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That's not being a fan...
D | Sunday, October 30, 2005
That's having a fetish.
-Josh, Artic Radar WW Season 4, Episode 9
Tonight was OMEA state marching band finals. Ashley, Kate, my brother, and I all went up to Dublin-Coffman and listened to West and a few other AA bands. We left before awards, but I can only assume our marching Firebirds captured another Superior ranking.
I don't really know how to put into words the things I love about the band - power, camaraderie, unity. That's close I guess, but those don't really capture what it is. This is another one of those allusive "it"s that words can't capture. The X factor. There are so many things in the world that capture me, yet I can't capture in words. Like the sound of a woman walking in tall black boots. Like the sensation of completeness that washes over you as you drink that cup of coffee after a perfect meal. Like the view from atop a mountain that six hours earlier you stood at the base of. If you ever want to find out why I love marching bands so much, come to States next year.
Some side notes:
1. Dvorak is wonderful everywhere.
2. I will maintain to my dying day that marching band is a sport. We practice just as hard and just as long and if you don't think "the band" is hard work, let's see you pick up a tuba and carry it around for seven minutes while you march in time, much less playing it. You should be able to letter your senior year in band.
3. There is nothing wrong with "band love." We are a tight-knit group and we don't make fun of you for non-band love - so buzz off you snooty Student Council Vice President.
4. I am smarter and more talented because I marched. My involvement in band fostered my love for music. So to certain people in my family who I know love music yet act cool by not being forthright with their band participation, "Shame on you!" Viva la band!
Quote of the night
We are in the car on the way to the competition. Pat's cel phone rings, it's a friend. We can't hear the other side of the conversation.
PAT: Hey. (pause) Uh, me and my brother are hanging out tonight. (pause) Yeah we don't know what we're doing yet...
D | 10/30/2005 01:32:00 AM
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Miers withdrawals
D | Thursday, October 27, 2005
So she withdrew her name from consideration. The reasons cited seem to suggest that she did not want to compromise executive privilege by forcing the White House to release documents detailing her personal counsel to the President. Let me again stress that I do believe she was under-qualified, but other than that I have no personal animosity to her and I don't know anything about her judicial or political views, so I can't comment on them.
With that said (i.e. that was my "no offense but..." qualifier) - this is crap. Removing your name from consideration because you don't want to release documents? You think releasing documents between you and the President "would undermine a president's ability to receive candid counsel." Really? What in God's name did you guys talk about? "Protection of the prerogatives of the Executive branch and continued pursuit of my nomination are in tension." It's not bad writing, but seriously? You have no published judicial records. Either tesify about your opinions or release some documents. Why is this an unreasonable request? Read her letter to the President here (PDF)
My un-educated guess is she resigned because they didn't think she had the votes to be confirmed, which would be a "body blow" to the Bush Presidency. But why would that mater? Bush's approval rating has no where to go but up; quite truly he can't lose much more in the realm of public opinion. If she was the right woman for the job, why not give it a go? So I think she didn't have the votes. Either that or these elusive documents were so bad/embarrassing/inappropriate, that the preferable choice was for Miers to get out of the race rather than letting these documents get out.
Where do we go from here? Who knows? The President already told us he picked the best person for the job, so by default, anyone he nominates now is a second choice. Better find some new language. Here's $10 that says the new nominee will NOT be a woman. Who wants this action?
And just for fun, feel free to re-read my "I'm not a judge, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night" post here (more important my be my comments, so don't forget those).
D | 10/27/2005 02:13:00 PM
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WW's 270
D | Wednesday, October 26, 2005
I'm a Wingnut. It's OK, I admit it, and I can handle it. Even with the Season 5-7's tragic loss of Sorkin, I've remained true to my show. On average, I watch 8 episodes per week. So the following post of West Wing bravado should come as no surprise to anyone. Get out your dry erase boards its...
WEST WING ELECTORAL MATH
According to fellow Wingnuts, the third episode of Season 7 depicted the following electoral map: (red is Vinick, blue is Santos, yellow is undecided)
CURRENT
Basically, Vinick has strong grip on the majority of the country. Odds are good that not too much of that will change. Of important note, Vinick will carry California, a typical Democratic strong hold. Without those 55 votes, winning for Santos becomes tricky. Notice that still undecided states include Texas (his home state), Pennsylvania, and the dynamic presidential swing states of Ohio and Florida (hanging chads and all). If Santos were to take every undecided state, we would have the following scenario...
UNLIKELY SCENARIO
With TX, PA, FL and OH, Santos would eek out a win with 19 votes to spare. But that assumes that A. Vinick picks up no ground in undecided states and B. Santos takes nothing away from Vinick.
I am relatively confident that there is no way John Wells will allow Santos to lose. A Vinick Presidency would leave 1 person in the show who we already know, Vinick. Santos as President keeps Josh, Leo, maybe Donna and Will and a handful of B roles. I agree that in the real world Vinick/Sullivan takes the day, but here in West Wing fiction land, it ends up being Santos/McGarry. Given that - here's the way I think it will actually work out.
Santos carries almost all of the Northeast, except New Hampshire (which is thrown in by the writers as something which will worry Josh). Vinick carries Ohio and our Cincinnati Republican base, but Santos wins Pennsylvania with the help of defeated Democratic candidate, Gov. Eric Baker. Josh pushes Santos to remain true to himself, and his Latino heritage prevails - this brings victories in Texas, Florida, and Arizona (a steal from Vinick). VP candidate Sullivan reels in his home state of West Virginia for Vinick, as does McGarry in Illinois for Santos. Santos also reclaims Oregon (I don't have a good reason why). At that point, Santos wins by 4.
DEREK'S SCENARIO
The problem with this scenario is unless Santos takes back another larger state (i.e. CA or OH) he is winning by a very narrow gap. With only a 4 vote margin, the loss of Oregon, or Arizona, or even Utah with its 5 votes, would change the outcome of the election. Having said that, I am sure it will still work out for Josh and the gang.
Now that I've put this down in writing, I expect Alex to grade my predictions as the election occurs later this season. If you want to work your own scenarios, I used this site, but you can also try here. By the way, NBC has added some "Campaign" pages to the West Wing homepages. They are entertaining. And don't forget, the Nov 6th episode will be a LIVE debate episode. ER had a live episode once and I remember it being interesting, but not grand.
 
And if you're curious, 1105 days till the real-life 2008 Presidential election.
D | 10/26/2005 08:28:00 PM
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Weekend Update
D | Sunday, October 23, 2005
A rainy fall weekend meanders from Friday to Sunday and I don't know where it went...
Friday I was honored to "borrow" Meghan's dog Huey. Huey is the quintessential double-edged sword in my struggle over getting my own dog. For example, he pee-ed in the house twice (once on my couch), crapped in the middle of the floor once, and woke me up at 7AM by standing on my head. Conversely, he loves playing with my socks. He has a pattern - whenever I stop playing with him and start doing something else (TV or blogging), he runs away full steam and disappears into my bedroom. A minute later he proudly returns with a fresh new toy - one of my socks he has unearthed from my dirty clothes pile in my bedroom. It cracks me up every time. We ended our 15 hour visit with 5 socks in my living room.
Saturday was family bonding with the Hughes family and watching OSU dismantle the Hoosiers. At one point, Ashley asked me, "What's a Hoosier?" Anyone (not Ashley) who knows how I responded, post a comment and you're my new best friend. Perhaps most entertaining was the post-game Trivial Pursuit match. I was reading Meghan one question which asked something like, "What body part did the team mascot monkey tear off of Argentinean soccer coach, XYZ in 2002?" Meghan responded with, "His leg?" I responded with, "Yes, the monkey was King Kong and it ripped his LEG off."
Ash and I went and saw Elizabethtown. It was an interesting premise for a film, but very similar to another film I love, Garden State. So I watched that Sunday night. I typically enjoy Cameron Crowe films and this was no exception, although arguably not his best picture, I enjoyed it and would recommend it. Some great music in this film, Buckingham's (of Fleetwood Mac fame) solo piece, Big Love, just cooks and Ryan Adams' heart-wrenching ballad, Come pick me up, is a favorite for cursing ex-girlfriends.
Sunday was sleep and sleep. I had dinner with my family and listened to my mom lecture me about how if I go to Philmont this summer, I won't have enough money to pay my student loans. Oh Mom, its not my student loans that I'm worried about - its my massive crack habit. Although the dynamics in the relation between myself and my parents has changed as I continue to become an actual adult, it occurs to me that my parents will always be my parents. My mom will always wonder what I am doing with my life and wonder how I am going to pay my bills. That's the way its supposed to be, I guess. I love you Mom.
And can someone help me out real quick? There was a quote on Grey's Anatomy tonight when the main character is trying to get a man to be with her, and again I'm approximating here but something like, "Choose me. Pick me. Love me." I feel like I've seen that in a recent movie. What was it?
D | 10/23/2005 11:21:00 PM
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Hokey religions and ancient weapons...
D
... are no match for a good blaster at your side.
-Solo, ANH
And so it will remain in the United States. Today the House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 397 - a bill which prohibits individuals from bringing vexacious litigation against gun manufacturers (Yahoo! article). Feel free to review the text of the bill here.
I am torn on my support for this bill. The text of the bill itself is perfectly reasonable - indeed people who use a product for its intended purpose and end up hurting themselves should not be able to sue the manufacturer of that product (unless the product itself was defective). Suggesting that your client should sue a car company if they get drunk and crash their car, hurting themselves in the process, is bordering on unethical. Before an injured Plaintiff drags corporate America into the courtroom, we should be damn sure we have a valid claim.
Nonetheless, I am a Democrat and I am in favor of strong and meaningful gun control laws. The message and tone of this legislation doesn't help in the fight for tougher gun laws. Don't get me wrong - I think guns, used properly and safely, are fine. I've been educated on gun safety and enjoyed my experiences with recreational gun usage. But I agree with Josh, "We can all get together on the granade launcher right?" (WW, Season 1, Ep 4). There are some weapons that are not for recreation and are not for self defense and exist solely for military use - I think we should be able to find a happy medium and keep the ridiculously destructive and dangerous weapons out of civilian hands.
In addition, while I am well aware that the legal issues present signifigant differences, we sued the tobacco industry and won. Now we have a law banning any litigation against the firearm industry. This basically means we won't be able to push the industry into more self-regulation via litigation. No warning labels on barrell of your 22 or websites to discuss firearm addiction. But that's OK - we will continue fighting the good fight through legislative avenues, which is fine, but a much slower process.
If you're curious about gun deaths in the US, check out some stats compared to other countries here.
D | 10/20/2005 07:31:00 PM
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Burn this place down
D | Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Things about my vacation to New York:
Expansion
The Akron Canton Airport is currently undergoing renovation for a new two-tiered terminal. You heard me right. An airport which currently has 8 gates is expanding with a elevated terminal, just in case they bring back the Concord.
Sudoku
Damn you Dr. Hughes! A Japanese puzzle game is my new hobby/obsession. If you've never played one, DON'T. They are addicting and will really cut into your TV watching time. On vacation I actually taught myself how to complete these puzzles in a logical analytical fashion. Now I destroy them in just a few minutes. To play online, try this site.
Sweaty Mc-Sweat-erson
So in the musical Moving Out, no one speaks. It is more like a rock opera with Billy Joel's music sung by a band and the dancers just doing ballet. We were in the first row which at a Gallagher show this is called "The Splash Zone." The name was appropriate here as well because apparently ballet is the sweatiest activity known to man or beast. I thought Eddie (of Brenda and Eddie fame) was going to fling sweat into me on numerous occasions. It was still a good show. My favorite part was after intermission when they couldn't get something to work - so the band entertained us with random 70s rock - Clapton, Aerosmith, etc. Myself and the girl next to me bonded over the piano solo in Layla.
No Cow
My favorite painting at the Met is called The Innocent Eye by Mark Tansey. It is a scene from a museum where multiple men in glasses and lab coats are observing the reactions of a cow as it evaluates a painting of some other cows (a real painting, The Young Bull by Paulus Potter). You have to see it to get the irony. It is a satire on art critics and how we perceive and evaluate "art." Anyway, the painting was NOT THERE. The Information Desk verified that the painting was in the museum's permanent collection, but simply was not currently on display. I was so pissed that I was accurately quoted as saying, "I am going to burn this place down."
An actual Ashley Quote
Is Yahoo chocolate milk or chocolate soda? (I am sitting in bed holding a drink)
Slanted urinals
Ruvym agreed that the new urinals with slanted walls are the ideal design for such a receptacle. Also, Ruvym kicks ass. Thanks for the pizza.
Red Acura
On the drive home from Akron, I was encouraging the car infront of me in the fastlane to get out of the way (read, I was tailgating his ass because he was driving too slowly). He got pissed and decided he would take off and leave me in the dust - which he did - directly infront of a cop. The Statey pulled out behind me, flipped on his lights, and busted the guy. Opps sorry - next time GET OUT OF THE FAST LANE (and let me get the ticket).
D | 10/12/2005 07:21:00 PM
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ANSWERS to Guess the Movie Soundtrack
D
The Guess the Movie Soundtrack turned out to be a big hit. Thanks to everyone who submitted a guess. Alex won the competition with a score of 19-1-3. Another remix will probably be posted within the week. Before I did so, I wanted to survey some of my participants. Should the next mix be....?
A. John Williams only (less difficult)
B. 10 selections in 60 seconds (more difficult)
ANSWERS
1. Superman, Williams - Hint: Clark
2. LOTR: The Fellowship of the Rings, Shore - Hint: Shire
3. Lawrence of Arabia, Jarre - Hint: Plaza de Espana
4. Jurassic Park, Williams - Hint: T-Rex
5. Gone with the Wind, Steiner- Hint: Tara
6. ET; The Extra-Terrestrial, Williams - Hint: Bike-ride
7. Back to the Future, Silvestri - Hint: Delorian
8. Silverado, Broughton - Hint: Cowboy
9. Magnificent Seven, Bernstein - Hint: Siete
10. SW, Ep V: The Empire Strikes Back, Williams - Hint: Vader
11. The Godfather, Coppola - Hint: Coppola
12. The Shawshank Redemption, Newman - Hint: Zihuatanejo
13. Titanic, Horner - Hint: Leo
14. The Hunt for Red October, Poledouris - Hint: Ping
15. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Williams - Hint: Hedgewick
14B. The Hunt for Red October (reprise)
16. Batman, Elfman - Hint: Joker
17. The Matrix Revolutions, Davis - Hint: Kung-fu
18. Crimson Tide, Zimmer - Hint: Alabama
19. Gladiator, Zimmer - Hint: Maximus
20. Raiders of the Lost Ark (Indiana Jones), Williams - Hint: Whip
21. Rudy, Goldsmith - Hint: Irish
22. 2001: A Space Odyssey, Strauss - Hint: Hal
23. Bridge on the River Kwai, Alford - Hint: Guinness -- (I was also accepting The Parent Trap, Stripes, and SpaceBalls as correct answers for this selection.)
D | 10/11/2005 06:43:00 PM
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