FromMindful Musings: A Good Man

He was a true man of the people, had very strong leadership qualities and served this country as a capable and insightful leader during the Cold War. He worked very hard to empower the Republican Party and was a dear minion of conservative thought. In addition, he was a loving husband and was very successful in his relationship with Nancy Davis Reagan.

Regardless of your politics, it seems to me that Reagan was, what a President should be. He listened to the people, he worked hard to reach his goals, and he wasn't afraid to make a decision based on what he believed to be right. He remembered that a President is supposed to not only be "The Leader of the Free World" but that the President is also a figurehead, that he represents The American People to the world. There is a reason that in the US we refer to the president with the honorarium of "Mister." The president is one of us. Americans are loud, opinionated, stubborn, hard-working, dedicated, and entertaining. Ronald Reagan was all of these and more and when he left office, he (like Carter) had the grace to return to being just another American citizen, who dedicated himself to what he believed in, and let someone else do the job of being President. I am proud to call him "Mister Reagan."
Farewell.

From E.L. Doctorow, Booed but Unbowed Doctorow said, "I thought we were all supposed to speak out? Isn't that what this country is about?"

Isn't that what the audience was doing? They heard someone taking a platform that was given to them as an honor for their accomplishments, and turning it into a platform to comment on politics and "America" and then being offended that their audience expressed their own opinion in an equally innapropriate manner. I firmly believe that everyone in this country has the right to an opinion, right or wrong, and the right to have that opinion heard. However, I think that the rules of society dictate that there is a time and place where expressing that opinion is innapropriate. If I was in a job interview (on either side) and said "I think George Bush is a farce of a president, how about you?" that would be innapropriate. If I were at a funeral, giving the eulogy, it would be wrong for me to start complainging about politics. The same is true for acceptance speeches and commencement addresses. If you want to complain about politics and the state of the world, go on a talk show, write a letter to the editor, take out an ad, stand on a street-corner (where people can walk away if they so choose) or get yourself a blog.

Normally I find the fact that most blogs I've come across are mostly about blogging to be quite annoying. It's kind of like the Triple Self-Portrait by Norman Rockwell. It's cool the first time, but gets old really fast.
But, despite that, I have a few things to say about blogs, blogging, and my blog. Then I'll shut the hell up about it and go back to boring you with my life.
First of, the word blog is dumb. But there's nothing I can do about that since it's the term all the hip kids are using. Second, there's much uproar in the blogging world about some recent developments with Moveable Type. I'm not going to wheigh in on that because a) I'm a cheap bastard so I don't want to pay for anything I don't have to. b) when I picked my blogging software, I chose WordPress, because it seemed easier to install. c) I blame credit WP with helping me learn a lot about PHP and MySQL in a short time. I've had some fun with it.
That's what I think is important. Find something you're going to have fun with. I like playing with my web site and seeing what I can do with things. Some people just want to write and don't want to mess around. Whatever works for you is the right answer for you.
Now, on to more important things. Namely, my blog. I'm a little bored with the layout. There's some really cool designs out there and this is not one of them. I wish it was. I'm looking for suggestion on how to make it better. Anyone?

So, here's how it works... I pick someone I know and ask them questions derived from an interview with a celebrity. Today's interview subject is my brother. The interview questions came from an interview with Chris Rock. In this case I let my brother pick the celebrity, but didn't explain how it worked. He picks the celebrity for the next victim subject.

Me: Who makes you laugh?
Brother: Chris Rock
M: anyone else?
B: Samuel L Jackson
I don't like white people
M: Why not?
B: bathing habits, lack of rythym... dancing
that kind of thing
M: You don't like bathing habits?
B: I don't like white people
their bathing habbits are one reason
M: What would an action figure of you look like?
B: of me?
M: yeah.
B: he'd look like a big guy in a white cheerleader outfit with shiny silver and purple stripes and he'd have a hot sidekick in a skirt
M: What would you do if you woke up one morning with the body of a 60-year-old white man?
B: like... I was in it? or laying next to me?
M: Um... you were in it?
B: well if it was after october 20 2041 and before October 20 2044, I'd be ok with that... if was after october 20 2044, I'd be pretty happy. If it were tomorrow, I'd probably shit my inconenent self and go yell at small children and their parents
M: and if you were next to it?
B: oh yeah and as an addendum to the "who makes you laugh" I thought of a white guy... Family guy... they're all white
whole show is frikkin great
so is Aqua Teen Hunger Force but they're not even human
if I were next to the body of a 60 year old man, I'd freak the hell out- probably shit myself and then go find out what the hell I ingested the previous night
and look through his wallet
M: Do you believe in reincarnation?
B: nope
not really
M: If you had to come back as something what ould you wnat to be?
B: a house cat... a big one like Chubby
or me but with better foresight
M: Why a house cat?
B: eat, sleep, play, run the world with a flick of my tail and get adored for it
M: Where's the strangest place you've ever woken up?
B: added to their ability to be completely adorable while doing the most despicable things on earth
strangest place I've ever awakened..... ummmm... under the bleachers at the Cornell Gym
M: I want to know what your take is on the controversy with Eminem. Is it a white thing, a black thing, a rap thing, or a First Amendment thing?
B: there's a controversy with Eminem?
M: Hey, I ask the questions here.
B: wasn't aware there was a new one
M: Who said anything about a new one?
B: oh just his ongoing thing
M: sure
B: Eminem is a bit of an enigma. I think the controversy is essentially over the prudishness of society as a whole. We don't like things being flung in our faces. Eminem loves to fling things in our faces, whether it's race, sexuality, violence, or just slapstick comedy. I can't claim to know as I've never sat down and talked with him but it seems that he has a great deal of respect for minorities and his constant stereotyping thereof is essentially a foil- showing us our prejudices and our fears by dancing on our taboos. to say fag, bitch, and fuck so freely is to say that these words only have power because we are afraid of them.
M: Okay, last question. Pick a celebrity for the next interview.
B: Brad Pitt
M: Thanks

So when it comes time for the next interview I'll run a Google search on "Brad Pitt Interview" and use the questions from whatever I find there as the basis for the next interview. Should be fun.

Since there's no Friday Five this week... How about this:

• Grab the nearest book.
• Open the book to page 23.
• Find the fifth sentence.
• Post the text of the sentence on your blog along with these instructions.

"Are you serious, sir?" he said in a small whisper which had the effect of silencing the pub. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams

Lucky for me I was trying to find a quote in that book earlier, other wise it would have been one of the Danielle Steel books that are laying around from my cataloging project. Bleh. Maybe just for fun we'll se what that would have led to.

She pulled a thin cloadk of indifference around her, nodded, smiled easily, and slid out of the car. Season of Passion, by Danielle Steel

Yeah, bleh.

Questions and answers

Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, find line 4. Write down what it says:

2.3.1 Start And End Tags HTML & XHTML: The Definitive Guide Chuck Musciano & Bill Kennedy

Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What do you touch first?

Dining Room Chair

What is the last thing you watched on TV?

Cubs vs. Braves... right now.

WITHOUT LOOKING, guess what the time is.

1:25

Now look at the clock, what is the actual time?

1:13

With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?

Baseball on the TV, TBWITWW eating lunch

When did you last step outside? What were you doing?

About 15 minutes ago. Grocery Trip.

Before you came to this website, what did you look at?

Dominoes Instructions at Pressman Games

What are you wearing?

Jeans, T-shirt and my Chucks

Did you dream last night?

Yeah, and they were wierd... but as usual I don't remember them now.

When did you last laugh?

Right before leaving for the Grocery Store. TBWITWW is ticklish. :)

What is on the walls of the room you are in?

2 peices of original artwork, one of which came with the apartment. A sinatra Poster, a Guinness sign, A couple of TBWITWW's awards from High School, A penguin picture, 2 license plates, Our wedding guest "book" a phone, a clock and some flowers.

Seen anything weird lately?

women wearing wool coats and sandals. Make up your freakin mind.

Last movie you saw?

Watched a good chunk of Blues Brothers this morning. Last one in a theater... School of Rock and Scary Movie 3 at the Brew & View

If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy first?

A condo.

Reveal something that no-one knows about you.

Can't think of anything.

If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?

Make everyone responsible for their own actions.

Do you like to dance?

Do I like to? sort of. Does it cause people pain to watch me dance... Yes.

George Bush:

Dumb, but not evil. He's not a worse president than Clinton, just worse at PR. (See also Nixon/Kennedy)

Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?

I like Morgan Elizabeth, but I don't think TBWITWW will go with that. There's lots of options.

Same question for a boy.

I like Dylan, but see above.

Stretch your right hand all the way out, what is the first thing you touch?

Iccarus.

From: Defective Yeti

Misfortunation: Intentionally transforming a desirable event into an undesirable event in the hopes that your bad luck will cause it to occur.

And the entry goes so well with my last picture.