Ok, lets get the issues out of the way. There is no way to lower taxes for 95% of Americans while raising the number of social services the government will provide without either driving corporations out fo the country, or taxing the rich through the nose, which will piss some folk off. He was kinda hard on McCain, especially for someone who is claiming not to be partisan. And, if you look at the sentence structure, he might very well have said that McCain lives in a cave. But damn, the man can speak. I've never actually been inspired by a political candidate before. In fact, the reason that I didn't vote in 2004 was because I had come to hate both candidates so much that I didn't think either of them deserved it. Obama was articulate, inspirational, and completely fantastic.
So, for what its worth, View From Right Field is putting its weight and its 5,000 delegates behind Barack Obama in 2008. Grats on the nomination, now let's do this thing!
May all your hits be crits,
B
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
Re-Orientationed
Welcome from Georgetown Law! So after taking the car ride from hell to get here (I mean, a fireman's bike parade at 730am? Seriously?), we arrived at Georgetown Law. Since then, its been a whirlwind tour of things to do, places to see, and people to meet. After Saturday move in, I needed to go find food. I strolled into Chinatown to see what there was to see. Not only was there a Wok N'Roll, and a restaurant called Eat First (then what? Casey, a fellow UoCer suggested "Eat First, Ask Questions Later?), there was Five Guys. Five Guys is apparently incredibly famous, and now I can see why. I'd say it was a religious experience, but I've never had a religious experience that enjoyable before. The kind of greasy goodness that made Depot so awesome, but with incredible quality. If you have the means, I would highly recommend picking one up. It is so choice...
Yesterday, I recieved enough food from the parents to feed a small (and culinarily untalented) army, and celebrated by eating free food on the quads. Coupled with watching Iron Man and meeting some great people, it made for an enjoyable night. Today was full of movement, with a long walk in the morning, soccer and a "luau" on the quads. But the best part about all of this has been the people. Its not like UoC, where everyone makes a concerted effort to look down at their feet. Everyone here is willing to talk to you, and even introduce themselves multiple times. It makes for an excellent environment, one that I hope lasts throughout the year.
Aside from that, Hulu has been a really enjoyable surprise. Ironic as it sounds, i've been watching Groundhog Day every night that I've been here, and it's been really soothing. Nothing blows up, nobody yells, just very tranquil. Might not be a bad plan. The next few days will start orientation in earnest. Not sure what to expect, but pretty sure it'll be quite a ride.
May all your hits be crits,
B
Yesterday, I recieved enough food from the parents to feed a small (and culinarily untalented) army, and celebrated by eating free food on the quads. Coupled with watching Iron Man and meeting some great people, it made for an enjoyable night. Today was full of movement, with a long walk in the morning, soccer and a "luau" on the quads. But the best part about all of this has been the people. Its not like UoC, where everyone makes a concerted effort to look down at their feet. Everyone here is willing to talk to you, and even introduce themselves multiple times. It makes for an excellent environment, one that I hope lasts throughout the year.
Aside from that, Hulu has been a really enjoyable surprise. Ironic as it sounds, i've been watching Groundhog Day every night that I've been here, and it's been really soothing. Nothing blows up, nobody yells, just very tranquil. Might not be a bad plan. The next few days will start orientation in earnest. Not sure what to expect, but pretty sure it'll be quite a ride.
May all your hits be crits,
B
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Home
Hey all. My grandmother passed on Wednesday at age 94. She was an interesting woman if nothing else; one of the stories that we always mention about her is picking up smoking again at age 87, just because she figured that it really wasn't going to do anything to her. The funeral was the first time that the entire family has been together in as long as I can remember. It was good to be able to put aside all of the family squabbling nonsense that always seems to be going on. Problem is, it only lasted until the end of the funeral. My family is really, phenomenally good at driving each other insane. Everyone was involved in some sort of spat in the course of the next two days. Its just kinda how we are.
Things weren't all bad, I guess. I went hiking with my cousin Keith and my sister Maddy. Hiking is one of those things that I've always enjoyed, but haven't really been able to do in the Midwest. We went to a Cyclones game on Saturday, which was fun except for one of the most bizzare experiences I've had at a baseball game. So, they were throwing T-Shirts into the stands, and I was holding my 3-year old cousin Burlton (yea, i know) up to get a T-Shirt. The T-Shirt girl acquiesed and threw him a shirt. Unfortunately, Burlton is not exactly Randy Moss, and the shirt bounced off his chest. It landed in the row below, next to this white-haired guy. I assumed that he was going to give the kid the shirt back, but he just put it in his pocket and refused to acknowledge me. I mean, who does that?
Less than a week till Georgetown. Not sure exactly how I'm feeling, and my clothes aren't packed, but its gonna happen regardless and I have to be ready.
May all your hits be crits,
B
Things weren't all bad, I guess. I went hiking with my cousin Keith and my sister Maddy. Hiking is one of those things that I've always enjoyed, but haven't really been able to do in the Midwest. We went to a Cyclones game on Saturday, which was fun except for one of the most bizzare experiences I've had at a baseball game. So, they were throwing T-Shirts into the stands, and I was holding my 3-year old cousin Burlton (yea, i know) up to get a T-Shirt. The T-Shirt girl acquiesed and threw him a shirt. Unfortunately, Burlton is not exactly Randy Moss, and the shirt bounced off his chest. It landed in the row below, next to this white-haired guy. I assumed that he was going to give the kid the shirt back, but he just put it in his pocket and refused to acknowledge me. I mean, who does that?
Less than a week till Georgetown. Not sure exactly how I'm feeling, and my clothes aren't packed, but its gonna happen regardless and I have to be ready.
May all your hits be crits,
B
Thursday, August 14, 2008
The Original House of Porn and Pirates
Hey all. So a few days ago, Marie and I went to Brazzaz for lunch. For those of you unfamiliar with the area, Brazzaz is a Brazilian-style steak house, in which you pay one price for as much meat as you can consume. What seems like a dozen of these places are open for business in Chicago. Seems like anyone can open one, as long as they have three things:
1 (and the most important): A website that plays 70s porn music. This appears to be of the utmost importance. How one gets from the cheesy seductiveness of a porn soundtrack to all-you-can-eat steak is beyond me, but apparently its a pre-requisite. For example, http://brazzaz.com/, or http://www.texasdebrazil.com/. Once you have that, its time to go on to...
2: Guys in pirate suits. Supposedly these guys are dressed up as "gauchos", or Brazilian cowboys. Unfortunately, the slightly puffy pants, the belts, and the boots make them look more like pirates. I personally think that pirates walking around with enormous skewers of meat would be a brilliant idea for a restaurant. In fact, more things should be pirate themed. Or maybe its just me.
3: Meat. All ways, all shapes, all sizes, all the time. Stick said meat on a spit, roast it, and serve it. Preferably wrapped in bacon. The more copious, the better. Supposedly, people are expected to eat about a pound and a half per meal. This doesnt sound like much, but it certainly feels like it.
Well, I'm back home in NY now, and things are getting a little crazy, although I'm probably going to need some time to digest it all before I can post.
May all your hits be crits,
B
1 (and the most important): A website that plays 70s porn music. This appears to be of the utmost importance. How one gets from the cheesy seductiveness of a porn soundtrack to all-you-can-eat steak is beyond me, but apparently its a pre-requisite. For example, http://brazzaz.com/, or http://www.texasdebrazil.com/. Once you have that, its time to go on to...
2: Guys in pirate suits. Supposedly these guys are dressed up as "gauchos", or Brazilian cowboys. Unfortunately, the slightly puffy pants, the belts, and the boots make them look more like pirates. I personally think that pirates walking around with enormous skewers of meat would be a brilliant idea for a restaurant. In fact, more things should be pirate themed. Or maybe its just me.
3: Meat. All ways, all shapes, all sizes, all the time. Stick said meat on a spit, roast it, and serve it. Preferably wrapped in bacon. The more copious, the better. Supposedly, people are expected to eat about a pound and a half per meal. This doesnt sound like much, but it certainly feels like it.
Well, I'm back home in NY now, and things are getting a little crazy, although I'm probably going to need some time to digest it all before I can post.
May all your hits be crits,
B
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Missed Opportunity
So, I was walking back to my apartment yesterday when I ran into my friend Rob's roommate Sam. We exchanged the usual pleasantries, but upon walking by, he asked me if I was with the guys in the white helmets. My block has been under construction for over a year now, and all of the construction workers were taking their lunch break at Sammy's, the local greasy lunch counter. I looked down the sea of white-helmeted men, and said "Yeah, they're my network." Now, I thought this was brilliant. When else am I going to get an opportunity to pull that joke off? Sam just looked at me quizzically, and left. It took me a second to realize that Rob and Sam don't have cable, and that I had wasted this perfect opportunity. Story of my life...
May all your hits be crits (or at least not miss),
B
May all your hits be crits (or at least not miss),
B
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Natural Disaster Averted
Hey all. So I was watching Spaceballs on Monday night after dinner, when it was interrupted by the Emergency Alert System. However, unlike every other time that I've seen the EAS, this was not a test. Supposedly a tornado was heading our way. Now I've played soccer during a hurricane watch, have gone to Dunkin Donuts in a blizzard, and slept through an earthquake, but a tornado was simply outside my realm of experience. Fortunately, Marie (my intrepid girlfriend), is from Texas and knows exactly what to do about these sort of things, and we left my apartment to look for low ground.
The logical place to go seemed to be the laundry room, as I guess you're supposed to get as close to the ground as possible and stay away from windows. As the laundry room is meant for doing laundry, there was precious little for us to do. After calling my mom back in NY, and being asked by my stepdad if I had ruby slippers, we learned that the tornado was actually going to go directly around us. So back inside we went. However, it continued to pour outside, preventing us from wanting to go anywhere.
When we finally did venture out of doors to head back to Marie's, we were confronted with one of the many issues that plague Hyde Park: there is absolutely no drainage anywhere. The puddle that had formed around our car was about a foot and a half deep and rising. It got to the point where I questioned whether to pay a guide to get across, or simply caulk my wagon and float it. Luckily, Marie is also the kind of person to own enormous rain boots, and was able to ford the river, retrieve the car, and drive us back.
Now the tornado didn't seem too bad, until we realized that it had knocked out a large percentage of the traffic lights between us in Hyde Park and the South Loop. I can only hope that people up there are good drivers. But all in all, it was a very successful tornado.
May all your hits be crits,
B
The logical place to go seemed to be the laundry room, as I guess you're supposed to get as close to the ground as possible and stay away from windows. As the laundry room is meant for doing laundry, there was precious little for us to do. After calling my mom back in NY, and being asked by my stepdad if I had ruby slippers, we learned that the tornado was actually going to go directly around us. So back inside we went. However, it continued to pour outside, preventing us from wanting to go anywhere.
When we finally did venture out of doors to head back to Marie's, we were confronted with one of the many issues that plague Hyde Park: there is absolutely no drainage anywhere. The puddle that had formed around our car was about a foot and a half deep and rising. It got to the point where I questioned whether to pay a guide to get across, or simply caulk my wagon and float it. Luckily, Marie is also the kind of person to own enormous rain boots, and was able to ford the river, retrieve the car, and drive us back.
Now the tornado didn't seem too bad, until we realized that it had knocked out a large percentage of the traffic lights between us in Hyde Park and the South Loop. I can only hope that people up there are good drivers. But all in all, it was a very successful tornado.
May all your hits be crits,
B
Sunday, August 3, 2008
The Value of Objects
Morning all. I come to you from the second of the UoC's two gyms: The Henry Crown Athletic Center. It was built some time before WWII, and is understandable the less-patronized of the two gyms. Seriously, its like Willy Wonka's factory: Nobody ever goes in, and nobody ever comes out. I might not see another person for the entirety of my 3.5 hours here.
What I really wanted to talk about was the latest patron to blow up at me. This has happened before, usually when I don't let non-members in, or when I tell people the gym has closed. They get mad, sometimes swear, and occasionally threaten to report me to my boss. But yesterday's patron blowup took the cake.
I get a call on the desk phone, and am told to go look for a white IPod on one of the machines. As there needs to be someone manning the desks at all times, I ask my supervisor to go take a look. He goes upstairs, and reports back that he didn't find anything. I had to leave the desk for a second to go open the ice machine in the back for a patron, and while I was gone, somebody dropped her IPod off with my co-worker at the checkout desk. He came over and dropped it off on the far side of my desk, where it was hidden by the computer wires.
So this woman comes in, and asks for the IPod, which, to the best of my knowledge, was still lost. I told her we couldn't find it, at which point Alex pops his head up and tells me it's on the far side of the desk. She has her IPod now, she should be happy, but instead she goes into a screaming tirade (all done in a British accent):
"I'M REPORTING YOU TO YOUR MANAGER FOR YOUR CAVALIER ATTITUDE! YOU'RE TOO FOCUSED ON THE INTERNET TO CARE ABOUT ANYTHING!!! YOU'RE IN THE SERVICE INDUSTRY; YOU ARE HERE TO SERVE ME! I HOPE THAT ONE DAY YOU LOSE SOMETHING THAT MEANS A LOT TO YOU!"
At this point, my face goes blank, and I very calmly tell her "Actually, I've lost a parent." While not entirely true, its also not entirely false, and I figured this would chagrin her enough to go away and leave me in peace. Unfortunately that was not to be.
"I MEAN AN OBJECT! THIS IS WHAT I MEAN ABOUT YOUR ATTITUDE! I'M REPORTING YOU TO YOUR MANAGER!!!!"
At which point she turned on her heel and left, without taking my name, which patrons who plan on reporting me usually do. I have very little fear that this is going to happen, and I'm leaving to go home in a week, never to do this job again. But you just can't understand some people...
May all your hits be crits,
B
What I really wanted to talk about was the latest patron to blow up at me. This has happened before, usually when I don't let non-members in, or when I tell people the gym has closed. They get mad, sometimes swear, and occasionally threaten to report me to my boss. But yesterday's patron blowup took the cake.
I get a call on the desk phone, and am told to go look for a white IPod on one of the machines. As there needs to be someone manning the desks at all times, I ask my supervisor to go take a look. He goes upstairs, and reports back that he didn't find anything. I had to leave the desk for a second to go open the ice machine in the back for a patron, and while I was gone, somebody dropped her IPod off with my co-worker at the checkout desk. He came over and dropped it off on the far side of my desk, where it was hidden by the computer wires.
So this woman comes in, and asks for the IPod, which, to the best of my knowledge, was still lost. I told her we couldn't find it, at which point Alex pops his head up and tells me it's on the far side of the desk. She has her IPod now, she should be happy, but instead she goes into a screaming tirade (all done in a British accent):
"I'M REPORTING YOU TO YOUR MANAGER FOR YOUR CAVALIER ATTITUDE! YOU'RE TOO FOCUSED ON THE INTERNET TO CARE ABOUT ANYTHING!!! YOU'RE IN THE SERVICE INDUSTRY; YOU ARE HERE TO SERVE ME! I HOPE THAT ONE DAY YOU LOSE SOMETHING THAT MEANS A LOT TO YOU!"
At this point, my face goes blank, and I very calmly tell her "Actually, I've lost a parent." While not entirely true, its also not entirely false, and I figured this would chagrin her enough to go away and leave me in peace. Unfortunately that was not to be.
"I MEAN AN OBJECT! THIS IS WHAT I MEAN ABOUT YOUR ATTITUDE! I'M REPORTING YOU TO YOUR MANAGER!!!!"
At which point she turned on her heel and left, without taking my name, which patrons who plan on reporting me usually do. I have very little fear that this is going to happen, and I'm leaving to go home in a week, never to do this job again. But you just can't understand some people...
May all your hits be crits,
B
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Random Thoughts
Just a few random thoughts that have come into my head this morning:
*By the "More Flags, More Fun" rationale from the 6 Flags commercial, the United Nations must be the most fun place in the entire universe.
*Just because they come out of a laundry hamper does not mean that they are dirty. In fact, they are the opposite of clean. I am not going to vindictively give you soiled towels, as that might cause me to lose my job.
*When people say a workout "kicks your ass*, that doesn't make it sound like something desirable. Most people go through life attempting to NOT get their ass kicked. Why is it ok when its an inanimate object is going the kicking?
May all your hits be crits,
B
*By the "More Flags, More Fun" rationale from the 6 Flags commercial, the United Nations must be the most fun place in the entire universe.
*Just because they come out of a laundry hamper does not mean that they are dirty. In fact, they are the opposite of clean. I am not going to vindictively give you soiled towels, as that might cause me to lose my job.
*When people say a workout "kicks your ass*, that doesn't make it sound like something desirable. Most people go through life attempting to NOT get their ass kicked. Why is it ok when its an inanimate object is going the kicking?
May all your hits be crits,
B
Friday, August 1, 2008
Life or Death?
Being a person who spends significant time interacting with people on the internet, as well as being occasionally hard to deal with, has led to me being told to "Eat Shit and Die" more times than I should be willing to admit. However, and I couldn't tell you what started me thinking about this, would it be worse to Eat Shit and Die or to Eat Shit and Live? As I'm unsure if anyone actually reads this or not, I have no issues with going into it.
ESAD-
Why it's worse: First off, you ate shit. Secondly, you died. Being dead, regardless of what you may have seen on TV or in the movies, probably sucks an incredible amount. Add to this the fact that your last memory is of you consuming shit, your afterlife will not be starting off on the right foot.
Why it might be better: If there isn't an afterlife, you will have no recollection of what you have just done, making the fact that you did it irrelevant. People also tend to only remember the best about the dead, so your last meal probably won't ever come up in conversation. It'll be like it never happened.
ESAL-
Why its worse: You're going to remember this one forever, and worse, so will anyone else who knows about it. You could cure cancer or be the first person to land on Mars, and there would still be a significant portion of the population that would remember you as having eaten shit. It probably won't help your love life any either.
Why it might be better: At least you aren't dead...
If anyone does actually read this, comment with your opinion.
May all your hits be crits,
B
ESAD-
Why it's worse: First off, you ate shit. Secondly, you died. Being dead, regardless of what you may have seen on TV or in the movies, probably sucks an incredible amount. Add to this the fact that your last memory is of you consuming shit, your afterlife will not be starting off on the right foot.
Why it might be better: If there isn't an afterlife, you will have no recollection of what you have just done, making the fact that you did it irrelevant. People also tend to only remember the best about the dead, so your last meal probably won't ever come up in conversation. It'll be like it never happened.
ESAL-
Why its worse: You're going to remember this one forever, and worse, so will anyone else who knows about it. You could cure cancer or be the first person to land on Mars, and there would still be a significant portion of the population that would remember you as having eaten shit. It probably won't help your love life any either.
Why it might be better: At least you aren't dead...
If anyone does actually read this, comment with your opinion.
May all your hits be crits,
B
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