the times they are a-... NOT changing

In case you have forgotten just how UNoriginal our generation is, Bob Dylan and Will.I.Am (brought to you by Pepsi) will remind you in this Super Bowl ad for '09. (Yes, THAT Bob Dylan and THAT Will.I.Am.) Indeed, this advertisement is disgusting for a variety of reasons.

(Not to be outdone by its rival, today Coca-Cola announced that it is dropping the word "Classic" from its Coca-Cola soft drink name.)

winter wonderland

I've been plenty busy with school and work, but I wasn't too busy to snap a few photos of the first major snowfall of the season. One foot of snow fell on Bloomington earlier this week -- and I was in the middle of it, literally.

The view from my window, Wednesday morning at 6AM

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From the driver's seat

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From a passenger's seat

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On campus, 10th and Jordan (Hours later IU officials would cancel classes for the first time since 1978)

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Campus, 10th and Union

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No parking

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yeah right

I was reading an article on villagevoice.com when I came across the below ad for the site’s personals service. I rolled my eyes. Mumbled “Oh Jesus” with a slight grin across my lips. It’s probably bullshit, anyway. I mean, do you really think that happened? Really? Whether it happened or not is irrelevant; the fact remains that most women find those kind of “cute” anecdotes endearing – even if the story is bullshit. True fact.

"choose hope over fear"

Text of President Barack Obama's inaugural address on Tuesday, as prepared for delivery and released by the Presidential Inaugural Committee.


My fellow citizens, I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we the people have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them — that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control — and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort — even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment — a moment that will define a generation — it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence — the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet (it)."

America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

hours before histroy, wyoming ponders seceding from the union

I found this (hilarious but true) story on CNN about our friends to the north...

CHEYENNE, Wyoming (CNN) -- While Washington gears up for Inauguration Day, Republicans in Wyoming are taking stock of their future and assessing Barack Obama.
From left: Janet Anderson, Dicky Shanor, Cindy Hill, Jack Mueller, Ted Mueller are cautious about Barack Obama.

"I'm afraid that so much of the responsibility of individuals is being transferred to Washington," says Jack Mueller, a 67-year-old retired state government worker. "Big Brother is going to be telling us what to do over and over and over again."

Mueller and a handful of other Republicans sit in the coffee shop of the historic Plains Hotel on this windy January morning, chatting about the incoming administration and their mixed feelings.

These are back-to-basic Republicans. They want small government, strong national defense and an emphasis on individual liberties and accountability.

"I wish President[-elect] Obama well, but I do not wish him success in the things he is proposing," says Ted Mueller, 57, an insurance salesman.

Ted is not related to Jack, but they share concerns about what they see as a federal government on the brink of a huge expansion.

"I don't want the federal government to give away our individual rights. I don't want them to take over our business. I don't want them to take over our religion."

Janet Anderson, 57, returned to Cheyenne after a career in the oil business in Texas. She worries about the federal government bailing out businesses.

"The Obama administration is taking consequences out of our nation."

She says, "If you go make a bad business decision and you lose your shirt, you just go to the government and get some money."

Cindy Hill is an assistant principal of a junior high school. She is afraid the Obama administration will dismantle No Child Left Behind and worries that his administration will leave behind huge debt for her son's generation.

"He's only 20 years old -- and the decisions being made right now, the deficit and how were approaching solving problems -- are going to impact his generation significantly." she says.

Only 33 percent of Wyoming's voters cast their ballots for Obama, but they are concerned about the future of the Republican Party outside the state.

"We really need to decide to define our party and what we're going to be in the future," says 26-year-old Dicky Shanor, a Cheyenne attorney. "We need somebody on the federal level to step up and define us. I don't know who that's going to be."

"It'd be great if we could have another leader like Ronald Reagan -- that strength of leadership, the strength of character," says Ted Mueller, "I don't see it right now, but there's always hope. Somebody will rise up."

These Wyoming Republicans share a respect for the office of the president, even if they have doubts about the man.

"As an American, obviously I want him to succeed. He is my president," says Jack Mueller. "I hope that he will do well."

"I truly hope that he succeeds. You have to respect the office, I don't care who's in it," says Janet Anderson. "If Barack Obama earns my respect, I will respect the man."

in case you were wondering...

Eleven years after graduating high school I am a student again. Classes began this week and over the past five days much uncertainty has washed over me. At times I am confident about my abilities and the vision I have for my future, and other times I am apprehensive about those very things.

I am a student but not in the traditional sense. Basic Algebra is the only class I am taking on the _______ campus; I am taking English Composition and Introduction to Psychology online. Luckily my work schedule will allow sufficient time to complete my work. I am packing 36 work hours into three days, Monday – Wednesday, which allows four consecutive days for my school work. And work there will be, especially in English Composition, which, fortunately for me, is my strongest subject, but this class will require much grunt work, work in which I must dot every i and cross every t – literally.

Two weeks from Sunday a rough draft of my explanatory writing paper is due. In this paper I must "explain the career [I] plan to pursue upon graduation as clearly as possible for [my] audience by analyzing, showing relationships, and demonstrating with examples and facts." I am still planning to pursue a career in registered nursing; however, in recent weeks I have given some thought to radiology. After researching this field though, I remain drawn to nursing because of the degree of patient contact. After I complete research for the explanatory writing I will have a clearer picture of the nursing profession and any misconceptions will have been eliminated. If I determine that nursing is not for me and choose to change my major to radiologic technology, I will have lost nothing, as the classes I am currently taking are prerequisites for that program as well.

That is all for now. My beloved New York Giants lost last week, so I don't have a rooting interest in the NFL's final four, which will battle Sunday. Here is my prediction, however: Arizona will beat Philadelphia and Baltimore will triumph over Pittsburgh. And on Sunday, 1 February 2009, the Arizona Cardinals will win Super Bowl XLIII; final score Arizona 17, Baltimore 10.

(I just read the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fired coach Jon Gruden – what's up with that? Gruden coached the Bucs for seven years, won three division titles and a Super Bowl, and compiled a .509 winning percentage. Not bad for an organization that gave him the following quarterbacks over those seven years: Brad Johnson, Brian Griese, Chris Simms and Jeff Garcia.)

xx

r.i.p. - dj shadow

Remember when DJ Shadow splashed our ears with his unique blend of instrumental hip-hop and devastating turntablism on his debut album, Endtroducing...? Amazing stuff. And remember two years later, in 1998, when the Shadow hit us with the Preemptive Strike compilation AND his collab with James Lavelle, Psyence Fiction, recorded under the UNKLE moniker? Wow. Psyence Fiction is easily in my all time top ten albums list.

And remember way back in 2009 when he hit us with... his limited edition sneaker?

Unfortunately, for the last ten years Shadow’s story has been one of diminishing returns. He released the mediocre The Private Press in 2002, and 2006 brought The Outsider, which should have been titled The Lackluster.

But the final nail was pounded into the DJ’s crate when I read the following article at Pitchfork:

DJ Shadow Gets His Own Sneaker

The limited edition shoes are available on DJ Shadow’s official website for the low price of $104.99. Recession? What recession? I wanna get a pair of DJ Shadow Reeboks… with a certificate of authenticity!

Not only has Shadow resorted to shoe salesman’s shtick, but he’s pimped out his classic cut “What Does Your Soul Look Like?” just to make a buck. Check out the pic from HIS (not Reeboks') site:



What does your "sole" look like? C'mon!

No doubt, 13 years after Endtroducing… hit the scene, the album still sounds fresh. But an artist selling out his name and fledgling indie fame, well, that’s stale, Shadow man.

xx

ex-child

If you turn off the radio, silence the screaming faces flashing on the television, close your eyes until all goes black and think, you can remember the moment; that time in your life when everything made sense, when your body and spirit rested upon the mad pulse of a life teeming with wild anticipation and possibility. You were young, just a child, and your untamed eyes saw life as an open field with no fences, rolling hills and flowing streams pristine.

You wanted to be a baseball player. A fireman. An astronaut. Not even the sky would limit your fascinations, your aspirations. Your life wasn't lived through the jaded prism of some bitter man's philosophy. You remember: you would snicker at the cynics and disregard the pessimists, and you vowed to yourself and your ideals that you would never become the man you buried in November of 1997 (your gravestone shall share his last name).

But as you sit alone in the corner booth of some seedy bar drinking cheap whisky and smoking stale cigarettes, you catch yourself. Your eyes are sinking in the most loathsome of seas and you are watching a couple – a young couple drunk and in love – laugh about some meaningless anecdote. It's nothing, really, just a laugh about some mishap in Chicago, but their laughter is pulverizing your sense of identity into the swollen wooden floor under your feet, and if you strain your eyes and strain the sickening laughter and empty jukebox music from your ears, you can see particles, atoms, the essence of your being dissipate, up, up, and away, through the beams bracing this bar, this structure, specks and spots, fragments of your being dissolve, up, up, and away, through the ceiling and into the night sky until they become….

You used to laugh. You once had a woman on your arm. And you can recall enjoying the bite of whisky on your tongue.

But you don't laugh anymore. The pretty woman is gone. And now, you can't swallow the liquor quickly enough.

"Another whisky?" the young barmaid asks.

You gaze ahead. The loathsome sea is rolling, swallowing your brown eyes, and you struggle to stay afloat and wash the wretched ambience of the bar from your senses, and the barmaid, she could be a million miles offshore; you wave her off as a grunt crawls from your belly.

You collect your coat and head for the door. A cold drizzle is slowly rolling out of the sky and you can hear the nearby interstate churning with traffic.

A cold bed awaits you, and soon you will be there, alone and in all that darkness. You will stare at the strange stain on your ceiling and, inevitably, you will recall a certain time in your life – a moment when you saw rolling hills and open fields; a time when everything made sense because you failed to understand the mechanisms of modern life. And you will think about the world outside your bedroom: the traffic streaming across America's highways; a young couple exploring each other's bodies for the first time; a barmaid retiring to the waiting arms of her boyfriend; and a winter's mist glazing your father's neglected tombstone.

Indeed, you know what awaits you tonight.

So drive home. Turn on the radio. Ignite the faces waiting inside your television. Feed your senses the sweet opiate of distraction. Forget that you used to live in a world of logic and color. And shun the reflections, those distant memories of the boy who carried the marrow of the world inside his precious heart.

That child is now a sullen man whose blood beats black.

And things don't make sense anymore.

xx

new year's day