Give me something to believe in

On Sunday, my cousin and I saw the new movie, Bobby. At the end, both of us exited the theatre talking about how it was one of the best movies we’ve seen in a long time – if not ever. And even though the movie covered mostly a single day, and was much more about the storylines of the people at the Ambassador Hotel than it was about the man, it made me feel like I was there. It made me want to work for RFK's campaign; it made me want him to win the California primary. At the time, I couldn’t even think of the right words, but my cousin and I managed to have a conversation something like this:

Him: I get the feeling he didn’t just want to be President.
Me: Yeah, like he felt he needed to be…
Him: And that would be the best President to have

I wasn’t alive in 1968 – my parents were barely even dating then, but the movie made me wish I had been around to witness such a man running for President. Over the past 5 years, I’ve been involved in politics at the local, state and federal level (for the Democratic Party, if that matters). But I’m still waiting to see that candidate that makes me think… (s)he’s the one. The one to help our country go in the right direction – the one who cares more about what our country needs than about the power he or she will have as President. And maybe that’s how the Kennedy’s were, and after 4 decades, it’s been lost from our collective memory. Or maybe it’s that we haven’t had such a leader in a long time. Or maybe we’ve been choosing the wrong people as candidates and electing the wrong people to office.

To be fair, I don’t think politicians are inherently a bad breed of people. You give a group of people power and attention, and someone’s going to do something stupid – maybe even a lot of someones. But we shouldn’t reward that – we shouldn’t reelect people just because incumbency is stable and breeds more power. We also shouldn’t let attack ads detract from the good of someone, or party lines keep us from choosing the best man or woman to lead our values. Voting for our country’s leaders should not be an easy choice – unless one person edges out the rest as someone who will lead us wherever it is we should go.

Don’t get me wrong – I know that not everyone wanted Robert Kennedy to win the Democratic nomination, let alone the Presidency. But everything I’ve read and watched about him and his run have led me to believe that it was something special… he was something special. I hope we find that again…

(To end this on a brighter note – I definitely recommend the movie. After you see it, let me know what you thought – I’d love to hear other peoples’ opinions. And if you’re more of a reader, I highly suggest the book 1968: The Year that Rocked the World, by Mark Kurlansky.)

Fried Gator

For lunch today, I went to a Louisiana/Cajun style restaurant in St. Joseph, MO with my mom, my roommate and my roommate’s mom. I was tempted to order an appetizer of fried alligator, but I wasn’t quite that hungry, and I don’t know that anyone else was either (plus there’s probably no way my mom would’ve eaten it). If I had thought about the fact that KU was set to play Florida in basketball tonight, though, I probably would’ve ordered some, eaten it, and enjoyed the feeling of gator going down.

It turns out Kansas didn’t even need my metaphorical help (shocking, isn’t it?) and I got to enjoy Gators going down anyways... With 19 points (including clutch free throws) from Darrell “Shady” Arthur, several big plays and crazy dunks by Julian Wright (who had a career high 21 points), and an all around good team effort, the Jayhawks beat the country’s #1 team 82-80 in overtime. All I know is that if we can play like that against a national championship team that returned all 5 starters, we can play with anybody…

But I’m not here to recap the game – that’s what sports reporters are for (check out the KUSports link to the right if that's what you want). The thing is, watching a game like that is, to quote my best-friend-in-law, “an emotionally draining experience.” I can’t decide if I want to dance a jig, run around in circles, jump up and down while screaming, or take a nap. I watched the game at my friends’ place, and they have a super comfy couch with a chaise lounge on one end. For the last 10 minutes of the game (including OT), I alternately paced the floor, sat on the couch, kneeled on the couch, and jumped around. My stomach was tense, my shoulders were tight… and I’m just a fan. I can’t even imagine being a player or a coach. Can you?

I love watching the players on the bench get excited for good plays and tense at the end of a close game. I enjoy watching young players blossom – from Mario Chalmers quickly going after loose balls on defense and Julian Wright showing off his amazing athleticism to Darrell Arthur calmly sinking several big free throws with all eyes on him. I get excited when there's a big run in points, I worry when someone takes an extra few seconds to get up from a tumble, I get frustrated when players make stupid mistakes, and I get all knotted up when the game is close and every play matters... in other words, I ride an emotional roller coaster for two hours and I'm not even related to anyone playing in the game.

I have to remind myself that these players are just college students – some are as young as 18 and we (the fans) pin our hopes on them for 34+ games per year. I feel for the coaches who can do little more than teach and guide (and scream and yell, I’m sure), and hope that the players listen and learn. So, to all of the players and coaches… thanks for playing, and Rock Chalk Jayhawk, GO KU!!!!!

Side note: Obviously, I was rooting for the Jayhawks, but Florida played a great game as well. I actually enjoyed watching Florida’s run to the Championship last year, so it was fun again to watch them play tonight. I’m not gonna lie, I’m glad they lost – but to Taurean Green, Al Horford, Joakim Noah & the rest – you’ve got amazing talent. But still, I hope that when April rolls around, the Jayhawks go home with the title of National Champs.

Two (in a way 3) Things I'm Thankful For

1. My parents. No matter where I go or what I do, they are always there for me. And I’m not just talking about the big stuff, like when I hated my job (back when I was an auditor) and wanted to quit, or when I crashed my car into a tree on my way to school when I was 15. They’re reliable for that stuff, too, but the small things make the difference. My dad always answers the phone and listens to my random thoughts – I’m behind a red car that’s old looking. What kind is it? or Can I have a lake house? A speed boat? A jet-ski? A paddle boat? or Do you think Grandpa Bill [his father] sounded like Joe Lieberman when he talked? And just the other day, after watching an episode of One Tree Hill, I called my mom and said, “Do I have an African-American half-brother in the Marines?” Without skipping a beat, she said, “How’d you find out?” Seriously – I have some pretty awesome parents.
   
2. My roommate(s). I have three, and they’re all pretty great, but the one I’ve been living with the longest gets the most kudos from me. She’s probably the one who benefits most from this blog, because now I can type out some of the random thoughts that usually just get explained to her, where she’s expected not only to nod, but also to comment. Plus, she helps me find my keys when I lose them, remembers to take the trash out every week, and puts up with my sarcastic sense of humor. And she can fold a fitted sheet. I bet other people wish they had roommates this cool…

Obviously, I'm thankful for other things, but if I listed them all, this post could go on and on. But here's a quick Honorable Mention List:

• My siblings, nieces and nephew
• My dog
• The makers of Ben-Gay (sounds random, but I could explain)
• Kevin Smith, George Carlin, Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert
• Computers and the Internet
• The guy that invented the printing press

Thanks to everyone that's important to me. Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

The longest game of telephone - ever

I think a lot about religion. Actually, the better way to phrase that would be to say that I think about religion a lot. I spend way more time wondering about how religion got where it is today than I do about what I actually believe, though. And the other day, while standing next to a whole bunch of random people on a fairly crowded (but not uncomfortably so) Metro train, I was thinking about how all of the different religions are pretty much just different end results of a game of Telephone. Remember that from when you were a kid? One person whispers something to the kid next to him or her, and it goes down the line or around the circle until the last person, and it never comes out the way it started.

Truthfully, I don’t know details of many religions. I was raised a conservative Jew, and even though I went to a private Jewish school for 4 years and Hebrew School for 7 years after that (plus took a Judaism class in college), I don’t even know that much about Judaism. I do know that there are people who believe that the Bible/Torah/Old Testament or whatever you want to call is actually the word of G-d.* If you use the telephone theory, it totally makes sense that a huge portion of the population decided that parts of the Bible foretold of the coming of Jesus (the Son of God) while people of the Jewish faith are still waiting for the Messiah. Elementary school students can rarely make it through a line of 10 without losing or changing some of the words in the game – how would humanity be able to make it thousands of years with no changes? Especially since the beginnings of religion likely precluded writing… makes you think, doesn’t it?

*Let me explain the dash. Growing up, I was never allowed to actually write out the word, because there’s some Jewish rule about having to give anything with the deity’s name written out some sort of proper burial. Or the teachers were afraid it would get misspelled, I’m not sure. Anyways, the habit continues, just in case I end up in Hell for spelling out the word. G-d forbid. But now I realized that unless this is printed, it really doesn’t matter, because you can’t bury a website. So please don’t print this, or God will be mad. Unless my religion’s wrong, in which case you’re probably fine. And either way, I warned you, so print at your own peril.

11/20/06, 11:29pm. (the actual time this was written...)

As you may have noticed, I actually started writing this blog before even having one. I just tried the blogspot website, and it’s apparently having problems, so I guess I’m going to have to wait to actually find a name and start up the official blog.

Right now I’m typing this up with ESPN2’s College GameDay on in the background. It is sometimes amazing to me that as each year passes, I seem to enjoy college basketball more and more. A few years ago, I pretty much only paid attention to Kansas Basketball during the regular season, and then half-heartedly watched the tournament up until the Sweet Sixteen or Elite Eight. Not so anymore – I now find myself staying up late to watch the replay of the Arizona-UVA game (definitely worth it – UVA came back to win a close one), caring about who won the Maryland-Winthrop game (and I’ve even heard of Winthrop before), and itching to go to bed to continue reading John Feinstein’s A March to Madness. I guess what I’m trying to say is – it’s basketball season, and I’m loving it. And I’m guessing this isn’t the last time it comes up in my blog.

Naming my Blog

Finally, I’ve decided to get myself a blog. It’s been a long time coming – I’ve been thinking about it off and on for about a year now, but I can never think of what I want to call it. According to the omniscient character Lucas in Empire Records (one of my faves), “The first thing you need is a name. Then you'll know what kind of band you've got.” I realize I’m not starting a band, but I’m guessing the name thing is just as important in blogging. If you already know me, then my year-long thought process probably won’t surprise you, since you know I always have multiple trains of thought going on. If you just happen along onto this blog… sorry if things get a little random, but that’s how my brain works. Crap, now I have to think of a name…*

*one day later - I have a name. Actually, I was trying to decide on the address title - and I decided on midnight-a-musing. I do my best thinking at night, and maybe it'll be amusing. Either way, each thought definitely counts as a musing. :-)