IAN CAHILL...COM

These are the things I know, I know #1

In the interest of full disclosure I would first like to say that I am not a gamer. I bought a PS3 for the sole reason of having a blu-ray player in the house. 

From time to time I have been known to play a video game on the console. Usually, nay, almost exclusively it is either a baseball or hockey game. But there is one franchise of video games that I can’t resist. I wait patiently and play it non-stop when it comes out. I have done this since college.

Of course the game I am talking about is Grand Theft Auto. While mired in controversy, I can honestly say that these games are not only fun, but  the story and characters are pretty well thought out. In addition, it is the perfect game for a player like me. 

I love the open format of the worlds. This concept is now not foreign to games, and while certainly not the first GTA has been doing it well for a long time. I don’t have to play a “mission” in the game if I don’t want to. I can (and often do) spend hours randomly wandering the vast landscape that the game is set in. Stealing and wrecking cars, needlessly terrorizing innocents, making the cops chase me for miles at a time. 

I am super excited for the latest edition, Grand Theft Auto 5 and will become a “gamer”, at least temporarily, after it comes out.  It is my release. I don’t find the violence over powering and I certainly don’t feel like I should take this violence to the real world.

I know these games get a bad rap and are sometimes associated to the awful school shootings in the world today. And there may be a correlation, but in the end I think those criminals are in a frame of mind that no video game is going to persuade. 

Regardless of your position, the GTA series has long been a trendsetter in the world of open world video games and I love the details that they have established. And it doesn’t hurt that I can finally drive the expensive sports cars, even if I have to steal them from the front of a digital country club. 

Hot Stove and My Excuse to Countdown to Pitchers and Catchers

One of the things that I have grown very fond of in life is baseball, specifically the hometown team, the Royals. Yes the team takes a lot of crap for being terrible for the last 20 years and even folks born and raised in KC make fun of me for liking them (including my wife!). 

I love them none the less and during the season I try to make it to the K as much as I can or watch them at home or follow along on my phone. It is pretty obsessive. It is so obsessive that come December, I miss baseball so bad it hurts. I wear Royals gear to work, I change my wallpaper on my computer. I even crave hot dogs (not really)! 

Luckily the MLB holds something called the Winter Meetings where owners and GMs meet for a week to wheel and deal and make trades for the next season. This process starts in December but trades and free agent signings stretch into January just in time for pitchers and catchers to report (in 40 days!). 

I guess the thing I love about what is affectionately called the “hot stove” is that there is so much potential. Players haven’t performed poorly or greatly, teams haven’t finalize their rosters and still have holes to fill. It is very fun and entertaining to see avid baseball fans eager to talk about all the potential. Potential trades, stats, free agent signings. I could talk your ear off if you let me.

It is almost more fun than the actual season! It is fantasy sport at its best, not to mention it does wonders to prepare me for my actual fantasy baseball team. Actual Fantasy, imagine that.

I love it and I thought you should know. 

Top 5 of 2012…and a promise.

2012 was a terrible year for iancahill.com. It literally saw zero posts as my attention was pulled to work and micro blogging (twitter for you laymen).  So my promise here is to post at least one or two “series” of blogs in the coming months.

In the meantime to piggy back on my last post (ha), here is my top 5 albums of 2012. 

#5. Craig Finn - Clear Heart Full Eyes

Craig Finn of The Hold Steady pulls off a damn catchy solo album. It doesn’t stray too far from the sounds of The Hold Steady, but at this point I don’t mind. His story telling is similar to The Mountain Goats and he sings with such conviction. 

#4 Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - The Heist

My obligatory rap selection. Macklemore has been popular in Seattle for a long time, but I had only picked up his album shortly after it hit #1 on iTunes as an indie release. Thrift Shop is the kind of song that sticks with you, kind of like Hey Ya by Outcast, you just love it instantly.

#3 The Lumineers - The Lumineers

I love folk music and this fits the bill. The vocals and melodies are amazing and I kick myself daily for not seeing these guys live when they came to town. The album has a very acoustic feel and reminds me of the first time I heard the first Delta Spirit album. This is going to be a staple album for a long time.

#2 fun. - Some Nights

I have liked fun. for sometime, having seen them live during the Aim & Ignite years. My wife fell in love with them as well. So when Some Nights came out we dutifully grabbed the album and it was enchanting. It is funny to be part of the bandwagon band as fun. had a huge year. We were lucky to see them play the Middle of the Map Fest in KC shortly after they blew up. Their first album is amazing, but this one takes on a whole new meaning. This band is unique and I love listening to them, it puts me in a great mood.

#1 Matt Pryor - May Day

Matt Pryor’s second solo album renders me speechless every time I hear it. As the front man of The Get Up Kids, he put out a solo record in 2008 called Confidence Man and it was serviceable, but fell off my radar pretty quickly. However with May Day, this is one of the most amazing things I have ever listened to. He really pulls at your heartstrings with this one and I can honestly say that since it was released I don’t think I have gone more than a day without listening to at least a portion of this record. I highly recommend it to anyone anywhere. 

Top 5 of 2011!

Welcome to my Top 5 albums of the year. I loved listening to music this year. I got married and did all sorts of life changing things this year and music led the way. I hope you enjoy these albums for yourself. I have included sample tracks too! Enjoy! 

5) Eddie Vedder  - Ukulele Songs

Eddie Vedder is soulful and his solo album devoted to the tiny ukulele delivers big. A collection of originals and cover songs, this album is the perfect backdrop for an evening curled up in a blanket. Much like his Into The Wild soundtrack, this album is chill, but still manages to make my heart beat faster. Bonus points for covering “Tonight You Belong to Me” which is one of my favorite scenes in the movie “The Jerk”. Listen to it above.  

4) Childish Gambino - Camp

In a year that featured another strong album by Jay-Z and Kanye West, comedian Donald Glover (of Community fame), delivers an honest and thoughtful rap album about growing up black and becoming successful under the moniker, Childish Gambino. The formula isn’t all that different from the likes of Kanye or Drake, but Childish Gambino makes it accessible, even to a Cracker. Check out one of his more edgy tracks, “Firefly” above. 

3) Fountains of Wayne - Sky Full of Holes

It makes me so happy to see Fountains of Wayne release another album after 4 years. They specialize in pure power pop and this album does not disappoint. The charming lyrics and the stylish vocals makes any drive to work a summertime cruise with the top down. The first track on the album, “Summer Place” is deep and clingy, but fun and catchy all at the same time. Check it out above.

2) Mike Birbiglia - Sleepwalk with Me (Live)

Number 2 on the list is a comedy album. Comedy Radio came to town this year and as a result I have had the chance to listen to comics I might not have. BirBigs is one of them. His new album (which turned into a one-man broadway show) is essentially one long story with many many tangents. I have included track 1 to get you started, I promise you his awkward take on life will make you laugh!

1) Saintseneca - Last

My top album of the year by a LONG shot is Ohio band, Saintseneca. Their first album Last is an amazing folk explosion. His vocals weave in and out of the music like a dart and I love every second of it. This album has been on repeat since it was given to me. I would love to see them live! 

The use and misuse of Twitter?

Lately I have been following this girl on twitter. She works in PR and by all accounts spends most of her day blogging on various sites and of course immersing herself in social media.

What I find most interesting in observing her twitter feed, as well as spending a little time researching social media as it relates to business for a project at work, is her mix of personality and feelings with business targeted links to articles and blogs either written by herself or her peers.

This got me thinking. Social media can no longer be considered a new medium. Folks have been blogging and posting status updates for well over a decade. This girl I follow clearly gets paid to use twitter, but she has masterfully harnessed it’s power to not only push her business message, but to build a private following based on her personality. She has done this most likely through years of practice as a teen and twenty something traversing the web and its social pull. The funny thing is, is that corporate America is just now realizing within the past few years how powerful it can be. All the while still conflicted on it’s use in generating revenue.

But it isn’t just companies that are still figuring out ways to make social media sites like Twitter work for them, some consumers are struggling in the same ways. Another friend of mine maintains a twitter feed, but exclusively feeds off of it. I don’t think he has posted a single tweet. He just follows and reads content. While others, like Kanye West use it to project and push out their information to a massive following of people, following only a few other users and probably ignoring their tweets. So which is correct?

I have spent some time examining the reason why someone would post a tweet from a business perspective and it seems that offering a message, while important, might not be nearly as beneficial as engaging with other users. So while neither of the examples above are wrong, I think that in order to grasp the full depth of social media and it’s draw, you must do both. You must read and engage the poster with your own knowledge, effectively creating a community or message board spoken through short isolated bursts.

Twitter clearly realizes this as they make updates that allow users to track tweets that are joined through @ and RT forming conversations that span time and space. It is a neat idea when you think about it, but it does sort of take the public nature of the tweet and moves it more into private conversation. This is by no means a bad thing, maybe this will force businesses to become more personable. Maybe it will convince my friend to tweet more and maybe it will even cause Alyssa Milano to respond to my constant pleads of affection. You just never know until you try. So go forth and engage in twitterdom!

Banter and the Couple’s Glossary

So after spending three plus years with Cara, I have noticed that we have developed our own language over time. Certain ways to describe stuff that we don’t seem to use anywhere else, but that we fully understand none the less. The following are a few examples.

BoopBoop - This is a term that means you need to fast forward through the commercials when we are watching something on our DVR. While it is great that I get the power of the remote 99% of the time, the burden of the boopboop falls mainly on me. 

Fend - When we are lazy or one of us comes home late, this is a term we use that means “I am going to eat whatever I want and you are on your own!”

Your Turn - This usually comes into play when we sleep in on Saturdays, it means that the Dog needs to be let out. 

Application

The world around me is moving so fast. Mobile devices are making virtually all information instantly available at the touch of a button. An idea released into the world can reach the masses in seconds. 

Unfortunately this makes it increasingly harder to have an original idea, one that isn’t pounced upon and driven to completion by someone with more motivation and more means. Maybe they happened to hear you talking about it in line at the movies, or maybe you mentioned something brilliant on a facebook wall or a twitter response. In the internet age, you can never be so sure who is and isn’t listening.

It makes me wonder. To be driven, to be special, to be the next big thing, it isn’t easy. In the past I have lost steam on ideas that I knew were great. I lacked the confidence to see a project through to completion. I am hoping that soon I will turn a corner, that I can overcome this evil cycle of failure. 

All it takes is one success to breed others. Even if it is a mild one. I am hoping and praying that my one success happens soon. I hope the support system I have for this is strong and won’t allow me to sit down and watch another idea get picked up by someone with more motivation. I need this and I want this, I hope I wake up soon and remember just what it would mean to put my heart into something that matters.

I can’t go on coasting, I need to be passionate about things I do day in and day out. I want to care, I want to wake up at 3am and NEED to work. Where and when will this happen to me? Soon I hope. Soon indeed. 

Spring Training

Traditionally I am not a baseball blogger. I follow several of them online and with twitter, but I tend to leave the analysis to them! That being said, I do want to make a few points in an effort to get through to the casual fan.  Today Spring Training starts, it is the first day for pitchers and catchers to report, so I think today is a good day to devote a blog to the team.

I have been seriously following the Royals for probably the last 4 years and semi-casually for a few years before that. I was a season ticket holder for 2 long years (a total of 70+ games). So believe me when I say that this season might be one of the most exciting/scary seasons in memory.

When I say that I mean that no one is expecting the Royals to field a winner. With the lowest payroll in the league going into 2011, no one I mean no one thinks this team is going to win. In fact there have already been countless blogs on the subject and if you have read even a few of them then this post might not be for you. I want to talk directly to the casual fan, the cynical fan, that guy at the office that insists on going to ball games, but still talks sh*t on the team. 

Listen, the Royals might not set the world on fire this season, but what will happen is we are going to see some of the most hyped prospects in the league finally make it up to the bigs and show our proud city what they can do.

I remember the first time Alex Gordon got called up from the minors, he was touted as the second coming, the next George Brett. I also remember that he came up in his first major league at bat and struck out with bases loaded. I think collectively the entire Kansas City area let out a massive sigh. We are still waiting for him to catch up to all that hype. Alex will be our everyday left fielder, maybe he will finally forget the pressure and just play baseball with style. 

So Gordon is the perfect example of a prospect that doesn’t pay off 100% (though in his defense, he is still in the majors and will play everyday), so I am not saying  that all the prospects will get called up and win a world series this year, but I can say that some of them will definitely get called up in an otherwise unforgettable season and show our fair city what they are made of without the pressure of winning.

Maybe just maybe that will translate into something great, maybe we will compete, scare a few teams, earn a place at the table of some big name free agents next season, you never know. I guess what I am saying is that if you want to come to the K this summer, don’t come and fuss when we don’t win (we will sometimes). Take a deeper look at the player, look at (shutter!) advance stats, maybe even take some time to figure out their strengths and weaknesses in the minors and compare those actions to the majors. 

Doing so might just make the potentially sad season bearable. I know I am taking this approach, trying to keep positive about the coming year.

In closing, I just hope that Jason Kendall doesn’t start at Catcher all year. we need to see Pena and May get some reps. And because they have already played with a lot of the minor pitchers that will probably be up hurling. 

So look for me on opening day. Cara has never been and I am looking forward to letting her see what the K is like in a playoff-type atmosphere (Sadly opening day is the only sell out that seems like something is at stake!).

I like the Royals a lot, but on this Valentine’s Day my heart is with Cara. Can’t wait to marry her this summer. I hope to see you all at the K when we get back from our honeymoon!