Pre-Pampering Panic....

Well, Charity's due soon, and I would like to mention my panic that occurred about two months ago:
After October General Conference, I decided to run the numbers (do the budget) to see where we stood and how much we would have left over when Charity stopped working. I realized that it wasn't a lot; in fact, there wasn't any left over! This got me very stressed, and caused me to start looking for a new job. I had talked to my boss about my predicament, but he didn't seem to positive about any sort of raise. So, I proceeded to look for different opportunities; always coming up dry because no one wants to pay an entry-level programmer more than I was making. So, eventually we came to grips that we would have to be on a 'beans and rice' type budget until a better opportunity came about.
I eventually found the 'better' opportunity and I feel good about it. But, I've also been going through a "Fathering" book, where the author wrote about this phenomenon: the Pre-fatherhood panic. I guess as the breadwinner, this is a very normal response to the changing situation. So, new dads: know that this is normal and part of being a patriarch/main-breadwinner of the family.
Cheers.

The Audacity of socialism...

I wore a chopka to work today to celebrate the new Era of politics: socialism. I sincerely don't believe that Obama is a bad guy, but I just think his policies are not good for me personally. I have every intention of making $250,000+ later in life, and that makes me a target. The cartoon above illustrates it best.

Superman and the Media...

I just purchased the 7th season of Smallville, and am enjoying it for the most part. I just finished the fourth episode, which had Dean Cain in it; this brought my mind back to...Lois and Clark: the New Adventures of Superman. I don't know if anyone reading this has seen that show recently, but it was horrific. The acting, the writing, the music, everything about the show was way below standard. I believe that the television shows in the early 90's were generally horrible, but not as bad as L&C. So why did it last so long (it lasted 4 seasons, and actually would have kept going if the sexual tension between them hadn't been released by them getting married)? It was the same reason that Smallville has done so well: good looking people and riding on the coat tails of the greatest superhero of all-time, Superman.
As I watched some of the special features on the DVD set for L&C, it seems that the major reason that they cast Dean Cain as Superman was because of his looks; when he auditioned, there a huge crowd of screaming women waiting to get a peak at the best looking actor on "Beverly Hills: 90210". And let's face it: Teri Hatcher is the best looking Lois Lane EVER. The Smallville people are just as beautiful, but younger. This certainly helped the rise of both these shows.
But, the main reason for this post, and my ranting, is that they ride on Superman's wonderful following and wonder of the Man of Steel that has attracted so many people in past years. Superman is most definitely the most recognizable superhero of all time. So, Smallville and L&C used that to their advantage; but, they botched the rest of it. I think back on my favorite episodes of both shows, they are the ones that had to do with the sincere mythology of Superman. Episodes like Justice, or the one where Lex split into two (a good Alexander and a bad Lex) had that flare that I look for in a Superman show. Anyways, I guess what I'm saying is that Smallville isn't that great of a show, and it wouldn't be able to hold its candle if it didn't already have the rich base that Superman already has. That is the only explanation that I can give as to why it's so popular. The show is getting better; season 6 was great because it had less do to give the drama and more to do with the comic book roots it came from.

Cheers.

CSI: gory

I've been going through the different CSI's and I've come to the conclusion that they are very gory. This of course doesn't stop me from watching them, but I can see why my wife, my mother, and my sister-in-law have a harder time watching it. My wife and I have fallen in love with Bones, probably because it has more to do with characters than it does with science. Bones also appeals to my scientific/anthropological side.
Anyways, I've decided that I like CSI: NY the most, then Vegas, then Miami; Horatio tends to rub me the wrong way.
Cheers.

It's Palin!

Well, It seemed that my post Thursday wasn't too far off. McCain's a maverick, and this is the type of thing he would do. It stole the news day, it surprised tons of people, and it will push the envelope when it comes to the women vote. I think it will be great. But, I still believe that Obama will win; his speech and rhetoric are too good! I do believe that this will be good for the republican party. Cheers.

Obama's Speech

Well...McCain doesn't stand a chance. I hate to admit it, but Obama did exactly what he needed to do. The Election is over.

Drudge is reporting...

McCain has decided. There's also a possibility that the name will be leaked this evening at 6 PM eastern time. They are also reporting that Romney's family got a security sweep. We'll see what happens...

Palen? Maybe.

I really don't think that Mitt Romney is the VP choice. I think everyone thinks it will be him, but that seems to be the indicator that he won't be. Sarah Palen would be good, but it would bring up Anwr, and I don't think that's what McCain wants to do. She certainly is the best of the republican women. Anyways, cheers.

This week's political events...

Well, the Democratic National Convention is this week. I tried to watch the nomination process (i.e. the delegates giving their votes), but it was very pompous and dull; each state had to spend about a minute on why they were the best and why they mattered to Senator Obama. It really annoyed me. But, I imagine the Republicans will be the same way. There's cooks and nuts on both sides of the isle.
I'm writing this post to mainly make a prediction of who I believe will be the GOP VP pick. I would love for it to be Romney, and I sincerely believe he would bring the most to the ticket with regards to states to put in play and also being the most capable to be an executive. However, I don't think it will be him; it will probably be Tim Pawlenty. Why? Because Romney gets too many people excited, for better OR worse. The Minn. Governor isn't that provocative and therefore is very safe. And the GOP base seems to like him a lot and no one has a bone to pick with him. I can see some good in this, but I obviously see a downside to it. If you could feel the level of my enthusiasm for both possibilities, you would notice the downside to Gov. Pawlenty: he doesn't get a lot of people excited! Whereas if Romney was the pick, I would do everything in my power to get him elected. I'm energized with Romney. Pawlenty? Not so much. That's the reason. The other reason I don't think it will be Romney is because it would be too good to be true for a Mormon to be in that position. Well, that's that. Cheers.

Welcome to my Blog!!

This is my blog. Have fun. This blog will consist of movie reviews, rants about politics, and thoughts about life. I obviously will also spend some time posting photos and updating everyone on my family's status. Cheers.