morning coffee: "To Grad School or Not? Part II

Source: The Huffington Post
Post: "To Grad School or Not? Part II" by Christine Hassler

"...Adult life is about figuring out who you are and what you like to do. Life is a struggle to find enough self-knowledge to craft an interesting, fulfilling life, and the fact that we die is what makes things matter -- that we have only a limited about of time in this world to find self-knowledge. So why waste it going to grad school when you don't even know if you want to go to grad school? Be an adult and struggle to find out who you are. It's fine to not know what you want to do with yourself. It's not fine to give up trying because it's hard. There is a messed-up myth that the person who knows what path they are on is the person who is pulled together. But the people who can cope with not knowing are the people who are really living..." (full post)

Photo Vault: Dinner With My Cous

Daily Coop: General, Woodstock, Legends

Obama starts his push to win the general election...

My money is on this being Edwards--who'll endorse before the NC primary...

Dark Knight poster unveiled...

The brilliant Ang Lee (minus his Hulk) is Taking Woodstock...

Roger Ebbert is in on the blogging...

Legends are falling, but their legacies will always be safe...

The Hobbitt direction official...

Tip: Blog Productivity

A good, quick resource for those who want a new tab opened when clicking on a link within my blog (instead of being directed away after each click)...

morning coffee: Break Free from the Tyranny of the Clock

Source: Zen Habits
Post: Simple Manifesto: Break Free from the Tyranny of the Clock

“But what minutes! Count them by sensation, and not by calendars, and each moment is a day.” - Benjamin Disraeli

'For tens of thousands of years, human beings didn’t have clocks. They lived, amazingly, by the sun and the moon and seasons and the needs and rhythms of their bodies.

The clock is a very very recent invention, and even more recent is our modern society’s slavish adherence to the dictatorship of the clock...' (full post)

I hope to write a follow-up to this, after the distractions...

Daily Coop: Intellectual, Sushi, Balance

The Daily Kos poses an important question "Can An Intellectual Be President?"...

If I had an extra grand, I would treat myself to a little yumy...

There's an interesting discussion going on over at Seattle PI's The Big Blog. Topic: "Searching for Seattle: Balancing the Past and the Future"

morning coffee: "To Grad School or Not?"

Blog Post: "To Grad School or Not?"

A nice Huff post about the trap twenty-somethings fall into as we ascend (or descend--depending on our current disillusioned-level) into the clichéd "real world." Higher education is--while certainly challenging and in many cases a confident necessity--safe; but, as we can all pinpoint evidence in our own lives, safe can be a major deterrent of progress.

If we are lucky, our twenties are full of confusion, frustration, and, yes, disillusionment. We don't want to settle for anything less than living a life of passion, challenge, health, and truthfulness; but, naturally, life seems to distract us from these ideals: the varieties of frustrations ensue. We need to break out of the proverbial shackles and reject the tides of shallowness around us (the weak followers following, the infinitely-mindless distractions broadcasting from the corners of our living rooms, the opinionless).

For many twenty-somethings, Grad School prolongs doing; for some, this is an absolute prerequisite to greater paths. For most, however, doing should be the prerequisite to such an important decision. Examples of an ideal: the Peace Corp before an MPA; the creative creating before an MBA.

Thanks for coming back...

morning coffee: "Finding Health and Balance as a Blogger..."

Blog: Zen Habits
Post: "Finding Health and Balance as a Blogger (or, Life Will Kill You, Not Blogging)"

"I was going through my daily RSS health reading when I came across an article in the NY Times. By now, you should know what it’s about: blogging being “bad” for your health. Being the curious soul that I am, I went over and read the article and it got me thinking about my blogging health.

Well, the article basically says that blogging can kill ya!"... (full post)

Video Vault: Monk Life

"Imagine giving up all your possessions, friends, and family. In a society that promotes the accrual of wealth and maintenance of image, this can be a difficult lifestyle for people to comprehend. To shed some light on this, Zen Living explores the life and work of a Buddhist monk living at an American monastery"...

Daily Coop: Farce, Wine Library

John Stewart Rips ABC Debate... must see if you missed the Obamamania-perceived debacle...

RSS Feed-of the-day: Wine Library TV: the branding, simplicity of idea, and execution is brilliant...

While super quick, the trip to Davis, with my brother, has been going great. It's been years since I've seen my grandparents: they look healthy as ever! While I love being in the Davis bubble, I'm excited to get back to life in Washington. I'm reminded, again, how proud I am to have taken the risk with Emilia--leaving California for something new in Seattle; new has now turned to normal; new and normal has and continues to feel right; I guess that's all we can ask for from our decisions, right?

I feel like something big is coming--a decision, a moment, an influx of ambition...not sure what I'm taking about... stay tuned...

See you tomorrow...

morning coffee: "How Low Will She Go?..."

Article: "How Low Will Hilary Go? Her Negative and Gotcha Campaign
is Beneath a Presidential Contender"
Author: Robert Guttman

"Ronald Reagan used to say he believed in the 11th Commandment when he was running for president which was to never speak ill of your fellow Republicans.

It seems as if the Democrats and Senator Clinton in particular do not have any such 11th Commandment in this year's contest for the Democratic nomination for president" ... (full article)

Daily Coop: RDJ, Debate, Springsteen

A good piece in Huff about Robert Downey Jr. (top 2 working actors today)...

Don't forget about the Pennsylvania debate tonight...

"Rock'n'Roll Steinbeck" endorses Obama...

Daily Coop: Sweeney, Elevator, Trips

I just quick-reviewed Sweeney Todd on Facebook; I guess if we're not fiends, no review for you... get to befriending me already...

Hiking up Mount Si was an accomplishment for the ages; actually, while it took three hours, it wasn't all that hard, but the fact that I am officially obsessed with working out (not to mention starting to love the outdoors) is truly an epic turn of events for Blake. I have now been going to the gym for over 6 weeks (3-4 times a week) and I can honestly say that signing up for that membership could be the single most important decision I will have ever made in my life (the second, of course, clumsily striking up a conversation with Emilia in an elevator in Madrid)...

I'm going to Davis this weekend...

I'm going to Paris and Northern Spain in three weeks... seriously?... yes...

I need to start writing more...

Thanks for coming back

Mount Si Birthday Hike

Video Vault: Battle in Seattle

Somewhere in the streets of Seattle, in his police uniform, RBC (aka the bigger, but less attractive of the Cooper brothers) relishes his first gig in a major motion picture...



I'm proud of you brother!

Daily Coop: Grilling, DeNiro, W

Gen. Petraeus and Amb. Crocker Practically Silenced:



DeNiro looks to have found a promising project...

Stone's W update... first few pages of the script...

Seattle Sounders FC

Another reason to love Seattle: out with the failing NBA market, in with the soon-to-be thriving MLS. Having lived in Spain, it's hard not to have an appreciation for the great game of soccer. I'm exited to become a student of the game. The Seattle Sounders FC will be huge here; I just hope our country can take it's support of the sport to the next level.

Homework: Getting to Know Our Next President

A great find again by the Jed Report--in response to another Clinton lie (context):

Homework: The Entire "I Have a Dream" Speech

A Fierce Urgency of Now (yes, it's time to watch the entire 17 minutes and 28 second speech--not just the 30 second, 3rd grade memorizing version):

Daily Coop: Blueberry, Ludlem, Religulous

Trailer Vault: My Blueberry Nights



A next Robert Ludlem inspired project--this time with Denzel...

Poster released for Bill Maher's Religulous...

A Hobbit update...

I wonder if anyone reads my blog. Okay then...bye.

40 Years Ago...

University of Washington, by Me

Sometimes my mug gets on the front of major University websites :)

Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington (i.e. my fab work)