – better than expected, Hunger Games – vastly overrated, Lord of the Rings – superior to both. However, the degree of fandom is not the true test. It is possible (I hope, or better yet Our Only Hope) for healthy, functioning adults to engage in fantasy pursuits. Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Twilight, Star Wars, DC or Marvel Comics, it matters not. Be a fan, be obsessed, and spend endless amounts of time breaking down trivial aspects of the films/books, just don’t expect your date to share the same passion.

Hypothetically Speaking....

Blog post #4

Hypothetically speaking…

I really enjoy hypothetical conversations, like really enjoy them. Some are less than enamored by otherwise seemingly pointless conversation (consequently these people are probably not a fan of this blog). Personally, I believe that answers can reveal interesting personality traits about certain individuals. As you would imagine, there are a number of hypothetical questions that I certainly enjoy, however one stands out above the rest.

The question:

“If you could live in one decade throughout history, what decade would it be? And Why?”

The rules

You can’t choose this decade…for a number of reasons

• It’s a boring answer
• This decade sucks so far
• Unless Justin Beiber is frequenting this page I can assure you that you’re life really isn’t that enchanted.

You cannot choose a decade that you lived in

• i.e. – I can’t choose the 80’s or 90’s

You don’t get to go back in time with the knowledge you have now

• This was because my Dad’s original answer was to go back to the 40’s with the intention of investing in the correct opportunities to ensure personal wealth. (As a side note if you hope to go back in time to try and make a lot of money your answer will probably be lame.)

Your decade of choice takes everything into account

•  Lack of medical knowledge: haven’t discovered the polio vaccine? – tough cookies.
• Social issues:  Want to live in a certain decade, but a world war occurred right in the middle….good luck. If you’re female and you really enjoy voting I would make sure suffrage has occurred.

Assume you will be in your “prime” during this decade… so society would say you’re between 20-30.

You have to choose a general area or region geographically….because this makes a difference.

You can’t choose biblical times

•  Oh you want to walk and talk with Jesus?…Wait, can’t you do that now?...seriously give a better answer.

My answer:

When I originally thought of this question it was with an answer already in mind. For me it’s simple. I would choose to live in Western United States in 1890-1900. First and foremost I avoid the Civil War and World War I, the benefits of that are obvious….my chance of living is exponentially increased. Second it is a time when Americans were flooding the western parts of the country to forge a life out of the wilderness. They didn’t go to an office for work, their job was to not die. I find this appealing. TPS reports? Nah, today I think I’m going to build a log cabin, pan for some gold, and then raise some cattle. Third I get to ride a horse and shoot bison on the reg. Finally it happens to be the setting for 2/5 of my top 5 favorite movies (Legends of the Fall & Dances with Wolves). Don’t worry though I currently have no designs on seducing my brother’s fiancé or marrying a Native American.

Feel free to comment, I'm interested in your answer…

An Inconvenient Truth

Big news….I got a haircut this week, only cost me $20 too (tip included). For the most part I was satisfied with the look and value. This is not common.

I’ve never really been a fan of haircuts. Since middle school, I can count on one hand the number of “successful” haircuts I have received. It my surprise you that I don’t believe this falls on the shoulders of my aspiring ProCuts hair stylists, or necessarily on my hair. For a long time my lack of satisfactory haircuts was solely the result of the “style” of haircut I desired. Against seemingly unanimous advice, I decided to stick with the “shaggy haired highschooler” look past it’s expiration date, and well into my early 20’s. Further complicating the problem was my mother’s (and eventually my) insistence to make sure that I got my money’s worth with each cut. Scared of making a superfluous purchase I routinely asked for a more than necessary amount of hair to be taken off. The result was as an awkward look that made me appear as if I was attempting to emulate a blond Harry Potter.

Now that I have progressed out of the shaggy hair phase, I have become firmly entrenched in the professional haircut realm…, which brings me to the story at hand. As previously mentioned, I was mostly satisfied with my most recent cut. However, my attempt to get a more professional look comes with an unfortunate drawback, I immediately look significantly younger.

The more I think about it though, this isn’t an issue exclusive to yours truly. Most of the time hair is mentioned women immediately come to mind. In true feminist fashion their need for relative equality in the world of hair has resulted in reverse sexism. By hogging the lions share of attention females have masked an inconvenient truth. Haircuts are most important for men. Women get their haircut and 99% of the time men don’t care and 100% of the time can’t tell the difference. This isn't the case for men, even the legally blind can tell a difference and women always care. I feel like most guys go into a potential haircut just trying to avoid disaster. More importantly though for some reason any time a boy (or man if you fancy yourself as such) cuts his hair he falls prey to a follicle Benjamin Button complex, and instantly appears 10 years old.  This is good news for those rapidly approaching a mid-life crisis. But for a 26-year-old guy who still gets carded at rated “R” movies, looking younger is not positive, nor needed. This aging phenomenon happens to my friends, my brothers even my Dad. I think it’s all of the precise edges and straight lines that cause us to reverse our age. All I know is that I leave the barber expecting my mom to remind me to "smile big" for school pictures at Anderson Elementary.

Regardless of the reasons, the truth remains all haircuts initially suck for guys. Now within a week, the hair starts to grow and it stops looking like the barber used a protractor. At this point my relative age is restored, and I stop wondering how I did on my latest spelling test.

Think about it though, women don’t face this dilemma. Now I’m not going to pretend to know anything about feminine hairstyles (well besides my hatred of pronounced bangs, but we’ll save that for another post). Layering, coloring, roots, extensions.....who cares? One thing I am positive of is that short of a dramatic style change, a female’s apparent age (and male's interest) isn’t altered. Lucky them. Does this make up for their burden of childbirth? No, but is it close? Absolutely. 

To New Beginnings...

I guess the most socially appropriate way to start my blog is to catch my would be avid followers up on my life….so, Mom, here it goes. I used to live in your house, but 5 months ago I grew up, got a job, spread my wings and moved 6 miles north. So in case you're wondering, your middle son is an up and coming, single, 26-year-old pricing analyst, who currently resides alone in an apartment on the west side of McKinney.

I’ve included a picture for your convenience.

Now that that’s over…

Living alone (and spending the majority of my time alone) is an extremely interesting experience. There are times where I can go literally days without any meaningful face-to-face interaction. This was a bit of an adjustment at first. By and large I enjoy social interaction, but I've always needed time alone to "recharge the batteries" However, when alone is your only option, you tend to crave some sense of human communication.  Throughout the past couple of months I have been surprised to discover that what I miss most about living with roommates (parents included) are the commonplace conversations about things that honestly don’t matter. Not earth shattering discussions on the meaning of life, but insignificant (but true) banter about the trivial.

Here are some recent examples..

 A few weeks ago, within earshot, my next-door cubicle neighbor started a conversation with a co-worker by mentioning that she walked her cat on a leash. I immediately dropped what I was doing and moved in for a better listen. I arrived just in time to hear her finish the story by revealing that due to feline health concerns she now transports her cat around her neighborhood using a stroller.

I workout at around 6 am a few mornings a week. Well recently, I was making the trek from the shower across the expanse of the locker room at my gym, when I was lucky enough to see a 65-year-old man squeezing into a neon orange man thong in preparation for his workout.

See it’s times like these, when I want to come home and mock these individuals for hours on end. Or when I desire to spend an unnecessary amount of time discussing the what if's and why's of my "cat lady coworker" & "mystery man thong" interactions that I truly wish I didn’t live alone…so I thought, what a great idea for a blog.

In reality, I’ve started it for a few other reasons as well:

(1) I’m of the (correct) opinion that my general outlook, ideas and musings are worthwhile.

(2) I believe that even though I haven’t recently become married, moved to an exotic location or announced the impending birth of my first child, people might actually be curious about my life, and what I have to say. 

(3) I truly hope that this blog becomes famous and I can quit my day job.

What follows will most likely be a little bit of everything: meaningless observations, life updates, sarcastic remarks and anything else I feel inclined to write about. 

Enjoy.