fathertime2000

[fathertime2000]

I think that the best way that you convince him here, is you live a life well. You earn his respect in a lot of different ways. You make it known in a non-argumentative way that you believe Barry Bonds is a great player and that's an important thing that you have thought through and have very little doubt about and that you never ever ever ever bring up. In the way you live your life, he will see a man of authority and seriousness. He will see that you're not a frivolous person and gradually, without even realizing it, he will be persuaded by your actions.

Sam Miller 

[fathertime2000]

For Posterity: A Facebook Post

If you are a Trump supporter (and still following me), I’d like to first invite you keep reading. I'm not going to to tell you you're wrong or misguided. Your voice matters. Your voice was heard. Your voice was validated. These are facts.

I will, however, tell you how I personally feel right now. You probably want to know why me, and people like me, are so upset. I've heard a lot of “sensitive libtard snowflake” rhetoric this weekend and I beg you to see past that nonsense. We are currently living through the most politically significant time of our lives. Please see this for more than “liberal tears”.

Three things happened this weekend that I feel threaten the very fabric and spirit of our country’s foundation.

1. The Muslim Ban - As you may know, I have many Muslim family members. My grandfather was born a Muslim. I spent my childhood coexisting in that environment, enamored with the harmony of our differences. Our President’s executive order is veiled in national security jargon, but advisor Rudy Giuliani publicly disclosed that this began as, verbatim, a “Muslim ban” directed by Trump(a). This tells me that the basis for the ban is at least equally about suppressing the religion as it is about harnessing terrorism. More confounding is that the ban excludes all of the Muslim countries in which Donald Trump has business interests in(b). In the last 40 years, not single terrorist attack has occurred on American soil that was perpetuated by an immigrant from the list of currently banned countries(c). In that time, over 3,000 deaths, mostly as a result of 9/11, were carried out by nationals of other Muslim countries, many of which Trump has holdings in. Additionally, the right-leaning CATO Institute (founded by Charles Koch), has expressed strident opposition to the ban, well-outlined in source (d). Republican Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham have also publicly proclaimed their grievances against the order(e). Our country was founded on religious freedom. It is in our constitution. A “Muslim ban”, to me, is in direct violation of that.

2. International Holocaust Remembrance Day Statement - Ethnically, I am ¼ Jewish. Despite converting to Christianity in her adult life, my grandmother carried on some Jewish tropes and traditions which aided in me feeling a passive connection to the Jewish identity. The Holocaust was one of my earliest research obsessions and I think we all are cognizant of its effect on history. Following in bipartisan tradition, Trump’s team released a statement Friday in tribute to International Holocaust Remembrance Day(f). Breaking in bipartisan tradition, Trump’s team failed to mention the Jewish people by name. Surely, with the whirlwind of transition, it was mistakenly omitted? Not the case. Strategic Communications Director, Hope Hicks, and chief of staff, Reince Priebus both doubled down on the omission this weekend, brashly citing that other groups of people were killed as well(g). While this is true, the hesitance to allude that the Holocaust was an act of religious persecution is absurdly troubling. I am not saying that this is the case here, but historically, this exact action has been used as a political dog whistle. At the very least, the defensive response displays a striking lack of propriety.

3. Steve Bannon’s Appointment the the National Security Council - If you know who Steve Bannon is, you know how terrifying this is to anyone not allegiant to the Alt-Right.

One thing I routinely got when I voiced my concerns to Trump supporters between the election and inauguration, was “he’s not really going to do that”. He is really doing that, and a large portion of this population is gravely concerned.

Half of my blood has been illegitimized and insulted in deliberate ways this weekend by my executive branch. I can only imagine the struggle for those much more directly affected. To be clear, this is not about Hillary Clinton. That assertion is cheap. This is about the leader of the free world acting in a destructive, threatening, and legitimately puzzling manner.

This is why I'm upset. Lots of people feel the same.

SOURCES: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGOwEOTYfuE https://www.bloomberg.com/…/2017-trump-immigration-ban-con…/ http://www.economist.com/…/20…/01/keep-your-huddled-masses-0 https://www.cato.org/…/five-reasons-congress-should-repeal-… http://www.mccain.senate.gov/…/statement-by-senators-mccain… https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C3MXwNjUoAEtvxD.jpg https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/64852c70-e641-11e6-b82f-68…

[fathertime2000]

You Made These Snowflakes

Perhaps you forgot. About your generation’s education policies. Spoonfed acceptance and equality. Preaching individual worth and free thought. In your public schools.

So here I am. Writing a poem. Because you taught me that was okay too.

Maybe you should should hate yourself instead.

[fathertime2000]

One thing parents tend to forget

Is that their children didn't choose to be born.

[fathertime2000]

Neglecting Other Things, My Three Favorite Albums Released in 2016 and Three Favorite Books I Read in 2016

This started out to be a broad time capsule of things I enjoyed in 2016. I thought it would be a rewarding exercise to paint some positives in a time where everything I feel worth writing seems to be negative. In true form though, I also put a lot of thought into the fact that I’d inevitably post a link to this on Facebook and my family would read it. Then I remembered that I always hated my family reading my writing–bonus points if it had any personal affect. So I gave up on this one. I have a lot of thoughts about 2016 and I wanted to wax on the good, but this is all I could muster.  

If future me is wondering, the albums I left off this list were Moose Blood - Blush and Joyce Manor - Cody (which I’m now realizing deserves to be #1). The books I left off this list were The Arm by Jeff Passan and The Hardball Times 2017 Annual.

I was going to share my experience consuming Kobe Bryant’s final NBA game and gush over my trip to see the Arizona Fall League with Ryan in November. I was going to paste this entire game story on the Dodgers’ NLDS Game 5 because it’s the most beautiful game story I’ve ever read.

Most importantly, I was going to talk about the pride in being a father: sending our son off to pre-k and expecting his little brother this spring. Maybe I’ll get to that soon.

The truth in the matter, though, is that I’ve never felt more uncertain about things outside of that spectrum and sometimes elucidating on the good only makes the bad more real. 

With that said, here are my contrived musings on my three favorite albums released in 2016 and my three favorite books I read in 2016:

RECORDS RELEASED

Modern Baseball - Holy Ghost (Released May 13, 2016)

This band continues to do it for me. The same honest appeal that sucked me in four years ago holds steady as the technical presentation surrounding it grows. Molly and I had the pleasure of seeing them this summer as they toured this album. It was June 9th at the El Korah Shrine– undoubtedly the most earnest venue in the city. There is something to be said for the way this band commands the stage while simultaneously being commanded by it. The result is four best friends enjoying the shit out of a Thursday night, while still overtly mindful of hitting their cues and kicking that distortion pedal at the right time. I spent my late teens chasing my favorite bands around Southern California only to say that the best show I’ve ever been to happend in Boise, Idaho as a 26 year old with a curved-bill ballcap and my wife by my side. Holy Ghost was good before, during, and after it came out and I don’t even feel the need to justify it. Just listen.

Touche Amore - Stage Four (Released September 16, 2016)

My most vivid memory of Touche Amore took place in 2009, not in a packed out Chain Reaction, but in traffic on the 101 right before the 110 interchange. I was listening to their debut EP and the song Broken Records came on and everything about Southern California and Los Angeles and my place in it made sense all at once. I even Tweeted about it. That has nothing to do with Stage Four, but every time I hear this band, I think of the Orsini Apartments. Touche Amore has evolved in many ways, but Stage Four was a giant leap in the regaled “maturity” department. Touche Amore was never “immature” in a childish way, but often seemed to convey thoughts in broad strokes, lacking a bit of brevity. Stage Four mingles extensively in the untimely death frontman, Jeremy Bolm’s mother. Prior angst shifts to a chilling melancholy that I never expected. This album is beautifully composed, performed, and sold.

Pinegrove - Cardinal (Released February 12, 2016)

Objectively, this is one of the biggest breakout albums of the year. This band deserves to be so much bigger than they are right now. As Cardinal creeps onto actual reputable top-album lists, I’ll keep it short: watch this video. We don’t deserve this.

My Favorite Track of 2016 on Spotify

BOOKS READ

Between the World and Me - Ta-Nehisi Coates (Read January 30, 2016)

This book may go down as one of the most important books of our generation. BtWaM puts a comprehensive button on what it means to be Black in America as kid, as a student, as a writer, and as a father. Formatted as a longform letter to Coates’ son, the writing is as beautiful as it is poignant. It reads like an Aesop Rock song that actually makes sense. The thoughts within this book are not those of an agenda. They are the honest feelings of a frustrated culture, told by one of the most eloquent voices in modern literature. We are living in a time where an undeveloped opinion on race relations has not only become normalized, but celebrated. In the vein of I Have a Dream, this book should be required reading for every student in America.

The Only Rule Is It Has to Work: Our Wild Experiment Building a New Kind of Baseball Team - Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller (Read May 9, 2016)

The only book I’ve ever reviewed on Amazon: 

After much anticipation, I read this book over the course of a busy week. Despite knowing the outcome of the season and some of the anecdotes therein, the story was present in my mind long after setting the book down each sitting. I even dreamed about it. While it would've been easy for Lindbergh and Miller to focus on their successes running the Stompers, they give equal (if not more) time to their struggles as newcomers in the power structure of professional baseball. The premise of the book is rooted in analytics, but this is one of the most emotionally satisfying works of sports nonfiction I've ever read. Piggybacked on the story of Ben and Sam taking unprecedented control of a pro ball club, are the stories of the players themselves, weaved intricately in. It sounds cliche, but I laughed (a lot) and even cried (tears of earnest joy induced by certain R. Kelly remix). The Only Rule was of the most enjoyable reads of my life.

A Thousand Lives: The Untold Story of Hope, Deception, and Survival at Jonestown - Julia Scheeres (Read March 28, 2016)

The country of Guyana has been a bit of a mystery in my existence. My ancestors emigrated to the Caribbean-South American country from India and many Guyanese customs and fare have survived the 100-odd years to my present day life. Despite growing up as a socio-geographic dork, I knew very little about the place my grandfather grew up. A Thousand Lives chronicles the rise and fall of Jim Jones’ Peoples Temple from its origins in the midwest, to its move into northern California, to its subsequent commune mass-suicide in the jungles of Guyana. This book paints a gripping account of the events that reads more like a novel than historical nonfiction. More personally valuable, is that it’s probably the most accessible documentation of 20th century Guyanese history, totally sidebar to the subject. It might sound silly, but reading this book about a drug-addicted megalomaniac cult-leader brought me closer to understanding my ancestry.

Goodreads Books Read

[fathertime2000]

The Privilege to Carry on

My name is Timothy James Moore II. Tim Moore. To you, and every passing stranger, I'm a white male. I drive a full size pickup truck. Police respect me. I've never had a hard time finding a job. My president-elect doesn't see me as a threat to national security. What you may not know, though, is that only one generation separates me from a man born Muslim. I grew up amid the culture and company of my Muslim and otherwise South Asian (by way of the Caribbean) extended family and embraced our similarities and differences in the most American of ways. The essence of America is insistent on this type of activity. A melting pot of cultures and colors and origins under the banner of religious and personal freedom. This country has elected a man who has irrefutably threatened the safety and standing of these very people. My extended family of tax-paying, upstanding human beings are openly scared for their future right now because they look and worship a certain way. 

These votes came from an electorate that would tell you religious freedom is important to them. In an ethos where all things presumably matter, what's to be said for grandstanding the systematic persecution of an entire religion?

So here we are, with the path to unity reliant on a brash man becoming thoughtful and his campaign promises becoming malleable. And here I am, with my white name and white life, staring down a future that I will undoubtedly fit into. The hard pill to swallow here is not how I'll move on from this. That’s easy. It's whether my blood is still welcome in this country. 

[fathertime2000]

Unpacking the Khizr Kahn Speech

At a time when the nation feels as divided as it’s ever been in my lifetime, I feel it’s necessary to  get these thoughts out for posterity’s sake. Whether this summer is looked upon in the future as the precipice of greater despair, or simply the peak of a tumultuous time, I want to remember how I feel right now.

I’m still grappling with the idea that I’m going to be voting for someone I actively dislike in November. Normally, when you’re not happy with the Democrat or Republican, you can at least live in the fantasy that this isn’t a two-party system. Not this year. Everyone Sucks 2016.

The laundry list continues to grow, but Donald Trump’s pandering stance on Muslims is perhaps his most damning criticism. It plays to the narrow view of the right, lumping the 3.3 million American Muslims in with actual, literal terrorists. To those whose only exposure to Islam is through television and social media reporting on actual, literal terrorism, it might appear Trump is right. He is feasting on that.

In six transcendent and chilling minutes, the DNC pulled back that curtain. Unrehearsed, Khizr Kahn, father of Humayun Khan–a soldier killed in Iraq in 2004–both Muslim, spoke directly to our nation about the weight of Trump’s vilification:

Tonight we are honored to stand here as parents of Captain Humayun Khan and as patriotic American Muslims - with undivided loyalty to our country.

Like many immigrants, we came to this country empty-handed. We believed in American democracy; that with hard work and goodness of this country, we could share in and contribute to its blessings.

We are blessed to raise our three sons in a nation where they were free to be themselves and follow their dreams.

Our son, Humayun, had dreams too, of being a military lawyer, but he put those dreams aside the day he sacrificed his life to save the lives of his fellow soldiers. Hillary Clinton was right when she called my son ‘the best of America’.

If it was up to Donald Trump, he never would have been in America. Donald Trump consistently smears the character of Muslims. He disrespects other minorities; women; judges; even his own party leadership.

He vows to build walls, and ban us from this country. Donald Trump, you’re asking Americans to trust you with their future.

Let me ask you: have you even read the United States constitution? I will gladly lend you my copy. [he pulls it out] In this document, look for the words 'liberty’ and 'equal protection of law’.

Have you ever been to Arlington Cemetery? Go look at the graves of brave patriots who died defending the United States of America.

You will see all faiths, genders and ethnicities. You have sacrificed nothing and no one.

We cannot solve our problems by building walls, sowing division. We are stronger together. And we will keep getting stronger when Hillary Clinton becomes our President.

In conclusion, I ask every patriot American, all Muslim immigrants, and all immigrants to not take this election lightly.

This is a historic election, and I request to honor the sacrifice of my son - and on election day, take the time to get out and vote.

And vote for the healer. vote for the strongest, most qualified candidate, Hillary Clinton, not the divider. God bless you, thank you.

The moment Kahn pulled out the constitution, any rational reason to support Donald Trump disappeared. The real issue here is the constitution. For a political party that seems to ignore any notion that the constitution is a living document, the Republicans, through Trump, are blatantly trampling the First Amendment.

His threats to the press (who knows where that would go if elected) aside, singling out an entire religion in the name of homeland security is irrefutably un-American. It is in direct contrast with everything the formation of our country stood for. Further, if the Second Amendment is so untouchable, why doesn’t the First seem to matter? Don’t all things matter?

My gut reaction following the speech was that someone finally communicated these feelings effectively and there was no way Trump could have anything negative to say about it. Provocateur General Ann Coulter, chimed in on Twitter with “You know what this convention really needed? An angry Muslim with a thick accent like Fareed Zacaria,” but of course Ann Coulter said that. This speech had all the requisite components of a big fat no comment from the presidential nominee.

Of course that didn’t happen.

On Saturday, much in the dismissive tone of his John McCain POW comments, Trump got defensive. “Who wrote that? Did Hillary’s script writers write it?”, “I think I’ve made a lot of sacrifices. I work very, very hard.” and “If you look at his wife, she was standing there. She had nothing to say. She probably, maybe she wasn’t allowed to have anything to say. You tell me.”

Really man? Comparing the sacrifice of working hard to that of losing a son in WAR? Then, polishing it off by perpetuating yet another Muslim stereotype? Is Trump so disconnected from the difference between radical jihad and the average American Muslim that he can’t concede grief to the family of a soldier heroically killed in American service?

Once-beloved George Bush faced harsh public criticism from families of soldiers killed in his wars, but never once did he offer anything other than condolences. Trumps unwillingness to back down from any criticism is frankly terrifying.

Ultimately terrifying is that this insensitivity is what Trump’s biggest supporters seem to love the most about him. The concept of political correctness is now so skewed that grieving American families are fair game. The time-honored right wing tradition of not understanding what makes minorities feel marginalized is manifesting itself in a new and surprising/confusing way.

We are supposed to teach our kids to be kind, caring, and strong. Donald Trump sure is strong, but what about the other two things? The future is more theirs than ours, so why wouldn’t we want someone who can at least broadcast those traits?

Maybe that doesn’t matter anymore either.

[fathertime2000]

Top Five Albums of 2015

Superheaven - Ours is Chrome

While they scoff at the label of “grunge revival,” this album could easily be placed in 1994 without question. Inciting melodies and instrumentals from the greats of that time, Superheaven has put a fresh spin on this crowded space by embodying both the music and the attitude of its origins. The pace is set with the opening track, “I’ve Been Bored,” lamenting the contrived nature of things around them with the chorus booming: “I've been so sick of flowers on everything / Someone told me I'm crazy. Keep it in / Thousands under a dim light. It's hard to see. / Guess it's just me. / Oh well.” The band’s true aesthetic lethargy is on display in the song’s music video, which (while artfully directed by Basement’s Alex Henery) documents the discovery and procurement of a very fake-looking alien being.

More than anything, Ours is Chrome is just a great rock album. Some of the tones and riffs eerily resonate with my childhood memories of the innovators of this style. The record had mixed reviews, but as far as I’m concerned, it stuck out more than any other this year. Pure and simple, great jams.

Julien Baker - Broken Bones

Where to even begin with this one? Released on 6131 Records, Broken Bones transcends the label x1000. At age 19, Julien Baker has seen a lot of shit in her life. Struggling with addiction, depression, religion, and sexual identity, Baker encapsulates and broadcasts a young life of mental and physical turmoil with crushing openness.

Broken Bones juxtaposes beautiful guitar tracking and beckoning vocals with purely uncomfortable and honest subject matter. Broken Bones is so personal, it feels like you shouldn’t be listening to it. Where most sad records feel pulled from a far away place in the author’s past, the staggering thing about this one is that it feels entirely marked in the present; like these are issues still being hashed out by Baker. I’ve always been a fan of macabre songwriting, and this record takes it to the limit.

Within the last two months, Baker has jumped from local and label-level recognition to the year best lists of (among others) Rolling Stone and NPR. Baker opened for Touche Amore on November 1st and brought a crowd of hardcore kids to tears. She’ll be closing out the year in Aspen with The National. Enough said.

Modern Baseball - MOBO Presents: The Perfect Class EP feat. Modern Baseball

While properly an EP, the six tracks on The Perfect Class go just as far as any full length in 2015. Released unannounced in late October, this EP serves as an appropriate stopgap between 2014’s You’re Gonna Miss It All and the upcoming release of Holy Ghost. The opening track, “The Waterboy Returns,” is a blow-by-blow, out-of-body account of co-frontman, Brendan Lukens’ battle with anxiety and depression. Modern Baseball cancelled their UK festival dates and Australian tour this summer in a brutally sincere open letter from Lukens, outlining the need to make said issues a priority. “The Waterboy Returns” is a wide open window into that world.

Perhaps the entire reason, though, that The Perfect Class is on this list is because of track four, “The Thrash Particle.” Lyrically, Lukens follows the oft-repeated “You wanted me to write a song about you, here it is…” narrative, but his intentional overly-monotonic inflection puts it over the top. Lukens crafts an inexplicably desolate environment by dolefully shouting the words “Oh, you were all I needed. / Said I loved you to your face / But you just laughed and walked away” to close the song, while the band slams away. It is quite simply one of the most striking songs I’ve ever heard.

Turnover - Peripheral Vision

Turnover has been on my radar for a few years as an average pop punk/alternative outfit. I wasn’t tuned in to the hype surrounding the release of Peripheral Vision, and I couldn’t have been more surprised upon my first listen.

Often you can pinpoint the moment a band hits its maturity, but this was much more. The jump from 2013’s Magnolia to Peripheral Vision is the transition of a band in the shadows of a saturated genre to a band suddenly being put in the same sentence as The Cure. Peripheral Vision is one of the more tonally pleasing records I’ve heard in a while. Despite being much more nuanced instrumentally, it remains succinct and relatable lyrically. Just an all around winner and more importantly, the only album on this list that I can confidently play aloud in the office.

Turnstile - Nonstop Feeling

The hardcore scene always seems to have it’s posterband--the one group that serves as a trendsetter for the current output of the genre. Turnstile is that right now.

From the metalcore influences of the mid 2000s, to the revival phase of the late 2000s, to the more melodic shift of the early 2010s, the boundaries of hardcore in the last 10 years have felt more constricted than the philosophy permits. Turnstile blew the doors open with Nonstop Feeling. The tracks on this record and the accompanying exhibition are my definition of free spirit. You simply can’t sit still and listen. The rhythm of this album is intoxicating and those I have discussed it with agree that it has reinvigorated our interest in the current scene.

If you’re still here, here is a Spotify playlist of some of my favorite tracks from the year. 

[fathertime2000]

Cancel The World: The Second Republican Primary Debate

It’s been three days since the second Republican primary debate and I’m still struggling to rationalize what happened. As a socially liberal, fiscally conservative, unaffiliated voter, I have yet to find a convincing candidate that relatively embodies what I look for in a leader. So I tuned in excitedly, for the promised entertainment value, but also because I hoped someone would pique my interest and push me to think outside of my comfort zone. What I got was what I had secretly expected: a cacophony of bullshit.

In an effort to stop thinking about how I wasted three hours of my life on this, I have to get these thoughts out and forever etched into my inactive Tumblr account.

This is my honest analysis:

Donald Trump - Donald Trump has successfully trolled the candidate field into making him look normal. Donald was on the pseudo-defensive Wednesday, only dishing a few choice insults while taking the incoming with semi-abashed denial. We expected this to be the Donny Show, and that it wasn’t. Bad in the shock department, but good on the long-term annoyability radar. This man is a social engineer. Trump played it coy, but did manage to reaffirm his stance as a member of the anti-vaxxer community. Nevertheless, people still love him. Trump is going to begin his downward coast to 5% in the polls by February, but he’s not going away.

Ben Carson - I am wholly convinced that the most/all of Carson’s supporters going into Wednesday had not heard him speak candidly. There is absolutely no denying Carson’s savant-like knowledge. He is a smart man. He was a talented pediatric neurosurgeon. He literally saved lives with his hands. He also can’t string an unscripted sentence together. Legacy, character, and policy aside, I don’t understand how anyone could think Carson has the confidence and bravado to run the country, nor the attitude and authenticity to excite people. I appreciate a dulcet-toned man, but perhaps not as the leader of the free world.

Carly Fiorina - Carly won this debate. She stood her ground against Trump’s attacks and offered a poised profile. She showed real emotion in response to Trump’s remarks on her looks and parlayed that into an unexpected and well-executed push for female empowerment. Fiorina took a sharp stance against Planned Parenthood, inciting an instance that doesn’t exist in the way she posed it. The integrity of the comment, however, has no bearing on the primary election, as the entire party is aligned on that topic. In the scope of the debate, Fiorina hit a home run. If Carly can fend off/debunk the criticism of her record as CEO of HP, this debate may very well be her watershed moment.

Jeb Bush - Even-keeled Jeb displayed something that has somehow become rare in the this candidate field: political temperament. While his tightly wound persona may ultimately be his downfall, Jeb exhibits the qualities of an experienced leader right this second. Bush was one of the only candidates to convincingly answer all of his questions thoughtfully. In the way Ben Carson looks for an out because he’s overwhelmed with a subject, Bush looks for an out because he’s underwhelmed. It’s almost as if he knows he’s going to be polling in the top two in February and knows this is all a waste of everyone’s time (wish he would’ve told me). Bush did get pulled into a trap of defending his brother’s war, but we all know he’ll never be able to avoid that. Jeb also admitted to smoking weed 40 years ago, though it was brought up in a contrived manner that felt like a calculated, political move… which is what he does.

Marco Rubio - Republican Obama. Unlikely background. Strong Rhetoric. Inspirational message. Early motives unclear.

Scott Walker - Scott Walker loves Scott Walker. Walker came off as inauthentic and very proud of himself. Scott continued to cite his accomplishments as governor of Wisconsin, despite a very partisan record and impeachment attempt. There is one big moment in his governorship that prevents me from analyzing Walker objectively in the scope of the debate, so I’ll just leave it here: Walker gave $250 million  of public money to an ownership group worth $100 billion, to build the Milwaukee Bucks a new arena. Walker did this after cutting $275 million from K-12 and higher education funding. Walker’s justification was that the Bucks, as a business, return $6.5 million in taxes a year. An “investment” that will take over 38 years to break even on. So, there’s that.

Chris Christie - Big CC managed to stay above water for most of the debate, putting in work for the establishment crowd. More so than his policies (which are average for the pack), Christie has the personality factor that is lacking through much of the field. Christie, in the same way George W. Bush captured, seems like an okay guy to hang out with. Average policy with a everyman persona will definitely keep Christie in the conversation.

Rand Paul - It’s a real shame that big social conservatism has kicked Randy to the curb. Paul has a refreshing approach on social issues and is perhaps the only candidate in the field that I could see transcending party lines in a general election. It has, however, become clear that there is too much hypersensitivity to moral issues in the GOP for him to ever make waves.

Ted Cruz - Cruz was a blithering mess. Despite his overly-affirmative claims and Facebook-quotable rhetoric, Cruz got lost in the field. Right where he should be.

Mike Huckabee - Not a legitimate candidate. Not suited for any occupation outside of radio evangelism. Not everyone in America is a white conservative Christian, and I don’t think Huck understands this.

John Kasich - Kasich let me down big time on Wednesday. Kasich came out of the first debate looking like one of the few normal people in the field. He’s a moderate conservative with a solid policy record and an amazing economic background. This man was responsible for the last time our national budget was balanced. That’s a big deal. Kasich’s common sense and willingness to cross the aisle has pinned him to the bottom of the polls and the pressure appeared to heavily weigh on him. Kasich took his allotted time to answer questions launching into desperate, unrelated policy pitches. It was what Kasich felt necessary, but it was very frustrating to watch and really tarnished whatever integrity was left in the debate.

CNN - This post isn’t just an indictment on the candidates. CNN did a piss poor job in moderating the event. CNN and its moderators seemed overtly aware of the spin power that the conservative media (and Red Facebook) holds over conservative voters and PLAYED IT SAFE. The format blanketly allowed allotted time for those addressed in criticism to follow up. CNN staunchly stuck to this tenet, creating an out of control environment of disarray that was laborious for candidates and viewers alike. Plenty of questions went unanswered and uninterrogated by Tapper and Bash. Many candidates used their time to answer to completely subvert the question and launch into an impactful area of their policy. A well-managed debate, even with this many participants, could have been carried out in two hours.

So, in conclusion, be thankful you missed it.

[fathertime2000]

NO BULLSHIT COLD BREW

WHAT YOU NEED:

1. Ground coffee. These measurements are tailored to Starbucks Pike Place pre-ground. Anything with that consistency (medium-fine) will work, but I’d probably stay away from the Folgers and Maxwell House crap. 2. Measuring cup. 3. 1.5 quart or larger sealable jug or bowl. 4. Pour-over cone and 2 filters. 5. 1 quart or larger tumbler or mug. 6. 32oz amber growler.

HOW TO DO IT:

1. Measure 3/4 cup grounds.

2. Combine with 4 cups of water in jug or bowl. Gently stir to completely soak all grounds.

3. Let the mix steep for 24 to 30 hours in fridge. Don’t agitate or stir. 

4. Prepare pour-over cone and large tumbler/mug. Dodgers. 

5. Filter it.

6. Switch filter halfway through.

7. Growl it.

8. Good job. 

Yields 3 1/4 cups of concentrated, ultra-caffeinated, smooth goodness. 

[fathertime2000]

Listen to the Music

We were unexpectedly featured on Tumblr’s Top Trending Blogs section today and kind of exploded. As a cool personal thank you for hopping aboard the HOMEbaseball train, contributing editor Tim Moore put together this Spotify playlist for our collective enjoyment. Maybe put it on and run laps around your local Little League field or perhaps mute the TV broadcast and play this instead.

It doesn’t much matter how you listen to it as much as you listen to it period. 

-Andrew R.

[fathertime2000]

[fathertime2000]

This is what I did in high school. What did you do?

[fathertime2000]

I feel like this is how everyone's teenage years should look. Like, in a movie about the perfect school night. Especially between 0:54 and 0:59. It's just that weird feeling when you know you're witnessing something special.

When was the last time you saw that many good moods in one room?

[fathertime2000]

“I go day to day with a chip on my shoulder I can not shake for a generation of leaches who seem to think that life owes them something more than a right to breathe. Life owes me nothing but a cold deep grave and a promise to never wake me up when I close my eyes.”

Ruiner - Dead Weight

[fathertime2000]

[fathertime2000]

College Journalism

I fancied myself a bit of a wiz-kid back in my freshman (and only real year) of college. I swooped into Cal State San Marcos with only one goal: get on the newspaper staff. I wanted to be a journalist, and that was the only thing drawing me to the monotony of university life.

I captured that goal very early on and held Sports and Online editorial positions in my first semester, at 17. I put in full time hours in the newsroom, not because I had to, but because I wanted to. It kept me busy while I completely ignored my coursework and growing dissatisfaction with my life.  

The 2007-2008 school year was a bit overwhelming for me. I scored my "dream job", jumped in head-first, and subsequently burnt myself out on the only thing I had ever wanted to do. 

Anyway, I stumbled upon the archives of my old stories DEEP in the annals of my hard drive, and I figured I'd share one here, if only to show how much things have changed since then. I present to you, Tim Moore's Top-Five Websites of 2007, an article written in 20 minutes on a deadline night:

The web has grown quite a bit in 2007. The shift to an emphasis on user created content continued, social networks got stronger, and a new wave of websites offering unheard of capabilities have emerged. 

5. Weebly.com - Weebly offers the simplest web page building functionality of just about any site on the web. It used to be that creating a free website online meant compromising design and style. Not any more. Weebly has the power to create professional looking web pages in literally just a few minutes.  

4. Mogulus.com - Mogulus takes user created video to the next step, offering the capability to not only stream a live broadcast from a web cam or DV Camera, but to run an entire production studio; all out of a web browser. The ability to add titles, video clips, and other users' live webcam feed for interviewing are all features that bring the feeling of running a live television show to the desktop.

3. Tumblr.com - Tumblr takes a user-friendly approach to the micro-blogging scene. Users are often swayed from popular blogging platforms such as WordPress.com and Blogger.com because of their complexity. Tumblr offers the tools for users to quickly and easily post their content to the web in a simple yet effective medium.  

2. Splashup.com - Splashup brings all of the basic functionalities of PhotoShop to the browser in a slick web app that is truly ahead of its time. Splashup utilizes the layering system which sets it apart from just about every online photo editing suite available. Splashup flawlessly syncs with Picassa, Flickr, and Facebook for easy sharing.

1. Last.fm - Last FM is a must-use website for music connoisseurs everywhere. Last FM works similar to the popular, Pandora.com, but goes a step further than simply offering streaming radio. In addition to playing music, Last FM incorporates in-depth user profiles that track recently played tracks, overall top artists, and overall top tracks. The feature that puts Last FM over the top is its third-party integration with iTunes, allowing users to send data from tracks played on iTunes and all models of iPods to the user's profile. Last FM analyzes the music that a given user plays, and makes recommendations to similar artists accordingly. 

I've got about 110 more where this came from. Maybe they'll trickle out.