Three Things That Stopped Me in My Tracks

1/26 - The bass player in my band tells the band that he submitted our music to the Space in Hamden, and the frontman and guitar player in the band tells us that the guys over at Toad's Place want us to play on February 16th. I am excited, to be sure, but I'm just as sure it hasn't really hit me yet.

1/28 - I call my dad in order to catch up. He tells me that he and my mother been talking to my sister about moving into a condo in Berlin, Connecticut. Both he and my mom are very excited about the idea. I'm certainly not opposed to it, by any means, but it feels strange to think about moving.

1/29 - My mother texts me that, while my great-grandmother has been brought to the hospital with yet another GI bleed, I shouldn't worry. Naturally, I worry, but I try not to. Thankfully, she seems to be doing better already. I swear, the woman's healthier than I'll ever be, hospital or not.

In each of these things, it seems to me that the connecting fabric - if there is any - is a feeling of disconnect and disbelief. I never dreamed that I could actually play Toad's, even though I've always wanted to. I never dreamed that my parents could actually move out of our house, even though it's not the first time we've discussed it. I never dreamed that my great-grandmother could actually die, even though she's outlived nearly all of her family. Does all of it make sense? Could all of it actually happen? Yeah, I suppose it could. Hell, I know it could. It still feels strange, is all. Sometimes I forget the world turns.

Avengers: Roll Call

With Marvel Studios' "The Avengers" just around the bend, I was pleased (and not entirely surprised) at the teaser images of Marvel Comics' "Avengers: Roll Call," which will feature Loki, Thor, Iron Man, Hulk, Black Widow, Captain America and Hawkeye, all of whom will be featured in the film (among others). The above cover, featuring art from Ariel Olivetti, can be compared to the new 3D poster Marvel released this week for the feature length film:

Take note, film industry. I expect 3D posters to become the norm from this point forward.

State of the Union 2012: Obama knows best.

In tuning in to Barack Obama's annual speech, I challenged myself to read - and not listen to - it, essentially removing rhetorical devices in order to be able to focus on the speech, itself, and not the speaker.

At first, reading the transcript was a bit like the last time I listened to the radio - it's nothing I haven't heard before, and the only real unity present was the current popularity of the songs I heard.

It was nearly schizophrenic. While I was certainly pleased to read we are no longer at war and are instead creating millions of jobs, I was especially pleased to read how much I felt like I was learning. An entire political year in one speech - and isn't that the point of the State of the Union?

One particular element I couldn't help but pick up on was the following: "And we know how." We know how to fix our inexcusable behavior. We know how to solve the challenges that ever lie ahead.

My only real question, in conclusion, is this: Do we really know? Does Obama really know? I'm sure, if I had watched it, I would've bought it. I voted for him because I bought it the first time. Whether or not I buy it this time, though, is still to be seen.

New Directions

What are some blogs I really liked. Why?

www.wired.com/blogs
Tech-geek magazine Wired has been a mainstay at my house since before I can remember. The blogs hosted by the magazine's website provides a variety of focused science and technology-based perspectives, ranging anywhere from videogames to DNA sequencing. Underwire, especially, deserves a nod.
www.millarworld.tv/blog.html
Mark Millar, writer of such cult graphic novels as "Wanted" and "Kick-Ass," both of which are now major motion pictures, proves to be just as witty on a day-to-day basis as he is in his major works. Though powered by Twitter, Millar's blog provides an interesting insight both into his own works and the comic industry at large.
www.twitter.com
I feel like I can't go without mentioning Twitter, itself, in thinking about blogs I like, even if it is not explicitly a blog or even a blogging site. While the social aspect of the service places greater emphasis on trends over the content of a site such as Blogger, the immediacy of Twitter makes for nearly instant communication with far superior accessibility, both for better and for worse.

What features made a blog easy to follow? Off-putting? What features encouraged reader participation?

Simple, unified color schemes and themes certainly made a blog more accessible, while complex and busy designs did exactly the opposite. Simple fonts are also a must - cursive or scripted fonts can be exceptionally difficult to follow, and even more difficult to read!

Do good blogs need to have a tight focus or not?

While a tight focus doesn't necessarily make a good blog, it certainly can be an attractive feature. Some focus is necessary, I think, whether it be a specific angle applied to a variety of topics, or a specific topic explored by a variety of perspectives.

Is there a particular angle you want your blog to have? (We’ll be writing about a lot of things, but you can still emphasize an area of interest).

I think a good blogger stays true to who he/she is. I'm a geek at heart, and I'd be misleading you, as my reader, if I ever suggested otherwise. It's all about the story, at the end f the day, and I hope that I can bring the things I love into everything I do.

Based on your investigation, what are some key qualities and features that you want to bring into your blog?

Personality is the most important aspect of the blog. Be it writing style or voice, the power of the blog is more in the presentation than in the content. If it doesn't feel authentic, it probably isn't! My blog is an honest reflection of me - a student who strives to be a Doctor.

Reflection: Lions for Lambs

While I tend to have anti-political and anti-war leanings, I found Robert Redford's "Lions for Lambs" surprisingly entertaining. Whether or not my love of Tom Cruise and Andrew Garfield (both of whom were exceptional, as always) was responsible for this reaction is still to be seen, but I suspect it only contributed to, and did not substantiate, it. I was particularly moved by Cruise's character, an up and coming senator with eyes on the presidency, and the language he repeatedly used - victory and winning, it seemed, were the only things on his mind. Even with his own military background in Intelligence, specifically, he did not seem particularly affected by the potential loss of troops, satisfied only by a win, "no matter the cost," and with "whatever it takes," as his mantras. Meanwhile, Garfield's character, a college student, served as a sort of foil to the cunning senator as a somewhat cynical student of political science who easily saw politics as it was and still is, today, and not as it appeared and still appears, today. The balance between the Cruise and Garfield perspectives, especially, illustrated quite clearly - and quite cleverly, in my opinion - a difference in the political mind from generation to generation, with Redford's own character - Garfield's college professor - serving as another generational gap, as his character was the senior-most of the group and, to a certain extent, the wisest as well. While at least somewhat stereotypical, Redford manages to capture a broad understanding of basic political thought from a variety of sources and perspectives throughout the film, which was no small feat. I certainly enjoyed it.