Why We Fight

As I am tangentially connected* to the entertainment industry, a couple of family members have asked me what this Writer's strike is all about. Here it is, in simple terms. It's about getting compensated fairly for your work, regardless of the medium.

It's a tough pill to swallow, knowing that this Thursday will be the last new episode of The Office for a while, maybe for the season. But the cause is just.

I proudly support the Writers Guild of America.


*Connected is in the loosest possible of meanings here. If the entertainment industry were playing in Wrigley Field, I would be trying to peer through the fence at Fenway**.

**No, I don't know why the entertainment industry is playing baseball in my analogy. Let's just be proud that I know something about baseball and move on.

I mean, come on

This is a souvenir you can purchase to remember your experiences at a museum of science. Seriously.

You get an 8x10", four wallet-sized pics and a keychain.

To paraphrase Luke, "If there's a plausible center of the universe, you're at the exhibit that it's farthest from."

An elegant weapon from a more civilized age

So...yes. Star Wars at a museum. Gazing rapturously at Star Wars memorabilia under the auspices of learning.

It is a combination most profound. Surely the boon of many a field-tripping youngster.

After a few conciliatory attempts at building a mag-lev vehicle out of Legos, we abandoned all pretenses of being there to learn and proceeded to merely enjoy. Original costumes, props, models and what were essentially our childhood dreams made tangible were on display.

Rebecca, Josh and I enjoyed our time there most thoroughly. Hooray for Star Wars, a half-hearted thumbs-up for science, mostly because I couldn't get my stupid mag-lev vehicle to work right.

Wars between stars

Oh man, so much to talk about. I turned a quarter of a century and celebrated by enjoying culture. The Sparrow, The Decemberists, Dashboard Confessional, Comedians of Comedy - all perhaps deserving a post of their own. Whether they will in fact get one remains to be seen. I have little photo evidence to prove I was at any of the above events. Suffice it to say - they were all great.

But nothing was as great as this.

That's my brother. He's in charge of the spiritual development of youth.

More soon...