Should I Have Tipped?

So this guy came to replace my windshield on my car. I'm not sure how far away he came from but the area code for the glass place was 734 I think, which puts him at least 60 miles away. It could be that he works over here in the 810 but who knows. My insurance pays for it and calls them to come out and take care of it so I figured I didn't need to, so I didn't. But then my mom asked me if I tipped him and it got me thinking that I should have. I usually only tip in restaurants or for valets but beyond that I'm clueless when to tip. Do you tip delivery men besides pizza guys? What about furniture guys? I always offer a glass of water but some people tip them. Is it a faut pas if you don't tip them. The guy who replaced my windshield was a nice guy, I have tipped waitresses for less and this guy is coming to me and I'm not even paying him. I think I should have tipped him. Hopefully he doesn't hate me.


A lot of people are talking about the new Bourne movie like it's the greatest movie ever. People can't stop raving about it. Well I don't see what all the hoopla is about. The movie sucked. It was probably one of the biggest dissapointments of the summer. I don't understand what people see in it. The plot is the exact same as the first two, the way it unfolds is the exact same and it obviously has the exact same characters. The only thing different is the action; it was much much worse. One of the reasons Americans suck so bad is because as a public people think Two and a Half Men is funny (it's been the highest rated comedy for like 4 years now or something) and that movies like The Bourne Ultimatum are good 'action' movies. There was no action in it at all. I just took a poll on aol where 70 percent of people thought it was the best action movie of the summer. Of those 70 percent of people, I can only assume that they are not action fans and they have never seen a martial arts movie in their lives. There was no action at all in the movie, or at least none they showed. The Bourne movies have this way of taking all the action and putting it so close to the camera and then shaking the camera around like the camera operator is having a seizure, and then calling that action. I can't recall them showing a single punch in that movie. Don't get me wrong the first one was awesome. But the second lacked and this third one is the worst. It's a bad movie. If you haven't seen it, save your money and go see Superbad again.














Another dissapointing movie was War. I have been looking forward to this all year. Jet Li and Jason Statham finally team up, are you kidding me? Two bad asses who make real action movies (not that Statham is particlarly talented but his movies are fun to watch as far as action flicks go) team up in one movie. The movie sucked, it was completely plot driven with only about 15 minutes of action in the whole thing. No one got espescially raw in it after the first 15 minutes. The only cool thing was the plot twist that I never saw coming near the end. Don't see it.

To my blogging faithful I am going to have a special segment next week in which I really need your help in choosing my next apartment. I will be posting pictures with pros and cons of each place and will be making a decision within the next couple weeks. This is espescially important because not only am I moving to a new apartment, I'm moving to a new state. That's right, I'm westward bound. I'll be moving to LA at the end of next month and I need anyone's help who's lived there or been there recently. I haven't been there since I was 16 and I don't remember it all too well. I'll keep everyone posted.

As always get your feet off the ground and reach for the stars. Go big or go home. Pain heals, chicks dig scars and glory lasts forever. Carpe diem. Your heart is free, have the courage to follow it.

Life's short, live large. Chigga chigga yeah

-M, p & z

oh ps - i'll do a summer movie recap soon. Also I'll be driving to LA from michigan at the end of sept so if anyone wants to tag along let me know. I won't be coming back but one way tickets are only like 100 bucks so if you feel like road trippin let me know.

Superawesome...

Gangstas,













go see Suprbad. It is hilarious. I saw a midnight screening last night and wasn't dissapointed. Like Knocked Up, I am sure I will see this movie at least 3 times in theatres. It's very very funny.

cihgga chigga yeah
-m

oh ps - blogging may not be as frequent as i'd like for the next few weeks, i'll be road trippin' it while i figure out my life. east coast or west coast? any thoughts. I am gonna take a surfing lesson in san diego though. should be fun. i'll update sometime.

Arts or Crafts...

I am pretty much the worst blogger ever these days. I have been mildly busy and haven't had as much down time as I usually need to blog. I went to my first wedding of a highschool friend last weekend and it was awesome. It's a whole new realm of adulthood when your friends start getting married, espescially friends you still wrestle with and don't seem like they should be ready to tie the knot. Anyways, this topic has been on my mind for a while now and it should inspire a little bit of debate.

I hear that anything can be art, they way the sun sets, a tampon in a tea cup representing women's struggle (from the movie Ghost World), or someone taking a paint brush and flicking it at a canvas. It seems that there is a lot of people who would lead you to believe that art is something not bound by talent or anything at all really; that anything can be art. While it may be art to the beholder, I am going to go out on a limb and say that things like splatter paintings, found art, object art (a shovel hanging from a wire), a plain blue canvas titled "Blue," and thigs along those lines are not art, they are craft. After a recent visit to the MoMA (museum of modern art) I became even more secure in my belief that art does have it's parameters.

Shortly after my visit to the MoMA I went to a reading of a play that is going to be performed at MSU next fall written by one of the professors there (also the director) called "Arts of Crafts." It essentially had the same issue behind it of the difference between art and craft. It's a fine line between the two and often gets people upset when you try and state your opinion about it. This is just my opinion, but like most of my opinions, I'm probably right. Now I'm not going to attempt to define art because I am pretty sure that is impossible, but I am going to define the difference between arts and crafts. I think in order to make 'art' you need to be an artist. Not to say that everything an artist does is art, for example Picasso's sketches that people pay millions for are not sketches, they are doodles. It needs to be who you are. It is a way of life, something that you feel so passionately about that it is how you make your living. It is not possible to be an artist who paints on the weekends sometimes. That person may be a good painter, but they are not an artist. For them it is a hobby or just something fun to do, something they enjoy. I enjoy painting, I have done several of them over the last few years but I would not call any of them art nor would I call myself an artist. I call them paintings. It is just a craft. Bob Ross taught me how to do it on PBS.

Much of what I saw at the MoMA was not art work, it was craft. Someone putting a rock on top of another is not a work of art, it's bullshit. A shovel hanging from the ceiling next to a chair is not art, it is a shovel and a chair. A monochromatic canvas, whatever color it is, is not art. These things for the most part are not even crafts. Me doing a splatter paiting, that's not art - it's a craft. It looks cool and maybe if Jackson Pollack did it people would think it was art but it's not (which is another topic to discuss later). I'm not a fan of Pollacks but I can admit that he is indeed an artist. Why him and not other splatterers you ask? I've been on the fence about him for a long time but I think that his work evolved into what it was and he was the first to do it (or at least be famous for doing it). His paintings are actually progressive and innovative and inspired (for the times). The painting at the top of the blog is a famous one of his and while it is pretty much a jumbled mess that no one can find meaning in without being full of shit, it is art nonetheless. There are few things as annoying as people trying to explain what art is and why it's meaningful as a piece. The truth is that no one but the artist knows what his painting (or other form of art) means and any assumptions or speculations on what it represents are just wrong.












This is not art, it is a plain blue canvas yet for some reason it is hanging in the MoMA, in the same floor that houses a long pink flourescent bulb that is plugged in and leaning against the wall, a black canvas that has a card that says something to the effect of "if you look closely you can see where the black fades into a deeper black and then back to black and there is a point where there is one dot of blue..," a gray canvas, a plain canvas with one line on it and so on. It is the worst floor at the museum.


















This is also not art, it is a printing that belongs on the shelves at Urban Outfitters. I'm not really sure what my point is and I may even seem a little fascist or something, but there is a distinction between arts and crafts and I just wanted to iterate what that was. Anyways, hopefully I start blogging more soon as I am currently finished with school and unemployed. As always, get your feet off the ground and reach for the stars. Go big or go home. Pain heals, chicks dig scars and glory lasts forever. Carpe diem. Your heart is free, have the courage to follow it.

life's short, live large

-M, p & z

oh ps - I will take a picture of some of my 'art work' and post it so you can all see the true difference between arts and crafts. Also I'm currently reading Joe Biden's latest book to figure out some more about him and so far it's pretty interesting. I'll keep you updated.

I'm not the biggest fan of abstract art but I do love me some Miro...

Democratic Debate #1...Top 5...

Dammit!! I just spent an hour writing a blog then safari quit on me. It was very long and I will try and remember what I wrote. This is the first time I have ever been mad at my Mac.

So the highly anticipated You Tube Debate was tonight. Not only was it the first Democratic debate but it was also the first of it's kind. A true viewer's debate. The idea behind it was that people could send in video asking a question and if it was chosen one or more of the candidates would answer. In the debate were presidential hopefuls, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, John Edwards, Dennis Kucinich, Bill Richardson, Mike Gravel and Chris Dodd. It was really one of the best debates that I have ever seen. If you didn't watch I am sure you can read about it or see clips from it online if you google it.

I used to be bored with politics, they didn't interest me in the least. Not helping was the fact that growing up my dad would force us to watch CNN snoozefests like The Capital Gang and other equally boring progamming not suitable for 10 years olds trying to watch MacGyver. It was always taken for granted that things were fine, we weren't at war and the economy was booming over the 8 years I grew up under Bill Clinton's watchful eye. It wasn't even in college when I voted for Gore simply because I was 18, a democrat and could finally vote. It waso only after that redneck from Texas was elected that I paid any attention. It started off on a sour note with him taking over office even though the majority of the country voted for someone else. Over the next few years it became clear that our country was headed into turmoil and that he was driving it there.

In 2003 after paying more attention to the candidates and what was happening in the world I decided to join Students For Edwards, and did some campaign work for him, handing out leaflets to people on the street. Because of that I got to go see Teddy Kennedy speak and shook his hand. I felt like I was doing something to better the country. However something happened and people voted for Kerry who was a terrible nominee and then he lost and somehow there was still a money hungry power obsessed republican in the White House. Over the last 3 years I have been appalled that he has not been impeached. The atrocities that have occured during his tenure is not even comparable to the little sex-capade Clinton had. I have realized that not enough people pay attention to something that is so life changing and important as choosing the leader of our country. Make no mistake about it, this is the most important election in my lifetime. The state of the country is not good and we need a regime change. Now I am not trying to convince anyone who to vote for, most people who read my blog are democrats and most republicans are to arrogant or selfish to change their thinking. I just want people to choose more wisely that last election. Kerry should not have won the primary.

I do a lot of top 5 lists on here but this one is probably the most impoartant one I have done. Of the candidates listed about based on tonights debate and what little research I have done, I am ranking my top 5 to vote for in the primary. I encouarge everyone to do their own research as this is truly and important time. Over the next 15 months leading up to the election I will try and keep you all informed about issues that I think are important and if this is the only research you do, I will try and explain fully why I like a certain candidate or dislike another.

5.) Bill Richardson, Gov. NM - I had only read his name in passing, briefly noting that he was some dude running for president. While he isn't going to win the nominee he is certainly a good face to have in the election. He represents real people. Coming from a state government he lacks the grasp on national politics and world issues that the other candidates have, which will most likely end up with him dropping out, but he has a real hold on what the country needs for the most part. He understands the importance of a better education system and supports most ideas held by other democrats on issues from religion to global warming. He is an idealist and it is hard not to like him because of his earnestness.

4.) John Edwards, Former Sen. NC - My boy has gone from number 1 to number 4? Well it's only been one debate this far but really the top 4 are neck and neck at the moment. The issue here was that while he didn't do anything to lose my vote, he didn't say anything new to keep it. I feel that this election is so important and will hopefully catalyze a change in politics and I am not confident that he is the one to do it. I don't question his ability, I'm just not sure that he is what we need right now, but I am sure soon enough he will make me remember why I stood for hours handing out leaflets to undergrads who didn't care.


















3.) Hillary Clinton, Sen. NY - While she may be atop eveyone else's leaderboard as the clear favorite I am still not sure. Don't get me wrong I think she is amazing but there are so many good candidates this year only time will tell. She impressed me a lot tonight. I have only heard her speak a few times before this but I was amazed at how stong she was. She clearly has the most experience of any of the lot and obviously the 8 years in the White House has made her a very strong candidate. She has the most structured plan of any of them and seems the most ready and able to take over. My only complaint is that she seems to have little wiggle room. She seems so sure and so well read that it may be hard to debate with her and try and change her mind; to politic with her. I do know that we could do no better than to have her as our first female president.


















2.) Barack Obama, Sen. IL - The most eloquent speaker of all. Hearing him speak is what I assume it was like to hear Bobby Kennedy run for president. The ideals and plans and hopes and dreams for this country to be all it can be, and to put aside partisan politics and work toward a single goal of bettering everyone is catalyzing. He may be the reason I care so much about this specific election. After reading The Audactiy to Hope, I feel that I can make a difference. That there really is something he can do that no one else has done, and bring together people like no one before him. I truly believe that he understands the people of this country and what they want and need better than any other candidate in all the elections in my life time. He has spent so much time travelling the country and meeting people and talking to them that he really gets people. He is engaging and charismatic and though he has only been in national politics for a very short time, he seems to know so much about it. He wants whats best for the country, I believe, even if it's not him.



















1.) Joeseph Biden, Sen. DE - A very surprsing pick I know. Esp if you are a frequent reader of my blog. If you remember several months ago I had a post where I put him on blast. He made some comment about all Indians working at 7/11s or something and I took offense to this conservative racist looking white dude from Delaware. I started watching the debate hating him for his tactless words only to realize that he truly may be the best candidate there is. While others seem to have elaborate plans or assumptions and proclomations about what they would do as president, he seems to know. He has a sense of what needs to be done and exactly how to do it. No guesswork, he already knows. He has the experience, the history and a track record of doing great things. He is astute, succint, powerful and yet somehow approachable. He is your uncle who is never wrong, can always fix what is broken, will always be stronger than you and can kick back and drink with you too. He seems the likely favorite of those afraid to 'waste' their votes on someone black or a girl. I'll be doing a lot of research on him and I'll keep you posted.

anyways that's all for now. Get your feet off the ground....
I'm out
-M, p & z

oh ps - i will be doing an ongoing series of this race to the primary in by either doing a blog about a certain issue and going over all candidates or blogging by candidate and going over all the issues. Any suggestions? should i talk about republicans or does everyone hate them as much as i do?

pps - i want to talk about Harry Potter. I'll give you all a few more days to read. I won't divulge anything but i want to go over some things on my mind. It's been a good 10 years and I'm sad I finished the last book. i wish it went on forever.