Tom Brady's Injury

No disrespect intended to the future Hall-of-Famer and all around great guy MVP quarterback, but I'm not devastated by Tom Brady's injury. Injuries happen in the NFL, and sometimes they turn great players into mediocre ones. Sometimes, it's not fair. But life goes on, and for the NBC Sunday night crew to act as if this were some great national tragedy or something, well I'm not buying it. I wish Brady the best and hope he returns to play this year. But that's life in the NFL, folks. Don't romanticize it into something that it isn't.

I Just Have To Get This Out Of My System

It would appear that Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte's forte is running.

There, I feel better now.

Widening the Divide

I want to comment on this post by Hugh Hewitt. In the context of the current presidential election, the post deals with the question of experience and qualifications. Specifically, the question of Sarah Palin's experience and qualifications, and the value her tenure on the Wasilla City Council should be afforded in the discussion and debate on this question.

An excerpt:

The skills sets developed and honed in this setting though very real do not impress the Beltway bigs, and the Manhattan media elite has been choking back laughter since Governor Palin's selection was announced (and this though hardly any of them could read an oil lease much less review one). Every small town official and employee has got to hear this in the reporting and regardless of party, understand the contempt behind this coverage.

The elitism embedded in all of the attacks on Governor Palin is becoming more and more obvious and is itself beginning to add to the fuel behind the Palin breakout. The collision between elites and ordinary citizens is unfolding at a very rapid pace, and the spirit of reform and change isn't with the elites or their chosen candidate.

Note the language in Hewitt's post - there is no gray area, everything is black and white. If you do not agree with his position - that Palin's service on the City Council (and presumably, as governor of Alaska, though Hewitt does not address that in the post) is of great value - then you have to be an elitist, you can't be an ordinary citizen.

This kind of certainty in one's beliefs must be a wonderful thing. It must be a great experience to go through life, knowing that you are never wrong, knowing that each night you will sleep the sleep of the just. But in reality, this kind of certainty, which fuels not just Hewitt's blogs but others on both sides of the political spectrum (Andrew Sullivan, Michelle Malkin, Kos and his crew, the list could go on), is doing little to move the legitimate political debate forward in this country. It is only widening the divide, and increasing the likelihood that the "ordinary citizens" who Hewitt supposedly treasures are going to begin treating each other with more contempt, and less civility.

As for me, I'm not blessed with the ability to think that I'm right all of the time. I agonize over whether my beliefs are contradictory, and whether I'm making the right choice on issues. I see things in both candidates that I like, and things in both candidates that I don't care for. In the back of my mind, I always try to keep this phrase in mind: did it ever occur to you that you might be wrong?

On the issue of whether service on a City Council adequately prepares one to be the Vice President of the United States, I would say...maybe. I live in a town just a little larger than Wasilla, and we voted to incorporate in 2000. Seven individuals have served on the City Council since that time, and in my opinion at least four of them have proven (or proved) to be unable to meet the challenge of the office. None of them, I would argue, have gained anything relevant with respect to national experience while serving on the job. In Hewitt's world, that makes me an elitist. Well, screw that - as far as I'm concerned, I'm a realist - just trying to figure this thing out.

The bottom line is that there's no room for someone like me in the world of Hewitt, Malkin, Sullivan and Kos. And I suspect that there are more people like me than not.

Spanning the Musical Spectrum

I've always subscribed to the theory, "There are two kinds of music. Good music, and the other kind."

One son likes Kylie Minogue, and the other goes for Metallica.

I think that means I've succeeded. At least that's how I'm looking at it.

Sign of the Apocalypse

In one of the fantasy football leagues I'm in this year (first time I've been in more than one), one of the team names is "Team Rachael Ray."

Dark Knight in IMAX

The whole family went to the IMAX today to see "The Dark Knight," and as much as I liked the movie the first time I saw it, it was even better in the IMAX format. The shots of Chicago and Hong Kong were awe-inspiring, and the sound system was so good that you could feel it in your heart when the score surged (and you could even hear every word Gary Oldman said).

Everything in the IMAX format is larger than life, but "The Dark Knight" is one movie that can meet that challenge. On the really big screen, Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker is even more impressive. And I don't know if it was the IMAX or just the fact that I was seeing it for the second time, but Christian Bale came across stronger on the second go-around as well.

The theater was sold out, and except for the couple in the row below us who brought their two young daughters (and I mean really young - the oldest couldn't have been more than 3 or 4), watched the whole thing with rapt attention. I can't remember the last time I've been in a theater that quiet. Or the last time I heard so much applause at the end of a movie. I would have thought that most of the folks there had already seen it, but it sure sounded like there were a lot of first-timers.

In short, great movie - even better in IMAX.

[My original thoughts here.]

"Don't It Make It You Want to Rock and Roll All Night Long?"

I'm pretty sure I've posted this one before, but that version of the video was taken down long ago. This one is worth watching until such time that it disappears. They couldn't ever have been this young, but indeed they were.

"Don't Worry About the Government"

I'd like to dedicate this song to the California Legislature.

Needless to say, this was way before David Byrne became cool.

How Lame Am I?

So I stick with the RNC until the bitter end, listening to the pundits about 40 minutes past the point where they had anything insightful or interesting to say. So I figure it's time to peruse the sports channels, see if there's a game on somewhere.

Ah, Giants game! I'm writing some emails and catching up on my "social networking" sites, since I'm such a hip guy, but I'll keep the game on in the background just in case something exciting happens. Hey, it's not as if they're going anywhere this season, so I can do the "half-watch" thing without feeling too guilty about it.

About 7-8 minutes in...hey, this is starting to sound exciting. Wait a minute...Ellis Burks? Huh? Dusty Baker!? WTF!?!?

Yeah, you guessed it. Classic Giants game, from 2000. Only took me about 10 minutes to realize it.

Oh well. It's still preferable to the talking heads.

Stars of Shame

Since I beat up The Sacramento Bee last week, it seems only fair that I throw some kudos their way today. Today's editorial, "Stars of Shame for Seven Leaders," is spot on. The performance of the California Legislature in 2008 has been beyond shameful - bordering on the criminal. Right now, it's not hard to imagine that 120 Californians plucked at random from the Golden State could do as good a job, if not better, at grasping the myriad fiscal problems facing the state today.

There is plenty of blame to go around - the governor, Democrats, and Republicans all deserve their fair share. I'm willing to concede that they are well meaning, and genuinely care about their constituents and the citizens of this state. That does not excuse their performance this year. They get a solid "F" in achievement, and "F-minus" in effort.

A pox on all their houses. They should be locked in the Capitol, sans air conditioning, until a reasonable, thoughtful approach to the state budget is developed.

MacGillycuddy's Reeks

It's been almost five years now, but thanks to YouTube and the sheer power of his talent, Warren Zevon is still out there on the periphery. This song, from his 2002 album "My Ride's Here," is Warren at his clever, witty and sardonic best.

Palin

Sarah Palin is no Dan Quayle, and based on tonight's speech, I'm tempted to go out on a limb and declare McCain's choice a stroke of genius. Aside from it being about ten minutes too long, I can't find any faults with her speech. Sure, it was just as political as one might expect, and she took what many reasonable people would consider some cheap shots, but that's all part of the game.

Best line? The hockey mom-pit bull comparison, hands down. That was the only time that we've laughed out loud at anything we've heard in any of the speeches so far, at either convention.

The thing is, she seems real. She doesn't come across as your run-of-the-mill politician, but neither does she come across as some larger-than-life mythical figure.

And no, that doesn't mean that I'm suddenly going to jump across the aisle, and vote Republican. But for the first time, tonight I wonder whether the Democrats might be in some trouble. And I certainly don't subscribe to the theory that Joe Biden is going to "eat her alive" in the Vice-Presidential debate. If I were Joe Biden, I'd have some trouble sleeping tonight.

The race is on.

Tahoe Sunset

Sometimes everything just works out. A lucky shot to be sure, but one that turned out pretty darn good, if I do say so myself.

I wonder if "Tahoe Sunset" could also apply to the casinos just across the stateline. The crowds are still big, but it's still not like the days when Tahoe and Reno were the only games in town for Northern Californians. Options abound for gamblers in the Golden State now, and I wonder how long those casinos are going to last.

The slot machines that you pulled by hand are long gone, as are the days of $1 blackjack and 50-cent craps. The lowest limit I found all weekend was $10, and even though I can afford it, playing for those stakes just isn't that much fun. So I ended up on machines where I didn't even know what I was doing to win, and it just didn't have the magic of those three bars across the middle line, followed by the ringing bell of a jackpot.

End of an era, indeed.

Jeff's Jukebox: C-5

C-5: "Israelites," Desmond Dekker and the Aces

I can say with near certainty that this was the first reggae song that I ever heard, although at the time I had no idea what "reggae" meant. I'm not sure how high the song charted, but this was a big regional hit in Sacramento around 1969 or so, and was played on the radio almost constantly for a period of several months. Even my dad kind of liked the song, although I think he thought it was called "Mehezzer and I."

The song was produced by the legendary Leslie Kong, early reggae auteur who was honored with the album The "King" Kong Collection - a magnificent album that, to my knowledge, has never been released on CD (which is a crime). If anyone who reads this sees it in some remainder bin somewhere, be sure to drop me a line.

Recipe for a Democratic Convention Acceptance Speech

I may be a Democrat, but I've also got a sense of humor, and this is pretty darn funny.

Cousins

Cousins #1 and #2 show off their handiwork: son #2, buried in the sand of South Lake Tahoe.