The Unsinkable brian cork™

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yeah yeah yeah Memorial Day Microsoft and various HEROES

May27

I get inspired and motivated by all manner of things.

and, I tie them all together over the course of years, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes, and seconds.

happy Memorial Day, everyone.

and, this is just one more reason to honor you, Dad. I sure wish you were here to hug the girls. however, I did take Emma Jo kayaking yesterday and told her stories about you. all of it was mildly interesting to het for about fifteen minutes. then she was hot and sweaty. not much fun for an eleven year old girl that was more excited to learn she is bound for a shopping trip to Dallas.

in a playful mood, at one point along the river, I did ask her if she thought we were being watched by “wild indian”s. I got an over-the-shoulder no so amused glance for my efforts. so, in typically goofy-Dad fashion I followed my question with, “how about some-what wild Indians”, then, “mildly irritated indians”. of course I had to go down a long list of options, and finally, “impossibly flatulent illegal aliens”. that earned me an, “can I call Mommy”.

meanwhile, I was asked Saturday why I’m so good at coaching kids in youth sports, Lacrosse and Soccer, to be specific. I had to think about that one. while my teams tend to win, and the players improve, I’d don’t think of myself as being a “good coach”. the truth is I think I’m valuable as a motivator. it gets dicy after that. all that said, we were at the Union Hill Polo grounds Saturday and I met a strapping young fellow all of seven. he has just started playing Lacrosse. when word got out that I’m in the Milton system many of them figured out who I am and it started to look like a lacrosse game was inevitable.

I’ll dodge that part of the story and get back tot he core question. I’m certain I can coax girls into playing great and successful Soccer because I convince them to believe in themselves and play as a team. most girls are not raised that way. while that is a blog post worthy of its own merits, I’ll run with it another time. but,I believe I have a fair amount of success coaching boys in Lacrosse because I understand them better than most of their own Dads, especially if football has ever been involved. I relate to them. I probably think in similar fashion, and see the world in much the same way. my wife says I’ve never lost my sense of wonder and naiveté. I get VERY excited over “gear”.

in any event, all of this is a preamble to a brief discussion over Halo. going back to 2005 we had a shot at a movie with Peter Jackson (Hobbit movies) at the helm. but, Microsoft (owns all rights to Halo – and deserves a lot of credit for ONLY that), the best example of the evil empire itself mucked it all up by being greedy. its true, read more about that here:

How Peter Jackson’s Long-Awaited ‘Halo’ Movie Morphed Into Steven Spielberg Xbox-Only Series

Halo could have been a blockbuster similar to Avatar. but now it’s destined to be small-screened on the forth-coming XBox-TV.

this is classic Microsoft being stupid and stodgy and turning a great concept into frustrating irrelevance.

for perspective, Microsoft has come up with Office 365. but, you can’t import contact pictures up to it. so, in our social media networked business community that is another VERY stupid mistake.

so… that’s just par for the ill-kept course with Microsoft.

I want to buy more Microsoft stock (I bought a lot in the late ’80′s and early ’90′s). however, I keep having to ask myself how could a company that is so relevant be so goofy with its execution? kind of like Dad’s with sons that don’t understand what Lacrosse means.

it’s all tied together.

more later. we are off to the club today for a pool party. my Jeep driving Haley Anne might just join us. I am grateful for so much. I have been training hard of late and I am craving a hamburger.

today, in honor of Microsoft, and that of our Military heroes, I am listening to Despair by the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s. you can watch it here:

peace to my Brothers and Sisters.

brian patrick cork

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posted under Adventure, Authentic Life, Culture, Emma Jo, Family, Fun Stories, Haley Anne, History, Humor, Life, Music, Sports, Sports Life | No Comments »

just watch me pee

May8

so…

only a man can fully appreciate this post.

I have never had a problem peeing in public on an open camp fire.

have you ever seen the movie, They Call Me Trinity? I think it was one of my Dad’s favorite films. it’s a genuine Italian “spaghetti western”, that starred an impossibly handsome and gifted comedic Terrence Hill as our favored protagonist, “Trinity”. the lesser known sequel was My Name Is Nobody. that also starred Henry Fonda, (my favorite Fonda movie remains, Mr. Roberts: “now hear this… now hear this…”) which is in so many ways astonishing, yet something of a testimony to the sheer genius of the series. Dad absolutely loved westerns, and military yarns. and, he was a terrific belly laugher. the room always lit-up for me when he laughed.

I don’t think Dad stopped laughing from the opening credits to the very end. and, the retelling of numerous Trinity scenes made cocktail parties at our house(s) worth looking forward to.

in any event, there was a scene in a public latrine where Trinity faces-off with a hapless fellow, face-to-face over urinals. that seen left a lasting impression on me for countless reasons.

this past weekend I had my Emma Jo and our hearty-and-ferocious U13 Shockers Nation soccer team at a Select tournament in Duluth preparing for the State Cup May 11th and 12th. we were warming-up for a match and I had something of a run-in with the other teams head coach. he wanted us to change our jerseys and there really was no point. he was just trying to get into our heads. the simple fact is, he was being a DICK.

about ten minutes before the match I found myself heading towards the public restroom only steps behind him. he approached a urinal first and paused. I strode right up to the urinal next to him, looked right at him and instantly unleashed a manful and thundering effort, staring at him for a delightful thirty seconds. the entire time he could produce nothing. as I prepared to make my triumphant and testosterone enhanced departure, I slapped him heartily on the shoulder (whoopsee) and offered a well-meant, “good luck coach”.

I know all of this is mean-spirited. but, he was a DICK.

after all that he probably thinks I’m a dick.

we are ready! wish us luck at State Cup!

peace be to my Brothers and sisters.

brian patrick cork

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posted under Adventure, Authentic Life, Dad, Fun Stories, History, Humor, Life, Movies, Soccer, Sports Life, Video | No Comments »

LIVE in philanthropy

May1

my buddy (actually, he is a friend; there is probably a difference that could make for its own blog post) Victor shared the following story with me. he has a great many interests, and likely qualifies as something of an, “everyman”. read the article, here: http://www.forbes.com/pictures/eejk45ejjid/cityspire-penthouse-new-york-ny/

so… the house I just moved my family into MIGHT be worth $700k. But, I would never pay that much, for anything.

I can’t even get my head around $100M and the sort of person that might care about such things. if I had that much spare cash there would not be a kid in school without reading glasses or shoes.

peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

brian patrick cork

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love evolves Not

April30

every now and then, usually back during some when, words are written that so bluntly true, powerful and elegant that they stand alone. until someone lesser, such as myself, feels like they must add to them, as I have.

“When love is suppressed, hate takes it’s place” – Havelock Ellis

in any event, once you start rolling the above quote through you head, you will begin to come up with countless example.

peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

brian patrick cork

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What’s All This About?

"What am I looking at?", you might wonder.

Lots of stuff.

Meanwhile, here, I discuss events, people and things in our world - and, my (hardly simplistic, albeit inarticulate) views around them.

You'll also learn things about, well, things, like people you need to know about, and information about companies you can't find anywhere else.

So, while I harangue the public in my not so gentle way, you will discover that I am fascinated by all things arcane, curious about those whom appear religious, love music, dabble in politics, loathe the media, value education, still think I am an athlete, and might offer a recipe.

All the while, striving mightily, and daily, to remain a prudent and optimistic gentleman - and, authentic.