Palin Is A Terrible Choice

• I'm ecstatic with McCain's choice of Palin for VP. It's a blatantly desperate move. She's completely unqualified - far more than Obama - and confirms that McCain himself thinks he needs a hail mary VP pick in order to have a shot. Biden will destroy her in the debate.
• After Obama's speech last night AND McCain's desperate choice of someone no one knows or can trust, Obama's looking like the elder statesman. High five, Nilda!
• Sarah Palin = Harriet Meyers. Only this one they can't take it back. Like Dan Quayle.
• It's 10:02 pm on a Friday night and I can't get enough of how bad an idea Palin is.
• The "breaking news" on MSNBC, which will still be there when you wake up in the morning, is an ethics investigation into Palin that she was involved in the firing of a state trooper that had recently divorced her sister. This "troopergate" probably won't amount to anything, but who was the idiot who picked the candidate with ethics charges against her?
• Now, instead of focusing on McCain himself at the convention, the Republicans will be forced to spend the whole time introducing everyone to Palin.
• Michelle Obama has a big chin. There, I said it.
• I've decided to buy an Obama t-shirt. Anyone familiar with my position on campaigning knows that this is a big deal for me. It'll make a great indoor shirt. Nilda's getting a shirt too, but not the same one as me. Here's the thing: there's no return policy. There is, however, a choice of forum clause and other bullshit that could only be written by defense attorneys.
• Palin has absolutely nothing in common with Hillary voters, and certainly doesn't share their values.
• Palin has strong connections to the oil industry. Her husband made a shit salary for an oil company and she's in favor of drilling in ANWAR. No, thank you.
• I love when Chris Matthews says, "How will the people from Montgomery County, PA respond to this?" It's like a shout out to my high school.
• No one from Ohio or Pennsylvania is going to give a shit about the governor from Alaska.
• I'm feeling goooood. Have a great weekend!

Why I Didn't Live Blog Obama's Speech

The world needs to know! One thing I've learned is that you can't trust your initial reaction to Obama's speeches. His speech on race was powerful and deep and it took time for me to really gauge my reaction. Also, I wanted to actually pay attention. And it was late. And I don't see anonymous blogging, Matt.

The day after, I thought it was great. Amazing. Everything it should and needed to be. He stayed away from the lofty ideals that were the hallmark of his earlier speeches, in favor a more grounded approach to win over those blue collar workers that everyone thinks matter. What struck me most was the recognition that the country has lost a common purpose for the big issue. On gun control and immigration, he proposed finding common ground rather than the divisive politics we're all sick of. He even had the balls to bring up gay marriage. The overall theme was about the promise of America. He mentioned hope only once, at the end. The only thing that was missing was any mention of national security. I would have expected him to come out on torture, but he never went near the issue.

In short, I thought it was a great convention. The Clintons were great and there's no question that the party is united. And Biden is universally considered a great addition. Obama had a rough summer, but the plan appears to have been to get things started at the convention.

McCain isn't looking any better and his VP choice doesn't help. Yes, she's a woman, but her youth nullifies any argument that Obama lacks experience. But she has the main qualification in having a uterus, so I guess that's enough.

Man, what a boring post. Next time, I'm doing the bullets again.

Live Blogging Bill Clinton's Speech

• Leave it to the Clintons to make it all about them. Still, they managed to clear up their image by fully supporting Obama. You have to give it to them, they know how to turn a crowd.
• All the women I've spoken to in the past couple of days loved Michelle Obama's speech on Monday. Nilda loves what she's wearing tonight. Like it or not, she's the new Jackie O.
• I went to the doctor today for a physical, the first time in years. The form asked, "How many times a week do you exercise?" My response: "One, if you're lucky."
• The doctor said to me, "You know, walking is exercise. You don't even have to change your clothes. Just add a little here and there." I didn't know it could be that easy. KFC it is!
• Those articles on Generation Kill are amazing. Definitely read them. Especially if you're sitting at home in North Carolina being forced to do your wife's blog for her.
• Matt loves Bill Clinton's half thumbs. And so do I.
• You can't understand how good the film "No Country For Old Men" is until you read the book. It's about man's unstoppable descent into violence, against his better judgment. The end doesn't make sense because the story doesn't end.
• I watched Obama's 2004 convention speech for the first time today. It was great, and I finally understood the sudden buzz about him that followed. What surprised me was how much of that speech has been repeated and retooled for this campaign.
• In retrospect, Obama was smart to have the Clintons speak on two separate nights. They represent a large part of where this country is and are fantastic speakers. They've got great one liners.
• Thank you, Bill, for finally accepting that you can't call Obama inexperienced, since you were just as inexperienced when you were elected President. The Clintons were tough adversaries, but they're fantastic advocates.
• Bill actually turned Nilda into a fan, again. Damn, he's good.

Generation Kill

Generation Kill is based on a book written by Evan Wright, a journalist from Rolling Stone who accompanied a recon battalion into combat. If you're watching the show, the journalist (the guy who will always be Beecher from Oz) is the one who wrote the book. He had to convince a commander that he could handle the assignment and was actually in danger throughout much of the war. Some of the marines were angry with him for his depiction of them during the war. Here's the articles he wrote that became the book, part 1, part 2 and part 3.

Live Blogging The Democratic Convention

• Which episode of Mad Men are we up to?
• I've decided that the female pole vaulters have the best bodies of all the women at the Olympics. The swimmers were too bulked up; the runners too skinny; the gymnasts had no boobs; and the discus throwers had testicles. But the pole vaulters, even more than the volleyball players, were tall and toned. Congratulations, pole vaulters!
• I saw Uncle Allan do shots this weekend. Of alcohol! Congratulations, Uncle Allan!
• Schwartz will never, EVER, give up hope of Hillary Clinton being President. Hopefully, she can dissuade him of that during her speech tomorrow. If not, she and I are going to have a big problem.
• I saw a two-minute clip today from a documentary called "Twelve Days In September," about the 1972 Munich Olympics. The clip was a montage of various events played against Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir." It was incredible and made me re-think my entire perception of Led Zeppelin.
• McCain had an ad out today featuring a former Hillary supporter who's now supporting him. Hillary responded with an ad stating, "I am Hillary Clinton and I do not support that message."
• The more I think about it, the more I hold the vote in favor of the Iraq war against us.
• There was a great article about race and the election in a recent New York Magazine. Two points stuck out:
• 1. The subtext of Michelle Obama's comment about being proud of her country for the first time, and maybe the reason so many got upset about it, was that it had a racial overtone. What some though she was really saying was that, for the first time in her adult life, a black man was getting a fair shot. One woman said, “When I look at Michelle, Barack doesn’t have to be any blacker for me.”
• 2. If Obama is elected to two terms, there will be a generation of 10-year-olds who have only known a black president. Putting aside what that would mean to the African-American community, it will be much harder for any of the African-American kids to think that the government is run only by white men.
• Nilda says Michelle Obama is "more than good."
• Caroline Kennedy's speaking. Let's catch up on Generation Kill!

VP Prediction

Joe Biden. He's the perfect balance of being around long enough to be considered experienced and being independent enough to join in with the idea of change. He also has a great sense of humor and good chemistry with Obama. His entire family has come back home in the past couple of days, so it's pretty clear it will be him. It's a good choice. Ever since Obama rescued Biden from being labeled a racist for calling Obama "clean," Biden has been on the bandwagon, so you know he'll be loyal. Obama/Biden sounds good.

Favorite Albums

This was not an easy blog for me. There have been many albums I've loved, but do they really deserve to be listed on the "Favorite Albums" post? Ben Folds had great albums with "The Unauthorized Autobiography of Reinhold Messner" and "SuperSkinnySpeedGraphic," but their inconsistency in the quality of songs makes their entry questionable. Phish's "Colorado '88" and The Who's "Live at Leeds" are incredible albums, but should I have two albums from the same artist? Blink 182's poorly-titled "Enema of the State" is an amazing album I loved in law school, but does is represent where I am today? Do albums that I've loved but have grown tired of mean as much as the ones I'm presently into? And what do you do with the Rushmore soundtrack?

Suffering with the questions, for my fans, I've come up with the following list of the Favorite Albums from the people who brought you The Most Important Blog In the Universe, in no apparent order:

• The Who, Quadrophenia
• The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
• Phish, Billy Breathes
• Mates of State, Team Boo
• Matt Pond PA, Several Arrows Later
• Nirvana, Nevermind
• The Strokes, First Impressions of Earth
• Cake, Comfort Eagle
• Blink-182, Enema of the State
• Pearl Jam, Yield
• Weezer, Pinkerton (can't believe I forgot that one!)

The Most Important Blog In the Universe officially reserves to amend and/or supplement this response should the need to do so arise, without notice.

Live Blogging Going Back To The Gym

After many, many, many months of not going, tonight was the night I'd venture back to the gym. Since it's my first time back, I decided to go with just cardio on the treadmill, at a slower than normal pace of 6.4, level 4 out of 20, on random, to keep it interesting.

• 1:11 = Let's take that down to level 3.
• 2:38 = Has it only be two minutes?
• 4:15 = At least I'm working off the Chipotle from last night.
• 5:48 = I'm feeling itchy.
• 7:48 = Maybe I should add "Phish: Colorado '88" to my blog on my favorite albums, a blog in progress for about two weeks now.
• 8:52 = My entire torso is one giant itch that demands my complete attention!
• 10:23 = Maybe 30 minutes was a bit too ambitious.
• 13:42 = My god, I'm sweating!
• 14:39 = I've got a great idea for a video for "From Debris" by Matt Pond PA.
• 15:28 = There is no way in hell this is just the half way point.
• 18:02 = I'll hit 20 minutes, then I'm getting off.
• 20:00 = Ok, I'll finish the hill on the little screen, then I'm done.
• 20:03 = Cool down, sucka!
• 20:12 = Why is it that I don't know how to stay on the treadmill at 4.0? I can do a fast walk at 3.8, but the slow run at 4.0 makes me feel like an idiot.
• 25:32 = I need a drink.

Um, uh, can I ask you a question?

Getting a new iphone is not easy. They are not available online and there's a significant wait to buy one at an AT&T store. The best way to get an iphone is at an Apple store. You cannot reserve an iphone or make a reservation, and the stores will only let you know the availability of iphones at 9:00 pm the night before.

Nilda and I went to the 14th Street store this weekend, and they were sold out by the time we got there, around 4:00. Apparently, you have to get there at 8:00 am to receive a voucher, then come back before 6:00 pm to pick up your iphone, which must be activated before you leave the store, and there was a line of people waiting - reading newspapers! - to pick up their iphones. You have to dedicate a whole day to buying this thing and it's more of a pain in the ass than it's probably worth.

So my question is, should I get the 8G or the 16G?

The Olympics

After a day kicking all ass in a non-party deposition, I come home and see men's volleyball on the Olympics. This is something amazing to me. All kids in the US play volleyball, and here is the country's very best of those players. There are no professional teams to look forward to, this is the pinnacle event for these players, going up against the best in the world, just once every four years. What does Nilda want to watch? CSI.

Nilda may not like indoor men's volleyball, but we both love women's beach volleyball. Maybe it's the amazing team of May-Treanor and Walsh, who have been unreal and had a great win against Belgium tonight. I'm not sure why I like it.

The Chinese believe that these Olympics are the most important event in their recent history, and will usher in a new era for China in the modern world. It was no coincidence that the opening ceremony took place on 8/8/08 at 8:00 pm, given China's belief in the special nature of the number 8. All indications are that China may very well have accomplished their goal, as it is unquestionable that they have done an amazing job of hosting the Olympics. They have done such a good job that I haven't even finished the last two episodes of the first season of Mad Men. Impressive, China. Very impressive.

Sticking It To The Man

Last night, Schwartz and I lectured at the City Bar Association on employment law. There were about 30 people, mostly management attorneys, and there was a webcast. I spoke about various issues in the field and, specifically, the New York City Human Rights Law and the Restoration Act of 2005.

When I was talking about the City Law and how it is, by its very language, to be interpreted more broadly than its state and federal counterparts, I noted the Restoration Act’s amendment to the retaliation provisions. The City Law holds that an act punishing an employee for complaining about discrimination need not result in an ultimate employment action and need not be materially adverse, but must merely result in conduct that would reasonably deter an employee from complaining.

I also noted that the Supreme Court recently adopted a similar standard for the federal law. A guy who was clearly a management attorney started nodding his head, as if he got me. However, I continued, the Supreme Court held that the act must be materially adverse, while the City Law, by the very language of the statute, does not impose such a requirement. He stopped nodding.

Barack-Rolled

This is brilliant. Make sure you watch through the verse:



Thanks to Irene for the link!

I Wish It Was A Three Day Weekend

• Continued the tradition of ridiculously expensive dinners with Jeremy & Irene at BLT Fish on Friday. It was interesting to go to a restaurant that focused on fish - not seafood, but fish. I wouldn't have picked it, but Frank Bruni gave it 3 stars twice, so Irene said we had to go. She (and Bruni) were right, and it was incredible. Get the dover sole.
• Loving the Olympics, especially the opening ceremony. 2008 Chinese men banging on drums in unison is an intimidating sight. They told the drummers to smile to take the edge off. That was sweet.
• Check out this incredible video my sister Julie sent out:

• I will never again go to Philadelphia in flip-flops and without a pair of sneakers. What was I thinking, I work at Abercrombie?
• The Atlantic is going to be running an article on Tuesday outlining the in-fighting in Clinton's campaign. Mark Penn suggested trying to portray Obama as somehow un-American, recommending that Clinton rely heavily on the flag and talk about "our" America.
• This is a forward I got today. Not sure if it's real or if it's a beer commercial that was banned in the UK, but it's pretty crazy:

• Here's a link to a really horific bungee accident that's definitely real.
• Only 27 days until I get my iphone!
  

Three Things

1. No Country For Old Men is an amazing book. Better than the movie, it portrays the Javier Bardem character more than just the bad guy, but as the anti-Christ everyone has been fearing. My favorite line so far, when the main character is on the run after taking the money: "He ate in a restaurant with white tablecloths and waiters in white jackets. He ordered a glass of red wine and a porterhouse steak. It was early and the restaurant was empty save for him. He sipped the wine and when he steak came he cut into it and chewed slowly and thought about his life."

2. Mad Men is a fantastic tv show. I wouldn't like it if I heard only the premise, but it's so well written that it transcends its plot. It highlights the problems in modern society by focusing on the ones we've supposedly overcome.

3. So far, it looks like we've got three trials coming up in the fall, in addition to the trip to Israel. That is ok with me.

I Place Too Much Importance On My Facebook Status

• Marino told me on Friday what is perhaps the funniest story I've heard in a long time. His friend, a young lawyer at Paul Weiss, based on a dare, stated, on the record at a deposition, "Are you intimidated by how handsome I am?" The partner pulled him out of the deposition and threw him off the case. Ahh, the life and priorities of a Horace Mann graduate.
• At the firm bbq on Saturday, I was told that I drank a lot and that I was the whiffle ball mvp. I don't believe either of them. My ipod playlist, however, was a universal hit.
• On Mad Men, one of the secretaries points out that the main character is having an affair with a woman outside the office because, "He's so good looking that he can look outside the office." I had to pause the dvd after hearing that line, since that represents and significant part of my career. These guys are only able to have relationships with these women based on the power that they have from their positions at work.
• I can almost understand why Obama isn't running a more aggressive campaign against McCain. He realizes that the last thing an African-American candidate can do is get angry.
• My weird dream: I couldn't understand why I had to take the Bar exam again, when I just took it two years ago. So I said, "Andrew, we're not doing this again. Francesca (our 5-year-old niece) has to take the Bar for the first time, but we've already passed so we're leaving." So we went back to the movie theater where, for some reason, I suddenly found myself naked, again.
• Favorite products: Downey wrinkle releaser, Burt's Bees cuticle wax, Visine Tears, Neosporin with pain relief, Nivea face balm, shirt collar stays.
• My Greatest Idea Ever: I put the wine bottle AND the ice pack into the sandwich cooler we got from Daniel's Bat Mitvah, so that the wine not only got cold, but stayed cold at the park. Freakin' genius!