Kanye West’s
808s & Heartbrea
k was the first to vanish from my rotation because I knew exactly what that album would do to me. Of course it was one of the ones I placed back into my rotation, thinking I could handle it. I still feel the same way about 808s except listening to it is almost therapeutic. Sure 808s was not Kanye’s best effort but it is definitely his most personal. I associate all too well with the heartache he sings (yes he sings, never really rapping on the album) about when he speaks of his split with his fiancé, even though our situations were different. A few of these songs have Kanye going through his emotions from losing his mother. Those tracks don’t hit as close to home as the others but still I could never have anticipated how the entire album affected me so much.
As does fantasy football!!!
Draft is done! My team is set. The season is around the corner. So where did I go wrong? Where did I make the right pick?
Of course I will not know the answers to these questions until the season is over. Probably
when I am sitting on top of the league standings. Although there is always that chance that I could be at the bottom. I’ve just never been there.
Let me have my fun though and speculate away. Here is my breakdown of each player. Beginning with my starters and working my way to the bench players who will fill in when needed. Here we go!
QB – Matt Ryan : This is not a great pick but a consistent one. The offsetting touchdown passes will compliment the games when Michael Turner (my first round selection) does not find the end zone. Or in theory I am hoping so. Realistically I hope to get 200 yards and a TD each week. It is not spectacular but with the QBs left it was him or Vince Young . And as much as I like VY he has screwed me over one to many times in fantasy football.
WR – Calvin Johnson : Megatron is a beast. His team still stinks, even though they are starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel. He should be the biggest performer for them and with the improving team I figure his numbers should still be beast like. If he stays healthy CJ will be one of my most solid performers.
WR – Jeremy Maclin : Not a great pick, the receivers were beginning to dry up in the draft so I started settling for players I did not want. Maclin has a new QB ( Kevin Kolb ) throwing him the ball, even though I think Kolb is highly overrated. Maclin may not be as good as last year but with DeSean Jackso n taking most of the coverage I am praying he cracks the 1000-yard mark with a few touchdowns.
WR – Demaryius Thomas : This is a chance I am taking. A rookie on a terrible Denver Broncos team, although Kyle Orton has looked pretty good in the pre-season. I could be in for a 1000-yard season or a week 4 drop to pick up some scraps on the waiver wire. His injury concerns could shelve him for the first few weeks of the season and he may not even be a valuable 3 rd string WR until mid-season.
RB – Michael Turner : I love this guy, complete man crush material. 3 years in a row he has been on my team. He runs hard and gets lots of red zone opportunities. This was my first overall pick at slot 4. It was a no brainer for me even if some people questioned it. Hopefully he has recovered from last season’s injury and lights up some defenses for me!
RB – Cedric Benson : What can I say; I have to have an ex-Longhorn on my team. I felt he was the best available RB in the second round left and the Longhorn thing was just a bonus. If his head is on straight and plays most of the season I think this was a solid pick. Cincinnati will utilize him like last season and I will be thrilled but if they turn into a pass happy team now that Terrell Owens will be demanding the ball beside Chad Ochocinco then I will be throwing a lot of things at the TV!
TE – Antonio Gates : STUD! Another player I like to try and draft or trade for. Especially with Vincent Jackson holding out and suspended for the first 4 games, making Gates worth every penny. I expect a monster season from him this year. Maybe his yards and catches will drop but he consistently hits 8 TDs a year and the first 4 weeks should be monster weeks if he can manage to find ways around the double coverage defenses will more than likely throw at him.
K – none : I didn’t draft one and will drop a player for one before week one.
This has been rectified. I picked up Neil Rackers on the waiver wire.
DEF – none : same as a kicker.
This has been rectified. I picked up the Chicago Bears DEF on the waiver wire.
Bench RB – Pierre Thomas : Mike Bell is gone and won’t be stealing his goal-line carries and Reggie Bush is just a flashy guy who will be the change of pace piece in the backfield and passing game. I expect close to 1000 yards and 6-8 TDs at minimum. Thomas may slide into a starting slot if Benson falters.
Bench RB – Knowshon Moreno : Arguably the best player on the Denver Broncos offense. Although his injury is a concern, I expect Josh McDaniels to use Moreno just like last year. Tim Tebow may steal some goal line carries with packages that could benefit the team but not Moreno.
Bench RB – Clinton Portis : Could pay huge dividends as trade bait if he has a solid first few weeks under new (yet old) coach Mike Shannahan . Concussion problems from last year seem to have faded and that is a plus.
Bench RB – Lawerence Maroney : A gamble pick just in case the Patriots decide to use one RB and Maroney is the one to get the call. I don’t expect much from him and could drop him quickly if he doesn’t show anything. The fact that he is playing for a contract is a bonus.
Bench RB – Toby Gerhart : A bruising rookie RB that won’t steal too many carries away from Adrian Peterso n but I am going to hold onto him as long as I can. If Peterson gets injured his value skyrockets.
Gerhart was dropped due to a small knee injury and my need for a kicker.
Bench WR – Sideny Rice : Injured and will miss the first half of the season. If he returns and plays like last season then holding a roster spot for him will be worth it. If not I screwed up with this one.
Bench WR – Mike Williams (SEA) : A major gamble and he could be dropped after week one if Seattle doesn’t use him in the offense much. From what I hear he has had a stellar camp and loves playing for Pete Carrol l. This was the one sleeper pick that I really wanted this year. Hopefully he pans out, as I did not get any of the other sleepers I wanted.
The Seahawks dropped
TJ Houshmanzada
and Williams grabbed a starting spot for week 1.
So far this looks like a fantastic pick!
Bench QB – Matt Hasselbeck : Only plan on using him for the Atlanta bye week. Plays against the weak Raiders squad who hopefully shit the bed that week. Also has some upside if the Seahawks surprise people in their weak division. Could end up my starter if that happens.
I dropped Hasselbeck for the Bears DEF.
My team is shaping up nicely I think. A little weak at WR but I am hoping I can turn a RB into a WR or two. If I could upgrade my QB I would be happy but that is not a priority.
Although my team is not flashy at all, I assume I have the ability to hang in any week but I could also falter any week. In a 12-team league I believe I have the best stable of RBs and arguably the best TE. They may make up for the lack of production from other positions. If Mike Williams turns into the superstar that Detroit thought they had drafted a few years ago then maybe my team will be pretty stellar. If I had to truly grade my team I would deem them as a team that is better than average and it will all depend on how I play the waivers will determine where I will finish in the standings by the end of the season.
So what does everyone think of my team?
And it starts with school
It has been an odd time for me. This going back to school thing, I haven’t done this in forever. By forever I mean 7 years, but still it just seems like forever. Preparing myself by getting my supplies has been the easy part. A few clicks online and books were delivered to my door. Office Depot and the dollar stores filled the rest no problem. Am I mentally ready for this new challenge though?
I sure as hell hope so. The last 2 years of my life have been shaping towards this moment when I would return to school. Maybe I am returning sooner than I had anticipated but I can’t change that now.
Honestly though, I am so nervous, scared even. What if I suck? Of course, what if I don’t?
Don’t get me wrong, yes I am nervous, but I don’t plan on letting it get the best of me. Sure not knowing what to expect out of school, and myself, is a frightening thought. I know I will work my way through it though.
My classes may be all year one classes (with the exception of one) so I assume my brain will be able to handle the workload. I am just scared of this new transition my life took. The beginning of this one leads to the end of my previous life in a way.
Last time I felt that, I got a tattoo…
Understanding that I won’t lead the same life is a relief though. I like change, even when the convenience of keeping everything the same is so much easier. Plus, I know this new life will lead to a better future. That is something that causes me to look ahead and smile.
I feel I have something to prove. Scratch that. I KNOW I have something to prove. Since I have been saying for years I can do this. Now I get the chance to show myself that I can.
So let’s do this!
....it continues but still in St. James only!
This month’s burger hunt was supposed to be a place where you could get a burger outside of the St. James vicinity.
That did not happen.
Brett
,
James
and I ended up at
Park Tower Restaurant
one evening for a bite to eat.
Knowing that I would review their burgers in the future, I thought why not now?
A quite and quaint restaurant located a block away from Assiniboine Park always seems to be busy.
It is a Greek styled menu but they also serve burgers and growing up in St. James it was always in talks for best burgers in our area.
Even if Brett told me “
they’re not known for their burgers, it’s a Greek restaurant
.”
Park Tower has enough tables that you can arrive with a larger group of friends and not have to wait.
The parking lot is tiny though so finding parking will lead you to a side street.
Most of the time they are not too busy but being so close to Assiniboine Park means there will be days where they are quite busy.
Although the service has never been their strong suit they are not the worst waitresses out there.
If you want to avoid the service just place an order for pick-up.
If you decide to order food you do not need to get a burger as they have a vast selection of pasta, steak, chicken, salads, sandwiches and soups too.
But for this sake we are talking about the burgers.
James and I attempted to eat their signature burger, the King Burger.
It is two beef patties on a Kaiser bun topped with onion, lettuce, tomato, cheese and chili sauce.
This is one massive burger.
The beef alone is about 3 inches thick and requires you to have an obscenely large mouth!
Was size everything though?
I think this burger would have benefited from actually having less beef (in other words, I should have ordered the Deluxe Burger).
While it was tasty, it had a spice to the beef that was not very appealing when your bite was entirely beef.
It is a spice that was just too over powering when it came into contact with my taste buds but the bites when I got enough bun and veggies it was delicious.
Complimenting the burger was a ½ order of fries and a ½ order of Greek salad.
I was in a Greek restaurant so how could I pass up on the salad!
The salad was everything I wanted, the fries not so much.
Fries are all about balance.
It has to be a nice temperature, saltiness and texture.
If a restaurant hits two of the three they are usually good enough to eat and Park Tower hit two.
A perfect saltiness, it just lingers in the background and the texture was spot on as well.
Sadly the fries were on the cold side.
They were still good but could have been fantastic.
I would definitely come back for more food here.
Although I may not get the King Burger but I would attempt another type of burger.
The prices at a glance are high but really they are not too high.
It is one of those restaurants that you cannot judge on price alone, as the helpings are substantially large.
What I ate: King Burger with ½ fries and ½ Greek salad - $12.25 (after taxes)
Dollar Value: 3/5
Burger Taste: 3/5
Fries Taste: 3/5
Menu Selection: 5/5
Overall: 3.5/5
Park Tower Restaurant
2015 Portage Avenue
Winnipeg, MB
(204) 889-4271
PHOTO BY BRETT ENQUIST
Yes I should have been sleeping. I just couldn’t after having my heart torn out (again) from watching (500) Days of Summe r. So I distracted myself by playing scrabble, surfing the internet and listening to music. As I tried to write for a bit I just couldn’t get into it. Having already failed to read tonight because of having the same problem I went back to the distraction of the internet. Specifically Twitter.
That is when a stray comment about Arcade Fire caught my eye. One of my favourite new albums that I just finished listening to. Apparently they have been hard at work on a short film. It is called The Wilderness Downtown . It is directed by Chris Milk , who you may now for directing Arcade Fire music videos as well as U2 , Kanye West and Green Day to name a few.
“Wilderness is unlike anything you’ve ever seen before” – SlashFilm
They are 100% correct with that statement. It is extremely inspiring to see something new and unique in today’s age of reruns and sequels. It is now 1:22 AM. I have watched this 3 times since stumbling across it. I will watch it a few more times. Then I will write. Why? Because I don’t need sleep and this is the kind of stuff that makes me want to be creative.
Check out The Wilderness Downtown yourself to see what I am talking about. I suggest minimizing all your windows as it starts so you don't miss anything.
This is my version of the video . I told my younger self "Change isn't good or bad. It just is." And I drew a picture of my tattoo.
