Beach Blogging

Tomorrow morning, and for the following week, I'll be blogging from the road. We're headed to Corolla, NC tomorrow for a week at the beach, then fly to Chicago next weekend for a wedding. Stay tuned.

Now, that was nice!

Tomorrow morning, the FW and I leave for our annual trip to Corolla, NC for a week at the beach. We share a huge beach house with a bunch of our close friends. Today, in preparation, I went and got my 1st pedicure! Yep, I got all metrosexual today.

For my birthday last December, the FW bought me a gift certificate to The Grooming Lounge, a men's salon downtown. It was for what's called "The Executive Foot Treatment", Eliminate the “agony of de-feet” with this exclusive foot treatment highlighted by a dip in warm paraffin wax. Now, my feet are okay for a man, especially for a man who's played soccer for 30+ years, but I've never, ever had a pedicure. Never even thought of getting one. Well, after today, I just may become addicted.

When I walked through the door of The Grooming Lounge, I knew it was the place for me. Leather chairs, plasma TVs, sports magazines, basically every guys fantasy (did I mention that all the women who work there are hotties?). As I sat waiting for my appointment, they brought me a beer in a frosted mug! Yeah!! For the pedicure, I was seated in a big leather chair with massage controls and a foot bath. I bore you with the details of the treatment, but it was awesome. My feet have never looked or felt better. Guys, if you live in the DC area, get yourself over to The Grooming Lounge ASAP!!

Another reason to love Arsenal!

My friend Erin just sent this to me:

A 10-year-old boy from Sunderland, England, was reportedly saved by his rugged Arsenal replica jersey. John Hough was climbing a fence when he slipped on a spike that pierced his chest, just missing his heart and lungs, but somehow failed to penetrate the shirt. Doctors apparently credit the sturdy fabric with helping to prevent the spike from doing more damage. Said the boy's mother, "The first thing he said when he came round from his operation was: 'Mam, I can't believe my Arsenal strip is ruined.' But it wasn't and it saved his life."

He's Staying!!!

Henry set for new deal after committing future to Arsenal
Thierry Henry will be staying at Arsenal Football Club.
There has been speculation about the striker’s future all season but on Friday morning he stated his intention to sign a new contract with the Club.
Arsenal.com will have much on this story later today.

Gore-Warner '08

Trust me.

I'm just gutted

Just got home from the Arsenal - Barcelona match at the pub. My boys lost, 2-1. Despite playing a man down for most of the game, they had a 1-0 lead with about 15 minutes left, then lost the plot. 2 goals for Barca in 4 minutes. Game, set, and match.

Regardless, I'm so proud of the Gunners. This has been a very difficult year for them, dealing with numerous injuries, the loss of their talismatic captain, and the speculation regarding the future of Thierry Henry. But they never gave up and were just a few minutes away from being crowned champions of Europe. Congratulations to Barca, and now we just have a few weeks until the World Cup.

This is it

It's like Christmas Eve for me, or the morning before my wedding. That's how nervous I am. What am I nervous about? Arsenal have finally made it to the Champions League Final, and play an awesome Barcelona for the chance to be crowned Kings of Europe. I'm leaving work early, headed over to the Lucky Bar on Connecticut Avenue to watch the match. Actually, I'm so nervous I just may go home and watch it by myself.

Let's go you Gunners!!!

WTF?

We're stuck in a war with no end in sight, gas is at an all time high, and what does our dear leader come on national TV to talk about? What issue is so important that he interupts his sleepy time? Immigration!!! Are you fucking kidding me?!??!?!?!? Well, at least he didn't blame 9-11 for illegal immigration.

Told you so

F.BI raids home of former CIA #3.

So, does anyone still think Porter Goss resigned because of policy differences?

I'm back

Hey folks, I'm back. I've been pretty busy for awhile, between work and settling in at our new place. And this past weekend I was at the wedding of one of my best friends (more on that later). What's been going on? I see that hardly anyone in the news has mentioned how CIA Director Porter Goss's resignation may be related to the Hookergate scandal I wrote about 2 Fridays ago. Do me a favor, Google Goss Hooker Scandal and see what comes up.

In other news, in an incredibly exciting last day of the season, Arsenal had to have a better result than their hated rivals Spurs to finish in 4th place and make next season's Champions League. They did it, in the last ever game at Highbury Stadium, home of The Arsn'l for 93 years, beating Wigan 4-2, behind a Thierry Henry hattrick and Spurs losing 2-1 at West Ham. A glorious day (though Spurs want their game replayed - it seems most of their team got sick the night before the game - boo hoo).

Colbert rips Bush

This is great.

Remember this picture in 2008

This is Senator George Allen's high school photo. Remember this when he tries to tell you he's a racial moderate. Also remember that he once flew a rebel flag at his house and that his fraternity at UVa flew it while I was student there.

For my bud in Sri Lanka

This is for my buddy Leo, now chillin' with his wife in Sri Lanka. Last spring, Leo introduced me to an incredible band - Nickel Creek (I wrote about it last year). He took me to a show of theirs at the Birchmere and it was incredible. They're classified as bluegrass, but I don't think they really fit one simple genre, as this sound clip and video of them covering "Toxic" by Britney Spears shows.

I just got their most recent album, "Why Should The Fire Die?" yesterday, and it's fantastic.

Here's to you Leo!

PS - have I mentioned that I own a mandolin? 2 actually. Gotta learn how to play them this spring

It's a "hookerific" Friday

"Federal prosecutors are investigating whether two contractors implicated in the bribery of former Rep. Randall "Duke" Cunningham supplied him with prostitutes and free use of a limousine and hotel suites, pursuing evidence that could broaden their long-running inquiry."

Old friends

I got an e-mail Monday night from one of my oldest friends, Mike Rendino. When I say oldest, I really mean it - we met in 2nd grade! My family moved not long afterwards, but we reconnected in high school and went to college together as well. Anyway, he was in town for a few days (he recently moved to Charlotte) and had an extra ticket for the Nats game Tuesday night vs. the Reds. We had a great time, and ran into another old friend, Shaun Mohler, who was in my suite 1st year at UVa - 20 years ago! Here's a pic Rendino took with his phone - not the best shot, but who cares, we had a great time!

New bloggin location

Sorry for the lack of posts lately - work has been incredibly busy. Did I mention I got promoted a month ago? Anyway, I've been crazy busy with work, the new home, soccer, etc. But I've got alot of stuff to write about, and I will very soon. But for now, here's a pic of my new, super secret, blogging location.

More soon.

Perfect Weather

The weather in DC today is perfect, so I decided to walk the 4 blocks from my office to the White House with my new camera, to see if I'd find anything interesting. And I did - hundreds of people protesting the visit of China's president Hu Jintao. They were protesting China's deployment of hundreds of nuclear-capable missiles aimed at the Republic of China (Taiwan) and call on Dubya to invite Taiwanese leaders for official visits to the United States. Like that's going to happen. Anyway, here are a few pictures.

How My Dog Spends His Day

Rough life, eh? Watching the squirrels out the window, just waiting for a chance to get outside. Tell me boy, what are you going to do when you finally catch one?

Update on the Crazy Neighbor

My wife just called to tell me that the Crazy Neighbor (tm) is at it again. She had someone from the Condo Association over to look at our planters, dog poo can, etc. And get this, the Condo lady told her our stuff was fine! My wife is headed over to the condo office now to see what the hell is going on.

Dumbfounded

What do you do when someone you're friends with, a co-worker, says something racist and admits it? The other day, I was talking to a couple of friends at work about the whole immigration issue. One of my co-workers proceeded to go off on a rant about Latinos - how they only have babies to stay in this country, they're ruining our education system because teachers have to spend time with kids who don't speak English, how her tax dollars are supporting them, etc. Just ugly, vile stuff. I called her on it, telling her that she was full of shit, and she just said she doesn't care, and that when I have kids I'll agree with her. And get this, her parents are immigrants from the Caribbean!! What the hell?

I work for a very progressive political organization and it sickens me that someone who works here can have such a mindset. The question is, what should I do, if anything? Like I said, I told her that her facts were wrong and that you can substitute "black" for "immigrant" and it's the same thing racists have been saying about us forever. I'm just in total shock.

Welcome to the Neighborhood

We've been in our new home for 2 weeks now, and have met a few of our neighbors. They've all been very nice, 30-something couples like us. But we haven't met our immediate neighbors yet, which to me is pretty strange. It seems to me that when you notice someone new moving in, especially right next to you, you at least say "Hi, welcome to the neighborhood". Hasn't happened. Yet Saturday morning, I did have an encounter with the woman who lives directly across from us.

It was around 8:00 Saturday morning and I was headed back from taking our dog Kaleb for a walk. It was cold and rainy and I noticed the lady who lives across from us outside doing gardening. She saw me headed to my front door and came over saying "You know, they have trash cans around for your dog", "Yeah, I know". "Then why do you have that trash can on your porch"? Now, we have a small (around 8 inches high) receptacle we use to put Kaleb's baggies in after we take him for a walk - hardly a trash can. "Um, because I don't see why I have to walk 1/4 mile to throw this away". "Because it's against the rules" she wined. "Well, we've lived in ParkFairfax (0ur community) for over 3 years, and we've always had this receptacle. As a matter of fact, if you walk around, you'll see that everyone who has a dog has some sort of container on their front steps". "It's the rules", she repeated. "And why do you have a child's potty on your porch?". "What?" I said. "You have a child's potty on your porch and that's also against the condo rules". She was pointing to a planter we have on our front step that my mother-in-law gave us. It's basically a very small bench with a flower pot in the seat. It is not, by any stretch, a child's potty. Unless the child is the size of a baby doll, in which case, it wouldn't be using a potty, would it? "Ma'am, that's not a potty, it's a planter my mother-in-law gave us", "No it's not, it's a potty and it's against the rules". Now, I was really getting pissed off now. "Is this how you welcome people to the neighborhood? We've been here 2 weeks and you haven't said a word to us. Not a "Hi, how are you". Nothing. And you come up to me and start bitching about a goddamned planter?" "It's against the rules and if you don't like it, you can move". This is when I lost it. "This is my God damned house that I just bought. No one tells me where I can or can't live!! Are you crazy? Look at all of the shit you've got on your porch! I'm sure it's against the rules for you to have that craptacular lawn furniture sitting in front of your house!!!" By this time, my fabulous Wife heard my rising voice and came outside. "What's wrong honey", she asked. "Nothing, just talking to this crazy-ass neighbor of ours" I said in a very loud whisper. My FW hushed me and told me to go inside while she talked to the crazy lady. "What's the problem?" she said. "Nothing personal, I just don't like what you have on your porch" crazy lady responded. "Well, we like and it's staying" said the FW. With that, she came back inside and proceeded to try and calm me down. But the calmer I got, the more upset she got over total rudeness of crazy lady. Seriously, I'll have to post some pictures of the tacky shit she's got outside.

The coolest thing about the incident, is how I was channeling my dad. I've seen him go off on people for doing stupid shit - and after I got inside, I realized that I sounded just like him! Pretty neat.

The joys of being a homeowner!

Arsenal advance to the Champions League SemiFinals!!

Vieira, woo-o-o-o, Vieira, woo-o-o-o, he left the Arsenal, and then he won fuck all!!!!!!

Dang, I hate it when I have a life!

Sorry for the lack of posts recently - I've been crazy busy with the move and with work. Hope to have some new stuff up over the next few days.

Just in case you forgot...

I'm a liberal, and a damn proud one. Why?

Liberals Ended Slavery, Won women’s right to vote, Ended Segregation, Passed Civil Rights Act, Passed Voting Rights Act, Passed Social Security, Passed Medicare, Passed the Clean Air Act, Passed the Clean Water Act.

'nuff said.

Don't faint, Dad, but I think I'm going to church on Sunday.

It always takes people by surprise when they find out I studied religion in college, since I'm not a church goer, though I was raised Episcopalian and identify as such. I've never been one to equate going to church with being a religious person, but with the far-right hijacking God, I think I'm going to give this church a try. Advertising does work!

On Immigration and the Media

I just read this on another blog, and had to share. It's brilliant. (Just so you know, my in-laws are immigrants - my mother-in-law came here from Ireland and my father-in-law from Canada)

1. The vast majority of Hispanics/Latinos in the U.S. (75 percent of us) were born and raised here, including many of us who have roots here that predate the arrival of the pilgrims.
2. "Immigrant" is not synonymous with "Latino" and the media should stop pretending they mean the same thing.
3. The CNN analyst who said today "Keep in mind, Latino voters are LEGAL immigrants, not illegal immigrants" should be FIRED for sloppy thinking. MOST LATINOS ARE NOT IMMIGRANTS AT ALL, PINCHE CABRON.
4. Immigrants to contemporary USA come from EVERYWHERE. There are, for instance, 100,000 Nigerians in Houston, and tens of thousands of ILLEGAL Irish in Boston. If this debate is truly about immigration, as opposed to racist portrayals of Latinos, please curb your coverage to be more responsible.
5. Just because someone waves a Mexican or Colombian flag at a peaceful demonstration does not mean the demonstration is a "riot" or the people unAmerican. Lou Dobbs should get his panties out of a knot and realize it is no different than someone waving an Irish flag in Southie or an Italian flag in Queens. These flags are not waved as proof of national allegiance; they are waved in solidarity with a person's cultural heritage.
6. You can be a Mexican American and never have had an ancestor come over the US border; vast portions of the United States of today USED TO BE MEXICO or SPAIN. If you failed to learn this in high school, your teachers should be fired.
7. The vast majority of Hispanics/Latinos in the US speak English as a first language. The Pew Center for Hispanic research shows that by the third generation, all Latin American immigrant descendents - 100 percent of them - are English-first, English dominant. Zero percent speak Spanish as a first or primary language by the third generation.
8. The US has TWO international borders, not ONE. To date, not a single terrorist has gotten to the US through Mexico; to date, at least two suspected terrorists have arrived here through Canada. In fact, I would not be surprised if, while the media and xenophobes are focused on the Mexican border, terrorists figure out that it might be a good idea to walk over from Vancouver to Seattle for a latte.
9. Not all Hispanics/Latinos are Mexican or of Mexican origin in the U.S., and most people of Mexican extraction in the US were born in the UNITED STATES.
10. Please check for plans to give Haliburton the contract to build a wall along the Mexican border before caving in to the right-wing propaganda about a "crisis" in immigration from Mexico.
11. Please be careful when you discuss these issues not to stereotype or overgeneralize. The anti-Latino frenzy you're creating is leading to a racist backlash against tens of millions of native-born Americans who happen to have Spanish names.
12. The following are also Spanish names: California, Arizona, Florida, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego. Why does CNN allow states, cities and rivers with Spanish names to be American, while disallowing American people with Spanish names the same right...?
13. Please tell us what the problems are that are caused by illegal immigrants. Don't just say there is a "debate". Tell us in concrete terms what the risks and dangers are being brought to the US by "illegal" immigrants. Can't find any? Thought so.
14. Please remember that the least legal and least assimilable of American immigrants were...the English. And the only people who can claim to be true "Americans" are Native Americans.
15. Most Mexicans are Native Americans.
16. Shut up about this non-issue and get back to BEING JOURNALISTS, covering the REAL issues, like the illegal war in Iraq and the lies that got us there; the record-setting trade deficit; Bush's bankrupting of America; NSA's illegal wiretapping of American citizens; the fact that our public schools are MORE segregated than they were before Brown vs. the Board of Education; the fact that we as a nation have now slipped to having only the 27th freest press in the world; the Plame leak and the consequences of it being that Americans are much less safe than we were before Cheney and his friends played "revenge"; the disappearance of the American middle class and unions; the sorry state of the FAA; the rapid devaluation of the American dollar on the world market thanks to idiot leaders; the dismantling of the endangered species act by our administration; the rapid and unprecedented rise of a white underclass (the fastest rise in poor whites in American history has occurred under Bush); the enormous and growing gap between rich and poor in America.

How Many Have To Die?

This was written by my little brother, Ken10.

How Many Have to Die?
I was talking to a friend of mine,
and he sighed with a tear in his eye,
he said, "sometimes when I,
sit back and stare at that
tell-lie-vision, i'm mesmerized by
his evil eyes, and the lies they tell our children,
and i'm hypnotized by his sneaky smile,
but all the while,
I wonder, how many have to die?"

he said, "i try to justify and find pride
in a woman with skin like mine rising so high,
on that, so called, ladder of success,"
he said, "i must confess, i guess,
that in a humanitarian effort contest,
Oprah would take first prize,
because, see, Condaleeza Rice is yet to stand tall and hold her head high,
and tell the world that her best seller- her boss
is full of lies.
and well, I'm sorry,” he spoke,
“We can but only learn more from James Frey,
When reading between the lines,
‘Just hold on’ when you feel the fury rise
Waiting at gas pumps for high priced lies
This administration so,so full of pride,
corporate media pleading and programming your mind
from both sides.
While each day more and more children die.
And a mother cries
On His front lawn,
Osama supposedly still hides
While football stars serve as pawns,"
my friend continued, "you gotta' wonder what the hell is going on?"
He said he cries some nights wondering...
"how many have to die?"

I sighed,
Felt a tear come to my eye
And replied,
“you’re quite right,
this president of whom you speak
is so full of evil. of Hate. Of Deceit. And so very full of lies.”

I became quite sad,
listening to my friend,
I reflected for a moment,
let it all soak in,
I guess
The pendulum will someday swing,
With the will of the masses,
but until we the people, the powerful, the peaceful,
decide to say no-
get up,
stand up-
unite as one,
stand firm against all facists,
then and only then
is when- mothers, brothers, sisters and fathers,
on each side of this irrational struggle for control,
will ever know peace.

So people please,
i beg of you,
I plead to you,
to look deep within your soul
listen to what you know,
we’ve got to take control!
we've got to say no!
No, we cant have this no more!
Go home and look yourself in the eye,
ask yourself why?
then maybe you can answer,

how many have to die?

Just about done

So, we're all moved now, but are drowning in boxes. It looks like it'll take about 29 years to unpack!!

Take a deep breath and smile

As I posted earlier - we're moving this weekend and I'm very stressed out. I don't know why moving has this effect on me, but it does and I have to deal with it. I'm also crazy-busy at work, so I'm not the most fun person to be around right now. That being said, this song always makes me feel good - it's from a CD I bought a million years ago in college. The song is "You Make Me Smile" by Dave Koz. Take a listen, you'll be happy you did.

I Hate Moving

This weekend is the big move. I told you all awhile ago that the FW and I bought a place, about a 1/2 mile from our current home. We close this Friday and move in on Saturday. Everything's great, except that I hate moving more than anything else in the world. Check that, I hate "packing" more than anything else in the world. Boxes everywhere, the dog is confused as hell. Yep, happy times.

The Last 3 Years

Man, we're kickin' ass, eh? Read all about it.

You never know who you'll see

I was just walking to pick up something from my copier at work, and who do I see standing outside my office door? Jesse Jackson and John Kerry. Gotta find out what they're doing here.

Things NOT to do with your dog

It's a beautiful Sunday afternoon in DC, if a bit chilly. I decided to take my dog with me to get some gas for the car - he loves going on car rides, especially with the back window down. I get to the gas station and decided to buy a car wash as well - the car's a bit dirty. While in the car wash, Kaleb (my dog) gets a little freaked out by the noise and the big brushes, so he jumps from the back seat to the front. No big deal, right? After all, I'm not driving, just sitting there while the car is getting washed. Right, except for one thing - I drive a Saab. As Saab drivers everywhere will tell you, Saabs are great, great cars, with some rather eccentric qualities, one of which is having the ignition and window controls placed in the center console. You can see where this is going, can't you? Yep, when Kaleb jumped into the front seat, his paw hit the button for the driver's side window. Soap and water shot through the window before I realized what was happening. Probably a million gallons (that's how it felt, anyway). It was like something out of a comedy - I would have laughed my ass off if it had happened to anyone else. Actually, I'm laughing about it now - 30 minutes and a change of clothes later.

Awesome!

If this doesn't give you chills and make you a little misty-eyed, then you have no soul.

Why?

Quick question - why is pot illegal? Seriously, why? I don't smoke, but I have friends and family who do. Drinking alcohol is legal, and judging by ads, it's promoted. But why is pot stigmatize? Our friends in Canada, Great Britain, and the Netherlands have decriminalized pot use and possession, shouldn't we as a society take a real look at this?

Some say it's because pot has a high abuse potential. Marijuana law is based on the Controlled Substances Act, which classifies certain drugs in various schedules based on how dangerous they are. Schedule 1 is for:

Drugs with high abuse potential and no accepted medical use in the United States.

Well, here's what the US Government says:

Although few users of marijuana develop
dependence, some do. But they appear
to be less likely to do so than users
of other drugs (including alcohol and
nicotine), and marijuana dependence
appears to be less severe than
dependence on other drugs." (National
Institute of Medicine (IOM). Marijuana
and Medicine: Assessing the Science
Base. National Academy Press. Washington
DC, 1999

So, here's the logic the DEA uses in criminalizing pot:

*Marijuana is illegal (because it has a high potential for abuse).
*People who use an illegal drug are abusing it by definition (theirs).
*Lots of people use marijuana.
*Therefore, there is a high potential for abuse and it should remain illegal.

Now, what about this part "...no accepted medical use in the United States." ? Um, haven't several states passed laws legalizing the medicinal use of pot? Just trying to figure this shit out - doesn't make much sense to me.

What Happens When You Come In 2nd On The Apprentice?

Remember Tana from The Apprentice a couple of seasons ago? The one who lost to Kendra? Well, she's back on TV, selling, you guessed it, The Bedazzler! Check it out here.

Guess Hoos got a winning record in the ACC?

That's right - my Wahoos, who beat #13 BC tonight, 72-58, to move to 7-6 in the ACC, 14-10 overall. Pretty damn good for a rebuilding season, eh?

Australian TV Releases New Abu Ghraib Photos

Australian TV has released new photos of tortured Iraqis at Abu Ghraib. And no, I'm not "for" the terrorists. I'm for my country doing the right thing. We Do Not Torture - that's what They do. What the Hell is happening to my country?

Warning, these photos are pretty graphic.

the SBS Dateline program plans to broadcast about 60 previously unpublished
photographs that the US Government has been fighting to keep secret in a court
case with the American Civil Liberties Union.
Although a US judge last year granted the union access to the photographs following a freedom-of-information request, the US Administration has appealed against the decision on the grounds
their release would fuel anti-American sentiment. Some of the photos are similar to those published in 2004, others are different. They include photographs of six corpses, although the circumstances of their deaths are not clear. There are also pictures of what appear to be burns and wounds from shotgun pellets.

Yeah, that's pretty damn painful

Here's a look at the damage a 28 gauge shotgun can do from 30 yards.

Oops

I've accidentally deleted my most recent posts. Long story short, we've bought our 1st item for the new place - a 50" TV.

Listen up!

Hey, all of you idiots who think it's okay to leave a mountain of snow on top of your car as you speed down the road - IT'S NOT OKAY!!!! I nearly got killed today when a huge wall of snow came flying at my windshield as I was driving home from the store today. CLEAN YOUR SHIT!

Beautiful

It's snowing here in the DC metropolitan area - has been since around 3:30 this afternoon. Few things are as peaceful and beautiful as snow falling at night, except maybe a sleeping baby. My dog Kaleb absolutely loves the snow - we'll be spending the better part of Sunday playing in it.

Just a reminder

2267 American fatalities to date. Mission accomplished?

What up, Sri Lanka?

Sara and Leo, just wanted to send a shout out your way! Sitting here on a gray, dreary day here in DC. They're calling for up to 10 inches of snow - which means it'll probably warm up to 70! Anyway, I've got my Sirius satellite radio playing and guess what song just came on? "This Slide" by NickelCreek, so I had to say "waddup" to my favorite ex-pats! Miss you guys!

Nike finally gets it

When you think of soccer here in the States, you probably think of middle class kids, driven to games by their parents in minivans or Volvo wagons. And the soccer haters in the sports press harp on this all of the time - either it's elitist or it's too foreign. Meanwhile, in every other country, soccer (football) is the sport of the working class - holding the same niche that hoops does here. Nike finally seems to have realized this, and their new ad campaign for US Soccer features baller Clint Dempsey of the New England Revolution back home in Houston, with Deuce, XO and Da Beatzsmith. Check it out here. If we're ever going to win the World Cup, we need to tap into our urban youth - black, brown and white.

Likewise

This pretty much sums it up

More on the Cartoons

The funny thing about the cartoons (and by funny, I don't mean ha ha), is that in the hyped up reaction in many parts of the world, the cartoons have become, in a way, true.

The Flash!

Your results:
You are The Flash

The Flash 75% Spider-Man 65% Superman 60% Robin 60% Green Lantern 55% Hulk 50% Iron Man 45% Supergirl 40% Wonder Woman 40% Catwoman 30% Batman 15%

Fast, athletic and flirtatious.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero are you?" quiz...

House Hunting, Part II

Well, the FW and I went out on Saturday with our realtor and looked at 3 places, and totally fell in love with one of them. We put together a bid, submitted it today, and it was accepted! We are now homeowners. Totally cool! I feel so grown-up now. Details to follow.

Why the outrage now?

By now, everyone's seen the images of angry Muslims burning Danish embassies, all because of a cartoon they feel is disrespectful to Islam. But did you know the cartoons were published way back in September, 2005? Why are people in the Islamic world now outraged? What took so long for them to be pissed off? Read this interesting piece from the a Daily Kos diarist for an explanation.

House Hunting

Well, the FW and I finally started "The Great House Hunt". We met with our mortgage banker last Friday night to find out how much money we can get. Turns out we can get quite a bit - kinda scary. Our next step was to get a realtor - the bank sent us a list of real estate agents that they work with and we picked one last night. She's great, she called us right away and already has several homes she wants us to look at on Saturday. The mortgage dude is faxing me a good faith estimate (pre-approval letter), so if we see something we really, really like, we're going to go ahead and get it!

We live in Alexandria, just across the river from DC (my commute is only 25 minutes or so - it's 6 miles from our front door to my office), so housing costs are absolutely ridiculous, unless you live in Manhattan or San Francisco. Hard to tell my relatives that yes, we may end up spending 1/2 a million or more on a home. That just looks and sounds obscene, doesn't it?

State of The Union

I'm not going to repeat what a million other blogs are saying about W's speech last night. Just wanted to add this, he's the President of the entire country, not just the GOP. But you'd never know it listening to him.

Am I a Snob?

My high school 20 year reunion is coming up this summer. Yep, I'm officially old now.

First of all, kudos to all involved in planning our 20 year reunion. I know it can't be easy. That being said, I've just looked at the website for the company assisting in the planning, www.greatreunions.com and see that the cost is going to be $89 a person. Not a big deal, except that it's being held at the VFW Hall. I noticed that Falls Church High is having their reunion, for the same price, at a Marriott, and Lake Braddock is having there's for less at the Hilton in Arlington.

A few months ago, some friends and I e-mailed our former classmates in charge of the reunion, asking them why they decided to hold it at the Dale City VFW Hall. We were told it was to keep the cost down. Um, that doesn't seem to be true. Am I a snob for wanting my 20th reunion held someplace nice and with a little class?

Liberal/Conservative Question?

Due to the likelihood of Alito getting confirmed for SCOTUS, I've been thinking alot lately about Roe v. Wade and the whole abortion issue. Why is it so important for both sides, liberal and conservative? I just don't get it. The arguments on either side don't fit neatly into the whole Right/Left spectrum. And with all of the other problems facing us every day, why is this the one that has both sides in such a fit? Anyone have any comments on this?

I'm a liberal, will be a liberal until the day I die. I have very close friends who are very prominent in the Pro-choice movement. And I have very close friends and family members who are very much against abortion. But I just don't see why it's so friggin' important to either side. Either you get one or you don't (which I guess is the pro-choice argument). And I know that many pro-choice activist say it isn't about abortion per se, but about privacy rights and a woman's control over her own body. Fine. And I get why people who believe that life begins at conception get so upset. But why can't we just agree that we disagree? Why is it the end all/be all of political fights?

I think alot of conservative politicians are privately a bit scared of the thought of abortion being outlawed if Alito gets on the bench. What will get their base out to vote? Oh yeah, gay marriage. Let's get power through fear, folks! Sorry for my rambling - it's been a long, long week.

Big Deal

Why is everyone sniffing Kobe Bryant's jock? So he scored 18 points, big friggin' deal. What? He scored 81? Holy shit! Yeah, that's pretty damned impressive. Never mind.

(note to self - start wearing leggings while playing hoops)

Just want to point out

I'm not one of those crazy English 1st folks. Far, far from it. Just think that if you interact with the public, you should be able to communicate with them. That's all.

Today's Rant

Listen folks, I think immigration is wonderful - it's what makes this country what it is. We all came from somewhere else to make something unique - Americans. That being said, IF A PERSON DOESN'T SPEAK THE LANGUAGE, AND IF THEY CAN'T DO SIMPLE ADDING AND SUBTRACTING, THEY SHOULDN'T BE IN A JOB THAT DEALS WITH THE PUBLIC AND MONEY!!!!

I don't care if they came from another country, from Baltimore, or Alabama - they need to be able to communicate with the public. C'mon, people. If I moved to Moscow and got a job at the Red Square McDonald's, I'd be expected to speak Russian, right?

Last night, I was going through the drive through of McDonald's and placed a very simple order - 2 doublecheesburgers and a large order of fries (healthy, huh?). I should have known something was up when they didn't repeat my order with the price, but just said drive around to the 1st window. At the 1st window, a very nice, elderly gentleman from somewhere in South Asia (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh) asked what I ordered, so I told him. Now, normally when you get to the 1st window, they just tell you how much you owe and take your cash. Anyway, he looked confused, walked away and disappeared for about 2 minutes. He came back and said go to the next window. Now, I'm really confused about what's going on. I mean, I hadn't paid for anything and something seemed really wrong. So I go to the next window and the girl (yes, I said girl, not woman. She couldn't have been more than 15 years old) asked me in a very heavy accent what I ordered. I repeated my order "2 double cheeseburgers and an order of large fries", with obvious irritation in my voice. She then asked me another question, and I couldn't understand a word she said. "Excuse me?" She repeated whatever she said again. "I can't understand you," I said. Now, this should have been the point where she went and got a manager or co-worker who speaks English. Instead she rolled her eyes, sighed in the way that only teenagers can, and handed me a bag. "$5" she says. I handed over the cash and drove off. While sitting at the light, a small lightbulb went off in my head - "How the hell could my order have been $5? 2 dbl. cheeseburgers are $1.00 each. There's no way my fries cost $3.00". I looked in my bag for the receipt and sure enough, she gave me the wrong order. Now I was really pissed. Not so much that my order's wrong, but at the entire transaction. I made a u-turn and headed back to Mickey D's. At the counter, I told the manager that I received the wrong order from the drive thru. The girl who gave me the order starts saying "It's too hard, it's too hard" and pointed at what I guessed was the screen telling her what the orders are. Anyway, the manager gave me the correct order and started taking the order from the person behind me. "Excuse me", I said, "but my order should have been $3.79 plus tax, not $5.00". He looked at me like I was the one speaking a different language (I guess I was), then rings up my order - it was $4.09. Now, I'm no math genius, but it seems like very simple arithmetic - I gave you $5, the price was $4.09, the change is .91. Nope, Einstein had to go back to the office, get a pencil, and do the math on my receipt. I'm talking the whole 9 yards - crossing out the 5 to make it 4, borrowing one , the whole shebang. Incredible.

On the plus side, Kaleb really enjoyed sharing the fries.

Hmm

This kind of snuck up on me. I mean I knew Ice Cube has become one of Hollywood's favorite actors, with roles in movies as diverse as "Boyz In The Hood", "Friday", "Barbershop", "xXx: State of The Union" and "Are We There Yet", but on the drive home today, I was listening to BackSpin on Sirius, and was blasting "Check Yo Self" - a great song he did with Das EFX way back when.



How do you go from writing lyrics like:

"So chickity-check yo self before you wreck yo self
Come on and check yo self before you wrickity-wreck yo self
So chickity-check yo self before you wreck yo self
Cause big dicks up yo ass is bad for yo health"

or

"Mister, mister, before you make me go
I'm here to let you know your little girl is a hoe
Nympho, nympho, boy is she bad
Get her all alone and out comes the kneepads"

to starring in movies with little kids?

Mash 'em Up

I highly recommend this site. Good fun, folks. Seriously!

My favorite - Led Snoopelin, "Drop It Like It's A Whole Lotta Love".

Spread the Word! Keep the promise to fight AIDS and poverty in '07

In the next three weeks, the President will make crucial decisions about next year’s budget, including how America will best use our resources to help educate, feed and treat those most in need. As ONE, we’re asking that the U.S. give an additional 1% of our budget over the next five years so we can keep our life-saving promises to fight AIDS and poverty.

What could just one more penny of every dollar do? By giving an additional 1%, the U.S. would be able to help prevent 10 million children from becoming AIDS orphans and send 100 million children to grade school.

I've just sent a letter to President Bush asking him to keep the promises he made last year - will you join me? Go to www.one.org to send an email to the President.

Dumb Ass Award

I just heard about this and have to say that I'm just amazed at the just plain meanness of some people. In Virginia, Del. Robert Marshall is sponsoring legislation that bans medical professionals from performing artificial insemination or in-vitro fertilization on unmarried women. Does that mean that if Mary was around now, she would never have had Jesus?

MLK - 1/15/29 - 4/4/68

"Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time; the need for mankind to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. Mankind must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love. "

MLK - December 11, 1964

Let's see if this works - Meg DeRonghe, are you out there?

I don't know why I didn't think of this before. I'm trying to track down a good friend of mine - Meg DeRonghe. She moved from DC to Seattle last year and I haven't been able to get a hold of her in months. The FW and I want to know how she's doing and if she's okay. So, if anyone reads this and knows Meg DeRonghe, please let her know that Brown is looking for her.

Thanks everyone.

Is San Diego in the House?

Los AbleMinded Poets will be rockin' the crowd from 8-8:45pm tonight at what looks to be a dope ass event in downtown San Diego. If you're here in SD, don't let the cold foggy weather bog you down and force you to stay inside. Get up, Get out and see something fresh and invigorating, stimulating your audio and visual senses.

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE - AN ECLECTIC TASTE OF ART Opening Reception - Friday, January 13th - 7 to 10pm. A night of visual journeys through paintings, sculptures, installations and custom urban vynil by some of the best artist from Los Angeles, New York and San Diego. San Diego Visual Artists Guild Gallery 1099 9th Avenue, san diego, CA 92101 - (corner of 9th and C)Grafitti art show with a live performance from Los Able Minded Poets
www.pose2.com
www.manone.com
www.marka27.com

Good Morning!

I'm in a very good mood this morning. I've got my cup of coffee and I'm listening to an incredible CD - "Inspiration Information" by Shuggie Otis. Listen, I talk about music here quite a bit, and I'm telling you, go buy this disc. It was originally released in 1974, and reissued 5 years ago. It's maybe the coolest disc you'll ever listen to. It was way ahead of it's time. Take 2 parts Sly, 1 part Prince, a pinch of the Isley Brothers, garnish with Maxwell, and you've got yourself a masterpiece! It's like a summer day when I was 6 or 7 years old - nothing but good times, not a care in the world. Or the audio equivalent of some really nice incense. Very relaxed and happy.

Amazing!

This isn't a real person - this image was created using computer graphics. If I were a movie or TV actor, I'd start getting a little worried.

Poor Swannie

Not that he has a chance in hell anyway, but Lynn Swann's run for Governor of Pennsylvania is doomed. Remember - never, ever, get your photo taken with this man. Just ask former Vikings coach Mike Tice or Virginia gubernatorial candidate Jerry Kilgore!

How 'bout those Redskins!!

Redskins 17 - 10 Buccaneers!!

Awesome!

Just saw this on Tom Tomorrow's site.

Rest In Peace

Southeast Jerome. 1981-2005

Never, ever have your picture taken with this man!

Hot Damn!

Scrubs is back on the air!! It's the only sitcom I can stomach on the tube nowadays. It's also the funniest damn show you'll ever want to see.

Fat Boys Are Back!!

My FW bought me Sirius Satellite radio for Christmas - a most excellent present. So many stations, so little time. Anyway, I'm back at work today and on the Backspin station (old school hip-hop), the Fat Boys are singing "In Jail". It's like I woke up back in high school! Gotta go, "Friends" by Whodini just came on!

Free Stuff is Great!

Getting free stuff is great, especially when you don't expect it. I ordered a pair of soccer boots around 3-4 weeks ago from a new company in Australia, Nomis. The founder used to design boots for Adidas and has started his own firm. Anyway, the boots arrived today, and with it was a letter from the company president, congratulating me on "winning one of the 32 FREE pair of Nomis boots that we have distributed today to an exclusive group of players from all over the world". My card has been credited the cost of the shoes!

As my favorite Alaskan would say, "Woot"!!

How's your holiday been so far?

Mine has been great! It started on Chistmas Eve- went to the 'skins - Giants game with my friend Jeremy (my FW got me the tickets for my birthday). It was awesome - beautiful weather (about 53 degrees at kick-off) and a Giant ass-kicking! Christmas morning, the FW and I drove to my sister's house for breakfast (pancakes, bacon, sausage, eggs, grits, coffee and mimosas) and to exchange presents with my sis, my niece Kennedy and my parents. Afterwards, we drove down to visit my mother-in-law and my FW's sisters and their families. More food and present sharing followed. And on Monday (Boxing Day to my family in Ontario and in London, St. Stephen's Day to our peeps in Dublin), we drove to Charlottesville to visit my Grandmother and my Mom's family. My cousin, Patches, is an incredible chef. He made dinner, which included and incredible roast eggplant soup. Just found out he may be headed to the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). Based on the soup alone, the boy should go!

I don't head back to work until January 3rd, so I am enjoying the time off, hanging out with my FW and her sister Vienna, who's in town from Chicago. Tomorrow, I'm taking a roadtrip with my Dad to visit his brother, Vance, who I haven't seen in years.

Merry Christmas!!

Have a safe and Merry Christmas, everyone.

Thanks

Thanks to everyone who made my birthday awesome. My FW threw me a party Sunday at the Crystal City Sports Pub - 6 straight hours of wings, beer and football. Most excellent. A good time was had by all, especially since the 'skins kicked Dallas' ass! Yesterday, the FW took me to dinner at Carlyle, which was excellent as usual - I had the surf and turf ( a really good fillet and a huge crabcake). Afterwards, I met up with my friends Callie, Laura and Jon for wings and beer at Bungalow Billiards. Very nice.

37!!

Today is my 37th birthday, and yesterday was the birthday of 2 very special ladies who are no longer with us - my paternal step-grandmother, Josephine Beverly, and my friend since 2nd grade, Nancy Snyder-Nepo. Nancy passed away from cancer last year. We went to elementary school, middle school, high school and college together. She was one of the truly good people that come along every so often. Happy Birthday Nancy!! Happy Birthday Miss Josie. I love you both.

Finally!!

Green Bay just benched Brett Favre and brought in the rookie, Aaron Rogers. Listen, I think Favre is a great guy and has been a really good QB throughout his career. But this ass-kissing being done by Madden and Michaels is just ridiculous - you'd think Brett Favre has discovered the cure for AIDS or something. Earlier today, I read a piece by Bill Simmons at ESPN.com, in which he said:

With the way broadcasters treat Favre these days -- and it's not just the Sunday night guys, it's everyone -- we may have to change the phrase "treating him with kid gloves" to "the Favre Treatment." For years now, Favre has basically been the white Aaron Brooks -- does all the same dumb things, makes the same dumb throws, snatches defeat from victory the same number of times, but puts up surprisingly good stats year after year. Only everyone piles on Brooks and makes excuses for Favre. Hmmmmm. I'd say more here, but I'm violating Scoop Jackson's Page 2 territorial rights.

By the way, in my "Top Gun/NFL" preview before the 2003 season, I gave Favre the quote, "Wait a second … you were in a 4G inverted dive with a MIG-28?" with the following explanation: To Brett Favre, firmly entrenched in the "Marino in the mid-'90s" stage of his career. In other words, he's just great enough to win some games on his own, not quite as great as he used to be, and unable to accept the fact that he isn't quite as great as he used to be. So he forces balls in big spots, tries to do too much, and invariably ends up killing the Packers against good teams. And it has been happening for three seasons now. And counting. Now we're wrapping up Year 6. And counting. I find this interesting.

I sent this to some of my buddies, including my little brother, Ken10. Ken10 and I have been having and e-mail war all day - he seems to think that I'm all about Aaron Brooks because Brooks went to UVa. My point wasn't that Brooks is great - it's that Favre hasn't been great for awhile. For all his stats, he's got exactly one Super Bowl win. The same number as Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson. And that was way back in 1999. As my friends across the pond would say "he's won fuck-all since then".

A moment to reflect

My 37th birthday is coming up next week, and like I do every year, I wonder "What the hell happened to my body"? Actually, I know what happened - way too much beer, and only playing sports once or twice a week. This pic is of me (on the right) almost 20 years ago, April of '86, during my final high school game. I was in damn good shape, and kept it up all the way through college and my early 20s. And then, metabolism slows down and my six pack became a keg. Not a full keg, mind you, but a nice pony keg. Now, instead of being built like the striker I once was, I'm built more like an NFL QB - 6ft. 4, 217 lbs.

RANDAL!!

"It's the Apprentice, not the Apprenti"!!

Ford Does The Right Thing

Sane minds prevail over the wingnuts:

Ford announced that it will continue to support gay organizations and gay events in the coming year and beyond.


Ford is going to run advertisements in the gay media NOT ONLY promoting the Jaguar and Land Rover brands, but the ads will promote ALL of Fords brands, by name, including Jaguar and Land Rover.


Ford states unequivocally that it will continue to tailor its ads for the specific audience it is trying to reach, and then goes one step further. Ford challenges us to keep an eye out on their upcoming ads in order to verify that they will in fact be tailored.

Human Rights Day

Today is International Human Rights Day, marking the U.N. General Assembly's adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 1948.

Today, I marked Human Rights Day with hundreds of my brothers and sisters by picketing the White House. You see, workers in the United States still have to fight for their rights.

Article 23 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states:

Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.

Workers in the U.S. have the right to form unions under the National Labor Relations Act, but some employers thwart their efforts through firings, intimidation and harassment. To strengthen protections for workers’ freedom to choose a union, a bipartisan coalition created the Employee Free Choice Act.

Introduced into Congress in April 2005, the act would:

require employers to recognize a union after a majority of workers sign cards authorizing union representation;
provide for mediation and arbitration of disputes that arise when management refuses to bargain a union's first contract; and
authorize stronger penalties for employers who violate the law when workers seek to form a union.

In honor of International Human Rights Day, show your commitment to our freedom to form unions as a fundamental human right. Ask President Bush to re-establish the United States as the world's leader in protecting human rights, including the freedom of all citizens of the world to form and join unions, and ask Congress to adopt the Employee Free Choice Act.

Ford Sucks Too

Don't know if any of you have heard about this, but Ford Motor Company has stopped advertising in gay publications for its Jaguar and Land Rover luxury brands, caving in to demands from the crazy MFers at the American Family Association (AFA). Not only that, but Ford has agreed to stop sponsoring gay events. Here's a question - Would Ford betray Blacks and Jews if the Klan objected? This is totally fucked up. AFA tries this shit all the time - AFA's boycott of Disney didn't go anywhere, they threatened Kraft, but Kraft had the balls to tell the AFA to screw off.

Dan Savage, a columnist and author I really like (you may have seen his "Savage Love" column in the City Paper), says the following:

HereÂ’s a list of Ford dealers (use the link to find your local dealer). Call them, tell them you're pissed. The "Built Ford Tough" boys collapsed into a puddle when the AFA assholes threatened them with a boycott. So let Ford know what you don't buy cars from companies that caves to right-wing hate mongers. And when the local dealers tell you that they didn't make this decision, tell them that's too bad. Tell them to scream and yell to Ford HQ and get this decision reversed, or you will never, ever consider buying a Ford.

And corporations can reverse themselves. Microsoft caved to right-wing Christian bullies, and then reversed itself. Tell them Ford can too. Tell them Ford better.

The FW and I have a Volvo, which is owned by Ford. I'm going out to buy a rainbow sticker today to put on our car. I'm also going to call Don Beyer Volvo and see what they have to say. Don Beyer was the former Lt. Governor of Virginia and headed up Howard Dean's fund raising efforts during the last campaign - he's a good Progressive and I doubt if he's very happy about this.

Shouldn't Today Be A National Holiday?

On December 6, 1865, the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery, was ratified. Seems to me this date should be a National Day of Celebration, right alongside Independence Day. What say you?

Hilary Sucks

My wife thinks Hilary Clinton is awesome. I thinks she sucks - well, not really. If she did, Bill wouldn't have gotten into trouble. Anyway, Hilary:

is supporting new legislation to criminalize desecration of the United States flag _ though she still opposes a constitutional ban on flag attacks.

She'll obviously do anything for a vote.

How do you

Get back in touch with old/lost/former friends? It's the holiday season, so I'm feeling a bit nostalgic for old friends and family.

I used to hang out with a group of friends and had a major falling out with them about several years ago. I would go into detail about it, but I'm still not exactly sure what happened. I pissed them off, apparently, so much so that they pretty much cut off contact with me, but not until after one of them, who was my best friend at the time (best man at my 1st wedding, hung out with him all the time) told me I pretty much sucked.

Now, at the time, I was going through a pretty rough patch. Within the span of a little over a year, I was in a pretty serious accident, got divorced and lost my job. So I probably wasn't the best friend to have at the time. However, since then, I've gone through some pretty incredible personal changes, and feel I'm a much better person than I used to be. My ex-wife and I are on friendly terms - I would even say that we're friends, except I don't really see her or interact with her that much (though we do share the occasional e-mail). So I don't know why I haven't been able to reestablish contact with my former friends.

My relationship with them, looking back, was like a lot of my friendships growing up - I was pretty much a follower. There were 7 of us, including 2 couples. One dominant male personality, one dominant female, and the rest of us. We were very tight, though also very cliqueish. I often got into arguments with my ex-wife about them, she felt that they didn't like her and that I always took their side on any difficulties that arose (she was right, I totally took their side all the time).

I should clarify that and say that I do have a good relationship with one of them, Vicki, but it's more of an e-mail every few months, check-in kind of thing. The rest of them, nothing. I've tried e-mailing, inviting them to parties, baseball games, etc. Not a nibble. That's not exactly true. My former best friend responded to one of my e-mails (I sent a mass e-mail to everyone I knew, saying that I had a spare Nationals ticket and wanted to know if anyone wanted to go)with a really ugly response. It was pretty cryptic, actually, saying something along the lines of "some things are never forgotten nor forgiven". Whoa!! Let me reiterate that I never physically harmed, stole from, or anything else from him. I have no idea where the vitriol comes from. The last thing he said to me was that I wasn't honest with them during my divorce. I'm not sure what exactly I was supposed to have been honest about - my wife and I had some serious issues, neither of us were equipped to deal with it, and we broke up (it's a lot more complicated than that, but you get the idea). If the 2 of us were able to deal with it, move on, and remain friendly, then WTF is going on with my former friends? My response to him was basically this -

Dude, I'm sorry you feel this way, but I've moved on with my life, have a great wife and family, awesome friends, and just wanted to go to a baseball game. Sorry you feel that way. Take care of yourself.

I told my little brother about it, and he was probably more pissed than I was. I had to talk him out of calling my old friend up and cussing him out.

My circle of friends has grown immensely since the break-up with my old crew, and one may wonder why I feel this need to reconnect. I guess it's partially closure, partially a genuine concern about what's going on their lives.

Christ, this has been one long, rambling post. Lucky for me hardly anyway reads this, eh?

I Knew It!!!!

It took our friends in the British press to break the story of the year!

I love this game!

This is a compilation of some incredible soccer moves. Check it out (you'll need a high speed connection).

Big Brother is watching

Right to privacy? Ha!! Not only are the CIA and FBI digging around in our business, but now the military has joined the party.

Withdrawal?

If the American people want us out of Iraq, and the Iraqi people want us out of Iraq, why the hell are we still in Iraq?

CAIRO, Egypt -- Reaching out to the Sunni Arab community, Iraqi leaders called for a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces and said Iraq's opposition had a "legitimate right" of resistance.

My New Ride

In addition to having a date with my niece on Saturday, I also bought a new car. It's a Saab 9-5, my 2nd Saab. I've loved Saabs since I was a kid, mainly because they looked different. I had an old 900S for a few years, but got rid of it last year, it got to the point that it was just expensive to care for. I bought it used and it had major problems from Day 1. I had to redo the entire wiring for the car, get a new clutch, brakes, etc. The final straw was when the radiator cracked. No wonder the previous owner laughed as I drove off. Anyway, the 9-5 is a really nice car, easily the nicest car I've ever owned. What's funny is that the FW and I are now stereotypical liberals - mixed marriage, working for non-profits, driving a Volvo and a Saab.

Fun Weekend

So this past weekend, I gave up my tickets to the UVa - Va Tech football game (thank God, it was ugly) to spend the day with my 5 year old niece Kennedy. We originally planned to go bowling with her Daisy troop, but that got postponed until the spring, so we had a "date" instead. My sister dropped her off around noon and Kennedy looked so cute! She dressed up just for her Uncle Charlie - my sister said that she picked her clothes out herself. I took her into the city to show her the White House (Is that where the President lives? We don't like him, do we?), my office, and the monuments. Then we went to Petsmart to buy some treats for my dog, Kaleb, and look at the animals. She was fascinated by the lizards. Me, not so much. The highlight of our date was going to the movies to see "Chicken Little". She loved it, and I thought it was pretty cute. She was most excited by the popcorn and M&Ms. This was my first time going to a movie theatre filled with kids since I was a kid. It was actually pretty enjoyable - I love the sound of kids laughing. Afterwards, we went to Target (I needed some new hair clippers) and I bought her a new coloring book and a My Little Pony Christmas DVD. We got home just as the FW was getting back from class. We had Spaghettios for dinner (Yum!) and watched her new DVD while she did the FW's hair. I love my niece!! And can't wait to meet my newest niece Maya - I hope my brother and his wife can make it to the East Coast for the holidays.

The Pot and the Kettle

Today, W's people had a lot to say about democracy in Venezuela, accusing the Chavez administration of:

"subverting democratic institutions by using them to restrict the rights of those who disagree with it, slowly undermining economic freedoms and rejecting the opportunities of globalization"

Newly appointed Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Shannon said that Chavez was centralizing power in the executive and politicizing the judiciary. Um, HELLO!! What the fuck is your boss doing, stupid-ass?

"The impact on the civic, political and economic life of the country is evident in increased self censorship by the media, lack of public confidence in the electoral system, reluctance to express disagreement with government policies for fear of retribution and capital flight," Shannon said.

In a classic example of irony, Vice President "Dick" Cheney said earlier this week that the suggestion that Americans were misled on pre-war intelligence was "one of the most dishonest and reprehensible charges ever aired in this city". He added: "The president and I cannot prevent certain politicians from losing their memory or their backbone. But we're not going to sit by and let them rewrite history."

Wow!!

Tonight's "Lost" kicked all kinds of ass!

Let's get together and end this.

From the ONE Campaign:

This week, Congress will decide how much America will contribute toward an important international effort called the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria.

Let’s keep up the positive pressure: Please email Congress today and ask their support for $100 million in the Labor-HHS Appropriations Bill for the Global Fund-- an effort that fights back against three killer diseases and encourages other countries to do their share.

Please make the message as personal as you like -- these officials need to know that people from their hometowns, the people they represent, want them to help.

Oh, yeah

Kaine won!!!!!

Welcome Maya!!

The newest addition to the family has arrived, a bit late, which proves she is indeed a Hundley! Say hello to Maya Florence Hundley, everyone. Her parents couldn't be more proud, nor could her proud Uncle Chaz!

I'm back

I'm back after a week's hiatus - I was in Phoenix for work and then spent a day in San Diego visiting my little brother and his wife. They're expecting their 1st child, and I was hoping the little one would make her appearance while I was in Cali. Oh well, I'll see her at Xmas!

Tomorrow is a huge day in Virginia, Election Day. Vote for Kaine, you'll be happy you did!