The Sopranos

Okay, so I finally saw The Sopranos all the way through for the first time ever. I know, I wanted to have it done much longer ago too. Whatever.

Preface: I had seen bits and pieces of the show, I received Season 6 Part 2 on DVD as a gift when it came out in 2007ish, but I never saw the episodes prior to. Seeing the last season of a 7 season show is as brutal as it gets; no clue what was really going on, just enjoying 9 episodes and saying "okay, well, that's how it ends." In between I had seen some of seasons 3/4/5 through friends and On Demand, but I never really saw the whole thing. This past December Best Buy had a deal on it (and I was going stir crazy) so the timing was great. Add in the cold weather and lots of long Bolt Busses between NYC and Philly, I've had enough time on my hands to bang this out. That's also why I haven't been blogging much. I didn't forget you kids. I'm coming back to you.

So my verdict? I really enjoyed it. I didn't love it. I think it really messed me up that I knew much of what happened - especially key things in the second half of the series. Especially the ending. Try watching Lost for the first time when you know how it ends with all the smoke monster/Jacob/flash sideways crap from the very beginning. It ruins the whole show.

To be honest, the first and second seasons really weren't that great to me. It felt like an early Mad Men where every episode has a new "client," and the new "client" is "dealt with," and then you never hear about it again. There wasn't as much flow, so it didn't work for me. In that same sense, some of the story lines really didn't add up - and I think it's because "x" amount of time is supposed to pass between each episode, but for me it was about 3 seconds. AJ goes from coming out of suicide ward to getting a girlfriend, blowing up a car, getting a job, and getting a new car in about a episode and a half. When did Bobby Bacala become a serious player? Some of the things shows do to keep it interesting - new characters, or the short story arc characters - most of it felt forced, like you knew they weren't going to be here past the season anyway. Like Julia Stiles' character on Dexter.

I think there's two things that lead me to my verdict: a) I'm 100% biased by The Wire, and because I believe that they set the bar so high, it's hard for anyone else to really compete with it (in my mind anyway). In seeing that first, Sopranos never had a chance to be the best. Reason b) because everyone says Sopranos is good/greatest/best ever, it makes you look harder at the series because you want to be able to justify it for yourself. I can justify The Wire, I don't know if I can justify this in the same way. Not yet anyway - let me watch it again in a couple months knowing the whole story and let me analyze it again. I said the same thing about Mad Men, when I first saw it, I thought it was as boring as a PBS telethon. Now I can justify it better after having it in my system for almost a year. It's also been almost 14 years since the original premiere of the pilot. It's safe to say a lot has happened in the real world that effects the way we tell stories - mainly with the way we communicate over cell phones and the internet.

Quick side note: I would love to see one more season of Seinfeld with e-mail/cell phones/texting/facebook/youtube/twitter/wikileaks/Antoine Dodson and just see the dysfunction. They started with e-mail on the finale, but now that we're so techy, it would be great to see how George would handle the Facebook breakup. Kramer could make a killing on eBay. Elaine is on match.com. Jerry's get's videos on YouTube of how much his acting sucks, etc. It would be beautiful. That's what season 7 of Curb was missing.
It's so different watching a show on demand/DVD in succession because you can go through episode after episode without having time to really process/think/ponder/speculate on what's next, instead you just go into the next one. Obviously I used this blog last year as my Lost brainstorm, where every week I'd go "OMFG THIS IS WHAT I THINK MIGHT HAPPEN, BUT IF IT DOESN'T, THEN IT WILL BE THIS, BUT I COULD ALSO SEE SOMETHING BETWEEN THE TWO, BUT, THEN AGAIN, I'M TOTALLY WRONG WHAT IS GOING ON AHHHH." That conversation basically went on in my head for a week straight, until a new episode, when I'd start the process all over again. I'm not kidding. Anyways, you don't do that when you can watch multiple episodes at a time. Or maybe I'm just growing up. Probably not though.


There felt like there was too many people on the show. I couldn't keep up, they all looked the same and would come/go/die too quickly for me to tell the difference or to care about the minor characters. I say the same thing about Boardwalk too. Speaking of that - I realized I just really don't like Steve Buscemi's style. He plays Tony's cousin in Sopranos, and I wasn't sure the difference between that and Nucky Thompson except for speaking style and attire. Feels like the same character. Clearly I'm in the minority, as Stevie is winning all these awards for Nucky. Good job kid.


As for my take on the "final scene" - I don't think he died. That's such a stupid idea. They called a truce, it was over. The smash cut to black is just a way to end the show. Meadow walks in, they sit down, it's all fine. It was a way to have it go out with a bang instead of a "fade to black" as they all sit at that diner. Whoop-ti-do. It got your attention. It worked. Everyone can't be content with the way a show ends, that's just how it works. You love it or you hate it.
I think we're a little obsessed with the idea of the mafia, and as we heard in the news lately, it's much more real than some of us admit/realize. I have no idea how "real" any of this really is. I'm sure some of that stuff goes on. I'm sure some of it doesn't. I would like to believe that the FBI would have developed enough technology to stop these shenanigans, but I also believe that since 9/11 our attention has turned towards protection than fraud - similar to the cry we hear in The Wire, where nobody cares about the drug addicts as long as no bodies are dropping. This story isn't totally about the mafia, that's where people who haven't seen it are misled. It's called The Sopranos, not The Mafia. The story is about impact of real family as it's impacted by it's father is a mafia boss. How Tony balances being a boss while being a father. The special treatment by others. The arrests. Etc. That's the story here, not just the mafia. That's the wrong answer.

Speaking of The Wire (is it clear how hard I crush on that show? This post is about another show and I'm already over it) I've got two great articles I've been meaning to share - the first is from Wire creator David Simon, as he bashes back against the Baltimore PD who claims Baltimore will take years to overcome the "smear" that was left from The Wire. Awesome "Eff You" letter.

The other is very stupid, but I love it. Social Media According to The Wire. If you've seen the show, you'll agree, if not, don't waste your time.

If you don't laugh at this then we can't be friends.

I'm getting very sidetracked, so before I stop, I do want to say that James Gandolfini did an excellent job as Tony Soprano, the mob boss we all kind of picture in our head, really is one of the reasons of the shows success. An actor like him who has such a presence and ability to play so many different roles on one; Mob boss, father, husband, nephew, cousin, therapy patient, etc.
I'm looking forward to watching The Sopranos again in a couple months, and I'm sure upon a second take will have further appreciation for it. Next up on my TV conquest - Breaking Bad. or I'm re-watching The OC. That wasn't a joke.

Mid-20s Crisis

Okay, so I turned 23 last week. I had an awesome time with my friends to celebrate. Things in my life are (finally) coming together. Got a job, working on moving into the city, etc. So I've been feeling great lately.

Then a few nights ago before I went to bed I read this article on one of my favorite NBA players - Kevin Love. The kid is a beast. I didn't know much about him personally, until I read this Sporting News article, and found out he's younger than me. I was born January 7, 1988, he is September 7, 1988.

So that started me thinking (read: lost sleep) over the idea that this kid is younger than me, making millions, and is an all star celebrity. Then I kept thinking how many more athletes/celebrities there are that are younger than me. Taylor Swift. Miley. The little Jonas. Derrick Rose. John Wall. Claude Giroux. Kevin Durant. Even Vinny from Jersey Shore. The new hot girl in Californication. Greg Oden is actually 15 days younger than me. (Although I'm not sure I can be in the same category as Oden, if you catch my drift. If not, you're better off.)

Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooof. (Mike, I blame you for me saying woof all the time. And Tazz.)

Now look, I didn't lose grip with reality, I knew this day was coming. I used to watch college games in high school with my buddies and say "you know, they aren't much older than we are." I also know that I am still in the significant majority of people who are 23 and are not famous/extremely successful yet. So my world isn't knocked off my axis, but isn't it insane to think about that? Someone my age is playing basketball against these Kobe/Lebron/Garnett etc, while I am on the 9-6 grind 5 days a week. Sure, I'm "competing" against some big wigs in PR, but not directly, and a lot less people care. Kevin Love is playing basketball, making millions,

It's a little depressing; people younger than me seeing success. At the same time, I can't sit here and claim my life sucks. It could be MUCH worse. I've had so much fun (pretty much) everyday of my life, I wouldn't of switched it to be hard at work in the gym/studio/set when I was 10 and sacrifice my youth. So I can't complain that I'm not famous, it was fine.

However, I will say it's getting weird. I talk with my high school buddies about the funny/stupid things we did eight years ago. Eight years ago?? Damn. Time flies. It's stereotypical to say it feels like it happened yesterday, but it feels more recent than eight years. At the same time, so much has happened since then. I'm not the same kid at all - none of us are. That's how time works.

So I write this post and titled it "Mid-20s Crisis" because it sort of is - it is the moment that you realize there there are people younger than you who are seeing more success/fame/fortune than you may ever see. It's a little shocking when you first think about it, but it helps to remember that I'm not alone - there are tons of people in my exact position. Unfortunately too, there are people age is a less fortunate position, so I have to be happy for what I have. You too. Be happy for what you have. I'm very lucky to be able to do what I want and have the support to do so. There's kids who can't. Nothing wrong with being normal.

I'll close with one of my favorite/inspirational quotes from high school, because it's what we all should do: go forth and set the world on fire. (Colin, if you don't know who said this, you owe me $100)

Open Letter to Bathroom Attendents

Dear Bathroom Attendants,

Don't take this the wrong way, but I don't like you. I'm tired of your antics. My world would be a better place without you.

Every time I'm at a bar at night (on the weekends and in NYC in particular) I run into you. I understand your purpose, to make sure no "funny business" goes on in the bathroom, while making some tips on the side by providing some things to refresh the patrons evening (cologne, mouthwash, gum, etc.) However, to me, your job makes my bathroom experience unpleasant. All I want to do is go to the bathroom, wash my hands, and be out. Your services are not required for any of these activities. I'm a grown boy, I can handle them on my own.


So when you horde the soap and hand towels to personally distribute, you are inhibiting my ability to continue to enjoy my night. Because you hold onto the soap, I have to wait until you can give me soap, and then have to wait for you to give me a paper towel. While those 30 seconds of my time are not really valuable, you're making the process much more difficult than it has to be. It was perfect as it was, no need to complicate. And if you're going to talk on the cell phone while this is going on? Now you're just making me angry.

Got it? Next thing.

Don't ask me for tips when you do nothing. What service did you provide? If I had used your cologne for a couple of sprays, then that's fair. But when all I do is wash my hands, you've got to be joking. I can't take a leak without having to pay someone? Child please man. You can't tell me I owe you some money. The Social Contract (queue George Costanza) says if I use your stuff, I provide you money. I didn't use your goods. While I know everyone is trying to make a buck, you can't beg or demand, especially from a mandatory need like going to the bathroom. Tell me a joke instead, and if I laugh, you'll make a buck. Earn your tip is what I'm saying. And it's not earned by putting soap in my hand, just in case you forgot my earlier paragraph.

Be considerate bro. Some of these bathrooms are not meant for more than 1 person. Your presence overcrowds the bathroom. So either be skinny or put yourself in a place that doesn't block the door/line/path to the stalls. When I come to the bathroom, you are not my main attraction.

I've spent some time trying to justify your occupation, and I'm failing. Unless someone is vomiting/doing drugs/hooking up in the bathroom, it's most likely going to be business as usual in there. Making you obsolete. I have no idea how much any of those three activities happen, probably more than I know, but I'm going to pretend they don't. Therefore you won't be a part of my bathroom experiences. Sorry sir.
Last thing sir, Axe does not count as cologne. Thanks,

Kind Regards
-Pat

Hey NRA, Now What?

I try to be as politically tame as possible - in life and on this blog. I get easily frustrated talking about politics with anyone because it never ends well, seems endless, and usually nothing is solved. I really believe politics and our system of governing is flawed - too much time (and money) is spent on issues that aren't really important (steroids in baseball anyone?) or on trying to counter something the other party did (like the Republicans trying to "fix" the Obamacare bill). Nothing can ever really get done because there is so much back and forth. That's what I believe anyway.

So naturally, I've avoided saying anything about anything. I think now I have to, and it's the one thing I really believe: We should ban firearms. This awful Gabrielle Giffords tragedy that happened over the weekend is fueling my commentary for this. We're still learning all of the details (as well as hoping the representative survives) but I read something today from The Washington Post that really got me heated:

"Nov. 30: Jared Loughner purchases a 9mm Glock semiautomatic handgun at Sportsman's Warehouse in Tucson. He passes the federal background check instantly."

He passed the federal background check instantly? Good. Great. Did we give him a psychological background check? Clearly that is what was needed, as he's completely unstable.

I know the right to bear arms has been a hot topic politically since our country was founded, I know the NRA is the highest grossing organization in the country, and their clout (politically and in the general public) will always be a part of our country. It's almost like the NRA is their own political party.

I know the NRA has their stats and quotes about how every man has a right to bear arms and to take away that right is illegal or whatever, but I think we need to ban guns from the public. Seriously. When we founded our country, our citizens (I think/believe/hope) were a little more morally upstanding individuals, and we truly had someone to fight (the redcoats, the north/south, etc).

Now, we're just fighting each other. A supposed "United" States and we're killing each other with guns more than any other country. And I think our mental/moral ability has gone very downhill since then. There are too many influences who can warp the minds of impressionable and mentally unstable people into believing causes - like assassinating someone - to allow guns to be this easy to get.

And it's not even assassinating someone like a celebrity or political figure. Look at the Virgina Tech and Columbine massacres. Why are we allowing these people the right to bear arms? It puts people who don't want to bear arms in danger because they are subjected to another person's way of life without wanting to live that way. The victims of Saturday just wanted to say hello to their local congressman, and instead they lost their lives. That doesn't seem fair just because one idiot had a bad day. We also let these shooters get away with trying to sympathize "oh s/he is bipolar" "oh s/he is a schizophrenic" "s/he was troubled".

I know the first response to banning guns - you can never really ban guns, the same way you cannot ban illegal drugs or anything really. They will still be smuggled and distributed, but it'll be more controlled, because clearly our current method of "control" doesn't account for the mental incapability of the people applying for weapons. Maybe a less alternative extreme is to require a more thorough background check, including some kind of a morality/mental test. Sounds stupid and would probably end up making no difference, but I'm just bringing random ideas now.

Think of all of the violence that goes on. Watch the local evening news and it's all about murders and shootings. "If It Bleeds, It Leads" is so true. I'd like to think we could find better stories than about shootings and death, but we can't. Maybe if we banned guns, we'd have less shootings, less murders. Some of the shootings that stood out in my mind were over such stupid things; Nike sneakers, Xboxes, someone was shot for their music being too loud, driving like an asshole, etc. ARE WE REALLY SHOOTING EACH OTHER OVER AN XBOX? THE GUN PROBABLY COSTS MORE THAN AN XBOX.

It sickens me to think that this stuff actually happens, when it seems SO unnecessary. WHY do we let this happen?

Another argument I'm sure to hear is the "self protection" or "hunting" angles. Okay, if you need to have self protection, invest in a security system for your house/apartment. How many times have you ever felt like you truly needed to "protect yourself" ? Maybe this is just the rich white suburban boy in me, but I've never felt like my life was in jeopardy except when I was almost in a car accident. Guns wouldn't of solved that one. I'm not sure how they would either. We hear far too many tragedies and accidents from gun violence than we hear about how a gun saved someone's life. And if we're talking about hunting animals, can't we use less powerful weapons to catch our deer?

I know we'll never actually ban guns, as it would be debated/fought over and over again in Congress the way this Obamacare bill is. In my dream world however, we'd be without guns, so we can avoid all of these awful tragedies that have plagued our nation. It'd be nice if we came to realization that we're doing more harm than good by allowing these weapons for practically anyone to attain.

If you're going to comment, don't expect much response from me, because like I said, I hate talking politics.

We've got a lot of work to do in this country.

Picking on the NFL some more

Because it's just too damn fun to call out hypocrites!

Okay, so this week my beef with the NFL is two fold, and both happen off the field. We'll start with the one that makes the most sense: The Rooney Rule.

The idea of the Rooney Rule is to require teams to interview at least one minority for the position of head coach when they have an opening. Essentially, it's affirmative action. They aren't required to take a minority, but must give them a shot.

I'm not sure if I should get into my whole affirmative action thoughts - I think because I'm feeling trapped as the white male is losing all of the power they once had, and now seem at a somewhat disadvantage. Okay, maybe I said too much already. Just watch Fight Club and Tyler Durden's speech on being the middle children of history. That's the best way I could describe it.

What makes this rule dumb: when coaches have an interim head coach, who has been doing a good job, they choose to hire him, but they are required to still interview a minority. It's a walk through jerk-off motion, and really insulting to the candidate that has to go through the bullshit interview. They know they have no shot. The team knows they have no shot, but they do it anyway to appease Big Brother and make their "public image" look "good" because they are "equal-opportunity".

Where does this make any sense? Is this really a rule?

Just a quick thought - when do we really become equal? Does that ever happen? If we always talk about people in terms of "minorities" "blacks" "middle class", then no one is ever really equal. Something like the Rooney Rule is admitting that everyone is not equal, and requiring the "minorities" to be given an opportunity. And in the instance listed above, an opportunity at a position that they have zero chance of getting, it's make them feel even more like a minority and unequal. We won't be all equal until we stop talking about the differences between one another.

Next topic: I'm not sure what to label this as, but let's call it the NFL turning a blind eye to the whole Brett Favre situation. I'll be totally honest, I don't know everything about it myself, because it's stupid, but it's something that shouldn't be ignored.

Brett Favre is arguably the most talked about athlete in the sport. Mike Vick has been a close second this year, but over the past several years, he's constantly coming up, weather it's the retirement talk or the streak or the injury, etc. It's gotten annoying for everyone, since he clearly has no idea in his head what he's doing, and somehow manages to capture the attention of the entire country.

So whatever, he made these advances towards Jenn Sterger, sent "aggressive" and "visual" text messages to her because she wouldn't "come over" or whatever. The NFL launched an "investigation" which took extremely longer than it should have, and determined there was "inconclusive evidence" so that nothing would happen. They fined Favre $50k for "not cooperating" with the "investigation." Favre makes $50k in 4 1/2 minutes of playing time. A game is 60 minutes long. So in 1/12th of one game in a 16 game season, he's already paid that debt. Good penalty NFL. Good. Penalty.

This week came out new rumors that the Jets fired two of their massage therapists after they complained about "harassing" text messages from Favre. Jets and Favre are obviously claiming there is no validity to this claim, but who really knows? Nothing can be proven, but it's just a claim. To me, it seems too ridiculous to make up on their own, so I totally believe it.

I think in sports in general we turn a blind eye to the power we give these players off the field, where they think they are rock stars and can get anything the want, specifically women. (note, the fact that I make the connection to rock stars shows you how America thinks, and we've just come to terms with it) We don't want to accept it, which is why the Tiger Woods thing was such a big deal, because we never thought it was possible. We made Tiger to be more than he was. He wasn't that private, polished, or any of that jazz, he just seemed so confident we decided he did.

So Favre sends these texts and pictures, and the NFL doesn't want to address it, because it's Brett Favre. He gets away with it. He's supposed to be a role model for everyone, and here he is sending out pictures of his penis. It makes you lose faith in all athletes, similar to the way the truth about steroids made you doubt every player. Every athlete that seems polished like Tiger or Favre probably aren't, probably aren't faithful, and probably think they are God's gift to the world.

I'm not sure I blame them, because of the way we hyper-glorify them. The celebrity lifestyle makes these people think they are a deity. They lose all sense of morals. It's our fault. There are people (girls and guys) who would do anything these people ask. There are still many who couldn't care less. So they treat everyone like they are an object. Yet our society says this isn't acceptable for everyone else, these athletes and celebrities get away with it.

So bringing this back to the NFL, they want to act like they are such a professional league, but when they have these national headline stories about inappropriate action towards women, they act like nothing's happening, and when people question it, it's blown off with such vague terms as "ongoing investigation." Why don't they grow some balls and take a serious hard look at this? Like the way MLB took a very serious probe into their steroids usage. It was a brutal and disheartening truth that we discovered, but it was eye-opening. I'm not saying I want to know who's sending/saying what, but let's try to hold these people accountable in some fashion. This just gets absurd.

(I'm sorry, this post is taking multiple days and consequently broken thoughts)

The other problem: Favre gets away with it, while Ben Rothelisbergr (one day I'll spell his name right) gets a 4 game suspension for alleged claims. Sure, Favre's course never went to trial, but how is it any different really? But they won't suspend Favre 4 games because it would of ended the streak and potentially his career. It's really easy to read through their BS. I'm tired of it. Seriously, if the Eagles were not in contention, I would probably have zero reason to watch any of these playoffs. Who cares? The league is corrupt.

Go Flyers.

My 2011 Baseball Dilemma

I'm not sure if it's been fully established my baseball ties. So let's do it now. I grew up in Philadelphia. I found it hard to like the Phillies, because in my impressionable youth, they sucked. After 1993, they were losing nearly 100 games every year. I didn't even really like baseball at the time. Between the Phillies sucking, the 1994 strike, I had zero interest.

I'm going to say that I got into baseball in the late 90s. I don't want to say it was the Home Run Chase between McGwire and Sosa, because everyone says it saved baseball. I'm not saying it didn't, but I don't like to be a part of the crowd. However, I always like Griffey and the Holy Grail of Shortstops (A-Rod, Nomar, Jeter). Naturally, you have to pick a favorite of the three. It was Nomar. I wrote about that earlier. So naturally, by picking Nomar, I picked the Red Sox. And I've been on board ever since.

The Phillies caught my attention again around 2004, when the new ballpark was opening, there was plenty of hype about the young prospects, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Cole Hamels, etc. I liked the way the Phillies were doing things - growing their talent through the draft and prospects. Didn't buy the team like the Yankees did.

So I flip between the teams, however I've always said the Sox are on top. And I stick to that. I believe you can like more than one team, pending you justify it and they can't be clear rivals. I can't like the Sox and the Yanks. So I root for both, but the Sox come before the Phillies. My Philly friends hate me for it, but they can't understand. In 2008, we came dangerously close to having my worst nightmare ever: Sox and Phillies in the World Series. I'm really not sure what I would of done.

(That was a longer roundabout than I was anticipating)

This year, because of the huge off-seasons both teams had, I think I need to pick one that I like to be the favorite to win. And I have NO idea what I'm going to do. The Sox got two huge position players, along with shoring up their bullpen. Their only weakness is Catcher, but I've also always been a Jared Saltalamacchia fan, how can you not be a fan of that name? I think he's got a lot of potential, and under Varitek's tutelage, he can learn from the best.

The Phillies however, landed the biggest off-season prize of them all in Cliff Lee, who was suspected to go to the Yankees (helping the Sox' chances immensely) and forming what may be the BEST rotation ever assembled from a major league team. Their offense did lose Jayson Werth, although I have faith in Domonic Brown, as they've been right with most of their prospects previously.

I'm not making my decision - yet. I will try to make it before the season. I may not make it at all. This post is more for me to remind myself I need to. I can't flip flop this year.

Man, early January and I'm thinking baseball. I'm obsessed.