Aging gracefully. It is something very few people do; those that do don't age as much as others might. After all, if you still have every hair on your head in it's original color than it becomes easier to "get older" as you move into your 30s. For the rest of us, aging 'gracefully' is not necessarily something that comes easy.

Perhaps it is the first time someone in their 20s calls you "sir" instead of "dude", or perhaps it is simply the fading hairline and silver threads coming through. Regardless, as you look into the mirror, you begin to see someone different. You try to act young, you like a lot of the things the "young" do, and in your mind you're still 'in the know', but really you're about ten years away from where they are.

As someone who is thirty two years old, I honestly cringe at many of the things that are occuring within our youth obsessed culture; I never got the whole 'tattoo everything' thing, or the multiple piercings and brightly colored hair. This really isn't different, though, then what I was like when I was younger, though.

There is this beauty in not having to worry about tomorrow, being able to cast aside work at a whim, and not worry constantly because you are in an 8-5 job. As you move into your thirties, suddenly you are in the thick of it, and you are constantly worrying about everything; work is always on the mind. This, of course, then lends to increasing stress which then results in the hair graying faster than you would prefer. Science shows that graying hair is not caused by stress, but I think it has to have some correlation. After all, if it is simply your body producing pigments, then surely putting duress on the body and mind might result in effects like reduced pigmentation.

Ultimately, though, if you don't believe that you are old, then you probably won't be, other than simply in age and medical history. Keeping a young mind is key to ensuring you have your pulse on what is going on in the world. I know way too many people around my age who "don't get Twitter" or think Facebook "is something for the kids". "Social Networking" is so beyonds kids play, and I get that; it's the sharing of information as people absorb more and more data points. Amazingly, I've always had this capacity to hold tons of data points in my head and use them. It keeps my mind sharp to continually think, and this, in turn, allows me to still 'think young' even though I am slogging my way through my early 30s.

Am I in the best shape I could be to "be young"? No, I'm not, and it is something I know I need to work on now, rather than later. Mentally, I'm young, but physically I know I am older than I used to be. This is probably my last-ditch hurrah, and I need to make the most of it. Now is the opportunity to improve my health. I know if I don't do it now, I will suffer the consequences.

Age is physical, age is mental. We accept the things we can't control, and those that we can, we grab the bull by the horns, and stay on the top of our game. 

While the launch of yet another music service is not terribly newsworthy by itself, Thumbplay has also announced the hiring of former Apple executive Pablo Calamera as Chief Technology Officer. Calamera has held several positions at Apple, most recently a Director in Apple's Engineering division, overseeing development of MobileMe since 2006. He also spent time with Microsoft acquisitions Danger and WebTV.

via www.macrumors.com

So they stole away the guy in charge of MobileMe? Somehow I think Apple should be glad to lose that one.

Dear Sarah, oh naive Sarah. I know you like to stir up controversy by running around talking about how everyone else is stirring up controversy. After all, Seth MacFarlane should be ashamed of himself for mocking you, a public figure. However, you have forgotten something, unfortunately. You see, for there to be a controversy, someone has to care. Honestly, I, and most of America, does not care, either.

You run around feigning insult from anyone who conflicts with your personal narrative of how the world works. The truth is, Seth MacFarlane wasn’t insulting your “child” or “grandchild”, depending on which narrative we believe. (Aside: It doesn’t help that Levi Johnston wouldn’t actually show us his “johnston” in Playgirl, lending credence that he probably couldn’t have knocked up your daughter, not that I discount that he is the father.)

As someone who claims to be so in tune with America, I know that you know that the “American Language”, because lets not insult the language by continuing to call the bastardization “English”, is a constantly changing dialect based on the people in the country, and the intellect that those people possess. When a 17 year old says something is gay, it isn’t a disparaging insult to a homosexual, but a bastardization that is probably followed by the phrase, “epic fail”. When anyone uses the term “retarded”, it isn’t a disparaging remark about someone with a true disability, but a remark about society.

When someone says retarded in your direction, regardless of who it is, it isn’t targeted towards Trig, who is suffering from a terrible disorder that perhaps can be cured at some point in the future. Indeed, due your lack of comprehension of reality, your insistent need to distort the truth to meet your own narrative, and your feigning insult at every faux controversy you create while you seem to be a completely capable and high functioning member of society, this is what makes you the retard.

The way things are going, we may need this in the US soon. A "Zero" dollar note. We already have that, though, and it has Andrew Jackson's picture on it.

via blogs.worldbank.org

Hopefully Obama is pleased that he may now have the 60th vote necessary to block a GOP filibuster in the Senate of his landmark healthcare legislation.

The revisions here in the legislation are the biggest changes in healthcare in decades. However, the final legislation that is slated to pass is a watered down, diluted shadow of the original intent; every American does not get health care as affordable rates.

Instead of providing healthcare to every single person in the country as a moral obligation of basic necessity of life, the government is providing a massive give-away to the insurance companies. Sure, there will be rules about people being denied coverage based on pre-existing conditions… but the new "market" for insurance is just another way for them to pull in customers at the government threat of fines for not having insurance.

The final straw that allowed the dems to obtain their 60th vote was adding provisions for restrictions on abortion funding for those policies funded through the "exchange" sponsored by the government. The restriction would be that the insurance wouldn't pay for abortions except in cases of rape, incest, or if the life of the mother is at risk. Really? That's the restriction? Go for it! Here is the crux of it; we all pay for everything in insurance through our group plans. I don't want to pay for people to have abortions because they use it as a form of birth control.

If someone is raped, then they may not have been on the pill, and the rapist I am certain isn't going to stop and put his rubber on. You know what? That makes sense, because no one should be forced to give birth to a rapists baby. On the other hand, if your boyfriend doesn't like rubbers, and you're easy, and you want an abortion… pay for it yourself. Have a dozen abortions, but I don't want to pay for a single one.

Ultimately, I suppose a watered down bill is better than no bill at all. We are a far cry from universal healthcare, and definitely a good clip away from the socialism that the conservatives keep screaming about. There are some good things in the legislation, but it doesn't go far enough.

Eventually we will, as a people, accept that everyone deserves healthcare, regardless of their socio-economic status. Until that day comes, we will just have to clean this mess up bit by bit. Eventually we'll come to a place of equality. I just don't think it will be in my lifetime, not if my judgement of people opposing these changes has any ring of truth to it.

Last night, Bill Maher had a one-on-one episode since he is currently on break from his HBO series Real Time. One of his guests was Bill Moyers, who is one of the great journalists of our time, and one that still has the ethical compass pointing in the right direction.

On the topic of healthcare, he said the best metaphor for our current situation is that "we're all in the same boat" which got me thinking… really? Are we really in the same boat? Or are we all really in different boats?

The first boat is the luxury cruise ship. These are the folks who can afford the best healthcare at any whim, they have the best health insurance available, and no worries. The next boat is where the majority of Americans are floating; this boat is the minimum health insurance with high co-pays, high deductibles, and that insurance will not exist once you get sick. The third boat is, well, the Titanic. This is where the rest of American's are floating, and it is straight down the Ganges.

The healthcare battle is really about the haves and have nots. People who have good jobs and good insurance don't 'want to pay for everyone else'. But of course, in every society, we need ditch diggers in addition to investment bankers; I for one think those ditch diggers, those retail employees, those restaurant servers bringing the bankers their martini lunches deserve just as good of insurance as everyone else, but they don't… instead that have limited coverage, or worse, no coverage. This also means their children have no coverage.

The truth is, we don't have healthcare in the United States. Instead, we have 'sick care'. Specifically, we care for the sick, but we don't foster prevention for the betterment of all of the persons in the country. There is an absolute, moral imperative to ensure everyone is fed, clothed, housed, and cared for. This includes ensuring each and every person has healthcare coverage, including preventative care; the emergency room is not a plan for long term health.

There are those who think a 'moral imperative' has something to do with religion, and those who believe that without religion, we can not have morals. Here's the reality… bull-hockey. The reality is that each of us has the care of each other within us, but there are those who are more concerned with having a 5,000 square foot home so they don't have to see the other members of their family, rather than living in a reasonably sized home in an urban center and ensuring that their neighbors are cared for.

So the question is, what is the proper metaphor? Since everything in this country seems to have to surround religion, here is the answer for the average midwesterner: "What Would Jesus Do? He wouldn't let people suffer so he could have lower taxes." These folks at the town halls protesting abortion, socialism, and calling the president Hitler are deflecting the real message away from what really matters; Jesus of Nazareth would care a lot more about those poor suffering souls with no health insurance than the upper middle class blond in pink bitch driving the minivan with two televisions in it. There was never a greater socialist than Jesus of Nazareth; "…I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

Cove Fish Market
Originally uploaded by skycorgan

The best lobster roll I’ve had since I’ve moved to Connecticut is from the Cove Fish Market in Stonington, CT.

If you’ve never heard of a lobster roll, it is essentially a pile of lobster meat piled into a roll bun which has crust only on the top and bottom, and not on the side. It comes in a choice of hot, or cold which has a bit of mayo and dill mixed in.

DSC01623
Originally uploaded by skycorgan

Up close and personal. I know he heard me click the shutter on my camera, because he jumped as soon as it went off. I need to get a quieter camera.