Monday, February 8, 2010
Posted By Bret
Greetings to all. This is Bret taking up our benevolent leader's offer to allow each of us to post on the D.S. Blog. Seldom do you find a President so secure in his high office that he is willing to throw caution to the wind by allowing the masses to taste of the fruits of his leadership. I am honored to use his exalted log in. My wife's sister posted this video on her facebook. Not only is it very funny but also speaks to the need for organizations such as the Dude Squad. So I hope you will enjoy it. P.S. At the 1:30 mark you will see a movie theatre crowd that exactly matches the one that Sam experienced being the only male at the movie "Dear John"(perhaps some sort of disciplinary action required). Click here
Sunday, January 31, 2010
A Model of Empathy
Dudes,
I thought you might enjoy this clip of a talk show host laughing at his guests. The topic for the show was medical procedures gone wrong and as you'll see, his reaction to a throat-surgery survivor is less than professional. Apparently, his show was canceled and his television career ended because of this one show. Enjoy.
I thought you might enjoy this clip of a talk show host laughing at his guests. The topic for the show was medical procedures gone wrong and as you'll see, his reaction to a throat-surgery survivor is less than professional. Apparently, his show was canceled and his television career ended because of this one show. Enjoy.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Behold the Man
President's Message
Another successful Dude Squad meeting is in the bag thanks to Scott Silva and his dear wife Christy who was kind enough to allow ten dudes to roast strips of beef on skewers in her living room fireplace. The beef, I'm compelled to add, was marinaded in such a way as to leave me at a loss for superlatives to describe it. Suffice it to say the meat was transcendent. Pre-discussion chatter was lively and not entirely unproductive as we listened to Troy's adventures in China confronting guys with superfluous teeth and playing charades with the Eggman. We also enjoyed Bret's pictures of people with severely disfigured faces. Then we touched lightly on the 'woman question' and decided that reading women authors is permissible but a girl in the Dude Squad would just be too weird. Perhaps next month we should consider building a tree house with the appropriate defenses and signage. Also, we decided that it's ok for Leo to listen to audio books.
Scott initiated discussion with the question: what was the turning point for Greg Mortenson? A number of postulates were presented and some even questioned whether there was an actual turning point in his life. Discussion revolved around the man Greg Mortenson for most of the night and the general consensus was that such selfless service can open doors that most consider locked. We also considered the related topics of education (and decided that California teachers are grossly overpaid), US military involvement in Afghanistan/Pakistan, and earthquakes with Sam telling stories about how he used to impress girls in college.
Of course I'd like to mention our newest initiates, Brent Christensen and Richard Norman and thank them for their contributions and insights. For the record I want to mention all those in attendance on that dark and stormy night, January 21, 2010: Scott Silva, Leo Bunting, Brent Christensen, Richard Norman, Tyler Wilson, John Root, Troy Thorup, Sam Gilstrap, Trevor Beck and Bret Prawitt. Our next book was chosen by Leo Bunting: The Forgotten Man by Amity Shlaes. Discussion is tentatively scheduled for February 25 at Leo's house. Standby for more information.
Gentlemen, go forth and serve.
Another successful Dude Squad meeting is in the bag thanks to Scott Silva and his dear wife Christy who was kind enough to allow ten dudes to roast strips of beef on skewers in her living room fireplace. The beef, I'm compelled to add, was marinaded in such a way as to leave me at a loss for superlatives to describe it. Suffice it to say the meat was transcendent. Pre-discussion chatter was lively and not entirely unproductive as we listened to Troy's adventures in China confronting guys with superfluous teeth and playing charades with the Eggman. We also enjoyed Bret's pictures of people with severely disfigured faces. Then we touched lightly on the 'woman question' and decided that reading women authors is permissible but a girl in the Dude Squad would just be too weird. Perhaps next month we should consider building a tree house with the appropriate defenses and signage. Also, we decided that it's ok for Leo to listen to audio books.
Scott initiated discussion with the question: what was the turning point for Greg Mortenson? A number of postulates were presented and some even questioned whether there was an actual turning point in his life. Discussion revolved around the man Greg Mortenson for most of the night and the general consensus was that such selfless service can open doors that most consider locked. We also considered the related topics of education (and decided that California teachers are grossly overpaid), US military involvement in Afghanistan/Pakistan, and earthquakes with Sam telling stories about how he used to impress girls in college.
Of course I'd like to mention our newest initiates, Brent Christensen and Richard Norman and thank them for their contributions and insights. For the record I want to mention all those in attendance on that dark and stormy night, January 21, 2010: Scott Silva, Leo Bunting, Brent Christensen, Richard Norman, Tyler Wilson, John Root, Troy Thorup, Sam Gilstrap, Trevor Beck and Bret Prawitt. Our next book was chosen by Leo Bunting: The Forgotten Man by Amity Shlaes. Discussion is tentatively scheduled for February 25 at Leo's house. Standby for more information.
Gentlemen, go forth and serve.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Next Meeting
The next official meeting of Dude Squad and Obscure Sports Society will be held at Scott Silva's house at 364 Oro Drive in Arroyo Grande on Thursday, January 21 at 8:00. We will be discussing Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. We will be in the back yard roasting things around the fire pit as we discuss so Scott asked me to remind everyone to kindly bring your own chair (B.Y.O.C.). See you there!
Friday, December 18, 2009
Don't Let This Happen to You
Gentlemen,
Please take a few minutes and review this video. Then do a quick inventory of your holiday gift ideas/ purchases. Ask yourself two questions: Did I buy this because I want it or because my wife wants it? What kind of message does this gift send?
Merry Christmas from the Dude Squad.
Please take a few minutes and review this video. Then do a quick inventory of your holiday gift ideas/ purchases. Ask yourself two questions: Did I buy this because I want it or because my wife wants it? What kind of message does this gift send?
Merry Christmas from the Dude Squad.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
I Think Therefore I'm In Dude Squad
President's Message
"The mark of an educated man is the ability to entertain an idea without accepting it." -Aristotle
Dudes,
On Thursday as I sat flanked by two dudes with advanced degrees in fields I know relatively little about, I thought about how nice it would be to have a job. But then in the true spirit of the Dude Squad, I felt grateful for the awesome insights offered by so many well-educated dudes. And greater still, I would add, was my gratitude for the insights into Leo's pedigree. I've spent the bulk of my waking hours since then trying to wrap my mind around it. Truly impressive, Leo, may you have many sons.
And speaking of pedigrees, I'd like to thank Bret for magnifying his role as host with the new "Fuhrer" look. The resemblance was striking. Also thanks go out to Wendy who made her signature cookies and some delightful mushroom puffs. Discussion of Maus was thought provoking and cathartic (at least for me) in that we sincerely confronted a colossal nightmare from the not-so-distant past. Dude Squad can and must go deep and dark if it is ever to appreciate the flip side... and that brings us to Scott's choice for January. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin looks to be full of adventure, struggle, triumph and tea. More information will be forthcoming on discussion time and place.
Finally, I'd like to thank Sam Gilstrap for spear-heading the Dude Squad outing to Invictus, a movie about rugby and forgiveness. A good time was had by all 9 dudes that showed up including 2 junior dudes Ryan Gilstrap and Gage Renfroe. And of course I'd like to recognize for the record the dudes in attendance on December 10th for Maus discussion: Bret Prawitt, Sam Gilstrap, Scott Silva, Trevor Beck, Leo Bunting, Tyler Wilson, John Root, and Troy Thorup.
And so in the spirit of being a dude, I'd like to leave you with a quote from one of my favorite tyrants from history.
"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake." -Napoleon Bonaparte
"The mark of an educated man is the ability to entertain an idea without accepting it." -Aristotle
Dudes,
On Thursday as I sat flanked by two dudes with advanced degrees in fields I know relatively little about, I thought about how nice it would be to have a job. But then in the true spirit of the Dude Squad, I felt grateful for the awesome insights offered by so many well-educated dudes. And greater still, I would add, was my gratitude for the insights into Leo's pedigree. I've spent the bulk of my waking hours since then trying to wrap my mind around it. Truly impressive, Leo, may you have many sons.
And speaking of pedigrees, I'd like to thank Bret for magnifying his role as host with the new "Fuhrer" look. The resemblance was striking. Also thanks go out to Wendy who made her signature cookies and some delightful mushroom puffs. Discussion of Maus was thought provoking and cathartic (at least for me) in that we sincerely confronted a colossal nightmare from the not-so-distant past. Dude Squad can and must go deep and dark if it is ever to appreciate the flip side... and that brings us to Scott's choice for January. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin looks to be full of adventure, struggle, triumph and tea. More information will be forthcoming on discussion time and place.
Finally, I'd like to thank Sam Gilstrap for spear-heading the Dude Squad outing to Invictus, a movie about rugby and forgiveness. A good time was had by all 9 dudes that showed up including 2 junior dudes Ryan Gilstrap and Gage Renfroe. And of course I'd like to recognize for the record the dudes in attendance on December 10th for Maus discussion: Bret Prawitt, Sam Gilstrap, Scott Silva, Trevor Beck, Leo Bunting, Tyler Wilson, John Root, and Troy Thorup.
And so in the spirit of being a dude, I'd like to leave you with a quote from one of my favorite tyrants from history.
"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake." -Napoleon Bonaparte
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Survival of the Not-So-Fittest
As men of science who boast large cerebral cortexes and the latest in Blackberry technology, we modern men are wont to indulge in derisive jokes at the expense of our walnut-brained ancestors. But as one anthropologist argues, bench press max really was once the measure of a man. Please enjoy this tribute to a time when spear chucking skills determined a man's true worth.
Check this out.
Check this out.
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