Um, dude, don't you think that the publicity you're receiving from suing over a grade is going to do more to discourage a law school from accepting, than the slight dip in your GPA caused by a "C" vs. an "A-"?!?!?!?
On the other hand, perhaps some law schools will look at this and think, "Great! He loves to sue. Give him a scholarship. He'll do fantastically here."
My suggestion would be to suck it up, work hard, and raise the GPA by acing the rest of the courses. That presents a much better story to a prospective school or employer. But, that's just me - and how I got through Engineering school...
Speaking of Superman, last night I watched Hollywoodland on DVD. It's a dramatic retelling of the death of George Reeves, the star of the 1950s Superman TV show and serials. The movie stars Ben Affleck, Diane Lane, Adrien Brody, Bob Hoskins, and a few others. The premise and cast sounded good, as there has always been a shroud of the unknown hanging over Reeves' alleged suicide. However, the movie falls completely flat in the telling - so many good opportunities for sass went right by - and left so many dangling plot threads, that you'd think the script had bypassed the editor's desk. Even comics geeks can take a pass on this one.
I may have to go buy a pet now Mood: amorous Now Playing: Heaven Or Las Vegas, by the Cocteau Twins Topic: Fun and nonsense
It's been a Dita sort of week. A "what now?" you ask. A Dita Von Tease kind of week - and that's never a bad thing.
First, I got to see Miss Von Tease's award-winning (seriously) acting in The Death of Salvador Dali, a short indie film. Very enjoyable. Very well done. And, the soundtrack by Felix Brenner is outstanding. I met him this past spring when the Boston Pops were doing the east coast premeire of his piece, "Transacoustica." The following week, the Pops performed it again, this time with Paul Oakenfold doing a live remix with live rock & roll drums added in. The original orchestral piece was wonderful, but the remix was absolutely fantastic. (Thanks to Margo and Scott for hosting the viewing and for the copy of the soundtrack.)
Anyhoo, back to Dita. She plays Salvador Dali's wife, Gala, in the movie - which, befitting Dali, is a bit surreal. Well worth viewing and listening to the soundtrack.
The next Dita moment of the week, other than the occasional day dream, came in the form of a PETA ad campaign - sent along to me by Mike. Dita's staring in both a sexy photo campaign, as well as in a "behind the scenes" video clip, as seen below.
If I had a pet, I'd certainly get it fixed now.
Clearly, PETA has realized that sex sells a message. In addition to Dita, they've used Pam Anderson, and just this week rolled out a campaign with a nude Alicia Silverstone. Again, never a bad thing. (It looks like the vegetarian diet may have helped trim a few pounds off of our former Batgirl...)
While I can't say that I always support PETA iniatives, they do know how to run an eye-catching ad campaign.
Oh, and remind me to tell you of my meeting with Miss Von Tease...*sigh*
Very good movie about biking Mood: hungry Now Playing: Something I don't recognize on my iPod Shuffle Topic: Movie-tone News
I've been meaning to recommend this movie for a while, but it kept slipping my mind. Fortunately, there was an ad for the DVD over on VeloNews, so that was a good reminder. Anyway, I saw this film when I was flying back from Tucson last month, and I'd never heard of it, nor the movie's subject. It's called The Flying Scotsman, and is the story of Graeme Obree, a Scot cyclist who was a world champion and record holder in the mid-'90s, before Lance-mania struck the U.S.A., back when cycling news was relegated to those hardcore fan's and enthusiasts who tracked down printed information in the days prior to the interweb.
It stars Jonny Lee Miller (of Aeon Flux, Trainspotting, and Mansfield Park fame) as Obree, who came from a rough childhood and battled with depression throughout his life and used cycling to escape from both. Billy Boyd (Pippin from Lord of the Rings) plays Obree's manager, and Brian Cox (of Rushmore, Adaptation, X2, Match Point, and dozens of others) handles the role of Obree's accidental, but life-changing, friend.
Obree was a successful local amateur cyclist, but a failed small bicycle shop owner, who decided to go for the record in the one-hour measured ride. That is, you ride around an indoor track for an hour, all out, and see how many laps you can get. The record stood at around 51+ KM, or over 30 miles. There's no one to chase, no one to draft off of, no hills to coast down - it's all out pedaling for 60 minutes. The great Eddy Merckx, who held the record previously, was rumored to have said that the training for the one hour record took three years off of his life.
Obree had to overcome not only his depression, but also the challenges of cycling's governing body, which was less than thrilled that a rank amateur riding a homemade bike was setting records and winning championships.
All in all, it was an outstanding movie to watch. Being a cyclist, I'm probably a bit prejudiced, but I think there's enough there for most people to enjoy this uplifting bio pic. Well worth adding to your Netflix queue.
Oh, and if you're a hardcore cycling fan, I also have to recommend Hell on Wheels, the documentary of the T-Mobile team in the 2003 Tour de France. Thanks to Jay for that tip.
Yes, this town is nuts for the Sox Mood: cool Now Playing: Red Sox vs. Twins Topic: Fun and nonsense
In case there was any doubt how nuts Boston is for the Red Sox, I give you the following:
That's right, the article is about the upcoming mortgage rate increase, and the accompanying photo? It's from the Red Sox game - well, after the game, when it was learned that the Orioles had come from behind to beat the Yankees, thereby clinching the American League East for the Red Sox.
Now, I'm sure that this was just a mistake - the site editor was probably so overwhelmed with Red Sox photos that it just seemed natural to attach one to each article, regardless of the story content. Either way, it's a funny combo.
As for the celebration itself, I'm not sure how to feel about the below image.
I'm thrilled that Dice K is celebrating - he deserved it after his outstanding 8-inning effort last night; however, Korbel?!?!?!? WTF?!?!?!!? You've just won the American League East for the first time in 12 years, and the team is handing out Korbel for the celebration? It's not champagne, it's sparkling wine from California, and it's horrible. They may call it "American Champagne," but if it's not from Champagne, France, it's not champagne. I can see holding off on the Dom Perignon until winning the World Series, but how about some Moet & Chandon White Star at the very least? That said, if the team is just going to shake it up and spray it - and not drink it - then I guess Korbel would be a thrifty alternative - no sense wasting actual, good champagne (even though they do that at F1 races in Europe...of course).
WTF? A carjacking in (almost) my 'hood? Mood: incredulous Topic: News of Note
There was a carjacking yesterday at the Turnpike tollbooth that's a couple miles from my home. I know that it's not exactly in my 'hood, but still.
How do two guys with guns make it onto the exit ramp and tollbooth area without being stopped? It's possible to walk up to that area, but there are almost always state troopers parked there, not to mention all of the toll collectors. Are these people, who are on the clock, simply not paying attention? I've, sadly, come to expect carjackings and worse in Dorchester, Roxbury, and other parts of town, but this happen here is more than a li'l surprising.
Hopefully, it's an isolated incident, and the perpetrators will be caught soon. This is a serious crime, and clearly not a misunderstood MIT Hack.
Oh, and speaking of Hacks, here's the latest. Much funnier than a carjacking.
Missing the MySpace boat Mood: a-ok Now Playing: Red Sox vs. the A's Topic: Politicking around
You know the feeling you get in your gut when you see an elderly parent or grandparent do or say something that just paints them as "old and out of touch"? You cringe (internally or externally) and weigh whether or say anything or not.
Well, that same sensation came over me today as I read over the bulletins that were posted by my "friends" on my MySpace account. (A li'l background here - I sent "add me as a friend" requests to each of the presidential candidates that I could find on MySpace. My own li'l on-going experiment in democracy on the Web. The first to accept me: Dennis Kucinich and Mitt Romney - how's that for an unlikely pairing of first respondents?) Anyhoo, the candidates, or more accurately, their staffers responsible for online marketing have been flooding the MySpace bulletin boards with a stream of messages - Kucinich's people doing the most, often reposting the same message repeatedly during the same day.
Today, McCain's people posted the following bulletin from Roger Staubach. I'll let you read the message, and then my response, which follows, without any further commentary.
When the clock is running down and the game is on the line, the team huddle is one of the most important parts of the game for a quarterback. It's the last chance he has to pull his team together and inspire them to victory.
As the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys and U.S. Naval Academy Midshipmen, I learned early on that everyone in the huddle was looking to me to display confidence that we would win. They can see it in your eyes - and it's often the difference between victory and defeat.
If you look in John McCain's eyes, you see a man ready to win and confident in victory. He is a leader-- focused on getting his message out and energized for this important stretch in the campaign.
The fourth quarter of this year is going to be the most important in this campaign. That's why it's important for us not to stand on the sidelines and watch - it's time to get in the game right now. We can't do our job in the fourth quarter unless we play hard in the third.
The end of the third quarter of this year on September 30th marks another important fundraising deadline, and it's crucial that John McCain has the resources necessary to win heading into the final stretch of the campaign. Whether we like it or not the national press uses these fundraising numbers as a benchmark on how well the campaign is doing.
Dear Sen. McCain, and the folks who run your MySpace profile. Please accept this email as some respectfully submitted constructive criticism, and not a slam...
Posting a bulletin message of support from Roger Staubach will have nearly zero impact on the MySpace audience. As great a serviceman, and quarterback as Mr. Staubach was, and regardless of how wonderful a person he is, he is 65 year old, white male, who retired from the NFL in 1979. That means, he's most likely the age of a MySpace user's father or grandfather, and he retired before most of the MySpacers were even born.
Great spokesperson if you're hitting up the Texas audience, or the AARP, but not MySpace - even if you're hitting the upper age demo on MySpace. Trotting out an elder statesman, like Staubach, just isn't going to sway the average 18+ year old. And, I fear that it simply adds fuel to the argument that Sen. McCain is out of touch with the youth of this country.
While you don't need to pander by lining up a (God forbid) Britney, Lindsay, or Paris, finding a solid, knowledgeable, well-known 20 or 30-something for an endorsement, wouldn't be the worst idea.
Good luck with your campaign, and best wishes on reaching the youth market.
Sincerely,
Jamie
Leaving the content of Staubach's message aside - fundraising, fourth quarter, the media, blah, blah, blah - I really, riehle do believe that McCain's people, or what's left of his staff at this point, are missing the boat in their use of MySpace. It's that, "Oh, grandpa..." moment, and underscores the fact that McCain, if elected, would be the oldest elected president in the history of the United States...yes, that includes Ronald Reagan, and he was oooollllllllld. If McCain has to trot out some elderly supporters, at least go with Andy Griffith - today's kids know him from "Andy Griffith Show" re-runs, the occasional movie cameo (like in "Waitress"), and countless Grandpa Simpson references to "Maaaatlock."
Several years ago, Eastie was supposed to be the hot, up and coming real estate area in Boston. As recently as last January, the area was being touted as the place to move to before prices went up.
However, since the collapse of the real estate market in Boston, times are tougher all around when trying to move or develop over-priced condos - especially in what's not the best of neighborhoods. No offense to the fine folks of East Boston, but if you're not from there, you're probably not going to want to move there. It's very much an insider's neighborhood, with many locals' locales. Very ethnic, which is fine, but if you're not of that ethnicity, it can be a rough assimilation. Both articles talk about gentrification, but that can only go so far without some serious neighborhood impact - and it's not like most of the inhabitants of Eastie were looking to get moved out. That's a pretty settled in group of people.
Additionally, if you're not from there, there's not a lot to do in Eastie. You have to go back into Boston or elsewhere for your culture, nightlife (at least a street-safe version), and job, not to mention your venti no-foam lattes...there's no Starbucks in Eastie. That said, there are some fantastic places to get much more authentic Italian Roast Espresso, that will not only put hair on your chest, but will then melt it right off.
I recently toured through Eastie between 12:30 and 1:30 AM on a Sunday - on a bus from the airport as the T was out of service. Not an area where I'd feel comfortable walking home from the T stop at that time of night, or possibly any other, to be sure. Maybe if I were a local, but still...not the safest looking of areas. And, speaking of the airport, the noise factor from the planes arriving and departing from Logan is not to be underestimated. A good chunk of Eastie is in one or more flight patterns. That's a lot of noise.
So, while other real estate markets in Boston have dropped, Eastie's plummeted. No surprise; however, I don't think the locals are too upset over it...unless they sunk their life savings into buying and renovating with the hopes of flipping.
irritated
hungry
amorous
cool
incredulous
chatty
Feel free to vote and leave a comment here, if you'd like. 
a-ok
