Funny Stuff...

Not much going on. I'm going to get crazy next month and try and blog every day of Feb. Hold on to your hats, it's gonna get wild. They may not be long and I may not make it, but 28 blogs in 28 days is about to blow your mind. Today I just wanted to share a couple of quick vids with you that made me lose my sh*t. Too funny...





As always, go big or go home...

-M, p, z & shredder

Inauguration...

President Obama.















Probably one of the greatest and most unique experiences in my life. I can't say that in such a short period of time, anyone has inspired so much, not just in me, but in a country. The 'We Are One' concert was amazing. Easily the best concert I've ever been to in my life, not so much musically, but for the woodstock-ian experience and the crowd and the vibe and the purpose. We really were One. E Plurbus Unum indeed. The Boss, Mellencamp, Garth Brooks, Stevie, James Talyor, U2... throw in Prince and it would have encapsulated every must see concert of my generation. Garth Brooks stole the show, though Mary J. was a very close second. What's up with Stevie not getting to sing an entire song?

Inauguration was amazing. It's hard to describe the sentiment of being there and seeing it in person. It's one of those things you'll never forget and tell your kids about. If I had to choose a single word to describe the event it would be Energy. So many people overjoyed at seeing this event, coming from all over the world just to stand in the freezing cold and knowing that they would not even glimpse the man they came to see, but still coming just to be there and listen and maybe catch him on a screen, was something I'll never forget.















On another note, while everyone was in great spirits, I think people could have been a little more polite at the mention of Bush's name. There seemed to be a sentiment that, according to the guy at the coffee shop, Bush was "public enemy number 1." While I agree he was a terrible president and left our country in ruins and more divided than ever politically, he was not public enemy number 1. He was not an evil person. He just had different ideas than most. I don't think he ever did anything maliciously, he was just an idiot. Anyways, everyone clapped and waved as his helicopter flew over our heads.

Go big or go home.

-M, p, z & shredder

oh ps -
tell 'em what to watch: 30 Rock (NBC @ 9:30). I need to devote an entire blog to this show. I only recently joined the masses in loving this and need to spend a good few paragraphs explaining it's greatness.

Random Thoughts...

Just had a few things on my mind today so I thought I'd share. Obviously a big week. As far as President Elect Obama, I want to say how amazing his speech was. It wasn't the most inspired thing I've ever heard, but the sentiment was perfect. He really tried to express the tone of Kennedy's, "Ask not what you can do for your contry...," speech. A lot of pundits, especially republicans, are saying that Obama promised the world on a silver platter and now he is going to disappoint everyone. But I think that he has been very clear all along. It will take time and it will take work. I thought his tone was focused and clear and inspiring in the sense that people who voted for him didn't just get excited about voting, or the candidate or change, but about politics. He inspired people to get involved and care about what's happening. I think that's why people voted for him and that's why he is going to be a great president. The Revue always looks to the West Wing to prove his point and so I think I will too:

"Bartlet: Here’s an answer to your question that I don’t think you’re going to like. The current crop of 18-25 year olds is the most politically apathetic generation in American history. In 1972, half of that age group voted. In the last election, 32%. Your generation is considerably less likely than any previous one to write or call public officials, attend rallies, or work on political campaigns. A man once said this, "decisions are made by those who show up." So are we failing you, or are you failing us? It's a little of both."



Another thing I was concerned about the night before the election was the appointment of judges. I never really thought about why I should vote for one judge over another and the more I thought about it the more confused I got. I was deciding between a current (republican) Michigan Supreme court judge and his democratic opponent. I looked at their views and their opinions and then had the thought that they shouldn't matter. Political preference should not play any role at all for a judge. They should actually have no tendencies one way or another. The role of a judge is to enforce the law, not to interpret it as they see fit. They are not law makers. They can't decide one way because they feel a certain way on the issue. They must be unbiased in order to maintain any sense of fairness. Anyways, I kind of went back and forth for a bit because obviously I'd like people to interpret the law the way I think, but who are we to do that. It's a slippery slope that I'd really never even thought of before.

One more political point I want to talk about is the fact that Democrats almost had complete power in government. As left and liberal as I am, I don't think I ever want to see one party gain complete control over government. There has to be fairness for checks and balances to work properly. To have a filibuster proof government is absurd. I may agree with democrats on a lot of things, but certainly not everything. If not for unrealistic and terrible foreign policy ideas and many silly domestic ideas, I'm actually much more of a Green Party person. I think republicans represent almost half the country. To completely disregard them is not just unfair but it's wrong. I'm glad there is still some order in congress and Dems to not have all the power.

On that same note, I also sincerely believe that America should be divided into two. This election seemed so divisive. It seemed people either voted for Obama or thought he was a terrorist. I honestly think the south should secede. They can have their guns and pollution and anti-gay, anti-minority sentiment and we'll have our tree hugging, universal health care, stem-cell research, progressive taxed people who care about more things than money and abortion. I truly believe the country would be in a better place. You want a different lifestyle go down south. I've never seen so much hate and ridiculous ignorance than when they would show people in the south who honestly believed in their hearts that Obama was a terrorist and was going to take over America with the teachings of Islam. Those people deserve their own place to live.

Anyways, I was actually gonna talk about a few other things but this is already long enough. Suffice to say that I can't wait for the coming years and what this country is going to do. It's an exciting time and just because the elections over doesn't mean it's too late to get involved. It really hasn't even begun yet. As always, go big or go home...

-M, p, z & shredder

oh ps - my favorite part of the speech was about 6:15 into this clip. It's when everyone else is walking off stage and Obama is standing there waving to the people, and maybe it was the awesome superman-esque music in the background, but you can't help but get pumped and see it in his eyes that he's gonna be great.

Tonight...

So the day is finally upon us. In a few hours we'll know who the next president is. Kind of intense. I'm scared Obama might lose but if he does I really hope McCain returns to the old well respected senator and not the guy saying whatever he can to get a vote. He used to be an awesome dude and if he wins, I'm hoping that he is satisfied and stops being a dick. Just a couple things I wanted to mention

- I didn't get a sticker this morning when I voted which is pretty sad.
- I felt kind of giddy after connecting the arrows next to Barack's name
- My dad just became a citizen last year after 35 years in this country and never thought the first time he would vote would be for a black president
- If Barack wins, I can't wait for the extreme white racists start going crazy
- I hope it doesn't take all night to figure out (i'm already kind of tired)

Anyways, I'll talk about the Iverson trade next time. Too many thoughts right now to go over it. As always, go big or go home. If you haven't done so yet, get out there. You still have a couple hours to get your vote in. As long as you are in line before it closes, they have to let you vote.

-M, p, z & shredder

oh ps - this was awesome. so glad i was at state for this

Govt. 101...

With the election only a short 10 days away, it still amazes me how little people know. Not just about the candidates, but about government in general. This is one case where I don't entirely blame people. Sure it is up to every person to take a sincere interest in the way government works, but if you don't want to there's nothing anyone can do to make you. But, they can make you learn about it in school. I think the last time we learned about government was in 8th grade. I was 13. I couldn't vote for another 5 years. Why on earth was that the last time they tried to teach me about government.

You know what I was doing when I was 13? Playing Magic: The Gathering. It's absurd to think that I would pay enough attention to retain all that information years later when it was my time to vote. Why do I even need to know that in 8th grade? Not that I am opposed to teaching government at an early age. I think the early you start doing it the better. But it's not really as simple as addition. It should be taught early and then built upon for years in high school and then really focused on wen you are 17 or 18. Senior year of high school should be spent talking about lobbyists and special interests and where money is spent and how to figure out which candidate is right for you. You can't expect to learn everything you need to know about voting just by listening to a couple people argue about issues for a few months. I need to know where money is going and why I should vote a certain way on a certain issue. For as little as America knows about the rest of the world, we also don't know anything about our own country. We are a nation filled with people who just don't care and even worse, are allowed to vote based on nothing.

Sure voting is a right, but it should be treated as a privilege. People should not be allowed to vote based on some inherited view of politics for what their uncle or some random person thinks. It should be based on your own principals and thoughts. I know too many people who are voting for Obama but have no idea why. They say they want change but don't know which Bush policies they want changed. They'll say, "I like his ideas on health care," but have no idea what those ideas are. I have made it a point over the last year to involve myself in this election and learn all I can about the candidates. It started before the primaries and I made a serious effort to learn about every democratic candidate I could. Unfortunately Michigan didn't have a Primary so my effort was somewhat fruitless. But the point is that I still don't know everything I should. I can't imagine trying to jump in this late and decide.

To nutshell a little bit, I think people are idiots and many don't deserve to vote or don't know enough to. Also, I'm scared McCain might win. I'm out. Go big or go home.

-M, p, z & shredder

Joe Somebody...

Really? Joe? If that old creepy dude calls me 'my friend' one more time, I might punch him square in the nose. He's not my friend. I have friends who are republicans. He is not one of them. That debate last night continued to reveal McCain to be a crotchety old man who doesn't understand what he's doing. He keeps on attacking Obama like a 12 year old would. I'm sure if he spent more time explaining his plans, people would listen more. Instead he's always trying to poke holes in Obama's ideas and 'record' but Barack always seems to have the right thing to say back. If it comes down to a war of words Obama is gonna take it. Unfortunately it doesn't. It comes down to crazy people who think Palin would be good for the country. Regardless, I'll stop talking about politics for a second.

Has anyone been watching TV lately? Not the news but programming. I haven't really but I have seen some good ones. If you aren't a fan of Chuck and didn't heed my advice from last year, it's a good show so check it out. It's on right before Heroes (which I haven't seen yet this season but I hear it's better than last (thank god for Tivo)). Also FX has a show on wed nights called Sons of Anarchy. It's not bad. Sort of Sopranos meets Biker Gang. I don't remember exactly the state their from but I think it's in New Mexico maybe? It's on wed nights and it's worth a watch if you're bored. Grey's is actually pretty good so far this year. Not ridiculous but better than last season. Other than that I have seen nothing. What's good? Anything new? I'm boycotting that show "The Mentalist" because it is essentially a rip-off of Psych (best show on tv period) only it doesn't look like it's funny. My hatred of CBS grows stronger by the day. Despite my pleas and amazement, Two and a Half Men continues to dominate. It's people like that that make me think McCain is going to win.

Still no luck on the permanent job front. I've been applying to Nonprofits and Productions companies still. I guess wherever I get a job first will determine my life. I'm just sort of going with it. Catering will have to make do for now but I would really prefer a full time gig with benefits and a salary. Also, I'm working on some new scripts so if anyone has any ideas or wants to collaborate let me know, I need someone to bounce ideas off of.

Anyways, I guess that's it. Go big...

-M, p, z & shredder

White People...

Brown Guy posted this on the book and it sort of represents why I'm scared why Obama might lose. People honestly think like this and it's scary. I love how being a Muslim is equated with killing and bombing. Americans are awesome.



-M, p, z & shredder

ps - little bit of shocking news, Terrance Howard will not be returning to do Iron Man 2. Not exactly sure why yet but sources say it was financial issues along with other things. I hate when characters get replaced (except Maggie for Katie in Dark Knight). Luckily he's being replaced by Don Cheadle who is one of my favorite actors. It's strange, I don't like characters changing but the one thing I was mildly disappointed with was the character of Col. Rhodes. Hopefully Cheadle can make me forget all about Howard. I'm hoping Cheadle turns into War Machine and that he looks like this...

Octoberfest...

Sorry I haven't blogged in a bit. If you recall I was reliving my youth back in Lansing for homecoming. I've never actually been to homecoming when I didn't already live in Lansing so it was always more of a home-staying. But it was an awesome drunken weekend and state won again and is finally ranked. This season is going kind of awesome so far (fingers crossed) and I'm kind of jealous of other schools that get to have a good football team ever year. Although a lot is to be said about rooting for a bad team forever and being there when they are good. Not that they have won anything or whatever, and we have been ranked at least a few years since I've been a fan, but not usually 6 weeks into the season. I tried to make a documentary about the weekend and homecoming and I tried to capture what it was like but it turned out pretty bad. Essentially it started out the way subarau diaries starts out but then rapidly evolves into me being drunk and/or tired and getting drunk for almost all of it. I'll still try and piece something together because there are some funny parts but it's kind of silly.

Other than that I have pretty much lost all respect of McCain. As I pointed out before, he is senile, but now he's added crotchety, creepy and liar to that list. Did everyone watch the debate last night? He was pretty much hunched over, stiff and creepy throughout the whole thing. Whenever someone asked a question he sort of waddled over and got uncomfortably close without touching them but kind of like the close-talker in Seinfeld and then would spout off some contorted lie about Obama and what he wants to do. I think there were maybe 3 times when Barack stopped Brokaw from talking and pretty much said McCain can't get away with saying what he just said. Overall I thought Obama did great and was very clear and calm and I think any undecided middle class voter would be an idiot not to vote for him. I do think somehow McCain held his ground a little bit and through his bitter old man routine, got through to some republicans.



Sarah Palin is a hot mess though. Seriously. Aside from accusing Obama of hanging out with terrorists in his spare time, she is lying about all of his plans and what he wants to do. I don't see how she or McCain can constantly keep trying to tell people that he is going to raise their taxes. It's absurd. It seems more absurd than usual. Blatantly lying to people by telling half truths is always how you win elections but Palin is like a bench player talking trash during a championship series; they really have no idea what is going on or how to play the game but they feel like they are the truth.

Anyways not a whole lot is going on otherwise. It's kind of silly. I need to do something. I'm still applying to non-profits and have found some really good ones and I'm hoping to hear back but chances are I'm not qualified. I promise next blog I'll talk about something other than myself. I'm out. Go big..

-M, p, z & shredder

McCain is Senile...

It happens to a lot of old people. They start to lose their memory. They start to remember things differently. They are unable to answer questions that they are asked and instead go off on some tangent about nothing related. It's like on the Cosby show when Dr. Huxtable would try and tell a story about something but inevitably it would end up about his days at Hilman and when he was a kid. So it doesn't strike me as odd that it happened to McCain. He's an old dude and that's what happens to old people. They lose their minds. You ask them a simple question and you get a ridiculous answer.



I stole this from that guy over at the Revue but it's worth a repost.



Recently though, he has gotten out of control. Remember back in 2000 how McCain wasn't crazy? I remember thinking that I hope Gore wins, but McCain isn't the worst that could happen. That was almost a decade ago. Since then he crossed into his 70's and lost his mind. This guy is over 70 years old. I don't even want my parents to work in the yard too long or do anything too stressful because they're old and they are a decade younger than McCain. He has gone senile. He forgot everything he used to stand for and has lost all of his principals. I used to respect him. Remember when people wanted him to come over to to the Democrats? People thought he could transcend party lines. But he stayed on the Dark side. He's kind of like Darth Vader. He used to be good but then got too tempted by power. Then he became everything the Sith represented: power crazy and loyal to people who only cared about money and power. Right now he is at the point where he cuts off Luke's hand. He's got Han Solo frozen in carbonite and we are all just shocked at what is happening. Hopefully the rest of this election process goes like Star Wars did and the good guys win, but so far we haven't gotten to the good part when he comes to his senses and he throws the Emperor (George Bush) into the main reactor of the Death Star.



Anyways, I'm out. Go big.

-M, p, z & shredder

Uh...Um...

I can't speak for everyone here, but I can remember growing up and being told not to use the word 'um.' Not like it was a bad word, just that it made a sound that evokes an absence of thought. By saying 'uh' or 'um' you were decreasing the value of your words. I used to agree with this theory. It sounds silly coming out of my mouth. Mostly because I don't have a simple 'uh' or 'um.' I tend to say, "ummmmmmmmm uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh." Basically I sound like an idiot.

Never before has someone made the words 'uh' and 'um' sound so smart as when Barack Obama does it. It's actually strangely refreshing to hear those forbidden public speaking words. I have grown so used to the idiotic chuckle of Bush that I forgot what it was like when someone important speaks. W literally turned my brain into a bowl of broccoli and cheese soup. But hearing Obama use the words 'uh' and 'um' brings tears to my eyes. To think that there is actually someone out there who doesn't have every thing planned out is incredible. Someone who actually thinks about the words that are going to come out of his mouth. Listening to him answer questions is real. He takes his time to think about it and answers them with careful insight. As opposed to Bush who would make a joke about something that could possibly be slightly related and then move off topic.

Also, with less than 55 days to go, this election is getting real. I can't wait for the debates and I especially can't wait for the VP debate. Actually any debate. McCain is considerably outmatched when it comes to being able to answer questions and provide a real answer other than quoting some stump speech and Palin is gonna do about as well against Biden as I would. It's going to be interesting.



Is it just me or was he almost Michael Douglas a la The American President here. I feel like Obama has almost covered all of these areas in the last week or so. He's said about McCain recently, "It's not that he doesn't care, it's that he doesn't get it." "Let's talk about the issues." "Say what you want about me..." It's like the Obama camp called in Aaron Sorkin to write a few things down for them but Sorkin just told them to watch his movie...



Anyways, I'm out. Go big.

-M, p, z & shredder

66 Days and Counting...

With the election just 66 days away, the last 24 hours have kind of been ridiculous. First of all if you missed Obama's speech last night, you honestly missed one of the best political speeches I have seen in my lifetime. My cousin, a staunch Republican, was even impressed. It was the highest rated convention in television history. My favorite fact about last night was that more people watched it that the American Idol finale. That might sound like that should be how the world works, but when you look at the numbers, and the number of people who seem apathetic or disinterested in the world, it's huge. It was really something to see, and on the 45th anniversary of Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech, he grasped the notion of it without making it seem like he was trying to cash in on the inspiration of it.



click on the video and follow links to see all of the parts to the speech

Then today McCain made the out-of-nowhere choice for Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska. It was, I suppose, generous of him to not announce it last night, but really, what is he thinking? It's kind of an insane choice if you ask me. I understand he wants to grab those possible Hillary votes, and also the conservative Republican vote, but it's bad for a few reason. First off, if he thinks he can get Hillary votes just because they are women, I hope he's wrong. I hope that people voting for Hillary were doing so for policy reasons and not because she was a woman, and on that Palin and Clinton couldn't be more different. It should hopefully backfire right in his face. Obama picked Biden in what I think was a smart move. He strengthened his 'weaknesses' but still added something to his campaign that it might have been lacking. Palin has as much foreign policy experience as me. Literally. She has as much national policy experience as me. Literally. Aside from being Gov. of Alaska for less than 2 years she has done nothing. She was on some school board or something before she became mayor of Wasilla. I have been to Alaska and I have been to Wasilla. There is nothing there at all. So little that we didn't even get out of the train, the tour guide told us that everything we see is the whole city. The only reason it has any notoriety is because it is the official starting point for the Ididarod. The big dog sled race. It's famous for having nothing there except for this. The city's name is derived from, "All I Saw," in reference to the dog race. All I Saw backwards is Wasilla. Truth.

Anyways, another reason it's awful is because of who she is. A terrible super right wing conservative. I know lots of republicans and some of my best friends are registered GOP lovers. But there's a difference between your average Republican and right wing Evangelical Christian Republicans. They are terrible. They are the people who send their gay children to christian rehab centers to cure them of their gayness. These are people who believe that they are the saviors of the world and their word is gospel. Aside from her anti-abortion, anti-gay rights, anti-renewable energy, she is also pro-guns, pro-drilling in ANWR, pro-oil and pro-Bush. If McCain added her to add some diversity and 'change' to his campaign, he failed. She is essentially an old white Strom Thurmond, only she's young and attractive.

Anyways, go big.

-M, p, z & shredder

Party Like a Rock Star...

If you haven't been watching the Democratic National Convention, you need to. I guess everyone's been saving their money speeches for this week and I'm sure Barack's will be no different tonight. Former president Clinton gave a great speech last night. Great enough, I think, to make everyone forget how annoying he became during Hillary's run. He made me admire him again and realize all over again why I wish he would have been able to run for a third term. Also, Steven Spielberg produced a tribute to US Veterans and it was pretty awesome. Then again, when has he ever done something bad that was related to the military or army?



Sadly though, the more people I talk to about politics or more specifically, this election, the more I realize no one cares. Despite everything in this country being in the shits, people still don't care enough to read a paper or watch the news. It amazes me to hear what little people know about an election as important as this one, and it demoralizes me to hear that they just don't care. I'm not sure what the notion behind all this apathy is? That maybe this election doesn't effect them? That it doesn't matter who the president is? That watching America's Got Talent is somehow more beneficial to them than deciding who to vote for?

I admit that I am not the most knowledgeable person when it comes to politics or the inner workings of lobbyists and congress, but I'm trying. And I'm also not trying to sound self-righteous. I love watching inane shows as much as anyone else, but I do have a problem when people don't pay attention to what's happening or know anything about what is going on, but pass themselves as people who care; concerned citizens. Doubtful. I'm fine with the people who willingly admit they don't care. It takes more self awareness to admit that. I don't agree with them, but I respect their decision to not care about the election and then not vote. What bothers me are the people that don't care but say they do. The ones who say they are voting for someone and then can't give an answer as to why. This is how Bush got elected twice. People don't pay attention to anything and then we end up with an awful president for 8 years.

Anyways, tonight Barack accepts the Democratic Nomination and will probably give one of the best speeches since the one he gave at the convention in 04. Watch it. It'll be on at least 8 different channels and he will probably speak around 9 though it could come earlier. Regardless if you are already voting for him, or voting for McCain, just watch it. Take an interest in the world you live in. I realize college football kicks off tonight. I'm not saying you need to listen to what a bunch of random suits have to say about every single line anyone has said during this election, or pretending like they have some insight into politics because I hate the pundits as much as anyone else. But I do think you should watch Obama's speech tonight and McCain's next week. It's important.

Sorry. That turned into a rant. Anyways, go big or go home...

-M, p, z & shredder

Running Mate...

So my boy, Obama, is supposed to pick his running mate soon. I can't remember ever caring so much, or finding this particular selection as important as it is now. In 04 I was all about John Edwards in the primary and when he lost, the one thing that made me really want John Kerry as president was that J.E. was his running mate. In retrospect, I guess it's a good thing the Democrats didn't have another adulterer in the White House.

This election seems like a toss up though. It seems like there are people from both parties going over to the other side. People who liked Hillary might vote for McCain and people who hate Bush might be voting for Obama. I guess that's why his running mate is so important. It really will capture the votes that he needs to win some swing states. I think going with someone from Ohio or Pennsylvania would be a smart move if he thought it was going to come down to Ohio. The Governor of Virginia Tim Kaine, seems to be getting quite a bit of attention, but I don't know if he's my guy. I think he's got what Obama needs as far as getting a more conservative vote, or getting some of the Hillary votes that are going to McCain but I don't think he should be the choice.

If it were up to me, I'd be choosing between Gov. Richardson of New Mexico and Sen. Biden from Delaware, both of whom were presidential candidates. I know there hasn't been much mention of Richardson in VP talks but I think they are both great choices even though they have very opposing opinions on many things. I think Richardson would be the best for "change" and would help to usher in the new generation that Obama (hopefully not rhetorically) talks about all the time. He's very pro-alternative energy. Very pro-bringing-home-the-troops. Essentially he's a really smart left wing guy who isn't some crazy radical. On the other hand I think Biden brings in a little bit of reality to Sen. Obama's "fairytale." Biden is a guy who's been around for a long time and I think he is a really good person to bring in to counter all of McCain's "war experience." Biden knows his stuff and has really good foreign policy ideas as far as what to do in Darfur and about getting out of Iraq as far as energy dependancy goes.

I guess in a perfect world Richardson would be VP and Biden would be some sort of official or Secretary of State. But chances are that won't happen. To be honest, I think it's tough enough trying to elect Obama without adding a Latino to the ticket in Richardson. Unfortunately this country is still filled with people who would vote against either of them or both of them just because of their name or ethnicity. It boggles my mind that the number of people who believe Obama is a Muslim is actually increasing.

Anyways, we'll find out soon enough I suppose. Just wanted to put my two cents in before an announcement was made. As always, go big.

-M, p, z & shredder

oh ps - just an fyi, i get a lot of the pics I post here from the nytimes as it's my homepage and occasionally I'll see something that'll make me want to blog or that I've been meaning to talk about. just wanted to mention that in case people thought I was stealing topics or thoughts from there.

Yes, We Can...

Though Clinton clearly can't win now that Obama has enough delegates, she still won't drop out. I'm not sure what kind of sense, if any, that makes but I'm going to try and figure out her line of reasoning. Either she has actually deluded herself into thinking that she won the popular vote (she didn't), she thinks that her being white will even everything out in the end (it won't (I hope)), she believes that staying in somehow gives a voice to all the people who voted for her. The logic in all of these reasons is flawed but it seems to be the last one that she is sticking to as her story.

First of all, just because she is still fighting doesn't mean that she's making the "18 million people who voted for her" have a voice, it means she's more stubborn that I am which is a difficult feat. It's an election. That's what happens. People lose. Even, in the case of Gore in 2000, the majority on occasion. She didn't win the majority, she has no chance of winning the nomination and yet somehow she thinks she should stay in. What about the millions who voted for Edwards in the primaries in 04? What about the millions who voted for Kerry in 04? should everyone who runs get to be president? Is that what she's implying? Obviously not really, but if you break it down that's pretty much what it boils down to. It's kind of insane.

Anyways, enough about that. Just had to mention something because she's kind of driving me crazy. Here's the newest trailer for that lovable Wall-E. If you don't start to laugh at about 1:20 into it, you don't have a heart.



As always, go big....

-M, p, z & shredder

Yes, We Will?...

Seriously Hillary? You can't think of your own hook so you steal my boy's? That's a little pathetic right? In case you didn't see her speech last night, Hillary ranted for a while about Barack's 'empty' speeches and figured the best way to make her point was to steal his catch phrase. Crazy.

Anyways...Sunday was senior night for the MSU basketball team and I saw something that reminded me why I love sports so much. I have never really been a huge college basketball fan. In high school I used to only watch March Madness and got more into it after going to college at a school that had a great basketball team. Over the years though, I have come to appreciate NCAA hoops a lot more. While there are still many things I don't like about it (35 second shot clock, most players suck, can't shoot, 3 point line is too close (though it's changing next year)) there is so much about it that is basketball at it's best.

Oftentimes in the NBA the 'love' gets lost. Players forget that they get to play basketball for a living and make more money than would ever be necessary. People decide that they are going to turn down a 3-year 27 million dollar contract because that's "not enough money to feed their family." They lose the love and claim that their 'heart is in their chest' and not with a team and leave a beloved team and city for more money with a rival. They bicker about every single call or no-call to the refs and argue with their coaches.

College basketball is different. It is people playing basketball because they love it. Because they love to be on a team and compete. Sure winning is important but it's not everything. At least to most schools. If you aren't a top tier school, the odds of even making the tournament are pretty slim given the number of D1 schools. People play because they love the sport. They respect the other teams, the other coaches and best of all, they go 100 percent on every single play. You never see people walk up the court getting back on defense or play lazy, partly because they have a short schedule but mostly because they want to play hard.
















So at senior night on sunday, en route to blowing out 12th ranked Indiana by 30, Drew Neitzel and Drew Naymick played their last games at home for the Spartans. I remember when they were both freshman and talking about how good we were going to be with Neitzel and while we haven't won a championship we got to the final four under him. It was sad to see them go because they always played their hearts out and on their way off their home court for the last time they each kneeled down and kissed the "S" at center court. It was a pretty touching moment I think for any Spartans fan and hopefully for basketball fans in general. They loved the game so much and appreciated every second on the court so much that they kissed the floor of a gym where they spent 4 years working their asses off for free. That's why I love basketball and that made me love not only the Spartans, but basketball in general a whole lot more.

Anyways, that's all for now. Go big...

-M, p, z & shredder

oh ps - if you know what's good for you, you'll go buy Vampire Weekend. Best cd I've purchased in a long time. For realz.

Winter or Spring. Just Pick One...

I was going to write about Be Kind, Rewind but after 4 straight blogs about movies I think it's time to change the subject.

I love Winter. I also love spring. I love all seasons actually. But I hate the cusp between winter and spring the most. Right now. When it's late February and it's getting a little warmer and the sun is staying up a little later I start to get excited. But it' bittersweet. I love snow and winter and cleaning off my car after a storm. And I also finally started snowboarding and I haven't gotten enough of it yet. But on the other hand, if it was just 20 degrees warmer I could put on a sweater and play golf. I would kill to play golf right now.














It's just the worst in between phase there is. Actually no, the period right before winter also sucks. Essentially for both in between phases there is just a period of time where it's too cold to do fun things outside but not also not snowing so it's nice out. That was one of the only bad things about Michigan. It really does experience every season to the fullest. Every single week is a slow progression into the coming season. New York on the other hand, was 4 distinct seasons including a very short winter. One day it's summer, the next it's fall. No in between days. It's kind of nice.

Of course soon there will be the usual spring preview that Michigan loves so much. One random week in late March or early April where, for no apparent reason, it will be 75 for 2 or 3 days in a row followed by a sudden drop back to the 30s and about 3 more inches of snow. I will never understand that but I love Michigan for that.

Anyways, thats really all I have to say about that. But seriously, Be Kind, Rewind is a must see. Very commercially appealing and much more mainstream than Gondry's earlier films. I personally liked it more than Science of Sleep but not as much as Eternal Sunshine.

Go big...

-M, p, z & shredder

oh ps - Anyone watch the debate last night? Is it just me or does every time Clinton opens her mouth make her less appealing. She has gotten so negative, not just with attacks on Barack but just the whole tone of her campaign, that I can't stand to hear her talk anymore. It's strange that just a few months ago I was on the fence about which one to vote for and now (granted I've put all of my eggs in Obama's basket but still) I almost can't stand Hillary. It's too bad. Not only is she ruining herself in my eyes but she's taking my boy Bill with her. Hopefully she loses on Tuesday and bows out gracefully...

Can Indeed...

Anthony stole my topic over at Ibodera so I just thought I'd repost here...

Vote Tomorrow!!!!!!



-M, p, z & shredder

Rolling Through SC...

In case you missed it last night, Barack had quite a night in South Carolina. It was again the largest turnout for a primary/caucus. So far every state has set a new state record for voter turnout which is really amazing. It's pretty fantastic actually...



















Also, Tsonga may be my new favorite tennis player. In recent years I had been rooting for Nadal only because he posed the only real threat to Federer, but now I am hoping Tsonga will be the next best thing. Even though he lost last night ot Djokovic in the final, it was still a great match and hopefully he'll be around for a minute.

Also in case you missed Obama's victory speech in SC...





More later...Go big...

-M, p, z & shredder

oh ps - I'm usually one to love winter from december through march but to be honest I think I'm over the snow. Unless someone will go snowboarding with me soon, I'm ready for spring to come in...