Really Random Observations and Opinions
I don’t have to leave for work for a few hours, and I haven’t written anything just for the sake of writing something lately, so I figured this was as good a time as any to do so; one can only write so many job cover letters without wanting to smash one’s keyboard out of abject boredom, and since I need my keyboard, it’s probably a good idea to do a little something for myself. That said, these are just some things that I’ve noticed and/or been thinking about lately.
Obama seems to be off to a decent start, and it fills me with hope for our country. Yes, I know… He’s only been in office for a few days, but he jumped right on some things that desperately needed attention. First, he really seems to be making an effort to do things differently than Bush, which is key, as we can see how eight years of narrow, arrogant thinking has affected our country and its standing in the international community. I like the more open attitude he’s taking, starting with the redesign of whitehouse.gov, the official public portal into the President’s doings. Obama has pledged to post all non-emergency legislation on the site for five days to allow people to comment on it before he signs anything. This, in my humble opinion, may be the most significant idea to hit politics in quite some time, if he actually follows through and uses the process to better enact the will of the people. Bush never struck me as the sort of guy who cared what I, or anyone else, thought, and since I sincerely believe that I’m smarter than W., the fact that he had the power to get me killed was always maddening to me. People who complain that Obama is an “elitist” should think about what they’re saying; shouldn’t we want an intellectual in the highest job in the land? Being the President is a rough gig, and I want someone who is actually intelligent enough to ponder the weighty issues and make the best decision for the country, not the best decision for a few rich guys. I know he’s not superhuman, magic, or omnipotent, but I have faith that he’ll get us back on track if we just let him do it.
The bank bailout hasn’t done jack for me or anyone else I know yet. I’m no economist, but as a taxpayer, I expect something real to come out of $800+ billion in assistance that we’re all financing. Rather than this money “getting credit flowing again,” as I keep reading everywhere, things seem to be going in exactly the opposite direction. Many of my friends and family have actually had their credit reduced through no fault of their own lately, and a realtor friend of mine told me last night that it’s been almost impossible for many of his potential clients to get new mortgages. Rather than helping us out, it seems like these big banks are sitting on that money and looking after themselves. Not cool, financial sector… Not cool.
Lost (the ABC TV show) is starting to wander into dangerous narrative territory. (SPOILERS IN THIS PARAGRAPH.) I’ve loved the show since the first episode and usually watch each episode at least twice to make sure I’m absorbing as much as I can, but all this time-travel business is starting to get on my nerves. As an author myself, I’ve always viewed time travel as a weak plot device that can allow you to get away with anything. I’m hoping that the show’s writers can keep away from the whole deus ex machina crutch and make it worth our while, but the odds are against them. I like my plot elements to have consequences, and time travel basically destroys the whole cause-effect continuum when you give the characters the ability to stop the cause whenever they want. I’m still watching, but I’m more leery than ever that I’m going to be disappointed at the final outcome.
Gears of War 2 on the Xbox 360 was decent, but nowhere nearly as slathered in Awesome Sauce as the first one. Part of this waning impact comes from the fact that the first Gears was in a different graphical league than anything else out at the time, so the “Ooooh, pretty!” effect had a lot to do with it. And the chainsaw bayonet? Pure genius, but it’s just more of the same in GoW2. I’m also finding it maddening trying to play GoW2 online; the matchmaking takes too long and the game is unfair if the teams are unbalanced by even one player. I enjoyed the campaign and the darker territory it enters, but I feel like I could have gotten away with a rental on this one. Better luck next time, Cliffy B.
Domino’s delicious cheesy bread keeps shrinking. I get delivery pizza quite a bit, and sadly, Domino’s is one of the only places that delivers to me. They’re not bad for chain restaurant food, but I prefer the mom-and-pop shop pizza when I can get it. At any rate, I do really enjoy the cheesy bread side order, but every time I get it, it seems to shrink, though the price of my order seems to keep going up. ($2 delivery charge? Really? I could see this when gas was $4 a gallon, but come on now…)
Ryan Seacrest is the best host of anything, anywhere. I know it’s somewhat fashionable to bash Ryan Seacrest, but as someone who has hosted anything from a Clear Channel radio show to a sumo wrestling match at a state college, I can tell you from experience that the level at which Seacrest operates is not easy to achieve. That guy never seems to get rattled, and he’s always a good sport, even when weird stuff happens live on American Idol. I only wish I was as good (and wealthy) as Ryan.
With that, I’m off to throw down my DJ mojo at the Crowne Hotel in lil’ ol’ Wyomissing, PA. Tremblay out.
