To the decade that was

I started this decade as an 8th grader, and I end it almost 2 years out of college. Here's to the decade that was. It was pretty crappy for a good portion of it (mainly due to how the country was run for a good portion of it), but all in all, it's hard to have ended it on a better spot than I am now.

Perhaps I'll write a more detailed recap later on, but for now, here's to the last 10 years. What the next 10 years will bring, I can only vaguely fathom at the moment.

Wow

Went out to see Avatar today. There's been an inordinate amount of hype around the movie, but James Cameron more than delivered. The story is reasonably good - it's pretty easy to make an historical parallel to the plot line - but the visuals are beyond anything I have ever seen in a movie theater. It was simply stunning, and worth every penny - and more - of the $15.50 price of admission. There has to be some way of getting the 3D effects onto the DVD edition when it comes out.

Coming of a certain age, again and again

Inspired by the new show coming out on TNT, Men of a Certain Age, and a conversation I had the other night, I spent some time thinking about what the future holds. Gone are the easily staked-out milestones in one's life - those that are scripted out by the various levels of academia. Ahead of me are the life events that will define me - marriage, children, and somewhere down the road, long after the Social Security benefits I pay for now are no longer there for me, retirement. It's easy to say I shouldn't be thinking about these things at this point in my life. I'm pretty damn young (2 months shy of 24), and no rosy youthfulness should be prematurely grayed by the cloudiness of the ever-distant future. Time flies fast, though. I've been at my current job, including training, for nearly 18 months now. Graduation, come this May, will be 2 years in the past. It's amplified by the fact that my memories now extend much further back than they did when I was younger. Bill Clinton was elected president 17 freakin' years ago, and it still seems like yesterday that he was in the Oval Office doing who knows what with whom.

The flip side is that the drinking/partying mentality of most 20-something-year-olds doesn't interest me. Getting plastered for the majority of the weekend isn't an attractive option. I don't have my college-level tolerance, and for my long-term health I figure I can outlive most of my peers simply by imbibing far less than they do at this age. It's also a pretty expensive habit to keep up on in New York. Once in a while I like having that kind of fun, but I get much more utility on a regular basis from doing other activities...like reading a book, for example.

So what next? I think the most interesting - and the most rewarding - parts of my life are yet to come. Perhaps it's strange, but I am deeply fascinated by the person I will be down the road, and the people my friends, colleagues, and acquaintances will in the future. Writing these next chapters of my life - the ones that will take me from being a fresh young professional straight out of college to being _____ 10 years down the road - will be the ones that define myself for most, if not the rest, of my years.

Here's to the decade that was, and here's to the decade that will be.

I think this might be the missing link

Some things simply are wrong, period. That's the one problem that numbers of any shape or form miss - they neglect the ethical and moral considerations because it is beyond the construct that they account for.

Funny how it took me a good night's rest to figure that one out. I suppose ethics and morality aren't on the top of the list when it comes to education in business school...

I'm a sucker for songs like this

I like Entourage for many things, but their music selection is pretty spot-on as well. This one's for happy endings.

How long ago it all seems

I had a chance to hang out with Greg and Aditya this weekend; I definitely had a good time and enjoyed catching up. One thing I've resolved to do is to be better about meeting up with my high school friends, so it's nice that I've seen a good number of them over the past few months or so. Nevertheless, every time I recall something from high school, it still comes as a bit of a shock to think that these events I can recall with decent clarity are 6 or 7 years in the past. Your memory inevitably becomes longer the older you get, but I don't think I'll ever stop being surprised at how far ago these memories will seem. Down the road, I'll be 40 years old with a family...and I'll wonder what the hell happened to the 15 year-old high school kid who wore oversized t-shirts and cargo pants to school. And then I'll remember it will have been 25 years ago and feel really, really old.

Fact

There is nothing in this world that can't be cured with a heaping dose of loud, hard, fast punk rock.

Whither the B-sides?

In the past, I've generally thought of B-side songs to be more throwaway songs that weren't good enough to make the initial cut. Yet on a few albums I've listened to more recently, I'd argue that the B-sides were probably better than most of the songs that hit the final track listing. This seems to be a particularly acute case with AFI - a band that I've generally felt has tried a little too hard since they hit the mainstream with Sing the Sorrow. On that album, both 'Now the World' and 'Synesthesia' were better than almost everything on the album (save for perhaps '...but home is nowhere' and the title track). Subsequently, 'Rabbits are Roadkill' and their cover of NIN's 'Head Like A Hole' easily outpaced everything on decemberunderground, which was a mediocre outing at best. On their latest, Crash Love, the music is definitely improved, but nothing is particularly memorable. Yet, as I hit their first B-side, 'Fainting Spells', it sticks with me more than any of the songs on the retail track listing.

I'm not in the music industry, but if you have some kick-ass songs, shouldn't they be going on the CD that most everyone's going to be listening to? Same thing goes for Rise Against, a band I have a notably higher opinion of these days. 'Historia Calamitatum' and 'Elective Amnesia' wipe the floor with most of what comprises Appeal to Reason.

Epic fail, Oklahoma edition

Is there really any other possible way to explain this? It'd be one thing if it was the vast majority of kids...but to have the best of the best of the sample (granted, it's not random, so maybe it was an extraordinarily dumb group of kids) - all six of them - get seven out of ten right?

What the hell is going on in parts of this country?!

Recapping a summer gone by too fast

The past couple of days have been cooler out, and the sun has begun to set at a noticeable earlier time than it has the past couple of months. Back in the day, it would have signaled a return to school, to hitting the books and seeing friends you hadn't seen for a few months. Nowadays, though, summer doesn't particularly stand out as a season of its own anymore. The real benefit this summer was seeing my girlfriend every day (or at least every night, as it may have been), which definitely was a boost to my happiness quotient. We have another 9 months or so of the 'long distance' part of our relationship before the distance disappears. It's been tough at times, but I think it has made us a lot stronger and will put us in a good spot when we are together here in Manhattan next summer. 2 years is a long time, but she is more than worth the effort.

I've also had a chance to see some of my high school friends every now and then. This past weekend was particularly cool, as we had the biggest gathering of the crew since we graduated from college (at least from what I can recall). These are the people I've been close with since high school - and in some cases, even earlier - so it's a good time to catch up and have a reunion of sorts, even though our lives and careers have gone in several different directions. The trick is staying in touch (it always is), but it always feels like we pick up as if nothing has changed...well, except that we are older (and perhaps more mature?).

Life is good.

Peak wingnut

A little less than a month before the 2008 election, John Cole over at Balloon Juice asked if we had reached Peak Wingnut. It doesn't take much to figure out what it means. Back then, I thought some pretty crazy stuff was being said about Obama back then, but I don't think it compares to the stuff that's going on at these town hall meetings now. The news media isn't any better - the fact that there wasn't an outright dismissal over the whole lunatic fringe protesting health care reform by talking about 'death panels' (seriously, what the hell?!) suggests that they're as much to blame for not being honest reporters during this whole debacle.

Frankly, I think the irrational anger coming from the wingnuts has nothing to do with health care at all. They've been increasingly removed from reality as of late, but their latest break from the facts and from general rational thought is startling. Methinks peak wingnut has yet to be seen.

Do as I say, not as I do

One of the things that has frustrated me in New York City this summer is the large number of businesses that keep their doors open. For a city that is as environmentally conscious and aims to promote 'green' initiatives, there's no excuse for wasting untold amounts of energy from air conditioners due to leaving the doors open during the daytime. Sure, it might provide passerbys with a nice moment or two of relief from the heat, but it's not worth it from a monetary or environmental standpoint.

Another irritating issue is how artists never get drawings of the Flatiron Building right. I know it's not cool that the cross-avenues at 23rd Street (5th Avenue and Broadway) both head downtown, but it's also not cool to change the direction cars are driving so that a painting is more aesthetically pleasing. It's one thing for MGM Studios to botch that in their Orlando amusement park, but homegrown NYC artists? Come on, now.

...upon which I reappear

So I've been a dutifully neglectful blog-keeper. Not too much has changed since I last wrote, though. I went on vacation, had a wonderful time with my girlfriend (despite the less-than-stellar weather in Florida), and fried my now-former cell phone in the Gulf of Mexico. Work has been going well, and I've been tasked with additional responsibilities that I look forward to tackling. My girlfriend is up in New York for the summer, and even though I don't see her all too much because she works longer hours than myself. All in all, life has been good and I cannot complain. I do need to see my high school friends again, as it's been almost 3 months since I last saw them, but I've done my best to try and keep up with everyone.

I'm currently writing this entry on my newly-constructed desktop, which caused me way too much grief (a barely functioning PSU can do that) and, as usual, plenty of cuts on my fingers. But it's all put together, and my next project is figuring out how to move 32-bit files from my legacy hard drives in 3 months when I finally make the jump to 64-bit processing with Windows 7. I may also go for a better graphics card (the one I have is pretty ancient, and I wouldn't have to dish out much for an upgrade) and perhaps a Blu-Ray drive as well. But I'm pleased with the build overall. I went for an AMD again, but I overclocking will get it up to where the Core i7s are, and the price differential - even though it's only $100-150 - wasn't worth it in my mind. Gone are the days where I savor after having the best computer around; my main concern is having one that does daily operations smoothly. When solid-state disk prices come down, that'll be the day.

That's about all for now. I plan on posting a bit more vigilantly after this respite...two months is too long to go without saying anything.

Clear skies and sunny beaches, here I come

It's less than a week until my two-week respite from work - what passes for a long vacation in the workplace (yes, memories of 4-month summer vacations during college are still relatively fresh in my mind). I probably haven't worked this long for what has effectively been a non-stop period (I haven't had anything longer than a 3-day weekend since the end of the training program, which sure didn't feel like much of a 'vacation' given how much I was studying for certification exams), but it's something that I'll probably get used to in a year or two.

In the end, though, I can't complain. Work has been...well, work, but overall I've come to generally enjoy what I do. Given the fair amount of responsibility that I have, I think things have been going pretty well. All in all, I can't complain...I guess, first and foremost, I still have a job in the financial sector. After the brutality that the whole industry has endured the past several months, that ain't immaterial.

Do you really think you know?

Reading random articles on love and relationships is something of a side pursuit of mine from time to time. Not that they provide particularly insightful advice - the vast majority don't - but part of this view comes from the fact that an awful lot of it seems like common sense. Perhaps most people lack that (the cynic in me would agree), but I would think most people, before emotionally investing in a relationship, would think about the particulars before doing so...

...or not. Who knows? I guess that's the great mystery of love in general...it is different for everyone. Even though there are some generic rules that are good to follow, the individual persons involved will shape how things end up working.

Deep thoughts.

Getting the last laugh

I don't particularly feel that bad for people who wait until the very last day (today) to get their taxes done. You simply need to have yourself organized; if that's the case, it doesn't take terribly long. I got my W-2 in the end of January, and I completed both my federal and state returns in about 90 minutes or so. It helps that I'm nowhere near rich enough to own anything of worth or something that requires exotic tax treatment, but it still stands that the average American - who is more likely in my boat than not - is simply lazy.

At last post offices (which are suffering decreased revenues) will get a temporary boost in revenue.

Time of your life

The most important thing to remember about life - no matter what happens - is that everything is an opportunity for a learning/teaching experience.

Don't forget what you hold most dear.

Why I will never, ever vote for a Republican

It really comes down to this: I cannot support a political party that is as openly proud of being anti-intellectual as the GOP is in its current incarnation. Yes, both political parties have their faults, but at least the Democratic Party tends to make political points somewhere within the realm of reality. Yes, the somewhat rabid nature of antipathy towards the financial industry bothers me (after all, I work in it). But when the other side has someone as sociopathic and psychotic as Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck as their loudest supporters, it really is no choice at all. And Republicans in government are no better. When they claim that Obama is cutting defense spending when his budget clearly states that defense spending will increase - what can you do?

To me, you can't side with the Republicans when their notion of what is happening appears to be in some weird alternate universe where everyone gets a pony, tax cuts, and George W. Bush is a demigod.

It's a beautiful day

Today is clear blue skies, upper-50s/low-60s weather here in New York. I'm planning on grabbing a baseball, playing catch in Central Park, taking some swings in the cages at Chelsea Piers, and enjoying the weather. Hard to get any better than that...

Make it stop

I know a lot of people at this juncture don't have much sympathy for people who work(ed) for Wall Street firms, but it's tough seeing people getting let go. Today was another one of those days, and it was just as unpleasant as it was a few months back. You have no idea what is coming until it happens.

2009: A year of good music?

I started listening to U2's latest album, No Line On The Horizon. I'm pleasantly surprised by the album; I think that while it may have less stand-out pop hits than their previous two offerings, I think that Horizon is a better overall album. There are less filler songs than previously, and there are three songs off the top of my head - the title track, 'Moments of Surrender', and 'FEZ-Being born' - that are superb. I'm not as big a fan of the first single they released ('Get On Your Boots'), but I think this album is a lock to win a good number of awards again.

Next up on my list is the new Green Day album, which comes out in a couple of months. It looks like they're going the concept album route again, which is probably a good idea. I wasn't as big a fan of Green Day back in their mid-late-'90s heyday, but they did executed American Idiot nearly to perfection. I'm stoked to see how 21st Century Breakdown turns out.

What to muse about?

In the past, I used my erstwhile blog from high school/college to write about my personal life. However, I've grown less susceptible to doing similar things with this blog. I think part of it is that I have a lot less time to muse about life now. Thinking about what a wonderful day it feels like outside doesn't matter as much to me when the extent of my walking outside is what gets me from the subway to work or back to my apartment. When I'm at home, I tend to prefer to unwind and relax after a long day of work.

I'm also of the opinion that dwelling too much on yourself can lead to too much doubt in yourself and undercut your belief in the path you are taking with your life. Introspection is good, but it's not as golden as I thought it used to be. Whereas I used to find pondering the deeper philosophical underpinnings of life and my own credos by which to live a fascinating mental exercise, that's exactly all it is - an exercise. The best way to live life is to live it on the fly and to create a constantly evolving you. In a way, it's similar to the way the Constitution should be interpreted - as a living document that fits the times, not as a piece of paper frozen in time.

On living and growing

This weekend was one of the more emotional, so to speak, of our relationship to date. Nevertheless, I think we came out of it for the better, and I feel closer to her than ever. And, in the end, she's going to be in New York - I could hardly ask for more.

Life doesn't always go the way you think it will, but when it's close enough, I've learned to be happy with the results. :)

One picture says it all

I wish Republicans and a bunch of idiotic high-and-mighty conservative Democrats would learn a little about economics and then stop complaining about how there's too little spending in the stimulus package. If anything, there's not enough - probably by quite a bit.

The fact that 40% of the package is made up of tax cuts stupefies me. After having two presidents for whom trickle-down economics didn't work (Reagan, Bush II), it's not going to work now. Republicans are wedded to stupid ideas, and it's the reason nobody takes them seriously when it comes to governance.

Happy birthday to me

I turn 23 today. Not really a moment of distinction, but it will garner me a bunch of Facebook wall posts. Woohoo!...

New music sucks

A lot of bands that came to prominence when I was growing up are now on hiatus, potentially permanently. Just to name a few, System of a Down, Incubus, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Foo Fighters are all taking a break. Granted, some (like RHCP, which has been around since 1983 but have been a superband since Californication came out) have been around for quite some time, but they are all pretty good bands that defined the musical scene for certain periods of time.

Listening to music now - which I generally gauge from watching Fuse every now and then, as well as whatever is new on the gym's music station - gives me the impression that a lot of new stuff is pure crap. Kate Perry, Jonas Brothers, and the rest of those musicians who have one 'hit' song and a bunch of filler for the rest on their records are just godawful. There's no talent, no originality, and it makes me wonder if I'm going to be listening to 'oldies' (which is what music from the late 1990s/early 2000s will be when I'm older) because everything that is new will suck horrendously.

Hiatus. Begin again.

I'm not quite sure what to write about these days. Part of it is because I am tired, part of it is that I don't have too much new to report on in my life. Part of it is that blogging becomes a lonesome venture after a certain period of time.

There are many things I would like to write about, but none that jump to the forefront of my mind. Probably doesn't help that I'm quite exhausted after a long Monday.