he said/ she said... my take on fashion... yikes

I think Goose and Meathead need to write a co blog on how men feel about fashion pitfalls like muffin tops and ridiculously faux handbags...the man's perspective and the fashionistas perspective...
-StoveTop

Alright Goose, I really think your readers enjoy making me look like a fool by having us write about things I know nothing about. Come on guys, I can make myself look stupid!!! In the interest of humor and debate I'll try my best. I make zero promises.

When it comes to fashion I pretend to have a little bit of an idea on how to dress but really it just boils down to two things for me: 1.) I wear what I think looks good and 2.) I tend to find things that stand out. I love thermals. Be they of the hoodie variety or half button, they're a major weapon in my arsenal. (He thinks they make him look muscle-y) I also love my scarves (duh) and my fantastic hat collection. I'm seriously like the kid from Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. (For the 3 people who get that joke, you're welcome). Also, bright colors tend to show up rather often. I think I have a respectable wardrobe but it's almost entirely based on the fashion skills of my mother and girlfriend... honestly. When it comes to women's fashion I'll be honest, I don't understand most of what's popular. Thankfully I have Goose. I can't imagine dropping near 4 digits on a bag; Goose helps me understand the value of such a thought. I think Ugg boots are a complete joke and every time someone wears them I want to kick them in the face...with my real boots. The worst thing in my mind though is girls who wear outfits that are completely unflattering but I'll let Goose jump in before I start to ramble...

Oh, Meathead, as usual you were distracted by your glorious “trendy hat” collection and muscle henleys. Let’s try and focus your creative juices. You have already given your opinion on UGG boots. As much as it pains me to agree (because they are so damn comfortable), they are far from stylish. I will say that I continue to wear mine to and from the gym and on occasion to the dog park. In my defense, it’s Cleveland and it’s cold. I would like to get your opinion on some other fashion “issues”. Let’s get a gentleman’s perspective on…

Leggings and the new “jeggings” (jean leggings)
Fake purses/expensive designers
Muffin Tops (do you really notice?)
Chains and studs that have made appearances as of late
These glorious Chanel tattoos that FashionFace and I will be sporting...
http://www.chanel.com/en_US/fragrance-beauty/Makeup-Accessories-LES-TROMPE-L%27OEIL-DE-CHANEL-89753


So much pressure here. Speaking for men everywhere is not easy. I knew I was getting off track. Thank you for reeling me back in. Let's see here…

Leggings- Personally, not a fan. This isn't 1982 and for an extra ten bucks you could've bought the rest of the pants. I'm guessing the reasoning is people want to wear skirts and such in the winter? Yes/no? If so, guess what... the winter isn't skirt season. Wear some pants and wait till spring.

Purses- ok, I'll admit that they're a necessary evil. I'll never understand why they have to be so expensive and they seem to be getting bigger and bigger but I have seen ones I don't mind. That being said, there are far too many gaudy and hideous ones out there and I do agree about the fake ones. If you can't afford an $800 purse that's ok, but you don't need to pretend like you can. Shopping for deals is a skill, not something to be ashamed of. If you got something awesome from Kohl's then don't shy away from that.

Muffin tops- I do notice. If you want to wear something tight, work out. Get in shape. A little vanity is ok. I like wearing tight shirts now and then so guess what I do... Go to the gym. I know I probably sound like a jerk but it is what it is. No one wants to see you wearing a tube top or showing off your midriff if it's doing just that... drifting. In fact, why not use the small clothes you want to wear as motivation? I know tons of girls who say, "I'm going to get into blah blah blah swimsuit this year" and so they bust their butts to do so. To those girls I say kudos and keep on keepin on.

Be more specific for "Chains and studs" please...remember I'm very uncool so I don't know what it means.

The tattoo one is interesting. As a big fan of tattoos, having two with a few more possibly in mind, I think they're pretty cool. Some people say their body is a temple. Mine's more of a template. I like how you can express things using ink. That being said, fashion is fleeting so putting something permanent on your body for the "spring season" is a bit unintelligent so I say good decision Goose. I think you'll pull it off well. This is hard... I feel like I'm taking a standardized test with no right answers. Ok what's next?


Some fashionistas would argue that leggings are the new denim… so, in essence, they would be wearing pants. Thoughts?

Studs:




Untitled by allegedlyfff featuring Prada bags


You’re doing fine so far…

What about shoes? The higher the better or for comfort first and foremost?


No... In essence they're wearing over the top knee high socks. I'm sure that came out wrong. Also denim is denim. This whole "Blank is the new Blank" thing needs to stop. 40s the new 30... No 30 is still 30, 40 is still 40.

Studs- Ok I see what you mean now. I guess they're ok. Nothing wrong with a little bling. SO are studs the new rhinestones? See what I did there. It's called a joke, just not a very good one.

Shoes- Again, I'm going to take a beating for this but I've got a story for every girl out there. I have a beautiful girlfriend who happens to be around 5'11 or roughly a half inch shorter then I am. This means she doesn’t get to wear heals very often because she feels awkward for being taller than me. I blame DNA. While in Vegas she decided she was going to get "super cute" shoes for the whole weekend which I completely respect. The first day she wore shoes that were just a bit too big and ended up with blisters and painful feet. Then on our 2nd night she wore heals to a concert. They weren't huge but heals nonetheless. By the end of the night her feet hurt so bad that she was walking barefoot in our hotel back to the room. Granted some drinks were involved but my question is what good is a shoe if it's going to debilitate you, regardless of how cute they are? I could write a book on how I'll never understand women's shoe choices. I honestly do get the appeal and if you can deal with it then awesome but at the end of the day I just felt bad for her because she clearly was not comfortable. All that being said a girl at the concert did tell her how cute the shoes were so I suppose it's all worth it? Ugh I'm such a boy...


At least she didn’t take them off. I have a very strict policy regarding stilettos… if you are going to wear big-girl shoes then you need to be a big girl and keep them on all night.

What about the bootie/cuffed sandal trend?

What the hell is a bootie sandal? Picture please



Untitled by allegedlyfff featuring Camilla Skovgaard shoes


THAT is not a boot. Or a bootie. Or a sandal for that matter. That looks like a ridiculously uncomfortable shoe. It's not even nice looking. Are they all like that because if so that's terrible and has no place on anyone’s foot ever.


Can you think of anything women’s fashion-wise that you would like to cover?

Earrings are kind of annoying but not nearly as thought provoking as the others... and just how long women can take to get ready but I’d get yelled at discussing that so I think we're good for now

I apologize for my complete lack of knowledge in the area. For a a much more informed fashion opinion and so much more check out goose at allegedlyfff.blogspot.com and find us on twitter!

we out!

nothin but a G thang... Meg, The real original No G

To the fifteen-ish people I’ve already told this to, I apologize. It’s quickly becoming a tradition that as a mini-bonding ritual I’ve been giving up Gluten for Lent. I started last year and have again taken on the challenge this spring. I do it for my sister Meg who was diagnosed with Celiac a couple years ago. For those of you who don’t understand those first few sentences, it’s ok. You’re part of a majority in this country. Celiac is a food allergy which causes an inability to digest gluten properly. It causes major stomach issues and, if left unchecked, can lead to stomach cancer. You’re follow up question is probably, “Wow that sounds unfortunate, but what’s Gluten? It can’t be THAT bad.” Well, it is. Gluten is basically any carb that isn’t rice or potatoes. That means no bread products, no pastas, no pizza, and no beer. (tear…)

If you’re thinking that it doesn’t sound that difficult stop and think about what you eat on a day to day basis. Say you have cereal for breakfast. Unless it’s Rice Chex (terrible by the way) you’re pretty much screwed. So that goes out the door. Oh and forget about pancakes, waffles, or toast. Lunch? Maybe you go to Subway or get fast food. Try again… No bread products or anything breaded. Snack time- Maybe you like pretzels… No. Granola? Also a no. Dinner? Well good luck because you can’t have regular pasta so I hope you don’t like Italian. Basically everything needs to be made from scratch or else odds are its got gluten in it.

If you still don’t think it sounds too difficult then let’s talk money. If you shop for yourself you know regular pastas costs roughly a dollar for a box. Gluten free products can cost up to five times as much for just about everything. Gluten free pastas, baking products, and breads do exist but they’re pricey and usually not as good. (Unless it’s Meg’s cookies…those rock!) Not to mention the fact that trying to make Gluten-free food takes so long that most nights my sister just eats rice and plain chicken. Real exciting. One good thing about doing the Gluten free diet during Lent is it almost forces you to lose weight. You really can’t help it.

I’m not asking anyone to feel sorry for me and I’m certainly not complaining. I love doing this for my sister but the fact is so few people understand what celiac is and just how much of daily life it effects. It’s not just the difficulty in finding the food that’s rough. Cross contamination is probably the most difficult part of dealing with Celiac. For example: If I use a pan to cook breaded chicken then my sister can’t use that pan because the gluten is on it. My parents always have two different butters, peanut butters, and cream cheeses because she can’t use regular ones once a knife has been used to butter bread or anything like it. It’s quite comical because everything is marked “GF”. Some restaurants have Gluten-free menus but Meg can’t even really eat there because they use the same pots and pans to cook the food. This means she usually ends up bringing her own food to restaurants if anyone ever eats out. Guess what she brings… yep, chicken and rice. Not to mention that she has to buy special make-ups and things of that nature because, they too, contain gluten.

In the end, I suppose this is more of a PSA then anything else. If you know someone who has Celiac then try to do the diet with them if only for a few days. You’ll really gain a new respect for just how much they have to adjust to this disease. Thus concludes quite possibly the first educational blog I’ve ever written. Have a great day and GO GLUTEN FREE!!!

best man out!

a sneaky super sunday

The SuperBowl, Championship Sunday, the beginning of March Madness, opening day for the MLB. These are all days that, as an avid sports fan, I get amped up for weeks in advance. We throw watch parties for these days, skip work for these days, and enter in office pools to up the ante just that much more. These are the days that fans simply cannot wait for and that's what made Sunday such a special day. It was completely unexpected. Confused? If you're not the biggest sports fan in the world you probably are and that's ok. What I want to do now though is break down just how fantastic of a sports day you may have missed. In fact, if you planned this out right and had enough food and drink, you could've managed to never leave your lay-z-boy from noon until midnight.

12:00 pm (Eastern standard): BASKETBALL: Ohio State AT Michigan State. CBS. Huge Big Ten implications. Two stars destined for the NBA. Oh and not to mention the fact that both teams are vying for a possible 1 seed.

1:00 pm BASKETBALL: Cleveland Cavaliers AT Orlando Magic. ABC. Taking away the fact that I'm a gigantic Cleveland fan this game is one any NBA fan would want to see. Rematch from the playoffs last year. Lebron. Superman V. Superman. New pieces trying to mesh. So many great story lines. The only problem is that the Van Gundy announcing team was doing the game for ABC.

I spent from 1:00 until just after 4:00 flipping between these two games and then focusing on the Cavs. Yes they lost and the Bucks won but this isn't about my teams, it's about the day. So far, so good.

Around 4:00 pm (HOCKEY) Russia V Czech Republic. USA network. Ok, so maybe your not a basketball fan. Hell, I'm not really a hockey fan but the Olympics bring something a little special. We watch sports we wouldn't normal and learn to love them (Looking at you, Curling) and hockey has become one of those sports for me. Combine the pageantry of the Olympics with two traditional hockey powers, not to mention one of the two players any one's actually heard of (OVEY) and you've got the makings of some thrilling television. Russia takes it. Go rusky go.

Roughly 4:30 pm (BASKETBALL) Boston Celtics at Denver Nuggets. ABC. Two more title contenders. Some of the biggest names in the sport. A Denver team who is quietly under the radar. Very compelling game. The Nuggets gave up a 20 point lead only to hold on for the victory.

7:45 pm (HOCKEY) U.S.A. AT Canada. MSNBC. In my eyes the absolute main event of the day. They sold the whole 30 years since the Miracle on Ice so well that everyone in our bar had chills watching the promos. Huge underdog USA team, insanely talented Canadian team, IN CANADA... can we get some magic? Yes we can. Amazing game and, as you're probably aware, USA pulled off a gigantic upset.

A lot of people have complained that the game wasn't on NBC but they couldn't be more wrong. Ice dancing was on NBC and while males will be annoyed with this, women run households and they love them some skating. It drew a 16 share...which is insane. The hockey game being on MSNBC meant no commercials, a pre and post game show and no interruptions from other sport updates. People were going nuts. It was great.


Had the day ended here I would've been content; but it didn't. Around 10:30 pm ESPN showed the Portland Trail Blazers hosting the Utah Jazz in what ended up being a very good game as well. Also, around midnight Sweden played their rivals Finland in more Olympic Hockey. If you add all this into a full day of Olympic coverage of Alpine (Bode Miller American hero?) you've got one amazing day.

I woke up knowing I'd be watching the Cavs and America. The far less expected team won but I'm certainly not complaining. I had no idea that the entire day would be magical. If you're a fan at all I truly hope you were near a television yesterday, because if not you missed something super.

a little bit o this, a little bit o that

Apologies to Jay for thieving but there's no better blog name when you're all over the place.
Let's discuss some of the things I've noticed over the last couple of days. By discuss I mean I'll write them down, you can read them...

First and foremost:
I was running on the treadmill at the gym this week and Ellen was on. (She's awesome, shut up) Anyway, the sound was on but the closed caption was also running and for the first time ever I realized how little consideration deaf people get. Have you ever paid attention to the closed captioning? It's absolutely horrible. First of all they are at minimum two minutes behind the actual spoken word. Then when a commercial comes it just cuts off, leaving them completely clueless as to how any conversation ends. The worst part is whenever music is being played on the screen all they show is little music notes. This basically says, "Hey deaf people, we're playing music right now. It's beautiful, but you'll never know what it sounds like." It's so incredibly insulting. In this day and age where technology is advancing so quickly how has C.C. not been improved upon yet? There are gadgets that will read your emails to you while you're in the car; you can't tell me advances can't be made to improve the television watching experience for the dead. Don't believe me? Try watching even one show with the C.C. on. It's impossible to really understand what's going on.


- If they can create Neapolitan ice cream can't they do the same for protein powder? I'm so tired of having 25 straight vanilla milkshakes before I get to switch things up.

-As I've been telling my friends all week, Download music by the band Fun. They're absolutely amazing.

-If you want to have some good old fashion fun I recommend going to a minor league hockey game. It's like being back in high school. You get to heckle the other teams goalie, cheer on the little kids at intermission, and yell way too loudly for a three dollar t-shirt shot out of a gun that looks like it should be in Megaman X.

-Antwan Jamison went 0-12 in his Cavaliers debut... Has it been thirty days yet? I want to hear Z say, "What's up Lebronnnnnn" again :(.

-Has anyone else ever realized how hard it is to clean a flask? It's literally next to impossible. I'm terrified to put soap in it because you can't see inside. I envision making a rum and coke....and dial. Not as tasty as it sounds.

-I challenge anyone to watch an Olympic Curling match and not become a fan. Well, I challenge anyone to watch it with my group of friends down here in Cincy and not become a fan. In related news, we're starting a Curling team but those 42 pound stones are around $500 bucks a piece. That being said, we're now accepting sponsorships for our curling team!


Huge shout out to my best friend and original bromance Joe Bott and his new fiancee' Lindsay Yost! Congrats guys! I'm pumped and honored to a part of all the festivities!


Enjoy your weekend everyone... Have some Gluten for meg and I!

Best man out.

Pitchers and Catchers report

...Possibly the best four word phrase in the English language. I apologize for the lengthy hiatus but with the terrible weather and my trip to Vegas my schedule has been all out of whack. As for the Vegas trip- I could write about that but I'm guessing my part-time PIC is going to want to discuss that after her trip which is quickly approaching. So for now we'll put that on the back burner. Let's talk baseball.

Ask any of my friends or even partial acquaintances down here in Cincy and they'll all agree that my passion for Cleveland sports is, sadly, unrivaled. If the Browns lost on a Sunday (and they often did) I'd be in a bad mood all day. When a Cavs game is on I'm basically another person. While bar tending during the Cavs-Lakers game, I refused to serve drinks unless it was a time out. When the playoffs come my friend (who is a Boston fan) and I have agreed that it'd be best that we don't watch games together if there's a Celts-Cavs series. It just wouldn't be safe.

None of this compares to my love for the Indians though. I'm a baseball guy. My brother calls me a purist even. I can sit for hours at a time watching pitcher's duels. I don't need home runs to get excited (although hitting them was my favorite thing to do). I love every facet of baseball. I can watch it at home, at a bar, or live and enjoy it just the same.

It's tough being a Cleveland fan what with the Browns constant clusterf*&% and the unnerving talks of Lebron leaving our town, which would render the Cavs insignificant again, but one could argue that the Indians are the best at breaking our hearts. They are good once every four years but that year they're REALLY good. Just not the best. Then all off season we fans get excited because hey, "There's always next year!" That next year turns into a debacle and it hurts even worse because we expected to be good. Dumb idea I know. When you couple all this with the fact that our division is pretty mediocre and, thus, even a decent team has a shot of making the playoffs it creates the perfect storm of pain. That's why, despite a depleted pitching staff and no real power threats in our line-up I'm predicting the Tribe finds a way to finish over .500 and just miss the playoffs, all while managing to suck the fans in and cut us even deeper.

While I love winter, this recent barrage of snow storms has been difficult to handle for just about everyone. It took me a little over 5 hours to get from Lorain to Cincy, a trip that should take around 3 and 1/2. So while you're traveling in the snow these next few days and hating everyone in front of you for going 9 miles an hour just think of these few words and you'll start to think of spring...
Pitchers and Catchers report.


People ask me what I do in the winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare
out the window and wait for spring.
-Rogers Hornsby

marriage...marriage is what brings us together today

Goose and Meathead,

I'm planning on proposing to my girlfriend soon and I need some legit advice on this one. I want to spend the rest of my life with her but I know the start of our life together is very important. I'm going on a vacation with her soon and so I want to know, with Valentine's Day coming up... Should I propose then, on vacation, or some other time? Thanks guys

-anon-

Dear God do not propose on Valentine’s Day. I’m not saying that just because of my feelings on the holiday (see previous post), but mostly because it is tacky and impersonal. Not to mention if you plan on proposing in a restaurant on Valentine’s Day you will probably be at least the 5^th one to do it that night. Unless you first met/dated/kissed on Valentine’s Day it is probably not a good idea.

Vacation is a pretty safe bet if you are going somewhere of importance to both of you… actually it really only has to be important to her. The only downside to that is you’ll have to wait to get home to spread the news. If you are going with friends though then it’s the perfect time because the celebrating can commence immediately!

Other solid places to propose would be where you first met/had your first date/first kissed, but the key with those is you have to be super creative. For example, Mama confided in me that since her first date was at the Zoo she would want her would-be-fiancé to create a scavenger hunt throughout the zoo including her family and friends until it finally led her to him, where he would then propose.

Meathead, when you decide to grow up, how do you plan on asking?

Marriage... (shudder)

I'm siding with Goose on the whole do not do it on Valentine's Day thing. It's cheesy pretty much regardless of the scenario. Personally I think anywhere in the public eye is a bit lame. (well you’re lame) I never understood why people feel the need to propose in a restaurant in front of complete strangers. Are you that attention starved? Another thing I can't figure out for the life of me is why guys do it at stadiums or arenas. Yes, it works for Colt McCoy but he has just a bit more history at Texas stadium. Colt-good, anyone else- bad. When it comes to wedding proposals I think it's starting to get out of hand. Every guy is trying to top whatever someone else did and it's getting a little ridiculous. A vacation is alright I suppose, but I think it's more romantic to do it when you get back from the vacation and you're just hanging out together, alone.

Whenever it is my time I'll most likely go the traditional route. Secretly go talk to proposee's father and ask for his permission. Then I'm thinking just getting down on one knee in my apartment after having a nice meal together. This is surely one of the topics we'll differ on though so Goose, being a bit more extravagant then me, what would be your perfect place to get proposed to?

Oh my God! I can’t believe I forgot to say that!! Nice catch Meathead! Please gentlemen, ask her father for her hand. I cannot stress how important this is to most girls. It just shows such respect for her family. I would have to say “no” to any man if he did not get the okay from Papa J first. Not to mention what Papa J would then do to you...

Oh the perfect proposal… well, and I am probably standing alone among women with this one, but I would have to say in front of the Bellagio water show on the Vegas strip surrounded by friends and family. To me, it’s just magical.

Goose, I'd LOVE to say that this surprises me but honestly I can't say it does. I could see that being pretty cool, especially because in Vegas you see interesting stuff basically every second so it wouldn't turn into a huge embarrassing ordeal but I'm still going traditional. However, I'm definitely pulling an Ashton from that new terrible looking V-day movie and yelling "SHE SAID YES!!" out my window after the fact... ya know, if in fact, she said yes.

You could probably sweeten your odds by giving her one of these...

For more from Goose go to http://allegedlyfff.blogspot.com/

The smartest dumb person

Being in Grad school isn't much different from college. Subtle changes include most classes being at night, most of us in the program work or go to an internship during the day and the fact that my classmates and I tend to feel old, what with being on a college campus and all. Much like college we've all chosen a program on which to focus and all of our classes align in some form or another to coincide with said program; Sports Administration being the program in question. Another similarity to college is that there are some classes we have to take that you may not have any interest or knowledge in.

This semester that class is "Legal and Ethical Issues in Sport." It's every Monday night from 7:00 until 9:30pm. On Tuesday and Wednesday I have Sports Marketing and Event Management, two subjects I have great interest in and have some experience with. This means that while I am able to participate and feel intelligent during both those classes, the opposite happens on Mondays. When it comes to legal issues I know the basics; Don't kill anyone, If you drink get a designated driver, and don't do anything in public you'd feel uncomfortable doing in private.
Here's where the issue arises. You know those annoying people in class who try to participate in EVERY discussion, even if they know nothing about the topic? Well I'm totally that person. It's not because I love the sound of my own voice (although clearly I do) and it's not because I'm some teacher's pet. It's because I completely lack the ability to just sit silently for 2 and 1/2 hours. Now here's the rub... Law, apparently, isn't something you can just talk out of your ass about.
Bless our Prof's heart though. He understands that none of us have a background in law and so when he asks a question and we give some asinine answer that's not even close he'll say something like, "well maybe in another judicial system, but this is the actual answer I was looking for." He's honestly a pretty cool dude. Not to mention the fact that he looks so much like Howie Mandel that I half expect a banker to call the class room at any minute, or at the very least hear the "Bobby's World" theme. I'm sure if he was a complete prick and ridiculed us every time we were wrong I'd be less inclined to raise the hand but thankfully it's not the case.

The whole situation really just makes me laugh. How can you feel so intelligent in two classes, and completely moronic in another? I'd probably feel a lot worse about all of this if everyone in the program wasn't in the same situation, not to mention we've got good senses of humor. As my good buddy Weaver put it (complete with Good Will Hunting accent) "On Monday I'm retahded, but on Tuesday and Wednesday my boy is wicked smaht."

Thankfully it's already Tuesday.



"I know that I am intelligent because I know that I know nothing."
-Socrates-