hey all! so the post tonight is inspired by a discussion at a bar tonight with folks from work (we were celebrating the interns with burgers and beer . . . ) i have always thought that i was raised well, that my parents did a good job - and while there is always the conversation that revolves around me not having seen rated r movies until i was 17, i never considered my parents overly protective. or at least now i don't see it as outrageous as i used to . . .

anyway, so the conversation tonight turned to guns at one point. am i the only person out there who has never shot a gun? all these people from work, people who i thought of as liberal or more so than myself, had toy guns as children, have been to gun ranges and have a favorite gun to shoot. this is amazing to me. am i way out of line - is this a more normal thing that i just missed (like beverly hills 90210 and the simpsons?) or is this genuinely as weird as it seems to me?

please, chatter about this - i'm curious about what people are thinking.

hello world! (kerem and spencer may think that is toolish and silly to say but i simply don't care!) so i didn't intend on blogging tonight - but looks like everyone is in for a treat! so tonight i saw the new manchurian candidate - which i highly recommend, by the way - and it got me thinking about the political spectacle . . . i know, i know - how poli comm of me - but there you go. i could pretend i don't remember who wrote that (edelman) but i won't bother. and this was spurred by the movie, but i guess also by the convention. at gw i learned all about the political spectacle - the mysteries and intricacies of an advance team and what they do, what a candidate should do and say to envoke emotions and which emotions are worth envoking. and i'm at the point know where when i see good advance i appreciate it for what it is, an important part of a campaign - a crucial part too. other people see all of this and feel as though they are being manipulated - which is quasi-true. but they feel insulted that they are being manipulated at these events, whereas i recognize and appreciate the manipulation. so who is the cynasist here?

just that random thought is all.

cheers to dad for figuring out how to add a new comment to the chatter box! why don't you give it a try?