As Far As You Know

Just arrived in Miami and the first thing that hit me when I left the airport was HUMIDITY. It's reasonably warm here, but humid in a way California was not.

Anyway I am staying at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa, which is pretty plush. I effectively checked in without using valet parking or the bell staff. I am here for the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Coaches Convention (I am an Auxiliary Member) through Saturday night.

If you're not watching NBC's The Office, you are missing one of the truly great shows on television. Tonight's hour-long episode was hilarious.

Most of today was spent in workshop presentations aimed at college tennis coaches--whose work is not all that different from the kind of coaching I do each spring at Choate. It's the fiftieth anniversary of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. There's a big awards banquet tonight, which I will probably skip in favor of checking out the sights in Miami.

In The New York Times this week, technology writer David Pogue reviewed the new PC operating system, Microsoft Vista. Apparently it looks real pretty and is a somewhat blatant rip-off of Mac OS X. It will be interesting to see how much distance the folks in Cupertino will put between their product and this new one when Leopard, the latest upgrade to the Mac OS, comes out in early 2007.

Read Pogue's review here (there is a witty video companion piece on the site showing a comparison between Vista and Mac OS X that is worth checking out, too).

Aruba, Jamaica . . . ooh, I wanna take ya.
Bermuda, Bahama . . . come on, pretty mama.
Key Largo, Montego . . . baby, why don't we go?

Admittedly not The Beach Boys' finest moment, but once I arrive in Aruba this afternoon, I'll have been to all of these places, so "Kokomo" is the song of the day.

I arrived in Miami a bit before 10 p.m. The new terminal complex at MIA is worlds better than its predecessor. It still took me far too long to get my bag (still can't seem to travel light enough to avoid checking a bag, even for a weekend getaway) and get my rental car. Fortunately the Doral Resort, where I am staying through Monday with my folks, is not very far from the airport. Walking out of the terminal into the warm air was a welcome feeling indeed!

It's February 2, and I am taking advantage of the "holiday" to watch one of my favorite movies, which just arrived from Amazon this week in a new DVD edition: Groundhog Day. This is a terrific Bill Murray flick, with plenty of comedic moments surrounding a romantic story thread.

It's endorsement time in "As Far As You Know," what with the Connecticut presidential primary now just a few days away. I have resisted declaring a favorite thus far, preferring to approach the race with an open mind, and watching the campaign unfold.

Frankly, each of the Republican candidates is pretty seriously flawed, so the GOP is a non-starter for me at the presidential level in 2008. Moreover, the Republicans have had eight years at the helm and . . . well, let's just say the current administration won't be remembered in history as one of our finest moments as a country.

Some of the Democrats in the race that I found most attractive--specifically John Edwards and Connecticut's own Chris Dodd--have already abandoned their campaigns. So my choice is now between Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama. There's lots to like about Senator Clinton; she has consistently outperformed expectations on behalf of the people of New York and has proven herself a far more effective U.S. Senator than her critics--who are legion--have given her credit for. I've seen her in person and she exceeded my own expectations as well. Moreover, she has been a savvy and resilient campaigner. I'll certainly support Clinton should she win the nomination. But my vote next Tuesday will be cast for Barack Obama.

Our country surely needs a break from the possibility of a quarter of a century of Bushes and Clintons trading terms in the White House. That's just too much politics as usual. But as a colleague of mine pointed out to me the other day, that's not enough of a reason not to vote for Hilary. And she's right. I am supporting Obama because (1) he has the best chance to put the Executive Branch under Democratic control after the disaster of the past eight years--he will be more electable in my estimation; (2) he embodies a message of change that will reposition America's role in the world in a fundamentally positive way (and having traveled the globe a lot in recent years I can testify that this is a development we desperately need); (3) he has already shown an ability to engage and inspire Americans who have largely been turned off by politics, especially young people; and finally, (4) he has the temperament, the commitment, and the intelligence to be an effective president.

Today's editorial page in the Los Angeles Times sums it up pretty well:

In the language of metaphor, Clinton is an essay, solid and reasoned; Obama is a poem, lyric and filled with possibility. Clinton would be a valuable and competent executive, but Obama matches her in substance and adds something that the nation has been missing far too long--a sense of aspiration.

In short, Obama is the best person for the job.

Saw the fifth of the Oscar nominees for Best Picture tonight, catching the late showing of Michael Clayton. Not exactly a mystery, nor a conventional legal thriller, but engaging in its development of the title character, portrayed by the always reliable George Clooney. This film won't win the Academy Award, but it's worth seeing.

I drove up to West Palm Beach this morning to catch the U23D concert film on an IMAX screen. I had the theater to myself in the 11 a.m. show. That didn't diminish my enjoyment, however; this was an AMAZING presentation. The 3D technology created the sense I was in the front row, in the 10th row, standing next to The Edge on screen, or floating over Larry Mullen Jr.'s drum kit at various times. A great sound system in the theater made the excitement of audience palpable. The music was drawn from the South American leg of the Vertigo tour and the band was in fine form. The "Love And Peace Or Else"/"Sunday Bloody Sunday"/"Bullet The Blue Sky" sequence (with snippets of "Johnny Comes Marching Home" and "The Hands That Built America" included for good measure) in the middle of the concert was terrific; these are songs that are always better showcased in a live setting than in the studio versions. And I defy anyone who sees this movie to tell me you didn't think Bono was about to touch your face halfway through "Sunday Bloody Sunday." See this while you can, preferably in in IMAX screen.

I am settling in to watch my first SuperBowl since 2005. Two years ago I was on a plane from Florida to Connecticut and missed most of the game. Last winter this time I had just arrived in Cairo, where NFL coverage didn't seem to be a broadcasting priority. This year I actually care about the two teams squaring off, so I will enjoy this game and its associated hoopla (after all, a good chunk of the ritual is the commercials aired between bouts of football).

Super Bowl commercial update #1: Beautiful Godfather homage in the Audi R8 commercial!

Super Bowl commercial update #2: FedEx scored with its ad featuring humungous pigeons.

Super Bowl commercial update #3: I am a sucker for this sort of thing, but that was a pretty good looking trailer for the Iron Man movie.

Super Bowl commercial update #4: The preview of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian sure was pretty to look at; hope the eye candy of the special effects is matched by a good script and good acting.

So many Super Bowl games turn out to be duds, but this year's delivered: it was dramatic until the closing seconds of play. The Giants defense was spectacular in shutting down the usually formidable Tom Brady. And Eli Manning pulled the rabbit out of the hat more than once in his final game-winning drive. Too bad to see the Pats miss out on the 19-0 season, but as a New Yorker, I found it satisfying to see the Giants back in the winner's circle.

My long weekend break in South Florida has come to an end. I am mildly tramautized just putting on long pants in preparation for the flight back to Hartford (and sub-40 degree weather). This has been a perfect getaway of family time, reading, and a couple of movies. I am also finishing up season 3 of The Wire, with one more DVD set to get me up to date before I can enjoy the current final season currently airing.