Death of the Battleground State?

In the Democratic primary… maybe. Regardless of your political inclinations, there’s a rather fascinating article in today’s Washington Post on how the Obama campaign sewed up the nomination, without big momentum wins (outside of the Iowa caucus) and without contesting traditional “battleground” states.

I know a lot of Obama supporters are excited about “a new direction in politics” and we may have just witnessed that in the strictest definition of the phrase: a new way of contesting the Democratic primary in terms of strategy, not just rhetoric.

Strategy Was Based On Winning Delegates, Not Battlegrounds

The insurgent strategy the group devised instead was to virtually cede the most important battlegrounds of the Democratic nomination fight to Clinton, using precision targeting to minimize her delegate hauls, while going all out to crush her in states where Democratic candidates rarely ventured.

“We kept waiting for the Clinton people to send people into the caucus states,” marveled Jon Carson, one of Obama’s top ground-game strategists.

“It’s the big mystery of the campaign,” said campaign manager David Plouffe, “because every delegate counts.”

Gear Review: Granite Gear Nimbus Meridian

I finally retired my circa-1968 Kelty frame pack after so many years of stubbornly resisting the ultra-lightweight revolution. And after 5 nights out on the trail with the Granite Gear Nimbus Meridian, I’m never going back.

First of all, the best feature has to be the weight. Coming in at 3lbs, 8oz this pack must weigh at least 3lbs less than my old model. Of course, the old Kelty was pretty convenient if I wanted to pack in an old Buick on the trail, but really, how often is that necessary? Once a year - tops?

Second, the frame sheet is unbelievably comfortable. I can lift as much as 35lbs on my back (still considerably less than I used to carry) without really feeling much of anything. The weight gets perfectly distributed to my hips keeping the heavy lifting off of my shoulder straps - and shoulders.

Third, when I got the pack last year I thought the external front-access panel zipper would be key for getting into and out of my pack, but after discovering the wonders of stuff sack I now wonder if this just isn’t extra, unwanted weight. If I “downgrade” to the Nimbus Ozone I’d lose 8oz. Just a couple swigs of water really, but those base ounces add up faster than you can say “pulled disc”.

Of course, I could go completely overboard and trade in for the Vapor Trail and lose 1lb 3oz - and 200 cubes of much-needed storage space.

But this is where my new pack has really revolutionized how I think about backpacking. With a lot less space to pack than my old Kelty - I’m forced to pack only the essentials. It’s as though my pack is scolding me as I get my gear together for a trip, “Yeah… you don’t need that…” And so I leave it at home.

It’s like the old backpacking adage. Make three piles of your gear. 1. The gear you use all the time. 2. The gear you use some of the time. 3. The gear you seldom use. Then toss the second and third piles.

With the new pack, that 1st pile is getting smaller.

Ruination

Fulham!

Danny Murphy scores in the 76th minute and Kasey Keller makes a tremendous save in the final play of the game.  Fulham 1 - Portsmouth 0.  Reading defeats Derby 4-0 and Birmingham takes down Blackburn 4-1 but it’s not enough as all Fulham needed was a win to stave off relegation.  Roy Hodgson and the Cottagers survive and get a proper crack at the Premeirship next season.

Feelies Reunion

Pretty excited to hear that my favorite high-school reunion band will be reuniting for a free show on the 4th of July. Sponsored by WFMU. Sign up here for alerts on how to reserve your FREE tickets.

Is it lame that I’m more excited about this than the My Bloody Valentine reunion?

Also - my computer(s) is (are) not working anymore. Apologies for the recent lack of engaging content.

Mix-Tape #1

Made my first mix-tape over at muxtape.com the other day.  I’ll upload a new mix once a week or so.

Enjoy!

1. Circle - Andexelt

2. The Dodos - Fools

3. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Contonou Dahomet - Minsato Le, Mi Dayihome

4. Anne Briggs - Ride, Ride

5. The Hospitals - Rich People

6. New Order - Age Of Consent

The above image is the exact model of tape I used to use for mixtapes in middle school.  I’d listen to my tapes on one of those big, yellow, “waterproof” Walkmen on every morning bus ride while furiously doing my homework at the last minute.

Wade Boggs Enjoys the Occasional Beer

Saw this at Deadspin and couldn’t resist re-posting. Apparently, Wade Boggs could pack in a few back in the day. Oh say, anywhere between 50-70 beers on your average road trip.

This really goes a long way to explaining his claim that he willed himself invisible to avoid a knife-fight.

SVA Student Portfolio Show

Caught the SVA student portfolio show at The Art Director’s Club last night and I was pretty amazed with a lot of the work up on the walls. Didn’t get a chance to take any photos (camera is dead at the moment) but I’d have to say the best piece I saw is Annie Chiu’s ad for Victoria’s Secret. It’s a blueprint/floor plan to a house, where every room is labeled “Bedroom”. Simple, effective and smart. A damn near perfect ad.

There was some other great stuff on the walls. Other stuff, not so great. But it was amazing to see what kind of competition is out there (and coming straight out of undergrad at that). Most importantly, it was nice to see what makes a great ad and what makes a not so great ad. I still have to bring my work up to the next level - but it helps to see what other people are doing. Part of the process of becoming a successful copywriter is recognizing the great ads and steering clear of the bad ones (and “good” ones as well).

I’ve still got a lot of work to do. First on that list is coming up with one perfect campaign so I can get myself off the wait-list and into grad school. I’m on the edge. I have 72 hours left to drop my work in the mail and push myself over it.

Opening Day

My favorite baseball books:

1. The Boys of Summer, by Roger Kahn

2. Veeck as in Wreck: The Autobiography of Bill Veeck, by Bill Veeck with Ed Linn

3. Summer of ‘49, by David Halberstam

4. Shut Out: A Story of Race and Baseball in Boston, by Howard Bryant

5. You Gotta Have Wa, by Robert Whiting (currently reading)

Bordwell’s Take on Back to the Future

David Bordwell writes about Back to the Future. Kinda.

Is this sort of exercise necessary? It’s hip to be square.

Consider Back to the Future (released the same year as NiFF was published). It might have begun with Marty McFly skating down the street for several minutes on the way to Doc’s laboratory. Instead, the narration introduces Marty by showing him cranking up the lab’s amplifier to overdrive. He strikes a star pose, hits a guitar chord, and is blasted off his feet. He’s shaken up but awestruck: “Whoa. . . Rock and roll.” We now assume that Marty likes to take risks, that he’s committed to his music, that he’s a bit preening, and that he can bounce back. Likewise, before Marty comes in, during the opening shots exploring the lab, we get information about Doc as well, though more indirectly. For both characters, the narration encourages us to leap to conclusions that will be confirmed again and again in the story that follows.