March 19, 2009

72 Hrs.

It's been a busy week, or at least it feels that way. I've had to get up at 6:30 a.m. for 3 days straight (tomorrow will be 4) and it makes the days seem especially packed.

Other notable (and sometimes ignoble) occurrences from the past 72 hours include:

- Virginia Tech winning in the first round of the NIT in double overtime. Go Hokies! I know it's just the NIT, but I'm still proud of any sport Tech excels at that isn't football. I mean, I'm proud of football too but they're supposed to excel in that area.

- But Georgetown lost a pretty tight game, which is a damn shame. Next year, Hoyas.

- On the recommendation of my mother, I've been watching Showtime's The Tudors via Netflix. I'm 6 episodes in, and while it's a pretty entertaining series, it has one fatal flaw: I know what happens already. It's not really the show's fault; if they changed history, it'd be a much bigger problem. But I already know that Henry marries Anne Boleyn, and starts the Church of England, and all that. So I can't be all that effected during tense scenes with Catherine of Aragon. She's out, and she don't even know yet! Anyway, still pretty entertaining.

- NOT ENTERTAINING AT ALL, on the other hand, was Max Payne. Now, I didn't play the video game. And we all know that video game --> movie adaptations do poorly. But my god, this was a piece of crap. It made no sense, the acting was terrible (but hey, shout out to my man Marlo for a tiny role) and it was ridiculously boring for a movie about gunfights and hallucinogenic valkyries.

In fact maybe I'll just write a new movie using that same set-up. I guarantee it would be better. I give it the rarely-used 1 star.

- This weekend, I'm headed down to Big Sur! Although technically, I'm going on Monday, it's all part of my weekend. Mini-vacations are the BEST vacations.

March 9, 2009

Live By the Sword, Die By the Sword

(I really like that phrase, but I will stop using it after this. For awhile. A moratorium, if you will.)

Obama is overturning our luddite President's ban on new stem cell lines and the restrictions inherent therein.

I could go on about the science, but I am not a scientist. The "slippery slope to abortion" argument is lame, as stem cells and abortion are unrelated. Unless you're an idiot.

But Newt, in his seeming ever-presence prior to 2012, had this choice remark:
"It is dangerous for the Obama administration to pick a wide series of fights," said Gingrich. "Each of these fights simply drains energy away and increases the coalition which decides it has a collective interest in stopping everything."

Newt, you are aware that it's an executive order, right? That President Bush "picked this fight" through no act of Congress? I have no real problem with executive orders, but you can't go around claiming Obama is wrong to "fight" on this issue when all he has to do is have someone draw up a quick E.O. and be done with it.

If I were elected on a multifaceted platform, and I could achieve one of my stated campaign promises with no expenditure of political capital and no legislative whipping, you'd better believe I'd be on that like white on rice.

I think the GOP just wishes that Obama's reservoir of "political capital" were not as expansive as it seems. He has an extraordinarily strong mandate from the people--one that Bush did not have--and he is being as active as possible in his first few months as President.

I saw a headline the other day: "Will Americans Tire of Obama's Call for Responsibility?" it asked (I'm paraphrasing). It may have been an op/ed column, but I think it speaks volumes about our current political landscape. We actually have a President who is TOO GOOD for us. If he fails, it will be our (the collective American People's) fault for not living up to his expectations.

I cannot tell you how happy I am to be around to see such expectations made real.