not much

you know, no matter what side of the presidential election anyone is on, i really think that obama’s winning is important. i think it really means a lot not only to the african-american community but to the whole country that if you try really hard, and dedicate yourself to succeeding that you can, to invoke the old cliche, be anything you want–even the president of the united states. how amazing is it that a black boy or girl can see barack and michelle as world leaders? some of those children will become republicans and some of them will become democrats, but it makes a huge difference that the disenfranchisement that has defined generations of minorities is coming to an end. for so long those kids in the projects have seen money as the only way out of that life–through crime, drugs, sports, or entertainment. now they can finally have an example of education and dedication to community service as a way to a better life.

that is huge.

barack obama’s presidency–who knows what he will be able to accomplish. maybe all of his promises will be blocked by red tape or lack of funds, or a lack of support by the american people. maybe he will accomplish everything he sets out to and it will be an amazing utopia, maybe he accomplishes everything and it kind of sucks. but his election to the highest office in america is a watershed moment for our country and the world is really watching. i happen to believe that he will be a really good president, that he will be reasonable and thoughtful in his policies, that he will consider the pros and cons of any decisions and that he has our entire country’s best interest foremost on his mind and that he wont hesitate to act on that. i have to believe that his message of hope will lead to a better tomorrow.

okay, i was kind of obsessed with sleeping beauty when i was a kid. i looked it up and i see that it was rereleased theatrically in 1979, but i feel like i saw it on TV. anyway, i remember buying the soundtrack record, and not long ago, when someone asked the question if you had to have a wedding song what would it be, my first thought was the song from sleeping beauty that goes “i know you, i danced with you once upon a dream” (i think my actual answer to that question, though, was “if you gotta go, go now” by bob dylan. a little cooler.)

anyway, i do love disney movies, i grew up on them, but sleeping beauty always felt to me like the best animated one. sleeping beauty has the best villain–maleficent is scary as shit, like even now i think she’s scary. and dont even try to play like the witch from snow white even comes close or any recent villain. please, ursula? she’s kind of a joke.

so now theyre releasing it on DVD in the original 70mm format. i saw a commercial today and i was shocked by how much i wanted it. do you ever get over the things you loved as a child? i mean, you can look back at them and reevaluate their worth but do you ever get over that awe of your first favorite movie?

okay, i am obsessed with this show. i dont know why. well, i know partly why. but i read a bad review today and i could see some of the points they were making. i think that most of the negative reviews, though, were written by people who only half watched the show. they all seem to be latching on to this “the new sopranos” BS and i dont know where it’s coming from. this isnt the sopranos at all, the similarity ends at the crime family. sons of anarchy is really the story of jax, who finds an unpublished manuscript written by his late father that seems to suggest that the crime empire direction the club is going in is not what he as a founder intended. okay, fine, it sounds totally far-fetched when i say it. but it really works! this is one of few shows ive seen that you dont immediately know whats going to happen as soon as a character opens its mouth. there arent obvious plot points dropped in every 5 minutes. the characters are really interesting and complex, even the small parts are fleshed out to a believable extent. reviewers have also been harping on this “hamlet” thing which in this case boils down to the fact that jax’s mother married his father’s best friend after the father dies. so, i am guessing at some point in the future we will find out that jax’s dad was murdered. but i probably wouldnt have made that conclusion if the reviews hadnt all insisted on this. there are a few other characters that if forced, i could place as characters in hamlet–laertes and polonius but it IS a little forced. it’s more like a greek tragedy than shakespeare, in my opinion.

whatever. katey sagal is so good in this, as are charlie hunnam (i would like to see him in everything from here on out), maggie siff, and the entire supporting cast. as the show goes on, though, im finding that im liking ron perlman less and less but i dont know if its because he is getting clunkier lines than the rest of the cast or what. he’s kind of up and down.

anyway–here’s the link. watch it.

Sons of Anarchy on hulu.com

all of this talk about sarah palin’s family and personal life and ignorance and rashness are all well and good. what hasnt happened yet, and what i think is so crucial, is that none of the revelations/jabs have yet made the leap showing that these character flaws are directly related to her not being a good VP candidate. its that extra leap that they are expecting people to make but really it just makes the left look like finger-pointers. the left needs to make arguments that are irrefutable and not based on emotions. clearly people respond positively to sarah palin’s personality. so instead of attacking her personality, maybe it would be better to attack the effects her personality has had on her politics.

maybe i just havent seen it

im just saying.

one of my favorite games to play while watching a bad movie is “recast the movie.” my friends tim and jon and i are always playing the game. our ideas and choices are so brilliant and perfect that i decided to set it up online.

first post is the book i just read, the terror. jon is still reading it and tim read it a while ago, but this is the consensus of tim’s and my ideas.

you should really read this book, it was so good.

we should cast this

millenials. what an annoying term, it even sounds self-important.

okay, so i was born in 1975. i am pretty solidly “generation x.” generational generalizations seem to be kind of like birth signs, it’s pretty much true overall, but not all of it applies to “me,” whoever “me” may be. some people refer to generation x as kind of the lost or overlooked generation, the proverbial middle child between baby boomers and their children, the millenials. i freely admit that i dont know a LOT of millenials, maybe 5-10 and theyre all nice people that i enjoy spending time with, but i do find this description (found in a review of the new season of “heroes” of all places) of their generation to be very adept (or do i mean apt?) in showing the traits of that generation that frustrate me:

And Generation Y has more special abilities than any previous one: these are people who came of age taking the Internet, BlackBerries, cash machines, Facebook and iPods for granted. They also take the taking for granted. They are the most coddled, indulged and overprotected generation ever. Swaddled in safety and self-esteem, they have all been assured that they are special. They don’t rebel against their parents or even seek independence; they welcome an electronic umbilical cord that stretches through high school and college and even the post-graduate return to the empty nest. On “Heroes” those filial bonds stretch beyond the grave: even after his father is dead, Hiro (Masi Oka) still receives his fatherly advice via prerecorded DVD.

i was trying to find a good description of generation X online and didnt come up with much, even wikipedia was lacking (maybe it’s too close to home for people to come up with? im doubting anyone in generation Y (another term for millenials) writes about themselves the way most of the media tend to.) further reinforcing generation Xs little lost lamb status. i did manage to find a few articles about the differences between generations X and Y. one very interesting piece was about how to mentor the 2 generations. of course, as a proud, card-carrying member of generation X, i find the very idea of such an article completely ridiculous and a total waste of time.

generation X:

Even more so than Baby Boomers, members of Generation X dislike authority and rigid work requirements. An effective mentoring relationship with them must be as hands-off as possible. Providing feedback on their performance should play a big part, as should encouraging their creativity and initiative to find new ways to get tasks done. As a mentor, you’ll want Gen Xers to work with you, not for you. Start by informing them of your expectations and how you’ll measure their progress and assure them that you’re committed to helping them learn new skills. (Members of Generation X are eager to learn new skills because they want to stay employable.) Gen Xers work best when they’re given the desired outcome and then turned loose to figure out how to achieve it. This means a mentor should guide them with feedback and suggestions, not step-by-step instructions.

millenials:

Millennials are typically team-oriented, banding together to date and socialize rather than pairing off. They work well in groups, preferring this to individual endeavors. They’re good multitaskers, having juggled sports, school, and social interests as children so expect them to work hard. Millennials seem to expect structure in the workplace. They acknowledge and respect positions and titles, and want a relationship with their boss. This doesn’t always mesh with Generation X’s love of independence and hands-off style.

Provide lots of challenges but also provide the structure to back it up. This means breaking down goals into steps, as well as offering any necessary resources and information they’ll need to meet the challenge. You might consider mentoring Millennials in groups, because they work so well in team situations. That way they can act as each other’s resources or peer mentors.

my own experience working with the young’uns makes me think that the part about millenials being hard workers isnt necessarily true, but that article was intended for lawyers. i have no idea what they’re like.

and then, there’s this guy whose whininess personifies the worst of generation x and why the millenials probably think we’re self-indulgent.

Jeff Gordinier is tired of being force-fed the Beatles, the Summer of Love, Facebook and Britney Spears. He says being heard over the media din about boomers and their offspring, Generation Y, or “millennials” as they’re now known, isn’t just a challenge, it’s annoying. Being overlooked and underappreciated? It’s never-ending for him and his tribe of fellow Gen-Xers.

i havent read the book, so it might not be as bad as the article makes out, but why when i read this millenial’s response to gordinier’s inflammatory statement “They just love stuff. They love celebrities. They love technology. They love brand names. . . . They’re happy to do whatever advertising tells them to do. So what if they can’t manage to read anything longer than an instant message?” :

“I think they gave us something to work against,” says Kate Torgovnick, a 27-year-old writer and former colleague of Gordinier’s. And though she agrees that her generation might be more ambitious and self-promoting, she says millennials are far from the non-critical consumers that Gordinier portrays. “We grew up with courses that dissect the media and advertising, so I think we’re even more aware of what’s going on.”

why is my first thought–hey that should have been an inflammatory statement! why dont you tell this old fart to fuck off that he has no idea what the world is like and he should just go drink some coffee and cry about kurt cobain some more? and my second thought–disappointment that she doesnt. she either doesnt care to defend her generation (or maybe it’s just that she doesnt care to take the bait) or doesnt think that there’s anything to be defensive about in what he’s said. it’s not so much that they do whatever advertising tells them to do, but that they welcome the advertising in order to better choose the brands they want to follow.

i think that the words of amanda jones, “id rather be alone for the right reasons than with someone for the wrong ones” are perfect for my generation. oh and that’s also a hallmark of generation x, by the way, incessantly quoting pop culture. in that vein i would say that “entourage” is definitely a generation Y show and “six feet under” is generation X. “six feet under” is all about people wrestling with themselves and their surroundings, and “entourage” is all about people getting the most they can while they can.

generation x is kind of the “but what about me?” generation in that we had a lot and felt a lot and thought a lot but i dont know that we have yet done a lot. um, well, except for the internet which im pretty sure we kind of did but which the millenials have taken over and run with to an astonishing and amazing extent. generation Y works within the system more than our generation does. generation X is not known for its actions, we have a lot of passion and ideals, but not a lot of discipline. i think. maybe that’s just me.

the millenials are slick. and i cant blame them, they will always get what they want. i cant fault the millenials for what i feel is their one major shortcoming as a generation, a lack of depth. i mean, what do i know? they are certainly more successful, faster than my generation. they seem happy and fulfilled with both their careers and personal lives. they dont seem to wrestle with the constant questioning of self that i see in so many of my contemporaries in their careers. they are happy to be a team player, and to lead a team–to me, the words “team member” are like kryptonite unless you’re wearing a number on your back, which is not to say that generation X doesnt play well with others, i just think it doesnt like to be defined as playing well with others. maybe that’s what it all comes down to, generation X doesnt like to be defined or analyzed. generation X barely even has a wikipedia page.

all of that being said, in the millenials’ defense–they are a force to be reckoned with. and they are using their power sometimes in very positive ways. i really do think that they are changing the world and changing the way people think by using the internet and social networking, communicating acceptance and tolerance by sheer exposure.

i dont know. at the end of the day, do generational differences really matter? or is it just another hobby for people to speculate about? is it just another way for consultants to earn money, by explaining the new generation? in the words of lloyd dobler, “I can’t figure it all out tonight, sir, im just gonna hang with your daughter.”

if youve never caught the chabad telethon, let me tell you–youre missing out. it is truly an amazing thing. the first one i saw kept me up into the wee hours of the morning and i saw it from two separate apartments.

you can catch it on NY55. there are celebrities galore and it’s actually a good cause. the one aspect i know about it is that they have a lot of substance abuse recovery programs. im sure they do a lot more.

it is totally unpolished, which is the beauty of it. however, i have a DVD with some bob dylan chabad telethon performances, and i have to admit that i wish i had never watched them. they were not from a good time in uncle bobby’s life.

my ipod was relentless on my way to the office this morning. every song had a memory or feeling attached and with each one all i could think was what happened to that girl? where is the girl who hung out with that bagel delivery guy in berkeley and learned to appreciate jethro tull? what happened to the girl who stayed in yves’ truck to finish listening to the tommy demos even after we had parked? where did the girl go who worked on avenue a and went out every night and enjoyed seeing bands? is it age? is it burnout? does it just happen this way?

the girl subletting my guest room is 22 and just got out of college. a really good college, too. maybe that’s what brought all this on. i feel like i blinked and ten years went by. but i also feel like ive done so much this year and made so many decisions and started on new routes that even if the next 10 years go by just as fast, i wont go through it without knowing what happened. maybe that’s what your twenties are for, wasting time. i did have fun, though, for a long time. maybe i just waited too long.

i know the price of gas went up and all that stuff, but this inflation stuff has gotten out of hand. last week i paid 2.75 for a regular slice of pizza. and then this week i find out that candy has gone up to $1? at duane reade and now at a deli by my office? er–my old office? this is an outrage and i want to know what the government is going to do about it.