All posts by Keith Garner

Geek, Politics

The First Debate

2 Comments

Sarah, Dinah, and I watched the debates tonight. Dinah managed to stay away through the whole thing instead of falling asleep like a bored kid should. 🙂 In any case…

Kerry did really well tonight. For some reason I didn’t expect him to do that well, but he was really in his element tonight. In many cases President Bush seemed to be on the defense. Way more on the defense than I expected him to be. It was really interesting and I glad we watched the whole thing. It was amazingly on focus and amazingly based in the present for how this campaign has gone so far. I would however like a count of how many times each candidate broke the rules they agreed to. Sarah and I noted many times when Bush strayed from the rules, however, I’ll admit we’re of such a mind that we’d notice that more.

People were starting to say it was over and was starting to hand everything to Bush. I admit that I was starting to lose faith. (Of course, I listen to too much talk radio especially on a station that has scared away all the non-insane-right listeners except me and a handful of others.) The debates have certainly reenergized me. While my decision has been made for a long time, I hope my fellow citizens who were undeceided are no longer.

The other thing that really struck me as intresting is what I was doing while watching the debates. I was on IRC where I hang out with many people I know. We basically had instant discussion as the debates were going on. Its really amazing what technology allows us to do. I was talking with people in California, Washington, Illinois, and Michigan. While IRC isn’t new technology, its allowed us to fact check between us and debate points as they came up.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t participate as much as I would have liked since I had to hold, feed, and put Dinah to bed. Dinah is way more important than chatting on IRC. It would have been less of a nice evening without doing that with my daughter.

One more thing, I’m watching this as I type. The Daily Show is in full effect with instant response. The best source for news with the most educated audience!

Entertainment

Rachel Barton spreading the musical love

Leave a comment

I was lucky enough to see Rachel Barton Pine last year when she was a soloist during a Dupage Symphony Orchestra. Disclosure: my wife, Sarah, plays violin in the DSO. The piece she played with the orchestra was great, but it was her encore that blew me away, as well as most of the audience who was there.

Since DSO was spending the season celebrating their 50th Anniversary Rachel’s encore was “Happy Birthday” played in about 100 different styles. Super fast, slow, a duet with herself, plucking, and many other tricks, some of which I didn’t even know a violin could do. Sarah was upset she was sitting with the orchestra being Rachel as she couldn’t see her hands as they worked the musical magick.

For the past number of years she’s been combining her talent with the violin with her love for metal and using that to expose more people to classical music.

From the article: Young violinist on quest to spread classical music

During her rehabilitation following the 1995 accident, she played her own virtuosic arrangement of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at two Chicago Bulls playoff games and at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1996.

“People started coming up to me on the streets saying, ‘Wow, I heard your national anthem and I never realized that violins were so cool,'” she said. “That really inspired me, by the fact that it’s not that people don’t like violin music but maybe that they just haven’t given it a chance, been properly exposed to it.”

So off she went to visit rock radio stations, bringing her fiddle and her vast knowledge of Megadeth and Mozart, Metallica and Mendelssohn, Robert Plant and Johann Pachelbel.

Anyway, thanks to Chicagoist who pointed out the MSNBC story to me and two of the rock cover tracks, I’ve now ordered Stringendo Storming The Citadel off Rachel’s web site. Luckily my wife doesn’t typically read my blog, so I should be able to suprise her with it.

Politics

Be a part of the political process!

1 Comment

Porn For Kerry

By entering this site you agree to the following:

1) I am an open minded, intelligent, and forward thinking individual.

2) I believe that the United States deserves a government that makes smart and pragmatic decisions that serve the best interests of its people.

3) I am of legal age to view adult material in my area.

4) I want to contribute to the democratic process by watching the HOTTEST politically charged adult action ever to hit the net!

I love election years.

General

Beefcake! BEEFCAKE!

2 Comments

I saw this article in the Trib this morning, but here it is on CNN as well. Half-ton man works toward gastric surgery

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. Sept. 20, 2004 — Patrick Deuel is on a diet. He’s down to about 700 pounds now. He hopes to lose 400 more.

When he entered the hospital in Sioux Falls, he weighed more than half a ton a disaster Deuel blames on bad genes and his early years in the restaurant business.

He kept eating until he hit 1,072, a weight that could only be determined when he was put on a scale used to weigh trucks loaded with grain. To get him to the scale, a wall had to be knocked out of his home in Valentine, Neb.

Okay, I understand the genetics and food access being a cause of weight gain. But come on, 1,072 pounds? At like 500 pounds don’t you start to think about slowing down on the food? Hell, I’d be thinking about it at 350 pounds.

He’s on a 1200 calorie a day diet, and he’s lost weight faster than the doctors thought he would. While I think he let himself go WAY to far, you have to admire him for attitude.

“So long as people hear what I have to say,” Deuel says, “as long as I am succeeding in getting my message out, it doesn’t bother me.”

Bedridden since last fall, he thought about trying to keep his identity private. But he figured he could do more good by talking about obesity, its stigma and the lack of financial and medical resources available for people his size.

One thing I have to disagree with this. This is more than obesity as in “the obesity epidemic gripping the US.” This is OBESITY on a scale so large I can only say it bolded and in caps. By confusing the two, he really diminishes the obesity problem that the US is having.

Entertainment

WLS does it again

7 Comments

Yes, its two day old news….

You think they would have learned after the Garry Meier fiasco, but WLS (and their talent) did it again. Don and Roma’s contract was up on Tuesday and the past two days have been Teri O’Brian and Art Wallis. I didn’t really agree with Don and Roma much, but they kept me entertained in the morning for at least 12 years. Its not destroying my morning routine, but its not the same either. Supposedly, WLS is still in talks with Don and Roma, but I’m not holding out hope. Once you take the talent off the air, it can’t be good.

Since I’d rather stick a fork in my eye than listen to Teri O’Brian, I guess I need to start setting my clock radio to something else. WBBM is looking pretty good.

Its a shame really. Don and Rom gone, Roe’s not as good without Garry….I’m starting to have no reason to listen to WLS. Jay Marvin is the only thing keeping me there, and I barely get a chance to listen to his show.

[Update 12/30: Those of you hitting my site today (thanks to google) are probably looking for this article I wrote a few days ago (in relation to this update.)]

Comics, Geek

Other Things DC

Leave a comment

The other thing DC has done well lately is the Justice League and Justice League Unlimited shows. I was afraid that the quality would decline when they switched over to Unlimited and changed from the multi-part to single episode format. My fears have been unfounded as its been really good.

I like that with Unlimited we’re getting a mix of characters and really getting a good sense of all the characters outside of the Big 5. The Big 5 are a good draw, especially for the kids to latch onto. However, the DC universe has so many other great characters that its been wonderful to see the animators take advantage of that. On DC’s part, its a great tool for cultivating the young viewers of today to be the comic readers of tomorrow.
Continue reading Other Things DC →

Comics, Geek, Omphaloskepsis

Identity Crisis

Leave a comment

Sarah pointed me at the CNN/AP article titled The DC comics universe as tragedy. It talks about the current DC comics miniseries Identity Crisis and the controversy around it. It probably helps that its a best seller too.

Anyway, I’ve been reading Identity Crisis and I like it so far. It has however had a few things that shocked me that I’m still not sure exactly how I feel about them. However, I’m reserving some judgment until we see the end of the story.

Identity Crisis spoilers below….Also, I ramble a bit…
Continue reading Identity Crisis →