Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Bringin' it.

“History reminds us that at every moment of economic upheaval and transformation, this nation has responded with bold action and big ideas. In the midst of civil war, we laid railroad tracks from one coast to another that spurred commerce and industry. From the turmoil of the Industrial Revolution came a system of public high schools that prepared our citizens for a new age. In the wake of war and depression, the GI Bill sent a generation to college and created the largest middle-class in history. And a twilight struggle for freedom led to a nation of highways, an American on the moon, and an explosion of technology that still shapes our world.

Boy can that man deliver a speech. And yet it’s more than that; he delivers a lot of different qualities all rolled up into one nice tidy package: confidence and resolve tempered with an intellect that’s informed by a genuine interest in the world around him. Which certainly is a refreshing change from you-know-who.

And jeez, not that I was going to go on about it, but after eight years of all that squinting, smirking,= waiting for answers =and= jaw-jacking,= last night’s foray into the world of the 21st century was an absolute pleasure. Last night our president actually mentioned science and universities. Not just schools that are all too often just parking places for our kids until they’re old enough to flip burgers or carry a gun, mind you, but universities. Universities that are the real foundation from which the next generation of technology and leadership must come if we expect to pick ourselves up and get back in the global race.

Wow, how’s that that for a load of pretentious twaddle? =Yeah well, sometimes I just can’t help myself. =Anyway, have a nice day, and as long as I’m at it, enjoy this little send-off from our former Adolescent In Chief:

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Mmmmm... validation


So during any given day how often do you experience a serendipitous moment of perfection that embodies both the grandeur and mystery that is life? You know, one of those moments frozen in time that is as perfectly sublime as it is precious? =Not so often, huh?= Yeah, didn’t think so.


I, however, was lucky enough to have one of those moments just this morning.*= To wit: there I was, sniffing around the tubes minding my own business when I came across this little amuse-gueule that’s wonderful if for no other reason that it so perfectly reflects what my boys and I had already been yelling at the TV for months now.


All of which is to just to say that it’s nice to have one’s views validated and expressed so eloquently. =Sort of. Enjoy:



*Of course you have to remember that the bar for what I consider a transcendent moment is set really, really low.