Weekend in Sports

Yep, that's 7 in a row and 55 total

First of all, Tiger won the Buick Invitational. He overtook and/or stayed out of reach of a few "young guns" who had one or fewer tour wins. Everyone talked about the great opportunity it was to be playing or competing closely with Tiger. One commentator's response to this attitude was this: "It's (playing with Tiger) like singing along at a Stones concert. You feel like you're part of it, but no one else notices." Also, until I read about Andrew Buckle's Sunday behavior, I didn't realize that smoking was permitted on tour. Maybe I've just been living under a rock. That or they never televise such things...

Secondly, Roger Federer won the Australian Open. I'm not really a fan of his, but I can certainly appreciate his talent. I like Roddick, more so now that Agassi is gone. Much to my dismay, I forgot to watch the Federer vs. Roddick match after work on Thursday. After learning of the 4-6, 0-6, 2-6 loss suffered by Andy, I figured maybe it was better that I hadn't seen it.

An evening well-spent: V for Outstanding

V for Vendetta

"Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vexation stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it's my very good honor to meet you, and you may call me V."
-V’s introduction to Evey


I feel that I can hardly do any justice to this film. However, I’d just like to say that it was amazing. With monologues like the one above, the creativeness and way with words of the writer virtually demand respect and surely spark my envy. V for Vendetta has it all: replete with drama, action, suspense, and hints of romance and comedy. Shakespeare is worked into the dialogue, and the caliber of original writing is, as already mentioned, superb. Thanks to the Wachowski brothers, there are definite hints of the Matrix in the stylized action scenes. These scenes are not the foundation on which the movie is built but rather a complement to the already solid plot. Another Matrix tie-in would be Hugo Weaving. On this occasion, though, he is not the rigid Agent Smith but the vindictive anarchist, V. His face is never seen, but the voice is unmistakable, despite being more emotive than his prior character, Smith. There is even a scene which is reminiscent of sped-up chase sequences from Benny Hill and the Keystone Kops. This is a short-lived glimpse at humor in a movie based upon the uprising of a people against tyranny while being lead by a vigilante donning a Fawkes mask.

I’ll leave you with this poem based on the Gunpowder Plot, a key part of the history involved in film’s story line.

Remember, remember
the 5th of November,
the gunpowder, treason and plot;
I know of no reason
why the gunpowder treason
should ever be forgot.

DrMLKJr Day, Strip Malls, and my car.

Let’s take a journey…shall we? This account is a factual review of my holiday weekend. I’ll choose to focus much more so on the holiday than the weekend.

Saturday and Sunday were very typical. Activities included going to the mall, watching TV, attending church, cooking, eating, and sleeping.


Yesterday, as many of you know, was recognized as a holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. The gov had the day off. …but not me. That is to say, I wasn’t at work, but it certainly was no vacation. The bird, in all of her glory, needed a water pump. It’s a time consuming repair, but it’s mostly covered under the warranty. I figured my day off would be the ideal time to have this done, thus resulting in the least inconvenience. Ha! There’s a strip mall a mile from the shop. I thought I could kill a few hours there until I was “go for launch”. I was dropped off at a coffee shop at about 8:45 am. There, as I nursed my beverage for the next 30 minutes, I read part of the Cliff’s Notes for All the King’s Men. Not much can be said for the plot, as my brief time committed to the subject was merely enough to be introduced to the main characters and the setting. I replaced the pamphlet taken from the bookshelf and made my way down the side walk. I took note of movie show times and continued forth to Circuit City. However, CC doesn’t open until 10 and it was still a half hour until then. I went to the neighboring grocery store and read magazines until I was assured that I would be granted access to CC. As per usual, I bought nothing. I stuck to meandering and looking at things of interest for about an hour. At this point I revisited the AMC theatre for the 11:20 showing of The Pursuit of Happyness.

It’s the predictable, heart-warming, inspirational, pursue your dreams, rags to riches story that I suspected, but it did burn up nearly 2 hours for less than the price of a rental at Blockbuster. Following that, about an hour was devoted to ambling through TJMaxx, talking on the phone with my girlfriend, and negotiating and setting up future service with Comcast. Why you say?

…duh. My 2:30 lunchtime was spent at Applebee’s where I can now say with conviction, “Don’t order the blackened Tilapia sandwich.” I generally like the seasoning/cooking style associated with “blackened”, but that generalization failed this go-round. (I could make a much better tuna sandwich at home.) I then returned to the CC and further perused everything from my first trip. There are only so many times you want to play the motocross-esque demo on PS3 or the same 4 holes on Tiger Woods 07 for XBOX 360. This amusement fatigue also extends to looking at TVs, radar detectors, notebook computers, CDs, DVDs, and the Bose surround sound station. I then proceeded to Lowe’s for the remaining hour of my day. I am not yet excitable by carpet swatches or bathroom fixtures. Thus, it was quite boring. Exhaustion took over, and I sat down until it was time to get a ride back to the shop. An employee picked me up at 6ish. What a wonderful way to spend 10 hours on a holiday. Aren’t you jealous?

Despite the time I was able to pass by drafting this at work, I'm tired now. Good bye.

The Holiday Report

What to do in Eastern New Los Santa Harrisontonburgvillefieldcesteria...

Harrisburg… can it be, this is the city which I see?

I spent the past week and a half in and around the not-so-blooming metropoleis of Allentown and Harrisburg PA. It was filled with the usual holiday hecticness that comes from visiting a familiar area for a brief time. There were people to visit, Church services to attend, parties at which to make an appearance, and quality time to spend with those to whom I am closest. Failing to make the to-do list was watching the Strawberry drop at Strawberry Square in downtown H-burg.

A few things of note:

• Ice skating isn’t what it used to be. When you are 9 years old and all you want to do is weave between adults doing Mach 1 in an endless oval, the 2 hours allotted for public-skate is barely enough. However, at the feeble age of 23, I find that the activity is more a romantic setting for conversation, a mild challenge, some physical activity, and an opportunity to get cold and thirsty. After an hour of this, you and your date will have a tired right leg (assuming the typical counter-clockwise loop) and the desire to go elsewhere to sit down and warm up. May I suggest skiing or, if you must, snowboarding. Albeit not as economical, the lifts provide some repose for chit chat and more exhilaration exists during the descent. If weather and/ or location decrease the feasibility of said activity, I can’t help you. Or maybe I’m just tired of thinking about it…

• Thing of note #2 – I have no idea what it was.

• Here’s an impromptu #3 – Rocky MMMCXCVII or something like that was ok. I liked the first 4. The latest, not greatest, had one major problem. I couldn’t look at Rocky as a character. I could not see him as the portrayal of a retired boxer turned restaurateur. I saw the man on the screen as Sylvester Stallone, dressed down and with an accent that is not quite his own. It was mildly interesting with a feel-good conclusion.
  

Upon my return to Cleveland, I found that I would have an extra day of vacation. The gov was in mourning on the day of its recently deceased 38th President, Gerald Ford. That’s not super exciting, just worthy of rubbing in everyone’s face.

What's so affirmative about it?

I realize that I may be painting a metaphorical bull’s-eye on myself by exploring the topic to follow. However, this justifies the name of my blog. For some time now, I have not been thrilled with affirmative action. Granted, if people were always fair and selected new hires or students based strictly on qualifications, there would be no need for this. It’s a shame that we need to establish such practices. I worked for a few months in the Equal Employment Opportunity section of a federal gov’t Human Resources office. While I was there, I learned that career fairs and recruiting must be conducted in a diverse environment or in several locations so as not to give one race more exposure to the opening. I somewhat saw the reasoning. So, I posed this question to my non-white supervisor. “Can a manager recruit strictly from Harvard or just Ivy league schools?” The answer was a somewhat anticipated “no”. The reasoning, of course, was that these schools are predominantly attended by white students. Here is the problem. Harvard has already done the recruiting, from the very diverse entire country, for the manager. High school students across the country know about Harvard. If someone is among the elite, he or she can be accepted. This is without regard to who you are or where you live… e.g. white in Montana, Hispanic in southern Texas or Miami FL, Asian in a Chinatown, or black in center city Philadelphia. If you are the best of the best, the best schools will want you. Of course this policy extends across national borders and oceans, but that isn’t pertinent to the issue. The rules of recruiting are not even the biggest problem. Not only are schools and businesses scrutinized or penalized for not selecting a variety of ethnicities, but quotas devalue those who are hired. I would like to be hired based on my ability to add value to a corporation, not because they need one more person of whatever background occupying a cube. If affirmative action gets you a job, you’ll get paid, but wouldn’t you prefer to have the job because you are superior to the other candidates? Naturally, you would. Such is the story of another good intention gone wrong. This makes me ask myself… “Would I state my race as Hispanic for my own advancement?” I’d like to say not. Ignorance is bliss…

What we have here, is a failure to communicate...

Leave it to the government to do something with its right hand and somehow keep the left hand in the dark about what is transpiring. Here’s a for instance. Let’s say there is a DoD financial trainee program. In this program, fifty naïve minds are drawn in under false pretenses each year. Bait, including: substantial yearly raises, a cushy job with future security, and holiday and time off benefits which surpass many entry-level positions in the private sector, is used to lure the oblivious into its clutches. Once a person takes the job, he will soon learn that the job can be mundane at times, the interdepartmental shifting can be a hassle, and the notion of leaving town once for two months has now evolved into at least twice for four months. Excuse me; I digress. Regarding the matter of communication failure... Trainees are expected to pick up and go elsewhere in the country for four months at a time. If this is less than a two hour drive, it isn’t a big deal. A weekend trip is certainly not out of the question. However, if a person is going to work across the country, paying a couple hundred dollars to fly back for a few days is tough to justify. It might be worthwhile if the vacation were longer, but there are rules against taking an extended break while on a travel assignment. Sure, the federal employee gets a fair amount of vacation time, but with a traveling schedule, when could he use it? It turns out that trainees can actually have two trips home, per four month rotation, paid for by the government. Isn’t that nice? That trainee’s taxes are coming full circle and allowing him or her to go see family and friends twice, while away. …but wait… “Why? What’s wrong?” you ask. Herein lies the rub. The trainee program was never authorized to pay for trips back in the first place. * insert despondent sigh here. For those who found out about these return trips late, they are now back in Screwedville. …hopes boosted …hopes shattered, and no free rides home. Such is the story of a benefit not advertised, a benefit realized, and a benefit reinstated as nonexistent. O well. There is always per diem to hoard…

Blog kick off and word to the wise

I needed an outlet to express some creativity. That leads me to pt. 1 of the title. Thanks to Jackscolon's Poetry and Scotch, this site has been brought to my attention as a means to make accessable my ramblings. As of this moment, my blog and my girlfriend share a birthday, albeit more than decades apart. If you know who she is, this is your cue to congratulate her.

Moving on... The word to the wise for this weekend comes at a price. After a very enjoyable couple days with friends from home, the weekend took a bad turn last night. After playing some games and hanging out, my friends and I made our way out on the town to celebrate the aforementioned occasion. First we went to an establishment known as the Boneyard. This place had peanuts everywhere. This is not a big deal if you aren't allergic. However, I am. We made our way next door to the Winking Lizard. This is a clean, fairly well lit, sports bar. After a few drinks there, we found out that they closed at 1am. The birthday girl and I made our way over to the previously visited Boneyard to hang out a little longer. My other friends parted to get food and return to the hotel. The Boneyard had several TVs featuring sports, but I don't know that I'd call it a sports bar. It was much darker and featured louder music. The peanuts were avoided by sitting at the bar rather than at one of the booths. Due to a lack of knowledge in preferences and the desire to broaden her beverage horizons, the bartender was given the request for something fruity. Well, he took it upon himself to stray from the path of the traditional. Rather than a martini, or daquiri, or margarita, or anything that could be found on a menu, he concocted a mix of citron, raz, lemon juice, cranberry juice, lots of sugar, and perhaps one or two other ingredients. This amalgamation forced a 180 on an unsuspecting consumer, who for the better part of the past 24 hours, has been sick, feeling sick, and is only now recovering. Happy Birthday, from your local bartender. I realize that it's not completely his fault, and we shouldn't have given him free reign. It's not like walking into a coffee shop and saying that you want more mocha than java...surprise me. Be aware of what you are doing. Don't trust your best interests to those who are not proven to be worthy.

Hopefully, in the future, I'll have a variety of topics to entertain, educate, and share things of interest.