Obama v Bush as Star Trek v Star Wars

Pretty funny and accurate, from Newsweek.

Judy Chu wins primary

Very exciting - Judy Chu wins the Democratic primary and advances to the runoff election, where she'll face off against an opponent with a familiar name, Betty Chu. (Betty is apparently a distant cousin.) It'll be an interesting matchup since it'll feature two Asian American women, but Judy should be a lock to win the heavily Democratic district.

Jeff Sharlett: Texas hell house and the eros of evangelicism

Whoa, Jeff Sharlett does it again. He wrote a masterpiece of an article on a particular brand of self-denial as religious fervor and ecstasy. Read Naked and Guilty for a view on what one type of evangelical Christianity preaches on recovering one's self, one's soul by denying sex and being reborn.

Ta-Nehisi Coates

Writes movingly, heart-achingly about delayed rage and not being able to process the death of a loved one because of a lack of a spiritual lens that would help to make sense of things, as an athiest.

I'm with you man, I'm with you.

As a fellow atheist (or agnostic) it's hard to know what to do with a senseless death and how to make meaning of it. First I think we must have proper grieving. We rebuild by carrying the principles that our late friend or loved one operated on in our hearts. Try to behave more like they would have and honor them in that fashion. Then comes the reconstruction.

What I am afraid of is that because I am agnostic, that my processing takes longer and has less meaning than others. And rationally, I know this is not true. But in my low days I worry that my lack of communication with God or the gods prevents all my beloved ones who have passed from having the peace that they desire. (Jeez, you know it's bad when ghosts don't even have to guilt you and you do it all to yourself.)

What I have been missing in the blogosphere is Steve Gilliard's angry and moral (because true) voice. I think Nehisi-Coates has that same kinda fire, the same black nerdboy tendencies as Gilliard, not unlike what Junot Diaz wrote in Oscar Wao. It's the kind of voice that I, as an angry Asian American nerd, have been missing in the "mainstream" blogosphere.

So I'm adding him to my blogroll.

Weirdos want to kill AG Cuomo

This is really weird and crazy: NAMBLA (aka the pedophiles) put a hit out on NY Attorney General Cuomo.

Lost funnies, tv musings

On tonight's episode of Lost: Jin comes back, is found by Sawyer. Jin is devastated when his wife Sun is not there and he's shouting in Korean. Sawyer gestures to Miles Strom, played by Ken Leung, to "translate!"

Miles: "Translate what? He's Korean. I'm from Encino!"

On another note, has anyone else given up on Grey's Anatomy? I never thought it would happen to me, since I do love Christina Yang, but is it any wonder that Katherine Heigl and J. R. Knight actively want off a sinking ship? I mean the economy is bad enough that it could be hard to find a new gig, and yet they can't get away fast enough.

Last, I LOVED the 30 Rock Valentine's Day episode - it was spot on! Not the best 30 Rock ep ever, but really great. I can't decide if the best 30 Rock ever is Jack imitating Tracy's parents or if it's Jack as El Generalissimo.

Dead of winter

Recently I have been feeling the need for nature, for verdant life and the tranquility of trees. I miss the leave-dappled sunlight falling on me as I take a leisurely hike in the mountains.

I don't know if it's my work, my personal life, or the failing health of those around me, but I felt a very desperate need to escape to the countryside that has yet to be fulfilled.

In lieu, I bought some green beans from the market and boiled them, without even stripping away the stems. I have been biting into their green juices and feeling the sweet crunch of life.

It is a pale substitute for time spent connecting with the earth, but it will have to suffice for now. My heart has been heavy, my thoughts weary and belabored for a while. I need some form of release, a weekend by the water or the foothills.

In this dead of winter, I am trying to taste the vitality that the earth provides and sing an ode to friends here and gone. Instead I bury myself in sleep.