Alex Massie is one of my favorite bloggers now. He gets this format. Reading his blog reminds me of when I was about eleven years old. I would catch Bruce Lee movies on network television and during the commercials I would try to practice all the sweet moves I just saw. The living room furniture was never the same. Hansel, another of my movie character role models, said it best, "Taste my pain."

Speaking of Bruce Lee, I always thought that the yellow jumpsuit thing was the coolest way to outfit yourself for punching baddies in the throat, or as I call it, Every Thursday. Then Tarantino made Uma wear it in Kill Bill Vol. 1. I liked that film too, but I no longer wanted to wear the yellow jumpsuit thing.

to give my thoughts on the Sopranos. But here goes. I never became a consistent Sopranos watcher. Sure, I would have liked to become a regular viewer. Either I didn't have HBO, or my hands had a book in them, or I was with a lovely young woman who doesn't believe mayhem and degradation is entertaining.

But I did watch sometimes - catching a season here or there. I loved how the show captured the look and feel of northern New Jersey. Of course, it did so by filming there. In fact, the last scene was filmed in Holsten's, an ice cream parlor in Bloomfield, New Jersey - the town in which I spent the first twelve years of my existence.

Of the story cycles I saw, I disliked the "Vito is gay and eating flapjacks" bit. Did anyone think the humor attempted at the expense of white ethnic "homophobia" was all that funny?  I mean, it was kind of funny. But only because  Paulie Walnuts  is the second best character ever created for television. (You-know-who is the best)

I don't think the series ever topped the scenes where Christopher discovers that Adrianna has been informing the feds. My reactions to this scene were physical. My guts churned. Afterward I paced around the house. Excuse the language  - but Michael Imperioli is superb when the character's "motivation is: "You're fucked." It was just one of those performances where you think to yourself: am I as good at anything, as this guy is at acting? No, you're not.

But there always seemed to be something - I dunno - snotty about the show's fans in the media. I could never put my finger on it.  So I was glad Galley Slaves reminded me of Andrew Ferguson's fantastic 2001 piece about the show. Worth quoting at length below the fold.

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Ron Paul is everywhere these days. First, he has a brand new website. And FreeMarket News is saying that he may have jumped over all the other second tier candidates in fundraising. (I remain skeptical on this and think it is unwise to raise expectations - but if true- wow!) Also, if you haven't already - find The American Conservative on newstands where you can find my profile on Ron Paul as part of a cover package. Here is a video of Tucker Carlson lobbing some easy questions over the plate and basically indicating that Ron Paul has his vote.

Oh - and I also have a small editorial in The Politico on how Ron Paul can make his non-interventionist foreign policy more appealing.  

What is your neighborhood like? I think I've found a key of understanding. Travel to the nearest 7-11 in the midnight hour and observe.

If you live in a good neighborhood you might see high-school kids, fresh from McDonalds, looking for Mountain Dew: Code Red; people who are on a first name basis with the cashier; college aged girls looking for some ice cream; someone flipping through Esquire magazine; or no one at all.

If you live in a not-as-good neighborhood you might find abandoned socks in the parking lot; a sunburned chick with what looks like sharpie writing where a tramp-stamp belongs insisting to everyone that she's been robbed, but asking you not to call the cops on her behalf. You'll also find that there is always someone at the door asking you for something: a ride, some change, or some bags - as in, "gotsum BAGS man? ... DAMNIT!"

Peter Hitchens has a review of his brother's book, "God is Not Great" in the Daily Mail. It's well worth a read. He makes two points which are essential. The first speaks for itself:

On the few occasions where Christopher is prepared to admit that religious people have done any good, he concludes that they did so in spite of their faith, not because of it.

He even suggests that the atheist Soviet tyranny was itself a form of religion.

You can’t win against this sort of circular absolutism.

Yet he has this absurdly backwards. Religious and unbelieving people have both done dreadful things, and the worst of them have committed their murders and their tortures in the belief that they were doing good.

Nothing is proved by either side in this argument, by pointing to the mountains of skulls piled up by evil atheists, and evil theists. - Peter Hitchens

The second point is that his brother, along with Richard Dawkins are laying the groundwork for an incredible tyranny of conscience.

There is one chapter in this book whose implications are sinister. It is Chapter 16, which attempts to suggest that religion is child abuse.

On the basis of such arguments, matched by similar urgings from Professor Richard Dawkins, I can see a movement growing to outlaw the teaching of faith to children. - Peter Hitchens

Christopher has admirably debated his views on religion with all comers. The exchange I found most revealing was the one he had with Douglas Wilson at Christianity Today.

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I have a piece in the Washington Times this Sunday reviewing three books of poetry. I've noticed that the author I'm most excited about, Eireann Lorsung (pictured) has a weblog and designs clothing and accessories. Check them out. Nice.

At the risk of turning blogging into the same exercise in mutual admiration that exists in the MSM, I point to Matt Zeitlin's post on Amanda Marcotte.

Marcotte gets into such a tizzy around anyone who has any Christian faith that the actual facts that distinguish one conservative Christian from another are totally irrelevant. They are all just “the enemy” to her and thus need to be mocked mercilessly despite any good qualities or distinguishing factors they may posses. - Matt Zeitlin

Indeed. Matt should have [ed. oops, my fault] mentioned that Sam Brownback has also adopted two children: Jenna from China and Mark from Guatemala. These are hardly the actions of a man that could be identified by Marcotte's description,

He tends to be one of those white guys who wants to stomp out anyone with a genetic tendency away from in-breeding, particularly those people who tend to the darker side of the scale - Amanda Marcotte

Marcotte's post also seems to indicate that she doesn't know that Sam Brownback is a Catholic. That to this day she remains this ignornat about another presidential candidate just astounds me. How did a major campaign hire this woman as one of their political bloggers?

By all accounts Sam Brownback is a true believer. I recently had a beer soaked conversation with a young right-wing journalist whom I consider to be one of the best reporters on Capitol HIll, and he said to me that he didn't care that many of Sam Brownback's positions were essentially liberal ones. I ticked them off: government project to end cancer in 10 years, intervention in Darfur, anti-death penalty, etc. 

"This man REALLY believes it," he insisted, noting how rare a quality that is in any position. "God will smile down on this country if he is elected." I'm actually surprised that Brownback hasn't attracted more attention as he is nearly the perfect candidate to represent the most important issues for both the religious right and the religious left - of World and Christian Century.

I want to give Brownback a little credit though. His speech at CPAC was a not-bad-at-all theological reflection on the interaction between righteousness and justice. He also champions one cause I fully endorse, prison reform. The states should take the lead on this issue.

I mentioned this sequence of plays the other day. It's not quite long enough. But in about the minute or two preceding this you just see it click for Stockton. It's unbelievable. He is just determined to win this game. Wow, I still feel like it was some kind of injustice that they didn't win the championship that year or the next. In fact, expect periodic whimpering about this until it's been ten years since their 1998 Finals loss as well.

Just been listening to "Revolver" as I clean up the kitchen. Has anyone noticed how so many of the songs end before you think they should? "Good Day Sun Shine" seems like it is about to go into a bridge and a final verse but just ends right at the point it (somewhat unimaginatively) transposes. "Eleanor Rigby" too.

I guess it's good to leave them wanting more. This is probably my favorite Beatles album because it seems, to my taste, to have that perfect combination of harder and more experimental material mixed in with the more accessible melodies. "Taxman" is a perfect example. The late guitar solo is incredible and a bit boundary-pushing for a pop album in 1966 (or now for that matter). "Eleanor Rigby" expresses sentiments I don't often here in music like this - and with fun cello work.

Also as I clean up and chat about Burnham with friends, I'm listening to Beck's album, "Mutations" an album that contains some sunny-Saturday lyrics like these:

"Treated you like a rusty blade
A throwaway from an open grave"

or

Gazing alone
Through sex-painted windows
Dredging the night
Drunk libertines
Stink like a colognes
From the newfangled wasteland

I just wanted to wish "Happy Birthday" to one of this blog's most devoted readers, Heidi Klum.

Happy Birthday Heidi!  

Yeah, a few days after I complain about how interacting with the cultural products of GE, Disney and Vivendi is terrible, I find myself thrilled by an NBA game (the first time in a while). LeBron James' 48 point performance last night was the most incredible single player performance I have ever scene. It was better than Jordan's Flu Game - it was better than my favorite performance - Stockton's last five minutes in game 6 in Houston in 97, which ended with a buzzer beater. it was also better than Vince Young's Rose Bowl game.

What I find so fascinating about LeBron is that it is so obviously his physical makeup that gives him such an advantage. He's great because of his size, speed and agility. That's it. Another point to be made. Craig Sager asked him in the end: Did you ever know you could be this good. "No." James said with a smile. You could see that he was starting to enjoy himself.

Also, this is the first weekend in a while where I've been able to just relax - and I'm going to spend part of it watching "Knocked Up." Read the Times' Profile of Judd Apatow.