This guys a bit of a dweeb, but still

2009-08-02T10:03:00.001-07:00

anyone who can recite a great poem in one breath gets at least some credit from me:

Another Case of Monopoly-Related Violence...

2009-08-02T07:17:00.000-07:00

But he wanted Boardwalk and Park Place!

I'm not sure what this video says more about, the relations between people in our country, or the sorry state of a main-stream media that puts this on its front page. Actually, it probably says something more about me--validating them--as I both clicked on the link and then embedded it.

Disclosure

2009-08-02T06:37:00.001-07:00

I figure that since I've suggested interests that generally require a preference, that I should keep my cards on the table about these.

Sports:

My major sport of interest is basketball, and at that NCAA Men's basketball. UConn is my team of choice. I'm also an Boston Celtics fan. I have a soft spot for the Chicago Bulls because I grew up in the Michael Jordan era and I loved the guy, and I generally pull for teams that have UConn players on them if they are not playing against the Celtics (although they have Allen). Memphis and Detroit each have three now, so I guess I should be pulling for them. Posts will certainly be put up with regards to these two teams as basketball season approaches.
Baseball is perhaps my next major sport, but as a Mets fan it has been brutal. I can't watch these games with so many of their key players injured. That and, living in Boston, I don't get the channels to watch them even if I really wanted to.
Football is complicated. At the college level I grew up a vague Notre Dame fan thanks to my dad, but until they get a playoff system, I don't think I could seriously pay attention to the sport. I have an NFL story to share, but that will probably be around Week 1. The Giants and Patriots each pull at my heart in ways that make me sick. I hate to practice serious sports bigamy, but I'll try to explain why later.
Soccer interests me, but only in Europe and International levels, which I don't get here so can't really pay too much attention to.
I don't particularly care for any of the other sports. I enjoy playing tennis, and watching when Federer plays Nadal (sadly I missed the great Roddick-Federer game). Hockey is meh except on the Olympic level. That's about it.

Politics:

Hate to suggest there are two different teams here, because I think there are multiple, and that the two parties historically cater to them in different ways. If I were to define my politics, I would suggest that I am a progressive, with a focus on individual liberty. I have a number of progressive ideas about how things should be, but I try to square them with the Constitutional Amendments. Gun rights may be problematic. I'm all for gun control laws, but I also feel that if you are an adult without a violent criminal background and of stable mental health you should be able to purchase a gun. I'm sure I'll post on other issues, health care specifically, soon.

TV:

Generally speaking, I prefer well-written, non-formulaic dramas and comedies that bear re-watching. This means I don't watch much television. I watch The Office, and The Simpsons now out of loyalty rather than because they are the fantastic shows they once were. I love 30 Rock. I still pine for new episodes of Arrested Development. A show I will post on which is polarizing, and which some would argue would not fit my preference, is Lost. Some might argue that it is a guilty pleasure, and I concede that perhaps I am so blinded by the show that I fancy it something greater than it is. I also will concede that the dialogue on the show is weak. But man, I think it is a fantastic show.
I don't have HBO, Showtime, etc, so I rarely get a chance to see shows on there that are making, or have made, an impact. The Sopranos and The Wire are on my Netflix queue, and I am a huge fan of Curb Your Enthusiasm when I get a chance to see it. But alas, generally speaking these shows are outside of my sphere.

Literature:

In the interest of openness, I am a high school English teacher who loves serious literature, primarily European because that's my background, and did my thesis on John Keats, which means I'm on of the relatively small, percentage-wise, pretentious people who still enjoy poetry.

My Title

2009-08-01T16:25:00.001-07:00

As all high school students who paid attention in English class will surely know, in medias res is the Latin phrase for opening a work of literature in the middle of the story, a la Homer's Iliad and Odyssey and come from Horace's Ars Poetica. History-you've-heard-a-thousand-times aside, it seemed a perfect title for my blog (the story of the URL is a little more tortuous, but alas, I have it now), both because I'm jumping into blogging after the "golden age" has ended, and because I find myself intrigued by so many different hobbies: philosphy, history, politics, literature, lit crit, lit theory, writing, hiking, sports, beer, brewing, restaurants, music, movies, TV, comedy, etc. I confess, most share many interests. I am no different. So why, then, do I have the gaul to open a blog, long after it's ballyhooed height, when I don't have anything unique to offer? Without sounding too cliche (which, of course, I will), I feel the need to "sound my barbaric YAWP," and, much like Whitman professed (even though we know different), not care whether anyone hears the sound or it echoes back to my own ears.

If that isn't enough, that's fine. Hey, at least I'm not going to be posting emo poetry.

In Medias Res

This guys a bit of a dweeb, but still

Another Case of Monopoly-Related Violence...

Disclosure

My Title