Matt v. Kevin

Kevin Wins: DST is a Blessing!

Final totals:

Kevin: 62.5%
Matthew: 37.5%

Total votes: 8

We're taking the week off for Thanksgiving - back with a new fight the following week!

Kevin: Blessing. Why? Maybe because it just breaks up the everyday, ho-hum monotony. Do we lose an hour half of the time? Yes. Does this create more pressure for deadlines, cause sleep loss, or stress us in general? Most definitely. Do you work best under pressure? You better believe it. We are America, people! We overcame an oppressive nation, a brutal Civil War, two World Wars, and about 3000 failed attempts at the light bulb. We conquered the West, space, and the Boston Red Sox's World Series curse. We are a group of determined people, and so we have instituted another challenge in an entirely new dimension: time. Can we overcome it? Can you? Of course you can! That's the spirit! Even if you don't enjoy the challenge of springing forward each year, even if it's an ever-so-slight bother, ask yourself, "Don't the advantages of falling back trump my petty inconvenience?"

Matthew: Weirdly, Kevin grants some of the disadvantages of DST immediately, without ever listing an advantage. Why are we abiding by this ancien regime? Simple inertia. I grew up in Phoenix, where we don't do DST. When I lived in another part of the country, I realized all DST is now is just a bad habit - there's no good reason you keep doing it other than the fact that you always have. The emperor doesn't have any clothes, friends. The modern conceit of DST doesn't save a minute of daylight. The sun comes up at the same real time no matter what hocus-pocus you pull with your clocks. And how is messing with clocks twice a year supposed to be a challenge? Kevin, if you really need a challenge, I'll have Caleb change your clock every night so that you never know what time it is when you awaken.

Kevin: It's called stealing your thunder, Matt. I anticipate your arguments and marginalize them. That's what I did. See? They are marginalized. Matt, you need to remember that we aren't arguing whether DST is a misnomer; that is a red herring. We are talking about whether DST is a blessing or boondoggle (if you readers think it's in between, please vote for me on account of better looks). I have lived in regions that observe DST my whole life, and it has become something that I look forward to each time. A change of pace, if you will.

Matthew: Making my case isn’t what I would call stealing thunder, but you’re free to use your words as you choose. God gives us plenty of “changes of pace” between seasons, weather, and the circumstances of our lives. Do we really need to manufacture another one that creates all kinds of problems every single year? Look, I realize many people got their ballyhooed extra hour recently. But consider that awful day in Spring when you lay down knowing an hour of precious sleep will be stolen from you in the night! It’s a sham, it’s a scam, it’s a shame.

Kevin: Sham: hoax, defraud
Scam: ruse, swindle
Shame: disgrace, ignominy
Blessing: anything that makes happy or prosperous
Boondoggle: wasteful expenditure
True, I have addressed the perceived negative spin of DST. The advantages of falling back far outweigh disadvantages of springing forward. DST isn't sham, scam, or shame. It's blessing. 'Nuf said.

Matthew: And again I ask – WHAT advantages? You’ve said “challenge, change of pace, something to look forward to.” That’s supposed to outweigh that it’s a pointless hassle, and a problem-creator, not a problem-solver? Let’s stop all this springing and falling every year and just accept the time as it is.



Time has run out for these two, so spring forward to the Vote function below and make your voice heard!

Christy wins! Final vote total:

Christy: 62.5%
Matthew: 37.5%

Total votes: 13

Christy does not get the two-thirds majority necessary for a knockout.

Interesting stat: Every vote but one for Christy was female, every vote but one for Matthew was male.

Friends, this is why you never argue with your wife - she's got 3 billion other females on the planet who will back her up! ; )

This week, it's back to normal with another Matt v. Kevin battle. The fight will be posted soon!

~Matthew

Results of Fight 1:
Matthew: 62.5%
Kevin: 37.5%

Since it's a majority, Matthew gets the first win, but he did not get the two-thirds necessary for a KO (Knockout.)

Kevin has the week off this time, so we've brought in a special guest to fill his largish shoes. Christy will be taking a side this week against Matthew, and they'll be arguing over a topic near and dear to their hearts. It's below - read it and vote!

Watching our wedding video a month after the wedding: Good or Bad?

Christy: It’s your wedding day – a flood of events, a flurry of activity, people everywhere, and enough hairspray and gel to make you forget your name. Before you know it, the ceremony is over, you’ve walked back down the aisle, and mobs of friends and complete strangers are congratulating you all at once. The dancing at the reception has left you a little dizzy, and by the time the day is over you wonder what just happened. Do you remember what the pastor said? Did you catch the time that your groomsman almost passed out? Were you even there to see your mothers cry as they were seated? Did you see the happy couple as they were introduced at the reception? Of course you didn’t see any of those priceless moments. This is exactly why watching your wedding video one month after your wedding is so important.

Matthew: It’s your wedding day – a day that you’ve long awaited. You’ve prayed, prepared, and polished everything from your shoes to your vows. When the day finally comes, it’s just for you and your love. The bride and groom have unique, unmatched perspectives, and each gains special memories from those perspectives. The groom can still picture his bride walking toward him. The bride still remembers waiting in the wings while the grandmothers are seated. These special memories are exactly why you shouldn’t watch the wedding video only a month afterward. The video has the perspective of an attendee – and your perceptions change. Now you have two views that start muddling together, and when you think back to your bride walking down the aisle, you don’t just think of your view – you think of the camera’s view, too. Wedding videos shouldn’t be watched too soon precisely because wedding days are so special.

Christy: Note that Matthew completely avoids mentioning the priceless moments that the bride and groom miss. Yes, the wedding is a special time for you and your beloved, but it’s a time for family and friends to share. Taking the opportunity to view their tears, their joy, their toasts, and their expressions of love will enhance wedding memories. Another reason to view your video a month after your wedding is to share it with others. There will be friends who could not celebrate the wedding with you. Giving them the opportunity to share your joy will bring more special memories.

Matthew: Note that Christy completely avoids the timing issue! A month afterward, memories are still fresh, new – and malleable. Waiting at least a year to view the wedding video allows the memories to permanently set, and makes it extra-special because it brings those memories flooding back instead of altering what you have. Further, the video doesn’t show the bride anything that the groom couldn’t describe to her. Waiting to watch it gives the new couple a chance to work on their communication skills. We saw it in living color the first time – why turn to the grainy magnetic tape so soon?

Christy: My groom couldn’t capture the mothers’ seating. Watching your wedding video after one month of marriage reminds you of the commitment made, refreshes what memories you have and enhances those memories with special moments that you missed while you were waiting outside. Don’t let those memories slip away with time!

Matthew: Although I “couldn’t capture the mother’s seating,” I didn’t need a month-after wedding video viewing to “remind me of the commitment made” to my bride ; ) Memories “slipping away?” The video will be identical in a month OR a year. The personal memories are the ones that need protection!

Vote using the comment function below!

The voting is picking up and the race has tightened! Counting all Xanga and Blogspot votes, here are the current totals:

Matt - 5
Kevin - 3

Looks like this one's going to come down to the wire! If you haven't made your voice heard yet, vote now... the polls close when the next post goes up and a winner will then be declared for Fight 1!

Keep an eye out for the results and a new topic this Saturday evening - along with a special guest fighter!

(Short description for those who haven't seen the movie - warning, this describes the ending.)

From IMDB.com (unbiased source)

"A small time boxer gets a once in a lifetime chance to fight the heavyweight champ in a bout in which he strives to go the distance for his self-respect. "

How it ends: Rocky gets knocked down in the first round, but recovers to go the distance and finishes the brutal fight along with the champ (Apollo Creed.) After fifteen rounds in boxing, the judges must declare a winner, and they pick Apollo.

So was that a good ending? Without further ado... Fight!

Matthew (Pro): This issue is so much bigger than Rocky’s ending. It's a battle between philosophies - between people who can be realistic and people who live in a dream world where they get everything they want, like California boy over there. People who think Rocky should have won aren't focusing on the movie. They're visualizing a hundred other movies where the hero does the impossible to achieve an ending that isn't fair or reasonable, but manages to put some ooey-gooey warmth in naïve hearts. Look, I think happy endings are terrific – as long as they’re realistic. An amateur Rocky knocking out the heavyweight champion of the world would be deus ex machina - God from the machine - a form used in ancient plays where when all hope was lost, a spirit descended and fixed everything. Deus ex Rockina would have taken the movie's strength and turned it to sap.

Kevin (Con): Think with me for a moment. Ponder Sylvester Stallone. While you are doing that – oh. You’re done? You mean he is a one-dimensional actor who does triumph and nothing else well? Sure, he is inspiring as Rambo (for further scrutiny check out UHF) and that guy that hangs on cliffs. But when Rockina (an excellent feminine choice, thank you Mr. Phoenix) falls like a little girl in the first round, only to mount an awe-desiring non-comeback, does anyone else besides me feel gypped? For my part, pulling out an Uzi or a bow with fiery arrows was not entirely out of the question for him in order to win the round at that point. Rockina may have been knocked down early, but why drag us out for another twenty minutes, only to drop us like rocks and lose by decision? The Arizona sun is getting to your well-surfaced head, Matt.

Matthew (Pro): Kevin, you’re missing the point – the movie DOES end with Rocky triumphing.
Rocky himself states that his goal is NOT to beat Apollo, but to "go da distance" and finish the fight. He's not the fighter that he is in the sequels. He's a local hero who wants to prove that he can hang with the national champ, even when no one else ever had. The point of the extended fight is to see if Rocky can do it - and he does. Apollo is the better fighter, but Rocky goes the distance. Happy and realistic. What's wrong with that?

Kevin (Con): Matt, I’m surprised at you. After railing in your opening salvo against ooey-gooey warmth and naïve hearts, you were broadsided by some guy that don’t speak good English who claimed to have an admirable goal. Now, I can study for four years of college, and when the verdict is handed down and I see a 3.3 GPA, I can say that’s what I was hoping for all along. But don’t you think that I would be happier with a 3.9? Our culture doesn’t want to
endorse average endings and mediocre people. We want the sensational, the win, the KO.

Matthew (Pro): A run-of-the-mill "average ending" is what you would give Rocky. Instead, we got a great ending where the better fighter won. Whew - like Rocky, I now know what it’s like to battle an opponent who dramatically outweighs me. But it won’t help you here! Readers, give me your vote.

Kevin (Con): I must protest the statement, "the better fighter won." Rocky pummeled Apollo for the last fourteen rounds, only to fall short in score because of round #1. If the fight had gone longer, Rocky would have won. A better fighter is not necessarily determined simply by experience in the ring.

Well, these two have gone the distance. Who would you judge to be the winner? Vote below - every vote counts!

Here are the rules:
First salvo alternates. This week, Matthew goes first.
Format:
150 words - Pro
150 words - Con
100 words - Pro
100 words - Con
50 words - Pro
50 words - Con

The discussion will be posted all at once. As soon as it is posted, anyone may vote. One vote per person - and Kevin and Matthew aren't allowed to try to force your vote one way or the other. Read, decide, and tell us why in a comment.

The more people that participate, the more fun it will be, so spread the word!

~Kevin and Matthew

Just so everyone knows (especially those Xanga users out there,) we now have a sister site up that will be identical in content. It is...

www.xanga.com/mattvkevin

Bookmark whichever you prefer! The first war of words is still on for this Saturday night. Stay tuned!

Fans and soon-to-be fans,

Welcome to Matt v. Kevin! You've known them as roommates and friends, but now you get an exclusive, entertaining look into what happens when their hyper-competitive natures end up on opposite sides of an argument. In short, they drop the gloves (that was a shout-out to all 4 NHL fans still left out there.)

We'll be posting our online word wars weekly, Saturday nights, at an exact time still to be determined. Then, the decision is left up to you! Let me emphasize this...

This blog depends on its readers!

Why? Because readers get to make the call! After you've read the arguments, weigh in with a comment! In your comment, you can vote for the winner of the fight, much like boxing judges. You can also add your own two cents to the discussion, or suggest a topic that you'd like to see debated in the future by your two lovable fighters.

While this blog will accept comments from people that do not have a Blogger account, you must identify yourself so that we can verify your identity. In other words, this post would not count as a vote:

Kevin rox my sox!!!
~ B

But this comment would count as a vote:

Matthew, you really got hammered this time. I vote Kevin. Don't worry, Matthew, I still like you.
- Christy d.

Of course, those with user accounts on Blogger (and identifiable names) will be counted.

Make sense? If not, we're at a loss to figure out how you got to this blog in the first place.

Scoring the fight will be determined as follows:
Majority vote: Win
Two-thirds majority vote: Knockout

The topic for the first fight is a secret to everyone but us, so check in Saturday night to read the arguments and cast your vote!

~ Matthew and Kevin