1) My First Day of School/Clean up
Got to class about five minutes late - it's going to take me a little practice to get myself up and out the door by 7 AM! - but didn't miss much of anything. Slipped right into my seat, and - well, let's just say that I think the teacher knows the material, but what he knows, he ain't saying. And what he ain't saying, he ain't saying in his very quiet, mumbled, accented and slightly broken English. This class looks like it's going to be wall-to-wall equations without any connecting tissue, so I'm strapping myself in. I can master this material. With or without help.
I asked one question, as he was demonstrating... well, when he thought he was demonstrating dimensional analysis. Basically, he introduced the concept of a constant, without explaining what a constant was or the need for it. He said he'd get to it. He never did.
That was the only question asked in class.
On a positive note, after class, I had an hour to take care of all of my RCC problems before I had to attend a 10 AM client meeting on Montebello Road, about five minutes away. So, in order, I:
- looked at the Physics syllabus and noted that 30% of my grade would come from the labs. Of which I'd missed the first the day before,
- went to the math & sciences office and got the name of the lab teacher,
- found out he'd be done with a class at 9:40, and I could find him in room 1209,
- went to the bookstore and got my texts (a bargain at $350!),
- looked at the syllabus for my virtual math class and saw that I would need a student I.D. to check out the DVD materials from the library,
- went to find out where I could get a student I.D.,
- went to the security station to get a student I.D.,
- went to the library and got the DVDs,
- also got a few books they were giving away, including Pynchon and Theroux in hardcover,
- went a little early to room 1209 and talked to the lab teacher,
- was greatly relieved to find I hadn't missed much of anything, and it wouldn't affect my grade,
- walked back across campus to my car, checking out any hot young things, in my official role as the D.O.M.O.C. (that's Dirty Old Man on Campus, to you).
2) Two Days in Paris
Not an actual event in my life - my last trip to Paris was with my college girlfriend over one very, very cold Christmas week, when she got the flu and I got lost on my way to the Eiffel Tower. No, these two days are part of the eponymous film written, directed by and starring Julie Delpy, and it proves something I've always suspected: I like Woody Allen a lot better as an adorable French woman.
Actually, this film is better than anything Woody has made in a long time. It gets a little flat at the end, but I was surprised as to just how well she kept the thing aloft, in spite of a fairly mundane story. The dialogue, pacing and her deft touch with actors made the thing work, and work really well. A really strong first feature, and I'll definitely be on board for anything she makes to follow it up.
3) Some Brief Political Hackery
I know I maintain a policy of not getting political on the Rambler, but I just have to make this totally obvious and oft stated observation here: the Christian Conservative wing of the GOP is fucking goofy.
Just thought I'd put that out there.
D.
20 comments:
And, like it or not, they and Sarah Palin are going to win the election for McCain.
Obama shoulda picked Hillary for VP... yeesh, does the Biden pick look awful now...
Sarah Palin's speech motivated me.....to vote for Obama...twice!
I dunno John.. I totally agree with you about the hillary thing though... I jsut think there's dirt on her out there that will come to light..
You know? I'm not convinced any dirt would make a difference for the 'values voter' that Palin would bring in. Seriously.
D.
I love how the pundits and obama people kept saying how nobody votes for the vice president and now Palin is going to "win it" for McCain...
I dunno.. I don't think her canned speech last night that didn't mention:
the middle class
health care
education
diplomacy
will play outside of the retarded GOP convention..
it was business as usual typical fuckface republican politics.. they think theyre gonna bully the press now into not asking palin any questions.. and building her up into some populist messiah.. who believes that dinosaurs were a lie and that the earth was created in 7 days..
theres something on her and she needs to be taken down..
to me she came off as a smug, overconfident bitch...
all she did was read a speech written for her that just ran down obama..
his fucking pussy support team have to come out and come out fucking hard...
and yeah.. he shouldve fucking picked Hillary.. which is what everyone with half a brain has been saying all along..
if he loses.. he loses because of that move..
and the obamites will have nothing and no one to blame but themselves..
If I were the clintons right now, I would make a nation-wide commercial rebuking this nasty woman NOW... right fucking now.. its in their best interest cause the way i see it, the fucking republicans are gonna try to build her up into their next leader.. and that will not be good for Hillary..
if i were her, i'd take the secretary of state job.. of justice job that theyd give her and fucking play ball.. HARD BALL...
bean that fucking stupid bitch out of the fucking ball game..
And there it is. The most telling sign of all regarding Palin. The hardcore dems (don't know if it's fair to classify Ansley that way, but he can handle it) are SCARED SHITLESS by this woman. They are all in a collective apoplectic rage.
She's political dynamite, and the conservatives are ga-ga over her. The more she is attacked the more she will be built up into the new Reagan. Seriously. She will be loved, blindly, despite the worst scandal or dirt (you are correct, Dave), the exact same way Bill Clinton was loved.
Personally, all I had to witness was my parents' reaction to Palin. They were completely unenthusiastic about McCain and them about a minute after Palin's first speech they were over the moon, 100% suporting McCain. It was that instantaneous. Repeat that with staid older couples (who actually make a point of going out and voting) all over the country, and Obama has a real problem.
Yeah, I dont doubt what youre saying..
but for the record, I aint afraid of anything.. My life wont change either way no matter who is elected.. other than id be forced to have to see that smug bitches face all the time and hear her annoying voice..
and i may be a hardcore democrat but i was NOT a hardcore obama supporter.. I was for Hillary..
My initial comment did not come from a place of anger, or fear. McCain did serve the country as both a soldier and a senator, and Palin has not yet done anything to earn my ire. After all, was she NOT supposed to attack the competition? My main comment was on the - again, pretty obvious - observation that the conservative Christian mindset is one that I don't think is truly 'sane.'
It's one thing to want Palin as the VP for her belief system and policies. But it's entirely something else to look at her current family situation and not only fail to notice that it goes against some of their very deeply, firmly and furiously held beliefs, but actually celebrate the whole thing with nothing short of religious fervor.
D.
Well, yeah, kinda like how the feminists supported Clinton through all his sleazy womanizing...
The support was there, for Clinton, but it was not happy and fervent. It was sad, betrayed and angry - angry that there wasn't a viable alternative.
So, not the same thing.
D.
If Obama were white and named Barry Dunum... the same exact guy.. same credentials.. same record.. same looks only in a white version.. he'd be 30 points ahead of McCain now..
THAT is sad.
Obama will be on the Bill Oreilly show tonight at 8..
Personally, I'm mad as hell at Hillary's reaction to all this. McCain picked Palin as a transparent and insulting "oh, people want to vote for a woman!" maneuver after all the hubbub about displaced Hillary fans - Hillary needs to step out and say, LOUDLY, "This woman is everything I'm against." Instead, she says:
“We should all be proud of Governor Sarah Palin's historic nomination, and I congratulate her and Senator McCain. While their policies would take America in the wrong direction, Governor Palin will add an important new voice to the debate.”
Seriously? That's all you have to say, Hill? That's how you support Obama - one tiny little dig in the middle of a sea of compliments for this harpie???
Dave, you're right that Sarah's core voters were for her (and McC) no matter what - it's the swing voters and the Clintonistas I'm worried about. I know a few too many people who are playing right into their hands. I just reaaaallly hope she fucks up something massive, and soon. McC's put himself in the asinine position of having a VP who can make or break his campaign. Hillary would have been a similar lighting rod for Obama's campaign, which is why he didn't pick her. I think Obama's nice safe Biden pick will prove to be an excellent strategy, as it keeps the focus on Obama rather than adding drama to the ticket.
So you say your first class wasn't what you were hoping for? I'm sorry to hear that.
Here's the bottom line when it comes to all these people...................................................................................wait for it.........................they ALL suck!!!
I'm not sure what it means that the shorter the entries I write, the longer and more vociferous the comments page! i think I post a week of ellipses and see what kind of conversation develops.
Anyhow:
Ans: I'm not convinced that race has played any role except FOR Obama's campaign. It's identity politics that had black primary voters overwhelming support him, as the middle-aged woman voters were so rah-rah for Hillary. Which I guess makes me a middle-aged woman, or something, since I was a Hillary supporter, but there you go.
Identity politics exhaust me.
Xtine: I think Hillary will make much stronger statements in the coming weeks against Palin. It really would have been bad politics to be negative on that first night.
Karl: Yeah, looks like I need to pay Jim to tutor me. This could be bad news if I don't play it right.
Anonymous: For reasons I've never been quite clear on, I don't buy in to that 'they're all crooks!' mentality. I do think that Cheney is a crook, and Nixon let his paranoia run away with him (as Clinton had let his gonads) - but generally, I don't believe that government is corrupt beyond repair.
Still, whoever the next president is, they do need to roll back a lot of the power abuses and expansion of executive power that the Bush/Cheney administration put into place. No more shenanigans with signing statements would be nice. No more operating outside of the law and THEN lobbying for the law to change. No more sweetheart contracts for... well, you get the idea. No more Vice Presidents like Dick Cheney, and I'll be happy.
Anyway, this ends the extent of my political commentary. Feel free to continue posting - and have a good election season.
D.
Saw Obama on O'reilly last night... he looked like an idiot.. of course Bill o'reilly always looks like an idiot,, but Obama looked weak and so completely the cliched Democrat that always tries to make the peace without fighting back... This is why I was in a rage that Obama got nominated over Hillary..
If she had gotten the nomination, this would have been a lock... if he had given her the VP spot it would have been a lock...
If the dems lose this years it's NO ONE'S fault but theirs... NO ONE'S!!
bran, i think you underestimate how polarizing a figure hillary rodham clinton is. not all democrats love her, no matter how vocal her displaced supporters are. and almost NOBODY on the OTHER side can stand her, which is why she would have lost the general election hands down. the president has to represent everybody, not just one side, thus a candidate with crossover appeal was necessary - especially in this election, where both candidates are fairly moderate (i know, i know - "mccain is bush II" - but no, really, he's not. he's still wrong. but he's much farther left than bush.)
i really hope obama steps back up - due to a perfect storm of events (the hillary fuss, the palin fuss, the actual literal storm) i feel like he's just been pushed to the side lately, and it upsets me. i want the debates to start so people can start thinking about him again, and realizing how he got the nomination in the first place, instead of just being angry about hillary (who, by the way, is on her way to becoming a neo-naderite spoiler).
I just hope Gloria is right....
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/sunday/commentary/la-oe-steinem4-2008sep04,0,2288253.story
christine, you're just wrong.
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