so bad

I'm being bad and blogging from work. Really it's just a quick post. I don't have my boss for another hour or so. The other suitemate is on vacation. It's lonely and quiet. They aren't filming today, so Zach Braff, Rachel Bilson, and Harold Ramis, aren't here today. Most importantly, that hot Australian from Real World 4 in London is not here. Strange how I remember the hot young model from the Real World when I was 13 or 14.

Good News in Arkansas

It seems that Arkansas got some good news when Mike Beebe anounced that he will run for Governor against either Asa or Win. I don't like Asa at all. The first campaigns that I worked on were against him and his brother in 1996. They both won. The bastards. I don't have any strong feelings regarding Win. He's a Rockefeller. His daddy beat Faubus. That's got to be good for something. Beebe, no relation to Don, seems like a good candidate. He's a moderate southern Democrat. That's what Arkansas needs. This is an imminently winnable race.

Exceptionalism

I'm worried that the rise of the internet and reality television are mainstreaming personal exceptionalism. Everybody can find a platform from which they can profess their greatness or their all-knowingness. Take a look at DailyKos if you don't believe me. On another scale, go to one of those sites like Friendster, MySpace, or OkCupid. You'll notice that every single person on there is so unique, so spectacular. When I went to my sister-in-law's graduation, the people wouldn't shut up about how great their school is or how great their class is. This wasn't the standard "we're so great" that graduation is all about. This was "we're so great and we're so much better than everybody else. we're also quite unique. if only everyone could be as good and interesting as us.' But the thing is, the people that I know who went to that school for all of their high school experience are maladapted and immature. These aren't people who understand how to function with other people. These are people who can't handle any sort of authority nor deal with any sort of constructive criticism. In short, I don't see what's so great about them. This phenomenon is everywhere. It seems to be replacing our longstanding American exceptionalism. Now, we're great in spite of our country whereas we used to be great in large part because of our country. It freaks me out. Everybody who is reading this, I am sure that you are great. Another thing, alll girls in their late teens and early twenties dress exactly the same. What is that?

today is the day

That's the title of a fine Yo La Tengo EP.

I've been offered a project assistantship with Professor Don Nichols for the next academic year. I was hoping that the Sentencing Commission would work out, but apparently the risk of being stuck with my tuition bill should the University fail to subsidize my assistantship was too much for the Commission. I may be able to work out a Limited Term Employment opportunity with the Sentencing Commission. I really liked the director when I met him. I don't really know Don Nichols other than he is the director of La Follette and a former Assistant Secretarty of Labor under Carter, I think. I also know that he didn't respond to my requests to meet with him last semester when I was writing a paper that covered one of his policy proposals. We'll see how that works out.

I got offered an unpaid position with the Wisconsin Challenge. It's basically a program designed to increase exercise participation in Wisconsin. We are a very fat state. I would be trying to design an interactive system where any Wisconsin resident could type in their address and a website would give them specific locations suitable for exercise within a reasonable distance from their address. This would be accompanied by mailings of maps of each town or county by the Chamber of Commerce which labeled free as well as pay exercise facilities and locations. The whole thing was my idea, so it makes sense that the current staff of two would like for me to do it.

The Shout Out Louds are great.

Good Day to you

Not that I post regularly, but I'll be taking this weekend off. Meredith and I are going to Chicago to celebrate anniversary number one. Good times should be had.

It's like Cocoon

I'm not sure why this is, but I just went to the grocery store and it was incredibly crouded. Not only that, it was crowded with elderly women. Nearly every cart/walker had a cane or depends in it. It was a little creepy.