While my niece has been staying with we've kind of gotten into a bit of a routine, in order to share the most valuable resource in the house - the TV. Mostly she watches her teen soaps and music videos (I'll tell ya, those kids with their boom-de-boom-de-boom) during the day when I'm at work. Then we have joint shows that we watch together (Middleman, How I Met Your Mother). Then she huffs and rolls her eyes while I watch boring programs like Intervention. But I'll give her that she's been a little soldier and kept it down to a dull huff.
One of "my" shows that she's started watching with me is AC360 over on CNN. I've cut back on my CNN while she's with me, and she's been good about what I do watch. And she's kind of started joining in when I start treating current events like a soap opera - "Mmm-hmm. Somebody better tell Cindy McCain she better check herself. Guuurrlll." She especially digs the science stuff.
But she's started asking me a lot of questions. First let me state that that is a good thing. Young people curious about the world we live in should always be encouraged. But my living room has turned into a quiz show. "Where's Zimbabwe? Who is James Dobson? What is a Libertarian? Are the oil companies bad? Why doesn't Anderson Cooper die his hair? What is up with Bill Clinton? Why do we still have levees? Why do we still use the Electoral College instead of the popular vote? Why isn't there a viable third party candidate?" Uhhhhhhhhhh. I . . .
You can't really have any illusions about how knowledgable you are when you've got a teenager going Tim Russert on your ass. They can sense your weeks spots, and they just start hammering on them. For instance, my understanding of African politics is pretty weak. I tense up when they mention Robert Mugabe. If she starts asking me about what's going on there I'll just fall apart under questioning. I'm going to have to go study up. The kid asks the tough questions. I wonder if that Meet the Press job is still open. I might have a good candidate.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Going green - Just a little bit
Okay. I've talked about trying to go green. And sitting in the movie theater watching WALL-E on Saturday, I started thinking about it some more. (I think possibly there's going to be a kid who's 6 today and someday when they grow up and invent some amazing thing that saves the Earth, and they'll say that watching that movie was the day they decided to take care of the planet, just like WALL-E.) I decided that I'm not a scientist. I'm not an activist. I'm just a regular person. But I can get up and do one small thing every day.
So here's my new plan. Every month, I'm going to try out something to go green. Something small. Something even a goof like me can do. I can't say that they'll all work. Or that I'll be able to do all of them consistently. But I'm going to try.
And as this is the first day of the new month, I'm going to start my one small thing. I've decided that this month, I'm going to try to convert to black coffee at work. Okay, that doesn't sound like a big deal. But look at it this way: I use 3 of those little plastic creamer deals in a large cup of coffee. I drink at least 2 cups of coffee a day. I work 5 days a week, approximately 48 weeks a year (taking into account holidays, floating holidays and earned vacation). That works out to be, hold onto your hats, folks - 1,440 of those little plastic cups. Holy shit. (Sorry about the swear word. But that really is a "holy shit" realization.) Okay. They're small. But that's a lot of those things. A lot.
So, as of today, I'm going to try to drink black coffee at work. It's probably better for my health anyway. It looks like milk, but who knows what that stuff really is. I'll still put milk in when I'm at home, or at a restaurant that has a dispenser. But no more creamer cups. I'm not particularly wild about black coffee, but I'll try to think of it as being tough and hardcore. Cause, you know me. When you think of me, tough and hardcore are the first words to come to mind.
Anyway. It's tiny. But it's a manageable change. Saving the Earth. One tiny little cup at a time.
So here's my new plan. Every month, I'm going to try out something to go green. Something small. Something even a goof like me can do. I can't say that they'll all work. Or that I'll be able to do all of them consistently. But I'm going to try.
And as this is the first day of the new month, I'm going to start my one small thing. I've decided that this month, I'm going to try to convert to black coffee at work. Okay, that doesn't sound like a big deal. But look at it this way: I use 3 of those little plastic creamer deals in a large cup of coffee. I drink at least 2 cups of coffee a day. I work 5 days a week, approximately 48 weeks a year (taking into account holidays, floating holidays and earned vacation). That works out to be, hold onto your hats, folks - 1,440 of those little plastic cups. Holy shit. (Sorry about the swear word. But that really is a "holy shit" realization.) Okay. They're small. But that's a lot of those things. A lot.
So, as of today, I'm going to try to drink black coffee at work. It's probably better for my health anyway. It looks like milk, but who knows what that stuff really is. I'll still put milk in when I'm at home, or at a restaurant that has a dispenser. But no more creamer cups. I'm not particularly wild about black coffee, but I'll try to think of it as being tough and hardcore. Cause, you know me. When you think of me, tough and hardcore are the first words to come to mind.
Anyway. It's tiny. But it's a manageable change. Saving the Earth. One tiny little cup at a time.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Mr. Happy Pants
The headline reads "Men's Paris fashions blur gender boundaries". Hmm. Actually, I think with pants this tight, the gender question would be a little self-evident. Though, I'll grant, the wearer might be singing in a slightly higher key, and possibly putting his future ability to father children in serious jeopardy. But even in sparkly lame, a pair of pants this snug won't be hiding a surprise, well, um, package.
Again, possibly I watch the SciFi channel too much
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/06/30/doomsdaycollider.ap/index.html
Oh, don't you just love this sort of article? We could all die screaming in eternal time-distorted agony in the tortured gravity of a black hole. Or maybe not. It could go either way.
Okaaay. Well. Good to know.
And I love the person who says, "Obviously, the world will not end when the LHC switches on". Well, you know what? That sounds exactly like what an evil/psychotic, genius, physicist super-villain would say. Just before the world ends. And if he's not a super-villain, and just a physicist who possibly should have calculated pi out a few more decimals, and ends up squishing the entire planet, what's he going to do afterward? Apologize? Sorry! My bad!
Wouldn't that make a great epitaph for the Earth - Whoops!
Oh, don't you just love this sort of article? We could all die screaming in eternal time-distorted agony in the tortured gravity of a black hole. Or maybe not. It could go either way.
Okaaay. Well. Good to know.
And I love the person who says, "Obviously, the world will not end when the LHC switches on". Well, you know what? That sounds exactly like what an evil/psychotic, genius, physicist super-villain would say. Just before the world ends. And if he's not a super-villain, and just a physicist who possibly should have calculated pi out a few more decimals, and ends up squishing the entire planet, what's he going to do afterward? Apologize? Sorry! My bad!
Wouldn't that make a great epitaph for the Earth - Whoops!
The Weekend Movie Review
The Not-So-Serious Review - Nim's Island: Yes, it's been out for awhile. My niece and I picked it up at the dolly. Girls may just want to have fun. But this girl has no objection to cheap thrills. Overall, very sweet. Very cute. Kinda romantic. And beautiful shots of a tropical island in the middle of miles and miles of blue, blue sea. What more could you want? Well, there's more. I'd like to start an Oscar campaign right now for Nim's Island in costume design. Gerard Butler in a wet shirt. Nung-ga-ga! {Insert sound effect of birds tweeting here}. Humunah-humunah-humunah! Thank you, Mr. Butler. Thank you.
The Serious Review - WALL-E: Just go see it.
The movies had a lot of things in common. There was an overarching eco theme to both. Both had female characters that were more than the usual fluff & makeup portrayals of women characters. Both wrapped up with old-fashioned animation sequences that related to the story. And, of course, they were both kids movies.
But what I found most interesting was the way WALL-E and Nim's father were both non-traditional male leads, and in kind of similar ways. WALL-E isn't a gun-toting Terminator type robot out to blast anything that moves (actually that's the girl-bot he's got the loves for). He's just a regular guy robot, who goes to his job everyday. But he's kind, loyal, brave, a little goofy and a bit of a romantic. Nim's father, even though he's played by the very humunah Gerard Butler, is a science geek supreme and a little absent-minded, but he's also sweet, brave and will do anything he has to be there for his daughter. And the movies are no less exciting because of the fact that they aren't some over testosteroned he-men. In fact maybe more so, since you care a lot more when it is possible that characters who aren't invincible might fail.
It was refreshing to see these to fellas this weekend. Too often the summer movies are taken over by 2 types of male characters: the emotionally stunted action hero or the over-grown frat boy. And while ex-Navy Seals and BMOCs can be good fun, I think it's time to give the average guy who does good some attention too. Both Nim's Island and WALL-E show that the regular Joe is a lot of fun to root for.
The Serious Review - WALL-E: Just go see it.
The movies had a lot of things in common. There was an overarching eco theme to both. Both had female characters that were more than the usual fluff & makeup portrayals of women characters. Both wrapped up with old-fashioned animation sequences that related to the story. And, of course, they were both kids movies.
But what I found most interesting was the way WALL-E and Nim's father were both non-traditional male leads, and in kind of similar ways. WALL-E isn't a gun-toting Terminator type robot out to blast anything that moves (actually that's the girl-bot he's got the loves for). He's just a regular guy robot, who goes to his job everyday. But he's kind, loyal, brave, a little goofy and a bit of a romantic. Nim's father, even though he's played by the very humunah Gerard Butler, is a science geek supreme and a little absent-minded, but he's also sweet, brave and will do anything he has to be there for his daughter. And the movies are no less exciting because of the fact that they aren't some over testosteroned he-men. In fact maybe more so, since you care a lot more when it is possible that characters who aren't invincible might fail.
It was refreshing to see these to fellas this weekend. Too often the summer movies are taken over by 2 types of male characters: the emotionally stunted action hero or the over-grown frat boy. And while ex-Navy Seals and BMOCs can be good fun, I think it's time to give the average guy who does good some attention too. Both Nim's Island and WALL-E show that the regular Joe is a lot of fun to root for.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
