Another Year Past

Today was my 28th birthday...and I have to say that I don't really feel any different or older than I did last year at 27.  Sure, there's some more grey in my hair then there was last year, and my knees are a bit more sore when the weather changes then they were last year, but I don't really feel that much older.  More responsible - sure.  More accomplished - you bet.  But even though I'm married, have a great job that I enjoy, and own a home, I don't feel old.

Maybe it's because I still know how to go out and have a good time.  Maybe it's because April and I don't have any kids (other than Copper) and still get to act like a young couple that only answers to ourselves.  Whatever it is, even with all of the well wishes and poking fun at my continued path towards being an old man, I really don't feel any older today.

Maybe I will in two more years when I turn 30.  Guess we'll see then.

Post-Election Reflection

I'm not an overly political person - I follow the races, I know what's going on with the issues, but at the end of the day I don't spend hours of my spare time debating issues with people or volunteering my time to a particular cause or candidate. That being said, this has certainly been one election that I have followed with great interest.

Never minding the historic nature of Obama's run to the White House, this county has been caught up in the midst of a change that is reflected in our choice of Barack Obama. As somebody quickly approaching 30, I realized that the next president was going to affect my life in ways that probably no president before and possibly after has or will. The decisions that the next president makes will influence what I'm able to do as I move into the next phase of my life.

Watching the results come in last night it was amazing to see that not only had the youth vote (of which I am technically still part of) finally turned out, but that America as a whole had finally turned out to vote. As a country that brags about our freedoms, a depressingly small percentage of us have ever actually taken part in the process, but it was amazing to see the lines of people all over the country that were committed to voting in this election.

Only time will tell if Barack Obama is the right man for the job, but whether we got this one right or wrong, as Americans we made our voices heard and we should all be proud of ourselves for that.

Tropic Thunder

So I went and saw Tropic Thunder this weekend. Words cannot describe how funny this movie was. If you haven't seen it, or if you've been unsure if this was your kind of movie, let me put your mind at ease. Go. See. This. Movie.

Between cameos, one-liners, and Robert Downey Jr. playing a dude, playing a dude, disguised as another dude, I don't think I've ever spent so much time laughing at one movie. Tom Cruise actually made me hate him less. Not stop hating him mind you, but still, a step in the right direction. Ben Stiller is nothing short of brilliant, and I actually found Jack Black to not be obnoxious.

Robert Downey Jr deserves an award of some kind. His commitment to this character is something that any aspiring actor should pay attention to and emulate. The fact that he had this commitment in a comedy is a testament to why he's one of the best actors working today.

If there was any way to spin a sequal out of this movie, I would be completely on board, but since there's not, I just have to wait for this to come out on DVD/Blu-Ray to watch it again. I'm guessing there will be some epic extras.

George R Perry

Finally

Well, it looks like we finally have a Democratic nominee for President, and it's Barack Obama. While Hillary Clinton certainly put up a good fight, and a long campaign, it's nice to see that this thing is finally over and we can turn our focus to the November general election and the replacement of a Republican in office with a Democrat again. It's about time.

New Sites

I've started two new blogs, one doing wine reviews, the other doing wine articles. Everybody should go over there, read up, give me comments and suggestions, and things like that. They're at: http://the20bucksommelier.blogsot.com and http://www.winearticles.blogspot.com . You should be checking them out now.

Democratic Debate

So I know I haven't posted to here in a while - been kinda busy planning a wedding and building a house - but last night I watched most of the Democratic Debate in PA and I gotta say, while I am an Obama supporter, Hillary easily had the best line of the night.

When talking about the administration of the last 8 years, she said the Republicans should just apologize and not even put forth a candidate this year. Like I said, I don't support Clinton in these primaries (though I would vote for her over McCain), but that was easily the best sound bite from any of the candidates so far.

-George R Perry

EPIC 2015

In light of Microsoft's bid to buy Yahoo!, I can only think of the old EPIC 2015 flash video. I'm telling you, it's going to happen.