The Captivating Godfather

All day today I was in the library of my college racking my mind over the best way to proceed on my thesis. I came up with different angles and arguments and methods and outlines, but when it came down to writing a single page I went blank.

How in the heck can writing be so hard at times? It's not the writing of course... I could mindlessly write volumes of theory if I didn't have to cite sources, or properly quote somebody or use other people's theory to complement my own. This is the difference between a quality work, and blogging.

Perhaps a bit of professionalism has been lost with the blogging revolution, perhaps our society flies off the handle to easily. For certain this economy is way outta whack and for years I've never been concerned because I thought, or at least thought up till now, that the fix was in to bring it all back.

Perhaps I'm just that naive and I better ship up and sail straight before I watch my future go away with the recent aging generation.

Or... perhaps we all need to do what I did this evening...

The stress had built up from my mind juggling of Japanese election politics when I got home and I wanted to chill. The Godfather was on AMC and so I sat and watched it, they played both Godfather 1 & 2 back to back and I have to admit that no matter how many times I've seen it-- it's good everytime and I always pick up one thing I didn't pick up before.

Not to be patronizing to women, but the Godfather really is a guys movie. Ladies are welcome to watch, but perhaps it would do them good to understand that men need to live by the Godfather. A part of us, or all of us need to study the Godfather to remind ourselves about what real men do, think, or should act.

You'll probably read that and hear, "Men should act like gangsters" but men who watch the Godfather know what I'm talking about. The Godfather is really nothing about gangsters, as it's about character, attitude, and true masculinity. Men shouldn't dissect the Godfather, but just absorb it when it comes on.

Michael Corleone is more then Michael Corleone. He's an example of when men had restraint and keep emotions close and were smart. If one can, one should hold himself to Michael Corleone if not one step better (like his father Viti Corleone).

Something to contemplate for the day or evening..

Did somebody say spaghetti?

~J out

Playing the COD4 Demo

For kicks I downloaded the COD4 (that's Call of Duty 4) demo and played it. Jee! This is one awesome game for anybody interested in real life modern warfare.

Just playing the demo I felt like dodging my monitor, but then I realized it's just a game :)

However, if you do play it remember to not be a goober and UPDATE YOUR DRIVERS to the latest version. For some, like me, this will be a pain since remembering just what you got under the hood is bad enough. Find it anyhow and update them! Or else you're looking at a straight up crash right as you torch three Iraqi tanks... which is arguably worse then a BSOD.

Download the demo and play it because COD4 is hyper intense and better then the other COD's. Yeah if I get my newer system (my htpc) stable again I think I'll get cod4 for it since it's running on a better AMD64 dual core then my P4 3.00 ghz in my base comp. (better graphics too).

Ok I've said enough as it is.

~J out

writer's block

Call it whatever it is, but I've been on a string of writer's block these past days. Perhaps it's too much to write about, or nothing interesting enough to critically think through. Time, as well, hasn't been on my side neither.

However there have been things that have been weighing heavy on my mind. Things that to me do not make sense, but in a strange way make all the sense. It's that weird cryptic duality I've come to harness about how I think of things. In plain English, it's my keen ability of playing devil's advocate on myself.

Perhaps if I illustrate it, I might find peace tonight before I go to bed.

The general subject is my future and what my options are. For me the duality comes when I envision a great future, but then consider the prospects of leaving all that I have here. Of course in the post-modern era, no one ever "leaves" their home since they're connected in some digital way or another. However, in time our connections with humans always fade a bit even though we've broken the digital divide.

The recent future I've been pursuing is a path untraditional (it seems) to anyone I know or have known. Service to one's country should seem natural to anyone, but in our young generation a duty to one's country seems extraordinary or in excess to one's life. It's no longer required, but still there is a patriotic feeling when I filled out my selective service card and sent it in.

Man... I was so young then.

Looking back, one career that's stuck with me this long has been the dream of working for the Navy. The Navy perhaps seems more right to me then anything because, while things have changed with time, to be part of some historic organization like the Navy fills me with a sense of wonderment. For nearly every century dating back to times of Christ and before, Sea power was the true mark of superiority. To make your presence at any port meant you had become THE superpower of the world. It's that understanding that compels my historical and patriotic self towards it.

There's another side, the side that concerns itself with #1. Often when I turn another portion of that application I get that feeling of "just what in the heck am I doing?" Leave everything? Leave a job that I love and suspend my aspirations for higher education for upwards of 4 or more years? See the world? Wait a minute.

There's a lot here that's worth holding on too a bit longer, there's plenty here to make a life for myself and settle down here. The young spry 20 something says, "no way let's boogie!" but the my mind knows better. Ultimately I know that if I were offered a career such as the one I'm pursuing, I'll take it and serve my duty with pride and honor worthy of an officer, but I suppose I should never forget my roots and most of all the beautiful people I know and love here. As unorthodox as it maybe, I would desire to serve my command and love those I love now unconditionally.

Mutually exclusive? I believe absolutely not.

My love is my own to give, and no matter what... no matter my future... I pray to be able to continue to love those that I love now.

Nevertheless, one thing is for damn certain... it's just too early to start writing my epilogue yet.

~J out

SUPER DUPER PHAT TUESDAY!

It's here! Super Tuesday which for politico nerds is code for over 22 states all voting for who will be best to lead the nation in 2009! Pundits on each side are hotly debating a dual debate on who is estimated on being the winner and who is fit to be "the true conservative." Let me point out specifically that the debate among political pundits is not what main street America is debating. Sure there's a debate over conservatism, but the real question is who can we elect that will get things done with a democratically ran congress?

Let's get down to brass tacks. If records don't cut the mustard for who is conservative enough then it has to be up to conservative voters who are looking for such a candidate. South Carolina obviously showed that only a true *red* conservative could win there and thus John McCain won those votes over. Yet, this wasn't enough since there was a margin of voters who were moderate who were accused of "muddying up" the waters too much to "know for sure." So the debated carried into Florida who would undoubtedly know since it was a conservative state. Political talk show hosts/pundits backed Guliani saying that he'd be the man with the plan. However, Floridians said otherwise putting their support behind John McCain, the real man with a plan, who was subsequently backed full heartedly by Guliani. Now we have a real true conservative backing a true conservative, yet must more proof need be shown?



No extreme Republican pundit, except for maybe Mike Murphey, wants to lay claim that their ticket to continued executive power lies with a maverick that is, not necessarily "uncontrollable, " but a critical thinker with years of war wounds both politically and physically-- who knows where we are right now^, where to take it-->, and where our country has been<-- .

Is McCain electable? Of course he is.. He's not only ready on day 1, but right on day 1 as well. He's not a line-step Bushy (which he ironically catches flack for), but critically think of how that reputation will carry into votes in the General election. If the debate becomes, and it will, who is qualified to get the *most* done and can prove it then John McCain can and will win any and all elections.

Tip your hat and show some love for a great American: John McCain

~J

Too much to handle

This month, for what its worth is just too much to handle.

Perhaps it's my over excitement to know every angle, every story, do everything that's making an otherwise slow month to others over exiting to me.

Take tomorrow for example. There's two ways to play tomorrow. You can either treat it like another messily day in an otherwise uneventful week, or you can go mad with anticipation over the presidential election politics that is a bigger event to politicos then... then... GOING TO MARS ON NEW YEARS! Ok maybe not that big. The point is that I'm constantly amusing myself with all this free stimulus. I mean come on! Why not psych yourself out and concentrate your mind on something that draws attention away from the drab lifestyle of working? GET EXITED, Find a candidate and run with them or stand tall as an undecided voter. Either way YOU'RE the topic of this election, YOU are the focus of billions of dollars in advertising.. YOU ARE THE FOCUS AND NOT SOME SITCOM!

Maybe it's the writers strike that's driven traffic to politics, but it's just so freaking amazing how the sides play each other with masterful chess moves. It's brilliance verses brilliance for a campaign against campaign intellectual super VOTE for us. Yes pigs skins flying amongst extreme athletes is exiting in it's own right, but this election is a true intellectual delight. The prize being the leadership of the free world.

Get involved because you'll find an otherwise uneventful month turn TURBO ON YOU~

~J out
~-= :John McCain 2008: =-~