"Shoring" Up More Hilarious Antics

I hate to admit it but I was really looking forward to the season 2 premiere of Jersey Shore last night on MTV. The first season was a virtual repository of unintentional hilarity. Spending an hour with the cast of this show made me feel better about myself and those that I associate with. Incidentally, it also made me feel bad about myself and those that I associate with.

Perhaps I enjoy it so much because it's basically a documentary about the decline of our culture. Of course it could be because it is like going to a "different type of people" museum without having to leave the house. I am sure that I could find idiots like that in my little corner of the country but they are not on TV with the living and drinking expenses of a MTV reality show. You have to hand it to them, it's a formula that works: 

Step 1: Give a bunch of young morons a mansion 

Step 2: Make sure they have unrelenting streams of alcohol and film to capture that footage

Step 3: Roll tape!

Step 4: Hire people to rake all of the cash you make into a vault

I still remember when I use to want to be on the Real World. To have to sit here and imagine the wonderful life I would have had makes me cringe.

Either way, from my first viewing moments last year, there is something about this show that speaks to me, or at least makes me laugh out loud. I suppose that is its only real appeal. We are given a chance to watch a house full of douchebags ruin their lives for 15 minutes of fame, money, and a chance to bang fame whores all while saying the most ignorant shit outside of a Klan rally. 

If a heralding of the official decline of the culture is what you are looking for then last night’s episode did not disappoint. I do not think the first fifteen minutes of any other show on television could have crammed in so many discussions on the various ways and types of trim these knuckleheads were going to pull in from the second they touched down on South Beach. It was an unrelenting onslaught of male fantasy and testosterone. 

Not that there is anything wrong with that, however, it would have been nice if they mentioned using protection for the sake of the younger folks out there watching. (What's up responsibility?)

I think ultimately this show’s appeal can be summed up with what will undoubtedly become one of the show’s future mantras, which was uttered by the extremely obnoxious and muchin-esque cast member Snooki, “I feel like a friggin’ pilgrim from the ‘20s.”

To place it in a better context, she said this while running water over some clothes that her roommate, JWoww, had spilt some sort of alcoholic drink on. She then proceeded to put those wet and stained clothes in a garbage bag and ask what to do next. This was clearly a scene reminiscent to anyone who has studied the early twentieth century Pilgrims and their antiquated laundering techniques.

Even with all the hilariously improper historical references I got the feeling that this show is already starting to be played out. I mean the cast never really left the national consciousness during the show’s hiatus, which means we were given a chance to get bored with them, and now they are back sticking to the exact same shtick that brought them here. It all seemed a bit forced to me and while I know there is going to be plenty of crazy, slutty shenanigans throughout the season, I can’t help but hope that this is the last one.

I mean, isn't it time for these guys to make room for Redneck Beach?

At War with the War on Drugs

Lately I have seen more and more articles, videos, and talking heads blathering about ending the war on drugs. I have seen politicians talk about it and countless media outlets. In fact this November, California voters will have an opportunity to pass Proposition 19, which would allow the state to regulate marijuana like it does alcohol and cigarettes.

While there are many opinions on the use of marijuana and drugs in general, I think if you look at the facts, the current war on drugs is not working in America. We are spending billions of dollars on trying to eradicate something that is blatantly growing larger. We definitely need to change our tactic on this issue not only to save money but to save the American people. We incarcerate so many millions of our citizens for minor drug offenses when that space and money could be used for serious, violent crimes and rehabilitation and education for our citizens.

The video I have attached is an interesting and very creative way to show how this one person views the war on drugs and the society it has created. The first half shows his view of the world if we were to regulate and control marijuana like alcohol and cigarettes and the second half is our society as it stands now. Whether or not you agree with his vision we can all appreciate the creativeness of this video. If you do agree then this video is a double whammy of goodness for you.

We can debate the pros and cons of the drug war all day with some people. I just feel like our money would be better spent rehabilitating drug abusers rather than punishing them with jail time. If people do not fear punitive measures for their addictions they would be more willing to seek treatment and help. Economically, it makes sense to me because if you put drugs in the hands of professionals then you take it away from the hands of violent gangs and cartels. If this policy created underworld is deprived of its main source of income the it will dry up. 

Just think about it.

There are many problems facing America now, as there have always been. We need to start looking at new ways to tackle our problems rather than continuing the same old, failed policies. Sharing this video is my tribute to that ideal.

Here are some links for extra research on the issue if you would care to delve further into the topic:

AlterNet: Drug Section

Wall Street Journal

Drug Policy Alliance

CNBC Editorial

I believe these some good places to wet your palate no matter what side of the debate you stand on. Like just about every single imaginable topic there are plenty of resources and outlets for information no matter your viewpoint. I think it a great thing for all of us to educate ourselves on this and so many other topics. 

Enjoy the research and happy reading!

A New Day

There are several things I would like to accomplish in my life before it is all said and done. These are in no specific order, just throwing them out there.

             

            1. Open and run a bed and breakfast in a beautiful part of America or, really, a beautiful part of the world. I am handy enough to maintain the place and I love to cook so that would take care of the feeding customers part.

             

             2. Make a difference in the lives of young people in my community. I strongly believe that we need to educate our people more before we can ever hope to truly contribute to the global village, if you will. Our education system, while containing many positives, is dismally low for a country with our economic and monetary power. There must be more done to curb this dangerous problem.

             

             3. Raise a healthy and happy family. I am strongly committed to making sure that those to adjectives apply to my future family. I mean healthy physically, mentally, and emotionally. I mean happy in every single way that a family can be happy.

             

             4. I want to always be well read and constantly seek out new avenues of learning and knowledge. I just really like to read and learning new things is fun for me, so I want those things to always be a part of my life.

I am sure there are more and I bet this list will grow as I do. This is just a great place to start and set me on the course for success in my life. I am looking forward to starting a new chapter in my life soon. I think I am in for a very interesting ride. It is going to be difficult at times but I believe it is definitely going to be very interesting.

Let this roller coaster ride video stand as a metaphor for my life right now:

College Tour of Duty

My day was spent taking a group of young men from Volunteers for Youth Justice’s GENTS mentoring program to three local colleges. The idea behind this event was to place a bug in their ears, so to speak, about getting into college and the options that are available to them right here in the local area.

We toured Southern University Shreveport, Bossier Parish Community College, and Career Technical College of Louisiana. A big round of thanks should be given to each one of those schools and their staffs for the hard work, excellent tours, and dedication to making sure that every student in our area knows that a college education is accessible to them, no matter their situation.

We got to cruise in style thanks to A-1 Charter.

They touched on all the issues that anyone considering college and higher education in general faces. Financial aid was the most boring but most important aspect of the each session. However, I feel that each school did an excellent job of talking about the subject without making anyone want to cut their ears off and run screaming out the door in tears of boredom.

Monetary issues are of special concern to this particular crew since the majority of the young people we work with on a daily basis come from low income families.  Today was an excellent and interesting way to introduce them to the idea that paying for a higher education and, hopefully, a higher standard of living are not out of their reach.  

To make it even better, we were treated to a free lunch from Po-boy Express, which if you live in the Shreveport area, I highly recommend for some of the best sandwiches money can buy. Plus, if the order is the right size they will deliver to you. I mean, it doesn’t get much better than someone bringing you delicious sandwiches no matter where you are.

Overall, i really believe today was a great opportunity to spend some serious time with a part of our population that is underserved by well intentioned young professionals and people that genuinely care about them and their futures. Honestly, it was a great chance to spend time with kids in general. I get a big kick out of working with young people because their take on the world is so varied and yet so moldable.

Kids who are seen as delinquent or troubled bring their own special set of needs and problems, perhaps obviously, but when you reach them and get to spend one on one time with them it is such a life altering experience. Hopefully in a positive for both the young person and myself. As I can only speak for myself, today was definitely a case of it being a positive for me.

I had some very interesting conversations with boys ranging from 11 to 16, from all over the city, and with a whole host of different outlooks on  education and higher education in particular. Truthfully, their whole outlook on life is so different and varied from my own I constantly learn from just talking to them.

Usually I only get to visit with these juveniles when they are in trouble for truancy issues. So, as one might expect, they are usually not elated and chipper when they are in my office. Today was different in that these boys wanted to be there, for the most part, and I was able to just talk to them about girls, college, and everything in between. 

I have to say it was one of the more interesting days I have had in the six months that I have been on the job and an excellent break from the monotony of sitting in an office all day waiting for the “troubled ones” to come see me. I was pleased with the tours themselves as well as the young men’s attitude and behavior throughout the day.

Hopefully this in the future for all those great kids.

In the end, I think I might have taken more away from the experience then they did in the long run. But I believe that is more a factor of my age and situation than their unwillingness to engage in learning opportunities directed at offering them a better future. 

Maddening Monday

Well it is another wonderful Monday at a job that it looks like I won’t have after Friday. Needless to say, it is very hard to get up in the morning and come here knowing that I probably won’t be here after this week.

I was told this morning by my boss that if they get the funding after we are let go, then we would just come back as if nothing had happened.

“It will be like you got a paid vacation, basically,” she said.

This is exactly where I won't be next week.

What? A paid vacation? Paid vacations are usually happy times where you do not have to scramble looking around for a job or worry about your future knowing that when it is all said and done you can go back to your job.

This would not be a paid vacation. It would be a nerve racking week or two where I am unemployed and looking for jobs, yet hanging my hopes that I might get called back. That does not work for me and I believe is indicative of the mentality the higher-ups around here are taking regarding this “unfortunate termination of employment” as they have taken to calling it.

Oh, and the assumption that I am going to get paid for this vacation would not be there since I would be unemployed, not just on vacation. I will stop; I think you get my point.

In “you would have to be dead to not have head something about this” news, the fourth season of Mad Men premiered last night and took my girlfriend’s attention away from me for a whole hour. Oh no! 

Actually, it was an excellent chance for us to catch up on our favorite cast of characters that do nothing but drink and smoke all day while making money and looking good. If there is a safe and effective way to travel back in time and take a job in an ad agency in 1960s New York City then I would love to know about it. Oh, and I will take the job. 

I bet that this is the best dressed cast for a television show ever. There is probably not one person on that show who would have trouble getting laid. I will take the job!

Handsome Devils

This show perplexes me so much because never has less seemed to happen while so much is going on. It is like each episode does nothing to advance the plot but by the end of the season you are nowhere near where we started out. And then apparently this season takes place almost an entire year after the last, which just confused me even more until I realized about half-way through what was going on.

All of the “action” flies under the radar, invisible to even the most discerning viewer. It makes for the most enjoyable and frustrating hour of television ever. Who would have thought someone would create a show that forces you to pay attention to the intricacies in plot and writing. Incredible!

I bet they need intelligent actors and actresses for each role. You know, to play out the subtleties of each episode in a real and convincing way. Someone who is not too over the top, yet still stands out, to give a sense of realism to the world the characters inhabit. It must be really taxing to actually get picked to be on Mad Men even if it is for the most trivial parts. The folks over in casting probably have to really dig deep to find such understated and brilliant talent.

I wonder if Snooki is available?

Thursday Afternoon Pointlessness w/ Ashley Green Bookends

Inspiring? I think so too.

I am trying to overcome the huge weight of my lunch right now. This amazing lunch consisted of fried chicken, rice and gravy, cornbread, black-eyed peas, garden salad, and an apple juice because I am a big boy and can drink by myself. But it is sitting on me right now making me sleepy. I feel like R136a1 is in my stomach right now. (Inspired reference I know. I am so relevant and worldly. Thanks semi-nude Ashley Green!)

It was totally worth this "heavy" feeling though because I got all that food for three bucks. Low cost, a lot of food, plus it doesn't taste like the floor of a strip club. Pretty unbelievable. One could never claim that the imprisoned do not eat well. I can personally testify to the fact that they eat like kings three times a day. If I was poor and was not sure where my food might be coming from on a day to day basis I would commit crimes just for the meals. In truth, many of the young people detained here could very possibly be doing that. It makes sense.

In old but I just found out about it news, Nickelback, the worst thing to come out of Canada since…well, ever I think, has gotten some love from the popular video game, Rockband. Apparently there is now “Nickelback Packs” for idiots and people with absolutely no taste to download giving them the ability to mimic jamming to their favorite songs from the rock group. Incidentally, that is exactly what Nickelback has been doing for some time now.

Is "Landmine" Canadian French for Nickelback songs?

Do you know anyone that likes Nickelback? Me neither, but they are always around and always in the Top 10 or something for their music. So someone must be in love with this band or there is a huge Canadian government conspiracy to keep all things Canadian relevant in U.S. pop culture. I believe they continually buy and promote Nickelback’s albums to make sure that they are always being heard around the world. I cannot confirm this and everyone I talk to in the Canadian government tells me that I am crazy, but I believe I will one day find out the real reason behind their unexplainable success. If you ask anyone you know they will deny liking the band so there must be some reason behind their popularity.


Send money and/or donate your time if you feel like helping me out with my project to uncover some of the world's largest and most complex conspiracies. 

Yes, very inspiring indeed.

What do you call an uncool duck?

In eight days my position with my current employer will be cut due to a lack of funding. I was here for a full six months before I was let go because my employers were unable to secure funding for my job and the job of five other people. The gist of the situation has been talked about here so I will try to not rehash the whole series of events that led to this unfortunate and unforeseen set of circumstances.

Now is the time for me to move forward and get on with life. Life is full of ups, downs, struggles, and triumphs. This is just one episode in my life that can be filed under “Downer.” But at the end of the day, a lot worse things could be happening and with the support of those that love me and everyone else I will still be able to do this:

So, I am not going to let this set back set me back at all. I have gained valuable experience while I was here and have learned a lot about this world and society in which I live. I will probably look back on these past six months as the most influential and life changing of any that I have ever had. This job has given my life a charted course and I hope that I can stay on it for many years to come.

This job showed me that people who live less than a mile from struggle with circumstances far worse than any I have ever dealt with. There is real sadness in this world and I have tasted just a little bit of it. I have steeled myself to the idea that I will try and help as many people as I can in life. No matter where I end up after this is over I hope that I can continue to help people from all walks of life.

I believe that is where I am supposed to be and what I am supposed to do. This job offered me great happiness, great triumphs, and some of the worst struggles I have ever dealt with. During my tenure here I struggled with how to be successful and ways to be a success more than I have at any other point in my life.

I am not sure what I am going to do next but I know where I want to head. I will work towards that goal with the same tenacity and strength of character I brought to this job and I know I will be successful. I know that the outcome for me will be positive.

That is often more than can be said for many of the families and children I have met and worked for during the course of the last six months.

On a brighter note, I ate lunch at Fertitta’s today and it was awesome. It was the perfect balance between full and too stuffed to move. As has been previously documented, "The Muffy" there is absolutely the best and the ambiance leaves nothing to be desired. Who can complain about eating in a room where you are probably at least three generations younger than the next youngest person? What a pick me up!

My friend Ryan and his new t-shirt

To make things better, I even managed to sneak a nap afterwards as I wind down the rest of my lame duck tenure here at work. That and a whole lot of reading, writing, and posting on the internet are all I have and will do until next Friday.

Inception is a synonym for Beginning.

For me, Monday nights often present the best times to attend a movie at the local theater. The main reason is because it seems that there are generally less people out and about on a Monday. (Perhaps they are still recovering from the previous weekend’s excesses or are just too tired from getting back to work to leave the house.) No matter why the dearth of people, it always equals less of a chance that someone will be rude, talk too much, or bring their unwanted and obnoxious children to the theater and ruin the film.

Why are you even here?

“Why are you going see kids’ movies all the time,” you might ask, perhaps confused as to why there are so many children in the theaters where I see movies.

“I am not going see kids’ movies every time curious and outspoken stranger,” I would retort. “Just Toy Story 3 so far this summer, and besides, I have found that in their own ignorance people will often bring their kids to “adult’ movies. I cannot fathom why this happens but it does and it pisses me off greatly. So I try to go see movies on Mondays any time I can to avoid a lot of people and the baggage that comes with being around the general, common sense-free public.”

So, this past Monday, I went and saw the one movie I have been waiting all summer for, Inception. This was the one movie that was not Toy Story 3 that instantly perked my interest when I saw the trailers for it.

I have read a lot of mixed feelings on this film, most of them positive for a multitude of reasons. Some critics say that it was a godsend and a boost to the rather dull summer movie season while others rag the film for being implausible or too incoherent.

Well I am here to tell that this movie is all three of those things and possibly more. There is no quick explanation of what happens in the movie, which is great because now you have to go see it. Isn’t that why movies are made I ask rhetorically?

As Roger Ebert said in his review, the movie also cannot be spoiled. If anyone were to tell you the end, you would just stare slack-jawed because you would not understand what this movie spoiling dolt of a so-called “friend” is talking about. Yet to try and explain the movie will leave you desperate for more than a retelling can offer.

I cannot remember the last time a movie fully engrossed me in every aspect of it the way Inception did. From the beginning to the very end and well beyond the credits, I was totally wrapped up in the story. There was a complete loss of elapsed time while watching the movie, which is a quality of dreams that is pointed to a few times during the movie itself. This is a happy coincidence because at a running time of 2 hours and 28 minutes I need to lose track of time or I will lose track of my mind sitting in a theater for that long.

Some people have said that they had trouble following the movie but I found the opposite to be true. Yes, this movie is driven by a plot more complex than Fermat’s Last Theorem, but director Christopher Nolan seamlessly moves the movie along so that you are able to stay focused on the over-arching goals of the film without getting bogged down in the minutia of a multi-layered plot. It is expertly done and I recommend this film for all aspiring writer/directors, M. Night Shyamalan comes to mind, as a clinic on how to move a movie along no matter how complicated the details might be.

Oh, and to the claims of this piece of cinematic fiction being implausible, well of course it is implausible. First of all, it is a piece of fiction writing put on screen for our visual delight. Secondly, it is set in another reality or sometime in the future (it is never clear which) so the implausible is plausible in that sense and are you such a hater that you can’t appreciate anything.

(In an effort at full disclosure, I am as guilty as the next person of looking at some movies and saying, “Come on, there is no way that would happen in real life.” But I have realized over the years that the beauty of most movies is that they stem from the imagination of their creators and we want to be taken into a world where the impossible is possible.)

Besides, I never heard anyone complain that what happens in those godforsaken Twilight movies, or in Avatar, or in the innumerable hours of crap that filmmakers throw at us every year is implausible. Yet, people go and see those films and even love them to an obnoxious, nerve grating level. Either way, the fact that the movie is implausible does not merit a “would not recommend” review. If that were the case then almost all films would be subject to adverse critiques.

If you were going to use my money to go see a movie this summer I would stipulate that it must be Inception. You will not regret being treated to one of the best, most innovative stories Hollywood has put on film in some time. Oh, and while you are there I will spring for Toy Story 3 because I love it and it deserves a viewing for totally different, yet equally compelling, reasons.

Here is the trailer if you still need to be further convinced:

"The Almost Moon:" A Review

The Book's Cover

I recently just finished the novel, The Almost Moon, by Alice Sebold. Sebold is also the author of The Lovely Bones, which I never read but I did see the movie, which I enjoyed. This lady tackles some insane issues in her novels and she does so in a way that it is uncomfortably comfortable to read them.

I did enjoy The Almost Moon. It was a quick read and it flowed relatively well. Most of the characters were not as deeply drawn as I would have liked, especially the main characters, Helen and her mother. However, Sebold does get across how shitty her protagonist's life was during her childhood and beyond. As you get into the meat of the novel, you realize the story will be revolving around those two and the dynamics of their extremely f-ed up relationship and how unimpressive real life can be.

The novel starts out with Helen killing her mother with a towel rather than clean her up after an uncontrollable bowel movement. Bam, throwing craziness at us right beyond the cover page. After kicking off the novel with matricide, the story delves further and further into the messed up life that her mother’s psychosis caused for Helen and her father. The repercussions flow throughout the entire novel, spilling into Helen’s adult life and messing up her relationship with her two daughters. Sebold throughly gives us the sense that in the aftermath of her childhood Helen lives in a messed up world with no real human connections and a constant longing for the love and physical touch of her parents that she never received.

Even though you wade through this psychological quagmire I recommend reading this book, if only to give you something to read when there is nothing else. While the characters may not be as colorful as we might like, the story itself has enough weight and merit that it carries you through the novel. You do get introduced to a lot of characters while never getting to know any of them well enough to develop a real emotional connection, but you can almost feel the pain and angst Helen suffers during the 24 hours following her mother’s murder and as she recalls the events of her life.

The Almost Moon is not the best book I have ever read, but it is certainly not the worst book I have ever read either. I would also wager that this is not the best book Sebold has or will ever write during her career. I am going to give it 2 out of 5 stars on my arbitrary scale of a book’s value that means nothing to anyone but me.

Ya need to get outta here wit all dat noise!

"All of our different ideas can come together here."

The other day I was on Facebook when I noticed a status update post from someone who is on my “Friends” list. Basically the post said that while she appreciated, nay admired, other people’s political insights she must unfortunately inform us that she will de-friend people who continue posting politically motivated or opinionated pieces because “life is hard enough.” She also reminds us that she would hate for anyone she knows to fall into this terrible category, which basically means it would be in those people’s best interest (and totally up to them *wink) to stop posting political pieces.

I believe Stalin used the same tactic to get the press and people to think more like him but instead of losing friends on Facebook he just killed people. (I know that is a huge leap in significance but the idea behind it is still the same: “Don’t talk about things I do not like or be punished!”)

Nevertheless, it is a wonderfully simple statement. A statement so simple that I bet a great majority of people might find it innocuous and even agree with the basic idea. Yet it says so much about who a person is and where they stand.

Just think about these words; “life is hard enough w/o politi-facebook.”

Yes, I would agree with her there; life is hard with or without politically motivated Facebook posts. I would take her case further and say that life is hard, in general, a good bit of the time without fail or exception. However, it is also true that we cannot avoid those difficulties and hide from them.

The post made me wonder where she, or anyone else for that matter, got the idea that not being reminded of difficulties makes them easier. I guess maybe she feels that living behind a veil, or a shroud of ignorance makes those difficulties easier to deal with. Is she a living embodiment of the cliché, “ignorance is bliss?”

I cannot speak for her so we will never know, unless she would care to come on here and discuss what she meant by that. Until that happens, let it be widely known that I am firmly against this type of runaway and hide from problems rationale that persists in this world. It is a backwards, immature way of processing and dealing with the world around us.

It makes more sense to learn all you can about the various problems and ills in the world. It makes more sense to be knowledgeable and certain in your ways so that you can address as many problems as human possible in a real world way.

Pretending that these things do not exist helps no one. Shielding yourself from reality does more harm than good. It keeps you uneducated and uninvolved. It makes you a shell of a person: someone who is all for show with no internal mechanisms and knowledge guiding your hand.

To me, it is like people who complain about the violence and crime of a certain community or city and then move away or do absolutely nothing to better the environment around them. We have all heard or know people who have done exactly this. But what does it accomplish in the long run?

Running from reality does not send it away or put it on hiatus. Running from reality delays the inevitable.

You might be thinking that I am reading into this one statement too far, but I would ask you to seriously think about what she was really saying in her “innocuous” post.

She asked people to limit their speech or dissemination of ideas because it made her uncomfortable to think about them. Then, she gave those posters an ultimatum stating that you will lose her “friendship” on Facebook if you fail to adhere to her rules on the dissemination of ideas.

It is seriously the most outlandish thing I have ever heard of in my life. It is the most preposterous, self-righteous bunch of horse poop I have ever had the misfortune of reading. It is also extremely dangerous.

Facebook and all forms of speech and socialization are about disseminating ideas that are important to you and discussing those with mature voices that care to learn and respect others. It would appear that this person cares for none of that. 

My ultimate goal in posting any article idea on Facebook, on this blog, or just discussing the issue the old fashioned way with my mouth is not to rile someone up and make them upset about how life is tough and my mom doesn't warm my milk for me anymore. It is to get people to learn about an issue or idea and then discuss it with me and others. I want to see if we feel the same way about it or if we disagree, respectfully. I do not want to get into a yelling match with a bunch of ignorant zealots.

I also do not want to associate with someone who is unable to discuss important and, sometimes, dangerous or decisive topics in a mature and respectful way. I do not want to associate with people who are so closed minded they cannot even look at what other people believe is important with a critical and discerning eye.

"We worked it all out through open and reasonable discussion."

One of the first and most important aspects of friendship for me is being able to respectfully discuss, disagree, and analyze issues and ideas from all points of view. I want to learn from my friends and be a teacher to them as well. I want to broaden the horizons of the people I care about and make them think and learn and talk about different ideas and philosophies in totally different ways.

Discussing and carrying on about the various aspects of our lives, good or bad, is the only way that we truly come to understand one another. It is only the first step to ridding ourselves of the ills and negatives in society and the first step towards true and real human connection.

Happy Birthday....Josef Frank!

Today is a really special day. Of course all days are special but this is a particular extraordinary day for everyone that I know, especially me. Why is today a particularly singular day? Well that is because today, July 15, 2010, is the birthday of Josef Frank. (Like you didn’t already know that.)

Frank is a major celebrity in my home as he is in the homes of millions of families across America and the world. I remember when I was growing up my parents would sit us all down to dinner on July 15 of every year and we would eat and talk about Josef Frank, look at his designs and discuss ways that we might improve them and expound on his genius, as if there are any. Ha! Right!?!

In case you were born in a cave and left there for your entire life only to be shown shadows and have them become your idea of reality, Frank was born on July 15, 1885 in another country that is not America (Austria). That means that if Frank were alive in the U.S. today he would be very old and foreign.

Unfortunately, however, for the world of design and architecture he sloughed off his mortal coil on January 8, 1967. Google even has one of their famous doodles up for this momentous day making its home page a repository for all things Josef Frank. Of course, after reading this extensive blog entry about the man you probably will find that you do not require any more information regarding this world class designer, architect, and human being.

In other news last night we, and by we I mean myself and my partner, Detective Sergeant Joe Friday as portrayed by Ed O'Neill in the 2003 remake of the Jake Webb classic Dragnet, watched the movie Everything is Illuminated . This is an adaptation of the book with the same name by Jonathan Safran Foer.   Everything is Illuminated  really lit up the screen. (You're welcome.) It was a real treat from the credits to the other set of credits at the end. 

The writing was wonderful and I really enjoyed the performances of Eugene Hutz and Boris Leskin. They did a wonderful job of portraying Ukrainians from the Ukraine who are taking around a rich American Jewish boy.  The rich American Jewish boy collects useless family artifacts and is looking for the Ukrainian woman who saved his grandfather from Hitler's SS during World War II. Believe it or not is a touching comedy with the perfect mix of drama and sentimentalism. Just check out the trailer below if you think me a liar.

In terms of the writing I loved how they incorporated the authenticity of translation mistakes into the script. Trying to turn Ukrainian idioms into English and visa versa made for some funny lines throughout the movie. No complaints from me regarding this film. I recommend it for everyone, unless you hate Elijah Wood because he is everywhere in this film. I also wouldn't recommend it if you only like movies with explosions, bad dialogue, and naked people. This movie contains none of those things; so steer clear.

Of course, I would be remiss and in a lot of trouble if I made the mistake of not mentioning that it is the birthday of the wonderfully talented brain behind http://focusedlinz.blogspot.com/. Lindsey is a peach and a national treasure and I want everyone who sees this today to wish her a happy birthday either on her blog or on her Twitter account: @focusedLINZ or in person, if you can. 

Let's hope today is a wonderfully beautiful day for a wonderfully beautiful person. I am not sure if I am at liberty to mention her age, but I feel that her 27th birthday is probably going to be one of the best ones she has ever had. It is amazing to me that it has officially been five years since we met. If everyone had the opportunity to meet and spend time with someone this amazing then the world would be a much happier place. 

Happy Birthday Lindsey!!! (<------ This is the real reason today is so special for me, the Josef Frank bit was just a ruse.)

Joyeux Quatorze Juillet!!

I feel a ton of pressure on my shoulders right now with all of the things I feel like I have to do these next few days. My schedule is full of non-work related activities and yet, here I sit at my office with little to do and a lot to think about.

When words aren't enough, here is a visual

My lovely lady will be celebrating her 27^th birthday tomorrow and there are a lot of things that I need to get done before that happens. Well her birthday is going to come whether I am ready or not but I really want to be ready for the big day. It's not every year that someone you love turns 27.

There are the things that I want to do for her and then the things that come with living your life connected to a female. Nothing major, just the little (or big, depending on your perspective) things that women get their men to do because that is just the way it is.

I have a one of a kind, amazing, independent, smart, and awe-inspiringly beautiful girlfriend (and I am not just writing that because I know she will read this at some point in the future) but there are still things that she will ask me to do, either for her or with her, and it tickles me to death. Of course, I know that if I were not in her life she would be more than capable of doing them herself but I just love hearing some of the various things she will ask me to do.

(Sidebar: It should be noted and said aloud that I am not angry or resentful over the various duties I have to perform while in the love and company of my lady. It is part of the responsibilities of being with someone you love and care about and sure, I might bitch, but I do so because I know that she knows I am not being 100% serious and that I understand that life is about doing things you don't want to do sometimes and in doing those things you broaden your experiences and perspectives in life. Plus, I would follow her to the moon if that was necessary at some point in our life together.)

No matter what it is though, I always smile and laugh on the inside when I think about what is happening to me and around me.

Right now I am already beginning to feel the mental load lighten as I sit here and write out what is going on in my head. 

On another note, it is Bastille Day in France. Since I reasonably assume that everyone knows what Bastille Day represents I won’t bore you with a lengthy explanation. Suffice it say the French stormed a prison, kicked off their revolution against the monarchy, and ushered in the rise and fall of a little guy (pun intended) named Napoleon.

Of course, it was not as straight forward as all that but the chain of events is logical and factual. I don’t have time to get weighted down with all of the heavy particulars of each and every Western European country’s particular nationalistic history.

Speak to you later peoples. Or person. I am not sure who reads this but I know I have really started enjoying incorporating this blog into my day.

Local Blogger Stymied by Head Cold

I was not sure it was possible, but somehow I have managed to contract the common cold during the middle of the summer. I think it might have come from the kids I spend my days around, who are always sick and never wash their hands.

No matter how I managed to contract this cold, I can honestly say that it sucks and I would not wish this upon anyone. Well, maybe this guy.

Speaking of Sen. David Vitter, apparently he has joined the ranks of the ignorant and has said he agrees with conservative groups who are suing to get the birth records of President Obama viewed publicly.

Come on people; is this the most important thing going on right now? Does Vitter have his head stuffed up his butt? I am no bleeding heart Democrat but I am going to come out and say that Vitter might be the biggest embarrassment to Louisiana since Vitter and here again, Vitter.

Here is his voting record so far during his term in the Senate. After looking it over, I can honestly say that on some things I agree with his voting record but on the majority of issues I would have to say, “Get out of here man. You are wasting our state’s time and money.”

Of course, it is easy to sit here and talk bad about him and scream and plead for someone else, but can we assure ourselves that any new person elected would do a better job.  I just hope we can elect someone with less personal baggage so our attention and that of the media can be directed on their contributions to our state.

Wow, I have gotten so far off topic from this post’s origins that I don’t think I will ever get back. Since I am not feeling well and am having trouble focusing my mind, I am going to leave the politics and politician bashing for another day. 

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this reminder of now:

The video header explains it better than I could...

Another glorious weekend has been ruined by Monday. No matter how much sleep I get during the weekend my body always feels like Monday is going to be its last day. Is everyone’s Monday like this? I hope so or I am really doing some damage to my body and mind.

Watching the World Cup 2010 Final between Spain and The Netherlands go scoreless through regulation and into extra time and then watching water drip out of a faucet made for fierce competition this weekend in my never ending quest to find “the least interesting thing I can do for 120 consecutive minutes.”

The saving grace of the World Cup Final was watching it with friends who care about as much as I do and Lindsey and myself’s outrageous soccer lunacy. (See photographic evidence to the right --->)

We love the Old World and we love Old World match-ups in international sporting competitions. (You do not want to get near us during the World Baseball Classic either.)

On a particularly jarring side note, apparently a group of Islamic militants took the opportunity that the World Cup provides for peaceful, large gatherings of people and decided to kill a lot of those said peaceful Cup watchers.  This type of evil is revolting. It is absolutely cowardly and there should be no room for this behavior in the 21st century. Someone needs to get in touch with the PR and marketing departments over at al-Shabab, the group claiming responsibility for the attack, and get them to change their approach.

Why do these terrorist groups believe so strongly in this type of attack? Have they ever really gotten anything they demanded by utilizing these techniques?

Since I am not really up to getting into a long conversation about the merits of Islamic martyrdom on the global political scene I am going to cut it short for now. Besides, I really do not have too much more to say about anything on any level. I really just wanted to produce something for this morning, get the creative juices flowing, and hopefully be able to come up with something for this afternoon and/or tomorrow. 

Hopefully, after all is said and done for the day, my lady and I will get something like this:

I am a Human...

who loves to Dance!





This song and the Killers rock and when you are bored on a Friday afternoon they really perk things up.

All that is good in this world begins here

I think it is safe to say that in all the greatness that is television history there is one show that stands taller than the rest. A symbol of all a TV show can be when the writing, acting, directing, set design, and production team mesh together in perfect harmony. A symphony of greatness performed for the entire world to see, enjoy, and stare in slack-jawed wonder at the beauty contained in its simple, articulate message.

A television show where the dialogue and witty repartee between the characters is reminiscent of a bygone era when excellent writing and even more outstanding on-set chemistry was held in higher esteem than who had the largest and most outlandish variety of complexes and neuroses. (I point you to the entire programming line-up for Vh1 on any given night.)

A show that shattered everything that the television viewing public thought it knew about what a television show could be. A show without peer, a show with stamina, a show with staying power, a show that taught so many of us how to laugh, love, cry, and share the special moments with that special someone.

The show on which I speak is, as you probably guessed by the giant header, Gilmore Girls.

Before the WB’s Gilmore Girls burst onto the TV landscape on October 5, 2000 I was quite certain that television had forgotten about me. I was lost in a television crap storm. There was literally nothing out there for me, until this beautiful woman of a TV dramedy waltzed right on up and gave me her phone number and directions to her house.

If you have not had a chance to bask in the soothing, and often times outrageous, glow and grace of main cast members Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel’s beyond excellent acting chops then I highly recommend you do so. I know that all seven seasons of the Gilmore Girls are out on DVD, so cancel all your weekend plans, grab your most favorite, warmest quilt and a moderately portioned, nutritious, healthful snack and get to watching. You can bet that is what my weekend is going to be “all about,” and you should be sure to make it what the days ahead in your life are going to be “all about.”

Be wary however, because you will be leaving behind the days when unscripted, “reality” programming were your television mainstays and welcome to a whole new world, a world where fast paced dialogue, a homey atmosphere, and real world situations and confrontations are the order of the day.

On behalf of good taste in television viewing choices: Welcome. Welcome to a land of Gilmore greatness!

Just a little taste of greatness to wet your whistle: