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.