2008 – A Year in Review

I’m trying something new.

A few of my more  industrious friends  send an “end of the year” letter in which they recall the triumphs, tribulations and mundanity of their personal years.  Some of these, I’ll admit, are incredibly boring; others are rather enlightening.  Having never written one myself, I figured this is as good a year as any to try to write my own.  Follow me over the fold for “2008 – A Year in Review.”

Stewart v. Huckabee

This is an absolutely fascinating exchange between Jon Stewart – one of the most thoughtful, articulate entertainers of our day – and Mike Huckabee.

The gay marriage issue, as evidenced by this conversation, boils down to the wrongly-held belief that being gay is a choice.

Check it out:

Keith Olbermann on Proposition 8

Keith Olbermann – in his unique style – gave an impassioned Special Comment on the passage of the hideous Proposition 8 in California that amended the California constitution to ban gay marriage.

Well done, Mr. Olbermann.

Reaction from the Right

I live in the New York City area, so I really don’t know too many conservatives.  I am gleefully surrounded by liberals who think very much like I do.

But one place I’ve encountered conservative vitriol is the wonder that is Facebook.  One now-ex friend on FB – we’ll call him E – and I had some rather spirited discussions during this election season.   I received the following message from him late last night:

You’re the stupid asshole who is blinded by his hatred of Bush and the Republicans. You and the rest of America drank the Kool Aid. The man has no experiene. I’ve been an assistant soccer for as long as he’s been in the Senate. I’m not qualifeid to be the National team coach and he isn’t qualified to be president. Just like Biden said, our country will face an international crisis in the 1st six months of his presidency because nobody his afraid of him bedause he is gutless. He has spoken on 3 different occassions about his muslim faith, standing by the Muslims and defending Palestine but each time he was misunderstood. Give me a fucking break. He is friends with known terrorist and anarchist Bill Ayres. He wants socialist health care. He wants to tax small business and give the money to the poor. That’s Marxist. He wants to limit what the press can say (the media who kissed his ass). Government controlled press is communism. When you have your freedoms curbed, it will be your own damn fault. Of course all the stuff I said will be ignored by you. A brick wall has more common senses. Obama won’t last 8 years. He kill the country long before then

I actually laughed out loud at the “freedoms curbed” line.  Wasn’t it the Bush Administration – and the REPUBLICANS – that pushed the Patriot Act?  The idiocy seems to know no bounds.

Yes, WE did!

Oh, what a night!

Barack Obama will be the 44th President of the United States…and I couldn’t be happier.

Bigotry in ‘boken

While walking to the ferry with my wife yesterday morning, we passed a white man wearing an obviously homemade t-shirt with the words “Hang Obama” written in black marker.  It instantly made my blood boil and my heart sink.

How is it possible, in 2008 and directly across the river from Manhattan, that there are still people who feel this way?  Who feel it’s appropriate to wear clothing with HATEFUL messages on them?  How can we, as a country, STILL be here?  How can there still be people walking the streets with such disregard for other human beings?

It made me truly sad, but all the more determined to do everything in my power to help Barack Obama become the next President of the United States.

You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.

I’m Serious This Time…

You’ve heard it here before, but this time I mean it. I’m serious. Don’t look at me that way!

I am going to re-re-rededicate myself to posting here more often.

Those of you reading this who know me personally – probably all of you – know that I’m not usually at a loss for words/funny stories/details of funny videos/political opinions/Philly sports team angst or euphoria, etc., to share.

To spare my darling wife Erin – and my lunch buddies – I’ll put those items here. They may be short quips, insights, videos, thought purges, or long-winded rants, but at least the intertubes will have a little more content in them.  If I can keep it up, this blog will be updated daily.

I mean it.

Thoughts on the ‘Social Networking’ Phenomenon

I just created a profile on Facebook.com. To be perfectly honest, everything involved with the process is a little bit daunting.  This got me thinking about the concept of social networking in the 21st century, in general.

My first foray into social networking was Friendster, way back in late 2003/2004. It was all very new and exciting…until it wasn’t anymore. There entered an anxiety about trying to add as many friends as possible, of building up my comments section. That anxiety grew old, so I deleted my Friendster account a few months ago. By then, I had created a MySpace account. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the thought of deFriendster-ing people who were no longer in my life. Seemed a little passive/aggressive and petty. It was a much better thought to delete the profile entirely. I mean, I’m in my 30s. Why must I worry so much about these things?

Fast forward to today, and I’m on both MySpace and Facebook. Maybe I should complete the cycle and re-up for Friendster?

Or maybe not.

Happy Birthday to me!

 

32. 3-2. Craziness. I am now firmly entrenched in my 30s.

I have this annoying history of enjoying better luck in my odd years (31, 29, etc.) than my even ones, so here’s hoping 32 breaks that trend.

Blog Note: It is officially summer time. As a result, I have a bit more time on my hands than I have had during these past several months. I hope to get this blog thing rolling along again on a more consistent basis. Thanks for reading!

What’s wrong with us?

Does anyone else think it’s completely ridiculous how much attention has been paid to the very-public meltdown of Britney Spears and the mysterious death of Anna Nicole? Either Anna Nicole or newly-bald Britney have graced the covers of the New York Daily News and the New York Post – though it should come as no surprise on either of those. These stories followed the lurid details of the diaper-wearing astronaut and her 900 mile drive to attack her “romantic rival” that captured America’s attention. Jeez…

Isn’t there some more important news to report? Is this where we, as a culture, have come? We’re in the midst of a disastrous war, enduring the worst presidential administration in our nation’s history, and front page news is Britney’s shaved head?

Guh.

P.S. I’m actually the father of Anna Nicole’s baby.