The Professional Solider

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:45:48 GMT

On a forty-four mile drive through the abandoned buildings of Detroit and the soulless landscape of its western suburban highways, there is no tool for maintaining one's sanity more necessary than a decent car stereo -- a nice six-disc player with mp3 capability, an assortment of pre-programmed channels, and solid speakers. I do that drive, and I have those things. Somewhere around mile 30 this morning, I heard over those speakers the gasping breath of an exhausted NPR reporter discussing an

Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself -- and Ronald Reagan

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 18:57:18 GMT

Franklin Roosevelt was afraid of precisely one thing: Fear. At least, that's what one might gather from the famous quote, now something of a cliche, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself." Cliche or not, FDR was on to something. Consider the United States' current perdicament: After the attacks against America on September 11th, 2001, did the average American have much reason to actually fear Islamic terrorists than he or she did five years prior? Plots against American soil have been planned and executed for years, some successfully -- like Oklahoma City -- and some not -- like rumored attempts to destroy LAX. One "successful" assault against our homeland...

Favorite TV Shows

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:51:42 GMT

Been watching West Wing repeats lately after having finally caught up in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television show. I have a lot of rants building, but before I post any of them, I thought I'd put forth a quick list of my top 10 favorite programs of all time: Honorable mention: Seinfeld, Home Improvement, Frasier, NewsRadio, SpinCity, Murphy Brown, Star Trek: Voyager, Babylon 5, Nip/Tuck 10 - ER Oh, seasons 1-4, where have you gone? The show died when Carter and the teenie-bopper chick got stabbed in the bathroom. But it really went over the edge when Dr. Greene died. If you would have just ended the f-ing show then, it would have been the single greatest series...

Jesse James, Chief Executive Officer?

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 12:37:06 GMT

About ninety minutes into Andrew Dominik's film The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, I remarked, "If Jesse James were alive today, he'd probably be a fucking power tie-wearing executive." I haven't the slightest clue if the film's portrayal offered by Dominik and Brad Pitt captures the essence of Jesse James or not, though it seems fair to point out that James' descendents are effusive in their praise of the movie. But should this incarnation of James be anything like the mythical criminal anti-hero of American legend, it might be fair...

Bad Blogger. Very Bad Blogger!

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:14:50 GMT

Oh, where, oh, where have all the blog posts gone? Over the past two months, I've had countless ideas for what I could write about -- what I should write about -- but endless hours of extra work merged with immeasureably quantities of personal laziness and a newfound love of Battlestar Galactica to keep me from doing my bloggerly duties. I also haven't eaten, showered, or used a restroom in over 17 days and 4 hours now. I kid. Sort of. Some random thoughts to get me back on the right track:

Can Barack Obama continue to be the good person I've believed him to be, or are these early, minor slippages in his commitment to quality -- somewhat renegging on his pledge...

Mel Kiper Should Make Minimum Wage

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 16:02:55 GMT

NFL Draft Day. As I've written before, I find it hilarious that such a big deal is made out of the NFL draft. Admittedly, I spend a lot of time watching it myself -- but observing the goings on of the Draft is different than drooling all over my television's rendering of Mel Kiper's hair helmet. Another draft, another round of people criticizing the Lions. The truth is that none of us have any idea. But the ESPN guys would have you believe that they know everything. Kiper called the Lions' selection of Gosder Cherrilus a "stretch." Of course, three years ago, he said the Lions were brilliant for drafting WR Mike Williams (bust), and two year ago, he questioned their...

It's All About Me, Me, Me, Meeeeee!

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 13:45:45 GMT

Western civilization has always been driven by what its populace has wanted, steered by an invisible captain born of greed, lust, and ego. But it seems that fat, overgrown societies like the United States have a special gift for feeding on its own self-gratification. Case in point: Americans are increasingly only consuming information that agrees with their worldview. In some respects, this is hardly news. I suspect most of us knew this was happening for the past 5 years. But to have it quantified so clearly -- to see a legitimate social scientist say, "Republicans have...

First Ribs of the Year

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:44:33 GMT

Fired up the smoker this weekend for the first time. The ribs were good, albeit a little burnt over parts. I simply have to perfect a brisket recipe this year. In the past, I haven't gotten up early enough in the morning to really do an excellent job. A good job, yes. But not an excellent job. A full cut brisket involves getting up at the crack of dawn, and I've sacrified quality for sleep a few times now, slapping the snooze key when I should be slapping the meat on the smoker. That ends this year. Top notch brisket coming soon to a house near you. Well, if you happen to live near me, that is. In fact, maybe I'll do brisket this weekend. Or spinach lasagna....

I'm a Little Teapot

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:44:53 GMT

Or rather, I have a little teapot. Two little teapots, actually. The first, a purple clay vessel with a bamboo-shaped handle and some leafy ornamentation on the spout, is being dedicated to Oolong tea. The other is a bigger, more rustic teapot made of some sort of red clay and to be used by me for equally big and rustic pu-erh teas. Some photos:

Pryor Complaints

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 13:55:03 GMT

You'd have thought that a new Middle East peace treaty had just been signed by the media circus. It turns out that the Middle East is still in the midst of a millenium-long shitstorm. But Terrelle Pryor is going to The Ohio State University, which he promptly referred to as the University of Ohio State. They'll have to work on that with him between passing drills. The decision of this college football uber-recruit to attend OSU rather than Michigan has a lot of Wolverine fans disappointed: After all, this guy is supposedly the next great running quarterback. He's fast; he's quick; he's a decent passer. And he's a "perfect fit" for the new Michigan coach's...

Orotundity