Politicians

With the election fast approaching, I feel I must vent a bit. I don't see how anyone with an ounce of sense can truly LIKE a politician. I mean, even the best of them would sell their granny to the organ farm to get votes. I hate it when I people say "I like Obama" or "I like McCain". The vast majority never met them, don't know them personally, but insist that they like them.

I also hate the whole thing about "where do they stand on the issues". First off, good leaders don't make decisions before they get all the facts, and until you actually hold that position (whether it be president or postmaster, or pig farmer) you don't really know squat. Its like when you are new to a job, low level position, you think all the boses are jerks and make dumb decisions. A few years later, when you have moved up the ladder, you realize that, hey, know I understand why they made that decision, they weren't being jerks, they just had all the facts that I didn't know. Im sure the office of president is chocked full of those...Secondly, nobody knows what decision, crisis or issue is going to pop up in the future. So who cares where they stand on issue X right now when issue Y is going to be the big issue next year, and issue Z the year after that?

I think the way to evaluate a candidate is to see how they think, their decision making process. Is it open and flexible? Are they willing to part with the party line (which is the other thing I hate about politics is both of the parties, who would rather fight and argue while Rome burns than try to put out the fire)?

Even in that case, though, politicians are so fake, who knows what the hell they really stand for. And all you McCain and Obama backers can yap all you want to about how your candidate is such hot crap, but I guarantee you that they would sell you for spare parts if it would give them more votes. They don't care about you, they just care about power and glory. Get over this whole cult of personality crap when it comes to politicians and get real and maybe, just maybe, they will actually stop the whole charade and realize that they have to produce or be in big trouble.

The other thing that burns me is the whole politics and religion crap. If the churches want to stick their nose in politics, fine - PAY TAXES!!! That is the price of admission for being part of the political hullaballoo. Im sick of religious groups and other non-profits screwing around with politics when they have not even paid the price of admission. Its like the teenages who used to sneak into the movies. Im sick of paying more taxes than these richer than hell evangelical pastors who own masions and have churches the size of civic arenas. Yeah, Jesus would certain like that shit...didn't he say something about fat men in the eyes of needles? Like the money changers at the temple, I think he would be a bit pissed off.

EELS and Quantum Mechanics

If you like Eels/E or Quantum Physics, then I highly recommend one catch the latest NOVA episode on PBS. Eels is a rock band that is mainly the work of Mark Oliver Everett (AKA "E"). Mark's father was a very famous physicist who developed the "many worlds" theory of quantum physics. The show is an interesting juxtapose between the world of Mark's music and his father's physics, and Mark's search for his father, who he really never knew that much about (kind of distant intellectual figure).

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/manyworlds/

The show first aired last night, but usually re-runs throughout the week. There were some nice explainations and illustrations of some quantum physics that I thought were particularly well done.

If you want to know more about E's music, then I suggest:

http://www.eelstheband.com/main.php

Some videos...this first one is what got me interested in the band, a gig on Letterman:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSLC4NyWSNo

Heres some music videos. E's music goes all the way from an almost hard rock sound to folksy music...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8hyCWH1Ww0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFYB_lkCC5M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftGUEH63TeI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-8drAsZyfk

And if you are interested in Hugh Everett III, Mark's father:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Everett

Enjoy!

Weird AL Yankovic is my homeboy!

I love Weird Al. Here's his latest:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRVi0paZlfI

"Its all about the Washingtons" Love it!

I have had the great pleasure of meeting AL twice after his shows in Houston, TX (about 8 years ago) and Pittsburgh, PA (about 4 years ago). He is very much appreciative of his fans and very nice. He puts on a great show as well, very entertaining and funny.

Airplane addiction...

Hi, my name is KT, and I am addicted to airplanes...I love airplanes...ever since I was a kid and flew on them all the time shuttling back and forth between my parents places. We also used to live near a major airport, and I could always see the planes flying in and out.

This addition led to my first career choice, that of being a commercial pilot. I enjoyed flying immensely, but what I liked was the freedom I felt doing it, and when you do it for a living, you don't have freedom, you are flying where other people are telling you to go. I'm also not much of a morning person and getting up at 4am and trying to think straight (or die flying) at that time of the morning just was not for me.

But I still love planes. I still have my license, but my interest now is in remote control airplanes. The advantage there is that you can fly planes that you would never in a lifetime (unless your last name is Gates or Buffett) be able to fly because they are too expensive, too rare, or simply don't exist anymore. There is also the thrill of the build, which I enjoy just as much.

I think planes are addictive for several obvious reasons. First, they, well, fly, which is something not easy to do (recall Douglas Adams theory on flight was to "throw yourself at the ground and miss"). They also tend to be noisy in a thrilling loud kind of way. They are also somewhat dangerous, although in their R/C version the danger is more in getting ones finger sliced by a propellor, although I supposed a direct hit to the noggin with a plane would not be pleasant. The element of risk, though, is palpable in flying and there too probably lies some attraction.

Right now, I have way too many planes...but I still want more...I got a basement full of 'em. Oh well, I guess there are worse things to be addicted to...crack, dope, booze, McDonalds fries, Japanese game shows....blogging (gulp)...

Coldplay vs. U2

Why do I love Coldplay and don't really like U2 (I like a few of their songs, but not many, and feel that they are way overrated)?

I mean, I freely admit that the two bands sound alike. Coldplay sounds much more depressing...I think Rolling Stone referred to one of their albums as "the Unforgettable Funeral" (a play on the U2 album "the Unforgettable Fire"). Am I a depressive? I think it may be a little known rule that I created about depressing or sad songs...they make you feel better. Happy songs are kind of hit or miss...but depressing songs always make you think "geez, it could be worse", and thus make you feel better...

I do think Coldplay has better lyrics. More Pink Floydesque...I would even argue better musicianship, although I will conceed Bono has the better voice...

How to increase your anxiety level in one easy step...

...Have a kid...I guess its one easy step if you are a man, two if you are a woman...anyways, my main point is that I have never been more anxious in my entire life than after my kid was born. Yes, there was job, happiness, etc., but what I really didn't expect was the heapin helping of anxiety. Here you are with this totally helpless little creature that you love immensely that cant do anything for itself and if you don't do things than it will be in pain or worse, and even if you do everything right, it still may have problems and...ugh....

I though it would get better in the toddler years...hell no! Now the little muchkin can walk around and really get into trouble and is still basically as helpless as it was before.

I really can't see how any sane human can have more than one child. I must not have been given the drug that every other parent seems to have been given by which they want to go through it all again....the sleepless nights, the days of doing nothing but baby maintenance, the illnesses, the inability to do anything to relieve one's own stress and needs. I love my kid more than anything, but why in the hell would I go through that again...and Im the guy! The woman has to deal with looking like she swallowed a watermelon, swollen feet, swollen tits that shoot liquid, hemmoroids (yeah, I know, don't ask me to spell check...), and then you got to pop the baby out of a tube that is not large enough for the job...well, not at least, until painful contractions force it to not quite the right size, and then you have to push it through...I don't envy women at all in that department. I had enough trouble pushing through the remnants of that Red Robin Cheeseburger the other night. I will say that going to the Lamaze class did help in that department...

Well, lets try this yet again.....still figuring out this blog thing....lets see if this one posts...