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Glaucon
D | Thursday, April 21, 2005
This post is my way of saying Thank You to one of my best friends. She has known me ever since I scared the crap out of her Sophomore year by trying to date her and ever since then has been one of my closest confidants and best sources of advice and guidance. And as one of my close friends, she has a nickname which I have provided her - Glaucon. I, of course, am Socrates. For those of you not philosophy majors, Glaucon is an ancient Greek character from Plato's Republic. Although my friend has always suggested that her name was given to her because "Glaucon was Socrates's dumb assistant," she would be pleased to know that a little research seems to suggest otherwise. A noted scholar wrote the following in his introduction to The Republic:
The nature of the process (the method of teaching, ed) is truly characterized by Glaucon, when he describes himself as a companion who is not good for much in an investigation, but can see what he is shown, and may, perhaps, give the answer to a question more fluently than another . . .
Glaucon is the impetuous youth who can "just never have enough of fechting"; the man of pleasure who is acquainted with the mysteries of love; the "juvenis quigaudet canibus," and who improves the breed of animals; the lover of art and music who has all the experiences of youthful life. He is full of quickness and penetration, piercing easily below the clumsy platitudes of Thrasymachus to the real difficulty; he turns out to the light the seamy side of human life, and yet does not lose faith in the just and true. It is Glaucon who seizes what may be termed the ludicrous relation of the philosopher to the world, to whom a state of simplicity is "a city of pigs," who is always prepared with a jest when the argument offers him an opportunity, and who is ever ready to second the humor of Socrates and to appreciate the ridiculous, whether in the connoisseurs of music, or in the lovers of theatricals, or in the fantastic behavior of the citizens of democracy.
My most reasonable translation for "juvenis quigaudet canibus" is "young man who loves joy and dogs" - so that's probably not right. Regardless, take a look at this excerpt from the actual text of The Republic: With these words I was thinking that I had made an end of the discussion; but the end, in truth, proved to be only a beginning. For Glaucon, who is always the most pugnacious of men, was dissatisfied at Thrasymachus' retirement; he wanted to have the battle out. So he said to me: Socrates, do you wish really to persuade us, or only to seem to have persuaded us, that to be just is always better than to be unjust?
I should wish really to persuade you, I replied, if I could.
Then you certainly have not succeeded. My friend, just like the true Glaucon from the text, never lets me settle for anything less than my best. She is a constant reminder that we should all try just a little harder to be giving something back. And on top of all else, she appreciates all those things about me that make me the person I am.
Thanks Kate, I love you. From your grateful friend, Socrates.
D | 4/21/2005 11:58:00 PM
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Be a simple kind of man
D | Tuesday, April 19, 2005
That's what Indiana makes me think - simple people enjoying the simple pleasures of life. A gift and a curse I suppose, but for one weekend I loved it. That's the short version. This is the long version...
Let's start at the beginning - if you've never driven through Indiana, my oh my, you are in for many many hours of shear and total boredom. I'll prove this to you by detailing just a few of my deep thoughts directly related to traveling in Indiana all of which occurred to me while I was traveling in Indiana:
1. Why do people in Indiana name their cities after someplace else? Is it that they would rather be anywhere but Indiana? Kokomo (which Alex disputes is a real Caribbean island and which I think was only a British colony just like The Philippines), Peru, Denver, Russiaville, Lebanon, New Palestine, Mexico (yes, you would actually write Mexico, IN on a letter), Rochester, INDIA-napolis, etc etc etc. What's up with that?
2. Why is the highway of such poor quality in The National Pavement Research Project area? Did the "test pavement" suck that drastically from normal pavement?
3. Why does the entire state smell like manure? Is it possible that the entire state is a cow farm?
4. How come Indiana road signs do not have a white border like Ohio signs do? Are they saving millions of tax-payer dollars by eliminating hundreds of thousands of feet of reflective material (not to mention the man power hours to add those borders)?
5. How come Indiana State Highway Patrol cars ("Staties" in Derek-speak) don't have lights on top of their cars? Is that really is safe?
6. When I was planning on spending 4+ hours in the car this evening, why in the name of everything holy did I think it would be a good idea to eat Skyline for lunch?
So, after leaving around 5PM, I arrived in South Bend at around 9PM (10PM ET). I told Alex I wanted to see everything from the movie Rudy. I said I wanted to go to the factory where Rudy's friend blew up and Alex said he thought it was in Gary, Indiana. I said that was horseshit, this totally sucked, and that I wanted to go home.
Nonetheless, we proceeded to take a walk around campus and visit the law school where we met Alex Law School Friend (ALSF) #1, Brooke. Those of you who haven't had the pleasure of reading Brooke's blog, you should. She loves music, is very funny, and by the end of the weekend was verbally sparing with me like we had been friends for years. Brooke, Alex, and I went to the ND "hang out" called Reckers (think Central Perk meets Save By the Bell diner). Milkshakes ensued and I got to hear about Brooke's fiance; he sounds nice. The tour continued to the lake, then the rock thing with the candles, then the churchy thingy, then some other stuff I don't remember.
Brooke was telling me how there is an actual occupation out there called a "bed tester." These are people whose job it is to test beds; apparently they sleep in a bed and then give their opinions. If you are reading my blog, then you know me, and you also know that it took Alex about .7 seconds to point out how I would be perfect for such employment given my unyielding love for sleep. I said that I thought this was something I could truly excel at, but clearly there are more things done in a bed than just sleeping. And with that revelation, it occurred to me that this is my perfect job - "I give this bed an 8 for sleeping, and 7 for eating while watching TV, but only a 3 for sex." Alex and I ended our evening by "playing" 6 or 7 really bad games of pool.
We awoke Saturday morning for our first round of golf. On the dance card was ALSF #2 and #3, Jaime and Emily. After a slower than molasses first hole, the Ranger told us we would have to speed up, so a partner scramble ensued. Jaime, who is from Hawaii but thoroughly refused to do any native dances for me, partnered with Al and together they proved to be quite the dynamic duo. I partnered with Emily, a virtual golfing phenomenon, and we ended up mopping the floor with the A&J combo. Since Jaime had mad skillz at golf (much like the Indigo Girls on the guitar, they have mad skillzz (2 zs)) and was required to use one of Alex's shots per hole, Alex did a lot of the putting for their team. On the 8th hole, Al actually drained what was probably a 25ft putt (Alex's recap here). Tiger ain't got nothin' on Ho.
After golf, we were hungry and where better to eat lunch than Michigan? That's right, I have now been to Michigan. Niles, Michigan nonetheless. This is where we find the Golden Nugget, and my what a golden nugget it was. Everyone got burgers at an establishment which looked ghost town saloon (salon, if you ask Alex) straight out of a wild west movie which claimed to specialize in Mexican. The beer was local from Chicago and the burgers were delicious, but truly the bulk of the fun came from me proving my naivety about Catholicism. Although I asked a lot of questions, I still don't feel like I know what the deal is with Catholics or Catholicism. I know there is something about an envelope and a letter, but other than that, the whole thing is a huge mystery to me. By the way Emily, you never gave me an answer as to whether increased intelligence leads towards or away from religion. A stop by Dairy Queen for "chocolate" resulting in a brownie earthquake (I still believe this is a sexual maneuver and not a refreshing dairy treat) wrapped up the afternoon.
Al and I went home and took a nap like the old men we are. The evening hours were spent playing chess, eating JJ (without Brad's colorful commentary), and watching The Princess Bride with Brooke and Jaime.
Inconceivable.
You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
Sunday was golf again because where else can you play 9 holes for $6? Al and I were paired with 2 ND undergrads who basically took us to school. But it was fine because we had fun and Al burnt his forehead. I think we skipped lunch because we had planned a final dinner of fun. We went to The "town right next to South Bend" Brewing Company and sampled some of the local fair. Dinner guests included: myself, Al, Brooke, Emily, Brooke's roommate Lala (sp?), Megan from Canada (might have an H in there), and John. Good times were had by all, although Brooke and Emily didn't like it when I banged my hand on the table. Alex and I went back to his place to watch Harold and Kumar go to White Castle. Movies about pot make me laugh.
Monday morning I woke up, ate my Pop Tart, and was one my way home. Yahoo Driving says the trip is 252 miles from door to door and should take 5 hours and 22 minutes. On the way home, I did it in 228 minutes. For those of you not doing the math: 252 mi from 10:08AM - 1:56PM (or 228minutes) = 66.31 mph. And that's an average. I am way out of control.
And that was my weekend. I had a great time hanging out with Al, meeting all his LSFs, and visiting Notre Dame. I look forward to doing again sometime soon.
Quote from Kate when I was telling her about my weekend and my interactions with one of Alex's friends
K: Did she fight you tooth and nail on everything you said?
D: Well no, but she rolled her eyes at me a lot.
D | 4/19/2005 10:35:00 PM
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Hot Diggity
Ashley | Monday, April 18, 2005
Hello Derek's readers. This is Ashley and he gave me permission to post to share the following story.
Tonight me and 3 of my friends attended the Dime-a-Dog night at the Clippers game. We were ready and super excited to eat all the hot dogs we could consume without blowing up (especially Emily and I since we love ourselves some hot dogs). 10 cents a piece, one small silver coin that only gets you 6 minutes in a parking meter - and we were going to feast. You could only buy five at one time per person so me, Emily, and Ter went for the max. However, we soon found that we could only eat four. Our reactions were of complete disappointment since our target goal was to eat five.
But then after having this conversation with Derek where he said "Wow, you guys ate 12 hot dogs between the three of you? You guys are cows," I can't decide if I should continue to feel disappointed that I didn't eat five, should feel awesome that I packed away four, or completely disgusted with myself that I went to a baseball game solely for the purpose to stuff myself with hot dogs.
In any event, I am going to the next Dime-a-Dog night with these girls and we will stuff ourselves again while enjoying a nice evening of baseball and a large prescription of 'cow'bell. Derek, perhaps you'd like to join us?
Ashley | 4/18/2005 11:48:00 PM
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IRA Day
D | Friday, April 15, 2005
As I am sure everyone is aware, today is Tax Day (basically a holiday where I work). I've taken a billion calls in the last week about how to contribute to an IRA. As such, I am just curious - How many of my readers currently have a personal retirement account (IRA, 401k, Roth, Keogh, etc)?
Since the majority of my readers are still in school, I am going to say 90% of my readers do not have a retirement account. Then again, since the majority of my readers are under the age of 30, this might not be that big a deal, right? Wrong! For fun check this out:
Scenario #1: Bob Millor (on the advice of his financial advisor, Adam Ha) starts investing when he turns 35. Ever year from 35-60, he contributes $2,000 (total contributions of $50,000). At an 8% rate of return, he would retire with $157,870.38.
Scenario #2: Doug Walker, an independent investor, sets aside $2,000 per year from the time he is 25-35 and then never contributes another dollar (total contributions of 20,000). At a 8% annual rate of return, he would retire with $222,928.48 or $65,058.10 more than Bob.
Food for thought? Not really. I don't know about you, but I am poor as all get out and can't afford (read would rather blow my money on women and beer) any retirement savings. Ce la vie (Al, is that correct?).
D | 4/15/2005 05:07:00 PM
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You never stop looking
D
Last night I watched the movie Closer. While I think that this is an excellent movie with brilliant writing executed by a flawless cast, the film just does something to me. Something not good. And I know other people feel the same because every time I watch it with someone they end up feeling strange too. If you've never seen the movie there is a good possibility you have no idea what I am talking about, but if you have seen it I bet that it did the same thing to you.
When you finish, you feel bad. Awful, in fact. The movie is about cheating, sex, lust, envy, jealousy, anger - and even if you have never experienced these things in your own life, by watching the drama on the screen you get pulled down into it. The words are so real. When I finish, I don't want to talk or be friendly. I just want to be quiet and remember all the people who have hurt me and all the people I've hurt. Its an ugly thing. The film has an amazing power to take me to a really terrible place that I don't want to be anymore. But I enjoy the film so much - that's a wicked dichotomy.
As far as emotion evoking movies go, this one is a top contender. With that glowing review, if you haven't seen it, you should rent it this weekend. If you have seen it, back me up with a comment.
D | 4/15/2005 07:58:00 AM
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Disclaimer
D | Friday, April 08, 2005
I knew it would happen eventually. In hindsight, writing a post about having a drink during lunch was probably asking for trouble...
Given that, I've added one.
I don't really know where to start. I'm kind of torn. To be sure, there is a discussion to be had about the line between work and personal life. But now, I just don't even know if this is an acceptable forum to conduct that conversation. I've always looked at this blog as my personal journal that I share with the world - my thoughts, my opinions, my complete and total randomness. Whatever I want to write. I've never held back anything controversial. I've never held back because I was worried about ruffling feathers, or rocking the boat, or whatever cliche you want to use. This flagrant disregard for restraint never created a problem in the past because the original readership was only me and my few close friends. Well, the derekwalden.com cat is out of the bag. I was (indeed mistaking) under the assumption that no one else cared enough to read it. And besides, are my thoughts really that controversial? But I've been wrong before and it appears I am wrong again.
What am I doing about it? Cautious investigation is my current path. I'm going to ask questions of people who have answers and make sure I know the rules. That's the plan. Although it makes me sad to say, this time a "Derek-Walden-shaped-hole" might not fit the bill.
Until then, I feel like I have no choice but to refrain from posting any thoughts or comments related to my current employment. Devoted readers should be happy to know that this absence of material should encourage me to complete my next Reflection of Women. Fun times.
D | 4/08/2005 07:23:00 PM
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VP Leo
D | Thursday, April 07, 2005
The episode was so good. It was dramatic and exciting and had good twists and then BAM! Whose stupid ass idea was it to write in Leo as the VP candidate? No no no. This is a terrible idea for about a bazillion reasons, but let me tell you about 3:
1. Booze, pills, heart attack, like 80 yrs old - In the real world this guy would never be nominated as a VP. I say, "A guy falls in a hole and a friend jumps in the hole with him, but the entire country doesn't jump in the hole and nominate him Vice President."
2. Sorkin is rolling over in his grave - The Leo character that Sorkin wrote would have never never never taken a position like this. It is just not Leo's style. He's the guy behind the guy, not the guy in front of the guy behind the guy. Bah.
3. Leo who? - No one knows who Bush's COS staff is. Although Leo has played an integral role in the TV WW, even in fictional Bartlet America, no one would know who Leo is. Case and point, last night on IM with Ash. Ash- No one knows the COS
D-Totally. I don't even know who Bush's COS is
Ash-It's Andrew Card
D- Well, there goes that theory...
Ash-I only know that cause I took some Poli Sci class
D- Whatever, nerd
BAH! I want Vinick to win, but now there is no way they will write out Josh, Leo, and Santos with a Republican win. Viva la Democrats!
D | 4/07/2005 05:13:00 PM
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NYC Trip
D | Tuesday, April 05, 2005
My New York Trip was, as expected, a welcome diversion and delightful Spring Break substitute. Having said that... although I always enjoy my time in NYC, something funny always happens to me - I don't like myself while I'm there. I can't really explain it. The city makes me feel like shit. While I enjoy the big buildings, the "world at my finger tips" sensation, and the hot dogs on every corner, I don't like the insensitive people or the ridiculous pace of life. I find myself becoming rude and aggressive and a total jerk to everyone I meet. It sucks. I guess that's what I really don't like - what the city does to me. Perhaps I should say I don't like how I feel about myself when I'm there.
Given all that... my trip was awesome. Lisa and I had a really good time - without making any hard and fast plans, everything just fell into place. Things worked out great, except for the fact that it was cold and rainy all weekend long. So without further ado, a few pics and story time.
We stay at the Grand Hyatt which turned out to be sweet as all get out. Stay there if you get the chance. The rooms were modern and we had a great view of Grand Central and the Met Life building.
Friday night when we finally got into the city, we headed over to Times Square to eat hot dogs and stroll around. And God was smiling upon me - Times Square Toys R Us was having a huge Star Wars sale-abration for all the new Episode III toys (Theforce.net story and 3 pages of pictures to browse here). There were tons of people in character and fans waiting in line. Although it brought out my true "nerdom" when I quickly called Alex to tell him, I felt like this was starting off as a good sign for the weekend to come.
On Saturday afternoon we saw Twelve Angry Men on Broadway. It was excellent. The show included Ira from Mad About Youu and That Guy from ID4, The Game, and Meet the Parents. The show was excellent.
Later that night Lisa and I decided to get into a fight because we couldn't agree where to eat and it had been raining all day and we were cold and wet and had no umbrella. But fear not, an amazing concert with Ray LaMontagne perked up our moods. In between songs some guy in the crowd shouted, "You're the next Dylan." I simply couldn't agree more.
After the concert we took a cab over to Corner Bistro, simply the best burger joint in all of NYC. And even though it is my favorite burger place in Manhattan, I was unable to provide the cab driver with proper directions. So even though we paid $8 to drive across town, we ended up walking in a big circle in the rain before I stumbled upon the restaurant. I still don't know I could tell a cab driver where it is, but if I ride the subway I can find it.
Sunday morning we went to brunch at the Bryant Park Grill and checked out the NYC Public Library. Its sad to say that after living there for 9 months, walking past it hundreds of times, and taking multiple pictures of the outside, I never once went inside. This time I did.
On our way up town, look at what I found (check out the reflection of Radio City in the glass). Work haunts me...
In the afternoon, we went to MoMA and looked at "art". A few things to keep in mind: 1. I like art 2. While living in NYC, I was a dues paying, card carrying member of the New York Metropolitan Art Museum & 3. I hate "modern art." Anything I can throw on the floor or throw on a canvas or throw up, is not (in my humble opinion) quality art. To some (read Lisa), it may be "art," but to me it is just NOT good art. I took a picture of one of the signs hanging all over the museum. According to this sign, the guards should have no problem with me touching 99% of what is in this museum because 99% of it is NOT art. - - I thank parents and guardians for their cooperation in NOT calling two vacuum cleaners stacked on top of each other a "work of art." Nor is a green helicopter...
I've included some notable pieces I agree are in fact art.
Here I am walking away from my favorite piece in MoMA, an early Picasso which would lead to my favorite painting of his, Guernica.
Probably the best known piece in MoMA.
After the art museum, we started the trek to the airport. And that was about it. We went to the airport and our plane was delayed about 4 hours but we finally made it back to Columbus. Spring Break '04 is in the books and it was great.
D | 4/05/2005 11:43:00 PM
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NYC Vacation
D | Friday, April 01, 2005
From Friday through Sunday I will be visiting my ex-home, NYC.
Plans include seeing Ray LaMontagne on Saturday night, staying at The Grand Hyatt New York above Grand Central Station, and visiting: Central Park, Corner Bistro, The New Yorker, Financial Dist, MET, MoMA, and many many more of my favorite destinations.
Oh riding the A,C, and E again. Bringing back the memories...I'll try to post while there, but will definitely update late Sunday night when I get home. Have a great weekend everybody!
D | 4/01/2005 01:28:00 PM
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American Dreamz
The Dirty Dozen
Superman Returns
Pirates of the Caribbean II
Accepted