Too much free time

I'm pretty sure I have too much free time on my hands on Saturdays. Nina spends the whole day at work, Buster sleeps on his little perch, and there's nothing good on TV. So I spend the day doing laundry, or cleaning the house, but I'm usually done with that by about noon. So how do I entertain myself for the rest of the afternoon? I wax creative, of course. Its been awhile since we've posted anything on this blog, and even longer since I've posted a song. So today I shall do both. At the same time. Please enjoy my latest creation: The 4th of July. 

(It's purely coincidence that I titled my song "4th of July" this close to the holiday.)

Are those his shoes?!?

Do you remember what it felt like to be a kid? Always wanting to run and climb and jump and walk on curbs and flower boxes and the outer rims of fountains? Well, one company called Vibram figured out a way to you back to that time, when life was a little simpler. 

Vibram is a company that for many years has produced the soles for shoes made by Keen, Merrel, and Rockport. In 2007 Vibram decided to create a product all their own. They believed  that nature intended the human foot to be bare. Walking barefoot forces you up onto the balls of your feet, making you more agile, balanced, and ready to run. It also eases the jolt to your joints when walking. They believe that our toes were designed to provide us with traction in slippery situations, and each one is perfectly proportioned to maximize balance. But a standard shoe prohibits us from walking the way we evolved to walk. So they decided to fix this. Vibram created the FiveFinger shoe. It's like a glove for your foot.

You can learn more about them at www.vibramfivefingers.com. They come in four styles and a wide variety of colors, depending on your lifestyle and personal preferences. I opted for the KSOs in brown, because when I'm not in my work clothes, I'm in tan cargo shorts with a brown belt, and black shoes wouldn't go with that. Nina knew that I was intrigued by these shoes, so she took me to try on a pair for Valentines Day. I fell in love with them, but they didn't have the style that I wanted, so we ordered them online, and they arrived yesterday. I've had them on ever since.

It can be a little difficult to guide each toe into its own little compartment, but once you do, they're incredible. My posture is better; I can feel my calves and ankles getting stronger as I begin walking the way my body is built to do. When I walk down the hall towards our car I invariably break into a light jog. I jump onto the curbs and say "Nina, look what I can do!" I lift my foot up to give her "high 5s". I smile ceaselessly. It's true, I'm easily amused.

They do look funny, there's no denying that. And unless you get the Flows, your feet will get cold in the winter. But I'm a believer. And next time you see me, I'll probably be wearing these:

The joys of having your eyeballs surgically enhanced by a laser beam:

The above picture is an illustrated depiction of a process called Intralase, which uses a precisely-calibrated laser to create tiny gas bubbles between the lens and the cornea. These bubbles are created in a circular shape over the cornea; at the edges of the circle, the laser stacks bubbles on top of each other all the way to the surface, creating a "flap" that can be peeled back revealing your cornea. Then, using wavefront technology, which was developed by NASA to identify and correct tiny aberrations in the mirrors and lenses of their most powerful/sensitive telescopes, a laser burns the cornea into the ideal shape for optimum vision.

Why am I explaining all this in all its gruesome details? Because I had my eyeballs surgically enhanced by the aforementioned laser beam yesterday. And let me tell you, am I glad I did!

I've been wanting to get this done for a long time. Five years ago the doctors told me I wasn't a candidate because my pupils dilated larger than the diameter of the old LASIK laser. But with the breakthrough of the NASA technology, that was no longer a limitation. So I went forward, all gung-ho.

The surgery was lightning fast. I was on the table for a total of about 7 minutes. When I laid down I noticed a yellow circle on the ceiling. When they finished the surgery, I discovered that it was actually a smiley face. It could have been a mirror, because I'm sure its toothy grin resembled my own. I experienced mild discomfort in the form of pressure on my eye when they cut the flap, and as my cornea was reshaped I smelled a mild "burning hair" smell. But other than that, I was good to go. My vision, though much improved, was initially cloudy after the surgery. I went home, slept for four hours (thanks to a Valium and a Tylenol with Codeine), and when I awoke, PRESTO! I could SEE!

I went back to the doctors today for my post-op exam. My vision is currently 20/20, and they promised it would improve over the next 10-15 days as my eyes continue to heal. The doctors were all impressed that my sight was so good after just one day. At the Eye Center where I had my surgery, they boast that 100% of their patients achieve 20/40 or better, 98% achieve 20/20, and 70% end up being able to see 20/16 or better. I'm hoping my speedy recovery puts me into the latter category. But if not, I'll be happy with 20/2o. 

And in the meantime, I've gotta jet. There's lots of things I need to see for the first time with my new eyes.

Buster McGee

Happy Feet

I know, I know. The masses are clamoring to hear from Nina. You're all sick of reading my adjective-heavy, syllable-laden rhetoric. I apologize, but she's indisposed at the moment. Actually, she's been indisposed for the last 4.5 months. You think you miss her, imagine how I feel!

Because she's super busy and super stressed and super sleep-deprived, I always look for ways I can help her. So when she asked me last Tuesday to come down to Paper Source on Thursday to help fix some bookshelves before she re-merchandised her store, I agreed. Granted, I thought, "Don't you have employees that are paid to do those things?" But I didn't grumble, or complain, or otherwise raise a stink, I simply acquiesced. And then she started asking me to try to get there as early as possible, could I leave work a little early, she really needed me there by six o'clock, so could I go to work early to beat traffic, blah blah blah. I said I would do my best.

So Thursday rolled around, and I woke up early, and gathered up some working clothes, and kissed her goodbye. When I got to the car, I found a strange envelope hanging from the rear-view mirror. It was a poem, written by the Ninanator herself! Turns out, the bookshelves thing was just a ruse to ensure that my evening was free. I was to pick her up at 6 because we had dinner reservations at Chef Geoff's downtown. The poem indicated that there was more to the date, and that I should stay in my slacks, but it was intentionally vague about the details. When I picked her up, she explained what else we would be doing: going to see Savion Glover at the Warner Theatre.

For those of you who don't know, Savion Glover is a tap dancer. In fact, Gregory Hines said of him, "Savion Glover is the greatest tap dancer who ever lived." He did all the choreography in Happy Feet, and some of you may even remember seeing him in a Coke commercial.

Why would I be excited about seeing a tap dancer, you ask? Well, I have a confession. I'm a tap dancer. My friend Steve Harward and I took tap lessons when we were in high school. I still find myself busting out a "hop shuffle step" anytime my leather-soled work shoes come in contact with a hard flat surface. And Savion Glover has been one of my heroes ever since.

So, yes, I was pretty excited. But I'm getting ahead of myself. First, dinner.

I have a new favorite food: asparagus risotto balls with mozzarella cheese, rolled in breadcrumbs and deep-fried. My mouth is watering just thinking about them. Wow.

...

Ok, I'm back. Dinner was delicious. The theatre was right across the street, so we were in no rush. After we ate, we ambled on over to the theatre, plopped down in our Row F seats, and enjoyed the show.

And boy did we ever! It was amazing. The show consisted of Savion and 2 hoofers in their early 30s. There was no music. No gimmicks (aside from a 1 minute stint using an echo mic). Just 90 minutes of different rhythms being tapped. I couldn't believe how varied the whole show was. I didn't think any of the numbers sounded the same. They all had a different feel, and a different sound. I loved it. 

She's the greatest.

PS- Here's a sample of the kind of stuff this guy can do:

My $0.02

It's getting pretty close to election time, so I guess I'd better join the rest of the blogosphere by disclosing my own political biases. Living in DC, politics is at the forefront of every conversation. Everyone has an opinion, and everyone expects or assumes that you must be of the same opinion as they are. When they find out you're not, they don't really know what to do.

The other day, we had two female campaigners for Obama come to our door asking for Nina. Right away, I spotted an eager glint in their eyes when they saw her. You could tell they assumed what Nina's responses would be based on her profile. So when they began asking their questions, the surprise on their faces at her answers was quite evident. They were nearly dumbfounded, and left a little bewildered.

So what do I think of this election cycle? I'll tell you what I think: "Really? This country has more than 300 million people, and this is who we came up with to represent us in the Nation's highest office? Really?" The truth is, both candidates offer something that appeals to me; at the same time, I'm extremely wary to vote for either of them. 

There are a lot of problems facing this country right now. In many respects, this is a critical election. From terrorism to economics, the issues that will confront our next President will affect everything from our own personal daily lives to the security of the entire nation. I don't want a President who refuses to acknowledge the goodness of an idea simply because it's not listed on the party platform. I would much rather have a President who says, "You know what, Sir, that's actually a very good idea. I'd never heard that argument put that way before, and I must say, you've convinced me."

The truth is, neither party is right on every issue. It often seems to me that one party will take a particular stance on an issue simply because the other party has taken the opposite stance. In fact, in some instances, the party line on a particular issue may be in odds with other philosophical guidelines to which that party adheres. For example, the Republicans claim to be the party of globalization, eager to get involved in the world and extend our economy across the globe. At the same time, those very same Republicans seem to hate any international organization that seeks to help globalize the world, such as the United Nations or the International Criminal Court. On the other hand, Democrats are the party of protectionism, wary of getting involved in the world out of fear that we'll lose jobs. However, those very same Democrats are crying for more involvement in international organizations, and greater cooperation among countries.

How does that make any sense? If you're all about being a world player, why wouldn't you support the organizations that the rest of the world plays in? Contrarily, if you believe that protection comes through isolation, why would you clamor for increased coordination between nations?

I just don't get it, and that's why I think the country is not well-served by having only one party in power. When that's the case, there's no dialogue, there's no debate, there's no compromise. People point to the great successes of Clinton and Reagan. What did those two have in common? Congress was run by the opposite party during their presidencies. 

I'm sure there are examples where a consolidation of power led to excellent leadership, but I'm not aware of any offhand. And I know that most of the perceived oxymorons in party politics can be attributed to the differences between economic and social ideologies. All I'm trying to say is that you won't necessarily see me voting for a candidate based on his/her platform because I'm never going to agree 100% with any single candidate. But you will see me examining a candidate based on how he/she can contribute to the dialogue in Washington, and whether that person has the courage to adjust his/her policies based on new knowledge and past experience. 

Do we have a candidate that meets that criteria?...? If not, I'll simply have to vote to prevent single party domination.

Part 2: The Dark Knight, or Clown Gives Grown Man Nightmares

I probably don't need to tell you that I enjoy superhero/comic book movies. I might even go so far as to say that it's my favorite genre of film. I know some of them can be super cheesy and over-the-top, and others can be downright stupid, but movies like Ironman, or the Spiderman and X-Men trilogies really inspire me. Not that they inspire me to fight crime (though I do occasionally imagine what it would be like to swing through the streets like Peter Parker), but rather they inspire me to find the best parts of me and use them for the greater good. That may be something as simple as applying my extreme patience to surly sales clerks, or even something as risky as using my powers of diplomacy to break up a fist fight between a guy and a girl on the Metro platform. There are many ways to be a hero, and we all have little opportunities to do so every day.

Back to the movies, though. Sure, there are a lot of movies out there that show regular people doing heroic things; almost every protagonist in every plot does something heroic to earn the audience's admiration. But because of the fantastical nature of comic book movies, they speak to me on a more allegorical level. So when a movie like The Dark Knight comes out, you'd better believe I go to it looking to get something more out of it than explosions and nifty martial arts (though I do thoroughly enjoy potent pyrotechnics and wow-ing wire work).

Without spoiling anything for those of you who haven't seen it yet, The Dark Knight does not disappoint. It's been almost 24 hours since I saw it, and I'm still contemplating the proverbial lessons that I learned from men in capes and makeup. From order vs. chaos to justice vs. rights vs. civilization, I feel like I just had a philosophical course on morals, authority, and the Good.

Don't get me wrong. If you're just looking for a great "popcorn flick," The Dark Knight will deliver better than any other thus far this summer. And you'll never feel like the director is forcing his politics on you (except maybe once, but I'd argue that his politics aren't so clear as you first assume). But at the same time, if you're looking for it, you'll also see a film that engages you on a much deeper level. And not only does it engage you, but also leaves you a little disturbed...

Ok, enough of my ramblings. I enjoyed this film. 5 stars. 2 thumbs up. I'll probably see it again within the next 5 days. Maybe I'll see you there, too.