Three days, three time zones. And I’m doing it backwards (going from Pacific to Mountain in day three) which makes the adjustment even more difficult. Is it 10:00 (physical time zone) 12:00 (home time zone) or 9:00 (where I spent the previous 24 hours)? Strange. I was in LA Monday night, today, then flew into Phoenix Tuesday. No time for fun in LA, although I did drive by Dodgers’ Stadium, the Staples Center, and the LA Coliseum on the way to the airport Tuesday afternoon.
I experienced an incredibly odd sensation Monday: my plane flew over my house. Other than when I lived in a dorm that was easily recognizable from the sky, I’ve never knowingly looked down on my home before. If I’m working in the yard and see a plane overhead, I might wonder where it’s going, who’s on it, and what their stories are. I never thought of the other perspective. Looking down, I could tell if a strange car was parked in our driveway, if the home was on fire and emergency workers were present, or just seeing it sit quietly (which is what I saw). It was a strange feeling of helplessness, because if something was going on, I not only couldn’t do a thing about it, but wouldn’t be able to until I landed in Chicago 50 minutes later.
The roads of Arizona are full of snow birds and spring training fans. Today on the drive from Phoenix to Prescott, I saw license plates from three Canadian provinces, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Texas, Michigan, and Illinois among others. Or maybe they’re just people who have moved here recently and haven’t changed their tags (like a certain well-regarded blogger from Indianapolis).
There were exactly three subjects on the radio on the drive up. The Passions of the Christ. Gay marriage. And steroids in baseball. In order, A) I doubt I’ll see the movie, but not out of any bias or anything like that. I’ve seen two movies in theaters in the last 12 months. The odds just aren’t good. I think the controversy is a little silly. It’s a movie, and one told from a very definite point of view (an extremely conservative, Catholic point of view). Don’t discount its message, but don’t consider it the final word, either. B) I’m extremely thankful that President Bush pointed out that if Bill and Gary down the street decide to get married, my marriage is a total sham. That’s good knowledge to have. Seriously, if gay couples chose to get married, it doesn’t affect my marriage any more or less than the more numerous loveless heterosexual marriages, or hetero marriages based on convenience or full of dishonesty and infidelity. Frankly, what any other couple in the world does, gay or straight, in no way affects how successful, happy, and loving my marriage is. Honestly, I respect people who come out and say, “I’m offended by gay couples” a lot more than those who hide behind political language that states a desire to “defend marriage.” At least come out and say what you mean, rather than trying to offend as few people as possible while pandering to a political base. C) I’ve not seen Jason Giambi yet, but I can’t wait to see if he’s really lost 15-20 points, or the five he claims. To be honest, I’d much rather all the attention focused on steroids be spent working on the labor/financial situation in the game. In modern times, there have always been, and will always be performance enhancing drugs. It’s too late to take away Bonds, Sosa, and McGwire’s home run numbers. It’s not too late to keep $200 million payrolls from becoming the norm.
Monster House is one of my favorite shows. It’s right up there with the World Poker Tour and Nick & Jessica (Yes, I would have been at Crown Center screaming with the 12 year olds if I knew Jessica was there). On Monday’s episode, there was a couple with a baby named Kansas. Yep, it’s been added to the list. Unisex!
For some reason, ABC Family is showing a heavily edited Office Space. The printer destruction scene was just on. By far my favorite moment in the movie. It kills me every time.
The new Nike commercial with athletes competing in different sports: brilliant.
I’m flying home tomorrow. I hope to finish Bret Easton Ellis’ Glamorama, listen to a lot of music, and maybe knock out a Listening Post entry (Like I haven’t started about 20 of those on recent flights and got nowhere).