SYTYCD Music

I came late to the So You Think You Can Dance party but now that I'm here, I have no plans to leave. This show is flawed but amazing. The incredibly obnoxious female judge needs to be replaced and they could cut down on the amount of fluff time. There's also some racist undertones (hip hop artists in caveman outfits? The latin girl getting "on the tamale train?")

Now for the good parts. This show delivers ridiculously good dancing to authentic music. What I mean by that is: unlike Dancing With the Stars which is too cheap to pay the music rights for original songs and "features" D-rate celebrities butchering cookie cutter forms of dance, SYTYCD features incredible dancers performing custom routines to a diverse collection of great music.

Here are a few of my favorite songs from the most recent season. Unfortunately fox has tried to remove all video clips of SYTYCD. They're out there though. Happy hunting. :)

Madcon - Beggin' - SYTYCD routine here (2:20 on the video)

Immediately reminiscent of "El Tango de Roxanne" from Moulin Rouge, Beggin' is a song to rock out to, clean house to, just generally get down to. The Franki Valli version is good too, but I like this one a little better. Oh and Gnarls Barkely called. They want their sound back.

George Baker Selection - Little Green Bag

Made famous by the opening scene in Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs, "Little Green Bag" is a bad m________n song.

Imogen Heap - Aha!

Like a demented Christmas Carol, Aha! is weird weird weird. Imogen Heap sounds like no one else. This song works as the soundtrack to a wide array of imagined acts. I could see a dark love scene, a midnight jewel caper at high speed, a chase down alleys through Chinatown, really anything. The more I listen to this song, the more I love it.

My favorite piece is actually the last song/routine of the season but this blog doesn't support artists who think it's cool to beat women.

Will the real Trucolors, please stand up?

Since entering grad school 18 months ago, I've toned this blog down a lot. I wanted to make sure that I fit into the corporate culture. So I stopped airing dirty laundry and instead, began publishing tasteless, colorless, odorless posts about things other than my life (football, art, music). These posts are all well and good and there will be more like them, but there's something about the business school culture that's incredibly stifling. I feel like I have to dress up for class and talk just like everyone else.

I know now that I will not work in an environment that discourages individuality. Currently my work situation is ideal. Paul encourages me to be myself. This is so wonderful and I'm grateful.

The old 81trucolors had much more character, more reality, in short: more me. I'll probably not put everything on blast but here's hoping this blog will be a little less sterile and a little more real.

I take a lot of inspiration from I Hate My Job, the poorly titled blog by a guy I *secretly* consider to be smarter, better looking, and more successful than me. Want dirty laundry, quirky posts, snarky comments, and general awesomeness? He serves it up "in spades."

I may not put as much $#-- on blast as he does but you should notice a few changes going forward. And yes, I just embedded a 3 Doors Down video on this blog. You all are so proud right now.

Incidentally, this video features a very hairy person who doesn't fit into the prevailing culture. I resent and also like this idea.

Nogain Moreno?

Interesting article here from The Philadelphia Enquirer chronicling Denver first round Running Back Knowshon Moreno's lack of impact. For the record, I never would have taken a running back in the first but gun to my head, would have taken Beanie Wells.

Players I liked instead of Moreno before the draft:

Brian Cushing

Brian Orakpo

Chris "Beanie" Wells

Clay Matthews

Louis Delmas

James Laurinitis

Larry English

Players taken after Moreno I like in hindsight:

Percy Harvin

Kenny Britt

Vontae Davis

Ray Maualuga

Jairus Bird

Need a house in Westminster?

Starting Feb 01, Walker and I are renting our awesome 5 BR house in Westminster. It is huge and comes with a ping pong table. Not sure whether you'll end up working in Boulder or Denver? Westminster is close to both! Here's the Craigslist ad.

The Hillis

Since Corell Buckhalter's injury early in the Indy game, Denver--a run first team-- is averaging 3.0 yards per carry. But this doesn't tell the full story. Denver is horrible in red zone efficiency and equally bad on power runs (situations in which the offense needs 1-2 yards). This tells me that when the team needs to run the ball, it can't.

The Broncos have a completely healthy 240 lb running back named Peyton Hillis, a guy who has great hands, incredible toughness, and a bruising running style perfect for short yardage situations. Most importantly, over his nearly two year professional career, Peyton Hillis is averaging 4.92 yards per carry (sample ~ 80 carries).

I am not the first nor the last but let me add my voice to the din clamoring for him to see more playing time. He is a clutch player and the Broncos desperately need clutch plays. It's time to see more highlights like the ones above.

Things on my mind, now 21 hours before my finance final

10. Squeezing in workouts without squeezing in stretching time is the same as begging for a migraine. I don't deserve pity, I deserve derision (or a personal trainer to whip me).

9. Betting on anything is fun if you win. Paul and I have won $$ on 9 of the last 10 UFC fights.

8. Betting on NFL is not fun. See # 9.

7. Thanks to Amanda I catch things that are racist/sexist all the time. "Ethnic" is not a style.

6. Christmas + finals = stressful. Why don't people post wish lists anymore?

5. If someone had told me, "Be good at math, you can make a lot of money," I'd have applied myself more in high school.

4. Amanda and I recently went on a date. It was a sine curve on the classy scale.

3. The UFC will soon be showcasing a fighter who has been disqualified for "eye gouging, face raking, ear biting, and punching and kicking a referee." This is less classy than my date with A.

2. If my professor makes the final hard, I'll get a D.

1. If my professor makes the final easy, I'll get a B.

Barrel Man to the Stadium in the Sky

I read on the Denver Examiner that Tim McKernan died last Friday. Better known as "The Barrel Man," McKernan was a staple at Broncos games throughout my adolescence. He wore *only???* the barrel at every Bronco home game, rain, snow, or shine.

McKernan captured much of what I love about living in Colorado. He was passionate, creative, weird, a little bit country, and he loved the outdoors.

According to the article, as McKernan's health declined, he was forced to sell his Super Bowl XXXII barrel (for $30,000), which had been autographed by 49 Denver Broncos players. Although he needed the money for health issues, he still donated 10% to a battered women's shelter.

If there is a heaven for the Barrel Man, I know the sunsets there are orange and blue.

Observation

The women never speak in my Finance class.