You know, you hear this and that about people you knew in college now and again. So and so said that so and so is doing this show in Texas, and I heard that Bobbie Joe opened a tavern in Kentucky, etc. I remember a friend mentioning to me several years ago that a mutual acquaintance from college had re-enlisted in the service several times over to fight in the current wars. It was surprising in the first place as that guy signed up after going college for theater and near as I can recall was not in ROTC or seemed militarily oriented in any way. I remember being surprised that he was going to enlist. The last thing I heard from the friend I mentioned above was that Gary, the theater major turned military guy, was going for Ranger training and was hoping to get to the special forces. I had not heard anything about Gary since and it's weird how you can separate two things in your head that are actually connected. What I mean to say is, I am well aware of our wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and I am aware that a college friend is enlisted with special forces dreams. Yet, never had I done the simple math that my very real college friend and this very real war(s) I see on TV and the Internet might just interconnect in real life. So, here I sit on this fine Thursday afternoon trying to work and I can't help but keep thinking that someone I knew, worked with in theater a little, just died in Afghanistan.
I don't know what else to say about that other than my thoughts to Gary and his family and to the rest of ISU alums who knew him and I assume also feeling it.
Outside of this, I have been quite busy with works and so forth. An interesting coincidence that also has slightly morbid implications happened last Friday afternoon here at my lovely office. My employer is currently hosting a guest lecturer to talk about film on campus and they gave the guest lecturer an office to use during his several week stay in our office. That guest lecturer is none other that old-time, MGM producer, assistant director Hank Moonjean!
The gals in my office are quite excited to have access to this little bit of Hollywood so they planned a lovely pizza party lunch where we had a mini Q&A session with Hank. He had some lovely stories about several good friends such as Bette Davis, Elizabeth Taylor, and weirdly enough Paul Newman(Hank Asst. Directed 'Cool Hand Luke" and hosted a screening on campus last week). Only weird because Mr. Newman passed the next day in a vaguely bizarre coincidence. Hank is a funny guy but sadly he and I have wildly different tastes in movies. For instance, he started the lunch stating that he hates non-realistic pictures, super-hero movies are dumb, he walked out of Star Wars, he insisted that he thought Heath Ledger appeared "really stoned" throughout The Dark Knight. He overall thought that all contemporary movies ("with that Wes Farrell and Adam Sandlers") were poorly written and had no stories just special effects. I asked him what about Martin Scorsese and he said he had never seen any of his flicks because he doesn't like Martin. Older flicks, however, clearly have a space in his heart. One of my colleagues is quite an old movie aficionado so she had many questions about the great films of back when. Hank and I finally were able to connect over Alfred Hitchcock movies so all and all an interesting lunch to be sure.
I wanted to do a little political crap as I had watched the first great debate this past Friday. It was a wee bit disappointing as I really would have preferred someone to stand out as a clear winner. It wasn't bad as I though each candidate came off well to their respective parties. But neither came off as particularly superior and naturally each side claimed that their candidate clearly won the debate. McCain came off fairly angry and impatient and started telling Barack shit like my dad does sometimes, "You're just too young, you don't understand" and blah blah blah. It's funny to note that it seems every week McCain adds a new slogan to his phony platform and it's always something similar to what Barack's campaign has said already. For example, McCain's campaign (upon the addition of Palin) magically became the campaign of CHANGE! Which, if you recall, was the entire theme of the DNC just a month ago. At the debate, McCain often told Barack that Barack "just doesn't get it" which is something Barack has been saying about McCain for months already too. I have an inside source that tells me that next week the McCain campaign's slogan will be, "I know you are but what am I?!"
It's a little unsettling to watch this wildly entertaining campaign and realize that seeing just how bad we can get it with the past 8 years that this election (according to most polls I see) is still close. I do believe that we are seeing a statistical manifestation of that hard-to-pin-down, not clearly exampled, nuanced, passive-aggressive racism that we white folk have gotten so god damn good at lately. Is that all this election is and will be about? of course not, but I can say from experience and my own gut feeling that it certainly is playing a role. One that is not easily definable or visible in a specific instance...It is just there. Why else would McCain appoint Palin to the VP spot if not because she gives the folks on the right who would like to feel and appear progressive but maybe don't feel ultimately comfortable voting for a black guy a way out; "I am voting for a woman to be in the White House instead!" Perhaps they thought they would draw in all those disgruntled Hillary voters simply by having a vagina owner on the ticket? Which is hilarious all by itself. In fact, there is so much hilarious-ness when it comes to Palin that I don't even know where to start...Although, I am also (as is the "media") tiring of her, her name, her whiny voice, hearing anything about her. Or perhaps better said, that Palin balloon has now popped so lets get back into some sort of "real" debate. Too bad it takes a nearly collapsing economy to drive them back on task.
All the same, somewhere out there is my beloved, imaginary, typical red-state, American Value, Life-long Republican, voter standing on his front porch, over looking his ranch property. It's sunset and he's wearing his white cowboy hat with his left hand looped into one of his belt loops and his right absently fingering his brand new Smith & Wesson Model 60 (which can only be removed when pried from his cold, dead hands). He spits, smiles and then winks at his 'Merican flag hanging near by and thinks to himself, "Country First." He thinks about how we need to close them damn borders and kill all the drug runners, we gotta win in Iraq and get Iran in line without ever talking to them so we can get all our oil out from under them aaa-rabs. He also wonders when the guv-ern-ment will stop taking all his money and giving it to poor minorities who are lazy, good for nothing, reefer smoking, not working, food stamp users all the damn time on his dime. Small government, deregulation, no taxes and lots of dead brown people is what he wants. Then he thinks about Sarah Palin shooting that assault rifle in that nice T-shirt...Mmmm, yeahboy...Those big titties swinging all around (to the right). Perhaps later he will stroll into the pasture and shoot him a rabbit and then rub one out, thinking about his new favorite Alaskan. Mmmm, maybe he'll lube up with his gun oil...
Ah yes. I shall stop there as I clearly have thought too much about this. Point being, I am really looking forward to the big VP debate tonight. Not the world's biggest Biden fan but I sure hope he aids in her intellectual depantsing. Also worth noting in unrelated news; This week has seen the Cubs begin the playoffs, the Sox make and begin the playoffs and the Bears miracled their ass over the Eagles. All against, at least, my expectations and is helping make Chicago seem a little extra special this fall!
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