Friday, October 10, 2008

Ravings, rantings, and gibberish.

Written by Drew

What is up FoCo? I am a recent college graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead. After recieving my B.A. in English and Mass Communications this past August I moved down to Colorado. I enjoy long walks on the beach, candlelight dinners, and heavy metal. My hobbies include reading and writing, music, movies, and getting drunk. Some of my favorite contemporary authors include Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, and Kurt Vonnegut. My top movies are anything directed by Kubrick. I enjoy listening to anything that rocks. Right now I am just trying to get to know Colorado and FoCo better. Mostly in order to find the best drink specials on each day that ends in Y. So if you know where I can get a cheap drunk on, let me know! --Drew

6. Great Drinking Games to Play Outside

Wednesday, 28 March 2007

Now that the weather is coperating, you can finally start up the grill and have your peeps over to chow down and catch up. But what do you do while that pork loin is being marinated and the burgers are cooking? Drop the gossip and get active while having a grand ole time with outside games. All the games are flexible, make up rules and scoring to fit your group and if you have to work the next day!

Bola or Polish Golf. All you need is 3'4 of an inch of hardwall piping. Don't use PVC piping, because it bends to much. Get Noah inspiration and build a Bola 'ladder'. 3 'steps' of piping, directly below one another. Make your bola balls next. Piece of rope with two golf balls at each end, or however you can make it work. Object of the game is to toss the ropes onto the piping. Beer must always be in hand. Top rung is two points, middle rung is worth three points (hardest to hit) and the bottom rung is worth 1 point. Each point equals one drink. So if you toss on onto the middle ladder, and I'm on the opposite team, I drink 3. First team to 21 wins, losers finish up their drinks. Two tosses per player per turn.

Bean Bag Toss. Cut out a paint can sized hole in a ramp. Have four bean bags. Two teams, two people per team. Try to toss the bean bags through the hole. 1 point for getting it on the board, 3 points for getting it through the hole. Can be scored many different ways. If I toss it through, and a person on the other team tosses it through also, but not other points are scored, tosses can cancel each other out. So you can play only high points count, or highest points score, minus the other teams points. So if I toss it through, but the other player lands one on the board, my team only scores two. Beer must always be in hand. First to 21, losers finish winners drinks. Also can dish out 'drinks' per points.

Friz-Knock. Four foot long 2x4, screw it to a square base of wood. Two 20 oz. bottles, filled halfway with sand: Put on top of 2x4. Only other thing you need is a frisbe sp? golf putter and beer. Can play with normal Frisbee too. Try to topple the bottle sitting on top of the other teams 2x4. Knocking the bottle off is worth 3 points IF the other team doesn't catch it. If they do it's only worth two. If you hit the board its worth 1. If you hit the board and make the bottle fall--2 points, unless the team catches it, then again a point is deducted. If the team throwing misses everything, the other team has to catch it as long as its above the knees and within reasonable reach. If the team doesn't catch it, then they have to return it and the throwing team gets to try again. Play to 21, BEER MUST BE IN HAND AT ALL TIMES, with two player teams that gives you two free hands to catch. Losers finish winners beers. Points can be awared as drinks.

MIni-Ball. Buy a mini basketball hoop and install. Buy beer. Made shot is 3 points, hitting rim is 2, backboard is 1. If I hit the backboard first then rim, then everyone else has to drink 1. 10 frames in bowling, 10 shots per person per game. The clincher: If I make it 3 drinks for you, everyone shoots, and if the next time I shoot I make it again, you drink 6, if I make it three times in a row, it's 9 drinks. You get the picture. Losers finish their drinks.

BEER PONG!!! Yes it can be played outside. Simply get a piece of plywood same size of a ping pong table and put it on two taller saw horses. Nine cups, fill quarter of the way up. Rules vary. My favorie way to play is re-racks at 6 and 3, elbow can't go past end of table, can blow out spinners, a bounce in is worth two cups but can be swatted away, if both team memebers make their shots they get to go again. Last cup can be placed anywhere on table. Losers finish winners cups. And any pitchers, mixed drinks, etc. on table must be drank if you are the reason it falls into it. Swat a ball away into the beer pitcher? Guess what, you drink it. It should go without saying that a beer must be in hand.
Happy Drinking!
--Drew
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7. Staying the Course...

Sunday, 18 March 2007

We’ve all heard it, many many times. Whether you have stood by the slogan with resilience, or have zealously opposed it, now is a time to step back and really try to take an objective look at the situation. The situation is a problematic one for most of us, as it is for me. But we are also exacerbating the situation, all of us. That situation of course, is the War on Terror, specifically that military operation in Iraq. With the bleak anniversary of war looming over us all, a whopping 4 years in Iraq, 5 on the front it’s time we all shift our views, widened our scopes.
For me, the priority lies with our troops. I am sympathetic to the turmoil of the Middle East, and to the innocents dying everyday. But the fact remains that the Middle East was in turmoil before we invaded Afghanistan, and it will remain in turmoil when we finally leave Iraq. All the while we have troops dying on a daily basis, and exponentially more being maimed. Hopefully all of us have had our eyes opened to the atrocities of our wounded soldiers homecoming and deplorable medical treatment and housing. When the death of drugged out Playboy Bunny becomes the most culturally significant news item of our culture, especially in the face of so many untold stories of genuine and truly heroic people serving their country with such sacrifices, it greatly depresses me.
I had a very close group of my best friends who were in Iraq for over a year. I never thought we should have been in Iraq, I never thought we should have been in Afghanistan. Neither made sense to me, and I saw no reason why my closest group of friends with the National Guard must risk their lives for no apparent reason. When people close to you are involved, it greatly changes your view of things. It was hard to be so vehemently opposed to this escapade and support my friends. It seemed contradictory to me, and was difficult. Of course, as the war grew in age, its controversial nature only grew. By the time they returned, there was widespread disapproval. We the boys got back, for 6 months it was noting but a party. We went out literally, every single night. The adaptation for the guys was one of reckless abandonment; they just didn’t fit back in. In the midst of college, classes were skipped regularly and eventually dropped, education for a better tomorrow was a joke to them, became a joke to me. Priorities were turned on their heads, of what we’ve been taught, the utter realization at the age of 21 that this is your only chance at life, don’t waste it; instead get wasted. Basically it was a baseball bat to the face, but it banded us together, quite literally made us family. Money and bar tabs didn’t matter any more, We hardly called each other because we were always together, and all our living areas were communal just as clothes and food were a necessity not just for the legal tenant, but for the rest of the group as well.
In the midst of it all, stories, philosophies, ethical questions of war and mass market death all came about as they would for anyone. The guys struggled with their views. Many were opposed to the war, when looking from the outside in, the common response almost always coming up that, “I never asked to be a part of this” almost always clashing violently with a the world is against us and we have to stick together mentality. A buddy summed it up great. “I don’t think we should have gone to Iraq, I see that, yeah I think Bush ****ed up. But all I ask is that you don’t throw eggs at us when driving by, what the hell does that do, what the hell does that tell us?”
As you look at the war now, try doing it with someone else’s glasses on. Remember that the bureaucrats that are now changing face for the upcoming elections, for the vast majority, voted to support this war they now rip apart. Know that Congress, although possibly taking a stance on the troop increase, are still pouring in millions of dollars to support the war. And that Democrats are finding solace in candidates that didn’t have to lay down their perspectives on the war at the beginning of this Fiasco. That supporting the troops is a double edge sword, if you support the war, you should also equally support their well-being once their home, and respect families wishes and rights for those who have come home under different circumstances. Know that this is not a red or a blue, a black or a white, a rich or a poor person’s war, but that it is mine as well as it is yours, whether I oppose it with audacity or your support it with tenacity. Try to appreciate the stance of the man or woman across the street, honk proudly but not blindly, understand this is a problem that has embedded itself in the psyche of our nation and it will continue to fester and perpetuate itself until we can come together, hopefully somewhere in the middle of road. --Drew
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8. My "Take" on 300

Tuesday, 13 March 2007

So I saw 300 on opening day. What of it? There's been lots of press on this "blood-bath" and equally horrific (meaning bad, not scary) movie. Honestly, it went both above and below my expectations simutaneously. I'll explain.
First off, it seems that people are forgetting their World History and Mythology. Yes there were Spartans, yes they were in actuality a very harsh and militistic culture. Are some things overdramatized? What isn't? Stride for stride, I think 300 had just as many pros as cons when you look at the validity of the film. When we watch war flicks with people getting their arms and legs blown off; their intestines disembowled we call it "Culturally important" and "Historically Accurate", it's totally appropiate to watch a Steven Spielberg flick where a little girl in a red dress gets shot. But a movie like 300 is distasteful and for those with a less than refined palate. Give me a break. (Thanks Stossel!) But are we really talking about apples and oranges here? War is ugly, I think that is basially the same message being communicated by Spielberg, Synder (300), or whomever. Just because its hand to hand combat versus shrapnel and radiation wasting away actors makes it different? Naw. Besides the same movies try to express the different cultures and viewpoints of wars and those involved. 300 is no different in this regard than any other "war" movie I've seen.
I haven't read the Histories since early college (which has the story of 300) but I'm pretty sure that the movie's take on the numbers of Persians killed is actually decreased--greatly, and we only see a small fraction of the deaths in the movie. If you have read the works of Homer lately, you could see a lot of the cinematography directly intrepret the text. A good example of this is use of close-ups of spear heads driving through various parts. Definately Homeric. Spears go through eyes and foreheads and stomachs and backs constantly and in great detail in Homer's works. Hey, all I'm saying is that unlike the movie Troy which had absolutely nothing about it was correct, at least SOME elements in 300 were accurate. Some is the key word. Becuase there are hunchbacks and giant rhinos, half-dead people, lepers, and a guy who has saws (bone?) as arms.
When 300 ended, I wanted my money back immediately. I was super ticked that on the whole, it was such a rapid departure from what I thought was the story of 300. But now that I know what to expect, I'll love the touches to the movie that were inspired wholly by Frank Miller's graphic novel touch. But to say it was totally distateful and too bloody, umm excuse me do you watch the news? Remember, there is a real life war going on now. Or maybe that's why this flick got such bad reviews, don't remind us, it is actually about bloodlust, power and greed--that doesn't drive in support.
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9. March: Greatest month of the year?

Wednesday, 07 March 2007

We're almost down to a week now before one of the greatest days of the year. That's right, St. Patrick's Day. The one day, no matter what your situation, race, relationship status, gender, or social status, where you absolutely can't go wrong. Everybody is green on Patty's day until the ability to decipher green from any other color becomes problematic. The day when you start with pouring Guinness on your Cheerios in the morning rather than milk, then wash it down with sweet mix of Jameson, Bailey's and more Guinness.
If your in a relationship, it is the most ideal holiday of them all. You can get sloshed with no reprecussions whatsoever. No need to rush to Wal-Mart to pick up a cheap bouquet of flowers and a $1 teddy bear. All you have to do is hand that significant other a green beer, and watch as they get more beautiful. For singles, it's the ultimate mingle. On no other night are so many inhibitions thrown so emphatically to the wind. Plus there's leprachans and people trying to do the river dance. Celtic music, and girls who insist they are wearing green (but you just can't see it) with a wink. But it's also the day when people will other people drinks without any presumptions or need for reciprocity, at least in general.
Not only is St. Patty's day right around the corner, but so is America's single greatest sporting event. The bracket, the office pool, the cinderellas, the dance, the maddening, maddening dance. The one time you have absolutely no qualms about asking Julie who hates sports whether she watched the games last night when you see her at the water cooler. Perhaps the only time you'll get your lady to sit down and watch the game with the same intensity as you, just because she has to beat this (insert comment here) at work in able to look down on that person for a day. For the fanatic sports fan, it is the greatest singular concoction in all of sports. You don't even have to like basketball, and if you do, it the one time of the year you will unabashedly take the risk of your boss catching you watch the realtime score ticker on your computer.
Besides that, snow melts, the sun comes out, and it's time to play outside. C'mon now, does it really get any better than March?
--Drew
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10. A Sign of the Times?

Friday, 02 March 2007

So after watching a T-Wolves (Basketball) game at a local bar the other night, I came home and was ready to go, just not to sleep. So I browsed through my DVD collection, looking for something long and not too involving. Peter Jackson's King Kong, bingo! I mean, the movie is good, for entertainment, but you're not going to pull any philosophical muscles by watching it...or will you?
As I was diligently watching Kong unhinge a T-Rex's jaw with a can-coozied Milwaukee's Best Light in hand, deja vu struck like God's lightning bolt across Lucifer's brow; causing a revelation to spring from my forehead like Athenea from Zeus.

We are getting dumb. And soon Apes will inherit the earth.

C'mon would Charleston Heston mislead you? How did this come about? Remember the part where King Kong battles the Prehistoric reptiles and many times does the chest-pump before, during and after the monsterous scrapping? Ever watch basketball, or many other sports where athletes hit their chests with a clamped fist? It accentuates their primate capabilities while being extremely popular.
Darwin was right, with the whole evolution thingy, but maybe it was like backwards, like in that um one movie where like, um, there is like this, different planet, but its actually just like earth in the future, but the monkeys ride horses and can talk, but the people can't and like the women don't even have like designer clothes, and they can't even really talk, it's like really trippy....
Anyways, how you get from drawing a somewhat shocking similarity between professional chest-pumping and primate chest pumping, which ironically enough, symbolizes the same message to deciding that humanity's intellectual abilities are going to pot is kinda behind explanation; besides explaining it kinda all came at once and quickly, and I had had a few....
I just know that one of the saddest days of my young years was being in London for the bombings, and then a few days later watching adults pile onto the Underground with noses stuck in copies of J.K. Rowling's latest Harry Potter series. And here I was carrying around a copy of Shakespeare's Tempest. O.K. I give kudos to Rowling for her creativity to create this world, but unless you're under the age of 12 you shouldn't be exited for this summer's latest Potter installment. Sorry. If you didn't know that Athena, god of war, sprung from Zeus head full-grown and wearing armor, you should go back and pick up some mythology. Start with the Iliad, it was 'written' by a guy named Homer. Or go historical fiction on mythology with Mary Renault's The King Must Die, it deals with the island of Crete and the mythological beast that lives in the middle of a maze. (The Minatour, duh!). Or if you didn't know that the Lucifer allusion was to Milton's Paradise Lost, go grab it, while you're out grabbing that, snatch up Dante's Divine Comedy, it's equally good. Also throw in your cart Spencer's Fairy Queen & Chaucer's Cantebury Tales. After that you'll be able to conquer everything dubbed a classic, and every film, tv show, etc. will be that much richer, unless you're watching Friends and American Pie re-runs that is. Alright, my rant is done.
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