Dr. Radiaki

*tumble weed rolls by*

Ah, my apologies. I misinterpreted.

Will you elaborate further on why you dislike this particular piece?

Gregory Beck should carve a bust of Gregory Peck. I'd by that for a dollar.

Sports gambling is my particular "vice," but I don't take it very seriously, and I don't do it very often. I find that money amounts, no matter how small, make the emotional experience that much more intense and enjoyable.

I must say I admire your dedication, and willingness to work hard. However, I must comment on the the whole shaving cream incident. I do not consider myself above reproach. If I say or do something stupid by accident, I retain my capacity for humour. This does not sound like one of those incidents. She disrespects you, prevents you from getting the sleep you need to support your apartment, then has the gall to pull a stunt like that? Really? Because that's just disgusting.

Underrated Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang - Starring Robert Downey Jr. A little seen crime film that plays with conventions of the genre, with laughs throughout. Speaking of the humour, I usually loathe 'fourth-wall' jokes that hinge on a characters awareness of audience, but this one hits 'em out of the park. Way out. It also contains one of the best private detectives committed to celluloid, "Gay" Perry Van Shrike, played expertly by Val Kilmer. The Magnificent Butcher - starring Sammo Hung. Cantonese w/ENG SUB. Simply put, the best kung-fu movie ever made. You have never seen a large man move so damn fast in your life. Brilliant fight scenes, a couple of jokes that actually work(a rare feat for the kung-fu genre outside of Jackie Chan), and a ridiculously over-the-top calligraphy battle. No, I will not elaborate further. See this film! The Squid and the Whale - starring Laura Linney. A more somber film that the previous two, but not without it's own witty charm. We follow the dissolution of a family relationship, the husband, a formerly successful writer comes to resent his wife's burgeoning success in the publishing world. It is interesting to see how the allegiances of the children caught in this divorce change, along with their emotional states.

I very much admire my grandmother, who stopped smoking after doing so for most of her adult life, after learning she was pregnant. Her doctor had told her that continuing to smoke meant potential harm for the baby, so she simply quit, right then, that day. Her husband, my grandfather, refused to give up pipe smoking, and would never have considered smoking outside. This woman was not only exposed to tobacco, she lived with it, without a relapse. It can be done, folks.

And the chase is on!

I'm going to try to stick to soundtracks, as opposed to scores. A Night at the Roxbury - I have a soft spot for jokes with (pop)musical cues, so really, there's no contest here. The sudden inclusion of R.E.M's Everybody Hurts after a near relentless string of 1990s dance hits is comedy gold. Garden State - Just fantastic song choices, and one that I turn to again and again, even outside of the movie. Rushmore - Although there are some fun originial compositions for the movie, it's the pre-existing sixities tracks that really shine. The Kinks, Cat Stevens, The Faces, that's good listenin'.

If you feel it's a good use of your time, please continue to post these debates. This whole topic is great.

I will give you something of value if you sign a contract to the effect that you will never, ever say those words again.

I was recently arguing with some co-workers about mind-body separation, specifically why emotion should not be considered separate from rational thought or somehow immune to explanation. I guess I didn't do a very good job, because they weren't convinced. In summation, their argument seemed to draw it's strength from numbers and volume, as well as appeal to sanctity and ultimate incomprehensibility of emotion. Not to mention condescension bordering on rudeness when I told them I understood why I have loved and do love the people in my life. But I digress. This conversation set me to wondering about the statement, "I know how you feel." Can this statement ever be objectively true? I have lost a pet, and person A may have also, but does he really understand the depth of feeling for my poor departed gerbil? What if I were to say it to a cancer patient, if I myself had never had cancer? I believe I know a great deal about the suffering they may be enduring, at least academically, but does that make what I say the truth? What if I did have cancer, but no longer was suffering from it? What if the cancer was the same, but he or she was leaving behind a family, while I was single? Do I truley understand how he or she feels if the circumstances are totally different but the affliction is the same? When is it appropriate to say, "I know how you feel?"

I will take this opportunity to extend a welcome. "Welcome."

I beg to differ: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cFJTauCdCE Yep.

BWHAHAHAHA!

If I may post soley as a Cubs fan(with no reflection on my other values), from the immortal Pink Floyd:

Would you say that it is tremendous in scope and breathtaking in its suspense?

Though I'm not far out of my own teenage years, I think the thing I most wish someone had told me was something I first read in Atlas Shrugged, and later re-read in Ayn Rand Lexicon online. "...because sex is not the cause, but an effect and an expression of a man’s sense of his own value . . ." Sex will not create anything. If you don't love someone, having sex won't create a bond, won't improve the relationship. No matter what anyone else tells her, boy or girl, ultimately sex should be an expression of how she already feels.

Classic Country: Just about anything recorded prior to 1979 or so, Eddie Arnold, Merle Haggard, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, etc., etc. The older and sadder, the better. Accoustic Blues: Something about electric instruments and blues just turns me off. Preferably recorded prior to 1940 or so, as they called it the Great Depression for a reason. Bluegrass: Something about fast banjos just gets to me. That high mountain sound, well shucks... Pop Music, 1920 to 1979, Inclusive: Not everything, but I'd put what I like as a majority, rather than a minority. Big band, swing, soul, doo-wop, girl groups, crooners, all that good stuff. Indie Pop/Rock: This is the more modern stuff, The Decemberists, Of Montreal, Get Him Eat Him, Tullycraft, Bishop Allen, The Apples in Stereo, etc.

I'm a barista at a Starbucks in Toronto, you may have seen me, I'm the one ranting about the evils of gun control, and the irony of enforcing a ban on firearms at the point of a gun. Anyway... As of late, I've been working a lot of closing shifts, with various shift managers. Shift mangers being akin to assistant assistant mangers, slightly more pay than a barista, slightly more responsibility. As you can imagine, the quality of work done during the closing shift can have drastic effects on the opening shift the next day(not to mention whether the closers leave on time), and the quality of that work is largely determined by shift manger and his/her ability. Secondary responsibility, of course, falls on the barista(s). One of my recent closes was colossally bad. Work was left undone or half-completed, and that was with about a half hour of unpaid work by the shift and I after official closing time. Several factors were at work here, which, while not excuses, bear mentioning: 1.) We were greatly understaffed. With two major sporting events, and a large charity gathering, there simply were not enough employees present at any one time to be effective given the number of customers 2.) One member of staff we did have was from a different store, leaving him unfamiliar with the idiosyncrasies of our particular location(i.e Cleaning procedures, where to find certain tools, etc.) 3.) The shift manager himself is notorious for slow closes and his focus on secondary duties, rather than those that must be completed. The next night, I was due to close again, with a different shift, who is almost terrifyingly efficient. She came down on me like a ton of bricks. "What happened with that close last night? I didn't open but [the assistant manager] was complaining, it was just terrible, how do you explain yourself?" I delineated the points above. "Well, that's not the fault of [the outsider]. He should have been kept on cash while you two worked on the store." I explained that I did not think it my responsibility to delegate responsibility. "[Dr. Radiaki], you're a good closer, but those are the times you need to speak up, and tell [the other shift manager] that he needs to be doing other things or doing things differntly." Now, for the questions: 1.) To be honest, I must admit that I resented the dressing down. How much responsibility should I take upon myself in a subordinate position? Do I have moral grounds to question my immediate superiors in the working world? 2.) Should I approach the assistant manager about these events? If I do, how do I treat the question of the slow shift manager? I owe him nothing, yet, at the same time, creating tension by complaining directly might make it difficult for me to work with him. 3.) If work is left uncompleted after the official closing time and I continue, I will no longer be paid. My first instinct is to insist that I be allowed to leave the store, since it seems to me that unpaid work for the benefit of others constitutes unhealthy altruism. Is this correct? Might there be a more moral course of action in this situation?

I'd just like to say that your 'Who is John Galt?' design is far better than the Galt Gifts alternative.

My experience of the 40-Hour famine was kids running around the halls of school throwing Gatorade at each other. Fun times. But this also brings to mind the fact that, even then, I thought the whole idea was stupid. What incentive does simulated child starvation offer to potential donors?

Jesus Christ! I'll swear the way I was goddamn brought up to swear!

...but then they messed with my maple syrup, so it was time to kick ass.