Sacrifice

Posted by Thomas Thu, 30 Oct 2008 21:34:31 +0000

When did sacrifice for a cause greater than ourselves, once a supreme fundamental strength of these United States, fall to the wayside? When did we start thinking that the solutions to difficult problems would come easily, without pain and sacrifice?

You look at Reagan’s inaugural and Kennedy’s oratory, they do not say that it will be easy, but that these things must be done now and not later, that we must do them together, that we will do them together, that we will sacrifice as one, and that we will triumph as one.

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Shattered

Posted by Thomas Wed, 29 Oct 2008 10:07:44 +0000

is in his head this morning. Oddly enough I’ve actually seen them live in Atlanta.

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Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Posted by Thomas Sun, 26 Oct 2008 19:44:44 +0000

So, if I was behind before, I’m still behind. Like I said, I’ve seen a good number of movies, but I’m still pretty far behind. When I was home I saw “An American Carol” which was mediocre, as was expected. We also saw “Burn After Reading”. Now this movie’s trailer gave it awesome potential. Stellar actors, great directors, and what looked like a quirky plot. Man was I wrong on that one. It was just too weird for me. It was just not worth seeing. Please don’t go watch it. Don’t even rent it. Don’t even download it for free. :) There was a preview for “How to Lose Friends & Alienate People” which in hindsight we should have seen instead…

I also fell in love with “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”. Had I known it had Marshall in it from “How I Met Your Mother” and had I known he wrote it and is an awesome musician, I would like to think I would have seen it sooner. I watched it once, then got it and the bonus dvd from Netflix, watched all of that content, then watched it again. A super classic.

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Behind

Posted by Thomas Sat, 25 Oct 2008 19:40:12 +0000

(Oops, this was a draft from June 8 that I never posted… I’ve actually seen a good number of these.)

I am like crazy far behind on movies that have come out recently. Recently meaning in the past six months. :( Here’s a list starting with movies released in Jan 2008:

Meet the Spartans
Definitely, Maybe
Jumper (not thinking this one will be good, but should see anyway)
Be Kind Rewind (can’t pass up Jack Black)
Vantage Point (eh)
The Bank Job (??)
21
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Baby Mama (should have its funny moments, right?)
Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay
Made of Honor (hard to pass up Michelle Monaghan from Gone Baby Gone)
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

And if you take into account my Netflix queue, it gets even longer:
Lady in the Water
The Illusionist
Saw III
The Prestige
The Queen
Eragon
Shrek the Third
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
Vacancy
We are Marshall
Fido
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
Semi-Pro
Mama’s Boy
Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show

Man, I’ve got my work cut out for me…

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Mr. Diamond

Posted by Thomas Fri, 24 Oct 2008 19:40:01 +0000

I had this Neil Diamond song in my head for a couple of days. Twas the oddest thing.

I’ve been watching some C-SPAN of late, catching PM’s questions, Alan Greenspan’s testimony, the testimony of the credit rating agencies, etc. It’s funny how these hearings seem really pointless, not unlike many regular meetings. All too often it’s people talking, and not a lot of getting things done. Also, it seemed like in the more high profile ones, that Congressmen were all too often trying to push an agenda, seeming to me like they weren’t really wanting to hear whatever those testifying had to say. Perhaps they’ve become cynical that those testifying have their own agenda, so they will ask directing questions, and not really let people speak? It’s a sad state of affairs. Some of the lesser committees seem like they are more interested in getting to the truth. But I have to wonder how quickly even the staunchest idealist would soon be pulled down into the dregs of everyday congressional life; if every day brings you closer to just becoming a cog in the government wheel and further away from your ability to inject change and remember what it was looking from the outside in.

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Honk your horn

Posted by Thomas Tue, 14 Oct 2008 19:51:29 +0000

If anyone reading this ever writes a sitcom, write a plot around this:

Twice in the past 6 months, there has been a car directly outside my apartment that spontaneously started honking its horn. Not in the expected and obnoxious car alarm way, but in a constant, monotonic, piercing way. I never knew a horn could sustain like this for so long. I really wonder how much it drains the battery. The first time was quite late at night, making it all the more dreadful when you’re trying to go to sleep (or wake up to it), but this time, it’s in the early evening, so not quite as bad. Either way entirely annoying, and after listening to it for any period of time, I think it quite difficult for anyone to not want to pummel whomever’s car it is.

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Financials

Posted by Thomas Tue, 14 Oct 2008 01:19:46 +0000

…is hating on Vanguard and kicking himself for not capitalizing on today’s bounce in the market.

…and for unknown reasons feels compelled to say that the leaves started turning and falling last week.

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Insightful Prime Minister’s Answers

Posted by Thomas Mon, 13 Oct 2008 00:59:40 +0000

As I was channel surfing tonight, I came across the Prime Minster’s questions on CSPAN. When asked about the financial crisis, he (the PM) gave the most measured commentary, of which I had not heard elsewhere, also of which I would not imagine you would hear any pundit say in the US:

I was talking about irresponsibility in the financial markets. Now everyone agrees about irresponsibility in the financial markets, but let me say, because I think it should be clear to the people of this country, that the dividing line here is not between business and being anti-business, or between market and being anti-market. The dividing line that we have is between rewarding hard work, effort and responsibility—rewarding enterprise—and rewarding excessive risk-taking or irresponsible risk-taking. [Interruption.] The all-party consensus seems to have dissipated a little.

I personally think that the whole country will agree that that is the right thing. Let us reward work, let us reward effort, let us reward enterprise, let us reward responsible risk-taking; but let us deal with the problem—and sort it out once and for all—of excessive and irresponsible risk-taking.1

In addition the right and honorable Mr. David Cameron said this:

…we are trying to save the banking system not as an end in itself, but to save the wider economy…2

Hear, hear!

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In my head

Posted by Thomas Wed, 08 Oct 2008 10:35:21 +0000

this morning: Religious Man (I am I am)

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