Yea work

I got a job today!! It is not an engineering job but it is something. I am working at a local elementary school with severely disabled students. Hopefully I can make enough money to go back to school. It looks like I am going to need more education in order get the kind of job I really want.

Arthur Schopenhauer, a famous German philosopher, once said that "Talent hits a target no one else can hit; genius hits targets no one else can see." Google Wave came out of the blue for me and it makes the developers of the product and Google look brilliant. This Wave is going to revolutionize the way people communicate with each other over the internet. This product has too many features for me to list, I just suggest that you guys check it out when you get a chance.

Sports

Last weekend was one of the worst sports weekends of my life. The Redskins lost to the Detroit Lions. The same Detroit Lions who lost all of their games last year and was riding a 19 game losing streak into the game. The Skins looked bad on defense and worse on offense. The play calling was uninspired and predictable. We made the Lions look like the Patriots.

What really fumed me were the after game interviews. All of the Redskins players and coaches were down playing the Lions losing streak. They were trying to get us to buy into the notion that the Lions were a "strong" team. There was a noticeable lack of fire in their responses to questions, it didn't seem like anyone was angry about the loss. What was obvious on the field and to all of the fans and journalists was that this team has some major problems, yet the players and coaches seemed to believe that only minor adjustments need to be made.

The Redskins need to wake-up. The players, coaches, and staff need to realize that we are a bad team. We are a not a good football team. We need help. Trying to pass this game off as another loss is a mistake. This loss was a wake-up call. The team needs to reexamine their devotion and needs to play in the next game like a team that is prepared and hungry.

Paper airplanes

I substituted for a special education elementary school teacher today. These sub jobs are usulaly fairly easy to get because when subs hear special education and elementary school they usually have nightmares of paint flying and across classrooms and soiled underpants that need changing. The truth is that this is one of the easiest jobs a sub can get. First, off when you sub for a special education teacher there is a guarentee that you will work with a TA. There are also fewer students in special ed classes than in other classes. 


Well anyway, about an hour after lunch we had a scheduled break time. Students can't focus very well after lunch so this these breaks are crucial to keeping kids from screaming and yelling and fighting. One of the kids started making paper airplanes while I and another teacher were playing dinosaur Bingo with a few other students. In the middle of the game a paper airplane flies across the classroom and whacks me in the head. It hit me so hard it actually made a mark on my cheek. He picked it up and threw it again and it smashed against the chalkboard at the other end of the room. The airplane barely lost any elevation during its flight. We went into the hallway and he threw the airplane again and it went at least 50 feet before it dropped.


This is particularly humbling for me because I am notoriously bad at constructing paper airplanes. If the planes I construct go forward then it is an achievement for me. However, what is even more humbling is that I have participated in ad hoc paper airplane contests with fellow aerospace engineering college students and our paper airplanes fell woefully short of paper airplanes of a elementary student with special educations needs. 


Politics

There was an awesome commercial created by Will Farrell and a few other comedians that sarcastically denounced health care reform because it would hurt insurance executives.


Wendell Potter, an insurance company executive, revealed some of the underhanded efforts taken by this former employer to kill meaningful health care reform. It is absurd to me that many people have protested health care reform when insurance company executives are the overwhelming beneficiary of the status quo. Hopefully, the comedic prowess of Will Farrell and other comedians can convince people of the merits of reform.

The Pefect Blossom

Sunday capped a very full and exciting weekend for me. Church was really good and challenging and afterwards we watched the Redskins beat St Louis. After that I napped and checked fantasy football scores until dinner. My mother is trying to learn how to solve a Rubik's cube so tonight I taught her the cross. 


During dinner we met a couple that sat next to us who shared our hatred for Dallas and Virginia Tech. They have been dating for the last 6 years so naturally my mother asked the gentleman in front of his date when they were going to get married. The poor guy looked like someone pantsed him during a joint session of Congress. 


Back at home we watched the Cowboys lose to the Giants in dramatic fashion. It must have been heart breaking for the Cowboys' fans. This idea brings me a lot of personal joy. 


This was a great weekend but next weekend I want a perfect blossom.


Movies
I saw Minority Report and The Last Samauri this weekend and I was pleasantly reminded of Tom Cruise's acting ability. I know that he isn't the most well liked person in the world. His Scientology beliefs don't really help his cause at all but he is a great actor. Those movies are seriously under-rated as well. In the age of sequels Minority Report would have been a prime candidate. It was actually probably a little advanced for its time.


I am a sucker for sci-fi flicks so naturally I am looking forward to Surrogates coming out in theaters next weekend. Is there a better combination than Bruce Willis, Action, and robots?... I think not. 


Sports
This football weekend came really close to being the "perfect blossom" for which I have been searching for years. For those unfamiliar with the inner workings of my mind, the provided the conditions for a perfect blossom below.


Redskins win
Cowboys lose
Patriots lose
Georgia Tech wins 
UGA loses
ND loses
USC loses


On top of these conditions I must win all of my fantasy football games for the weekend. Here is how I did this week.


Redskins win
Cowboys lose
Patriots lose
Georgia Tech loses
UGA wins
ND lose
USC lose


Currently, I am winning in all three of my fantasy leagues. In one league I have already won and in the other two I have substantial leads going into Monday. We were really close this weekend and even though we didn't quite achieve the blossom, it was very satisfying watching the Cowboys lose a heart-breaker in their home opener in the new stadium. Jerry Jones looked pissed and Wade Phillips looked like someone stole his cookies. Today was a good day. 

Upsets that weren't and risky behavior

I went to a wine festival with Eric and some of his friends from Pennsylvannia. I am not much of a wine connoisseur at all but it was an interesting learning experience and it was good to be able to spend time with friends. 


I was reminded during the wine festival of the 8th grade health class I substituted for on Friday. There was a surprising number of people who appeared  inebriated. To be fair most of the drinkers were responsible and seemed to be enjoying what appears to be a successful Virginia wine region. It is amazing how some people manage to turn any event with alcohol involved into an excuse to relive their college days and the fraternity. 


When I asked the students if any of them expected to drink alcohol in high school, all of them kept their hands down. I am doubtful though it seems like the  culture of alcohol abuse has a stronghold on our society. It is almost a rite of passage for teenagers. 


Sports
I watching the Mayweather fight tonight was like drinking lukewarm water. Mayweather won the fight but he was hardly impressive. He came into the fight overweight and it clearly gave him an advantage in the fight. Despite the weight difference he was unable to knockout Juan Marquez. In fact Juan Marquez didn't even look like he was in a fight afterwards. Mayweather's punching power is extremely suspect to me. 


What really bothers me are the reasons Mayweather picked the fight. 


First, it was a fight he knew he would win. He fought an undersized brawler that was older and slower than he was. Styles make fights and Mayweather's style bodes very well against brawlers especially in this case because Mayweather was 10-15 pounds heavier than Marquez.


Second, Mayweather knew that if he won this fight it would provide an example where he could compare favorably to Manny Pacquiao. Pacquiao beat Ricky Hatton and Oscar Del a Hoya in much more impressive fashion than Mayweather and that presents a chink in the armor of  Mayweather's legacy. 


Third, These kind of fights can start an arms race or a cold war. By this I mean that Pacquiao and Mosely will both try to increase their profiles by fighting lesser fighters so that they can earn more money at the negotiating table. 


Fourth, Mayweather is a coward. We have known for years that the best fighters in Mayweather's weight range are Mosely and Pacquiao yet whenever you mention those names to Mayweather he gets defensive. There have been several instances where reporters have been verbally attacked by Mayweather when they ask him why he won't take a fight with Mosely or Pacquiao. I think he is afraid of them personally. I think he knows that they can beat him. Mayweather doesn't take unnecessary risks in or out of the ring. 


The ball is in his court though. He is still undefeated and he has his legacy to back him up. As long as he is calling the shots the fans will never see the fight that everyone wants to see. We need to back Pacquiao and Mosely and force Mayweather to defend his legacy by fighting the best fighters. 


Ali fought the best boxers out there. He did not try to avoid any opponent no matter how tough they were. Mayweather maybe pound for pound the best fighter out there but his name will never be mentioned among the great ones unless he mans up and fights Mosely or Pacquiao.

Fading embers and google threesomes

Drew, Art, and I did some exploring with google chat yesterday. We found a way to three-way conference call using google chat. I also learned how to video chat which means that my webcam may actually get some use. 


Movies
I saw City of Ember tonight and was thoroughly disappointed. I feel like City of Ember could have had a much larger scope but in their attempt to gear it towards children they dumbed it down. The ending was also sort of open-ended... almost as if they were expecting to make a sequel. 


I also watched speed again. It has been a few years since I have seen it. It reminded me that you can be a terrible actor and still be a good action movie star. 


Unfortunately, right now I am watching the Governor of California as Mr. Freeze in Batman and Robin. I would be lying if I told you that I didn't want to kick Joel Schumacher in the nuts for what he did to the Batman franchise. Some of the dialog between Batman and Robin reeks of homo-erotic undertones and the nipples on the leather suits are just too much. Every other line is a terrible reference to cold or heat for example "The heat is on" or "Tonight, hell freezes over." 


I guess it isn't really Schumacher's fault. He knows that a superhero is supposed to be the quintessential example of virility and masculinity. To Schumacher that translates to the cheesy, emotionally thick, and over-sexualized Batman that we saw in the movie. 

Fantasy football and Jimmy Carter

I have decided that I need a new computer. This one has severed me well for almost 4 years but it is slowly becoming difficult to maintain. Thus far I have only had to invest in some RAM to keep the computer current but my processor is very slow and it is starting to effect my computers performance significantly.

I have looked at some laptops but the cheapest ones aren't really computers that are going to last for more than an year or two. I would like my next computer to have sustained performance for a long time. This probably means spending a significant amount of money. Hopefully I can start work next week and start saving money up for the laptop. 

Politics

It is hard to watch some of the tea-baggers and not come away with the sense that at least some of them are motivated by race. Some of the signs I have seen through various news outlets are overtly racist and others are borderline. In fairness most of the tea party people seem to expressing concern that the country is heading in a socialist direction and I remember protests in DC of George Bush where there were signs of him with swastikas and a sickle and hammer. What concerns me are the claims of so called "afro-leninism" and the caricatures of Obama as an African witch doctor. 

It may not be a news to some of us that some of the protests are motivated by racist feelings but it I believe that is significant that a former president and southern governor has confirmed what everyone is seeing. Jimmy Carter gave an interview to Brian Williams in which he suggested that a lot of the vitriol and hate expressed towards the president stems from the a notion prevalent among some that because Barack Obama is black that he is unfit to lead. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBtG8UqBbOg

The disturbing part of all of this is that conservatives maybe exploiting this hatred for their political gain. One of the leaders of the Tea Party express has called the president the "racist-in-chief" and Glenn Beck has said that the president has "a deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture."  Whenever a GOP congressman or congresswoman is asked about their thoughts on the protests they always try to downplay claims of racism and reference everyones right to free speech. I would like to see the GOP come out against the whatever racist sentiments that some of the tea party people are revealing. 

Sports

I had a rough fantasy football week. I went 1-2 in my leagues, the one win coming in the keeper league. 

Unfortunately, the Redskins lost as well and there wasn't much reason to be optimistic about the rest of the season. The defense looked good but the offense was very disappointing. We couldn't not sustain drives and we had a very hard time moving the ball down field. One of our touch downs was a gimmicky fake field goal and the other was a cosmetic touchdown in garbage time. 

The extremely sad thing is I can't put a finger on what is wrong. It could be the WRs it could be the QB or the O-line or the play calling or a little bit of everything. I believe that we have the talent to win but I don't know the coaching staff is going to bring everything together. It isn't the end of the world though but I think the skins need a healthy sense of urgency about the offense.

soul splitting action

I had an interview last Thursday with Prince William County Public schools for a position as a teacher's assistant for severely impaired and handicapped children. I was apprehensive when the interviewer went over the job description but I it is an opportunity to have a consistent paycheck. That means I am on my way to saving money and going back to school. 


Movies
Since Space Odyssey 2001 many movies have taken advantage of the amazing impact HAL 9000 had on movie audiences 40 years ago. Recently many movies have given their evil robots the same cold single red eye that HAL had possessed. I think this really speaks to the ability of Sydney Pollack's remarkably effective creativity. 

Last night I saw 9, the movie about the poorly sown, hand puppet looking creatures fighting mysterious looking evil machines. In the movie, mankind is annihilated by the evil machines who turn on their creators a la the machines in the Terminator. The scientist that created the master machine with the big red eye split his soul into 9 parts and put them in the puppets. 

This afternoon, I saw Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince for the first time. I have read the book so I am not unfamiliar with the plot line but I thought that it was interesting that both 9 and Half-Blood Prince both had plot elements dealing with the splitting of ones soul being split. 

Rubik's cube solve

I got a webcam recently and decided that the first video I would upload online would be of me solving a rubik's cube. I know the lighting is bad and that it is out of focus but this was the first take. I solve it in a little over a minute. I will post a video again when I can solve it in under a minute.

I may start recording my blog entries so that you guys see my ugly mug when I am ranting about the various indiscretions of the GOP. I got a job interview with Prince William County Public Schools about a teachers assistant job with special education middle school students. The interview is tomorrow and I am praying that I will get it. It will be consistent pay and another bit of work experience that I can put on my resume. In due time I will be able to save up enough money to go back to school. Then maybe I can get a job doing real engineering work. There are a lot of "ifs" in the plan but it is the only thing I got going right now.

Politics

President Obama has is speaking in front of a joint session of Congress tonight to try and redefine the health care debate. The big question is how strongly he is going to show support for the public option. Early word on the street is that the president would be fine with a bill that did not have a public option as long as the bill made health care affordable for every American.

Any health care bill without a public option will be a tough sell to me and many others who believe the public option is the only way to reign in the insurance companies. The GOP and the insurance industry have done a fabulous job framing the public option as a government take over of health care. This of course is contrary to the facts however many people have a stake in maintaining the status quo and the GOP believe that failure on health care could be Obama's "waterloo."

Many have questioned Obama's leadership because he has been unable to unify the Democrats and because the GOP and the health care industry have been able to define the debate. The town halls he held didn't have the effect he wanted in fact he came off as passive and inconclusive. Of course the media only covered the most disorderly town halls and this magnified the illusion of wide spread opposition to the public option.

This is an opportunity for the president to be clear and passionate about health care and the public option. This is his last chance to turn the tides in the debate over the public option. He needs to bare his teeth and reign in the blue dogs and moderate Democrats that have been wavering. Lets pray he is able to seize the moment and bring robust health care reform to the US.

Movies that matter

My father had a hard time dealing with some of his coworkers today. It is enfuriating to me that someone so selfless and compassionate could be pushed to the edge as he was. My father handled the situation well but I know it bothered him. He came home a little discouraged and my mother and I tried to cheer him up.

I went to Best Buy today and starred at all the cool gadgets and toys I can't afford. I want a job so bad. School starts next week in Fairfax so I should have a stable income coming in then. I saw that WOW with The Burning Crusade was only 50 bucks!

Movies

The problem with a movie like Schindler's List is that every other movie you see after it seems self-indulgent and insignificant. I watched the movie tonight knowing that afterwards I wouldn't be in the mood to do anything but try and completely grasp the bittersweet triumph of Schindler's compassion and the indomitable spirit of the Jewish people.

What always moves me in Schindler's List is the profound dichotomy of the human condition as it pertains to our capacity to do good or evil, to destroy or to preserve.

One theme I caught this time that I didn't focus on other times I watched the movie was the problem of measuring the value of life. Frequently, the audience through our proxy Oscar, are moved to measure the worth of the Jews that work for him. Oscar is asked a few times "What are they worth to you?" In order to preserve life he is forced to value life at far more than the rest of the world values life. At the end he realizes that life has no finite value, life is worth more than everything.

Reboot

My father had his second class today. He had an online quiz beforehand that he did well on and that is very encouraging. I am concerned about how he is going to combine class and work and a family but if anyone can do it he can. We will need to give him a lot of support. It is great to see him come home and open a book instead of turning on the television.

Elanie is also doing well in school and seems to be coping with the reality that professors are not teachers. She has a class where one of her professors reads directly out of the book during lecture. This to her is tolerable however there is apparently a student in her class that hasn't found this out yet and ask him to repeat concepts that he is reading verbatim from the book.

Art had the great idea about playing WOW under parental controls. He would have the password to the parental controls and I would be regulated to playing during specified hours of the day.

Sports

US Open is underway and naturally all the ESPN pundits are talking about none of the Americans. I can understand the obsession with Roger Federer because in all likelyhood he is the Roman god of tennis. I can also understand the obsession with Raphael Nadal because his is coming off an injury and looking to rebound. But Andy Murray.... seriously? Wimbledon has come and gone I don't want to hear about Murray any more. This guy has never won a major and has only been in the final of one.

Why not talk about Andy Roddick? Last time I checked Roddick made it to the final against Federer and took him to 5 sets. Plus news flash... THIS AMERICA LETS TALK ABOUT THE AMERICANS!!! Serena and Venus have been dominating again and the talk is about Darina Safina's coach. Come on people. The Williams sisters won more majors than Safina has played in. Lets at least pretend that we are interested in the resurgence of American tennis.

Politics

Uh-Oh someones gonna get it. The President is going to give some life to the health care debate next Wednesday in a joint session of Congress. For the blue dog Democrats I can imagine the lead up to the event is going to be a lot like getting called into the principles office. Most of those blue dogs Democrats rode Obama's coattails into office and they will need his support to stay in office. If history is any lesson then they should know from the failure of health care in the Clinton administration that the party in power ends up losing seats if they can't manage to compromise.

Movies

I saw The Last Castle for the first time in a long time and I forgot how much I liked that movie. It isn't an epic or anything it is just a good story. Robert Redford does a great job and James Gandolphini makes a good villian.

I am watching Casablanca now and I don't think that I have seen a movie that has been written better. Talk about great lines.