Archive for October, 2007

Why Move?

I just got done reading this NY Times article about city people and the new fear they feel by moving to woodside country houses. If you could convert middle America’s stereotype of the “liberal elite” into a solid, liquify that solid, put it in a bottle, dip your quill into it and write out an 800-word piece in your new effete-ink, you still wouldn’t come close to the level of prissiness demonstrated by the subjects of this article. A brief summary:

Unsympathetic subjects. The people profiled in this article spent many dollars on a second home in the woods, then spent the entire article complaining about the scariness of their very expensive purchase. We’re not starting out on a “Man, those poor sympathetic people” note.

Unjustified fear. There are very scary things in this world, and there are very brave people facing them on a daily basis. Then there are rich authors who are scared by the sound of creaking floorboards. (For which, again, they paid six and potentially seven figure prices.)

Kind of tongue-in-cheek tone, but not enough. I get the sense the author sees these people in a light that’s just as goofy as I see, but the piece is edited such that that doesn’t come across strongly enough.

Weird decisions. Hunting and guns in the woods = not at all like having guns in the city. If you want to live near the thick woods, why not take advantage of the excellent hunting opportunities? Or at least learn what kind of animals live in the area instead of buying night-vision goggles.

Regardless, calm down! The woods are cool and not always packed with serial murderers.

Partition

I agreed with this sentiment from the war’s beginning:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/23/opinion/23galbraith.html

If people fear the bloodshed that will occur in federalizing the country, well hey, it’s been underway for quite some time now.

Mad Busy

Sorry for the lack of writing, but application essays are sapping my editorial resolve. In the meantime, stay awesome.

Thank You, Watson the Cat

I always figured I would never like cats, and certainly would never put a photo of one on my website. But it’s a testament to Watson that after Geeta and I adopted Watson and his bro Holmes, Watson cured me of cat-hatred by being one friendly and personable mini-dude. He did weird things like sitting in the bathtub and staring out just for the hell of it, kneading a blanket like he was making biscuits or chasing a laser pointer like he was Don Beebe going after Leon Lett in Super Bowl XXVII, but those things and his friendly nature really turned around my opinion of cats.

Unfortunately Watson had a bad fall this morning, and we had to put him to sleep when we learned he wouldn’t recover. Yet even though we only had him for a short while, and contrary to what I would have ever thought before owning a cat, I really will miss that furry little goofball.

Geeta adds: Watson was everything a friend should be: loving, funny and always ready to play or watch TV. He was more than a friend, though, he was part of our family. I loved you, little guy. Still do.

Very Moving

I just read this piece by Christopher Hitchens from Vanity Fair and thought I should post it:

A Death in the Family

It hit a little close to home, I think. I come from a liberal Irish family too and have a brother in the military, and as a result I really got the part about the existence of pure motives in a world of cynical sloganeering.

It’s a very serious responsibility to have to put guys like that in the midst of mayhem, and it’s a leader’s role to make sure that attitude is honored and used wisely. But lost amidst the yelling and screaming on both sides of the aisle, there are still people who take a position because of reason and good intentions. The hope that people like Mark Daily will get to positions of power is the only thing that keeps me believing in politics.