Weight: It Really Is Just A Number

There probably isn’t a single adult out there who hasn’t had the goal at one time to “just lose a couple pounds.” We’ve all experienced it, whether it be for bikini season, fitting into your tux for your daughter’s big day or just wanting to be a little slimmer to boost your confidence, everybody has put an extraordinary emphasis on their gravitational pull.

But why weight? Humans are complex beings. We’re made up of different mass structures featuring different densities. We’re not gold. Our value doesn’t come from how much we weigh, or don’t weigh. And contrary to popular belief, neither does our fitness or level. Does it offer guidance to assessing the level of our health? Yes, but it’s not the alpha and the omega of the equation.

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Putting Things In Perspective: Amy Winehouse’s Death

I’m going to be blunt, our society is sincerely fucked up! We live in a time where people are famous for “being famous” (I prefer to call them the sex-tape stars), people talk about acceptance and allowing people to be who they are, then bash people for saying what they think and believe (EVERYBODY does this), the charging of the paparazzo who made Justin Bieber crash is a bigger headline than our ever-increasing deficit and the fact that we allow Bravo to be a TV channel (seriously, what the hell?). So when I was browsing CNN.com the other day and came across the headline “The Tragedy of Amy Winehouse,” it didn’t really surprise me, but it very well may have been the straw that broke the camels back.

Let me preface this by saying that I’m in no way happy or excited by the death of Amy Winehouse. Nobody wants to see such a young person die. I feel sorry for her friends and family, knowing full well the pain of losing a young loved one. With that said, let’s evaluate this story from a clear lens: Amy Winehouse was a drug addict who was talented. That’s it. If you had never heard her sing before and saw her on the streets of London smoking crack in an alley, you’d simply think to yourself, “there’s another youth, losing the battle to drugs,” and move on. But because Amy Winehouse could sing those deep contralto vocals, her death all of a sudden is labeled a “tragedy.”  Pardon me for being frank, but that dilutes the meaning of tragedy in my eyes (I say this in a national/global sense. Obviously those who were close to Ms. Winehouse are fully welcome to call this event a tragedy).

Matthew’s Fantasy Football Introduction

I have been playing fantasy football for many years now.  I started back in the summer of 2003 and I have many championships on my resume.  Now, I do not want you to think I am bragging about that fact, some of the leagues I have won have been small and others are filled with unskilled players.  But there was a time we were all unskilled players.  I remember my number 1 overall draft pick in my first league was Kyle Boller.  Yes KYLE BOLLER.  In 2003 he only played in 11 games and had only 117 competitions.  Only 7 of those completions were for touchdowns while 9 of them were interceptions.  However, I believe I had a small learning curve.  I quickly learned the importance of the QB position and the waiver wire.  After week 1 I picked up Drew Bledsoe.  He played in all 16 games going for 2,860 yards 11 TD and 12 INTs.  Now those “stellar” numbers did not equal a win for me that year but I believe that I made the playoffs.  I learned a lot that first year and I learn more every year.

Fantasy Football is a game that changes every year.  Back in 2003 the standard strategy was to take a RB with your first and second picks.  Why?  RB’s were the most consistent scorers.  When a RB was good, he could carry you into the playoffs.  Now it is 2012 and the league is different.  Almost every team has a good RB and a good back up.  Sometimes the backup will outscore the starter!  Now the most desired position is QB.  The NFL is a QB run league now.  QB’s are putting up video game type numbers now.  Dan Marino’s record for most passing yards stood for many years.  Then in 2 weeks he saw Drew Brees and Tom Brady beat that record.  So grab your QB early!!  If you do not get one of the top 10, you will be looking all year to replace that production.

Liquidity Vs. Interest: The Battle for Your Buck

Most adults have struggled with how to allocate their money. Actually, most adults do struggle with this. Where do we place our money? Should we save it? Should we put extra principal towards our car? What about our mortgage? Why the hell do I deal with this crap?

Eventually these internal (sometimes…) conversations end with depression, self-loathing and a much needed catch-up session with your good friend, Jim Bean (and possibly his best friends, Jack Daniels and Jose Cuervo). And as much as this site approves of imbibing in your favorite beverage, we prefer more appropriate circumstances (see: Drinking 101).

That’s where we come in. We’ve decided to give you some free financial advice (Remember, you get what you pay for) to help solve your financial dilemmas about where you should put your money. And please, let it be noted, I’m not a financial expert by any means…I just play one on TV.

The Dark Knight Rises (HOW F&#*ING AWESOME WAS THAT?)

As it is in my civic duty, I took it upon myself to watch The Dark Knight Rises (TDKR) midnight premier so I could get the early scoop on whether those “critics” who panned the movie were true rebels standing up for what they feel is the truth, or just people who are completely full of shit and wouldn’t know a good movie if it bit them in ball sack.

After thorough observation, I can safely say, those two critics are fucking morons. The movie was excellent. I agree that it did miss Heath Ledger’s breathtaking performance as the Joker, but Tom Hardy was no slouch as Bane, and the casting of Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle completely passed my expectations. She nailed the part of this unique, Chris Nolan-version Catwoman. Of course, Nolan stuck to her roots as an anti-hero whose allegiances you’re never completely sure of.

Most importantly, Christian Bale had a superb performance as the anguished Bruce Wayne, something that he didn’t really get a chance to do in TDK (the movie should of been called “The Joker…and Batman”). Nolan gave him a more Batman-centric story and Bale ran with it. Bale also had to be happy (light spoiler alert) that he got to kiss someone other than Maggie Gyllenhall (ugh…).