But the Memory Remains...

1) I received a hearty blow to the head a while back at soccer practice. After colliding with another player while in pursuit of the ball, I found myself sprawled on the grass with no memory of the five minutes prior. In fact, I still do not remember much of what happened several minutes afterwards. I do remember looking down at my penny because I had no memory of what color team I was on.

I'm wearing a yellow penny so I must be...Oh, I'm wearing my red Korean Marines shirt today and my blue running shorts.

Yeah, you could say that I was a little out of it. I knew that I was at school and at the soccer field on which I had spent dozens of hours, yet my eyes took in the scenery like as if I was there for the first time. Essentially, I was trying to remember but could not find myself to place it.

So the next day, with an Advil Gel quickly dissolving into my system (or so I hoped) and a Sudoku sitting in front of me, a question popped into my bruised and drugged brain.

Why do we have memories?

The only real convincing answer was this, and it came with surprising speed: So that we may remember the things God has done for us.

I thought the thought (ha) was interesting.


2) I have finally figured out why The Dark Knight was not really my cup of tea.

I will concede that The Dark Knight was one of the most intriguing and exciting movies I have seen in a long time. The plot, special effects, and acting were all simply amazing. Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker was, shall we say, convincing. It almost makes you wonder if a little bit of the Joker was in him.

But that's not what disturbs me.

The part that bothers me is that they made the Joker so disgusting without providing a contrast to his character. Even though Batman and Gordon want to keep the Joker from having the last laugh by way of his creation, Two Face, the Joker makes everyone compromise in order to defeat him. And there is no redemption for that compromise. That is what bothers me. Yes, the Joker exemplifies nihilism, but there is nothing to contrast with it. The fearless, unwavering Harvey Dent falls and dies with his second face still on. Batman faces severe doubts and compromises his reputation in order to keep the Joker from winning. But since there is no redemption for Batman, wouldn't the Joker be fine with either result? Either Batman or Harvey Dent will be seen by the public as a murderer, so in my mind the Joker still has the last hurrah.

Those are my two cents, and if you weird fans do not like it, go spend eight bucks and see the movie again for the heck of it.

3) I believe that Sarah Palin is exactly what the Republican Party needed to gain energy for this fierce election that is looming over the horizon. Most people thought it was not worth it to support McCain, but hell, it is going to be a brawl now that SHE stepped into the ring!

4) I have vowed to listen to nothing but instrumental music for the next week. Rock, Rap, and Electronic are not exceptions (which boils it down to...classical and soundtracks). We shall see how that goes.