AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 5/30/2003 09:02:00 PM ----- BODY: A New Low For Shoe Advertising

A week ago, Lebron James signed a contract with Nike for $90 million at the age of 18. This article is a hilarious parody of Nike's antics. It seems to be so common for scouts to look for the "next big thing" at younger ages which is almost scary to think about because who knows how bad it'll get. Well, my question has been answered by Reebok, the company who's profits have plummeted ever since Shaq stopped doing business with them. Reebok offered Mr. James a hefty sum of cash to woo his decision, but lost the battle. Well, it appears that they have stooped to a new low with their latest attempt at increasing their market share. I am shocked at what they are doing now, to be quite honest. Metafilter reports it best: By now, you might already have heard about Mark Walker, the 3 year old hoops prodigy that Reebok is featuring on their website; while the video of him hitting 18 straight shots from various spots on the floor is cute/impressive, the "interview" movie is horrendously creepy. The closing tagline "I'm the future of basketball; I am Reebok" done in the voice of such a small child just conjures up visions of in vitro logo tattooing. (Warning: Movies are in Quicktime) Maybe it's a good thing I opted to not go into the advertising aspect of promotions after college. Examples such as this are sad displays of how gimmicks are just getting more and more ridiculous. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 5/29/2003 11:05:00 PM ----- BODY: My Second Week

Tomorrow marks my second full week as a Kansas City resident and full-time worker. It's really strange to me how quickly I've adapted to such a drastic and sudden change in my life. I've started to get tired at hours that I was normally feeling my most alert, my 10 hour workdays just fly by without feeling long at all, I don't really have urges to go out and drink/party, and I really haven't experienced any feelings of lonliness despite living by myself in a city in which I barely know anyone. Last night, I watched the movie, "Igby Goes Down". It was an interesting movie about the pressures of life and how so many people fail to live up to their expectations because they fear failing. That's what I got out of it anyway. It was odd but I still liked it. Kieran Culkin (yes, the brother of that Home Alone kid) delivers an amazing performance. It's too bad he'll be known as Macaulay's bro and may not get a fair chance. The movie also confirms that Claire Danes is one of the best acresses out there...I would also date her. The movie oozes with dark humor and throught-provoking insight. For example, in the opening scene, Kieran Culkin is talking to a priest and says, "If heaven is really that great of a place, then why was Jesus' crucifixion such a huge f-ing sacrifice." At the end of the movie, Culking beats the living pulp out of his dead mother's (Susan Sarandon) corpse. Yeah, it's disturbing but it's a pretty good flick. Tonight I went to a Royals game with my friend Courtney and her dad. The game was great, but the A's came out victorious. It's so great to live in a place that actually has professional sports for a change. I always vowed I'd live in a place with pro sports and I'm proud to say I've stuck with that promise. I'm sure I'll go more times now that I know the games are so cheap. You can get tickets for as low as $5! I've also been stuck on a new CD lately. The new JJ72 album is really good. It's just about as good as their last, self-titled album. The lead singer really confuses me because the voice sounds sooo much like a woman's, but a man is the one who sings. His voice sounds like a cross between Natalie Merchant and Eddie Vedder. The music is often sweet and and other songs are just plain aggressive and rockin'. They all have great melodies. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 5/27/2003 02:40:00 AM ----- BODY: A Terrifying Nightmare

I went to bed a little over two hours ago, and I am now here in front of my computer because a horrific nightmare caused me to awaken from my slumber. It's important to note that I never have cute, fun little dreams. For me, an element of danger is always included where I'm running for my life, panicking about something, or fighting something off. I don't know if it's because I'm secretly a paranoid or burdened person or what the deal is. I normally just try to remember any dreams I may have for the next day and just try to fall back asleep, but the fact that I have forgetten a good number of dreams that way coupled with the fact I'm slightly freaked out brings me here to type on the eve of my second week as a working professional. I believe this dream was inspired by seeing a video about Ted Bundy at a local Blockbuster a couple days ago and by the fact I read an article about a mass murderer in Louisiana before going to bed. The general idea of this nightmare is that my father and I begin to follow a cereal killer that we had found out somehow was the man committing the crimes. It started one night where I found myself back in Ames at Mickey's with a friend. For some reason, that particular bar was really lame that night and the music mostly consisted of laid back Jack Johnson-esque grooves. An ex-girlfriend of mine was there and we joked around a little which, in hindsight, was probably the high point of this dream because I rarely see the girl out in public being fun like she used to because she was always with her newest boyfriend during the remaining months of school. It was as I left the bar that I got a call from my dad about some murders that had taken place, and he wanted me to help research the case with him. Somehow my dad already knew which person was the murderer (and he ironically looked not unlike Mr. Bundy) and we would follow him to different public events where he would situate himself behind two people each time. The following day, those two people would end up mysteriously slain. We finally ended up at a large football game that took place in a domed stadium. Looking through binoculars, my father pointed the man out to me. This time was different than all the rest of his appearances. He was sitting in a row all by himeself in the balcony with six uniformed Marines positioned in front of him. It was like he wanted the challenge of having to kill six people so he bought a rows worth of tickets just so he could have that many people in front of him. There was a panel loose in a ceiling in the lower level and my dad told me to wait there to see if he would sneak out of the building through that panel. I didn't understand why my dad wouldn't let me just inform the police of the situation, but he explained his reasoning to me. My dad, an attorney, wanted to know as much about the man before he was brought to justice so that he would have a better chance of being allowed to either defend or prosecute him in a large, highly publicized trial. My dad was about to set off to another post to spy on the killer when I realized I had forgetten a camera in a seat right next to the murderer! So my dad waited as I ran to go get it. When I got to my destination, the murderer turned to me, camera in hand, and goes, "I believe you forgot this". I was paralyzed with fear that this monster had spoken and made eye contact with me. What scared me even more was that, not only would he now know that I knew he was at the stadium that day, but I also, for a brief moment, was positioned in front of him. I ran back to where I was supposed to stand guard. As I got back, my dad's cell phone rang. When he answered it, the voice on the other end goes, "Was that your son, Mr. Becker?" The creep knew who my dad was! He let us know we'd be seeing him in the near future and hung up. We didn't know if he meant we'd be seeing him for consultation regarding his murder trial or if we were doomed to be one of his victims. Either way, it was really scary. I woke up at that point feeling relieved it was only a dream, yet also experiencing a bit of anxiety for the first time since living alone. I layed there for a second trying to collect my thoughts and calm down. Moments later I felt a huge weight press down upon me in my bed. It sounds totally crazy, but it honestly happened. It was like someone had taken a gigantic, half-inflated beach ball and pressed it upon me. I am now going to attempt sleeping for the second time. I highly doubt it'll be as odd as the first. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 5/25/2003 01:19:00 AM ----- BODY: Disappointing Efforts or Just Hightened Expectations

I don't know what it is with me but I just haven't been able to like some of the music I've been checking out lately. First, after hearing rave reviews from the Libertines, Longwave, and Idlewild, I decided to check out their albums. After trying repeatedly to get into their music, I actually ended up throwing the burned CD's away. Looking back, I find this behavior slightly ridiculous considering each CD cost me about $ .10, so basically I threw three dimes away to ensure not having them in my extensive music collection. I also have felt let down with the new outings by Marilyn Manson and Spiritualized. Yes, yes, I realize Mr. Manson is an odd choice of mine to have feelings of disapointment, but his last album, Holywood, was actually pretty good. There was actually an artistic, progressive element introduced in it that impressed me. I thought that it would maybe spark a new beginning for the guy. Instead, it was obviously just a phase and Marilyn Manson is back to his usual schtick. Spritualized, on the other hand, has consistantly always impressed me. After lead singer Jason Pierce basically fired the rest of the band a few years ago, I was concerned future recordings were going to be subpar. The opposite ended up happening, though, as Let It Come Down proved to be one of the most grand albums of epic proportions to be released in my lifetime. It was phenominal. It was as if Pink Floyd decided to seriously rock with a 100 piece symphony backing them in full force. A few days ago, I was able to "preview" the new yet-to-be-released Spiritualized album. I must say I was very bummed. I have anticipated this release for a while, and it lacks the sprawling masterpieces that were consistantly included on Let It Come Down and Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space. It's stripped down and is a step back for the band. To make things worse, "Cameltoe" by Fanny Pack is expected to be a radio hit this summer. Download it and laugh...then cry because it is a pure case of how horrible pop music has become. Then, once you've had a good cry, go check out the Christopher Recordings of Sex Instruction. It's a record made in the 1940's to help parents talk to their kids about the s-word. It's really funny to think that in 60 years we've come from a culture that created records cautiously informing niave kids about procreation to one that releases songs about the display of labia through clothing to the masses. Other albums I will be checking out in the coming weeks: Bill Hicks -- Love, Laughter, and the Truth Pearl Jam -- Cleveland 4/25/03 Rolling Stones -- 40 Licks The Angels of Light -- Everything is Good Here Arab Strap -- Monday Night at the Hug and Pint Ed Harcourt -- From Every Sphere The Long Winters -- When I Pretend To Fall Mojave 3 -- Excuses For Travelers Pinback -- Offcell EP Rockfour -- Another Beginning Saturday Looks Good To Me -- All Your Summer Songs Snowglobe -- Our Land Brains Tiara --Titletron Tomahawk -- Mit Gas Voyager One -- Monster Zero The Warlocks -- The Phoenix Album If any of you have heard any of them please give me a heads up and let me know what you think. Gracias. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 5/23/2003 08:13:00 PM ----- BODY: My New Home and Job

I ended up moving to Mission, KS last Friday into a one bedroom apartment in a fairly nice apartment complex. The area is great and I think I'll really like Kansas City. Afterall, Pearl Jam, The White Stripes, Dredg, Phish, Neil Young, Lollapalooza, Ben Harper, and Jack Johnson are all coming here in the next couple months. It's too bad I won't have the time or the money to go to them all. My job is pretty cool, I guess. The hours are going to be pretty darn long, but it's rewarding and the people are cool. I am now a healthcare recruiter for the homecare portion of the company which means that I find clients who are sick or disabled and then recruit nurses that would be qualfied to help them out and staff them to fit different needs. Some of these poor people I provide homecare for could make even the coldest person compassionate for them. One girl, a 19 year old, was jumping on a trampoline a couple years ago and fell off. She landed on her head and is now a quadrapalegic. It's hard to keep all the client's names straight but I try to create little pneumonic devices to memorize them. For example, the initials of the girl that fell of the trampoline are AH. So I just think of her going "AHHHH....I'm falling!" It's kinda funny, I guess, but at least it helps me remember her. One guy is just a year older than me and was struck by lightning while golfing 2 summers ago. He's a vegetable now. Stuff like that just gets to me and only fuels my obsession with the fragility of life. It's so weird for me to be able to walk into my apartment and know that everything that I am surrounded by is mine. I've never experienced that before. The whole process of getting settled is really annoying. I wasn't able to get my internet hooked up until last night, I still need to find time to get my car registered, I need to get car insurance, and I also have to find a couch sometime this weekend since I work during most businesses working hours. It's crazy being an adult. Even though it's nice to make money and do things for myself, I already miss the carefree lifestyle I have enjoyed for the majority of my life thusfar. Now that things are settled a little, though, I will be back to posting my regular postings as I have done up until recently. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 5/14/2003 05:24:00 PM ----- BODY: A Whirlwind of Events

It's been forever since I've posted on this site. Since I last posted, quite a few big changes have occured in my life. For one, I graduated last Friday at the College of Business ceremony. About 15 members of my family came into Ames to celebrate with me, and it was good to have them all around despite the fact I would have been just as happy receiving my diploma in the mail instead of having to sit through a boring ceremony for almost 2 hours. The money I got from family members will be a huge help with me getting my feet on the ground after graduation. Secondly, I found out just a day or two prior to graduation that I got a job with Maxim Healthcare in Kansas City. I had gone down there to interview with them again early last week and felt very comfortable there. Though the hours will be difficult my first year, it should really pay off in the long run. I feel really fortunate to have landed a job before I graduated because so many people I know don't have a clue as to what they were doing. It's a huge weight off of my shoulders, and I start this upcoming Monday already! Third, I just returned yesterday from a two day trip with my sister to Kansas City where I bought an apartment. It's a pretty sweet little one-bedroom thing that provides my own washer and dryer, dishwasher, patio, a pool, fitness center (I really want to start working out), covered parking, and a bunch of other goodies I have been deprived of for most of my years at college. I'm moving there already on Friday so I'll be busy packing things up until then. Though I wanted to head east originally, I think KC will be a great fit for what I want. It's warmer, in a big city, has pro sports teams, has a pretty good music scene, I'll know a few people there already so I won't totally be alone, and I can still take a short trip up to Ames if I want to on a weekend. I will also be changing cell phones with the move which is a little sad for me because my old number was 708-BRAD. Now I just have some random, generic number like everyone else. Oh well, I guess it comes with the territory. So that's basically been my life in a nutshell over the past week or two. I did finally get to see A Mighty Wind a last week with Eddy, Ruff, and Hern and laughed my arse off. Now I just need to see the Matrix! I'm not totally sure when my apartment will be getting hooked up for internet yet, so it may be another week until I post on here. Once that happens, though, I'll be back to my usual odd stories, rants, and commentaries. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 5/02/2003 12:52:00 PM ----- BODY: A Sure Way to Get Kicked Out of My Family

In order to graduate with the College of Business next Friday, each student is supposed to submit their info with a line that is supposed to be read as you cross the stage. The examples they have include: - Stacey will be a financial accountant with Principal Financial Group in Des Moines, IA - Steven will be attending graduate school at Ohio State University. - Amy was president of Business Council The worst thing is that you HAVE to put something if you want to graduate. Instead of talking about a job I don't have the neat things I did at Iowa State, I decided to put the following: The students and faculty at Iowa State University will surely miss this wonderful, talented young man. --------