Nick Postagulous
Thursday, June 10, 2004
Ronald Reagan
This whole Ronald Reagan Never Ending Funeral has shown me that I'm an alien again. And I'm not complaining about his casket touring the country and drawing record crowds, unless I was to say that it's tacky. But no less tacky than what's been going on with Mao forever. But, that said, the setup with Mao's tomb is the way to do it.
But what has come to my attention, when reading the lil blogs that I read daily, is that others don't watch TV like I do. My replaytv insulates me from the news. Heck, the only info on Reagan that I saw was in the E! True Hollywood Story of The Sopranos, the little red ticker that's underneath said something like "Ronald Reagan, Actor from 1940s B-movies and 80's President, Has Died" which, I also think is fairly tacky of them. Besides, if you're watching TV, and can read, you might just know who RR is without the "Actor for 1940's B-movies" dig.
And, yeah, I like Reagan. I have his autobiography, which I got to about his second year in college and lost interest, and What I Saw At The Revolution by Peggy Noonan. And I absolutely love Noonan's writing style when she's matching the speaking style of Reagan.
I may not have mentioned it recently, but I have a degree in communication arts specializing in rhetorical theory. Right before I graduated with it, I switched to the college of engineering and soon found that not only was I not really scared of math, but I truly appreciated how I could get 100% on a test when I was right. Being right will only get you a C in a liberal arts class. Panache will get you a B. And being a total suck up might get you an A. But, as those who know me in real life, sucking up isn't one of my big hobbies. Especially not to communications teachers who escaped being high school guidance councilors by the skin of their teeth.
Noonan was one of my minor heroes back then. Ease of phrasing is so key. However, though I might be able to write a speech, I'm not Noonan. Heck, even if I were half as good as her, I might have been able to support a family. But, no, I should have heeded the advice of the sports writer who lectured us when I was in a journalism class. "If you can write, get out of journalism, as it won't get you writing any better. Get out and learn something so you have something to write about. If you can't write, get out of journalism, because you can't write."
Errand Running
Alison and I are trying to get the house in order for Pei Xi's arrival. I've replaced a chandelier that we didn't like and a hanging light in the foyer of the house we also didn't like. On the way home yesterday, I bought two cordless phones and four Hi8 tapes for the digital Handycam while in China. I also got some mints. I really like wintergreen better than peppermint.
Tonight we have the night off, but I think Alison will have us go grocery shopping. Tomorrow is Alison's birthday at our house. Her real birthday was yesterday, but I gave her my presents on Sunday (lighting stuff). Hopefully, we can see Chronicles of Riddick on Saturday afternoon. I need some good escapism.
I've gotten very tired while writing this.
