Love Actually: Watching the Film for the First Time

Last night I watched Love Actually for the first time. I’ve had it on DVD since forever — I bought pre-owned from the EB Games store I managed back in 2005; I still had the price stickers with the date we took it back in trade inside the case — and I’ve never watched it.Continue reading “Love Actually: Watching the Film for the First Time”

Thoughts on the Inauguration

A week ago I’d planned on going to Washington for Hillary Clinton’s inauguration in January. “It will be historic, and it will be fun!” I thought. I’m not going to the inauguration now, and not just because Clinton won’t be the forty-fifth president. The more I’ve thought about January’s inauguration, the more I see theContinue reading “Thoughts on the Inauguration”

The Electoral College Won’t Prevent President Trump

The Electoral College is not going to stand in Donald Trump’s way. I’ve seen chatter the last few days, both on political blogs and Facebook, that the voters of the Electoral College can, or even should, vote for Hillary Clinton instead of Donald Trump. (For example, here.) It’s a nice idea — it’s the wayContinue reading “The Electoral College Won’t Prevent President Trump”

Joe Buck, a Jeremiad

Last night, I reached my limit with Joe Buck. I’ve never really minded Buck. As broadcasters go, he’s wallpaper to me. I think I even felt a little sympathy toward him because he so often had to share a booth with Tim McCarver and then Harold Reynolds, either of whom was prone to incoherent babble.Continue reading “Joe Buck, a Jeremiad”

Evan McMullin’s Plan to Win the Presidency

As quixotic as it is, I have to admire Evan McMullin’s plan to win the presidency. The primary reason I find it admirable is that, unlike the other non-major party candidates, McMullin has a strategy. He quite openly states that his plan is to throw the election to the House of Representatives and he’s hoping,Continue reading “Evan McMullin’s Plan to Win the Presidency”

Playoff Baseball, Thwarted!

I went to Washington today for the playoff game between the Washington Nationals and the Los Angeles Dodgers. As I did two years ago for the Nationals-Giants series, I chose the second home game, which, again like two years ago, turned out to be game two of the National League Division Series. The game wasn’tContinue reading “Playoff Baseball, Thwarted!”

An Ancient Rivalry Resumed

If you were to ask a Chicago Cubs fan who the Cubs’ rival is, most Cubs fans would say it’s the St. Louis Cardinals. There’s some truth to that, especially in the last fifteen years or so with the division realignments and the unbalanced schedule, but that wasn’t always true. If you go back intoContinue reading “An Ancient Rivalry Resumed”