A lazy update.

Holy crap--am I really behind on updating my Flickr account or what? In addition to missing a good chunk of 2008, I haven't updated "current events" since November. So I figure since I'm bored, but don't have the patience to do a large photo update, I'll post a few here instead.

Yep & I at Burmeister's wedding.



Wicked cool HD goggles (!) with wicked long cool-guy hair.



Nothing screams "cool" like bowling on NYE. But seriously, these people must never leave Chicago. Never, ever, ever.



Luck of the Irish on St. Paddy's!



That's all for now.

-KP

Stream of consciousness.

Oh, health care reform, how you have replaced the war in Iraq as the big, divisive subject in this country (which is amusing in the not-so-funny way when you consider how an emphasis on quality of life has replaced an emphasis on death and destruction). My current political philosophy seemingly coincides with my educational background, and largely follows what the statistics would predict: the more education one has, the more liberal one tends to be. I’d also wager that my coursework, so largely focused in sociology, doesn’t hinder my desire for a more progressive society, either.

I’ve incited some arguments on my Facebook page lately, probably against my better judgment. I probably should just know better and keep quiet, especially since I generally hate debating (I have to be in the mood, and that mood is ever so fleeting). But, gosh darn it, I think this bill does some great things for the United States and I want the right wingers to get that. Instead of focusing on the good (no more pre-existing conditions! no more getting dropped by insurance companies when you become sick!), they see a Big Brother/1984 loss of all individual rights and a conversion to full and utter control by Big Government.

*sighs*

I get the concern. I really do. I love George Orwell’s 1984, Alan Moore’s V for Vendetta, and a whole assortment of dark and dreary plots where governments rule our every thought and action. I am not entirely thrilled by the requirement that everyone has to buy health insurance. I get the implications of that. I also acknowledge that a good reason to implement it is so that people can’t just buy health insurance when they need it in order to get away with paying the bare minimum. However, I just don’t believe that enacting this requirement means Obama is socialist, communist, Marxist, totalitarian, Hitler-esque, or whatever. I do not think it means Democrats want to destroy this country and remake it into Cuba. But I do admit, by using these words and association, that it’s a good way for right wing leaders to create mass hysteria amongst their followers and incidentally incite some violence. I don’t know, I just think that this is a conspiracy that doesn’t hold much in the way of reality. And maybe part of the reason I feel that way is because when the Republicans had power, holding a mantra of “less government,” they didn’t really, you know, act like they were being “less government.” That aspect of all of this is hard for me to disentangle.

I’d much rather see this legislation for what it’s trying to do—extending such a simple and human concept as health care to more people. It enables this country to be something special. The Republicans tend to think that we’re only extending health care access to people who are lazy, no good scum who just want freebies from everyone and everything. That is always their argument to ward off progress; their desire to maintain current levels of stratification is relentless. But there are people whose life situation simply doesn’t allow them access to affordable health care, given the way the current system works. I know quite a few people who have experienced that type of thing. Helping those people out is what makes this all worthwhile. That's the kind of country the United States should be: full of compassionate, tolerant people who want to help each other. Why do we want to support a health care system that screws good people, allowing companies to rake in the dough off our illnesses, sicknesses, and deaths?

Hell, if Richard Alpert would have had access to better health care, maybe his wife wouldn’t have died, he wouldn’t have been arrested for accidentally killing that greedy bastard of a doctor, he wouldn’t have been sent on a slave ship to the New World, and he wouldn’t have crashed on the island (the island is a cork?!).

See? I can connect Lost to anything. God I’m going to miss that show when it’s over.

-KP

Randomnicity (03.10.10 Edition)

Hey, folks. Hopelessly bored tonight, so here are some random musings.

1. I read an article the other day: a study indicated that, with regards to health care reform, if you simply describe the proposed changes and completely omit Obama's name, a decent chunk of conservatives actually get on board with it.

1a. Humorous anecdote #1: The leading GOP candidate for 2012 contributed to the enactment of "Obamacare" in his own state while he was governor.

1b. Humorous anecdote #2: Sarah Palin used to cross the border to Canada for health care, which makes sense considering how revolting she claims Canadian health care is.

2. Molly is watching America's Next Top Model right now. That show is like crack to her.

3. IT'S ST. PADDY'S DAY THIS WEEKEND. Not only shall Saturday be full of drunken debauchery (drinking starts at 8am; bedtime will be approximately 7pm, should past events indicate anything) but JC, MoPo, and I also took off for the real St. Patrick's Day to extend the celebration. Oh, if only I were truly Irish.

4. I interviewed for a new position created within the Measurement Science department. If I got it, I'd again be working for the manager who hired me into the company, plus it's two levels above my current pay grade (I was strongly encouraged by current and former bosses to apply for it... since I'm qualified and would have been promoted at least once already, had it not been for the "economic situation"). The job description sounds cool (in a geeky stats sort of way) and it would free me from babysitting Kraft every month, so please keep your fingers crossed!

5. With the release of the most recent BSG soundtrack, I have been listening to a lot of Bear McCreary lately. I love that guy.

6. I bought a new camera! Thanks to my sister and cousin, who steered me towards the Canon EOS Digital Rebel T1i. I'm so incredibly stoked to use it--now I need to go out, practice, and develop some mad skills before heading out for Deutschland.

7. I have hit a plateau with my bowling game, despite purchasing my own equipment. I can typically pick up 8 or 9 pins per frame, but picking up those elusive spares has been dogging me. Unfortunate.

8. How rockin' is this? Frank and Maria asked me to be an usher at their wedding! This is made even cooler when you consider the awesome picture of me they put up on their wedding website.

9. I know I mentioned this last time, but I'm still really, really, really, really excited for baseball to start. I've been listening to the spring training games while at work and I think, despite the turnover this year, we've got some promise. The players' statements about "growing up" (i.e. no more choreographed celebrations) are unfortunate, however. I think other teams just overreacted.

10. I'm glad Avatar didn't clean house at the Oscars. It's strange: if anything, I am a sci-fi geek... and I have no desire to see this. Maybe it's because there is too much CGI? Or just that Sam Worthington is the star? (I finally watched Terminator Salvation... awful). I'm not even sure what the reason is, to be honest. What I do know is that I liked The Hurt Locker and have no problem with it winning Best Picture.

-KP

"What's Jagermeister?"
"You know how in a fairy tale there's always a potion that makes the princess fall asleep and then the guys start kissing her? Well, this is like that except you don't wake up in a castle — you wake up in a frat house with a bad reputation."
-Luke & Phil, Modern Family

*tap, tap*

...is this thing still on? How the heck did it get to be so long since my last blog? I realize most of what I say is uber-trivial but, at the very least, one would think I could have killed some time at work by tossing out a blog or two. Oh, well... since I had a very delicious and gluttonous turkey dinner tonight (rendering me largely immobile), how about I try to reconstruct the last 3 months in no particularly structured way?

1. I was fortunate enough to attend three Packers games this year, including my first Monday Night Football game. Talk about a great spur of the moment decision--we bought tickets a few days beforehand, enjoyed a Green Bay victory (with numerous hot chocolates!) and drove back to the IL afterwards. Kudos to the Red Bull and 5-Hour Energy that kept me safe and alert on our drive back. Getting back to Wheeling at 3am meant a particularly awesome next day at work.

1a. It was highly unfortunate that the Packers weren't able to advance further in the playoffs, but we were able to experience the highs and lows of that game at Will's, a particularly awesome Packers bar down by Wrigley. (Semi-humorous anecdote: we got into a fight with some drunk old dude, but made up and were BFF's after the Packers made their second-half comeback... nothing like Packer solidarity to settle personal differences).

2. After spending a relaxing but not-so-exciting 2009 vacation at my parents' place up in Tomahawk, MoPo and I are thinking a little grander this year and booked tickets to Germany. It should be a great time--can't wait! Plus, I'm going to use it as an excuse to buy a nicer camera. :)

3. I almost titled this blog "ZOMGIT'SALMOSTTUESDAYANDLOSTISBACK!!!!" but I am trying to keep a calm demeanor. Unfortunately for MoPo and a few of my coworkers, calm does not equal quiet... and I have not shut up about Lost all week. Hell, I even re-watched all of Season 5 the last few days (on blu-ray!). And there may be some truth to the rumors that I'll dust off my Halloween costume and Dharma beer labels to welcome the show back in style.

4. Books like Under the Dome make me realize I have no survival skills or instincts whatsoever. If forced to survive on my own, my super useful education and computer skills would do me no good whatsoever. Awesome. I'm usually reminded of this once a month when the latest Walking Dead issue comes out (I think I'd be among the first to go come a zombie apocalypse), but finishing Stephen King's latest read made me contemplate this on a whole new level. And make me feel guilty about cruelty to ants.

5. We totally joined a bowling league with our friends Frank and Matt. I subsequently found that I redefine "suckage" unless I have a personal pitcher of beer to guide my game. With beer, I rise to "meh" status.

6. Molly's parents bought the Brewers 20-game ticket package again this year. I really cannot wait for baseball season to start up. Words cannot convey how much I need my Brewers and Miller Park fix right now.

7. We had a Club 715 reunion last night, which was particularly awesome.

8. I haven't been to Wisconsin at all in four weeks! I think that sets some sort of record. In fact, we've done so many different things in the city lately that it's actually starting to feel like we live here. Though I'm sure that feeling will change soon enough.

Alright, time to jet out for now. Shall we see how long it takes for me to blog again?

-KP

78,185

You may remember that, way back when, my magic number was 79,151. Tonight I began organizing a 6 foot stack of paperwork and found my updated waiting list number for Packers season tickets (I don't even know when I actually received this!). That number?

78,185.

That's right, I moved up a grand total of 966 places. I'm on a roll!

-KP

PS: I really need to update this with something substantive!

The last thing he needs?

Well, will you look at that—Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize. Neat!

But while I find it incredibly exciting that the world has started to view the US in a more favorable light, I can’t help but think that this award is more a commentary on the Bush administration than a reward for any contributions Obama has made this far. Since, you know, he hasn’t even been in office all that long.

I wonder what the committee’s motivations truly were—was the other competition that lackluster? It doesn’t seem likely given the top favored candidate did some pretty impressive things (as mentioned in this article). Or do they believe that this award will be a powerful tool for Obama to further his agenda for peace? Probably, but I think in this regard the committee should have evaluated the actions and not the words.

I’m happy for Obama, but I think this award may be more of a hindrance than a help at this point of his presidency. It adds even more expectations to the ones he already has and arguably gives more ammunition to his critics that Obama is a man of just words.

-KP

How about some hooch in that coffee?

The psychology of sports is really something, isn't it? I’m not an angry individual—I’m really not. Sure, I get upset over some things… even seemingly pointless things, but I don’t get angry. Last night, however, I don’t think I could have expressed any more anger—-which seems rather silly since the Packers, Vikings, Brett Favre, Ted Thompson, or Ragnar don’t affect me in any objective way. But sports fans tend to be very personal about their teams and the drama that surrounds them.

Which, of course, can lead to heartbreak when the desired outcome isn't reached.

Heartbreak? Really? Over a football game?

That’s Packer Nation for you. You idolize a guy growing up and you feel betrayed when he craps all over you. And is that really unreasonable? Favre could have taken the high road when confronted with the “tyranny” of Ted Thompson. But he didn’t. He didn’t even come close.

Of course, I realize that the Vikings were the better team. It really didn’t come down to Favre vs. Rodgers like many were hoping. For me, it comes down to this: which team would have won last night if QB roles were reversed and Rodgers was a Viking and Favre still a Packer?

Unfortunately, the Vikes.

I have no doubt about that, given the way our offensive line acts like a bunch of Sally’s this year. On the flip side, however, who would you want as your QB for the rest of the season? I’m still going Rodgers. Sooner or later, all these so-called analysts will remember that the story of Favre is one of yin and yang, dark and light, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde—-the game will come when he throws three or four picks and costs them the win. Hell, even multiple wins.

-KP