Pancake City

Did anyone catch The Simpsons a few weeks ago? Very weird. (more clips here).

I’ve been feeling sluggish recently. There’s little ventilation in my room, and the heat has been making me feel–

IT’S FRIGGING NOVEMBER! WHY IS IT 75 DEGREES IN NOVEMBER? I DON’T CARE IF YOU CAN GO SWIMMING OUTSIDE, SOMETHING IS WRONG. WE’RE ABOUT TO DIE OF GLOBAL WARMING AND THE SCIENTISTS ARE LETTING US ENJOY THE WEATHER. WE NEED TO ACT, LIKE, I DON’T KNOW, FIRE MISSILES AT MALAYASIA. THEY’LL NEVER EXPECT IT.

–a bit odd.

(no spoilers, but skip it if you want to avoid hearing what critics are saying about the movie)

Is there something unique to the post-Baby Boomer generation that drives us to lower our expectations to avoid being disappointed? I’m generalizing, maybe a lot, but I find myself feeling some gratitude to movie reviews that tank one of the three to four movies I look forward to each year.

“The Matrix Revolutions sucks.”
– Peter Travers, ROLLING STONE

That’s one of the harshest reviews, but the new Matrix movie is getting panned by most critics. But after the letdown, I was glad I read the reviews. I sought them out. Because I’m still going to see the movie, and the Wachowski brothers are going to have to pull the “It was all a dream” end to crush my enjoyment of the series.

On the surface, lowering one’s expectations is a win-win situation. If it’s bad, you’re not as disappointed. If it’s good, you’re pleasantly surprised. But what, if anything, is lost?

Alternate Title: Why I Love Al Sharpton
2nd Alternate Title: Al Warms-Up For Hosting Saturday Night Live

COOPER: Changing the subject a little bit, Governor Dean, I know you took a year off after college, spent a little time skiing. Is that something you would recommend for college graduates?

DEAN: When I was 20 years old, I was a junior in a college in New Haven, Connecticut. And I was totally turned off politics. I thought that the President of the United States was a crook, which turned out to be right. It was Richard Nixon.

[...]

(The moderator earlier joked that some young adults watching the debate would drink a shot every time one of them repeated a catch phrase.)

COOPER: Reverend Sharpton, A CNN-USA Today-Gallup poll just last week showed that young people, 18 to 29, are actually more conservative than their parents. And, actually, 61 or 62 percent of them said they agree with the job George Bush is doing.

What are the Democrats doing wrong?

SHARPTON: Well, I think that first of all, a lot of young people don’t understand what George Bush is doing. And a lot of them have been confused because a lot of the Democrats have played this game of trying to be Republican-like.

I say that we’ve been…

(APPLAUSE)

I think that we’ve had too many elephants running around in donkey jackets that are not real Democrats. When we stand up…

COOPER: By the way, I think someone’s drinking right now, because I think I heard that before.

(LAUGHTER)

SHARPTON: Well, while they’re gulping, let me give you another two lines. Anyway…

[...]

QUESTION: My question is for Reverend Sharpton, though I’d love to hear from the other candidates as well.

My question is this. What’s the first thing going through your head the morning you wake up in the White House?

SHARPTON: Well, I think the first thing going through my head would be to make sure that Bush has all of his stuff out.

(LAUGHTER)

(APPLAUSE)

SHARPTON: And that we changed the locks on the door, so none of his crowd can come back.

[...]

And finally:

QUESTION: You guys seem to get to know each other fairly well. I’d be curious to find out, if you could pick one of your fellow candidates to party with, which you would choose. But keeping in mind, partying isn’t just, you know, who do you think can shake their groove thing.

(LAUGHTER)

I mean, we’re talking, who’s going to be loyal to you? Who is going to stand by your side? If you get sick, who’s going to hold your hair back?

(LAUGHTER)

QUESTION: Second of all…

(APPLAUSE)

There’s more. There’s more to it. Who’s going to be a team player, you know, if you–imagine if you were single again. If you see a cutie across the room…

(LAUGHTER)

…who’s going to be your wing man? Who’s going to take one for the team?

COOPER: Senator Lieberman?

LIEBERMAN: I hope my wife understands this. I’d like to party with the young lady who asked that question.

(LAUGHTER)

You’re good.

COOPER: Reverend Sharpton?

SHARPTON: I hope mine understands it. Probably the best person I’ve met to campaign, to party with–Mrs. Kerry. I’m sorry.

(APPLAUSE)

KERRY: I was going to choose Carol Moseley Braun, but now I’m going to have to choose you so I can keep an eye on my wife.