Hi Monday morning warriors. How y’all? I’m good, I’m good. Just recovering from some truly absurd dreams, including one where I had half my face disfigured in some weird accident and was learning to deal with the horrified looks I was getting from the public at large and even the people who loved me. It was not a pleasant dream, and I’m sure there’s a metaphor in there somewhere. Also sure that it came as a result of watching the last 2 and half seasons of Breaking Bad in 2 days (ahem, Gus Fring) which is why, as I’ve noted, shows like that are difficult for me. Kind of an empath, hard time letting them go. But a brilliant show and, as per usual, the pain was worth it. No spoilers but let me just say that Walter White was not actually as psychopathic as I thought. He was capable of real love, real sacrifice, and I think the end scene shows where his true loyalty lay, which is also a cultural metaphor I think (the cold, hard, rational and easily justified truths of the scientific pursuit). Anyway, Vince Gilligan is a genius and I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to see Bryan Cranston do anything else and believe it. He just was Heisenberg, wasn’t he? My dad is always saying that Sean Connery is dead — he died in The Untouchables. That’s how good his performance was. Same kind of thing. Excellent work. So, here’s some stuff in its honor:
One of my favorite scientific conundrums, second only to the impossibility of measuring anything below the Schwarzschild radius, is the Heisenberg principle (h/t George):
The Principle is also sometimes loosely interpreted as “we cannot know the present with enough precision in order to predict the future with certainty.” I mean, right? Better call Saul.
Posted for the picture of Bryan Cranston at the bottom, and the cross stitches are hilarious.
One really marvelous thing the series did was frame the action with great, sometimes funny, always excellent, music. Here’s some of it. Which reminds me, your morning music. It’s as if it was written for the show and the immediate nostalgia this song evoked gave me goose bumps…
Finally, among the nearly impossible number of brilliant quotes, one really hit me. I hate that I may adopt it because I’m worried what that says about my head space. But so it is…
“If that’s true, if you don’t know who I am, then maybe your best course… would be to tread lightly.”
Okay, moving along.
Pretty satisfying football game Saturday. Seriously, all you fickle people who flip flop from week to week about how bad Mark Richt is as a coach and even Mike Bobo — [“Bobo called a fine game Saturday.” ~ Pops] — please, I’m begging you, talk to someone else about it. Because I think you’re wrong and I tire of your bitching. What a great game. We may see Alabama yet again at the end of the season if we keep playing like that. Oh, and to the dude I met Thursday who said Aaron Murray was overrated:
On the shutdown: bring it. I’m so proud of the guys on the Hill not bowing to the bullying tactics of those trying to twist the narrative. Because Jesus that’s exhausting and really the only way it goes away is if you refuse to tolerate it. And it looks like they’re gonna give it a try. Anyway, my friend Dan has a good piece here on it.
Oh for the love of Pete, how is someone who understands physics well enough to be terrified of flying (I can do it but I hate it… and it really is a suspension of disbelief, we’re all in agreement on that, right?) supposed to ever board a plane again Smithsonian Channel? Good Lord stop.
Hahahahaha! Let’s play…
It’s like dancing, although I’m sure the men in their military dress would never admit it. Love it.