From Jeff Fisher's press conference earlier today, after getting annihilated by the Cincinnati Bengals:

"I certainly didn't see this one coming..."

Umm, why not?

Verbatim from my July 24 Titans 2007 Predictions, given by me to the Coach himself:

Week 12 (@ Cincinnati): LOSS. Blown out as Chad Johnson has 150 yard, 2 TD; Rudi has 2 TD.

Chad Johnson actually had 12 receptions (career high) for 103 yards and 3 touchdowns, while Rudi had 88 rushing yards and 1 score...but hey, I can't be expected to be perfect! Especially 4+ months ago!

Sadly, I got the main part right: Titans BLOWN OUT.

My predictions end in the Titans going 10-6 on the year, which I think is quite doable if the Titans crack the whip, get some production out of special teams, and get Albert Haynesworth back on the field.

The only question then becomes: is 10-6 good enough to make the playoffs in the AFC?

Instincts say yeah, it is. Better get it done, Titans.

And Coach Fisher is still the man, as everyone knows he's still as smart today as he was yesterday, but he's got to get ANGRY. I saw a little bit of the anger in today's press conference, so let's hope he's willing and able to communicate the urgency of the situation to the rest of the team.

Terminate the employment of any players and assistant coaches as necessary to drive home this intolerance of mediocrity.

And then, send LenWhale to the bottom of the RB depth chart. Oh, and lest I forget, require that Vince Young have at least two rushing first downs per game, because his rushing for first downs has been a big missing ingredient all year.

On a somewhat related closing note: forget Albert Haynesworth's absence for a moment, and consider how much we miss Pac Man Jones in the secondary.

The official Thanksgiving playlist for the drive home.


Radio Nowhere - Bruce Springsteen
Explosive opener to the Boss' new album "Magic" and the perfect pick to open up the playlist.

The Walk - Imogen Heap
Outside of the groundbreaking "Hide and Seek" masterpiece on her album "Speak for Yourself," this is possibly the best song on the rest of that album. Beautiful orchestration that builds and builds and builds. It's definitely all your fault.

Amsterdam - Guster
Any good song that refers to "Shaq's CD" is automatically and immediately upgraded to great, and therefore eligible to be part of my trip playlists. It's my new rule, we'll say.

Radio Free Europe - REM
Can you imagine what this band could've been, if only for a few right turns along the way instead of wrong turns? Regardless, a classic tune.

Waiting For You - Seal
There has been no one brighter than you.
I can't deny these things that I do.
Feels like the world's at stake.
I have been waiting,
I have been waiting...for you.

If You're Gonna Leave - Emerson Hart
Nashville-based producer and songwriter, formerly of the band Tonic. This guy creates memorable melodies with the same level of ease in which I dispatch loudmouthed 12-year-olds in Halo, and fortunately for him, he also delivers some inspired songwriting to match. Highly recommend downloading his recent solo album, "Cigarettes and Gasoline." Good stuff.

Slice of the American Pie - Mosey
This is Kari Basden (now Kari Dobbs) performing with her husband, Jared Dobbs, as a duo named "Mosey." They recently released their first (self-titled) album, a melodic, musically-diverse album with a folksy center of gravity. While "Love Me Back" deserves special mention for a gorgeous instrumental melody as the backbone of a nice tune, "Slice of the American Pie" leads the album off strong and features both of them...so that's the representative from the album on this playlist! Their album is available on iTunes and songs can be previewed at their website, http://www.moseymusic.com/.

I Hear the Bells - Mike Doughty
Tremendous song by the very distinctive Mike Doughty, the frontman and musical legacy of the defunct Soul Coughing.

Bulls on Parade - Rage Against The Machine
Needs no explanation.

Best I Ever Had (Grey Sky Morning) - Vertical Horizon
This band simply does not get the recognition as songwriters they deserve. Even Gary Allan's remake charting on country radio didn't elevate their status like it potentially could have (and should have). Give this one a listen if you have no idea who these guys are.

When You Love Someone Like That - Reba McEntire and LeAnn Rimes
This song illustrates everything I like about country music: great writing and great performance. The harmonizing in the chorus is awesome. Their performance of this song during the recent Country Music Awards was predictably outstanding as well.

Do You Know - Tonic
I will show no fear.
I won't hide my scars.
I will learn to give.
I will love what's ours.

On and On - The Longpigs
If you're going to be a one-hit wonder, might as well have the hit be a home run.

Mama's Room - Under the Influence of Giants
A prime example of why you should pay attention to the iTunes Free Song of the Week.

Pride (In the Name of Love) - U2
Essential is a laughable understatement.

Ready, Steady, Go - Oakenfold
Quintessential driving tune.

Britney Spears - Gimme More
As unpredictable as it may seem, the unstable Britney Spears has delivered a very listenable album ("Blackout"). Not sure if the congratulations belong more to her producers than they do to her, but regardless...this song is very well done and VERY well produced. The whole thing builds gradually to the over-sexualized but musically-striking climax. Britney Spears will remain relevant as long as she (or her managers) continue to surround her with this level of production talent.

Noticed - Mute Math
Seriously, if you haven't heard their self-titled album and you like anything remotely located within the genre of rock music, buy it immediately.

If I Had Known - Melissa Cartoun
Vanderbilt homegrown artist made good. Should've seen her play more when I had the chance back in undergrad. But who can think like that in a moment? It only starts to make sense, when I look back on it.

Split Screen Sadness - John Mayer
When you find one of these artists where their singles are the worst songs on their albums, you know you've got somebody who's going to be around a while. 'All you need is love' is a lie, cause we had love, but we still said goodbye...

Hip Hop Police - Chamillionaire featuring Slick Rick
Clever writing and very interesting, even more clever video. No idea what this guy's world views are (although I could guess from the video), but he was very articulate on some awards show I saw him on a while back. Given that Chamillionaire's competition in hip hop is some woman that makes up random words and turns them into songs, the bar isn't exactly sky high here.


----------------
RANDOM MISSY ELLIOTT ASIDE: Now that I've posted that Missy Elliott video there, please tell me: is there a more ridiculous, mind-blowingly absurd first 30 seconds of any other music video in existence? And has there ever been another video with serious-looking Marines, in full regalia, lip-syncing the line "give me some, some, some of this Cinnabon?"

Oh, and there's an artist out there with actual talent that probably objects to what's going on from 3:41 to 3:43 in the video as well.

Bear in mind, as you consider this travesty of a video, that this woman has made more money than 99.9% of all humans that have previously walked the Earth, are currently living on Earth, and will ever live on Earth.

OK, back to a couple more songs actually worth a listen to close this entry out...
-----------------


She's My Ride Home - Blue October
"Foiled" is a great album by maybe the best band to ever come out of Houston? While "Congratulations" (with Imogen Heap) is probably my favorite song of theirs, this one is more fitting of the roadtrip back to Birmingham. I'll be reaching for the stars with you, honey...who cares, no one else believes.

Love Letter - Bonnie Raitt
Perhaps the best female blues artist who's ever lived and sadly an artist generally thought of as a one-hit wonder ("Make You Love Me"). Speaking of that huge hit, I remember working for a guy one summer while I was in college, down on Music Row, whose claim to fame was co-writing that song. It would amaze you how much income was, and is, generated by a single huge work like that.

Sunburn - Fuel
Recently rediscovered this fine album of the same name, by the band Fuel. It's ridiculous to think most people probably are aware of this band simply because they're the ones who initially offered then-American Idol-mainstay Chris Daughtry their lead singer spot even before the show had concluded and declared a winner. This entire album is great and definitely takes me back to VHHS years.

Life Is A Highway - Tom Cochrane
The playlist closer, and more of a Eric Gagne-in-his-prime type of closer than, say, a Jose Mesa-esque unconvincing, up-for-debate type of closing tune. Awesome song that actually was recently remade for that Disney Cars movie by Rascal Flatts, also a well-done version. But nothing beats the original!


Enjoy. I know I will.

Thanksgiving approaches this week, as Lori and I travel down to Birmingham to visit with family.

This holiday is always a good time to consider how blessed we all are. For me in particular, the past few months have brought a new house, the beginning of a new career for my wife, and a growing ability to serve the world through the iTest organization.

My wife has loved her job from the moment she started. How many people can say that? Her boss treats her great and recognizes her immense talent. Her co-workers respect her and acknowledge her contributions. That's huge.

Our house has definitely been a blessing. We both have been looking forward to having a place to call "our own" for a while now. Our house is big enough to where we can grow here and remain here for years to come, and has space to accommodate our particular needs. We're very lucky.

There will be a number of changes coming before the end of this calendar year with the iTest. While it has not been confirmed, it is highly likely I'll be revealing the bulk of these changes at my upcoming speech at Princeton in mid-December. The opportunity to run a business the way I run the iTest is one of the most enjoyable things I do. While the organization gives tremendously to students all over the country by creating new educational opportunities for them year-round, the organization also gives tremendously to me by giving me a platform to sharpen my business sense and a "playground" to get some experience in corporate strategy. I'm very fortunate for this as well.

And even the Titans are doing what they're supposed to be doing: winning most of their ballgames. We'll see how they fare in their second Monday nighter in a couple days. Beating the Broncos is completely non-negotiable. It would be nice to see Vince Young using the no-huddle to actually throw more than 200 yards in a single game...

There are plenty of things in both my and Lori's life that are challenging on a daily basis - things we cause ourselves and things other people cause that end up hurting us. But Thanksgiving is a time to remember and be grateful for all the positives. And we certainly have a lot of positives to celebrate.

If you're reading this, stay safe over the holiday and if you're in Birmingham, feel free to give me a shout. We'll be there until Sunday morning.

Oh, and one more thing...WAR EAGLE!

Must-watch piece from this past weekend's 60 Minutes on Gen Y / the "Millennials" in the workforce.

"Generation Y" supposedly starts anywhere between 1980 (as mentioned in the video) and 1983. I like to consider myself a member of both X and Y, honestly, so I can avoid the negative stigmas of both and take just the positives! :)

Seriously, this is turning into one of the more interesting social issues in America. The big question after watching the video and reading on this topic is: does this new approach to work, both from the employer's point of view, as well as the employee's, increase productivity?

If so, it's worth it, because I agree completely with the sentiment expressed in the 60 Minutes piece that this generation is absolutely not going to go and repeat mistakes made by the previous generation. The old generation almost viewed getting "burned out" at work, and the ensuing personal problems that arise from that, as a rite of passage to the CEO's chair.

That sort of outdated thinking is exactly what is rightfully under attack by this current generation. Work-life balance is critical.

However, there are certainly plenty of people who willingly leave "work" out of that so-called "work-life balance." Employers should have a much lower tolerance for Gen Y'ers who come into a new job with an attitude or an axe to grind. Employers have plenty of power to balance this movement out with a good bit of common sense.

Part of this whole thing is the media once again taking something and blowing it so completely out of proportion that no one can make any sense of it. For this reason, I don't blame the backlash that's begun to form.

Yes, there's a movement among young people in America to maintain work-life balance, make companies work hard (like they should) to engender loyalty, and to feel good about what it is they do every day. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. Generation Y has determined that work-life balance is now a requirement of corporate America, and in time, I'm convinced that it will be a big factor in rising productivity and competitiveness within the domestic economy...not some sign of the apocalypse that sends us spiraling out of control.

Just watched the Jaguars run wild over the Titans. That was a ridiculous performance by Tennessee, who obviously didn't care enough to put the right amount of time in preparing for this game.

We are one of the worst teams right now in the NFL on offense. Our defense without Albert Haynesworth is nothing special and can't be relied upon week after week to win every game. Special teams is "special" if you consider "special" below-average and unable to change the game with a home-run threat.

That was a complete embarrassment. Jeff Fisher needs to grab Vince Young by the throat and work him, until he thinks he can't possibly work any more, in preparation for Denver's Monday nighter. I'm disgusted I actually watched that game in its entirety.