I love Pint-Size, and I really want an Anthro-PC but...well...that is just disturbed and disturbing.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
This is the most...
disturbing image I have ever seen in a Questionable Content comic.
I love Pint-Size, and I really want an Anthro-PC but...well...that is just disturbed and disturbing.
I love Pint-Size, and I really want an Anthro-PC but...well...that is just disturbed and disturbing.
Answer: The Man, The Myth, The Legend
Does it get any better?
No, it most definitely does not.
Think of all the classic Lionel Richie songs and ask yourself, which one makes me smile?
All Night Long? Hello? Say You, Say Me? Easy?
Dancing on the Ceiling?
(Actually, don't say Dancing on the Ceiling. Please. It is awful.)
Easy is wonderful, and such an expression of...well, ended love.
Everyone you meet, will be dancing in the street...All night long.
Oh, this song about the love between to men, formed over dance, is the real reason the Wall fell.
And yes, it is still really awful...but it is a classic.
His new stuff, not so much...
Thank you, Vulture, for promoting this.
Randomness from the last couple of days
Finding myself rooting for Colgate is interesting. Partially because I remember chanting horrible things about them as an undergrad, and then there is the whole really not wanting RPI to win, because I am an awful person. Go Colgate! (Is the mascot palmolive?)
I did something stupid and embarrassing with twenty five pound dumbbells on Monday. Yesterday, I overdid it at Habitat and by the end of the evening, I had lost feeling in my fingertips. That being said, I am happy with the workout I got it.
Twenty two hours away from social media was wonderful and relaxing.
Having Lionel Richie's "Hello" stuck in my head is awesomely awful. I do blame Lux and NYMag for this.
Now you can have it too!
Speaking of wonderful music, is anyone going to Solid Sound?
I did something stupid and embarrassing with twenty five pound dumbbells on Monday. Yesterday, I overdid it at Habitat and by the end of the evening, I had lost feeling in my fingertips. That being said, I am happy with the workout I got it.
Twenty two hours away from social media was wonderful and relaxing.
Having Lionel Richie's "Hello" stuck in my head is awesomely awful. I do blame Lux and NYMag for this.
Now you can have it too!
Speaking of wonderful music, is anyone going to Solid Sound?
Hall of Game: Dave Kingman
Unlike "The Thrill", who you can make an argument for being a member of the HoF, with Kingman, you just cannot. It was not that he was not awesome, because 442 career home runs is awesome. The man in 1979 hit 48 dingers. 1979. When no one was hitting home runs at that pace. A couple of years later he hit 37 in a year where he only batted .204. That year, of his 109, 37 of them were home runs. All Kong did was hit home runs.
Some of the longest home runs in the history of the game (the oral history at least) came off his bat and they are still shots that are talked about during broadcasts.
He was also part of one of the weirder plays in history.
So, Dave Kingman, welcome to the Hall of Game! Thanks!
Baseball Reference
The Dave Kingman Website
Baseball Almanac
2000th Post
Wow.
Two thousand musing, rants, and rather stupid declarations.
The visualization for two thousand posts is...quite odd.
futile mistake name march body line list bottom background url http blogblog tictac_blue gif repeat link layout outer wrapper content image main fix long text breaking sidebar float right header post footer img blog pager comment one time friday tomorrow posts posted comments labels day unplugging reactions thought tasted song coming back did internet love books tuesday bad baseball fan two daily show facebook beer culture women things albany clark may bicycle please disney february music january december november october september august july june april food
Here is to two thousand more.
Two thousand musing, rants, and rather stupid declarations.
The visualization for two thousand posts is...quite odd.
futile mistake name march body line list bottom background url http blogblog tictac_blue gif repeat link layout outer wrapper content image main fix long text breaking sidebar float right header post footer img blog pager comment one time friday tomorrow posts posted comments labels day unplugging reactions thought tasted song coming back did internet love books tuesday bad baseball fan two daily show facebook beer culture women things albany clark may bicycle please disney february music january december november october september august july june april food
Here is to two thousand more.
Friday, March 4, 2011
See you tomorrow, folks
I am going offline until tomorrow at roughly 5:30.
I will still be accepting phone calls, but no texts, e-mails, blog posts, or social networks.
I am looking forward to enjoying the silence.
I thought I tasted of to many cigarettes
Ever wake up to a song lyric stuck in your head? Not the whole song...just one set of lyrics.
When the alarm went off, I had "When I kissed you, you didn't mind. I thought I tasted of too many cigarettes but you tasted like wine," from Jump in the River embedded in my mind.
As I was showering, more of the song kept coming back to me and by the time I had finished my coffee, I had a desperate need to hear the song. Seeing that I was already out and about, and I did not have the song on my phone, I was required to procure it from iTunes. Ahhh...instant gratification.
That this song was the inspiration for the title of this blog is not lost upon me...
"I'm not supposed to be here at all...it's all been a gorgeous mistake"
I am trying to remember what from my dreams was the trigger.
My guess is that I will never figure it out and that is another mystery for a Friday morning that has been odd.
When the alarm went off, I had "When I kissed you, you didn't mind. I thought I tasted of too many cigarettes but you tasted like wine," from Jump in the River embedded in my mind.
As I was showering, more of the song kept coming back to me and by the time I had finished my coffee, I had a desperate need to hear the song. Seeing that I was already out and about, and I did not have the song on my phone, I was required to procure it from iTunes. Ahhh...instant gratification.
That this song was the inspiration for the title of this blog is not lost upon me...
"I'm not supposed to be here at all...it's all been a gorgeous mistake"
I am trying to remember what from my dreams was the trigger.
My guess is that I will never figure it out and that is another mystery for a Friday morning that has been odd.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
The Baseball Flow Chart
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Briefly - On the 2012 Election Season
In the run-up to the elections of both 2004 and 2008, I was one of those people who woke up in the middle of the night to check primary data. I regularly had my day ruined/made by polls of states I’d never set foot in. I wrote checks and impassioned mass-emails. I could (and worse, did) explain the intricacies of the Texas two-step primary/caucus. I have no idea why or how political campaigns became my drug of choice, but now, in this brief window of daylight, I dread the coming darkness.
I Know The 2012 Election Cycle Will Kill Me
I can relate to this in a way that I am neither proud of nor ashamed of.
And The Daily Show has started InDecision 2012...
I Know The 2012 Election Cycle Will Kill Me
I can relate to this in a way that I am neither proud of nor ashamed of.
And The Daily Show has started InDecision 2012...
Randomness for Wednesday
Beer Culture: The Tale of Two Countries
As I saw these articles back to back this morning, it struck me about how opposed they are to each other. The first being a request for funds for a documentary about the beer culture of the PNW and the women involved. For The Love of Beer - Celebrating Women in the Beer Industry looks to be interesting and insightful, especially since the beer from the PNW is tasty and the people are fanatical about their superiority regarding it. Take some time to watch the video. Quirky women and craft beer...I could adopt this as a personal favorite.
The other article is about the death of the beer industry and brewery culture in Germany. They have even coined a neologism for this, brauereisterben, which means brewery death. It is a good article about the changing culture of Germany and the abandoning of a certain culture of beer, but...there is hope.
Happy Birthday to Dr. Seuss, who reportedly did not like children. By some of the really creepy situations he put them in, that is apparent. However, one of my fond memories of childhood is listening to my father try to read "Hop on Pop" to my little sister.
Slate asks, "Are NPR listeners the worst people in the world?" I have to wonder what it overlap is in the Venn with NPR listeners and Slate readers.
Yesterday, Mediaite had a piece, that I do not entirely agree with, about the role that anonymous commenters play in an internet and blogging culture. Again, I do not agree with this.
Finally, some housekeeping:
I am well aware that I am behind on my 365 Things to do in Albany list. I have not touched it for two months. I will try to add more to this list in the upcoming weeks.
As I saw these articles back to back this morning, it struck me about how opposed they are to each other. The first being a request for funds for a documentary about the beer culture of the PNW and the women involved. For The Love of Beer - Celebrating Women in the Beer Industry looks to be interesting and insightful, especially since the beer from the PNW is tasty and the people are fanatical about their superiority regarding it. Take some time to watch the video. Quirky women and craft beer...I could adopt this as a personal favorite.
The other article is about the death of the beer industry and brewery culture in Germany. They have even coined a neologism for this, brauereisterben, which means brewery death. It is a good article about the changing culture of Germany and the abandoning of a certain culture of beer, but...there is hope.
Happy Birthday to Dr. Seuss, who reportedly did not like children. By some of the really creepy situations he put them in, that is apparent. However, one of my fond memories of childhood is listening to my father try to read "Hop on Pop" to my little sister.
Slate asks, "Are NPR listeners the worst people in the world?" I have to wonder what it overlap is in the Venn with NPR listeners and Slate readers.
Yesterday, Mediaite had a piece, that I do not entirely agree with, about the role that anonymous commenters play in an internet and blogging culture. Again, I do not agree with this.
Finally, some housekeeping:
I am well aware that I am behind on my 365 Things to do in Albany list. I have not touched it for two months. I will try to add more to this list in the upcoming weeks.
Hall of Game - Will Clark
How ballsy would you have to be to use your nickname (and a blues classic popularized by B.B. King) as your answering machine message?
Will "The Thrill" Clark ballsy.
In his fifteen year career, Clark put up great numbers; .303 batting average, just under 300 home runs, more than 2100 hits and over 1200 RBI. Before Derek Jeter became the definition of it, Will Clark was clutch.
More to the point, he was fun to watch.
Unlike other players from his era, The Thrill has never been mentioned as someone who used/abused PEDs, yet that allowed him to be a six time All-Star.
Just look at some of the years he had, and remember, while he will never be a member of the Hall of Fame, Will Clark was The Thrill for an entire generation of baseball fans in San Francisco as well as the entire country.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Randomness for a Tuesday Evening
This song came up on shuffle this afternoon. It made me laugh and smile.
This may be a song from the 1980s that is improved by a keyboard, especially when so many of the artists of the era used a keyboard to replace a horn section.
It was a beautiful day, with signs of spring apparent, and it was good to be out in it.
Hearing from a medical professional (one that you have been seeing for years and has a gruff demeanor to begin with) that, "there is nothing to worry about until I tell you there is something to worry about," is both disconcerting and oddly comforting. I have the feeling that he was not doing anything to save my feelings.
The comments on All Over Albany and Gothamist posts about a "Bicycle Registration and Licensing Fee" are classic.
From the Bill:
"The issuance of license plates will ensure personal protection for cases such as bicycle theft or bicycle accidents, to name a few."
Wow! That's awesome. My bike is already registered with the manufacturer and with Albany PD, and when I was hit by a car in the summer of 2009, I am sure having to register my bike with the state would have guaranteed the asshat with a SUNYA Faculty/Staff sticker would have been brought to justice for just driving away. What are the others? I mean, if there are other benefits, aside from a new revenue stream, would it not serve to Distinguished Member from Queens to elaborate on them?
This may be a song from the 1980s that is improved by a keyboard, especially when so many of the artists of the era used a keyboard to replace a horn section.
It was a beautiful day, with signs of spring apparent, and it was good to be out in it.
Hearing from a medical professional (one that you have been seeing for years and has a gruff demeanor to begin with) that, "there is nothing to worry about until I tell you there is something to worry about," is both disconcerting and oddly comforting. I have the feeling that he was not doing anything to save my feelings.
The comments on All Over Albany and Gothamist posts about a "Bicycle Registration and Licensing Fee" are classic.
From the Bill:
"The issuance of license plates will ensure personal protection for cases such as bicycle theft or bicycle accidents, to name a few."
Wow! That's awesome. My bike is already registered with the manufacturer and with Albany PD, and when I was hit by a car in the summer of 2009, I am sure having to register my bike with the state would have guaranteed the asshat with a SUNYA Faculty/Staff sticker would have been brought to justice for just driving away. What are the others? I mean, if there are other benefits, aside from a new revenue stream, would it not serve to Distinguished Member from Queens to elaborate on them?
News in Brief - Tuesday
- Slate has a wonderful piece about one of the Unsung Heroes of the Cold War who asked the question, "If the President gives the order to launch our nuclear arsenal, can we be sure that the President is sane enough to make that call?" I think that it is a more than fair question, as anyone who would use nuclear weapons clearly is less than sane.
- The NYT's Caucus Blog asks, "Will the rising gas prices be an issue for candidates in 2012?" Um. Yes. Is that even a question? Americans love there big cars and love living in suburban wastelands. Most Americans think that public transportation is a bad thing or that riding a bicycle is juvenile. (Yes, I am using most here. Statistics support me. Source them yourself. Start with the Dept of Transportation.)
- While the The King of All Media asked, and rightfully so, "Who is more insane, Charlie Sheen or Glenn Beck?" on The Daily Show, Mr. Sheen was on Piers Morgan and made the most wonderful statement ever..."I have a ten thousand year old brain and the boogers of a seven year old." Clearly, this man is sane, ready to get back to work, and unaffected by narcotic abuse.
- In an effort at counter-programming, The Awl is going to be a Sheen Free Zone today.
- Howard Kurtz has a good piece on The Daily Beast about how Rachel Maddow has become the face of MSNBC after the departure of Keith. Yes, my crush was only deepened.
- And one that has me scratching my head a little...Frank Rich is leaving the New York Times for New York Magazine? That just seems like an odd move, especially right now. I do hope it works out for everyone involved.
- Oh, and... the redesign that made most Gawker media sites unreadable (with the exception of Fleshbot), yeah...Nick Denton sent out a memo saying that it....could have gone better.
My Top 25 Songs of 2011...so far...
Last month, I posted my top 25 songs for the month of January, and my intention was to post a new list every month, but...and this is how my brain works...what if I tracked what I listened to over the course of a year. I will admit that is was interesting to not reset my play counter at the end of January, in a "I buy my underwear at K-Mart and dad let me drive the Caddy in the parking lot" type of way. Yes, I referenced a twenty three year old movie for that joke. It is my quick wittedness and topicalness that keeps you all coming back for more. Anyway, I have made it through two months now, and this is what I am listening to. I do expect to see a change as the weather gets warmer and I am spending more time outside...or so I hope.
1. Ready to Start - Arcade Fire
2. Southwood Plantation Road - The Mountain Goats
3. Big & Tall - Lifter
4. Overkill - Colin Hay
5. Chicago Promenade - Jason Isbell
6. Thirteen - Big Star
7. Sweet Disposition - The Temper Trap
8. Everything She Wants - Wham!
9. Here I Dreamt I Wans an Architect - The Decemberists
10. Lucifer's Jigsaw - Jaydiohead
11. Instant Karma - John Lennon
12. New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down - LCD Soundsystem
13. No One Sleeps When I'm Awake - The Sounds
14. Oh! Sweet Nuthin' - The Velvet Underground
15. Tightrope - Janelle Monae
16. Lovers' Carvings - Bibio
17. Fuck You - Cee Lo Green
18. Toyko Storm Warning - Elvis Costello
19. Omission - John Frusciante
20. Hallelujah - Leonard Cohen
21. Something About You - Level 42
22. Subdivisions - Rush
23. Hankerchiefs - Winterpills
24. Vagabond - Wolfmother
25. (Antichrist Television Blues) - Arcade Fire
What are you listening to? I would be curious to see what everyone's "Most Played" songs are.
1. Ready to Start - Arcade Fire
2. Southwood Plantation Road - The Mountain Goats
3. Big & Tall - Lifter
4. Overkill - Colin Hay
5. Chicago Promenade - Jason Isbell
6. Thirteen - Big Star
7. Sweet Disposition - The Temper Trap
8. Everything She Wants - Wham!
9. Here I Dreamt I Wans an Architect - The Decemberists
10. Lucifer's Jigsaw - Jaydiohead
11. Instant Karma - John Lennon
12. New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down - LCD Soundsystem
13. No One Sleeps When I'm Awake - The Sounds
14. Oh! Sweet Nuthin' - The Velvet Underground
15. Tightrope - Janelle Monae
16. Lovers' Carvings - Bibio
17. Fuck You - Cee Lo Green
18. Toyko Storm Warning - Elvis Costello
19. Omission - John Frusciante
20. Hallelujah - Leonard Cohen
21. Something About You - Level 42
22. Subdivisions - Rush
23. Hankerchiefs - Winterpills
24. Vagabond - Wolfmother
25. (Antichrist Television Blues) - Arcade Fire
What are you listening to? I would be curious to see what everyone's "Most Played" songs are.
Something...Missing
(This may be a possible selection for the next Books and Beer.)
How do you take a burglar and make them completely redeemable? How do you take a thief and make them the hero of your novel? How do you make someone with crippling shyness a love interest?
You make your main character a burglar with OCD (and an interesting and slightly difficult childhood) and a willingness to only steal things that the owners, or clients in the protagonists parlance, will never notice being gone.
There you have it. That is the complete story of Something Missing by Matthew Dicks.
This is a very fun book and I laughed out loud several times, and chortled continuously while reading it. It also reads much more quickly than the 292 pages that it is listed at. I was able to complete it, with a dinner break, between late afternoon and early evening on Sunday, but YMMV.
For being slight, and very funny, the novel does offer some interesting questions, and the author does not go out of his way to answer them. Which, in this case, is a very good thing, because answering the questions about what makes someone good or bad could only lead to a type of moral absolutism that is condescending and banal.
What makes the book come alive is the main character, Martin, who considered the people he steals from (mostly things like a bag of tomatoes here, some toilet paper there) clients and friends, albeit in a very bizarre way, and the action starts when Martin decides that he can "give back" to his clients, by making their lives better. His sweetness, combined with his very vivid oddness (flossing five times a day), make him one of the more enjoyable characters I have followed in the past couple of years.
If you are looking for something fun, quick, and interesting, I suggest purchasing Something Missing at your Local Independent Bookstore.
You make your main character a burglar with OCD (and an interesting and slightly difficult childhood) and a willingness to only steal things that the owners, or clients in the protagonists parlance, will never notice being gone.
There you have it. That is the complete story of Something Missing by Matthew Dicks.
This is a very fun book and I laughed out loud several times, and chortled continuously while reading it. It also reads much more quickly than the 292 pages that it is listed at. I was able to complete it, with a dinner break, between late afternoon and early evening on Sunday, but YMMV.
For being slight, and very funny, the novel does offer some interesting questions, and the author does not go out of his way to answer them. Which, in this case, is a very good thing, because answering the questions about what makes someone good or bad could only lead to a type of moral absolutism that is condescending and banal.
What makes the book come alive is the main character, Martin, who considered the people he steals from (mostly things like a bag of tomatoes here, some toilet paper there) clients and friends, albeit in a very bizarre way, and the action starts when Martin decides that he can "give back" to his clients, by making their lives better. His sweetness, combined with his very vivid oddness (flossing five times a day), make him one of the more enjoyable characters I have followed in the past couple of years.
If you are looking for something fun, quick, and interesting, I suggest purchasing Something Missing at your Local Independent Bookstore.
The Magic of Shuffle
I had not heard this song, literally, since 2000, and when it came up on shuffle yesterday evening, I was surprised and slightly taken aback.
The song is "Choose Drugs" by Juliana Hatfield of the album Beautiful Creature.
The song is "Choose Drugs" by Juliana Hatfield of the album Beautiful Creature.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Some people's version of Hell
Sixteen of me, while wearing a bow tie.
For a fairly large number of people, I can only assume that this is a nightmare version of Hell that they awake from...weeping.
For a fairly large number of people, I can only assume that this is a nightmare version of Hell that they awake from...weeping.
Union Hockey in today's USCHO Poll
Look at that, folks!
We even managed a first place vote.
Waiting patiently for the USA Today Poll will be difficult.
FAU pointed out that I sound giddy. He may be correct.
Edit: USA Today's Poll is out. Union Hockey is 4th here too. No first place votes though
Even if the season were to end tomorrow, I would be proud of the season that we have had and never more proud to be a Dutchman.
We even managed a first place vote.
Waiting patiently for the USA Today Poll will be difficult.
FAU pointed out that I sound giddy. He may be correct.
Edit: USA Today's Poll is out. Union Hockey is 4th here too. No first place votes though
Even if the season were to end tomorrow, I would be proud of the season that we have had and never more proud to be a Dutchman.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
On my growling stomach
(I am not dieting per se but regulating when I eat and trying to keep to a strict schedule so my stomach will growl loudly.)
My brother: If your stomach keeps making those noises, Ripley is going to come here and tell you there is nothing she can do for you.
My brother: If your stomach keeps making those noises, Ripley is going to come here and tell you there is nothing she can do for you.
At the end, you cannot even trust yourself
(Just giving a "heads up" here, everything below this line may be spoilerific. You have been warned.)
Some books leave you with more questions than answers, and that is often comforting. The creator of the universe does not have all the answers, and life can not be summed up into something that is neat and occasionally nausea inducing.
Suzanne Collins does not try to answer all the questions in the third book of her Hunger Games trilogy and she does not have to. She answers the important ones and leaves more disturbing ones out there.
To summarize the first two novels, Katniss Everdeen, a young and poor woman living in what was the Appalachian region of the former United States is selected to fight for her District in the annual Hunger Games, a bread and circuses reaction to a civil war seventy five years previous. The bread and circuses aspect is taken quite literally with the nation being named Panem. She and a fellow citizen named Peeta compete and win, based on a number of duplicities and the fallout from this is great, with Katniss becoming the voice of a burgeoning resistance.
The next annual Hunger Games has Katniss and Peeta again fighting, with other previous victors. There is quite a bit of posturing regarding rights and such, and in the end, the "victors", along with help from the resistance, sabotage the Hunger Games, the Quarter Quell, and rescue Katniss (while leaving Peeta) to make her the symbolic leader of the revolt against Panem. This revolt is coordinated by rebels and inhabitants of the mysterious (if you have never read any Soviet era literature or seen any dystopian films) District 13, which has been destroyed according to the official record.
And that is where we begin.
The only quality of any redeeming merit that Katniss possess is her unwavering lover for her sister and her refusal to see any harm come to her. Otherwise, she is what she is: oblivious, haughty, stubborn, rude, and quick to judge others, as well as being a skilled killer.
Mockingjay does nothing to disabuse of that notion regarding Katniss. More to the point, Collins goes out of her way to show that her protagonist is not an example of a complex and moral person, rather someone trapped by circumstances and by both sides into becoming something that she is neither comfortable with or can understand until the very end.
The is the story of a chess match, written from the perspective of a particularly well made and camera ready pawn.
Peeta (who is eventually rescued, after being tortured and brainwashed by President Snow, the leader of Panem) and Gale, Katniss' confidant, love interest, and protector, have a conversation about who will end up with Katniss when the revolution is over.
Gale states, "Katniss will pick whoever she thinks she can't survive without."
Katniss, who is pretending to be sleeping when she overhears this, is sent into a fugue state and slowly comes to realize how she presents and who she really is. She comes to grip with her reality starting at that moment and the reality is that she is cruel, callous, and maybe irredeemable.
This is the beginning of the end, and the end is dramatic, with Katniss assassinating the new leader of Panem, the former leader of District 13 for essentially what amount to war crimes. Katniss is her own tribunal, and executioner.
The war crimes in question involve the fire bombing of children and then the killing of the first responders the same way. Among these first responders, and Katniss' real motivation for the assassination is Katniss' sister Prim. The only person she loves unconditionally in this world.
So...
These books take a number of facets of modern life in America and package them as a fairly deep allegory for young adults.
To make a quick list:
I know nothing of Suzanne Collins political views, and I really do not care about them. I can read however, and each of the bulleted points is on very clear display in the last novel. That being said, there are some counters that are offered in the book, and one regarding the uselessness of urbanites seems close to genuine, however the bulk of the book keeps hitting on those themes.
While not coming out and saying what the real audience for these books are, and not saying that these very popular books could be used as an indoctrination took themselves, I ask you...
What person would look that the above list and say, "Yeah, sure, you betcha" to the truths contained therein?
Suzanne Collins does not try to answer all the questions in the third book of her Hunger Games trilogy and she does not have to. She answers the important ones and leaves more disturbing ones out there.
To summarize the first two novels, Katniss Everdeen, a young and poor woman living in what was the Appalachian region of the former United States is selected to fight for her District in the annual Hunger Games, a bread and circuses reaction to a civil war seventy five years previous. The bread and circuses aspect is taken quite literally with the nation being named Panem. She and a fellow citizen named Peeta compete and win, based on a number of duplicities and the fallout from this is great, with Katniss becoming the voice of a burgeoning resistance.
The next annual Hunger Games has Katniss and Peeta again fighting, with other previous victors. There is quite a bit of posturing regarding rights and such, and in the end, the "victors", along with help from the resistance, sabotage the Hunger Games, the Quarter Quell, and rescue Katniss (while leaving Peeta) to make her the symbolic leader of the revolt against Panem. This revolt is coordinated by rebels and inhabitants of the mysterious (if you have never read any Soviet era literature or seen any dystopian films) District 13, which has been destroyed according to the official record.
And that is where we begin.
The only quality of any redeeming merit that Katniss possess is her unwavering lover for her sister and her refusal to see any harm come to her. Otherwise, she is what she is: oblivious, haughty, stubborn, rude, and quick to judge others, as well as being a skilled killer.
Mockingjay does nothing to disabuse of that notion regarding Katniss. More to the point, Collins goes out of her way to show that her protagonist is not an example of a complex and moral person, rather someone trapped by circumstances and by both sides into becoming something that she is neither comfortable with or can understand until the very end.
The is the story of a chess match, written from the perspective of a particularly well made and camera ready pawn.
Peeta (who is eventually rescued, after being tortured and brainwashed by President Snow, the leader of Panem) and Gale, Katniss' confidant, love interest, and protector, have a conversation about who will end up with Katniss when the revolution is over.
Gale states, "Katniss will pick whoever she thinks she can't survive without."
Katniss, who is pretending to be sleeping when she overhears this, is sent into a fugue state and slowly comes to realize how she presents and who she really is. She comes to grip with her reality starting at that moment and the reality is that she is cruel, callous, and maybe irredeemable.
This is the beginning of the end, and the end is dramatic, with Katniss assassinating the new leader of Panem, the former leader of District 13 for essentially what amount to war crimes. Katniss is her own tribunal, and executioner.
The war crimes in question involve the fire bombing of children and then the killing of the first responders the same way. Among these first responders, and Katniss' real motivation for the assassination is Katniss' sister Prim. The only person she loves unconditionally in this world.
So...
These books take a number of facets of modern life in America and package them as a fairly deep allegory for young adults.
To make a quick list:
- The efficacy of torture
- Media as a tool for manipulating the masses
- The stardom of "normal" people in extraordinary circumstances
- The concept of a Just War
- Rebels against a powerful central government being the ideal
- Individualism, and rural pastoralism, as being the ideals for humanity
- The foppishness, and general uselessness, of urbanites
- A longing for a simpler time of small towns and simple pleasures
I know nothing of Suzanne Collins political views, and I really do not care about them. I can read however, and each of the bulleted points is on very clear display in the last novel. That being said, there are some counters that are offered in the book, and one regarding the uselessness of urbanites seems close to genuine, however the bulk of the book keeps hitting on those themes.
While not coming out and saying what the real audience for these books are, and not saying that these very popular books could be used as an indoctrination took themselves, I ask you...
What person would look that the above list and say, "Yeah, sure, you betcha" to the truths contained therein?
A new day is dawning
Congratulation to the Union College Dutchmen! 2010-11 ECAC Regular Season Champions and Cleary Cup winners! 5-0 over Princeton!
It was not that it was a great game because objectively, it wasn't great hockey.
Union had three power play goals, further cementing their claim to having the best power play in the NCAA, and one short handed goal (Princeton had pulled their goalie to go up a two man advantage, forgetting or not caring about how good our PK team is.) and one goal at even strength.
It was not that it was Senior Night and this was the first class of seniors to have winning records all four seasons since Union moved to Division I.
It was not that Princeton seemed to be pressing.
It was a combination of all these things, and watching Twitter and Score Center for out of town updates on Yale and RPI (as well as Nebraska and Denver) and that Kinkaid was playing incredibly between the pipes, that made this game feel both thrilling and anti-climatic. After the second goal, I am fairly confident that we were going to win, and I was hoping for the shutout, but I was still...nervous.
This shouldn't be happening to Union. We are Union, come on? We are the laughing stock of the ECAC.
Or we were.
Now we are the champions.
I was happy, proud, and amazed. I would be lying if I covered up that there were tears.
Congratulations, Union Hockey and bring on the playoffs!
On a personal note, some of you remember that I stayed with my grandfather through many of his final nights, and on Nov. 12th, while he was still lucid, he and I talked about the Union v. RPI series that was going on that weekend, and that he was looking forward to see how the team was going to do throughout the season.
They did well, Grandpa, they did well.
(Photo Credit: Union Athletics)
It was not that it was a great game because objectively, it wasn't great hockey.
Union had three power play goals, further cementing their claim to having the best power play in the NCAA, and one short handed goal (Princeton had pulled their goalie to go up a two man advantage, forgetting or not caring about how good our PK team is.) and one goal at even strength.
It was not that it was Senior Night and this was the first class of seniors to have winning records all four seasons since Union moved to Division I.
It was not that Princeton seemed to be pressing.
It was a combination of all these things, and watching Twitter and Score Center for out of town updates on Yale and RPI (as well as Nebraska and Denver) and that Kinkaid was playing incredibly between the pipes, that made this game feel both thrilling and anti-climatic. After the second goal, I am fairly confident that we were going to win, and I was hoping for the shutout, but I was still...nervous.
This shouldn't be happening to Union. We are Union, come on? We are the laughing stock of the ECAC.
Or we were.
Now we are the champions.
I was happy, proud, and amazed. I would be lying if I covered up that there were tears.
Congratulations, Union Hockey and bring on the playoffs!
On a personal note, some of you remember that I stayed with my grandfather through many of his final nights, and on Nov. 12th, while he was still lucid, he and I talked about the Union v. RPI series that was going on that weekend, and that he was looking forward to see how the team was going to do throughout the season.
They did well, Grandpa, they did well.
(Photo Credit: Union Athletics)
Weird
I woke up far too early so I tried to go back to sleep.
I was successful in this endeavor but I kept dreaming that I was going to marry Carrie Brownstein.
I cannot explain that at all but I can say is that my dream version of her is as whip smart & charming as you would expect.
(This posting about my dreams is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding this entry.)
I was successful in this endeavor but I kept dreaming that I was going to marry Carrie Brownstein.
I cannot explain that at all but I can say is that my dream version of her is as whip smart & charming as you would expect.
(This posting about my dreams is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding this entry.)
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