Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Issues

Like a lot of people, I've been following the Presidential Race pretty closely for what seems like ages. It's almost hard not to, being part of a family where the almost constant political debate is fueled by the clear party lines that can be drawn between its members. So, yeah, I've got caught up in all of this. But I consider myself something of the political black sheep of the family in that I pride myself on the research I do. I'd like to think that I'm not as easily swayed by party rhetoric as the rest of them, that I can detect an ad hominem attack and dismiss it as petty campaigning. But to say that those things don't sway me would be a lie. Politics is a big machine, and sometimes it's much easier to treat it as a black box than to figure out how the cogs mesh. This is the urge I'm constantly trying to resist, which can get tiring. Thankfully, The Daily Show helps keep things real. For example, their take on one of the biggest questions that's been on my mind lately: why are Clinton backers so angry?



Seriously, who's passing out all the Hate-o-rade? I've been underimpressed with Clinton ever since she began asking for the votes in Michigan and Florida to be counted. I suppose there's little value for good sportsmanship when it comes to political battles (though I think there should be), so the way in which she handled her defeat is not surprising, if not personally distasteful. A recent comment on this blog expressed the view that Obama was dividing the Democratic Party. I respectfully disagree. But my question remains: what is at the heart of this division? My best guess is that this division has only a cursory relation to the issues of the election. Too bad issues rarely win elections.

Comments and criticizms are, as always, welcomed. Flamebait will be deleted.

Addendum: M has got me thinking a bit. I get so focused on what I'm looking for that I often don't know what others are looking for. I'd like to invite anyone who is willing to share their feelings on what their ideal candidate would be in the comments. I'm not asking for an explanation of why you like one candidate or the other, but rather I'm asking what your ideal candidate's stance on a particular issue would be (and why's are always appreciated). Might I serve as something of a political sommelier and suggest the issues of the economy, the war and one other issue of your choice?

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Boring baseball trivia, with footnotes

I'm sure that I'll tell you more about this later, but while I was in Seattle I saw some baseball. I can't remember how I came across this map today, but I'm glad I did, since it is a fairly unique look at how baseball is laid out in the US and has got me thinking about how unique my beloved Mariners are.
Now, I'm sure that the boundaries are up for discussion. But that's not what I'm thinking about. You hear a lot (especially in Seattle) about East Coast bias, and though some of it is just West Coast Whining, some of it is justified - because most of the teams are in the East. St. Louis was for a long time the westernmost team in Baseball, so let's just draw a line of longitude through it (if you'd like, you can imagine me standing in front of the map, with a t-shirt over my button down, Picture Pages style). This leaves us with 12 teams. If we really want to talk about the West and use the Rocky Mountains as our line of demarcation, we're down to 8 teams. If we take the wayback machine to 1997, Arizona drops out, and turning the dial to 1992 removes the Rockies. In short, I can easily remember a time when there were 6 teams west of the Rockies, 5 of which were in California. Of those 6 teams, only 3 of them originated there, the Giants and Dodgers having arrived from New York in 1958 and the A's having passed through KC on their way from Philadelphia, finally arriving in 1968. Of those three native teams, the Mariners are the youngest (remember, we're back in 1992), arriving in the league in 1977*. Of those 3 teams, 2 were originally owned by entertainers - the Angels by army air force pilot and singing cowboy Gene Autry and the Mariners by the alleged homosexual, communist, draft dodger Danny Kaye**. It's probably why the Angels continue to kick our butts to this day.

*For those nitpickers out there, 1969 marked the arrival of the short-lived Seattle Pilots, who, after one solitary season of play, were moved to Milwaukee by none other than comissioner-to-be Bud Selig despite plenty of legal attempts to keep them there. For awhile it was unclear where the team would be for the 1970 season, and their gear was being held in Provo, oddly enough. Sound familar to other recent Seattle sports news? Problems with the Pilots stadium were even part of the problem. Let's just hope that ClayClay doesn't someday become the commisioner of the NBA, or else we're all screwed. Oops, might be too late (put this photo with this caption).

**Shocking, I know. I never accused him of anything.

Almost better than warm milk

Just back from Seattle and realizing that 5 days is just enough time to time warp my body 3 hours. Decided I'd try posting something since I can't stand warm milk. I suppose that I could give you the travel log, but I haven't passed the pics from the camera to the computer, so that will have to wait. What I can tell you is that I came home with a heavier bag than I left with, having stolen several things from my parents house and having been gifted others. And yes, I decided to steal from my parents' religious library and opted for Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith. I figured as long as I'm putting my soul in hock for this, I might as well make it worth it. See if you can figure that logic out. I'm afraid I can't.
I'm perhaps most excited about the fact that my parents lent me their copy of the HBO John Adams miniseries, which I have yet to see and which you all are welcome to join me in watching. I also received an antique harmonica, but I'm afraid that's not on the program. All in all, it was a good trip, that has left me with one of the queasiest stomachs that I've had in a long time and the inability to sleep. There goes that faulty logic again...

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Deep questions

I'm heading home tomorrow for a few days, and I suddenly find myself embroiled in a philosophical debate: does stealing religious books from my parents collection have a net positive or negative effect? Or is it a wash? Or was this post just an excuse to impress you with my very average photoshop skills?

Friday, August 08, 2008

Pimping the Woo

In case you didn't know this (and you probably didn't), I have way more music on my computer than my hard drive will allow. How did I do this? Well... first I cannibalized my old laptop for it's hard drive, then I bought an external enclosure for it... following me? Basically, I carry around this little had drive with me wherever I go, and for being a little drive it sure is a big pain in the tookus. It does give me access to about 20GB of music without gobbling up that much space on my hard drive, but if I ever plug my iPod in to my computer without first plugging in my hard drive... look out. Error after error after error. So, it's a mixed blessing.

My buddy Woo has come up with a better solution, especially if you happen to have one of those iPhone thingies. Basically, he's written a bit of software called ooTunes that will let you access your entire music collection anywhere you can get an internet connection. Pretty cool, huh? I wouldn't have to pack around that silly hard drive anymore. And if that weren't enough, those of you cool enough to own an iPhone can use it on that as well. Did I mention that it will also play streamed radio on your iPhone (including Pandora, last.fm, etc.)?

Yes, of course I'm trying to sell you on the idea (so is he, by the way, for $19.99). I'm doing it for 2 great reasons: 1) Woo is a friend of mine, and 2) Woo is a friend of mine who wrote a great piece of software. Check it out. Seriously. If you have a computer at home and want to listen to your music at work, this is the way to go. Woo's a super nice guy, so if you've got any questions, I'm sure he'd be happy to help.

Thursday, August 07, 2008

Charlize, Scarlett, Gwyneth or Grace? Does it matter?

I've been thinking an awful lot about Hitchcock movies lately. Staring at the Vertigo poster over my desk every day probably has something to do with it. Be that as it may, I can't quite remember how I came across this Vanity Fair piece, since I don't read Vanity Fair, I figured that since it's germane to my recent inner ramblings I'd share.My personal favorites? All the Grace Kelly recreations and Seth Rogan running from the plane. The Psycho shot is OK, too. The rest are just kind of meh, except for the Marnie shot which I really don't like. Blah, blah, blah. Look at me, I'm an art critic.

Monday, August 04, 2008

D's Hall of Fame Albums

Those of you who graduated high school in the 90s may remember the brief return to mainstream popularity that Mel Tormé enjoyed before his death. Or maybe you don't. Here's a refresher if you're in the latter camp:

Or maybe you'll remember this:


Whether you remember those or not, they made a large enough impression on me to do a music class report on Mr. Tormé. To help facilitate the report, my music teacher lent me an LP of his work entitled Mel Tormé and friends, Live at Marty's. I was lucky enough to find this on CD (after years of looking) despite it's limited pressing and have enjoyed it ever since. It's a great live set from a great performer with some great guests. So, as I'm sure you can guess, I think this disc is fantastic. My copy has been through plenty of wear, tear and restoration so I was glad to hear that the disc has been made available through iTunes and Amazon's MP3 service. It's worth checking out even if you haven't heard the "Velvet Fog" before. Recommended tracks are: "New York State of Mind," "Silly Habits," "Mountain Greenery," and "Love For Sale."

New Yorker, here I come!

I guess this is a result of Shark Week and testimony meeting down time.