As some of you probably know, Michigan hired a new football coach yesterday, Brady Hoke.
He's not the pick that many were expecting - and the process in terms of getting there has been at times messy - but I cannot help feeling good about it. Based on what I have read and what former players are saying, there's something about this guy that I just like. Not to mention, I implicitly trust our new athletic director; I think he's a very smart and methodical man.
I am feeling very optimistic that Hoke is going to be able to return our program to its former glory. And generally speaking, when it comes to Michigan football I am a doom and gloom kind of guy, so my feelings on this subject are a bit out of the ordinary (for me at least).
Regardless, he's our guy and if you are a Michigan fan or alumn, it's your obligation - for now - to support the man.
So, good luck and godspeed Coach Hoke. And Go Blue!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Two More Great Beers
Had both of these beers over the weekend and enjoyed them both greatly. I'd probably give the slight nod to the Old Rasputin but it is comparing apples to oranges. They are entirely different in every respect. If you have a chance check them out - and please let me know if you have any that you would recommend.
Sent from my iPhone
Shameless
So, if you get Showtime on cable, you must - absolutely must - check out the new series Shameless, staring William Macy. I hadn't heard of it before it aired, but I watched it on Sunday night with The Wife and we were both blown away. It's like nothing you have ever seen before on TV - it grabs you by the throat and does not let go for the entire hour. In a nutshell: it's the story of a single, deeply alcoholic father (Macy) and his six almost equally dysfunction children (though in a very strange way, they are oddly functional). I'm not sure if will be able to sustain the pace of its debut, but boy was that was highly entertaining TV. So much so that it stole the thunder of the show that preceded it, Californication, which is arguably my favorite show on TV.
Check it out if you can. It's a little too early to tell, but it actually might be worth subscribing to Showtime.
Check it out if you can. It's a little too early to tell, but it actually might be worth subscribing to Showtime.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Book Recommendations?
I'm on a book reading tear. Since mid-December, I have read the new Tim Ferris book (reviewed below), the third installment of the Hunger Games series (more on that in a separate post), A Visit to the Goon Squad (recommended by my brother Neil and one of the best novels I have read in a long while) and am currently reading - and am almost finished with - Packing for Mars by Mary Roach (who's quickly becoming one of my favorite authors).
Ive been reading so much partially because I, well, love to read and partially because I am really digging the new Kindle 3 that I recently bought (for rationale behind this purchasing decision, check out www.techdork.com). Anyway, I want to continue with this little roll but need some new and interesting recommendations. Am open to fiction though I find myself more partial to non-fiction these days.
Anyway, let's hear it, y'all.
Ive been reading so much partially because I, well, love to read and partially because I am really digging the new Kindle 3 that I recently bought (for rationale behind this purchasing decision, check out www.techdork.com). Anyway, I want to continue with this little roll but need some new and interesting recommendations. Am open to fiction though I find myself more partial to non-fiction these days.
Anyway, let's hear it, y'all.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Movies
During the holiday's I tried to watch a movie a day, mostly via On Demand or Apple TV. Might seem like a lot but I am playing big time catch up; haven't really seen a movie in ages. In no particular order I watched: The Town, True Grit, The Kids are Alright, The Other Guys and .. one other that I can't remember. Oh - Get me To the Greek, which actually was my second viewing of that one. The two I liked most were True Grit (which I saw with the Little Boy; his first PG-13 movie) and The Town, which was surprisingly good. Very good in fact.
Now that I am on a quasi-roll, there's several others I want to see too including The Kings Speech, Black Swan and The Fighter.
Any suggestions as to how to prioritize and anything else out there were seeing that I am missing?
Now that I am on a quasi-roll, there's several others I want to see too including The Kings Speech, Black Swan and The Fighter.
Any suggestions as to how to prioritize and anything else out there were seeing that I am missing?
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Michigan Football
The current situation with the Michigan football program is making me absolutely mental. I'm borderline obsessed. Can't imagine what this is all doing to my brother Neil.
My position on the matter? I feel bad for coach RichRod and I wish him well, but the program needs a change. That was made clear in our astonishingly poor bowl performance on Saturday. We gave the spread offense a chance - three years to be precise -- but alas, it was not meant to be. Now we know and it's time to revert back to old school, smash mouth style Michigan football.
Only problem is I am not sure if our athletic director agrees, based on today's events. I thought he would have been cleanly fired RichRod today but apparently we have to wait until tomorrow.
My hope is that Dave Brandon, our AD, is using this extra day to negotiate with the only person many of us - myself included - believe can bring Michigan back to its former glory - Stanford Coach (and Michigan alum) Jim Harbaugh, although a lot of folks are saying that Harbaugh is destined for the NFL.
So, I guess we shall see and I suspect it will all unfold by the end of the week. My fingers are certainly crossed.......
My position on the matter? I feel bad for coach RichRod and I wish him well, but the program needs a change. That was made clear in our astonishingly poor bowl performance on Saturday. We gave the spread offense a chance - three years to be precise -- but alas, it was not meant to be. Now we know and it's time to revert back to old school, smash mouth style Michigan football.
Only problem is I am not sure if our athletic director agrees, based on today's events. I thought he would have been cleanly fired RichRod today but apparently we have to wait until tomorrow.
My hope is that Dave Brandon, our AD, is using this extra day to negotiate with the only person many of us - myself included - believe can bring Michigan back to its former glory - Stanford Coach (and Michigan alum) Jim Harbaugh, although a lot of folks are saying that Harbaugh is destined for the NFL.
So, I guess we shall see and I suspect it will all unfold by the end of the week. My fingers are certainly crossed.......
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Review: The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sense and Becoming Superhuman
I've been anticipating Tim Ferriss' new book, the 4-Hour Body, for several months now. He's a regular on the silicon Valley scene, I enjoyed his previous book and the subject matter was of real interest.
Long story short, Ferriss, who has chronicled his workouts for years, shares his findings on a variety of subjects, including weight gain, wight loss, strength gain, endurance running, improving testosterone count, improving sex and much more. At nearly 500+ pages, it covers a lot of ground.
As a relatively "seasoned" endurance athlete who also is an avid reader of endurance magazines, journals, etc - and not having a large body of work within the genre to choose from - I expected to be somewhat bemused but already knowledgeable about most of the subjects covered within the book.
But - Ferriss really exceeded my expectations. I read the entire book over 72 hours and suspect that at some point in time - probably sooner than later - I'll need to go back and re-read certain chapters. Of particular interest to me was the chapters on weight and strength gain (surprise, surprise) and I have already started to incorporate kettleballs into my workouts (and can already start to feel the results). The section on diet was interesting too and I'm giving consideration to radically reduce my gluten intake - something I've been considering well before I read this book.
The one area where I remain a skeptic was his chapter on ultra endurance, where he writes about gong from 5k to 50k in 12 weeks. He writes from the perspective of Cross Fit's approach to ultra running and I am ... well. skeptical. Interestingly, the race he talks most about is last year's Quad Dipsea, in which I was a participant. I saw the Cross FIt guys who he writes about all the way through, and while they definitely did finish the course, apparently on relatively low training volume (respect, regardless) they were very much holding up the rear. Not to take anything away from them - or their approach - but I just have to think that there might be a better and more efficient way.
But, I am nit picking. Overall, I think this book is well worth the value andit comes highly recommended. It absolutely has something for everyone and its main objective - to get folks back on track to leading a healthier life - is certainly a noble one that is deserving of support.
Long story short, Ferriss, who has chronicled his workouts for years, shares his findings on a variety of subjects, including weight gain, wight loss, strength gain, endurance running, improving testosterone count, improving sex and much more. At nearly 500+ pages, it covers a lot of ground.
As a relatively "seasoned" endurance athlete who also is an avid reader of endurance magazines, journals, etc - and not having a large body of work within the genre to choose from - I expected to be somewhat bemused but already knowledgeable about most of the subjects covered within the book.
But - Ferriss really exceeded my expectations. I read the entire book over 72 hours and suspect that at some point in time - probably sooner than later - I'll need to go back and re-read certain chapters. Of particular interest to me was the chapters on weight and strength gain (surprise, surprise) and I have already started to incorporate kettleballs into my workouts (and can already start to feel the results). The section on diet was interesting too and I'm giving consideration to radically reduce my gluten intake - something I've been considering well before I read this book.
The one area where I remain a skeptic was his chapter on ultra endurance, where he writes about gong from 5k to 50k in 12 weeks. He writes from the perspective of Cross Fit's approach to ultra running and I am ... well. skeptical. Interestingly, the race he talks most about is last year's Quad Dipsea, in which I was a participant. I saw the Cross FIt guys who he writes about all the way through, and while they definitely did finish the course, apparently on relatively low training volume (respect, regardless) they were very much holding up the rear. Not to take anything away from them - or their approach - but I just have to think that there might be a better and more efficient way.
But, I am nit picking. Overall, I think this book is well worth the value andit comes highly recommended. It absolutely has something for everyone and its main objective - to get folks back on track to leading a healthier life - is certainly a noble one that is deserving of support.
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