Friday, July 29, 2005
Insomnia post (liberal partisan edition)
OK, those among us who hate party-line conservative hacks, a couple of my regular political blogs linked to this doozy of a principled promotion for Bushism from noneother than Powerline :
It must be very strange to be President Bush. A man of extraordinary vision and brilliance approaching to genius, he can't get anyone to notice. He is like a great painter or musician who is ahead of his time, and who unveils one masterpiece after another to a reception that, when not bored, is hostile.
It just hurts so much reading that, doesn't it? It's not just a partisan rah-rah "Our leader is good, our leader is great!" that Powerline is doing, that could be expected in different forms from both sides. Nope, this is the President who can't complete sentences not written for him, this is the President who cannot articulate a substantive policy proposal, off-the-kuff, without using the most simple and intelligence-insulting language unfitting for the principle statesmen for our country. Yeah, that guy, who us Democrats dare criticize, is a misunderstood Michaelango of Presidents, whose brilliance, no wait... "GENUIS" we could just see if we simply abandoned our liberal ways and became Bush supporters, open-minded and principled souls that they are.
Give me a break. And I actually read the post that the quote was from for context. Some interesting, factual information on Bush's alternative proposal to curb global warming. There was no need to bookend the post with words reserved for artists or Medeival kings, other than to fan Powerline's self-delusion that this President is a better human and person than any of us. There is a 110% certainty that Bush did not come up with that global warming plan all by himself, secluding himself in his private study at Crawford until he came up with the perfect way to curb greenhouse gasses. His genuis probably consisted of an advisor telling him this would be a good idea to look into and him giving the thumbs up on it before going back to pressing matters, like how he's going to manage any executive discipline when Karl Rove and other top advisers are sent to prison (getting ahead of myself here).
Believe or not, there are conservatives, bloggers even, that can honestly present policy proposals and defend them intelligently. Some of them might even be considered brilliant. Unless you want to deny your eyes and ears, President Bush isn't one of them. The lockstep belief of the cult of Bush that their leader is more than he seems is incredible.
And for an encore, he's what funny blogger Tbogg said about the above quote:
C'mon. If you said that in front of Laura Bush at lunch she would probably shoot milk out of her nose.
It must be very strange to be President Bush. A man of extraordinary vision and brilliance approaching to genius, he can't get anyone to notice. He is like a great painter or musician who is ahead of his time, and who unveils one masterpiece after another to a reception that, when not bored, is hostile.
It just hurts so much reading that, doesn't it? It's not just a partisan rah-rah "Our leader is good, our leader is great!" that Powerline is doing, that could be expected in different forms from both sides. Nope, this is the President who can't complete sentences not written for him, this is the President who cannot articulate a substantive policy proposal, off-the-kuff, without using the most simple and intelligence-insulting language unfitting for the principle statesmen for our country. Yeah, that guy, who us Democrats dare criticize, is a misunderstood Michaelango of Presidents, whose brilliance, no wait... "GENUIS" we could just see if we simply abandoned our liberal ways and became Bush supporters, open-minded and principled souls that they are.
Give me a break. And I actually read the post that the quote was from for context. Some interesting, factual information on Bush's alternative proposal to curb global warming. There was no need to bookend the post with words reserved for artists or Medeival kings, other than to fan Powerline's self-delusion that this President is a better human and person than any of us. There is a 110% certainty that Bush did not come up with that global warming plan all by himself, secluding himself in his private study at Crawford until he came up with the perfect way to curb greenhouse gasses. His genuis probably consisted of an advisor telling him this would be a good idea to look into and him giving the thumbs up on it before going back to pressing matters, like how he's going to manage any executive discipline when Karl Rove and other top advisers are sent to prison (getting ahead of myself here).
Believe or not, there are conservatives, bloggers even, that can honestly present policy proposals and defend them intelligently. Some of them might even be considered brilliant. Unless you want to deny your eyes and ears, President Bush isn't one of them. The lockstep belief of the cult of Bush that their leader is more than he seems is incredible.
And for an encore, he's what funny blogger Tbogg said about the above quote:
C'mon. If you said that in front of Laura Bush at lunch she would probably shoot milk out of her nose.
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Triple Digits Baby!
Hello again.
It's been a week oh boy, although technically I found a second blog home here at xanga , where all the cool kids are, so you can go there if you want. Soon I will have a blog for all my multiple personalities, so stay tuned!
As far as the Intonation Music Festival goes, it was only a week ago, but it's now a distant memory. Not to say it wasn't fun, it's just in the past. And because I got a free ticket for volunteering (I know how to check IDs now, so watch out if you are underage) I didn't feel pressured to see bands I didn't know about when it was godawful dusty and hot outside. Therefore I made sure to see Broken Social Scene on Saturday, and Deerhoof on Sunday, and checked out a few other bands around those two, but I missed out on a few headliners including (sorry Amy I know you saw them and vouched for them), the Decemberists, who were playing the last set on Sunday. I don't know about the scrappy college punks around me at the festival, but some of us had to get up and go to our 9-5 jobs Monday morning, dammit! At the Deerhoof performance, which was the 3rd I've been to (deerhoof.killrockstars.com), I seemed to be the only one jumping up and down to the good parts of the songs. I didn't think I was enjoying it too much... although maybe if I directly inhaled the pot three guys were smoking a lot of in front of me, I could have enjoyed it in their own unique, and slow way. There were also a mohawked, tatooed, and pierced, but not scary-looking couple getting REALLY into the music in a way I found alienating. This just be my personal bias talking, but I think the best way to enjoy live music is to sustain a simultaneous mindset that both adopts the transcendent power of music AND a little dancing "reality sprite" that reminds you to not get to caught up in things because it will just be a downer when you have to do whatever you do.
That reminds me of a chat I had with a steady employee (as opposed to an intern) at my work who had friends in a couple of semi-known indie bands. One of those friends, who plays in the Black Keys, is said to be bored with working all the time and wants to retire. Now making a living in a band is very difficult, but the way I heard it, playing music... aka creating art... aka NOT sitting at a desk day in and day out... aka doing something I perceive as being brave and cool although a little risky financial-wise... that kind of activity, playing music in a semi-respected band, was becoming a BORING JOB for him! Perhaps it's better for me and others psychologically to have writing a novel, playing music, directing a movie, as while alltogether possible goals, ones that could very well not be achieved in our lifetimes. It might be better and simpler to become an enhanced person through the observance and occasional participation in continually different forms of art, than to get to the point where creative expression is a boring routine job.
Anyway, I didn't know where this post would go but there it went. How about you? After you see a Tori Amos, or a Nada Sarf, or a Jeff Maynard Keenan perform, is one of the thoughts that crosses your mind something like "I wish I could do that?" in addition to "That was awesome!" (or something cooler that that, that's a pretty lame thing to say)
The rest of the week was a little uneventful, no deadlines or meetings at work. I did meet with aforementioned young lady for an outdoor movie on Tuesday night, nothing conclusive from that yet. Then I laid low this weekend after running around to concerts last weekend. Today, it was projected to be above 100 degrees, so I commenced Operation Stay Out of My Non-AirConditioned Apartment and the Outdoors As Well, started by going to see March of the Penguins at a movie theater I haven't been. March of the Penguins? you say? A nature film??? Well, here's something about me, I kinda like penguins, especially Magellenic Penguins, but this documentary was devoted to Emperor Penguins. And as I was in the theater I felt that it was a great choice on the hottest day of the year to see a movie that takes place entirely in Antarctica. It's a cute beautiful movie, and there's some very well-shot soft-core penguin porn, if you are into that stuff. That was followed by a lunch at a very overpriced Johnny Rockets (where you could at least substitute a turkey patty for beef on any burger), then reading and studying Spanish at the central air-conditioned main library until it closed, and then reading at an air-conditioned Starbucks. It didn't do that much good though, because I had to eventually come home to this here apartment, and do some cooking. I lost my main cookbook, but I did the recipe from memory! Still hot though.
Well this typing has prepared me for more typing at my desk tomorrow. Take care and leave comments, but ONLY if you want to.
It's been a week oh boy, although technically I found a second blog home here at xanga , where all the cool kids are, so you can go there if you want. Soon I will have a blog for all my multiple personalities, so stay tuned!
As far as the Intonation Music Festival goes, it was only a week ago, but it's now a distant memory. Not to say it wasn't fun, it's just in the past. And because I got a free ticket for volunteering (I know how to check IDs now, so watch out if you are underage) I didn't feel pressured to see bands I didn't know about when it was godawful dusty and hot outside. Therefore I made sure to see Broken Social Scene on Saturday, and Deerhoof on Sunday, and checked out a few other bands around those two, but I missed out on a few headliners including (sorry Amy I know you saw them and vouched for them), the Decemberists, who were playing the last set on Sunday. I don't know about the scrappy college punks around me at the festival, but some of us had to get up and go to our 9-5 jobs Monday morning, dammit! At the Deerhoof performance, which was the 3rd I've been to (deerhoof.killrockstars.com), I seemed to be the only one jumping up and down to the good parts of the songs. I didn't think I was enjoying it too much... although maybe if I directly inhaled the pot three guys were smoking a lot of in front of me, I could have enjoyed it in their own unique, and slow way. There were also a mohawked, tatooed, and pierced, but not scary-looking couple getting REALLY into the music in a way I found alienating. This just be my personal bias talking, but I think the best way to enjoy live music is to sustain a simultaneous mindset that both adopts the transcendent power of music AND a little dancing "reality sprite" that reminds you to not get to caught up in things because it will just be a downer when you have to do whatever you do.
That reminds me of a chat I had with a steady employee (as opposed to an intern) at my work who had friends in a couple of semi-known indie bands. One of those friends, who plays in the Black Keys, is said to be bored with working all the time and wants to retire. Now making a living in a band is very difficult, but the way I heard it, playing music... aka creating art... aka NOT sitting at a desk day in and day out... aka doing something I perceive as being brave and cool although a little risky financial-wise... that kind of activity, playing music in a semi-respected band, was becoming a BORING JOB for him! Perhaps it's better for me and others psychologically to have writing a novel, playing music, directing a movie, as while alltogether possible goals, ones that could very well not be achieved in our lifetimes. It might be better and simpler to become an enhanced person through the observance and occasional participation in continually different forms of art, than to get to the point where creative expression is a boring routine job.
Anyway, I didn't know where this post would go but there it went. How about you? After you see a Tori Amos, or a Nada Sarf, or a Jeff Maynard Keenan perform, is one of the thoughts that crosses your mind something like "I wish I could do that?" in addition to "That was awesome!" (or something cooler that that, that's a pretty lame thing to say)
The rest of the week was a little uneventful, no deadlines or meetings at work. I did meet with aforementioned young lady for an outdoor movie on Tuesday night, nothing conclusive from that yet. Then I laid low this weekend after running around to concerts last weekend. Today, it was projected to be above 100 degrees, so I commenced Operation Stay Out of My Non-AirConditioned Apartment and the Outdoors As Well, started by going to see March of the Penguins at a movie theater I haven't been. March of the Penguins? you say? A nature film??? Well, here's something about me, I kinda like penguins, especially Magellenic Penguins, but this documentary was devoted to Emperor Penguins. And as I was in the theater I felt that it was a great choice on the hottest day of the year to see a movie that takes place entirely in Antarctica. It's a cute beautiful movie, and there's some very well-shot soft-core penguin porn, if you are into that stuff. That was followed by a lunch at a very overpriced Johnny Rockets (where you could at least substitute a turkey patty for beef on any burger), then reading and studying Spanish at the central air-conditioned main library until it closed, and then reading at an air-conditioned Starbucks. It didn't do that much good though, because I had to eventually come home to this here apartment, and do some cooking. I lost my main cookbook, but I did the recipe from memory! Still hot though.
Well this typing has prepared me for more typing at my desk tomorrow. Take care and leave comments, but ONLY if you want to.
