tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61029692009-10-28T09:39:28.594-05:00My ridiculously pretentiously titled weblog...Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06383789548221247888noreply@blogger.comBlogger420125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6102969.post-22154174815870148772009-10-06T14:35:00.002-05:002009-10-06T15:34:14.139-05:00

(Yeah, I gave up on the whole song-lyrics-as-post-titles thing. So what?)It's that most wonderful time of the year again, with football season coming into full bloom and baseball season entering its heyday. Of course, the Redskins seem to have absorbed large amounts of suck this year, the Braves missed out on the postseason for the third year in a row, and the Rays' occasional signs of life this

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06383789548221247888noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6102969.post-68322251736005050552009-09-17T10:20:00.002-05:002009-09-17T10:29:47.198-05:00

Well, you can stop praying, Matt Berninger (or rather the girl in "So Far Around the Bend"), because apparently it's happening.Hmm, it's been a while since I've been to New York. Maybe I need to make a special trip...SPIN posted their dream set list for this event, which I have no major disagreements with, except that it's missing "Shady Lane", "Trigger Cut", and "Major Leagues" at a minimum.

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06383789548221247888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6102969.post-77318423990518117672009-07-14T13:44:00.004-05:002009-07-14T14:12:27.892-05:00

Wanted to provide a small rain to alleviate the current blogging drought by linking to an interesting article by Eugene Robinson regarding the Sonia Sotomayor confirmation and the fallacious notion that only minorities have "identities" whereas white guys don't. Basically, the point is that everyone approaches any legal issue with our own prejudices based on a unique set of life experiences, and

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06383789548221247888noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6102969.post-52786747340974228812009-06-21T12:00:00.005-05:002009-06-21T12:46:53.844-05:00

It's been entirely too long since I last posted, and much has happened, with probably the most important thing being the election, protests, and violent retaliation in Iran. So far, Radley Balko has best summarized my feelings about the goings-on.We may never know with 100 percent certainty whether the election was fixed, though it sure seems that way. But one thing we sure as hell know now, the

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06383789548221247888noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6102969.post-22322882996529676072009-05-18T11:26:00.002-05:002009-05-18T11:31:53.964-05:00

Yep. Couldn't have said it better myself. (H/T: Jacob.)Let the arguments begin in the comments section (assuming anyone still visits this rarely-updated POS blog). And please, though I'm aware of Godwin's Law, don't compare anyone to Hitler. Jeff has an excellent post as to why."Lay down your armsGive up the fightThrow up your arms into the sky,When it's time to live and let die"- Green Day, 21

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06383789548221247888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6102969.post-68134755849942121222009-04-30T17:33:00.003-05:002009-04-30T17:34:36.326-05:00

In lieu of my usual end-of-year musical summaries, which are always a lot to take in, I am hoping to start a new trend of quarterly music summaries. (Admittedly, I'm already a month behind on this one.) The goal is to minimize the amount of reading material while maximizing the potential for those who spot something intriguing or something they were iffy on to discover a great album (or avoid a

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06383789548221247888noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6102969.post-18628944556857412892009-04-16T09:23:00.004-05:002009-04-16T09:49:10.262-05:00

Wow, way to guilt trip me Post. Yeesh.Did it ever occur to anyone that if people, government and corporations, were acting fiscally responsible in the first place, none of this would have happened? Sigh...(Just watch, now I'm probably gonna lose my job tomorrow for having the audacity of claiming I have job security and fiscal responsibility.)On another note, I'd like to request a moment of blog

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06383789548221247888noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6102969.post-26552907608059123292009-04-10T09:40:00.003-05:002009-04-10T09:40:30.467-05:00

Looks like I'm starting a tradition of sharing semi-profound but more accurately subversive thoughts on Good Friday. Last year, I took issue with the very concept of Christians calling the day Christ died "good" (even though ultimately its outcome was). This year I want to talk about Judas (Iscariot, the one who betrayed Jesus, not Thaddeus, who was unfairly maligned by his namesake). For 2000

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06383789548221247888noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6102969.post-4163329912539934962009-04-03T11:06:00.002-05:002009-04-03T11:20:08.990-05:00

Some news fragments courtesy of The Agitator.Fledgling democracy Iraq has decided to exercise the apparent will of the people by executing gays.Meanwhile, established democracy the United States of America attempts to reenact Kafka's "The Trial".Incidentally, where are we going and why am I in this hand basket?(In lighter news, I hope to have a Q1 music review up some time soon. Stay tuned.)"And

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06383789548221247888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6102969.post-31862633374306860662009-03-26T13:33:00.002-05:002009-03-26T13:50:48.375-05:00

I agree, President Obama: legalizing marijuana is not a good strategy to grow our economy. No, legalizing marijuana is a good strategy to: relieve stress on our crowded prisons, reduce police corruption and urban violence, focus law enforcement attention on more egregious crimes, and promote individual freedom of choice. And, oh, by the way, we could also turn the billions of dollars wasted

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06383789548221247888noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6102969.post-36432034472122779372009-03-24T10:11:00.002-05:002009-03-24T10:25:47.031-05:00

...well, apparently you didn't kill John Lennon!According to a van I drove by on US 19 this morning, John Lennon was killed by ... wait for it ... Stephen King.This white van seemed very intent on spreading the word to the masses, what with the black lettering covering it saying "Stephen King Killed John Lennon" and pointing to its website, which I won't dignify with naming or linking to. So just

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06383789548221247888noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6102969.post-6035775615069107652009-03-20T16:53:00.002-05:002009-03-20T17:00:32.595-05:00

Okay, first things first: I don't believe the President of the United States belongs on a late-night talk show. Period. This belief has nothing to do with these shows' propensity for telling jokes many would consider "off-color" (and many others, including myself, generally just consider "unfunny"). It's simply that I like to believe that POTUS has better things to do with his/her time than

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06383789548221247888noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6102969.post-23704710331379162532009-03-18T09:21:00.004-05:002009-03-18T09:44:28.657-05:00

As someone who performed the descriptively-named role of "Son" in the Steve Martin-penned play "WASP" in college, this story of defiance in the face of censorship puts a rather large smile on my face. (H/T: Jacob.) Not much to say about it, other than Steve Martin is awesome.Side note: our performance of the play is memorable for many reasons, including: a) it's where I first met Zhubin; b)it

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06383789548221247888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6102969.post-34490151734822012852009-03-13T16:50:00.002-05:002009-03-13T17:05:01.691-05:00

Some states are apparently considering doing away with the death penalty because it costs too much. Though I usually do involve it at some point, cost tends to fall pretty much at the bottom of my arguments against the death penalty, shortly after: it fails as a deterrent, the judicial system is not infallible (i.e., there's always a risk of executing an innocent), and, of course, Hammurabi died

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06383789548221247888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6102969.post-86975451168383070372009-03-05T18:19:00.004-05:002009-03-05T18:28:35.118-05:00

You have no idea how immensely glad I am to see the Washington Redskins on this list. Knowing owner Daniel Snyder's propensity to throw money at all the wrong places, I was afraid we'd be first in line for T.O. once he became available. Sometimes I love being wrong. Given how T.O., despite his immense on-field talents, has proven to be a plague to just about every team he's ever joined, I'm not

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06383789548221247888noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6102969.post-25263336116247282912009-03-05T13:43:00.004-05:002009-03-05T13:52:06.156-05:00

I haven't commented much on Vandy's basketball season, largely because there hasn't been much to comment on, but I felt like last night's victory over #11 LSU merited a "VANDY! VANDY! OH HELL YEAH!" Hopefully this keeps whatever meager tournament chances we have alive.Better yet, the old Slant mates Banecker and Collazzi were there cheering the Dores on. Apparently Collazzi wore a Freije jersey,

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06383789548221247888noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6102969.post-66446434699746457082009-03-04T10:24:00.006-05:002009-03-04T12:49:25.578-05:00

When I first saw this article about "Christian salt", my first thought was that it must come from Lot's wife. Just thought I would share that with y'all. (Seriously, are there people who don't think that when they hear the phrase "Christian salt"?)(H/T: Jacob)Update: I swear I posted this before FARK made the same joke.Literature quote of the day:"And Lot's wife, of course, was told not to look

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06383789548221247888noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6102969.post-3183381096836077922009-02-20T10:31:00.002-05:002009-02-20T10:50:45.732-05:00

Hey, let's appease Muslims while pissing off short Christians!So what, now people like myself aren't afforded any sort of spiritual guidance without help of a stepstool or ladder? And you wonder why we become agnostics...Not to mention, the children! Won't someone please think of the children?(H/T: Jacob, as usual.)"I had a drink the other dayOpinions were like kittens, I was giving them away"-

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06383789548221247888noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6102969.post-26861301667391755292009-02-13T16:20:00.002-05:002009-02-13T17:33:51.610-05:00

It amazes me that we actually needed an academic study to figure this out. I mean, honestly, I don't know of any men who are anything less than blatantly obvious about being attracted to a woman, even when they think they are being subtle. FARK put it best: "First sign a man is interested in sex: he is awake." Further, I think we can all agree that women are pretty much impossible to read.On the

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06383789548221247888noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6102969.post-7391127031765979162009-02-12T17:42:00.002-05:002009-02-12T18:15:43.929-05:00

The only piece of remotely decent economic news over the past two weeks, in the wake of an ever-plummeting stock market and the injection of fear-mongering into the economic shitulus package (I also like Jeff's term "scamulus" - say, how many different ways can we explain the utter suckage of the stimulus package in faux-words?), was the pending appointment of Senator Judd Gregg, a fiscal

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06383789548221247888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6102969.post-87929145957999492082009-02-11T10:19:00.003-05:002009-02-11T10:48:09.000-05:00

No, wait: they're staying exactly the same.I've been trying to collect my thoughts about this travesty, but I've decided that Jeff sums it up best. I had a sneaking suspicion Obama would back off some of his foreign policy rhetoric as soon as he got his first intelligence briefing and realized how crazy things really are, but still, this is a bit much.I know it's only been three weeks, but

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06383789548221247888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6102969.post-34638325770526487222009-02-07T11:02:00.003-05:002009-02-07T11:33:23.952-05:00

It warms the cockles of my heart (and what the hell is a "cockle" anyway?) to know that, years later, Vanderbilt students are aware of, and still talking about, the "Gee Dead" incident.Apparently, The Slant printed this memorial article as part of another fake Hustler. How creative. At least this time, they did it with Chris Carroll's permission (something it honestly never occurred to us to do.

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06383789548221247888noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6102969.post-65451292232056446952009-02-05T17:59:00.002-05:002009-02-05T18:08:37.465-05:00

Apparently angry at his 6 career playoff one-and-dones, Peyton Manning decided to throw Jay Cutler's blood sugar monitor into a pool. Latent Volunteer-Commodore rivalry? Perhaps. But a hilarious FAIL nonetheless."I put your favorite records on and sit aroundIt spins around and you're around again...All's well in hell and here's hoping"- the Wrens, She Sends Kisses

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06383789548221247888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6102969.post-10729928124712293642009-02-04T09:44:00.002-05:002009-02-04T10:04:39.191-05:00

Kathleen Parker, who I always thought was a conservative but whatever, has an opinion piece in today's Washington Post about the inherent ridiculousness and hypocrisy in the national reaction to the recent Michael Phelps scandal. Not nearly as hilarious as Radley Balko's rant, but probably more likely to appeal to people who haven't already figured out that our marijuana laws, and the enforcement

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06383789548221247888noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6102969.post-29421570932246969202009-02-03T18:19:00.002-05:002009-02-03T18:25:20.180-05:00

Unless you haven't visited a single news website today, you're probably aware that today is the 50th anniversary of the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper. As tragic as "the day the music died" was, I argue that music is still alive and well. Which is a good thing.Anyway, not much to say, but I wanted to throw up a link to an in-depth examination of Don

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06383789548221247888noreply@blogger.com0