Monday, March 26, 2007

In The Height

We are currently living in some really bad times, artistically. (Apparently, we're actually living in good times, geopolitically. Who knew?) Popular music has been in a nosedive since the 70s, with only a few groups (U2, REM on a good day) producing brilliant stuff. Television is producing some of the worst shows ever; the reality TV craze just won't die. Broadway can't fill up its houses. And, well, I don't follow the visual art scene much, but we seem to have relatively few superstars around. But I'd like to take a few lines to recognize some of the genres that are at their peak.

Puzzles
Will Shortz is editing the New York Times crossword. 'Nuff said. But I'll say more. We shouldn't underestimate the value of having an editor with Shortz's enthusiasm and his commitment to the "puzzle" aspect of the crossword puzzle. We could so easily have an editor who prides himself only on hitting the right level of obscurity. But Shortz hits the perfect balance of wordplay and trivia, namely one heavily weighed toward the former. There's no great satisfaction in solving a trivia puzzle. There's smugness, but you never want to run off and share your favorite trivia clue. I often want to share some of my favorite puzzle clues: "X-ray for Rex, say" 8 letters. Guess in the comments.

And we have some super-clever puzzle writers that contribute. When the writers submit and Shortz edits, every puzzle is a work of art.

We're also living through a huge Sudoku craze, and a bunch of other puzzles are migrating from Japan (or from Canada, via Japan). The puzzle section is growing at Barnes & Noble, and I'm optimistic that people will slowly come around to the cryptic (best puzzle everrrr) and we'll see an American renaissance there. We're living in the Golden Age of Puzzling, and I couldn't be happier.

Television
I know I knocked it in the intro to this post, but in addition to the worst TV of all time, we're also getting some of the best TV of all time. I feel privileged to be able to watch new episodes of "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" nearly every night (even if they do take a lot of vacation time). Two of the greatest and most likable comic personalities are churning out brilliant and timely original content almost instantaneously. Of course, they're helped by stellar, fast-working writers, graphic designers and techies. These guys are the closest thing we have to Johnny Carson or Ed Sullivan; they're much more endearing than Letterman or Leno (maybe not Conan, I'm not sure). I know someday I'll look at an evening comedy talk show that's popular with the younger generation and thing, "My God, this is total crap compared with Stewart and Colbert."

There are also some great dramas on the tube. I haven't watched "Lost" or "24," but I hear amazing things, and I do watch "Heroes," which is finely crafted—or at least leads you to believe it is...the ending could be vastly disappointing. I was also never a big "West Wing" person, but people think it's truly brilliant, and I buy it. They had some ridiculously politically qualified writers. If it was entertaining, and it appears to have been, it must have been awfully worthwhile.

Harry Fucking Potter
The genre could be "literature" or "children's fantasy," but why try to make this what it's not? Harry Potter is the best international craze to come along since...well, maybe ever. Maybe since the Beatles. I don't know. But how often do you get the entire world excited about reading? How often do you get us all excited about a story where we root for a good guy, and harmless fun is praised, and harmful actions are condemned, and violence is only used where it's needed. It's a great series from a creative and meticulous mind, and I can't think of anything I'd rather share with 10-year-olds in India and grandmothers in Australia. The world's largest book group meets this July to experience the final chapter of the novel. I'm thrilled to take part in the conversation.

That's all for now; I'm sure there's more. If you'd like to add something, throw it in the comments.

V Cast Advertising Exclusively To Gay Men?

So, unless you've been living under a rock that doesn't have a cable hookup, you've probably seen the ubiquitous commercials for V Cast, Verizon's phone-based video/music network. I've only seen two commercials, but they both involve someone putting his headphones on you so you can hear the music he digs. Which raises the question: Who are you? Check out the first ad:

OK, so you're pretty clearly a guy. The dude takes a call from his "lady," so you're not a girl he's trying to woo. Plus, he calls you "bud." So you're male. And about his age. That's all we can REALLY conclude from this ad, but it's worth noting that the dude is a bit of an idealized jock stereotype. He's cute and jacked and a little dumb and sure, he's straight, but he shows fun-loving camaraderie and respect for the girl. I'd think he'd be, well, a little bit intimidating to straight guys, but he shows up in nifty stories all the time.

The second ad is more blatant:

He is clearly supposed to be gay, right? And doesn't he look like he's sort of trying to pick you up? I mean, sure, he's doing the over-the-top seduction faces that are appropriate for the Timberlake song, but still. He wants you.

Anyway, if this is on purpose, it's kind of cool...if you're competing against Apple, it's probably better to take an ax and try to carve out a niche instead of trying to clean up the whole market. Or maybe I just look everywhere and see gay men.

Sunday, March 18, 2007

McCain't Say No

As part of my more regular blogging schedule, I'd like to highlight this stunning piece of asshattery:
Reporter: “Should U.S. taxpayer money go to places like Africa to fund contraception to prevent AIDS?"

Mr. McCain: “Well I think it’s a combination. The guy I really respect on this is Dr. Coburn. He believes – and I was just reading the thing he wrote– that you should do what you can to encourage abstinence where there is going to be sexual activity. Where that doesn’t succeed, than he thinks that we should employ contraceptives as well. But I agree with him that the first priority is on abstinence. I look to people like Dr. Coburn. I’m not very wise on it.”

...

Q: “So no contraception, no counseling on contraception. Just abstinence. Do you think contraceptives help stop the spread of HIV?"

Mr. McCain: (Long pause) “You’ve stumped me.”

Bloody brilliant, McCain. I'm kind of glad this guy's image as the totally honest, level-headed, non-partisan candidate is being slowly crushed. Because I think a year ago, a lot of swing voters and even Democrats would have voted for him over Hills, Barry O, or J.E. purely on that reputation. Perhaps by year's end he will be so powerless he will no longer warrant his #1 ranking on The Beast's 50 Most Loathsome list.

Oh, and for the record: Yes, condoms unquestionably prevent the spread of HIV. If McCain wanted to pander, he could have said something like, "Yes, of course they do, but I think we should prioritize other methods, like abstinence, which is the only method with a 100% blah-di-blah-di-blah." And even that would have been silly; people aren't going to stop having sex. For centuries, individuals and institutions have worked long and hard at stopping people from having sex. They've all failed. You can make fewer people have sex, but if our concern is protecting people (and I hope it is) we need to work on systems that will reach a larger percentage. Condoms do this. Right-o.

Friday, March 16, 2007

The Rock of the Dome

I've become mildly obsessed with the idea of shaving my head. No, don't worry, I probably won't do it. People have been reminding me that my hair's my best feature for about ten years, now, and I'm not that self defeating. A little self-defeating, sure. But not that self-defeating.

In any case, I'm not sure whether it's my undiagnosed (but unquestionably existent) trichotillomania, whether it's a symptom of a general disgust with the body, or whether it's just a cry for sensation—I'm sure those three are all related anyway. But still, every time I feel the weight of my hair, or the itch of my dandruffy scalp or the faint presence of the buildup of oils and junk from conditioners galore...I just think of how glorious it would be to be free. To turn this bizarre stretch of skin into normal skin. To expose it to all of the elements: sun, wind, water, a rough towel.

Of course then I'd be stuck with a bald head, which isn't so bad in itself—I'd enjoy the freedom from hair for a good long while—but it does mean I'd either have to keep it bald or wait for it to grow in. And then I'd have short hair. Blech. I'd have over a year of hair that doesn't even hang down from my head. I really don't think that's my look.

Maybe I could invest in some ultra-exclusive scalp treatment, where they could make my hair stick out and just go over every inch with some tool that treats my scalp with heat and rubbing and a little UV. That could be really good.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Everything New Is Old Again

I've been bad. I've been very, very bad about updating the blog. I could make excuses, but I'll just try to be better this time around.

So I moved last month. It went relatively smoothly, save some unfathomably dickish security deposit withholding from the old landlord. I still don't have the (too large) deposit back, and he legally has 60 days after the lease ends to get it to me. Then I pounce. He has never before met an enemy of my strength, intelligence, determination, and intolerance for douchebaggery. Soon he will fall, and perhaps he will be punished, and then he won't be so damned quick to try to get out of anything he owes anyone.

The new place is awfully cool. The roomies rule, as I suspected, and my box in the wall is coming along nicely. I still have a rug on its way that won't arrive until the middle of April, but the hotness builds. I dig the environment of the 4-bed; I wasn't sure I would. It's lively and puts less responsibility on me to interact when I don't feel like interacting. Rock on.

Also, I've decided to try my hand at an, um, unspecified standardized test. Which isn't to say I necessarily want to go where the UUST leads, but I'm considering. (If that statement wasn't full of ambiguity, it was edited after I made a decision. Shh!) I seriously rocked out on the first UUST I took, but I didn't do nearly as well on the second. My pacing was off. Garr. In any case, it's an extremely concrete goal, which I'm interested in having right now. You can do a few very good things with a degree from UU school...in any case, we'll see.

I went last week to see Spring Awakening with Greg and V, cool dudes both. I had very mixed feelings about the show, and I'm almost ashamed to admit that some of it stems from an instant disgust with diva-ish teenage girls, even if they're talented and don't seem all that caught up with themselves. I also liked the individual phrases of the music a lot, but I don't think they came together to make fully coherent, performable songs. It was a cool play to adapt, though, and the rocking style of the music connected nicely with the 19th Century German style of the script. And it was totally sexy.

All right, I'd better get crackin' on this whole tax return thing. I have more time tonight than I've had in a while, and I plan on using it wisely. Namely by watching SVU and American Idol and Comedy Central. Excellent.