Hello again everyone.  I have just returned from Spiderman 2, and
I loved it.  I am a big sucker for comic book movies.  I read
a review today on Yahoo! Movies:

In a time when losers decide to profit off dead Americans and reek
propaganda unseen since the fall of the Soviets, comes a movie worth
every penny! A movie that assumes that we’re not all brainless idiots!
However, just people looking for a solid sense of entertainment in
contrary to hidden issues masking political bloopers, infamous
outtakes, and puppetry of audience perception.

So
as all of my more liberal friends groan, I want to touch on why I love
the concept of comic books and superheroes.  I feel that the
classic characters, from Spiderman to Batman and everywhere in between,
represent a lot of what goes on in American life.  Watching Peter
Parker not meet rent while I’m paying rent for the first time, and
seeing him go around New York, my current home, and Columbia
University, my current employer, bring reality into such a fake movie.

And one of the classic Spiderman messages is so uplifting in my
opinion.  It’s not that doing the right thing will get you
ahead.  It’s not that being a superhero will make everyone love
you, or even give you self-confidence.  The main message I heard
from the movie is to work, work, work.  When you know what you’re
doing is the right thing, work at it.  When you’re not sure, keep
on working.  Just get through it all and leave it better than you
found it.

One of my favorite songs is The Noise of Carpet by Stereolab. 
This song rocks way more than the remainder of their often-mellow,
always obscure fare.  Somehow I love the mix of the unabashed guitar-driven music and the deadpanned yet quite firm lyrics:

i hate to see your broken face
this world would give you anything
as long as you will want to
as long as you will want to
i hate your state of hopelessness
and that vain articulateness
your loser type wreck wanna be
not a pretty sight really
in another world it’d be funny

i hate to see your broken face
a lazy life of fatal waste
of fashionable cynicism
the poison they want you to drink
oh no man that’s too easy
oh no man that’s too easy
we weren’t talking bout happiness
apply your leading potential
to be useful to this planet
the world would give you anything
as long as you will want to
as long as you will want to

Some might see a few of those lines as being bitter. 
Sure, they are, but what better thing to be bitter about than the
cynics who are not willing to work to improve their situation? 
Don’t get me wrong, I think cynicism is incredibly important in life,
but the next time you’re down, just do something to make things better.