between lack of postings and the social networking revolution, the cultural taproom will no longer post entries.
you can follow your favorite author at their facebook page.
thanks for reading and maybe the taproom 2.0 will hit the interweb someday.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Things That Get Me Through The Day...
Ok, Listen up and listen good. I'm not blogging all night, people.
I don't work well in the morning until my coffee has kicked in, or my two coffees, or my two coffees and a shot of green tea extract and 2 donuts. Don't judge me.
The point is, until such a time as the caffeine gives me palsy and is too much for me to keep sitting and forces me to get up and actually do my job, I entertain myself by checking out several safe and entertaining websites that give me the giggles and makes me a happy worker.
If any of you have a sense of humor you're going to need to check out one if not all of these websites.
Garfield Minus Garfield describes itself as"a site dedicated to removing Garfield from the Garfield comic strips in order to reveal the existential angst of a certain young Mr. Jon Arbuckle. It is a journey deep into the mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against loneliness and depression in a quiet American suburb." It is honest, intriguing, and pretty dang hilarious. I never realized how depressing Jon Arbuckle really was until you take out the talking animals.
Picture is Unrelated is a compilation of every picture ever posted on the web that makes no sense and has no meaning whatsoever. A picture is worth a thousand words, these pictures are worth about 3 letters, W T and F. My favorite pictures are captioned "Spook the Cat and Trick the Soul" and "It's Not a Party Til Someone Takes Off Their Pants". See if you can find them.
I Can Has Cheezeburger is it's own subculture. Cats talk, but not well, they love cheezburgers, there is a cat god and a cat satan. It's a great mix of cute and funny. And after growing up with cats I have to say, this is as close as you get to what a cat is really thinking in their head.
Failblog. Let's face it, there's a lot of failure online nowadays. Ever since parents of teenagers gave up parenting and let their prodegy run buck wild through the electronic world. The idiocy that is America (and foreign countries trying to speak english) has been made available to us all. Learn what fail means. Learn it, and use it.
Not Always Right. This is in regards to that saying "the customer is always right". Anyone who has worked retail understands how untrue that is. Here is the retail lackies chance to tell it like it is. Every stupid, crazy, mean thing that customers have ever said is up for the ridicule of the entire world. YAY! One can only hope that someone has seen something they've said on there and has learned an important lesson. Better to let people think you're stupid than to open your mouth and prove it.
There, I'm done and now you are all better people.
I don't work well in the morning until my coffee has kicked in, or my two coffees, or my two coffees and a shot of green tea extract and 2 donuts. Don't judge me.
The point is, until such a time as the caffeine gives me palsy and is too much for me to keep sitting and forces me to get up and actually do my job, I entertain myself by checking out several safe and entertaining websites that give me the giggles and makes me a happy worker.
If any of you have a sense of humor you're going to need to check out one if not all of these websites.
Garfield Minus Garfield describes itself as"a site dedicated to removing Garfield from the Garfield comic strips in order to reveal the existential angst of a certain young Mr. Jon Arbuckle. It is a journey deep into the mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against loneliness and depression in a quiet American suburb." It is honest, intriguing, and pretty dang hilarious. I never realized how depressing Jon Arbuckle really was until you take out the talking animals.
Picture is Unrelated is a compilation of every picture ever posted on the web that makes no sense and has no meaning whatsoever. A picture is worth a thousand words, these pictures are worth about 3 letters, W T and F. My favorite pictures are captioned "Spook the Cat and Trick the Soul" and "It's Not a Party Til Someone Takes Off Their Pants". See if you can find them.
I Can Has Cheezeburger is it's own subculture. Cats talk, but not well, they love cheezburgers, there is a cat god and a cat satan. It's a great mix of cute and funny. And after growing up with cats I have to say, this is as close as you get to what a cat is really thinking in their head.
Failblog. Let's face it, there's a lot of failure online nowadays. Ever since parents of teenagers gave up parenting and let their prodegy run buck wild through the electronic world. The idiocy that is America (and foreign countries trying to speak english) has been made available to us all. Learn what fail means. Learn it, and use it.
Not Always Right. This is in regards to that saying "the customer is always right". Anyone who has worked retail understands how untrue that is. Here is the retail lackies chance to tell it like it is. Every stupid, crazy, mean thing that customers have ever said is up for the ridicule of the entire world. YAY! One can only hope that someone has seen something they've said on there and has learned an important lesson. Better to let people think you're stupid than to open your mouth and prove it.
There, I'm done and now you are all better people.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Obstacle 1, Champions League preview and true love?
I don’t listen to the radio very much but occasionally I’ll flip around. Lately in checking in with the Impact, I’ve heard Interpol’s Obstacle 1. Like 4 or 5 times, at different parts of the day. Doesn’t that seem weird? I like the song, but can listen to it anytime I want, so I change the channel. This morning on the way to work during a commercial break for Bob and Tom, I tuned in to the Impact and guess what was on? I listened to the song from to the end, hoping that this will break the cycle. We shall see.
Moving on . . .
The Champions League quarters start today. Here are my quick predictions:
Liverpool v Chelsea. Who cares? History tells us that this will be 180 minutes of “tactical” drama. I’m not going to watch, which guarantees a 3-3 draw.
Arsenal v Villareal. I see Arsenal coming good at the right time. I see a tight game tomorrow with Arsenal winning the tie outright next week.
United v Porto. After United’s amazing comeback yesterday, I think they will ride the momentum from that result and a relatively full strength side to claim a 2-0 victory. Then go to Porto and grind out a 1-1 draw.
Barca v Bayern. This has to be the tastiest matchup of the four. The first leg should have plenty of goals, something like 3-1 Barca and I expect a nail biting return leg as Jurgen tries to save his job.
And finally, a bizarre article I found on the interweb:
A Chinese man was killed last night after trying to catch his suicidal girlfriend as she jumped from the seventh floor of their Quanzhou apartment building in south-eastern China.
Tears for the heroes of love
The young man, only identified as Wang, tried to break the woman’s fall by holding out his arms, witnesses said. He was killed by the impact of her body landing on top of him, according to Perth Now.
His girlfriend survived the fall, suffering only from bone fractures and other injuries. She was not in critical condition and expected to make a full recovery.
The couple had quarreled before Wang went to the street below to try and persuade his girlfriend not to jump. It was unclear if she plummeted from a ledge or out of a window.
Hospital staffers say the woman appears confused and doesn’t know how she fell.
This totally reminded me of the opening of Magnolia. (If you haven’t seen it, see it ASAP.) Is this a grand romantic gesture or an act of lovestruck stupidity? I’m not sure which way to go on this one.
Moving on . . .
The Champions League quarters start today. Here are my quick predictions:
Liverpool v Chelsea. Who cares? History tells us that this will be 180 minutes of “tactical” drama. I’m not going to watch, which guarantees a 3-3 draw.
Arsenal v Villareal. I see Arsenal coming good at the right time. I see a tight game tomorrow with Arsenal winning the tie outright next week.
United v Porto. After United’s amazing comeback yesterday, I think they will ride the momentum from that result and a relatively full strength side to claim a 2-0 victory. Then go to Porto and grind out a 1-1 draw.
Barca v Bayern. This has to be the tastiest matchup of the four. The first leg should have plenty of goals, something like 3-1 Barca and I expect a nail biting return leg as Jurgen tries to save his job.
And finally, a bizarre article I found on the interweb:
A Chinese man was killed last night after trying to catch his suicidal girlfriend as she jumped from the seventh floor of their Quanzhou apartment building in south-eastern China.
Tears for the heroes of love
The young man, only identified as Wang, tried to break the woman’s fall by holding out his arms, witnesses said. He was killed by the impact of her body landing on top of him, according to Perth Now.
His girlfriend survived the fall, suffering only from bone fractures and other injuries. She was not in critical condition and expected to make a full recovery.
The couple had quarreled before Wang went to the street below to try and persuade his girlfriend not to jump. It was unclear if she plummeted from a ledge or out of a window.
Hospital staffers say the woman appears confused and doesn’t know how she fell.
This totally reminded me of the opening of Magnolia. (If you haven’t seen it, see it ASAP.) Is this a grand romantic gesture or an act of lovestruck stupidity? I’m not sure which way to go on this one.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
cassettes and sports
Through Netflix, I got 35 free downloads from emusic.com. As a way of generating track ideas, I went through my box of cassette tapes. Remember those? Here’s what I discovered on my trip down musical memory lane:
There are several albums that highlight the late high school to early college years:
--Superstar Carwash by Goo Goo Dolls
--Frosting on the Beater by the Posies
--Never Said by Liz Phair
--Day for Night by Tragically Hip
--Gish by Smashing Pumpkins
I have digital versions of most everything above, except for the Goo Goo Dolls. It wasn’t on emusic, so my next visit is to mp3fiesta.com, although I have found the album on amazon for $2. Anyway, a great album, energetic indie rock without becoming the sugary, polished and overplayed tracks like Name, Iris and Slide.
Another discovery is that apparently I was really into Aerosmith. Permanent Vacation, Pump, Get a Grip, Best of. Permanent Vacation is a classic. Who can forget Dude Looks a Lady? If I can find a tape player that works, I plan to revisit this aspect of my musical past. Plus there are the Alicia Silverstone videos to revisit.
Saturday night I parked myself on a barstool at Claddagh’s to watch basketball and futbol. My brackets were toast thanks to Memphis losing, so I didn’t really care who won. Where did Missouri come from? And where did they get those uniforms? While that game was going on, I was suffering through Portugal v Sweden. A must win game for Portugal, and, to their credit, they did go for it. Sweden was obviously happy with a draw, looking to pick up scraps and didn’t really go push on until Wilhemsson came on with 30 minutes to go. Unfortunately for Portugal and the viewer (me), they cannot score. I have ranted about this on several occasions, so I won’t go into it again. I will summarize thusly: they either need to change their formation or find a natural finisher. The result: 0-0 and there is a real chance of Portugal not qualifying for the World Cup.
Moving on . . .
The TV with the Villanova/Pitt game was turned away from me so it was hard to keep track. I mostly focused on Montenegro v Italy. An early PK set up Italy nicely, and although Montenegro threatened, they struggled to create many clear cut chances. Italy played very narrow in my opinion and only got width from the backs. Montenegro was ok, with their #8 being quite good. Montenegro had a great chance to equalize in the second half, and Italy has several chances to kill off the match before Pazzini made it 2-0 and secure the three points.
That game was followed by El Salvador v US. The US was terrible in the first half. Poor touches which led to poor possession, with Beasley’s turnover leading to the opening goal. Ching did not get involved and Donovon had to drop deep to get the ball. I left at halftime because I was tired and bored. Turns out the US ended up with a 2-2 draw, which is a valuable away point. Qualification is a certainty, and they need to win the group to get the best possible seed next summer.
Finally, I got this newsletter from a vendor. One of these with business news and tips. At the bottom there is a thoughtful or inspirational quote. Here is the quote from last Friday:
“Keep your eyes on the stars and feet on the ground.” Theodore Roosevelt
Doesn’t that sound eerily like a popular American radio host? Very interesting.
Ta Ta.
There are several albums that highlight the late high school to early college years:
--Superstar Carwash by Goo Goo Dolls
--Frosting on the Beater by the Posies
--Never Said by Liz Phair
--Day for Night by Tragically Hip
--Gish by Smashing Pumpkins
I have digital versions of most everything above, except for the Goo Goo Dolls. It wasn’t on emusic, so my next visit is to mp3fiesta.com, although I have found the album on amazon for $2. Anyway, a great album, energetic indie rock without becoming the sugary, polished and overplayed tracks like Name, Iris and Slide.
Another discovery is that apparently I was really into Aerosmith. Permanent Vacation, Pump, Get a Grip, Best of. Permanent Vacation is a classic. Who can forget Dude Looks a Lady? If I can find a tape player that works, I plan to revisit this aspect of my musical past. Plus there are the Alicia Silverstone videos to revisit.
Saturday night I parked myself on a barstool at Claddagh’s to watch basketball and futbol. My brackets were toast thanks to Memphis losing, so I didn’t really care who won. Where did Missouri come from? And where did they get those uniforms? While that game was going on, I was suffering through Portugal v Sweden. A must win game for Portugal, and, to their credit, they did go for it. Sweden was obviously happy with a draw, looking to pick up scraps and didn’t really go push on until Wilhemsson came on with 30 minutes to go. Unfortunately for Portugal and the viewer (me), they cannot score. I have ranted about this on several occasions, so I won’t go into it again. I will summarize thusly: they either need to change their formation or find a natural finisher. The result: 0-0 and there is a real chance of Portugal not qualifying for the World Cup.
Moving on . . .
The TV with the Villanova/Pitt game was turned away from me so it was hard to keep track. I mostly focused on Montenegro v Italy. An early PK set up Italy nicely, and although Montenegro threatened, they struggled to create many clear cut chances. Italy played very narrow in my opinion and only got width from the backs. Montenegro was ok, with their #8 being quite good. Montenegro had a great chance to equalize in the second half, and Italy has several chances to kill off the match before Pazzini made it 2-0 and secure the three points.
That game was followed by El Salvador v US. The US was terrible in the first half. Poor touches which led to poor possession, with Beasley’s turnover leading to the opening goal. Ching did not get involved and Donovon had to drop deep to get the ball. I left at halftime because I was tired and bored. Turns out the US ended up with a 2-2 draw, which is a valuable away point. Qualification is a certainty, and they need to win the group to get the best possible seed next summer.
Finally, I got this newsletter from a vendor. One of these with business news and tips. At the bottom there is a thoughtful or inspirational quote. Here is the quote from last Friday:
“Keep your eyes on the stars and feet on the ground.” Theodore Roosevelt
Doesn’t that sound eerily like a popular American radio host? Very interesting.
Ta Ta.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Will "Kings" Reign?
I watched the first 2 episodes of “Kings”—a new drama on Sundays at 8:00 on NBC. The commercials intrigued me because I thought it recast America as a monarchy instead of a democracy. So I was interested to see how the writers pictured such a world. However, my assumptions about the background of the show were completely wrong. Rather, it is a modernization of the biblical Saul and David story found in 1 and 2 Samuel. I figured this out immediately as there were many allusions to the biblical story—some overt and some more subtle. Here are a few:
The main city with a New York skyline was ShilohOthers could be listed, but you get the point. A more subtle allusion revolved around the anointing of the Spirit. In the biblical narrative, the Spirit is on Saul and then leaves him and rests on David. In the show the Spirit is symbolized by butterflies that come and settle like a crown on the actors’ heads. I thought this was an interesting and profound appropriation.
The king was named Silas (Saul); the young upstart was named David Shepherd; the king’s daughter and David’s love interest was named Michelle (Michal); the Prophet was named Reverend Samuels
An early scene saw David going up against a tank whose model was named “Goliath”
No matter how many parallels and allusions are included, many modernizations of classics end up falling flat. However, I put this “Kings” one on the level of Romeo + Juliet (1996) with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. One aspect that sets this show apart from other attempts to modernize ancient stories is the clever mix of modern and ancient language. While Romeo + Juliet tried to keep much of Shakespeare’s language, “Kings” uses modern English while sprinkling in some “spiritualized” language. For example, when Reverend Samuels denounces the king he says, “I bring a message. Since you have cast aside the word of the Lord he has cast you aside as king. He grants you no more favors. He protects what you love no longer. God wishes a man after his own heart. You have none.”
Through the first 2 episodes they have done a pretty good job of conveying the original storyline without too much fabrication or plot twisting. However, I wonder if they can keep it up without too many contrived stories. One problem I have is with the portrayal of the king’s son, Jack (Jonathan in the biblical account). In the TV edition he resents David, while the biblical account shows a man, who though he should resent David, loves him and accepts David’s ascension to the throne. Unless a plot line makes them best buddies, it will be a pretty significant divergence from the original.
As I said, my biggest fear is the writers turning this story into something it is not, or choosing to show one side of the characters over against another. But if they do, they will be in good company since the Biblical writers do the same thing. 1 and 2 Samuel tell all the dirty secrets of David, while Chronicles cleans up his history and presents a more pristine “man after God’s own heart.”
I don’t know where this series is going, but I like it thus far and recommend you give it a try. You can watch the first three episodes on the NBC website.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
The Art of Running for People Who Would Rather Do Anything But...
This may come as a surprise to some of you but I am not an athletic person. I have found in my lifetime that sweating and breathing hard and a lot of movement is not conducive to reading which is what I really like to do. I'm also not excited by the idea of physical activity that does not accomplish anything. It seems an awful lot like work. I hate watching sports, I hate sports talk shows, I hate sports commercials and sports stores. I grew up in a dysfunctional family where athletic extra curricular activities were dominated by my brother and entering any such activities would have lead to unflattering comparisons by my less than stellar father, yes, even as a kid I understood this.
However, at the ripe old age of 29, I have finally set aside some of the more serious "you'll never be as good as your brother" issues while other issues are so deeply suppressed in my psyche that I'll probably never be able to break that wall down and deal with them. This leaves me open to try new things without the crushing self loathing of my childhood (wow, where is this coming from?!) So after much deliberation I took up jogging. Now, after nearly 5 weeks of jogging I can tell you everything you need to know to get up and get moving. Let's begin shall we.
1) Infinitesimal Motivation
I don't have a lot of will power, I'm almost never motivated, I don't have moments of clarity that change my life forever. What I do have is microscopic sporadic urges to do somewhat healthy things combined with a total lack of patience. Thus, whenever I have a free time and think "I should get up and do something", I do it. Immediately. I don't think twice, I don't stop to consider all the other things I could be doing, I don't second guess my abilities, I just go do it. You'd be surprised how much you can accomplish by blocking out rational thought. And to be clear, I never have the urge to run, I have the desire to be able to run. To do something healthy and not pass out or throw up on the side of the road. So if you have even an inkling of a desire to do something, my advice to you is to jump on it. Attack it and never look back. Do it one day, maybe the next time that urge comes around and you do it, it's slightly less horrible.
However, at the ripe old age of 29, I have finally set aside some of the more serious "you'll never be as good as your brother" issues while other issues are so deeply suppressed in my psyche that I'll probably never be able to break that wall down and deal with them. This leaves me open to try new things without the crushing self loathing of my childhood (wow, where is this coming from?!) So after much deliberation I took up jogging. Now, after nearly 5 weeks of jogging I can tell you everything you need to know to get up and get moving. Let's begin shall we.
1) Infinitesimal Motivation
I don't have a lot of will power, I'm almost never motivated, I don't have moments of clarity that change my life forever. What I do have is microscopic sporadic urges to do somewhat healthy things combined with a total lack of patience. Thus, whenever I have a free time and think "I should get up and do something", I do it. Immediately. I don't think twice, I don't stop to consider all the other things I could be doing, I don't second guess my abilities, I just go do it. You'd be surprised how much you can accomplish by blocking out rational thought. And to be clear, I never have the urge to run, I have the desire to be able to run. To do something healthy and not pass out or throw up on the side of the road. So if you have even an inkling of a desire to do something, my advice to you is to jump on it. Attack it and never look back. Do it one day, maybe the next time that urge comes around and you do it, it's slightly less horrible.
2) No Victory is Too Small
This is the imperative second step to following infinitesimal motivation. For me it's important to think that following the motivation is actually changing me in obvious ways, that every step I take is moving me away from failure and towards something better, something I spent most of my life believing I could not do. Today I don't feel as exhausted after 2 miles. Today I sprinted the last block home. Today I could talk while jogging.Today I didn't choke on my own spit. I don't talk to people much about what my goals are in running or about running in general, I just can't afford to fill my head with negative or pessimistic comments.
3) The Zero Tolerance Rule
#3 is basically the other side of #2. As I celebrate every little victory, even if it's just not hating running as much as I used to, I also avoid know-it-alls. Know-it-alls are almost always negative and bossy. I have avoided so many things because I was afraid that other people would be dissappointed with me or that I would be disappointed with myself, I don't feel I need anymore of that talk. So what if I'm doing it wrong, I'm doing it. So what if my shoes aren't right or I'm holding my arms too high or I don't bounce on my toes enough (yes, I've heard these before). I'm doing it, if at some time in the future I choose to improve my style by asking your advise I will ask it, until then I'm just working on putting one foot in front of the other.
4) Night Time is the Right Time
This one is not for everyone but it really works for me. Running at night. As long as I don't get hit by a car, I really really like running at night for several reasons. A) It's cooler outside, as we near summer temperatures of 110 degrees, this will be come more important. B) You can't see how fast or slow you are going, it forces me to pick a pace based on what I can handle instead of how fast I think I should go. C) I'm less self conscious knowing there is no one to see me and judge me. D) It's quieter and there's less traffic.
The down side to jogging at night is the possibility of wild animals and weirdos. Ben and I were on the bike trail at about 9:30 one night and got within 20 ft. of a coyote. Tonight there was some old homeless looking guy putting on a ski mask who yelled something at me. I have no idea what he yelled but it kinda sort sounded like "You're a fag!".
5) The Buddy System
Run with someone really positive. Run with someone who's a better runner than you but has a lot of patience. This way, they can talk to you while you run and take your mind off of some of the pain. Run with someone really encouraging. And most importantly, lay out ground rules quickly. Ben is my running buddy and I made sure to tell him the very first day that if he got ahead of me, my first instinct is to catch up instead of telling him to slow down, then I would run out of steam, then get frustrated, then quit. So Ben knows not to push ahead but stays next to me. He also keeps track of time so we stick to our schedule.
6) The Bully System
As much as I don't allow anyone to be negative about my running. I can be negative about myself if I want. I don't allow disappointment or frustration, but I allow myself a little affectionate ribbing now and then. There is a killer hill I run into towards the end of the 2 miles, I hate it. I have yet to run up that thing without having to walk some of it. This is normally about the time I try some negative motivation. "Maybe this hurts so much because gravity is pulling my big fat butt back down the hill", "Maybe I should take this hill twice today, show that cottage cheese who's boss", "maybe I don't hate this hill, maybe I just love little debbie too much". Staying positive and not allowing frustration doesn't mean don't face reality, sometimes reality is having to push through no matter what. Sometimes humor is making the best of a less than ideal moment.
7) Clothes Make the Runner, Especially the Feet Part
I realized 2 weeks ago, that at 29 years old I have never owned a brand name pair of shoes and I've never bought a pair of shoes that cost $50. As of two weeks ago I own both. They are Nikes, I named them Betty and Ling (right and left). They are worth every penny. Betty and Ling keep my knees from hurting (too much) they have arch supports and padding, and they aren't as loose on my feet as my first running shoes (from payless).
I also went out and bought some really comfortable running pants and capris. But for those you can go to Goodwill, there's lots of selection and they've already been broken in for you! Pajama pants don't cut it. It's already hard to run, you should make sure you are as comfortable as you can be
8) Get a Plan
Get any plan, close your eyes and point and you can get a running plan, they are all over the internet. I recommend the Couch to 5K Running Plan created specifically for sedentary people like me. Get a plan, then get a route, no one likes to stop running to decide which way to go, get it mapped out before you go and there's less to think about.
Right now I can't tell you how I feel about running. I like that I do it, I like that I can do it. I don't enjoy it for it's own sake. I like feeling a little bit of accomplishment every time. Things I never thought I would be able to do, like run a whole mile without walking, are pretty simple now. I'm not as embarrassed to run with people watching. I don't know that I'll ever actually do a 5K but it's not out of the realm of reality. I would like to go to Hawaii this summer and I'd like to wear a bathing suit without feeling like the Pillsbury dough boy, or Staypuff Marshmallow Man, or the Michelin Man or any other white squishy monster. Maybe someday I'll enjoy running for the sake of running, maybe someday I feel the endorphins kick in like I hear tell of. That hasn't happened yet. When/if I get to that point I'll let you know, I'm sure it will be a momentous day.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Damages Season 2
I want to bring to your attention a TV show that has caught my eye "Damages".
When i first heard about this new show back in July 2007 i began to think legal thrillers are silly and boring. They just are...period. For the life of me I cannot figure out how so many people get enraptured by Law & Order, but i watched it anyway and below is what i thought.
So when I first saw the previews of FX’s Damages Season 1 I was expecting a decent performance by Glenn Close as class action lawyer Patty Hewes, but a bunch of petty storytelling with little soul. Not only was I mistaken in my snap judgment of the storyline, but Damages has gone on to become one of the best shows on television.
By the time Damages hit the air The Shield was a bit trite. OK, so Vic is a bad dude on the good side of the law. Yippee. Damages came along and proved that FX has a winning formula for its dramas.
Give the writers leeway to tell intelligent and adult stories, and then what you’ll end up with is an Emmy winning show.
Perhaps the networks should pay attention because they are getting trounced by cable when it comes to original programming. As season one came to a close it was difficult for me to understand how Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne) could continue working for Patty Hewes (Glenn Close), even if she planned to work with the FBI to take her down.
The season two premiere answers that quite nicely as we see Ellen one month later struggling to deal with her anger. Ellen’s naivety in season one stemmed from inexperience, not a lack of intelligence or ability. The show handled that deftly, and Rose Byrne held her own against Glenn Close.
Now we’ve moved beyond that as Ellen is insistent on doing everything to take Patty down, even giving the FBI pause when she’s readily willing to perform any task asked. Ellen is also attending anger management meetings, and it’s there she meets Wes Krulik (Timothy Olyphant).
The casting of Olyphant alone for the part had me on edge on whether this man could be trusted, and while Ellen confides in him she does seem reserved. Perhaps it’s because she isn’t ready to move on from her fiancés death, or she suspects him as much as I do. While the big case of the season doesn’t involve Frobisher (Ted Danson) –who, incidentally was shot when last we saw him– I was ecstatic to see him coming back for the second season.
Time will only tell if what happened changed him, or if it’s all an act. One thing I know for sure is that Arthur Frobisher is one of the most likeable bad guys on television. I’d go so far as to say he’s not really a bad guy, just a man with power who suffers from some terrible flaws.
For her part Patty is the envy of the entire legal world after her multibillion dollar win against Arthur Frobisher. Clients are trying to get her to take cases, and Ellen is handed a fake case by the FBI to use to bring Patty down. But nothing sticks, no matter how hard Ellen tries. Or even Tom Shayes (Tate Donovan), Patty’s most trusted lawyer at the firm, who backs Ellen’s decision to convince Patty to head up the case. Then Daniel Purcell (William Hurt), an old friend of Patty’s, calls on her for help. What starts as a favor for a friend and a domestic violence case quickly escalates into something more. Anyone who feared that the loss of Ray Fiske (Zeljko Ivanek) as Patty’s legal nemesis would hurt the show need not worry. In the second episode we’re introduced to Claire Maddox (Marcia Gay Harden) who goes to legal battle with Patty the moment she appears on screen. This is a woman who will never be afraid to confront Patty.
Also, Marcia Gay Harden is a stunningly beautiful woman and her portrayal of Claire is so powerful and intense I can easily see her joining Glenn Close and Zeljko Ivanek as an Emmy winning cast member. The style of storytelling in season two is similar to season one, but not identical. We do start off with something happening six months in the future, and then the bulk of the show is what happened to lead up to these moments. Instead of a bloodied Ellen stumbling down the street, this time we get an Ellen who is cold and calculating as she sits and discusses matters with…someone.
The season two premiere ends in this time frame with a scene that is chilling. I didn’t see it coming, and that’s the point. Where Ellen was broken down by Patty in season one I think season two is going to showcase her crossing the breaking point. Damages returns without skipping a single beat. New characters are as complex and interesting as returning favorites. The show delivers on a style that is intelligent and simultaneously easy to follow. You’ll never scratch your head wondering what is up with any character, as each choice and action made makes perfect sense as you watch it. The use of the flashback formula is where Damages shoehorns in its suspense and mystery as we near the end of Season 2 this is a must watch for anyone who enjoys television and i encourage you to get season 1 & 2 and enjoy it as much as i have done.
Next week i will try and stomach discussing the Utd collapse against Fulham as well as Fergie's bad team selection and why i think Liverpool's hype is just hype!!!!
Bye for now
When i first heard about this new show back in July 2007 i began to think legal thrillers are silly and boring. They just are...period. For the life of me I cannot figure out how so many people get enraptured by Law & Order, but i watched it anyway and below is what i thought.
So when I first saw the previews of FX’s Damages Season 1 I was expecting a decent performance by Glenn Close as class action lawyer Patty Hewes, but a bunch of petty storytelling with little soul. Not only was I mistaken in my snap judgment of the storyline, but Damages has gone on to become one of the best shows on television.
By the time Damages hit the air The Shield was a bit trite. OK, so Vic is a bad dude on the good side of the law. Yippee. Damages came along and proved that FX has a winning formula for its dramas.
Give the writers leeway to tell intelligent and adult stories, and then what you’ll end up with is an Emmy winning show.
Perhaps the networks should pay attention because they are getting trounced by cable when it comes to original programming. As season one came to a close it was difficult for me to understand how Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne) could continue working for Patty Hewes (Glenn Close), even if she planned to work with the FBI to take her down.
The season two premiere answers that quite nicely as we see Ellen one month later struggling to deal with her anger. Ellen’s naivety in season one stemmed from inexperience, not a lack of intelligence or ability. The show handled that deftly, and Rose Byrne held her own against Glenn Close.
Now we’ve moved beyond that as Ellen is insistent on doing everything to take Patty down, even giving the FBI pause when she’s readily willing to perform any task asked. Ellen is also attending anger management meetings, and it’s there she meets Wes Krulik (Timothy Olyphant).
The casting of Olyphant alone for the part had me on edge on whether this man could be trusted, and while Ellen confides in him she does seem reserved. Perhaps it’s because she isn’t ready to move on from her fiancés death, or she suspects him as much as I do. While the big case of the season doesn’t involve Frobisher (Ted Danson) –who, incidentally was shot when last we saw him– I was ecstatic to see him coming back for the second season.
Time will only tell if what happened changed him, or if it’s all an act. One thing I know for sure is that Arthur Frobisher is one of the most likeable bad guys on television. I’d go so far as to say he’s not really a bad guy, just a man with power who suffers from some terrible flaws.
For her part Patty is the envy of the entire legal world after her multibillion dollar win against Arthur Frobisher. Clients are trying to get her to take cases, and Ellen is handed a fake case by the FBI to use to bring Patty down. But nothing sticks, no matter how hard Ellen tries. Or even Tom Shayes (Tate Donovan), Patty’s most trusted lawyer at the firm, who backs Ellen’s decision to convince Patty to head up the case. Then Daniel Purcell (William Hurt), an old friend of Patty’s, calls on her for help. What starts as a favor for a friend and a domestic violence case quickly escalates into something more. Anyone who feared that the loss of Ray Fiske (Zeljko Ivanek) as Patty’s legal nemesis would hurt the show need not worry. In the second episode we’re introduced to Claire Maddox (Marcia Gay Harden) who goes to legal battle with Patty the moment she appears on screen. This is a woman who will never be afraid to confront Patty.
Also, Marcia Gay Harden is a stunningly beautiful woman and her portrayal of Claire is so powerful and intense I can easily see her joining Glenn Close and Zeljko Ivanek as an Emmy winning cast member. The style of storytelling in season two is similar to season one, but not identical. We do start off with something happening six months in the future, and then the bulk of the show is what happened to lead up to these moments. Instead of a bloodied Ellen stumbling down the street, this time we get an Ellen who is cold and calculating as she sits and discusses matters with…someone.
The season two premiere ends in this time frame with a scene that is chilling. I didn’t see it coming, and that’s the point. Where Ellen was broken down by Patty in season one I think season two is going to showcase her crossing the breaking point. Damages returns without skipping a single beat. New characters are as complex and interesting as returning favorites. The show delivers on a style that is intelligent and simultaneously easy to follow. You’ll never scratch your head wondering what is up with any character, as each choice and action made makes perfect sense as you watch it. The use of the flashback formula is where Damages shoehorns in its suspense and mystery as we near the end of Season 2 this is a must watch for anyone who enjoys television and i encourage you to get season 1 & 2 and enjoy it as much as i have done.
Next week i will try and stomach discussing the Utd collapse against Fulham as well as Fergie's bad team selection and why i think Liverpool's hype is just hype!!!!
Bye for now
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
movie/tv reviews
I'm posting a day ahead because I will be out of the office all day tomorrow, and I can' figure out how to auto post.
Couple of movie/TV show reviews:
Watchmen. **Spoiler alert** If you have not seen it, skip ahead.
The more I review it my mind, the more I didn’t like it. Overall it did do a good job of transferring the comic to the screen. But it’s the details that really get to me.
The soundtrack was amazing. Even 99 Balloons was odd but cool. However any original music was terrible and really clashed with the mood of the film.
As for characters, Rorschach was one of the greatest performances of a comic character brought to screen. The voice, the outfit, the moments were absolute magic. And then there was Silk Spectre II. Horrible. Her voice, her. The way Doc Manhattan was presented was tremendous. There is no way he could have been as dynamic as a visual 10 years ago. (And I’m not just talking about his “you know.”) I thought Ozymandius’ costume was taken from the X-Men wardrobe trailer. Didn’t really fit with the book.
Then there was the gratuitous sex scene. Really did we need that? Were they appealing to the fanboys or the customer who didn’t know anything going in? This movie was 2’40”, felt every moment of it and that was 2” they could have cut off.
Finally, the movie is too dense for a literal presentation. While there were elements of the story told and it created a sort of anti-hero moral tale, a huge theme of the book is why somewhat normal people dress up in spandex and masks. I felt they really didn’t cover this at all and they probably couldn’t and get everything else in.
Last week, I watched the Little Britain USA. Imagine Family Guy and South Park. Now both of those shows go up to a line of decency and jump over. Little Britain starts where those shows end and jumps farther. Tasteless, graphic and offensive. Genius.
Choke. I felt like Choke was some sort of Coen Bros. movie. Here are these characters, this is their world, x,y,and z happens, credits. Lord High Charlie was great, and there was a little “Of Mice and Men” dynamic between the two friends. Now would I see this as a double feature with Fight Club? Not sure. Don’t know if I’ll ever see it again although there were some very quotable lines.
Gone Baby Gone. **Spoiler alert** If you have not seen it, skip ahead.
Wow. Great film. Talk about no right answer and moral grey areas. I had this nagging feeling that something wasn’t quite right and when the Detective slipped during his drunken rant about the nature of God, that solved the puzzle for me. This is a film that I could come back to and really enjoy, while trying to figure out which side of the fence I would have been on. Morgan Freeman really stole the show. You inherently trust his character and then are stunned with the plan that is set in motion. His monologue at the end sets up the moral quandary and really gets the wheels turning in your brain.
Now I have to get to the three movies on my bed stand. Besides those, I hope to talk about in the near future about the Champions League draw, MLS expansion and some music I came across.
Ta Ta.
Couple of movie/TV show reviews:
Watchmen. **Spoiler alert** If you have not seen it, skip ahead.
The more I review it my mind, the more I didn’t like it. Overall it did do a good job of transferring the comic to the screen. But it’s the details that really get to me.
The soundtrack was amazing. Even 99 Balloons was odd but cool. However any original music was terrible and really clashed with the mood of the film.
As for characters, Rorschach was one of the greatest performances of a comic character brought to screen. The voice, the outfit, the moments were absolute magic. And then there was Silk Spectre II. Horrible. Her voice, her. The way Doc Manhattan was presented was tremendous. There is no way he could have been as dynamic as a visual 10 years ago. (And I’m not just talking about his “you know.”) I thought Ozymandius’ costume was taken from the X-Men wardrobe trailer. Didn’t really fit with the book.
Then there was the gratuitous sex scene. Really did we need that? Were they appealing to the fanboys or the customer who didn’t know anything going in? This movie was 2’40”, felt every moment of it and that was 2” they could have cut off.
Finally, the movie is too dense for a literal presentation. While there were elements of the story told and it created a sort of anti-hero moral tale, a huge theme of the book is why somewhat normal people dress up in spandex and masks. I felt they really didn’t cover this at all and they probably couldn’t and get everything else in.
Last week, I watched the Little Britain USA. Imagine Family Guy and South Park. Now both of those shows go up to a line of decency and jump over. Little Britain starts where those shows end and jumps farther. Tasteless, graphic and offensive. Genius.
Choke. I felt like Choke was some sort of Coen Bros. movie. Here are these characters, this is their world, x,y,and z happens, credits. Lord High Charlie was great, and there was a little “Of Mice and Men” dynamic between the two friends. Now would I see this as a double feature with Fight Club? Not sure. Don’t know if I’ll ever see it again although there were some very quotable lines.
Gone Baby Gone. **Spoiler alert** If you have not seen it, skip ahead.
Wow. Great film. Talk about no right answer and moral grey areas. I had this nagging feeling that something wasn’t quite right and when the Detective slipped during his drunken rant about the nature of God, that solved the puzzle for me. This is a film that I could come back to and really enjoy, while trying to figure out which side of the fence I would have been on. Morgan Freeman really stole the show. You inherently trust his character and then are stunned with the plan that is set in motion. His monologue at the end sets up the moral quandary and really gets the wheels turning in your brain.
Now I have to get to the three movies on my bed stand. Besides those, I hope to talk about in the near future about the Champions League draw, MLS expansion and some music I came across.
Ta Ta.
Friday, March 20, 2009
“J.Lo Sues Stroller Company for $30 Million”. I can’t even think of something pithy to say because I’m so flabbergasted.
I have to admit I’ve never been a fan of hers, “Maid in
1) Does she really think she's worth that much?
2) How much free merchandise has she accepted from companies such as this for her to show off in the hopes that this would prompt other people to buy stuff? And yet heaven forbid someone use her likeness to sell something? What’s the difference?
3) How much money does she already have that she needs $30 million more?
4) Considering the current economic crisis that many Latinos find themselves in currently and also considering the aforementioned #3, can she still call herself “Jenny from the Block?”
The sum total of arrogance and greed it takes to pull off this type of lawsuit blows my mind. This is the type of activity that alienates her from the culture she continues to claim she is part of. The mean part of me really hopes she loses some fans for this but I have a feeling stupid people stick together. I'm going to write an aria for J-Lo, it's called "Nobody Cares".Wednesday, March 18, 2009
24 Review & A piece of humble pie!!!!!!!
November's TV movie 24: Redemption found Kiefer Sutherland's Jack Bauer a chastened man. Helping orphans in Africa, he was hoarse not for the usual reason (barking orders), but from asking his Inner Good Guy for forgiveness for his CTU-agent sins.
24: Season 7 made its long awaited return to FOX in January and with 14 episodes into arguably the best season of 24 to date my disappointment of the teaser movie Redemption has now vanished as i countdown the days to the next episode week after week.
Season 7 started out with Jack facing a congressional hearing for torture crimes against the many international terrorists and domestic traitors that plagued the United States in seasons prior, as he was grilled by Senator Mayer about his actions as a CTU Agent the hearing was interrupted by FBI Agent Renee Walker (she is a dish by the way)
What has happened since has been thrilling, Tony Almeida is back from the dead to help Jack, Bill Buchanen sacrificed himself for the Presidents survival, Chloe is in custody... go figure!!! and now Agent Walker has been suspended and is currently in holding for helping Jack escape custody so that he can continue to solve to missing pieces of what is about to happen next.
I was pleasantly surprised that 24: cast John Voight in what appears to be a role for him as a domestic traitor killing innocent lives for the greater good.... so he puts it.
I am looking forward to the final 10 episodes in what i hope will be more exciting, thrilling and all about Jack saving the country once again.
24 is without a doubt one of America's hottest shows!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OK so i am going to eat a piece of humble pie here and say Liverpool deserved their win this past weekend at Old Trafford.......... only because we made mistakes and didn't finish our chances.
That's humble right? Anyway i don't think that defeat has cost us the title as so many people seem to think it has, yes we lost the game, but we are still 4 points clear with a game in hand at home v Portsmouth in April. This weekend sees us take the trip the Craven Cottage to take on a Fulham side that we blew away in the FA Cup 1/4 final. After last weeks humiliation i expect a response and if we respond with goals it could be a long day for Fulham as we look to put the lead back to 7 points for 24 hours at least.
Liverpool face a tough test at home to Villa who will be looking to get back in the race for 4th spot. C'mon Villa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Later for now, enjoy the week
24: Season 7 made its long awaited return to FOX in January and with 14 episodes into arguably the best season of 24 to date my disappointment of the teaser movie Redemption has now vanished as i countdown the days to the next episode week after week.
Season 7 started out with Jack facing a congressional hearing for torture crimes against the many international terrorists and domestic traitors that plagued the United States in seasons prior, as he was grilled by Senator Mayer about his actions as a CTU Agent the hearing was interrupted by FBI Agent Renee Walker (she is a dish by the way)
What has happened since has been thrilling, Tony Almeida is back from the dead to help Jack, Bill Buchanen sacrificed himself for the Presidents survival, Chloe is in custody... go figure!!! and now Agent Walker has been suspended and is currently in holding for helping Jack escape custody so that he can continue to solve to missing pieces of what is about to happen next.
I was pleasantly surprised that 24: cast John Voight in what appears to be a role for him as a domestic traitor killing innocent lives for the greater good.... so he puts it.
I am looking forward to the final 10 episodes in what i hope will be more exciting, thrilling and all about Jack saving the country once again.
24 is without a doubt one of America's hottest shows!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OK so i am going to eat a piece of humble pie here and say Liverpool deserved their win this past weekend at Old Trafford.......... only because we made mistakes and didn't finish our chances.
That's humble right? Anyway i don't think that defeat has cost us the title as so many people seem to think it has, yes we lost the game, but we are still 4 points clear with a game in hand at home v Portsmouth in April. This weekend sees us take the trip the Craven Cottage to take on a Fulham side that we blew away in the FA Cup 1/4 final. After last weeks humiliation i expect a response and if we respond with goals it could be a long day for Fulham as we look to put the lead back to 7 points for 24 hours at least.
Liverpool face a tough test at home to Villa who will be looking to get back in the race for 4th spot. C'mon Villa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Later for now, enjoy the week
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
justin.tv and champions league recap
Due to my busy schedule I was unable to post last week. I’m sure you were waiting with bated breath for my next entry.
Speaking of which, I have subscribed to this blog on my facebook page. With the changes that have been made, new entries from anyone who posts on the blog come across as “my” note. So when JD celebrates his completion of the World Beer tour, I get a facebook comment from my mom worrying about my drinking. How do I fix this?
Moving on . . .
Thanks to justin.tv I was able to catch Barca’s progress in the Copy Del Rey. I was following the match cast on soccernet.com and decided to watch the second half on line if possible. The screen opened up just in time to see Pinto save a PK from Mallorca. From there the game totally changed momentum and Barca equalized with a goal from Messi. On to the final v Bilbao.
I know justin.tv is illegal. But I don’t have the money or time to pony up for the typical cable package, so if there is something out there for free I’ll do that instead. Usually the quality isn’t that great and the feed drops out from time to time so really what harm is it doing? I know there are even better options on the interweb, I just haven’t found them yet. Trust me, I’m bringing enough business to Claddagh’s and in effect FSC and Setanta to make sure everything works out.
The Champions League draw is Friday and the permutations are incredible. All English quarters? Utd v Barca? Will two of the lesser teams meet to insure one of them is in the semis?
Looking back at the round of 16, I will have to say that I was really surprised about the Manchester United result. I put too much stock in the Special One and he didn’t deliver. As for Barcelona, when they are on, they are simply unstoppable. But what happens when they get shut down? The United semi last year is the template for defeat. Organized, determined teams can hold out and if they hold out, Barca will give up a goal or two. Especially this year as the defense has been shaky at best, which in turn has exposed Valdez. Juventus simply didn’t deserve to advance. A horrible first leg condemned them to defeat. They did make it 1-1 on aggregate but after that never really tested or made Chelsea nervous. Once Chelsea scored, then the tie was over. But Juve’s motto must be “gain experience”. The young core must learn how to win and maybe it will pay off with a scudetto next year and a Champions League title in the next 3-5 years. Final thought, watch out for Villareal. If they get a favorable draw, they could sneak into the final.
I have seen the Watchmen but am still processing it. I hope to talk about a couple of movies next week. How’s that for a tease?
Finally, if you like soccer, and especially Spanish soccer, check out the Revista de la Liga Extra podcast. Produced by Sky Sports, it has great analysis, discussion and projects of the La Liga.
Ta Ta.
Speaking of which, I have subscribed to this blog on my facebook page. With the changes that have been made, new entries from anyone who posts on the blog come across as “my” note. So when JD celebrates his completion of the World Beer tour, I get a facebook comment from my mom worrying about my drinking. How do I fix this?
Moving on . . .
Thanks to justin.tv I was able to catch Barca’s progress in the Copy Del Rey. I was following the match cast on soccernet.com and decided to watch the second half on line if possible. The screen opened up just in time to see Pinto save a PK from Mallorca. From there the game totally changed momentum and Barca equalized with a goal from Messi. On to the final v Bilbao.
I know justin.tv is illegal. But I don’t have the money or time to pony up for the typical cable package, so if there is something out there for free I’ll do that instead. Usually the quality isn’t that great and the feed drops out from time to time so really what harm is it doing? I know there are even better options on the interweb, I just haven’t found them yet. Trust me, I’m bringing enough business to Claddagh’s and in effect FSC and Setanta to make sure everything works out.
The Champions League draw is Friday and the permutations are incredible. All English quarters? Utd v Barca? Will two of the lesser teams meet to insure one of them is in the semis?
Looking back at the round of 16, I will have to say that I was really surprised about the Manchester United result. I put too much stock in the Special One and he didn’t deliver. As for Barcelona, when they are on, they are simply unstoppable. But what happens when they get shut down? The United semi last year is the template for defeat. Organized, determined teams can hold out and if they hold out, Barca will give up a goal or two. Especially this year as the defense has been shaky at best, which in turn has exposed Valdez. Juventus simply didn’t deserve to advance. A horrible first leg condemned them to defeat. They did make it 1-1 on aggregate but after that never really tested or made Chelsea nervous. Once Chelsea scored, then the tie was over. But Juve’s motto must be “gain experience”. The young core must learn how to win and maybe it will pay off with a scudetto next year and a Champions League title in the next 3-5 years. Final thought, watch out for Villareal. If they get a favorable draw, they could sneak into the final.
I have seen the Watchmen but am still processing it. I hope to talk about a couple of movies next week. How’s that for a tease?
Finally, if you like soccer, and especially Spanish soccer, check out the Revista de la Liga Extra podcast. Produced by Sky Sports, it has great analysis, discussion and projects of the La Liga.
Ta Ta.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Big Day
First of all, I'm watching W as I type--it's a little stunning, and I'll have to read up on the accuracies/inaccuracies of it's portrayal of Bush and those around him. Regardless, I continue to be wowed by Josh Brolin--where did he come from?! What a quick string of great performances, No Country For Old Men, W, and Milk, seemingly out of nowhere? This is frickin' Brand from The Goonies, and I hadn't seen him in anything since then up to No Country. I just checked his IMDB filmography and he's been working the entire time--pretty crazy--20 full years in the industry and only now really making his presence felt.
Anyway, looking forward to a big day--maybe a little bit of playing Oblivion on the 360 (new to it, and blown away--it was recommended to me when I bought the 360 and I should have bought it then--it's incredibly deep and rich in content, and probably waaaay to nerdy to describe here, but suffice it to say I'm in geek heaven when I'm playing it), then clean up a bit getting ready for my sister-in-law and her boyfriend to spend the day/night here, then we've got the MSU game this afternoon, Settlers of Catan, introducing Margaret and Kenny to Guitar Hero (Margaret is going to be hilarious, I just know it), and then heading over to Duke's for dinner.
Duke's is the only nice restaurant in Portland, and it's a Cajun restaurant, and I love it. Meg can't find a lot there that she likes b/c she doesn't like spicy food, but I love it--good beer, interesting food selections, actually pretty decent store atmosphere which is severely lacking in the other plastic-booth-flimsy-table-country-decor-fluorescent-lighted restaurants around town.
Oh, and one last note, I have finally completed my world beer tour at Old Chicago after probably 4 years of working on it--that's 110 different beers, so 27 a year-ish, which means I probably visited about once every other month or so, with 4 beers per visit. Along the way have earned a deck of cards, a bottle opener, a t-shirt, a baseball cap, a travel coffee mug, a cooler, and a sweatshirt, and I've drank a fair amount of crappy beer, because in order to get up to 110 that means I'm having to do the Bud, Bud Lite, Miller Lite, Coors, Pabst, MGD, Heineken, and Corona series as well...ick. Most of the gifts were crap, particularly because the WBT logo is UGLY, so that pretty much wipes out the t-shirt, baseball cap, and sweatshirt. The cards and bottle opener are great, but also the first gifts you earn, so it's a loooong dry spell. And a travel coffee mug is the LAST gift a BIGGBY employee needs--how do they not have a logo pint glass? That's always felt like a major misfire. So now I'm through it, and the good news is that now I get credit for any beer I drink, I don't have to keep drinking the different (and crappy) beers, but will I feel as strongly compelled to visit to achieve? We'll see.
P.S. I'm trying to get a similar reward program introduced at BIGGBY--I found it very compelling, and that was at a place where you really can't visit all that often--how many times a month can you go out for pizza? But we've got some fanatics out there that I think would really cleave to a program like this. We'll see...
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Why Manchester United embody everything good about football!!!
I listened to the commentary of our FA Cup tie against Fulham at Craven Cottage on the radio as well as watching it on Dutch TV via an Internet Satelite. The pangs got worse.
The commentators were raving about United. They were ransacking their minds for new superlatives. It sounded as if they were watching football poetry, but as i watched it was more than that.
Not that it's anything particularly new praising United given that i am such a huge Mancunian. Sir Alex Ferguson's sides have dominated the game in England for the last 15 years.
There have been great teams to watch, filled with great players. Too many to mention, really. A cast of stars.
But it feels as though there's something special about Ferguson's latest creation, as though what he has built at Old Trafford has taken another step forward in its evolution.
The way this United team play football, you want to take your kids to a game so that in years to come, they can say they saw them play.
Whoever they grow up to support, they can say they saw a United side that was chasing five trophies.
They can say they saw Ryan Giggs in his glorious autumn, Wayne Rooney growing into his prime, Cristiano Ronaldo in his pomp, the fiery majesty of Paul Scholes, the breathtaking passing of Michael Carrick and one of the best English club defences there has ever been.
And they can say they saw Ferguson himself, standing watchfully over his charges in his Old Trafford perch, gazing down at his final achievement and the one that we may yet remember him by.
For all those reasons, it will feel like a privilege to watch United take on Inter Milan in the second leg of their Champions League second round tie this evening.
Seeing them take on Liverpool, the pretenders to their throne, on Saturday afternoon will be equally unmissable.
It's possible, of course, that Inter will spoil this script by beating United tonight. How typical of their boss, Jose Mourinho, it would be to conjure a result like that, but the evidence we have seen so far suggests that won't happen. The evidence we have seen so far suggests that Inter, like most other teams, are simply not in United's league. United were so much better than Inter in the first half of the first leg at the San Siro that the gulf was embarrassing. Inter were lumpen. United were brilliant.
Apart from all the individual talents the team possess, what is so striking about this United team is its technical accomplishment.
There is nothing traditionally English about their style at all. They have travelled a million miles, too, from the 4-4-2 orthodoxy that ruled their fantastic Treble-winning side of 1999.
They are fluid now. So fluid they slip through your fingers. So fluid they're close to perfecting Total Football. Very close indeed.
Their close control is fantastic. They play the ball into feet at pace into tight areas. They keep possession. They pass the opposition to death.
Their movement is like quicksilver. Players such as Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov, dropping deep, pulling wide, are unmarkable.
Their speed of passing and their speed of thought is reminiscent of the Spain team that outplayed England so comprehensively last month in Seville. And compliments don't come much higher than that.
So I hope United wipe the floor with Inter tonight. Not because they're English and Inter are Italian or the fact that I am die hard RED for LIFE, but because this United team represents everything that is good about the game and Inter don't. And because their quest for five trophies is something to be marvelled at, even if, sooner or later, it may come unstuck.
If you can get a ticket for anything in sport, get a ticket to watch this United team play. Its truly mesmerizing!!!!!
The commentators were raving about United. They were ransacking their minds for new superlatives. It sounded as if they were watching football poetry, but as i watched it was more than that.
Not that it's anything particularly new praising United given that i am such a huge Mancunian. Sir Alex Ferguson's sides have dominated the game in England for the last 15 years.
There have been great teams to watch, filled with great players. Too many to mention, really. A cast of stars.
But it feels as though there's something special about Ferguson's latest creation, as though what he has built at Old Trafford has taken another step forward in its evolution.
The way this United team play football, you want to take your kids to a game so that in years to come, they can say they saw them play.
Whoever they grow up to support, they can say they saw a United side that was chasing five trophies.
They can say they saw Ryan Giggs in his glorious autumn, Wayne Rooney growing into his prime, Cristiano Ronaldo in his pomp, the fiery majesty of Paul Scholes, the breathtaking passing of Michael Carrick and one of the best English club defences there has ever been.
And they can say they saw Ferguson himself, standing watchfully over his charges in his Old Trafford perch, gazing down at his final achievement and the one that we may yet remember him by.
For all those reasons, it will feel like a privilege to watch United take on Inter Milan in the second leg of their Champions League second round tie this evening.
Seeing them take on Liverpool, the pretenders to their throne, on Saturday afternoon will be equally unmissable.
It's possible, of course, that Inter will spoil this script by beating United tonight. How typical of their boss, Jose Mourinho, it would be to conjure a result like that, but the evidence we have seen so far suggests that won't happen. The evidence we have seen so far suggests that Inter, like most other teams, are simply not in United's league. United were so much better than Inter in the first half of the first leg at the San Siro that the gulf was embarrassing. Inter were lumpen. United were brilliant.
Apart from all the individual talents the team possess, what is so striking about this United team is its technical accomplishment.
There is nothing traditionally English about their style at all. They have travelled a million miles, too, from the 4-4-2 orthodoxy that ruled their fantastic Treble-winning side of 1999.
They are fluid now. So fluid they slip through your fingers. So fluid they're close to perfecting Total Football. Very close indeed.
Their close control is fantastic. They play the ball into feet at pace into tight areas. They keep possession. They pass the opposition to death.
Their movement is like quicksilver. Players such as Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov, dropping deep, pulling wide, are unmarkable.
Their speed of passing and their speed of thought is reminiscent of the Spain team that outplayed England so comprehensively last month in Seville. And compliments don't come much higher than that.
So I hope United wipe the floor with Inter tonight. Not because they're English and Inter are Italian or the fact that I am die hard RED for LIFE, but because this United team represents everything that is good about the game and Inter don't. And because their quest for five trophies is something to be marvelled at, even if, sooner or later, it may come unstuck.
If you can get a ticket for anything in sport, get a ticket to watch this United team play. Its truly mesmerizing!!!!!
Monday, March 9, 2009
Some Facebook Rants
I recently purged my “friend” list on Facebook. At first I thought it was great to have so many “friends” and to reconnect with people. But as my experience has progressed I have realized that these people are not my “friends”. In fact, I spent four years in high school or college in the proximity of some of these people without ever having a real conversation. My feeling is that if I didn’t make a point to “connect” with them then, why would I now? That may seem heartless and cruel, but it is a fact. I don’t dislike them or wish them ill – I just don’t want to get step up our current association level and become involved in their daily affairs. Most of the people won’t even notice – after all, they have like 300 friends’ lives to wade through and I am probably not on the top of the list. So, my “friend” list has dwindled from 200 to around 120. That is still too many. I would love to pine it down to 50, but that would cause some serious friction among acquaintances.
Maybe that is the next innovation that needs to take place on Facebook – differing categories. Instead of emasculating the definition of the word “friend”, why can’t we categorize people based on our actual relationship? If they are business related, church related, old school people, or whatever else that might solve the problem for me. I know, they have the “top 10” friends group or whatever, but anything that says “Hey, we are going to take all of your information and disseminate it as we please” usually leads me to click “ignore.”
Which leads me to my next Facebook rant – all of these groups and causes are pointless. I don’t join any causes because, listen closely, THEY DON’T DO ANYTHING!!! By definition a “cause” affects change. Signing up for something on Facebook does not make any difference to cancer, to the old vs. new Facebook layout – to anything. Your virtual support is just that – virtual and not actual. Prayer is not going to get put back in schools, abortion is not going to get outlawed, Obama is not going to get impeached just because you join a group or cause. How about writing or emailing your congress person? You might have a shot then. But I don’t think our representatives are trolling about the Facebook groups to help them determine policy.
And if you are signing up to make a statement to your friends, shouldn’t they already know where you stand? Or perhaps they are not actually your friends but merely people you sort of knew at one time. And so we have come full circle.
Maybe that is the next innovation that needs to take place on Facebook – differing categories. Instead of emasculating the definition of the word “friend”, why can’t we categorize people based on our actual relationship? If they are business related, church related, old school people, or whatever else that might solve the problem for me. I know, they have the “top 10” friends group or whatever, but anything that says “Hey, we are going to take all of your information and disseminate it as we please” usually leads me to click “ignore.”
Which leads me to my next Facebook rant – all of these groups and causes are pointless. I don’t join any causes because, listen closely, THEY DON’T DO ANYTHING!!! By definition a “cause” affects change. Signing up for something on Facebook does not make any difference to cancer, to the old vs. new Facebook layout – to anything. Your virtual support is just that – virtual and not actual. Prayer is not going to get put back in schools, abortion is not going to get outlawed, Obama is not going to get impeached just because you join a group or cause. How about writing or emailing your congress person? You might have a shot then. But I don’t think our representatives are trolling about the Facebook groups to help them determine policy.
And if you are signing up to make a statement to your friends, shouldn’t they already know where you stand? Or perhaps they are not actually your friends but merely people you sort of knew at one time. And so we have come full circle.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
MIA
After several weeks of being MIA i have made my triumphant return to The Cultural Taproom, its good to be back....... The main reason for my darkness is that my wife and I welcomed the 2nd addition into our family on February 21st 2009 at 11:59am, Cameron Thomas weighed in at 7lbs 13oz and 19 1/2 inches long.
I've always been amazed at child birth, the first time was a blur as i was mainly sobbing at the mere thought of sleepless nights ahead.... just kidding, but this 2nd time i paid more attention of the actual birth.... in keeping this blog PG I am amazed at how much skin is willing to stretch to allow something of a decent size to exit such a small area...... Anyway it was a beautiful moment that i got to enjoy better this time around.
I did feel so helpless and of course they had an army of nurses in our birthing room accompanied by my Monster-In-Law (did i say that out loud!!!!!!!) with that type of crowd anything i thought about saying i didn't so i just smiled, sobbed and held my 2nd son...... Happy Days.
My special family moment lasted all of 10 minutes, as i turned on the hospital Internet service to get the United v Blackburn latest score, boy did that not go down well.
What can i say I'm a typical male!!!!
So lots of football to talk about, i will start with the Champions League Match day 7.
Inter v United at the San Siro was the talk of the round, the game for United fans and me alike ended in disappointment as we tied 0-0 after dominating from start to finish, United cut Inter apart in the 1st half creating 4 or 5 good chances, but failing to put the tie beyond Inter.
Juilo Caesar made some good saves from an in from Ronaldo, but United's strength, experience to keep the ball and sheer class really shone through.... back to OT for a very confident 3-1 win for the Red Devils.... watch this space.
Cheslea v Inter was boring to be honest and Austin and I called it before kick off, i am not sure of the outcome in Turin, but i fear for Chelsea. I think Juve will nick it 2-0 to progress.
Arsenal v Roma was a typical Arsenal European night of late, plenty of good quality chances wasted that will come back to bite them in the a**. Roma wins 2 or 3-0 in Rome and progresses.
Real v Liverpool, how can you put in a professional performance against one of the best sides in European football history on their turf and then go to Boro and get spanked.... Bizarre.
Obviously the Fat Spanish Waiter cannot figure out the components to become a consistent performer in the EPL and in Europe and until he realizes that and strengthens his squad so that Stevie G and EL Nino are not carrying the scoucers..... Liverpool will always be that ALMOST team regarding the Premiership.
Lyon v Barca was intriguing, Lyon could of finished it in France, but couldn't. 1-1 at the Nou Camp, Lyon to Win on Pens.... Ouch
Sporting v Bayern - GAME OVER
A. Madrid v Porto - If Madrid play anywhere near what the put in against Barca this past weekend expect Madrid to qualify.
Villareal v Panathanikos - ermmmmm a tricky one, but i am going for the Yellow Submarine
Watched the Carling Cup Final with my good friend Austin this past weekend, nothing short than boring, but its a trophy in the bag and medals = confidence especially at United.
Premiership - Won
FA Cup - Favorites
Champions League - If we beat Inter we will make the Final in May, from there is a lottery.
Bye for now
I've always been amazed at child birth, the first time was a blur as i was mainly sobbing at the mere thought of sleepless nights ahead.... just kidding, but this 2nd time i paid more attention of the actual birth.... in keeping this blog PG I am amazed at how much skin is willing to stretch to allow something of a decent size to exit such a small area...... Anyway it was a beautiful moment that i got to enjoy better this time around.
I did feel so helpless and of course they had an army of nurses in our birthing room accompanied by my Monster-In-Law (did i say that out loud!!!!!!!) with that type of crowd anything i thought about saying i didn't so i just smiled, sobbed and held my 2nd son...... Happy Days.
My special family moment lasted all of 10 minutes, as i turned on the hospital Internet service to get the United v Blackburn latest score, boy did that not go down well.
What can i say I'm a typical male!!!!
So lots of football to talk about, i will start with the Champions League Match day 7.
Inter v United at the San Siro was the talk of the round, the game for United fans and me alike ended in disappointment as we tied 0-0 after dominating from start to finish, United cut Inter apart in the 1st half creating 4 or 5 good chances, but failing to put the tie beyond Inter.
Juilo Caesar made some good saves from an in from Ronaldo, but United's strength, experience to keep the ball and sheer class really shone through.... back to OT for a very confident 3-1 win for the Red Devils.... watch this space.
Cheslea v Inter was boring to be honest and Austin and I called it before kick off, i am not sure of the outcome in Turin, but i fear for Chelsea. I think Juve will nick it 2-0 to progress.
Arsenal v Roma was a typical Arsenal European night of late, plenty of good quality chances wasted that will come back to bite them in the a**. Roma wins 2 or 3-0 in Rome and progresses.
Real v Liverpool, how can you put in a professional performance against one of the best sides in European football history on their turf and then go to Boro and get spanked.... Bizarre.
Obviously the Fat Spanish Waiter cannot figure out the components to become a consistent performer in the EPL and in Europe and until he realizes that and strengthens his squad so that Stevie G and EL Nino are not carrying the scoucers..... Liverpool will always be that ALMOST team regarding the Premiership.
Lyon v Barca was intriguing, Lyon could of finished it in France, but couldn't. 1-1 at the Nou Camp, Lyon to Win on Pens.... Ouch
Sporting v Bayern - GAME OVER
A. Madrid v Porto - If Madrid play anywhere near what the put in against Barca this past weekend expect Madrid to qualify.
Villareal v Panathanikos - ermmmmm a tricky one, but i am going for the Yellow Submarine
Watched the Carling Cup Final with my good friend Austin this past weekend, nothing short than boring, but its a trophy in the bag and medals = confidence especially at United.
Premiership - Won
FA Cup - Favorites
Champions League - If we beat Inter we will make the Final in May, from there is a lottery.
Bye for now
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
dollhouse, watchmen, soccer report
Last night I watched the pilot of “Dollhouse.” Interesting concept. What would you expect from Wheadon? I can definitely see the “wiping the slate clean but not really” playing out over time. I will say that the pilot really did a good job of presenting the story while planting future story lines all over the place. It’s definitely a show I could get into.
We are watching pilots to find a show to replace House. The first was Dollhouse. Tom is also interested in Castle and something else. I wouldn’t mind checking out Leverage, but may wait until the first season is over and watch it on DVD.
This weekend I am planning on seeing Watchmen. I am getting a little nervous as reviews and comments are filtering out that it does not live up to the hype. I’m not sure that it can, but I just hope it doesn’t suck. Here’s hoping.
Last weekend was a big weekend of footy. Saturday I watched Juve huff and puff and barely knock the Napoli house down. Very fortunate. With Roma leading Inter 2-0 on Sunday, I actually thought about Juve winning the scudetto. But then the Nerrazzurri recovered for a point in the game and a 7 point lead in the league. OVER.
But a league that has been reignited is La Liga. The wheels are officially coming off at Barca. From a commanding 12 point advantage to a slender 4 point margin. Barca could go from the treble to nothing very quickly. They should see off Mallorca in the Cup tomorrow and get to at least one final, and they should see off Lyon at the Nou Camp to make the quarters of the Champions League. As for the league, the momentum may have shifted to the point of no return. Madrid are not going to turn over Liverpool at Anfield, so will be able to totally focus on the league. Not good for the blaugrana.
As for United, the Carling Cup was hard work. I’m talking about watching it of course. Neither team really hit the high notes, and Spurs were a touch unlucky not to get a goal and make United come at them like the FA Cup. The PK’s were shocking. Bentley, don’t let the door hit you on the way of White Hart Lane. As a passing Spurs supporter, I’m glad they are not in Europe next year. They have gone backwards quickly from the back to back 5th place finishes, and now must rebuild anew. Of course Harry isn’t the one to do it based on his record. That means another coaching change and all that entails. Meanwhile, Villa and Everton have shown what can happen with determination and commitment while Spurs spiral downward back to mid-table mediocrity.
This weekend is the FA Cup. If the form book holds, the semis will be very entertaining. Hopefully Barca can turn it around against Bilbao. And Juve is playing in the Turin derby. Torino are battling relegation so I expect a scrappy game with only the odd goal. Maybe I’ll see you at Claddagh’s.
Ta Ta for now.
We are watching pilots to find a show to replace House. The first was Dollhouse. Tom is also interested in Castle and something else. I wouldn’t mind checking out Leverage, but may wait until the first season is over and watch it on DVD.
This weekend I am planning on seeing Watchmen. I am getting a little nervous as reviews and comments are filtering out that it does not live up to the hype. I’m not sure that it can, but I just hope it doesn’t suck. Here’s hoping.
Last weekend was a big weekend of footy. Saturday I watched Juve huff and puff and barely knock the Napoli house down. Very fortunate. With Roma leading Inter 2-0 on Sunday, I actually thought about Juve winning the scudetto. But then the Nerrazzurri recovered for a point in the game and a 7 point lead in the league. OVER.
But a league that has been reignited is La Liga. The wheels are officially coming off at Barca. From a commanding 12 point advantage to a slender 4 point margin. Barca could go from the treble to nothing very quickly. They should see off Mallorca in the Cup tomorrow and get to at least one final, and they should see off Lyon at the Nou Camp to make the quarters of the Champions League. As for the league, the momentum may have shifted to the point of no return. Madrid are not going to turn over Liverpool at Anfield, so will be able to totally focus on the league. Not good for the blaugrana.
As for United, the Carling Cup was hard work. I’m talking about watching it of course. Neither team really hit the high notes, and Spurs were a touch unlucky not to get a goal and make United come at them like the FA Cup. The PK’s were shocking. Bentley, don’t let the door hit you on the way of White Hart Lane. As a passing Spurs supporter, I’m glad they are not in Europe next year. They have gone backwards quickly from the back to back 5th place finishes, and now must rebuild anew. Of course Harry isn’t the one to do it based on his record. That means another coaching change and all that entails. Meanwhile, Villa and Everton have shown what can happen with determination and commitment while Spurs spiral downward back to mid-table mediocrity.
This weekend is the FA Cup. If the form book holds, the semis will be very entertaining. Hopefully Barca can turn it around against Bilbao. And Juve is playing in the Turin derby. Torino are battling relegation so I expect a scrappy game with only the odd goal. Maybe I’ll see you at Claddagh’s.
Ta Ta for now.
Monday, March 2, 2009
An Enlightening Trip to the Movies
Thanks to Austin’s recommendation, I have been slowly creeping through Mad Men (as my schedule does not allow for much extra television watching). If you are unaware, the show follows members of a Madison Avenue advertising agency in the 1960’s. In a few episodes, the main character, Don Draper, interacts with what I would call “proto-hippies”. In their discussions, they go back and forth between what these advertising agents are actually accomplishing—manipulation or directing the customers to the best of what they already desire. For example, the company represents Lucky Strike cigarettes. They take the approach that everyone wants to smoke anyway, so just get them to agree that Lucky Strikes is the best brand and everyone goes home a winner. Of course, this influencing takes place by leaving out certain details such as the deadly health impact of these and other cigarettes stemming from the ingredients of the cigarette.
All of this is to say, media influence has been on my mind lately so I perhaps I was extra sensitive to an encounter at the movie theatres, but I don’t think so. Before the movie began, while I am used to being bombarded with commercials and trailers, I was not prepared for the video I saw. I can think of no description other than “propaganda.” It was the following music video to a song by Kid Rock called “Warrior”.
I found this video both subtle and not so subtle at the same time. On the one hand you have two red neck icons – Kid Rock and Dale Earnhardt Jr. – supporting the National Guard. Though I am non-violent in principles, I do not begrudge those who want to serve their country in the Armed Forces. However, this is propaganda of the worst sort – glorifying the war and acting as though race relations are being impacted for the better through our armed presence in places such as Iraq. It is a lie that recruiters have used since the beginning – “Want to be a hero? Want to see some action? Want to serve your country? Then join the ______________ (fill in your branch of the armed forces).”
Am I un-American? Perhaps. But if “un-American” means thinking critically about the sort of propaganda that is being served up to this country, then sign me up for the fight against McCarthyism.
All of this is to say, media influence has been on my mind lately so I perhaps I was extra sensitive to an encounter at the movie theatres, but I don’t think so. Before the movie began, while I am used to being bombarded with commercials and trailers, I was not prepared for the video I saw. I can think of no description other than “propaganda.” It was the following music video to a song by Kid Rock called “Warrior”.
I found this video both subtle and not so subtle at the same time. On the one hand you have two red neck icons – Kid Rock and Dale Earnhardt Jr. – supporting the National Guard. Though I am non-violent in principles, I do not begrudge those who want to serve their country in the Armed Forces. However, this is propaganda of the worst sort – glorifying the war and acting as though race relations are being impacted for the better through our armed presence in places such as Iraq. It is a lie that recruiters have used since the beginning – “Want to be a hero? Want to see some action? Want to serve your country? Then join the ______________ (fill in your branch of the armed forces).”
Am I un-American? Perhaps. But if “un-American” means thinking critically about the sort of propaganda that is being served up to this country, then sign me up for the fight against McCarthyism.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
soccer, music, my new job
With the church retreat last weekend, I wasn’t able to watch any soccer. However, after catching up on scores and highlights, I do have a couple of observations:
*Liverpool have collapsed.
*Barca are having a wobble, but can Real sustain their form?
*Inter will win the scudetto, but the race for second will be as exciting as any race for the title.
Today and tomorrow are the first legs of the Champions League knockout. I’m very busy this week and will probably miss most of it. I hope the return legs have drama since I’ll probably be able to watch those. I’m very nervous for United. Barca will turn it around and Juve and Chelsea is a coin flip at this point.
Moving on to the topic of the day, economic crisis, in these tough economic times, I have found a back up job in case I get fired. I will hire myself to maintain my Facebook page. With all of the updates, tags and chain documents to fill out, it’s a full time job.
What a shame spiral Facebook is. I keep my circle of friends relatively small, and could even make it smaller, but I start checking status updates and all of the sudden I’m taking the never ending movie quiz while instant messaging someone about betting on futbol.
Facebook is just another aspect of the internet which, once you’re ensnared, it’s hard to get away from. Another example is youtube. I start watching soccer highlights and, after a series of clicks, I’m watching how to build a car in 15 minutes.
Not that I mind this of course. I’m just not getting paid for it. So I need to create a series of shell companies with the end result of creating a company which pays me to update, post and stalk through Facebook. I’m working with an accountant right to start the process. Maybe I’ve finally found my true calling.
I listened to Arcade Fire’s Neon Bible album all the way through. It’s ok but really does not hit high notes. No Cars Go is an amazing song but the rest is sort of a mismash of Gallon Drunk and Bruce Springsteen.
I’ve also listened a little bit to Moby’s Last Night. Not mind blowing but more of the same.
Finally congrats to Danny. His son (Cameron Thomas) was born on Saturday. I doubt he will post tomorrow due to the new kid brouhaha.
That’s about it. Ta Ta for now.
*Liverpool have collapsed.
*Barca are having a wobble, but can Real sustain their form?
*Inter will win the scudetto, but the race for second will be as exciting as any race for the title.
Today and tomorrow are the first legs of the Champions League knockout. I’m very busy this week and will probably miss most of it. I hope the return legs have drama since I’ll probably be able to watch those. I’m very nervous for United. Barca will turn it around and Juve and Chelsea is a coin flip at this point.
Moving on to the topic of the day, economic crisis, in these tough economic times, I have found a back up job in case I get fired. I will hire myself to maintain my Facebook page. With all of the updates, tags and chain documents to fill out, it’s a full time job.
What a shame spiral Facebook is. I keep my circle of friends relatively small, and could even make it smaller, but I start checking status updates and all of the sudden I’m taking the never ending movie quiz while instant messaging someone about betting on futbol.
Facebook is just another aspect of the internet which, once you’re ensnared, it’s hard to get away from. Another example is youtube. I start watching soccer highlights and, after a series of clicks, I’m watching how to build a car in 15 minutes.
Not that I mind this of course. I’m just not getting paid for it. So I need to create a series of shell companies with the end result of creating a company which pays me to update, post and stalk through Facebook. I’m working with an accountant right to start the process. Maybe I’ve finally found my true calling.
I listened to Arcade Fire’s Neon Bible album all the way through. It’s ok but really does not hit high notes. No Cars Go is an amazing song but the rest is sort of a mismash of Gallon Drunk and Bruce Springsteen.
I’ve also listened a little bit to Moby’s Last Night. Not mind blowing but more of the same.
Finally congrats to Danny. His son (Cameron Thomas) was born on Saturday. I doubt he will post tomorrow due to the new kid brouhaha.
That’s about it. Ta Ta for now.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
The Day Has Come
Happy Oscars Day!
I'm happy to say I very nearly closed the gap on seeing all of the films I wanted to. Over this weekend I watched The Reader, The Wrestler, and Milk in theaters, and Changling and Man on Wire. I'm watching Frozen River as I type, and have In Bruges to watch afterward. That leaves me short on Rachel Getting Married, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and The Visitor. Not too shabby. Wished I could have seen Benjamin Button based on the nominations, but yikes, the 3 hour runtime kept me away.
So here's how I'd like to see the major awards go, based on what I saw (list of nominations here: http://www.oscars.com/nominees/?pn=nominees):
-Actor in a Leading Role: (I didn't see Button or the Visitor) Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler. What a great role for him, with a lot for him to do--physical and emotional pain, triumph, humor, etc. He inhabited the role completely.
-Actor in a Supporting Role: How could it not go to Heath Ledger--even without his death maybe stacking the deck in his favor. Great, creepy, magnetic performance. Christian Bale who?
-Actress in a Leading Role: (didn't see Rachel Getting Married)--Kate Winslet, hands-down. A thrilling performance, and better than her performance in Revolutionary Road, so I was glad to see this role nominated.
-Actress in a Supporting Role: (didn't see Button)--I think I'm maybe not impartial here--I thought Vicky Christina Barcelona was just really really boring. Please Woody, get over your infatuation with Scarlett Johansson--she is no doubt very attractive, but she couldn't act her way out of a paper bag, and she brought the whole movie down for me. So while I think Penelope Cruz might be the front runner here, I thought the very brief performance of Viola Davis in Doubt was riveting. And I wouldn't bee sad to see it go to Marisa Tomei either. Because she's unbelievably hot at 44.
Best Picture/Director-- (didn't see Button)--Slumdog Millionare/Danny Boyle. What a thoroughly enjoyable film this was. I love Boyle's visual style, ever since first seeing Trainspotting, and it's well used here--very kinetic and exciting, taking in the 5 mile out view of Mumbai as well as the in the gutters angle as well. Fun, funny, scary, hopeful, and romantic there's a lot to like about it. My favorite of the season for sure.
So I'll be excited to tune in tonight at 8 on ABC--I don't know that I've done as well as this in the past with seeing so many of the films so it should be fun to watch it all unfold. For now, though, time for some household chores...penance for the movie marathon. ;)
I'm happy to say I very nearly closed the gap on seeing all of the films I wanted to. Over this weekend I watched The Reader, The Wrestler, and Milk in theaters, and Changling and Man on Wire. I'm watching Frozen River as I type, and have In Bruges to watch afterward. That leaves me short on Rachel Getting Married, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and The Visitor. Not too shabby. Wished I could have seen Benjamin Button based on the nominations, but yikes, the 3 hour runtime kept me away.
So here's how I'd like to see the major awards go, based on what I saw (list of nominations here: http://www.oscars.com/nominees/?pn=nominees):
-Actor in a Leading Role: (I didn't see Button or the Visitor) Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler. What a great role for him, with a lot for him to do--physical and emotional pain, triumph, humor, etc. He inhabited the role completely.
-Actor in a Supporting Role: How could it not go to Heath Ledger--even without his death maybe stacking the deck in his favor. Great, creepy, magnetic performance. Christian Bale who?
-Actress in a Leading Role: (didn't see Rachel Getting Married)--Kate Winslet, hands-down. A thrilling performance, and better than her performance in Revolutionary Road, so I was glad to see this role nominated.
-Actress in a Supporting Role: (didn't see Button)--I think I'm maybe not impartial here--I thought Vicky Christina Barcelona was just really really boring. Please Woody, get over your infatuation with Scarlett Johansson--she is no doubt very attractive, but she couldn't act her way out of a paper bag, and she brought the whole movie down for me. So while I think Penelope Cruz might be the front runner here, I thought the very brief performance of Viola Davis in Doubt was riveting. And I wouldn't bee sad to see it go to Marisa Tomei either. Because she's unbelievably hot at 44.
Best Picture/Director-- (didn't see Button)--Slumdog Millionare/Danny Boyle. What a thoroughly enjoyable film this was. I love Boyle's visual style, ever since first seeing Trainspotting, and it's well used here--very kinetic and exciting, taking in the 5 mile out view of Mumbai as well as the in the gutters angle as well. Fun, funny, scary, hopeful, and romantic there's a lot to like about it. My favorite of the season for sure.
So I'll be excited to tune in tonight at 8 on ABC--I don't know that I've done as well as this in the past with seeing so many of the films so it should be fun to watch it all unfold. For now, though, time for some household chores...penance for the movie marathon. ;)
Saturday, February 21, 2009
How Much is Too Much?
According to recent reports, the occurrence of twins born in the US is up 60% since IVF and other fertility treatments have become more common. This means everytime I'm at the grocery store and see twins, I have to stop and think to myself, "Are those real twins, or fake twins?" Then I look at the parents and realize they are 50 year old yuppies and I know the answer.
You see, kids today are an awful lot like boobs. Sometimes God gives you a nice pair, and sometimes you have to get them from the doctor. Before plastic surgery if you saw a woman with a giant pair and you pointed at her and said "fake!" no one would know what you're talking about. I have to think the same thing is going to happen, nay MUST happen, with kids. We will look at the twins in our neighborhoods and try to figure out which are real and which are fake.
Look at these freakin' old celebrities who are popping out twins! Not only that, but I find it an insult to my intellegence that they try to make us think that somehow Julia Roberts just happened to have twins WITHOUT fertility treatments? Yeah right! And Jane Seymour at 45, more twins! Joan London, 2 sets of twins at 50 and 54. And 47 year old Marcia Cross. Some of them are smart enough to own up but let's think about this...
Your celebrity twins are NOT special. They are no more special than your $30,000 butt implants and your $28,000 chipmunk cheeks and $8,000 trout lips. Everybody has twins. It almost takes away from those people that conceive twins naturally, now that's something to be proud of! And the fact that celebrities are setting this trend of spending insane amounts of money to have fake babies is a little saddening. Considering there were 520,000 kids in foster care in the US as of 2003 (the most recent stats I could find) it's just unreasonable for couples to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to have their "own" kid. It's even more unreasonable for single unemployed women to make tax payers pay for their fake babies which will most likely end up in foster care! What would happen if we channeled all that money from fake babies into adoption and foster care? Wouldn't this world be a better place?
This is how I see it, in choosing to spend that God forsaken amount of money to get pregnant you are basically saying 1) pregnancy is THAT important and 2) I don't want used goods. Take a look at pop culture today. If you follow the trend, you're going to build your career until about 4 months before menopause sets in, then you spend $500,000 to have fake triplets that don't look like you because you either used someone elses eggs or vagina or you've had so much plastic surgery or all of the above. If you want a taste of what I'm talking about, read some "miracle baby" stories.
About 80% of the time, women are half in love with the "baby bump" cause it's just so dang cute, but it MUST be gone within 5 minutes after your scheduled c-section. Then you take your premature 3 pound kids to whichever gossip rag paid you the most and have them photographed until they're having seizures from the camera flash. Then at about 4 or 5 you abruptly take them out of the spotlight when the toddler cuteness has worn off and you realize kids are not cute or fun and you're too freakin' old to deal with their learning disabilities. But that's all ok because you have a full time nanny and by the time they're 18 you're dead of old age.
Let me just say to all those "celebrity" "parents" out their, or even if you want to be a "celebrity" "parent", here is some hard truth for you: You should not be a parent. There is nothing about parenthood that comes close to the LSD hallucination you're basing your decisions on. You are too selfish to be a good parent. In fact, I don't really think you should have pets either. Get yourself a nice plant, not an orchid because you may have to water and feed it. Start out with a cactus or some other succulent that doesn't require water. If the only stable relationship you have is with your therapist, you should just not get involved in the life of minor children in any way, shape, or form.
Now let me talk to the normal people out there who may be having difficulty conceiving. If you really want kids, not pregnancy, not a baby, not a toddler, but actual kids who will grow up and look awkward and get acne and talk back and eat all your food and want to drive your car, then take a good look at the money you make minus the money it would take to conceive and compare it to the money it would take to adopt, or even foster kids. Don't consider foster kids used goods. In fact, we won't even call them "used", instead we'll call them "previously born". Out of 520,000 kids currently in foster care, couldn't there be one out there that's right for you? Let's take "green" thinking to its logical next step: reduce, reuse, recycle! Let's 'reduce' the number of children we concieve, 'reuse' perfectly good children we already have, and 'recycle'...them....because...eh, 2 out of 3 is good enough.
Now, I'm not against all fertility treatments, in many cases, fertility drugs are cheaper than the cost and time and energy that an adoption would take. In fact I really trully think adoption (both in and outside of the US) needs major overhauls to make the whole process smoother and quicker and CHEAPER for those healthy well balanced couples who choose to adopt. For myself, I plan on having my 'own' kids some day, mainly because it seems cheaper and more fun than adoption. But I have limits on how far I'm willing to go to get them. Clomed (sp?) is a popular fertility drug that works for a lot of people and doesn't cost as much as adoption. However if, at some point, I find that kids are possible with only 52 easy payments of $25,000 plus tax, I'm going the other route.
One of the major proponents of the early church was that it take care of the widows and orphans, two of societies most neglected peoples. I think we should kill two birds with one stone, get your kid, and take care of someone who doesn't have anyone else to take care of them. Doesn't this make sense? Why do people believe they could only love someone that came from themselves? Especially for Christians, we should know that Christ loved us enough to die for us when we were still sinners. We are Gods adopted/foster/used goods kids, we are broken and He still loves us. Why can't we pass that kind of love onto others?
You see, kids today are an awful lot like boobs. Sometimes God gives you a nice pair, and sometimes you have to get them from the doctor. Before plastic surgery if you saw a woman with a giant pair and you pointed at her and said "fake!" no one would know what you're talking about. I have to think the same thing is going to happen, nay MUST happen, with kids. We will look at the twins in our neighborhoods and try to figure out which are real and which are fake.
Look at these freakin' old celebrities who are popping out twins! Not only that, but I find it an insult to my intellegence that they try to make us think that somehow Julia Roberts just happened to have twins WITHOUT fertility treatments? Yeah right! And Jane Seymour at 45, more twins! Joan London, 2 sets of twins at 50 and 54. And 47 year old Marcia Cross. Some of them are smart enough to own up but let's think about this...
Your celebrity twins are NOT special. They are no more special than your $30,000 butt implants and your $28,000 chipmunk cheeks and $8,000 trout lips. Everybody has twins. It almost takes away from those people that conceive twins naturally, now that's something to be proud of! And the fact that celebrities are setting this trend of spending insane amounts of money to have fake babies is a little saddening. Considering there were 520,000 kids in foster care in the US as of 2003 (the most recent stats I could find) it's just unreasonable for couples to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to have their "own" kid. It's even more unreasonable for single unemployed women to make tax payers pay for their fake babies which will most likely end up in foster care! What would happen if we channeled all that money from fake babies into adoption and foster care? Wouldn't this world be a better place?
This is how I see it, in choosing to spend that God forsaken amount of money to get pregnant you are basically saying 1) pregnancy is THAT important and 2) I don't want used goods. Take a look at pop culture today. If you follow the trend, you're going to build your career until about 4 months before menopause sets in, then you spend $500,000 to have fake triplets that don't look like you because you either used someone elses eggs or vagina or you've had so much plastic surgery or all of the above. If you want a taste of what I'm talking about, read some "miracle baby" stories.
About 80% of the time, women are half in love with the "baby bump" cause it's just so dang cute, but it MUST be gone within 5 minutes after your scheduled c-section. Then you take your premature 3 pound kids to whichever gossip rag paid you the most and have them photographed until they're having seizures from the camera flash. Then at about 4 or 5 you abruptly take them out of the spotlight when the toddler cuteness has worn off and you realize kids are not cute or fun and you're too freakin' old to deal with their learning disabilities. But that's all ok because you have a full time nanny and by the time they're 18 you're dead of old age.
Let me just say to all those "celebrity" "parents" out their, or even if you want to be a "celebrity" "parent", here is some hard truth for you: You should not be a parent. There is nothing about parenthood that comes close to the LSD hallucination you're basing your decisions on. You are too selfish to be a good parent. In fact, I don't really think you should have pets either. Get yourself a nice plant, not an orchid because you may have to water and feed it. Start out with a cactus or some other succulent that doesn't require water. If the only stable relationship you have is with your therapist, you should just not get involved in the life of minor children in any way, shape, or form.
Now let me talk to the normal people out there who may be having difficulty conceiving. If you really want kids, not pregnancy, not a baby, not a toddler, but actual kids who will grow up and look awkward and get acne and talk back and eat all your food and want to drive your car, then take a good look at the money you make minus the money it would take to conceive and compare it to the money it would take to adopt, or even foster kids. Don't consider foster kids used goods. In fact, we won't even call them "used", instead we'll call them "previously born". Out of 520,000 kids currently in foster care, couldn't there be one out there that's right for you? Let's take "green" thinking to its logical next step: reduce, reuse, recycle! Let's 'reduce' the number of children we concieve, 'reuse' perfectly good children we already have, and 'recycle'...them....because...eh, 2 out of 3 is good enough.
Now, I'm not against all fertility treatments, in many cases, fertility drugs are cheaper than the cost and time and energy that an adoption would take. In fact I really trully think adoption (both in and outside of the US) needs major overhauls to make the whole process smoother and quicker and CHEAPER for those healthy well balanced couples who choose to adopt. For myself, I plan on having my 'own' kids some day, mainly because it seems cheaper and more fun than adoption. But I have limits on how far I'm willing to go to get them. Clomed (sp?) is a popular fertility drug that works for a lot of people and doesn't cost as much as adoption. However if, at some point, I find that kids are possible with only 52 easy payments of $25,000 plus tax, I'm going the other route.
One of the major proponents of the early church was that it take care of the widows and orphans, two of societies most neglected peoples. I think we should kill two birds with one stone, get your kid, and take care of someone who doesn't have anyone else to take care of them. Doesn't this make sense? Why do people believe they could only love someone that came from themselves? Especially for Christians, we should know that Christ loved us enough to die for us when we were still sinners. We are Gods adopted/foster/used goods kids, we are broken and He still loves us. Why can't we pass that kind of love onto others?
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
pull me away from the tv
Where do I start?
Watched a lot of soccer over the weekend.
Saturday was the Betis/Barcelona game. Betis put Barca on the back foot and was up 2-0 after 30 minutes. Barca got a soft penalty on the stroke of halftime to give them the momentum going into the second half. Their slick interplay didn’t pay off even with the introduction of Henry and Messi, and Olivera could have killed the game off on a breakaway but failed to convert. With 10’ to go Barca equalized but couldn’t find the winner. Betis away is a tricky fixture and a point keeps the double digit lead over Real Madrid. I’m not too worried about Lyon, which is probably a bad thing. Barca will score at least a goal in France and dismantle them at the Nou Camp.
Sunday was the Manchester United destruction of Derby County. Giggs was in amazing form and his flick to Ronaldo should have resulted in a goal instead of an offside decision. Welbeck’s goal was awesome. I hope he is able to deliver consistently and not just be remembered for his wonder goals.
After that, we watched the Juventus/Sampdoria game. I will try to keep this short. Juventus was unfortunate to only get a point. After Samp’s early goal, they were totally dominant, hit the woodwork several times, and couldn’t get the vital touch. Even though Amauri scored the equalizer, he must go. His whole job is to poach and get across defenders and he could have had a hat trick had he done his job. The only other thought of the game is Juve’s lack of shape, in particular width. At least half a dozen crosses went to the back post with no one home. AAARRRGH!!
Yesterday I watched the Arsenal/Cardiff game. I’m not a huge Arsenal fan and wanted to see the upset. No dice. If Cardiff’s goalie had not stood on his head for the first 15 minutes, the score could have really gotten out of hand.
Couple of thoughts on Arsenal:
--Song and Denilson give up possession too easily and that will cost them against better opposition.
--I hate Bendtner.
--What a return for Eduardo. Great composure, linked up play well and got his just reward.
Next week the Champions League returns. Cannot wait.
I’m still working on the TV on the Radio album. I don’t get it. It’s hip hop, pop and something else entirely. I will say this, their songs don’t sound the same.
I picked up Arcade Fire’s Neon Bible album, Moby Last Night and Portishead Third. For Moby and Portishead I’m going back to bands I’ve liked in the past. As for Arcade Fire, I really like the singles, Black Mirror and No Cars Go, and am trying to get more of an overview.
While going through my music, I realized I never got into Weezer and I don’t know why. They rock and they have a good degree of snarkiness. Oh well. I think I’m going to create a Weezer playlist and just have that run on a constant loop wherever I go. Wow.
I’m playing through Shield Season 2. The show continues to deliver. Great story lines and character development. I’m a big fan of Dutch and Wyms. I really like their dynamic and motivations. Great show and am looking forward to more.
I’m going to end this post with my break up notice with House. I’m done. This show has descending into formulaic drivel. I would do so many different things, but they are not going to. I think they should pull the plug and move on but they won’t. It was a good run. The first two seasons and the start of season 4 were amazing, but you can’t keep doing the same thing in season 5. All good things must come to an end.
Ta Ta.
Watched a lot of soccer over the weekend.
Saturday was the Betis/Barcelona game. Betis put Barca on the back foot and was up 2-0 after 30 minutes. Barca got a soft penalty on the stroke of halftime to give them the momentum going into the second half. Their slick interplay didn’t pay off even with the introduction of Henry and Messi, and Olivera could have killed the game off on a breakaway but failed to convert. With 10’ to go Barca equalized but couldn’t find the winner. Betis away is a tricky fixture and a point keeps the double digit lead over Real Madrid. I’m not too worried about Lyon, which is probably a bad thing. Barca will score at least a goal in France and dismantle them at the Nou Camp.
Sunday was the Manchester United destruction of Derby County. Giggs was in amazing form and his flick to Ronaldo should have resulted in a goal instead of an offside decision. Welbeck’s goal was awesome. I hope he is able to deliver consistently and not just be remembered for his wonder goals.
After that, we watched the Juventus/Sampdoria game. I will try to keep this short. Juventus was unfortunate to only get a point. After Samp’s early goal, they were totally dominant, hit the woodwork several times, and couldn’t get the vital touch. Even though Amauri scored the equalizer, he must go. His whole job is to poach and get across defenders and he could have had a hat trick had he done his job. The only other thought of the game is Juve’s lack of shape, in particular width. At least half a dozen crosses went to the back post with no one home. AAARRRGH!!
Yesterday I watched the Arsenal/Cardiff game. I’m not a huge Arsenal fan and wanted to see the upset. No dice. If Cardiff’s goalie had not stood on his head for the first 15 minutes, the score could have really gotten out of hand.
Couple of thoughts on Arsenal:
--Song and Denilson give up possession too easily and that will cost them against better opposition.
--I hate Bendtner.
--What a return for Eduardo. Great composure, linked up play well and got his just reward.
Next week the Champions League returns. Cannot wait.
I’m still working on the TV on the Radio album. I don’t get it. It’s hip hop, pop and something else entirely. I will say this, their songs don’t sound the same.
I picked up Arcade Fire’s Neon Bible album, Moby Last Night and Portishead Third. For Moby and Portishead I’m going back to bands I’ve liked in the past. As for Arcade Fire, I really like the singles, Black Mirror and No Cars Go, and am trying to get more of an overview.
While going through my music, I realized I never got into Weezer and I don’t know why. They rock and they have a good degree of snarkiness. Oh well. I think I’m going to create a Weezer playlist and just have that run on a constant loop wherever I go. Wow.
I’m playing through Shield Season 2. The show continues to deliver. Great story lines and character development. I’m a big fan of Dutch and Wyms. I really like their dynamic and motivations. Great show and am looking forward to more.
I’m going to end this post with my break up notice with House. I’m done. This show has descending into formulaic drivel. I would do so many different things, but they are not going to. I think they should pull the plug and move on but they won’t. It was a good run. The first two seasons and the start of season 4 were amazing, but you can’t keep doing the same thing in season 5. All good things must come to an end.
Ta Ta.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Octuplet Obsession
To keep this blog on the cutting edge of cultural developments, today I would like to address a serious issue that has come to the forefront in the last month. In case you have been under a rock, a woman, Nadya Suleman, – mother of 6 – had octuplets. I wanted to spend this entry going off on her, but I will let someone else do that. The following is an editorial is by Jim Wooten and from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Sunday, February 08, 2009. I have edited it for content and space but you can read the entire article here.
****************
Octuplets and all children deserve better
The octuplets born to an unmarried woman in California are consequences of self-centeredness gone awry. The woman, Nadya Suleman, had six children, all conceived with the help of a sperm-donor friend. The eight born last month grew from six implanted embryos, life created with friend-donated sperm. She told NBC’s “Today” show that she wanted a large family because she felt alone as an only child. “All I wanted was children,” she said. “I wanted to be a mom. That’s all I ever wanted in my life. I love my children.” The outrage is that a narcissistic adult, for her own pleasure, intentionally brought 14 children into the world, children who will never know their father. It was a conscious, medically assisted choice to have multiple births —- a decision suggesting an impaired mental state that should have raised questions about her fitness as the primary adult female in the children’s lives.
The octuplets should be a wake-up call to the nation. It is child cruelty to inflict the suffering on human life that Suleman visits upon these 14 children. As Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears has noted, children born to unmarried women and to those in cohabiting relationships “must often overcome increased risks of poverty, education failure, child abuse, delinquency, emotional distress and mental illness.” The focus of all law and public policies really should be reoriented to children. They desperately need protection from self-centered adults who casually create life for reasons that are frivolous and self-indulgent. The octuplets’ birth dramatically highlights the plight of children carelessly and frivolously conceived. It should be the spectacle that prompts ministers, educators, entertainers, politicians, aunts, uncles and other family members need to recognize the harm unmarried adults are causing to children.
Life begins at conception. Anything adults do prior to that moment that doesn’t harm a third person is their business. At the moment of life, however, the wants and even the needs of the adults are incidental to those of the child. These 14 children need a protector.
*******************
Here are some additional statistics for you to consider from an article on yahoo.com:
Suleman has been supporting her six other children with $490 a month in food stamps and receives Social Security disability payments for three of the youngsters that could total $2,379 a month.
She has estimated her in vitro fertilization procedures have cost $100,000.
Suleman has said she saved for the treatments by working double shifts and also used money from a disability award exceeding $165,000 that she received after an on-the-job back injury.
The Suleman octuplets' medical costs have not been disclosed, but in 2006, the average cost for a premature baby's hospital stay in California was $164,273, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Eight times that equals $1.3 million.
For a single mother, the cost of raising 14 children through age 17 ranges from $1.3 million to $2.7 million, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
If you want to get into the “medicine” of the story, you can go here.
Her personal website. Not much there, but you can donate if you feel led.
So here’s how I feel. I think she is selfish and unnecessarily burdening herself and the rest of us to fulfill some need of hers. If she wants to have children and love them, then fine – I don’t begrudge her that. But when she already has 6 children and spending $100,000 on fertilization techniques whose end result could be nothing other that the birth of multiple children is irresponsible and selfish. There are plenty of options for her to have children and not be such a burden – being a foster mother is one good option. Another would have been to spend the $100,000 on adopting children because God knows there are plenty of children both here in America and abroad that desperately need a good home. Does she deserve the death threats she has received? Of course not. But something has to be done for the future to keep this sort of thing from happening. I implore lawmakers to seriously consider barring these doctors from practicing this brand of “medicine” that is so manipulative and has such wide reaching consequences.
I wish her the best, but expect the worst. I know my tax dollars will help give these kids what they need to survive. I just wish they had been spent elsewhere.
****************
Octuplets and all children deserve better
The octuplets born to an unmarried woman in California are consequences of self-centeredness gone awry. The woman, Nadya Suleman, had six children, all conceived with the help of a sperm-donor friend. The eight born last month grew from six implanted embryos, life created with friend-donated sperm. She told NBC’s “Today” show that she wanted a large family because she felt alone as an only child. “All I wanted was children,” she said. “I wanted to be a mom. That’s all I ever wanted in my life. I love my children.” The outrage is that a narcissistic adult, for her own pleasure, intentionally brought 14 children into the world, children who will never know their father. It was a conscious, medically assisted choice to have multiple births —- a decision suggesting an impaired mental state that should have raised questions about her fitness as the primary adult female in the children’s lives.
The octuplets should be a wake-up call to the nation. It is child cruelty to inflict the suffering on human life that Suleman visits upon these 14 children. As Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears has noted, children born to unmarried women and to those in cohabiting relationships “must often overcome increased risks of poverty, education failure, child abuse, delinquency, emotional distress and mental illness.” The focus of all law and public policies really should be reoriented to children. They desperately need protection from self-centered adults who casually create life for reasons that are frivolous and self-indulgent. The octuplets’ birth dramatically highlights the plight of children carelessly and frivolously conceived. It should be the spectacle that prompts ministers, educators, entertainers, politicians, aunts, uncles and other family members need to recognize the harm unmarried adults are causing to children.
Life begins at conception. Anything adults do prior to that moment that doesn’t harm a third person is their business. At the moment of life, however, the wants and even the needs of the adults are incidental to those of the child. These 14 children need a protector.
*******************
Here are some additional statistics for you to consider from an article on yahoo.com:
Suleman has been supporting her six other children with $490 a month in food stamps and receives Social Security disability payments for three of the youngsters that could total $2,379 a month.
She has estimated her in vitro fertilization procedures have cost $100,000.
Suleman has said she saved for the treatments by working double shifts and also used money from a disability award exceeding $165,000 that she received after an on-the-job back injury.
The Suleman octuplets' medical costs have not been disclosed, but in 2006, the average cost for a premature baby's hospital stay in California was $164,273, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Eight times that equals $1.3 million.
For a single mother, the cost of raising 14 children through age 17 ranges from $1.3 million to $2.7 million, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
If you want to get into the “medicine” of the story, you can go here.
Her personal website. Not much there, but you can donate if you feel led.
So here’s how I feel. I think she is selfish and unnecessarily burdening herself and the rest of us to fulfill some need of hers. If she wants to have children and love them, then fine – I don’t begrudge her that. But when she already has 6 children and spending $100,000 on fertilization techniques whose end result could be nothing other that the birth of multiple children is irresponsible and selfish. There are plenty of options for her to have children and not be such a burden – being a foster mother is one good option. Another would have been to spend the $100,000 on adopting children because God knows there are plenty of children both here in America and abroad that desperately need a good home. Does she deserve the death threats she has received? Of course not. But something has to be done for the future to keep this sort of thing from happening. I implore lawmakers to seriously consider barring these doctors from practicing this brand of “medicine” that is so manipulative and has such wide reaching consequences.
I wish her the best, but expect the worst. I know my tax dollars will help give these kids what they need to survive. I just wish they had been spent elsewhere.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Well, I'm looking like a total failure in the Oscars run-up--haven't chipped away at all at that list of films I still need to see. Is it fair to blame my wife? I'd like to, if that's an option. Oh, but I did see The Duchess, which I believe is up for an award for its costumes. Super.
No good excuses, really, except for the wife option, just haven't made it out. But I have been watching a lot of Deadwood (sorry to continue the TV theme). In fact, it's my fourth time watching it, if that counts as a testament to the following statement's veracity. If you have ever enjoyed a Western, you MUST watch Deadwood, because it is the BEST TELEVISION SHOW ever produced, and so long as you don't hate the "wild west" setting, you'll think so too, because:
1) Complex characters--every character showing depth and dimension over the course of the three seasons.
2) Fascinating language--you have the collision of Victorian civility with the vulgarity of the West.
3) Writing--tied in with both of the above, I am frequently struck by how perfectly each scene has been set, and love how it almost takes on a Shakespearian quality with characters delivering monologues, thinking aloud.
So I just trimmed down the argument above prior to posting because I realized I was going on for far too long on certain subjects, but again, I cannot commend this show strongly enough to you.
I've watched it the last two times on my iPod, I should mention, listening to it on the commute. I probably have a post coming down the road about movies on the Ipod, too, now that I think about it.
Cheers!
No good excuses, really, except for the wife option, just haven't made it out. But I have been watching a lot of Deadwood (sorry to continue the TV theme). In fact, it's my fourth time watching it, if that counts as a testament to the following statement's veracity. If you have ever enjoyed a Western, you MUST watch Deadwood, because it is the BEST TELEVISION SHOW ever produced, and so long as you don't hate the "wild west" setting, you'll think so too, because:
1) Complex characters--every character showing depth and dimension over the course of the three seasons.
2) Fascinating language--you have the collision of Victorian civility with the vulgarity of the West.
3) Writing--tied in with both of the above, I am frequently struck by how perfectly each scene has been set, and love how it almost takes on a Shakespearian quality with characters delivering monologues, thinking aloud.
So I just trimmed down the argument above prior to posting because I realized I was going on for far too long on certain subjects, but again, I cannot commend this show strongly enough to you.
I've watched it the last two times on my iPod, I should mention, listening to it on the commute. I probably have a post coming down the road about movies on the Ipod, too, now that I think about it.
Cheers!
Friday, February 13, 2009
NO MINE!
Most people would think this is weird so I'll 'splain it for everyone who doesn't understand pets.
Let's say you took a picture of your kid and it was a good picture. Like a really really good picture of your favorite person in the world and you thought, "Wow, I don't think I could have taken a better picture of a kid anywhere!". So you show it to your friends and you go to Meijer and have them put it on a t-shirt for you so you can wear it around and when you wear it around even strangers say, "Hey! That is a great picture of a kid!"
Let's say you enjoy that for a while, until one day you notice someone wearing a shirt and it's got that picture of your kid on it! And then someone saw THAT guys shirt and made buttons! And then you notice stickers, and online avatars, and cutsie posters where people have photoshopped a clown nose onto your kid! You'd think "What the heck?" Or maybe you'd think "I really should have copyrighted that picture and then sued all these people" or maybe you'd think both.
This is basically what happened to my horse. Yeah yeah, I know, it's just a horse but it's got to be one of the weirdest things for me to do a Google image search for the word "Clydesdale" and undoubtedly more than one link will have MY picture of MY horse! Let me give you a little sample:
Here he is, and here, and yet again, here he is in a poorly done video, and here he is enjoying some heavy metal, and proudly representing his breed, and here he is in australia, and there are more. Search "clydesdale" in Facebook Flair and he's there. At one point someone had drawn little cartoon running shoes on his feet for their jogging club website.
I know it's petty, but that horse means something to me. And yet people who couldn't care less about this horse use his picture hither and yon without a care in the world. They don't care who he is or where the picture was taken or what a good horse he was. And the little kid in me wants to shout, "NO MINE!" So just to get the word out there, here's the scoop.
His name was THV Jasper. THV standing for Thurstons High Vally, his breeder. Glen Thurston sold my Grandfather Jasper when he was a 2 year old. Jasper was born April 16th, 1980. He was 19 hands tall, taller than the average clydesdale but he was so well proportioned you can't tell from the picture.
Japser served as our main breeding stallion, show horse, and favorite pet for many years. He once dragged me by his leadrope through 2 feet of snow for several yards. He noticed the gate to the pasture had been left open and I didn't. I chose to hang on as opposed to letting go and having to chase him all over the field. He finally got tired of dragging me.
We also had a local newscrew out to do a story on our farm, I was filmed in my pigtails riding on Jasper's back.
The famous picture was taken in Madison, Wisconsin around 1988. The original picture has him facing left. My father was originally in front of his head wearing a blue coat but most pictures you see have him cropped out.
Jasper died the summer of my 8th grade year. He was buried in the stud pen on the family farm. He is one of 4 who have been buried on the farm. Many of our clydesdales are his direct descendants.
That's my horse, he always will be.
Let's say you took a picture of your kid and it was a good picture. Like a really really good picture of your favorite person in the world and you thought, "Wow, I don't think I could have taken a better picture of a kid anywhere!". So you show it to your friends and you go to Meijer and have them put it on a t-shirt for you so you can wear it around and when you wear it around even strangers say, "Hey! That is a great picture of a kid!"
Let's say you enjoy that for a while, until one day you notice someone wearing a shirt and it's got that picture of your kid on it! And then someone saw THAT guys shirt and made buttons! And then you notice stickers, and online avatars, and cutsie posters where people have photoshopped a clown nose onto your kid! You'd think "What the heck?" Or maybe you'd think "I really should have copyrighted that picture and then sued all these people" or maybe you'd think both.
This is basically what happened to my horse. Yeah yeah, I know, it's just a horse but it's got to be one of the weirdest things for me to do a Google image search for the word "Clydesdale" and undoubtedly more than one link will have MY picture of MY horse! Let me give you a little sample:
Here he is, and here, and yet again, here he is in a poorly done video, and here he is enjoying some heavy metal, and proudly representing his breed, and here he is in australia, and there are more. Search "clydesdale" in Facebook Flair and he's there. At one point someone had drawn little cartoon running shoes on his feet for their jogging club website.
I know it's petty, but that horse means something to me. And yet people who couldn't care less about this horse use his picture hither and yon without a care in the world. They don't care who he is or where the picture was taken or what a good horse he was. And the little kid in me wants to shout, "NO MINE!" So just to get the word out there, here's the scoop.
His name was THV Jasper. THV standing for Thurstons High Vally, his breeder. Glen Thurston sold my Grandfather Jasper when he was a 2 year old. Jasper was born April 16th, 1980. He was 19 hands tall, taller than the average clydesdale but he was so well proportioned you can't tell from the picture.
Japser served as our main breeding stallion, show horse, and favorite pet for many years. He once dragged me by his leadrope through 2 feet of snow for several yards. He noticed the gate to the pasture had been left open and I didn't. I chose to hang on as opposed to letting go and having to chase him all over the field. He finally got tired of dragging me.
We also had a local newscrew out to do a story on our farm, I was filmed in my pigtails riding on Jasper's back.
The famous picture was taken in Madison, Wisconsin around 1988. The original picture has him facing left. My father was originally in front of his head wearing a blue coat but most pictures you see have him cropped out.
Jasper died the summer of my 8th grade year. He was buried in the stud pen on the family farm. He is one of 4 who have been buried on the farm. Many of our clydesdales are his direct descendants.
That's my horse, he always will be.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
music reviews, 25 things, soccer
Sam mentioned that music hadn’t really been a topic on the blog. Agreed. So here’s my contribution.
Bob Mould, District Line. At the library I stumbled across this album from the former lead singer of Sugar. There were a couple of strong tracks (Stupid Now and The Silence Between Us) that really had that Sugar feel, so I enjoyed those. The album as a whole was weak. I now plan on looking for some of his other solo albums to get a better feel of his sound. By the way, if you have never listened to Sugar, do so ASAP.
I also checked out the Killers album Day and Age. AWFUL!!! It was as if they produced a song with a Casio keyboard a la 1985 and then copied it 10 times and created a CD. Truly horrible.
I am still moving through the Top 10 albums according to Noise. Plan to review TV on the Radio next week.
Last week, I gave into Facebook peer pressure and did “25 Things About Me.” http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/note.php?note_id=47599016644
I started it and was planned to bail after 5 or 6, but it went pretty quickly, so I did the whole thing. It was enjoyable exercise. Brandon tagged me on “25 bands”, which may be a little tougher.
I watched the movie Primer, which is a mindfuck of major proportions. I read their wikipedia page and it was amazing. Made for like $7000, it will blow your mind. They have a great diagram that sort of illustrates the crux of the movie. I definitely recommend it. I’m watching it again to get a better understanding of it.
Watched Spurs v Arsenal Sunday afternoon with James. Boy do I want those 2 hours of my life back. Eboue is a complete tool and should be cut immediately. Arsenal actually played well with 10 men and most grabbed a goal on a couple of occasions. Without Adebayor, they are in real trouble. As for Spurs, one word CLUELESS. They had no idea how to score. You can’t go up the middle against Arsenal. And then they had no one to cross the ball, so they were stuck. Chimbonda. What a joke. He is terrible and I have no idea why they resigned him.
United and Barca roll on, with Barcelona in amazing form. Cannot wait until the Champions League starts again.
Finally, I played at LISA South on Sunday night. The heater went out so it was like 40 degrees in the bubble. Wore a warm up suit for the first game; could see your breath; couldn’t feel your hands. Crazy.
Ta Ta for now.
Bob Mould, District Line. At the library I stumbled across this album from the former lead singer of Sugar. There were a couple of strong tracks (Stupid Now and The Silence Between Us) that really had that Sugar feel, so I enjoyed those. The album as a whole was weak. I now plan on looking for some of his other solo albums to get a better feel of his sound. By the way, if you have never listened to Sugar, do so ASAP.
I also checked out the Killers album Day and Age. AWFUL!!! It was as if they produced a song with a Casio keyboard a la 1985 and then copied it 10 times and created a CD. Truly horrible.
I am still moving through the Top 10 albums according to Noise. Plan to review TV on the Radio next week.
Last week, I gave into Facebook peer pressure and did “25 Things About Me.” http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/note.php?note_id=47599016644
I started it and was planned to bail after 5 or 6, but it went pretty quickly, so I did the whole thing. It was enjoyable exercise. Brandon tagged me on “25 bands”, which may be a little tougher.
I watched the movie Primer, which is a mindfuck of major proportions. I read their wikipedia page and it was amazing. Made for like $7000, it will blow your mind. They have a great diagram that sort of illustrates the crux of the movie. I definitely recommend it. I’m watching it again to get a better understanding of it.
Watched Spurs v Arsenal Sunday afternoon with James. Boy do I want those 2 hours of my life back. Eboue is a complete tool and should be cut immediately. Arsenal actually played well with 10 men and most grabbed a goal on a couple of occasions. Without Adebayor, they are in real trouble. As for Spurs, one word CLUELESS. They had no idea how to score. You can’t go up the middle against Arsenal. And then they had no one to cross the ball, so they were stuck. Chimbonda. What a joke. He is terrible and I have no idea why they resigned him.
United and Barca roll on, with Barcelona in amazing form. Cannot wait until the Champions League starts again.
Finally, I played at LISA South on Sunday night. The heater went out so it was like 40 degrees in the bubble. Wore a warm up suit for the first game; could see your breath; couldn’t feel your hands. Crazy.
Ta Ta for now.
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