PAVE THE WHALES

YouTube Superstar

2010-07-24T09:09:00.004-04:00

This Thursday night, the wife and I went to see the Twins play in Baltimore. And since it's the Orioles, the home crowd didn't seem very excited to be there. They were so bored, in fact, that some youngster decided to make a show of himself by running out on the field.

So, I popped out my little Canon Powershot S3IS and took a video.

I submitted the video to the sports blog Deadspin, and they posted it shortly thereafter. Then it showed up on Yahoo! Sports. And then on NBC Sports Hardball Talk, which I saw thanks to a post by my favorite Twins blogger, Aaron Gleeman. And then on The Huffington Post. And of course then on CBS News' sports page. And probably a million other places.

When I got home last night, it was on the local news. And they were kind enough to provide attribution to my YouTube username.

And now I find out that it's today's most viewed video on YouTube.

So I'm not really but kind of famous in my own mind! This newfound non-celebrity-ish-ness calls for some drastic life changes. I'm going to start wearing a monocle.

yes, i know it's been almost three months

2009-03-04T18:45:00.001-05:00

But I got in just under that wire. At least I'm doing better than Donkey. I'm motivated to write some things, and I have some free time coming up. Exciting! For you, the reader(s).

I just wanted to plug my friend Carrie, and her book that's coming out next week. Check her out in the links on the right. Yay!

facebook is trying to kill me

2008-12-06T11:35:00.004-05:00

The other day, I went to sign into Facebook. In order to make sure that you're human, Facebook and other websites will sometimes give you a captcha, where you have to type the words generated in a picture. This is what it gave me.

Yikes!

the endorsement

2008-11-03T18:43:00.006-05:00

A few months ago, I sat in a football stadium in Denver, enjoying the setting sun. I was waiting to watch Senator Barack Obama accept the Democratic nomination for President. Sitting there, gathered with over 80,000 others, I wrote the following email to myself:

This election can be a seminal moment in modern American history. We sit at a fork in the road. One path leads to a government that is accountable to the people, that respects the Constitution, that makes the American dream possible again, and that, as President Clinton said last night in the convention hall, leads by the power of our example and not by example of our power.

Another path is an embrace of the politics of fear and smear, a rebuke of intellectualism, and an embrace of a damaged economy that favors the powerful to the exclusion of the working class.

There is a third option - which is no real option at all. That is to sit at that fork, idling. Not taking sides. Maybe even not voting. The result of that choice is to take the second path and preserve the status quo.

This is no time to idle. It is time to shift into gear and hit the gas. Volunteer. Talk to friends and coworkers. Drag everyone you know to the polls. Do whatever you can to ensure that we do not repeat the great mistakes of the past eight years and that we instead make a choice to renew the promise of America.

It's now the night before the election.

It's not just that Senator John McCain is the wrong choice. Certainly, he is. Why? His selection of Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. His erratic response to the crisis in the financial markets. His desire to form a "League of Democracies" that will alienate many countries we need to improve relations with. His apparent mission to attempt to isolate Russia - something we could likely not do with the cooperation of many others, let alone by flying solo. His inability to reconcile his position on our two wars with the comments of the commanders on the ground, despite his consistent pledge to listen to them. His abandonment of support for comprehensive immigration reform, broad energy policy, and campaign finance reform - I've said before that the McCain of 2000 - the Maverick - wouldn't vote for the McCain of 2008. The list goes on.

What turns me off most is his campaign. It's not just the unfounded smears and insinuations about Barack Obama's past. It's the Orwellian nature of his arguments. The McCain campaign seems to believe that it can make something true just by saying it. For example: It is true that Sarah Palin has no functional foreign policy experience. That is a fact. Instead of making a legitimate argument, the campaign says that, since Alaska is close to Russia, she's tested. That's not only nonsensical - it's embarrassing. It's grasping at straws. Why not argue that neither Reagan nor Clinton had foreign policy experience, either? Why not argue that the Vice President can learn that on the job? Those are legitimate arguments. They're not misleading, and they're not empty. Yet, this is the route that campaign has taken time and time again.

So, it's not all of that. It's that, despite my general cynicism, I truly believe a President Obama can make a real and meaningful difference in the direction of our country.

Do I agree with all of his policies? No. I'm not a protectionist, though I do believe that our trade agreements need meaningful and enforced labor, environmental and intellectual property standards. Generally, I would be opposed to raising taxes during an economic downturn, but I'm not opposed to restoring some sanity to the tax bracket for the upper crust to shrink the deficit and pay for infrastructure projects that are badly needed and create jobs. I was opposed to the financial rescue package as structured, but both candidates supported it, so that's a wash.

However, I herald the prospect of a meaningful energy policy, the end of a failed war in Iraq, real change to the way health care is delivered, respect for the GLBT community, an end to the "war on science" conducted in executive agencies, proper treatment for our military veterans (including psychological injuries and TBI) and the likely appointment of Supreme Court Justices who see the right to privacy I believe is implied in the Constitution. I could spend a few hours fleshing each of these out, but they're really pretty self-evident if you've been paying any attention.

I early voted for Barack Obama because he is a great choice, even in a vacuum. When you examine the alternative, the choice becomes even more clear.

As a side note, I've also closely followed three Minnesota races. I support Al Franken for Senate (I don't know what kind of Senator he would be, but I have my hopes - and I know what kind of Senator Norm Coleman is now), Ashwin Madia for Representative in MN-3 (Madia is the kind of moderate who is the logical successor to my favorite Republican, Jim Ramstad) and Elwyn Tinklenberg for Representative in MN-6 (he's a moderate who makes sense for that district, and he's running against a woman who is a constant embarassment to the state).

economy fail

2008-09-24T15:45:00.001-04:00

Paulson, Bernanke and a protester. From Getty Images via the Denver Post website via Phil.

the candidate from arizona

2008-08-14T09:08:00.004-04:00

I generally don't feel the need to write about politics in this space, because I spend my days working in the field and because nobody really wants to have that debate with me. Everyone who knows me ha had it before. Sometimes, however, you just can't let it go.

The McCain campaign has been increasingly silly. From casting Obama as a "celebrity" (despite McCain's numerous appearances on the Daily Show and cameos in 24 and Wedding Crashers) to simply making things up about Obama and his proposals then repeating them ad nauseum until the claims seem like they might be true.

Fortunately for McCain, the news media has loved reporting on his strategy, and has made this election about Barack Obama instead of about McCain's apparent plan to continue the Bush administration. Even more fortunate, the media has decided to report the election without doing any actual research. It seems that every article I read about the Presidential race follows this format: "The McCain campaign says [horribly misleading argument or bald-faced lie]. The Obama campaign responded that [correction of the facts]." In other words, the media has been merely reporting what has been said, and not determining the truth of the matter and reporting actual facts.

I used to really respect McCain. But the fact is, his wholesale position changes, lack of specificity in his proposals, and movement to the far right of most Americans have puzzled me. It makes me think that he's either become the political hack that the President and Senate Republican leadership has shown themselves to be, or that he's surrounded himself with hacks who are totally running the show. He's no longer the Maverick. The John McCain of 2000 wouldn't support the John McCain of 2008. I believe that the John McCain of 2000 wouldn't even VOTE for the John McCain of 2008.

Anybody who said that Kerry was a flip-flopper in 2004 needs to read this. I've never seen anyone make as many wholesale position changes on major issues, and do so many in such a short span. Even the Murdoch Journal has noticed.

And watch this video on the Georgia/Russia conflict, in which McCain says that "In the 21st century, nations don’t invade other nations." I'm guessing that the Senator will now announce that he has changed his view, and that the invasion of Iraq was a mistake.

Given my background and regional knowledge, I could say plenty about McCain's totally absurd position on the Georgia/Russia issue (and on dealing with Russia generally) but I don't think that would be interesting to anybody. And besides, I'd rather spend my time trying to figure out when McCain became a neocon.

i really love sports media

2008-07-15T20:32:00.002-04:00

The ESPN coverage of last night's home run derby was disgraceful.

The ESPN anchors paid almost no attention to Justin Morneau during his first go-around, instead preferring to discuss Josh Hamilton's drug-induced dream that led him back to baseball. Great, guys. Can we talk about that when Josh Hamilton actually comes to the plate? Meanwhile, Morneau was hitting his way into the semifinals.

Then Josh Hamilton came to the plate, and blew everyone away by hitting a record 28 homers in the first round. Enough has been said about it that I don't need to analyze it here, other than to say that it was a sight to behold. Amazing.

So, Hamilton sits down, and the semifinals begin. Morneau proceeds to hit better than any of the other players this round, but nobody would know, since ESPN decided to spent his whole appearance interviewing Reggie Jackson. When the dust settled, Morneau had hit enough to make the finals As Deadspin put it, "Is Justin Morneau gonna have to start freebasin' in the batters box to get ESPN's attention?" Of course, they only get half credit, as Deadspin editor AJ Daulerio couldn't even spell the former AL MVP's name right, stabbing and failing with "Justin Moreneau."

So, the final round happens, and what do you know - Hamilton tired himself out in the first round, and Morneau hits more homers in the finals to win the whole gosh-durn Home-Run Derby. What does ESPN do? They interview Josh Hamilton. They literally have the reporter tell Morneau that they'll get to him in a minute, push him out of frame, and interview Hamilton. How insulting is that? They finally talk to Justin when they present him with a check to Boys and Girls clubs and a trophy (of course, to add an insult, one of the suits refers to him as "Jason"). What's the first question? It's about what it was like for him to watch Josh Hamilton. What a slap in the face.

Guys, we know you don't care at all about Minnesota sports. But some people do. And there are plenty of others who like sports in general, and are more interested in watching them and celebrating their few successes than listening to the same tripe you repeat ad nauseum.

Anyway, congrats to Mr. Morneau. Here is an article from MLB.com that doesn't totally blow it.

wordle

2008-07-11T21:03:00.002-04:00

Check out wordle.net. It's a cool piece of software that allows you to input text or a url, and it will make a word cloud out of the most common words in that text or on that page.

Here's one I made using one of my all-time favorites, George Orwell's 1984. Click it to see a larger version on their website.

i love sports media

2008-07-08T19:34:00.004-04:00

I've been critical of the national sports media before, and I think everyone I've ever talked to is aware of my thoughts on the subject, but this Brett Favre garbage has got to take the cake. The hero worship is unbelievable. From the front page of ESPN.com today:

Report: Favre sends text message to Packers GM

Who cares? Nobody. Nobody cares. Okay, some people care. But most of us don't care enough to have it be a top story on ESPN.com.

long time no blorg. blorg? blog. i meant blog.

2008-06-30T21:22:00.005-04:00

Lots of things can happen in a month.

- Got engaged. Yay! I took the lady to Vegas over an extended Memorial Day weekend, and proposed after a long day of exploring the strip, a sunset dinner at Alizé on top of the Palms, and Cirque du Soleil's Beatles-themed show LOVE. Gave her a ring and everything. It was a great time. I highly recommend staying at the Bellagio if you can get a reasonable rate.

- Future wife spent some time in the hospital while she had her appendix out. The doctors didn't know what the cause of her pain was, so they just decided to remove her appendix and hope that she felt better. Now, she feels better. A little scary there for a while, and I had to miss what was apparently a fantastic Pearl Jam show (with my DC favorite Ted Leo opening).

- I saw R.E.M. in concert for the first time. I made the trip with a member of The Rockist Society, who recounted it here. R.E.M. was fantastic and energetic. I also really appreciated The National, who are much more intense live than they sounds on their albums (though that wouldn't be hard).

- I bought Claire a Wii. We borrowed Guitar Hero from some friends and played that for a while. I enjoyed some Super Paper Mario while at home taking care of the appendectomy patient. Mostly, we like making little Miis that look like our favorite fictional characters.

Lots of other stuff too, presumably. I mean, it's been over a month. I've seen some movies and read some books that I've been meaning to write about, so maybe I'll get to that one of these days.

things that happen on the hill

2008-05-21T17:15:00.002-04:00

Today, I was served ice cream by Connie Britton of Friday Night Lights.

thoughts on the nba draft lottery

2008-05-20T21:46:00.002-04:00

Yeah, sure. The Bulls. That franchise really needed a break.

stop whispering

2008-05-12T21:42:00.008-04:00

START SHOUTING!

Last night we went to see Radiohead. Radiohead! I've been in love with Radiohead since their first album - which means I had been waiting to see them in concert for about 15 years.

It was a dark and stormy night. Seriously, we were in the middle of one most significant all-day downpours I can remember. Unfortunately, the concert was at the Nissan Pavilion, which is kind of inconvenient from downtown DC. It's a moderate distance away. Worse, the number of cars plus some small roads result in a traffic nightmare.

Claire and I caught a ride with one of my coworkers and his wife. We drove out and tried to enter the pavilion area "the back way," but a flooded road made that impossible. So, we got routed into a long line of cars. We spent somewhere between 30 minutes and an hour less than By the time we got into the parking lot, we decided to throw down $30 for "premium parking" so that we could get in fast and get out at a reasonable time. This was a good plan - we hoofed it through the rain and only missed the first two songs.

Thank God we were in the covered pavilion and not out on the lawn - we got a respite from the rain. Also, as we entered our assigned row, I realized that we were randomly standing next to one of The Rockists and two other friends from the neighborhood.

We also decided to leave before the 2nd Encore so that we could beat traffic back to DC. While I'm not normally one to leave before the end of anything, I thought this was a great decision. Our premium parking and early departure got us out right away. And on a night where my shoes were filled with water, that was a good thing.

So...how was the show?

Set List:

All I Need - Jigsaw Falling Into Place - Lucky - Nude - Pyramid Song - Weird Fishes/Arpeggi - Myxomatosis - Idioteque - Faust Arp - Videotape - Paranoid Android - Just - Reckoner - Everything In Its Right Place - Bangers and Mash - Bodysnatchers

First Encore:

Like Spinning Plates - Optimistic - Karma Police - Go Slowly - Planet Telex

Second Encore:

Fake Plastic Trees - National Anthem - House of Cards

Um...the show was amazing. First of all, this was the best light show of any concert I've ever seen. The stage was covered in giant poles that lit up in every color of the rainbow (I guess you could say...In Rainbows? Ha ha). Some songs featured one particular color, some used several, some had the poles in an effect that looked like rain, and some like a classic spectrum analyzer. Behind the poles but still visible was a wide, short screen that featured live shots of individual band members while they were playing.

I was pleased that they played Pyramid Song, which is my favorite off of Amnesiac. Myxomatosis was frenetic and joyful...and unexpected, as they hadn't played it yet on this tour. I could do without the album version of Idioteque, but it's an entirely different animal live.

I love you, scary Radiohead Bear

Thom Yorke thanked all of us for coming and braving the rain and apologized for our bad day - and then rewarded us by delivering an unbelievable Paranoid Android. The sound was clear and the energy was high. During the fast portions, the poles flickered back and forth between a bright red and a royal blue so fast and so wildly that even a proper description of it could trigger seizures. That was immediately followed by a driving Just.

Reckoner will become a go-to song for them, if it isn't already, and was a good lead in to crowd-pleaser Everything In Its Right Place.

After ending the main set with the energy boost that is Bodysnatchers and a quick break, they came out and delivered a stunning encore, especially strong with a really clean version of Optimistic. I think everyone in the place was a little surprised to hear Karma Police - but nobody complained. It was one of the best songs of the night, and the soaked-through crowd was happy to sing along. That was all I needed to see. We left after Planet Telex - which was another surprise.

All in all, I couldn't have asked for much more. It was a great mix of old and new. The music was great, the performance was great, and it was visually appealing. Awesome.

cubbies visit

2008-04-27T18:10:00.006-04:00

The Chicago Cubs have been in town for the last three days, and Claire and I went to see them play the Nationals all three times. Sadly for Cubs-fan Claire, the Nationals took two out of three games.

The Nationals won Friday night by a 5-3 score after rookie catcher Wil Nieves hit his first major-league homerun in the bottom of the ninth. The Cubs came back strong on Saturday to post a 7-0 shutout. Sunday was a cold and misty day that saw the Nationals rebound for a 2-0 victory.

Click above for a larger version of the panoramic picture

This wasn't the first weekend we had been to the Nationals' brand new stadium, the aptly named Nationals Park. The team held an open house of sorts a few weeks ago, so Claire and I went over and checked out different seats and walked through the suites and other fancy places I'll never get to see again. Thanks, lobbying reform! Anyway, it's a great place to see a game - it seems like the whole design was to go vertical and put the cheap seats closer to the field than they are most other places. Thumbs up.

lost quickie

2008-03-19T16:14:00.002-04:00

Well, last week's episode indicated a few things.

First, I'm a good guesser. I was right about Michael, and half right about Sun and Jin. Oh, and I had Widmore pegged as part of the freighter group - though it remains to be seen if there's Paik/Hanso involvement.

Second, the writers have no problem messing with us for its own sake. The Sun flashforward and Jin flashback was the most manipulative thing they've done that didn't serve as a game-changer important to the underlying story.

It's too bad that we have a break between the next episode and the rest of this season - but maybe I'll take the opportunity to write about something else for a change.

I'm hoping to get some information about a few things before the end of this season. I'll settle for any three - heck, maybe even two - of the following:

"Adam and Eve"
The giant four-toed foot
The "temple," or at least the happenings of the other others
Anything about the origin of Jacob or his magic cabin
What happened to Claire and why Aaron now resides with Kate
Who resides in the coffin from last season's finale

Questions

What happened to Jin? The date on his tombstone was September 22, 2004. That's the date that the plane crashed. I see a few possibilities. (1) Jin was killed in the attempt to leave the island or a related scuffle, and he is not included in the 8 survivors in the concocted cover story about Flight 815 that Jack recounted at Kate's trial. (2) Jin is alive, but still on the island for some reason.

Why does Widmore want the island? I guarantee that it's not for the reasons Ben says it is. What, so he can make it a theme park? So he can make a little cheddar? Money is a great motivator, but the island is much more important than that.

Where did Frank go when he ran an errand? That could be interesting.

What has Michael been up to? Fortunately, it looks like we'll find out this week.

lost in space/time

2008-03-02T20:59:00.000-05:00

My blog is now officially a glorified LOST messageboard. I'm okay with that.

Responses to Comments

I'm intrigued by the idea that Miles is the person in the casket. It makes sense, since it's unlikely anyone would show up for him, and because the area of LA that the funeral appeared to be in fits with Miles' flashback in Inglewood. I hadn't considered Miles at all.

I definitely don't think that Kate kidnapped Aaron. I think that there are three possibilities. (1) Something happened to Claire, and Kate took Aaron (likely at Claire's request); or (2) Claire asked Kate to take Aaron and stayed on the island; or (3) Claire didn't give Aaron up willingly, but Kate wasn't the cause. I'm not sure if we'll see Claire die, but it's possible. The fact that we still need Jack and Claire to discover their relationship makes me think she won't, but the fact that her backstory seems to have been pretty completely explored makes me more skeptical.

I definitely disagree that Kate is self-serving, at least in the way suggested in the comments. I think her reasons for not wanting her mother to see Aaron have nothing to do with the idea that her mother would recognize the baby isn't Kate's. How would her mother know, considering she hadn't met the father? There are plenty of other reasons not to let her mother see the child (like that Kate was still furious with her).

As I posted in the comments, I definitely agree that Jack has a serious amount of guilt. I feel like the "Oceanic 6" leaving the island was the result of some kind of Faustian bargain, whether or not they realized that was the case when they made it. I am very certain that we will see some very dark things very soon.

Regarding the time loop, Daniel had figured out the right variables sometime between when we saw him at Oxford and his time on the island. When Desmond went back on his loop, he gave Daniel information that he would have had eventually - information that just allowed Daniel to get there earlier. And also find Desmond to be his constant.

Latest Episode

So, there were a lot of things going on in the last episode, "The Constant." Primarily, there's the time travel. Or time shifting.

Unfortunately, I haven't read Slaughterhouse-Five since early in high school. I'll have to go through it again if I want to understand a little more about being "unstuck in time." LOST seems to have borrowed heavily from Vonnegut here.

It seems to me that the "time shift" may allow a person to travel along their own timeline, in a way "jumping into themselves" at another moment. We've seen Desmond travel to two different parts of his life.

Can you jump forward, or just backward?
Can you only go back to a certain time that relates to the time you leave from? For example, Desmond has gone back twice. The first time, he went back to a time "before" where he went the second time. If he goes back a third time, will that be "after" the other two?
Is there a way to control these jumps? Is that how, say, Ben can appear on the island and off the island?
Is it possible to split your consciousness and be in multiple times at once?
What would happen if you jumped into a one-minute prior version of yourself? Would that essentially trap you in a never-ending loop? Or create a second version of you in the same place? The instructional film for "The Orchid" may have something to say about that.

Regarding the freighter - who trashed the communications room? Who opened the door to the sick bay? Why, it must be Ben's "man" on the freighter. I am increasingly convinced that it's Michael. I don't know why. I just am. I hope it's the case, because if it is we can bet on a great episode explaining exactly how Michael got to where he is.

Next Episode

Next episode appears to be Juliet-focused. I feel like we're about to get some answers. And, from the preview, some of them may come from Juliet, who most definitely knows more than she has let on. I don't really have any specific predictions for the next episode because the last one left us in such a peculiar place.

okay, still a little lost

2008-02-26T11:49:00.006-05:00

I'm sorry if you don't watch LOST. My advice is to rent the DVDs and watch from the beginning. It really is excellent. And it's all I want to write about right now for some reason. I do have other posts in the pipeline including some about my new job and my recent trip to Panama, but they can wait.

I realize this seems like it takes up a huge amount of my time. It doesn't. I've always been one to ponder this type of stuff, and most of what follows will be stream of consciousness.

Before I get into anything new, I'm going to go over some of the comments from last time.

Comments and Responses

Erin: "I think you are on to something, but that it is only half of the picture. I feel like there will be a scientific explanation and a spiritual explanation that are either competing with one another, or complementary to one another (yin and yang)."

I totally agree. There must be a spiritual or supernatural component of some kind.

Erin: "On a more detailed note, are you sure it's Michael on the boat? It is a possibility, but I think we need some more info on Walt's status as a spirit or living being. Also, wouldn't the people on the freighter have figured out that Michael was a passenger on Oceanic 815?"

I'm certainly not sure, but I feel like this is the best of all of my predictions. I just feel it. I know it's coming. It's a way to bring that character back onto the show. It also is supported by Ben's future use of Sayid. As far as identification, I assume that Michael would be working under an assumed identity...Ben clearly does that, as evidenced by his drawer of 423 passports. Unfortunately, I don't have an answer for Walt.

Brendan: "Do you think the island has always existed in this alternate universe? Did something happen to cause it?"

A good question. I'm not sure. I feel like its existence may have something to do with electromagnetism, but I don't know how it was created. I wonder if that will ever be explained...and if it is, if the origin will be relevant to the whole story.

Brendan: "Why do the "others" do science experiments? Psychological experiments? Do they want to improve the world? Are the others good, bad, or indifferent to the world off the island? And I'm dying to hear about the temple they headed off to. What’s the deal with the Dharma initiative? How did they "discover" the island. Were they able to get to the island using conventional means?"

Again, no clue. Are the "others" doing experiments, or was that just DHARMA? I feel like the "others" are just happy to be there - in other words, relatively indifferent to the outside world - and that DHARMA and the freighter folks are more concerned with learning everything they can. I wonder if their first trip to the island happened because they were present at its "creation" or if they just stumbled upon it.

Brendan: "I thought Kate had a baby too. I love the twist that it's Aaron. I assume that means his mother didn't make it off the island and Jack feels bad about it for some reason. There goes the vision which caused Charlie's "death"."

I loved that as well. I had no idea it was coming. I don't know if that means Desmond's vision was wrong - maybe Claire and Aaron get on a helicopter and then Claire gets off. Maybe Claire asked Kate to take Aaron. Maybe Claire gets on the helicopter and doesn't survive the trip back. I feel like that's the most likely option, and that it's likely that Jack does have some guilt.

New stuff

I am hopeful that the next episode (Desmond) is probably not a flash-back or a flash-forward, but is instead another Desmond Time Travel Adventure.™ That would explain why he's battling a long-haired Daniel Faraday in the preview - I'm guessing he interacts with him in the "past," or whatever it is. It's just like when he ran into Charlie on his previous trip - he had seen him, but didn't remember because it wasn't significant enough to register.

I'm even more hopeful of a Widmore connection to the freighter folk after their response to Desmond's questions about Penny. Namely, that the freighter-ites just looked at each other and didn't say anything. As I've mentioned, I think that the relevant Widmore is Charles, with possible Hanso and Paik involvement.

I think that the 5th and 6th members of the Oceanic 6 are Sun and Jin. Sun has to leave the island, because she's pregnant. Jin wouldn't let her go alone. They're on the beach already. The last episode set up that Jin is looking for places to live in America, which could play in later if they're #5 and #6.

I'm less certain, but I think that Jin may be the body in the coffin that we saw in last year's season finale. Nobody would have gone because nobody in America knows the Kwon family. Kate wouldn't have wanted to see him because he did something wrong when leaving - maybe it's his fault that Claire didn't make it. Maybe he did something awful when they were all back in America. Last year, I would have suggested Michael. Jin is my best guess at this point.

The scene with Daniel trying to "remember" the playing cards Charlotte laid out was very interesting. Long ago, I had a thought that maybe the people on the island were repeating this process over and over with zero to minimal knowledge of the previous times. It happened like that on an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation that I saw in high school, which is no doubt where I got the idea. I don't think that's the case, but I do think that conversation is directly related to the way time functions on the island...which is definitely different than it functions elsewhere. The fact that the helicopter has been gone for "a day" in island time...well, I don't think that's "a day" in regular time. I don't even know if it's anything in regular time.

I actually question if Ben can leave the island at will. Is it possible that he can exist both on the island and off? This would play to the mirror theory a little, I think. Also, that could explain "The Orchid." If you haven't seen the instructional video for "The Orchid," in the extras on the Season 3 LOST DVDs, it's...interesting.

Does Miles really just want $3.2 million? And why that amount? Even if that's his motivation, he's still been brought to the island for a purpose other than finding Ben. He's a ghostbuster, after all.

lost no more?

2008-02-09T12:02:00.005-05:00

I've been thinking a lot about "LOST" over the last few weeks. Claire bought me the 3rd season on DVD for Christmas, and we re-watched the whole thing before the 4th season began.

I have a new theory.

One of the most common recurring themes on the show is the contrast between black and white. There are a million examples - here are a few off the top of my head.

Locke and Walt play backgammon - black and white pieces.
Two bodies, "Adam and Eve," are found in the caves...and on their bodies was a small bag containing a black and white stone.
Claire had a dream in which one of Locke's eyes was white, and the other black.
Charlie's shoes are a black and white checkered pattern.
The DHARMA logos are black on white, and vice versa.
The 108 minute clock is black and white.
The "monster" has been seen as a bright light, and also as "black smoke."

The "Dark Planet" Theory

What I am proposing is that the island is part of a alternate, parallel, universe. Or perhaps I should call it a perpendicular universe. Perhaps a mirror universe. It exists in the same physical space as ours does, but it is invisible to ours and ours is invisible to it.

I think this has been indicated to us in a few ways. One is the recurring "Alice in Wonderland" theme, from the prevalence of white rabbits, to the "Looking Glass" station. This may also be the reason we were force-fed "A Tale of Two Cities" in Season 3 episodes.

Though this universe is a mirror, it is not an exact reflection. Indeed, I propose that the island is on a "planet" that is smaller than ours. That explains why you can sail and sail and sail and always come back to the island - it's the only thing there.

We know that it is possible to travel between universes. There are intersecting points (such as where Michael left and the freighter folks' helicopter entered. Ben is clearly able to come and go from the island as he pleases. Perhaps the intersections are only at certain places in our universe, and perhaps at certain times. These intersections are most likely caused by electromagnetic fields - and it's possible that's the reason the whole alternate universe exists.

What if this "planet" is not in one location? What if it isn't tied to the middle of the Pacific where Flight 815 "crashed"? If it floats around, maybe "orbiting" the center of the earth? It seems to me that people have come to the island from different places, and that could be explained by the movement of the "planet." Possibilities of locations of intersection include certain airspace over the Pacific or trench at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean (which is how Oceanic got there), one near Tunisia (which would explain the Hydra's polar bear remains, and how Eko's brother's plane and perhaps the Black Rock got to the island), and one near Florida (where Locke's father was in a car crash that sent him through a wall). Perhaps there is one place that is always open.

Maybe every 108 minutes, a point of intersection opens. That intersection was prevented by entering the numbers and dissipating the electromagnetic charge. Now that this is no longer happening, anything can come in if it knows where to go...even a freighter.

One inspiration for this theory is the Hanso logo.

The O in the logo appears like my "planet" could - a smaller entity that maintains some of the same space as our planet. Also, the contrast of the yin yang could be another indication.

So, to review, the island is the only thing on a small "planet" in a mirror universe that orbits the center of the earth on the edge of the same space earth occupies that intersects at certain points based on electromagnetic phenomena. Phew.

Light and Dark

I thought that the most interesting line from the second episode of this season was when Daniel Faraday said that the light on the island "doesn't scatter quite right." What if that is because the "light" on the island isn't light? What if it is instead darkenss? This would explain why, when an episode begins with a closeup of an eye and the eye opens, its pupil expands. Normally, when an eye opens to light, the pupil should contract.

This is merely adjunct to the theory, but...it's worth mentioning. I think this would mean a lot in the larger scale of things, but I'm not sure what.

Time

Look, I don't know a lot about physics. I do, however, think this theory would help explain why a payload arrives 31 minutes late (Or, 12 hours and 31 minutes late, or more, if they're really messing with us).

Would time operate differently if the circumference of the "planet" were smaller? What if the planet were, while in Earth's orbit, also orbiting around a parallel sun closer to or further away from our sun, or one that is a different size? I have a lot of reading to do if I want to figure this out.

Anyway, I've long held that time operates differently on the island, and the experiment Daniel Faraday conducted indicated that is true.

Conclusion

This theory doesn't explain a lot of things. It does not explain the smoke monster. It doesn't explain Jacob. It doesn't explain Miles' apparent abilities. However, it doesn't contradict any of these things. That's why it's the best I have going so far. Unfortunately, I don't have enough time to really get further into it - but I'm curious as to whether you have thoughts. Comment away!

Unrelated Ramblings

The freighter people are part of a giant evil (?) corporation that combines the forces of the major powers we know of - Hanso, Widmore, and Paik. Pretty convenient that we know the heads of a few major corporations, isn't it?

Electromagnetism could explain the problems with human gestation, the miraculous healing abilities of the island, and any number of things that anybody with a better understanding of the relevant pseudo-science could no doubt explain.

The freighter people are on the island for Ben, sure. But that's not the only reason. Why would they need Miles if they were after Ben? Are they really just looking for Jacob?

The "he" Kate had to get back to in last season's finale may be...a baby?

Ben does indeed have a spy on the boat. His spy is Michael. Ben helped Michael and Walt get off of the island, then traveled to meet with Michael. Ben isn't usually done with people so easily. I'm sure he had a favor to ask.

out of order

2008-02-09T10:39:00.001-05:00

I can see how that would be a problem.

So, if you want to wash your hands today, you'll have to turn the sink on...tomorrow.

looking to 2010

2008-02-05T22:19:00.000-05:00

Let's talk a little baseball, shall we?

After a long offseason of speculation, the Twins finally traded away Johan Santana - hands down the best pitcher in baseball over the last five seasons.

They didn't really have a choice. Santana was due for free agency after this year, and he was expected to command a record salary for a pitcher. The small market Twins, expecting a revenue increase when their new stadium opens in 2010, offered him at least a 4-year, $80 million extension. It wasn't enough. I'm not even going to rag on Santana for rejecting the deal. I don't think he was concerned about the money per year, but he was instead seeking a longer deal that would lock him up through the age of 36 or 37. The Twins couldn't offer such a deal (really, they couldn't) and so Johan had to go.

Johan delivers in Baltimore last season

The truly unfortunate part for the Twins was that they couldn't get a huge haul in return. Very few teams were willing to part with great packages of top prospects for Santana because they knew they would have to give him a huge contract extension as part of the deal. The Twins took a deal from the Mets (over reported offers from the Yankees and Red Sox).

Though the deal benefits the Twins by sending Santana to the National League, the offer was underwthelming. The Twins got back CF Carlos Gomez (a young and fast but very raw player who won't make anybody forget about Torii Hunter this year) and three right-handed pitching prospects - Phil Humber, Kevin Mulvey, and Deolis Guerra. Of the three, Guerra projects the best, but he is years away from the Major Leagues. Basically, this was a great deal for the Mets.

So, the Twins are looking ahead to that 2010 year when the new stadium is scheduled to open. It's disappointing, but there are signs of hope. The Twins signed 1B Justin Morneau and RF Michael Cuddyer to extensions, and have finally added in Mike Lamb their first 3B who can hit a little since Corey Koskie. LF Delmon Young, one of the game's most promising young players, arrived via trade, and of course C Joe Mauer is still a rock behind the plate.

So, we'll see. This year may be a little less exciting, though the Twins could contend if the stars align. Expect the stars to stay poorly arranged.

anniversaries

2008-01-31T12:26:00.001-05:00

I hope you didn't. I know I didn't. And I never will. Link

that's right

2008-01-08T11:17:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I wonder if my girlfriend lies in bed at night and wonders what great deed she did to land herself a man that can fix a leaky bathtub faucet just by looking at it.

oh my god oh my god oh my god

2008-01-03T16:32:00.000-05:00

I want this right now.

Bacon Salt is a zero calorie, vegetarian, kosher-certified seasoning salt that makes everything taste like real bacon.

Thanks so much to the incomprehensibly brilliant and gorgeous Kate for alerting me to this hyperglorious invention that shall now mercilessly haunt my dreams and flavor my nightmares like smoky, smoky bacon.

BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON

fire somebody

2007-12-24T12:10:00.000-05:00

I hate the Redskins. A lot. I live in a town full of rabid Redskins fans, and I can't stand it. I don't know what it is. I'm sure the wildly racist team name and logo have something to do with it. I'm sure the fact that I spent my formative years watching them play the Vikings doesn't help. I bet I could come up with plenty of other reasons if I had to.

I really, really hate watching the Vikings throw away a game against the Redskins. Poor quarterback play can destroy a team, and Tarvaris Jackson proves it. It's one thing to make a few mistakes because you're inexperienced. It's another to throw off your back foot on a regular basis. It's another to bring the "jump-throw" into the mix. That's only acceptable when you're throwing the ball away out of bounds. Otherwise, it's not going to end up well.

In the second half, the play of the offense wasn't terrible, but it was far too late. The defense was tired from spending the whole game on the field and couldn't (or didn't care to) stop the Washington running game, and 22 points is too huge a halftime deficit to make up for most teams - especially teams with offenses that are passable at best and generally inconsistent.

At least the playcalling has improved. I don't know if somebody punched Brad Childress in the face or what, but the Vikings have for several weeks been calling plays at appropriate times. Even when they're unsuccessful, it's clear that somebody is managing things appropriately.

2007 - the year in music

2007-12-19T22:08:00.000-05:00

Recently, friends The Rockist Society posted their top albums of the year. Their selections are probably "cooler" than mine. And they've heard a lot more music than I have. So, what they provide in quality, I can provide in quantity. I'll give you a series of lists to play with. I'm nice like that.

The Best Album of 2007 (And the song of the year)

Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
I thought this album was okay after my first listen. Like every other Spoon album, I figured you have to listen to it a few times before you can love it. I listened to it a few times. Now I love it. This is, hands down, my album of the year. Best song - You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb

Four Next-Best Albums of 2007 (And the best song on each)

Radiohead - In Rainbows
I'm not just saying this because of the name-your-price gimmick. It's a great album. It's a return to a more traditional style, which may irk the kids but flows well with me. It's a legitimate follow-up to OK Computer, inasmuch as any album can be a legitimate follow-up to OK Computer, which somehow was itself a legitimate follow-up to The Bends. Best song - Faust Arp

Elliott Smith - New Moon
This one is kind of cheating on a few levels. (1) Elliott Smith wasn't alive in 2007; (2) it's a compilation album; and (3) it's two discs. Regardless, there's a lot of great stuff on here. I'm impressed that he had this many quality recordings that hadn't made it onto his albums. Most B-side compilations can't put together 12 decent songs. This one has 24 songs, and nearly all of them are at least solid. Best song - Almost Over

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
I have faith that there's nothing I can say about this album that 3425 music critics haven't said already. I didn't love it as much as they did, but obviously liked it enough to put it in this list. Best Song - Keep the Car Running

Okkervil River - The Stage Names
I don't even remember how I found out about this band, but I did, and I'm glad for it. Between them and Spoon, it's been a good year for Austin, TX bands. Best song - Plus Ones

Seven Great Songs from Albums I Haven't Mentioned Yet

The Broken West - Slow
Field Music - Closer at Hand
Iron & Wine - Resurrection Fern
The New Pornographers - All the Old Showstoppers
The Shins - Sea Legs
The Thrills - Long Forgotten Song
Wilco - Walken

Six Word Album Titles That Rule

Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?

Five Albums From 2007 I Haven't Heard But Want To

Band of Horses - Cease to Begin
Battles - Mirrored
Liars - Liars
The Twilight Sad - Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters
The Weakerthans - Reunion Tour

Four Best Bands I Saw In Concert This Year

Spoon - Austin City Limits Music Festival
The Decemberists - Austin City Limits Music Festival
Art Brut - 9:30 Club (Opening for The Hold Steady)
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - 9:30 Club (early 2007 tour)

Three Albums I Know I'll Like Better if I Listen to More

The National - Boxer
The Thrills - Teenager
Wilco - Sky Blue Sky

Two Anticipated Albums That Were Actually a Little...Meh

Kings of Leon - Because of the Times
Rooney - Calling the World

One Worst Line in Any Song With a Sweet Daft Punk Sample

Kanye West - Stronger - "You can be my black Kate Moss tonight."

what's the time? it's time to get ill

2007-12-02T15:58:00.000-05:00

Much has happened since last I wrote. Over the next week or so, I'll make up for lost time.

The biggest thing for me personally was the month-and-a-half long mysterious stomach ailment. I had it. Claire had it. My parents had it. It was awful.

As far as any of us could tell, we got it from eating a fantastically delicious breakfast brunch at La Fougasse. That's really unfortunate, because I would have loved to have eaten there again, given how good the food was. But now...not so much.

I saw a number of doctors who ran a number of labs, and never got a diagnosis. So, there were no helpful drugs. There was just waiting. Waiting until a day when my stomach could deal with consuming meat, cheese, alcohol, or caffeine. I'm pleased to report to you - that day is here. I'm still a little off, but I've been able to process pizza, so I figure I'm pretty much good to go. Everybody else seems to be fine at this point.

So, I've been a little out of it. I've missed some work, skipped most daily meals, haven't been to the gym in forever, played very few minutes in the ultimate frisbee playoffs, and have spent most of my spare time on the couch at home. It's been a challenge. I'm looking forward to getting back in the swing of things.

fire childress

2007-10-28T14:54:00.000-04:00

I never thought the Vikings could find a coach worse at calling plays or worse at using challenges than Mike Tice. I never thought the Vikings could find a coach worse at clock management than Denny Green.

They may have found both in Brad Childress.

Seriously. Fire Brad Childress. Hire somebody else. Maybe the artificial intelligence from the Madden football games? Anything.

not so trivial, really

2007-10-20T23:45:00.000-04:00

This Friday night, I had the pleasure of attending a trivia bowl hosted by the Asian American Journalists Association. A number of media organizations sponsored teams.

Finishing last in the competition? The Washington Post.

That's kind of funny.

More funny was that, when asked for the five protections afforded by the First Amendment, the Post's team forgot to list freedom of the press.

That's just beautiful.

tripping to texas

2007-10-14T21:12:00.000-04:00

Chicago wasn't nearly the only trip taken this year.

Claire and I vacated DC to head to Texas on July 4th. We stopped in Houston for a night to meet up with my folks and my brother and stay at the new pad owned by my aunt and uncle (my mom's brother). I realize that it seems a little silly to leave Washington, D.C. for July 4th, but I've been here for the fireworks twice already. I feel like I've seen it. Besides, the view from the family's rooftop was spectacular.

From Houston, we left for a town called Columbus. There, we were to meet up with my dad's side of the family for a reunion. It had been almost 10 years since I had seen any of them - a long time, even for my extended family, who spent their time in Texas while I was growing up in Minnesota. We ate great Texas-style barbecue, played Apples to Apples, and enjoyed the family.

The only unfortunate moment for me was when I was stung by a yellowjacket, and cursed in front of some young ones. Or, as their dad put it, I "used a golf course word."

The second Texas trip had to wait until September. This one was a repeat of last year's visit to Austin for the Austin City Limits Music Festival. Basically, it was an excuse for me to look like this for a long weekend.

Of course, it wasn't all just me looking awesome in my straw hat. The family reunion continued, as I spent some time at the concert with my two cousins (really, my cousins once removed, as they're my cousin's daughters). My friend Kerri from law school and DC was there. Also, Claire's parents came down and met us for the first two days of the concert, which was great. Other highlights include a giant semi-truck fire.

Oh yeah - and there was some music going on. Here's a short breakdown of who we saw.

Friday:

Crowded House. Turns out they're more than the two singles everyone's heard - "Don't Dream It's Over" and "Locked Out." They put on a surprisingly fun show. I'd like to hear more of their recordings.

Spoon. Spoon was awesome. I thought they put on an excellent show. Their newest album, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, took a while to grow on me. Now it has, and I can't really stop listening to it. Their prior release, Gimme Fiction, is still one of my go-to albums for any occasion.

Kaiser Chiefs. I was set back kind of far for the show, but they sounded pretty good.

The Killers. Meh. Kind of like putting in their CD. Sure, there were a lot of shiny shoes and fancy dancing, but it was all light and flash. So, to repeat, meh.

Saturday:

Most of Saturday was spent lounging in the shade and bouncing around between shows. I saw snippets of a lot of different folks, but there's only one really worth mentioning.

Arcade Fire. Though I was sitting in a tent and not up close, I really enjoyed the show. They were better live than I thought they would be, and yet not more remarkable than one would expect.

Unfortunately, the White Stripes pulled the week of the concert, or I would be writing about them here. Hmph.

Sunday:

The National. They rocked harder than I thought they would. I like their understated albums, but I think I would prefer if their recorded material sounded a little more raw, like their live show did. I plan on seeing them again the next chance I get.

The Broken West. I heard about this band from my friends over at The Rockist. They were on one of the smaller stages and are apparently unknown enough that it was no problem to walk right up so that there was nobody in front of me. They were a lot of fun - and surprisingly faithful to their recorded material.

Ben Kweller. After last year's bloody performance, I was ready to catch up. Unfortunately, I thought Kweller was subpar. Not only was the performance only okay, but he didn't play my favorite songs of his. I think he was catering to the army of tweens that seemed to be enjoying the show. Wait - not enjoying the show - enjoying blathering to each other and texting their friends while the show was happening. If it's not cool to want to punch young teenage girls in the face, then I guess I'm a grade-A square.

Wilco. Wilco was Wilco. I enjoyed their set, which was exactly what I expected. Well, except for the song where the drummer decided he wanted to break out in heavy metal drum awesomeness despite the fact that it didn't fit at all with the rest of the song.

The Decemberists. I really like this band and their unconventional style. I thought they were good enough live that I'm looking forward to seeing them here in the District in early November. This was probably my 2nd favorite performance. I don't have a really good related picture, but I will note that a few people decided to ride their bikes to the concert.

Bob Dylan. Bob Dylan sounded awful. AWFUL. He was having serious voice problems, and I don't mean the nasal whine that we've all grown to love. I mean it sounded like someone had taken a cheese grater to his vocal chords. Though the backing band sounded great, we didn't want to wait it out - so we left after about a song and a half. I guess now I can say that I've seen Bob Dylan.

And...that's all for Texas. For now.

traveling again

2007-09-26T22:16:00.000-04:00

I've traveled a lot this year and haven't written much about it. I should probably write and share a few pictures. Let's start with baseball.

Claire and Donkey and I made a Friday night trip to Baltimore for an Orioles/Twins game near the end of August, and Claire and I then went back to another game on Sunday. It was nice to go see the Twins, who at that point were not embarrassingly far out of contention. I didn't get to make it back to a game in Minnesota this year, so the weekend series against the Orioles was my only real shot. The Twins and the Nationals played in interleague play this year...but as luck would have it, the series was in Minnesota. I hate luck sometimes. Anyway, Camden Yards is a great stadium; vastly preferable to the Metrodome.

We missed the first few innings of the first game, and when we arrived, the Twins and starting pitcher Johan Santana (whose shirt I was proudly wearing) were down 3-0. Fortunately, after the Orioles got a solo shot from Corey Patterson in the 6th, the Twins unleashed a seven-run onslaught over the final three frames (including homers from Morneau, Hunter and Kubel) to take the game 7-4. Even better, we got to see Pat Neshek pitch in person. Man, that dude is ridiculous.

Santana uncorks a pitch

Game 2 was even more satisfying. It was an 11-3 Twins victory, as the Twins rocked Orioles ace Erik Bedard for 6 runs and managed 14 hits on the game. Though we had fun seats right in the front few rows of the centerfield seats, we abandoned them after a few innings for the upper deck in left field, which was shaded from the sun.

Torii Hunter patrols deep centerfield

Claire and I went to Chicago over Labor Day weekend this year to see some of her friends (who live in San Francisco - long story) and attend a couple of Cubs games. I had never been to Wrigley, and was therefore fairly excited. After all, there's a lot of history at Wrigley. A lot of suffering, mostly, but I seem to recall that history is in no small party about suffering. So, off to see the Cubs play the visiting Astros.

I should preface that Claire and I were well connected with people on this particular weekend. People who could get us great seats. More importantly, people who could get us access to the field and the dugout during batting practice.

Good times

So, that was kind of...awesome. In addition, the game was amazing. The Cubs pulled out a 4-3 victory in a game that they never led by more than 2 runs. Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez homered, and Ryan "The Ninja" Dempster gave up a monstrous Carlos Lee homerun in the 9th that made the game dangerously close.

Soriano ready to crush one

The second game was equally excellent. Though we didn't start out on the field, or sit close behind the plate, we spent the game in the 2nd row down the 3rd base line, right by the Cubs bullpen. The Cubbies were down 5-1 in the 5th inning, but scored 5 unanswered runs for a 6-5 victory. A few more homeruns by Derrek Lee and Matt Murton kept the excitement up.

Jacque Jones still can't hit lefties

I know I've talked a lot about the Cubs here. Don't worry, friends. I'm still a Twins fan. I just live with a Cubs fan. And she's very serious, so I kind of have to give in a little bit. In a Twins/Cubs World Series, of course, I would hope for a four game Twins sweep in which the Twins scored 160 total runs and threw four perfect games. So set your hearts at ease.

Anyway, if you like the pictures, there are plenty more here:
Twins Game 1 / Game 2
Cubs Game 1 / Game 2

wearing the uniform

2007-09-05T21:22:00.000-04:00

Scene: Today, in the House Committee on Financial Services.

Speaker: Committee Chairman Barney Frank, D-MA. Frank is one of two openly gay members of Congress (and no, having a wide stance" does not count as "open").

Quote: "You will have to excuse me while I go speak to the Education and Labor Committee on discrimination based on sexual orientation. Fittingly, I wore a pinstripe suit and lavender tie."

Punchline: I was also today wearing a pinstripe suit and lavender tie. Either Barney Frank was calling me fashionable, gay, or qualified to talk about discrimination based on sexual orientation. Take your pick.

playing ketchup

2007-08-21T17:29:00.000-04:00

I haven't posted in a long time, but this time I had a good reason - I moved to a new place (and now live with Claire), and didn't have internet access at home. Now, the cable internet is up, the wireless router is hooked in, and I can write at my leisure.

Here are some quick hits on a number of different things that I missed:

--The 35W Bridge collapsed. I'm still shocked by this - I used to drive over that bridge every day. I have to say that my first thought when seeing the wreckage was that it was unimpressive. That bridge was much higher up than the pictures of the wreckage make it look, and we are all lucky that there weren't more deaths.

--Here's my transition from bridges to baseball. There were a number of horrible things about the bridge collapse. There were a number of deaths and a number of injuries. I by no means want to make light of those, but I feel that there was one piece of the tragedy that was overlooked.

That's Karl Rove. Talking to White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten. And Rove is wearing a Twins hat. That hurts me in a way that I can't even explain.

--Just this Sunday, Johan Santana struck out 17 batters in 8 innings of work. I am very much looking forward to this Friday evening, when he will be starting against the Orioles in Baltimore. I will be in attendance. I have included the video below - enjoy it while it lasts.

--Several of my friends have updated their blogs recently. Like me, Katie moved. Donkey wrote about one of my favorite topics - Google, and Google Reader. Nate enjoyed a concert to the fullest. Scott posted his top 50 iTunes songs.

--I looked back and noticed that I hadn't told anyone how to disable the Windows update "Restart Now?" box like this. Seriously, I hate it when that little box pops up.

--The House spinelessly passed a bill (previously passed by the Senate) that purportedly fixes FISA but in reality totally destroys it. Civil liberties are overrated, right? Just realize that the gov't can now legally listen into any conversation you have with anyone who is overseas. Yay!

--Finally, I like this little game. It's called "Gimme Friction, Baby" and it's harder than it looks. Give it a shot and you'll figure it out.

most played

2007-07-25T22:27:00.000-04:00

The following are my 20 most played songs according to iTunes.

They're not necessarily my favorite songs, but they're the ones I've heard the most. At least, the ones I've heard the most since my laptop blew up and was then stolen and I had to start keeping the play count all over again.

I have arranged them in alphabetical order by artist, and then song.

Here goes:

Miracle Drug - A.C. Newman
On the Table - A.C. Newman
La Mar (The Ocean) - The Beautiful Girls
Sentimental Guy - Ben Folds
Down - Ben Kweller
Cold Hands (Warm Heart) - Brendan Benson
Gold Into Straw - Brendan Benson
Friend Is a Four Letter Word - Cake
Give It Up - The Format
Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
Crown - Mason Jennings
The Light (Part 2) - Mason Jennings
The Mountain - Mason Jennings
I Summon You - Spoon
My Mathematical Mind - Spoon
They Never Got You - Spoon
Casimir Pulaski Day - Sufjan Stevens
Chicago - Sufjan Stevens
Found My Rosebud - The Thrills
One Horse Town - The Thrills

Now that you've seen them, feel free to psychoanalyze.

spoiler alert

2007-07-24T09:20:00.001-04:00

This morning, one of my interns walked into the office and decided she wanted to loudly discuss with another intern, in detail, how much she liked the end of the final Harry Potter book.

So, that's ruined. I guess I'll still read it, but now I will do so with little interest and no excitement.

This is the 300th post on this blog. I was hoping it would be about something positive, but given the general state of affairs that was kind of a long shot.

statism

2007-07-21T21:17:00.000-04:00

I love The State. I don't mean Minnesota (which I do love), and I don't mean the government. I mean The State, the old MTV sketch comedy show.

I have their hilarious book. I have their "best of" videocassette. And one of these days, I'll be pleased to check out their DVD. What, you say? That's right. Finally, The State will be available to the masses. Consider this my public service announcement.

If you don't know who these people are, their members are behind Stella, Reno 911, Viva Variety, Night at the Museum (some of them wrote it) and, of course, the critically hated but hilariously weird Wet Hot American Summer.

thriller

2007-07-21T10:26:00.000-04:00

Obviously, one of the best songs of my youth is Michael Jackson's "Thriller." Song? Good. Video? Good. Memories? Good.

The video is what most people remember. Almost 14 minutes long, its dance routine is instantly recognizable. And that, friends, is the subject of this post.

Claire completed a New Year's Resolution by learning it last year. (That's use #2 of the Claire tag already. Satisfied, dear?)

One couple decided to have their entire wedding party perform it at the reception.

Some people love it so much that they want to recreate it in a special way - and some of those same people have way too much time on their hands. Stop-motion, even with static toys and blurry, is very difficult. This is a Lego recreation of the whole video - the dancing starts around 8:30.

Any doubt that Michael Jackson is an international star? Some people love it so much that they train an entire prison to do it.

The real reason to post all of this is to get to the Indian version below. I mean, holy crap. This is glorious.

There's also a version in which somebody added subtitles based on what it sounds like he's saying in English. I laughed out loud at that one.

are you happy now?

2007-07-19T22:12:00.000-04:00

Claire, my special lady, has decided that not only do I not post enough, but I definitely do not post about her enough.

She's reading this over my shoulder.

Apparently, she thinks this particular post makes her sound terribly egotistical to everyone who reads my blog.

Picky, picky. You know what they say about beggars and choosers.

Anyway, she liked the "hobo murder" tag on my previous post and suggested a "Claire" tag. Please note the tags below. If I am anything, I'm a sucker for ladies who are interested in how I tag my blog posts. Ooh, yeah. That's the stuff.

nobody watches the floor

2007-07-19T08:07:00.000-04:00

I think that the point of this news story from The Onion is that nobody watches the floor. I'm sure that someone could read such a bill and it wouldn't be seen as out of the ordinary. Of course, the Senate wouldn't vote for cloture, and the bill would die anyway. Yargh!

Live From Congress: Rep. Ingersoll's Murder of a Hobo

I'm a policy dork. I say this in place of telling you all of the things that are wrong with this clip. Okay, I'll just give you one. Republicans stand on the other side.

Yes, I realize that my last two posts have been fake news stories. That's because the real news is boring, predictable, and crushingly depressing. Plus, you can find that anywhere!

Thanks to Mark and Elisa for alerting me to this.

minnewhere?

2007-07-09T21:41:00.001-04:00

Anyone who knows me well knows that I often complain about the national media's sports coverage, especially when it comes to baseball. It's all Yankees/Red Sox, and rarely as in-depth on anything else. This is especially obvious if you're a fan of teams that rarely get covered, say, those from Minnesota.

I'm amazed that Major League Baseball let reigning American League MVP Justin Morneau compete in this year's Home Run Derby. Sure, he's 2nd in the AL in homeruns, but he plays for Minnesota! I mean, they still cursed him by forcing him to hit first, but at least he was there.

Needless to say, I found this hilarious:

Report: Another Baseball Team Almost Does Something As Interesting As Yankees, Red Sox

NOT BOSTON OR NEW YORK—Something nearly worth reporting occurred either Saturday or Sunday—although no written records of the event exist, analysts claim it was the same day the Yankees beat the Mets to take the Subway Series—when the Minnesota Twins squandered a large late-game lead to the Brewers, but then won the game when Jason [sic] Morneau hit a walkoff home run in a manner eerily reminiscent of Red Sox slugger David Ortiz. "Manny Ramirez has really started heating up at the plate as of late, and you know what that means—opposing pitchers had better watch out," ESPN's Sean McAdam said when asked about Corey Hart's eighth-inning homer that cut the Twins' lead to two. "But if the Yankees rotation stays healthy and Abreu keeps swinging a big stick, it will be a tight race down the stretch. Should be a fun summer." Prince Fielder, Torii Hunter, Jeff Suppan, and Joe Nathan were unavailable for comment, as they are not Derek Jeter, Curt Schilling, Johnny Damon, or Alex Rodriguez.

Is there anybody out there who doesn't think The Onion is funny? Anybody anywhere? I'm so pleased that they print a Washington, D.C. edition. It's a must read every week. I don't really read The Express anymore because I don't have a long commute, but I always pick up my free copy of The Onion at my Metro stop.

and...thrust!

2007-07-01T19:36:00.000-04:00

I've heard of batters taking one for the team by leaning into a pitch to get a free trip to first base. Craig Monroe is truly a team player. Seriously, Craig? Even if it's an offspeed pitch, you probably shouldn't throw your crotch at it.

Thanks to With Leather.

no, really?

2007-06-24T00:45:00.000-04:00

It may not seem like it, but I really like blogging. I just have not dedicated my free time - insignificant as I feel it is - to writing. Such a shame, since I enjoy it so.

one syllable

2007-06-14T22:51:00.000-04:00

One of the things I've found most frustrating working in the U.S. House is the lack of civility during official business.

There are actually a few rules that prevent members from openly and plainly insulting each other on the floor, and they're almost universally adhered to. The little things are what frustrate me most.

The biggest of these little things is the refusal of members of the Republican party to use one tiny little syllable.

"Ic."

As in, the end of "Democratic."

Republicans go out of their way to avoid using the correct terminology. They refer to "Democrat" members of Congress, "Democrat" bills, and the "Democrat" party.

It's not just grammatically incorrect. It's childish. It's insulting. We don't call them "The Republic Party." Why not? Because that's not their name. If they really were serious about respecting the institution and their colleagues, they'd let it go.

Here's my proposal. Republicans should give it up.

Since that hasn't happened, and it's unreasonable to assume that they'll see the light, I have another idea.

The House Minority Leader is John Boehner, from the great state of Ohio. As I wrote once before, there's no way it's actually pronounced "bay-ner" like he says it is. So, we should start (and I personally should continue) pronouncing it like it looks.

Now THAT'S childish.

That'll show 'em! Or at least him. Maybe he can whip the rest of his party into shape. Or at least temper the worst offenders. I'm looking at you, Price. And you, Kingston. And especially you, Napoleon. I mean McHenry. Whatever.

"music" videos

2007-06-11T22:30:00.001-04:00

My friends and I often send each other horrible music videos that appear on video sites like Youtube. Here's an example of a particularly horrible "song" and the accompanying video. Please don't bother to watch all of it:

Wow, is that horrible. It must be, because it reminded me of another "tune" that I find painfully horrifying. Maybe it's just me - I mean, perhaps most people like their "singing" off-key. Please don't watch all of this either:

So, apparently the moral is that all you have to do to make a hip-hop single is be wickedly untalented.

The reason I bring all of this up is because I have recently exposed a few people to the following horror, and I was surprised that they hadn't seen it or heard of it before. You definitely need to watch all of this:

Yep, that's Carl Lewis, in a gold medal performance. I don't even know what to say. The voice. The one-piece. The bubbles. The lady-thing in the hot tub. The...I mean, it's not even like it's painful, because it's so strange. I can't even begin to imagine what the thought process could have been like. Literally, I can't. I was going to make up a dialogue between Carl Lewis and a video director, but my brain froze.

ichiro is a danger to himself

2007-06-11T14:01:00.000-04:00

I may have just read my favorite sports quote of the last few years. Please, please tell me that the translation is accurate and that the paper wasn't just playing around. From the Seattle Times:

After the game, the Mariners made another of their dreaded sidetracks to Cleveland, where tonight they will make up the second of four games snowed out in April.

...

The Mariners were clearly not thrilled with the detour before opening a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday.

"To tell the truth, I'm not excited to go to Cleveland, but we have to," Ichiro said through an interpreter. "If I ever saw myself saying I'm excited going to Cleveland, I'd punch myself in the face, because I'm lying."

That's fantastic.

i still love google

2007-05-31T20:19:00.000-04:00

Google just added a great new feature to Google Maps - "Street View." It's only available in select cities, but it's awesome.

Wait, that's not all - look what they're doing with "Google Mapplets." Essentially, they're hosting and making official what third parties have been doing. This is a fantastic development.

I'm just waiting for them to expand Google Transit to the D.C. area.

lost in space

2007-05-30T19:24:00.000-04:00

I'm going to assume that everyone has by now seen the last episode of LOST.

Well, I had my mind sufficiently blown. I was a little disappointed, though, because I figured we were flashing forward when I saw Jack's shiny new cellphone about halfway through the finale. That's a pretty big clue for us technology geeks. Of course, they never reasoned for or explained the new high-efficiency front-loading washer and dryer in the hatch, and I thought that would be something significant.

As far as my other predictions, let's see how I did. Yep, Penny made a present-day appearance, and Naomi didn't give up everything she knows. Charlie did die, and did so heroically. The third season plot, a.k.a. "The Others", saw some resolution, and it looks like we've moved on to the fourth season, which will be "The Rescue." Locke is still alive, and it just fine. And we even saw Walt again. The occupants of the boat are not Penny's people. All in all, I did pretty well...but I didn't expect this particular game-changer. I can't imagine that anyone did.

As I've said, I've always thought that this show had something to do with time. Not "time travel" as in the "Back to the Future" type we all know well. But something else. I think this was evidenced by Desmond's flashback in which he had a second chance with Penny. It appears to me that there may be some kind of time loop, or time bubble. Maybe the "snow globe" that the island appeared to be in was actually time-related.

For example, maybe the "flash forward" in the last episode we saw wasn't a flash forward. Maybe it was a "flash sideways." Let's say that Jack and Kate (and maybe more, but maybe not) are "rescued" by being sent back into themselves at an earlier time so that they don't board the plane, or stop the plane from taking off, or something like that. That would explain why Jack's beard is graying on the island and not in the "flash forward." That would explain why Kate doesn't go to the funeral of someone that she, in this reality, never spent time with on the island. It could explain why Kate does not appear to be a fugitive from justice. It could explain why Jack references his father being alive several times (although I think that he's dead in that reality too, and that Jack's just acting drunk and slightly insane). It may even explain why Oceanic Flight 815 was found at the bottom of the ocean...in this reality, it crashed there, and not on the island.

There are holes here - for example, why they have a "golden pass" on Oceanic airlines (assuming the "they" in "the golden pass that they gave us" meant the airline). I still kind of like the theory, and I would expect that next season will give us the story of the "rescue" on the island as well as flashes to the future/alternate reality/whatever. Maybe in the flash-sideways, they were on Oceanic Flight 815, and it crashed...but not on the island. And instead, they survived.

Jack, or Matisyahu?

There are other questions remaining for next season.

(1) Who is on the boat, since it's not Penny's people? I'm still guessing people representing some evil alliance of the major corporations - Hanso, Widmore, and Paik.
(2) Who is Jacob? Is he the island? The smoke monster? Both? Will he be unmasked, surrounded by Losties, and curse "you meddling kids?"
(3) What are the ruins that the others are going to? Do they have anything to do with a statue of a 4-toed foot?
(4) Where did the "hostiles" come from? It has been implied that they're the original inhabitants of the island. What does that mean? Are they even real? Why does Richard not appear to age? Is it because time doesn't pass on the island in the traditional sense?
(5) What the hell is going on?

lost in translation

2007-05-14T21:47:00.000-04:00

There are two episodes of LOST remaining this season. One next week (a Charlie flashback) and then the two-hour season finale (a Jack flashback, so I'm told).

A few posts ago (and almost a month ago - sorry) I made some predictions. Let's see how they stack up.

(1) We will find out that Locke's father is the "real Sawyer."
Bingo. It turns out this was 100% right.

(2) We will find that our good friend Mikhail is not actually dead.
At this point, it appears that I am some kind of prediction ninja. I rule.

(3) Penny will make some kind of present-day appearance.
Okay, this one is still unclear. We didn't get Penny yet, but we got someone that Penny sent. I still think we have to see her in the present day (or at least something post-crash) before the season ends. We did get someone who said that Penny sent her in Naomi the parachutist. I don't think Naomi has disclosed exactly everything that she knows. Well, it's LOST, so that's probably a given. Stupid secrecy and double-crossing.

(4) Charlie will not die. Or he will die, but will do so heroically.
If Charlie dies, one would expect that it happens this week during his flashback. I'm still skeptical. The writers of this show like to bend us to the breaking point, and the fact that they've announced that Charlie will die should indicate he wouldn't. Of course, killing him with no twist would be a twist at this point.

(5) The third season plot will see resolution; we'll get a hint of the fourth.
I still believe that this will happen...the "Others" story, at least as we know it, will conclude. Especially considering we've learned Ben's background.

(6) Something will happen that will turn the whole thing on its head.
Last time, I wrote, "I'm expecting to have my mind blown." I totally still believe this.

(7) We will get answers to at least one of the big questions.
Well, we learned more about "Jacob," but I don't expect to have him explained. We learned how the "Others" got there...but then had the "hostiles" shoved in our faces. I think that the finale game changer will answer some questions but will give us at least one entirely new one. I'm so pleased by this idea.

So, all in all, not terrible. We'll have to see the last two episodes for a final tally. I can't wait to have my mind blown. Ooh, one more prediction, which should be obvious - Locke is still alive. And just fine. Ooh, and even one more. I think we'll see Walt again this season. Why? Because I read in Entertainment Weekly or somewhere that they wanted Michael back for the finale, but Harold Perrineau is busy on some new show or other project. So why not just bring back Walt for something important? So, now that we're through with that, let's try some random theories. These are probably pretty out there, but are all possibilities, I think.

(1) Jacob is "the island." Jacob wants Locke to help him because he doesn't want to be experimented on by Dharma. Dharma was experimenting on the island, which is somehow damaging to the island. Locke thinks the island is special and wants to respect it - and Jacob wants that help.

(2) Ben is orchestrating this whole thing - He planned to shoot Locke so that Locke would come back and some of the others would want to join him. That allows Ben to separate the "true believers" from those who would follow Locke - a false prophet? The others split up, and Locke takes his followers back to camp...but the Losties think that they're coming to kidnap Sun. This type of misunderstanding is right out of an episode of Frasier. The bloodiest episode of Frasier ever. Meanwhile, Ben laughs and laughs and laughs. Creepy bastard.

(3) Ben is so worried about a ship coming from offshore because he thinks it's Dharma. Sure, Dharma looks like a bunch of hippies colonizing a weird little island in the middle of nowhere. But, it's not. It's jointly part of the Hanso Foundation, Widmore Corporation (run by Penny's father), and Paik Heavy Industries (run by Sun's father). Ben and the "hostiles" have been communicating with the outside world and pretending to be Dharma (maybe through the satellite station, or maybe by ensuring that a sequence of numbers is pushed into a computer somewhere...) and now that they aren't doing that, Dharma has come calling. Under this theory, Naomi is probably part of Dharma. Either she lied about being sent by Penny, or Penny is in on this whole thing with her father.

(4) Time travel. Now, before you jump the gun and criticize me, just hear me out: Frickin' time travel. Ehh? EHH? Okay, seriously - during the first season, I was thinking about time travel. During the second season, which involved a hatch filled with a bunch of old records but also a high-efficiency front-loading washer and dryer set, I was really really thinking about time travel. It's possible there's still something up here. If there is, I bet it has something to do with a certain countdown clock. You know, this guy:

(5) The flashbacks are more than just a plot gimmick. I don't know where this is going exactly. Maybe they are how the Others know about the Losties' pasts. Maybe Jacob can see the flashbacks. Or maybe Jacob or the island creates the flashbacks. Or maybe there's time travel, and...well, I'll leave that for another day.

By now, you may have read that LOST will end its run in 2010. I was hoping for two more full seasons...and in a way, that's what we get. It's two (24 episode) seasons worth of LOST, stretched out over three (18 episode) seasons. I think this will give the writers a chance to make sure everything is done right, and will give the actors more time to commit to other projects...but I worry that the long wait between seasons will be a problem for some people. Then again, it hasn't hurt The Sopranos as much as it could have.

eyes forward, buddy

2007-04-24T19:42:00.000-04:00

What are we talking about here? Keeping track of the Yankees, or why Eric Karabell creeps out the guy at the next urinal over?

I don't know if that was ever the headline of the actual story, but I captured the above picture from my Google Reader. Nobody can tell me that wasn't intentional. I mean, come on.

quote of the week

2007-04-21T00:11:00.000-04:00

"Bye bye, pimp cup - bye bye."

--Drunk girl taking a picture of the large purple chalice she was leaving behind on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill, NC. Picture a tall blonde girl wearing too-tall shoes and talking with a thick Atlanta accent.

tragedies

2007-04-19T19:32:00.000-04:00

32 - Death Toll at Virginia Tech on Monday

158 - Death Toll in Baghdad on Wednesday [a]
51 - Average Daily Death Toll in Iraq in January [b]
3,312 - Total Number of U.S. Troops Killed in Iraq [c]
62,086 - Conservative Estimate of Civilians Killed in Iraq [d]

Yeah, I understand. The Virginia Tech shootings on Monday were pretty horrible. Think what it must be like to live in Iraq and see worse than that every single day.

[a] Associated Press
[b] Australia Herald-Sun
[c] San Jose Mercury News
[d] Iraq Body Count [read about methodology here]

the new york times of japan

2007-04-18T18:18:00.000-04:00

Big Brother は人民を監視する「独裁主義国家 (組織)」に使われる。由来は George Orwell の小説『1984』。米小売り大手の Wal-Mart で部下との親密な交際が発覚して解雇された男性は、N.Y. Times 紙の取材に "Wal-Mart is the ultimate Big Brother in corporate America." と述べて、従業員への監視の目の厳しさを強調していた。

Well said, brother. Well said.

lost in thought

2007-04-16T12:20:00.000-04:00

There are six episodes of LOST remaining this season. After last week's awesome episode, I expect a lot more awesomeness to come our way.

As I was on my way into work this morning, I thought about what is coming up. Here are my bold predictions for the rest of this season.

(1) We will find out that Locke's father is the "real Sawyer" who conned Sawyer's parents, causing Mr. Ford to kill Mrs. Ford and then himself. Hopefully, our Sawyer will learn this as well. I have no doubt this will happen. They've been beating us over the head with it.

(2) We will find that our good friend Mikhail is not actually dead. I've been saying this since his ears started bleeding.

(3) Penny, aka Desmond's lady friend, will make some kind of present-day appearance. She's been looking for him, and we learned last season that her Portuguese listening crew found something. Could this be an appearance on the island? This week is a Desmond flashback, and so there's no doubt she'll appear in that.

(4) Charlie will not die. Okay, maybe Charlie will die - but if so, it won't be like any of the deaths we've seen so far. It will either be incredibly heroic, or it will happen at the very moment you believe that he is totally safe.

(5) The third season plot will see some resolution, and we'll get a hint of the fourth season. This has been a pattern. The first season ended with the opening of the hatch which signaled the end of the story about basic survival on the island and the beginning of season 2's focus on the hatch. The second season ended with the destruction of the hatch and the A-team being kidnapped by the Others. The third season has been all about the Others. We should expect that story to come to some kind of resolution in the 2-hour finale, and we should see some kind of setup for next year.

(6) Something will happen that will turn the whole thing on its head. Forget everything you know. Again. I'm expecting to have my mind blown.

(7) We will get answers to at least one of the following big questions: How did the Others get here? What happened to the Dharma people? Who is this Jacob, and why is he so important anyway? Why is Jack's father so darn important to everyone's flashbacks? Or, of course, what's the deal with this whole magical island thing, anyway?

Thoughts?

good friday!

2007-04-06T19:04:00.000-04:00

This little cartoon describes what I feel like when I sit in my office after 7:00 on a Friday waiting for a phone call.

horrible tragedy revisited (not for the squeamish)

2007-03-31T08:26:00.000-04:00

It has been two months. Two months! It feels like yesterday, but only because the images are burned into my consciousness - nay, my very soul. I don't know how many people died that day - media reports are sketchy at best - but it was probably, based on the number of news stories about it, a lot.

This was truly the greatest tragedy in the history of recorded time. It was all of the horror of the sinking of the Lusitania with some of the horror of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Or maybe the sinking of another boat, if there's a more famous one I'm not thinking of right now.

Or maybe it's just the two month anniversary of when the city of Boston shut itself down for no reason.

hack hackery hack hackery hack hack haroo

2007-03-25T21:22:00.000-04:00

Over the last few weeks, I've watched committee hearings and the House floor closely. I've been trying to figure out who the most reprehensible political hack in Congress is.

Going in, the frontrunners were both from Georgia - Jack Kingston and Tom Price. These guys are pros - most of their floor speeches seem to be purely partisan, both of them like to talk about "the Democrat party"...Tough choice. Kingston has an embarrassingly inflammatory website, but I had to eliminate him because he had a good enough sense of humor to appear on The Colbert Report early on. Tom Price was looking great, especially after I saw him give an inflammatory rant to an empty chamber and even more when I learned that his preferred website address was http://tom.house.gov. Oh, please.

Unfortunately, I had to rudely shove them aside for my new favorite - Texas Republican Louie Gohmert.

Background? Check. A district judge in Texas known for his "innovative rulings." Also an Aggie.
Controversy? Check. Took his seat from Democrat Max Sandlin after Tom Delay's mid-decade redistricting scheme.
Gomer picture? Oh, sweet check.

I also have a personal interest here. Gohmert represents the place where my parents grew up. This is the place I think of when I remember my grandparents. For the love, he was born in a town that my family founded.

His position the DC Voting Rights Act is the reason for bringing this to the level of a post. First, he offered 44 amendments in the Judiciary Committee to try and prevent the bill from being reported to the floor. Then, when it actually got to the floor, he argued against the bill by saying,

"I would submit to you that Washington, D.C. is also the only city in the entire country that every Senator and every Member of Congress has a vested interest in seeing that it works properly, that water works, sewer works, and no other city in America has that."

So, wait - we shouldn't get to vote because you're concerned about our needs? Nevermind the fact that we're citizens. Nevermind the fact that you and your friends in Congress try to micromanage the District and that its citizens have no say in your machinations.

Smartly, Washington DC blog DCist picked up on this in a post here, encouraging District residents to treat Mr. Gohmert as their own representative. Why not? If he has a vested interest, why shouldn't we all call him and have him fly a flag over the Capitol for us? Why shouldn't we ask him to come to our neighborhood meetings? Why shouldn't we call his scheduler and try and get a meeting to talk about important local issues? The Washington Post actually picked up on the story. Fantastic.

You know what, Congressman Gohmert? I don't like your style. You know what else? You just got yourself a tag. That's right. I'm going to write about you again. I'm watching.

the bush administration makes an offer

2007-03-23T11:36:00.000-04:00

I know that all of my recent posts have been political - and I'll get to a few things that aren't. But currently, I wanted to share a cartoon my father sent me.

Tom Toles on President Bush's offer for White House staff to testify on the U.S. Attorneys case:

too bad DC can't vote on this

2007-03-22T14:03:00.000-04:00

There is currently a bill on the House floor that will, long story short, provide citizens of Washington, D.C. with representation in the U.S. House of Representatives. There are questions about the constitutionality of the bill, but they are merely that - questions. The disenfranchisement of District residents (including yours truly) is an embarrassment, enough so that the House and Senate should pass the bill and the courts should be left to decide the constitutional issues.

The Republicans generally don't like the bill. Their argument is that it's unconstitutional (this from members of a party that has generally lined up behind a president who would literally use the Constitution as toilet paper if he had an emergency situation at the National Archives.

So, the Republicans have made a "motion to recommit." Essentially, if it passes, the motion would amend the bill to add a provision legislatively ending DC's ban on handguns.

Any member of Congress that votes for the motion to recommit and then against the bill itself is saying that the right to own a handgun is more fundamental than the right to vote.

I expect that the majority of Republicans will take that abhorrent position. What an embarrassment for them and the rest of the legislative branch. What a disgusting slight to the citizens of our country who live in the nation's capital. Garbage.

u.s. attorneys

2007-03-21T22:02:00.000-04:00

I had grand plans to write about the U.S. Attorney story that has been in the news for a few weeks, but it's become entirely impossible to create a reasonable summary considering how ridiculous the whole thing has gotten.

The basic story is that the Administration fired a bunch of U.S. Attorneys (which they are allowed to do). The problem here is an ethical one - there are mountains of evidence indicating that they fired these attorneys for purely partisan reasons. In at least one case, because the attorney had prosecuted Republican Congressman Duke Cunningham and was looking into the developing scandal with Wilkes, Foggo and the CIA. In a few cases, it appears that they were fired because they didn't push ahead with questionable cases against Democrats right before the 2006 elections. Couldn't have been that there was no evidence...apparently. Hilariously, these people were replaced with young up-and-coming Republicans with questionable qualifications.

Though U.S. Attorneys are at-will employees, it is a huge problem if the Bush folks fired them for these reasons.

Many have used the "Clinton did it too" line in defense of the Bush Administration. It's true, to some extent - Clinton, and Bush I before him, and Reagan before him, all fired U.S. Attorneys. However, they did it right when they took office, like Presidents often do with administration employees. In those situations, the attorneys were allowed to finish out their terms and were not terminated for non-governmental reasons.

Aside - can we, as a society, stop saying that U.S. Attorneys (or anyone else for that matter) "serve at the pleasure of the President?" That sounds like a set-up for the worst porno flick of all time.

So, long story short, emails have recently come out that indicate these firings were partisan and ridiculous and are evidence of the same kind of patronage and political hackery that the Bush White House and their folks are famous for.

The House and Senate asked for certain Administration officials to testify. President Bush was kind enough to offer up Karl Rove and Harriet Miers to testify, as long as they did so not under oath in a closed-door session - not available to the press - during which no transcripts would be created and then presumably everyone there would have their memories erased by one of those flash things from Men in Black. The House responded by laughing, and today issued subpoenas. We'll see where that goes.

The moral of the story is simple - January 20, 2009 will be a very good day, regardless of who gets sworn in. Unless Bush somehow declares that he can be President again and it's him getting sworn in. I wouldn't be that shocked. Argh.

fly me to the danger zone

2007-03-18T12:49:00.000-04:00

Articles like this, about how my workplace is doomed, make me happy.

Okay, not happy. But I've been saying for a long time that the lack of security at the nation's Capitol is a serious problem. It's a joke, even. I can't even tell you how many places I've been that have better security. I visited NBC in New York with my girlfriend, who used to work there, and they had technology that makes the Capitol look as secure as a city park. I went to my dad's office in the suburbs of Minneapolis, and they had much better procedures for getting in and out of the building.

I mean, they actually wanted you to sign in so that they had a record of who had been there. Imagine that! No, seriously, imagine it. What, do you think I'm kidding? What gives you the idea that I'm messing around here? Imagine it. Do it. Do it right now. Close your eyes and imagine as hard as you possibly can.

Thank you. Aww, now now, Mom. Don't worry. I won't be working there forever. And besides, I'm on the House side, which is a much worse target than the Senate side or the Capitol itself. It's just a little disconcerting when the former Senate sergeant-at-arms is the guy saying that our security is a joke.

crazyworld embarasses me again

2007-03-09T12:17:00.000-05:00

Things are crazy right now. Crazy. I have gone from doing a job and a half to doing two and a half jobs. Needless to say, I've been working like crazy during the day and drained at night, so there hasn't been any time for things like, you know, blogging. Or answering my friends' emails. Or making food for this thing I used to have called "dinner."

I guess things could be crazier. Like they were in the story at that link. Here's a taste for those with clickaphobia.

At least 11 people died and more than 100 people were injured at an annual spring festival in eastern Pakistan celebrated with the flying of thousands of colourful kites, officials said today.

The deaths and injuries were caused by stray bullets, sharpened kite-strings, electrocution and people falling off rooftops yesterday...

I mean, I had nine phone messages this morning, all of which must have arrived between 5:30 last night and 8:45 this morning. That's crazy. But things could be crazier. That's all I'm saying.

crazypants embarasses minnesota again

2007-02-23T15:21:00.000-05:00

This may be my longest gap between posts ever. As before, I'm super busy. This, however, made me drop everything I'm doing.

That's right - Michele Bachmann has done it again.

The Rep from Minnesota's 6th congressional district is so consistently crazy pants that people don't even miss the absurd inanity of Katherine Harris. She molestered the president at the State of the Union. She...you know, instead of listing a bunch of stuff here, check out the Dump Michele Bachmann blog.

U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann claims to know of a plan, already worked out with a line drawn on the map, for the partition of Iraq in which Iran will control half of the country and set it up as a “a terrorist safe haven zone” and a staging area for attacks around the Middle East and on the United States.
...
“Iran is the trouble maker, trying to tip over apple carts all over Baghdad right now because they want America to pull out. And do you know why? It’s because they’ve already decided that they’re going to partition Iraq.

And half of Iraq, the western, northern portion of Iraq, is going to be called…. the Iraq State of Islam, something like that. And I’m sorry, I don’t have the official name, but it’s meant to be the training ground for the terrorists. There’s already an agreement made.

They are going to get half of Iraq and that is going to be a terrorist safe haven zone where they can go ahead and bring about more terrorist attacks in the Middle East region and then to come against the United States because we are their avowed enemy.”
...
Bachmann did not say how she knew about this plan, nor with whom Iran has made this deal.

Holy cow, crazypants.

no dissent is good dissent

2007-02-01T10:31:00.000-05:00

There are many things that drive me insane about the Bush Administration and some of the far-right Republicans in Congress. One of the most significant is the constant criticism of those who disagree with President Bush.

We've heard it for a long time now. Criticism of the war in Iraq or of the workings of the war on terror is treasonous, or gives comfort to the terrorists, or causes babies to spontaneously combust. I mean, this is what you get when "you're either with us or against us." New Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has already said that a resolution opposing Bush's troop escalation "emboldens the enemy." Hilariously, the tactic has spread. Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki said a few weeks ago that comments made by Bush and Rice "give a morale boost to the terrorists and push them toward making an extra effort."

Talking Points Memo posted a video on Youtube that highlights how hollow this practice is.

David Gregory's question is a good one. What, according to the administration, would be an appropriate way to dissent? The answer is pretty obvious. There is no appropriate way to dissent. After all, "you're either with or against us."

I guess I'm a terrorist. Sign me up.

colbert the thief

2007-01-25T22:53:00.000-05:00

So, those of you who missed The Colbert Report last week missed something special. One week ago today, Colbert's guest was Bill O'Reilly. O'Reilly also had Colbert on his show.

You can read about it here.

It was expected that Colbert would own O'Reilly. He did. O'Reilly looked petulant and ridiculous, and Colbert looked...well, like his petulant and ridiculous character. In out O'Reillying O'Reilly, he came off as likable and smarter than his "Papa Bear."

To top it off, at the end of Colbert's show, he hoisted onto his mantle a microwave that he said he stole from O'Reilly's green room.

According to the ABC News article I linked to above:

It may have been a greater error allowing Colbert into the Fox News headquarters, located near the "Colbert Report" studios in Manhattan. There, Colbert smuggled a microwave out of the green room, a bounty which he proudly displayed at the conclusion of his show.

A spokesman for Fox News confirmed that Colbert stole the microwave, but said it was all in good fun.

Well, here's the interesting part. Mr. Colbert stopped by my office last Friday, the day after the show. He told us that yes, he did steal the microwave. He also told us that it was not set up with the Fox people...he actually stole the microwave. That is both hilarious and ballsy. Mr. Colbert, I salute you.

workin' in a coal mine

2007-01-19T11:13:00.000-05:00

I realize it has been over 2 weeks since I have posted. This unprecedented drought is unacceptable, and I will undo it this weekend. I have several things I've been working on, but they've been interrupted by a trip out of town, busy time at work, and plans every night of every week except for one.

There will be a lot of new posts this next week.

Oh, and I did post something over at Res Musicata.

hypocrisy in the ranks

2007-01-02T12:17:00.000-05:00

Talking Points Memo has a piece up right now that should make anybody who followed the 109th Congress a little queasy.

Several Republican members have sent a letter (known as a "Dear Colleague" on the Hill) to other Republican members asking them to fight for the rights of the poor, oppressed Republican minority. Never mind the fact that they're not even the minority yet - that's not the point. What's hilarious is that they're asking for fairness and openness from the new Democratic leadership - fairness and openness that they didn't even consider showing to the Democrats during their 12-year reign.

For example, the letter asks for "a full amendment process that grants all members the right to offer amendments or substitutes". That's funny, because I don't recall such a process being offered a single time last year outside of appropriations bills (which always operate under so-called "open rules"). These guys must have a short memory, because I can't imagine that they could actually sign their names to something so blatantly hypocritical.

This is the type of thing that should be expected from McHenry, who you may remember from his baseless claims that the Democrats uncovered the Foley scandal as an election ploy, or from his picture next to "Napoleon Complex" in the dictionary (Okay, so his picture isn't there. Probably). I don't know much about Cantor, but Tom Davis was once the head of the NRCC and has a whole mess of ridiculous crap on his record.

But, then, why a kerfuffle about little hypocrisy? It's Congress!

happy new year

2007-01-01T16:52:00.000-05:00

Here's to 2007. I'm glad 2006 is over. Why, you ask? Let's look at the last year:

I got maced.
All of my stuff got stolen.
My car was destroyed.
I had to take the bar exam.
Congress was the worst.
No, seriously. Need an example?
How about another example?
Electoral dirty tricks, again.
Privacy rights went down the commode.

On the upside:

I got a lot of insurance money.
A nice new house in the city.
A trip to Austin City Limits.
The Twins bounced back.
Started a new, flagging music blog.
It's the little stuff that counts.

So, here's hoping that this year has more of the good stuff, and less of the...well, getting maced in the face. That goes for me and for you. Enjoy!

it's about time

2006-12-28T16:18:00.000-05:00

I'm sure this will be front page news tomorrow. Britain is about to pay off the last remaining installment they owe the U.S. from money loaned to them in WWII.

Isn't is great to see a country (I mean, besides the U.S., obviously) show both fiscal discipline AND meet its international obligations? I'm just glad America is such a shining beacon to the rest of the world.

gerald ford dead today

2006-12-27T12:37:00.000-05:00

When I read early this morning that Gerald Ford had died, I immediately thought of this.

I mean, there was really no way to avoid it. I loved this sketch. Carvey as Brokaw? Good. Gerald Ford eaten by wolves? Goooooooooood.

merry christmas

2006-12-25T14:00:00.000-05:00

That's all. Merry Christmas; Happy Holidays; Season's Greetings.

And a one-day early Happy Birthday to Uncle Mark.

why i love DC

2006-12-21T08:45:00.000-05:00

First order of business - I have two posts up over at Res Musicata, the well-conceived ill-working music blog I have previously mentioned. Both posts are about concerts I've been to recently - one in a small club, and the other arena-style.

There are a lot of things to like about the District of Columbia. Sure, there are monuments, and museums, and things to see. That's all well and good for those of you who don't live here. When you've been here for a while, however, you have to look for new and exciting things to do. Or actually, just new things. Sure, I could have gone to the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, which I hear is great but still haven't been to. I could visit Arlington National Cemetery or go up to the top of the Washington Monument. There are plenty of things in this town I haven't done. But, I've always said (starting now), you have to put off what you can always do for something less fun that only comes around once in a while.

So, we went to Chanukah on the Ellipse. Or, as it was popularly called by no one, CHANOOKAH ON THE MALL. And let me tell you, this was outstanding. In addition to Dreidel Man - that's right, THE Dreidel Man - we had an appearance from what were no doubt some real live Maccabees. A little boy read something he had written about why Chanukah is a great holiday. I heard that there were latkes, but I apparently missed out. Regardless, this is a reason to love living in our nation's capital.

Kind of funny to have a huge Chanukah celebration on the Ellipse in front of the White House, next to a giant Christmas tree and a nearly life-size creche. Because this administration loves non-Christians so much. Yeah. The president loves non-Christians like he loves pie. And I hear that the president loves him some pie.

We don't have Chanukah every weekend, but there's always something to do. Last Saturday, I went with a group of friends to volunteer at the Capital Area Food Bank. We spent all morning sorting cans and other donated food into bins so that a group coming in the afternoon could divide it and prepare it to be sent to agencies and groups that use it to cook for those who need it most or that distribute it directly to the people.

By far my favorite parts of this were (1) The USDA generic food we found, indicating that someone must have dipped into their bomb shelter to make a donation, and (2) The lady who was stacking all of the cans in the "canned meat" bin. She got mad whenever anyone dumped cans in her bin and it disturbed the towers she was creating. Of course, the volunteer coordinator didn't care, because there's no reason to stack the cans. They're in a big bin. She was wasting her time.

You can have adventures in this town even when you're not trying. Last night, I went to take a bus, when I met Antoine Jackson. (NOTE: Could have been Antoine, Antwan, Antawn, Antuan, Antwon, Antoin, Ant'one, Antjuan, Antowain, Antwaan, Antwuan, Ontwone, or Obi-Wan. We didn't talk about spelling.) Antoine is a 47-year old former high school sprinter who is hoping to make the 2008 Olympic team. Now, Antoine has had some problems with the law - indeed, he has a court appearance tomorrow and expects to be locked up in D.C. jail for 60 days. However, he's going to use that time to train. And even though he's a smoker, he's going to try and quit. And even though he's done a lot of narcotics in his life, he wants to get back in world-class shape. Antoine says that even if he comes close to the Olympics, he figures he's got a book deal. Or exhibition races. He doesn't have to set world records - he just wants to come close. Also, Antoine knows that you HAVE TO believe in God, because there's no way a single sperm could create a human mind. There's NO WAY! Charles Darwin was full of shit, says Antoine.

I didn't disagree.

And, for my time, Antoine offered me a round-trip plane ticket to Beijing when he qualifies for the 2008 Olympics. I just have to get a hold of him and tell him that I'm "the white guy" he talked to "at the bus stop." So, I've got that going for me, which is nice.

Once on the bus, I noticed that there was a Russian couple sitting behind me. They were clearly lost...the woman was holding up a map while the man attempted to figure out where they were trying to go. I nearly broke my post-mace rule of not giving directions to people, when I heard the man say something so exceptionally vulgar that I realized they were fighting. You know, something like "be quiet, or I'll make you be quiet by sticking my junk in your mouth." Such sweet nothings I've never heard! So...charming. The real lesson here is that my Russian is a little better than I thought it was.

On a happy note, right before I got off of the bus, I think I saw two crazy people fall in love. They were rambling about their respective phlegm problems, when one of them called the other a "conehead." They stared at each other for a moment, in silence, and then the man said, "You can be my wife, but my wife is dead." Then they embraced...kind of. It's really too beautiful to describe.

Another day in the life. Holla.

mr. body

2006-12-17T21:40:00.000-05:00

By now, we all know the story of James Kim. The CNET editor died a few weeks ago after he and his family were stranded on a snowy Oregon passway. Kim left his wife and two daughters in the car while he ventured out to find help. Though his wife and daughters were rescued and are now safe at home, Kim died on his quest.

This graphic is a little small, but you can click on it to enlarge it.

The text on the left, under the picture, reads

The body of James Kim, here with daughters Penelope, left, and Sabine, was found Wednesday about a half mile from his car.

When I read that sentence, it seems as if they're saying the picture is of James Kim's body with his daughters. And technically, it is. The author's intent is to say that the body was found, and that the picture if of James Kim and his daughters. The author just found a clumsy way of doing it.

We only use the word "body", however, to describe the physical remains of a person.

For example, the box on the left says "Body of 35 year-old James Kim found about half mile from car". It doesn't say "James Kim found about half mile from car".

I suppose this is because we have an idea that a person's body isn't really the essence of that person (though millions of teenage girls would disagree). Obviously, then, what was found was not James Kim, because "James Kim" has either ceased to exist or because he is now elsewhere (via travels of his soul or whatever you may believe in). It was just his body; his empty shell.

Would there be a similar distinction made when a person is unconscious? When a person is possessed? Body-snatched?

no freakin' way

2006-12-15T12:11:00.000-05:00

Thursday's Washington Post includes an article about circumcision, and how it has been shown to decrease the spread of AIDS in Africa.

The Director of HIV/AIDS at the World Health Organization probably know a lot about the topic. I mean, it is his job. And, based on his last name, he's probably the guy to talk to about circumcision.

But if the procedure was offered widely in countries with high rates of HIV, it might prevent "many tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of infections over time," said Kevin De Cock, director of HIV/AIDS for the World Health Organization, speaking on the conference call.

Ha ha ha ha! Excuse me while I go throw up. From laughing.

true crime

2006-12-07T09:34:00.000-05:00

The other day, I was walking to work when I stumbled upon something that looked like the beginning of every episode of Law and Order.

it's a black day

2006-12-05T09:16:00.001-05:00

That deafening silence you hear?

That's everyone you know, lurking in the shadows. They're celebrating the DAY OF THE NINJA.

Personally, I've been celebrating by giving everyone I see a soul-penetrating stare. Through my ninja mask. I would also be lying if I said that I hadn't thrown a few shurikens.

side projects

2006-12-04T10:52:00.000-05:00

Sometimes, one isn't enough. So, you need a side project. You know, like Gorillaz, the Postal Service, or Trainwreck.

Enter Res Musicata. It's all about the tunes. I've joined with some law school friends to create a blog where lawyers write about music. New albums, old albums, concerts, and whatever else strikes us.

Does this mean that I'll write less on this blog? Nope - not possible, really. It means that I'll write about music stuff over there, and other stuff here. That blog is a side project to this blog, not the other way around.

google reader

2006-11-27T22:29:00.000-05:00

I mentioned in an earlier post that I had started using Google Reader for my blogs. All I have to do is subscribe to the blogs I want to read, and then new posts appear in Google Reader whenever they're put up on a site. This allows me to, for example, not check Donkey's blog over and over...it will tell me when he actually gets around to posting again.

Well, if you look to the right, you'll see that I've added an "Add to Google" button. So, if you use Google Reader, or you'd like to start, just click on that, and you're good to go!

democratic

2006-11-27T18:50:00.000-05:00

I've been on this issue for a while now, and I'm glad to see some press about it.

For many, many years now, Republicans who want to be petty (and that's most of them in Congress) have referred to the Democratic Party as the "Democrat Party". They have referred to Democratic ideas, legislation and votes with the term "Democrat" in place of "Democratic". This childish assault on the English language is unyielding.

Last week, the Washington Post's Ruth Marcus opined that it's time for Republicans to give it up.

I agree. Do they actually expect Democrats to work with them if they're going to be so childishly partisan as to not even use the proper adjective? You don't see me out there talking about the "Republic leadership" or "Republic sex scandals involving underage pages." It's time to let it go and treat each other a little more civilly, no?

turkey day

2006-11-23T18:57:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope y'all had a lot of turkey and other holiday-related foods. I, personally, did not have any turkey. I was making Thanksgiving dinner all by myself here in DC, but I made enough dinner to share. I thought that, in the spirit of the holidays, I would share some pictures. So, welcome to my home for Thanksgiving! Come on in!

There's one thing you should know before you step into the kitchen - I don't play around in the kitchen. That's right - I just dominate. Let there be no doubt that I am the master of all that lives in my kitchen. Do you doubt me? Is there any question? There won't be after you check out my B-Boy stance. Just call me Chef Boyee-ardee.

Unfortunately, I was not lucky enough to be able to spend Thanksgiving with my family in Minnesota this year. My brother lives out on the West Coast these days, and I was just home three times in October for various reasons. So, I was able to convince my family to come to D.C.! For real! That's my brother on the left, my dad in the middle, and my mom on the right.

Dinner is served! Check out the picture below.In the center, you will notice a large meatloaf. Several of you law school readers will remember that dish. Clockwise around the edge, from upper left: Dressing, Wine, Pumpkin Spice Pudding, Black Olives, Cranberry Sauce, Celery (stuffed with a cream-cheese-based dressing), "Marie's Bread" (a Texas recipe), and "Green Rice" (a broccoli-rice-cheese casserole).

After some good food, some wine, and some conversation, the family and I had a post-meal sing-along! You've never had a real Thanksgiving until you've had a sing-along with my family. It sounds like angels. And not just any angels - the angels of dead rock stars.

I hope your holiday was as great as mine!

movin' on up

2006-11-20T22:12:00.000-05:00

I've spent much of the last week away from my desk in the office and out on the town away from home. I've been away from my desk because my boss has chosen to move on up to a nicer, bigger office in another House office building.

It will be nice to have a little more space, but the move has been a big hassle. We have to pack up all of our stuff, even though we're not sure when the move will be. The movers will be operating from December 1st through the end of the year, and they'll only give us 24 hours notice.

The best part is that this offers an opportunity to get rid of stuff we don't need. Congressional offices build up a lot of paper over the years, and we're no exception. We obviously don't want to pack anything that's not important, so we're really deep cleaning to make sure that we're not taking things we're never going to use again. For example: how many copies of the 107th Congress ('01-'02) directory do we need? We'll keep one, and toss the rest.

Now if I would just take the time to do this to my bedroom...

victory is mine

2006-11-09T22:30:00.000-05:00

Victory is mine. And all of ours, really. The Democrats taking back the House and the Senate is good for America. Nobody I've talked to has been able to articulate a reason why things are about to get much worse.

The biggest victor is really bipartisanship. The Democrats will do a much better job reaching out to the other side than the Republican leadership has been doing, if only because it's not possible for them to be worse.

Tuesday was a great day for America. I look forward to January, when we will attempt to increase the federal minimum wage and adopt the 9/11 Commission recommendations in order to actually try and make America safer.

Victory is mine.

problems already

2006-11-07T10:18:00.000-05:00

I would love to post here every instance of problems with our voting system, but instead I recommend you read Talking Points Memo today.

If you have/had problems voting, report it at 1-866-OUR-VOTE. If you'd like to see what problems have been reported, visit the Election Incident Reporting System.

It should be clear to everyone by now that our election system is broken. We need uniform standards. We need to end voter intimidation. We need the means to ensure that every vote is tallied and counted properly. These are problems that are fundamental in our political systems.

The rhetorical question of the day: What type of democracy do we want to be?

why this election matters more

2006-11-06T17:18:00.000-05:00

There are a lot of things I could tell you about why the current Congress is an abomination, but instead I'll point you towards some election-eve reading.

Please read Matt Taibbi's article, "The Worst Congress Ever," from last month's Rolling Stone.

This lays it all out for you. You can learn about the incredible scale of the corruption, incompetence, and partisan hackery of the Republican leadership. These people don't represent the views and the values of any Republicans I know. The leadership is mean, spiteful, and is apparently only interested in power for power's sake. There's no reason, no rationalizing, and no compromise.

This is why we need new leadership now.

the election

2006-11-06T08:21:00.000-05:00

Dirty tricks.

The National Republican Congressional Committee has apparently been funding deceptive robocalls (those made by a machine) in at least 50 races. Robocalls may have a legitimate political purpose, but these are just plain dirty. They begin with a message that sounds like, "Hi. I'm calling with information about [Insert Democratic Candidate's Name]." That is followed by a pause, during which most people hang up. The message then goes on to bash that candidate, and the few people who stick it out to the end actually learn that the call is coming from the Republican group. Democratic campaign offices all over have gotten tons of calls from constituents complaining, assuming that the calls are coming from their office. If they're getting a ton of calls, how many people do you think are annoyed that aren't calling? When you consider that they've set up the calls to show up at least as early as 5:00 am, and that they will call the same person 7 or 8 times during the same dinner period...

Clever? Yes. Misleading? Yes. Permissible? No.

Dirty tricks have no place in political campaigns. The NRCC and the Republicans continue this "Win at all costs" strategy that shows what they actually believe in - Power. That's it. Power for power's sake. You can't treat politics like a game and maintain any kind of issue credibility. If your positions are not good enough to win the battle of ideas, you should either re-tool, or you should lose. Most Americans disapprove of almost everything that President Bush and congressional Republicans have tried to accomplish this session. I know plenty of motivated, fervent, lifelong Republicans who are disgusted with the so-called "values" held by their national leadership. Even they want to refocus the party. Well, it's not going to happen if the Democrats don't take back at least the House.

Add this to all of the negative advertising, especially the commercials that have been outright lies, racist, or generally misleading.

This is not a game. It matters. And if you can successfully use your right to free speech to subvert the system, then it is evidence that pure free speech and democracy together don't work. It's political terrorism.

Projections are that the Democrats will take 25-30 new House seats and won't lose any they currently hold. I would like to be that optimistic, but it's difficult in the face of such filth.

austin city limits music festival review, pt. 3

2006-11-03T20:56:00.000-05:00

I've been so busy for the last month and spent so much time in front a computer at work that I barely want to see one again when I get home. That's about to change, however. This weekend I'm going to start with some political stuff, and I also want to write about some movies I've seen this year. First, I'll begin with the third of the three part post on Austin City Limits.

Sunday morning, we got up and traveled over to see my friends Elisa and Mark. It had been a long time since I had seen these two of my favorite law school students, and it was fortunate that they were in Austin so that I could say hello. They made a fantastic brunch for us, which was even more welcome after the draining two days of concert we had been to so far. As an added bonus, I got to play with Harley - one of my all-time favorite dogs.

Elisa, Mark, Woo, Harlpants

Sadly, not long after I returned from Austin, Harley got out and ran into the road and was killed in traffic. Anyone who has lost a pet knows how devastating it is, and I really feel for Mark and Elisa. Harley was a great dog. Sure, she liked to eat whatever she could get close to, and she pottied in all the wrong places. But Harley was sweet, and she loved to play. I'm glad that I got to spend as much time with her as I did. I hope that Mark and Elisa take solace in the fact that Harley lived an incredible life, being loved as she was.

There were a lot of bands to see on Sunday. Off the top of my head, I recall that KT Tunstall had a good time, that Ween was pretty terrible, and that The New Pornographers were much, much better live than I thought they would be. I would be merely wasting time, however, if I talked more about them and didn't go straight into talking about The Flaming Lips.

There's something about a stage packed with aliens and mid-September Santa Clauses that really lets you know you're in for something a little different. When the singer comes out in a giant hamster ball and rolls on top of the crowd...that's a nice stunt. When he covers himself in fake blood and sings a song through a nun puppet...well, there's not much to say until he puts on giant hands. Oh, and the music was pretty good, too. I think they did everything that I really wanted to hear. It turned out very well. CHMC seemed a little shell shocked.

Do You Realize how insane this is?

The big finale of the evening, and of the concert in general, was Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. And let me tell you, they didn't disappoint. We had to skip trekking over to G Love in order to maintain a good location (as they played at the same stage The Flaming Lips had been at), but it was totally worth it.

Halfway through the show, the wind picked up, and we saw lightning in the distance. Then, the rain came - and boy, did it ever. Brilliantly, we had packed some plastic bags, and made ponchos for ourselves. It was a little late, as we were already soaked, but worked nonetheless. By the time we were ready to focus again, the band was beginning to leave the stage, apparently until the rain stopped a little. I guess that lightning and giant metal stages have a thing for one another...who knew?

You Don't Know How it Feels to see Tom Petty in the rain

After a long break, the band came back, and although there was a sound problem for a few songs, it kicked back in full force and we enjoyed the rest of the show. This was my favorite set of the entire weekend - I like listening to Tom Petty while I'm driving, and this whirlwind weekend had the same kind of feel as driving down an empty 4-lane highway. Perfect.

That's pretty much it - fairly uneventful trip home, which means I didn't have to get into it with airport security even once. I'm glad I went, and I'd like to go again in 2007. Here's hoping I can get the time off of work...

stealing from social security

2006-10-31T08:54:00.000-05:00

Okay, this is too funny.

Seriously, that's amazing. Bush will do anything he can to deny Social Security to those who need it most.

And that's about the last funny thing I'll be posting about politics, maybe ever.

requests

2006-10-26T10:15:00.000-04:00

I've had a few requests lately. People have asked for more content (yeah, sorry, I haven't been home much) and also for more political stuff.

I'll see what I can do. I'm going to put together a few things on some critical policy issues. Will that sate you, animals? WILL IT?

in the name of all that is holy

2006-10-20T11:41:00.000-04:00

GET YOUR TEETH FIXED!
YOU HAVE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS!

I mean, Holy God! Look at it! LOOK AT IT! Is it possible to shudder continuously, or am I having a grand mal seizure?

Woo: Knock knock.
You: Who's there?
Woo: A sabretoothed tiger.
You: A sabretoo...wait a sec, sabretoothed tigers can't talk!
Woo: Yeah, and they can't act, either. ZING!

Thanks to What Would Tyler Durden Do for searing this image into my brain. Oh, and you're welcome, dear friends.

sometimes, you eat the bar...

2006-10-19T14:32:00.000-04:00

Wow, it's been over a week since I posted. I've been pretty busy lately, between work and trips to Minnesota and trying to straighten out everything going on here in D.C.

I should probably announce that I learned that I passed the D.C. Bar Exam. So, that's over. Phew! Now I don't have to ever take that again. Well, the D.C. one, at least. I suppose I could move somewhere else and then take their bar exam. Here's hoping that's not necessary. Seriously.

So, the table is set for a career change, if I decide to sit down and eat. I like the meal I'm eating now, but it's nice to look at the menu now and again...and passing the bar expands that menu. Now if the Democrats take back the House in November, I'll have a whole buffet of fresh, hot options.

So, when did the dinner analogy become ridiculous? I'm going to say that the second sentence was the beginning of the end.

austin city limits music festival review, pt. 2

2006-10-10T23:33:00.000-04:00

I'm in Minnesota right now for my 5-year college reunion. Good times. I actually have some downtime for one of the first times all week, so here's another bit of the breakdown from Austin City Limits.

After our dip into Barton Springs, we returned to the concert and milled around a little bit. We got some dinner (delicious Texas-style bbq - a far cry from the Carolina-style I have become so accustomed to) and made our way to get seats for the first night headliner, Van Morrison.

Van Morrison's song and Moondance

I was amazed at how good Van Morrison sounded. His voice really carried through the whole park, and it still had the same tone and quality that it does on his records. He played a decent amount of stuff I didn't recognize (a little more country than blues, and I understand he recently put out a country-ish album), but he finished with all of the hits. Brown Eyed Girl, Moondance, Gloria, Wild Night...I would have liked Domino and Baby Please Don't Go, but I'm not complaining.

When Van Morrison was over, we waited in a line for a shuttle for over an hour (more time than it would have taken to walk downtown). Once we got back downtown, we met up with some college friends who randomly happened to be in town (thanks to Jen for letting me know and passing along Justin's phone number) at Buffalo Billiards. After chatting for a while, we took the group to our car and drove them to their hotel. In a roundabout way. They didn't really know where their hotel was. Thankfully, I had my Blackberry on me (I know, I know...it's like crack). I google-mapped their hotel and we eventually found our way there and back just in time to fall asleep after 3:00.

Saturday was Mexican breakfast. Mmm. A piece of advice - if you ever have a chance to try an avocado margarita...do it. Yes, it sounds gross...but it's not. It's awesome. And yes, it's like drinking guacamole and tequila. Somehow, that's pleasurable.

By the time we got to the concert, Ben Kweller had started. I really like Ben Kweller, and was looking forward to seeing his set. Unfortunately, he was having serious allergy problems in the form of a neverending nosebleed, and we only got to see him perform one song ("Falling") from beginning to end. I felt bad for the guy.

CHMC and Woo enjoy goofing off

I checked out some of The Secret Machines, and then made it back to the stage where Ben Kweller was to see The Shins.

They played three new songs, all of which were pretty good. They also got through a good deal of the songs from their first two albums, and hit those I really wanted to hear.

These are The Shins, So Says I

After a quick dip into Barton Springs (this time we just went to the free river part - less of a dip and more glorified wading really), we made it back for The Raconteurs. The Raconteurs were, in a word, awesome. I've enjoyed a lot of what I guess you could call "retro rock" lately, so I was juiced for their show. They came on and rocked out - the kind of show that's passionate enough that I now enjoy listening to the album more.

The Raconteurs take it to the next Level

After the Raconteurs, I hustled it over to see The New Pornographers. For some reason, I assumed they wouldn't be very good live...but they actually put on quite a good show. I didn't realize how big the band was. I'd heard them referred to as an "indie supergroup," but the only two members I knew were Neko Case and A.C. Newman. That's just because I'm in no way "indie." I guess I'm just too mainstream for the indie life.

The New Pornographers off of one screen - no Twin Cinema

Next time: Saturday Night through the end of the trip. Perhaps I will finish it before next year's concert...

blog upgrade

2006-10-10T17:59:00.000-04:00

You may have noticed that my blog has undergone a few subtle changes. Some of this is due to an upgrade to the new Blogger Beta. This upgrade is yet another thing I love about Google.

The most prominent change is that posts now have labels. For example, this post is labeled "tech" and "google." If you click on a label, it will take you to a page containing every post that has such a label. You can either click the word at the bottom of the relevant post or you can click on a link the list of all of the labels I have used. That list is found on the right side of the page below the links.

I have also added a few new links. Puma Speed is my friend Nate's new blog. Waffling Up the Kiwi belongs to my friend Luke, who is spending a year in New Zealand. I added several new political blogs, a new sports blog (Deadspin), and links to Google Labs (to find new Google products) and Google Reader (the feed-reader I've started using to read the blogs I link to - and like Blogger, it just got a nice little upgrade

There's also a "subscribe to: Posts (Atom)" link at the bottom of the page. If you use a blog reader, you can now add my blog to your feed. That would prevent you from having to come here and look for new posts that probably aren't there. Yep.

Also, the blog archive is now better organized. I placed it below the labels, because...well, if you're going to look at old stuff I wrote, you might as well do it by topic.

Finally, and most obviously, the new color scheme. A dark blue/green. I'll see if I like it after a week.

giant tv

2006-10-10T10:19:00.000-04:00

Anybody looking for a giant TV? The Samsung DLPs are excellent, I'm told, and this one is comparatively super cheap right now.

One day, I will own a giant TV.

twins

2006-10-06T18:45:00.000-04:00

I was finishing another ACL review post, but I had to stop and post this.

The Twins' season is now over, after Jesse Crain walked in a runner with the bases loaded and then gave up a base-clearing double.

The MVP of this series for the Athletics has to be Ron Gardenhire. The managing this whole series has been terrible. Just pathetic.

He brings in Jesse Crain at the end of the 1st game when we need to keep it within a run, and Crain gives up a HR. He brings in Crain in a tense situation here, and Crain ensures that the Twins will be swept. In both of those situations, you had a rested Joe Nathan available. Just like all season, he doesn't know how to use one of the best relievers in the majors. USE HIM WHEN YOU NEED HIM.

His team is tense and tight and committing errors all over the place, something that they didn't do all season. They don't appear mentally prepared.

I've been frustrated with Gardenhire all year, but this seals it. We had the talent to win this series, and nothing. All thrown away. Unfortunately, because a young and talented Twins team has made the playoffs 4 of 5 years, he's untouchable. I'd rather bring in somebody who has an idea about what it means to think strategically, but it's not going to happen.

Justin Morneau just hit a homerun. If not for Crain's mistakes, it would not be 4-3 Oakland. It's 8-3 Oakland. Game, Series, Season over. Ridiculous.

jailbaitgate

2006-10-04T10:14:00.000-04:00

Okay, one more thing.

Separated at birth: Denver Post columnist Woody Paige and disgraced ex-Congressman Mark Foley. Discuss.

foley

2006-10-03T10:24:00.000-04:00

I'm not even going to write about now ex-Congressman Mark Foley and his problem with the pages. I think enough is being said by everyone else that I probably don't need to chime in. Also, the "insider" view is no different than what the outsiders are saying - Foley had to quit, Hastert has to resign as Speaker, and there needs to be a full investigation of who knew what and who covered it up.

I just want to say that the scandal needs to be referred to as "Jailbaitgate." Is that too much to ask?

they actually did it

2006-10-02T00:36:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it, but thet actually did it. The Twins won the American League Central.

They took sole possession of first place in the division today - the only time they've had it all season. The last day of the season. Fantastic!

For your viewing pleasure, please see below...I'm told this was FSN North's Twins Highlight Video. And it's the second video I've posted this week using that song...

austin city limits music festival review, pt. 1

2006-09-28T14:40:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned, I was in Austin, TX for the Austin City Limits Muic Festival from Thursday, September 14th though Monday, September 18th. I took Friday and Monday away from the office to have what was functionally my post-bar exam trip. Sure, I was a month and a half late...but a late trip is better than no trip - that's for sure.

My travel partner was CHMC, who I have known since the first week of college - that's over nine years now. She went to graduate school in Austin, at the University of Texas (Hook 'em, Horns). So, she knew the city, and had friends we could stay with.

CHMC and Woo enjoy the first night of the concert

We flew into Austin on Thursday night and immediately went on a quest for late night tacos. Unfortunately, all of CHMC's favorite places seemed to be closed. After spending a few years in New York City, she had forgotten that most cities don't have a lot of 24-hour restaurants...and that things close before midnight during the week. Fortunately, we eventually found a restaurant offering delicious Mexican food, and the night was won.

Friday morning, we went out on the town for muffins and sandals (I really, really didn't want to spend a three-day outdoor concert in socks and shoes). We had planned to make it to the concert was for Ted Leo + Pharmacists, but we got stuck in the city parking downtown and taking the shuttle (actually, a psychadelic schoolbus with no AC and windows that didn't open) from there to the park. Once we got there, I saw something incredible - a huge park with 8 stages, a market, a billion portable toilets, and a lot of places to buy beer.

The first band we watched was called Stars. They're a Canadian band, and their singer followed the first rule of frontmanship, which is "Curse a lot." He also followed the seventh rule, which as you all know is "Say something about how you don't like a politician." Specifically, he went for George Bush, which isn't surprising considering that (1) artists tend to lean left, (2) we were in liberal Austin, and (3) I hear Canadians don't like Bush.

Gnarls Barkley funks it a little bit Crazy

From there we walked over to see Gnarls Barkley, the funkified combination of Cee-Lo (best known as a member of Goodie Mob) and DJ Danger Mouse (formerly best known for The Grey Album, which combined Jay-Z's The Black Album with The Beatles' White Album). On the way, I was handed a $20 gift certificate by someone working on behalf of Threadless, my favorite T-shirt site. I was wearing a Threadless T-shirt that day ("Pandamonium"), and apparently that was their way of showing thanks to their customers. What great folks! Click on the link above and check them out.

As usual, Gnarls Barkley had a theme (they called themselves "John Nash and the Beautiful Minds"), and as expected, they were a lot of fun. Their song "Crazy" is a pretty catchy little ditty. I'm thinking about it right now. Rather, it's controlling my brain.

Watch the video for "Crazy"

You may not have heard this, but Texas is hot. It was so hot outside on Friday that we skipped seeing either Cat Power or Gomez to go jump in Barton Springs. This was a good idea. Barton Springs is a body of natural cold water - it bubbles up from underground at a chilly 68 degrees. If you want to jump in, there are two options. First, there is a pool area, complete with diving board, concrete banks, deep water, and stairs and ladders to get in and out. It costs $3 to access that area, which also includes creature comforts like dressing rooms and bathrooms. Second, there is a river part, where the water from the Springs flows away. We went for the first option so that we could change into swimwear.

The freezing cold deliciousness of downriver Barton Springs

This was a good move. It was freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezing, but afterwards I no longer felt like heatstroke was coming on. I instantly found upon my return to the park that it's much more fun to watch a concert when you don't feel like dying.

Next time: the rest of Friday; Saturday begins.

shout a hip-hooray

2006-09-26T00:34:00.000-04:00

With their win tonight, the Twins clinched a spot in the playoffs.

This is a big slap in the face of everyone who wrote them off at midseason even though they were playing incredible baseball.

Now, the goal is to win the rest of the games to take the AL Central title and get home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Oh, and this means the White Sox do NOT make the playoffs. I'm crying. Tears of joy. Sorry, Ozzie!

continuance

2006-09-25T10:05:00.001-04:00

I continue to put together my writeups of Austin City Limits. Almost done, I swear. In the interim, I wanted to point to a few political things from the last few days.

The CIA tells us that the War on Iraq hurts the war on terror. It's not just that it diverts our attention from Afghanistan and terrorism...it's that the Iraq problem actually has fueled Islamic extremism.

President Clinton gets upset in a FOX News interview. And why shouldn't he? The right-wing disinformation campaign about the run-up to 9/11 has never been hotter. ABC aired a misleading and at times blatantly false "Docudrama" essentially blaming the Clinton administration for 9/11, and FOX News and other wingnuts feed their childish fixation with the former President by taking him apart every chance they get (funny that they simultaneously claim he's no longer relevant but won't leave him alone). Watch the video. It's worth it. It really becomes clear how all of the lies have really personally affected Clinton.

The House of Representatives will consider at least 90 bills today and tomorrow. That's not a typo. They're not all noncontroversial. This kind of run-up to heading home for October (for campaign season, of course) is pretty shameful - it makes it difficult to figure out what you're voting for.

it's true because i say so

2006-09-19T12:09:00.000-04:00

I will have a few long posts about Austin City Limits later this week when I have the time and have uploaded a few pictures. For now, I just want to point you to a radio interview from earlier this week. Ladies and Gentlemen, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld:

"The fact of the matter is - if Saddam Hussein were still in power in Iraq, he would be rolling in petrol dollars. Think of the price of oil today. He would have so much money. And he would be seeing the Iranians interested in a nuclear program, he would be seeing the North Koreans developing a nuclear program, and he'd say well why shouldn't he - and he would. So we're fortunate that he's gone."

To recap, the Iraq war:

Was necessary to remove Saddam Hussein;
Who would have had money to produce a nuclear bomb;
Because of the high price of oil;
Which is artificially high because the shortfall in Iraqi oil production;
Caused by the Iraq war;
Which was necessary to remove Saddam Hussein...

Wow...you can't make this stuff up!

Hey, remember when the public justifications for the War in Iraq were that Iraq had "Weapons of Mass Destruction" and that Iraq helped al Qaeda? Well, those were debunked and debunked, and now we're down to "Iraq might have thought about building a nuclear weapon someday if they had a lot of extra oil money and saw that everybody else was doing it."

off to tejas

2006-09-14T09:11:00.000-04:00

Tonight I leave for Texas. I'm going to the Austin City Limits Music Festival, which is unsurprisingly in Austin. Here's some info about the concert: lineup | map | wiki

Despite my family's significant Texas presence and the fact that I've been to the state more times than I can remember, this will be my first trip to Austin.

This, I suppose, is my post-bar exam trip. Most full-time law students take the bar exam right after law school, and then many (or it seems like most) take a short trip somewhere before they start their jobs. Maybe this is only what big-firm lawyers do...most of my law school friends are now big-firm lawyers, and almost all of them did it. I finished the bar on a Wednesday afternoon and went to work Thursday morning.