And the win goes to - Palin?!

And the win goes to - Palin?! I'll make this brief, because it is one of the funniest things I've ever heard. A lot of people, and I mean a lot of people are calling last night's debate in Sarah Palin's favor. She was in command of it. She was on point.

My. Fucking. Ass.

Last night, Sarah Palin was that little prick you used to play tag with as a child, who would abruptly change where "goal" was. Every time you would say "goal is the big oak tree," she would nod and smile, and then when you were just about to tag her, she'd grab the mail box and say "this is goal now!" And then, when you went along with it, and were about to evade her, she'd take out a rubber ball and hit you with it. "I wanna play dodgeball now."

She was fucking awful. She changed the subject a million times, she was outright rude to the moderator, refused to rebut some of her own interjected charges being shot down, and goddammit, if I hear the word "maverick" again or another fact about Alaska, I will rake my fucking eyes out. Nobody gives a shit about Alaska! That's why we jammed them up behind Canada! AND YOU. ARE NOT. A MAVERICK. Has she ever, until joining the McCain campaign, EVER referred to herself as a "maverick"? I doubt it.

One of the favorite lines in the house last night was when she was talking about how there are a lot of countries that hate us for many things, including women's rights. Maybe she meant they'd like us a lot better if we were going along with what her notion of women's rights are.

Look, don't believe the hype. She was a trainwreck last night. I think Biden should and could have done a lot better, but he seemed to be unwilling to call her on the whole "I'm sorry I don't answer the questions the way you like, I want to talk straight to the American people" logic, which basically meant "I want to talk about what I think you want me to talk about." He would have been seen as a bully if he had, I think, but it would have been better than letting her have control of everything. And what does that say about what a McCain/Palin administration would be like? It's says to me that if anyone tries to engage them on anything, it had better be something they want to talk about, cuz if not? We can talk about something else. The American people had questions they wanted answered last night, and she refused to do it. That's what it was. "I REFUSE TO ANSWER THESE, YOUR QUESTIONS," and it came off like a big "fuck you." A big rehearsed "fuck you," which is what it was. She sounded rehearsed. I think she deserves a Tony.

I was surprised, however, that she didn't have John McCain up there with her, cutting her off to answer her questions first. I think it would have been really cute.

Will

Books and Driving

Okay, two quick topics here.

I've finished another book and completely dropped one. I finished Choke, by Chuck Palahniuk, which I thought was great (still like Rant the best though!). As expected, it revolves around a completely immoral anti-hero, Victor, who pays for his mother's health care by scamming money from people he scams into saving his life. Oh, and he's a walking pile of psychological trauma. Big fun.

The book I've dropped was Pulp by Charles Bukowski. I don't know why, I just fucking hated it. I could not get into it for the life of me. Maybe it's good. Maybe it's terrible. I'll never know.

Second, is driving. Seriously, not too difficult. The lines in the road? Stay between them. Follow them unless you need a different one, then try to cross into that one without killing anyone. If you're in a lane, and it stops, or goes in a direction other than what you want, don't pretend like you don't know it's not the same as the one next to it. Then don't get angry when people don't let you into their lane when you decide at the very last second to merge without warning. Trust me, if you don't do it like a dick, you'll be just fine.

L'Etranger or The Stranger or The Outsider... You choose!

So I just finished The Stranger by Albert Camus. It's been one of the more difficult ones for me to derive any meaning or take anything away, and I had to cheat in order to really appreciate any of the absurdist themes in it. I've never read anything like it so I'm not being too hard on myself, I would like to pick up some more existentialism lit to see how I fare. Some Kierkegaard or some Sartre perhaps. It's certainly a philosophy I'd like to learn more about.

Will

A Couple Cooks and a Lovely Vacation

Kate and I just got back from lovely (if rainy) Martha's Vineyard. It was very relaxing, and I miss it already, but I've decided I will be once again be joining up at my favorite restaurant. Next summer, me and Johnny are all about owning that island, or to be more precise, a small apartment somewhere in O.B. where we will write, draw, paint, drink and play video games. The excellence will know no bounds.
Meanwhile, on this trip, I finished The Bang Bang Club, which was brutal, heartbreaking and eye openning (and real). Needs to be read to be believed. We also picked up a few, one of which I finished within the few days we were there. Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip - Confessions of a Cynical Waiter is everything I've ever wanted to see become reality. Someone with a razor keen wit and eagle caliber observation just laying the fucking smackdown on the every prick who thinks it's their right, nay, responsibility to fuck with humble waitstaff. The dressing down is not limited to asshole guests, I found a few habits of my own that are (what should be obviously) undesirable. Very fun read.
The next one up is The Stranger (or L'Etranger) by Albert Camus. It's off to a very somber start, and I'm not sure where it's going, but I'm enjoying the anticipation. I can't put my finger on it, but something is just way off. We'll see.

Will

Book Five Completed!

This one was a doozy. I just now finished Rant by Chuck Palahniuk, and all I want to say is fucking wow. I won't go too much into detail, because everything is completely up front (if you happen to read it, and from the get go alarm bells go off and there is a little voice in the back of your head protesting conventional reason, take a moment to listen) and I didn't believe it til later in the book. It is easily the most fucked up thing I have ever read, and totally brilliant. Do. Not. Skip. This. Book. Ever. I seriouly could not put it down.

I'm going to have to read it again, to really take all of it in, but with that, I've knocked out five books for the rest of the year in just under two months. Luckily, while I was complaining about wanting to read everything I bought and never read, I still had a ton more in the collection and bought a bunch more anyway.

Next up: The Bang Bang Club: Snapshots of a Hidden War by Greg Marinovich and Joao Silva.

Will

Obama - Celebrity?

Okay, they haven't played this card too much in the last couple weeks, but it still bugs the shit out of me. I wonder why they cut that shit out?

They went off on this tangent about Obama's "celebrity status." I couldn't figure out why this bugged the hell out of me. Why, why, why does that bother me so?


A president. His guns were the only law! "Cut and run in Grenada" was his only order!


Speaker at the last Republican National Convention ("FAW MAW YEAHS!!!"x30)


Recently failed presidential candidate.

Oh, I figured it out. It's okay to be a white celebrity and be involved in politics. It's okay to weild your ACTUAL celebrity status, as opposed to an assumed celebrity status, when you're touting nice tax cuts for rich people (some of which are ACTUAL celebrities), telling women they can't decide what happens inside their bodies, promoting a war, or telling people they don't deserve to be married (what's that, Thompson? I can't hear you shouting about the sanctity of marriage over your D I V O R C E). How fucking shameless are you?

Will

Book Number Four

Tonight, I finished my fourth book, Rumble Fish by S.E. Hinton. I enjoyed it, as I do so many things that deal with social alienation. The story revolves around Rusty-James, a young man who is desperate to follow in his brother, Motorcycle Boy's, footsteps, as he is regarded as somewhat of a local gang hero. Motorcycle Boy, while fairly self reliant, must constantly save Rusty James' ass, which suggests the footstep-following is not going so well. In the short span of this book, Rusty James manages to completely screw up everything, while barely appearing to care about it. I know that doesn't sound great, but I liked it.

Got a few possibilities next. I could always sit down and finish off Grapes of Wrath, but I also just got Rant by Chuck Palahniuk , They Called Her Tokyo Rose by Rex Gunn, and The Bang Bang Club by Greg Marinovich and Joao Silva, just to name a few.

Oh, and GObama.

Will

I Forgot To Mention

Yeah, so I should have posted this way sooner, but now is okay. Metal Gear Solid 4 is the best game ever. That's a fucking period on the end of that sentence there. Nice simple statement. Just thought all of you should know.

And if you're still not sure, I encourage you to find out, particularly if you're a fan of the series.

Will

Book Three Finished

I just finished my third book, Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt, which is one I've been putting off finishing for some time now. I enjoyed this one a lot, the writing style was completely erratic, but in a good way. It's an autobiographical narrative by McCourt, detailing his brief life in America, and then his childhood through his teenage years in Ireland. It revolves heavily around his family life (which is very interesting), his school days and I liked how it details just how devoutly religious the Irish were (are still?). I found it to be very funny, even at times it shouldn't have been (spitting out the lord - literally?), but very sad as well. His family life is especially heartbreaking, but like anyone else's, it's not all bad. Read it. I think you'll enjoy it.

Up next, another one I should have read in high school that I never did: 1984.

Will

Book Number Two - Complete

I know, it sounds impressive. Two in about a week! Bear in mind, part of the idea is me finishing some of my half-assed read throughs. This is one of them.

Yesterday, I finished World War Z by Max Brooks. A few years back, Max (a former SNL writer) wrote The Zombie Survival Guide, which was pretty funny, and very practical were one to find themselves facing off against the undead. In WWZ, Max has compiled a series of anecdotes he "collected" from survivors regarding a zombie pandemic in the near future (though from the book's vantage, it has been over for several years). The fun part is how bad everyone on the planet fucks it up when the initial outbreaks occur (with the exception of Cuba - go forced isolation!) before having to devise a strategy to fight back against the undead hordes or suffer extinction. It's a great read for anyone who isn't hardcore into sci-fi or horror and wants a little taste. Also, for any lazy people, they appear to be developing a movie based on the book, so you may get to see it yet. If they do it right, you will enjoy it.

Three to go!

Will

FIRST BOOK DOWN

Yeah, I know this isn't one I mentioned before, but I went and bought it a few days ago (and couldn't put it down) - The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. I really enjoyed it, though I developed a real love-hate relationship for Holden. The reason for that, I think, is because I seem to be quite a bit like him (I just hope I'm not that much of a prick, heh), and for reasons that I am a bit too bashful to share (or perhaps I'm aware of how incredibly pretentious that would sound - not sure). I very much love how it is written definitively how a seventeen year old boy talks and would tell that story. Perfect.

It is a book that I regretfully never read in high school, as it was never assigned to me in any class. Then again I never did take any initiative to read it, so who's the bad guy, who's the bad guy? I dunno, but that is one book down, and at the very least four to go. I am glad to say that the first one is a book that I will read again.

And what a hell of a start!

Will

...Wow...

http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=8734018&nav=3YeX

Hypothetically. Again.

You are driving down the street, and some dumbass kid smacks into the back of your van. People in the neighborhood see what's going on and beat your ass. The police have been ignoring kids riding dirt bikes, quads, whatever. I'd. Be. Fucking. Pissed. At the mob of people who just beat your ass? Obviously. Especially when some of the people they interviewed either thought it was funny or were too obviously dishonest to give a detailed account of what happened (when kids are driving around on dirt bikes and shit, something they might enjoy, you don't go to one of them for the truth when one of them fucks up. They're id centered and they will lie to keep that pleasure alive). But the cops? Oh, you'd better fucking believe I'd be pissed at them. It's basic psychology. If you reward an undesirable behavior, by allowing it, in this case, that behavior will continue. So I'd have a fucking field day with the cops. Maybe not sue them. Just openly five-on-two them. Make them look as impotent as possible (or in this case, they are).

Okay, maybe that much is extreme, but Jesus Tap-dancing Christ, they've been ignoring this shit. This was a matter of time before something like it happened.

This kid though...

How come parents of said fuck-ups always say their kids were good kids? If the kid really was on a stolen dirt bike, how does that constitute good behavior? What the hell would you consider to be bad behavior?

"Well there was this one time he cut his sister's tongue out. Boy did he get read the riot act for that!"

Oh, and how do you not know what the hell your kid is up to? HE WAS DOING IT IN BROAD DAY LIGHT! A witness said he slowed down by his house. That's right, he was biking around his own neighborhood in full view of his home. Oh, but why would he do that at an empty house? Oh, that's right, it wasn't empty and he didn't want you catching him go fast. Is that really where the line is drawn, going too fast? "Oh I don't know or care where or how you got it, just go slow." Really? Are you fucking blind? Deaf? Otherwise oblivious? Did you buy him a dirt bike? No? Then where the fuck did it come from? It's easy, sit him down and say, "Don't steal motorbikes. If you do, stop at the proper places and drive responsibly. If you don't do either of those, wear a helmet." Seems easy to me.

Did the kid deserve to die? Did he have it coming? Was he asking for it? Absolutely fucking not, but come on. Give your kid a better chance than that. Is the alternative really all that great? And are you just going to say, "oh it's just a bad thing that happened, horrible tragedy," or are you going to make something of it? Are you going to make things better? Or will you ignore the behavior, and keep the cycle going?

I feel like I'm on crazy pills.

Will

Really???

Hypothetical.

Barack Obama says there should be a definite time table for withdrawal from Iraq, Bush and John McCain call it an irresponsible idea, not smart. Now, the Iraqi P.M. agrees, there should be a timetable. Why do they not wag their finger at the government that the administration propped up? Why do they continue to back leaders who are so obviously irresponsible and short sighted?

I don't get it...

Coming Soon - - Regime Change 2: The Reckoning.

Opens January 2009 (November Elections Pending).

Will

It's all in the bookcase, need to plow through it....

Kate and I have a nifty little library. Lots of random things, all across the map from banned books, to classics, to poetry, to (auto)biographies, histories, fiction, comics/graphic novels and random psychology books. And you know what? A good chunk of them are half read. Came across a thread in a Manics message board about what people are reading and it got me thinking, we have a ton of books and I haven't finished a lot of them. I always put off reading until I forget about it. So, here's where we finish a bunch of them. I want to polish off at least five, one for each month left in 2008. I'm already pretty well into Grapes of Wrath, but I also need to finish Angela's Ashes and get it back to Jenn. Kate found her copy of Tropic of Cancer, and I need to finish World War Z finally as well. This should be good if I can stick to it...

Pet Project..... GO!

Will

FUCKING GOOGLE

It should be noted that I created this account and blog out of a feeling of positivity and it is gone now.

It took me ten minutes to create the goddamned google account to create this fiasco in progress. Every time I entered that jumbled pile of letters into the little box it was wrong. Admittedly, the first one was way too jumbled to even guess. The second was much clearer, as were the third and fourth. The fifth was not so much clear as it was completely unreadable, and the sixth came back to normal. Finally after attempting to contact google to tell them what a piece of crap their sign in thing is, and failing at that as well, I tried one more time. Completely garbled mess of letters once again, but I guessed anyway. Success. And here I am.

I was all happy and had a ton of awesome stuff to write but this will have to suffice for the first post. Sorry about that.
Will