Richardson and Huckabee.

So far, it seems like we have 482 contenders for the presidential election of 2008. Two guys stand out, so far, with me-- Richardson, Democrat governor of New Mexico, and Huckabee, Republican governor of Arkansas. This is not an endorsement (since I know my endorsement would mean so much). Just early musings.



When asked on "Meet The Press", "How do you plan on competing with Clinton and Obama?" Richardson answered, "I will out-work them both." I can not imagine a better answer. It's hard to imagine a politician pledging to... ya know... work. He's incredibly qualified. His resume includes governorship, UN Ambassador, Secretary of Energy, and a few others. It could just be posturing, but he actually does seem to have a work ethic and dedication. Novel thought for a leader.



On "This Week", Huckabee was speaking of having humble roots in Hope, Arkansas (like Bill Clinton) and his annoyance with the blue-blooded body politik. Huckabee said, "Some people were born on third base and think they hit a triple." Brilliant rhetoric. Plus, Huckabee seems sensible and thoughtful, hesitating to endorse extreme positions. The bar is set so high, right? Don't be an extremist and reckless and you have my vote.

Trump and Nietzche.

So I was watching the news on webcast on MSNBC. The MSNBC video casts are pretty good, and provide a good sampling of the day's news. That one NBC dude (his name is like Rock Sampson or Brick Jennings or some made up screen name) provides the anchorman position. Anyways, in the queue is an interview with Donald Trump on Don Imus radio show. Undoubtedly, it's about Rosie O'Donnell and some other bullshit I don't care about. But I leave the video running and start doing something in my room. Well, I hear Donald Trump over the speakers and I had this HORRIBLE realization. I'm Donald Trump. No joke. I heard him say, "Oh God, this woman is just a complete disaster. She's just not a very bright person." I thought to myself, "I hate Donald Trump because he is such an absolutist. Oh my god, that's me! I hate myself!" Last week, I think I actually called the salad bar a "complete disaster" because it didn't have chickpeas. At least I don't share his hair. I used to think he was combing his eyebrows back over his head.




To make matters worse, this weekend, I was browsing the philosophy stacks at Barnes and Noble with Laura. I was browsing and talking about how I feel dumber in graduate school. That somehow undergraduate was challenging in a broad sense, and graduate school is challenging in the absolute smallest, most pinpointed way. I used to enjoy discussing philosophy, but that part of my brain is now home to a moth and cobweb festival. Anyways, as I peruse the stacks at BN, my eye catches Nietzche, so I pick up a few books, read the backs, cover notes, etc. Simultaneously, Laura and I see the book, "Why I am So Wise" by Nietzche. Laura immediately says, "That should be the title of your autobiography." Bitch. Then I thought maybe my autobiography should be titled, "Why I am So Right." Then Laura made the smart compromise, "Call it 'Why I am So Wise' and have Trump right the forward." (Sidenote: Laura and I decided to sharpen our minds on "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" by Nietzche. I read the introduction and I already suffered my first thinking-related aneuryism).

Anyways, there you have it. I take some relief in the fact that I think being an absolutist is annoying and funny because it is absurd. Big definitive statements about the mundane or trivial make me laugh. I love Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm. I'm a big picture person, but details are more fun. Black and white opinions are funny because it is obvious the world is not that simple. There's nothing worse than taking a complex issue and boiling it down so that some asshole can sort of understand. It's a soundbite world. Like those CNN headlines, "Vitamins. Good for your health. Or the cause of the largest pandemic known to man. Find out at 7!" I hate those fuckers. I want to say, "HEY! Some vitamins are good. Some probably are less helpful. And vitamins alone do not beget a healthy person. But they could be a part of a healthy lifestyle. Stop being an inflammatory jackass!" But nonetheless, I gotta tone this Colbertian persona down.

Channeling carrie bradshaw on this one

Anybody see Zach Braff’s movie, “The Last Kiss”? My friend Judy and I watched it the other night, and it spurred a great conversation about the nature of romantic relationships for people our age.

First, I recommend the film. It’s a movie about relationships that doesn't go the cheap romantic comedy route (or the teeth-gnashing Othello route). It's intelligent. But also, it’s about men, written from a man’s point of view, which is really refreshing.

Anyway, a lot of my friends (myself included) seem to be wrestling with this these days: What’s it look like when we stop dating just for fun and start getting… serious?

Casual dating and flings still sound good in theory. God, it was so much fun in college. But really, whatever used to make it worthwhile just doesn’t cut it anymore.

Is partnership not fun? This baffles me. There’s this perception that dating is about laughing, talking, play, and hot sex… and serious relationships are about paying bills together and making babies. (?!?) Call me crazy, but I’d like a serious relationship to be all of the good stuff (in fact, more of the good stuff!).

I think I could get married any time. Don’t get me wrong- I’m not ready for kids, or to buy a house. I’m not ready to stop traveling, or moving, or changing jobs, or being in school or spending money a bit selfishly… But I do think I could get married. All this adventure would be more fun with somebody I’m crazy about. Here’s what I could go for: A badass relationship now, with option to add the kids and the mortgage when I’m good and ready.

The tough part? Since going with Mr. Right Now just doesn’t hold the same appeal, I’m spending a lot of time being single holding out for someone who really rings my bell. And the older I get, the more quickly I can discern whether I’m really compatible with someone, so the Mr. Maybe pool just keeps thinning. It’s hard not to get frustrated with this scenario.

But in the end, I consider the alternatives: Married too young and unhappy… Still clutching to the club scene and the little black book… Not learning from the past and dating the same wrong guy, over and over…? No sir. I’m exactly where I should be.

Pachelbel.

I don't particularly enjoy Pachelbel's Canon in D. It's pretty cliche. I'm not a classical music expert. But the canon does stink of dimestore class, right? I can appreciate the simplicity. It is an incredibly accessible tune. It is even pretty. But it doesn't take much music appreciation to appreciate and therefore it is less appreciable. Follow?

The video and the guy are very funny. I never realized that this chord arrangement is so pervasive in so many genres of music. My favorite line in the video, "He's the original one hit wonder... VH1's 'I Love the 1790s.'"

The Cusp of Something Very Bad.

Real quick, here's a topic that is, of course, horrible: Iraq.

"The winds of change." (Scorpions, anyone?) Ok, how about "A Mighty Wind's a-Blowin?"

No, seriously, things are about a stone's throw away from the decent-from-which-there-will-be-no-recovery. I know we hear about this every day on the news, but I think that things are about to really shift from "salvage-able" to "ripping-apart-at-the-seams, you-might-as-well-try-and-stop-an-earthquake."

You know when a building or bridge collapses, there's usually some signs that it's really about to go? Not just rocking in the high winds or bits and pieces falling off, but major things going wrong? I'm getting that vibe, here. This is no longer just in a state of bad. It seems like we're one straw away from everything falling apart.

The bipartisan Iraq Study Group which seems to be largely ignored. Tony Snow as White House Press Secretary. Bush planning a "surge." The mob-esque execution of Saddam Hussein on camera phone all over the internet.














I also base this on conversations that I have with a Company Commander in Iraq. He is almost done with his second tour. He is in the First Armored Division, and has been recently extended until February (he should have been home before Christmas). This isn't the first time it's happened to him, either. These guys have sacrificed the vast majority of the last 4 years of their lives for this fiasco, lost marriages, lost limbs, lost friends. He and the other CO's in his Battalion are now signing off on official documents with "DILLIGAFF." Points go to anyone who knows what that means.

Of course, I hope I'm wrong about all of this. Interesting times to be alive.