I came across a quote on my fav political blog politicalderby.com about a possible presidential nominee:

“There’s no doubt history is in the making with the 2008 presidential race. We may have either the first Black president, the first Woman president, or the first Mormon president. Why not kill three birds with one stone - elect Gladys Knight president and call it a day.”

But seriously, I'm really excited about the '08 election. For me, its like the excitement of college bowl games, the super bowl, and march madness all rolled into one. I turn into more of a political junkie the closer the election gets.

So my brother just got a shiny new iPod for Valentines Day and being the good brother that I am I thought that I would run through my favorite podcasts/ videopodcasts. I've listened to probably hundreds of different ones over the last couple years and while there are some great ones out there, there are also ones that are a waste of time and pretty lousy. These are my top five that I always look forward to, whether it be everyday, every week, or every month. So here they are

1. ZeFrank (video): By far the most talented, witty, and entertaining personality on the internet. He does a daily videopodcast that are only each a few minutes long and that are some times profound, sometimes goofy, but are always laugh at loud funny.

2. Snide Remarks and In The Dark (Audio): Both by THE Eric D. Snider. Snide remarks is a kind of commentary on the life in general and In the Dark are his movie reviews. He is incredibly original and entertaining with David Sedaris-esque wit. I love both of his weekly podcasts including his movie reviews which I have found that I agree with 99.9% of the time and find hee-larious 100% of the time.

3. Diggnation (video): I've been following these guys since their TechTV days and look forward to their take on the top stories from the social news/tech website Digg.com. Alex and Kevin would be my favorite drinking buddies, if I drank. :)

4. This Week in Tech (TWiT) (audio): Although at times they can be a little too "CRAZY morning DJ's" I still love their banter about tech news and tech tips. They are perfect for the expert or novice tech geek and always entertaining. (I also recommend Leo LaPorte's Mac podcast if your into the Mac even remotely)

5. Paste Culture Club (audio): This is where I go to stay abreast on the newest alternative artists. Although they sometimes pick ones that arent my style I still find that they consistently have new music that I like and have never heard of.

Other ones worth checking out: Official Lost Podcast, Homestar runner video podcast, TikiBar TV video podcast, and The Maccast.

All of the links above should have "Subscribe in iTunes" buttons. Check them all out, it doesnt hurt to try them all once and all you have to loose is time. :-)

So did I miss any? Do you listen to/ watch any of these and if so what is your take? I'm all ears....and eyes.

After careful deliberation I would have to say that this is my favorite music video of all time. Although the only music video I've seen in the last 3 years is the OK Go treadmill video this one takes the cake for me.

I give you "Just" by Radiohead:

I discovered the original Planet of the Apes (1968) again for the first time and I have to say that it was every bit as good as I remember it, if not better. Little did I know that there were 4 other sequels that take the story in a few different directions. I'm through number 2 (Beneath the Planet of the Apes) and I enjoyed it every bit as the first. The others are on their way via netflix.

Some things that I didn't pick up on when I was younger about these incredible movies are the metaphors of classism, racism, and eventually imperialism to name a few. I wont ruin anything for you only to say that evolution is a B. :-)

Once again they illustrate why science fiction is such a fertile genre for exploring social and political issues. If you have never seen these movies or if its been awhile I encourage you to watch these classic movies.

Some of you have heard some of you have not but I didn't get into Oregon State University's PhD program in Human Development and Family Studies. I found this out today and surprisingly as I read the letter I felt physically lighter and happier. Not to toot my own horn or anything but I felt that I had a strong resume with a GPA of 3.96 in my graduate work and a publication in one of the most prestigious family research journals in the land (Family Relations). So I emailed the department head to ask why. She sent me back a very nice email saying that they are looking for people that are primarily interested in research (which I am not) and that had excelled in math (which I do not). Although I would have liked to do some research I am more interested in teaching and, of course, therapy. Crunching numbers and grant writing are not my idea of a good time. The relational aspect of research interests me (i.e. interviews, data collection, etc.) but all the crap before and after does not. I want to work directly with people instead of just writing and theorizing about them, not that there is anything wrong with that. :-)
So here I am, now even more excited to move back to the northwest and work on licenser to eventually start a private practice in Marriage and Family Therapy. Life is good and now we get to house hunt in Portland, my favorite city in the world, starting this summer. Here is a copy of my response letter to the department head:

That makes a lot of sense. Thank you for explaining that to me and your right, research isn't my primary objective. OSU probably isn't a good fit for me for that reason.

Thank you for your time and I'll still root for the Beavers over the Ducks. I will just be doing it from Portland rather than in the stands.

-Ryan