Random Thoughts on Various Subjects

1. JOE WILSON

That guy said more with two words than the President said all night. "You lie" is becoming a rallying cry for a lot of people who agree with Rep. Joe Wilson when he made that outburst during Obama's healthcare address to Congress. It was made when Obama said that illegal immigrants would not receive state sponsored healthcare benefits.

I am someone who supports immigration, but I can agree with the xenophobes that these people should not receive welfare. This is because I don't even think citizens should receive welfare. So, to extent, I can go along with Wilson and his supporters.

Wilson will have to crawl through shit for the outburst, but it hasn't hurt his standing among the voting public or with me. I think Barack Obama is a lying sack of shit, and everyone who voted for that fucker is a shit-for-brains fucktard. I would love to say all that on the floor of Congress. "You lie" is a moderate response all things considered.

2. SIMPLICITY

I've been trying the whole simplification routine in the manner that Zen Habits founder Leo Babauta recommends, but I have noticed how boring my life has become as a result. I don't tolerate boredom very well. I always need something to do or watch or read. So, I'm falling back into my maximalist ways. It is the way I am. I would make a horrible Zen Buddhist.

3. TELEVISED SPORTING EVENTS RELAPSE

I'm fixing to crash on this resolution to quit watching NASCAR and football. The reason for this is simple. Sports is about the only thing I can have a civil discussion with anyone about. Everything else I am interested in deals with religion and politics. Sports are a shared experience which is why people watch them. Being out of this loop, I have found that I talk less and less with people. I don't even have anything to talk to my girlfriend about. It has been quite a sociological experiment.

Looking back, my experience with the guy who played sports instead of watching sports also yields another insight. That guy was really quiet and a bit of a loner, too. He may have been his own hero, but it was pretty lonely out there.

I am someone who spends a lot of time by himself immersed in writing and study. But I crave social connection as well. Sports is the safe zone. I know if I ever met Barack Obama the only cool thing we could discuss would be basketball. Sports is integral to a civil society. It serves a vital social purpose which may explain why the Romans spent so much time on chariot races and gladiatorial combat. They were bloody, but they helped to quell revolution.

I am going back to sports because they make me a nice guy and a social person. I wouldn't have had these insights had I not embarked on this experiment, so I return with a new sense of the value of these pastimes.

4. DRINKING

I am not relapsing on this though I am amused when people think I used to be some kind of hardcore alcoholic because I don't drink at all now. The truth is that I don't like depressant substances, and alcohol is a depressant. My drug of choice is caffeine delivered via the strongest, blackest coffee I can make or find. My coffee makes normal coffee drinkers gag and reach for the cream. I need my kick.

5. LENO

I was always a Letterman type of guy. Having a ginormous streak of negativity in me, I always laughed at Dave's jokes and his silliness. OTOH, I like Jay Leno, too. He is actually one of my heroes. I really hate that these guys were put in opposition for so long on late night TV. I also think Leno's portrayal as a "conniver" are simply untrue. The reality is that he brought high ratings to The Tonight Show, and it was against competition. NBC was vindicated in picking him over Letterman

Leno's popularity comes from the fact that he appeals to the fat portion of the bell curve of America. Letterman is edgier which is why I liked him more. I am edgier. I like my shit tart. Sorry. But Leno is pretty funny, too.

I admire Leno because he is a classy guy with a blue collar work ethic. The guy is a workhorse. What he lacks in talent, he makes up for in hard work. He never takes a vacation, and he never misses a day. He does a show and a demanding schedule as a stand up comic. I admire this. He definitely belongs in the blue collar hall of fame.

His new show starts next week, and I think it will be successful. This is because his key demographic goes to bed earlier, and they don't know how to operate a TiVo. It also means I get to watch Letterman as well. As for Conan, I liked his show, too, but I think his future is fucked.

BTW, Nightline is now the number one show in that time period. That's where Jay's viewers went. They are just biding their time until the new show starts. Everyone else is just fighting over scraps.

6. MICHAEL JORDAN

Jordan went into the Basketball Hall of Fame, and no one deserves the honor more than him. IMHO, Michael Jordan was the greatest player to ever play that game. The league has not been the same without him. We are now in the post-Jordan era. The best anyone else can do is aspire to his greatness.

Jordan wept during his induction. This shows his humility. Truly great people are like that. We do not envy them. We admire them. Jordan was not a perfect man, but he was transcendant. I loved watching him play.

I lost interest in basketball when Jordan retired the second time. He would go on and play for the Wizards in a vain effort to try and revive that organization. But no one will remember that. He was a Chicago Bull, and we will always see him wearing the number 23 and charging to the hoop and sailing through the air. Pure magnificence.

7. CASTER SEMENYA

It has to suck to spend your whole life thinking you are a woman only to be told later that you are genetically a man and to find out on the world stage. This is a tragic story. IAAF officials were in no easy position on this, but rules are rules. Looking at Semenya, you know there is a Y-chromosome in their.

Officially, Semenya is a hermaphrodite with internal testes. He/she is also a world class athlete among females. Considering all the steroids her competitors are on, it probably makes no difference. But her disqualification from female competition pretty much ends her career. As far as I know, the Olympics apply the same gender status.

I just feel sad for her. Life can be so cruel.

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