Mindless Philosopher

Quick blog since I have to take a 5:30am cab to the airport for my flight to Madrid.
Janeite and I volunteered to EuroPride 2006. The parade was much fun, and it was great to see so many companies (e.g., Shell gas) and government organizations (e.g., the people who run the Tube) supporting GLBT issues. No counter protesters were present, though as we found out shortly, England is not even close to a tolerant society yet.
After helping people find their way on the parade route and adding bodies to the small security force at the “Women’s (music) stage,” we headed over to a local pub to watch the World Cup match between England and Portugal. The crowd was cheerful, drunk, and funny, at least for the start of the game. At one point at the second half, a man waving a Portuguese flag walked by. Ten seconds after I uttered the words “he’s taking his life into his own hands,” to Janeite, did one of the hooligans (against his g/f’s protest) throw his glass beer bottle at the Portugal fan. Thankfully, his drunken aim was well off.
But then things got really ugly as gay couples from the parade and festivities started walking by. Plastic bottles were thrown, obscenities were shouted, and generally rude and offensive remarks were bandied about as if this sort of behaviour was appropriate and to be encouraged. Well, Janeite and I had had enough of that, and we left the pub to find a small, quiet cafe at which to watch the rest of the match. The hooligans got their comeuppance anyway, as England lost in penalties — again.

I’ve been crash-coursing on Spanish verb conjugation for the past half-hour, so I don’t have a whole lot of time to blog before I’m off to bed. Today I dutifully played the role of “tourist in London.” Stops included Hyde park, Buckingham Palace, the changing of the guard, 10 Downing St, the Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and all the random statues along the way. We had lunch in grassy Russell Sq, before touring the British Museum search. We did our best to simulate the eponymous computer science algorithm, but didn’t quite see all the exhibits. Given how many of the pieces were plundered in some way or another, I invite Howard Zinn to pen “A People’s History of the British Museum.” I think the work could be a great companion piece to the floor guide.
This evening, we attended Titus Andronicus at the Globe theatre. The play is both incredibly gory and funny at the same time. I was pleased with all the acting, except for the young woman who played Lauinia. The staging (or blocking, or whatever the proper term may be) was fabulous — we were in the “standing only” section right up front, and the actors moved through us (as though we were a crowd) constantly throughout the acts. Thankfully, they did not spurt fake blood on us, though water, confetti, and feathers were strewn about.
Tomorrow is EuroPride, football match, and something fun in the evening yet to be determined. Then I’m off to Spain!

Today we were off to the English countryside. First stop: Stonehenge. The spot was picked out as a spiritual center over 5,000 years ago, and the structure was constructed over thousands of years. What I found surprising, other than the fact that pre-historic peoples were able to construct such a monument, was that construction continued for such a long time. Often, after a change of power, the new rulers will destroy the symbols of the old regime’s power (for a recent example, see the statue of Saddam). But, either no such change of power occurred (unlikely) or everyone agreed that Stonehenge was worth building. I, for one, am grateful for such a prodigious consensus.
The next stop was Oxford, which besides housing one of the planet’s most prestigious universities, is also a quaint small town. There were many hidden alleys, and cute shops. We founds a fabulous ice cream parlor, which was a boon given our poor choice of establishments for dinner. Unfortunately, the Great Hall and the Chapel of Christ’s College were both closed when we arrived, but I think we saw enough. (The Great Hall is where they film the Hogwarts dining hall scenes, but we actually happened upon another filming location from PoA…you’ll have to wait for the photos to find out where.)
Tomorrow’s agenda includes Hyde Park, the Parliament, the British Museum, and Titus Andronicus at The Globe.

Greetings from England. I’m taking a vacation from the stressful world of procrastinating on graduate school projects to visit the continent of Europe for the first time. The plan is to spend 4 days in London with Janeite, then a week in Spain with Elf, rejoin Janeite in London for a day, before heading back to the States. I’ve only spent a day here, and I’m struck by how similar London is to Hong Kong, albeit with the notable exception of not smelling nearly as bad. The weather here is beautiful, unlike the DC area, where it is still raining cats and dogs apparently.
That east coast torrential rain somewhat dampened my veggie-fest on Monday. I was in DC celebrating the 10-year anniversary of becoming a vegetarian, and I was rewarded with a four-day-long off-and-on downpour that kept a third of my guests at home, and three of them bailing out their basements. Yuck. But, the food was still delicious (we ate at Nirvana on K St) and the conversation jovial—though our clothes a bit soggy. Thanks to all who braved the storm to attend!
Well, I must be off to bed as I have a lot of sleep to catch up on. Our flight here traversed the night of the 27th, yet I only got about three hours of sleep. Will need to rest up if I’m going to solve the mystery of Stonehenge tomorrow.
Cheers!

How about that bizarre World Cup game yesterday? I’d say the US was robbed of a victory by the ref (we tied in the end 1-1), but we continued to seem incapable of putting the ball in the back of the net. For you non-WC fans: to advance, the U.S. needs to beat Ghana in combination with either an Italy win over the Czech Republic or a Czech blowout victory.
On the home front, DC United lost a late lead for the second game in a row — this time agains the revolution. After looking at the highlights, New England certainly deserved the point, as they created a lot of chances. And, the late, game-tying goal by Dorman was so pretty that it could easily end up being the goal of the week. But,all-in-all, a very frustrating day for me soccer-wise.
However, the most exciting part of the day was traveling to Atlantic City to meet up with Samidh, Seth, and Kevin. We walked the long boardwalk, where I got to experience first-hand several places mentioned in Monopoly. After searching for a reasonably-priced buffet, we found one, but unfortunately it served terrible vegetarian food. Basically, I was subsidizing all of the carnivors who eat steak and lobster. The dessert (peach cobbler a la mode) was decent though.
Next, we headed over to a casino to gamble, and from here on I’ll mask their names so they aren’t embarrassed by the amount of money they lost. Person A immediately lost $100 on roullete. We then found a “double attack” black jack table where Person B lost $60 and I lost $20. All of this occurred without us winning a penny at any time. Person C played $100 at black jack straight up, won a couple times, but ended up blowing the whole wad. After Person A lost another $20 on roulette, we were pretty dejected and ready to leave.
But, I had $5 I wanted to play on a slot machine. I had to look around for the quarter slots, but found a Monopoly slot machine. Hey, if I could win this game as a kid (the board game version), why not as slots at a casino? I won a couple small amounts immediately, and since I was feeling lucky, I bet 4 credits ($1) on a single pull…. First line: blank. Second line: also blank. At this point I thought I had thrown away my winnings, but the third line was Uncle Pennybags, which immediately paid $12.50, and lit up this odd “Monopoly Bonus” button. After hitting the button four times, with each hit paying off a different amount, I ended up with … $47.25! Pretty impressive rate of return for a $5 bet :) Of course, if I factor in my blackjack losses, parking and gas costs, I just about broke even for the evening. But that’s a win when you go to Atlantic City in my book!

Three reviews below, but first, a rant: Why is this country still sexist when it comes to women and baking/cooking? I brought home-made cookies to our softball game yesterday, but before I had time to announce their presence I had to take the field for batting practice. Someone on the sideline noticed the batch of chocolate chip cookies and immediately asked our first basemen, the only woman on the team, whether she brought them. Obviously, no guy would be competent enough to bake cookies.
I readily acknowledge that with some attribute differences (e.g., height, longevity, strength, endurance) exist on average between the sexes. But I can’t for the life of me figure out what part of pre-heating an oven, measuring ingredients, using a mixer, and setting an oven timer people believe women are predisposed to. And if you want to go down the “society pushes women to cook more” route, I’d like to point out that the feminist revolution ebbed and waned over 30 years ago, well before anyone on my softball team was born.
And this strange bias seems to afflict both men and women, as last year’s TMG bake-off’s demonstrated. Several female colleagues commented how great it was that so many of us men entered dishes in the bake-off. Yes, it was such a struggle to overcome our Y-chromosome handicap.
Whatever the cause of this misperception, I’d just like to go on the record strongly opposing the belief that only women bake. In fact, I have a chocolate cheesecake in the fridge right now. Oh, and while we’re disposing of myths, let me add that our first baseman has the highest batting average on the team :)
Below are reivews of A Praire Home Companion, the New York Museum of Natural History, and the new Pride and Prejudice movie.

A Prairie Home Companion
I saw PHC with Samidh and Monica’s Kevin in NYC last weekend. My reaction to the movie was exactly the same reaction I have when I listen to the radio show: it’s not as funny as I expect it to be. Surprisingly, the movie has a semblance of a plot, though not a particularly good one, but at least it holds the disparate radio show acts together. I found it odd that Guy Noir was the main character; perhaps if Kevin Kline has made the role believable I wouldn’t have minded as much. The music is great, and the cast is all-star, though this movie doesn’t ask too much of their talents. If you’re a die-hard PHC fan, I don’t have to tell you to go see this movie; if you’re not, I’d estimate that PHC is worth $6 of your $10 movie ticket.

The New York Museum of Natural History
I just felt the need to say that the most interactive part of this museum is the automated ticket machine in the front lobby. Naomi and I toured the museum during my aforementioned trip into the city. And while she was perfectly content with the exhibits, I must say that I’ve been spoiled by the newfangled museums in DC such as the Air and Space Museum, the Spy Museum, and the Science Center. Those places know how to make learning more than staring at tableaus. Perhaps my expectations were too high, as many people I know gave the museum rave reviews. And while it covered a wide range of topics from African garments to the Big Bang, the presentation left me underwhelmed.
I can only hope that the British Museum, which I’ll be visiting in a couple weeks (!), will be much better. Of course seeing the Rosetta Stone will probably trump all other considerations.

Pride and Prejudice
The movie stays reasonably true to the book–the important differences in this version manifest themselves through the characters. From best to worst (via the five daughter rating system).
Mr Collins (5/5 daughters): The old black-and-white version (as well as the A&E version according to Janeite) depicts the role of Mr Collins as an over-the-top, Oscar Wildesque character. In these older versions (and to an extent, in the book), Mr Collins acts so improrietously that one finds it difficult to understand why Mr Collins doesn’t realize that he’s making a fool of himself. However, director Joe Wright envisions an understated Mr Collins, in which Mr Collins tries so hard to fit it that he–simultaneously–believes he is successful and, in reality, misses the mark to an embarassing degree.
Mr Bennett (4/5 daughters): Donald Sutherland plays the part of Mr Bennet sublimely, with the correct mix of detachment and concern. As a side note, I find it odd how Mr Sutherland seemingly hasn’t aged since playing the role of the pot-loving professor in over 25 years ago animal house.
Mr Bingley (3/5 daughters): He is portrayed as a dope, which I guess makes being tricked by his sister and best friend more believable. And I don’t mind when guys who go for the prettiest girl over the cleverest are depicted in a negative light. Simon Woods’ acting, though, was a bit strained.
Jane, Lydia, Mrs Bennet, Kitty: Nothing stood out.
Mary (2/5 daughters): On the plus side, Mary is protrayed as quite the nerd. She doesn’t get many mentions in the text, so it was nice to see them at least make her character one-dimensional. But, I give this portrayal negative marks for personal reasons — Mary-the-nerd is looked upon with scorn and ridicule, and rather than ignoring her detractors, she breaks down and sobs. Now what kind of role model is that for young girls who want to be the smartest instead of the prettiest? To an extent this interaction is a result of the time period the book is written in, but the filmmaker updated other parts of the story (made it a kissing book!)–I guess us nerds are not worthy enough for renovation.
Charlotte Lucas (1/5 daughters): Am i the only one who thinks that Charlotte’s a lesbian? Apparently not, but that didn’t stop this cinematic version from portraying Charlotte as a craven, pathetic loser who marries beneath her because she sees herself as too old and too plain for anyone reasonable. Did they even read the Charlotte Lucas scene?! Charlotte marries for pragmatic and stoic reasons, not because she gives into her own fears. As Janeite noted, they even gave one of Lizzy’s lines to Charlotte just to make Miss Lucas seem more superficial and agrestic. Bastards.
I seem to have left out Lizzy and Darcy…well, they’re minor characters anyway ;)

Spent the weekend in the Upper Valley of New Hampshire for a Dean-NH campaign staffer reunion. Though it rained all weekend, that didn’t spoil our fun; I had a grand time catching up with everyone. My ex-coworkers drank so much beer — I felt bad for the Moosilauke Lodge staff who had to clean up after us. Events included: board games (I lost at scrabble twice), yoga, a slideshow, sing-a-longs, skits, improv (I was a third of an Oracle), and grand theft auto of the bulldozer variety. And of course it wouldn’t be a Dean event if there weren’t some serious glogging. (Also: Taimsesasta has a great post on the event.)
On the way back from the UV, us Deaniacs threw a event for ex-Dean supporters in Manch-Vegas. I got to see my old campaign mom, who is doing fabulously. In her late 70’s, she’s still getting more action than I am ;)
Trveling from NH to MA, I stopped by my brother’s new abode and helped him carry and build his new desk from Ikea. He’s living with three women (one being his SO), which should be an interesting experiene. My bro’s always been a very tidy person, so I don’t think he’ll have much of a problem.
That’s all for tonight. Looks like the NetRoots got their (our?) first primary win with Tester in MT. I’ll be refreshing CA-50 results with the rest of y’all until late tonight.
Update: Well, Busby was a bit of a dissapointment, though expected. (Janeite and SethBH can both confirm that I predicted a 4-point margin of loss — exactly what it ended up being.)
Regarding the Dean Reunion, I’ve posted the lyrics to the hilarious Keene sing-a-long below.

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I’m postponing my review of P&P to extol Al Gore’s documentary, An Inconvenient Truth.
The film opens nationwide next weekend, but I’m now fortunate enough to live near New York City, where it premiered on Friday.. “Rachel from Keene” and I joined a throng of New Yorkers to pack the Lincoln Sq theatre on Saturday to watch the movie. For the past few years, Gore has been touring the nation (and then the world), giving a slide show presentation on global warming. “An Inconveneint Truth” is in essence that same presentation put on the big screen. But don’t fret about being bored, as Gore is funny at points, always concise and displays compelling images and videos. I was literally on the edge of my seat an hour into the movie — an unusual response from me at the theatre, and certainly the first time for a documentary.
Gore clearly and directly lays out the threats of global warming. He deals with the skeptics, including many of the counter-arguments promulgated in this week’s WaPo Magazine article on the movie and the global warming debate in general. I admit that when I watched the trailer I was skeptical about the claim that sea levels will rise by 20 feet anytime soon. But now I’m convinced that it’s a real possibility. And I feel that I can defend that position in a discussion with just about anyone except a climatologist.
Without giving away the ending, there are two positive feedback loops that can lead to severe ice melting. (Gore avoids engineering/scientific terminology such as “positive (or negative) feedback loops.”) I was sold when Gore showed successive time-lapse images of these feedback loops occurring over the course of one month in 2002. And while some of the images will shake you, there is also a sense of hope. Gore notes that through the Montreal Protocol, we have eliminated CFCs and the allowed the ozone layer to heal quite rapidly. We won’t be able to stop the Earth from warming over the next decade, but collective action will mean the difference between a few poor ski seasons in Pennsylvania and global catastrophe.
To learn what you can do to help, and why your actions are necessary, go see this film. It’ll be the most worthwhile $10 movie ticket you ever buy. (Plus the proceeds go to help the cause.)
And, if you’re reading this in the Princeton area, I’ll be trying to organize a local group, so let me know if you’re interested.

I’ve now completed the first academic year of my PhD program. I can’t say that I have many inspiring or reflective words on the first leg of the journey. Those will have to wait until I finish generals in a year. Instead I think I’ll blog about all the celebratory activities I’ve been up to this past week.
First, mini-golf! I hadn’t gone mini-golfing in way too long; Melody and I found this great course about 20 minutes form campus. The course included streams, long walks between holes, large pine trees, swans, and genuinely difficult holes. The greens were shaped to reward very accurate long putts and outside-the-box thinking. The obvious method for getting your first shot near the hole was almost never the optimal approach. On top of that, the course is on the outskirts of this quaint NJ town, Hopewell, which has lots of antiquing and fun stores. The coffee shop we went to afterwards (to grab some ice cream on a gorgeous day) had all these Irish quotes written on the wall — don’t see that in starbucks.
That evening, Saturday night, I drove to DC to see folk and run in a 10K. I had a Thai dinner with Katherine from the Dean campaign. Unfortunately she wasn’t quite done with her term as she was trying to write on to Law Review. But that didn’t stop her from inviting me down to DC for the 10K on Sunday morning. Speaking of people finished with 1L, after dinner I visited Janeite in her summer place (she’s in DC this summer to work for one of my favorite non-profits). We rented the new version of Pride & Prejudice; we almost went with Good Night and Good Luck, but neither of us were in the mood for something that serious. So we decided to make fun of Kitty and Lydia instead (stay tuned for my upcoming review of the flick).
Had to get up nice and early on Sunday to run the 10K Capitol Hill Classic. A bit of unluck resulted in Katherine starting a few minutes after me and though she caught up and passed me along the way, somehow we missed each other. The race route was great: we ran around RFK and the Capitol Building. How I miss DC…Anyway, I ran 9:15-minute miles, which is not bad. I guess I could have run faster as I had gas left in the tank at the end, but I didn’t think I needed to kill my body over a friendly 10K.
(Aside: Speaking of friendlies, did anyone else see the US Men’s National team get embarrassed by Morocco on Wednesday? That was ugly — if we don’t step it up a good two notches at the World Cup, it’ll be 3 and out.)
Sunday afternoon I went to my old high school (with Enjanerd and ITP) for its 20-year anniversary. I found out that the evil principal that came on in 2000 resigning. Though she left us with a truly terrible “Alma Matter,” which was performed for the first (and hopefully last) time on Sunday. The moon bounce was great fun though!
Wonderfully, the absence of Miranda and me did not halt the tradition of Sunday night frisbee at 734B. The TJ event ended just in time for me to join all my West Wing friends. Some of them joined rec leagues and the level of play has significantly increased over last year. People have forehands now, which was certainly news to me.
On Monday it was off to New Haven for Yale’s graduation. I knew five people getting degrees (four of them graduating) and I managed to find all of them :) Spent the majority of time with Elf and her family(-ies). We had dinner at this great sushi place in downtown New Haven, and wrapped up the evening with a game of settlers. Despite my losing streak at Princeton, I managed to find my touch again and pull out the victory. Either the people at Princeton are just smarter than me or I’ve found an optimal strategy for regular Settlers but have not attuned my playing skills to the Seafarers version we use up north.
This weekend, it’s off to Boston for the second of the twins’ weddings! (Hrmm, should probably get on their registry and find a present…)

Sigh, the last West Wing episode came and went last night. Twas a good show. (They replayed the Pilot episode at 7pm, which reminded us how it was once a fantastic show.) We had decent turnout at our place to say goodbye. I even attempted to draw the White House on yesterday’s dessert, yellow cake:

This WaPo article sums up my feelings nicely (which I don’t have time to blog myself since I’m working on my last paper of the term); be sure to check out the character bios/stories below the article.