Saturday, December 23, 2000Wednesday, December 27, 2000I'm terribly sorry-in the excitement of the confluence of the celebration of the birth of our Savior and a day off of work, I completely forgot to update this.
Merry Christmas and Happy Boxing Day!
Also, Thursday I'm driving to Springfield, MO, (4 hours away) to participate in Joel Block's wedding on Dec. 30! I'll return Sunday.
I must say, I really enjoy this time of year: the spirit, the music, the lights, the snow, the frenzied shopping. I'm not being sarcastic. I like the crowds-all of us there at the mall on a mission-it creates a feeling of camaraderie, or I like to think it does as I quietly hum Christmas carols, smiling, trying to spread some good cheer.
Thursday, December 21, 2000Tuesday, December 12, 2000Do I practice what I preach? No, I have just pulled another all-nighter. But when I do get sleep, I try hard to make it at least nine; yup, nine or none, that's my motto...
Monday, December 18, 2000Saturday, December 16, 2000Did any pirate really tote a parrot around on his shoulder? If so, were bird droppings a problem? I was just thinking it would be a fun thing to do, but probably not at the expense of my wardrobe.
Also, Happy Birthday, Paulette! (Yes, I did tell her that on her birthday on Sunday.)
Sleep is extremely important if one wishes to remain healthy. In an October issue of US News & World Report, scientists linked sleep deprivation with not just colds and flu but also hypoglycemia, diabetes, and cancer among others (including insomnia). How much sleep do you need? 9 hours a night.
Music and memories are close associates. You know when you hear a song, and it immediately grabs you, becoming one of your favorites, full of meaning for you? What if you had never heard it? How many other great songs are you missing? How would you remember the memories associated with that song?
Sunday, December 10, 2000Saturday, December 2, 2000I just saw a tv special on Elvis impersonators, most of whom resemble Elvis about as much as my grandmother. This is one of the more bizarre subcultures I've seen - one guy said, "I'm probably sick, but if I had to chose between my family and impersonating, I'd choose Elvis."
Thursday, December 7, 2000This day in 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, which caused us to enter WWII. War is hideous and necessary. For more poignant thoughts on war, follow the topmost link on the left.
Monday, December 4, 2000Have you ever seen/tasted Dipping Dots? The "ice cream" is a dish of small spheres with artificial flavor. It's the ice cream of the future - except that it's gimmicky and not very good and may not be around in malls after this holiday season.
Hooray for the first snow of winter! I love snow. I'll not put a soliloquy in here about snow; instead, you just appreciate snow in your own way.
Thursday, November 30, 2000Thursday, November 23, 2000I'm back in time for my old guy birthday. This trip was much less stressful than the Vegas whirlwind, and I'm writing a trip report, which I may even post here. Of course, I have a weeks' worth of work on my desk right now, but I'll try to clear a couple of hours to pen the experience. I wasn't going to mention any teasers, but I couldn't resist: bloody lip. More later...
Saturday, November 25, 2000Well, it's a long story, but I'm flying to Antigua today. I'll return late on Nov. 29th. Even though the weather is all in the upper 70s and low 80s, I'll still try to sympathize with the rest of you stuck here.
Happy Thanksgiving! Let us all give thanks for what God has given us - really - let's try to stave off judgment as long as we can, people.
Also, happy birthday, Brian!
Wednesday, November 8, 2000Saturday, November 11, 2000Wednesday, November 15, 2000Tuesday, November 21, 2000Saturday, November 18, 2000My sister Sarah comes home from Taylor today! Also, I need to take more time off work.
What looks like a hot dog and smells like a hot dog, but tastes like Plaintiff's Exhibit 1 in The People vs. Firestone? A tofu hot dog! A hot dog is a complex (haphazard) blend of meats (scraps) that cannot currently be simulated (too unnatural), and frankly, I feel cheated (big dope who thought tofu could taste like something other than tofu) that a product claiming to be meatless hot dogs is on the shelves.
The issue is whether the government abridged a Constitutional right-whether the county officials were Democrats is unimportant. The government can't violate citizens' rights if the government (in the form of Democratic approval) says it is ok to do so. If the government violated voters' rights, then it must offer redress. I do not think voters' rights were violated.
Happy Armistice Day! On this day in 1918, WWI ended. The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
More importantly Happy Veterans Day! I salute those who served our freedom.
Well, this has been a fascinating election. And phooey on all those who said their vote doesn't count. Morons. Missouri and Florida have had some of the closest elections in US history. Also, I think we are witnessing the beginning of the end of the electoral college, since most people do not realize the value of it.
Sunday, November 5, 2000Thursday, November 2, 2000No profound thoughts, but it looks like a big deal I've been working on is going to go through. More details later...hopefully...
One should not choose a president based on particular issues so much as on general governing philosophy. The president does very little in the way of passing specific legislation, but he wields great veto power, which is often dictated by his political philosophy.
Monday, October 30, 2000
I just made a long distance call over the Internet for free, and it sounded just like I was talking on a cell phone! Thank you DSL!
Thursday, October 26, 2000Friday, October 20, 2000I think that hamsters don't really understand the wheel in which they run. I think they're sniffing and snuffling along, when they discover Something. They nose their way in, start walking, and then "Oh, o-oh! Uh oh! Run! Run faster! Aaaaaahhhhhh!"
Monday, October 23, 2000There is no other place like Vegas - it is a big, crazy, phony city. The trip was exhausting (I got a maximum of 3 hours of sleep a night), but very productive (because I got a maximum of 3 hours of sleep a night). Business meetings run late out there, and hookers run even later. Actually, I did not see a single hooker the entire time I was out there, which was surprising - no, I don't mean disappointing, Jim!
Happy Birthday, my finely appointed friend! Party on, Wayne.
Sunday, October 15, 2000
Well, I'm off to Vegas tomorrow, and I'll be back Friday. Unfortunately it's all business. But it is a city I've never been to, so at least there's that. I know - I've never been so glum about new travel, but it's been an extremely stressful week.
Friday, September 22, 2000Wednesday, October 11, 2000Wednesday, October 4, 2000I got new glasses today, and now I have no peripheral vision. In fact, I can only see a narrow strip directly in front of my eyes - it's like I'm wearing a knight's visor. The price I pay for cool.
Monday, October 9, 2000Friday, October 6, 2000To all my friends who don't realize it: Happy Columbus Day!
I'm sorry about all feline deaths recently. I know how hard it is to lose a beloved pet.
In other news, I'm off to Family Camp!
I recently heard a feminist author complaining that men create but women just support and maintain. She was urging women to create in order to find worth and meaning, but really she seems to completely misunderstand the high value of maintenance and support.
Wednesday, September 27, 2000Well, I flexed a little legal muscle yesterday and discovered that generally people are afraid of lawsuits, especially when the suit has already been drafted, faxed to them, and is only waiting to be filed. Disputes get settled fairly quickly after that. Score one for my team.
Happy Birthday, Sarah!
My younger sister,
Becky, is getting married
this Saturday, and we're all going crazy getting ready for it.
Monday, September 18, 2000Friday, September 8, 2000I have DSL!!! This is fantastic! In the time it took you to read this I downloaded another mp3.
Wednesday, September 13, 2000Saturday, September 16, 2000Happy Birthday, Jim! We (Jim and I) had a great time in Minneapolis. The concert was fantastic, and the Mall of America is HUGE!
Well, I'm off to Minneapolis for a few days on a bizarre road trip to see Brian Wilson in concert. Yes, that Brian Wilson.
Monday, September 11, 2000This page is funny and esoterically educational. Thanks go to Charlie for finding it.
Have you ever tried thinking statistically? I mean, just think of all the things that, statistically, would be happening during the day. Every 18 seconds someone is robbed, every 2 and a half minutes a baby is born, etc. It's very strange; enlightening, not so much, but you can run through a wide range of emotions in a matter of a few minutes.
Wednesday, September 6, 2000Sunday, August 27, 2000Happy Birthday, Mom! (No, I won't tell how many candles are on your cake.)
Thursday, August 31, 2000Monday, September 4, 2000Labor Day is always a little sad for me. It marks the unofficial end of summer and usually the start of another school year. Now it marks the lack of another school year, which, as it turns out, I do miss.
You know what would be a good idea? A restaurant for people and their pets. You could allow the pets to eat at the table and charge ridiculous prices for gourmet pet food.
Tuesday, August 29, 2000I saw the oddest thing in a book on interior decorating: someone used a metal hospital gurney as a bathroom sink and counter. It was impressively unique but also very creepy.
I think hypocrisy might be the most universally detested fault. (No, I'm not singling out anyone for this, just making an observation.) I think that every other flaw can have some sort of redeeming aspect to it: adultery for love, murder for revenge, etc. But hypocrisy has no such "positive" facets; it is wholly detestable.
Friday, August 25, 2000Friday, August 18, 2000Last night I learned about the importance of the keyguard function on a cell phone. The keyguard prevents buttons from being pushed unless you first enter a specific sequence of commands. This prevents your car keys from teaming up with your thigh to place calls to numbers stored in your phone at 1am. Sorry about that, Eric.
Saturday, August 19, 2000Tuesday, August 22, 2000You know, I think NASA could raise a lot of money by selling raffle tickets to win a trip into space.
An addendum to yesterday's post: In light of Charlie's comment, I must expand: to consciously, purposefully effect change in the world - not make history, but change the course of events - one must understand the past. I would also allow an exception for acts of God, who changes history according to His timetable rather than ours.
Also, I had a great time at Jeff's soirée last night.
History influences nearly every aspect of our daily lives: what did you have for breakfast; why do we have three meals a day; what is a family; where did the concept of marriage come from; what is right and wrong? All of these questions were, for the most part, settled hundreds (often thousands) of years ago. The past dominates our way of life on so many levels and in such a complete way, from obvious conventions to subtle prejudices, that we must understand it if we are to effect change both on a micro and macro level.
Tuesday, August 15, 2000Friday, August 4, 2000I had planned to follow up on the history comment, but instead it's time for another remodeling rant! I HATE REMODELING! I have learned several new skills - ones which I hope I will never have to use again.
Friday, August 11, 2000Tuesday, August 8, 2000"If you don't know history, you don't know anything." - Edward Johnson
I take this to mean that since the present and future are based solely on the past, then one cannot know them if one does not first know the past.
Today I learned that you should never remodel your house - either pay someone else to do it, learn to live with it, or move.
Well, I'm off to Memphis again for Philip's MBA graduation. Congratulations, Philip!
I feel the need to do something crazy, something life threatening. If I don't, will I "go soft" or "mature"? Is there a difference?
Tuesday, August 1, 2000We have had basically 10 wars in our roughly 250 year history (starting with the French and Indian War), so I guess we're not due for another one for 10-15 more years.
Thursday, July 27, 2000I heard this on "The Simpsons" recently:
Lisa: "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Bart: "Not if they were called Stink Pots."
Funny, but also true. Names do matter.
Sunday, July 9, 2000Monday, July 24, 2000Tuesday, July 11, 2000Please allow me to extend my most humble apologies: I have never gone so long without an update. I was in Chicago much longer than I expected, which resulted in a lot more work when I returned.
Does anyone know if it is possible to pilot a wave runner from St. Louis to Memphis on the Mississippi River and how long it would take?
Friday, July 14, 2000Well, I'm off to my fourth wedding of the summer. Congratulations to my good friend Chris Houser!
I just read this:
"A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't. A man marries a woman expecting that she won't change, and she does."
Interesting, no? I am not married, but this seems to have some truth to it.
I'm back. It was hot, sweaty, muddy, dirty, fantastic. I loved it! Also, I'm extremely tired, so I'll have to tell you all about it later.
Sunday, June 25, 2000Tuesday, July 4, 2000Wednesday, June 28, 2000Happy Independence Day!
Also, I'm leaving for Cornerstone tomorrow, and I won't be home until Sunday!
Saturday, July 1, 2000Well, tonight's Show was the best yet! $850 worth of fun!
Nearly every thing worth having or doing requires sacrifice, and the better it is the greater the sacrifice, from that piece of pie for dessert (time in the gym) to having children (giving up your freedom and the obvious monetary burden among others) to gaining all wisdom (an eye).
I think the President could make better use of his bully pulpit. He (any US president - not just Clinton) should say some practical things along with all the lofty goals and promises: "...and provide a better future for our children. Also, never drive below the speed limit in the fast lane." Just you wait until I have a national forum. People will drive faster, talk less in movies, and refill beverages more quickly at Denny's to help make the world a better place for you and me (or at least me).
Monday, June 12, 2000Thursday, June 22, 2000Sunday, June 18, 2000Happy 24th Birthday, Becky! You may be single and working at a part-time job, but at least you're not still living at home. Oh wait...
(Lest you think I''m being cruel, I'll have you know I love my sister very much - teasing is a brotherly duty.)
Wednesday, June 21, 2000This entry is basically holding the space until tomorrow, so check back then. (I meant later than now.)
Again, sorry everyone. I went to Memphis Thursday morning for a good friend's wedding and forgot to update my page before I left.
Congratulations, Philip!!!
(Yes, I know it's kind of a lame entry after all these days, but I'm really tired, and I just want to go to bed instead of sitting here entertaining you people.)
Love is a choice. When you love someone, each day you must choose to keep loving that person. Sometimes it is easy; other times, not so much... Feelings come and go just like all emotions, and when they're at a low, love comes down to a choice. Choosing to love is choosing a set of attitudes and actions, not necessarily feelings, but the feelings will return if the mindset remains. No, this is not easy, but nothing worthwhile is ever easy, as I've been recently learning.
Friday, May 26, 2000Friday, June 9, 2000Thursday, June 1, 2000Sorry about the long dry spell here - extremely busy at work. Until very recently, I had never worked over 120 hours in a week...
Happy birthday, Dad!
Sunday, June 4, 2000Wow, I can't believe I was in this play and lived to tell about it! Incidentally, it is one of my two favorites of his - can anyone guess the other?
Working 17 and 18 hour days lately. Why aren't headset phones more popular? They are so much easier to use than regular phones. I do not understand why they haven't caught on among the general public.
Monday, May 29, 2000Happy Memorial Day! Honor and glory to our armed forces and the men and women who bought our freedom at great price. On a personal note, I think I'm going to join the National Guard.
Yay! My youngest sister, Sarah, is home from Taylor University (my alma matter) for the summer after her freshman year of college! She was elected to the Student Senate for next year (one of my most favorite activities), and one of her articles for the campus paper was picked up by some other publication that paid her money for it! I'm so proud of her. I love Taylor, and so far she's really liking it, too.Tuesday, May 23, 2000
When you marry someone, you are committing yourself to that person. You can no longer do "whatever makes you happy." In marriage, you are committing part of yourself to the other person's happiness as well. Marrying only for the sake of your own happiness is selfish and, as such, is doomed to fail.
Friday, May 18, 2000
I just read an interesting statistic in Men's Health: "There's an 85% divorce rate for couples who lived together before getting married. That's about 45% greater than for couples who didn't live together first." April, 2000 issue
Friday, May 12, 2000Tuesday, May 16, 2000Beware hot tub owners - your sinfully extravagant ways are catching up to you!
Sunday, May 14, 2000Happy Mother's Day, Mom!
I'm going to the Symphony tonight!
Yes, I know one doesn't usually need surgery for a simple dislocation, but one does need surgery if one previously separated one's shoulder and then dislocated it. Dislocation: the ball pops out of the socket; push it back in; heal. Separation: the ball and socket joint is ripped away from the body; undergo rigorous physical therapy for half a year to avoid surgery and don't ever injure it again. If further injury should occur, surgery will ensue.
Wednesday, May 10, 2000
Monday, May 8, 2000I dislocated my shoulder a couple weeks ago, while swing dancing of all things. (It wasn't pretty - I was flipping a girl when my right shoulder popped out of joint. I tried to hold on to her, but, well, there wasn't really much I could do, since I was also falling to the ground in pain. She was ok, though, and I rolled over on my shoulder to push it back in.) It still hurts, but what really concerns me is that now the doctor says I need surgery if my shoulder is ever going to heal. Also, I have no health insurance.
I am really fed up with Clinton's foreign policy. There is no consistency or persistence to it. To achieve the respect of other nations you must be consistent; to achieve success with other nations you must be persistent. Now, other nations are banding together against us because of our foolish and arrogant foreign policy.
Thursday, May 4, 2000
Well here's something more interesting than Elian: a recent poll shows that everyone plays video games. I feel vindicated.
Monday, May 1, 2000
Happy May Day to you, Tom. To everyone else, pity the poor, little Communists, who do not realize that their day has come and gone.
Also, I'll be trying out some new fonts, so if you can't read these entries, please let me know immediately.
Thursday, April 27, 2000
Tuesday, April 25, 2000This embargo against Cuba is really getting on my nerves! I want a little consistency in our foreign policy! If we're going to give China MFN status, then the least we can do is recognize Cuba. or revoke MFN status for China. Either one is fine by me. I'm actually leaning toward taking the principled route and cutting off trade with China, but I'm concerned about the new political alliances that would result (China + Pakistan + India + N.Korea + a revitalized Russia - it isn't pretty).
A further note on a national sales tax: the tax would help discourage the use of personal vehicles, since the tax on gasoline and automobiles would be rather high, and promote the use of public transportation. Good for the environment; bad for rural living.
Sunday, April 23, 2000
Happy Easter! This holiday commemorates one of the most important events in all of history, the death and resurrection of God-made-man. The death is the key, though. His death is what paid the penalty for our sin.
In other news, my computer is down and might not be coming back. (No, I'm not comparing the two, just letting you know they both happened.)
Monday, April 17, 2000
Tax day, everyone. I think the income tax is unconstitutional and should be abolished. I'm in favor of the national sales tax, which would be an increase in the amount of sales tax charged for different items. Luxury items would have a high sales tax, while a tax on food would be low or nonexistent. I think this is the most equitable way to tax a people, rather than penalizing them for working hard.
Friday, April 14, 2000
Tuesday, April 11, 2000I'm home.
I'm exhausted.
I'm going to bed.
Happy Birthday to the Twinkie! 70 years old last week. Is there any humor that does not involve pain? By that I mean are there any jokes or humorous situations that are not somehow at the expense of an individual (or animal)?
Friday, April 7, 2000
Sorry, everyone. I was stuck in a hotel without Internet access for the past week. More on that later (or never).
I had a little time off, and I spent the day in San Francisco, finally! Cool city. I like it. I only got to walk around Fisherman's Wharf and see two art museums, but I had a great time. I'll definitely be going back. That's all for now.Monday, April 3, 2000
Saturday, April 1, 2000"What's the worst thing about being old?"
"Remembering when you were young."
- Richard Farnsworth, The Straight Story
Nope, no April Fool's pranks on this site. No siree.
Wednesday, March 29, 2000
You learn a lot about yourself when faced with various challenges. But how important is it to know yourself? Really? Can anyone answer me this? Why does it matter if you know yourself, as long as you are still in control of your thoughts and actions? Let me know what you think.
Monday, March 27, 2000
Sorry about this, but our Internet connection was down for several days. Anyway, I finally made it to San Francisco, but unfortunately it was for a business meeting. At night. So, I didn't see any of the city, but the meeting went very well.Tuesday, March 21, 2000
Well, here's another story about the demise of the human race. The only thing is, it's not from some fruitcake prophet of doom but the intelligent and respected co-founder of Sun Microsystems, Bill Joy. I would summarize it, but I don't want to spoil the article. Oh what the heck. He thinks that we could all be wiped out by viral nanobots, infecting humans rather than computers. Scary stuff.
Sunday, March 19, 2000
Midway through a business lunch on Friday I asked one of the men I had just met the significance of a sprig of leaves he had tucked into his lapel. He was Hispanic, so I thought perhaps he was observing a Latin American holiday. As it turns out, he was celebrating a holiday - St. Patrick's Day. I need to get out more.
Thursday, March 16, 2000Monday, March 7, 2000I think there are seeds of nobility in every person. Sometimes those seeds only blossom for a moment, wither, and are gone. In others they bloom and grow into something beautiful. But within everyone are at least the seeds.Sunday, March 12, 2000I think that while a good writer is a good writer, the skill in nonfiction is in crafting the words, whereas the skill in fiction is in creating the idea.
Thursday, March 9, 2000Man! My favorite candidate, John McCain, dropped out! This means a boring rerun in November. In other news, I discovered I can do a mean Ross Perot impersonation.
I am frustrated with the candidates' lack of dialogue on foreign policy. The Republican candidates are talking about it more than the Democrats, but no one is really engaging in any meaningful discussion regarding US foreign policy. I think this is more the fault of politicians than the public at large. Granted the public is not very interested in foreign policy, since the focus of a country's citizens is naturally on affairs within that country. However, I think that politicians have a responsibility to present important issues to the public and explain why they are important. This is where the politicians first fail. The public would probably respond if they had issues to respond to. But the candidates breath barely a word on foreign policy, which is unfortunate, since the President's primary functions is to represent America abroad.
Friday, March 3, 2000Up all night again. The fun never stops. It's not often one must seriously ponder driving to Central America for legitimate business reasons. I'm not, though.
Wednesday, March 1, 2000Thursday, February 24, 2000Is it that young people lack perspective or that their world truly is smaller than an adult's? I think that mainly they lack perspective, which usually only comes with age and experience. But also they do have fewer responsibilities, which does make for a smaller world in many ways, since it seems to be responsibility that expands one's horizons in the way that age does (but not in the same way as experience). I've just been thinking about this because one of my friends is fascinated by teenagers, and I don't know why.
Saturday, February 26, 2000I think Americans like Ireland so much because it is at once exotic and safe. It is exotic in that it is different from the US, but not so different that an American has no reference point, not so different as Africa or India. It is different enough to provide excitement, while still being a safe first world, English speaking country. I'm not knocking Ireland - it's one of my favorite countries - all I'm saying is I'm not alone on this one.
I saw Stomp perform last night! I've seen many dance troupes and martial arts exhibitions, and although both are very rhythmic, the former emphasizes grace and the latter power while Stomp is rhythm incarnate. They are incredible and not to be missed!
Then, I went back to work and promptly pulled another all-nighter. What can I say, I bought the tickets before the crisis at work popped up, and you would do the same if you knew Stomp.
Tuesday, February 22, 2000Monday, February 7, 2000Wow, I'm sorry about this - I got so busy I forgot about my home page. (Also Netscape keeps crashing on me.) Anyway, I finally had a day off on Saturday, but I was so tired I barely got out of the apartment. I swear someday I'll make it into the city.
Thursday, February 10, 2000Monday, February 14, 2000Wednesday, February 16, 2000"If everything's under control, you're going too slow."
-Mario AndrettiWell, not only did I not get a day off, but I was up all night Sunday night, too! I've been up for around 36 hours straight now.
A big shout out to my homey Jim T. who was my 1000th visitor!
Finally, Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours.
Saturday, February 12, 2000I did, in fact, stay up all night Thursday night, as well. But the important thing is that we got the documents completed on time. I get one day off tomorrow!
This where Matt whines about staying up all night to complete some crucial documents. It was tough, but I managed to snag 3 hours of sleep, from 11am to 2pm today. Looks like it'll be a repeat performance tonight. Crazy busy at work.
The UN is horribly inefficient, inequitable, and corrupt. I think a better way to organize it would be to create a bicameral system of government, with each country having representatives in both houses. One house would have a representative from each country, and in the other house representation would be based on population. Yes, this is much like the US system, but that does not mean the US would dominate the UN. On the contrary, the US would be giving up power to move to this more sophisticated from of government.
Friday, February 4, 2000Tuesday, February 1, 2000Well, I made my first major professional mistake last night. Nothing too serious, mostly just made me look stupid, but I don't really feel like going into details just now. I guess it was bound to happen eventually...
Work moves on apace. I still haven't seen the city, but maybe someday... Also, I think a museum for African-Americans is a good idea, but does that mean we have to have one for every race and ethnicity?
Sunday, January 30, 2000 THE RAMS WON THE SUPERBOWL!!! THE RAMS WON THE SUPERBOWL!!! Saturday, January 29, 2000
The Rams are in the Superbowl! This is the first time St. Louis has ever had a football team win in the playoffs, let alone make it to the Superbowl! I'm actually nervous about tomorrow's game.
Thursday, January 27, 2000Thursday, January 13, 2000Whew, it's been busy! Today is the first chance I've had to update this (because I've been extremely busy and because we lost our DSL connection), but rest assured, I'll keep slipping entries out regularly. I've heard San Francisco is a beautiful city, but I wouldn't actually know. Maybe I'll get out this weekend.
Saturday, January 22, 2000Monday, January 17, 2000Well, friends, I'm off to San Francisco for a month on business! I'm leaving Sunday morning around 4am, and I won't be back until the end of February. Still, I should be able to continue my posts, so you'll all be able to keep up with what's going on in the wonderful world of Matt.
Thursday, January 20, 2000Busy, busy, busy at work, but more on that later. I'm off to the Symphony again this Saturday for Beethoven's Violin Concerto and some pieces by Wagner! Interesting question asked of me recently: If you could write one book, what would it be?
Music, more than any other art form, has the power to touch our souls. I went to the symphony last night, and the experience was incredible - Bach's Brandenburg Concertos. Right now I'm listening to a mournful Irish melody played on a simple set of pipes with a cello, and I would be hard pressed to say which moves me more. But both move me, and that is my point: when we want to feel or express something we cannot altogether put into words, we use music, which creates or changes or amplifies emotions, communicating what we are unable to. It is the universal human language; nothing else expresses who we are more than our music.
The President's focus is meant to be outward, not inward. He is supposed to be concerned more with foreign policy than domestic - that's why we have Congress - to represent our community interests. It is impossible for one man to represent the people of a large country, rather he is to represent the country itself and represent it to the world. Our Representatives and Senators look after our "individual" interests, while the President looks after the country's interests. This is why I am upset that our President and the candidates do not have much focus on or knowledge of foreign policy, since, really, that is the thrust of the job.
Saturday, January 1, 2000Tuesday, January 11, 2000Sunday, January 9, 2000Sick again; can't seem to shake it, but work marches on. On the brighter side, I just got a two tickets for the price of one coupon in the mail for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra!
So far the biggest non-event ever has claimed few victims. Bet you feel pretty foolish now for buying that six cylinder diesel generator.
Thursday, January 6, 2000Tuesday, January 4, 2000Well, I found out it's pretty easy to fix a ticket if you're a new lawyer and you went to school with the prosecuting attorney. Good day.
"Peanuts" is nearly gone. Not to get maudlin, but "Peanuts" represented an America that is gentle, thoughtful, melancholy, and kind, Boy Scouts and unlocked doors - the spirit of an age - an age that I feel is passing. An age to which we shall never return. Thank you, Charles Schulz, for upholding our history.
If you can read this, then the world did not end. Happy Fake New Millennium!
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