Last week I stumbled upon this great book review in GQ. As an avid reader I was pleased to see that I have read about half of these books so far, my high school English teacher would be proud. Only about ten more to go. Here it is for your purview.
Anyone who’s been handed a high school diploma can tick off the classic novels from the twentieth century: The Great Gatsby, A Farewell to Arms, The Grapes of Wrath. But cross into this millennium and things are suddenly murkier, Kindle-ier, less classed up with age. Then again, it’s been an affirming thirteen years, enough time to breed a whole new body of post-2000 lit we’re happy to call the new classics—and we’re not afraid to name names. We spent months chiseling down a list* of not just our favorite books from the 2000s but also the works of fiction that we most readily recommend to our fathers, brothers, and non-blood-related bros. Then we asked a bunch of those authors to pick an overlooked book—stories, poetry, memoir—from that same period of time. Dig in quick: This is your chance to right some wrongs and hit the new musts you missed the first time around.
BECAUSE: Let’s be real, he wrote two of the very best books (Freedom‘s the other) of the millennium—or, if you’re guzzling haterade, at least the two best books on, among other things, family, anti-anxiety drugs, marriage, fate, songbirds, and Minnesota.
AUTHOR’S PICK: ”Ms. Hempel Chronicles (2008), by Sarah Shun-lien Bynum, is a deftly constructed novel masquerading as a collection of linked stories; you don’t even realize it’s a love story until you read the last chapter. Its heroine, Ms. Hempel, is a young private-school teacher whose troubles include haziness about the distinction between student and teacher. Chapter by chapter, as you watch her interact with her pupils, you realize that she’s as lost and confused as they are, and the result is an extraordinary sympathy for all concerned. Bynum seems incapable of writing a sentence that doesn’t have something fresh or funny or true going on in it. She gets you laughing and then she whacks you in the heart.
Taylor Graham Models the Longshot Apparel Shihadeh
Seattle Sounders Taylor Graham looks great in the new Longshot Apparel Shihadeh (named after one of our best customers). We were super pleased to work with our friend and tall man Taylor Graham (6’4 and 195ish pounds). Taylor is the perfect Longshot Apparel guy, not only is he tall and lean but he’s athletic with a rich professional soccer pedigree.
Taylor Graham in a Sounders Match
Taylor is currently a marketing executive with the Seattle Sounders but prior to that he played on the Sounders Team. His soccer career is a long and successful one. The story goes like this. Graham, 31, signed with Sounders FC on January 21, 2009 after spending three seasons (2005, 2007-08) with the USL-1 Sounders. Graham made one league appearance in his three seasons with Seattle and started nine of his 10 appearances across all competitions, logging 822 total minutes. He started four matches during Seattle’s three consecutive Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title runs and started five CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage games in 2010.
Prior to joining Sounders FC, Graham played four MLS seasons for Kansas City (2003-04) and New York (2006-07), appearing in 34 games. He was a member of the 2005 and 2007 USL-1 Seattle Sounders championship teams. Graham was named USL-1 Defender of the Year in 2005 and first team All-USL-1 in 2005 and 2008. A graduate of Stanford University, Graham was also named the club’s Humanitarian of the Year in 2009.
Graham attended Rio Americano High School and played five years of college soccer at Stanford University, registering as a walk-on his freshman year of 1998, and only appearing in two games in 1999. After appearing in 18 games his sophomore season, Graham started every possible game his final two, winning first team All-Pac-10 his senior year, as he led the Cardinal to an appearance in the NCAA College Cup.
After graduating from Stanford, Graham was drafted 33rd overall in the 2003 MLS SuperDraft by the Kansas City Wizards. Graham was signed to a developmental contract, making two appearances and playing a total of ten minutes. In his second season Graham was given significantly more playing time, playing as both a right back and central defender. After a season in the USL First Division when he played every minute for the Seattle Sounders, led his team to the title, and was named USL Defender of the Year, Graham was acquired by the MetroStars, now New York Red Bulls. He was released midway through the 2007 season and signed with his former club Seattle Sounders. He then signed withSeattle Sounders FC, a continuation of the Sounders in Major League Soccer. On May 26, 2010 he had his first appearance of the 2010 season in a friendly against Boca Juniors of Argentina, playing the full 90 minutes and putting up a solid performance.
Graham announced his retirement on December 2, 2011, after he was dropped from the roster by the Seattle Sounders.
Taylor Graham at Retirement Ceremony with Seattle Sounders
Graham represented Puerto Rico in three international friendlies (including the team’s first win in 14 years) during early 2008 before theFederación Puertorriqueña de Fútbol modified its eligibility requirement. All U.S. citizens used to be eligible for Puerto Rico national teams, but now the player pool is restricted to players who have lived on the island for at least two years, meaning that Graham is no longer eligible for the Puerto Rico national team per federation rules.[2
Fun Trivia
Graham appeared on The Price is Right on June 24, 2009. In the showcase he spoke on one of the prizes which was a vacation to Seattle, to go to any 2 home games of Seattle Sounders and watch them play.[3]
We are thrilled to celebrate the holiday season with the arrival of two new Longshot Apparel styles; The Rodgers and The Shihadeh. Perfect as gifts for tall men and ready to ship just in time for Christmas, you can now pre-order today for shipment starting December 13. Order yours today and stand tall under the mistletoe.
We at Longshot Apparel would like to give a little shout out to all those tall men standing 6′ 1″. If you’re in this club, here’s to you! You stand tall alongside well-dressed men like Channing Tatum,Bradly Cooper, and Robert Pattinson. We appreciate the way these fellas are dressing. There’s nothing like a tall man in a bold, well fitting suit. We hope that all you 6′ 1″ tall club members are out there classing it up like these risk-taking tall men. I think my personal favorite is Bradly Cooper’s purple suit. It takes a real man to wear a color like that.
Also, we should note that two of these three 6′ 1″ tall club members have been deemed People Magazine‘s “Sexiest Man Alive”, Bradly Cooper in 2011 and Channing Tatum in 2012. So we at Longshot say, way to go 6′ 1″ club, you are making the world a more beautiful place one club member at a time. Other tall man clubs are falling woefully behind. For instance, sorry 6′ 3″ tall club, you’ve got John Mayer, and though we like his music, he could use some help on the fashion front. Come on, 6′ 3″ club, get it together. The 6′ 1″ club is really rocking out there. Although, the 6′ 7″ club is pretty high on the awesome ranking because they have James Cromwell, and we just LOVE him.
So, here’s to the gentlemen of the 6′ 1″ club, and here’s hoping the 6′ 3″ club can pull it together to make up for John. We love you all, but the 6′ 1″ club is just doing wonderful things these days.
TheVoice coach dressed as an elf king? Little people and all helped the 6-foot-5-inch country star usher in his first holiday special last night. And better yet? Blake Shelton, tall guy extraordinaire, lead all Monday night ratings with the “Blake Shelton’s Not So Family Christmas”. Whoop whoop.
As reported on Taste of Country, the show kicked off with a funny sketch of Shelton singing ‘Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire’…in an elf costume. That’s right, Shelton was sporting red tights, a green robe and a felt crown. As a group of little people dressed as elves, children and turkeys filed onto the stage, the country singer kept arguing with his director about how politically incorrect the entire set was. Finally, Shelton gave up and used some — um, colorful language — before getting beat up the other actors.
It was tame, sweet and funny. Especially the Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer animated special. Let’s just say there’s a hunting scene.
If Tom Cruise played Santa would they surround him with little people? I doubt it. Only the tall truly get to be the target of full-scale heightism. But Blake Shelton is a good sport and a credit to down-to-earth tall men everywhere.
This past weekend I went to see Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln based on the book Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin. The movie has stuck with me–the sign of a good movie. I left the theater both entertained and intrigued–wanting to know more about the 13th amendment and how Lincoln was able to get it through congress (by the skin of his teeth). That night I had a period piece dream where I sat across the table from Lincoln (I have always had a penchant for tall, lean men) discussing the ramifications of the war.
Lincoln was an astute politician who knew how to work the system by greasing palms and making deals, and working across the isle. On the heels of a very divided and close election Tuesday I found the movie to be timely and insightful (Democracy has never been easy). Thanks to Steven Spielberg I spent the rest of the weekend reading and watching movies and video snippets about Lincoln, the civil war and the 13th amendment, hoping to fill in the blanks that I conveniently forgot after high school.
This movie is a must see with an all-star cast including Daniel Day Lewis, Tommy Lee Jones and Sally Field. The script is written by Tony Kushner (Angels in America). But be forewarned it will leave you with more questions than answers. Two thumbs up from me!
Tall Women Talk about How Great it Is to be Tall. I love this video. These beautiful girls talk about why they LOVE being tall! Check it out. It’s fun and inspiring. Whoever they decide to date should always be sporting a gorgeous Longshot Apparel shirt for sure!
Longshot Apparel Says Happy Halloween to all You Tall Men Out There! I love halloween, my husband hates it. There is something about dressing up like a ridiculous fool that takes me back to my childhood–call me nostalgic. This halloween we at Longshot Apparel would love to wish you all a spooking and fun loving evening full of hilarious haunts and clever costumes. Happy Halloween!
Halloween is a fun time of year especially for tall, imposing tpes who can get a rise out of people. But choosing a costume that will fit is not the easiest of tasks. Unfortunately most adult costumes are made for those of average height. Here are some easy and affordable costume ideas for tall guys that can put together in one afternoon.
Our sixteenth President is a classic costume for tall men. Most men will have a suit in their closet, giving them the base of the costume. A top hat and beard round out the disguise. To make this more than a costume, it is easy to read up on the life of Lincoln and memorize some excerpts from his more famous speeches. If well-liked Presidents appeals to you, but Lincoln seems too easy or over-done, both Thomas Jefferson and George Washington were tall men. Dressing as either of these two men would be a more involved process, however, as they lived in a period with more fanciful dress than ours. And for a more modern option there is always Mitt Romney.
What could be more appropriate for a holiday that is celebrated with the sharing of candy than dressing as one of those treats? Dressing as a Pez dispenser is easy and gives you room for a lot of creativity. For the body of the dispenser, dress with pants and a shirt of the same color. Blue, red, or black would be the best choices, but any color that can coordinate with the head of the dispenser would work just as well. The head of the dispenser can be made to look like just about any head you would want, from famous people to cartoon characters to pets or other animals. Use a Halloween mask or craft your own head if you are handy at that sort of activity.
This classic costume is a Halloween favorite and perfect for tall people. The classic black cloak of the Grim Reaper can be made or bought, and it is trivially easy to lengthen a store-bought cloak that is too short for you. Purchase a length of black fabric equal to the width of the bottom of the cloak and sew one straight seam. The scythe the Reaper carries is not a height-dependent prop, so it can be purchased at any costume shop. This is an especially well-suited Halloween Costume for tall people as their height makes them more imposing as the Grim Reaper.
Then there’s always the best fallback plan….Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein monster. While the possibilities are endless for putting this one together, here is a brief description of old Frank that will help you to inspire your costume. An 8-foot-tall (2.4 m), hideously ugly creation, with translucent yellowish skin pulled so taut over the body that it “barely disguised the workings of the vessels and muscles underneath”; watery, glowing eyes, flowing black hair, black lips, and prominent white teeth.
Now, go forth and scare the living daylights out of your short friends!
The Tall Man, a great Halloween Movie is a 2012 English-language French mystery film written and directed by Pascal Laugier. It was filmed in the Kootenayregion of Southeastern British Columbia[4] and stars Jessica Biel. The film is set in a small mining town where children are disappearing on a regular basis, and the abductions are blamed on a local legend called “the Tall Man.” Jessica Biel plays a nurse in the town whose own son disappears, leading her to seek out the mystery of the Tall Man.
When her child is abducted, Julia Dunning (Biel) attempts to unravel the local legend of “The Tall Man”, an entity who allegedly abducts children. Julia lives in a small ex-mining town in Washington. She is the town’s local nurse widowed by her husband who was the town’s doctor. The town of Cold Rock was formerly a mining town but since those mines- forming miles of tunnels under the entire area- the town has become a poverty striken and run down area. There is no school, no work and only apathy abounds.
During her day Julia visits several families, including Jenny (Jodelle Ferland) and her mother who live next door to a violent alcoholic neighbour. Jenny is selectivly mute and only writes down her feelings in a note book which she always carrys.
Julia returns to her large home on the outskirts of Cold Rock which she shares with her son David and her nanny. She eats dinner, puts David to bed then she falls asleep on a couch. She awakes to a noise down stairs followed by loud radio sermon. She finds her nanny tied and gagged on the ground, then rushes to her son’s bedroom from which he is gone. Or at least that’s how it seems at first.
While in pursuit of what the viewer believes is “The Tall Man”, it’s gradually revealed that Julia’s son isn’t, in fact, her son at all, but rather one of the kidnapped children. Julia isn’t a distraught mother attempting to locate her child; she’s actually the person the entire town has been afraid of all this time. The person who took her ‘son’ was actually the real mother of the boy, who by accident had discovered that Julia had kidnapped him and was holding him at her house. The mother, being homeless and regarded as the town crazy, decided to rescue her boy on her own, fearing that if she went to the police the well-respected Julia would have her locked away, dismissing her accusations as the ramblings of a madwoman.
Julia persues the woman and David to the abandoned hospital where she has been living. During a fight Julia knocks out the woman and with the help of Jenny, she returns to her house. Jenny begs her to “Let the Tall man take her too”, something which Julia initially says no to but then relents although she tells Jenny that she should be careful what she wishes for. Julia then takes David down into the tunnels, presumably to hand him over to the Tall man before returning to wait for the mob.
The police and FBI arrive, as does the entire town screaming for Julia’s blood and their missing children. The Nanny hangs herself & Julia is taken to jail, where she is dispised and threatened as a child killer. Julia admits to kidnapping and murdering the children but the confession is later revealed to be a lie. It transpires that Julia is part of an organization which ‘rescues’ young children from bad homes and places them with good ones in an attempt to break the cycle of poverty and abuse which passes from one generation to the next. The organization is world-wide and takes children from all over the globe, giving them a chance at having a real life in good homes free of abuse and neglect.
Soon after Jenny watches her mother engage in a drunken fight with their neighbour before laughing with him over it. Disgusted Jenny walks off into a nearby field where she finds the Tall man waiting for her- Julia’s husband who is not dead after all. He takes her to an almost empty house in the nearest city, where Jenny changes into pretty new clothes- a far cry from her dark and ragged old ones- and is taken to meet her “New mother”. This woman is given documents which change Jenny into Vera, this woman’s daughter. When her new mother attempts to give The Tall Man money, he refuses saying that the organisation faces massive risks to rescue each child & Julia has sacrificed her life (she may receive the death penalty) to let the children begin again.
In Cold Rock, Jenny’s former mother grieves over her missing child, the town continues to decline with no hope of change and Julia sits in jail knowing she will never see the light of day again. The FBI and police have stated that with the massive ammount of tunnels they will never be able to locate the bodies of the children which Julia killed and left down there.
Jenny/ Vera lives in a beautiful home, where her art is encouraged and she has the best of everything. She has begun to talk and seems well adjusted and happy. As she walks to an art class she tells us that she loved all her three mothers- her birth mother, Julia who gave her a chance of a new life and her new mother who is providing her with everything she could want. As she crosses a park she sees David with his new family, which he accepts as his own and he doesnt recognise Jenny at all. The children who were taken are usually too young to remember their birth parents, Jenny is older and the only one who activly asked to be taken.
The movie ends with Jenny wondering if the price she paid for her new life was worth it.
