"These rainy days, they ain't so bad when you're the king"

I guess that is one of the benefits of big city living. While I have seen all three of those bands, we would be lucky to get one of them to visit The T in any given year, and you get all three in the same week. All three bands are incredible live. DBT are really the only ones who speak to the audience any or tell any stories. Caleb Followill is too shy to speak and Brandon Flowers is too good for it (in a "I'm a rockstar" kind of way). Anyway, all three shows will be great and I am very, very jealous. But I'll be in St. Thomas that week, so I guess I'm not that jealous.

"Whiskey bottle, over Jesus, but not forever, but just for now"

I've had to make some pretty difficult decisions in my life...whether or not to go into the military...whether or not to get out...what job to take after...but some decisions can be fun. Take, for instance, January. Betweeen January 21st and the 29th I have the potential to see the "Drive by Truckers", "The Killers", and "Kings of Leon". Even though work is tough right now because I have to "learn" a whole bunch I still feel that one must play hard in order to continue to work hard. So, put your phones on silent and disable your computers becuase Ant'ny is going to be up to some no good drunk dialing and picture sending come January...visitors are always welcome, just throwing it out there.

“If you want to destroy my sweater, pull this thread as I walk away”

As the end of the year draws near the weather has finally turned chilly in our fair peninsula. It is perfect for walking, enjoying drinks at outdoor cafes, playing in the park and all sorts of other activities that I have no interest in engaging in. Unfortunately it is not always the perfect weather for walking Dog, especially on her 10:00 p.m. bedtime walk. Last night was downright cold. Mrs. GF, not wanting Dog to be chilly and not realizing that Dog has a built in coat in the form of her…..coat, went out and bought Dog a sweater. Yep. A brown and pink arguil sweater. A sweater for a dog. Just to be clear on this, last night I was out walking a dog who was wearing a sweater. I am not under any illusion that I used to be cool, because I’m quite certain that was never the case. But I’m relatively sure I used to be cooler than this. Where did it all go wrong?

When It All Ends...I Mean It All

Lately I have been thinking a lot about mortality. Not necessarily my own, just the idea in general.

See, I am not a religious man...at all. I won't go so far as to say I don't believe in God and for the most part I subscribe to judeo-christian values (though I don't hold others to that). Some of those values are a little too heavy-handed for me and most of those are what I think are misinterpretations of the Bible to begin with. I do drink. I don't dance (not for religious reasons) and I have cavorted about in my time as well. Anyway, I'm getting a little off topic.

The issue for me is, is there really something when it all ends? I find it somewhat amusing that there is no other work of literature from any time period people take as literally as the Bible. We don't read Homer and think it's real. We don't read Beowulf and think it actually happened. Don't get me started on that Jabberwocky poem and I know that people didn't really come and go in the room speaking of Michelangelo. It all means something to the author and the reader can pull certain things from them and get from the text what they may. The experience of each reader being slightly different than another. That's why I think religion is mortally flawed. Religions are created by man (who is flawed) so they are inherently hokey from their inception. In addition, it would mean that every person who subscribes to said religion must either really believe that stuff exactly the same way as the dude next to them, or they just blindly follow because it's easier and makes them happy.

Now, I will be the first to say that if sitting up front, singing Amazing Grace and uttering some well placed "amens" is your cup of tea, fine. If living everyday in fear of some judgment that may or may not come makes you happy (seems counter-intuitive) then go ahead. Just don't look at me and say I am going to hell. The way I look at it, one of the religions could be right and the rest of the world could be damned. It's a 50-50 shot. But, I don't choose to look at it that way. The way I see it, some kind of combination of Protestant, Hindu, Catholic, Buddhist, Davidian, Jonestownian, Kabballah, Judaism, Shinto, and so forth is probably the right answer. Because, really, they all have some redeeming thoughts...it's just the entirety of their individual dogmas that are ridiculous.

Getting to the point I was driving to before my train took a turn to Whatever Town...both of my grandparents just died within 40 days of each other. They spent their whole lives as strict Southern Baptists and they truly believed the real reward would be in Heaven. After my grandfather died, there was nowhere my grandmother wanted to be more than there with Him and him. I believe she willed herself to die and it happened. So, I hope they were right. If not, at least they got some comfort from the thought while they were here on Earth.

For me, it's not a good fit. I know lots of people will say that having this feeling allows me to live a life with no consequence; never fearing for the destiny of my soul. I say, it's my soul and it's a chance I am willing to take. Let's face it, it's pretty far fetched that lightning really etched some commandments on stone, or that a burning bush spoke to someone, or that the Red Sea really parted. I think Jesus was a real man, but I am not sure about the fishes and loaves. What I mean is, maybe it's all just metaphorical. Like I said, no other work from that time would be accepted at face value and believed to be literally true in every word. And if all that happened, why has it never happened again since the book was published? People do the "Lord's work" everyday and I will give them all credit for the good they do in people's lives. But, I don't think for a second that any one of them has secured a better place somewhere because their lives took on a different tenor than that of others. Of course Catholics don't agree, otherwise they wouldn't have Saints.

Anyway, what I do know is in the end we threw their whole lives into a 20 yard dumpster and it was depressing as hell. I have now buried three of the closest people to me in my life with only my father and sister left to follow. Not only am I not rushing them, I am hoping it doesn't happen. Because regardless if there is a "better place" I would just as soon have them back.

"I been working ever since, every week down at the Ford plant but now they say they're shutting down"

So by now we have all heard that Congress is “considering” a bailout of the automobile industry. By “considering” I mean that they absolutely, without a doubt are going to do it. This is not only a bad idea, it is misappropriation of their authority. We operate under the idea, or at least the guise, of a free market economy. The American automobile industry is a FOR PROFIT industry. These are publicly owned and privately operated companies whose sole purpose is to generate a profit for their shareholders. When For Profit companies fail to make a profit, they fold and go out of business. This creates a vacuum that is either filled by their competitors or absorbed by replacement products or services. It is not now, nor has it ever been, the right, the role, or the responsibility of the United States government to prop up a failing company or industry. To do so compromises the free market system. If the automakers of this country can not find a way to make cars that is profitable and helps them sustain their business model, then they should go out of business. Yes, this would some people their jobs. Yes, this would cause the economy to worsen in the short term. And yes, there would even be foreign policy ramifications as it relates to the import/export balance. Such is the sacrifice associated with a true free market economy. If Ford, GM, et al were to go out of business, the afore mentioned vacuum would indeed be created. In the short term people would buy Toyotas, Nissans, and Hondas (none of whom are having any issues right now). In the long run, it is very likely that enterprising U.S. citizens would figure out how to build a quality car and develop a business model that would allow them to sell those cars for a profit and compete with foreign auto makers. This is how a free market economy works.

As for the argument that a “collapse” of the U.S. auto industry would cripple the economy, stow it. My Fusion was made in Mexico, BMW’s are made in South Carolina. The vacuum will be filled and jobs will eventually be created. Either Congress needs to go ahead and embrace this path of regulated socialism that we have embarked on, or they need to step off and let the market do what a market is designed to do.

See Mom, that Poly Sci degree wasn’t totally useless.

"Ought to be a side show act for freaks like me. Yea I could be the star of the show with my name on the marquee"

Yesterday The Host posted a very well thought out and articulate take on the election and the general state of America as we near the end of 2008. Well today I am going to counter that with a tale of sheer, unabashed Moronacy. If right now you are thinking, “hey, ‘moronacy’ is not an actual word”, I say read the following tale and then perhaps you will feel inclined to cut the stoopid kid some slack.
This morning I was running a couple of errands on my way to work. Among other things I swung into my local convenience store, grabbed my morning Diet Dew, smiled nicely at Rajesh** behind the counter (**name approximated), paid him $1.49 with an Honest Abe, put the change back in my wallet, and left the store. Onto the next stop! I pulled into the bank down the street and strolled up to the ATM only to realize that my wallet was no where to be found. I went back to The Fusion and tore it apart looking for the missing wallet. No luck. This baffled me as I clearly had it less than 10 minutes earlier when I paid for my beverage. Fearing the worst, I returned to the store and asked Rajesh if by chance I had left the wallet there. He gave me the strangest of looks and shook his head slightly as he produced my missing billfold from a drawer below the counter, checked the ID to make sure that it was in fact me (in fairness, the picture on the license was taken 13 years ago), and returned it to me. How a grown man with a good job and a Master’s Degree can continually do things like walking away from a wallet with cash, credit cards, and a figurative “Steal My ID” sign on it is beyond me. Like I said, Moronacy at its finest.

And Then There Was One...

So the election is over and my friends and I (all members of this blog) have hashed out all of the questions and comments remaining.

A black man is going to be President of the United States. I am happy about that. I like to think it means this country has turned a corner. Unfortunately, I think the real story is that a polka-dotted polar bear could have won that election as long as he wasn't a Republican. Yes, I fear the only corner turned was the one turned while running as fast as possible from Bush43. Nevertheless, it has happened, I am happy and I hope and think the next four years will do more to turn that proverbial than the last two. Let's hope so, because failure will put us back 60 years socially, nevermind the devastating consequence on the economy, foreign policy and so on.

Slightly more disturbing is the fact that gay marriage bans passed in many states including our home the Sunshine State. Discrimination is discrimination, no matter the guise and against whom. I was digsuted at the ban on homosexuals while I served on active duty (it was also preposterous, since we all knew who was anyway). Listen, if you are a right wing, ultra conservative evangelical, live your life. Sit around and think WWJD as much as you like. But if you think that Adam and Steve somehow lessens the sanctity of your marriage, your marriage sucks. That's on you, not Ellen or Rosie or Elton or that Star Trek guy. Besides, why should only heterosexual people have to suffer through the drudgery of marriage. Seriously, while we are spreading the wealth, let's spread the pain!

Last, I had a neat thought on my way to the polls Tuesday. It's somewhat romantic in nature when it comes to how you view this country. My polling place is 3 blocks away so I walked. I then stood in line for 40 minutes to elect the leader of our country and still in some regards the most powerful world leader. In that line I heard some of the most absurd comments from some people I was scared were allowed to vote. I also saw a little bit of every social circle. Minorities, rich, poor, young and old. I thought to myself: I just walked here and had the right to participate in my country's process. All of these people have the same right. I wondered what it must be like in country's where they would give anything to be able to vote, no matter how hard it was to get there. And to be able to have an opinion or a thought, even if it's scary.

Hey, we aren't in great shape right now. America has taken a fast ball to the stomach lately and took a knee. We'll walk it off though. This country is great...