Normally, when I work out in the morning, I’m by myself in the apartment complex’s gym, so I get to put the TV on whatever I want; and I want my ESPN. Why? Well, because it's a good partner in my pursuit of buff-ness, it increases the general testosterone level in the place, and because Sportscenter is awesome.
Yet, tragedy struck yesterday morning when I walked into the gym to find that some other guy already had the TV on MTV.
Now, usually, it’s safe to assume that any member of the male species would never object to watching Sportscenter; but since he didn’t indicate if it was ok to change the channel, I didn’t bring the issue up. I just got on the elliptical machine (or the “EFX” as us Furman kids called it), turned on my MP3 player, and, um, "ellipticaled."
Please note that besides a spattering of semi, quasi, sneakily-edited, “reality” shows, I have no reason to watch MTV. Well, boy did I get a glimpse into what the ‘M’ in MTV is like these days…TRL was on, and HOORAY, it was “Spankin’ Free Music Week”!
Oh, sorry, that “hooray” was supposed to read “yawn.” I mean, we still pay the cable bill that gives us MTV, so when is the music ever “free"?
Anyway, seeing as the TV is right in front of the elliptical machine, I was pretty much forced to watch MTV for 30 minutes (luckily, my MP3 player meant I didn't have to listen). So, seeing as it's been a while since I've seen TRL, here’s what I noticed:
1. John Norris believes if he's botoxed and mystic-tanned enough, we'll forget he's 80. Seriously, this man is still working for MTV News? I’m pretty sure he was there when I was in middle school. Since then, MTV personalities like Bill Bellamy, Tabitha Soren, Kennedy, Carson Daly, Ananda Lewis, Alison Stewart, Chris Connelly, and Matt Pinfield, have come and gone.
Oh John Norris, you’re so sad. And what’s sadder is that I can safely assume that Kurt Loder is still with the network. Guys; leave; no one thinks of MTV as being a worthwhile news source. And if you are going to stay, try not to pretend that you’re still young and hip. Really now, even Anderson Cooper let the grey grow out.
2. It seems that being on a quasi-reality show qualifies Stephen from Laguna Beach to be a VJ. I beg to differ; all he’s qualified to do is smoke pot, say “that’s weak,” and…hmm, yeah, that’s about it.
3. There are more skanky-dressed girls singing really bad music than ever before. From Danity Kane to Rihanna, I’m not impressed. And, I mean, "Cassie," who the hell is that?
Where's Jill Scott? Where's Sheryl Crow? Hell, I'd even settle for Toni Braxton right about now.
4. Sean Combs still thinks he's cool.
5. The Game seems to think that if he throws around the "West Side" hand symbol, and walks around an LA neighborhood shirt-less and tattoo-ed up, we will think he's Tupac.
6. Nelly Furtado's songs are now a study in the art of dissonance. Why must the verse’s melody be so utterly incongruent with the chorus’ melody? Plus, the beat does a periodic yet sudden 180 degree turn, making the songs impossible to dance to. Even Justin Timberlake's Sexyback engages in this musical mystery. I just don’t get it, but I blame Justin's and Nelly's musical producer, Timbaland (you know he hasn't been the same since baby girl died).
7. TRL is still incapable, or unwilling, to show a music video in its entirety. Idiots. (But at least they got rid of interrupting the videos with the classic, "This is Joe from Atlanta, and I want to say hi to my dog Buster. Oh, and I really like Ashanti, WOOOOOOOOOO!!")
Now, don’t even get me starting on VH1; do they even know what a music video is anymore? Well, at least Best Week Ever is funny.
26 September 2006
20 September 2006
16 September 2006
Squeak!!!
So, around the beginning of the summer, my car’s brakes started to squeak. Not all the time mind you, just the first few times I would apply the breaks after starting the car. This was especially true in the morning, after the car had been parked all night.
Now, I wasn’t too worried about this because:
1) the brakes didn’t squeak all the time
2) the car is less than three years old, there’s no way the brake pads are gone by now.
But finally I got so annoyed by the “squeaky squeak squuuueeak” (and figured that I should ensure that, indeed, my brake pads still existed), that I took the good ol’ Ford Focus to the mechanic.
The minute I started to explain my situation to the guy behind the counter, he began to proactively predict what I was going to say next. Behind-the-counter-guy then looked over at his co-worker (I’ll call him Bob), and said, “Hey Bob, go see if it’s the typical problem with the Focus, or something different.”
It was then that they explained the situation: apparently, in an effort to help the brakes last longer (thereby saving the thrifty Focus purchasers money) Ford removed the asbestos from the Ford Focus’ brake pads.
Did anyone know that asbestos was in brakes pads? I sure didn’t. All I knew about asbestos was that it was some chemical that was used in the ceilings of buildings built in the 1970s, and had to be removed in the 1990s because we realized that it was poisonous. That, and sometimes the local news will entice you to watch the 11pm broadcast with the classic teaser: “Asbestos outbreak at local middle school, could it be yours?!? Protect yourself! Go buy bottled water! Run! Now! But be back by 11, ‘cuz we’ll also have a story about the cute dog show.”
Anyway, Bob and I got out to the car, and he confirms that my “squeaky squeak squuuueeak” problem is the typical Ford-Focus-sans-the-asbestos, dilemma. He also says that he wouldn’t feel right about replacing my brake pads, because this problem would just resurface later on down the line.
While I appreciate Ford trying to save me money, who the hell wants long-lasting squeaky brakes?!
So, there I sat, powerless in my squeaky car. You should know that I’m not worried that my brake pads may wear down to nothing without me knowing it, because each oil change/tire rotation at a Ford dealership comes with a free multi-point inspection. Nor I am worried that this mechanic was giving me mis-information, because if they wanted to swindle me, they wouldn’t have let me drive off with all my money.
Now, I haven’t been able to find anything on the internet to officially corroborate the mechanics asbestos claim (except maybe this), which sort of makes me want a second opinion. But, nevertheless, the squeakiness is really starting to grate my nerves. Every time I come to stop, I tense up in preparation, I worry about how loud the squeak will be, and I’m cognizant of people around me who will turn to see who just scratched nails on a chalkboard.
Plus, a squeaky Ford Focus communicates one of two things: either I don’t know how to take care of my car, or my car is cheaply made. I’m not a fan of either image.
So, this whole mess also makes me think of doing something kinda crazy, but possibly awesome—get the car I wanted in the first place:
The Toyota Matrix.
As you can tell, I like hatchbacks. But, considering the transitory nature of 20-somethings, I really like the matrix because it can do this:
Drool.
Of course, it’s not the sexiest hatchback ever. That’d be the Mazda 3. But I digress.
So, I’m currently contemplating if I should trade-in the squeaky car (that I was relegated to own per credit approval, mind you) and get the Toyota Matrix, and maybe be happier with my means of conveyance. On the other hand, perhaps I should be happy that I have a car at all and just make sure to take really good car of it, squeaks and all.
There’s also the issue that I have no idea how to go about selling a car, getting a good price, and turning around and buying a car from a separate car company. But, with Ford going down the tubes, and fast, I’m thinking about my options more and more.
Now, I wasn’t too worried about this because:
1) the brakes didn’t squeak all the time
2) the car is less than three years old, there’s no way the brake pads are gone by now.
But finally I got so annoyed by the “squeaky squeak squuuueeak” (and figured that I should ensure that, indeed, my brake pads still existed), that I took the good ol’ Ford Focus to the mechanic.
The minute I started to explain my situation to the guy behind the counter, he began to proactively predict what I was going to say next. Behind-the-counter-guy then looked over at his co-worker (I’ll call him Bob), and said, “Hey Bob, go see if it’s the typical problem with the Focus, or something different.”
It was then that they explained the situation: apparently, in an effort to help the brakes last longer (thereby saving the thrifty Focus purchasers money) Ford removed the asbestos from the Ford Focus’ brake pads.
Did anyone know that asbestos was in brakes pads? I sure didn’t. All I knew about asbestos was that it was some chemical that was used in the ceilings of buildings built in the 1970s, and had to be removed in the 1990s because we realized that it was poisonous. That, and sometimes the local news will entice you to watch the 11pm broadcast with the classic teaser: “Asbestos outbreak at local middle school, could it be yours?!? Protect yourself! Go buy bottled water! Run! Now! But be back by 11, ‘cuz we’ll also have a story about the cute dog show.”
Anyway, Bob and I got out to the car, and he confirms that my “squeaky squeak squuuueeak” problem is the typical Ford-Focus-sans-the-asbestos, dilemma. He also says that he wouldn’t feel right about replacing my brake pads, because this problem would just resurface later on down the line.
While I appreciate Ford trying to save me money, who the hell wants long-lasting squeaky brakes?!
So, there I sat, powerless in my squeaky car. You should know that I’m not worried that my brake pads may wear down to nothing without me knowing it, because each oil change/tire rotation at a Ford dealership comes with a free multi-point inspection. Nor I am worried that this mechanic was giving me mis-information, because if they wanted to swindle me, they wouldn’t have let me drive off with all my money.
Now, I haven’t been able to find anything on the internet to officially corroborate the mechanics asbestos claim (except maybe this), which sort of makes me want a second opinion. But, nevertheless, the squeakiness is really starting to grate my nerves. Every time I come to stop, I tense up in preparation, I worry about how loud the squeak will be, and I’m cognizant of people around me who will turn to see who just scratched nails on a chalkboard.
Plus, a squeaky Ford Focus communicates one of two things: either I don’t know how to take care of my car, or my car is cheaply made. I’m not a fan of either image.
So, this whole mess also makes me think of doing something kinda crazy, but possibly awesome—get the car I wanted in the first place:
The Toyota Matrix.
As you can tell, I like hatchbacks. But, considering the transitory nature of 20-somethings, I really like the matrix because it can do this:
Drool.
Of course, it’s not the sexiest hatchback ever. That’d be the Mazda 3. But I digress.
So, I’m currently contemplating if I should trade-in the squeaky car (that I was relegated to own per credit approval, mind you) and get the Toyota Matrix, and maybe be happier with my means of conveyance. On the other hand, perhaps I should be happy that I have a car at all and just make sure to take really good car of it, squeaks and all.
There’s also the issue that I have no idea how to go about selling a car, getting a good price, and turning around and buying a car from a separate car company. But, with Ford going down the tubes, and fast, I’m thinking about my options more and more.
11 September 2006
What if September 11th never happen?
Recently, the New York Times asked reporters, bloggers, columnist, politicos, and other worldly people to write on “If 9/11 never happened.” That got me thinking:
...
Michael Moore would be little more than an answer on Trivial Pursuit.
24, a television show about a man working for the fictional “Counter Terrorist Unit,” may not have been as popular.
We would not have spent so much time wondering if Rudy Giuliani will run for president.
The opening credits of Sex and the City and Law and Order: Criminal Intent would not have been re-edited to remove all shots of the Twin Towers.
$2.99 plastic American flags that attach to your car would not have been so annoyingly ubiquitous. (Really, I never got the point of that. Is the terrorist on the other side of the globe going to get nervous because the guy in the F-150 and soccer mom in the 4Runner love America and aren’t afraid to show it?)
The search for Chandra Levy, the suspicion of Rep. Gary Condit’s possible involvement, and the media’s fascination with the story would have continued to transfix America's attention…at least for a little while longer.
Most Americans would still be woefully unaware of who Osama Bin Laden is.
“Let’s roll,” “Slam dunk” and “quagmire” would be less meaningful.
Joseph C. Wilson would have never refuted the Administration’s reasoning for the Iraq war. In a reaction to Wilson’s argument, columnist Robert Novak would not have revealed Wilson’s wife, Valerie Plame, as an undercover C.I.A. As such, there would have been no investigation to identify Novak’s source; and Scooter Libby would still be the Vice-president’s Chief of Staff.
Joe Lieberman, one of the Democrats biggest and more vocal supporters for the Iraq war, probably would not have lost his recent re-election campaign.
Colin Powell’s national and international reputation as a trust-worthy and reliable man would remain untarnished.
Canada and Australia would not have recently elected more conservative leaders than the leaders that preceded them.
"The Dubai Port deal"—with its proposed control of US ports by an Arab nation—would have been approved with nary a whisper of opposition from Capital Hill.
The term “Axis of Evil” would not have been born.
There would be no Department of Homeland Security, Patriot Act, NSA wiretapping program, or color-coded scale of the terror threat.
Halliburton (without the contracts to rebuild Iraq) would not be as widely known, and its connection to the Vice President would be trivial.
Saddam would still be in power.
Iraq would not have a democratically elected government.
Iraq would not be besieged by insurgents, Al Qaeda, daily road bombs, beheadings, and mosque bombings.
The Taliban would still control Afghanistan.
Afghanistan (sans Kabul) would not currently be overrun by Taliban sympathizers, murderers, rampant opium growers and other persons hell-bent on disrupting order and change.
Without the restriciton of further military action placed on the US military due to Iraq and Afghanistan, either Iran or North Korea may have been dealt with via military force (and whichever one of those nations who wasn’t dealt with, would run back to its non-nuclear yesteryear with its tail between its legs).
The Bush presidency would have been remembered for No Child Left Behind, the Medicare overhaul, not signing the Kyoto Protocol, and would be a case study in how to win without the majority…until Hurricane Katrina.
Katrina would have been the defining moment of the Bush’s presidency. That would have provided the image of George W. Bush standing atop rubble saying “we shall overcome, we shall rebuild, we are Americans.”
George W. Bush may not have won a second term. Pre-9/11, President Bush was the whipping boy for a media intent on making him seem bewildered by his surroundings. Every picture of him seemed to convey a deer caught in headlights; seemed to communicate a man way over his head. There were many Americans who agreed with that view. But after 9/11, Bush became a “war-on-two-fronts” president; he was a president seeped in the atmosphere of 9/11, he had the entire nation behind him—he really was “the uniter, not the divider.” Yet, in the 2004 election, he got 51% of the vote. If 49% of the nation wanted to “change horses” in a post-9/11 America, how many would have been content to “change horses” without the terrorist attacks?
Excluding the 19 hijackers, 2,973 people would not have collectively and simultaneously lost their lives on September 11th (fyi, the above numbers, and ones I’m going to list below, are from Wikipedia.com; however, I’ve made a conscience decision to not hyperlink anywhere in this post).
Due to the Afghanistan war: 475 coalition forces, ~200 Northern Alliance forces, ~950 Pakistan military officers, ~1,100 Afghan security forces, and 3,485 Afghani civilians would not be dead. 6,273 Afghani civilians and 894 American military would not have been injured or wounded.
Due to the Iraq war: 2,885 coalition forces, 3,313 civilian citizens of coalition nations (included 428 contractors), 6,167 (Post-Saddam) Iraqi Security forces, and more than 50,000 Iraqi civilians would not be dead. 24,086 coalition forces would not have been wounded in action.
In sum, around 71,548 people would not have lost their lives from a direct, or indirect, result of the September 11th attacks (that number excludes the deaths of Taliban personal, Saddam forces, 9/11 hijackers, Iraqi insurgents, and other coconspirators).
The average American, even in the face of terrorist attacks in other Westernized nations (e.g. Britain, Spain, Jordan, etc), would be more-or-less unconcerned with Islamic extremist and their hatred towards the Western world. This lack of concern would last until a terrorist act as covertly planned, being executed with similar sufficiency, and having just as much shock-value and death toll as 9/11, would have been carried out on American soil. If, without a 9/11, America didn’t sit up and take notice of the going-ons of Arab world, some other act of terrorism (perhaps causing greater horror than 9/11) would have snapped us out of our reverie.
And finally, if September 11th never happen, the lyrics to Don Henley’s (of The Eagles) 1989 song “New York Minute” would not be so poignant:
...
Michael Moore would be little more than an answer on Trivial Pursuit.
24, a television show about a man working for the fictional “Counter Terrorist Unit,” may not have been as popular.
We would not have spent so much time wondering if Rudy Giuliani will run for president.
The opening credits of Sex and the City and Law and Order: Criminal Intent would not have been re-edited to remove all shots of the Twin Towers.
$2.99 plastic American flags that attach to your car would not have been so annoyingly ubiquitous. (Really, I never got the point of that. Is the terrorist on the other side of the globe going to get nervous because the guy in the F-150 and soccer mom in the 4Runner love America and aren’t afraid to show it?)
The search for Chandra Levy, the suspicion of Rep. Gary Condit’s possible involvement, and the media’s fascination with the story would have continued to transfix America's attention…at least for a little while longer.
Most Americans would still be woefully unaware of who Osama Bin Laden is.
“Let’s roll,” “Slam dunk” and “quagmire” would be less meaningful.
Joseph C. Wilson would have never refuted the Administration’s reasoning for the Iraq war. In a reaction to Wilson’s argument, columnist Robert Novak would not have revealed Wilson’s wife, Valerie Plame, as an undercover C.I.A. As such, there would have been no investigation to identify Novak’s source; and Scooter Libby would still be the Vice-president’s Chief of Staff.
Joe Lieberman, one of the Democrats biggest and more vocal supporters for the Iraq war, probably would not have lost his recent re-election campaign.
Colin Powell’s national and international reputation as a trust-worthy and reliable man would remain untarnished.
Canada and Australia would not have recently elected more conservative leaders than the leaders that preceded them.
"The Dubai Port deal"—with its proposed control of US ports by an Arab nation—would have been approved with nary a whisper of opposition from Capital Hill.
The term “Axis of Evil” would not have been born.
There would be no Department of Homeland Security, Patriot Act, NSA wiretapping program, or color-coded scale of the terror threat.
Halliburton (without the contracts to rebuild Iraq) would not be as widely known, and its connection to the Vice President would be trivial.
Saddam would still be in power.
Iraq would not have a democratically elected government.
Iraq would not be besieged by insurgents, Al Qaeda, daily road bombs, beheadings, and mosque bombings.
The Taliban would still control Afghanistan.
Afghanistan (sans Kabul) would not currently be overrun by Taliban sympathizers, murderers, rampant opium growers and other persons hell-bent on disrupting order and change.
Without the restriciton of further military action placed on the US military due to Iraq and Afghanistan, either Iran or North Korea may have been dealt with via military force (and whichever one of those nations who wasn’t dealt with, would run back to its non-nuclear yesteryear with its tail between its legs).
The Bush presidency would have been remembered for No Child Left Behind, the Medicare overhaul, not signing the Kyoto Protocol, and would be a case study in how to win without the majority…until Hurricane Katrina.
Katrina would have been the defining moment of the Bush’s presidency. That would have provided the image of George W. Bush standing atop rubble saying “we shall overcome, we shall rebuild, we are Americans.”
George W. Bush may not have won a second term. Pre-9/11, President Bush was the whipping boy for a media intent on making him seem bewildered by his surroundings. Every picture of him seemed to convey a deer caught in headlights; seemed to communicate a man way over his head. There were many Americans who agreed with that view. But after 9/11, Bush became a “war-on-two-fronts” president; he was a president seeped in the atmosphere of 9/11, he had the entire nation behind him—he really was “the uniter, not the divider.” Yet, in the 2004 election, he got 51% of the vote. If 49% of the nation wanted to “change horses” in a post-9/11 America, how many would have been content to “change horses” without the terrorist attacks?
Excluding the 19 hijackers, 2,973 people would not have collectively and simultaneously lost their lives on September 11th (fyi, the above numbers, and ones I’m going to list below, are from Wikipedia.com; however, I’ve made a conscience decision to not hyperlink anywhere in this post).
Due to the Afghanistan war: 475 coalition forces, ~200 Northern Alliance forces, ~950 Pakistan military officers, ~1,100 Afghan security forces, and 3,485 Afghani civilians would not be dead. 6,273 Afghani civilians and 894 American military would not have been injured or wounded.
Due to the Iraq war: 2,885 coalition forces, 3,313 civilian citizens of coalition nations (included 428 contractors), 6,167 (Post-Saddam) Iraqi Security forces, and more than 50,000 Iraqi civilians would not be dead. 24,086 coalition forces would not have been wounded in action.
In sum, around 71,548 people would not have lost their lives from a direct, or indirect, result of the September 11th attacks (that number excludes the deaths of Taliban personal, Saddam forces, 9/11 hijackers, Iraqi insurgents, and other coconspirators).
The average American, even in the face of terrorist attacks in other Westernized nations (e.g. Britain, Spain, Jordan, etc), would be more-or-less unconcerned with Islamic extremist and their hatred towards the Western world. This lack of concern would last until a terrorist act as covertly planned, being executed with similar sufficiency, and having just as much shock-value and death toll as 9/11, would have been carried out on American soil. If, without a 9/11, America didn’t sit up and take notice of the going-ons of Arab world, some other act of terrorism (perhaps causing greater horror than 9/11) would have snapped us out of our reverie.
And finally, if September 11th never happen, the lyrics to Don Henley’s (of The Eagles) 1989 song “New York Minute” would not be so poignant:
Lying here in the darkness
I hear the sirens wail
Somebody going to emergency
Somebody’s going to jail
If you find somebody to love in this world
You better hand on tooth and nail
The wolf is always at the door
In a New York minute
Everything can change
In a New York minute
Things can get a little strange
In a New York minute
Everything can change
In a New York minute
And in these days
When darkness falls early
And people rush home
To the ones they love
You better take a fool’s advice
And take care of your own
One day they’re here;
Next day they’re gone.
I hear the sirens wail
Somebody going to emergency
Somebody’s going to jail
If you find somebody to love in this world
You better hand on tooth and nail
The wolf is always at the door
In a New York minute
Everything can change
In a New York minute
Things can get a little strange
In a New York minute
Everything can change
In a New York minute
And in these days
When darkness falls early
And people rush home
To the ones they love
You better take a fool’s advice
And take care of your own
One day they’re here;
Next day they’re gone.
07 September 2006
Freedom Tower gets some company
We already knew of the Freedom Tower, but today we got a fuller idea of what will take residence at Ground Zero:
How gorgeous; how awe-inspiring.
And even while I feel it's a little out of place in the rectangular, utilitarian NY skyline…
...I’ll get over it.
What a powerful statement in the form of glass and metal: 20th century citadels are standing guard while four phoenixes rise from the ashes of unspeakable horror to illuminate the 21st century with hope, progress, and humanity's newest attempt to be who we are trying to be.
I approve.
How gorgeous; how awe-inspiring.
And even while I feel it's a little out of place in the rectangular, utilitarian NY skyline…
...I’ll get over it.
What a powerful statement in the form of glass and metal: 20th century citadels are standing guard while four phoenixes rise from the ashes of unspeakable horror to illuminate the 21st century with hope, progress, and humanity's newest attempt to be who we are trying to be.
I approve.
05 September 2006
bringing sexy back
04 September 2006
The Dumbing-down of Warren
I was just in the presence of an intellectual discussion that ranged from: “trickle-down economics,” the true meaning of the word “politics,” does voting equal “big P” politics, a Christian’s role in the current political and social world, the need (or lack thereof) for welfare…
Well, you get the point; there was a myriad of topics being discussed. And why did I say that I was “in the presence of” and not “participating in” this rousing discussion? Because, while I had a fairly good grasp on almost everything that was being discussed, my familiarity with the intricacies of the aforementioned topics was rough, not to mention I was hampered by the sluggish speed at which I was able to contemplate or formulate my opinions.
Thus, I’ve determined that I have spent too much time outside institutions of learning; too much time not learning or thinking critically.
So, what to do? Well, I either need to get my butt back in school, or read more. Sadly, neither of those looks like it’s going to happen anytime soon. I’m damned by my too-good-to-be-true yet 40-hour-a-week job, coupled with my perpetual laziness in even starting to study for the GRE again.
(Seriously, I’ve been reading The Good Earth for two months now; who does that?)
Well, you get the point; there was a myriad of topics being discussed. And why did I say that I was “in the presence of” and not “participating in” this rousing discussion? Because, while I had a fairly good grasp on almost everything that was being discussed, my familiarity with the intricacies of the aforementioned topics was rough, not to mention I was hampered by the sluggish speed at which I was able to contemplate or formulate my opinions.
Thus, I’ve determined that I have spent too much time outside institutions of learning; too much time not learning or thinking critically.
So, what to do? Well, I either need to get my butt back in school, or read more. Sadly, neither of those looks like it’s going to happen anytime soon. I’m damned by my too-good-to-be-true yet 40-hour-a-week job, coupled with my perpetual laziness in even starting to study for the GRE again.
(Seriously, I’ve been reading The Good Earth for two months now; who does that?)
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