An Open Letter to Michael Vick

Dear Vickey (that’s our little joke), 

Now I know some people would like to believe your public statement was just done in hopes of getting a lighter sentence.  They’re saying things like ‘showing no remorse would probably result in longer jail time’ or ‘he did that in hopes that they’ll let him play football when he gets out of prison’ or even ‘sure, he’s only remorseful that he got caught.’ 

Don’t worry, I don’t believe them.  I mean, can’t a man simply say he’s sorry and that be enough for everyone?

I mean, I remember one time when I was seven that I stole a pack of gum from the store.  It was super-tasty and my palate thanked me many times for the sugary treat. I enjoyed it greatly.  But then my Mom found out and, after that (or after the fact if you please), I was filled with remorse… just like you.

 And as I said, I was seven.  So, when you say you have some growing up to do, I know where you are coming from.

But I said I was sorry and why wasn’t that enough?  Okay, yeah, the facts remain that I stole, which is illegal, and I couldn’t replace the damage I’d done because the item was ruined, but still… did I really have to go back into the store, apologize and pay for the gum I had stolen?  I already said I was sorry!

 And I can’t believe people don’t believe you when you said you did not bet on the dogfights and only funded the operation and killed dogs.  Many celebrities give money without expecting anything return.  Given, most donate to things like charity, but nonetheless.  Why can’t they accept that it wasn’t an investment but yet, the simple gift of monies that charitable men do… just this time it was for the training and brutal killings of dogs.

So, when they send you to jail, know there are people who care.  And don’t you worry about getting out early for good behavior… nothing says that like an apology.

 After the fact…

After getting caught in order to stop the behavior…

After pleading guilty once everyone you worked pled guilty and agreed to testify against you for reduced sentences…

Sincerely,

 The R&RL

PS.  Do they really give out soap on a rope for the showers now?  What’s that about!?

Flight of the Conchords- Review

If you haven’t heard of this show… it’s probably because you don’t have HBO.  And that’s a shame because Flight of the Conchords is practically worth the extra couple bucks a month to view it.

Flight of the Conchords is about two New Zealand bandmates who come to New York City to try and make it big, which would be easier if their manager would let them play gigs at night (but the city is far to dangerous).  They are the victims of a mugging (but befriend the muggers), put on the receiving end of racist comments (mistaken for Australians) and, of course, challenged by relationships with women.  Each one of these situations wind up inspiring songs with catchy rhythms and absolutely bizarre lyrics.

If you want to hear some of them, you can view them for free at website.  I recommend going to episode 4 (Yoko) and listening to “if you’re into it.”  If you want to check them out, tune in to HBO on Sunday nights around 10PM.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- A Review

Okay, I think I have waited long enough for people to read this book in order to feel guilt-free about discussing it here.  Are there spoilers in this post?  Yes but No… it’s complicated.  I guess there are… but I still maintain “not really” because no matter what side you were on for the ”big questions” you were right. 

What do I mean by this, take the following examples:

Snapes is bad, he runs Hogwarts basically like a gulag.  But he’s actually good, because it turns out that all of the beatings, condoned cruciatus curses, general torture and lessons in The Dark Arts are just a beard to cover up his real motives.  So, whether or not you were for or against Snape, you still have an argument.

On a tangent, did anyone else read Mother Night by Vonnegut, and feel a little peeved at the parallel?

Albus is dead, but he is alive in spirit…  but doesn’t it make more sense that Harry talk with one of the brothers from the Deathly Hallows rather than his semi-dead-yet-never-actually-really-turly-dead professor?  Why is Dumbledore wandering around in limbo?

And for readers who worried about the fate of our hero, she kills him…

sort of…

he has a choice on coming back…

And he makes that choice

But he does play dead for a few more pages in order to carry the plot along.

And finally, when the story ends, there are so many loose ends.  What happens to the innocents in Azkaban or the Death Eaters who survive the battle?  What about the restoration of the Ministry or the closure for the fallen heroes and/or their orphans?

Friends have told me that in order to wrap these questions up would take another 500 pages… I’m not so sure.  Rowling was able to wrap it up 19 years in less than 20 pages.  Seems to me that those pages could’ve been better spent talking about how things got back to normal rather than a send-off to Hogwarts.

When all is said and done, I guess I have that same waivering feeling Rowling had writing it.  I liked reading the book but hate discussing it.  It was pretty good… but also pretty bad.