"Ever have a song stuck in your head that you can't remember the name of and words to?" is equivalent to asking "Are you a human being?"
My sister was facing that dilemma, talking about a song in Charlie Angels. Turns out it was "Got To Give It Up" by Marvin Gaye. Can you imagine trying to remember that when the only part you can recall is that ... carnival going on in the background and stuff?
What's been the worst this meme-malaise has ever affected you?
Monday, October 06, 2008
Friday, October 03, 2008
Somnabulic(sic) Versus
Good morning!
And so, Joe Biden is ... The MILF Slayer!
Or so he hopes.
Watching the Vice Presidential Debate last night, I am reminded of ... nothing in particular. I really didn't get a huge impact from either candidate. I liked Biden as a VP before; I still do. I didn't think Sarah Palin was someone I wanted as a VP before; I still don't.
Now, did she do a good job in the debate? Yes. I thought she was fine. I actually had read earlier in the day about some of her debate experience, and I expected her to perform well. In sum, I appreciated her style (first half of answer: homesy and cute, second half: super serious -- it was interesting when I could understand her through the sometimes incoherent sentences + accent), but I didn't care for her smart-ass, "guess that's how you do it up here in Washington" vibe. Of course, that vibe worked for Darth Dubya, so perhaps I should shudder with fear. Instead, I shrug. I especially didn't care for the "Her reward is truly in Heaven" comment. It's essentially inocuous, I suppose, but it rubbed me the wrong way.
As for Biden, he was about what I expected him to be. He did a good job, and I always feel strongly for him when the horriffic accident that befell his family is mentioned. I think he did a good job of playing against type and being far more reserved than people tend to think of him, but I don't know of his low-keyness worked for him or against him for people who didn't think he was just going to go up there and make an ass of himself. He didn't just unzip his fly and start peeing on her, which is probably more than some people expected.
What about you?
And so, Joe Biden is ... The MILF Slayer!
Or so he hopes.
Watching the Vice Presidential Debate last night, I am reminded of ... nothing in particular. I really didn't get a huge impact from either candidate. I liked Biden as a VP before; I still do. I didn't think Sarah Palin was someone I wanted as a VP before; I still don't.
Now, did she do a good job in the debate? Yes. I thought she was fine. I actually had read earlier in the day about some of her debate experience, and I expected her to perform well. In sum, I appreciated her style (first half of answer: homesy and cute, second half: super serious -- it was interesting when I could understand her through the sometimes incoherent sentences + accent), but I didn't care for her smart-ass, "guess that's how you do it up here in Washington" vibe. Of course, that vibe worked for Darth Dubya, so perhaps I should shudder with fear. Instead, I shrug. I especially didn't care for the "Her reward is truly in Heaven" comment. It's essentially inocuous, I suppose, but it rubbed me the wrong way.
As for Biden, he was about what I expected him to be. He did a good job, and I always feel strongly for him when the horriffic accident that befell his family is mentioned. I think he did a good job of playing against type and being far more reserved than people tend to think of him, but I don't know of his low-keyness worked for him or against him for people who didn't think he was just going to go up there and make an ass of himself. He didn't just unzip his fly and start peeing on her, which is probably more than some people expected.
What about you?
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Monorail!
Good morning!
As I listen to the talking heads babble on about who's to blame for the initial failure of the alleged leaders in the alleged U.S. Congress to get an alleged deal done to stave off an alleged financial crisis, I am reminded of another great moment in democracy, when the people got to decide their future. I mean, if he says he's on the level, he must be, right?
It strikes me as funny that people seem to have forgotten ... everything that has preceded ... everything. I mean, there is no mystery here. This was a crime that happened in plain sight. We have it on video. It should be easy enough to convict, if that's what everyone wants to do now. The cause of the problems in the housing market were not caused by lack of regulation (we have plenty -- an imperfect system, but a pervasive one), people who were poor credit risks (the worst sectors have been investment and vacation properties), or corporate "greed" (corporations are required BY LAW to seek higher profits for shareholders).
Simply put: Adjustable rate mortgages = people were unprepared to pay higher amounts when the rates adjusted = defaulting on loans. That's all it takes. One bad financial product, sold to thousands or millions, will cripple an economy when given the proper leverage.
More importantly, MUCH, MUCH more importantly, in fact, people fail to realize that refusing this proposal, which was actually pretty innocuous, if not flat-out beneficial for the average person, will cost them money and maybe their jobs. Good move, Springfield. That's not the say the plan was perfect, and again, maybe we just need to do some financial growing up, but what a way to do it.
We could have went to rehab and taken oxycondtin, but now we're gonna go cold turkey. It's gonna be a heckuva withdrawl. Are you ready for that, America?
As I listen to the talking heads babble on about who's to blame for the initial failure of the alleged leaders in the alleged U.S. Congress to get an alleged deal done to stave off an alleged financial crisis, I am reminded of another great moment in democracy, when the people got to decide their future. I mean, if he says he's on the level, he must be, right?
It strikes me as funny that people seem to have forgotten ... everything that has preceded ... everything. I mean, there is no mystery here. This was a crime that happened in plain sight. We have it on video. It should be easy enough to convict, if that's what everyone wants to do now. The cause of the problems in the housing market were not caused by lack of regulation (we have plenty -- an imperfect system, but a pervasive one), people who were poor credit risks (the worst sectors have been investment and vacation properties), or corporate "greed" (corporations are required BY LAW to seek higher profits for shareholders).
Simply put: Adjustable rate mortgages = people were unprepared to pay higher amounts when the rates adjusted = defaulting on loans. That's all it takes. One bad financial product, sold to thousands or millions, will cripple an economy when given the proper leverage.
More importantly, MUCH, MUCH more importantly, in fact, people fail to realize that refusing this proposal, which was actually pretty innocuous, if not flat-out beneficial for the average person, will cost them money and maybe their jobs. Good move, Springfield. That's not the say the plan was perfect, and again, maybe we just need to do some financial growing up, but what a way to do it.
We could have went to rehab and taken oxycondtin, but now we're gonna go cold turkey. It's gonna be a heckuva withdrawl. Are you ready for that, America?
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Growing Pain
Good morning!
Or is it? "Recession." "Panic." "Tumble." "Collapse." "Financial crisis." What's the Truth, as the Digga would say at Da Dominion? I’ll make an analogy or two:
Or is it? "Recession." "Panic." "Tumble." "Collapse." "Financial crisis." What's the Truth, as the Digga would say at Da Dominion? I’ll make an analogy or two:
You get fired from your job. You apply for unemployment and you’re definitely going to have less than you counted on in two weeks when you’re rent is due. You were, unfortunately, living check to check for the most part, even though you we making good money every week.
You ask your parents for help to get you by. Afraid of what their siblings and parents are going to think about them bailing out their stubborn, belligerent kid after telling him for months he needed to change, they refuse. You regress to your youthful, melancholy habit of exhibiting signs of depression and passive-aggressive threats of suicide.
If you skip paying rent, they’ll probably try to evict you from your apartment. You tell that to your parents knowing that that process, in reality, takes about six weeks to complete, and even though you’ll have a pretty lean period in the interim, you’ll be able to pay it before they can actually kick you out. You make some money from side projects after all, and you may even be willing to change your whole paradigm and go freelance if you can’t find a new job. You’re just really sick of having to borrow cash from your buddies and even your frenemies.
You ask your parents for help to get you by. Afraid of what their siblings and parents are going to think about them bailing out their stubborn, belligerent kid after telling him for months he needed to change, they refuse. You regress to your youthful, melancholy habit of exhibiting signs of depression and passive-aggressive threats of suicide.
If you skip paying rent, they’ll probably try to evict you from your apartment. You tell that to your parents knowing that that process, in reality, takes about six weeks to complete, and even though you’ll have a pretty lean period in the interim, you’ll be able to pay it before they can actually kick you out. You make some money from side projects after all, and you may even be willing to change your whole paradigm and go freelance if you can’t find a new job. You’re just really sick of having to borrow cash from your buddies and even your frenemies.
That is our current financial crisis.
It’s a bad situation; you made some bad decisions. You’ve put yourself in a real bind, but that is precisely what has always caused you to find a solution to your problems. You don’t plan ahead enough well enough, and this won’t bring you some grand epiphany, but you’ll get through it fine, even if it changes you and how you do things. It’s called growth. Moreover, it’s called growing up. As a country, we’re still doing it. Why don’t we all just keep it together enough to let time do its work?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
