2010 census (in 2011): favorite teams

Back in June 07, I took stock of my favorite teams. 

The gist was that it was far and away the Chiefs, then Illini basketball and football close together and then I didn't really have teams beyond that.

Here's where I stand now:

Currently I would represent them graphically as:

Chiefs
-
-
Illini Hoops
Illini Football
-
-
Avalanche
Nuggets
-
Rockies
Rapids
Arsenal

2010 Census: Writing The Future

(I know this is 2011, but I'm tagging this with 2010 census because its about predicting the future.)

What will life be like later this century?

There were plenty of predictions from 1950 for the year 2000.

So what do I think things will look like in the next 50+ years?

SOCIAL

Anti-gay policies will be wiped away, and looked upon as shamefully as the anti-woman, anti-black sentiments of our past. Marriage will be owned as a religious ceremony, so individual churches can decided what kind of marriages they perform, but the right to marry who you want will not be denied by the government.

CARS

There will be no exhaust. The only emissions will be water/water vapor. A combination of batteries/electric/hydrogen/solar will fight it out. Gas Station companies like Shell will stay in business by converting to places where you stop to refuel by charging your car.

People will still drive their own cars but there will be technology that greatly reduces the number of car accidents.

TECHNOLOGY

Basically everything in your house/car/life will be part of a network/internet. Locks, lights, oven, blender, all connected, all wireless. You'll never be locked out. And while houses will still use some power from power plants, most houses will have solar panels and other energy sources to try and be self-sufficient.

Television will not have a select number of channels that "you get." Programming will be delivered via the internet. Instead of being limited to 100 or 200 channels, your TV will have an entry more like an address bar where you can access an unlimited number of internet channels. NBC and MTV will still deliver programming through the internet, mostly on-demand. Yet anyone will be able to post their own content, and people can watch it immediately. Live sports/events will continue to be important.

Screens will get impossibly flat. It will be common for them to be embedded in walls. They will also have the option of being hung on the wall like a poster.

Showers will come standard with digital water temperature settings and multiple programmable presets, so everyone in the family can shower at their exact desired temperature.

SPORTS

Football will not be the most popular sport. Players will be too big and fast and too many injuries will lessen the popularity. Basketball will take over. Perhaps there will be a new sport, or new version of basketball that incorporates some elements of football: the importance of possession, playcalling and stoppages after a play, about 20 games per year.

2010 census: projecting the future

Where will I be in 10 years?

Well, let's recap where I'm at right now in 2010. I'm 26, a 5-year copywriter in Chicago. I'm married, no kids, and write in my free time but have nothing published.

In 2020, I predict I will be an ACD in Denver. I'll be married, have 2 kids, and I predict I'll have at least gotten one thing published.

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I also have a favorite quote that seems appropriate: "If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans." Or shorter, "We make plans, God laughs."

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Oh and I predict I'll be 36.

2010 census: favorite hobbies

In no particular order...

cooking & eating
watching football and march madness (and the fantasy, brackets, betting that goes along with that)
creative writing (blog, fiction, ads, writing about cooking and sports)
listening to music
reading
shooting hoops, playing golf, tennis, soccer, frisbee golf
video games
photography

2010 census: favorite books

Another post in the 2010 Census series, basically a time capsule so I can see what I was into.


This list is probably the least reliable. As I said yesterday, I don't really read books more than once. And often, even if I enjoy a book, I might forget about it a few months later. I just finished City of Thieves and really enjoyed it. I know I read How I Became A Famous Novelist last fall--I think I enjoyed it, but can't elaborate on it.

Also, I tend to prefer authors, and I'm in the process of reading through Vonnegut's library (right now I think he's surpassed Palahniuk as my favorite author) and he still has some novels I've yet to read.

It's funny how easy it was to come up with my favorite bands, but pulling a list of my favorite books is almost impossible. I'm sure there's more that belong here, but if I can't remember them, what does that say about them?

Salinger: Catcher in the Rye
Palahniuk: Choke / Survivor/ Rant / Lullaby / Fight Club
Vonnegut: Slaughterhuse-Five / Timequake / Deadeye Dick / Breakfast of Champions
Gladwell: Tipping Point / Blink / Outliers
Dubner & Leavitt: Freakonomics / Superfreakonomics
Wiszowaty: My Massai Life

2010 census: favorite video games

Another post in the 2010 Census series, basically a time capsule so I can see what I was into. 

In this process, I've discovered something inherently different about how I consume films, music, video games, and books. I almost never read the same book twice. My favorite films (Fight Club and Lebowski) I can watch over and over. If I enjoy a movie, even if it wasn't in my top echelon, I might come back to it a few years later (Confidence, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and Lucky Number Slevin come to mind recently). But generally, I'll usually only see a movie once or twice. With music, I don't even think I can judge an album until I've listened to it at least 5 times. There are records that aren't even by my favorite bands that I've probably heard over 50 times (Third Eye Blind selftitled for example).

 And then there's video games. Which because of technological advancements, means that something that was absolutely mind blowing, and may have had a profound impact on me, I might never play again because the experience doesn't hold up. So do I judge my favorites in 2010 by what I would pick up and play right now, or judge them in the context of the time? I think I have to give some nod to the context, but also recognize what I would still play today, given the console of the time in front of me. 

NES
Super Tecmo Bowl 

Genesis
NHL '96

Playstation
Metal Gear Solid

Dreamcast
Tony Hawk 2

PS2
GTA3, Vice City, San Andreas
Hitman 2, Contracts
College Hoops 2k5 

Burnout 3  

PS3
Assassin's Creed 2
GTA 4
Saints Row 2
Portal
Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket Powered Battle Cars
The Saboteur

2010 census: favorite films

Another post in the 2010 Census series, basically a time capsule so I can see what I was into.

Here are my top ten favorite films, chronologically:

Groundhog Day (1993)
Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Seven (1995)
The Big Lebowski (1998)
Fight Club (1999)
Memento (2001)
Adaptation (2002)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Inception (2010)

Honorable Mentions:

Back To The Future (1 & 2)
Little Miss Sunshine
American Beauty
Fugitive
Anchorman
Almost Famous
Dark Knight

And maybe some more that I've missed...leave 'em in the comments.

2010 census: favorite foods

Yesterday Mrs. Hoagie Central surprised me by making a deluxe, 4-course meal and having it hot and ready when I got home.

First Course:
Super 4-cheese garlic bread: Provolone, asiago, parmesan, and romano + olive oil, butter and lots of garlic = delicious.

Second & Third Course:
A fresh, Stockman & Dakota porterhouse (my favorite cut of steak), that was probably a good 10 ounces. Plus, my favorite greek-style potatoes, made with lemon juice and LOTS of garlic.

Fourth Course:
Not one but two desserts: a homemade chocolate mousse pie with whipped cream and a butterfinger/dark reeses candy topping. And a double fudge pan of brownies. I didn't even get to the brownies really, everything else was so good and filling.

Plus, she got Sprecher root beer, something I saw in Wisconsin and didn't get and figured that I missed my chance. (Rated #1 by NYTimes according to its label and it was damn good.)

Of course the way to my heart is through my stomach.

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During the meal she told me that the hardest part was coming up with the menu. She wanted me to make a post with my favorite meals, so that if she ever wanted to do this again, she'd know what to make.

Here goes.


First off, there are the things that don't require or can't really be done at home: picking up a slab of ribs, or rib tips (aka pork burnt ends) from a barbecue place. My favorite Chicago carryout order is the Italian Beef / Italian Sausage combo sandwich with hot peppers (Johnny's, Portillo's, Al's, Buona, it doesn't matter.) Of course you can't go wrong with a sausage deep dish from Edwardo's or if that's not feasible, how about a Hawaiian? (pineapple, ham and bacon from Dominos or wherever is a winner. If you're limited to two toppings: pineapple, and then half-bacon, half-ham!)

And packaged things from the grocery store: Hot & Spicy Cheez-its, Kettle brand chips (NY Cheddar or Yogurt/Sour Cream & Onion), Mint Milano cookies, and Snyder Jalepeno Cheddar Pumpernickel Pretzel bits if you can find them (weren't at my local Jewel).

For appetizers, I love garlic bread. Also, "pigs in a blanket": lil smokies rolled up inside crescent rolls baked in the oven. Also, meatballs in BBQ sauce. Oh yeah, good cheese on crackers: like Black Diamond brand Aged White Cheddar. Oooh, Tostitos with Lime, paired with sour cream and salsa.

For side dishes, love those greek-style potatoes. Also, cheesy au gratin potatoes remind me of childhood. A healthier option is oven fries (20 minutes at 450) or a simpler option is TJ's sweet potato fries.

For main courses, it's hard to go wrong with steak. A burger on sourdough is nice (any way to get more sourdough bread inside me is always good). Italian sausages on the grill are good. And I like fajitas, especially with the full-out sour cream, Pace Picante, and guacamole. As for options that could be vegetarian, I'd enjoy homemade baked enchiladas, or lasagna (no-boil noodles make it simpler) or homemade pizza with fresh mozz and peppers, although you do need to make the homemade sauce, so it's only good if that's already made.

And then dessert. Anything with chocolate is a winner. Brownies with chocolate chips (I like them in a 9x13 pan), mousse pie with candy topping, chocolate chip or pecan pie. Dutch apple pie is good too.

To sum up, I want to weigh 4,000 pounds.

favorite cds from favorite bands

Since it would be too hard to try to pick my ten favorite albums, I thought it might be interesting to pick my favorite album by each of my ten favorite bands.

I'll arrange them chronologically.

Sublime: 40 oz. to Freedom (1992)

311: Grassroots (1994)

Weezer: Pinkerton (1996)

Alkaline Trio: Goddamnit (1998)

Dashboard Confessional: The Swiss Army Romance (2000)

Brand New: Deja Entendu (2003)

Motion City Soundtrack: Commit This to Memory (2005)

The Hold Steady: Boys and Girls in America (2006)

Ozma: Pasadena (2007)

Panic at the Disco: Pretty. Odd. (2008)

2010 census: favorite music

After reflecting on how much I love Ozma's Pasadena album, I realized that they have made it into the upper echelon of my favorite bands. Which got me thinking, what are my current favorite bands?

I started making a list and this is what it looked like (alphabetized, not a ranking order):

311
Alkaline Trio
Brand New
Dashboard Confessional
The Hold Steady
Motion City Soundtrack
Ozma
Panic at the Disco
Weezer

That seemed about right. And then I counted and saw that the list was 9. Which lead to me think, I'm only one away from having a top ten. So after a mild internal debate, I picked Sublime.

The next ten would look something like:

Vampire Weekend
The Get Up Kids
The Strokes
The Stereo
The Impossibles
The Anniversary
Forever the Sickest Kids
The Juliana Theory
Jimmy Eat World
Flickerstick or Cartel

(I haven't heard Vampire Weekend's new album yet and couldn't put them in the top ten based on just one cd. But almost did.)

Because I'm terribly, terribly nerdy, the next thing I thought of was to map where these bands were from, to see if there was any thing interesting.

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Her are my current top ten:


And here's what happens when you expand the map to include the top 20:



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A couple thoughts. So of the top 20, 4 in the New York area, and three are in the LA area. The band that Ozma is always compared to is Weezer, so it's interesting to see they are from the same place.

The Hold Steady while "from Brooklyn" have connections/lyrics about Minneapolis, where MCS and The Stereo are from. Also The Stereo has connections to Tempe, Arizona, the area of JimmyEatWorld.

Odd that the Kansas City/Lawrence area has produced more bands that I like than Chicago. Also, who actually lives in Las Vegas? That's pretty odd.

(Get it?)

Also, not pictured, but there are other Florida bands that I listen to besides DC. New Found Glory. But no one else will ever be from Omaha. Also, Juliana Theory from outside Pittsburgh? I would have guessed New England based on their lyrics, but steel country?

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When it came time to title this post, I thought this would be a nice "state of the union" - time capsule sort of post. Something I could look back on later and know exactly what I was feeling at the time. So I've tagged it as the 2010 census and there might be more of these posts to come this year.