A Eulogy for Grandmama

I would like to express my gratitude for all of you here today who have come to honor the memory my grandmother, Ginger Bolger. When I see all of the faces gathered here, I see a lifetime of love. I see the fruits of the seeds of kindness and acceptance that she sowed wherever she went. It goes without saying that she was, and still is, loved in so many ways.

Grandmama (or Grandmommy as I still think of her even now) led a truly remarkable life. She was born in the midst of the Great Depression and has seen 6 wars and 13 U.S. Presidents. She, like us all, has seen good times and bad times, but through it all, she remained a woman of steadfast determination and unwavering faith. She was a school-teacher, florist, hairdresser, beauty instructor, and Master Flower Show judge. Oh, and she was also Arkansas High’s Porker Beauty in 1952, and apparently those genes got passed down, because her granddaughter got the honor in ‘99. She is a woman whose life is truly worthy of admiration.

But to Marci and me, she is still simply Grandmommy, who let us help her in the kitchen when she made us her famous “sugar-pies,” which, by the way, are just as unhealthy as they sound, and twice as delicious. She let us play on her sewing machine that my mom never could touch as a kid. (To this day, I can sew a pillow, but I can’t sew on a button.) I remember the little house on Wade Lane with bottles on the windows (Grandmama’s version of the poor man’s burglar alarm) and the tree outside that I could spend hours climbing.

The law of the universe seems to be that it is a parent’s job to raise their children properly, but it is the grandparent’s job to spoil them mercilessly. In that regard, I must say that Grandmama more than succeeded in upholding that role. She introduced us to coffee, which I wasn’t a fan of back then, but which Marci absolutely loved. Grandmama always called Marci her “coffee drinking buddy,” and they spent many a Saturday morning watching cartoons, Grandmama with her cup of black coffee and Marci with her cup of milk and sugar with just a bit of coffee for good measure.

She used to let me stay up all night watching old TV shows on Nick at Nite, and then she would let me make a fire in the front yard to roast marshmallows and hot-dogs. And this wasn’t in the country; Wade Lane is in walking distance from the mall. She would even drive me to Albertson’s at 11:30 at night because I just HAD to have a new G.I. Joe man. She lived on a fixed income, but she would spend money that she didn’t have (which I didn’t really understand at the time) just to see me smile.

She also taught me to use my imagination. I can’t tell you how many He-Man castles that I had that I made out of cardboard boxes. She would baby-sit me and Marci and Ben and Heather Halter and take us to garage sales, and she taught us to make do with what we had. She also wasn’t afraid to wear our butts out when we got out of line. I know that when she was a school teacher she taught in Room 2, because that’s what it said on her paddle. Trust me, you did NOT want her to take out Room 2. Just because she liked to spoil us didn’t mean that she didn’t demand respect.

Unfortunately, Grandmama’s stroke changed her and all of our lives irrevocably. Although her mind remained as sharp as ever, her body would no longer cooperate. Her words became strained and she was confined to a wheelchair for the remainder of her life. Every day became a struggle, but still she persevered, and for 20 years she fought to keep her faith and to enjoy her life. I can’t tell you how many people at the nursing home would tell me how much they loved Miss Ginger and how she was one of their absolute favorite residents. She could be cantankerous at times, but she always had a smile that would brighten the room, even after her teeth were long gone.

When asked what characteristic of Grandmama’s I would most like to emulate, I can only say her stubbornness. I could use a euphemism like determination or steadfastness, but if you knew her like I did, you’d know that she wouldn’t want to dress it up. That quality of digging in her heels and not budging no matter what life threw at her is what got her through many hard times, from the tragic loss of her beloved son to the epic battle that was the aftermath of her stroke; that’s stubbornness, in the best possible way. It is that stubbornness that allowed her, despite many hardships, to raise the daughter that would grow up to become my own wonderful mother. It is that stubbornness (along with her faith) that will help Mom get through these especially trying times, because it’s a hereditary stubbornness. I know, because I got it, too, and I have no doubt that it will continue to help me get through whatever life throws at me. It has so far.

I’d like to conclude by saying that while a death is always a sad occasion, there is always sunlight beyond the clouds. For 20 years, Grandmama has been trapped in a prison of her own body, her mind in turmoil from the helplessness that she felt. I was with her at the end, and she went peacefully, the way we would all wish to go. She is finally free of the pain of this world, and I can only wish her love and a safe journey. Hers is a life to be celebrated, and she is at peace a last.

Beer Snob on a Budget? Brew Your Own!

Times are tight for everybody; people are cinching up their belts, taking pay-cuts, and even getting laid off. You turn on the news, and it’s down-right depressing. If only there was something that you could drink to make your problems magically go away (at least until the next morning when you wake up with a pounding headache and a manatee sharing your bed).

What’s that, you say? There IS such a delightful beverage? But, of course there is! It’s beer! But who can afford beer, these days? It’s all we can do just to put food on the table. Well in times like these, there is only one solution: Make your own. Just follow these simple steps, and for about $100 you’ll be off the wagon in no time.

1. Get A Kit

Sure, there are tons of ways out there to make beer from scratch and you’re just dying to get started. Well slow down, there, Anheuser. Odds are pretty good that your kitchen isn’t well-stocked enough to get you to Blackoutville (Got any malt laying around? Yeah. Didn’t think so). So get a kit. It will make your life way easier.

2. Boil the Malt, Make the Wort

Now that you have your shiny new home-brew kit, you’re all set and ready to get started. First off, you mix your malt, water, and hops (some kits come with a malt/hops blend), and bring to a boil. You now have a nasty-sounding concoction called wort, which is the primary ingredient in beer. Try to resist the urge to guzzle; there’s no alcohol in it, yet.

3. Time to Ferment!

Okay, you’ve made the wort; now it’s time to give it a little kick. After you’ve cooled the wort, it’s time to add the yeast (most kits come with it). Over time, that yeast will eat away at the sugars in the wort to create alcohol. However, in defiance of proper logic, the alcohol eating away at your liver will NOT create more alcohol.

4. Ready. Set. WAIT!

They (whoever they are) say that the waiting is the hardest part. They’re right. Unfortunately, the fermentation process takes time. About a week, to be precise. We suggest you use this time to go to your favorite bars and liquor stores so you can explain to them why very soon you’re going to be too awesome for them.

5. Bottle It Up!

After the week is up, it’s time to put your beer in individual bottles and add priming sugar for carbonation. Brown bottles are better than clear or green, because brown keeps light out better. Anyone who has ever spent a Saturday morning with the shades pulled down knows that light is the enemy of beer, both before and after consumption.

6. Wait Some More

Patience, grasshopper; it’s almost over. There’s not much worse than flat beer, but if you don’t give it another week to carbonate, it’ll be flat before you even start. Go back to the bar and remind them how awesome you are.

7. Bottoms Up!

Finally! It’s time to enjoy the fruit of your labor. So get on the horn, call over a few buddies, turn on the game, and crack open your own special blend. If all went according to plan, you should have a smooth, refreshing brew and not something that would turn Keith Richards’s stomach. On second thought, you might want to grab a 30-pack, too. You know, just in case.

Until next time,

Clay

Welcome to The Space Between

Between what, you ask? It could be many things. The space between the lines. The space between the rain. The space between reality and dreams. It can mean anything you want it to mean. Because one of my favorite writers, Orson Scott Card, once said that the story is only half told by the writer. The reader adds the other half with their own experiences, with their own interpretation of the story, with what it means to them. I like that. It's a nice thought, and I hope that people will add their own interpretations to my own writing. I hope that I can join with you, the reader, and connect with you on a level where we tell the story together, whatever that story may be.

It actually came down to The Space Between and The Rabbit Hole (inspired by Alice in Wonderland), and I must admit that my illustrious benefactors over at Appeal preferred the latter, but a good friend by the name of April presented a valid argument for the former, and I was kind of leaning that way, anyway. I still like the name The Rabbit Hole, but I've always thought that would be an awesome name for a club. Maybe one day I'll be able to open that club, so I'm going to save that name. You know, just in case. ;)

So The Space Between it is, and The Space Between it shall be. I hope that you enjoy my writings, as I plan to post both original work here as well as my published work for the various print publications with which I am affiliated. To get the ball rolling, I transplanted my blog from Myspace, almost 30 posts, dating back a few years. So, um, if you find that a few posts are a little dated, yet were just added recently, it's because I actually wrote it when it was current, and it has just been moved over from the old blogs.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy my new home. I know I will. Keep reading. You just might enjoy yourself!

Until next time,

Clay

Sparkles and Fangs: An Outsider's Take on the Terrifying Trend of Twilight and True Blood

Vampires. It seems like they’re everywhere. Ever since the fifteenth century, when a certain Transylvanian count by the name of Vlad (who would later inspire the character Dracula) developed his penchant for impaling his victims on stakes and, according to legend, drinking their blood (apparently he liked the taste), people have been fascinated by the vampire legend.

In recent years, despite our departure from superstition in general, it seems that our fascination with these mysterious creatures of the night has grown. Back in the eighties, we were enthralled with the mulleted, angsty teenage blood-suckers of The Lost Boys; in the nineties it was the glamorous, vaguely homo-erotic vampires of Anne Rice that captured our attention. The legend has grown and evolved over time, from folklore and literature to TV shows, movies, video-games, role-playing games, and comic books. Vampires have taught us to count (Sesame Street officially denies that the Count is a vampire, but come on), and even been a part of a nutritious breakfast (looking at you, Chocula!). The list goes on.

But never before has the trend reached such a fever pitch as we are seeing today. Suddenly, kids are dressing like vampires; fangs are sold year-round (i.e. not just at Halloween), and sales of glitter are through the roof. The vampire market is apparently recession-proof, and from what I can tell, all of the recent craziness over the blood-suckers flows from two principle sources: the HBO series True Blood (based on the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris), and Stephenie Meyer’s teen-lit epic Twilight, which has spawned a series of movies, the second of which, New Moon, is set to open in theaters to undoubtedly sold-out crowds of screaming teenage girls (not to mention quite a few screaming, not-so-teenage men and women) in November. The trend has even made its way onto Comedy Central’s South Park

I, however, have not been one to catch vampire fever. Sure, I loved horror movies when I was growing up. Fright Night and The Lost Boys were definitely two of my favorites, and when Rice’s Vampire Chronicles was at the height of its popularity, I was just as into it as anyone else. But the current trend has thus far eluded me. Perhaps I really don’t feel I would enjoy these new twists on the vampire legend; perhaps it is merely my macho pride and my fear that I might actually enjoy it; I really don’t know.

I must admit, though, that my curiosity has begun to get the better of me. The popularity of True Blood, and even the Twilight series, has begun to transcend the limitations of age or gender. What I have long considered fodder for pre-pubescent girls has gained considerable ground among grown women, and quite a few guys are starting to catch on, as well. So I decided to fire up the DVD player, lock myself in my apartment for the weekend armed with Twilight, the first season of True Blood, and enough food and water to keep me alive through the ordeal, and I set to the task of finally seeing what all the fuss was about. Oh, and for good measure, I also checked out the first episode of The Vampire Diaries, the new show on the CW, which itself is based on a book series of the same name by L.J. Smith, just to round out the list. Here’s my take, in order of viewing:

True Blood

The gist: Set in the small town of Bon Temps, LA, True Blood takes place in a world where shapeshifters, telepaths, and vampires rub elbows with mere mortals as a matter of day to day life. With the recent development of synthetic blood, or “Tru Blood,” vampires have “come out of the coffin,” and are now struggling to assimilate themselves into human society. Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), a virginal, telepathic waitress in a local tavern, meets Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), a Civil War-veteran vampire who still holds on to a sliver of his former humanity, and after a series of adventures, the two begin a relationship.

My take: Not too bad, actually. As a matter of fact, out of all three titles, True Blood was by far my favorite. Bill is my kind of blood-sucker: old-fashioned, loaded with baggage, and susceptible to sunlight (the vampires in the other two titles aren’t- more on that later), and Sookie is just the right combination of tough and naively adorable to create the perfect ingénue. Their story, as well as that of the supporting cast, will probably have me coming back for more, as the plot deftly touches on ideas of racism and discrimination without ever taking itself too seriously.

The show does have some serious drawbacks, though, most noticeably the terrible, horrible, no-good, just-plain-lousy accents, in particular the forced, pseudo-hillbilly drawl of Rutina Wesley as Sookie’s best friend Tara. Now I’m sure that Miss Wesley is a fine actress. There are even times in True Blood where I am moved by her performance. But for any casting director to let something like that pass is just unacceptable. NOBODY talks like that. If these accents were something that they hadn’t heard before, I could let it go. But this show is filmed right outside of Shreveport. There’s just no excuse for that. The show also has quite a few cheesy moments that leave me shaking my head in wonder, but for the most part, this one is pretty watchable.

Twilight

The gist: Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), an angsty teenage girl, is uprooted from her home in Arizona and is forced to live with her father, the chief of police in the sleepy town of Fork, WA, where she is soon swept up in the world of vampires and werewolves when she develops a relationship with angsty teenage vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson).

My take: Ugh. Seriously, this is something that I just couldn’t get into. It turned out to be exactly what I feared it would be, and then some. To be fair, perhaps something is lost in the translation from the page to the big screen. I sincerely hope so. It’s like Twilight goes out of its way to be cheesy. The love story is derivative, and the visual style of the movie is just depressing. I understand the vampires being pale. They’re supposed to be. But the whole town? I mean, even the Native Americans in this movie were pale. At one point Jacob used the term pale-face and I had to pause the movie until I stopped laughing.

My other gripe is with the vampires themselves. I understand that every author that writes a new vampire story will take creative license, and they will tweak the legend to suit their purposes. Bram Stoker did it when he wrote the original Dracula, Anne Rice did it with the Vampire Chronicles, and Marvel did it with Blade. But one thing has always been universal: Vampires are creatures of the night. The sun hurts them. That’s their weakness, and it’s the only way we stand a chance. In Twilight, though, sunlight doesn’t hurt them. They don’t burst into flames. All they do is sparkle. They SPARKLE. How scary is that?

Oh, and one other thing. Isn’t Edward like, oh, I don’t know, about 108 years old? What is he doing messing with a teenage girl? Nobody has a problem with that? I can understand her making stupid decisions; she’s a teenager. But he’s over 100. And why is he in high school? I get that he looks like a teenager, and school keeps people from asking questions, but has anybody heard of home-school? It would sure be a lot safer than risking exposure every day by going to school. Of course, then there wouldn’t be a story, would there?

The Vampire Diaries

The gist: In the small town of Mystic Falls, VA (noticing a trend, here?), Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev), a beautiful high school student whose parents were recently killed in a car accident meets Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley), a charming vampire and the two, ahem, begin a relationship. A new twist here is that Stefan’s brother, Damon (Ian Somerhalder), shows up, and it is hinted that he, too, will begin some sort of relationship with Elena, creating a vampire love triangle.

My take: At first glance, The Vampire Diaries looks like the brainchild of a last-minute marketing meeting at the CW. As if they suddenly realized that vampires were selling, and they just had to get in on the action. Young female lead with issues? Check. Civil War-era vampire? Check. High school angst? Check. It’s like the O.C. with vampires. You can’t go wrong. All the execs at the CW will have to do is dive in and take a swim in their money.

If you take a closer look, you realize that you were right the first time, and that’s pretty much what it is. It’s the CW’s attempt to drain a little bit of life out this craze for themselves. Luckily for them, the show isn’t horrible. The book series that The Vampire Diaries is based on actually predates both the Twilight series and the Sookie Stackhouse series by quite a few years, and the production value on it is relatively high. I probably won’t be setting the TIVO for it anytime soon, but I can say that it could have been worse.

So there you have it. It wasn’t the plan, but I ended up watching all of these shows at night, and after 3 grueling nights, I’m starting to feel like a vampire, myself. I’m still not sure if I know what all the fuss is about, but at least I gave it a shot. And one of these shows may have even gained a fan.

Until next time,

Clay

Earth Hour : T-minus 33 minutes

Hello, all. It's been a while since you've heard from me, mostly because I've been kind of distracted, but also because, let's face it, I've been lazy. I know I promised last time that my next blog would be my Worst of list for 2008, and I still intend to write that (eventually...), but seeing that we are well into the largest demonstration of public concern regarding climate change in history, and only about a half hour away in my neck of the woods, it seems appropriate that I at least give it a mention.

For those of you who still don't know, Earth Hour is a global demonstration where your light switch is your vote. The World Wildlife Federation wants to see every light in the world go out for one hour today to bring awareness to the global climate problem and to our constant misuse of our natural resources, and so far, the demonstration has been a huge success.

The lights today are being turned off in Manhattan, in Beijing, and in Paris. The Eiffel Tower, the Great Pyramids of Giza, and Niagra Falls are all going dark. Even the United Nations Headquarters in New York City is taking part, shutting down at 8:30p.m. The support from the public, as well as governments around the world, has been amazing.

This is actually the 3rd year for Earth Hour, but this year is where it hits it's stride. The goal for the year is ONE BILLION people participating, and I hope that you are one of them. It is the first election of it's kind, one where your nationality is irrelevant, one where we all speak as one as citizens of the planet Earth. Our beloved planet is in danger, and it's up to us to bring it back safely from that danger. This movement is a great start.

So if you read this in time (in retrospect, I probably should have written this a week ago... oh well 20/20 and all), please, please, PLEASE turn out your lights at 8:30. If it's already passed where you are and you participated, thank you on behalf of the entire planet.

Most of you probably are reading this after the fact though, so as well as my thanks, I will also leave you with this: Earth Hour is a start, but it doesn't end here. In order to bring our planet back from the brink of peril, we must be diligent in preserving it. Continue the movement by supporting one of the many organizations that work everyday to help the environment. Here are a few URL's.

Sierra Club: www.sierraclub.org
Greenpeace: www.greenpeace.org/usa
World Wildlife Federation: www.worldwildlife.org
Ecological Conservation Organization: www.ecoconservation.org/6901.html
That should get you started. Oh crap, look at the time. 5 minutes left. Gotta get this computer off, and you should, too.

Until next time,

Clay

The Inaugural Gordie Awards

Happy New Year to everybody! I love this time of year. The weather isn't too cold yet (or at all some days), all of the stress and craziness of Christmas is over (don't get me wrong; I LOVE Christmas), and everything feels fresh and new. It's a time to start over, to leave bad habits behind, and to acquire new, better habits in their place.

It's also the time when different nations, organizations, publications, radio stations, and all sorts of other whatever-"ation"s arbitrarily bestow honor, dishonor, or in the case of the MTV Movie Awards, both at the same time. Well, I thought that with all the other "-ation"s doing it, why not Mation, too?

So I decided to bestow on these deserving groups and individuals the Inaugural "Gordie" Awards. These awards are named after me (my middle name is Gordon, in case you didn't know), and the selection process is at the sole discretion of me, so if I leave out a movie that you just LOVED and you have a thorn in your ass about it, then I either A. didn't see it, B. didn't like it, or C. it just didn't make the cut. I can't please everybody. So, without further ado, I present the Inaugural "Gordie" Awards.

Best Movie:

Winner: The Dark Knight. This was seriously one of the best movies I've ever seen. I loved every second of it. It was a comic book movie that went so much further, delving into the complex conundrum of good vs. evil, brilliantly played out by top notch performers against the gritty backdrop of Chicago. It doesn't get much better than this, folks. As a matter of fact, this is the ONLY movie I've ever blogged about, so if you want to know more about how I felt about that movie, it's just a few clicks away.

Runner up: Pineapple Express. Is it a stoner movie? Is it a comedy? Is it action? Yes. Seth Rogan was great as always and James Franco was hilarious and should REALLY stick to comedy, but Danny McBride as Red stole the show. AND it brought M.I.A. into the mainstream with Paper Planes, which is pretty awesome in itself.


Best Album:

Winner: Coldplay - Viva la Vida. What can I say? Coldplay continues to impress me with everything they put out. Everything. They say that they're not geniuses, and that they just write a whole bunch of stuff and the only thing you actually hear is the good part, but still. I bet if you listened to all that other stuff that they didn't use, it would be awesome, too.

Runner-up: Deathcab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs. I just really dug this album. If you can't tell, I was apparently into mellow sad-bastard music this year. Nonetheless, it was a really good album, possibly their best work, and "Cath..." is probably my favorite Deathcab song ever. If you've never listened to Deathcab, you should really check them out. They're a really awesome band and this album would be a good place to start.


Best Video Game:

Winner: Super Mario Galaxy. Okay, I know that techincally this game came out in December of 2007, but it was definitely my biggest electronic time-killer in this last year. I play through really good games twice, sometimes 3 times if they're really incredible, but if they even get a second play they have to be really good. I am currently going through SMG for the SIXTH time. And I've gotten everything every single time. It's probably the best Mario game ever, and it is hands-down the best game available for the Wii. If you have a Wii and you haven't played this game, go buy it. Wal-mart is open right now. This blog will be here when you get back. I'll wait for you. GO.

Runner-up: Grand Theft Auto IV. These games just keep getting cooler. I could go on about the go anywhere, do anything sandbox style of the game, but that's old news, and everything in this one is just as great as in the last few. But this time around, the story becomes much more important, as do your relationships with the various characters throughout Liberty City. I honestly think that is the crowning acheivement of GTAIV; that and the way this one was so fully realized, with TV shows, the internet, a cell phone... it just seemed so real, and oh so immersive.


Best TV Show (Drama):

Winner: House. Diagnosis: awesome. This show is one of the best on TV, and this year it has gotten nothing but better. I hope that one day I'm so good at whatever it is I'm doing that I can be a complete dick to people like House and get away with it. Plus, that show has done more for Vicodin sales than any free pen or legal pad ever could.

Runner-up: Heroes. I didn't get into Heroes until last summer, when I watched both of the first 2 seasons in about a week. Loved it. I don't even care that they steal gratuitously from pretty much every comic book ever made; it's still a ridiculously awesome show, and this season, with all of the new villians, was amazing.

Best TV Show (Comedy):

Winner: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Funniest. Show. Ever. It's been called "Seinfeld on crack," but that just doesn't do it justice. It started from humble beginnings, and the entire pilot was shot for less than $200, but it has gone on to become, well, like I said, the funniest show ever. Don't believe me? Then watch it. Then you'll agree. WILDCARD, BITCHES!!!

Runner-up: How I Met Your Mother. It's like Friends, only with people my age. And they hang out in a bar instead of a coffee shop. And it has Barney Stinson, quite possibly the most awesome character in the history of TV. The actor who plays him may be gay (Neil Patrick Harris), but Barney is a bright, shining example of not gay. Without him, it would be a really good show, but thanks to Barney, it is legen- wait for it -dary.

Hottest Hottie:

Winner: Megan Fox. Her last name says it all. She was smoking as the teenage hottie Prudence in Two and a Half Men, and then came Transformers. That's when I fell in love. Seriously, I didn't even realize that movie had giant robots until the third time through. Megan, if you're reading this, hit me up. That 90210 dude is a fag, anyway.

Runner-up: Kristen Bell. Like OMG, I totally loved her in Veronica Mars! Actually, I didn't even know what Veronica Mars was until I saw Kristen Bell in Heroes, and I still don't, but I know she was in it. I also know that she has been one of my favorite parts of Monday nights. Forgetting Sarah Marshall wasn't half bad, either.

Greatest Display of Athletic Badassery:

Winner: Michael Phelps. Obviously. Who else could it be? The dude seriously has to have flippers and gills or something. Is he a robot? The dude won 8 gold medals in this Olympics, has 16 Olympic medals overall (14 gold), and holds 7 world records in swimming. Plus he's an American, which makes it all the sweeter.

Runner-up: Usain Bolt. I really wanted to give this guy a tie with Phelps and mention the Dallas Cowboys' glorious final season at Texas Stadium, but, ahem, we all know how that turned out. But Bolt does deserve as much awe as Phelps. If Phelps is the fastest man in water, Bolt holds that honor on land, with 3 gold medals and 3 world records in the same Olympics, the first time that's ever happened.


Best Time-Killing Website:

Winner: www.HotChicksWithDouchebags.com. Feast your eyes on the likes of Fung, Gator, and Fish Slap: real live, orange bottle-tanned, spike-haired, star-tattooed douchebags who are inexplicably photographed with beautiful women. Douchebaggery runs rampant. You can't go wrong.

Runner-up: www.StuffWhitePeopleLike.com. Are you of a non-caucasian ethnicity and wonder what floats white people's boats? Are you white and just can't quite decide what it is you're supposed to like? Do you get bored from time to time and the only thing you have to entertain you is a computer? If you answered yes to any of those questions, then this website is for you. Chock full of things like Mos Def, St. Patrick's Day, sushi, and more, this site will make those hours seem like shorter hours. Check it out, and thank me later.


Okay, that's it for the "Gordies." I hope you enjoyed the list, and like I said, if you don't agree with my determinations, well, write your own list. And tell me about it, because I want to read it so I can not agree with you, too.

Until next time,

Clay

Yes We Can!

We, the people, of the United States of America have spoken; loudly, clearly, and in greater numbers than ever before. Not in 100 years has a larger percentage of the U.S. population turned out to make their voice heard, and while those voices may not have spoken in perfect unison, the theme was clear: The old ways are not working, and we need change.

Last night, we did not only witness it; we were an integral part of history. A nation that has in recent years come to be almost synonymous with arrogance, ignorance, and intolerance, due in large part to the attitudes of our current leader, George W. Bush, rose above the bigotry that sullies our history and elected Barack Obama, a black man, a man who less than 150 years ago wouldn't even be allowed to vote, to the exalted office of President of the United States.

And we did it convincingly. Obama took over half of the popular vote and an overwhelming majority of the Electoral College vote, and he reached the crucial 270 mark before 10 p.m. (C.S.T.) When he stood behind the podium to deliver his acceptance speech, he did so with confidence tempered with humility, and no longer the unlikely candidate, Obama looked presidential.

Now I know some of you reading this didn't vote for Obama. Many fear that we have made a mistake. But the fact remains that we still live in a democracy, and the majority has spoken. If you feel that it is necessary, you can play the role of doomsayer, andyou can mourn the loss of America. That is your right under the Constitution. But it seems premature to prophesy catastrophe when the man has yet to even take the oath of office. It seems far better to me for everyone to simply wait and see. You may be pleasantly surprised.

As I write this, I feel it necessary to state that I do not dislike John McCain. I have long maintained that he is among the best that Washington has to offer, and he has given more for this country than most of us can ever imagine. For that, he deserves our respect, our gratitude, and our admiration. He has served with honor both as a military man and as a Senator, and will continue to play a major role in our political landscape. While I do not feel that he was the right choice for the Presidency, I do sincerely hope that he may serve in a bi-partisan advisory capacity in the Obama administration.

Speaking of the Obama administration, the election is over, but the true challenge has yet to begin. The President-Elect has already begun to address the economy, but he faces great challenges in the near future. He will inherit a crippled economy, a torn populace, two wars, and a host of other problems, both foreseen and unforeseen. He will be under close scrutiny due to the color of his skin, whether anyone wants to admit it or not. He has many naysayers and many more supporters who believe in him completely. It is up to him to prove the dissenters wrong and the belivers right. He has enormous potential to be one of the most influential presidents of our time. I hope that he can live up to that potential. An while I personally believe that he is more than up to the task, only time will tell.

Either way, Barack Obama WILL be our next president. The election is over, the votes have been counted, and the people have spoken. It is now up to us as citizens of the greatest country in the world to drop the partisan bickering and unite behind a new leader. We should remain ever vigilant and always question our leaders, but we should stand together as a nation of patriots no matter who is in the White House. Democracy and freedom may set us apart, but it is our people who make us great.

Until next time,

Clay