Americans Visit Cuba

Stop Glorifying Meal Prep!

Stop glorifying meal prep!
It's awesome that people are planning their food for the busy work week, but this is also a sad indicator that work-life balance is non-existent in our society. We all need to eat, so food shouldn't be something we manage but rather something that is supported and enjoyed.
Stop glorifying meal prep and demand you be treated like a human being. We are more productive than ever and compensation has not kept up. 

John Oliver's Show is a Gem!

John Oliver embodies, with actual success, all of my failed comedic endeavors. I've praised him before, but I still don't think he gets enough credit.
I grew up thinking I was going to be an "artist," but slowly learned I was no good at that. The creatives I looked up to always taught me that artists have a social responsibility to comment on the world around them. I hope I was able to capture that sentiment with whatever I did. John Oliver & Team does it with nuance, intelligence, humility, care, and while being incredibly funny.
In this episode he interviews Monica Lewinsky. How she was able to put her life together after going through a meat grinder is beyond me — I know I am not strong enough to have withstood what she went through. What an incredible individual with a great sense of humor.

Privilege & Fraud — Academia Is Still Important!

Academia is still a very important institution — it's a place where we: test ideas; gather & share knowledge; challenge each other; and give people the tools to navigate the complicated world around them. That is why the recent news about admissions fraud is even more disappointing. Those that value academia need not turn their back on it, but should be critical & honest about the ethical failures of these schools.

My parents worked multiple jobs and saved for years so that we could move to a nicer school district. In the end, I wasn't able to attend Wayzata High School because they re-did district borders (because you can't have the poorer part of Plymouth coming to such a pristine school). It all worked out for me because I met some of my best friends and had some of the best teachers at Osseo Senior High School. But this is why my professional career will be about breaking down barriers, giving people more access, and helping people to see privilege.

Go Out to L.A or N.Y if You're Truly Skilled

Critical mass and economies of scale certainly matter, but the objective need not be the hoarding of wealth, but rather the gracious diffusion of it. Feed your roots for they shall feed you.

Donald Trump: A Catch 22

I really wanted to see Donald Trump succeed as president because we all thrive if he does a good job. I remained pretty quiet during the onset of his tenure because even Donald Trump deserves a chance. Also, it’s not like I have any real influence on a large, or even moderate, scale. However – minus Nazis, Klan members, and members of the alt-right – I think we have all seen an immense degradation in morality and ethics in the White House and the political space due to President Trump. This is to say I support and believe we need to strengthen the resistance against this failed experiment. But there is a catch 22 to keep in mind when correcting President Trump’s wrongs – even when we win, we lose.

Politics is often a game of optics. If we let President Trump and his team do what they want and we let them run this vehicle into a burning ditch then we get to point at the wreckage at the end of this and feel validated. Yes, we’ll have to put the fire out and clean the mess up, but at least we get to say, “I told you so.” We’ll have some cleaning up to do to a certain degree regardless – we have a lot of apologizing to do in the international space, marginalized groups domestically, and to the future generations of this country and world. However, if the resistance is successful and we are able to mitigate the damage this administration plans to enact history will be able to claim Trump’s efforts weren’t so bad. History will also be able to claim that the resistance overacted. Even if we win, we lose.

Hitler gets a lot of ink in your high school history book. What doesn’t get a lot of ink are the numerous alternative timelines that did not occur because a good group of people prevented a tyrannical leader from burning the house down. A negative occurrence – present & absent and not benevolent & malevolent – doesn’t get any ink because it’s a non-occurrence. You might prevent the ship from sinking, but you won’t get any credit for it because a floating ship looks like business as usual.

So should we prevent President Trump from enacting horrible ideas? Of course, but I wouldn’t expect a lot of praise for doing that work because most of it will be invisible. This notion will be disappointing to some, but it’s important to keep in mind. Cheers to a better tomorrow.

Millennials Need To Step The F Up

Fellow Millennials,
Like with any failed episode there ought to be a sound exit strategy in place. We are going to have to answer a lot of questions and do a lot of cleaning up after Trump. We better start planning how we are going to mend our relationships with the rest world, with marginalized groups, and how we are going to explain all this to our children. I doubt, "I thought grandma, grandpa, and my cranky neighbor knew what they were doing," is going to satisfy our children when they see the world they have inherited. Let us organize.

A Review of 2018's Music

Really enjoyed reviewing last year's music and making this episode. Please give it a listen and let me know if I should make more episodes like this one.

Aquaman Film Review

TL;DL — the movie isn't good.

Who Gets Divorced? (Quality Under Pressure Podcast)

Really proud of this episode because it captures what I hope The Quality Under Pressure Podcast becomes — it's conversational, funny, engaged, but we also touch on a topic that is considered taboo by some. I hope we help normalize topics with lots of social stigma attached by talking about them. An intentional, engaged, and meaningful conversation is a very powerful tool. It's why I love meeting up with people for 1-on-1 chats over coffee and it's why I formatted the show after that sentiment. Plus, I get to see 2 of my best friends & co-hosts more often because of this project.

A big thanks to Leah for joining us and being an open book. Not everyone would be that open about their divorce and I am grateful for your generosity & courage. I'm glad we got your perspective on divorce and that we all laughed while you shared your insight. Also, thank you for the solid logo! It almost looks like we know what we're doing because of it.
It's crazy to me that one could judge another for being divorced. Marriage is an antiquated practice and if divorce brings happiness to the people involved we should be supporting them. At the same time, if marriage brings you joy then you should be allowed to practice it, but that doesn't mean it's right for everyone. The issue is that society tells you to get married and to stay married even if it means sacrificing happiness and health. Hopefully our conversation helps shine a little light to bring a little more balance to the topic.

I get stoked every time we record episodes. I really hope future episodes end up like this one and our episode on religion with McKenna & Leo — they're funny & light, but we dig into some important topics. If you're going to check the podcast out, I would start with 1 of those episodes. You can find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play, YouTube, and many other platforms.

The Quality Under Pressure Podcast

I started a new podcast and it's been great fun.
Please check it out if you have time.

On Our Way, Troubled One...

It's always the troubled that take a second to look around, isn't it?

Maybe it's because it's all we have — our troubles. 

Story of the Year - "The Black Swan"

In my opinion, Story of the Year's 2008 release, "The Black Swan," is the best album they put out. "Page Avenue" might have had more commercial success, but I do not think it stacks up against "The Black Swan." It's an album that looks at human existence while touching political and social topics. The album also has an interlude that includes an excerpt from Carl Sagan so that already scores many points in my book.
The album was released towards the end of the W. Bush era and it captures the tumultuous times in 13 beautiful tracks. The album begins with Bush speaking and the first word we get from frontman Dan Marsala is "liar." The album continues by urging listeners to wake up, think, organize, unite, and take action.
I still come back to this album 10 years later and it's still great. In fact, the album seems to have taken on new meaning considering the actions our current president is taking.

To The Old Man Above

So you’re probably thinking — “why air out our beef on social media?” — but you’re probably not actually thinking that because you’re not a millennial with all history (false or correct) at your THUMB (none of this FINGERTIPS crap! The thumb is underappreciated sometimes — separate post to come — maybe).

But dude, can I listen to this jazz music at a volume I can appreciate? Admit it, you actually kind of enjoy that I like smooth jazz just like you once used to. In fact, come on down, there’s no reason we can’t enjoy the sounds of Miles Davis together.

But are you actually typing on your smart phone with your fingertips? No, you’re not — you’re probably wondering how quickly you can thumb through this pretentious post with your thumb right now! You’re likely only using fingertips if you’re using the tip of your ring finger because your other fingertips are too busy with food and baby poop — and you can’t get Doritos dust on your phone! Your pinky is just there to act as a counter weight — because, well, you know — physics, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and blah blah blah.

The old man above isn’t a god. The old man above isn’t even a grumpy old man that lives 20 feet above me. The old man is me.

The Super Bowl: A Cacophony for the Deaf

That is an image of Mercedes-Benz’s marketing campaign involving Che Guevara. That is not from a The Onion article — it was a real thing which you can read more about HERE. More on this later.

I have been a fan of sports since the fourth grade. I was first introduced to the National Basketball Association (N.B.A) by someone at church which acted as my gateway to baseball which lead me to football. I love playing and following sports, but the Super Bowl is easily the most exaggerated event on the planet. It’s less about football and more about spectacle. I’ve seriously been to “football parties,” although I try to avoid these now, where the people attending do everything but watch the football game. There are moments at these parties when I get excited about a splash play and literally everyone else will look up from their phones and ask me, “What happened?” At a “football party.” Where people gather to watch football.

Super Bowl 52 happened to be a really entertaining game. It was a well played, relatively penalty free, back and forth game that came down to the end. However, it was still overhyped. And to make things worse, the commercials were really atrocious. Take for example, this BUDWEISER COMMERCIAL. Now, I am not knocking their effort to help people — that is a wonderful thing. What I am knocking is how they spent north of 5 million dollars to pat themselves on the back for helping people when they could have used those 5 million dollars to actually help people. The only thing valuable to emerge from this commercial is that Budweiser has finally admitted that their beer is water.

Then take this well thought out DODGE RAM COMMERCIAL. And by well thought out I mean mind numbingly stupid. Who thought using content from a Dr. Martin Luther King Junior speech to sell a horrible truck was a good idea? If it wasn’t the person involved in the Che Guevara Mercedes-Benz campaign, here’s what needs to happen — the person behind the MLK commercial and the person behind the Che Guevara idea need to sit in a cold, dark, isolated room together and slap each other in the face until something semi-intelligent materializes.

Yes, these commercials are heinous and the Super Bowl is a joke, but what bothers me most is that it works. Common folk will irresponsibly spend a silly amount of money on the Super Bowl only to serve the wealthy. If these commercials didn’t cause people to go out and buy these stupid products, these companies wouldn’t spend 5 million dollars for a 30 second spot. Plain and simple, it works. The Super Bowl is a cacophony wasted on the deaf. It is such a wasted teachable moment and that is why it stings. If the deaf could hear, they would know that what looks like a beautiful symphony is in fact a cacophony that is so loud that we are all going deaf. 

There, however, was one good commercial — check out this GROUPON COMMERCIAL and watch a rich white dude get a football kicked into his nuts. 

Beer Pong - A Masochist's Game

Beer pong is a game enjoyed by adults (and naughty under aged teenagers) typically within a social context where the primary directive of the night is to become inebriated. In the game, when an individual or team succeeds, the opposing side is punished by having to consume alcohol. So, if the penalty of losing is also the primary objective of the evening -- like, WTF? The incentive scheme is backwards.

Thank You Mr. Kevin Garnett

I never got a chance to post about Mr. Kevin Garnett after he announced his retirement. I was obsessed with basketball when I was younger, and I can't think of another athlete that had a bigger impact on my life than Kevin Garnett. His fire during the games, his charisma after the games, and his loyalty (especially to the Minnesota Timberwolves) is a package that may never be matched.
To this day, when I play basketball, I run on every single possession. It's a characteristic that I learned from Kevin Garnett when I was in grade school. It's a lesson he learned from Karl Malone. I have prevented so many easy fast break opportunities, and it's all from watching Kevin Garnett play. Sure, 99% of the easy fast break opportunities were converted successfully, but that 1% is completely worth it. I learned that being exhausted and in pain is an easier feeling than the feeling of, "I didn't do enough".
Giving-it-your-all is a lesson I learned early. So thank you, Mr. Garnett.

"Where To Invade Next" Review

Michael Moore's latest documentary, "Where To Invade Next," is a humorous, touching, and illuminating look at policies that have worked in other parts of the world. It's also a very positive documentary compared to Moore's previous works. It's a film anyone can watch and take something from regardless of political affiliation.
Many topics are discussed in the documentary. Moore visits Italy to look deeper into paid time off, and how this effects productivity, happiness and stress. While he is there, paternal and maternal leave is discussed. France is Moore's second destination, and there he sees how kids are fed at school. We learn that having better "food culture" not only changes how nutritious our foods are, but we also gain skills from learning etiquette. While in France, Moore asks about their sexual education curriculum. That transitions to Finland's top education system, and their immensely different view on education. And when talking about education, it's difficult not to talk about how expensive higher education is in America. That's when Moore takes us to Slovenia, and we are exposed to their debt free college student. Even at that point, we are not even half way done with the documentary. A handful of other countries are visited and with each new country we gain greater insight. I thoroughly enjoyed this documentary.

"Captain America: Civil War" Review

I'm not a big fan of superhero movies. It was fun once or twice, but they've been coming out year after year for so long. First we had to deal with each individual Marvel franchise so that they could coalesce into one giant Avengers thread. Now DC is trying to build a similar pillar. And let us not forget about Fox's X-Men movies. I like that the DC team is taking their universe down a darker path, but overall it's no contest when comparing what DC is doing and what Marvel is doing. Marvel's vision is so much tighter, and it shines through in Captain America: Civil War.

If you've seen Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3, Thor, Thor: The Dark World, Avengers, Avengers: Age Of Ultron, Ant Man, Captain America: The First Avenger, and/or Captain America: The Winter Solider (Whew!), you know what you're getting into. Marvel didn't break away from what is working. Prepare yourself for a CG happy, explosion friendly, slap-stick humor fused film that does well in setting up the next movie. Speaking of setting up the next film, like with any Marvel movie, stay until the very end. Like the very, very end. I think fans will be very pleased with the teaser.

The film did have some interesting ethical questions it juggled. The film brings up the age old debate of utilitarianism vs. deontology. Is it okay that a few people get hurt along the way if the greater good is protected? Or must the means be as just as the ends? It really sets up great friction between Captain America's team and Iron Man's team (thus, "Civil War"), even if the framing is hardly fair within the movie. The movie has Captain America's name in it, so clearly the audience is nudged in that direction. However, it does set up a neat dichotomy for the audience.

The World Wide Web lost their collective cool when it was revealed that Spider Man would make his debut in this Marvel/Disney universe. I thought the teasers did a great job not showing too much. I think fans will be very pleased with Spider Man's presence in this film. If a grumpy film viewer like me could enjoy it, you can too. I'm a fan of Paul Rudd, so I wish they would've included Ant Man a bit more in the film. Regardless, I enjoyed the film and I expect it to do very well.

"Ex Machina" Review

Ex Machina is a damn good movie! I'm sorry we've been distracted by other shiny objects disguised as movies while this gem goes relatively unnoticed. This is one of the best films I've seen in a long time and a film that threatens to enter my all time favorites list. What an embarrassment that it took me so long to watch it. I almost saw it in theaters on multiple occasions, but by democratic decision my friends chose other movies before Ex Machina. We truly missed out.

I should've looked into the film a bit more because then I would've assumed I'd like the movie. Alex Garland wrote 28 Days Later and Sunshine which are 2 movies I can watch anytime on any day. This was his directorial debut and I think he knocked it out of the park. The movie handles philosophical questions about evolution, humanity, The Singularity, and so on. Not only is the movie dense, but it is such a beautiful movie. It's what I wanted my movies to "feel" like. Gritty, yet elegant. Dense, yet simple. Uncomfortable, yet desirable.

The 3 main actors are names we should all get to know too. Their star power continues to rise and I think we'll be seeing much more of them in the future. If we didn't know Alicia Vikander was an actual person, we might've thought she were an actual robot. It doesn't seem fair that Sweden has all sorts great policies on top of producing beautiful and talented women like Alicia Vikander. I think out of all the places I Periscoped, Sweden had the highest concentration of intelligent and beautiful women.

You'll notice that the movie was given an R rating and one of the reasons is for "graphic nudity". I don't think I will ever understand what that could mean. We all have bodies, and when we don't follow the social convention of being clothed, we are nude. There is nothing graphic about it. I have body image issues, and even I know this is stupid. Please go watch this film.