cyclonejohn

Friday, July 31, 2009

An obituary for the superhero

Last night I saw a movie that has really been on my mind all morning. Nimit, Jaclyn, and I rented the movie The Watchmen. I give it an A-. It was nothing as I expected it to be. It is much less a superhero movie as an obituary for the superhero. More Dark Knight than Batman and Robin, the vigilantes all were remarkably flawed; which made the movie fascinating and frustrating. The Watchmen takes place in the United States between 1945-1980 in a parallel universe. The world is the same... except for a few key things (which I can't give away or I would be giving away the movie). The themes are nihilism, grit, jealousy, morality, and anger. I do have some criticisms though. This movie is definitely in the top five most violent movies I have ever seen. I have always been irritated when movies are superfluously violent. It's banal and gross. I also thought the movie was a bit too long. Three hours is too long. However, I will stick with my A- ranking.

1. I wrote a whole page on my final thoughts on the Favre not coming to the Vikings... but when I re-read it, I realized that it was boring. To summarize my feelings. I am disappointed. The Vikings will be a Superbowl contender this year and a quarterback with Favre's leadership, grit, and sheer talent would have made this season electric. Yes, I know it would be a media circus. Yes, I am aware of Favre as acerbic at worse, needy at best attitude. I think it would be worth it. Now, we will roll with either Sage or T-Jack. Sigh.

2. This could be my new favorite team of all time: http://www.beejays.com/

3. Glen Beck... you are a fucking idiot! Two days ago Fox News "commentator" Glen Beck gave us all an impressive diatribe into why he is quickly surpassing Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly as the biggest douche on television. I don't want to give him too much attention but the apex of his rant ended with, "Obama has a deep seated hatred of white people and white culture. This guy is a racist." No, Beck, you are a racist. What gave it away Mr. Beck? Is it the fact that Obama was raised by a white woman and her white Mom and Dad? Maybe that he has filled his cabinet with almost all Caucasians? Is it the fact his closest friend and advisor is a white man? Maybe you think he is racist the way he has criticised other black leaders like Jesse Jackson? No, Mr. Beck, Obama is not a racist. You are a an egocentric buffoon. AAAGGGHHH!!

Sunday, July 26, 2009

“When liberty comes with hands dabbled in blood it is hard to shake hands with her.”

Yesterday afternoon, I was stopped by something right in my tracks. As I was leaving Subway, I walked by a newspaper stand where the cover article in the Chicago Sun-Times said, "1-6 gay men in Chicago are HIV positive." I immediately bought an issue and devoured the article on the train to Evanston. According to the Chicago Public Health Department, 17% of openly homosexual men in Chicago proper are HIV positive. Unfortunately, half of them don't even know it. To put that in perspective, only 1.2% of "straight" men are HIV positive. On even more alarming news, nearly 30% of black gay men are HIV positive. Needless to say, AIDS is no longer the "chic" disease that it was even ten years ago. It is however crucially imperative that articles like this are still written that show that AIDS is still very prevalent and growing - not just in America but across the whole world. According to the CDC, there are approximately 40,000 new cases of positive diagnoses for HIV in the United States each year. Who knows how many more people have the disease but don't even know it. In the past 25 years, AIDS has been responsible for the deaths of 25 million people. Just last year alone, over two million people died of AIDS. This article is not meant to be an opinion piece, a call to arms, but merely a reporting of the facts. HIV/AIDS is still an enormous problem not just in Africa but in the Midwest too. I don't know if a cure will come anytime soon; but I am praying it does.

1. Friday night I ate at this awesome restaurant that was Oscar Wilde themed. I loved not only the food, but the atmosphere. I have always been a big fan of the Irish playwright. Although I enjoyed reading The Picture of Dorian Gray, An Ideal Husband, and The Importance of Being Earnest, it was really reading biographies on Wilde, the man, that really fascinated me. I admired his superciliousness towards the typical late 19th century thought on everything from politics, to fashion, to sexuality. I was really into Wilde when I was 18, 19, and very much shared his philosophy on the aesthetics. Of course I disagreed with his views on anarchism and socialism, but his complete disdain for the bourgeois was inspirational and moving to me. For those who are not familiar with Wilde, I highly recommend his work.

2. Yesterday night I watched the movie Bringing Down the House. This 2003 Steve Martin/Queen Latifah comedy had horrible written all over it. I was actually pleasantly surprised; and I give the movie a B. It's not a bad rental.

3. This is the cutest, funniest wedding entrance I have ever seen! I totally want to do this at my future wedding: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0&feature=fvw

Thursday, July 23, 2009

9000!

Today is a good day. The Stock market just hit 9000, the highest it has been in almost seven months, houses are being built, the sun is shining, and life is good. No, I still don't have a job. I have finally decided though (after getting some enormous medical bills in the mail) that if I don't have a job or a very promising look at a full time job that I will apply to part-time positions after the first weekend in August. It is beyond time.

1. I watched a classic last night. I watched Silence of the Lambs. I hate to do this to a horror movie... but I have to give it an A. The acting and writing are beyond brilliant. It is terrifying, gruesome, but enthralling. If you can stomach some grotesque scenes, than please check out Silence of the Lambs. It is very good.

2. As all of you know, I am a big fan of Erin Andrews'... um... reporting abilities. However, I was utterly disgusted to read about that pervert who cut a peephole in the wall and secretly videotaped her dressing. I do not think this is "awesome" but instead I feel great pity for Andrews and her family. This incident brought up an interesting conversation I had with my roommates at Hye Bar last night. Why are there so many creepy men? When I was younger, I always played the nice guys finish last card and believed all women want jerks. The older I get, the more jaded I have become in women's favor. The statistics on sexual assault are alarming. Plus, there are so many wolves in sheep's clothes, that is impossible to keep them straight. Even while scanning the Lakeview area last night, it would be hard to get past the Ed Hardy shirts, sunglasses at night, and just general douchebaggery and find a decent guy. Strange times indeed.


3. The movie The Hangover is now the highest grossing R rated comedy of all time.

4. Currently listening to "Hold Me Tight" by The Beatles. Album: With The Beatles

Friday, July 17, 2009

Driving into the sun

Thursday was a good night. Two of the world's famous musicians, Billy Joel and Elton John, are touring in the country. I really wanted to go but I had seen them both before live; and the tickets were outrageously expensive. Instead, some friends and I pulled up some chairs relatively near the field and were able to listen to the concert. Obviously we couldn't see anything but I could hear every word to Piano Man and Candle in the Wind perfectly. Friday night was pretty chill. I went over to Evanston for a while, cooked some enchiladas, played some trivial pursuit, and went to bed early. Saturday was a busy day. I began the evening by completely embarrassing myself on the basketball court. Koo, Anay, and Nim and I had not played together in quite some time and our rust showed. I assured them at all that this is the worst they would ever see me play and next time will be much better. After the game, Sarah and I saw the Harry Potter movie. I really liked it and give it an A-. The acting abilities of the child actors has improved immensely. The performance by the actor who plays Draco Malfoy was done beautifully. Saturday night, after another delicious Joy Yee's dinner, a bunch of us went to Anay's place for a party. The party was spectacular. I have always much preferred house parties to bars anyway. I didn't end up in my bed until about 4:30... it was an awesome night. Sunday was actually the highlight of the weekend though. Allie's work had sponsored a boat cruise for the employees. We went all over the lake, and the river. The skyline looked spectacular at night from on the water. It was a really fun night and a really fun weekend.

1. R.I.P. Walter Cronkite. You will go down in history as probably the most accomplished and trusted journalist of all time. Everybody has written nice things about your work and impact. This quote from Playboy that my roommate found really stuck with me:

Playboy: Implicit in the Administration's attempts to force the networks to "balance" the news is a conviction that most newscasters are biased against conservatism. Is there some truth in the view that television newsmen tend to be left of center?

Cronkite: Well, certainly liberal, and possibly left of center as well. I would have to accept that.

Playboy: What's the distinction between those two terms?

Cronkite: I think the distinction is both clear and important. I think being a liberal, in the true sense, is being nondoctrinaire, nondogmatic, non-committed to a cause - but examining each case on its merits. Being left of center is another thing; it's a political position. I think most newspapermen by definition have to be liberal; if they're not liberal, by my definition of it, then they can hardly be good newspapermen. If they're preordained dogmatists for a cause, then they can't be very good journalists; that is, if they carry it into their journalism.

2. Currently listening to "Hate me" by Blue October

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Death to the Bee-Gee's!!

I have very much enjoyed reading about the 30th anniversary of Disco Demolition Night. For those who don't know, 30 years ago the Chicago White Sox had a legendary promotion event where they invited music fans who hated disco to bring their disco albums and they would blow them up in centerfield before the game. On paper, the idea seemed really good. Unfortunately, for Comiskey Park and the White Sox, it backfired huge. After the explosion in centerfield blowing up the albums, thousands of fans jumped onto the field and an enormous riot broke up. Dozens of people were arrested, Comiskey was trashed. Despite the pleading of police, owner Bill Veeck, and White Sox broadcaster Harry Carey trying to get everyone to get back to their seats, at the end of the day, the Chi Sox had to forfeit the game and go down in history as creating the worst, but most infamous promotional effort in the history of organized sports.

1. If true love can't last, like the kind between Jessica Simpson and Tony Romo, then is there hope for any of us?

2. I received a tough break on the teaching front. When I called the Chicago Public School district about how I become a substitute teacher. I was informed that they are not hiring any more subs this year. I can now look at private schools or out of the Chicago school district. Another thing that has caught my eye is being a teacher's aide. I don't know how one becomes a TA though...

3. Yesterday, Allie, and two of her friends and I went to the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art. Wow! This is not like most art museums. It had awesome, cool, and trippy exhibits. For instance, it had one hallway where the light is a certain color so everything and everyone appears in black and white. They had amazing kaleidoscope exhibits and other cool things. It is free on Tuesdays. I am excited to see more of Chicago's great museum scene.

4. Currently listening to "Largo al factotum" by Rossini.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Fighting with my shadows

I am definitely thinking more and more about trying out being a substitute teacher. I did some research online and the only thing I have to do to be a sub in Illinois is pay $50 in "fees", pass some background tests, and send in my official college transcripts. I plan on doing this tomorrow. My only concern is regarding logistics. Unlike Minneapolis, driving to suburban school districts will be challenging; and I do not want to get lost in parts of Chicago I am unfamiliar with looking for random high schools. I think this experiment will let me know if I should seriously think about going back to college to get certified in education or not. I can still bartend or wait tables as a side job. If anybody has any advice, I would greatly appreciate it.

1. Chicago is such a playground for the beautiful that the sight of an attractive person rarely even fazes me. I think back to when I was 17, 18, and basically the only requirement I had for dating someone was that I found them to be superficially beautiful. One thing that I have noticed recently is how different my personal list of important traits in the opposite sex has changed in the past six or so years. I think now of things like religion, compatibility, similar interests, similar backgrounds, et cetera. A woman who can make me laugh, make me think, or inspire me is much more attractive than her bust or dress size. Does that make any sense? I still appreciate beauty for the sake of beauty. It is just so much less important. I suppose this is just another sign of me getting older.

2. I would like to go one week without going on Facebook and seeing one of my "friends " getting engaged! C'mon now!! I have had four people I know in the past three days get engaged!

3. I miss watching How to Catch a Predator!

4. Currently listening to I'm Into Something Good by Herman's Hermits.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

thoughts?

I have an idea that I am going to look into more this weekend. As you know, I have expressed some interest in going back to school to become a teacher (possibly special ed, maybe something else.) In Illinois, you do not need a teacher's license to be a substitute teacher. If I sub for a year, this will allow me to see a variety of different fields, different age groups, and get a feel for if this is something I want to do. If I enjoy it, then I will apply to go back to school for fall of 2010. Thoughts? I am certainly intrigued. I could still work as a bartender or waiter.

1. I saw Bruno today. It was really really funny. I give it a B+/A-. It is so ridiculous, cruel, and much grosser than Borat. Prepare yourself for a lot of gay sex scenes... a lot! No, I am not shocked or outraged. I went to the movie expecting to be grossed out but also laugh a lot. Mission accomplished.

2. I spent yesterday night in Evanston with friends. That town is really growing on me. I ate at one of the best Chinese restaurants I have ever been to, plus I enjoyed the evening (and a long island ice tea or two) at Nevin's. Great scene.

3. I assume everyone is out getting ready for the big UFC fight tonight? uh huh.

Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Indeed

Chicago is known for many things - great sports, great food scene, great jazz, and legendary comedy clubs. Yesterday, my roommate Nimit and I were sitting around bored and I suggested we check out one of the comedy clubs. After a quick Google search, I found out that four comedy clubs are withing a short walking distance of my apartment. We decided to check out the closet one, The Playground. We saw it was only $5 on Monday-Thursday so we went in. Seven days a week, The Playground has comedy troupes perform. The show was highly inappropriate... and extremely funny. Because The Playground are all improv troupes, every night, and every show, in theory, could be completely different. I can't wait to check out more Chicago comedy shows; including some of Chicago's more legendary Chicago clubs like i.o. and Second City.

1. Yes, I did watch the whole entire Michael Jackson memorial service yesterday afternoon. I actually thought the service was tasteful and very well organized. Jennifer Hudson performed beautifully, and I even have to take my hat off to Al Sharpton for a very eloquent eulogy. It was a very nice service for the greatest entertainer in Earth's history.

2. One debate I thought was interesting was how influential Michael Jackson has been. Basically, the consensus is that today's mainstream African-American singers have completely shunned Jackson's style - instead aiming for a hyper masculine role while putting down Jackson's androgynous/quasi feminine style. I think that is unfortunate for today's music. Thriller sold almost 75 million albums. Lil Jon and 50 Cent could learn something from the King of Pop.

3. This next bit about Sarah Palin I am taking directly from electoral-vote.com. There has been a ton written about Sarah Palin's resignation in the past few days. The dominant view (Charlie Cook being an exception) is that she is scheming to run in 2012 but her unorthodox move will backfire against her. With a bit of reflection, there is perhaps another story line. The main thing to consider is that she really disliked being governor. She refused to live in the governor's mansion in Juneau and instead lived at home in Wasilla, a suburb of Anchorage 600 miles from the capital. She had endless fights with the Republican-controlled state legislature and has been the subject of over 15 ethics probes and has spent over $500,000 of her own money (which she doesn't have) on lawyers defending herself. The bottom line is that she really hated the job so once she had decided not to run for relection in 2010, why stay at a job that is no fun at all? Palin is also an impulsive person. She makes decisions on the spur of the moment without carefully weighing the pros and cons. Unlike Mitt Romney, who probably has an Excel spreadsheet with a row for every day from now until the Iowa caucuses in January 2012 listing precisely which Iowa villages, hamlets, and farms he is planning to visit that day and what he is going to say there, Palin is probably now focused on making a lot of money in the next 18 months so she can at least afford running in 2012, if she decides to do so. After all, in 2011 she probably won't have an income and it is hard to run for President and charge for your campaign speeches. She needs to make a few million this year and next even to seriously consider running. An upcoming book and paid speeches will fill the bill nicely. Her resignation speech was rambling to the point of being incoherent. It is very unlikely she has a master plan at all. She just didn't like the situation she was in and wanted to get out of it and who knows what comes next.
Many pundits have said she wants to carry the conservative banner and that she is a female Ronald Reagan. I don't think that is true. She is a female George Wallace--an angry representative of the lower middle class who feels put upon by elites. She went to six third-tier colleges before managing to graduate and clearly resents people like President Obama who sailed through Columbia and Harvard Law School and surrounded himself with experts from the Ivy League and M.I.T. While she didn't single out pointy-headed intellectuals as the cause of the nation's problems, when listening to her, one feels she easily could and would probably like to except she is smart enough to realize that doing so would cause them to heap even more scorn on her--and she has incredibly thin skin for a politician, constantly blaming the media and hostile (often Republican) politicians for her problems. Her motto is: "It's not my fault." George W. Bush was no intellectual himself by a long shot, but one didn't feel any rage in him. After all, he went to Phillips Academy, Yale, and Harvard, and was the son of a President, grandson of a senator, and brother of another governor, not exactly prime white trash material. Nobody would mistake him for a downtrodden and scorned worker barely hanging on and feeling the powerful didn't give a hoot about him. And he knew very well that had he been named Smith instead of Bush he would never have been governor of Texas, let alone President. For all her faults, Palin pulled herself up by her own bootstraps and was elected governor of a state by fighting her own battles. Nobody gave her anything. This makes her a fighter to her admirers, who don't give a damn about her IQ, her diplomas, or even her lack of knowledge of government. There is a lot of class resentment here and graduates of fancy universities can't understand why anybody would fall for what they see as a complete nincompoop. She represents Joe Sixpack a lot better than Joe the Plumber, who simply caught a lucky break when John McCain acquired him as his new best friend. Whether she runs for President in 2012 probably depends on how well she likes her new life--once she figures out what it is. There are plenty of politicians who could have run for President and didn't, for example, Gov. Mario Cuomo (D-NY) in 1992 and Al Gore in 2004 and 2008. Palin may decide she likes being a speaker and class heroine and making millions of dollars a year and would prefer doing that until her 15 minutes of fame are up. She probably doesn't know what she is going to do in 2012 yet. God will tell her when he's ready to do so. A Gallup poll taken July 6 shows that 70% of Americans say that their view Palin is unchanged by her resignation, with 43% willing to vote for her and 54% not willing to vote for her in 2012. She is popular with Republicans and unpopular with Democrats (surprise) but independents, who hold the key to any election, want her to leave the national stage 55% to 34%. Fixing that without alienating her base will be hard.

Monday, July 06, 2009

say what?

What is Sarah Palin doing? A few weeks ago, I posted what I think Sarah Palin should do if she has any chance of becoming president. I suggested she run for senator, give a series of policy speeches and remain patient. Possibly running for president in 8 - 16 years would make sense. Apparently she has decided not to listen to my advice as she has resigned from governor of Alaska. WTF? No, she hasn't officially said she is running for president in 2012... but she ended her resignation speech with this:

I've never thought I needed a title before one's name to forge progress in America. I am now looking ahead and how we can advance this country together with our values of less government intervention, greater energy Independence, stronger national security, and much-needed fiscal restraint. I hope you will join me. Now is the time to rebuild and help our nation achieve greatness!"

If that doesn't sound like someone who is running for president than I don't know what does. Uh... I have a few questions. 1, Before you were governor of Alaska, you were the mayor of a city with 1/10 the population of the suburb I grew up in. You have been governor for only 30 months. How on earth can you say you have the qualifications to be president? 2, Your major criticisms have been that you are flaky, light-skinned, and inexperienced. How are you going to change people's minds in such a short amount of time? The real winners in this scenario are the other Republicans running for president like Mike Huckabee, Gingrich, and Mitt Romney.

1. I had a really nice weekend. Four friends and I went to Michigan for the weekend. We stayed in a lake house, sang Beatles songs around a bonfire, ate good food, some people wind-surfed, others kayaked, some people went on the speed boat, and if we were bored with all of that, we went tubing, jet skiing, and water skiing. I give the weekend an A+. I have never been on a jet-ski before and I was quickly called the most reckless and dangerous jet-skier they had ever seen. I enjoyed that title. Michigan always gets a bad rap in the media as being ugly and dangerous. I wish the media would focus on its Western side. It is absolutely gorgeous and I look forward to going back.

2. As you know, I am trying to be creative in my job search. What would you say if I became a bartender? If so, what advice would you give for me? Do you recommend I just apply to jobs? Should I go to bartending school? What type of places should I apply to?

Thursday, July 02, 2009

gotta be startin something

About this time five years, Rus and I were completely caught up in the election craze. Completely fed up with the Bush administration and the GOP control in congress, we were doing everything we could to help him avoid re-election. One thing we did was go to an Al Franken stand-up routine that also served as a John Kerry fundraising event. Franken had the crowd laughing in fits and in the end answered questions. The very last question asked/told him that he should run for the senate in four years against Norm Coleman. Franken paused for a while and then said something along the lines of, "We will have to see." I, of course, completely dismissed this. After all, Franken's comedy was much more acerbic and sardonic for D.C. However, he was undoubtedly intelligent and witty. Also, despite being a comedian, author and radio host, he certainly looked the part of a Midwesterner. Thick glasses, messy hair, frumpy sport coat... He was very Minnesotan looking. To my surprise, 18 months ago Franken announced he was indeed officially running for senate. July 1st, almost eight months after the election, Franken was finally officially declared the winner of the race. I will be very anxious to see how he represents Minnesota.


1. I feel I am in the minority when I say that I do not think that Republican South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford should resign. Is having an affair morally wrong? Of course, but it's not illegal. Also, Sanford does appear at least to be very sorry for the pain and embarrassment he has caused. If the people of South Carolina choose not to re-elect him, that is their right. But if every politician resigned after having an affair, we would not have a lot of politicians.

2. Arrested Development: The Documentary? http://www.afterellen.com/blog/jensabella/arrested-development-the-documentary-might-hit-theaters-before-the-film