New Super Mario Bros. Wii came out Sunday and I have been consuming its rich tapestry of treasures voraciously. Gameplay is everything in this throwback to the 16-bit days, as evidenced by simple visuals and extremely basic story. Hell, even the title sounds like a lazy afterthought. "It's a new Super Mario Bros. on the Wii. Hey that'll work"
When you compare this to the state of Mario's former rival, Sonic the Hedgehog, the difference is staggering. The Blue Blur's console games have varied between OK to abysmal in recent years. After repeatedly adding annoying critters to the series' lineup, Sega listened to fans and ditched the virtual petting zoo only to replace them with cheap gimmicks. Worse, the developers packaged it all up with painfully cheesy storylines and theme songs.
In contrast, the NSMBW expands upon the gameplay of older Mario games with a just few new moves and powerups. The level designs force players to make the most out of the plumbers' abilities, pushing timing and patience to their limits. Nintendo doesn't even bother with shoehorning new characters into the game, slapping in two generic Toads for multiplayer purposes. And the nostalgia factor. The entire game is practically a love letter to old-school fans, with Koopa Kids, airships, flagpoles, munchers, Hammer Bros., and Bowser himself.
What's the lesson for Sega here? Gameplay is king. Ditch the parade of sugary-sweet newcomers and concentrate on expanding Sonic's moveset in intuitive, fun ways. Then mine the classic, Genesis Sonics for good ideas and improve upon them using the gift of modern technology. Forget about storylines, they're entirely predictable and pointless anyway.
I love DC. During the day you can visit countless museums and landmarks. At night you can enjoy some great bars and clubs. This is all topped off with a great public transportation system and scores of gorgeous guys. So when activists organized the National Equality March, I called up my pal Eric, who let me stay at his pad and turn the weekend into a mini-vacation.
After arriving Friday night, I did a little shopping in Georgetown Saturday morning. From there, it was a quick walk back to Eric's to change and then off to a discussion about religion and sexuality. I arrived pretty late thanks to getting disoriented about my location after getting off the Metro. Overall, it was a productive session with a lot of perspectives and resources shared.
Later that night I met Sean, who's visiting from San Diego, and we went to Jack's for dinner. Sitting next to JR's (my fave DC bar), Jack's has some of the best food I've had anywhere. Definitely recommend the Chicken Crepe or Risotto.
Meanwhile the President spoke in front of HRC and told us "I still plan on doing all that stuff I said I would at some point or another".
Afterwards, I met up with another friend at the 9:30 Club. Apparently it was Blowoff night, which is some sort of bear dance party, meaning I saw a lot of back hair and man boobs*. I paid $7 (!) for a Yeungling and chatted up a bi guy until Lady Gaga made a surprise appearance on the balcony. She waved at the crowd and I waved back, at which point I felt profoundly stupid.
The next day I woke up early and sat in my car for an hour to recharge my iPhone using the car charger. My cell usually exists mostly as a prop, but the Google maps feature turned out to be a lifesaver (and battery eater) on DC's confusing streets. From there I caught the Metro to the march.
The March
The bright sunny day made for a pleasant march. Eric wasn't with me, so I mostly kept to myself and played observer. The crowd was mostly people in their late teens or early 20s. And despite what others say, I noticed a good deal of racial diversity. About halfway through I ran into a friend from Durham. We discussed Obama's lack of action on gay issues and our hopes moving forward with the movement. It's eerie how often I run into someone I know in DC, big events or not. I noticed a disappointing lack of opposition during the march. Some guy drove by in a truck praising DOMA and I saw one guy holding a sign that said "GAY SEX= DEATH", but the Westboro nuts were MIA. I did see passersby wave and cheer us on as we walked by.
Finally we arrived at the Capitol Building and the rally began. The Gay Men's Chorus lead off the rally with the national anthem and "Over the Rainbow", which nearly rolled my eyes out of their sockets.
There were a ton of speakers so I'm going to give a quick summary of my impressions:
*The first speakers were four young activists from around the country and they were as passionate as anyone I've ever heard speak. If you have the time, watch them, they were all great.
*Cynthia Nixon spoke almost exclusively about repealing DOMA and went as far as saying it should be the movement's number one priority. Um, no. It might be crucial for affluent celebrities, but most of us need protection from job discrimination and catching ass-beatings first. I'm not saying it's unimportant, but it doesn't deserve emphasis over other legislature.
*The biggest roar of applause came when Lady Gaga took to the stage. She waved to the crowd and I waved back again. She wasn't terribly eloquent, but I loved her for this: "Obama, I know that you're listening. ARE YOU LISTENING?!"**
*Stacey Ann Chin belted out a moving performance of her story and perspective. "Spoken word artist" is normally the sort of thing that makes me gag, but homegirl won me over.
*Self esteem remains an important issue for LGBT people, but Angela Green was the only speaker I saw touch on it. She also hurled some barbs at black pastors who regularly attack LGBT people in the pulpits. I didn't care for the line about "whores on the usher board" ***but the rest of it was on point. Scroll to about 4:00 to see Angela Green speak.
*Julian Bond was the keynote speaker for the march. He was excellent, but his speech was mostly a retread of when he spoke to the HRC earlier this year.
The march turned out to be a huge success, with reports of a turnout as high as 250,000 people. The one complaint I have is that the message was mostly the same old thing: call, email, and write your congresspeople so that your voices are heard. I believe it can be strong beacon to motivate others and strengthen the movement. I'm pleased that despite the huge cheers for Lady Gaga and Cynthia Nixon, the rally was mostly grassroots activists representing many different racial and cultural backgrounds.
After the March
Once Julian Bond finished speaking I listened to my aching legs and back and made my way back to Eric's apartment. There I watched a documentary called Outrage, which covers closeted politicians. Highly recommended.
Later we went out for sushi, then came back and watched Desperate Housewives, because after seeing Lady Gaga twice in 24 hours, dancing with hairy sweaty men, marching under hundreds of rainbow flags, and watching a documentary about guys who cruise truck stops, my day clearly wasn't gay enough.
*Not hating on you bear fellas, you guys are a ton of fun, no pun intended. ;) **Does anyone else hear Chris Rock saying "I told you that bitch crazy" every time Lady Gaga does something freaky?***For all relatives reading this, I'd like to state that none of the wonderful ladies on the usher board are whores at the church I grew up in. Also the pastor, who to my knowledge isn't affirming of same-sex relationships, has never specifically targeted LGBT Americans.
I think we've all been here before: you meet someone fun and exciting, they seem just as into you as you are into them, and all the pieces seem to fit. And you've liked people before, but this one seemed somehow different, special.
But there are rules, right? You can't tell someone you're crazy about them after a few short dates. You could scare them off. Or they might like 'the chase'*. Or you might look desperate. So you play it cool, as best you can, all the while hoping this is it. Your chance at love.
But it doesn't happen. And in the aftermath you're left to wonder what, if anything, you did wrong and why you're left with the short end of the stick.
The whole thing makes me think of an episode of Seinfeld (this happens often), my favorite one actually. In the "Fix Up", a frustrated and lonely George is set up for a blind date with Elaine's friend Cynthia. The first scene, in which George and Cynthia share their problems with Jerry and Elaine separately, reads like excerpts from my thoughts.
Cynthia: I mean the problem is that the good ones know they're good. And they know they're in such demand they're just not interested in confining themselves to one person.
When you can take your pick of the litter, you're not going to stick with Dwayne Wayne when there could be a Julian right around the corner. I wonder if I've ever been like that for someone. [Yes, I'm assuming I'm a good one, shut up] I've met nice guys before who just didn't do it for me for one reason or another (boring, no job, crappy job, not as attractive sober, etc) and moved on. Did they waste energy wondering what went wrong with me?
George: Why must it be so difficult? Why is there all this tension and hostility? Why can't I just walk up to a woman on the street and say, "Hi. I'm George. How are you?" Is that so terrible?
So now I'm back at square one. I was at square one in the first place, but I was starting to lift my foot for square two. My choices are either online forums, where the good ones enjoy the same privileges as before, or bars, where cliques create a barrier around good prospects.
Cynthia: Maybe I need somebody who has nothing, somebody who just has to appreciate being with me because he's so desperate.
This is the web page to make payments for services in my city. Even though I've lived in my home for two months, I just received my first water bill and it only covered the last 15 days. I hate writing checks and mailing bills, so I'm glad they had an option to pay online.
But before making payment I had to enter my account information. So the page instructed me to take the account number on my statement and split it in half before entering it. It seems the first six numbers are actually my customer ID and the last six are my account number.
Wait, what?
First of all, it's confusing to have the "Account Number" represent both the actual account number and the Customer ID. Then they ask for the account number first when it's the last six digits. This is unnecessary and counterintuitive. Both of these problems could've been avoided by asking for the whole "Account Number" in one twelve-digit number (as it's listed on the bill) and then splitting it behind the scenes.
And on top of all this, it didn't find my record when I entered my information.
I think most people would agree that having your personal family issues dragged out into a public forum is a difficult thing to go through. And I have to imagine navigating the sea of bullshit that comes with it can be daunting and tiring. Even so, I'm appalled at some brain-dead statements these public figures have made that do absolutely nothing to quiet the controversy or resolve conflicts.
[Note: Even though the two examples I'm about to discuss involve Republican politicians' families, this is only a coincidence. If the many philandering Dem politicans were equally stupid in the aftermath of their illicit affairs I'd be on their case too.]
Levi Johnston
Not the brightest bulb in the pack, Levi Johnston makes an easy mark for dishing the dirt on Sarah Palin's home life. And he's taken the bait quite readily. He's said that there wasn't "much parenting" in Palin's home, stated that Palin wanted to keep the pregnancy a secret (bringing back the preposterous conspiracy theories about the birth of her autistic child), and basically trashed her credibility to hell and back. Kudos for keeping it real, but isn't he aware he has a child to think about and he'll have to deal with the Palins for next 18+ years? How are you going to raise and visit your infant son when you're dishing dirt about his baby mama's mama on national TV? Dude doesn't even have a book deal.
Mark Sanford Mark Sanford's politics disgust me. Favoring traditional marriage and abstinence-only education makes him a relic. His attempt to refuse stimulus funds was an appalling case of political posturing. And while I laugh at the hypocrisy of the views he espoused, I'm shocked at his inept handling of the fallout.
I've never cheated in a long-term relationship (partially because that would require being in one first), but if I learned one thing from TV, it's that you ALWAYS minimize the meaning behind an affair. "It was a one-time thing." "I was weak and didn't mean for it to happen." "Once I got in, I didn't know how to get out." What you absolutely do not do is get on national TV and call your mistress your "soulmate" and while trying to reconcile with your wife.
Sanford's wife Jenny, on the other hand, has broken standard protocol and managed to come out all the better for it. Usually wives silently stand beside their husband while he apologizes to the public for his shenanigans, but Mrs. Sanford has held the governor's feet to the fire. Now I'm sure other wives have made their husbands work to get back in their good graces (Hillary reportedly made Bill sleep on the couch for two months), but to my recollection Jenny Sanford is the first to do so publically. Good for her.
As for the rest of these guys, think before you get on TV and make a spectacle of yourself. Geez.
Today is my 29th birthday. The old axiom says "Age is just a number", but it seems too soon to be this close to 30. Maybe the problem is me. I already think as though I'm already 30 and I think of 30 as being over the hill. Must be a gay thing. Or the fact my friends constantly make jokes about my age. Jerks. There have been some changes in the last year, the most obvious being that I bought a house. Owning a home seems to convey a certain level of accomplishment and responsibility that earning a college degree or holding a job don't. Such accolades are ill-fitting for a guy who really just wanted a nice place to keep his stuff. People also tend to assume you're in the business of "settling down". Someone from my hometown even I asked if it was a precursor to finding a wife (hah!). I'm also forced to deal with these creatures known as 'neighbors'. Previously I rented a room in a house, allowing the owner/roommate to negotiate dealings with their kind. It's a tribute to my antisocial nature that I lived on the same street 4 1/2 years and only knew the names of two other people on the street. The ideal relationship would be one of casual indifference where one would call the cops if they saw my house being robbed, but generally leave me to my own devices otherwise.
I'm far from a healthcare expert, but everyone agrees the system is broken, which makes the lack of motion on the issue that much more frustrating. Too many Blue Dog Democrats are too weak-kneed to step out and take a stand. A few people have argued that the government is way too inefficient for a complicated industry like healthcare, which is a legitimate point, but a corporation is too driven by the bottom line (meaning they'll deny someone coverage anyway they can, ethics be damned) to be trusted with such a crucial issue. All other things considered equal, I'd rather deal with a slow-moving, inefficent beast than a slow, heartless one.
Meanwhile the GOP and its base has been injecting their special brand of stupidity into the entire debate, screeching about socialism now that they've worn out calling Obama a Kenyan, Muslim, Marxist, fascist radical. I mean, I'm willing to look at their alternative solution. Well I would be if they, ya know, had one.
Frankly I don't care if we have socialized medicine or not, I'm primarily concerned with affordable healthcare being available to people at all income levels. Whatever legislation, if any, gets passed, it won't be nearly enough and ten years from now Congress will still be fighting over this while Big Pharma cackles with glee.
Henry Gates' arrest:
I don't care what anyone says, Gates should not have been arrested. No matter what the source is (the police report, Gates' personal account, the 911 caller) Gates committed no action that would justify arresting him. The officers' defense, which as far as I can tell amounts to either "I warned him he was being disorderly" or "I have a family to think about", is downright ridiculous. Yelling at someone, even a police officer, in your own home is perfectly legal and an almost 60 year old man who walks with a cane poses a threat to no one. Unless he's Yoda.
Having said all that, Gates was being kind of a prick. "Do you know who I am?" Who says that? (As it turns out a lot of people) And were I a cop responding to a call about a robbery and the owner ended up chewing me out and accusing me of racism, I'd be pissed, too. After all I'm only doing my job, chill out. But would I arrest? No.
And then the Prez weighed in on the matter. People all over the country blew a gasket just because Obama said Crowley "behaved stupidly", which was putting it mildly. I personally would've called him a power-tripping asshole, but some might not see that as presidential. Then he dared to acknowledge that racial profiling remains a real issue, which isn't a bold statement by any stretch of the imagination when policemen have shot black men in the back as they lay unarmed on the floor face down, in the chest while they lay unarmed in their parents' driveway, and while they sat unarmed on their own porches. And that's since January.
The most unsettling part of this overblown incident is the sentiment I've seen expressed by many (mostly black) bloggers and pundits that Gates "broke protocol". For those that don't know, conventional wisdom for black males basically says bend over backwards to be nice to a policeman no matter how unreasonable and belligerent s/he may be because, well, you might get shot or at least end up in jail on trumped up charges. The inherent paranoia in this idea is almost as troubling as the number of incidents, documented and anecdotal, that reinforce it.
I believe most policemen are reasonable people to who genuinely work to protect citizens, but what does it say about the level of accountability in the profession when a large segment of society sees you as more of a threat than an ally? Where you can shoot an unarmed man in front of his home and only be forced to resign? Where you can choked an EMT driver and get off with a suspension? Until incidents like these are things of the past, this will continue to happen.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii came out Sunday and I have been consuming its rich tapestry of treasures voraciously. Gameplay is everything in this throwback to the 16-bit days, as evidenced by simple visuals and extremely basic story. Hell, even the title sounds like a lazy afterthought. "It's a new Super Mario Bros. on the Wii. Hey that'll work"
