Oh, it's only the biggest sporting event of the last 50 years or so, don't worry about it. For those of you scoring at home, it's Boston 8, New York 1, top of the 6th, two out. Looks like the curse may finally have been reversed. Either that, or it will have a new, even more devastating chapter written tonight. Also, even if Boston goes on to win, they still have to win the World Series or it won't even matter.
Nice dodge on the being bitchy issue, but I think that sort of tells me everything I need to know about it. Moving on.
For the most part, I agree with your take on elections, all with the exception of voting for change early and often. Change is not always a good thing. But certainly try to vote informed. The sample ballot just came out today, and most of it is Greek to me. I will definitely need to do some research between now and then, and hopefully I'll be sober enough post Halloween Vegas to vote correctly.
Bush is my boy, and I fully admit he's pretty much an idiot and doesn't appear to much like black people. Unfortunately, Kerry strikes me as the guy who is just saying what everyone wants to hear, and he doesn't seem to recognize that, realistically speaking, many of the things he's suggesting are not likely to work. Believe it or not, he did sorta kinda acknowledge that the whole Iraq thing hadn't gone exactly according to plan. And he is what he is... steadfast in what he believes in. He may make bad choices, but he will run those bad choices into the ground. Is that a good thing? Probably not, but I'm willing to give him four more years. Why? Probably because I'm not very smart. There is one promise I can make, however, and that is to support whoever wins.
We'll let that slide as a "she said", but mostly I wasn't sure if you even wanted to play anymore. Your move. What shall we talk about next?
20 October 2004
The what game? I'm predictable, aren't I?
Feel free to call me on whatever. My mother brings out all of my irrational tendencies. It's one of those regressional relationships, but we've been working on it and she no longer CONSTANTLY drives me nuts.
Let's see: celebrities and politics. There are some celebrities who have street cred. Bono, for example. The man is an involved activist outside of his entertainment career. But the majority of them just have the public's ear, and therefore go shooting off at the mouth. They are more amusing than the actual politicians.
Here's my take on elections:
1. VOTE.
2. Vote early, absentee ballot, on paper, so that you can be SURE that your vote is at least recorded (if not counted). No Florida fiasco for me.
3. Vote Informed. Take a few minutes, scan the list of "issue statements" on the candidate's website, choose the ones that are truly important to you, and compare his statements to the other guy's. And yes, they're mostly guys.
4. Read articles about the subjects that interest you. Find out what's going on -- print does seem to be more reliable than visual media (in my opinion).
5. My motto: When in doubt, when one candidate is a rock, and the other a hard place, vote for the challenger. If things are mediocre at best, can't a regime change be a good idea?
6. VOTE.
My problems with Bush are legion, but the thing that bugs me MOST about him: he cannot admit or recognize that he's made mistakes. That his judgement is NOT perfect and that he is not infallible. If, as a born and bred Catholic until 19 or so, do not believe the Pope is fallible (and I was fed that with my bottle), then I'm sure as hell not going to buy a rich, privileged politician's assertion that he's fallible!
Does that qualify as a "she said?"
Feel free to call me on whatever. My mother brings out all of my irrational tendencies. It's one of those regressional relationships, but we've been working on it and she no longer CONSTANTLY drives me nuts.
Let's see: celebrities and politics. There are some celebrities who have street cred. Bono, for example. The man is an involved activist outside of his entertainment career. But the majority of them just have the public's ear, and therefore go shooting off at the mouth. They are more amusing than the actual politicians.
Here's my take on elections:
1. VOTE.
2. Vote early, absentee ballot, on paper, so that you can be SURE that your vote is at least recorded (if not counted). No Florida fiasco for me.
3. Vote Informed. Take a few minutes, scan the list of "issue statements" on the candidate's website, choose the ones that are truly important to you, and compare his statements to the other guy's. And yes, they're mostly guys.
4. Read articles about the subjects that interest you. Find out what's going on -- print does seem to be more reliable than visual media (in my opinion).
5. My motto: When in doubt, when one candidate is a rock, and the other a hard place, vote for the challenger. If things are mediocre at best, can't a regime change be a good idea?
6. VOTE.
My problems with Bush are legion, but the thing that bugs me MOST about him: he cannot admit or recognize that he's made mistakes. That his judgement is NOT perfect and that he is not infallible. If, as a born and bred Catholic until 19 or so, do not believe the Pope is fallible (and I was fed that with my bottle), then I'm sure as hell not going to buy a rich, privileged politician's assertion that he's fallible!
Does that qualify as a "she said?"
I know I'm beating a dead horse, but... to respond to your question of why would I put up with you being an irrational pain in the ass, that depends on how we're looking at it:
In the hypothetical sense, a guy might figure it's not worth calling you on it. I can't think of any situation I've ever been in where calling the girl on being bitchy has ever improved the situation. I'll ask around and get some data.
For me personally, let me give you a story that perfectly illustrates my take on it. When I came to visit you in Oregon, you seemed abnormally annoyed by your mother. I was tempted on a couple of occasions to call you on it, BUT, I knew two things: 1) I'm not a member of your family and have no right to say anything 2) I don't know the whole story, so I can't really say if you were justified or not. Instead, I chose to keep my mouth shut, and just listen to what you had to say. And we all had a wonderful time, so I think I made the right move.
My counter to this whole thing is: if you KNOW you're being an irrational pain in the ass, why can't you stop?
Get out of the house? I didn't realize you spent much time at home. You pretty much seemed the out and about type to me... have you been going to Couch Potato Academy(tm)? You should have told me. Ah, the things I could teach you about sitting in front of the boob tube for hours and hours and hours... Alas, Big Brother wants us to try and get healthier, so take heed of Small Step #62: Explore new physical activities.
So you seem be tiring of the relationship drivel, and I can't say I blame you--I have my own reasons for talking about it here recently. I'd ask your take on ALCS Game 7, but you're probably just going to ask me what that is :) We can shift back to politics, if you'd like--I could use more discussion on that to help me figure out where my vote will go Nov 2. Have you guys seen this? Actually, let's discuss something that has been bothering me for a bit, and that's the role of Hollywood in politics...
I hate it when actors decide they have to get involved politically. They get on these political debate shows and start making points like they're on Jerry Springer. People just eat that sort of stuff up. Do these people have any idea what they're talking about? I saw David Cross on Bill Maher's HBO show recently, the two of them were just constantly Bush bashing, seems to be in style in Hollywood these days. Now Maher has been around the political circuit, so I'd wager he probably has some idea of what he's saying. David Cross is one funny motherfucker, however I'm not so sure I would just believe everything he says about political issues... but the crowd just loved everything he said, every little joke he made. There were also two Republicans on the show, one a Lt. Govenor, the other a political journalist. Nobody seemed to like what these guys were saying, I'm assuming because it wasn't funny. So compare and contrast what I'm saying here, with the Jon Stewart video clip I hyperlinked above.
In the hypothetical sense, a guy might figure it's not worth calling you on it. I can't think of any situation I've ever been in where calling the girl on being bitchy has ever improved the situation. I'll ask around and get some data.
For me personally, let me give you a story that perfectly illustrates my take on it. When I came to visit you in Oregon, you seemed abnormally annoyed by your mother. I was tempted on a couple of occasions to call you on it, BUT, I knew two things: 1) I'm not a member of your family and have no right to say anything 2) I don't know the whole story, so I can't really say if you were justified or not. Instead, I chose to keep my mouth shut, and just listen to what you had to say. And we all had a wonderful time, so I think I made the right move.
My counter to this whole thing is: if you KNOW you're being an irrational pain in the ass, why can't you stop?
Get out of the house? I didn't realize you spent much time at home. You pretty much seemed the out and about type to me... have you been going to Couch Potato Academy(tm)? You should have told me. Ah, the things I could teach you about sitting in front of the boob tube for hours and hours and hours... Alas, Big Brother wants us to try and get healthier, so take heed of Small Step #62: Explore new physical activities.
So you seem be tiring of the relationship drivel, and I can't say I blame you--I have my own reasons for talking about it here recently. I'd ask your take on ALCS Game 7, but you're probably just going to ask me what that is :) We can shift back to politics, if you'd like--I could use more discussion on that to help me figure out where my vote will go Nov 2. Have you guys seen this? Actually, let's discuss something that has been bothering me for a bit, and that's the role of Hollywood in politics...
I hate it when actors decide they have to get involved politically. They get on these political debate shows and start making points like they're on Jerry Springer. People just eat that sort of stuff up. Do these people have any idea what they're talking about? I saw David Cross on Bill Maher's HBO show recently, the two of them were just constantly Bush bashing, seems to be in style in Hollywood these days. Now Maher has been around the political circuit, so I'd wager he probably has some idea of what he's saying. David Cross is one funny motherfucker, however I'm not so sure I would just believe everything he says about political issues... but the crowd just loved everything he said, every little joke he made. There were also two Republicans on the show, one a Lt. Govenor, the other a political journalist. Nobody seemed to like what these guys were saying, I'm assuming because it wasn't funny. So compare and contrast what I'm saying here, with the Jon Stewart video clip I hyperlinked above.
19 October 2004
Rough life? Ja, sure, you betcha. What EVER.
Anyway, I can't explain the wedding thing. I don't get it. I think many girls are brought up to believe the fairy tale, the Cinderella, man come rescue me on white horse, thing. The closest they get to it is The Wedding (TM). I don't understand. My parents had your standard Catholic church wedding (required to not get kicked out), but they did it small and paid for it themselves. They didn't constantly reminisce about the wedding day. It happened, and then they were free to indulge in as much togetherness and carnal knowledge as they wanted. Woo-hoo! So my mom never told me about the joys of being a bride. If you asked her, she'd tell you what it was like to be a wife, though. They may have been nuts, but they did get it right.
I was at a wedding a few years ago, watching the single bridesmaids (complete with aching ovaries) fawn over the little flower girl. They told her over and over how pretty she was and how, one day, she could be a bride just like Sally. It was projection and wishful thinking on their parts, but it will leave an impression in the poor kid's mind.
When I was 12, bored at a family party at my aunt's house, I was digging through the books and found an encyclopedia of customs. In it, they discussed the historical nature and reasoning for different parts of the wedding traditions. It explained the idea of woman as property, hence the father "giving the bride away." It explained dowries and goat exchanges. I realized I didn't want my dad to "give me away" -- I wasn't his to give! From that, I've disected the ceremony throughout the long, Catholic mass ceremonies I've had to attend for numerous cousins. I think the tradition means more than the meaning behind it. If I ever decide to make that commitment, every moment of whatever I do needs to be meaningful to US as a couple. In what way are my partner and I comfortable celebrating this commitment? How do we want to share it? Who cares what anyone else does? The day is about us. I guess that's why modern weddings bother me so much -- they are about the bride and not the couple. This seems to miss the point of the exchange of vows, doesn't it?
Anyway, I don't need someone to tell me I'm wrong constantly. But there are times where I know I'm just being an irrational pain in the ass. Why would you, as a guy, put up with that?
Okay, I've worn myself out ranting about weddings. I think I need to get a life outside the house. What do you think?
Anyway, I can't explain the wedding thing. I don't get it. I think many girls are brought up to believe the fairy tale, the Cinderella, man come rescue me on white horse, thing. The closest they get to it is The Wedding (TM). I don't understand. My parents had your standard Catholic church wedding (required to not get kicked out), but they did it small and paid for it themselves. They didn't constantly reminisce about the wedding day. It happened, and then they were free to indulge in as much togetherness and carnal knowledge as they wanted. Woo-hoo! So my mom never told me about the joys of being a bride. If you asked her, she'd tell you what it was like to be a wife, though. They may have been nuts, but they did get it right.
I was at a wedding a few years ago, watching the single bridesmaids (complete with aching ovaries) fawn over the little flower girl. They told her over and over how pretty she was and how, one day, she could be a bride just like Sally. It was projection and wishful thinking on their parts, but it will leave an impression in the poor kid's mind.
When I was 12, bored at a family party at my aunt's house, I was digging through the books and found an encyclopedia of customs. In it, they discussed the historical nature and reasoning for different parts of the wedding traditions. It explained the idea of woman as property, hence the father "giving the bride away." It explained dowries and goat exchanges. I realized I didn't want my dad to "give me away" -- I wasn't his to give! From that, I've disected the ceremony throughout the long, Catholic mass ceremonies I've had to attend for numerous cousins. I think the tradition means more than the meaning behind it. If I ever decide to make that commitment, every moment of whatever I do needs to be meaningful to US as a couple. In what way are my partner and I comfortable celebrating this commitment? How do we want to share it? Who cares what anyone else does? The day is about us. I guess that's why modern weddings bother me so much -- they are about the bride and not the couple. This seems to miss the point of the exchange of vows, doesn't it?
Anyway, I don't need someone to tell me I'm wrong constantly. But there are times where I know I'm just being an irrational pain in the ass. Why would you, as a guy, put up with that?
Okay, I've worn myself out ranting about weddings. I think I need to get a life outside the house. What do you think?
Welcome back--you didn't miss much.
Well, there sure does seem to be a rather large emphasis on The Wedding(tm) in our culture. Not sure if it's a bigger deal now than in the past, but certainly seems to draw too much attention to itself. I think the cheapest wedding I've been to was the one in Las Vegas, oddly enough. One of my co-workers had a lovely little ceremony at Mandalay Bay, with maybe 40-50 guests. I think it only cost $8,000 (not counting flights for all in attendance). Others went for the big shindig, and put themselves into debt. To be fair, however, I can't think of a single wedding I went to that wasn't pretty good. I still like my parents' method, however, the old Justice of the Peace. Although it wouldn't take much arm twisting to get me to agree to a Vegas wedding :)
Now from what I understand, it's all about the women. They're the ones that have waited their entire lives to put on the white dress (not that they ever really deserve to wear white by that point, but cut 'em some slack, will ya?). Women seem to like the big wedding. Perhaps this is another thing you can help me understand. Why do women place such an immense importance on the wedding day? I've seen brides bare their fangs at the slightest attempt to disrupt the wedding ceremony. What is typically supposed to be the happiest day of your life seems to always be one mishap away from the worst day of your life. For me, I always think the most important thing to take away from the wedding are the vows exchanged before friends, family, and God. That's what marriage is really about, isn't it?
Anyhoo, you're absolutely right, you could do many, many things with the money spent on a wedding. But then again, no one is really going to stop you from doing the old drive through Little White Wedding Chapel style wedding. Then go somewhere cool for your honeymoon. Then shock your friends and family by introducting them to the husband they weren't aware you had.
Partnerships are fine by me, that's what I'm looking for in a potential mate, if I can find it. I'm just struggling with this whole "I need a strong man to stand up to me" concept. I still haven't heard a decent explanation. Also, I'll be more than happy to tell you you're wrong, as often as you would like ;)
Anyway, enough of my soapbox--you asked if I did anything fun this weekend--I went to the Clearwater Jazz Fest Saturday, and could not have had better weather or a more relaxing time. Everyone should really move to Central Florida, hurricanes be damned. I watched all sorts of football on Sunday, taking full advantage of the HDTV powers of the 60". It's a rough life, honestly... but someone has to live it.
Well, there sure does seem to be a rather large emphasis on The Wedding(tm) in our culture. Not sure if it's a bigger deal now than in the past, but certainly seems to draw too much attention to itself. I think the cheapest wedding I've been to was the one in Las Vegas, oddly enough. One of my co-workers had a lovely little ceremony at Mandalay Bay, with maybe 40-50 guests. I think it only cost $8,000 (not counting flights for all in attendance). Others went for the big shindig, and put themselves into debt. To be fair, however, I can't think of a single wedding I went to that wasn't pretty good. I still like my parents' method, however, the old Justice of the Peace. Although it wouldn't take much arm twisting to get me to agree to a Vegas wedding :)
Now from what I understand, it's all about the women. They're the ones that have waited their entire lives to put on the white dress (not that they ever really deserve to wear white by that point, but cut 'em some slack, will ya?). Women seem to like the big wedding. Perhaps this is another thing you can help me understand. Why do women place such an immense importance on the wedding day? I've seen brides bare their fangs at the slightest attempt to disrupt the wedding ceremony. What is typically supposed to be the happiest day of your life seems to always be one mishap away from the worst day of your life. For me, I always think the most important thing to take away from the wedding are the vows exchanged before friends, family, and God. That's what marriage is really about, isn't it?
Anyhoo, you're absolutely right, you could do many, many things with the money spent on a wedding. But then again, no one is really going to stop you from doing the old drive through Little White Wedding Chapel style wedding. Then go somewhere cool for your honeymoon. Then shock your friends and family by introducting them to the husband they weren't aware you had.
Partnerships are fine by me, that's what I'm looking for in a potential mate, if I can find it. I'm just struggling with this whole "I need a strong man to stand up to me" concept. I still haven't heard a decent explanation. Also, I'll be more than happy to tell you you're wrong, as often as you would like ;)
Anyway, enough of my soapbox--you asked if I did anything fun this weekend--I went to the Clearwater Jazz Fest Saturday, and could not have had better weather or a more relaxing time. Everyone should really move to Central Florida, hurricanes be damned. I watched all sorts of football on Sunday, taking full advantage of the HDTV powers of the 60". It's a rough life, honestly... but someone has to live it.