American Decency Lowered Another Notch in Aftermath of Sandy Hook

Posted on December 24, 2012 by theurbanllama

Sandy HookI’m still having trouble processing the Sandy Hook shootings. I cannot imagine how horrible this must be for the parents and families involved.

I was listening to an old mix tape today when out popped a staple from 1982, “I Melt With You,” by the British band Modern English.

For whatever reason, the lyrics made me think about Sandy Hook.

“Dream of better lives the kind which never hate; Dropped in the state of imaginary grace; I made a pilgrimage to save this human race; Never comprehending the race had long gone by…”

We certainly lost something after the Aurora massacre. It’s hard not to consider your surroundings when going to the movies or live events anymore. But walking into an elementary school and executing children is unimaginable.

This act cost us a level of innocence that cannot be recovered.

None of us knows how to process this kind of violence. But we all know a very disturbing line has been crossed. If this can happen – if we can’t keep our children safe at school, what is next?

I find it beyond reprehensible that assault weapon sales are booming.

If you are out buying guns you are part of the problem.

In tiny Harrold, Texas, the school board voted to let teachers bring guns to school. Lawmakers in Oklahoma, Missouri, Minnesota, South Dakota and Oregon are considering similar legislation.

In the same vein, a company is selling body armor for children that comes in the form of a backpack – and sales are through the roof.

Amendment II, a Utah-based company that makes lightweight body armor for military and police, tripled its monthly sales total of these backpacks in just a week.

The carbon nanotube armor comes in kid-friendly themed Avengers or Disney princess versions.

I don’t even know what to say to that.

Arming our kindergarten teachers and putting Kevlar on our children is not the answer.

And I condemn the NRA for its callous suggestion of placing armed police officers in every school. This will only amplify paranoia around the country, and is a pathetic attempt to distract attention away from discussions of expanding gun control.

What I despise about this line of thinking is its defeatist mentality. These people are giving in and accepting this level of danger as acceptable, so they move to combatting it instead of trying to treat the problem.

Americans do this a lot. We choose to address a symptom instead of the actual problem, because that is the easier road. There is less resistance, and we don’t have to examine ourselves and the choices we have all made that put us in these situations.

That is much heavier lifting.

There is an underlying culture of violence in America that embraces guns and glorifies conflict that is pushing its way past entertainment purposes and into reality. I appreciate Second Amendment advocates, but not all guns need to be available to the public, and certain people may not be a good fit for gun ownership.

We’ve also done a horrible job of stripping away money from education, mental health care, after-school programs, and a variety of preventative measures that could help identify and treat kids and adults that have personality disorders.

We choose to cut preventative care and education to fund tax cuts and fight non-essential wars that cost additional young men and women their lives.

It’s a travesty that is bankrupting America’s decency.

Indulge me for a minute and watch this brief video. It’s a clip from “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell.” If you haven’t caught the post-game remarks from Pat Kelsey, the Winthrop University basketball coach, check it out.

Kelsey knows a little about emotional loss and anguish, and about mental health. He took some time away from coaching in 2007 after he found his mentor, Skip Prosser, the former Wake Forest coach, dead from a heart attack on his office couch. Kelsey knows what it’s like to work a busy job and sacrifice time away from loved ones, and have a sudden death take away the chance to make that lost time right.

For the victims’ parents there is no making this right.

I feel for those families of course, but the teachers, firefighters, paramedics, police and doctors who witnessed this carnage are also terribly damaged. It’s incomprehensible what seeing those innocent bodies must have been like.

It would haunt me for life.

I’ve heard stories from police officers that have had to deal with car accidents involving children. The carnage of small bodies shakes them to the bone.

Something intentional like what occurred at Sandy Hook carves out a void in all who see it. I know the first responders and teachers are hurting, because they take on the responsibility of keeping this kind of harm away from kids.

It’s not their fault. The kind of evil that crept inside Adam Lanza is not anything we could anticipate, but it stings extra hard for the adults charged with child safety in Newtown. Those folks could all use a big hug this Christmas and have somebody tell them “it’s alright, it wasn’t your fault.”

I go back to that Modern English song. The chorus goes:

“I’ll stop the world and melt with you; I’ve seen some changes but it’s getting better all the time; There’s nothing you and I won’t do; I’ll stop the world and melt with you.”

The father of one of the victims reflects his pain.

The father of one of the victims reflects his pain.

For 20 parents and six other families there is nothing to melt over this Christmas, only tears.

No longer is it getting better in America all the time.

We need to slow down and remember to take care of what is really important, or these precious freedoms we hold so dear are going to get away from us.

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Romney Snags Biggest Lie and Best Quote of 2012

Posted on December 20, 2012 by theurbanllama
Those lies start to sting.

Those lies start to cause a burning sensation.

In a year consumed by partisan politics, it is no surprise to see the biggest lie told and the best quote of 2012 both came from the bitterly contested presidential race.

Not coincidentally these unfortunate distinctions belong to failed Republican challenger Mitt Romney.

It’s interesting how little separated Romney from being president versus his rejoining the board of directors of Marriott-International.

With over 120 million votes cast, Barack Obama won re-election by only a couple million. That was plenty to create a wide disparity in the Electoral College, 332 to 206, but a close election by popular vote standards.

With the economy not recovering nearly as well as Obama had promised, the opening was there for a Romney upset. He pledged to make things better for individuals by creating more jobs.

This argument had merit, and was significant enough to build a winning strategy around.

But Romney strayed from the high road, choosing tax and budget strategies that clearly favored the wealthy, and refused to detail where he would cut funds to save costs or what deduction loopholes he intended to close.

This created a conflict for voters considering Romney, because his message said one thing and his intentions another.

Still, the race remained close.

Romney’s true undoing began with the secret taping of his remarks at a private fundraiser in May.

With all the uproar surrounding his declared exit from Bain Capital and Romney’s refusal to turn over additional income tax returns, there already was an elitist image forming around the GOP challenger.

Then Romney was recorded saying:

“There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what… who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims. These are people who pay no income tax… and so my job is not to worry about those people. I’ll never convince them that they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.”

[MITT ROMNEY – 47 PERCENT FUNDRAISER]

This was the year’s top quote according to Fred Shapiro, associate librarian at Yale Law School, who released his seventh annual list of the most notable quotations of the year.

Romney Lie“Debate remarks and gaffes actually seemed to play an important role in the ups and downs of the election campaign and may even have affected the ultimate outcome of the election,” said Shapiro.

Romney also secured the second most infamous quote with his classic line from the third presidential debate about finding a female to work in his cabinet after becoming governor of Massachusetts.

“We took a concerted effort to go out and find women who had backgrounds that could be qualified to become members of our cabinet (in Massachusetts). I went to a number of women’s groups and said, “Can you help us find folks?” and they brought us BINDERS FULL OF WOMEN.”

That line exploded in the cyber-universe instantaneously.

“It contributed to an image of him [Romney] as being somewhat out of touch and maybe particularly out of touch with issues related to women,” said Shapiro.

This set the table for the campaign going into its last weeks. Obama continued to lead overall, but the race had tightened and Romney was tied or within the margin of error in most battleground polls.

It was coming down to OHIO once again, and that was a problem.

There was no way to get around the fact that Romney had not supported Obama’s auto-industry bailout. That saved a lot of jobs, and those workers and their families in Ohio were thankful to the president.

I imagine Romney’s internal polling showed there was a gap he could not counter, which meant he had a choice; either continue campaigning with dignity and ride it out, or lie.

Romney chose the low road, once again, and opted to fire a Hail Mary pass towards the end zone and see if he could trick Ohio voters into believing Chrysler was pulling its plants out of Ohio due to Obama, and moving its Jeep production to China.

This earned PolitiFact’s “Lie of the Year.”

This lie tainted Romney's image permanently.

This lie tainted Romney’s image permanently.

It drew a rare, direct rebuke from Chrysler itself – rejecting the claim publicly, saying the company was reviewing adding production in China, not moving out of the United States.

Making matters worse, when a media firestorm erupted around this lie, Romney doubled down and steadfastly stood by the inaccuracy.

“People often say that politicians don’t pay a price for deception, but this time was different. A flood of negative press coverage rained down on the Romney campaign, and he failed to turn the tide in Ohio, the most important state in the presidential election,” said PolitiFact’s Angie Drobnic Holan.

It all came down to a few moments, when Romney’s unflappable exterior belied him, and his true personality was exposed.

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WEEK 20 WORKOUT

Posted on December 20, 2012 by theurbanllama

WEEK 20 (December 10-December 16)

No workouts this week.

Total Running Miles: 0

Weight: 192 (-18.4 lbs.)

Training Days Remaining: 15

Notes: I had to move last Sunday and I’m still getting stuff out of the old place, into the new and cleaning up the mess. It’s been a sort-of-workout. My arms, hands, fingers, and back are rocked.

There’s also Christmas to address, and I have to say the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. has been weighing on my mind quite a bit. That is just so horrible. My baby girl is only 8-months old, and I can’t imagine losing her. Much less losing a child when they are five or older, when you are more attached and they have become little humans, with their own personalities. It’s unimaginable, especially around Christmas.

I should go workout. It would help get my head back on straight, but not yet. Probably not working out much next week either. I’ll get back soon…

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GUN RAMPAGE IN CONNECTICUT KILLS 28

Posted on December 15, 2012 by theurbanllama

NewtownFriday morning Adam Lanza, a 20-year old resident of Newtown, Connecticut had a problem, and he decided to settle it by shooting his mother in the face, and then went to Sandy Hook Elementary School, where he murdered 20 children and six adults before turning the gun upon himself.

How do you shoot 20 innocent children?

They were little kids between five and 10 years of age.

“Evil visited this community today,” Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy said at a news conference Friday evening.

This upscale New England township of 27,000, located about 60 miles northeast of New York City, was the idyllic spot to raise a family. Surrounded by woods with babbling creeks, only one homicide had been reported in Newtown over the past 10 years until Friday.

America has seen so much gun violence lately. While these are harsh times in our country, and our social safety net is not what it should be, that doesn’t explain why people feel compelled to take out their personal issues on innocent bystanders by bringing guns to work, or school, or into a movie theater, and then opening fire.

I’m not advocating suicide. The gift of life is not something to toss away lightly, but if life has become too burdensome, by all means check yourself out, but don’t take others down with you.

The sad part about this tragedy is that initially it will re-energize the gun control debate, but that initiative likely will fade and the deaths of these 28 people will matter little to those outside their families and community.

A visibly upset President Barack Obama vowed Friday to “take meaningful action, regardless of the politics,” to prevent future tragedies like the shooting massacre at Sandy Hook.

But what does that really mean?

There is going to be a clamor to clamp down on handgun sales in some way; about limiting the number of weapons owned, perhaps stop the sale of semiautomatics, and there will be hand-wringing about how many guns are available on the streets of America, but I doubt anything will come of it.

The NRA is a powerful advocacy group. It is well-funded, influential and organized. The pro-gun lobby is already out making the case for enhanced gun freedoms in the wake of this incident.

Dressed in black army fatigues and wearing a bullet proof vest, Lanza came to Sandy Hook Elementary School around 9:30 a.m. armed with a Glock and a SIG Sauer, both semiautomatic pistols, and a .223 Bushmaster assault rifle.

All three weapons were legally purchased and registered by Lanza’s mother.

Panicked phone calls in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook massacre.

Panicked phone calls in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook massacre.

Unfortunately, this heartbreaking event, and ones like the Aurora, Colo. shooting earlier this year, where James Eagan Holmes killed 12 people and injured 58 others, only serve to help gun zealots make their case.

That Lanza and Holmes were troubled kids, that they were perhaps mentally unstable or had personality disorders, allows for strict advocates of the Second Amendment to argue that crazy, unpredictable people are out there, and that we need to bear arms on our persons at all times for protection.

Now they will want guns in the schools. Applications across the country for permits to carry concealed will increase, bringing more guns into proximity with innocent people – in the name of “safety.”

I’m afraid the only way to stop this flawed line of reasoning is to wait until an incident occurs where bystanders shoot other innocent bystanders while attempting to stop a crime.

I’m not such an idealist that I don’t recognize that we already have nearly enough guns on the street to provide one to every man, woman and child in America. And each gun will outlast its owners in terms of durability – so guns are out there and will be out there.

There is not going to be some retroactive declaration that requires handguns be surrendered. America was founded upon violence. It is part of our culture and we are guaranteed the freedom to keep and bear arms.

Nobody is trying to eliminate gun ownership, but there is a question of responsibility. How can we balance this freedom with laws and precautions that will limit availability to criminals and the mentally unstable?

A couple simple things would go a long way to preventing some of these incidents.

One, keep police and military grade equipment out of the hands of the public. We don’t need access to bullet proof vests, tear gas, automatic weapons or assault weapons. I don’t care if people like collecting the stuff or want to go play weekend warrior – ban the sale of all this equipment to the public.

Second, close the gun show loophole, whereby people purchasing any firearm must undergo full background checks. Sorry if that means a pistol can’t be purchased same day – pay a fee and it can be shipped once the background check is complete.

This is one situation where safety outweighs convenience.

Nothing can be done to preclude a person from privately selling their firearm to another interested party, but tightening restrictions on new purchases would make a statement and be a step in the right direction.

There is considerable statistical evidence that in places like Europe, where handguns are banned, that there is a corresponding lesser level of gun violence.

More guns do not make us safer, in fact exactly the opposite has been proven true.

America sees record levels of accidental deaths in homes from guns being improperly handled or stored; suicides are more successful because people have access to firearms; and arguments and crimes more often end up deadly because instead of them simply resulting in a minor physical altercation, people in America pull out handguns.

The grieving has only begun for those who suffered a loss in Newtown.

The grieving has only begun for those who suffered a loss in Newtown.

Sandy Hook was the second worst mass shooting in U.S. history, behind only Virginia Tech in 2007, where 32 people were killed.

Ironically, only two days prior, Jacob Tyler Roberts, 22, entered a crowded Oregon mall wearing a mask and opened fire with an AR-15 semiautomatic assault rifle, killing two people then killing himself, but this didn’t spark any outcry for gun control.

Sadly society has adjusted our moral outrage to accept situations like this mall shooting.

Two dead is OK.

Yet we’re not all right with assailants going into our schools and killing little kids.

Will that change in the near future too?

There will be more of these events, but if we begin to limit the number of new guns entering our society perhaps a couple generations down the line we can start to see a decline in the number of guns in America and fewer gun fatalities.

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WEEK 19 TRAINING

Posted on December 13, 2012 by theurbanllama

WEEK 19 (December 03-December 09)

Monday: D/O

Tuesday: Weight Machine Workout; 2.3-Mile Run (Treadmill)

Wednesday: 3.7-Mile Run (Treadmill); Racquetball

Thursday: Three reps each of Teaser/V-up/Straight-leg twisting crunch/Seated criss-cross/Ankle-weighted reverse crunches/3-rounds shadow boxing/3-rounds on heavy bag; Yoga @ YMCA

Friday: D/O

Saturday: Three reps each of Sit-ups/Push-ups/6″/Extreme/Medicine ball reverse crunches; 3-rounds shadow boxing/3-rounds on heavy bag; AB Ball routine; Free-weight workout; 4.5-Mile Run (Treadmill)

Total Running Miles: 10.5

Weight: 189.6 (-20.8 lbs.)

Training Days Remaining: 22

Notes: Good exercises this week. It was excellent to be back running. My ankle was a tad sore at the beginning of each run, but quickly worked its way into a comfortable feeling. The cross-training must have done some good.

My abs were strong and I made advancements in reps for each move in all sets.

I had hoped to get in a Sunday workout, and in a way I did, but unofficially, because it was moving day. We lifted and carried all day. I did sweat a ton, but we ate donuts in the morning and a mess of barbecue for lunch – so not sure how that all worked out, but my weight was good come Monday.

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Jazz Composer and Musician Dave Brubeck Has Left the Building

Posted on December 13, 2012 by theurbanllama

Dave BrubeckPioneering jazz pianist Dave Brubeck died last Wednesday, one day before his 92nd birthday.

I’ve been in the process of moving since last week, and while I took note of Brubeck’s passing at the time I hadn’t had an opportunity, or an Internet connection, where I could sit down and ruminate on the loss.

I listen to music a lot. I can’t say I am a jazz expert by any estimation. My interests run more to blues-infused rock-n-roll and alternative acts. But I appreciate all forms of music. And one thing that leaves a lasting impression on me is when an artist can transcend a genre outside my musical taste and bring me a new experience, because that opens doors for me to a new language of musical expression not previously understood.

Where my taste and jazz cross paths is at the intersection of “improvisation.”

[THE DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET – TAKE THE ‘A’ TRAIN (1966)]

The path less traveled. The path unseen.

A band of musicians may walk down one route hand-in-hand, but in jazz that road diverges into differing pathways, with each musician taking a separate lead.

The Dave Brubeck Quartet.

The Dave Brubeck Quartet.

Brubeck, along with saxophonist Paul Desmond, bassist Eugene Wright and drummer Joe Morello, formed the legendary Dave Brubeck Quartet, and together they were a bridge for me into jazz.

Rock artists like the Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Widespread Panic, Gov’t Mule, Neil Young, the Allman Brothers – these folks all go on psychedelic tangents of improvisation, taking songs and experimenting with 20 minute interludes into uncharted territory that transport a listener on an odyssey, hold the journey together, and offer to return the listener safely from whence they began.

It’s from this branch of the jam band tree that I was able to follow Brubeck to the kingdom of jazz, and from there he gave me Miles, Monk, Dizzy, Bird, and Satchmo.

I discovered Brubeck in an unsuspected location – my parent’s record collection.

Amongst all these classical records, Nat King Cole, Sinatra, Johnny Mathis, and other jazz greats, was where I found “Time Out.”

Originally released in 1959, “Time Out” became the first jazz album to sell a million copies. In 2009, it was repackaged and released in a Legacy Edition to celebrate its 50th Anniversary.

Most discs don’t last a couple weeks on the charts, much less warrant the 50-year treatment.

What makes “Time Out” special is it brought together jazz hipsters and those who had never heard a jazz recording before.

The song “Take Five” has evolved into a classic standard. The word sublime comes to mind upon listening to this centerpiece recording. It still sounds fresh today.

[THE DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET – TAKE FIVE (1966)]

It’s California cool, airy and bright. I get visions of Snoopy, Charlie Brown and Schroeder dancing around like maniacs with their sunglasses on when I hear it.

How does this square looking white guy, with his thick black glasses, pompadour hair, and prim short-sleeved madras shirts end up hanging with Miles Davis and Gil Evans?

Often there is a pretentiousness that can come from jazz purists, but Brubeck wasn’t about that. As a pianist, composer and bandleader, he was accessible; ingenious without being daunting.

It was never an endurance competition to survive one of his compositions. Nor was an academic required to be on-hand to authenticate why a rendition wasn’t actually painful, but instead significant and reverential.

With Brubeck, if you liked what you heard he welcomed all fans in to enjoy the scene.

As one of my journalism professors once said, “simple is hard.” Three easy words that speak volumes, and certainly hold true in the music world.

The more I think about it and listen again to “Time Out,” I recognize Brubeck embodies this combination of experimentation and accessibility.

The avant-garde part of his repertoire is how he changes all the time signatures. He uses counterpoint melodies with these off-beat meters, such as 5/4 on “Time Out” or 7/4 and 9/8.

And he makes it work. Brubeck makes it simple.

[THE DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET – 40 DAYS (1966)]

Through all the success, he eschewed labels of being an intellectual, instead preferring to act like he stumbled upon his musical prowess by accident.

On another of his signature recordings, “The Duke,” Brubeck runs through all 12 keys in the first eight bars, but cagily contends he never realized this until a music professor told him about it.

Dave Brubeck 2In 1954, as Brubeck’s fame rose, he became only the second jazz musician, the other being Louis Armstrong, to be featured on the cover of Time magazine.

He not only pushed the boundaries in the musical world, Brubeck also pushed back against racism. His quartet was a popular draw on the college circuit in the 1950s and 1960s, but segregation still openly existed.

Some institutions took issue with his African-American bassist, Eugene Wright, and requested he play without him. Brubeck defied these leaders.

In 1958 Brubeck similarly refused to tour South Africa after he was asked to sign a contract requiring all his band members be white.

Whether through music or his humanity, Dave Brubeck believed in a simple concept – inclusion.

Thank you for opening a door for me Dave. Have a safe passage, and may your ride to the stars be an enjoyable one.

Peace.

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“Rise of the Guardians” is Spellbinding Fun

Posted on December 6, 2012 by theurbanllama

NorthMaia and I took Gabriel, 9, and Jacy, 8, to see the new DreamWorks Animation adventure, “Rise of the Guardians” Sunday, and found this roller coaster ride of a story extremely enjoyable for the whole family.

I wasn’t sold on going at first. I had visions of reveling in the silence of an empty house for two hours, but since I am nicknamed “The Rabbit,” and being that one of the Guardians happens to be a 6’1″ boomerang-throwing bunny, my presence was requested.

The tale is based upon William Joyce’s, “The Guardians of Childhood” book series, and centers around a group of heroes who each have their own distinct set of extraordinary abilities, and together stand as guardians to the children of the world against the darkness that feeds upon their fears.

[“RISE OF THE GUARDIANS” TRAILER]

The Guardians are characters we all know well:

The Tooth Fairy.

The Tooth Fairy.

The defacto leader is Santa Claus, who is referred to as North (short for North Pole I believe). In this portrayal Santa is more a warrior with a heart of gold than jolly old Saint Nick, who focuses his capabilities upon the responsibility of delivering Christmas. This is a trimmer Santa, with a pronounced Russian accent, and has “Naughty” tattooed on one arm and “Nice” on the other. He’s fond of swords, and has yetis (think the Abominable Snowman and Bigfoot), along with some mischievous elves, to assist in carrying out his obligations. He is voiced by Alec Baldwin.

The Tooth Fairy is an elegant blue and green iridescent half-human, half-hummingbird creature. She is the picture of perpetual motion, as her job of collecting teeth and rewarding children is a 24/7 operation. Luckily Tooth has her baby-fairies to help. What we didn’t know is that kept within every childs’ teeth are the most precious of childhood memories, which the Tooth Fairy safeguards.

Beware of the Easter Bunny.

Beware of the Easter Bunny.

Bunny, as in the Easter Bunny, is of the Australian persuasion, and has a thick Aussie accent that comes via Hugh Jackman, who is speaking in his native tongue for once. This lengthy rabbit is buff, agile and confidant. Bunny also is ready for battle, and sports leather wrist guards, a pair of magical boomerangs and bandolier filled with exploding eggs. This savvy critter is unflappable, aside from getting bristled by North’s never-ending insinuations that Christmas is more important than Easter.

Sandy is the keeper of dreams – The Sandman. He is this diminutive gold-colored apparition, who hovers above the ground, and spins 24-carat golden dreams of majestic dinosaurs and galloping unicorns, which keep the littles snug in their beds as they sleep through the night. He doesn’t speak, but instead uses sand to create illustrations that materialize above his head. Figuring out what he’s trying to say is part of the humor, like playing a game of charades. He may not appear daunting, but Sandy is a fierce warrior and possesses great power as the dreamweaver.

These are the original Guardians, all of whom were selected by the Man in the Moon.

But a darkness is rising.

Pitch, as in Pitch Black, the place where all fear resides, has grown in strength. He has endured generations of parents telling their children not to fear or believe in him, yet the Guardians are beloved by all. The Boogeyman wants his due and is ready to come out from behind the shadows so all will believe in his awful power. Voiced menacingly by Jude Law, this evil spirit with his sinister army of nightmares seeks to overtake the world.

Jack Frost.

Jack Frost.

The Moon feels this threat is such that the time has come to add a new Guardian, Jack Frost to the fold, and together these immortals should join forces for the first time to protect the hopes and dreams of all the children.

Jack Frost, who is voiced by Chris Pine (think Captain Kirk from the new Star Trek movies), is a more obscure and theoretical namesake, usually only summoned to mind when snow arrives. He glides across the winds, tapping his staff on windows and lakes, freezing all with a touch. He is a friend to all children, and deliverer of the coveted “snow day.”

Jack isn’t real keen on joining this crew. He’s not sold this whole Guardians things is legit. But actually he has some confidence issues. He can’t remember his human past, before he became Jack Frost, and the children don’t really believe in him as an entity, so when he appears people walk right through him as if he wasn’t there.

The Sandman gets his mojo working.

The Sandman gets his mojo working.

The movie takes a dark turn once Pitch puts his plan into motion. First he takes Sandy down, then poisons all the children’s dreams. Next he moves to hinder the ability of the Tooth Fairy to make her rounds and ruins Easter. The idea being that if the Guardians can’t fulfill their duties the children will stop believing in them, which starts working, and Tooth and Bunny begin to dissipate.

Even Santa loses his bounce.

It suddenly falls upon Jack to summon the internal strength and courage to do that which he never believed he could do in order to save the day.

The movie does a nice job of subtly addressing how kids might deal with issues of lacking self-confidence, and how being overlooked by adults or their peers can impact children’s self-esteem.

Guardians also highlights the superstition behind each of these characters, and the holidays represented.

[“RISE OF THE GUARDIANS” TRAILER 2]

One thing I found amusing was how we were taken on a tour through the logistical side of how North, Tooth and Bunny manufacture and deliver their wares. It brought to mind those UPS ads about supply chain logistics.

We visit the North Pole, Bunny’s rabbit warren and the Tooth Fairy’s enchanted domain, and witness the healthy competition between the three for who has the best organization, hardest job and fastest service.

Still, North has the Yetis and elves, which are hard to beat for humor. They remind me of the minions in “Despicable Me,” self-deprecating and funny in an understated fashion.

It’s really cool to see all these legends brought to life and put in motion.

Happy dreams provided by The Sandman.

Golden spun dreams courtesy of The Sandman.

Watching how each character travels can’t help but trigger your imagination: Sandy on his spun gold; Tooth with her darting flight; Jack blowing through the wind; Bunny through his magical tunnel network (a nod to Lewis Carroll’s “Alice and Wonderland”), and of course North on his sleigh.

“Everybody loves the sleigh,” Santa confirms.

Peter Ramsey, in his movie directorial debut, unfolds this story beautifully. But the darkness that permeates this film belongs to Guillermo del Toro, the executive producer, who directed the “Hellboy” movies and “Pans Labyrinth.”

If you are in need of a minute away from holiday shopping and could use some innocent entertainment, “Rise of the Guardians” delivers a Christmas spin with just the right edge to keep all ages enthralled.

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Kitty Cats Lose at Home — First Time Since 2009

Posted on December 4, 2012 by theurbanllama
The Holy Land of Big Blue Nation that is Rupp Arena.

The Holy Land of Big Blue Nation that is Rupp Arena.

My brother Geoff and I attended the Kentucky basketball game this past Saturday in Lexington. Yep The Cats lost to Baylor 64-55, marking the first loss at Rupp Arena under Kentucky Coach John Calipari.

It had to happen sooner or later, but this wasn’t supposed to be the time or the team. Vegas favored the Kitty Cats by -7 points. After losing by nine, that is a 16 point swing, a massacre by betting line standards.

It snapped the nation’s longest home win streak at 55 games, with UK’s last home loss coming on March 4, 2009 to Georgia, and forces the question of whether this year’s Cats can mature on the fly in time to situate themselves to compete for a national title in three months.

Kentucky played Baylor tight, but UK is one of the youngest teams in college basketball, and has yet to develop a personality. They battled, but had no players capable of stepping up to hit a meaningful shot, and compounded their inexperience by missing half their free throws.

That will get you beat, but the loss should prove helpful going forward.

Saturday, Wildcat players were making initial moves that would have allowed them to score in high school, but Baylor smacked them in the mouth and Kentucky couldn’t finish.

It’s hard starting a season in the shadow of UK’s 2012 NCAA Championship team. After runs to the Final Eight, Final Four, then winning it all last year, there is an inclination to believe Calipari can plug anybody into his system and it will produce instant success.

The current crop of players believed just that, but now with UK having dropped out of the Top 25 for the first time in 61 weeks they know better.

Kentucky sent six players to the NBA from its championship team, including Anthony Davis, the number one overall pick, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, the number two selection.

UK doesn’t have anybody with this kind of killer instinct on its roster right now.

This is a talented group, long and athletic, but they need to learn quick that name across their jerseys will not guarantee many wins.

One of the big issues is point guard.

C-A-T-S! Cats, Cats, Cats!

C-A-T-S! Cats, Cats, Cats!

NC State transfer Ryan Harrow, a sophomore, has had off-court issues and hasn’t been capable of running the team. Freshman Archie Goodwin has tried filling in, but he is a natural two guard, and UK’s best scorer. His forte isn’t setting up other players and dishing the ball.

Jarrod Polson, a 6-2 junior, has played some decent minutes at point, but is on a short leash. He’s gritty, but the jury is out on whether he has the raw talent to get his own shot.

Down low, neither freshmen Nerlens Noel or Willie Cauley-Stein can score. They are decent rebounders and can block some shots, but neither can score the ball — yet.

Kyle Wiltjer, a 6-10 sophomore, is the only returning player of consequence. The guy has a quick shot and is developing moves closer to the basket, but he is meant to be a role player. If teams focus on him as a featured scorer Wiltjer can be nullified.

The question is whose team is this?

The Duke loss was understandable, but losing to Notre Dame was different. The Fighting Irish won 64-50 and it wasn’t that close.

Kentucky needs a floor general. This is the first team under Calipari where there hasn’t been a proven leader.

This unresolved hoopla only made for a better story line upon entering Rupp Arena. It’s always cool to catch a game at Rupp. Going into the heart of Big Blue Nation is something to behold. It’s a cultural phenomenon.

This NY-style thin crust pizza at its best.

This NY-style thin crust pizza at its best.

Lately I have been pulling major time with my baby girl and the two boys, so getting out to catch a game was a welcomed treat.

Thanks Geoff!

We met up at The Grey Goose in Lexington, which offers affordable pub fare and quality strength libations. This area also is walkable to Rupp and has considerable on-street parking available.

While Baylor may have avenged their loss to Kentucky in last year’s Elite Eight matchup, more importantly I got  some time to chill with my bro, enjoyed the me-time, and as a consolation prize, grabbed some slices from Goodfella’s for the ride home.

I was going to hang in Lex to watch the SEC football championship game between Georgia and Alabama, but nothing kills a party in Lexington like Kentucky losing at home. That crushed all the buzz around the downtown area.

"It's like a slice of New York City!" A big slice.

“It’s like a slice of New York City!” A big slice.

Overall, my takeaway from Saturday was that UK has a bunch of 18 and 19-year old kids that are playing before 23,500 people at Rupp Arena, the biggest basketball arena in the country, and they have a huge target on their backs.

These kids are going to make mistakes, but this team has a ton of potential. They’re record is 4-3. Next they get four games against less than challenging opponents, whereby they should make some adjustments, figure out who they are, and work out the kinks.

The results will be on display come December 29, when UK visits cross-state rival Louisville, where ex-Cat’s Coach Rich Pitino has a Final Four team from last year that is currently ranked fifth.

Most any other school would be content to have Kentucky’s start to the season, but Big Blue Nation has a level of expectation that is unlike any other university’s program.

This will be an exciting year. If you like soap operas tune in to Kentucky basketball. The heroes and villains have yet to be identified. There most likely will be a power struggle to find a leader, and the chances of close games being decided by turnovers or last second shots is highly probable.

Snap on your shoulder harness, welcome to another season of Big Blue Madness.

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Week 18 TRAINING

Posted on December 3, 2012 by theurbanllama

WEEK 18 (November 26-December 02)

Monday: YMCA for Ab workout; 45 minutes on Elliptical; 10 minutes in sauna; 20 minutes in steam room

Total Running Miles: 0

Weight: 193.8 (-16.6 lbs.)

Training Days Remaining: 29

Notes: I can think of tons of excuses for why I took this week off, but essentially I lost my mojo. I let stuff distract me and then I lost my will to get up and go workout. I am a creature of habit, and getting injured this last time really threw me off my routine. I had to scramble to find ways to cross-train to keep this program going in the right direction. Plus I’ve been keeping my food intake to a minimum, which has worked, as I’ve continued to keep over 15-pounds off my body, but all that takes a toll. I was just tired.

Unlike how I might have addressed taking a week off like this before, I’m not going to guilt myself and try and make up those lost sets by cramming them all into this week. I’m giving myself a break and going to pick up my routine on Tuesday morning and get back on track.

Now I have a month left. Nothing like a deadline to get things done. This should be an interesting final month. I need to drop 13.4 pounds to hit my goal.

I do like a challenge.

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WEEK 17 TRAINING

Posted on November 28, 2012 by theurbanllama

WEEK 17 (November 19-November 25)

Monday: Stairmaster; 15-minutes in sauna; 20-minutes steam room

Tuesday: Three reps each of Teaser/V-up/Straight-leg twisting crunch/Seated criss-cross/Ankle-weighted reverse crunches/3-rounds shadow boxing/3-rounds on heavy bag

Wednesday: Weight Machine Workout; Swimming laps 30-minutes

Thursday:D/O

Friday: Burn 30 @ YMCA (Burpees are evil)

Saturday: D/O

Sunday: Three reps each of Sit-ups/Push-ups/6″/Extreme/Medicine ball reverse crunches; 3-rounds shadow boxing/3-rounds on heavy bag; AB Ball routine; Free-weight workout

Total Running Miles: 0

Weight: 192 (-18.4 lbs.)

Training Days Remaining: 36

Notes: Good week of cross-training. My ankle is essentially healed, but I wanted to give it that third full week off from running to be sure. So to substitute for my lack of running there was the stairmaster, swimming, and this wicked Burn 30 class at the YMCA. My friend DaVida is to blame for the pain I’m still feeling in my thighs after Burn 30. She said it would shock my system and she was not joking. That class was vicious. I now have a new incarnation of the devil, and it comes in the form of a Burpee. That is a hateful exercise, but useful.

I’ll be joining in that class again soon.

I couldn’t quite offset all the Thanksgiving-related meals with sufficient exercise, but close. My weight only went up .2 pounds for the week, which isn’t bad considering I had four different days of family gatherings.

I will be back running this week. I’m looking forward to that. Added runs and less food will hopefully push me below 190 pounds going into December.

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