Facial Hair Blues

I shaved my beard for Halloween, as I usually do. So I decided to participate in No Shave November to grow it back. Unfortunately, my facial hair grows very slowly. It's the middle of the month, and I still look like a neckbeard.

I think next year I should pick a costume that incorporates a Van Dyck, like Ming the Merciless or David Xanatos.

The Political Landscaper

I'm not going to talk about the election yesterday. Not any directly relating to it, good, bad, or other. I just had one thought I wanted to commit to the Internet before it fled my mind.

Years back, when Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected Governor of California, I joked that it was a brief step towards making the future of Demolition Man a reality. It was a joke, but I was kidding on the square, as they say.

It seemed to me that every four years, the people trotted out as serious contenders for the White House made the idea of a Schwarzenegger presidency seem more and more likely. Every four years, the bar got lowered, so that wackos who would have been laughed at in the previous election were being taken seriously the next time around.

Now it seems to me that a Schwarzenegger presidency is not only plausible, I wasn't even thinking far enough ahead. After all, it's not like we haven't had an actor become President before. And all it would take is a single Amendment to allow a foreigner to be President. And I have the feeling there's plenty of people who wouldn't have cared if it did turn out that Obama was born in Kenya.

So the idea of an actor born on foreign soil winning the Presidency isn't too far fetched anymore. No, we gotta go farther. So in that vein, I think that we can look forward to seeing Jack Slater run for President. As in, the titular character in Last Action Hero. Someone who is not just a fictional character, but someone who is a fictional character within the work he appears in. A "show within a show" character, as it were. He's not even real in the movie, that's how fictional he is.

And I think he has a decent shot at the White House. I might even vote for him We could do worse.

-Long Days and Pleasant Nights

I have to say, I'm impressed

You may have heard, last night the Chicago Cubs won the World Series for the first time in over a century. I'm not a baseball fan myself, but I've noticed something about baseball fans in this city: They don't understand the meaning of "not a fan." I've had the following conversation at least twice every baseball season of my life.

Fan: Do you like the Cubs or the White Sox?
Me: I don't watch baseball.
Fan: Yeah, but do you like the Cubs or the Sox?
Me: I'm not a sports fan.
Fan: ...But do you like the Cubs, or the Sox?

Maybe this is the case everywhere, or just in areas that support more than one team. But in Chicago at least, you're not allowed to have no preference. They seem to be incapable of understanding that other people may not be fans. If you're one of those people and don't understand what I'm saying, imagine this alternate scenario.

Me: Which is better; Star Trek or Star Wars?
Person: I'm not into Sci Fi.
Me: OK, but, Star Trek or Star Wars?

I must say that I imagine this conversation has taken place somewhere. Sports fans aren't the only people to have myopia about their interests.

Having said all that, I won't pretend that I didn't care at all about the World Series. My father was a big Cubs fan, as is my wife. And I've lived in Chicago my whole life, so the spectre of not winning in over a century has hovered around me as much as anyone. So I did have some hopest that things would finally go the Cubbies way, and this city (or at least half of it) would have something to celebrate.

I had no idea if they would win or lose. But I was worried that either way, there would be riots. Sports championships seem to have that effect on people. But I've been scanning news sources, and I can't find any evidence that this was the case. I'm rather proud of us for this. For the most part, it's been business as usual. I have to commend my fellow Chicagoans, we know how to win with style.

-Long Days And Pleasant Nights